Self Esteem and Adolescence

Self Esteem and Adolescence Amber Le Many high school students today graduate and aspire to pursue post-secondary education. One of the many necessary criteria that these students are often required to meet include college entrance exams such as the Scholastic Assessment Test (also known as SAT) or the American College Testing (also known as ACT). These standardized admission tests are taken by high school students where they later receive scores of their performance that determine what range of colleges and universities their scores are capable of satisfying. Today, there are people who oppose to the idea of colleges using these numbers to be one of many benchmarks for determining admissions, as these people do not believe that the numbers that result in taking these standardized test directly reflect upon a students intelligence, but rather their ability to answer questions at a given amount of time. Whatever the belief, these test results are legitimate nonetheless. For some people, these test results narrows down th eir post-secondary paths to limit them, and for others, opportunities are opened up. One can assume that many would prefer the latter result after receiving input on their academic performance, as receiving unsatisfying results is unpleasant for virtually all of us. From this, the question arises of how academic performance, such as these standardized tests, can affect a persons self-esteem. First off, what is self-esteem? In Merriam-Webster, self-esteem is define as, a confidence and satisfaction in oneself. A research from University of California, Davis, elaborates on self-esteem, explaining: Self-esteem is how we value ourself; It is how we perceive our value to the world and how valuable we think we are to others. Self-esteem affects our trust in others, our relationships, our work- nearly every part of our lives. This description of self-esteem describes to us that self-esteem plays an immense role in the outcome of a persons life. A persons self esteem can be affected by many factors that involve in affecting their confidence or satisfaction in oneself. This can be different for many people, as values along with levels of confidence greatly varies from person to person. The general factors include, social relationships, family, school, society, media, feedback, consequences in life, popularity, success, and a persons way of handling things. Self-esteem is important because along with self-awareness, self-esteem is a sine qua non playing a role in a persons ability to realize their own potential and build confidence on themselves. Although there is no mathematical equation to measure exactly how much self-esteem a person has that will result in a specific end product, there are ways to approximate a persons self-esteem, based on questions that narrow down the results to a general answer. The Rosenberg Self Esteem scale is a scale often used in social-science research that involve in a series of questions relating to a persons self esteem. These series of questions allow subjects to answer their questions by agreeing or disagreeing to questions and stating to what degree they agree or disagree. There is then a score at the end of the questionnaire, that shows where that subject self esteem lies. This will help our experiment because we are experimenting to see if there is a change in these self-esteem test results, before and after our subjects have been given test results that please them and test results that do not please them. In such a physically, mentally, and emotionally formative age, adolescents experience and are exposed to many things that affect who they become later in life. These things can both be positive and negative things. At this age, adolescents are exposed to a wide variety of environments that include social, competitive, and academic- all that have the capability of affecting self-esteem. In all reality, any environments we are in are capable of affecting our self-esteem. Nonetheless, being exposed to great motley of these environments greater the likeliness of ones self-esteem of being affected. In social environments, factors such as relationships with friends and families can affect ones self esteem, where good and reliable relationships have greater chances of improving self-esteem, and unhealthy relationships have greater chances of lowering self-esteem. All these apply for the other environments. As stated before, anything that affects the satisfaction of ones self affects self-es teem. In competitive circumstances, one might not be satisfied if they feel as though they failed to perform to their greatest potential, thus causing, though trivial, to become possibly vulnerable of having lower self esteem. Through observation and research, it is possible to believe that self-esteem associates with an adolescents academics and their social skills. The ability for an adolescent to perform well in both environments affects the levels of their self-esteem. Switch it around, and it would also make sense to say that having the deserving amount of self-esteem can affect the way something is done. However, research cannot prove entirely that self-esteem does propose these actions, but it is all left for the individual to do what they believe is correct. Educational and social achievements promote positive self-esteem. which creates the idea of a healthy climate. The act of achieving encourages the desire to continue and to feel motivated. Most schools and communities want their youth to constantly feel this way so that the lack of participation and the struggle to engage should not have to be a problem.   