Othello Essay Research Paper Othello Othello is free essay sample

Othello Essay, Research Paper Othello: Othello is a general in the ground forces of Venice. He is a Moor, a colored adult male born in Africa, and has risen through the ranks of the Venetian ground forces through difficult work and success in conflict. He is a well-thought-of general, but less respected as a individual, because of his dark tegument and foreign roots. He is an honorable adult male, and believes that people are honest. This makes him naif in many ways. Othello is a passionate adult male, and profoundly loves Desdemona Desdemona: Desdemona is loyal, faithful, and passionately loves Othello. She is astute and wise, but is really elusive about it. Iago: Iago is Othello? s sword-bearer. He has been passed over for the place of Lieutenant, and this draws out his evil nature. He feels that he has been wronged and can non accept the place that Othello gives him. We will write a custom essay sample on Othello Essay Research Paper Othello Othello is or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Iago is merely concerned about himself and his place, and will give anyone to salvage himself and his involvements. Act I It is dark. # 8220 ; Tush # 8221 ; and # 8220 ; # 8221 ; Sblood # 8221 ; open the drama. Though both Roderigo and Iago display a coarseness of linguistic communication, Roderigo makes his grade as a gentleman against the harsh soldier address of Iago. Whilst one of the # 8220 ; curled favorites of the state # 8221 ; , he is surely non darling to Brabantio nor to Desdemona whom he seeks. Iago reveals such a hate of Othello shared non even by Brabantio. Roderigo may doubt it but it is one of the truest emotions Iago expresses in the drama. In his first address, one motivation for his hate may be found. Othello has chosen Michael Cassio to be his lieutenant alternatively of Iago and Iago has nil but contempt for them both: Othello he describes as # 8220 ; loving his ain pride and purposes # 8221 ; and # 8220 ; dreadfully stuffed with names of war # 8221 ; ( 1.1.11-13 ) . As we will larn, there is some truth in these opinions. Iago thinks himself more suited for the station than Cassio who he derides as # 8220 ; a great arithmetician # 8230 ; that neer set a squadron in the field / nor the division of conflict know / more than a old maid # 8230 ; # 8221 ; ( 1.1.18-23 ) . He is non # 8220 ; studious # 8221 ; like Cassio. He has practical experience of soldiering. Of him, Othello? s # 8220 ; eyes had seen cogent evidence # 8221 ; the same optic cogent evidence that he demands from Iago of Desdemona? s unfaithfulness # 8211 ; # 8220 ; at Rhodes, at Cyprus and on other evidences, Christian and heathen # 8221 ; ( 1.1.27-29 ) . Iago is referred to frequently throughout the drama as # 8220 ; my Ancient # 8221 ; . The contrast has bitterness in it whenever he replies to Othello as # 8220 ; my Lord # 8221 ; or Cassio as # 8220 ; Lieutenant # 8221 ; . In Iago? s address on Masterss and retainers ( I.1.40ff ) , his true construct of his place is revealed and with it the doctrine underlying his maliciousness if such a thing exists: # 8220 ; I follow him to function my bend upon him. / We can non all be Masterss, nor all Masterss can be genuinely followed # 8230 ; In following him, I follow but myself # 8221 ; ( 1.1.41-43, 57 ) . He derides those who # 8220 ; doting on his ain bootlicking bondage / wears out his clip much like his maestro? s buttocks # 8221 ; ( 1.1.45-46 ) and congratulationss those who # 8220 ; maintain yet their Black Marias go toing on themselves / and, throwing but shows of service on their Godheads # 8230 ; do themselves homage # 8221 ; ( 1.1.50-53 ) . # 8220 ; These work forces have some psyche, # 8221 ; he professes. His creed worships but himself, and his words suggest disdain for the psyches who hold honestness and honor beloved. # 8220 ; I am non what I am # 8221 ; , he concludes, yet Roderigo still trusts him, as do Cassio, Desdemona and Othello. That is Iago, # 8220 ; honest Iago # 8221 ; , # 8220 ; ancient # 8221 ; to them all but maestro at the same clip. The first undertaking Iago sets is to wake Brabantio and inform him that his girl has eloped with Othello. This usage ( cal led shivaree ) was non uncommon in a state of affairs where one party disapproved of a lucifer. Iago incites Roderigo to shout # 8220 ; as when by dark and carelessness the fire / is spied in thickly settled metropoliss # 8221 ; . This practical image serves good the simple head of Roderigo and such imagination is employed to similar consequence to motivate Brabantio: # 8220 ; Even now, really now, now, an old black random-access memory / is tupping your white Ewe # 8221 ; ( 1.1.87- 88 ) . If anything is to # 8220 ; Arise, arise / the puffing citizens # 8221 ; , it is linguistic communication such as this. Brabantio? s foremost feeling of this as # 8220 ; malicious courage # 8230 ; to get down my quiet # 8221 ; is all excessively accurate. Iago declares that # 8220 ; you have lost half your psyche # 8230 ; your girl covered by a Barbary Equus caballus # 8230 ; now doing the animal with two dorsums # 8221 ; . Iago, as throughout the drama is making an image? a really obscene image? to arouse Brabantio. He succeeds: Brabantio arises, stunned by the darkness around him and calls for # 8220 ; Light! I say, light! # 8221 ; [ 1.1.75- 142 ] Iago makes his issue so as to be seen making Othello # 8220 ; shows of service # 8221 ; when Roderigo arrives in the company of Brabantio and his followings. It is of import that, up to this point, the audience has merely the graphic image of Othello as the barbarian # 8220 ; tupper # 8221 ; that Iago has painted. Othello? s foremost words # 8220 ; Keep up your bright blades, for the dew will corrode them # 8221 ; are baronial and important, the same voice which spoke of # 8220 ; # 8230 ; the conflict, besiegings, lucks / that I have passed # 8230 ; of traveling accidents by inundation and field / Of hair- breadth flower stalks i? Thursday? at hand lifelessly breach # 8221 ; , the voice of a adult male that fetched his # 8220 ; life and being from work forces of royal besieging # 8221 ; . It was this voice and no # 8220 ; enchantments and medical specialties bought of charlatans # 8221 ; to which Desdemona had # 8220 ; earnestly inclined # 8221 ; and come once more with a # 8220 ; greedy ear # 8221 ; . The image that Othello pigments of himself is a powerful counterpoison to that which Iago pigments in the first scene, and yet there is unimpeachably Othello is black. Desdemona is white. Imagination, gratuitous to state, is really of import in Othello. The audience foremost sees Othello, non in the flesh, but in the imaginativeness. We are presented with a powerful image created by Iago: of a animal untamed an barbarian, driven merely by base inherent aptitude. The adult male that appears on phase in the 2nd scene is no such animal. His address to the senate paints a really different image. It is non one of your mean Venetian. It is alien and unusual but it is presented with fluency and a baronial authorization that outstrips the civilized company that is present. At the terminal, Othello reverts to the rhetoric that he used in forepart of the senate. Again, the imagination is most powerful. He talks of pearls, of Arabian trees. The same kind imagination that he used to court Desdemona, he uses to reason the calamity. Iago? s usage of imagination is the footing for his power. At the beginning, he deceives the audience with the image he paints of Othello. He uses simple images, of fires in thickly settled metropoliss, of gardens and nurserymans, for the simple-minded Roderigo. His misrepresentation of Othello needs to be really much more elusive. Here excessively, though, his tool is imagery. The cogent evidence that he presents is fanciful. Othello? s passion is aroused by the images that Iago? s words conjure up? of Cassio and Desdemona lying together. The hankie becomes a symbol for this fanciful unfaithfulness. Othello sees Desdemona, white-skinned and beautiful, the really image of pureness and is torn apart by the images that have poisoned his head. Bibliography ? ? ? ? ? ?

Sociological Theories and How They Contribute to Our Understanding of Education

Sociological Theories and How They Contribute to Our Understanding of Education Introduction Different scholars look at education functions from different perspectives depending on the theory they deploy in interpretation of their perceived features of education. The theories that tend to explain the sociological functions of education are collectively termed as sociological theories of education.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Sociological Theories and How They Contribute to Our Understanding of Education specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Young posits that sociology of education entails the study of the manner in which public institutions coupled with individuals experience the various impacts of education alongside its outcomes (1995, p.21). On the other hand Floud, Halsey and Martin (1956) claims that it â€Å"is mostly concerned with the public schooling systems of modern industrial societies, including the expansion of higher, further, adult continuing and education† (p.12). People h ave, over the years recognized education as the most fundamental way of overcoming various handicaps in the society with the capacity to make the society achieve higher equality coupled with acquiring wealth. They have also claimed to have the ability to improve the social status of individuals. Educational scholars strongly believe that through education children are able to develop to their full potential. Additionally, people view education as having the ability to make people from challenged background to rise to higher social classes. In this context, Sargen argues that education is â€Å"perceived as one of the best means of achieving greater social equality† (1994, p.30). Some sociology scholars argue that any properly formulated educational system has the ability to achieve this purpose precisely. However, as Bourdieu reckon that other sociologists have â€Å"a particularly negative view, arguing that the education system is designed with the intention of causing rep roduction of social inequality† (1990, p.47). Putting into perspectives the various scholarly approaches in the interpretation of the purposes of education, especially bearing in mind the social changes impacts of education, the modern perceptions of education attracts mixed reactions. It is in this regard that various sociological theories of education become significant as one of the subtle ways of determining the direction of modern and future educational policies.