Society, State-Society Relations

The word ‘society’ comes from the Latin word ‘Socius’ which means a companion, organization or association. Society refers to a union where people live in a community or society and does not exist in loneliness. Society is used in the sense of a cluster too – for e.g. Rural society or urban society.

In order for society to exist, there has to be a population. Without people society cannot be shaped as society is based on a system of relationships. Society is intangible (cannot be touched) in nature.

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, ‘Society is formed by a large group of people who live together in an organized way, making decisions about how to do things, and sharing the work that needs to be done. All the people in a country, or in several similar countries, can be referred to a society’.

Characteristics of Society

Society is dynamic – Old customs, traditions, values and institutions get transformed and new customs and values take their place.

Likeness – Similarities are common. If there is not mutual recognition of belonging together, there can be no society.

Cooperation and conflict – Cooperation is essential for the formation and smooth functioning of society. Without cooperation there will be chaos and thus no society. Conflict works as a cementing factor to reinforce social relations and is necessary in a society.

Wide-ranging culture – culture is a way of life for members of a society and includes, values, beliefs, art, morals, etc.

Differences – while there are similarities, differences also enhance the social life of the people. E.g. division of labor

Inter-dependence – the survival and well-being of each member depends on the well-being of the other members of society. Man depends on his society for food, shelter, security and other needs.

Thus, society is a network of social relationships.

State-Society Relations

Department for International Development (London) defines state-society relations as ‘interactions between state institutions and societal groups to negotiate how public authority is exercised and how it can be influenced by people. They are focused on issues such as defining the mutual rights and obligations of state and society, negotiation how public resources should be allocated and establishing different modes of representation and accountability’.

Citizenship allows citizens benefits like the right to vote, to hold office, to participate in political processes, to access education, health and other benefits, to own businesses, land, security and freedom on movement.

Thus, state refers to the political dominion of legitimate compulsion (coercive) and society refers to the dominion of voluntary interaction.

State

A state is a political association that enjoys control over a definite geographical area. For example, Indian state – Government of India exercises control over all individuals, groups, associations within its geographical boundaries.

A state is also considered as any institution that can legitimately exercise force over people in a certain geographical area – for example, Indian Judiciary, Indian Police, Military, use force to establish law and order among citizens in any part of India.

Aristotle defines ‘state’ as ‘a union of families and villages having for its end a perfect and self-sufficing life by which we mean a happy and honorable life’.

Woodrow Wilson defines ‘state’ as ‘the people organized for law within a definite territory’.

Dimensions of State

1.       State is a union of different individuals, groups , families and sections of society. State provides the legal bond that holds society together.

2.       State has a purpose. State is created for a reason: to enable individuals to have a better life. If there is no state there will be lawlessness and disorder. Therefore, state establishes law and order and secures people’s basic human rights.

3.       The state comprises of four elements:

a.       Population – State exists for the people. No population, no state.

b.       Territory – State has a fixed geographical area where people reside and government exercises control.

c.       Government – State creates and executes laws so that there is order in society.

d.       Sovereignty – Government has independence of functioning i.e. free from any external or foreign influence.

4.       State institutions should command people’s obedience. People should be loyal by obeying the laws and following government policies.

5.       State should have a degree of permanence i.e. it should have secure territorial boundaries.

6.       State should have Military capabilities – Army, Navy and Air Force to defend its people and territory in case of foreign attack.

7.       State should be organized. In India we have the Constitution, a government, judiciary, public administrative system, laws and regulations.

8.       State reconciles individualism with communitarianism – it forms a balance between individual needs and community needs. For e.g. the right to speech and expressions should not be used to insult others or hurt sentiments or provoke violence.

9.       The term state can be used to imply a political sub unit – 29 states in India – Rajasthan, Maharashtra, etc.

10.   State is different from country and nation. According to Political Science, ‘country’ is referred to a geographical area, and ‘nation’ is a community of people who share a sense of belonging to each other (oneness, unity).

Hall Ticket - Do's and Dont's (University of Mumbai)

The University of Mumbai provides hall tickets to all eligible candidates via its website.

There are two options:

1. You take a print out of your Hall Ticket

2. Your College takes a print out of your Hall Ticket and Distributes the same duly signed.

Note: 

DO's

Please see that the print out is a clear one.

