Demographic Analysis

I have been reviewing some demographic data on the city of San Antonio, Texas and have developed a few thoughts regarding human social location and development; effective city planning for future population growth; the visible impact of education and the removal of opportunity barriers; and the ineffectiveness of the efficiency argument relative to government involvement in housing and urban planning. One very important note to include so as not to provide a misleading assessment; Eighty-eight percent (88%) of the San Antonio, TX population is native U.S. born.

Studying the San Antonio data is the result of internet availability of data from the city website, agency, and the majority Hispanic/Latino population. These consideration factors were in addition to its location; United States immigration and border issues; and Texas history. Analyzing the data reflects interesting facts about the society in general and earnings / wealth specifically.  Demographic data identifies population percentage levels in categories by District to include: Race, Gender, Education levels, Income on a per capita basis, and Housing (average home values and average rents). Using these demographic data, correlations were calculated to identify the quality of relationship between the measured data points. Correlation simply explains the level of relative shared movement (variability) among the data from one observation to the next. In this case the observations were organized by municipal political Districts 1-10. However, economic social location within the city is seen between Districts 1-5 and Districts 6-10 even without the use of expanded statistical analysis. Districts 6-10 encompass the Northern and Northwest portions of the city closer to the interstate thoroughfare to Austin, TX.

Just a couple of things to point out regarding the data observations and a general point to be made relative to public policy housing initiatives. Although the data suggests a strong relationship among ethnicity and earnings, the revealing underlying assessment is the need to increase the education levels while removing economic barriers to access capital and markets. The way I think about these adjustments is supported by the levels of integration of the Latino and Afro-Latino culture into the United States cuisine and other societal aspects. The economic impact on the Latino community would be dramatically increased if the business influences were originated and/or owned within the community as would any other US cultural-ethnic community. The future value of establishing economic relations in the rest of the world through shared cultural developments and influences with capital investment would also greatly improve current community economics. The other main point reflects the limits and impacts of forcing government spending efficiencies related to housing initiatives. The effect of such a focus forces economic decisions which concentrate poverty in specific regions, or districts, within most cities and impacts the district economic tax base among other things. The efficiency gained on one part of the development equation is eliminated within the districts due to the high concentrations of poverty leading to other social issues much better elaborated by other social scientist’s work than I can express here [law & order concepts; moral opinions; and costs - economic and social]. Historical policies that required affordable housing within each city district provided for a greater distribution and lower location concentrations of poverty within any one city district. Part of the premise of social programs designed to improve education for children is through a better learning environment creating better individual and family opportunities.

SA Demographic Analysis File

Links:
City of San Antonio, TX

San Antonio Planning and Development Department

San Antonio District Map

Average Human Height by Geographic Region & Gender

While looking through information on DNA, genetics, and origins, I saw interesting information for comparison. It was a listing on wikipedia for the average human height by gender and country. I reproduced the listing in document images below with links to the actual documents. The Nordic countries had the tallest average heights for both Male and Female genders followed by the United States. I will leave it up to each of you to do your comparisons relative to your known or unknown region of ethnic origins and ideas on human evolution.

Average Human Height by Country & Gender - [Slides]            Wikipedia - Human Height

Access Games?

My Internet access via laptop is being interrupted again! I have few interesting topics that I am thinking through. Once access is returned to normal I will explain more.

What do they really mean by "family values?"

Constitutional?

I have some thoughts on "calling" also that might make it into a blog.

Present and Future

Just to refute some local online search efforts: This acceptance is necessary for global economics and business management. Yes, including corporate relationships too. Multicultural does not mean you can disregard the US Constitution and inalienable human rights! It merely recognizes and accepts our human differences without discrimination in society or within the laws.

Multicultural organization

Where employees of varied backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, and experiences can contribute freely, and achieve their individual potentials for their own and their organization's benefit.

Diversity

2.  Feature of a mixed workforce that provides a wide range of abilities,  experience, knowledge, and strengths due to its heterogeneity in age, background, ethnicity, physical abilities, political and religious beliefs, sex (gender), and other attributes.

Corporations and Social Value

 

Social Value - Larger concept which includes social capital as well as the subjective aspects of the citizens' well-being, such as their ability to participate in making decisions that affect them.