The effects of failure are the opposite and they play a different role in an adole scents way of living. Failure can affect the levels of self-esteem by influencing depressive symptoms among those who do so. Failing also creates mental effects that can affect a persons ability to decide in the long run. These negative effects can continue to discourage the tendency to feel motivated. From these two stances, one   could either try to do better again or quit entirely. Besides the number of accomplishments and failures being made, there are plenty of other factors that can affect ones self esteem level. Many of these factors can be simple things, but can also be complex and affect you for the rest of your life. The factor that tends to influence self-esteem the most are commonly negative. ADD DETAIL. Negative factors happen to be more prominent in the way self-esteem is handled because its harder to get back into the habit of setting goals and achieving them. It would be better to just consider stopping whatever you planned on pursuing. There are personal factors that can help you discover your own identity and make you feel a certain way based off of who you want to be, and there are also environmental factors that can go to the highest extent and urge you to feel a certain way based off of everything that is around you. Personal factors can include ideas that relate towards past childhood, family, and genetics. Depression is a major influence on levels of self-esteem and is the result of not being able to regain that high level of self-esteem. Body image, social experience, performance, and voice are among the common environmental factors most adolescents allow to affect their self-esteem. [[[Luckily, there are many skills and techniques that can improve an individuals level of self-esteem. Some ideas include therapies or practices that can encourage individuals to feel confident in the way that they perform during their daily tasks. The key is to maintain a sustainable level of self-esteem throughout your life so that it is not too high or too low. The right amount of self-esteem will help you in your life, but too much of it can be troublesome. Having too high of a self esteem level does not allow you to healthily challenge yourself and benefit you in your views of life. Characteristics of those who have too high of a self esteem level tend to assign themselves to a superiority, blind themselves from their own faults, and limit themselves to the ability of change and improvement. However, having too low self-esteem isnt something youd want either. It can lead to some dangerous effects.   Having too low of a self-esteem level will put stress on your thoughts, d ecisions, and overall life. There are extreme consequences in promoting a lifestyle of low self-esteem. Some activities that allow you to build and keep your levels of self-esteem include developing new hobbies, exercising, and simple positive thinking. Keep in mind the effect you have towards other individuals who surround you as a close friend, family, or stranger. The way that you interact with another can also influence the way they control their self-esteem level. Low self-esteem is an issue that can extremely affect youth development and social behaviors worldwide.]]] Adolescents are at an age where they arent spending as much of their time at home anymore and they are beginning to become more actively involved throughout their school and community. Because growing up is a huge factor in the form of self-esteem, self-esteem is seen more often in adolescents than seen in adults. Remember that self-esteem can influence decisions made outside of your home and your school. Evidently self-esteem plays a role in specific environments such as social, athletic, and academic. Most importantly, the amount of self-esteem an adolescent has can affect their performance in many different ways. It affects their activity advancement and improvement. These things are important towards their growth and future successes. Will those who have higher self-esteem levels continue to life their life more successfully than those who dont have as much self-esteem? Tons of factors allow an individual to determine what they want to do and how they want to continue feeling. It is important to understand the significance of ones performance; it just so happens that these factors affect it. Works Cited Adolescence and Self-Esteem. (n.d.). Retrieved January 19, 2017, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/surviving-your-childs-adolescence/201009/adolescence-and-self-esteem B. (n.d.). 9 Factors That Affect Self Awareness And Self Esteem. Retrieved January 19, 2017, from http://selfprogress.co.uk/9-factors-that-affect-self-awareness-and-self-esteem/ C., About Chris Youth Expert, Parenting Coach, Editor of Understanding Teenagers. (2016, February 27). Teenagers and Self Esteem: Key Factors à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Understanding Teenagers Blog. Retrieved January 19, 2017, from http://understandingteenagers.com.au/blog/teenagers-and-self-esteem-key-factors/ Factors Affecting Self-Esteem in Teens. (2015, June 27). Retrieved January 19, 2017, f rom http://www.livestrong.com/article/557343-factors-affecting-self-esteem-in-teens/ Raevuori, A., Dick, D. M., Keski-Rahkonen, A., Pulkkinen, L., Rose, R. J., Rissanen, A., . . . Silventoinen, K. (2007, November). Genetic and environmental factors affecting self-esteem from age 14 to 17: a longitudinal study of Finnish twins. Retrieved January 19, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2084483/

Interest Groups and Government Policies Essay

Interest groups help communicate and legitimize government policies in several ways. As instability is sure to attract political activity[1], it also attracts interest groups to meddle in such political activity. When certain government policies conflict with the specific interests of these groups, they can call the attention of the government through public demonstrations or protests. They can also use mass media to inform the general public about their views on certain government policies, thereby communicating not only their position on the issues involved but also the government policies being addressed. On the other hand, when certain government policies support the interests of these groups, they can further enhance the legitimacy of such policies by conducting a public forum designed to increase the public’s awareness on such policies, thereby gathering more public support. Even without interest groups, communicating and legitimating government policies can still be achieved. For the most part, people can still organize themselves without holding a collective interest other than the inclination to either support or protest an existing government policy. Since a more developed country is most likely populated by more interest groups[2], governments faced with the task of issuing specific policies in order to foster economic growth are most likely to face opposition from certain interest groups who oppose such policies. One example is when a government decides to issue a policy of free trade in response to the need of increasing the country’s trading activities so as to stimulate the economy. Interest groups opposing the government policy of free trade can stage demonstrations in public locations. Doing