Geography of the Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains are a large mountain range located in the western part of North America in the United States and Canada. The Rockies as they are also known, pass through northern New Mexico and into Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. In Canada, the range stretches along the border of Alberta and British Columbia. In total, the Rockies stretch for over 3,000 miles (4,830 km) and form the Continental Divide of North America. Additionally, because of their large presence in North America, water from the Rockies supplies about  ¼ of the United States. Most of the Rocky Mountains are undeveloped and is protected by national parks like the Rocky Mountain National Park in the U.S. and local parks like the Banff National Park in Alberta. Despite their rugged nature though, the Rockies are a popular tourist destination for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping skiing, fishing, ​and snowboarding. In addition, the high peaks of the range make it popular for mountain climbing. The highest peak in the Rocky Mountains is Mount Elbert at 14,400 feet (4,401 m) and is located in Colorado. Geology of the Rocky Mountains The geologic age of the Rocky Mountains varies based on location. For example, the youngest parts were uplifted 100 million to 65 million years ago, whereas the older parts rose 3,980 million to 600 million years ago. The rock structure of the Rockies consists of igneous rock as well as sedimentary rock along its margins and volcanic rock in localized areas. Like most mountain ranges, the Rocky Mountains have also been affected by severe erosion which has caused the development of deep river canyons as well as intermountain basins such as the Wyoming Basin. In addition, the last glaciation which occurred during the Pleistocene Epoch and lasted from about 110,000 years ago until 12,500 years ago also caused erosion and the formation of glacial U-shaped valleys and other features such as Moraine Lake in Alberta, throughout the range. Human History of the Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains have been home to various Paleo-Indian tribes and more modern Native American tribes for thousands of years. For example, there is evidence that Paleo-Indians may have hunted in the region as far back as 5,400 to 5,800 years ago based on rock walls they constructed to trap game like the now-extinct mammoth. European exploration of the Rockies did not begin until the 1500s when the Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado entered the region and changed the Native American cultures there with the introduction of horses, tools, and diseases. In the 1700s and into the 1800s, exploration of the Rocky Mountains was mainly focused on fur trapping and trading. In 1739, a group of French fur traders encountered a Native American tribe that called the mountains the Rockies and after that, the area became known by that name. In 1793, Sir Alexander MacKenzie became the first European to cross the Rocky Mountains and from 1804 to 1806, the Lewis and Clark Expedition was the first scientific exploration of the mountains. Settlement of the Rocky Mountain region then began in the mid-1800s when Mormons began to settle near the Great Salt Lake in 1847, and from 1859 to 1864, there were several gold rushes in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and British Columbia. Today, the Rockies are mostly undeveloped but tourism national parks and small mountain towns are popular, and agriculture and forestry are major industries. In addition, the Rockies are abundant in natural resources like copper, gold, natural gas, and coal. Geography and Climate of the Rocky Mountains Most accounts say that the Rocky Mountains stretch from the Laird River in British Columbia to the Rio Grande in New Mexico. In the U.S., the eastern edge of the Rockies forms a sharp divide as they rise abruptly out of the interior plains. The western edge is less abrupt as several sub-ranges like the Wasatch Range in Utah and the Bitterroots in Montana and Idaho lead up to the Rockies. The Rockies are significant to the North American continent as a whole because the Continental Divide (the line which determines whether water will flow to the Pacific or the Atlantic Ocean) is in the range. The general climate for the Rocky Mountains is considered highland. Summers are usually warm and dry but mountain rain and thunderstorms can occur, while winters are wet and very cold. At high elevations, precipitation falls as heavy snow in the winter. Flora and Fauna of the Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains are very biodiverse and has various types of ecosystems. However, throughout the mountains, there are more than 1,000 types of flowering plants as well as trees like the Douglas Fir. The highest elevations, however, are above the tree line and thus have lower vegetation like shrubs. The animals of the Rockies the elk, moose, bighorn sheep, mountain lion, bobcat and black bears among many others. For example, in Rocky Mountain National Park alone is populated by about 1,000 head of elk. At the highest elevations, there are populations of ptarmigan, marmot, and pika. References National Park Service. (29 June 2010). Rocky Mountain National Park - Nature and Science (U.S. National Park Service). Retrieved from: https://www.nps.gov/romo/learn/nature/index.htm Wikipedia. (4 July 2010). Rocky Mountains - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountains

Pennsylvania Adoption Law Free Essays

Adoption has been prevalent since time immemorial. In fact, history tells that the practice of adoption dates back as far as the 18th century BC. This was practiced by the ancient civilizations such Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, and Babylonians. We will write a custom essay sample on Pennsylvania Adoption Law or any similar topic only for you Order Now It is even referred to in the Bible and other religious texts (Meiser, 1997). Adoption is the process whereby a child is removed from his/her biological parents and placed with non-biological parent(s). This establishes a parent and child relationship, in contemplation of law, between persons not so related by nature (Adoption, 1994). Thus, adoption creates a legal parent-child relationship between individuals without the benefit of biological relation. Reasons for the Emergence of the adoption In the early decades of the twentieth century, adoption was rather unusual. In fact, adoption was not recognized by the common law, and exists later in the United States solely by virtue of the special statutes. Thus, adoption was not a common way to form a family. Due to humanitarianism, upward mobility, and infertility, however, adoption started to be institutionalized. These factors mirrored reality especially in 1920s and 1930s, when inquiries made by adults about children unattached to their families greatly increased in the United States. Through adoption, children are transferred from adults who do not want or is not capable of becoming parents to adults who want the offspring and is capable of giving love, time, and an acceptable standard of living. Hence, adoption is considered as a salvation to married couples deprived of bearing their own children because of infertility since this process allow them to form families of their own. Likewise, adoption allowed illegitimate children to be protected from social stigma as they are legitimized once adopted by their adopting parents. Thus, adoption gives a fresh start to everyone involved—the mother can erase her past by placing her baby for adoption, the child can join a normal family rather than being raised by a single parent, and the adoptive parents can experience the joy of having a child (Martin, 2006). Adoption Phenomenon: Some statistics In 1950s and 1960s, as measured both by number and by the enthusiastic support of a broad white middle class, adoption flourished. Ten years thereafter, or in the 1960s and 1970s, adoption brought a remarkable transformation to society as adoption posted a record high of almost ninety thousand adoptions made by non-relatives. In recent years, however, this number increased by almost forty (40) percent as survey reveals that Americans annually adopt approximately one hundred twenty-five thousand (125,000) children, strangers and relatives alike (Adoption statistics, 2006). This has affected 2.4% of the United States population or about five (5) million Americans (id). The Census also reveals that among those children adopted, sixty-four (64) percent are whites, sixteen (16) percent are African American seven (7) percent are Asians (2000). In Pennsylvania alone, 4,047 children were served by the Pennsylvania Adoption Exchange (PAE) (PAE 2004). Forty-eight (48) percent of these children are African Americans, thirty six (36) percent are Caucasians and five (5) are Hispanics (id). Despite this wide acceptance of adoption in the American society or the inhabitants of Pennsylvania for that matter, a number of children are still â€Å"waiting† to be adopted. For instance, in Pennsylvania, out of the twenty two thousand six hundred ninety (22,690) children who were placed in foster care, twenty two (22) percent are still â€Å"waiting† to be adopted (Adoption institute, 1999). Considering this unprecedented increase in adoptions in the country, the United States senate is pushing for a bigger funding for the child support enforcement and family support programs to be paid to various states. Thus from a mere $2,121,643, 000 appropriated in 2006, the proposed budget for