Monroe Doctrine - Definition and Background

The Monroe Doctrine was the declaration by President James Monroe, in December 1823, that the United States would not tolerate a European nation colonizing an independent nation in North or South America. The United States warned it would consider any such intervention in the Western Hemisphere to be a hostile act. Monroe’s statement, which was expressed in his annual address to Congress (the 19th century equivalent of the State of the Union Address) was prompted by a fear that Spain would try to take over its former colonies in South America, which had declared their independence. While the Monroe Doctrine was directed toward a specific and timely problem, its sweeping nature ensured it would have enduring consequences. Indeed, over the course of decades, it went from being a relatively obscure statement to becoming a cornerstone of American foreign policy. Though the statement would carry President Monroe’s name, the author of the Monroe Doctrine was actually John Quincy Adams, a future president who was serving as Monroe’s secretary of state. And it was Adams who forcefully pushed for the doctrine to be openly declared. The Reason For the Monroe Doctrine During the War of 1812, the United States had reaffirmed its independence. And at the war’s end, in 1815, there were only two independent nations in the Western Hemisphere, the United States, and Haiti, a former French colony. That situation had changed dramatically by the early 1820s. The Spanish colonies in Latin America began fighting for their independence, and Spain’s American empire essentially collapsed. Political leaders in the United States generally welcomed the independence of new nations in South America. But there was considerable skepticism that the new nations would remain independent and become democracies like the United States. John Quincy Adams, an experienced diplomat and the son of the second president, John Adams, was serving as President Monroe’s secretary of state. And Adams did not want to become too involved with the newly independent nations while he was negotiating the Adams-Onis Treaty to obtain Florida from Spain. A crisis developed in 1823 when France invaded Spain to prop up King Ferdinand VII, who had been forced to accept a liberal constitution. It was widely believed that France was also intending to assist Spain in retaking its colonies in South America. The British government was alarmed at the idea of France and Spain joining forces. And the British foreign office asked the American ambassador what his government intended to do to block any American overtures by France and Spain. John Quincy Adams and the Doctrine The American ambassador in London sent dispatches proposing that the United States government cooperate with Britain in issuing a statement declaring disapproval of Spain returning to Latin America. President Monroe, unsure of how to proceed, asked for the advice of two former presidents, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison, who were living in retirement on their Virginia estates. Both former presidents advised that forming an alliance with Britain on the issue would be a good idea. Secretary of State Adams disagreed. At a cabinet meeting on November 7, 1823, he argued that the United States government should issue a unilateral statement. Adams reportedly said, â€Å"It would be more candid, as well as more dignified, to avow our principles explicitly to Great Britain and France, than to come in as a cockboat in the wake of the British man-of-war.† Adams, who had spent years in Europe serving as a diplomat, was thinking in broader terms. He was not just concerned with Latin America but was also looking in the other direction, to the west coast of North America. The Russian government was claiming territory in the Pacific Northwest extending as far south as present-day Oregon. And by sending a forceful statement, Adams hoped to warn all nations that the United States would not stand for colonial powers encroaching on any part of North America. Reaction to Monroe's Message to Congress The Monroe Doctrine was expressed in several paragraphs deep within the message President Monroe delivered to Congress on December 2, 1823. And though buried within a long document heavy with details such as financial reports on various government departments, the statement on foreign policy was noticed. In December 1823, newspapers in America published the text of the entire message as well as articles focusing on the forceful statement about foreign affairs. The kernel of the doctrine — †we should consider any attempt on their part to extend their system to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous to our peace and safety.† — was discussed in the press. An article published on December 9, 1823, in a Massachusetts newspaper, the Salem Gazette, mocked Monroe’s statement as putting â€Å"the peace and prosperity of the nation at hazard.† Other newspapers, however, applauded the apparent sophistication of the foreign policy statement. Another Massachusetts newspaper, the Haverhill Gazette, published a lengthy article on December 27, 1823, which analyzed the president’s message, praised it and brushed aside criticisms. The Legacy of the Monroe Doctrine After the initial reaction to Monroe’s message to Congress, the Monroe Doctrine was essentially forgotten for a number of years. No intervention in South America by Europeans powers ever happened. And, in reality, the threat of Britain’s Royal Navy probably did more to ensure that than Monroe’s foreign policy statement. However, decades later, in December 1845, President James K. Polk affirmed the Monroe Doctrine in his annual message to Congress. Polk evoked the doctrine as a component of Manifest Destiny and the desire of the United States to extend from coast to coast. In the latter half of the 19th century, and well into the 20th century, the Monroe Doctrine was also cited by American political leaders as an expression of American dominance in the Western Hemisphere. The strategy of John Quincy Adams of crafting a statement that would send a message to the entire world proved to be effective for many decades.

