Categories
Child Education

Failure To Yield Classes After Your Citation

byChantel Ledbetter

Have you been issued a citation that requires you to attend failure to yield classes? If so, there’s no need to worry. You may have made a mistake out on the road, but there are easy ways to ensure you meet all the requirements for remediation to ensure that you’re not left with any smudges on your driving record. Keep in mind that attending these classes is often a court requirement, so it’s very important to follow through with the instructions you’ve been given. If you’re looking to attend classes quickly and easily, take some of these suggestions into consideration when making arrangements. It’s probably a much easier process than you think!

Easy to ScheduleJust because you have to attend failure to yield classes doesn’t mean that you have to put the rest of your life on hold. After all, many busy working adults find themselves in the exact same situation each and every day. Many driving schools offer convenient class schedules that will allow you to still attend school or work while completing your requirements. Even those who may work an unpredictable schedule will be surprised at just how easy it can be to take these classes during their free time. With both online and on-site options available, you won’t have to defer any of your current commitments or obligations just because of a traffic-related mistake.

Valuable KnowledgeMany people look at failure to yield classes as a waste of time, but you could actually get quite a bit out of the course if you apply yourself. Not only will these classes go over the importance of yielding to pedestrians and other motor vehicles, they will also touch on general laws, right-of-ways and other lawful driving procedures. You may learn a few things that you weren’t aware of before and they could prevent you from winding up in a similar situation down the line. In fact, many classes are presented with interesting visuals and real-life scenarios that you’ll be able to apply and relate to. Overall, these courses end up being very valuable to those who are required to attend them.

Don’t Put It OffIf you’re required to take these classes, you definitely don’t want to delay things. Remember that while the classes may not be run by the state, they are a requirement that could have serious consequences if not taken seriously. There are plenty of options in the Wisconsin area that will allow you to fulfill your requirements and move on with your life. Take unnecessary pressure off of yourself and make the choice to enroll yourself today. From there, you can continue on your way to become a safer, more informed driver in the future.

Visit 4lakesdrivingschool.com to learn more about the best driving school in Wisconsin. Offering classes for both new drivers and experienced adults looking for a refresher, you can count on a high quality education from their professional staff.

Gay marriage banned in three states; other ballot measures decided

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Voters in California, Florida and Arizona voted on Tuesday to ban gay marriage, bringing about a victory for conservatives on a day which did not bring many conservative wins.

Meanwhile, voters in Colorado, South Dakota and California voted on measures which would have restricted abortion in those states. In Massachusetts and Michigan, voters passed measures that loosen marijuana laws. Finally, in the state of Washington a measure was passed that allows physician-assisted suicide.

The California ballot measure, Proposition 8, overturns the recent June ruling by the California State Supreme Court in the case In re Marriage Cases which reversed a 1977 statute passed by the California State Legislature and a 2000 ballot measure, Proposition 22, which also banned same-sex marriage by defining marriage as between a man and a woman. The wording of Proposition 8 is identical to Proposition 22. It was noted that many of the African-Americans and Latinos who cast their votes for Obama, also voted for the measure. The measure passed at 52% to 48%.

Lesbian comedian Ellen DeGeneres noted, “This morning, when it was clear that Proposition 8 had passed in California, I can’t explain the feeling I had. I was saddened beyond belief. Here we just had a giant step toward equality and then on the very next day, we took a giant step away.”

Okay, so I am taking that to mean I do not have to pay my state taxes because I am not a full citizen.

Singer Melissa Etheridge, who is also a lesbian, stated that she would no longer pay taxes due to the passing of Proposition 8, announcing in a blog post, “Okay, so I am taking that to mean I do not have to pay my state taxes because I am not a full citizen.”