the administration of children and families is increased to $2,759,997,000 for this incoming year of 2007 (US Department f Health and Services, 2006). This is equal to a $7,300,00 increase of funding. Adoption Laws in the United States Before the first adoption statutes went into effect in 1850’s, children were removed from his/her biological parents and were transferred to non-biological parent(s) without the legal recognition of the adoption. As this informal type of adoption increased the State legislature devised a way to formalize the adoption process. Thus, in May 24, 1851 the first adoption statute in the United States went into effect – the Massachusetts Adoption of Children Act. Pursuant to the Massachusetts statute, adoption was required to be judicially approved, likewise the consent of the child’s parent or guardian were needed to be secured, and also a finding that the prospective adoptive family was of with sufficient ability to raise the child. History of Pennsylvania Adoption Law Following the example of Massachusetts, the Pennsylvania enacted its own adoption statutes – the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes. In earlier times, Pennsylvania provided that adoption could be decreed by the common pleas of courts of the countries. An amendment to this adoption legislation was thereafter made in 1872 wherein the process of adoption referred to as the â€Å"common law form of adopting a child be deed† was legalized. Under this system, it is possible that an adoption refused by the judge will be consummated by a deed. (Deardorff, 1925). The State legislatures saw the defect in this kind of Pennsylvania system. For under this system, no social investigation of the child and his natural family or of the adopting family was provided. Further, a judge can consummate an adoption without seeing any of the parties and worse, even without sufficient information other than that contained in the petition for adoption. With this kind of system, cases of perjury as to the identity of the natural parents of a child and as to whether or not these natural parents are still alive were exposed. Due to the globalization of the adoption, legislatures have made vigorous reforms as regards adoption statutes. In 1917, for instance, Minnesota passed the first State law that required children and adults to be investigated and adoption records to be shielded from public view (Adoption history in brief, 2006). Decades later, more than twenty states had translated similar standards into law. By mid-century, policies of minimum standard such as certification of child-placers, investigation of the child and adult parties to adoption, and supervision of new families after placement and before finalization were incorporated in the revision of adoption statutes in all the states in the country. The policies of confidentiality and sealed records were likewise instituted by most states. Confidentially of records, however, at this time meant that the records of information are off limits to the inquisitive members of the public but kept it available to the children and adults directly involved in adoption, who were called the â€Å"parties in interest.† Similarly, in 1925, under the Pennsylvania adoption law, the adoption was accessible to anyone curious enough to search it out. Other court records were sealed only at the discretion of a judge, in which case they could then be inspected by court order. In 1947 however, Pennsylvania followed suit in sealing its records. Although the records were sealed, adoptees who would reach the age of twenty-one (21) could still obtain their original birth certificates from the Office of Vital Statistics. Then in 1953, court records including the adoption decree were sealed to all, with the exception of being able to be opened upon showing of an undefined â€Å"good cause.† (Holub, 2006) In 1984, after a six (6) year push by state Rep. Stephen Friend, R-Delaware Country â€Å"to close the loophole†, as it was termed, the state legislature passed a bill denominated as Act 185 finally closing the records of adoption. Act 185 amended Title 23 (Domestic Relations) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes and provides that all adoption records, and other papers shall be withheld from inspection except upon a court order. The Pennsylvania adoption law, thus prohibits adoptees from obtaining their original birth certificates or any other document that would identify birth parents. That includes baptism certificates and adoption records. After the grace period in February 1985, adoption records were finally closed. This law was pushed by Rep. Stephen Friend since he claimed that young, unmarried pregnant women would choose to have abortions rather than relinquish their children to adoption if it were possible for their