Job Security and Its Impact on National Security - Thesis Proposal Example

JOB SECURITY AND ITS IMPACT ON NATIONAL SECURITY Introduction and Research Background Purpose of proposal The modern world has undergone massive changes in its labor market both in the composition and dynamics of jobs thus becoming more flexible than before. Such evolutions can be associated with the wholesome internationalization of the economic activities, which has inevitably affected the labor relations involved. Many analysts have been critical of the effects of such changes in the market with some believing that the changes have made it difficult for the stakeholders to implement the standards and regulations of employment. On the other hand, the labor market has undoubtedly grown more competitive, particularly due to the changing technology and work organizations involved. Even with the variable pictures portrayed by the different employment versions in the modern society, there has been a keen insight into the impact of securing jobs, particularly among youths, to the general national security. There has been a general association of high level of employment with reduced criminal activities in the society and the nation at large. For instance, many observers believe that upon securing employment, many youths are able to sufficiently meet their respective needs for livelihood hence less likely to engage in unlawful activities. In this respect, therefore, this study is aimed at investigating the various effects of job security in United Arabs Emirates together with its impacts on the national security of the country. Research background Introduction to the topic to be explored The relationship between the rates of aggregate employment and crime incidences have initially been analyzed but the outcome of the same has demonstrated massive inconsistence. The discrepancies observed could be largely associated with the inconsistence in application of both sociological and economic theory, together with numerous issues related to the methodology of the previous researches. According to Atkinson, Healeyand Mourato (2005), a crime is equated to a decision by an individual on the basis of the possible gain or loss. Predicting the impact of job security and employment among youths to the public policy and law enforcement in the nation could be of much significance in making of informed decisions thus reducing the law enforcement costs and enhancing the effectiveness of the anti-crime strategies (Torka and Schyns, 2007). Aim and objectives There is high interest among the policy makers to identify the individuals who are more vulnerable to engaging in criminal offences thus posing a security threat to the national security in the UAE (Bovenberg and Wilthagen, 2009). In order to inform this evidence base, the study seeks to establish the variable effects of employment and securing of payable jobs in the society, together with the different experiences including social, economic, and psychological disadvantages, which include financial distresses, depression, and breakdown of relationships undergone by unemployed persons. On the other hand, analyses the impacts of employment to the organizations concerned and the nation at large, most particularly on the state of security in the UAE. Theory & Literature Review It has been observed by De Graaf-Zijl and Berkhout (2007), that potential criminals are largely influenced by their respective situations within which they make their decisions. This is to mean that the decision by the individual to engage in any unlawful practice is largely influenced by the environment in which they make their decisions, including the socio-economic environment, which is impacted upon by the employment status of an individual. For the purpose of examining how the variable changes in employment status affect the national security level and the crime rate changes, there is need to focus on the different factors that influence the responses to change by the individuals (De Graaf-Zijl and Berkhout, 2007). Time series analysis is one of the most important means of doing this, and the longitudinal nature of the technique is ideal for comparing between different individuals. Theory gives a predicting that there are lagged impacts of employment on criminal activities and this is the reason to why both the unlagged and lagged cases ought to be examined (Burdett, Lagos and Wright, 2004). For the purposes of validating the assumptions that variations in employment are bound to change crime occurrence, and not vice versa, it is important that lagged crime effects on employment variables is equally determined. In this case, employment has a great impact on crime according to the theory, but there is failure to explain how the lagged effects impact on the employment measures (Burdett, Lagos and Wright, 2004). Majority of the economic theories addressing criminal practices are inclined towards the Becker’s 1968 paper, which analyses crime as an outcome of a rational choice by the person involved. Within this model, individuals are bound to give particular consideration to the expected benefits of their criminal activities, with the chance of success take into consideration together with the monetary advantages of the same (De Graaf-Zijl and Berkhout, 2007). In cases where the expected benefit surpasses the costs expected, which accounts for the probabilities of failure and the possible punishment costs, the person will then commit the