Essay on Craig Hawkins PS 2

Essay on Craig Hawkins PS 2 Essay on Craig Hawkins PS 2 Craig Hawkins Prof. Sante 11/16/14 Theory of Democratic Peace Throughout the world there are numerous countries that are ruled by different political systems, in which every country is entitled to do so. Although some systems are viewed more favorably than others, in this paper the political systems discussed will be the democratic, authoritarian and totalitarian systems. These political systems will be analyzed in relation to the Theory of Democratic Peace. This theory argues that nation-states governed by democratic regimes do not have conflicts with other countries that would lead to wars. Through the analyses of the Theory of Democratic Peace in relation to the democratic system: United States, authoritarian system: China and totalitarian system: Iraq, I find this theory to be inaccurate. The United States is a country governed by democratic rule. As a democratic country the U.S. emphasizes rights, liberties and justice. Since 1776 the United States has only evolved through democracy along to a population that now holds â€Å"316,128,839 million people† (quickfacts.census.gov). â€Å"The majority of the population is made up in 77.7 % Whites, 17.1 % in Hispanic/Latinos and 13.2 % in African Americans (quickfacts.census.gov). The United States economy has many liberties and opportunities for financial gain. The United States itself is projected to earn â€Å"5.7 trillion dollars in revenue during the year of 2014† (usgovernmentrevenue.com). The United States economy is sustained mostly through taxes. Sources of revenue that come from taxes are income taxes, social insurance taxes, ad valorem taxes and business taxes. â€Å"The United States is the third largest country in the world and borders two other countries: Canada and Mexico† (geography.abo ut.com). The United States climate changes throughout the course of the year, entering all four seasons. â€Å"The United States was recognized as an independent nation by Great Britain in 1783 following the American Revolution† (1775-1783)(usa.gov). The Declaration of Independence represents freedom the United States won, on July 4th the U.S. celebrates this day. Major following events to come The Civil War between northern and southern states from 1861-1865 which ultimately led to Barack Obama being elected the first black President of the United States† (infoplease.com). Within the United States lies the core of how the country is governed starting first with the Constitution. The United Sates is governed through three different branches, The Executive Branch: where a great deal of power is held by the President, The Legislative Branch: consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate and The Judicial Branch: â€Å"courts systems that harbor the judgment resp onsibilities for what is considered fair and considered justice† (whitehouse.gov). Country based decisions are made within these branches by the people within the Congress and Senate. Congress is made up of the House of Representatives (435 elected members) and the Senate (100 Senators). The constitution grants Congress to make legislative decisions. The senate agrees to pass laws and send them to the President for approval. †Both the House and the Senate must pass the same bill by majority vote† (whitehouse.gov). Together these different parts of government work together to uphold the democratic system in place. China is a country governed under authoritarian rule. Authoritarian ruled countries â€Å"are governed by a small group that do not attempt to control everything, instead limiting individual freedoms in favor of hierarchical organization of command, obedience and order† (Roskin 97). Under authoritarian rule China has grown it’s population to 1,355,692,576 billion people. 47 % of the population are between the ages of 25-54 years of age, 17.1 % of population are between the ages of 0-14 years of age, (indexmundi.com/china). The economy is very much profitable in terms of creating revenue for

Selection of Quotes by Seretse Khama

Selection of Quotes by Seretse Khama I think that the trouble we now face in the world is caused mainly by the refusal to try and see another man’s point of view, to try and persuade by example - and the refusal to meet a rather passionate desire to impose your own will upon others, either by force or other means.Seretse Khama, first president of Botswana, from a speech given in Blantyre in July 1967. It should now be our intention to try to retrieve what we can of our past. We should write our own history books to prove that we did have a past, and that it was a past that was just as worth writing and learning about as any other. We must do this for the simple reason that a nation without a past is a lost nation, and a people without a past is a people without a soul.Seretse Khama, first president of Botswana, speech at the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland, 15 May 1970, as quoted in the Botswana Daily News, 19 May 1970. Botswana is a poor country and at present is unable to stand on its own feet and develop its recourses without assistance from its friends.Seretse Khama, first president of Botswana, from his first public speech as president, 6 October 1966. We are convinced that there is justification for all the races that have been brought together in this part of Africa, by the circumstances of history, to live together in peace and harmony, for they have no other home but Southern Africa. Here we will have to learn how to share aspirations and hopes as one people, united by a common belief in the unity of the human race. Here rests our past, our present, and, most importantly of all, our future.Seretse Khama, first president of Botswana, speech at the national stadium on the 10th anniversary of independence in 1976. As quoted in Thomas Tlou, Neil Parsons and Willie Hendersons Seretse Khama 1921-80, Macmillan 1995. [W]e Batswana are not desperate beggars...Seretse Khama, first president of Botswana, from his first public speech as president, 6 October 1966. [D]emocracy, like a little plant, does not grow or develop on its own. If must be nursed and nurtured if it is to grow and flourish. It must be believed in and practiced if it is to be appreciated. And it must be fought for and defended if it is to survive.Seretse Khama, first president of Botswana, speech given at the opening of the fifth session of Botswanas third National Assembly in November 1978. Lefatshe ke kereke yame. Go dira molemo tumelo yame.The world is my church. To do good my religionInscription to be found on Seretse Khamas grave.

Alexander Graham Bell Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Alexander Graham Bell - Research Paper Example From an early age Bell demonstrated great intellectual curiosity and potential. Bell â€Å"became interested in botany and at age twelve built a contraption to aid a neighbor in his flourmill† (Mackay, pg. 9). His father published texts on elocution and Bell demonstrated a strong propensity in this subject. Bell would later attend prestigious high school, followed by college, and was generally recognized as mediocre at both. Upon graduation Bell began experiments with sound following his father’s interest in elocution. His experiments would ultimately lead him to become â€Å"Professor of Vocal Physiology and Elocution at Boston University† (Mackay, pg. 111). While Bell experimented with a number of sound elements, his work with the telephone undoubtedly holds the greatest contemporary relevance. In this context of understanding, Bell had â€Å"begun experimenting with a phonautograph in 1874† (Town, pg. 189). While he recognized that he was on to something he realized lack of proper funding and knowledge to complete his final invention that would electronically transmit the human voice. These challenges were overcome when Bell first encountered Gardiner Hubbard and Thomas Sanders who would help fund his invention, as well as Thomas Watson who had the required knowledge in engineering to put it together. Ultimately, â€Å"in 1876 Bell would complete his invention of the telephone, three days after receiving the patent† (Ross, pg. 302). While later in his life Bell would invent the metal detector, his greatest cultural contribution is undoubtedly telephone. Even as Bell made a substantial social contribution through his invention of telephone, the question of what the world would be like without Bell is a complicated one. While Bell invented the telephone, it’s clear that there were elements that emerged in contemporary technological platforms and allowed for this invention to occur. It is highly probable then, that if Bell had not invented his