adult children to discover their identity. He also asserted that the state should â€Å"keep its promise† of â€Å"privacy† to birthparents. (id) Cynthia Bertrand Holub, a member of the Pennsylvania Advisory Committee to the Joint State Government Commission on Adoption Law, says the desire to â€Å"preserve the middle-classness of these women, so they could relinquish their [illegitimate] child and go home as if nothing had happened,† was one of several forces that led states to seal adoptees’ birth records (2006). Thus, confidentiality now means that when courts issue adoption decrees, they shall produce new birth certificates, thus, listing adopters’ names in the new birth certificate, and sealing away the originals, which contained the names of birth parents, or at least birth mothers. Criticisms of the Pennsylvania Adoption Law.   The Pennsylvania Adoption law was criticized mainly with respect to the sealing of the adoption records. Critiques refutes Rep. Stephen Friend’s claim that â€Å"unmarried pregnant women would choose to have abortions rather than relinquish their children to adoption if it were possible for their adult children to discover their identity.† They assert that Pennsylvania’s abortion rate should have declined and the adoption rate should have risen accordingly. Between 1985 and 1990, however, the abortion rate in Pennsylvania is inconsequential, and Pennsylvania still has one of the lowest adoption rates in the country. They further assert that neither was there ever a single suit by a birthparent for invasion of privacy. Other critique says that the confidentiality made it possible for some of these parents to avoid telling their children that they were adopted at all. As far as a number of birthparents are concerned, they believe that they still have the right to copies of everything relating to the loss of their babies. Dorner, in her book Adoption Search citing the Catholic manual states that â€Å"[b]irth parents also seek information about their children and their adoptive families through the years. Being able to obtain file information pertaining to the time of the pregnancy, is reality basing and healing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Buterbaugh, 2001). On the other hand, supporters of the Pennsylvania Adoption Law, such as the relatives of many unmarried birth mothers also favored the confidentiality measure. After the World War II, when more out-of-wedlock births occurred in middle-class families, mortified parents contends that their daughters should have a second chance to lead normal, married lives. Conclusion Adoption statutes by different states primarily emerged as an answer to the growing unrecorded adoptions in the country. More so, these enactments are hoped to protect the interests of the parties involved — i.e. adopting parents, biological parents and the child himself. Adoption statutes, however, are of varying degrees in terms of privacy across states. Recently, Pennsylvania adopted a very strict standard on privacy matters. This means that nobody can actually view the original birth certificate of the adopted child as a new one was created. This new law, however, sowed criticism from different sectors as they believed that biological parents still have the right to information as to what has become of their child. Also, they argued that the child, himself, is entitled to information as to whether he is indeed of the same flesh and blood as that of his known parents. They also sans the statute for allowing adopting parents to forever conceal the truth regarding the child’s birth. How to cite Pennsylvania Adoption Law, Papers

Urban Music In The Year 2000 Essays - Hip Hop, Music, Tupac Shakur

Urban Music In The Year 2000 Urban Music in the Year 2000 Shots ring out in South Central Los Angeles. A man screams in horror. This man has been shot in a heated gang war. This is everyday life for gang members. Gang members are used to cold blooded murder and most attend at least 5 funerals a week. Similar situations occur in Harlem, New York and in other places around the country. Why is this happening? Many people think that rap music is making kids more violent. They think that rap music is just a glorification of violence. All rap music is doing is to show how horrible and inhuman life is in the ghettos across the country. This is what's really happening out there. It's not fake. Right now, there is a major conflict between West Coast and East Coast rappers. East and West are fighting in a vicious battle that leaves hundreds of poor, helpless people dead in the street. There's no reason for this to be going on. Back in the early '90's, when rap was beginning to become popular, the East/West war wasn't quite there yet but it was slowly becoming more and more obvious that there was a conflict