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The work on moral education by Emile Durkheim pioneered systematic studies on educational sociology. His work looked at the education as a platform that constitutes organic solidarity within the society. Max Weber, on the other hand, perceived education as a tool for political manipulations. After the Second World War came to a halt, the subject of sociology of educat ion acquired renewed interest. This renewed interest shifted from â€Å"technological functionalism in the US, egalitarian reform of opportunity in Europe, and human-capital theory in economics† (Sullivan 2001, p.893). The concepts of human capital were widely necessary particularly by putting into consideration the fact that increased industrialization created divisions of labor and hence the necessity for a given way of hierarchically dividing labor inputs into the industries. Education level emerged as one of the subtle ways of accomplishing this endeavor: people with low education predominantly serving as manual workers. Education results into stratification of social classes and forms an impeccable tool for ensuring social mobility. Nevertheless, some scholars argue that education produces only limited social mobility. According to Heath and Cheung, â€Å"statistical and field research across numerous societies showed a persistent link between an individuals social clas s and achievement suggesting that education can only achieve limited social mobility† (2007, p.89). The 1960s saw the collapse of functionalism approaches in education. The concept of education as a good that people cannot mitigate suffered a fair deal of challenges. One of such challenges was the one placed by neo Marxists, who proclaimed that â€Å"school education simply produced a docile labor-force essential to late-capitalist class relations† (Ogg, Zimdars Heath 2009, p.783). The various ways of looking at the societal impacts of education predominantly lie squarely on a number of theories. Among these theories are conflict theory and structural functionalism. Social functionalism theory claims that the society inclines towards an equilibrium that tends to inculcate social order.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Sociological Theories and How They Contribute to Our Understanding of Education specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More People look at education analogously to the human body, which comprises of various organs that must function harmoniously for maintenance of a healthy body. In this regard, social functionalism sees institutions such as education within the society as mainly intended to socialize kids. Opposed to social functionalism, conflict theory claims, â€Å"society is full of vying social groups with different aspirations, different access to life chances and gain different social rewards† (Furze Healy 1997, p.23). According to this theory, people characterize the society based on relationships that are predominantly sub-ordinative, oppressive, dominative, and exploitive in nature. The two theories have different opinions with regard to the functions of education in the society as portrayed by activities carried out in the schools. This paper compares these two theories coupled with the unveiling of the contrasts in the claims that exist between them with re gard to the way educational or school activities are perceived in the two schools of thought. Nevertheless, it begins by presenting an overview of each of the two theories. Overview of Conflict theory With regard to conflict theory, the relationships that guide the society are exploitative, subordinate, oppressive, and dominative. This theory thus anticipates teachers to expect students to have some background experience of middle-class life right at home. The conflict theory posits that reproduction of these predetermined functions end up exacerbating or rather reproducing existing inequalities from one generation to the other. Unfortunately, this is widely a misconception since people come from different backgrounds and hence making such an assumption is largely fallacious. As Young reckons, â€Å"Some children are expected to help their parents after school and carry considerable domestic responsibilities in their often single-parent home† (1995, p.47). Anticipating studen ts to be involved in helping in the domestic chores compounds the responsibilities of the students hence making them suffer from deterred academic success in schools.