Also in California, voters rejected a measure which would require parental notification for a minor to receive an abortion. The measure was rejected with the same percentage as Proposition 8, 52% to 48%. Meanwhile in Colorado, voters rejected a measure that would define life as beginning at conception. While the measure did not specifically mention abortion it would have required legislators and courts to confront legal rights for fetuses – effectively preventing abortion. The measure was defeated in a wide margin, 73% to 27%

In South Dakota, voters also defeated an anti-abortion measure which would have outlawed abortion in all cases except in the case of rape, incest or if the mother’s health was in serious question. If passed, the law would most likely have been challenged as unconstitutional.

In Michigan, voters approved a measure which legalizes medical marijuana. Meanwhile, in Massachusetts, voters approved a ballot question that decriminalizes possession of small amounts of marijuana in which the possession of an ounce or less would be punishable by a $100 fine. The measure will also require minors under the age 18 to participate in and complete a drug awareness program and do community service. Failure to do so, would net the minor a $1,000 fine.

“Tonight’s results represent a sea change. Voters have spectacularly rejected eight years of the most intense government war on marijuana since the days of ‘Reefer Madness,'” said Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project. “The people were ahead of the politicians on this issue; they recognize and want a more sensible approach to our marijuana policy,” said Whitney Taylor, the chair of Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy, which backed the Massachusetts proposition.

Also, in Massachusetts, voters overwhelmingly, in every single Massachusetts city and town, rejected a ballot measure which would have eliminated the state income tax by 2010, the ballot measure was sponsored by the Committee for Small Government, which is headed up by two libertarians, Michael Cloud, a Libertarian Party candidate for U.S. Senate in 2002 and Carla Howell, Libertarian Party candidate for governor in the 2002 Massachusetts gubernatorial election.

The last time the income tax elimination measure was on the ballot was in 2002, where it was defeated, narrowly by 45.3%. This stunned supporters of the income tax, who mounted a fierce campaign against the measure this time warning Massachusetts residents that repealing the income tax would have drastic effects on the state’s finances, leading to cuts in services, education and local aid.

Finally, voters passed a question which bans dog racing in Massachusetts, which will lead to the closure of Massachusetts’ two greyhound racing tracks, Raynham-Taunton Greyhound Park and Wonderland Greyhound Park.

The campaign against dog racing was headed up by the Committee to Protect Dogs and endorsed by GREY2K USA and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals along with other animal protection organizations who claimed that dog racing was inhumane as the dogs were stuffed into cramped cages and endured injuries. The measure was opposed by the park owners including George Carney who owns the Rayham-Taunton park and Charles Sarkis, a restaurateur who owns Wonderland.

“We did it. We did it for the dogs,” said Carey Thiel, executive director of GREY2K USA. “For 75 years, greyhounds in our state have endured terrible confinement and suffered serious injuries. We’re better than that,” Thiel added.

One campaign supporter, Sandy Bigelow noted, “It means everything. We’ve worked so hard for the dogs and they heard us. It feels so good. Oh, God, it feels so good.”

George Carney said of the results, “It’s not a very pleasant thing right now. Some of these people have been here 40 years. Here’s a company that did nothing wrong, paid their federal taxes on time, paid the town on time. The town is going to be a severe loser, and a lot of people here dedicated their life to the company.”

We did it. We did it for the dogs.

Both sides used emotionally-charged advertisements, the anti-racing side showing “sad-eyed greyhounds,” while the pro-racing side highlighted the workers who would be out of work when the tracks close.

Both measures must now come before the Massachusetts Governor’s Council for approval.

A ballot initiative approved by voters in the north-western state of Washington will make it the second state to permit physician-assisted suicide. Initiative 1000 follows the ten-year-old example of the Death With Dignity Act of neighboring Oregon, and will allow physicians to prescribe a lethal dose of medication for a terminally ill patient to administer themselves. It was approved by a margin of 16%, and the ‘Yes’ campaign outspent the ‘No’ campaign by more than three-to-one. The law comes into effect in 2009.

Web startup Sqoot loses sponsorship after failed advert deemed sexist by social media

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Within 24-hours of posting a web advertisement for an upcoming hackathon in Boston, Massachusetts, web startup Sqoot has lost four sponsors for the event, in what has been described as the “worst startup PR crisis in recent history.” This caused them to postpone the event and apologize in response to thousands of tweets that opposed the advert and found its content sexist.