so can increase their chances of being heard by the government and, in consequence, compelling the government to adjust its policies accordingly. At the same time, these interest groups will openly communicate to the public the reasons why they oppose the policy without forcing them to join their cause. At the least, public demonstrations serve the purpose of informing the public and the government that a sector of the society opposes certain government policies. Mass media plays a key role in communicating the views of interest groups towards government policies. Since individuals interact with issues emphasized in media coverage[3], there is reason to believe that interest groups can reach and influence public perception through mass media in general. Interest groups can publish their articles through paid newspaper column space on a specific date of issue that they feel will have a lasting and strong impression on readers. Interest groups opposing specific provisions in government policies on healthcare, for instance, can pay for a space in a major newspaper where they can state their reasons for opposing the provisions and the alternatives that can be done. The method will most likely reach a large part of the population due to the large circulation of a major newspaper, thereby informing a broad segment of the public. Television and radio shows also provide avenues for interest groups to communicate to the public their position on government policies. For example, an interest group opposing the existing government policy on carbon emissions can either make a request to television networks to provide them with a show where they can air their views or accept invitations for discussions or interviews on television. Whether or not these interest groups are able to convince the viewing public, it is likely that they are still able to communicate a portion of the substance of the government policy on carbon emissions. On the other hand, interest groups can also legitimize government policies, especially those that are aligned with their concerns. One way of achieving it is to conduct a public forum where people can participate or simply listen to discussions about the policies. For instance, interest groups can hold a public forum in the town hall and discuss immediate concerns regarding the current government policy on immigration. With the immigration policy favoring their side, these interest groups can disseminate the information about the benefits of the policy which can eventually translate to more public support. Since the key principle is that the people is the source of the government’s power, public discussions conducted by interest groups which are able to gather public support for government policies further legitimize such policies. The pressure of interest groups to their Congressional Representatives can also legitimize government policies. Letters to Congressional Representatives coming from interest groups can help inform these representatives that a portion of their constituents are in support of a government policy that the representative may or may not actually favor. Through such letters, interest groups can put a pressure on their dissenting representatives to favor the government policy regardless of political affiliations. Signature campaigns when taken together with letters to Congressional Representatives can add more weight to the support given to government policies, giving these representatives more reason to align their positions with the public perception. Nevertheless, government policies can be communicated or legitimized to a certain degree despite the absence of interest groups. Other ways to achieve the goal of communicating and legitimizing government policies include signature campaigns, public dialogue with government officials and infomercials sponsored by the government. Through the initiative of a few individuals, signature campaigns can be launched in support of or opposition to certain government policies. Signature campaigns of this nature do not necessarily require the leadership of interest groups since private individuals can also gather public signatures even without an affiliation to any specific interest group. The purpose is to simply gather signatures as many as possible without attempting to form a formal group out of the total number of participants. Public dialogue with government officials can also be a way to inform the public about government policies. The dialogue can be sponsored by the office of the concerned government official or the local members of the community. Through dialogue, government officials are able to discuss in detail the purpose and nature of certain government policies. People are also given the chance to ask relevant questions to the government official whose response can further inform the public. Airing infomercials over the television or radio is also a way for the government to communicate its policies to the public and to further show the legitimacy of such policies. Since an infomercial is basically a â€Å"one-way† type of communication, it can simply inform the public about government policies at best. Government policies communicated to the public through radio or television infomercials are already assumed to be legitimate; the government is presumed to disseminate information about government policies that are lawful and approved by the concerned government agency. Despite the possibility of communicating and legitimating government policies in the absence of interest groups, it is better if interest groups are still able to challenge or reaffirm government policies especially when taken in the context of a democratic society. The presence of interest groups can indicate the health of the political activity in any country. In their absence, the legislature and the government in general may possibly overlook vital social and political concerns or abuse their power to create and enforce policies. Bibliography Bischoff, Ivo. â€Å"Determinants of the Increase in the Number of Interest Groups in Western Democracies: Theoretical Considerations and Evidence from 21 OECD Countries.† Public Choice 114, no. 1/2 (2003): 197-218. Domke, David, Dhavan V. Shah, and Daniel B. Wackman. â€Å"Rights and Morals, Issues, and Candidate Integrity: Insights into the Role of the News Media.† Political Psychology 21, no. 4 (2000): 641-65. Levmore, Saul. â€Å"Voting Paradoxes and Interest Groups.† The Journal of Legal Studies 28, no. 2 (1999): 259-81.