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to the conflict theorists, the way educational activities have been structured clearly point to the fact that education serves as a way of further widening the social class gap. For instance, in most countries schools are funded by property tax, which means that in localities where the residents are rich the schools are heavily funded than poor and marginalized places (Jacob 2001, p.10). Heavily funded schools in return seek the services of the best teachers and the students eventually perform far much better than their counterparts in other marginalized regions. By doing this, the conflict theorists argue that the system of governance in schools prepare the students for the unfair life ahead of them. This is because the students from the best schools have the highest probability of securing positions in the best colleges in the country while those from the poor backgrounds hardly make it to colleges therefore only seeking positions in technical institutes and vocational t rainings. Students who gain access to the best training in the best colleges end up getting jobs in the corporate world while those who train in vocational and training institutes become manual laborers (Sullivan 2007, p.893). This is enough proof according to conflict theorists that education serves to widen the social class gap further and propagate further discrimination based on class. Education functions as a way of instilling an ideology to the poor people in the society to accept their situations and rather than blaming the authorities to blame it on themselves. This is what the conflict theories term as the ‘hidden curriculum’ in education (Giddens 1991, p.116). School activities, such as sorting students based on their academic abilities, serve to prepare them to accept their social place. This, in return, maintains the status quo in the society. The oppressed people, in this case, do not find the need to struggle to and be free from the poverty that engulfs th em since they consider it as their fate. According to Anderson and Taylor (2009), they even start counting themselves lucky for the little that they have (p.19). Conflict theorists argue that the composition of the tests intended at sorting the students is in most cases, discriminatory as far as the questions involved are concerned (Bassile 2011, p.263). This can be termed as discrimination based on class or even ethnicity. For instance, a class test may include a question such as the following: Which of the following instruments form part of an orchestra? A) Guitar, B) Violin, C) Trumpet. D) None, E) All. This question can be classified by the conflict theorists as among those that propagate or portray racial discrimination. The fact that the question requires the students to get a definite difference between an orchestra and a band is one of the claims. The second thing is that the question is trying to portray the orchestra as superior, considering that it is in most cases prefer red by the elites and the rich people (Bassile 2011, p.262). A conflict theorist would in this manner consider this school activity as revealing to the students the discriminative nature of the outside world and perhaps indirectly propose that the students struggle to align themselves with the favored class by working hard in school. Competitions in schools, whether inside or outside the classroom, introduce the student to capitalism according to the conflict theory. When a student is recognized and rewarded for performing exceptionally either in extra-curriculum school activities or in classwork. This makes the student feel that he/she is better than the others (Sadovnik 2007, p.12). Competitions in the schools are therefore regarded as unfair by the conflict theorists considering that they make the less privileged feel so. The researchers and proponents of this sociological theory of education found out that â€Å"Where teachers have softened the formality of regular study and in tegrated student’s preferred working methods into the curriculum, they noted that particular students displayed strengths they had not been aware of before† (Wilson Wyn 1987, p.137). Softening of the formalities in education infers that teachers deviate from the traditional curriculum as determined by the state. The reason for departure is principally rested on the belief that what the state perceives as to entangle â€Å"knowledge† does not necessarily have to make subtle impacts in the students future career life and hence not vital to teach in school settings. The state determined knowledge is thus more often than not non-useful to students and hence majority of them find it pointless to learn such knowledge. Wilson and Wyn, proponents of the conflict theory, laments, â€Å"students realize there is little or no direct link between the subjects they are doing and their perceived future in the labor market† (1987, p.120). In this context and congruent w ith the conflict theory, the bottom line lies in teaching exactly what the students anticipate to be widely involved in the future. Unfortunately, such desires emanate from segregated