On March 20, Sqoot, an API provider that delivers daily deals like Groupon and Gilt City, posted an online advert for their upcoming Boston API Jam. The advert promoted various perks for the event, including an in-house DJ, cocktails, food trucks and access to women: women specifically there to serve beer to attendees. As soon as the ad was posted to Eventbrite, many on Twitter expressed concern. Over 3,000 tweets later, the advert was deemed sexist by many and Twitter users both condemned Sqoot and contacted the sponsors of the event. The ad, which Alex Williams of SiliconANGLE described as “bizarre” and “misogynist,” was quietly changed on Eventbrite by Sqoot, removing the mention of women as beer peddlers.

In a matter of hours, four sponsors had pulled out from the Boston event: CloudMine, Apigee, Heroku, and MongoHQ. Shortly thereafter, Sqoot offered two apologies: a brief apology which was then followed by a more detailed apology stating that they desired to have a “good party” that was not a standard hackathon experience of pizza and keynote speakers. Sqoot stated that they “aimed to call attention to the male-dominated tech world through humor and intended to be inclusive, the gravity of our wording was just the opposite. Our words completely undermined our intentions and went further to harm the world we’re trying to have a positive impact on.” Other sponsors such as Constant Contact and Simple Relevance remained as sponsors.

Shanley Kane, director of product management at Basho Technologies, supported the sponsor withdrawal and didn’t just consider the advertisement sexist, but also homophobic by ostracizing gay men by promoting a seemingly “straight” agenda for the event. Kane also believed that Sqoot had the “false assumption that women would not attend the event at all,” by promoting it with a male targeted spin. In an industry that is dominated by men, it can be assumed that more men would attend the hackathon than women, but, the advertisement ostracized women even more from attending. And this wasn’t Sqoot’s first foray into straight male targeted marketing. Blog posts like “Sqoot Makes You Yelp!” featuring the Yelp logo on a woman’s backside and “Sqoot Goes Topless” featuring an image of a topless woman, are meant to promote the opening of Yelp’s API and company transparency.

Alex Williams believes that the Sqoot situation shows that sexism within the tech industry is broad and growing. “Women are marginalized and treated more as objects than as colleagues. The trend is a disturbing one and poses a serious threat to the health and diversity of the tech sector.” Techli’s Kathryn Hough chocked it up to immaturity, “Someone needs to tell young founders that frat house behavior is not acceptable in the business world. If Sqoot’s business collapses for a few sentences of sexist copy, I hope that other young founders get to see the wreckage before following them off the plank.”

Lukas Blakk, a release engineer and advisory board member for The Ada Initiative, a non-profit that tries to increase female participation in technology and open source, believes that having a code of conduct in place is a necessity for businesses, and for those businesses who don’t “you’ve got a ticking time bomb in your organization’s future.” Social media is giving businesses a new challenge when it comes to marketing. When it comes to the criticism fielded by the public towards businesses regarding sexist content, fellow Ada Initiative board member and database analyst Selena Deckelmann agrees that businesses need to step up to the challenge and respond appropriately. “…companies need to develop the skills necessary to respond with grace and understanding, even when under intense, negative scrutiny. Silencing, gas-lighting and ignoring the messenger tactics no longer work when a social network quickly spreads information, and occasionally, outrage.”

Is there a future for Sqoot? Mike Maney believes Sqoot can recover. Maney, head of influencer management for Alcatel-Lucent, acknowledges that Sqoot will have a long way to go to regain their credibility amongst the tech industry and the clientele they serve, “But, the work they’ll have to do to undo the self-inflicted damage […] is going to require a massive effort.”

Wikinews interviews spokesman for Greek far-left party Xekinima

Monday, May 3, 2010

Wikinews reporter Iain Macdonald today interviewed Petros Tzomakas, a Greek far-left activist and member of Xekinima, which is the Greek division of the Committee for a Workers’ International. The party is a member of Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA).