between rappers. Part of the reason that the war started was that West Coast rap dominated and nobody questioned their supremecy. Ice Cube, Ice T, and Eazy E were the rappers of the moment. The war slowly worsened when East Coast rappers began to get more publicity. West Coast rappers were upset that they weren't 100% in the spotlight so they started to make fun of East rappers in their music proclaiming that East Coast rap was fake and couldn't top West Coast. Then, East Coast rappers fired back obscenities at West Coast rappers and it kept up like that until someone decided that the other coast had gone too far. In 1993, Sean Combs started Bad Boy Entertainment in New York and for the first time ever, East Coast sales surpassed West Coast rap sales. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere came the peak of the West/East feud. Smaller gangs in cities took the example of the big playaz and followed what they said. Before, local gangs killed for affiliation whether you were a Blood or a Crip. Now, gangs were killing for West and East. In some cities it was so bad that you could be killed for living on the wrong side of the neighborhood. The war went on for awhile and started getting worse. The big feud was West Coast Death Row Records against East Coast Bad Boy Entertainment. Their were some personal feuds though. West rapper Tupac Shakur had a personal problem with East rap mogul The Notorious B.I.G. They often rapped about each other and were very personal. In one song Tupac claimed to have slept with Biggie's wife and the Notorious B.I.G. retaliated in his music by saying Stupid niggaz mess wit Big Poppa, mother*censored*ers get roasted if you *censored* wit B.I.G. These words became extremely important later. Then, on September 7, 1996 West rapper Tupac Amaru Shakur was shot to death in a drive by shooting in Las Vegas. His murder remains unsolved and will probably never be solved. There were over 100 possible witnesses but only 1 agreed to testify. Many gang members believe that the police can't do anything so they refuse to cooperate. And, after the funeral the gang members settle the score themselves. And almost always it is bloody. Members of Tupac's entourage thought the only way to make things better was to kill an East rapper. And in my opinion, that's exactly what they did. On March 3, 1997 East rapper Christopher Wallace aka Notorious B.I.G. was shot to death. Sound familiar? It should because that's the same thing that happened to Tupac Shakur six months earlier. Both murders are unsolved so no one except the killers know why these senseless deaths happened. Sadly, life goes on and many people in the ghetto think there is only one answer to these problems: retaliation. Now in 1998, the feud is somewhat better. No Limit Records, which is the number one West label after Death Row Records CEO Suge

Absolute Power essays

Absolute Power essays This job started off as any other for 66 year-old Luther Witney. He had everything checked off as he was about to break an entering into the worlds richest mans mansion in Mudleton, Virgina. He successfully got in and went straight up to the vault in which he noticed some time earlier when he got a tour of the house. Once he got in the vault he started to throw in everything to his bag starting with nicely bundle bills to the jewelry. When he was about done he heard voices of people coming up the stairs. He locked himself into the vault and waited. Two people entered the room, which were a man and a woman. He was unsure who it was at first then when the lights turned on he noticed that it was the President of the United States and Christina Sullivan. They were intoxicated and began to mess around. Luther was in the vault which could see everything and was a one-way mirror therefore, they couldnt see him. What happened next began the plot of the whole story. The President began to get a little rough with Christina and she started to reject him. She tried to get off and he wouldnt let her. Finally, she got a hold of a letter opener and tried to stab him with it. Two special secrets came in and let out 2 shots in her head and instantly killed her. They cleaned everything up and showed it was the act of a robber. After they left Luther got out and noticed that they left the letter opener in which had the blood of both parties on it. He took it and left. They soon found out that there was someone else in the room in which saw the whole thing. The whole story is about the truth and honor of a regular person of society verses the power and anguish of the President of the United States. Who does the law get a hold of first? Read this chilling thriller to find out. I rate this book a 9 because of the great detail and moving story. It had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. ...