interests, which one cannot harmonize for teaching groups of students who might be interested in similar interests. No two personalized interests can coincide. From a different context Henry, Knight, Lingard and Taylor assert that â€Å"irrespective of their academic ability or desire to learn, students from poor families have relatively little chance of securing success† (1988, p.12). It is perhaps with this argument that the oppression, subordination, dominations and exploitation concerns in the conflict theory become eminently significant. Bearing in mind Henry, Knight, Lingard and Taylor priory mentioned argument, it perhaps sounds plausible also to argue that, as the students who come from poor backgrounds struggles to succeed academically with little success, those from middle class backgr ounds would employ less effort to achieve their academic dreams. Sargent concurs with this argument. He, further, adds that â€Å"The federal government subsidizes ‘independent’ private schools enabling the rich to obtain ‘good education’ by paying for it† (1994, p.111). With the cute educational backgrounds, children coming from rich backgrounds financially, have more ample opportunity to excel in education and hence in future careers. Rich children also have higher probabilities of acquiring gigantic rewards in the future as opposed to the poor children. Conflict theorists view this as a way of continual and acerbating of existing inequalities in the society, which people claim to alleviate, in contrast education systems. Conflict theory furthermore, perceives education systems as mechanisms of aggravating social privileges among the elites only. The continued dominance by a single class of people is what conflict theorists’ term as social r eproduction. Social reproduction takes place due to educational ideologies held by the groups that dominate the society. The position held by conflict theorists is perhaps crucial by considering the question of the quality of education available to the two divides: the poor and the rich. Consequently, from the perspectives of the conflict theory, the idea of equal availability of quality education for all serves nothing more than just a myth. To this end, Wright is concerned that â€Å"the effect of the myth is to†¦stop them from seeing that their personal troubles are part of major social issues† (Sargent 1994, p.92). It is thus unsubstantial to argue that only what impairs people from achieving their dreams lies squarely on their inability to work towards their goals. However, many other inequalities exist that perpetuates the ability of less advantaged members of the society from achieving their dreams in education. Many parents sacrifice to ensure that their children achieve their best in their academics. Even though this sacrifice is essential, conflict theory insists that it is not the sacrifice that matters but rather the elimination of existing social discrepancies in terms of equal accessibility to quality education. Conflicts theorists look at the poor and hence less advantaged members of the society as the victims of what they term as victims of confidence trick. These victims of confidence trick â€Å"have been encouraged to believe that a major goal of schooling is to strengthen equality while, in reality, schools reflect society’s intention to maintain the previous unequal distribution of status and power† (Breen Goldthorpe 1997, p.299). As a result, conflict theorists are opposed to the idea that education is available to all without prejudices pegged on some way of discrimination of some members of the society. They also fail to strike to a consensus to the argument that education acts as a mechanism for ensuring fare distribution of wealth and achievement of equal societal status. Social functionalism theory Social functionalism theory looks at the educational system as analogous to a human body, which has many organs that must function in harmony for cute bodily health. Social health infers that the society lives in a socially ordered environment. Social order is normally assured where the society generally appreciates the moral values that are usually applicable and binding all members of that society. The concerns of the structural functionalism theory tend to foster continual of certain predetermined functions that particular members of the society must accomplish for sustained realization of the roles of society from generation to generation. In this context, structural-functionalist theorist proactively believes that the existence of social institutions such as educational institutions seeks to socialize teenagers and children in general (Heath et al. 2001, p.39). In structural functional ism theory, the educational system is analogous to a human body, which has many organs that must function in harmony for good bodily health. Social health infers that the society lives in a socially ordered environment. According to Heath, â€Å"socialization is the process by which the new generation learns the knowledge, attitudes, and values that they will need as productive citizens† (2003, p.301). Despite