Tzomakas also sits on his local 5th Athens Municipal District committee, which is a joint effort by left-wing parties including SYRIZA, the Anticapitalist Left Cooperation for the Overthrow and a number of other political parties to oppose austerity measures proposed by the government. All left-wing parties in the country except the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) are involved. Tzomakas explained that the KKE prefers not to co-operate with other radical left-wing groups.

The interview comes amid tensions in cash-strapped Greece, where the government is introducing controversial austerity measures to try to ease the nation’s debt-problem. An international rescue package has been prepared by European Union member states and the International Monetary Fund – should Greece require a bailout; protests have been held against government attempts to manage the economic situation.

Categories
Structures

Srilanka The Most Charming Destination In Asia To Visit

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Srilanka is the most beautiful destination in Asia which is located as a tiny tear drop shed of India. This beautiful country is just located below the India and is one of the most travelled destinations in the entire world. This beautiful country is truly one of the most travelled destinations in Asia and is visited by all sorts of visitors from all over the globe. Truly the visitors visit in this state and enjoy their most beautiful vacation. This island country is lovingly called as jewel of Indian Ocean as is it beautiful hovers between the gorgeous Indian Ocean.

Srilanka is truly a country which is very beautiful and is one of the major destinations for the nature lovers, globe trotters which truly teems to this country throughout the year. This beautiful country has rich heritage, historical landmarks and the fascinating lifestyle of the locals hear easily entice the visitors for their wonderful vacation. Srilanka is dotted with wide arrays of tourist attractions and fantabulous destinations which truly tempts the visitors to visit this country again and again. Some of the major attractions which truly enhance the Srilanka tourismis listed below are listed below:

Colombo Fort

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ2qiY-kS7Y[/youtube]

This is one of the oldest forts located in the country which was built by the Portuguese and Dutch era. This fort is now the most important commercial hub of the countries and major offices, shops and popular trade centers located in this fort today is truly very famous and visited by the visitors visiting to the capital city Colombo. Truly this is bliss for the visitors as the tourist will find everything here under a roof. Truly this is very amazing and wonderful which is also the crowning glory of Srilanka tourism.

Mount Lavinia

This stunning beach is located just 12 Km from the south of the Colombo and truly is the most fascinating beaches in the entire world. This beautiful beach invites the visitors for their soothing and leisure vacation. This beautiful beach is endowed by the glistering sands, azure water and beautiful and magnificent resorts easily attracts visitors for their delightful vacation with luxury and comfortable. The visitors love here to sunbath, swimming, boating and the excellent facilities in the bar, pub and restaurants just adjacent to this beach easily tempts the visitors to visit again and again. Apart from this there are many stunning beaches dotted in this country which truly are sheer wonder to explore.

Kandy

Kandy is the cultural capital of this country Srilanka. This beautiful hill city is located at the elevation of 500 meter above the main sea level and is beautifully endowed by the green picturesque hills, dense green forests, sprawling tea gardens, spice and coffee plantations truly make this hill resort bliss for the visitors from all over the place. The major attractions to visit on this beautiful hill town are such as the tooth temple (UNESCO World Heritage Site), green valleys, picturesque landscapes, captivating lakes easily attracts visitors from all over the globe.

Apart from these there are many astounding Srilanka Tourist Places which are very worth to visit and explore with any Srilanka tour.

Article Source: sooperarticles.com/travel-articles/destinations-articles/srilanka-most-charming-destination-asia-visit-630737.html

About Author:

Srilanka Tourism providing Srilanka Tourism Map along with information on Srilanka Travel Agents, which includes beaches, monuments, temples, adventure tourism, wildlife attractions and other tourist places in Asian countries. Find more information to visit at srilankatourism.org.inAuthor: Vimlesh Kumar

South Africa’s Table Mountain ablaze

Saturday, January 28, 2006

A large and dangerous fire has broken out on Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa.

