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The Causes of Homelessness that People Should be More Aware of
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DateThe Causes of Homelessness that People Should be More Aware ofHomelessness is a significant social and public health issue in the US that has recently been given substantial attention by policymakers, clinicians, researchers, and administrators (Tsai et al. 113). Homelessness refers to a lack of permanent accommodation (Mabhala et al. 2). A homeless person can also be described as a person whose main nighttime residence is; (i) a publicly operated or a supervised shelter intended to offer temporary living accommodations (examples include congregate shelters, welfare hotels, and transitioning houses for people with mental illnesses); (ii) an institute that offers a temporary residence for people designed to be institutionalized; or (iii) a private or public place not ordinarily used as, or intended for, a regular sleeping accommodation for people (Institute of Medicine Staff, n.p). Research reveals that seventeen out of every 10,000 people living in the US experience homelessness (Alpert 295). In 2019, the US had over 500,000 homeless individuals, with Florida, West Coast, New York, and Southwest haing the highest numbers of homeless people (Alpert 295). The author further urges that the homelessness situation in Los Angeles is rapidly deteriorating, and the state had approximately 40,000 homeless people as of 2021. The number was significantly high compared to other states, such as Florida and Texas, where there were 28,000 and 25,000 homeless people, respectively (Alpert 295).
Researchers have established a relationship between social factors and homelessness. The most common causes of homelessness center on seven major categories of deprivation: education, income, employment, skills and training, crime, health and disability, and social support services (Mabhala et al. 2). This paper aims to shed light on some of the causes of homelessness that the general public should be aware of. Some causes of homelessness that more people should be aware of are the lack of basic life skills that are considered essential in society, the reality of rental discrimination when it comes to marginalized individuals, and the lack of financial resources necessary to afford housing.
One major cause of homelessness that people should be more aware of is the lack of basic life skills. In a study to examine the causes and effects of homelessness, Alowaimer (1) identified lack of training or education as a major cause of homelessness. According to the author, lack of education denies homeless people an opportunity to acquire important life skills (Alowaimer 1). Such basic life skills include the ability to manage money. Homeless people are faced with many challenges, making them quit school or attend them irregularly. For instance, most homeless people are poor and cannot afford the cost of education (Alowaimer 1). Also, lack of education denies homeless people financial literacy skills. Research reveals that people with financial literacy tend to be effective in the way they utilize their money, such as saving money, budgeting, investing and paying their bills on time (Dwiastanti 99). Since homeless people are not equipped with these skills, it becomes a challenge for them to effectively manage their money. They end up misusing their money which leaves them poor. Due to poverty, homeless families are forced to live in unstable houses where rent is cheap (Alowaimer 1). Generally, it is evident that a lack of basic life skills contributes to homelessness. Therefore, people must become aware of this cause of homelessness since, although it is a very common cause of homelessness, it is not commonly acknowledged by researchers as a significant cause of homelessness.
Rental discrimination is another cause of homelessness that people should be more aware. Research reveals that housing discrimination has continued to be a significant problem in the US even after the Fair Housing Act was enacted. Roughly 4 million individuals in the US experience rental discrimination every year (Friedman 99). On a different note, Rosen (787) claims that gatekeepers such as landlords in the housing industry are confronted with a racially divergent applicant pool but end up selecting applicants from the same race. Yinger (99) further urges that the US has faced the corrosive impacts of race-restrictive covenants, racial zoning, and the unwillingness of the majority of property owners together with their agents to serve individuals viewed as different from the White majority. This has made it difficult to ensure equal opportunity and fair treatment as mandated by the Fair Housing Act since property owners and other participants in the housing market are able to deny or restrict access to housing on the basis of membership in a so-called protected class, defined by color, origin, religion, race, or nationality (Yinger 99). When rental discrimination is practiced by gatekeepers such as landlords, people who are considered different from the White majority end up becoming homeless since house shortage is a significant problem in the US. This is because these people are not prioritized when applying for houses; hence, they lack houses. Research reveals that researchers pay little attention to the issue of discrimination when it comes to access to housing (Bunel 65). Thus, rental discrimination is rarely recognized as a cause of homelessness in the US. As the US continues to find ways of reducing homelessness, it is important that people get aware that rental discrimination is among the major causes of homelessness, although scholars rarely examine this factor.