Affix a recent passport sized photograph

The Hall Ticket must be signed / stamped with the signature of the Head of the Institution / Principal.

You will also need to sign the Hall Ticket

Take a photocopy (xerox copy) of the Hall Ticket and keep it safely. (This is especially important for those who tend to lose stuff easily)

Some Hall tickets have provision for signature of the examination supervisor at the center of the exam and the signature has to be taken on the day of the exam (during the exam). This is very important as it is proof of your attendance.

DONT's

Do not write anything unnecessary on your hall ticket

Hall tickets are your ticket to the exam... Do not fold it such that the printing gets distorted.

Hall tickets are a MUST for you to answer the exam... Do not leave for an exam without checking to see whether you have carried your hall ticket with you

Wish each one of you All the Best with the exams!!!

For Exam Tips click here

Arab Spring

In December 2010, Mohamed Bouazizi, a Tunisian Street Food Vendor, set himself on fire. He did this to protest harassment by municipal authorities. This single act became the well known trigger for the protests which led to the overthrowing / ousting of the Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Tunisia was simply the opening act of the Arab Spring, a long running drama that changed the History of the Middle East and North Africa in 2011 and 2012.

The reasons for the unrest in this region (as pointed out by analysts) are:

- corrupt dictatorships
- the rising expectations and frustrations of the large populations of unemployed and underemployed youth
- the catalytic role of social media like twitter and facebook.

The root cause however was the sharply rising food prices. The rising commodity prices provided the reason for the Uprising or the Arab Spring.

The rise in local food prices led to bread riots across Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Egypt and Morocco.

A month before the fall of the Egyptian and Tunisian regimes, the United Nations reported record high prices for meat, dairy, sugar and cereal, in 2011.

To read more about Role of Social Media in Uprisings click here

PUBLIC RELATIONS

The British Institute of Public Relations defines PR as 'The deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organisation and its public'.

Public relations is an ongoing inclusive activity and required planning. A cheerful greeting by a receptionist, an efficient clerk, a polite peon, a well drafted letter, social undertakings, all contribute toward better Public Relations. Thus every person in an organisation directly or indirectly is a PR person. However, due to increasing competition, most large organisations have a dedicated PR Department or Officer or they outsource their PR needs to a PR agency or company.

FUNCTIONS OF THE PR DEPARTMENT

1. PRESS RELATIONS - The PR department disseminates information to the press about the various events, activities, social undertakings etc. This enables increase in publicity.

2. PRODUCT PUBLICITY - Information about the product is presented to the media in the 'Paid sapce'. This is read or heard by a company's customers and prospective customers. It can also publicise the product through sponsorships

3. CORPORATE COMMUNICATION - PR departments promote the understanding of the company and its prodcts and services through internal and external communication.

4. LOBBYING - It means dealing with legislators and governmental officials to promote regulations to the advantage of the company.

5. COUNSELING - PR departments advise the top management on matters related to PR. This also includes advising the company in the event of product mishap. e.g. Maggi

6. IN-HOUSE JOURNALS / NEWSLETTERS / BROUCHERS / ANNUAL REPORTS - Many institutions distribute these to stakeholders as these enable spread information about the company and its products.

7. SPECIAL EVENTS - PR departments also help organisations attract media attention by arranging events, sponsoring events, funding NGOs etc.

8. STAFF WELFARE - Activities for members of the staff are also organised in order to increase their morale. e,g. Achievement recognition, best employee awards, etc

REPORT WRITING

 According to the Oxford English Dictionary: A report is a statement of the results of an investigation or of any matter on which definite information is required.

A report is a well-organized representation of facts or an objective statement of an event that has taken place or exists. It must contain relevant facts and figures. The drafting of a report requires collection of data, analysis and arranging the facts in a logical manner. This is necessary to facilitate decision-making, solving problems, sharing information, investigating incidents, etc. Reports are important means of upward as well as horizontal communication. Reports may be short or long, oral or written, formal or informal.

Formal report writing in professional, technical and business contexts have evolved certain conventions regarding format, style, referencing and other characteristics. These vary in detail between organizations.