International business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 8

International business - Essay Example For example it was the company that dictated for the international market, what it needed to buy from Apple. Again, the international market did not have much choice in becoming the first users to new types of products. That is, Apple used the international market of offload most of its older products so that it could make way for new products to be introduced into the American market (Robertson, 2011). With the coming of Steve Jobs however, this approach changed as the international market was actually put at the centre of the company’s inventions and innovations. That is, instead of giving the international market what the company wanted to offer, there was enough research to know and understand the needs of the international market together with what the American market wanted. This way, the inventions that were made such as the iPod were made to meet the international demands. It is not surprising that with Steve Jobs at Apple, the company could now boast of a global marke t, where it is reported that nearly twice as many people outside the U.S were employed when the iPod was invested as those employed in the U.S (Freeland, 2011). In essence, the company positioned itself to take advantage of globalization. Once the global positioning was guaranteed through the approach to innovation which was research-led, Apple started developing very quickly. More to the company’s own approach to innovation was the technology based platform that Apple was offered as part of globalization to enhance its business growth. For example Bhagwati (2004) reported that the advent of electronic commerce (e-commerce) peaked around the early 2000s, making it easier for the company to be connected to the international market through the internet. As the elements of e-commerce provide, the company did not necessarily have to have a lot of offices across the globe before it could sell to the international market. Rather, a

Poetry and Strong Human Spirit Essay Example for Free

Poetry and Strong Human Spirit Essay Success is the journey not the destination. â€Å"A strong human spirit essential for an imaginative journey. † Imaginative journeys take us from the reality now to unreal existences that can exist in our minds. A strong human spirit is essential for an imaginative journey to flow through our mind. The success is the journey that is being taken not the destination. This can be expressed through the poems â€Å"Frost at Midnight and Kubla Khan,† by Sammuel Taylor Coleridge and â€Å"Still I Rise† by Maya Angelou that see the journey as the success not the outcome and that their strong human spirit allowed them to go on the journey. In the poem â€Å"Still I Rise† by Maya Angelou the poet expresses her journey through being discriminated in America because of her race. Her journey is much more successful then the destination because as she went on the journey and experienced heartfelt times, along the way she taught the discriminators she can still get back up even if they hurt her many times. The poet uses repetition to do this. â€Å"Still I’ll Rise. She also uses similes to convey her connection with nature along this journey as she uses the concept of natural resources and by using oil, gold and diamond to show contradictions that people think she is wealthy but really they are the spoilt ones. â€Å"Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells pumping in our living room. † She uses rhetorical questions to intensify the poem and to touch the responders. This portrays how she is successful in trying to express what she believes in to others while on the journey. In the poem â€Å"still I’ll rise† the poet has a strong human spirit that is essential for her journey. For her to write this poem as a form of protest it needed a strong human spirit. Her whole poem is based on freedom which is expressed every time she gets hurt and then rises again. Her use of metaphors empathise how strong her spirit is when she gets discriminated but still has hope to keep going. â€Å"Just like hopes springing high† and â€Å"you may shoot me with your words. † Her use of rhetorical questions and repetition allow people to think about it and understand it properly through her words and her strong spirit. â€Å"Does my sassiness upset you?  Why are you beset with gloom? † Her strong human spirit allowed her to achieve the freedom that she wanted. In the poem â€Å"Kubla Khan† by Samuel Taylor Coleridge the poet takes us through his mind on an imaginative journey. His journey had no destination at all but the success was there all along through his connection and love with nature. The poet uses a lot of alliteration to describe this place and assonance to describe how beautiful this image of nature is and how the success of the journey is created through the beauty of nature. Measureless to man† and â€Å"twice five miles of fertile ground. † The use of a simile describes the place as being old but still in good condition ‘Forests as ancient as hills’ and the river as being scary and holy. He does this through the use of an oxymoron as he puts two of these words together and they contradict â€Å"A savage place? As holy and enchanted†. This is the success of the journey as it is still alive but really old. He describes a women’s music with alliteration â€Å"A Damsel with a dulcimer† â€Å"Loud and Long† â€Å"Deep Delight. By including this he has achieved success all through the journey as he celebrates. In the poem â€Å"Kubla khan† by Samuel Taylor Coleridge a strong human spirit was essential for this imaginative journey. His use of assonance and alliteration to describe how beautiful the image of nature is and how the strong human spirit can take us on an imaginative journey. â€Å"Sunless Sea. † By the poet using his imagination he has made this place that feels like paradise with his strong spirit. He needed a strong human spirit to imagine a place that feels like paradise. All through the journey he describes his strong connections with the natural environment and because of his strong human spirit he was able to imagine the nature and environment using metaphors as extraordinary with the river springing up viciously to become a fountain. â€Å"As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing. † The poem â€Å"Frost at midnight† by Samuel Taylor Coleridge his imaginative journey is the success not the destination. As the poet goes on this journey into his past and then he goes into another dream as well this expresses that imaginative journey is a success because his not reaching no destination. The poet begins with a metaphor which connects with nature and God, â€Å"The frost performs its secret ministry,† so the success of the journey has already started with the nature and God. This concept relates to the journey of the poet back into his childhood as he in the quiet cottage and looks at the film in the blue flame which fluttered on the grate is contrasted with him in the past looking at the bars at school to watch a fluttering stranger. This is the success of the start of his imaginative journey and that there is no destination. He then while sitting at school goes into another dream about his birth place and the church tower where the bell would ring so sweetly expresses the success of his journey when he was younger in the country side he was more connected to nature where in the city the only connection was the â€Å"lovely star and sky†. The poem â€Å"Frost at midnight† by Samuel Taylor Coleridge expresses a strong human spirit that is essential for an imaginative journey. The use of the simile â€Å"inaudible as dreams† which describes the quietness which gives him the strong human spirit to the imaginative journey. He also uses assonance to describe how the solitude or quietness his inmates have left him is disturbing him. â€Å"Have left me to solitude to suit abtruser musings†. The looking at the blue flame gave him the strong human spirit to begin his imaginative journey. The relationship between father and son is also giving the poet the strong human spirit because he doesn’t want his son to grow up like him in the city but to be raised in the country so his is more connected to nature.