Conjugation of the Future Tense of Spanish

Conjugation of the Future Tense of Spanish The future tense of Spanish is probably the easiest conjugation pattern of all to learn. Not only is its use much as in English, but its formation is irregular for far fewer verbs than with the other tenses and is the same for all three infinitive endings (-ar, -er and -ir). As you would expect, the future tense is typically used for verbs whose action will take place sometime in the future. Generally, it is the equivalent of the will verb form in English in sentences such as I will go or she will eat. Endings for Future Verbs With regular verbs, the future tense is formed by adding endings to the infinitive as shown in boldface in the list below. Although the verb hablar (to speak) is used as an example, the future is formed in the same way for all regular verbs: yo hablarà ©, I will speaktà º hablars, you (informal second-person singular) will speakusted/à ©l/ella hablar, you (formal second-person singular)/he/she will speaknosotros/nosotras hablaremos, we will speakvosotros/vosotras hablarà ©is, you (informal second-person plural) will speakustedes/ellos/ellas hablarn, you (formal second-person plural)/they will speak If youre familiar with the conjugation of the verb haber, you may notice that these endings are the same as the present tense of haber (an auxiliary verb meaning to have), minus the initial h. Presumably, at some time in the distant past, a conjugated form of haber was placed after the infinitive to form the future tense. Verbs Irregular in the Future Since the ending is placed after the infinitive and includes the syllable that is stressed in the verb, you dont have to worry about the stem changes that are common in the conjugation of many irregular verbs. And since the future tense is a later development in the language, there overall are fewer irregular verbs in the future tense to be concerned with. Even some of the most highly irregular verbs (such as ser, estar and ir) are regular in the future tense. In general, most of the verbs that are irregular in the future tense modify and/or shorten the infinitive, but they all have the correct ending otherwise. Here are the most common examples: caber (to fit): cabrà ©, cabrs, cabr, cabremos, cabrà ©is, cabrndecir (to say): dirà ©, dirs, dir, diremos, dirà ©is, dirnhaber (to have): habrà ©, habrs, habr, habremos,habrà ©is, habrnhacer (to make or do): harà ©, hars, har, haremos, harà ©is, harnpoder (to be able): podrà ©, podrs, podr, podremos, podrà ©is, podrn  poner (to put): pondrà ©, pondrs, pondr, pondremos, podrà ©is, podrnquerer (to want): querrà ©, querrs, podr, podremos, podrà ©is, podrnsaber (to know): sabrà ©, sabrs, sabr, sabremos, sabrà ©is, sabrnsalir (to leave): saldrà ©, saldrs, saldr, saldremos, saldrà ©is, saldrntener (to have): tendrà ©, tendrs, tendr, tendremos, tendrà ©is, tendrnvaler (to have value): valdrà ©, valdrs, valdr, valdremos, valdrà ©is, valdrnvenir (to come): vendrà ©, vendrs, vendr, vendremos, vendrà ©is, vendrn Sample Sentences Showing Use of Future Tense Siete de cada diez personas comprarn un regalo de San Valentà ­n. (Seven out of 10 people will buy a St. Valentines gift.) Creo que estaremos en una desventaja competitiva. (I think we will be at a competitive disadvantage.) Tendrà © muchas otras cosas para hacer. (I will have many other things to do.) Te dir muchas mentiras, pero tà º no sers consciente de ellas hasta que pase un tiempo.  (She will tell you many lies, but you wont be aware of them until some time passes.) Unos aà ±os ms tarde, querrà © ir a verlas a otras ciudades.  (A few years later, I will want to go see other cities.) Habr cinco meses ms para personalizar los coches. (There will be five months for personalizing the cars.) Haremos los arreglos necesarios. (We will make the necessary arrangements.)  ¡No podrn las voces de la oscuridad! (The voices of darkness will not overcome!) El municipio ser el beneficiario y en consecuencia dar las à ³rdenes de pago. (The municipality will be the beneficiary and as a result will give the payment orders. Donde vayan los iremos a buscar. (Where they go we will go looking for them.)  ¿Cà ³mo sabrà © cuando podrà © usar nuevamente mi cuenta? (How will I know when I will be able to use my account again?) Creo que si nos damos prisa llegaremos a tiempo. (I believe if we hurry we will arrive on time.) A fin de aà ±o deberà © 20,000 pesos para cancelar mi deuda. (At the end of end of the year I will owe 20,000 pesos in order to cancel my debt.) Este fin de semana tengo una boda, y llevarà © un vestido verde. (This weekend I have a wedding, and I will wear a green dress.) Me llamars por mi nombre, reconocers mis atributos y mà ©ritos. (You will call me by my name, and you will recognize my attributes and strengths.)

