Saturday, January 25, 2020

Human Resource Management Critical Review

Human Resource Management Critical Review Human Resource Management is concerned with the way in which associations coordinate their individuals (Redman and Wilkinson 2001: 1). It wrappings a very broad kind of notions, improvement, and procedures for coordinating and accelerating attachments and production in organizations. However, much of this is admonished for engaged in concept but not in practice. Due to the gigantic scale of the human asset management concept, this period paper mostly aspires to converse about this contention with quotation to a key and topical up to designated day facet of HRM, the strategic human asset management. Literature Review More recently, human asset management has consumed its wideness of study after the staple concerns of recruitment, assortment, educating pay and appraisal, etc. in exact, one stream of study, strategic human asset management (SHRM) has emerged as being highly influential in this esteem (Wilkinson A et al., 2001:10). SHRM points that an organizations human asset assets are probably the sole source of sustainable comparable for instance and much of the work in this locality arises from the resource-based concept (RBT) of the firm (Barney, 1991, 1995). The resource-based concept presents conceptual foundation for asserting that HR assets are key to firms comparable and relation advantage. Miller argue that operational linkages between the enterprise design and the standard in the main heading of employees are the key, or in his sayings, the fit of HRM with the strategic impel of the organizations (Wilkinson A et al., 2001:10) and he presents his delineation of SHRM: Those deductions and undertakings which disquiet the management of employees at all degrees in the enterprise and which are administered in the main heading of conceiving and sustaining comparable advantage. (Miller, 1987:352) Theorists address HRM as being intensified, unified and propelled by strategy: A strategic orientation is a vital constituent in human asset management. It presents the structure interior which a ordered approach can be developed to the creation and setting up of HRM values, designs and practices. [] The aim of strategic human asset management is to double-check that the heritage, procedure and structure of the association, and the worth, firm pledge and motivation of its employees, assists absolutely to the accomplishment of enterprise objective. (Armstrong M., 1992:47) The disquiet with design, which emphasizes on integrating standard with organizational design, taking a long-term viewpoint and asset other than cost (see Cheyne A, Lecturer comments, week 1/2003), distinguishes HRM from one-by-one management. It is claimed that one-by-one management is substaintially reactive, whereas HRM, exemplified by design, is proactive. For instance, Guest differentiates customary one-by-one management from HRM by virtue of the way in which the preceding disregarded, but the last cited adopts strategy (1993:213). SHRM takes a proactive way in the main heading of the competitiveness and effectiveness of the association other than of reactive day-to-day oriented one-by-one management. Strategic literatures stress the central asset of a enterprise as the source of comparable for instance, which can be maintained by the following aspects: They should add worth to the association activities They should be uncommon, unique They should be incapable to be refurbished by technology The affray should have adversity in making a replicate them / nonimitable These criteria of HRM appear in the pattern of adeptness, know-how and experience (Storey 1995: 4) The assumption of a close attachment between enterprise design and HRM values is founded on contingency concept, which keeps that HRM values are selected as claimed by the kind of comparable design taken up by businesses. Contingency concept (Miles and Snow, 1984; Porter, 1985; Schuler and Jackson, 1987a) notifies us, HRM designs should be gelled with accurate enterprise comparable designs if they are to boost association performance. The concept of fit facilitates the close linkage between HRM designs and enterprise designs in alignment to help hold and motivate employees. A firm applying HRM practices that increase employee demeanour dependable with its enterprise design is proficient to complete better production (Delery and Doty, 1996). In supplement, the proposal of the fit assists enterprises to coordinate their assets more competently, in alignment that they can decline operational allegations and answer competently to environmental restraints and new possibilities (Bird and Beechler, 1995). Therefore, creative linkage between enterprise designs and HRM designs may well reinforce organizational performance. Competitive design proposes a sequence of methodical and affiliated deductions that give a enterprise a comparable advantage relative to other enterprises (Schuler and Jackson, 1987a; Dowling and Schuler, 1990). The idea of enterprise comparable design arises mostly from Porters (1980, 1985) classifications of generic strategies: cost administration, differentiation, and focus. And Miles and Snow (1984) classified enterprise designs into three types: protector, prospector, and analyzer. Schuler and Jackson (1987a) utilised the time span trivially distinct from that of Porter to classify enterprise comparable designs into three types: cost decline, breakthrough, and worth enhancement. They furthermore identify