Lastly, lack of financial resources to afford to house is another cause of homelessness that people should be more aware of. Johnsen examined the link between poverty and homeless and concluded that poverty had been universally recognized as a significant contributor to homelessness in the US (5). Research reveals empirical evidence is so compelling and consistent that individuals would disprove the claim that poverty is a key contributor to homelessness, given that poverty restricts people’s capacity to mobilize resources needed to address a housing crisis (Johnsen 5). The author further adds that some scholars have gone to the extent of considering homelessness a form of poverty itself. Also, supporting the idea that lack of financial resources contributes to homelessness, Mabhala et al. (2), in their study where that examined the social conditions for becoming homeless, stated that income deprivation is the highest risk factor of homelessness. The author explains that poor people lack affordable housing, which renders them homeless. Supporting this point, Muniz (2) further add that poverty contributes to homelessness since intense economic disadvantage creates the ideal conditions for the occurrence and concealment of homelessness episodes without promoting the creation of clearly defined solutions that promote emancipation from the homelessness crisis.
Overall, this essay discusses some of the major causes of homelessness that more people should be aware of. Among these causes are the lack of basic life skills, rental discrimination, and lack of financial resources necessary to afford housing. In order to minimize the issue of homelessness, it is important to first deal with these major causes, which so far have been given little attention. This may include providing education and training to homeless people on basic life skills such as how to manage money, ensuring that landlords and their agents adhere to the provisions of the Fair Housing Act, and providing employment opportunities to homeless people to enable them to acquire adequate financial resources to redeem themselves from lack of housing.
Works Cited
Alowaimer, Osama. “Causes, effects, and issues of homeless people.” Journal Of Socialomics 7.03 (2018): 1-4. http://dx.doi.org/10.41 72/2167-0358.1000223Alpert, Joseph S. “Homeless in America.” The American Journal of Medicine 134.3 (2021): 295-296.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2020.10.002Bunel, Mathieu, et al. “Ethnic discrimination in the rental housing market: an experiment in New Caledonia.” International Regional Science Review 42.1 (2019): 65-97. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0160017617739065Dwiastanti, Anis. “Financial Literacy as the Foundation for Individual Financial Behavior.” Journal of Education and Practice 6.33 (2015): 99-105.
Friedman, Samantha. “Commentary: Housing discrimination research in the 21st century.” Cityscape 17.3 (2015): 143-150.
Institute of Medicine Staff. Homelessness, health and human needs. National Academies Press, 1988.
Johnsen, Sarah, and Beth Watts. “Homelessness and Poverty: reviewing the links.” Paper presented at the European Network for Housing Research (ENHR) conference. Vol. 1. 2014.
Mabhala, Mzwandile A., Asmait Yohannes, and Mariska Griffith. “Social conditions of becoming homelessness: qualitative analysis of life stories of homeless peoples.” International journal for equity in health 16.1 (2017): 1-16.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-017-0646-3Muniz, Paul. “On the Relationship between Poverty Segregation and Homelessness in the American City and Suburb.” Socius 7 (2021): 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F2378023121996871Rosen, Eva, Philip ME Garboden, and Jennifer E. Cossyleon. “Racial discrimination in housing: how landlords use algorithms and home visits to screen tenants.” American Sociological Review 86.5 (2021): 787-822. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F00031224211029618Tsai, Jack, Thomas O’Toole, and Lisa K. Kearney. “Homelessness is a public mental health and social problem: New knowledge and solutions.” Psychological services 14.2 (2017): 113.http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ser0000164Yinger, John. “Sustaining the fair housing act.” Cityscape (1999): 93-106.
General Environment Analysis of Apple Company
General Environment Analysis of Apple Company
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Introduction
Apple is a multinational corporation that has its headquarters in Cupertino, California. Apple Inc. is best known for designing, developing and selling consumer electronics, personal computers and computer software. IPad, tablets, iPhone Smartphone, iPod and computer Mac line are its best hardware products. IWork and iLife product suites and creativity, Safari browser, iTunes browser, operating systems of iOS and OS X are its software products. The company has been present in several countries globally and has several factors that affect its operations (Entner, 2009). This paper will carry out PEST analysis in the context of Apple Company using iPhone as a case study. Further, it will carry out a general environment analysis of Apple Company.