Dry and windy conditions have swept the fire around the base of the mountain, pushing it towards the bordering suburbs in the City Bowl and Vredehoek area with furious flames reaching ten meters into the air.

A number of houses along the border of the reserve are being threatened as the fire heads around the mountain from the cable car station towards the southern suburbs.Thick smoke and high winds are hindering fire-fighting efforts and causing havoc with the traffic around the area. Heynes helicopters, contracted to fight fires on the mountain, are assisting from the air. However since the main water reservoirs near the Vredehoek area are shrouded in smoke and water must be retrieved from the harbour instead.

So far one elderly woman has reportedly died due to smoke inhalation and many others may be at risk as they attempt to defend their homes. Firefighters have been attempting to bring the situation under control throughout the night but the blaze continues unabated.

The cause of the fire is still uncertain. However a 36-year-old British man has been placed under arrest for allegedly dropping a lit cigarette whilst on the mountain.

Fires in the area are an annual problem and may threaten to destroy the delicate indigenous fynbos ecosystem. Opinions about the effects of the fires on the mountain vary, however, with some specialists indicating that regular fires could cause permanent damage to the ecosystem whilst others believe that the fynbos is actually partially reliant on the heat of the fire to set off the shedding of seeds.

In previous years the area around Muizenberg and Fishhoek have been ravaged by fires of similar intensity. The scars of those fires still remain.

Scottish prosecutors keeping quiet about Lanarkshire surgical deaths

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Crown Office are staying quiet about possible prosecutions after an inquiry found medical failures caused three deaths at NHS Lanarkshire.

In response to a specific question as to the possibility of prosecutions, a Crown Office spokesperson told Wikinews today that “The three deaths were fully investigated by the Procurator Fiscal and reported to Crown Counsel [laywers] to consider. Crown Counsel concluded that, given the facts and circumstances of the deaths, a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) was the appropriate forum to consider the circumstances of the deaths.” It was further noted that “[a] FAI cannot make any findings of fault/blame against individuals.”

However, Crown Office did not specifically rule out prosecutions for offences such as cuplable homicide despite the spokesperson noting this was a direct response to such a question. They also declined to comment on National Health Service care as “it would not be appropriate to comment on the provision of NHS services” and entirely ignored questions about Crown Office satisfaction in the inquiry’s outcome and the length of time it took to reach a conclusion. The inquiry wrapped up last week but the deaths were in 2006.

Agnes Nicol, George Johnstone, and Andrew Ritchie died within a three-month period following keyhole surgery to remove their gall bladders.

Later expanded to look at all three deaths, the inquiry initially established to look into the case of Nicol, 50, who received surgery in late 2005. A surgeon at Wishaw General Hospital mistakenly cut her bile duct and her right hepatic artery. Whilst suturing her portal vein, her liver was left with 20% of its normal blood supply; the errors were not discovered until her transfer to liver specialists at Edinburgh’s Royal Infirmary.

By then, her liver was seriously damaged. She developed septicaemia, dying from multiple organ failure in March 2006.

Johnstone, 54, underwent the same procedure at Monklands District General Hospital on May 9, 2006. A consultant surgeon accidentally damaged, possibly severing, his bile duct. He died two days later in intensive care from the combined effects of multiple organ failure and a heart ailment.

Ritchie, 62, died in intensive care a week after an operation in June 2006. He died from intra abdominal haemorrhage caused by errors during the surgery.

Different surgeons were involved each time and the inquiry, under Sheriff Robert Dickson, found no evidence of poor training or inadequate experience. Dickson noted that in each case there was lack of action on a “growing body of evidence that there was something fundamentally wrong with the patient” and surgeons failed to contemplate their own actions as potentially responsible. He agreed with two professors that it may have been possible to save their lives “had the post-operative care been to the standard which they expected, and had there been a proper management plan which staff could have worked to” and noted that all the patients suffered from a lack of adequate medical notes being available after their surgery. He described the care as having “clear faults”.