distinct kinds of employee demeanour and HRM values, which are fitted to each comparable strategy. Firstly, cost-reduction design embraces reinforcing comparable for instance by decreasing the allegations of items or services. This design boosts yield effectiveness and declines charges through utilising new know-how, expanding the dimensions of yield, or re-organizing yield procedure, whereby a enterprise can launch its items or services at a lesser cost in alignment to gain more market shares. Secondly, breakthrough design stress the development of items or services, which are exclusive, nonimitable or distinct from those of the competition. Finally, the aim of worth enhancement design is to complete accomplishment by providing a worth that excels that of other items or services. Honda in Ohio presents a good instance of how comparable advantage can be profited by high-quality items (Schuler and Jackson, 1987a). Critical Analysis However, it is strong to identify the attachment between human asset management and design and it appears to be easier in concept than in practice. Marginson et al. (1998) found out that 80 per century of older managers in HRM claimed that they have general HRM designs but twosome of can explain what the designs are! In effect, both academics and practitioners have found out it hard to appreciate the implication of strategic human asset management in practice. Hendry (1994b) acknowledges that design is the better theme in HRM but furthermore a misread idea and the viewpoint writers on HRM offer on design is often slick and requiring in sophistication (1994b: 2) Perhaps the adversity is aggregated by requiring of case enquiries, which endow us have a insight look into the design in practice. For practitioner part, the stress of SHRM in concept has administered to large interest from older management assembly but proceed incorrect to fit the lower-level managers. We will converse about this in the subsequent part of the article. In minutia, just like Guest (1987) explained in his publication, human asset design may only unproblematic in the flawless position and Price (1997) concludes that: It should take position interior a purpose- assembled up to designated day place, a green locality position utilising care absolutely selected green labour. Such stuff would have no preceding know-how of the business in which the enterprise purposes and therefore would be untarnished by an undesirable evolved subculture. They would not be hide-bound by customary but outmoded ways of doing things. The association desires highly professional management, preferably Japanese and American. Employees should be allocated intrinsically giving work other than uninteresting reasons for which pay is the sole motivation. Workers should have security of paid work and not be absolutely in concern of mislaying their jobs. Discussion Guest acknowledges that these position are strong to complete in present because most associations have pre-existing workers, organisations and equipment that will not be discarded. They express with them with patterns of power and behaviors, which may be resisting to the HR philosophy. In supplement, the formalities of strategic conceiving are gigantic distinct accurate to distinct enterprises and the items emerge to be the completed thing to have one. Some associations develop a comprehensive some 100 years slips item while some use an unwritten guidance. However, neat theoretical improvement with successive sayings of enquiry, alternate and implementation are seldom glimpsed in practice. On the other hand, many older managers articulate the enterprise goals to their employees by the target affirmation, liking this present can lead to a high firm pledge from every one-by-one in the enterprise, since high firm pledge is glimpsed to be crucial for comparable edge. To some span, such standard does work for the target affirmation notifies the employees the essence of what an association is about: why it inhabits, what kind of enterprise it suggests to be, and who its suggested customers are etc. However, it has to accept that many associations develop a target affirma tion only because it is the completed thing to have one. The target affirmation is locked into the companys first-order designs and these are foremost deductions on its long-term aspires and the scope of its undertakings (Purcell 1995: 67) The foremost characteristics of strategic HRM is its integration with enterprise design, the notion being that HR values and practices should support the goals of a enterprise (Redman and Wilkinson, 2002). Storeys study (1992) concludes that such integration is uncommon in British organizations. His task intensified on 40 large utilising associations and committed 350 meetings with managers at all degrees, in which approximately 80% were line and general managers. He settled that: human asset management kind designs had been bolted on to the embedded system (Storey, 1992). The management change was very slow and hesitant process. There emerged to be need of integration between paid work practices, both one-by-one and collective, and broader enterprise strategy. Conclusion In deduction, while it works well in concept surrounding the theme of SHRM, human asset management seems to be inapt in practice. Based on the concern overhead, we have to accept that strategic human asset conceiving, which presents a structure for HR obligations over a time span, has its foundation on sensible conceiving but in present employees managers have