the fact that the curriculum explicitly proclaims this objective of education, more often than not, people achieve it through a curriculum that they may regard as â€Å"hidden curriculum†. The hidden curriculum encompasses â€Å"a subtler, but powerful, indoctrination of the norms and values of the wider society† (Harker 1984, p.164). The school environment, according to the functionalism theory, seems more often regulated in such a way that students unconsciously learn these behaviors prompting the students to accept and internalize them. The labor market is dynamic. People enter and leave, giving rise to vacancies that people must fill, so long as they possess certain attributes and qualifications. Education systems serve to produce such persons. As Bourdieu (1977) puts it, school serves yet another function entailing â€Å"sorting and ranking individuals for placement in the labor market† (p.89). The sorting and ranking process results in the placement of individuals with high performance in training for the most crucial jobs: mainly the ones entangling decision-making. On the other hand, those with low performances find themselves ranked to train in chores that demand less intellectually with repercussions of being rewarded less. Ranking of people following the functionalism theory attracts a myriad of criticisms. For instance, Henry, Knight, Lingard and Taylor argue, â€Å"to believe that ability alone decides who is rewarded is to be deceived† (1988). This argument is perhaps significant since the disparities exis t between various educational settings. Using performance indicators such as the scores arguably do not necessarily reflect on the capacity of students. It is thus unfair to set performance indicators in schools as true reflections of the performance of the students. Meighan and Siraj-Blatchford (1997) accepts this argument and adds that â€Å"large numbers of capable students from working-class backgrounds fail to achieve satisfactory standards in school and therefore fail to obtain the status they deserve† (p.103). One of the factors that may impeccably deter some students from portraying their abilities through performance indicators includes deferring experiences at home. As a way of example, some functionalism theory proponents believe that children from working-class families are insufficiently equipped with strategies to cope with school challenges. Jacob happens to be one of such scholars and posits that performance indicators are not true reflectors of childrenâ€⠄¢s abilities since â€Å"the middle-class cultural experiences that are provided at school may be contrary to the experiences working-class children receive at home† (2001, p.34). The performance indicators more often sieve individuals from working-class by making them remain at the working class just like their parents. This way, there is the mobilization of social reproduction of inequalities. Now, the concerns of functionalism theory take us back to the concerns of social reproduction. In this context, Sargent (1994) confirms this trend. He proposes, â€Å"†¦that schooling supports continuity, which in turn supports social order† (p.99). The repercussions of using performance indicators in grading students abilities is to taint some students as educational failures which social functionalism theorists argues that it prejudices people within a society. Since functionalism theorists insists that the social order must be sustained, it intrigues to think of why wo rking class people would fill satisfied in remaining at this level from one generation to the other. According to Bessant and Watts, the existing discrepancies in education between various classes of people â€Å"maintains social order and continuity which is what most people desire† (2002, p.13). However, arguably, social functionalism theory is inconsistent and challengeable since the question of why one class of people would prefer and fill satisfied in a while at that class is a recurring one. School activities such as examinations, group work, sports, debates and other activities aimed at preparing the student to attain the necessary skill to serve as the social being that a human being is. The spirit that is achieved in these activities is aimed at enabling the students to get the necessary skills also to rise in the social ladder (Apple 2000, p.24). To this extend, structural functionalists posit that education is aimed at facilitating social mobility and consequently helping in the closing of the social class gap. The spirit of competition which is introduced to students in school is supposed to enable them to work hard as the rewards of hard work go up with personal efforts. In this sense, education assists the students and arms them with the necessary capabilities to face the world as it is. Structural functionalists contest the claim held by conflict theorists that activities aimed at sorting students and rating them according to their capabilities are flawed and instead encourage further discrimination (Jacob 2011, p.36). According to the structural functionalists, these competitions are fair since