NHS Lanarkshire apologised and said improvements had been made regarding “these types of cases” as well as with document management. Wikinews got in touch seeking details of the changes made but the health trust failed to respond.

Categories
Real Estate

Ship The Importance To The Equity Release Market

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SHIP – The Importance to the Equity Release Market

by

dezbroatch

One of the key features of an equity release scheme taken out today is that it comes with a no negative equity guarantee, meaning that homeowners, releasing equity from their home, won t ever owe more than it is worth.

This guarantee is promised by Safe Home Income Plans (SHIP) whose code of conduct is adhered to by the majority of the market s leading providers.

Protecting the Consumer

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k24kNhYe6Ds[/youtube]

Ever since 1991, SHIP has been protecting consumers with the no negative equity guarantee at the heart of their work. A home reversion plan has the potential to unlock a tax-free lump sum from the value of a property to supplement income in retirement.

As aforementioned, their code of conduct is upheld by the vast majority of the market. It is therefore beneficial to ensure that, when taking out an lifetime mortgage, you check to see whether the provider you are using promotes this.

Campaigning for Equity Release

However, SHIP s value to the equity market runs deeper than that. They continue to improve the public perception of lifetime mortgages whilst also campaigning to improve its use to the Government.

In these difficult financial times, funding retirement is becoming more and more of an issue for many homeowners. SHIP continues to champion the merits of a home reversion plan as a viable option that retirees could consider.

The hesitancy that still strangles the market to a degree, caused by the 1990s debacle, causes many people to think twice about taking out a plan. However, this is also where SHIPs involvement has proved invaluable in re-shaping some of these opinions; led by the no negative equity guarantee.

So, when considering an equity release scheme, make sure your provider adheres to the code of conduct.

Equity release could affect your current or future entitlement to means-tested benefits

Releasing equity to spend in your lifetime can reduce the amount that is left in your estate when you pass away

Release Equity

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com

Bacterial outbreak forces closure of Toronto hospital neo-natal unit

Saturday, March 10, 2007

An outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in a wing of the Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, Canada has resulted in the temporary closure of the hospital’s High Risk Perinatal Service in the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

The NICU, operated by the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, will not accept direct newborn admissions or maternal transfers, temporarily, until the outbreak is controlled. Current patients are being cared for in the NICU and Sunnybrook has created a separate area to accommodate new babies.

The closure of the NICU at Women’s College Hospital is expected to put a strain on availability of high-risk neo-natal services in Ontario. According to Sunnybrook, the NICU cares for one in five of all babies born in Ontario weighing less than three pounds.

Head of Sunnybrook’s department of newborn and developmental pediatrics, Dr. Michael Dunn, suggests that some patients of the NICU will need to be transferred to other facilities to allow for intensive cleaning of the area.

In a CBC interview, Dunn explains that, “all the babies who developed infections have been successfully treated, but we were not able to completely prevent the spread of the organism from one baby to another.”

New patients will have to be diverted to other facilities in the province of Ontario or even out of country. Buffalo, New York in the United States may be a potential destination for some women in Ontario with high-risk pregnancies or premature babies.

According to a Sunnybrook press release, the High Risk Perinatal Service will remain closed until there are no new transmissions of the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium. It further explains that outbreaks in the NICU are rare and that several measures have been put in place to keep the bacterium from spreading. The hospital has isolated babies who have symptoms and are ensuring that a specific team of clinicians only treat the affected babies.

The Sunnybrook press release suggests that, although MRSA bacteria are commonly found on the skin of newborns, the organism that has surfaced in the NICU has caused a variety of infections to the skin and eyes of the babies. The babies in the NICU are, apparently, responding to antibiotic treatment.