a kind of adversities in appreciating and applying the strategy. Some of the adversities individuals face encompass developing new designs, restructuring, changing and holding for new skills. And more adversities reach from heritage and behavioural change and so on. Strategic human asset management stress numbers, quantitative affirmations, mind-set, demeanour and firm pledge while standards harder matching types of HRM (Price 1997: 184), but the implementation is inapt particularly when the responsibilities overtake to the line managers. In present, there are both goal and individual constituents pertaining to line managers and supervisors that lead to some blocks and obstacles to the integration between HRM design and association design and the implementation of strategy. In abstract, it is equitable to state that human asset management concept works well in concept but not in practice. In newest years, the locality of Human Resource Management has moved to address not only micro but furthermore macro relationships. The micro aim, evolving from evolved psychology, emphasized human asset values and their leverage on individuals. This aim was concerned solely with such deductions as job acceptance and employee participation. The macro aim moves the degree of enquiry from the one-by-one to the organization. Diversity Orientation: Configurational ViewDiversity becomes significant organizational goal and diversity management becomes particularly salient because of the natural inclination in the main heading of homogeneity in organizations. Schneiders (1987) Attraction-Selection-Attrition hypothesis (ASA) suggests that associations are inclined to apply, vessel for charter, and hold alike types of people. (Ellis, 1994, 79-110) Thus, diversity orientation serves as such means and should lead to amplified diversity. Diversity comprises expressing distinct backgrounds, heritage, and generations into the equal organization. This kind of perspectives can foster creativity. On the other hand, this kind of perspectives evolves inefficiencies in that diverse assemblies need circulated comprehending, probably making attachment slow and laborious. Thus, we propose that environments and designs that demand breakthrough and creative responses will benefit more from diversity than those environments that need efficiency. (Ellis, 1994, 79-110)One origin that configurations stay crucial for fostering diversity is founded upon concept termed social traps or communal dilemmas . These tricks begin when an try to address adversity more distant exacerbates the adversity through unintentional consequences. For instance, work/family program conceived to provide flexibility to employees could lead to pledge at odds production evaluations for those employees who avail themselves of the program. Likewise, an affirmative undertaking program may conceive communal knack through resentment from white males who appear procedural injustice (Thomas, 1990, 107-117). Diversity orientation mitigates the communal knack adversity by conceiving an natural natural environment where clear, unambiguous pointers are dispatched contemplating diversity. For instance, associations may bypass an affirmative undertaking communal knack by combining it with diversity educating that incorporates designs to absolutely integrate all employees into the organizational culture. Training can conceive an insight of these tricks and provide designs for talking to the underlying issues. Compensation and work conceive affairs may furthermore help bypass communal traps. The unequal circulation of work or buys fosters an one-by-one orientation and assists to individuals engaged competitively other than cooperatively. Thus, work conceive in support of diversity would are inclined in the main heading of symmetry in employee aid and outcomes. Further, Barry and Bateman (1996) argue that dispersed order enhances the organizations skill to conclusion communal tricks that hinder diversity advancement. Organizations with assemblies and work association with dispersed deduction making would are inclined to enhance diversity by circulating order and power all through the organization. Thus, one-by-one values directed in an identity-blind natural natural environment will more anticipated conceive communal traps. diversity orientation, on the other hand, will propel clear, unambiguous pointer that all employees and their aid are valued. Training and development, work conceive, staffing and reimbursement comprise the foremost constituents of diversity orientation. However, these constituents can function individually at cross causes or in concert. firm may have little or no aim on diversity with esteem to educating and development and high degree of diversity aim with esteem to work design. Although many enterprises continue to use these four dimensions of diversity individually, we have argued that configuration of these four practices will work simultaneously to enhance diversity. (Thomas, 1990, 107-117) Thus, multiplicative attachment inhabits in alignment that enterprises that have complementary configured educating and development, work conceive, staffing and reimbursement interventions will have important diversity orientation. This attachment evolves from the minutia that diversity is convoluted incident that yearns unchanging reinforcement. Larkey (1996) distinuishes an flawless diversity climate as increasing pluralism and circulated ideas. Barry and Bateman (1996) argue that diversity communal tricks are nested and