Willa Cather :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Willa Cather wrote several wonderful stories and novels. After reading or viewing three of them and reading a little about her other works on the Internet, I have noticed that all of them have things in common. I have observed that her works often times involve family situations and how different types of people deal with death. The stories tend to reflect a time in her life I would assume. They are also reflected close to her home in many times. The stories tend to use the same types of dialogue and have similar characters as well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the movie, O Pioneers!, the family is torn by death in several ways. The father dies in the beginning of the movie. He makes Alexandra the head of the family because he knows she will keep the land and that she can care for the family the best. In a way, it seemed he knew she would best respect his decisions prior to his death. It is in this way already that death and families are introduced. In an opposing circumstance, the sculptor, Harvey, in â€Å"The Sculptor’s Funeral,† had no family to miss. He was basically thrown out of the family after they realized he didn’t quite fit in where he was born. It didn’t seem like he cared though because he still became successful in Boston. He died and was brought back to his hometown after being an outcast there prior to his success. When he was buried in his hometown he was not talked of brightly. He was basically made an object for the town to ridicule. His only friend who was a lawyer ther e stood up for him at the end of the story showing all of the townspeople how cruel they were to Harvey.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I read an article on the Internet about her and as she wrote â€Å"Neighbor Rosicky† her father went through a heart attack and died from it. It almost seems in the writing you can tell the change in the mood after her father’s death. This brings her personal life into her writing and makes it unique while tying in with the story well. I believe it even said that her circumstances were used in her writing for the remainder to the story.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Willa Cather was raised in rural Kansas. Her writing also reflected a country-life atmosphere. Her stories rarely took place in larger cities because she didn’t know much about them.