crime. As discovered by Chang and Wu (2012), crimes that are purely violent, among which are rape or murder have a different response towards economic variables compared to other crimes. This is in part, because these crimes, as observed by Buonanno (2006), have a certain psychological benefit and not financial gains. Self-reported data, as seen by Burdett, Lagos and Wright (2004), will mostly underestimate the crime number committed, with the minor offences particularly more liable to underreporting. The benefits expected from the respective crimes are dependent on variable factors. For instance, crimes related to burglary or thefts have a direct monetary gain. However, the utility gained from the several types of violent crimes, amongst which are murder and rape cases, are usually not measurable (Burdett, Lagos and Wright, 2004). The expected benefits from the crime must equally be dependent on wealth and income. This means that money has a diminishing and marginal effect on utility thus; individuals with higher income or wealth are bound to benefit relatively less from the similar capital amount. The cost of the crime gives a more direct association between crime and the employment status of an individual. Generally, the crime cost is measured in terms of its punishment and is dependent on the chance of being caught afterwards. Such costs, as observed by Dahlberg and Gustavsson (2008) include any arising fines as a result of the crime as well as the opportunity cost encountered when the person is imprisoned. Among the losses incurred is the loss of any wages the person could have earned while out and free as opposed to when in jail. Analysis of the relations between employment and crime has also been demonstrated through the study by Hickox and Roehling (2013). According to this, unemployed individuals do not earn any wages, and this individual cannot think of losing any wages even if he or she ends up in jail in such circumstances, the cost of committing the crime is very low thus making the person more likely to engage in unlawful activities. In addition, is the wealth of an individual decreases when unemployed, the similar financial benefits accrued from crime are bound to have a higher relative value, as observed by Engelhardt (2010). Both effects ultimately lead to higher chances of committing crimes. Bovenberg and Wilthagen (2009) observe that crime and unemployment go hand in hand. For instance, it is thought that unemployment-induced poverty inclines the unemployed person towards seeking for optional strategies that would help in securing income, among which are the criminal activities. Whereas poverty is viewed as an often consequence of unemployment, the unemployed stature equally provides other motives that would drive an individual into criminal activities. De Graaf-Zijl and Berkhout (2007) believe that unemployment generates negative stimuli from the human social interactions, makes the person free from frequent social controls that are imposed by numerous institutions like places of work, and the moral judgment by colleagues, thus promoting idleness. All mechanisms exist which, in line with theory, could affect the criminal behaviors at the time of employment. In many countries, governments have been on the forefront taking measures that are aimed at reducing the negative consequences resulting from unemployment. The measures are likely to impact on rates of crime among the unemployed population through ameliorating some negative outcomes of unemployment which could lead to committing crimes. (Burdett, Lagos and Wright, 2004) thus suggest that securing optional means of maintaining income for individuals is ideal in promoting national security. For instance, some governments have sought to launch welfare benefits that are aimed at reducing the necessity of the individuals to take part in criminal activities (Mohr and Zoghi, 2008). On the other hand, other initiatives that include job creation projects at local and national levels have been observed as pivotal in elevating the living standards of the citizens thus reducing the likelihood of engaging in criminal activities. Additionally, other governments have moved to operate several other programs meant to target the unemployed. For instance, majority of the western democracies need the unemployed in making use of the reemployment services that are made up of elements like mandatory meetings with the case workers, the courses about job application, as well as mandatory participation in other training-related courses among others (Mohr and Zoghi, 2008). The active labor market programs (ALBP) have been observed to be efficient in fulfilling the dual purposes for helping the unemployed individuals find paid employment as well as for monitoring their respective activities in order to ensure that they effectively fulfill the set requirements to receive the welfare benefits (Bender, Donohue and Heywood, 2005). Numerous studies have been carried out with the intention of analyzing whether or not the generous welfare benefits provided to citizens in some countries reduce the likelihood of committing crimes among the unemployed population. The studies indicate that crime levels and benefit levels have a negative correlation between them. By this, it is evident that economic deprivation is among the important explanations for the association between crime and unemployment (Chang and Wu, 2012). However, whereas the theory proposes that ALMP equally affects the