enlist locked-in demeanour over degrees of analysis. Thus, values and practices that reside all through the human asset design may have communal knack attributes when analyzed independently. However, diversity orientation leaps the knack by conceiving an organizational security snare to foster and increase heritage diversity. For instance, The UK Instruments has diversity orientation (Thomas, 1990, 107-117). The companys Diversity Network of over 20 diversity designs embraces such characteristics as diversity forums and coalitions. (Thomas, 1990, 107-117) The enterprise furthermore has enterprise and enterprise degree diversity managers. The strategic administration of the enterprise incorporates diversity. Specific diversity designs encompass using, educating and development of kept protected class constituents and employee accolades for accomplishing excellence in boosting diversity. The Diversity Network manifestly serves as the key constituent altering one-by-one diversity programs into diversity orientation. References Armstrong M. (1992) Human Resource Management: Strategy and Action, kogan Page. Armstrong M. (1994) The reality of strategic of HRM, paper presented at the Strategic Direction of Human Resource Management Conference, Nottingham Trent University, 14-15 December. Bach, 2000, unnamed article, quoted in M. Marchington and A.Wilkinson (2002), People Management and Development: Human resource management at work, 2nd ed, Trowbridge, Wiltshire: Cromwell Press. pp 235. Barney, J. (1991) Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage, Journal of Management, 17 (1): 99-120 Barney, J.B. (1995) looking inside for competitive advantage, Academy of Management Executive, 9 (4): 49-61 Bird, A. and Beechler, S. (1995), Links between business and transnational human resource Cheyne A, Lecturer notes, week 1/2003 Comparative Labor Law and Industrial Relations in Industrialized Market Economics, Cunningham and Hyman, 1995 unnamed article, quoted in M. Marchington and A.Wilkinson (2002), People Management and Development: Human resource management at work, 2nd ed, Trowbridge, Wiltshire: Cromwell Press. pp 236. Delery, J.E. and Doty, D.H. (1996), Modes of theorizing in strategic human resource Dowling, P. and Schuler, R. (1990), Human resource management, in Blanpian, R. (Ed.), Guest, D. (1987) Human resource management and industrial relations, Journal of Management Studies, 24 (5): 503-21 Guest, D. (1993) Current perspectives on human resource management in the United Kingdom, in C. Brewster (ed) Current Trent in Human Resource Management in Europ, Kogan Page Hendry, C. (1994b) Developing a human resource strategy: a case study in organizational process, paper presented at the Strategic Direction of Human Resource Management Conference, Nottingham Trent University, 14-15 December. Legge, K. (1995a) Human resource management: a critical analysis, in J. Storey (ed.) Human Resource Management: A Critical Text, Routledge. management strategy in US based Japanese subsidiaries: an empirical investigation, management: tests of universalistic, contingency, and configurational performance Marchington, M. and Wilkinson, A. (2002), People Management and Development: Human resource management at work, 2nd ed, Trowbridge, Wiltshire: Cromwell Press. Marginson, P., Edwards, P., Martin, R., Purcell, J. and Sisson, K. (1988) Beyond the Workplace: Managing Industrial Relations in the Multi-establishment Enterprise, Blackwell. Miles, R.E. and Snow, C.C. (1984), Designing strategic human resource systems, Organization Dynamics, Vol. 13, pp. 36-52. R.R. Thomas, From Affirmative Action To Affirming Diversity, Harvard Business Review, (1990), 107-117.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Breaking Binaries in The Odyssey: An Exploration The New Woman in The Penelopiad Essay

In the Homeric Epic, women are cast into one of two dichotomous roles: that of the wise and faithful or that of the foolish and disloyal. However in Atwood’s The Penelopiad these roles are deconstructed such that they become fluid as opposed to concrete—such that the women do not wholly occupy one role or the other but rather move on a balance beam between the two, sometimes leaning nearer to one lateral or the other but never resting on the end points of either side. In the unfettered world of The Penelopiad, woman are granted the voices that they are denied in The Odyssey; they are free to weave their own epic stories of cunning, captivity, danger, victory, and failure. The Penelopiad therefore gives rise to a â€Å"new† woman who is not bound by Homeric conventions that confine reader to a singular understanding of The Odyssey and its characters; rather Atwood unveils a myriad of possibilities, explanations, and motivations behind the events of The Odyssey as they are imagined by Homer. Our minds are opened to realities and potentials either unconsidered, or considered but immediately abandoned for lack of emphasis, by the readers. We are made to ponder what seem to be obscurities and minor inconsistencies in The Odyssey that upon deeper exploration and analysis serve to completely revolutionize the conventional reading of The Odyssey in terms of the female characters. Atwood accomplishes this impressive feat by exploring the â€Å"dark alleyways† that lead us to alternate, but plausible, conclusions as evidenced by the expressions of the muted cast of The Odyssey—Penelope and the twelve hanged maids. The Odyssey presents Penelope as being wholly wise. She is the appropriate