Housing Discrimination

Allyson Jones Housing and Society Due: October 11, 2012 Dr. Joyner Housing, Neighborhoods and Health Disparities Corina Graif, PhD, RWJF Health & Society Scholar at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Many aspects of internal housing conditions are known to affect health. Limited but important evidence also exists on the health implications of the socio-spatial context of housing.For instance, fear of crime, crowding, neighborhood disadvantage, social exclusion, and residents’ social exchange are linked to cardiovascular and mental health, obesity, diabetes and low birth weight. In my dissertation work and related projects, I ask questions about the spatial context of neighborhood effects to investigate how the urban geography of inequality and cumulative spatial disadvantage shape the health and well-being of the inner-city poor.Several important questions about the neighborhood and spatial context aspect of housing remain critical to ask in our quest to understand and act on the constellation of factors shaping health outcomes: a) How do different spatially salient markers (such as nearby presence of crime hotspots; community health centers; daycare) interact with the neighborhood context in shaping health outcomes, employment, and health care. f) To what extent moving low income families to high quality neighborhoods increases or decreases their access to health related resources and critical social networks and jobs?Read more about Moving to Opportunity and how neighborhoods impact residents’ health. http://www. rwjf. org/en/blogs/human-capital-blog/2012/01/housing-neighborhoods-and-health-disparities. html RACIAL DISPARITY STILL HAUNTS HOUSING MARKET July 3, 2003 By Anders Hoerlyck IN THEORY, the American housing market is free and open. The report found that high-interest loans, many of which are illegal, are three times more likely in low- income neighborhoods than in high-income areas, and five times more likely in black neighborhoo ds than in white neighborhoods.HUD further noted that homeowners in high-income black neighborhoods are six times as likely as homeowners in upper-income white neighborhoods, and twice as likely as homeowners in low-income white neighborhoods, to have high- interest loans. Another study found that black homeowners receive less value for their homes than white homeowners. The study, which compared home values to homeowner incomes for owners of different ethnic and racial groups in the nation's 100 largest cities in 1990, found that, equalizing for income, black homeowners received 18 percent less value for their homes than white homeowners; white homeowners owned $2. 4 worth of house for every dollar of income, while black homeowners owned only $2. 16 worth of house. The study further revealed that the 18 percent gap imposed on black homeowners – the so-called segregation tax – primarily results from a high degree of racial segregation in neighborhoods. Working poor fac e shortage of affordable housing November 10, 1996 Consider Sam Brown of San Francisco, who pays more than two thirds of his monthly income to keep his family in housing.Housing officials estimate more than five million families are in dire straits when it comes to paying for a place to live. The affordable housing shortage has worsened as officials have torn down high rise tenements, characterizing them as warehouses for the poor. Some housing assistance programs have helped to ease the stress. http://articles. cnn. com/1996-11-10/us/9611_10_welfare. housing_1_affordable-housing-housing-assistance-programs-housing-officials-estimate? _s=PM:US Middle-income families facing housing shortageToday in America more than 3 million moderate income families have a critical housing need despite working the equivalent of a full-time job,† said Michael Stegman, one of the authors of the study, â€Å"Housing America's Working Families. â€Å"†The report was commissioned by the Cen ter for Housing Policy, a subsidiary of the National Housing Conference, which is a consortium of some 700 home builders and home lenders from across the country. http://articles. cnn. com/2000-06-02/us/housing. shortage_1_center-for-housing-policy-critical-housing-national-housing-conference? s=PM:US Housing at Risk AFFORDABLE HOUSING FINANCE †¢ June 2012 What you need to know about three key changes that could have a big impact on the preservation of existing affordable housing BY DONNA KIMURA AND CHRISTINE SERLIN Three key changes are poised to make a big impact on the preservation of existing affordable housing developments. These new moves two new programs and one policy change arrive at time when the affordable housing stock is shrinking. This amounts to nearly 60 percent of units with federal project-based rental assistance.Approximately 50,000 units are assisted under these programs, including about 25,000 units under the Mod Rehab program. Under the legislation, a demo nstration program has been created that allows certain public housing and Sec. 8 Moderate Rehab properties to voluntarily convert to a long-term Sec. 8 rental assistance as a means of preserving these units. They could convert to either a project-based rental assistance contract administered by HUD and be eligible for renewal under the Multifamily Assisted Housing Reform and Affordability Act or a project-based contract with a local public housing authority.As many as 60,000 units of public housing and Sec. 8 Mod Rehab housing may be converted under a competitive selection process. FHA PILOT PROGRAM Centerline Capital Group provided about $2 million in low-income housing tax credit equity. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has recently launched a pilot program that aims to speed up the processing time for FHA-backed deals that use low income housing tax credits (LIHTCs). NONPROFIT SALES PROCEEDS During the 1960s and 1970s, HUD worked with nonprofits to finance thousands of pr operties under its mortgage insurance programs, including Sec. 21(d)(3), Sec. 231, and Sec. 236 of the National Housing Act. HUD reports that nonprofits own 39 percent of all Sec. 236 and 221(d) (3) properties with maturing mortgages. More than 700 of these properties have mortgages that will mature within the next 10 years, representing roughly 80,000 affordable housing units, including 42,000 with project-based rental assistance. Historically, there have been restrictions on nonprofit owners receiving proceeds from the sale of FHA-insured properties. ttp://www. housingfinance. com/ahf/articles/2012/june/0612-special-focus-Housing-At-Risk. htm Growth through Low Income Housing Published on: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 Written by: Trista Winnie Low income housing makes housing more accessible for many families There is a common misconception that low income housing today is of the same quality as the low income housing projects of the past. This misconception is a hurdle that low in come housing developers and advocates have to work hard to overcome.Often, community members try to prevent low income housing from coming to their area, assuming that the stereotype that low income housing equals low quality housing is true. Low income residents have their own fears about property values. When planning a low income housing development within a community, â€Å"all kinds of fears come out,† Greer said. Mixed use projects, incorporating low income housing and retail, are gaining popularity Another way in which developers are gaining acceptance is through production of mixed income developments, rather than strictly low income developments. Affordable housing is a problem for every community because the cost of housing and the sale prices of houses are going up faster than incomes. † Low income housing developments that seek to be eligible for tax credits are required to be set aside as low income housing for a minimum of 30 years, according to the Danter Company. Financing is also available for other types of low income housing through programs such as tax credit allocations, partnerships, low interest loans, grants and donations. For more on the Hope VI program and other sources of low income housing financing, see our article on Financing Low Income Housing Projects. ) The rehabbing of rundown low income housing projects is just one avenue through which developers can be involved in low income housing, but it should serve as an overall notice for all investors that the low income housing industry is not a glamorous one. Communities and sources of funding both favor those who are experienced in low income housing. Competition for low-income housing funds is fierce. http://www. uwireinvestor. com/articles/low-income-housing-51313. aspx Housing discrimination â€Å"widespread† among disabled, immigrants, minorities, others May 07, 2012|Yvonne Wenger A survey of 549 community-based organizations suggests that housing discrimin ation is on the rise, particularly targeting disabled individuals, immigrants, minorities and families with children, according to the nonprofit Consumer Action. â€Å"Housing discrimination is all too alive and well in the United States today,† Ken McEldowney, executive director, Consumer Action, said in a statement.Forty-eight percent