Women And The Criminal Justice System - 976 Words

Women and Men in the Criminal Justice System Throughout history, the criminal justice system has mainly focused on men entering the criminal justice system rather than women. This is not portrayed largely by the media and society because it is not truly considered a highlight topic. Men and women face incarceration on a daily basis, causing them both to have different experiences based on their gender. The crimes and punishment faced by each gender is different and can affect the way society views the person as an individual and/or as a group. The nature and role in society can be a factor of the incarceration and the experience they may face while in the criminal justice system. Although the depiction of men entering the criminal justice system is portrayed regularly, the rate of women entering the criminal justice system has faced a higher increase than men entering the system. Types of Crimes Committed: Men vs. Women Men who enter the criminal justice system are depicted by society as violent individuals rather than women who are often depicted as accomplices who are often times unaware of things happening around them. In a study conducted, it was found that â€Å"almost 13 percent of men were jailed on murder charges and 13 percent for rape or sexual assault, while 11 percent of female inmates were there on murder charges and 2 percent for rape or sexual assault.† This in many cases is tested to be true since men are more violent than men in nature and due to the fact thatShow MoreRelatedWomen Of The Criminal Justice System1364 Words   |  6 Pagescreated to work with women in each stage of the criminal justice process. 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The handling of women within the criminal justice system has been closely tied to their social characteristics, and to what might be described as their ‘social construction’. On the other hand, women who compromise more than half of the world’s population, account for only 15% of criminal activity and as a consequence, relatively little attentionRead MoreWomen And Girls : The Criminal Justice System : Final Exam1366 Words   |  6 PagesCRJA 4125: Women and Girls in the Criminal Justice System: Final Exam Name: ________________________________________________ This exam is to be taken individually, and not shared with others. There are three sections of the exam: Part A is multiple-choice, T/F, fill-in; Part B is a short essay; and Part C is a longer essay that gives you a chance to synthesize concepts and ideas you learned in the course. (The exam is worth a total of 38 points.) 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Does placing a child in an adult prison decrease crime among juvenilesRead MoreGender Differences and the Criminal Justice System683 Words   |  3 PagesGender and the Criminal Justice System It would be foolish to assert that gender plays no role in the criminal justice system, just as it would be equally foolish to say that race plays no role in this system either. Covington and Bloom cite the work of Kivel (1992) in reminding all that Where sexism is prevalent, one of the gender dynamics frequently found is that something declared genderless or gender neutral is, in fact, male oriented. The same phenomenon occurs in terms of race in a racistRead MoreCriminal Justice Trends Evaluation1581 Words   |  7 PagesWEEK 1 Criminal Justice Trends Evaluation Criminal Justice Trends Evaluation John Doe CJA 394 October 01, 2001 Jane Doedy Criminal Justice Trends Evaluation The criminal justice system is forever adjusting to protect and serve a changing society. 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Essay Strategic Human Resource Management

Question: Write an argumentative/academic essay on strategic human resource management in Harvard referencing style. Answer: Introduction: Strategic human resource management defines the intension and plans to achieve the business goals. It is based based on three aspects such as human capital, people who implement the strategic plan and the systematic approach. It has been observed that the human resource management has addressed the issues developed from the change in structure and culture. Moreover they have also increased the organizational effectiveness and performance. As stated by Sirgy and Wu (2013), the human resource management has developed distinctive capabilities, knowledge management and management of change. The Probuild Construction was established in 1987 (bldr.com 2016). The organization has built different projects such as New Grandstand, Victoria Gardens Shopping Centre and Corporate Headquarters of Toyota (Ammons 2013). As argued by Sirgy and Wu (2013), employees have faced greater workplace issues due the huge work pressure. Therefore, the human resource management has implemented the Work-Family b alance strategy and offered multiple options for the employees. Therefore, the employees have maintained flexibility in their working structure and better work-life balance (Moen et al. 2013). Discussion Value opportunities for Workplace flexibility: It has been observed that Probuild construction was established in 1987 and it successfully completed major projects such as new Grandstand at Flemington Racecourse, Victoria garden Shopping centre and head quarters of Toyota corporate. As stated by Mauno and Rantanen (2013), the organization has successfully applied Victoria Governments new strategy as Better work and Family