counterpart for the wise and cunning Odysseus. She is revered by the other characters for her wisdom. She is not made to appear foolish because one cannot be both wise and unwise in a dichotomy. In The Penelopiad she exhibits an even more fierce display of her wisdom, but also admits her foolishness and poor decisions. For example, she tells us that she knew Odysseus was still alive because he had not yet appeared to her in a dream, and admits that she had recognized Odysseus upon his arrival but placed the bow to be sure. She tells also that she had asked the prettiest and most faithful of her maids to entice the suitors and learn of their plots by any means necessary. Yet she fails to consider what Odysseus would think after returning home and hearing, or worse observing, the behavior of the maids. Moreover, when she knows that he has returned she sets her mind to proving her wisdom and faith by telling â€Å"the beggar† of her woes she had suffered in his absence and of the shroud. She also pranks him by setting Eurycleia to wash his feet knowing that she would recognize the scar and laughing to herself at how they tried to cover it up, and she tests him with the bow. But not once did she consider her maids. Nor did she think that she to tell Eurycleia of her activities with the maids knowing how faithful she was to Odysseus and how he would trust her judgment. Nor did she consider the possibility of their being raped or seduced when she set them upon the suitors to be her spies. Such folly and unwise decisions conflict with the Penelope we come to know in The Odyssey, but all is revealed in The Penelopiad. Coral Howells notes, in her piece â€Å"Five Ways of Looking at The Penelopiad,† that, â€Å"Penelope’s is not the only voice here; her tale is frequently interrupted by the voices of her twelve hanged maids, those nameless slave girls who have nothing to say in The Odyssey† (Howells 5-6). Similar to Penelope’s plight in The Odyssey, the maids are cast in a dichotomous role—that of the whore and disloyal servant. They are painted as scandalous, ungrateful, spiteful woman who abuse the household of their master Odysseus with their disrespect for the queen and her son, as well as their interactions with the suitors. Eurycleia is all too willing to, â€Å"report in full on the women†¦who are disloyal†¦who are guiltless† (Homer 406). And despite Odysseus dismissal, she was in fact later called upon to expose the disloyal servants for the whores that they were, according to The Odyssey that is. The possibilities are opened in The Penelopiad. For example, the women are condemned in the Odyssey for having sexual relations with the suitors. This behavior is attributed to their role as whores and unfaithful servitude without any consideration of other possibilities or circumstances. In The Penelopiad, they maids speak of being, â€Å"dirty girls† by occupation. They say, â€Å"If our owners or the sons of our owners or a visiting nobleman or the sons of a visiting nobleman wanted to sleep with us, we could not refuse. It did us no good to weep, it did us no good to say we were in pain† (Atwood 13-14). In a later chapter Penelope remarks, â€Å"It is not unusual for guests in a large household or palace to sleep with the maids†¦but it was irregular for servants to be used in this way without the permission of the master of the house†¦However there was no master of the house. So the suitors helped themselves to the maids in the same way they helped themselves to the sheep† (Atwood 116). Therefore, their behavior should have been considered in the same way that Penelope’s was: dutiful and loyal to their master. Penelope tells the reader that giving visitors to pick of their servant girls was a part of good hospitality—a very important convention in the Homeric epic—and the master of the house happily obliges them in their choice (Atwood 116). Considering this, by sleeping with the suitors, the girls were continuing in the same behavior that would have been promoted and even expected if Odysseus were home. Despite this reality the maids are placed in the category of the whore, therefore their actions must be presented as indicative of their role. The dichotomous classifications of women in The Odyssey would not allow them to be both promiscuous and faithful. They are limited to obscurity, being minor characters, â€Å"neglected to the margins of the narrative;† they serve no other purpose than to fulfill their role in the epic convention and suffer what most readers of The Odyssey would consider a much deserved fate (Howells 6). However in The Penelopiad the maids become the majority, holding the voice of commendation or condemnation, a voice previously denied to them in the epic. Mihoko Suzuki finds that Atwood uses parody and burlesque to expose the Odyssey’s unfair representation of women and their lack of complexity due to the placed upon them by the epic. She argues that Atwood uses her modern examining of the Penelope and her maids to, â€Å"allow agency, intelligence, and voice to female protagonists who may not be equivocally amiable.