relationship between crime and unemployment, there is apparently no solid proof demonstrating the manner in which the programs, together with the intense nature of their application affect the crime rates among the unemployed (Bender, Donohue and Heywood, 2005). Having knowledge on this is very importance, especially for the purpose of revealing the level to which measures taken by relevant institutions during unemployment are bound to affect crime, and by extension provide clarification on when employment results in crime. Theory Based on the general theories about crimes, among which is the crime and criminality theory formulated by Hirschi and Gottfredson (D’Addio, Eriksson and Frijters, 2007), together with situational action theory by (Wickström’s Mohr and Zoghi, 2008), the probability that an individual engages in criminal acts is determined by two factors. The first one of these is the individual’s initial disposition for engaging in criminal activities. Another factor that determines the likelihood of committing crimes is the particular situation in which the individual is, compounded by the availability or lack of motivations and opportunities for committing crimes as provided for by the situation (Bender, Donohue and Heywood, 2005). According to other specialized theories addressing unemployment and crime, the unemployment nature by itself enhances both the opportunities and motivation for committing crimes. In the convectional economic theory, for instance, crime is believed to occur due to the rational calculation of the actor’s cost benefit within a certain situation. This, as observed by Chang and Wu (2012), implies that the likelihood of an individual to commit a crime increases with the increasing value for the gains he or she is bound to secure from the excitement or the stolen goods acquired from the activities. These are then measured against the relative costs of possible punishment or social stigma that comes along with such activities and the gains must outdo the legal cost activities to make the criminal act viable (Becker, 1968).According to Hickox and Roehling (2013), unemployment leads to increased criminal activities since it results in reduced cost of imprisonment. The sociological theory does not over-rely on rational actor but on the essence of social institutions together with the interpersonal relationships in influencing individual’s likelihood for committing crimes. The strain theory suggests that the likelihood of a person to commit crimes is enhanced when the person exclusively receives negative stimuli from his or her social interactions (Bender, Donohue and Heywood, 2005). For instance, it is highly likely to commit crimes when the person does not receive the deserved treatment or the treatment he or she wishes for thus not able to attain the desired goals that include gaining the labor status and earning money. In this respect, unemployment enhances crime rate since it puts the person in a situation that he or she cannot achieve certain goals of interest. On the other hand, the social control theory suggests that the likelihood of a person to commit a crime improves in circumstance where no social institution or person monitors the actions of the individual. This means that people are naturally inclined towards deviant behaviors when there is no pressure from the societal norms on them. In this respect, therefore, unemployment, as Ivaschenko, Nivorozhkin and Nivorozhkin (2012) observe, increases the occurrence of criminal activities since it makes the person free from the normal convectional control that is normally applied from work routines as well as the association with the colleagues. Bender, Donohue and Heywood (2005) think this makes the individual highly likely to grab any chance that leads to deviant activities. The social learning theory, on its part, argues that the likelihood of an individual to commit a crime improves when the individual engages in positive relations with other deviant characters (Dahlberg and Gustavsson, 2008). Considering that lack of employment leads to increased daily excessive time, unemployment increases the probability of the person getting into bad company and eventually starts partaking in criminal practices (Bender, Donohue and Heywood, 2005). Routine Activity Theory Ivaschenko, Nivorozhkin and Nivorozhkin (2012) foresee more effects on crime resulting from lack of employment. In this, the theory is largely based on the notion that individuals are more likely to fall into a certain routine. In this case, therefore, it is understood that the individuals who are victims of routine when employed are more likely to stay within their routines even after the loss of employment. In line with the routine activity theory, routines are accorded a certain length of time before any changes can be made. As opposed to changing their habits, Hickox and Roehling (2013) believe that the recently unemployed individuals most often draw on their savings for a certain short time period in order to perpetuate their old routine immediately following unemployment, and there is no change in behavior realized. If the conditions prove conducive for committing crime when someone is unemployed, the individuals will commit the crime but only after some time to break the otherwise lawful routine. According to the routine theory, there exists a lagged effect of unemployment on commission of crime. Kaiser (2007) acknowledges the importance of considering all possible