of surveyed organizations called housing discrimination very serious. Forty percent said housing discrimination has gone up in the last two years; 11 percent said discrimination has gone down. http://articles. baltimoresun. com/2012-05-07/business/bal-housing-discrimination-widespread-among-disabled-immigrants-minorities-others-20120504_1_housing-discrimination-minorities-and-families-baltimore-neighborhoods Report | September 2007 New Housing, Income Inequality, and Distressed Metropolitan AreasBetween 1970 and 2000, both distressed and non-distressed metropolitan areas with rapidly growing income inequality experienced rapidly growing reside ntial segregation by income. In distressed metropolitan areas between 1970 and 2000, rising income segregation was associated with excess housing construction. In non-distressed metropolitan areas, there was no relationship between income segregation and excess housing construction. Rising income inequality and neighborhood income segregation accounted for 16 to 50 percent of new construction in distressed metropolitan areas between 1970 and 2000.Policies that reduce income inequality can help reduce overbuilding and income segregation in distressed areas. http://www. brookings. edu/research/reports/2007/09/newhousing-watson The Links between Income Inequality, Housing Markets and Homelessness in California The housing market rapidly rising rents, the declining number of low-income rental units in the housing stock, and deceleration in federal housing programs. Homelessness in California John Quigley, Steven that growing income inequality working through homelessness.Income inequali ty has grown substantially Distribution of Income in California (1996). Of California’s income distribution suggests that there income distribution. Better-quality housing, enter the lower-quality market, and the resulting higher rents suggest very low incomes can no longer afford housing and are forced that affect homelessness associated with greater homelessness. The links between income inequality and homelessness, income in a number of locations higher and incomes move lower), the greater the incidence of homelessness response to changes in income distribution.Decrease the average income of households in the lowest fifth increases in the homeless population. Policy Interventions which policy interventions in the housing market can lower homelessness rates one trend in federal programs built housing rates on lower-quality housing to encourage landlords to of income (currently 30 percent) in units available on the study uses simulation models to explore how homelessness und er Section 8) to all low-income households, targeted â€Å"barely-standard† housing, and a general maintenance subsidy the landlord programs maintenance program.The demand for and price of the lowest-quality housing, forcing out the lowest-income renters responses identified above would go to low-income households to make low-quality housing more affordable and thereby, Section 8 program and by compensating local governments very low end of the housing stock. www. ppic. org/main/publication. asp? i=211 Claudio Frischtak Benjamin R. Mandel Crime, House Prices, and Inequality: The Effect of UPPs in Rio January 2012 Residential property prices are an important gauge of economic conditions writ large.Property’s location determinants of house prices can alter the level and dispersion of household wealth connection between crime and house prices. Document the relationship between crime and house prices. Distributional consequences of removing the public bad of crime; that is , the removal of crime the degree of overall inequality among property values. Crime rate a dynamic model of property valuation. Our empirical work will show that decreasing crime does, in fact, benefit lower valued properties disproportionately, reducing the inequality among properties.House prices for the city of Rio de Janeiro since 2008. Both homicides and robberies coefficient measures the level of inequality of house prices across Rio’s neighborhoods. It objective of crime reduction residential property prices in Rio’s formal housing market, as well as on homicide and robbery rates in each of Rio’s neighborhoods, we formally test the hypotheses that Neighborhoods closer to a UPP station experienced larger than average decreases in crime and larger than average increases in house prices after the UPP was put into place.Prices increased by an average of 5-10 percent, homicides decreased by an average of 10-25 results to construct counterfactual price and cri me rates and, with those, city-wide statistics. We note that since we do not observe house prices skyrocketing residential property prices in the formal housing markets surrounding the favelas. Having established that the UPPs influenced crime and house prices in opposite directions house prices. Returns to crime reduction; this implies that properties with either high initial crime rates or current property values.This treatment of the dynamic transmission of crime rates into house prices is quite duration of crime rates in the past; lower initial crime rates with low historical duration gives rise to the biggest increases in price when the crime rate declines. Implementation of the UPP policy counterfactual house prices described above shows that the disparity in house prices across Dispersion in property prices within those neighborhoods narrowed, suggesting that even change in the crime rate.Works identifying the impact of crime and violence on property prices, with the paper by exploit both spatial and temporal variation in crime data to identify the effect on house prices, persistence of historical crime rates. The present study uses more disaggregate price data, at on the implications of crime for the dispersion of house prices. First draw connection between crime reduction and wealth inequality. Our empirical measurement of the crime elasticity of house prices is connected to a crime rate as exogenous, which ay have biased the elasticity estimates if, for example, crime occurs disproportionately in poorer neighborhoods with low property values or, conversely, if criminals target areas with higher-priced homes. (2009) found 12 instances in of a set of 18 empirical studies relating house prices and crime variation around an exogenous policy experiment, the UPPs in Rio to historical crime rates or the levels of property prices is a reasonable instrument for the effect of crime on house prices. www. newyorkfed. org/research/staff_reports/sr542.Housing and inequalities in health Professor Hoyden-Chapman The existence of debilitating inequalities in health across social groups has become the first law of public health. People privileged by more education, income, the dominant ethnicity, higher status jobs, and housing standards, have better health than those with less education and income, minority ethnicity, lower status jobs, and poorer housing. Focusing on housing and neighborhood improvements have historically been key policy instruments to improve population health.Housing tenure has been associated with health in a number of studies—those who rent their houses appear to have poorer health than those who own their houses even after controlling for age, gender, and education. 5Housing for most households is their largest monthly expenditure and housing costs in the survey were related to health. The psychosocial aspects of housing such as pride in a house and neighborhood showed an association with health status only before controlling for other variables.Several multilevel studies have shown that some neighborhoods are indeed bad for people's health. 6Surveys to explore new associations and intervention studies to test causal links between housing and health are important. The social and economic aspects of housing, and the lack of it, continue to play an important part in generating inequalities in health. http://jech. bmj. com/content/56/9/645. full Green Building Saves $$$ Developers open their books to show low operating costs at green properties BY BENDIX ANDERSONAFFORDABLE HOUSING FINANCE †¢ April 2008 Thanks to these energy savings, the reserve accounts of the 600 green affordable apartments in the portfolio of Homestead Capital are an average 36 percent larger than the rest of Homestead's affordable portfolio. The apartments were built to a variety of green standards. Early operating data from the green portfolio of Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. , shows energy savings of up to 40 pe rcent, compared to properties built to the standards of local building codes.Of course, the biggest energy savings are at projects built to the toughest green standards. Denny Park also meets the demanding standards set by Enterprise for its Green Communities investments. It cost Denny Park's owners, the Seattle-based Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI), a total of $1,000 per apartment in utility expenses to operate Denny Park in 2007, from electricity to hot water to trash pickup. That's as much as $200 per apartment lower than the utility costs at LIHI's other affordable properties.Conserving water green developers and investors also report steep savings on their water bills, which