Delivering success at your door steps

Business Services franchises offer a wide range rewarding opportunities to anyone looking to enter the business world. This leading franchise segment have various business options in courier and mailing franchise, shipping and logistics, financial services, cartridge refilling, consultancy, direct mail franchise, advertising, printing press franchise, publishing, recruitment services and many more. The best way to start business services franchise is by investing in a popular concept and a brand.
Courier and mailing franchise business is a leading business services franchise offering lucrative opportunity to aspiring entrepreneurs. Courier service companies basically work around transportation of goods from one place to another, delivery of documents, packages, and larger shipments of products. These provide services to companies and individuals who need rapid service, accountability, and tracking that regular mail does not accommodate. Courier services are more reliable and dependable as compared to ordinary postal services due to less time consumed and delivery guarantee. However, with the introduction of modern gadgets and faster modes of transportation this system has also progressed a lot. Moreover, franchising is also one of the main stimulants of its popularity and profitability.

More information about courier service australia here

Courier franchising
Franchising in this business service has grown with more and more players taking the franchise model for reaching out to far flung areas in the vast nation. Courier service companies are required to deliver important mails and parcels to any part, whether city, town or village in the country. Therefore, franchising can be the best mode for guaranteed delivery of the items. According to DS Patel, Channel Head, DTDC, “Franchising is an essential and most effective way of expanding the network. Opening our own company owned courier offices is very expensive and time consuming. However a franchise outlet is economically beneficial to the company.” As informed by Praveen Govindraj, Assistant General Manager, First Flight Courier, “Franchising definitely helps in directly reaching to far-fling areas for delivering items due to our local partners in those areas.” He further added, “Franchising can be a win-win situation for both the franchisor and franchisees as both benefit from it. The local partner (franchisee) has a much better idea of a particular locality than the main company which is based out of Delhi or Mumbai. Delivering parcels to small towns and cities becomes difficult and also take a lot of time if it is done by the company in metropolitan areas. At such times the local franchisee can be of great help.” This can be the major reason for courier companies to opt for the franchise route. Moreover, having local partners all over the nation, who deliver all items on time, also increases the credibility and profit making of the parent company.

Why courier service franchising?
Courier service franchising offers tremendous scope for aspiring entrepreneurs who are looking for a viable way to establish their name in the entrepreneurial arena. Taking a franchise of a courier service company is an assured way of earning a regular income because:

• Courier services preferred over regular postal services
• Organised players in the market
• Small business services requiring low investment and start up
• Offers huge potential for expansion
• No background in similar field essential

Brands in franchising
A lot of courier service players have entered the franchise arena considering the benefits it is offering. Few of the major players in the segment are discussed here.

First Flight Courier, which started in 1986 provides courier services to all parts of the world. It presently owns 751 own offices across India, 522 associate offices, serving over 5000 destinations across India. The workforce of transportation services franchise is over 8000, which are located all around the globe.

DTDC courier franchise business incorporated in 1990 is supported by more than 300 own offices and over 4000 franchise partner offices spread across the country.

Blue Dart Express, a part of DHL Express, has access to over 22,200 locations in India in addition to the global network of over 220 countries around the world.

Blazeflash Courier, founded in 1986 has a network, comprising of 290 own offices and more than 4200 franchises and 3535 destination all over India.

Overnite Express Limited, established in 1987 has more than 1800 franchise offices and serving over 800 destinations spread across the country.

Investment required
As informed by Patel, “Investment by franchisees depends upon the type of city or town they want to set up their office. In DTDC we have four segments depending upon the city, as A B C and D category city. For metro city initial security deposit is of Rs One lakh, excluding the rental of the outlet, interiors, infrastructure needed. Therefore, an aspirant needs at least an investment of Rs 5 lakh.”

Word of Caution

The courier service franchising has many benefits for the aspirants but there is a word of caution also. Entrepreneurs looking for quick and short way of making money can have a hard time as courier franchising is small business service with low investment but gives steady but low incomes. Therefore those aspirants who are keen on making a lot of money in less time should rethink about their decision to enter this field.

To conclude it can be said that there is no dearth of renowned players in this sector who can give a good platform to aspirants to climb the entrepreneurial ladder. Aspiring entrepreneurs will always be an added benefit to this wide field.