they place the students at level ground and give them the chance to work their way up. The nature of interactions that students experience in educational facilities is important in the effort to eradication discrimination of any sort. Students from varying backgrounds and ethnicities meet in educational facilities and interact freely with each oth er. This teaches them the need to be tolerant to people from other walks of life or even those that one perceives to be different (Apple 2000, p.43). In reaction to the question of there being schools that include only students from a given background or ethnicity and how the nature of this interaction helps in creating tolerance, structural theorists argue that there are hardly such schools where only one social class or ethnic group is represented and add that there is the inclusion of exchange programs in school curriculums which aim at handling that exception. The school curriculum according to the structural functionalists is specially designed to ensure that the lessons offered in schools help in the transmission of the core values that are required for the student to succeed in the society. Other activities such as games and club activities facilitate in this by creating platforms where the level of achievement of these core values is tested (Sargent 2004, p.34). For instance , education aims at ensuring that the students embrace courageousness and a game competition such as football gives the student the avenue to test such courageousness. Another key value that school activities aim at giving to the students is what structural theorists term as personal liberty, this is the ability to function independently and be in a position to choose what is right at the right time. Comparing and contrasting structural functionalism and conflict theories As discussed in previous sections, social functionalism theory entangles looking at the purpose of educational systems as mechanisms of socialization of people. On the other hand, conflict theory looks at the institutions from the angle of serving as to adapt and respond congruently with the behaviors of students as dictated by certain moral norms (Basile 2011, p.266). According to conflict theory, these institutions do not necessary follow the traditional curriculum, but rather they follow a hidden curriculum char acterized by some societal dictated forces, which warrants the departure of curriculums from the state established curriculum. Social functionalism theory predominantly restricts its concerns to the manner in which universal education is adapted to satisfy the myriad of needs of the society. Manifestation objectives of educations form the solid foundations onto which functionalist theory pegs itself. These objectives principally focus on the need to pass on basic skills and knowledge from one generation to another. The founder of the theory: Durkheim sighted out latent roles that any educational system deserves to accomplish. According to him, education has the noble aim to ensure socialization of people into one single mainstream. He referred to this form of education as â€Å"moral education.† According to Bowles and Gintis (1976), moral education aids in forming â€Å"more-cohesive social structure by bringing together people from diverse backgrounds, which echoes the his torical concern of â€Å"Americanizing† immigrants† (p.103). From functional theory perspectives, education also has vital roles in ensuring transmission of social control coupled with core values of the society. Some of this educational values which various educational systems, for instance, the American system follows includes the various characteristics, which foster economic systems and political systems, which in the first place served to fuel American education. Consequently, students get rewards for sticking to deadlines, schedules authority demands and while not negating following given guidelines keenly. Perhaps one of the dominant characteristics of functionalism theory is the concept of individualism. With regard to Wright, â€Å"individualism embraces an ideology that advocates for liberty rights or dependent action of the individual† (1959, p.105). Compared to some others parts of education, American education seeks to reward the best individual amon gst groups of competitors. This approach doe not only apply to curricular activities but also to extracurricular activities. As a repercussion, even the educational activities that call for collaborators effort such as football must have a singling out of the player of the season or even year. Arguably, functionalism theory of educations seeks to inculcate the spirit of self-esteem as opposed to social esteem. Learning about the necessity of competition is yet another vital characteristic that functionalist theorist sees as important. The spirit of competition is perhaps one of the essential traits of capitalistic economic constructions. Students learn at early stage to compete for the best score, winning for an athletic challenge among other games. Consequently, there is the reproduction of competition altitude