are 35 percent to 40 percent less on average than water costs at comparable properties, according to information from the portfolio of green properties in Enterprise's Green Communities Initiative. Denny Park racked up savings, with water and sewer costs of $188 per resident, compared to $235 and $322 p er resident at LIHI's comparable properties. Saving water also helps keep the hot water heating costs down.Denny Park's hot water bill was just $133 per apartment in 2007, roughly a quarter less than at LIHI's comparable properties. It cost $102 per apartment to haul trash away from Denny Park in 2007. Green projects have low turnover Tenants are also less likely to move out of green affordable housing properties, according to developers. Many residents appreciate the improved air quality at green building projects, said Oberdorfer. http://www. housingfinance. com/ahf/articles/2008/apr/FOCUSGREENBUILDINGSAVES0408. htm Towns get new deadline for affordable housing July 01, 2004Last year, the General Assembly passed the Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act, which encourages municipalities with less than 10 percent affordable housing to develop a plan to increase that percentage. http://articles. chicagotribune. com/2004-07-01/news/0407010376_1_municipalities-towns-percentage-poi nts HUD program to target jobs for poor residents November 23, 1993|By Eric Siegel | Eric Siegel, Staff Writer Baltimore will serve as a pilot program for a national effort to channel more federal housing funds toward low-income residents and minority businesses, officials announced yesterday.HUD also promised stricter enforcement of the so-called â€Å"Section 3† requirement, part of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968. â€Å"HUD estimates the federal money could support 300 low-income jobs in the city. City housing officials could not immediately say how much of the federal housing money the city receives goes to fulfilling the Section 3 requirement. Of 85 city residents hired to renovate units at Cherry Hill Homes, 26 were public housing residents, they said. http://articles. baltimoresun. com/1993-11-23/news/1993327087_1_public-housing-residents-federal-housing-housing-and-urban Census: housing disparities continueBy Brandt Williams Minnesota Public Radio Septe mber 17, 2002 For most Americans, the value of their home is their prime source of wealth. During the 1990s, a booming economy and buyer-friendly housing market helped many Minnesotans build thousands of dollars in home equity. They were able to buy at low prices and watch the value of their homes skyrocket. Goetz says home values remain lower in those neighborhoods than in predominantly white areas, where the demand for homes is higher. Census figures show the statewide median home value for African Americans is $106,000, which is slightly higher than for Hispanics.American Indians have the lowest statewide median home value, at $78,000. Asian American home values remain slightly higher than that of whites. In Hennepin County, home of the state's largest concentration of people of color, African American home values are the lowest at $103,000. Goetz says this gap in home values will feed future economic gaps between whites and people of color, because home equity is passed on from generation to generation. In 1990, white home values were 3 percent higher than those of Hispanics and 6 percent higher than for African Americans. ttp://news. minnesota. publicradio. org/features/200209/17_williamsb_censushousing Environ Health Perspect. 2005 May; 113(5): A310–A317 PMCID: PMC1257572 Environews Focus Dwelling Disparities: How Poor Housing Leads to Poor Health For most Americans, the value of their home is their prime source of wealth. During the 1990s, a booming economy and buyer-friendly housing market helped many Minnesotans build thousands of dollars in home equity. They were able to buy at low prices and watch the value of their homes skyrocket.Goetz says home values remain lower in those neighborhoods than in predominantly white areas, where the demand for homes is higher. Census figures show the statewide median home value for African Americans is $106,000, which is slightly higher than for Hispanics. American Indians have the lowest statewide median ho me value, at $78,000. Asian American home values remain slightly higher than that of whites. In Hennepin County, home of the state's largest concentration of people of color, African American home values are the lowest at $103,000.Goetz says this gap in home values will feed future economic gaps between whites and people of color, because home equity is passed on from generation to generation. In 1990, white home values were 3 percent higher than those of Hispanics and 6 percent higher than for African Americans. http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC1257572 Disparities in Risk To a large extent, disparities in health and access to care among minorities reflect disparities in socioeconomic status. The fact that minority populations on average are poorer than whites underlies many health disparities.Health insurance coverage and access to preventive care play a major role in determining health outcomes. Although insurance coverage improves access to health care, minority ch ildren have less access to primary medical care than white children, even after accounting for differences in insurance coverage, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation Report. Inadequate routine and preventive care increases a child’s incidence and burden of disease. Hospitalization for asthma generally is avoidable if the disease is well managed.Poverty, substandard housing, inadequate access to health care, lack of education, and failure to adequately control asthma with medication all contribute to asthma episodes and deaths. Ethnic minorities also experience poorer cancer survival rates than whites. According to the American Cancer Society, cancer mortality rates are 40 percent higher for African-American men than white men. Efforts to eliminate health disparities are underway both nationally and locally. NIEHS and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have supported several urban asthma studies. Many states also have created offices addressing min ority health.The HHS OMH funds health projects conducted by minority community and national organizations, maintains minority health consultants in HHS Regional Offices, and operates a Resource Center on minority health issues. The National Institutes of Health also has a National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities to coordinate research, training, and outreach programs surrounding health disparities. Due to the strong link between socioeconomic status and health disparities, programs designed to improve the socioeconomic status of minorities also could help to reduce health disparities.Focusing on properties that pose the greatest health risks, which are overwhelmingly older, low-income, and in substandard condition, will yield the greatest improvement in health outcomes and address the striking health disparities borne by low-income and minority families. http://www. afhh. org/ifc/ifc_disparities. htm A growing number allege unfair treatment in housing market| Update d 9/29/2007 | Nearly 40 years after a national law banned housing discrimination, an increasing number of complaints are alleging unfair treatment of minorities, the disabled, families and other groups.The Department of Housing and Urban Development and housing assistance agencies logged 10,328 complaints last year, a 12% jump from 2005. Between 2002 and 2006, seven states and the District of Columbia averaged more than 10 housing discrimination complaints per 100,000 housing units, according to the GNS analysis. The average state rate was 7. 6 complaints per 100,000 units. The 1968 Fair Housing Act, amended in 1988, bans discrimination in the housing market based on disability, race, sex, national origin, religion, skin color or whether a family has children.Reasons for the growing number of discrimination complaints vary, housing officials say. Agency's performance criticized Last year, 36% of the complaints to HUD were settled. Federal officials and fair housing advocates say it' s difficult to know whether housing discrimination is on the rise in a particular area. Private housing groups also get complaints that aren't included in the data. †¢ In almost one third of counties, no housing discrimination complaints were filed with HUD or its contract agencies between 2002 and 2006. †¢ Housing discrimination complaints related to disability are as common as those related to race.Nationally, disability-related cases accounted for 40% of complaints filed with HUD and its contract agencies last year. Race-related complaints accounted for 39%. Housing experts expect disability complaints to climb as the nation's population ages and older Americans better understand their housing rights. Last year, HUD dismissed 40% of complaints, citing lack of evidence. One reason may be that housing discrimination today can be subtler. HUD must investigate discrimination complaints within 100 days. http://usatoday30. usatoday. com/news/nation/2007-09-28-housing-main_N. htm