 

Governments around the globe have multiple performance measures employed to monitor and manage society for peaceful, stable and progressive improvement. Corporations are entities used for the efficient employment of resources in addition to government efforts. At one time, natural resources were thought to be public property of the “state” and access sold to individuals or groups of individuals who would best utilize the resources for the benefit of the society by providing adequate return of investments. Risk of loss has always been part of the assessment and contributed to the creation and development of the insurance industry. Assessments include but are not limited to the best utilization of human capital (education & employment); purpose and uses of the identified natural resources; economic development of the society in which the enterprise would operate to convert the natural resource. Other areas for consideration include government regulatory and safety concerns. However, I will not focus on these in lieu of a larger point to be made.

Expanding economic activity can lead social development around bonded communities requiring greater inclusion for successful, diversified, and balanced growth. Much effort was provided by government actions through laws and customs (old and new) to counter corporate self-interested, monopolistic control. The mechanism used to counter these actions was the creation of increased competition. Early U.S. economic competition was more direct by definition after Theodore Roosevelt’s anti-trust legislative initiatives. Increased competition introduced more product differentiation, greater technical product utility, and created new services which extended industries.Wikipedia definition:

Competition in economics is a term that encompasses the notion of individuals and firms striving for a greater share of a market to sell or buy goods and services. Merriam-Webster defines competition in business as "the effort of two or more parties acting independently to secure the business of a third party by offering the most favorable terms."^[1] Competition, according to the theory, causes commercial firms to develop new products, services and technologies, which would give consumers greater selection and better products. The greater selection typically causes lower prices for the products, compared to what the price would be if there was no competition (monopoly) or little competition (oligopoly).

The increased competitive environment required more corporate efficiency due to the limitations on pricing power with lower market share and greater product alternatives. The efficiency focus can also be extended to human capital and requires corporate leadership to emphasize the resource values of the corporation. Natural resource material requirements are easily identified and pricing controlled within a specified range of competitive demand. However, the extension and growth of the corporation and industry is the result of investment in human capital and social collaboration (skills, education, leadership training, knowledge sharing, & shared responsibility) to create new ideas, products, uses, and other related opportunities. Such requirements make valuation of the (human capital) resource more difficult because usually it is the created environment that produces and develops the creativity. Your employees are the consumer market of other industries, if not your own. Cost cutting efforts among the human capital to achieve increasing profitability disrupt the environment by reducing longer-term future value in exchange for increased administrative productivity gains and short-term profitability. However, from a social perspective the lower profitability is acceptable compared to higher unemployment and lower levels of skill development. Capitalistic principles of obsolescence work when there is continuing investment and development of technologies creating new opportunities. So, what is expected from a “public” company? How does society balance between the emphasis of the two interests (public investment and private returns)?

The American system was designed to allow entrepreneurial access to capital that would expand an opportunity to effectively employ capital for increased productivity and profitability by matching private interest with public resources. Under these terms, are the investors in mutual funds and savings instruments receiving enough compensation for the successful business endeavors and economic expansion relative to money managers (salary and bonus) and entrepreneurs / primary shareholders (business controlling interest)? Granted the business owner created the business and also received in many cases 500 to 1,000 times the initial investment leveraging the use of public money. The original savers through pensions, mutual funds, and other bank deposit instruments receive returns anywhere from 5% to 500% (.05 to 5 times investment) which effectively transfers public money into private profits and bonuses. This scenario is even more pronounced within hedge fund activity where the greater returns are accumulated by the financial institutions over business owners and stakeholders. I do not disparage the capitalist system; let’s just accurately identify what is taking place. Where exactly is the risk of economic loss in the system relative to the individual returns? Should economic risk and computerized financial system risk be compensated similarly? Is the risk in the stock market pricing and valuation techniques or with the actual longer term company performance?

The American government has always taken a varied clandestine and active participant role in businesses and industries deemed vital to the nation’s security interest (i.e. petroleum and computing technologies/internet). The largest financial market in the world is not and should not be an exception. The refocus on investment, productive uses of funds, and proper identification of risk and related return is a good thing for the American society and the global leadership influence.