General Environment Analysis of Apple Company
The political, Economic, Social, and Technological (PEST) are some of the four main factors that actually play a major role in the operations of Apple. The political factors that include widespread red tape, corruption, as well as poor state of infrastructure have hindered the operation of Apple. However, Apple as a company does not have control over these factors. It is the government of the country that can act on this. Further, the economic factors have been taken good care of by Apple through their product f affordable communication devices such as iPhone. The introduction of iPhone into the wireless industry was marred with complaints by consumers in regard to its high prices. However, currently the device is relatively affordable hence changing prices of other cell phones within the wireless industry. The original version of iPhone was sold for $499 for 4GB model and $599 for 8GB model. However, currently 8GB iPhone 3G can be purchased for $99, 16GB 3G(s) can be bought for $199 and 32GB 3G(s) at $299. Further, Apple dropped the 8GB with the release of the iPhone 4 and consequently priced the 16 and 32GB at $199 and $299 respectively with the AT&T contract. The refurbished 3G and 3G(s) models are also available through AT&T for from $50 to $150 depending on the model. This move by Apple has completely revolutionized the pricing of cell phones in the wireless industry, since other companies must also lower their prices in order to compete favorably (Entner, 2009).
In the context of social and technological, the company has improved its technological standards and has been producing communication devices that are socially accepted among a larger population. In the year 2003 Steve Jobs had a prediction that despite the public demand for the new tablets and PDAs, the cell phone was bound to become the next important device in aiding portable access to information after the use of notebook computers. In the fall of 2005, Steve Jobs tasked 200 of the Apple’s top engineers to come with a revolutionary cell phone (Vogelstein, 2008). After several months of public speculations rumors, and gossip by fans and journalists, Steve Jobs announced the invention of iPhone on January 9, 2007. The press was able to review the hardware of the device before its release and they were so impressed (Vogelstein, 2008)
Since the release of iPhone in the year 2007, there has been two major revision carried out on its hardware. The first revision was focused on the speed of the device, storage size, its movement from the edge data network to a more improved and modern network called 3G. This model was therefore referred to as 3G. The second revision was basically focused on GPS navigation, boasted improved processor speed, video capabilities, and voice control. This second revision was referred to as 3G(s). The latest version of iPhone is the iPhone 4. Apple has improved almost every feature of this device. The latest version has camera, improved processor speed, video recording, and sound quality for phone calls, signal reception and wifi detection, memory, motion sensing, size and weight and screen resolution. Further, the device has features like front facing camera which can be used to facilitate face to face phone calls and an operating system that can allow multitasking. These changes have completely blown up the wireless industry with reported 1.7 million sales within the first three days of being opened up for sales (Wauters, 2010).
The process of innovation is a comprehensive one which requires the close attention of the companies implementing the aspect. Through the innovation of the product into the market, the companies are able to lure the consumers in the market by appealing to them with new features that increase the levels of satisfaction (Merrill, 2008). The innovative process involves a series of steps which allows the company implementing it to realize the desired outcome. The question that needs to be addressed in this light is: did Apple Inc follow the guideline of innovation in the launch of the iPad into the market? The intention is to analyze the guidelines that were followed and how effective the future innovations could be implemented judging from the already existing innovations. The first step in the innovation process is the idea generation and shaping. This is usually the initial stage that is usually driven by the needs that are identified by the company in the market. At this point, the company seeks to evaluate the needs of the consumer that needs to be met and thus identifies the product or service that may be introduced in the market so as to meet the existing needs (Foray, 2001). The aspects of the new product or service that is to be introduced in the market will thus be motivated by the needs of consumers in the market.