Policing Practices and Operations Essay

Policing agencies are incredibly responsible to the communities, counties, states, and nation to protect against crime and provide service to citizens. With this tremendous responsibility comes inherent scrutiny. The practices and operations of police agencies are under constant surveillance by the public as well as other policing agencies. To promote functionality police organizations are departmentalized to enhance efficiency and improve communication. Relationships within these organizational structures exist. Partnerships are developed between the community and policing agencies to increase crime reduction and improve order maintenance. The organizational structure of policing agencies will be reviewed along with communication patterns both within and outside of the agency. Current trends and issues facing policing agencies and communities will be examined and an analysis of changed that could be implemented to improve the partnerships between policing agencies and communities wi ll be determined. Relationships Between Traditional Organizational Structures of Policing Agencies Municipal Law Enforcement Municipal law enforcement is most commonly represented as the local police. These police departments provide local protection to cities and towns; departments vary in size in accordance to population. The structure of municipal law enforcement is generally broken into two divisions: investigation and patrol. Under these departments is an umbrella of subdivisions. Investigations houses units specific to vice, homicide, and juvenile relations. Additional departments exist such as â€Å"community relations, internal affairs, training, and research and planning† (Pollock, 2012, p.93). Specialized teams have also been created in some departments servicing cases such as domestic violence, responding to the mentally ill, and various other issues. Departments of a smaller capacity carry more responsibility in handling multitudes of cases due to the lack of additional resources. Municipal agencies coordinate with state and federal agencies when crimes are not within their jurisdiction (Pollock, 2012). County law enforcement County law enforcement is publicly known as the sheriff department. The structure supports the county sheriff and the sheriff deputies. Sheriffs serve protection to the local police and assist in crime investigations in counties that do not have local law enforcement. Management of the county jail is generally the county sheriffs responsibility. Some jurisdictions assign jail responsibilities to deputies, but they generally do service patrol. Civil documents, warrants, and eviction notices are also served from the sheriff’s office. The position is attained by election but deputies are employed through procedures similar to the selection process of the municipal law enforcement agencies (Pollock, 2012). State Police Highway Patrol, State Patrol, and the Department of Public Safety are State law enforcement agencies. Hawaii is the only state without a state police force. The demand for law enforcement on roads passing through townships created these agencies. State law enforcement agencies are publicly known for enforcing traffic law violations and deal exclusively with state laws. This limited jurisdiction separates them from municipal and federal agencies. Statewide criminal investigations involving auto theft or drugs are within the state polices jurisdictions. Assistance to local detection and investigations are also services provided by the state police. This limited jurisdiction separates them from municipal and federal agencies (Pollock, 2012). Federal Agencies The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Secret Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are federal agencies. These agencies deal with the enforcement of federal laws implemented by Congress. Functions are primarily investigations, and a very limited amount of patrol work is implemented. The largest federal law enforcement agency is the Department of Homeland Security. The agency with the broadest jurisdiction is the FBI. An investigation of a violation of both federal and state laws is permissible by federal law enforcement agencies. The sale of controlled substances is the most common example of this (Pollock, 2012). Communication Patterns Within and Outside the Policing Agency Technology has greatly improved the efficiency of policecommunications within the agency. In-car computers and laptops allow officers to have quick access to vital information. Loc al and federal information on a suspect from data files nationwide can be retrieved within moments. Dispatch and assignments are available to officers through the in-car computer system eliminating the reliance upon two-way radios. Officers and vehicles are monitored through Global Positioning Devices (GPS) (Maguire, 2011). Police officer responsibilities also include communicating with the public. Officers are expected to be competent with problem-solving skills, mediation, and social interactions. Training and education in these areas is vital in earning the trust and confidence of the community. Functions such as community policing, which will be discussed later, rely heavily on the public as a resource for crime fighting. Positive interaction with the public is achieved by exhibiting solid problem solving skills, social adaptability, and admirable temperaments (Maguire, 2011). Current trends in the approach to the policing function Problem-Oriented Policing (POP) SARA is a problem-solving model associated with problem-oriented policing. â€Å"SARA stands for scanning, analysis, response, and assessment† (Pollock, 2012, p.102). This approach to fighting crime applies available resources such as crime reports to target crimes centralizing in specific areas. The information is analyzed in an attempt to explain the origin of the crime. Officers then respond with the proposed solution, which could mean increased patrol in specific areas, or direct enforcement. Measures are then assessed to determine success rates (Pollock, 2012). Community Policing Community policing is trending in the recent years. The idea is that the police would create a partnership with the community to aid in the reduction and prevention of crime. Community support can greatly benefit in the resolution of neighborhood problems. This style of policing is service-oriented encompassing â€Å"many different types of tactics and programs, all with the goal of officers and community members developing partnerships to solve some of the neighborhood’s problems† (Pollock, 2012, p.99). Additionally, community policing places an emphasis on the decentralizing of policing (Pollock, 2012). Order Maintenance and Zero Tolerance policing Order maintenance and zero tolerance-policing places focuses on eliminating public order crimes such as public drinking, noise violations, graffiti, public urination, and intrusive panhandling, in full force. The ideology is that the elimination of the smaller crimes will ultimately reduce the larger crimes. The targeting of minor offenses affects a broad spectrum of the community including the general law abiding citizens. The strict implementation of city ordinances violations such as property maintenance and parking violations can greatly improve the probability of accusations of biased enforcement directly affecting various cultural groups (Pollock, 2012). Existing Issues with the Partnership Between Law Enforcement and Community Law enforcement fights a constant uphill battle to achieve harmony between maintaining order in society and protecting the rights of individuals. Police must encompass the element of authority while remaining approachable and socially accessible. The mil itary structure that has developed within the police organization poses a threat to community relations and hampers efforts of community policing. Officers are trained to protect due-process constitutional rights. Aggressive officer behavior, and in some cases bearing inappropriate weaponry, creates the components of militarization. This contentious behavior fosters fear in society and serves as a daily reminder of government intervention (Maguire, 2011). Changes to Improve Partnerships Between Law Enforcement and Community Partnership between law enforcement and the community can be improved by consistently following protocol and procedures. Any time an officer fails or violates standard procedures or protocols trust within the community weakens. The machismo attitudes that can be fostered from the military style training and organizational structure can create soldiers instead of law enforcement officials. Agencies need to have harsh consequences for officers who directly violate standard procedures. The machismo attitude can cause an overlap of jurisdictional formalities. Officers cannot assume the role judge, jury, and prosecution. Partnerships are built on common interests and trust. The only practical way to eliminate bias and unnecessary infringement upon citizens from law enforcement is to create a more superior breed of officials. This can be achieved by creating enhanced psychological and practical testing methods. Agencies must strive to uphold the  service-based theme of community oriented policing. Inappropriate behavior and excessive use of force are shortcomings that should be immediately dispensed. Conclusion The organization structure of policing agencies is broad and complex. Levels of hierarchy have been established to implement a chain of command and create jurisdictional boundaries. Communication within agencies, between agencies, and the communities they serve are vital to the promotion of commonality of service and protection. Technology along with skill training aids in achieving this goal. Policing agencies have developed methods such as POP and COP to boost functionality and efficiency in crime reduction. The ever present issue facing policing agencies remains in achieving a balance between authority and service. References Maguire, M. (2011). Critical Issues in Crime and Justice: Thought, Policy, and Practice (1 ed). : Sage. Pollock, J. (2012). Crime and Justice in America An Introduction to Criminal Justice (5th ed.). : Elsevier.

Relationship Between Fiction and Non-fiction

Relationship Between Fiction and Non-fiction Free Online Research Papers Fiction and non-fiction are both very intriguing types of writing to read. Many people view them as total opposites. The fiction stories are usually very funny and made up, but they can be very informative if put in the right context. Non-fiction stories can be used to tell readers of personal losses or gains. One can take a piece of non-fiction writing and place it within a fiction text’s context, which makes the writing serve a new purpose. By placing non-fiction into fiction text, the writing is transformed from a piece of analysis into a tool of the fiction’s text. There are many instances where stories are written with a good mix of fiction and non-fiction. When stories are written with a bit of each type of writing they are more informational and use more examples. Even though the two are perceived as opposites, they actually go hand in hand when trying to get a point across. There are times in fiction writing where there are references to non-fiction ideas. Some writers do this for a comparison of things that aren’t possible. There are many novels, short stories, fables, fairy tales, films, comics, interactive fiction, animation, and video games that can include or reference factual occurrences. Fiction is the written expression of, reflection upon, and/or interpretation of observed, perceived, or recollected experience just like non-fiction. An example of this would be in the fiction story â€Å"Lottery† that tells of people going to a lottery and the â€Å"winner† gets killed by stones. The reason this story related to non-fiction is because it described the occurrences in towns in previous years. In non-fiction writing there is usually a lot of facts placed within the story’s text. There are a lot of other times where fiction is included in the non-fiction work because of a similarity between the idea the fiction has and the one nonfiction has. The non-fiction stories use factual references such as â€Å"Oh, this is the wrong bitch?† (141) and â€Å"Young Franklin Deland Roosevelt attended Groton, as did boys with last names like DuPont, Morgan and Harriman† (143) to give emotion and to make the story sound good by having a famous person involved. Non-fiction stories usually relate to personal issues such as losses or gains just as fiction uses humor to represent opinions. There is also the fact that both fiction and non-fiction try to resemble real-life occurrences to help stop or encourage others to do certain things. The way that fiction and non-fiction are expressed really helps people understand concepts. When people read a story that has a mix of the two types of writing, they are able to learn from other people’s doings and sometimes get a laugh also. When fiction is placed within the text of the non-fiction it helps with the understanding of the text. The way that fiction writing can be used to describe real life occurrences is interesting to many people. It is usually very important for people to read both fiction and non-fiction texts to understand the similarities and differences between both. Research Papers on Relationship Between Fiction and Non-fictionHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionMind TravelBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andThree Concepts of PsychodynamicTrailblazing by Eric AndersonThe Fifth HorsemanHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayStandardized Testing