All types of reports must be:

-         Reader oriented

-         Precise and concise

-         Accurate

-         Relevant

-         Objective and unbiased

TYPES OF REPORTS

1.    Informational Reports: Collect and present data for the reader. E.g. sales report, quarterly report, accident report etc.

2.    Analytical Reports: Study and interpret data but do not offer suggestions or recommendations. E.g. annual reports, audit reports

3.    Recommendation Reports: recommend actions or suggest solutions. E.g. Feasibility reports, problem solving reports etc

Reports may be written in the schematic or letter format. The longer formal reports follow the schematic format whereas the shorter informal report uses the letter format.

The schematic format is structured as:

1.    Introduction

-         Covering letter

-         Title Page

-         Table of contents

-         List of illustrations

-         Abstract or summary

2.    Body of the Report

-         Terms of reference and authorization (gives the background, scope and objective as well as name of the authorized person)

-         Procedure (Methods adopted for collecting data / information e.g questionnaire, interview or observation)

-         Findings (the outcome of the data collected)

-         Conclusions (deduction based on findings)

-         Recommendations (suggestions or solutions)

3.    References

-         Bibliography

-         Glossary

-         Appendices

-         Index

SAMPLE REPORT

                                                                               Senders Address

                                                                               _________________

                                                                               _________________

                                                                               Date

Receiver’s address

________________

________________

Dear Sir,

Subj: Report on_________________________

Body _______....

Conc _______...

                                                                                      Yours faithfully

                                                                                                Sd/-

                                                                                       Senders name

                                                                                              (Post)

CONFERENCE

The word 'Conference' is derived from the Latin word 'Conferential' which means 'to bring together'. Being a group communication activity, it is a tool of learning, training and development. People are thus able to have discussions and exchange opinions.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A CONFERENCE

- It is a platform for serious intellectual discussion.

- Participants are known as delegates.

- Decisions are not taken at Conferences.

- There is no maximum or minimum number of participants, however, a reasonable number of participants / delegates must be present in order to have a meaningful discussion.

ADVANTAGES OF CONFERENCES

- Conferences encourage exchange of ideas and opinions.

- Issues can be studied in detail and from varied angles.

- Communication is face to face and feedback is immediate.

- Employees are allowed to participate in conferences and this helps in motivating them./

- Conferences help broaden a person's outlook.

- Conferences enhance image of the organizers and sponsors.

- The discussions at conferences provide a valuable base for committee activities in the future.

DISADVANTAGES OF CONFERENCES

- Conferences are not Decision-making bodies and therefore it tends to be a fruitless intellectual exercise.

- At times only a few delegates dominate the discussion and thus there is only limited exchange of ideas.

- If the Chairperson is weak or too dominating, the conference discussion suffers.

- Vague and unrealistic conclusions do not help but rather complicate and cause more confusion.


MODERN OR CONTEMPORARY METHODS OF ORGANIZING A CONFERENCE

TELECONFERENCING - A 'Teleconference' is also called a 'Phone Meeting'. It is a conference via a mobile phone, telephone or network connection. It is an inexpensive method that facilitates more than one person to interact simultaneously. It is time saving and inexpensive as it reduces the need to travel and meet in person.

VIDEOCONFERENCING - It is a medium which provides real-time two way audio-video communication between the presenters and participants over a distance. It is widely used for business as well as academic activities. It can include media such as video clips, animation, graphics, audio, and thus enables better understanding and retention.

ORGANIZING A CONFERENCE

- The Date for the conference must first be finalised keeping in mind that it does not clash with public holidays, festivals or competing events as this will impact participation.

- The Venue for the conference must be suitable to the scale of the conference. The venue should be equipped with facilities such as microphones, LCD projectors, photocopying facilities, etc.

- The conference should be publicised via advertisements, emails, invitations to delegates and guest speakers and a confirmation must be sent well in advance.

- Arrangements for seating, stationary, refreshments, overnight stay if necessary must be made.

- On the day of the Conference a registration desk must be set up and delegates must be provided with badges, schedule of events, a folder containing the abstracts of presentations, evaluation and feedback forms, writing material, etc.

- The Inaugural Session should be well planned as it sets the mood of the conference. The Chairperson should coordinate the sessions and must deliver the concluding session. The conference must conclude with the Vote of Thanks.