Balance. After applying the new strategy, the organization has planned to investigate about the work-family balance at Probuild. The human resource management has implemented the survey to gather information about the impact of pressure of work, family and life on the employees (Karatepe 2013). The human resource management has tried to observe whether the initiatives have been placed to assist the staffs to manage the pressure. Finally the human resource management has planned to implement new initiates for satisfying the staffs. The human resource management has provided value to the partners or families of the staffs. The human resource management has prepared a separate survey for the partners or family members of the staffs (Butts et al. 2013). From the employee survey result, the human resource management has observed that the employees were happy with the work structure of Probuild. As argued by Sirgy and Wu (2013), the employees are of the opinion that the constantly increasing pressures at the workplace have resulted in tougher challenges in managing the work and family responsibilities. Some employees also feel that the stretched working schedule and the working Saturdays have affected their personal relationships (Allen and Kiburz 2012). As argued by Sirgy and Wu (2013), partners and family members of the employees feel that long working hours and work load has affected day-to-day household management and family care of employees. Therefore the human resource management has implemented the workfamily balance strategy for the employees. According to Kim (2012), the employees have to be more flexible in managing their work pressure and responsibilities towards their family. The human resource management has implemented two different pay roles for the employees such as fixed salary and hourly based salary. As argued by Wang and Verma (2012), the employees can choose any one which is flexible in order to maintain the work pressure and family responsibility. The human resource management has reassured the employees that their decision regarding work-family balance option would not affect any ones employment in the organization. On the other hand, the working Saturday strategy would be optional for the employees. Efficiency of the work-family strategy: The human resource management has observed that the initiatives would be mutually beneficial for both the employees and the company. The human resource management has planned to implement the team building strategy to increase the work efficiency of the employees. As stated by Kossek and Lautsch (2012), teamwork helps in achieving better work efficiency and life balance rather than individual effort. The human resource management has planned to implement the solutions for the employees requirements. As argued by Eddleston and Powell (2012), employees should be more flexible to manage the stretched working hours. The human resource management has observed that good communication is the key to success. It has been found that the work-life balance strategy has improved the performance of the employees. As a result the organization has won the National Work-Life Balance Award in 2009-10 (Darcy et al. 2012). The innovative work-life balance structure has increased the performance of the o rganization as well as employee satisfaction. Flexibility and work-family balance: It has been observed that Probuild has involved in different high value projects. Therefore, the employees have faced huge work pressure. Keeping such trend in mind, the human resource management has planned to investigate about the work-family balance of the employees (Sirgy and Wu 2013). The survey data has presented the picture about the impact of working at Probuilt on the employees family. After acquiring the feedback from the employees and their partners or families, the human resource management has implemented the Work-Family balance strategy (Ammons 2013). Flexible work arrangement theory: The human resource management has implemented five guiding principles for the employees. The initiatives must provide mutual benefits to both the employees and company. The flexible work arrangement strategy would achieve better work and life balance for the team or individual and the managers (Moen et al. 2013). As argued by Wang and Verma (2012), the requirements of the employees have been supported by the Work-family balanced strategy. The employees can work in the organization along with greater flexibility. The human resource management has implemented different working structures for the employees such as fixed salary and hourly based salary. Therefore, the human resource management has implemented the information pack outline regarding the development of better work and family culture (Mauno and Rantanen 2013). The human resource management has provided practical information for staffs and their partners. Therefore, the staffs and managers can setup their goals to bring about better work-life balance. Thus, the specific action plan has been developed by the employees to address the key issues. Business competitiveness theory: According to the Porters Competitive strategy, Probuild has maintained the natural resources, climate, location and demographics. The human resource management has implemented the communication infrastructure, skilled labor and work-life strategy for improving the work efficiency of the employees. The employees have been supported by the basic factors and the employees have provided