† (Suzuki 270). She goes on to argue that that, â€Å"through their debunking, light-hearted burlesque Atwood makes a more serious point; the maids function as a tragic chorus, commenting on the actions of the hero, Odysseus (and in a later chorus, Penelope)† (Suzuki 272). Atwood allows the women to occupy identities other than that of the dichotomous prudent and honorable wife and foolish dishonorable harlot. Howells argues that Atwood’s project in The Penelopiad, â€Å"Atwood’s project is to retell The Odyssey as herstory† (Howells 8). And in doing so, Atwood addresses many of the unanswered questions in The Odyssey by allowing. In her re-envisioning of The Odyssey she takes the poem out of the context of the Homeric Epic to speak plainly and bluntly about the true events of The Odyssey, or at least some quite plausible possibilities. Shannon Collins notes that The Odyssey is, â€Å"A recitation of a blind poet, who recounts the stories told by a famous liar and adventurer, the poem contains narrative nested within narrative† (Collins 57). Likewise, Howell mentions that, â€Å"It seems that Atwood is using Penelope to tell another story within it: the story of the hanged maids† (Howells 6). The stories have in common therefore that they are both metafictional, true to Homeric epic convention, however as Collins says, â€Å"In the Greek epics, women do not star in their own tales so much as play supporting roles in the adventures of others† (Collins 57). Therefore, casting Penelope as the narrator is essential to Atwood’s formation of the ‘new’ woman we find in The Penelopiad. We find in Homers interpretation that the women are described only by other characters but not given the opportunity to speak about themselves. This can have a profound effect on the facts of the story—on what is deemed important therefore which facts are told and untold—and also on how those facts are communicated. The values, beliefs, frustrations, and insights of a person or group often influence not only the tone and mood of the story—that is to say what is impressed upon the reader—but also the details of the major events as well. For example, Homer paints Odyssus as a cunning, brave, and well deserving hero with amazing exploits while Penelope paints him as a boastful, short-legged, tricky liar with amazing stories. Collins argues therefore that, â€Å"each of the women characters also has a story to tell, though their versions may be different from the official one. Our own stories are by necessity different than the stories told about us by others. The story- tellers may claim to tell an objective truth, but who can know the truths of our own individual stories† (Collins 57)? Although Atwood explains that, â€Å"Writing The Penelopiad allowed me not only to revisit an ancient and powerful tale, but to explore a few dark alleyways in the story that have always intrigued me,† she ultimately leaves the reader in the same predicament as the Odyssey; true to the epic, we are left with many questions (Atwood 58). Who’s telling the truth about the shroud, the suitors, and the slaughter: Penelope or the maids? Was it Eurycleia who perpetrated the slaughter of the maids on her own accord out of jealousy? If Penelope was so wise and indeed recognized Odysseus as she says, why didn’t she tell him the ‘spies’ at the same time she told him about the shroud? Unlike Homer however, she also opens our minds to new possibilities—perhaps Odysseus’ exploits were over-exaggerated fables adaptations of the truth in which battles with Cyclops were merely bar fights and goddesses were merely high-priced whores. Atwood’s widely imaginative, but strongly conceivable, answers to the unanswered questions of The Odyssey are some of the reasons I and many other readers fall so deeply in love with The Penelopiad. The means by which she develops these new possibilities give voices, first-hand interaction, and real humanity to the women of the Odyssey. They become real people—real women with real emotions, desires, grievances, and pain—as opposed to the simple manifestation of the roles that they play in The Odyssey: the faithful wife, the disloyal servant. Of course they serve a specific purpose to the plot and themes of The Penelopiad ad they do in Homer, they are not locked into being the muted puzzle pieces that they are in Homer. Atwood, Margaret. â€Å"The Myth Series and Me.† Publishers Weekly 252.47 (2005): 58. Academic Search Alumni Edition. Web. 28 Apr. 2013. . In this brief articles, referenced quite frequently in literary criticism and examination of The Penelopiad, Atwood divulges her motivations behind the creation of the The Penelopiad and her thoughts about the re-telling of classic myths. Particularly, she admits that one of her intentions in The Penelopiad is to respond to, or provide answers to, some of the mysteries of The Odyssey. Atwood, Margaret. The Penelopiad. New York: Canongate, 2005. Print. Collins, Shannon C. â€Å"Setting the Stories Straight: A Reading of Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad.† Carson-Newman Studies 11.No. 1 (2006): 57-66. Library.cn.edu/. Carson-Newman College. Web. Collins comments on the art of storytelling as depicted in The Odyssey and The Penelopiad. She evaluates the stories told by Penelope, Odyseus (in the Odyssey which are commented upon, or rather revised by Penelope in The Penelopiad), and the maids. Her arguments provide support for the voices of the women of The Penelopiad existing only outside the confines of the Homeric Epic as women, namely the maids, are not given the opportunity to weave their own stories in The Odyssey but are endowed with voices in The Penelopiad to do just that—to tell give an â€Å"herstorical† account of The Odyssey. Mihoko, Suzuki. â€Å"Rewriting the Odyssey in the Twenty-First Century: Mary Zimmerman’s Odyssey and Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad.† Approaches to Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. By Kostas Myrsiades. New York: Peter Lang, 2010. 239-54. Analyzing Atwood’s works from a feminist perspective, Suzuki offers valuable insight to the critical nature of The Penelopiad. Particularly interesting are her comments on the voices of the women in The Penelopiad that we do not hear in the Homer’s The Odyssey.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