Market Day Reflection

I felt as if was really running a business and that I had to be 100% committed to every decision we made. I was very involved in every part of this project. I was also very eager for market day to come to see if the product we spent months making would be a best seller come time. What made you discouraged? The only thing that tended to discourage me was when I found out three other groups were making a very similar product to ours and selling it at a lower price. This made me feel like our shirts were not going to sell and we would have failed. If you could assign a grade for this reject, what grade would you give?Explain why you believe that grade would be fair. I think I would deserve an A because I was putting in all the work necessary to receive an A. Not only was I the president of the company, was involved in all of my team members jobs as well. 3. Financial Analysis of the Company – How many products did you sell? We sold all of our products (36 shirts). What was your s ales revenue? Our total sales revenue was $453. What was the amount of your total expenses? Our total expenses added up to $392. Did your company make a profit or take a loss? How much? We made a profit Of $61. How did you personally invest in the company?I invested $1 00 into our company. How much money did you take home after market day? Took home $1 13 after market day. What was your personal profit or loss on your investment? I made $13 profit on my investment. Did your group meet their financial goal? Explain. We originally set a higher goal for our profit, but in the end we are just glad that we left market day with a profit at all. 4. Level of cooperation from Other Members of the Team – Discuss the amount of cooperation and involvement of other team members: My other team members split up all of the work very equally.One person stood out in my group though, and that was Taylor Casey. She was the one who volunteered to drive all the way to Tempe to pick up our product when it was finished. Was very surprised that in our group every member pulled her weight, and that's why we were so successful. 5. Business Plan – How were sections of the business plan divided up among your team members? We divided up the business plan based on our areas of responsibility for the company, (the Vice President of Finances took Over all the sections having to do with our finances, etc. ). Which sections were you reasonably responsible for? Id a large variety of sections considering that I was the president, but one section specifically to name was the biographies. When you were writing your sections, did you refer to the business plan outline that was provided so that you would know what questions to answer? Yes I did constantly refer back to the business plan so that I wouldn't leave any questions unanswered. Did you use your time in the computer lab wisely? Our group got all but two of our slides done in the time allotted in the computer lab, so yes we did u se our time very wisely. What was the hardest art about writing the business plan?The hardest part about writing the business plan was making sure that we added every slide and answered all Of the necessary questions in a logical order. 6. Knowledge Gained From this Experience What did you learn about opening and running a business from this project? I learned a few key aspects about running a company and that was be careful who you choose as business partners and never wait until the last minute. For your business partners, I learned tattoo should choose someone who you know will consistently agree with you, and you will agree with them so that arguments never arise.

E-Voting Whether to Protect or Extinguish Corporate Democracy - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 1963 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Law Essay Type Research paper Did you like this example? INTRODUCTION In the contemporary age of technology, rights of the shareholders can be better protected. E-voting is one such example. E-voting process or postal ballot system has been introduced in order to secure wider participation of shareholders in the decision-making of the company. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "E-Voting: Whether to Protect or Extinguish Corporate Democracy?" essay for you Create order E-voting makes it more convenient for people finding it difficult to attend the meetings physically. This was suggested by the Second Naresh Chandra Committee Report and the J.J. Irani committee in as back as in the year 2004. The Companies act, 2013 (hereinafter referred to as the 2013 Act) has brought in Section 108 making e-voting matter of right for the shareholders in certain cases. RELEVANT LEGISLATIONS Section 108 of the 2013 Act read with Rule 20 of Companies (Management and Administration) Rules, 2014 provides that every listed company or a company having not less than one thousand shareholders, shall provide to its members facility to exercise their right to vote at general meetings by electronic means. Section 110 of the 2013 Act is an evolution of old Section 192A of the Companies Act, 1956 (hereinafter referred to as the 1956 Act) which talks about postal ballots. Pursuant to Section 2(65) of the 2013 Act postal ballot includes e-voting. Where the old Section 192A contains a narrow non-obstante clause relating to only the foregoing sections of the 1956 Act, Section 110 of the 2013 Act contains a broader non-obstante clause meaning the whole Act. This means that the provision of postal ballots as given under the 1956 Act shall not be applicable to the subsequent provisions which include Schemes under Section 391 and 394. Therefore, before the 2013 Act the requirement of e -voting was not applicable to Schemes of amalgamation, compromise and arrangements. The frame of Section 110 of the 2013 Act is that for such items of business as the Central Government notifies, a company must transact that business only by postal ballot. Rule 22 of the Companies (Management and Administration) Rules, 2014 contains a very long list of ten items of