the best effort to maintain the success (Karatepe 2013). It has been observed that Probuild has faced competition in the market by other construction companies. The human resource management has implemented the communication strategy to understand the aims and objectives. It has been observed that the human resource management has implemented the intensive training, development and coaching program to improve the performance of the employees (Butts et al. 2013). The development of the employment skills helped the organization in getting the competitive advantage. Other flexibility and work-life balance strategy: The human resource management has to implement some other work-life balance strategies for the employees. The strategy has solved the issues of the employees but the new strategy would be better than the work-life balance strategy. The human resource management needs to be more concern about the employees. The human resource management needs to critically observe whether the employees can manage their families or personal responsibilities. the human resource management has to implement flexible shift timing and optional week off so that the employees would maintain flexibility in their workplace. As stated by Allen and Kiburz (2012), staffs have tried to balance the working hours and family responsibilities at the same time. However, the new work-life balance strategy would provide different option to the staffs. Therefore, the employees will be able to maintain flexibility in balancing their work and social lives as well as keep their required hours of work intact (Kim 2012). Productivity outcomes and benefits: It has been observed that the human resource management of Probuild has implemented the work-life balance strategy for improving the productivity of the organization. Moreover, this work life balance strategy was the also the national Work-Life Balance Award Winner of 2009-2010 (Wang and Verma 2012). However, the work-life balance strategy has not been able to fulfill the employees satisfaction. Therefore, a new work-life balance strategy has been developed for Probuild. As argued by Sirgy and Wu (2013), the work-life balance strategy, the human resource management has to implement flexible shift timing and optional week off for the employees. Therefore, the employees can choose suitable shift times so that they can spend valuable time with their families. Additionally, the employees can exchange their Saturday off with their week off. As argued by Kossek and Lautsch (2012), the human resource management would require considering the implementation of the job restructuring process so that the employees can manage their jobs. The new Work-Life planning would maintain the employee satisfaction and retain the employees as well. Conclusion: The human resource management has implemented the new Work-Life Balance Strategy to improve the performance of the employees. They have been able to inculcate this within their organization on the basis of a survey that was conducted on the employees and their families. The Human resource management has observed that the employees have not maintained proper family responsibilities due to long hours duty schedule and Sunday duty hours. Therefore the human resource management has implemented the Work-Life Balance strategy and implemented two different solutions such as fixed salary and hourly based salary. However, the issues of the employees have not been resolved after implementing the strategy. Therefore, a new Work-Family Balance strategy has been implemented to resolve the work load and family relayed issues of the employees. The human resource management has to implement two new options for the employees such as flexible shift timing and optional week off. They would also need to implement the job restructuring process for the employees. The new strategy would help the employees to maintain better Work-Family Balance, increase their performance and satisfaction and also build their loyalty towards the organization. Reference list: Allen, T.D. and Kiburz, K.M., 2012. Trait mindfulness and workfamily balance among working parents: The mediating effects of vitality and sleep quality.Journal of Vocational Behavior,80(2), pp.372-379. Ammons, S.K., 2013. Work-family boundary strategies: Stability and alignment between preferred and enacted boundaries.Journal of vocational behavior,82(1), pp.49-58. bldr.com, (2016).ProBuild | Builders FirstSource. [online] Bldr.com. Available at: https://www.bldr.com/probuild.htm [Accessed 21 May 2016]. Butts, M.M., Casper, W.J. and Yang, T.S., 2013. How important are workfamily support policies? A meta-analytic investigation of their effects on employee outcomes.Journal of Applied Psychology,98(1), p.1. Darcy, C., McCarthy, A., Hill, J. and Grady, G., 2012. Worklife balance: One size fits all? An exploratory analysis of the differential effects of career stage.European Management Journal,30(2), pp.111-120. Eddleston, K.A. and Powell, G.N., 2012. Nurturing entrepreneurs' workfamily balance: A gendered perspective.Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice,36(3), pp.513-541. Karatepe, O.M., 2013. The effects of work overload and work-family conflict on job embeddedness and job performance: the mediation of emotional exhaustion.International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management,25(4), pp.614-634. Kim, S., 2012. The impact of human resource management on state government IT employee turnover intentions.Public Personnel Management,41(2), pp.257-279. Kossek, E.E. and Lautsch, B.A., 2012. Workfamily boundary management styles in organizations A cross-level model.Organizational Psychology Review,2(2), pp.152-171. Mauno, S. and Rantanen, M., 2013. Contextual and dispositional coping resources as predictors of workfamily conflict and enrichment: which of these resources or their combinations are the most beneficial?.Journal of Family and Economic Issues,34(1), pp.87-104. Moen, P., Lam, J., Ammons, S. and Kelly, E.L., 2013. Time work by overworked professionals strategies in response to the stress of higher status.Work and occupations,40(2), pp.79-114. Sirgy, M.J. and Wu, J., 2013. The pleasant life, the engaged life, and the meaningful life: What about the balanced life?. InThe exploration of happiness(pp. 175-191). Springer Netherlands. Wang, J. and Verma, A., 2012. Explaining organizational responsiveness to workà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ life balance issues: The role of business strategy and highà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ performance work systems.Human Resource Management,51(3), pp.407-432.

The political decision-making process free essay sample

The political decision-making process BY Mrcheeks707 The political decision-making process is so irrational that a completely rational approach to health policy-making can hardly be achieved. Support, debunk or provide alternative paradigms or approaches to this statement, focusing on the development of a particular policy area you are familiar with, and using analytic tools and frameworks in health policy analysis. This paper will begin by briefly examining the role of the state in health and how the state or political system is structured to meet this obligation. It will then describe the types of policy, the stages of policy aking, and the uniqueness of health policy making. Having provided a solid foundation for understanding the political and policy making system, in the context of the Trinidad and Tobago scenario, it will delve into analyzing the policy making process, and directly answer the central question of the rationality of policy making in an irrational framework of government structure. We will write a custom essay sample on The political decision-making process or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Weather policy is taught of as an intent, strategy, hypothesis, objective, goal, principle, or a learning process, it should include what governments say they will do, what they actually do and what they ecide not to do (Walt, 1994). Buse, Mays Walt, (2005 cited in Gilson L, ed. 2012, p. 28) went on to say that health policy also includes decisions made by the private sector and other actions taken outside of the health system, which can have influence on diverse aspects of citizens health. Lipksy (1980 cited in Gilson L, ed. 2012, p. 8) also argue that Health public policy, the term used to differentiate from the broader public policy, is essentially the routinely daily practices of policy actors and their decisions that have been translated from the formal documents, which may ometimes be far removed from the original intent. Regardless of whether the broader objectives focused on in macro/systemic polices of high politics or the finer special interests objectives being met in mic ro- sectoral polices of low politics, there is a general public policy process that should be followed (Evans and Newnham, 1992). To fully appreciate the impetus for health policy making in the public sector, one must understand the role of the state in formulating polices. As most develop and developing countries had been steered to accept the Keynsian philosophy, that f assuming the dominant responsibility in the provision of health services to the public amongst other social services (Walt, 1994), by the 1980s most states were beginning to relinquish its role in the direct provision of services. Despite governments continued attempts to divest the provision of health services to the private sector, urged in part by the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the diminishing resources of individual states, the critical health concerns of a nation will always mandate that some aspects of health care are treated at a central level. The complexities of health professionals training, controlling the spread of HIV and AIDS, and immunization of children, are too critical for a state to leave totally in the hands of private interest. So who or what is this state that has been entrusted with this responsibility of developing public policy, which ultimately impinges on every facet of citizens lives. This state, a subset of the wider political system, is composed of all the authoritative decision-making bodies of the society that maintains law and order while extracting and utilizing revenue, to provide services ncluding health ). Thus, based on the scarcity ot state resources, governments have no choice but to ration goods and services, even values, to varying and competing interest groups. This however, highlights the major flaw of the system model, in that it adopts the position that the state is impartial, and will distribute resources according to need rather than to the clout of interest groups. For one to fully understand the processes of policy making, one must examine it through the lens of policy theories. As macro theories place heavy emphasis on power in political ystems, which its effects are more