The United States Intelligence Community - 1809 Words

Within the United States Intelligence Community (IC) there are a variety of sources and means with which intelligence information can be collected. Jeffrey T. Richelson, the author of The U.S. Intelligence Community states that ?Collection activity can take any of several overlapping forms: open source collection, clandestine collection, human source collection and interrogation, and technical collection.? 1 These areas that Richelson refers to can be broken down into the following disciplines: open source intelligence (OSINT), Human Intelligence (HUMINT), Imagery Intelligence (IMINT), Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and Measurement and Signature Intelligence (MASINT). OSINT is the collection of intelligence readily available to the public, such as magazines, online databases, radio broadcasts and newspapers. HUMINT encompasses information gleaned from clandestine, human source and interrogation methods. And IMINT, SIGINT, and MASINT encapsulate the disciplines under technical col lection. With each intelligence collection method there are both positives and negatives to consider ? some come with great risks, but potentially yield great rewards and some come with low risks, but need to be collected as part of an overall, holistic campaign and then analyzed extensively to yield palatable results. The collection of open source intelligence (OSINT) involves the exploitation of materials that are readily available to the public. According to InfoSec Institute, traditionalShow MoreRelatedThe Intelligence Community Of The United States1091 Words   |  5 PagesThe intelligence community of the United States is a large, robust and bureaucratic system. From this community though, the national objectives of the United States are supported through their gathering and analytical capabilities. 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Therefore this paper will discuss Central Intelligence AgencyRead MoreAnalysis of Defense Intelligence Agency999 Words   |  4 Pagesorganizational structure of the DoD and U.S. foreign intelligence came to a new shape with the establishment of DIA. It was Robert McNamara, then Secretary of Defense, who came up with the concept of DIA in 1961. DIA gathers human source intelligence, analyzes technical intelligence, distributes intelligence/reports to the intelligence agencies, provides advice and support to the Joint Chiefs of Staff with foreign military intelligence, and provides military intelligence to combatant commands as its operationalRead MoreDifferences Between Non- State Actors And Nation- States1749 Words   |  7 PagesThis paper will be discussing the difference between non- state actors and nation- states. It will have detailed examples of each and in what ways they are different as well as similar. Through the examples you will have a better understanding and see them more clearly. The definition of a nation state is an organization that forms under one government and acts upon one government. The definition of a non- state actor is an individual or organization that’s actions are not allied to any nation orRead MoreHistory Of Intelligence During The United States1137 Words   |  5 Pages History of Intelligence in the United States The history of intelligence in the United States resulted from the Cold War period and also provided intelligence support to the United States military which helped develop policies and procedures of the United States toward other countries. The development of intelligence in the United States has ultimately provided higher security for our citizens. President George Washington took command over the Continental Army in 1775; he had agents devise secreteRead MoreIntelligence Failures: 9/11 and Pearl Harbor Essay542 Words   |  3 Pageshistory there are multiple intelligence failures such as 9/11 and Pearl Harbor. These failures are due to intelligence collected which was either delayed or misdirected to the rest of the intelligence community. Both events had catastrophic consequences and yet these tragic events has allowed the intelligence community to develop better security like warning signals and combat readiness to protect the United States. Pearl Harbor is still considered one of the worst intelligence failure in the historyRead MoreTerrorism : Terrorism And ISIS830 Words   |  4 PagesWhether one refers to the Terrorist organization as Islamic State(IS), Islamic State of Iraq and Syria(ISIS), Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant(ISIL). Terror is the main goal of this organization and inflicting fear and anquish has been the priority and objective since the birth of this group. Religous believes and political motives drives this group to bring pain and suffering not just to the United States, this pain knows no boundaries and reaches all depths and borders around the entire globeRead MoreThe United States Should Not Be A Complete Failure1358 Words   |  6 Pages The United States have been sending numerous military units to different parts of the world to sustain survivability of other nations that are American allies. Countries that are part of