Critical Review of News Reports

Questions: 1. Introduction of Uber cabs creates confusion among the black taxi drivers? 2. The Ashes 2015, can England regain their lost glory in Test Cricket? 3. Long term stoppage of service at the National Gallery in London, regarding privatisation? Answers: 1. Introduction of Uber cabs creates confusion among the black taxi drivers Fast service regarding transport service has lead to the introduction of book from home luxury Uber cabs in London. Excitement among the residents about this introduction shows the acceptance and necessity of this type of easy cab facility. This introduction is heartily welcomed by the government of London. Among so many good things, the traditional taxi drivers, i.e. black cab drivers have started protesting the incident. According to the views of Newsom Kerr (2010), the main point of this introduction has created a confusion regarding the choice of people to hire the old taxi and call a taxi at the door steps by using mobile. The majority of the travellers belong to the age group of 18-30 years who generally prefer to use the trendy taxi service by registering a car using the app created by the cab company. The reasons behind using this particular technology is also due to the present of payment facility by using the technology of mobile banking or option available in the app. The introduction of the Uber cabs in London has created a major competition for the traditional cabs. Mainly, the pre payment facility is the major attraction for the clients. Most of the people have accepted the fact that the good old black cab service can be used if home booking service and smart payment options are provided. As opined by Skok and Tissut (2009), these people feel that with introduction of latest technologies and need for change aligning with the demand and pace of work has driven the black cabs backward. Majority of the people think that traditional taxi service will still be available, despite the presence of ultra modern Uber cabs. The negative side of the traditional services has leaded the people to opt for the latest services. The old taxis are in danger due to the mismatched features as per as the required criteria is concerned. Aligning to the context of this incident, a protest took place outside the Transport office lead by the black taxi drivers. As per the arguments of Townsend (2012), the major issues of the old taxi drivers are regarding the presence of these taxis without being registered under the taxi association of the city. The old drivers demanded for permanent removal of this mode of transport. When reporters approached some of the important post holders of the government, their clear statement was regarding the choice of decision of the people to choose between these two modes of taxi transport. It can be concluded that people are satisfied with the introduction of the new taxi service. Though the presence of the black taxi cannot be denied, still the feeling of the people is if the black taxi service is upgraded then its acceptability will be felt again. It is not that Uber taxi service is free from any limitations. As opined by Woollett and Maguire,(2012), several issues have been identified by the travellers. The issues are quite severe like customer harassment, and unauthorised charging of extra fare. The company Uber clarified that these are created by the drivers and the company is willing to take all necessary actions. Therefore, is quite debatable whether the Uber cabs will be still persist in London or the black cabs will be out of the picture. The news could have been published keeping in mind the negativity of the Uber cab services. The report consisted of the positive feedbacks of the travellers only. The negative issues remained untouched. The tradition of the black cab of London however remained unaccredited. The protest of the drivers somehow was described something as of less importance. Commonly, the up gradation of payment modes and calling facility from home to hire the black cabs is more highlighted. In this part, the report could have at least accepted the heritage and service quality offered by this mode of transport. 2. The Ashes 2015, can England regain their lost glory in Test Cricket As seen in a straight way, the previous Ashes Series was a nightmare for England, when they were tortured by the names of Australian pace bowlers, especially Mitchell Johnson. This year, the team selectors remained cautious in selecting the team. Potentiality, present performance were the key factors behind selecting the team. According to the views of Akhtar and Scarf (2012), the captain of the team wants the players to be motivated and provide the best of performances to avenge the previous defeat. The series began with a very close competition between these two arch rivals where the fire to prove the eagerness of performance came into sight. After the victory of England, several newspapers hailed them but some viewed that Australia would definitely fight back. The article published in the guardian, where the captain of the English team motivates his players. The article highlights the chance of engraving the name of the crickets firmly in the pages of history. The captain himself is also elf driven and goal oriented after the team has received the edge in the very first game. As stated by Watson (2010), the article could have been bit more critical in regard of the contrast of performance of the England bowlers and the Australian bowlers. The English bowlers undoubtedly performed well, but the injury of one of their main fast bowlers have created tensed situation. Though it is quite obvious, still the article is overhyped. The reason is if the victory was totally a fruit of the performance of the entire team, then the absence of a single player can not affect the performance. The individual performances of some of the most experienced players have been criticised. When the performance of the visiting team was analysed, the reporter commented a lot about the failure of the captain. The captain of Australia is definitely out of form, but the general nature of the English media once again exposed the aggressive nature of criticism. According to the views of Smyth (2015), the premature news about the retirement of some of the very respected and experienced players of both these teams created distraction. Though, the fact of retirement is clear still, announcing it publicly hampers the focus of the team members. On the other side, the factor of Australian pacers and their impact has been praised. According to Benett et al. (2009), the report could have been written in a bit different manner. Here, the report is prepared only considering the fact of the positive results of the England team and their chances of snatching the ashes. The thinking of the England captain is the main focus of this article. On the same side, the performance of the Australian team especially during the second match remained unappreciated. The report should not have been prepared without focusing on the positive and the negative factors of both these teams. In fact, the comment of the English captain has been presented in high manner. Somehow, the criticism seemed to be little bit harsh on some of the target individuals. 3. Long term stoppage of service at the National Gallery in London, regarding privatisation The news was published in the journal The Guardian. The article was started with the reason of the strike that is going to be started from the second week of August. The issue of the strike was due to the reason of a decision taken by the museum authority regarding the privatisation of some selected service of the museum. The idea of privatisation came long before. Even the decision of signing a deal regarding the management of the guest relations department is finalised. A private agency named Securitas has been appointed with the responsibility to maintain the relation with guests and look after the security. National gallery was the last heritage building that appointed a private company to look after the matter of security and guest management. According to the views of Arya, (2011), the article covers the difficulties that the unemployed staffs of the museum will face in the future. The main report could have been more about the dealing, which came after a lot of negotiations from both these sides. The main purpose of this report is about the deal and the long term stoppage of service by the staffs. Funnell (2009) opined that this report could have highlighted the problems that the employed staffs will face after losing the job. Despite of accounting for the loss of the revenue faced by the museum corporation, the problems of the staffs remained non- highlighted. It is not the fact that all the staffs will be losing the job but the problem is that most of the working will work under Securitas instead of National gallery. According to the statement of Gandolfo (2010), the objection of the union that was transformed to strike was because of the fear of being unemployed and reduction in the monthly payment of the workers. The report could have also presented about the heritage that it adds in the English culture. The report did not consist of the matter that after privatisation, the visitors will have to pay a certain amount of money for taking entry inside the museum. The report should have highlighted about the financial gain that National Gallery earned after signing the deal. Even after the contract term of 5 years, even if the contract is not renewed, the earning of the company Securitas will be higher from the visitors admittance fee (the guardian.com). The article failed to report regarding the harassment of visitors who fails to experience the architecture of this famous museum. Reference List Books Gandolfo, G. (2010). National Gallery, Washington. New York: Newsweek. Townsend, A. (2012). The Black Cab Story. Stroud: The History Press. Journals Akhtar, S. and Scarf, P. (2012). Forecasting test cricket match outcomes in play. International Journal of Forecasting, 28(3), pp.632-643. Arya, R. (2011). The Sacred Made Real, London National Gallery. Implicit Religion, 14(1). Bennett, R., Ali Choudhury, R. and Mousley, W. (2007). Television viewers' motivations to follow the 2005 Ashes Test series: implications for the rebranding of English cricket. Journal of Product Brand Management, 16(1), pp.23-37. Bennett, R., Ali Choudhury, R. and Mousley, W. (2009). 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