systemic in nature than micro theories. While the more obvious internal political structure of a nation can facilitate or hinder participation in the policy making process, exogenous factors are a major yet less discernible factor. Therefore, it is dependent on the particular aspect of control that policy health actors are faced with, will direct the type of policy development processes undertaken. If the policy is within the control of Health, involves input to cross portfolio policy development, or involves input to intergovernmental policy evelopment. Amongst the many structures used to describe the policy processes Walt (1994) describes the most commonly used framework as a four step continuous cycle that moves through (1) problem identification and issue recognition/definition, (2) Policy formulation with clarification of policy issues and preferred options, (3) policy implementation (4) policy evaluation and review. Consultation occurs throughout this cycle. This was expanded upon in the NSW Health Department State Health Publication (1998) to include; a release of formal discussion paper and the evelopment of final policy paper, as two separate activities coming after policy formation. These two additional steps have become necessary, as the intended policy must be available to the general public and special interest groups, to illicit their views before it is adopted and sent before cabinet for approval. NSW Health Department State Health Publication (1998) provided twelve guidelines that will further assist in the rational process of a sound policy development process and promote the production of effective and high quality policy documents. These ecommendations places emphasis on the need to have prompt Justification about the reason for the policy, unambiguity as to who holds power over the final document to initiate the policy development process, and selecting appropriate person(s) and resources to undertake the process effectively within the required timeframe. There must also be consistency between micro and macro policies of the Government. NSW Health Department State Health Publication (1998) also urges that not only there should be timely participation of affected government stakeholders, there should be he lively discussion with Health Services and other key external stakeholders. Another area where Trinidad and Tobago can benefit greatly from is the recommendation that adequate testing be given for relevant options before implementation. Head (2008) would argue that for a truly rational approach to health policy making to occur, it must be centered on Evidence-based policy (EBP) making. This concept of EBP sits squarely in the Rational or Synoptic model, and reflects more of an aspiration that a state should acquire, rather than an accomplished outcome hat could be examined. The only way decision makers can realistically and comfortably make sensible selections would be through adopting EBP as a measure to guarantee dependability ot intormation regarding the efficiency and ettectiveness of adopting a particular course of action over other possible alternatives. It was under Prime Minister Blair, the then British Government saw the need for a more rational approach to policy making. They encouraged employing EBP as key trait in the new strategy to develop a logical method to policy development that will bring ncreased policy capability (UK Cabinet Office, 1999a cited in Head, 2008 p. 15). In Australia, Prime Minister Rudd (2008 cited in Head, 2008 p. 15-16) understood for there to be successful governance, decisions must hinge on ESP. In his 2008 address to the Heads of Agencies and Members of Senior Executive Service, he stated The Government will not adopt overseas models uncritically. Were interested in facts, not fads. Australian policy development should be informed by the best of overseas experience and analysis. Other measures include identification and resolution of inancial and staffing implications of policy. Consideration and response to consultation, communication, industrial and implementation issues. Provide for effective implementation and evaluation with performance targets, planning requirements and accountability arrangements identified. Effective use of Cabinet, Budgetary and Legislative processes of Government where required. Having reviewed these many components, hindrances, and best practices of rational policy making, tackling the fundamental question of the reality for there to be a rational approach to health policy-making? And is evident in Trinidad and Tobago, the answer will have to be no. This has become clear as in many instances the required processes that need to be undertaken are not always available to the policy makers. Issues with fully adopting a rational approach begin to surface almost immediately. From simply identifying what exactly the health system is faced with, to defining goals to address those problems, a plethora of impediments already exists to derail the intended logical policy process. Making rational decisions are also constrained by the decisions made by past administrations. This can be seen with the previous administration in Trinidad and Tobago, with the introduction of the CDAP. With such a program providing free prescription drugs for chronic diseases, often benefiting lower income groups, it would have been almost impossible for the new administration to reverse it, even after making negative statements towards such a program while in opposition.