United Nations have been combined force that if there is a situation around the world, all the nations including the United States will meet up and decide what the corrective action to resolve the issue is. The United States military has been in so many conflicts with other countries that to the point that manyRead MoreHezbollah Attacks935 Words   |  4 PagesNow we all know there are sleeper cells living in the United States and have apprehend ed such members who have ties to Hezbollah so for the United States to prevent or reduce an attack from Hezbollah, the federal government will use multiple departments of the Intelligence Community. The management within certain contributors of the Intelligence community could be an arduous mission with regards to combating the war on terror here on the home front. As mentioned above about certain departments within

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

BOP Statistics Average Inmate Age - 870 Words

References BOP Statistics: Average Inmate Age. (2017, July 29). Retrieved from https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/statistics_inmate_age.jsp The Federal Bureau of Prisons gives the age, race and crime of prisoners. The site appeals to me because it brings credibility to my paper with accurate statistics of current and past inmates. This site relates to the information I am currently using from the FBI Uniform Crime Report to determine location, ages, and crimes committed. The statistics gained from BOP confirm my hypotheses of an increase of incarceration from impoverish urban communities. Chapman, T. (2010). Encyclopedia of African American education (pp. 651-654). K. Lomotey (Ed.). Los Angeles, [Calif.: SAGE. This encyclopedia portion†¦show more content†¦Ducoff, D. (2017, September 26). Ducoff Interview. Interview. [MP3]. Glasgow, KY: M. Paige Richardson. FBI — UCR Publications. (2016). Retrieved from https://ucr.fbi.gov/ucr-publications This site publishes statistics for location, crimes, race, and age of people committing crimes. This site brings logic and credibility to my information by establishing age, race, and location of crimes. This site relates to the information gathered by the Bureau of Prisons, whereas the Bureau of Prisons gives the inmates information the FBI Uniform Crime Report gives information of crimes committed nationally. This site is relevant to my research by giving me key information needed to corroborate my hypotheses. Glaze, L. E., Kaeble, D. (2016). Correctional Populations in the United States, 2010 (NCJ 236319). Retrieved from https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cpus10.pdf Danielle Kaeble and Lauren Glaze, both statisticians of Bureau of Justice Statistics have documented the populations of country wide correction facilities. This work appeals to the credibility of increase of incarcerations over the past years. This text relates to the Bureau of Prisons with information on inmates. This source is relevant by showing an increase of incarcerations. NAEP Report Cards. (2016). Retrieved from https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/ This reference gives data of schools withShow MoreRelatedHistory And Current Dynamic Of Sandstone3370 Words   |  14 PagesMinnesota has housed many an inmate including the actor Tim Allen (Rodriguez) and it ranks 40 of 50 on arrestrecords.com’s 50 most comfortable prions in the world. A well-maintained lawns leads to well-kept cells, where nonviolent offenders are kept occupied with leather making and stained glass creation. Some inmates may consider this a little boring, but anything is better than being assaulted. (Records) This paper will discuss the history and current dynamic of Sandstone, inmate demographics, servicesRead MoreChoosing A Career Choices For Their Adult Life Essay2088 Words   |  9 PagesMaster’s degree which is completed after receiving a bachelor’s degree. A Master’s introduces theoretical models and research techniques. A few examples of course that are covered are rational choice theory, exchange theory, ethnomethodology, adv anced statistics, and Sociological data analysis. The last degree program is a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in sociology. This is usually specialized for individuals who would like to teach this course in a college setting or perform advanced researches out in societyRead MoreOvercrowding Prisons And The Prisons Essay1785 Words   |  8 Pagesreached over capacity. Today in the United States, there are approximately 193,468 federal inmates that consist of the Bureau of Prisons Custody, private managed facilities and other facilities. The inmates ages range from 18- 65 with the median age being in their late 30’s. This number is counting both male and female population with a male being 93.3% of inmates and females being 6.7%. The number of inmates has steadily increased since 1980 with only having approximately less than 50,000 but todayRead MoreThe Issue Of The Criminal Justice Correctional System4492 Words   |  18 Pagesdifferent types of offenders they house and reex amine their living arrangements in order to prevent overpopulation, save money, and most importantly, decrease recidivism. This paper examines how properly managing male, female, pregnant, and elderly inmates can be a solution to a lot of the correctional systems current problems. Also discussed are the reasons why people choose to commit crimes. The general strain theory has been a well-known approach to understanding the cause of crime. Another reason