The executive team of Apple is charged with the responsibility of setting and subsequently implementing the environmental policies. This team of senior executives of Apple is advised by various teams from across the company that includes product development, environmental engineering, facilities, as well as supplier responsibility. The climate change strategy of Apple is built into the development plans of facilities and consequently playing significant role in the process of product development (Eaton &. Noah, 2010). In the year 2009, at the direction of Executive Team, Apple is reported to have been the first company within the electronic industry to make a report of the entire footprint that includes the impact its product has on the environment through its use by the consumer. Furthermore, it provides the consumer with the unprecedented level of transparency and detail on which to base their decisions to make purchases, measuring the carbon footprint of the company and consequently helping the company in identifying the different areas where significant reductions can be made (Drucker, 2007).
It is has been reported that the enormous majority of the greenhouse gas emissions of an estimated 98 percent come from the life cycle of the product. This is why the decisions concerning the environmental attributes of Apple products are actually an integral aspect of the decisions that relates to the manufacture and design of the products. This also applies to the environmental decisions of the Apple products. The integrated approach of Apple Company simply means that the decisions made concerning the environment are reviewed at the top of the organizational structure (Walrus, 2011). The structure has actually been significant in the success of Apple, specifically in the context of environmental responsibility. The executive team members carry out regular reviews of the new products during the development of the product with focus on the supply chain, design and material choices, packaging, as well as the energy efficiency of the products. Each of the areas above has an impact on the environmental footprint. The strategy has been utilized by Apple for over two decades is reported to have resulted to environmentally forward looking product designs within the industry (Trott, 2008).
Every product that is produced by Apple is reported to meet the energy star guidelines that is meant for the energy efficiency, is made of materials that are highly recyclable, and is subsequently free from any of the harmful toxins. The operation and facility teams make regular review of the programs as well as investments in order to reduce the carbon emission with executive members of the team. The results of the reviews that are carried out include the new technology investments, increased use of power, conservation, and commute programs. The efforts made by the teams have resulted to the highest rate of product recycling within Apple Company (Eaton & Noah, 2010).
Apple Company delivers significant environmental attributes across the products as well as the product families of the company. Apple has not only delivered in areas where other company’s within the industry have only promised to deliver in the future. Apple has actually delivered within the areas where it is meaningful. The executive team if Apple has a commitment to the environmental strategy of removing toxins, reducing the carbon footprint, as well as reporting on the environmental impact of each and every product that is made by Apple in order for the customers to be able to measure the progress (Eaton & Noah, 2010). Moreover, Apple also reports annual global corporate emissions and at the product level whenever any new product is introduced. Apple has adopted life cycle assessment which is a practice of evaluating the impact a given product whether iPad or iPhone has on the environment through the whole of its life cycle. The main objective of completing full cycle analysis is improve the efficiency of resources while making a reduction of the environmental impact of the various activities required in the manufacturing, distribution, use, as well as disposal of the product.
Recommendation
Conclusively, Apple effectively applied the innovation process in the launch of the iPad in the market. However, in the future the hitches realized have to be avoided. The only way to achieve this is through the effective evaluation of the features of the new product before it can be introduced in the market. Moreover, the company should been in constant talks with the governments of the countries they operate in so as to ensure that political factors does not hinder their operations.
References
Asay, M. (2010). Apple’s iPad: A beginning, not end, to innovation. Viewed April 10, 2014 from; http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-10472637-16.html
Afuah, A. (2003). Innovation management: strategies, implementation and profits. 2nd ed New York: Oxford University Press.
Drucker, P.F. (2007). Innovation and entrepreneurship: practice and principles. Amsterdam: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Entner, R. (2009). The Impact of the iPhone 3G Price Cut. Nielsen. June 15. Retrieved on April 10, 2014 from: http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/consumer/the-impact-ofthe-iphone-3g-price-cut/
Eaton, K. &. Noah, R. (2010). The iPad’s Biggest Innovation: Its $500 Price. Viewed April 10, 2014 from; http://www.fastcompany.com/article/apples-tablet-introduced
Foray, D. & John, D. (2001). Knowledge management in the innovation process. Boston; Dordrecht; London: Kluwer academic publ.,
Halpern, S. (2010). What the iPad can’t Do. Viewed April 10, 2014 from: http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2010/jun/08/what-ipad-cant-do/
Merrill, P. (2008). Innovation generation: creating an innovation process and an innovative culture. Milwaukee, Wis.: ASQ Quality Press
Porter, M. E. (2012). Competitive strategy techniques for analyzing industries and competitors. New York: NY Free Press.