business that, apparently, are intended to be transacted only by means of a postal ballot. This particular provision has given rise to the controversy as to whether the postal ballot system applies in addition to or in exclusion to the actual physical meetings which will be discussed ahead in this article. INTERNATIONAL PROVISIONS E-voting might be a new development under the Indian Company Law but it is a very advanced form of shareholders meetings in most other developed countries. Delaware and many other States in the United States have amended their laws to permit electronic voting. Delaware has introduced the most developed form of virtual shareholder meetings by means of remote communication i.e. shareholders who are not physically present may participate in a meeting by remote communication and be deemed present in person to be counted for quorum and other voting purposes. In New Zealand also, by virtue of the 2012 amendment to Companies Act, 1993, companies now have increased flexibility to communicate with shareholders electronically and conduct virtual shareholdersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ meetings. Section 249S of the Australian Corporations Act provides that a company may hold a meeting of the members at two or more venues using any technology that give the members as a whole a reasonable opportunity to participate. Though the above provision empowers companies to hold their general meetings electronically, there is still no express provision allowing a meeting to be held entirely virtual. In Malaysia, amended Section 145 A of Companies Act, 1965 has similar wordings as the Australian Law. U.K Companies Act 2006 provides the holding and conducting of a meeting in such a way that persons who are not present together at the same place may by electronic means attend and speak and vote at it. Further, Canada and Germany also provide for e-voting in their respective company legislations. IN RE GODREJ INDUSTRIES CASE[1] (hereinafter referred to as the Godrej Case) In this case, Godrej Industries Limitedproposed to merge with its group company, Wadala Commodities in a scheme of amalgamation. In April 2014, it approached the High Court of Bombay for seeking to forego the court convened shareholder meeting under the provisions relating to mergers and amalgamations under the 1956 Act and pleaded that it may be allowed to conduct the voting entirely through postal ballot and electronic voting as permitted under the 2013 Act. Justice Patel while hearing this case identified many controversies regarding mandatory and exclusionary requirement of e-voting especially in court convened meetings. The High Court observed that meetings called under Section 391 of 1956 Act or Section 230 and 232 of 2013 Act for approval of a scheme of arrangement are not à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“calledà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  by the company but are instead à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“orderedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  by the court and hence, Section 110 of the 2013 Act is not applicable in case of schemes. It a lso held that the legislative purpose and intent behind Section 110 of 2013 Act is greater inclusiveness and participation of shareholders. However, the right to vote is not a mere right to vote but a right to make an à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"informed decisionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ which would include right to debate, deliberate, and seek clarifications and amendments. After analysing the various aspects of the purpose and conduct of shareholdersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ meetings, issues of corporate law and governance contained in the 2013 Act as well as various SEBI circulars, the High Court opined that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"postal ballotà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ is an additional facility which a company has to provide in order to improve shareholder participation and awareness but has left the matter for fuller consideration. In the backdrop of this case the authors enumerate the grey areas in the facility of e-voting or postal ballot system and its interplay with other rights of the shareholders. GREY AREAS IN THE LAWS ON VOTING BY POSTAL BALLOT Disregard for Clause 49 (I) (A) of the SEBI Equity Listing Agreement The heart of corporate governance lies in giving the shareholders, who hold equity in the company, rights to participate in the management of the company. Clause 49 (I) (A) of the SEBI Equity Listing Agreement provides such rights as right to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“participate in and to be sufficiently informed on decisions concerning fundamental corporate changesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the opportunity to participate effectively and vote in general shareholder meetingsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the opportunity to ask questions to the board, to place items on the agenda of general meetings, and to propose resolutions, subject to reasonable limitsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , etc. In the Godrej Case, the Bombay High Court elaborated that the right to vote includes in its arena not only a mere formal vote but also right to ask questions, seek clarifications ,receive response and right to persuade and be persuaded. Moreover, it also includes the right to make an informed decision. A shar eholder in a meeting by discussing and debating on the various consequences of the proposed move and hearing other members about how it affects different group of shareholders will make a wiser decision as compared to a mere à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"yesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ or à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"noà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ by voting in isolation. In this case it was further held that in schemes as under section 230 