reciprocal effects. Evidently, committing a crime makes it more difficult for future employment procurement. With this, there is an increased expected cost for the current crime and decreased rates of crime, as well as leading to lagged crime effects on employment (Origo and Pagani, 2009). Methodological Framework Methodology Study design This research study purposes to develop a good understanding of job security among the organization in the UAE with the intention of establishing the impacts of this or the contrary on the different populations in employment. The focus of the study will be taken from the employees’ point of view, and it will be generally a descriptive and qualitative survey whose objective is to determine the different factors involved in job security and the benefits of having payable employment to the individuals and society at large. On the other hand, the study seeks to link employment or lack of it in the UAE with the state of national security in the country. The collected data will thus be considered for the purpose of evaluating the attitudes, impacts and knowledge of the different employment practices and how they are perceived as either promoting or reducing crime level and national security in general. Additionally, the relationship between job security and other demographic factors of the UAE population will be analyzed for contextual inferences of the findings (Kang and James, 2004). The study employs precise and clear questionnaires which were considered as an ideal tool in collection of appropriate responses from the population under study. The interview approach is preferred in collection of information, and data collection will be done on a face-to-face approach with the respondents, with the recorded data based on the quality of information and its relevance to the subject under study (D’Addio, Eriksson and Frijters, 2007). Empirical Model The use of longitudinal data could equally facilitate the accounting of individual characteristics of the respondents by evaluating their likelihood of committing crime over the different periods of employment and unemployment (Erlinghagen, 2008). Among the crimes under investigation are assault, which includes fights that give financial benefits to the person committing them compared to other violent crimes like rape and murder. Income per week will constitute part of the parameters for determining the possible opportunity cost of the time in prison, and the apparent lower relative benefit that one acquires from committing the crime. It is expected that both the effects lead to negative correlation between income and work. The employment amount is thus measured by use of number of weeks worked in a year with no discrimination between the part-time and full-time workers. All these variables jointly represent employment. Other variable worth consideration in study are age, which has a strong negative impact on the rate of crime. Age has been found to have non-linear effects on crime by Mohr and Zoghi (2008). Research Population and Sample The population used in the study is made up of the employees working in one of the accommodation hotels in the UAE. Hotel industry is one of the most important sectors of economic growth in the country, and represents one of the industries varying forms of employment (Mohr and Zoghi, 2008). Like any other organization, the demand for more personnel is informed by the workload available to be done by the employees. In this industry, for instance, the demand for the workforce is dependent on the visiting population of both domestic and international tourists. The characteristic short-term employment nature in this industry for most employees, as a result of the varying peak and off-peak seasons of the visiting tourists, makes it ideal for the study. For instance, the employees who are laid-off and hired have both the employed and unemployed experience and thus better placed for the study. The randomly-sampled respondents will include paid employees and managers from all the departments of the hotel but with the exclusion of the owners. The respondents who are considered a representative of the entire population remain anonymous in line with the anonymity ethical requirements of research studies (Kang and James, 2004). The questionnaire forms will be emailed to the respective department managers after the face-to-face and telephone conversations with them. For the purposes of assuring the participation of the responding employees across all the departments, the delivery of the questionnaires will be made within the knowledge of the superior manager (Blanchard, 2006). Determination of the sample size which is the representative of the population under study is another important aspect of the study. The number of respondents in the study will be 140. Data gathering procedure The questionnaire applied in the collection of data from the clients is the representative of the study instrument, and it will be issued to all respondents working in the organization for the past twelve months (Ichino, Mealli and Nannicini, 2008). As a way of encouraging respondents to reply to the questionnaires given, there will be a reply-paid self-addressed envelope that is sealed. This will be used for the purpose of assuring the confidentiality of the respondents, which is a key ethical factor in research studies. The returned questionnaires will then be filled in the research database, and the data will eventually be retrieved upon reception