Trott, P. (2008). Innovation management and new product development. New York: Financial Times Prentice Hall.
Vogelstein, F. (2008). The Untold Story: How the iPhone Blew Up the Wireless Industry. January 9. Retrieved on May 18, 2011 from: http://www.wired.com/gadgets/wireless/ magazine/16-02/ff_iphone#
Wauters, R. (2010). Apple: We’re Sold Over 1.7 Million iPhone 4 Devices In First 3 Days. June 28. Retrieved on May 18, 2011 from: http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/28/apple-wevesold-over-1-7-million-iphone-4-devices-in-3-days/
Walrus, S. 2011. Steve Jobs Wasn’t Lying: Apple’s iPad Market Share Was Really More Than 90% Last Year. Viewed May 13, 2011from; http://www.businessinsider.com/ipad-share-2011-3.
Wang, J. & Chameides, B. (2007). Are Humans Responsible for Global Warming? A Review of the Facts. Accessed from web on April 10, 2014 <http://www.edf.org/sites/default/files/5279_GlobalwarmingAttributuion.pdf>
Video Games Better Prepare People to Develop Skills Needed in the Real World
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Video Games Better Prepare People to Develop Skills Needed in the Real World
Nowadays, a significant number of young people play video games as a leisure activity (Brooks et al. 36). However, there has been a controversy over whether video games better prepare individuals for or merely distract them from developing skills they need in the real world. Video games contribute significantly to the development of an individual and have proven to improve social, communication, problem-solving, survival, and decision-making skills needed in the real world. Thus, video games better prepare people to develop the skills they need in the real world.
Firstly, video games provide a suitable medium for enhancing social skills, specifically collaboration and teamwork. Social skills are among the most needed skills in the real world since they allow individuals to relate, communicate, connect, and build healthy relationships with other people. Empirical studies have proven that using video games boosts social skills (Safdar 156). Granic et al. (73) also reveal that playing video games enhances social skills since more than 70% of individuals play with a friend either competitively or cooperatively. Supporting the idea that video games improve social skills, Johansson (n.p) urges that playing of video games is often considered a cooperative leisure time activity for young people and individuals who play video games more frequently are socially cohesive with their peers. An example of a competitive and multiplayer community video game is Starcraft 2 (Ashinoff 3). Also, Borderlands 2 video game helps improve collaboration skills. This is a cooperative first-person shooter game that Gearbox Software created in 2016. Players cooperate to battle a variety of enemies while obtaining loot and weapons against a vibrant cartoonish background and attendant story. The player’s selection of character classes, which range from a tank-like “Gunzerker” to a stealthier assassin, supports a variety of play styles (Barr 87). Through playing cooperatively, the game enhances coordination among players. Thus, it is evident that video games enhance the social skills of gamers.
Secondly, video games provide a means for improving decision-making skills. Usually, each decision made by an individual carries a certain amount of risk. Since some risks are greater than others, having the ability to determine the risk level in any situation and determine the possible outcomes is a life skill required in the contemporary world. Empirical studies have shown that playing video games provides a means of improving decision-making skills. For instance, Reynaldo (211) studied whether video games boost decision-making and cognitive skills. Findings revealed that video games enhance decision-making and cognitive skills (Reynaldo 211). Research also reveals that video games can be utilized to enhance decision-making abilities since they have qualities like multilinearity that force players to select from a variety of options and instant feedback that enables them to comprehend the results of their decisions (Toh 1). Therefore, there is sufficient evidence to prove that video games help improve decision-making skills.
Additionally, video games serve as a means for improving verbal communication skills. Effective communication is an important skill in the real world since it ensures that there is no room for alteration of messages or misunderstanding, thus, reducing the potential for conflicts. In an investigation to determine the likelihood of video games to improve communication skills for EFL learners. Results showed that video games enhance intercultural and communication skills (Toufik and Sarnou 292). One of the video games that helps improve communication skills is My Word Coach. My Word Coach, a game created in partnership with linguists, offers players a fun approach to increasing their vocabulary and vocal communication. The game allows players to fill in missing letters from words, spell out definitions, select the term that best fits a given definition, and create specialized words with Scrabble-like tiles.