Conscience vs. Conscious

Conscience vs. Conscious Conscience vs. Conscious Conscience vs. Conscious By Mark Nichol What’s the difference between conscience and conscious? They stem from the same Latin root, but their usage is distinct. Writers occasionally confuse the two words, but if you remain conscious, you’ll likely be able to say with a clear conscience that you know the difference. Conscience and conscious both come from the Latin word conscius; the word elements mean â€Å"with† and â€Å"to know.† (Yes, the -science in conscience means the same thing as science itself.) Conscience is a noun meaning â€Å"sense of the quality of one’s character and conduct,† â€Å"adherence to moral principles,† and â€Å"consideration of fairness and justice.† Confusion between conscience and conscious occurs because the latter word is sometimes used as a noun synonymous with consciousness, meaning â€Å"mental awareness,† though the longer form is usually employed. More often, however, conscious appears as an adjective meaning â€Å"aware† or â€Å"awake,† or â€Å"involving perception or thought.† It also appears in combination with a noun in phrasal adjectives such as â€Å"budget conscious† to refer to someone who is concerned, sensitive, or vigilant about something. Conscience and conscious can be distinguished because the former word is qualitative people have various degrees of moral strength while conscious, as its antonym, unconscious, indicates, is quantitative: You’re either one or the other, whether the word is used as a noun or an adjective. However, consciousness, as the word is usually applied, like conscious refers to a continuum: We speak of raising one’s consciousness and of higher consciousness, because this quality can be improved or increased. Like the noun conscious, though, consciousness has a quantitative sense as well, referring to a state of mental activity, as opposed to unconsciousness caused by illness or injury. Other words descended from the Latin word are self-conscious, which literally means â€Å"self-aware† but has acquired a connotation of â€Å"preoccupied with how one is perceived by others,† an attitude that leads to shyness and stress, and conscionable and its more common antonym unconscionable; the latter means â€Å"inexcusable, reprehensible.† Conscientious means â€Å"scrupulous† or â€Å"careful†; a conscientious objector is someone who objects to a requirement on religious grounds. Originally, around the turn of the twentieth century, the context was mandatory vaccination, but ever since World War I, the primary sense has been of a person who refuses military conscription. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Mostly Small But Expressive InterjectionsPeace of Mind and A Piece of One's Mind50 Words with Alternative Spellings

Company Valuation Model and Application On Royal Bank of Scotland Plc Essay

Company Valuation Model and Application On Royal Bank of Scotland Plc - Essay Example This dissertation will document comprehensively the current generally accepted concepts and methodologies of company valuation techniques. In addition, it will be my endeavor to propose an integrated model in which the investors can apply data and information and evaluate the company value with a reasonable level of accuracy.This dissertation will document comprehensively the current generally accepted concepts and methodologies of company valuation techniques. In addition, it will be my endeavor to propose an integrated model in which the investors can apply data and information and evaluate the company value with a reasonable level of accuracy.In this dissertation, an effort has been made to address the problems related to the methodology of valuations that have been adopted recently to predict the net worth of companies. The current financial valuation techniques of a company primarily comprise of four methods; †¢ Asset based valuation (that includes tangible and non-tangible assets),  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Income based valuation,  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Market-based valuation, and  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Cash flow based valuation.  All four methods result in different ways of thinking and often in different valuations. The investors normally do not understand which method is more suitable for them to use for making the most informed investment decisions and hence trust the methods that are generally adopted and presented by the rating agencies and performance evaluation agencies operating in the markets.

To What Extent Can HRM Be Described as Strategic Essay

To What Extent Can HRM Be Described as Strategic - Essay Example This paper will focus on the extent to which the human resource management can be considered as strategic. Strategic human resource management (SHRM) The purpose of the HR strategies is to guide the human resource management development and implementation programs. The programs dedicate towards the means of communicating to all concerned the intentions of the organization about the management of the human resources. The Human Resource strategies provide a dynamic vision but they also determine to which direction the actions are required to be executed and realized. The strategic human resource management develops a stream of dynamic decisions which help in the formation of a pattern developed by the organization for the management of the human resource and also identification of specific areas which needs to be developed. The strategies will basically focus on the do’s and dont’s of the organization to maintain the organizational health stability (Armstrong, 124). In st rategic human resource management, the functioning system appears in a systematic cycle following a sequenced chronological order. These can be classified into five different dimensions: a) mission and goals, b) environmental analysis ,c) strategic formulation , d) strategy implementation and lastly d) strategy evaluation (Bratton, 40). Validation of strategic human resource management There are limitations to the strategic human resource management. They do not always take into account the circumstances that are unique to a company's structure which may require alteration to regular procedures. The strategic human resource may not be always cost effective in nature since it focuses more towards a centralization-based approach and ignore the factors such as implementation and operating costs (Armstrong, 385). The strategic human resource management may not find its optimal feasibility in smaller companies that do not provide hardcore corporate environment. It can be also said that t he concept of strategic human resource management are based on beliefs about the rationality of the approaches used to develop strategy. The process also seems to underestimate the significance of politics, power, and culture. The implications of the power and politics perspective of the HRM are manifold. It is a fact that anyone who has worked with the organizations in the development of the HR practices such as selection and appraisal systems has inferred that it is political rather than technical or strategic consideration which determines the development of the final product (Armstrong, 278). Focus on organizational processes such as power and influence, institutionalization, conflict and contest for controls needs to be given special emphasis in order to under how the strategic decisions will be successful (Klimosk and Zaccaro). The prevalent conceptualizations of SHRM are depended on the conventional rational perspective to administrative decision-making, acts of linear planni ng and choice and action. Managerial fallacy Critical organizational theorists have criticized these assumptions stating that the strategic decisions are not necessarily based on the output of rational calculation. The theorists argue that the image of the manager as a reflective planner and strategist is based on a