of permission from the trust committee of local ethics and the unit manager (Bender, Donohue and Heywood, 2005). Data Analysis and Results During the constitution of the job security perception scale to be used in the study, validity, job security index, and the reliability analysis as demonstrated by Ferrer-i-Carbonell and Frijters (2004) will be used. On the other hand, the determination of motivational variables that are applied in measuring the job security, the motivational scale formulated by Lindner (1998) will be used (Kang and James, 2004). The variables applied in relation to employee motivation will be equally used since they have proven successful in previous studies including those by Şenol, (2010), Ertan, (2009), Toker, (2008), and Ünlüönen, (2007). The analysis of the obtained qualitative data will be done by use of the statistical and descriptive inference techniques. While the presentation of the results will be in the form of charts and graph, the calculations for the P-value of the respective indicator will be done by use of the most effective non-parametric test (Jabnoun and Khalifa, 2005). Similarly, there will be need to seek for statistic expertise in complementing the already available knowledge of the results. A P-value above 0.05 will not be admitted since the interval of confidence will be at 95%. On the other hand, the qualitative data aspect will be critically analyzed using the read and re-read of the response before categorization of these into themes. This means there may be need for coding the emerging points by use of abbreviations and subsequent connections between the identified categories traced (Origo and Pagani, 2009). There will be efforts to eradicate any potential form of bias, and this will be done through ensuring that each analysis stage is as objective as possible for interpretation. Planning and Critical Analysis Research Plan: Time frame June2014 Ethical Approval Letters to be sent to the organizational managers July2014 Sending of the questionnaires to participants July 2014 – September 2014 Transcription and coding of the questionnaires October 2014 Contextualization and analysis November 2014 Sending back the report to the hotel for feedback Budget All the activities involved in the research study, amongst which is the sending of the letters containing questionnaires to the respondents, the traveling involved, the costs of buying the necessary stationery, together with the incentives given to the participants constitute the entire budget for the study. It is therefore approximated that the research study will cost £ 4800 Access and Ethical Issues The research practice will be ethically approved by the University College committee of ethics and it will be acquired prior to the issuance of the semi-structured questionnaire for interview being issued out to the respondents (Kang and James, 2004). The collected data from the research will be coded and eventually stored electronically for strict access by the researchers using a protected password. Upon the completion of the research, the gathered data will be destroyed and the used answer sheets shredded. For the purposes of ensuring anonymity for the respondents, the answer sheets shall bear no names but only the encoded numbers (Ladhari, 2009). The consent of the respondents shall be obtained with all the information regarding the study revealed to them. They will be made aware of the benefits and any risks they stand to incur during their participation. Limitations Reliability and Validity The findings from the research will have sufficient level of acceptability owing to the methodology and criteria used in the sampling, collection of data, and analysis of the same. The sampling is randomly done for the purposes of acquiring a non-biased population reflective of the group under consideration, and this enhances the reliability of the findings (Jabnoun and Khalifa, 2005). It is also expected that the results of the research will have more consistency if similar procedures were used in future studies. Similarly, it is observed that the study has high level of internal validity owing to the established link between the causes and eventual effects of job security and job insecurity, which can be easily ascertained. Despite the application of all efforts with the intention of minimizing bias in the study, it is inevitable that some eventualities go beyond the ability of the team to curb (Kang and James, 2004). For example, the non-response cases are anticipated from the respondents in the course of the research. On the other hand, cases of misinterpretation or misconception of the information in the questionnaire. However, the study will put in as much efforts as possible in curbing such eventualities for the purpose of enhancing the reliability and validity on the questionnaires. References Atkinson, G., Healey, A. and Mourato, S., 2005. Valuing the costs of Violent crime: A Stated Preference Approach. Oxford Economic papers, 57(4), pp.559–585. Bender, K. A., Donohue, S. M. and Heywood, J. S., 2005. Job satisfaction and gender segregation. Oxford Economic Papers, 57(3), pp.479–496. Blanchard, O., 2006. European Unemployment: The Evolution of Facts and Ideas. Economic Policy 21(45), pp. 5–59. Bovenberg, A. L. and Wilthagen, A. C. J. M., 2009. On the road to flexicurity: Dutch proposals for a pathway towards better transition security and higher labour market mobility. 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