Also, video games such as Minecraft assist an individual in developing survival skills. Survival skills are needed in the real world since they allow individuals to acquire basic necessities for the sustenance of human life. An example of a video game that helps develop survival skills is Minecraft. This is a randomly generated sandbox game with building, exploring, and survival features. Usually, players in a single-player mode are free to roam around the world to gather (or “mine”) materials like wood, metal, and stone to make (or “craft”) a variety of structures, tools, and weapons (Barr 87). Sourcing woods to build a home allows the gamers to develop survival skills.
Lastly, video games allow gamers to improve their problem-solving skills. Problem-solving skills are among the most needed in the real world since people are faced with several circumstances requiring them to utilize these skills. Multi-level and mission-based games are designed in the form of complex puzzles that require to be solved over the course of several hours. Sometimes solutions vary depending on how one plays the game. The ability to strategize and think quickly under pressure in a fast-paced fantasy setting can be applied in real life. Empirical studies have also shown that video games improve problem-solving skills (Adachi and Teena 1041).
While video games better prepare people to develop skills they need in the real world, they also have some harmful impacts. Excessive use and addiction to video games may result in poor mental health and dopamine addiction (Nielsen and Daniel 60). Scientific studies have confirmed that playing video games results in releasing of similar amounts of dopamine as taking ecstasy drugs. As such, this may result in dopamine addiction. Other negative effects of video games include poor professional and academic performance, especially where most time is spent gaming.
Overall, video games provide a means for developing social, decision-making, communication, survival, and problem-solving skills needed in the real world. Despite these benefits, video games are also associated with negative effects such as dopamine addiction and poor mental heal issues. However, the benefits of video games outweigh the drawbacks. This is because the adverse effects of video games result from addiction, something that can be controlled. Thus, it seems to me that the potential benefits of video games are more significant than the drawbacks. Thus, I strongly support that video games better prepare people to develop the skills they need in the real world.
Works Cited
Adachi, Paul JC, and Teena Willoughby. “More than just fun and games: the longitudinal relationships between strategic video games, self-reported problem-solving skills, and academic grades.” Journal of youth and adolescence 42.7 (2013): 1041-1052. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-013-9913-9Ashinoff, Brandon K. “The potential of video games as a pedagogical tool.” Frontiers in Psychology 5 (2014): 1-5.
Barr, Matthew. “Video games can develop graduate skills in higher education students: A randomised trial.” Computers & Education 113 (2017): 86-97.
Brooks, Fiona M., et al. “Video gaming in adolescence: factors associated with leisure time use.” Journal of Youth Studies 19.1 (2016): 36-54.
Granic, Isabela, Adam Lobel, and Rutger CME Engels. “The benefits of playing video games.” American psychologist 69.1 (2014): 66-78. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/a0034857Johansson, Anna. “Video Games And Your Child’S Health: Surprising Results From New Study .”Lifehack, 2022, https://www.lifehack.org/397449/video-games-and-your-childs-health-surprising-results-from-new-study.
Nielsen, Rune KL, and Daniel Kardefelt-Winther. “Helping parents make sense of video game addiction.” Video game influences on aggression, cognition, and attention. Springer, Cham, 2018. 59-69.
Reynaldo, Charles, et al. “Using video games to improve capabilities in decision making and cognitive skill: a literature review.” Procedia Computer Science 179 (2021): 211-221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2021.12.027Safdar, W. “Video games and Life Skills.” Journal of Strategy and Performance 8.4 (2020): 156-161. http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.11763.45603Toh, Weimin. “The economics of decision-making in video games.” Game Studies: the International Journal of Computer Game Research 21.3 (2021).
Toufik, Ghaffour Mohamed, and Sarnou Hanane. “Investigating the Potential of Online Video Games in Enhancing EFL Learners’ Communication Skills.” Universal Journal of Educational Research 9.2 (2021): 292-298. DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2021.090205
Wiederhold, Brenda K. “Kids will find a way: the benefits of social video games.” Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking 24.4 (2021): 213-214. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2021.29211