and 232 of the 2013 Act corresponding to section 391 and 394 of the 1956 Act speaks of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the calling of a meetingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“not merely putting the matter to voteà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . This means that it would take away the right of directors or shareholders to propose amendments, as a result of which the resolution can only be put to vote as originally proposed without any modifications. Scope of Section 110 of the 2013 Act à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Court convened meetingsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ or only à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"meetings called by companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ Section 391 and 394 of the 1956 Act and Section 230 and 232 of the 2013 Act, state that the meetings shall be held, called and conducted as the court directs in case of schemes. On the other hand, Section 110 of the 2013 Act states that the company can conduct meetings by way of postal ballot system. In the Godrej Case the court differentiated between à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"court convened meetingsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"meetings called by the companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ and held that all provisions for compulsory voting by postal ballot or electronic voting to the exclusion of an actual meeting cannot and do not apply to court-convened meetings. However, in our opinion, this approach is fallacious to the extent that the purpose of wider participation as provided by postal ballot voting (or e-voting) will not be fulfilled in the case of court convened meetings. In matters of compromise, arrangements, mergers and amalgamations, etc the protection of minority rights is sacrosan ct. The Court by excluding the provision of postal ballot system for court convened meetings ignores the rights of those minority groups who may not attend the meetings. E-voting (or Postal ballot) is additional or exclusionary to actual physical meetings The Court in this case has left the decision on this issue to a more elaborate consideration. The Court has held that any SEBI circular which makes e-voting or postal ballot the exclusive manner of voting are clearly unlawful. Moreover, in line with the 1956 Act even the 2013 Act contains specific sections regarding quorums for meetings i.e. Section 103 and if voting is to be done only by postal ballot, the statutory requirement will not be met. Therefore, in our opinion, e-voting or postal ballot should be an additional facility and not a substitute for actual meetings. This is a facility for the shareholders who are unable to attend the meeting to vote and not to deprive shareholders who want to attend the meeting, discuss and debate from attending the meeting. CURRENT SCENARIO As per Rule 20 of Companies ( Management and Administration Rules), 2014, e-voting is mandatory in case of all general meetings of every listed company and a company having not less than 1000 shareholders. The Ministry, however, vide its general circular no. 20/2014 dated 17.06.2014 has decided not to treat these provisions as mandatory till 31st December, 2014. As per amended clause 35 B of Listing Agreement (Amended vide SEBI Circular no. CFD/POLICY CELL/2/2014 dated 17.04.2014), e-voting is mandatory in respect of all shareholdersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ resolutions to be passed at general meetings or through postal ballot. Further the SEBI Chairman, Mr. U. K. Sinha, in his statement to Business Line on 22nd June, 2014, clarified that providing of e-voting facility is mandatory for listed companies even if the same has been made non-mandatory by the MCA. To sum up , the position of the different companies is as follows Listed Companies à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" SEBI Circular will stand above the Ministry of Commerce circular for listed companies and thus, company needs to provide facility of e-voting for all kinds of membersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ resolutions, be it through general meeting or postal ballot. Unlisted Public companies à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" For companies having less than 1000 shareholders e-voting facility is not required to be mandatorily provided both in case of postal ballots and general meetings. However, the application of this provision has been deferred till 31st December, 2014. Private Companies- E-voting is not mandatory. CONCLUSION In the age where rapid transit of information and wide participation is a necessity, e-voting despite its various disadvantages cannot be set aside. If properly installed, e-voting can control fraud, enhance the speed of processing results, enhance accessibility and make voting easier for shareholders. E-voting or postal ballot voting thus is an addition to and not a substitution to actual meetings. A quorum of the actual meeting should be met and those shareholders who are unable to participate in the actual meeting should be given a right to vote. However, a formal right to vote shall not suffice; the voters should be enabled to make an informed decision. The shareholders should participate in the deliberations on the proposal. The system of virtual meetings by way of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"remote communicationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ as in the State of Delaware, USA is a very good solution for this problem however, it shall not be possible to implement in a developing country like India. Ther efore, we suggest that an online discussion forum or platform should be provided prior to the meeting so that all the shareholders can express their grievances, propose amendments, persuade and can be persuaded by other voters. This way, wider participation can be achieved along with greater transparency. [1] In re Godrej Industries , Company summons for direction no. 256 of 2014.