Financial Markets and Institutions, Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Financial Markets and Institutions, - Essay Example The function of the US financial market is to insert the household savings into the circular flow in the form of investment, so as to enhance the income level of the country (Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, 2012). Apple Inc. was instituted in the year 1977 and is headquartered in California, United States of America. Apple Inc. is a constituent of the S&P 500 Index and it trades under the symbol AAPL. The earnings per share of Apple for the year 2012 were $44.64, while it was only $28.05 in 2011. This increase in EPS was due to the 61% rise in the net income of Apple in the year 2012 as compared to that of 2011. The graph below illustrates the evaluation of the five year total shareholder return of Apple as against the S&P 500 Composite Index, the Dow Jones U.S. Technology Index and the S&P Computer Hardware Index (Apple Inc, 2012). In the figure, it has been assumed that in September 2007, $100 was invested in each of the index including Apple (Apple Inc, 2012). It can be observed from the graph that the total shareholder returns of Apple Inc. had been consistently higher that of the other Indexes considered. Vodafone is a global telecommunication company, operating in above 30 nations across the world and with more than 404 million customers (Vodafone, 2012). It has been extremely cash generative during the historical period and has incessantly returned its market capitalization to its shareholders through dividend payments and share buybacks. The following figure represents the share price movements of Vodafone from April 2011 to May 2012, against that of the FTSE: It can be observed that Vodafone had performed relatively better than the FTSE stock in terms of share price movements. Additionally, the company had been continuously giving out dividends to its shareholders since the last four years. France Telecom-Orange is one of the major telecommunication companies in the

HRM and the External Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

HRM and the External Environment - Essay Example Flexibility has lead towards the development of new types of employment which significantly differ from the past types of employment such as very short term contract jobs, work at home, outsourcing various assignments etc. Today’s organizations demand flexibility at workplace, various skills, ability to work in different environment and cultures on different assignments, proficiency and high level performance at work place from their employees while the past organizational structure demanded commitment from the employees in exchange of job security (Claydon and Collin, 2005). For achieving high level of functional flexibility, in addition to the high compensation packages organization provide their employees with the opportunities of developing their skills by conducting training programs. This allows the employees to enhance their competencies in various skills and become more marketable (Claydon, 2004). This essay focuses on the increasing flexibility at work place and its i mpact on the employment relationship and the psychological contract, a social contract between the organization and the employee. It will try to reveal if the implementation of flexibility on the organizational level has led towards the alteration of employment relationship or the reduction of level of commitment towards the organization. It starts with the introduction of flexibility and the flexible firm model proposed by Atkinson (1984) with special emphasize on the labour force and 21st century competitive climate in the markets. The different theories and mechanism adapted by the organizations in order to achieve flexibility and the role of human resource management in utilizing the human resources of the organization to improve financial performance will be discussed in order to comprehend the impact of flexibility on the employment relationship, especially the employee commitment towards the employer and psychological contract which are essential concepts in the employment re lationship. Work Force Flexibility It was the 1980’s when crucial changes took place in the work place and employment relationship, the relationship between the employer and the employees. Osterman (2001) revealed that the past employment culture promised extreme job securities and the employees enjoyed relatively longer job periods. In contrast, the decision making process was wholly dependent on the supervisors; the employees had limited role in the organization and was restricted to successfully accomplish the task assigned to them. The trend changed during the last two decades of the twentieth century, the increased pressure of domestic competition and international competition, advances in the technologies, important financial change etc compelled the business organizations to look for the augmented flexibility in order to enhance the yield, rapid responsiveness to changing markets situations and innovation. The business organization have adapted the strategies to eradic ate the permanent jobs not only for the periphery group of work force but also for the core group,