down from generation to generation. The fruits of engaging in some competitive task have always had some reward attached to it acting as a motivator. In schools, it takes so me form of presents. Arguably, the functionalism theory tends to advocate for capitalist systems in which the main driver of the economy is some anticipated gain either in terms of profitability or in kind. Additionally, as Sadovnik laments, â€Å"schools overtly teach patriotism, a preserver of political structure† (2007, p.91). In fact, this is extremely crucial from functionalist point of view since it fosters continued existence of established societal norms then truncated down to subsequent generations. Social functionalism theory advocates for rankings of students based on their abilities. This way the students can then undergo training on different area to which they are well suited for the economy to leap most from their contributions. In this end, the ranking of student takes place based on some merits. Bernstein (1977) claims that â€Å"Societys needs demand that the most capable people get channeled into the most important occupations† (p.27). With regard to social functionalism perspective point of view, schools have the noble role to ensure that they select the most able people from the massive population early enough. To achieve, they give out these tests. Hence, at an early age, students learn to appreciate their abilities in comparison to their colleagues. Unfortunately, tests more often than not end ups instilling some negative spirit of ‘I cannot’ amongst some students. However, as Bourdieu and Passeron (1990) reckon that â€Å"those who score highest on classroom and standardized tests enter accelerated programs and college-preparation courses† (p.37). Many functional theorists’ advocates for this approach referred as social placement. Among such theorists includes: Wilbert Moore and Talcott Parsons, among others (Ball 2004, p.7). Majority of these sociologists scholars are inclined to a perception that social placement is vehemently crucial in society. Upon realization of the sorting process, accordi ng to social functionalism theory, the nest purpose of education entails networking. Networking, according to social functionalism theorists, is a vital tool with the capacity to foster interpersonal connections. In fact, social functionalism sociologists claim that this networking is an inevitable constituent of any well-formulated educational system. Right from colleges and or in high school, students have a network with colleagues in similar grades, majors or classes. These networked programs more often have got the chances often ending up being professional or at some times remaining as personalized. In this end, education serves to match various groups of people within the society. One drawback of these networks stands out because the various networked groups have certain attributes and ways of conduction of their academic affairs that characterize them. Hence, they may hinder free flow of information and knowledge to other networks. Nevertheless as Apple (2000) reckons â€Å" Sociologists primarily interest themselves in how sorting and networking lead couples together of similar backgrounds, interests, education, and income potential† (p.45). Arguably, people place immense concerns to the networking function of education to the extent that parents and guardians object and regulate the choices of colleges available to students. The main aim of limiting these options being predominantly inclined on the perception that kids should only attend colleges where they would find their perfect matches. Proponents of the functionalism theory tend to advocate for the sarcastic two-fold roles served by education, which entangles changing of cultures coupled with preservations of cultures. â€Å"As students move through colleges, as well as beyond, their liberty increases, as they encounter a variety of perspectives† (Fine Weiss 1998, p.39). Borrowing from this line of view, it is perhaps subtle to argue that less educated persons are largely conservati sm while their educated counterparts are incredibly liberal in nature. A heavy emphasis lies on the higher education to inculcate the spirit of research. This has the capacity to make students subjects of changing values and initiators of knowledge evolution. From the functionalism dimension, education then serves to preserve coupled with skills and knowledge transmissions. In this end consequently, education is merely a transforming tool for the society. Somewhat controversial and yet debatable function of education pegged on functionalism theory entails the argument that education fosters family placement of people. Despites the imminent controversies surrounding this function of education, perhaps its advocating is critical since the modern curriculums incorporate various aspects that would foster family placement of people going through such curriculums. Such aspects include sexuality, development of careers and discipline. However, a good number of parents opposed to this funct ionalism function of education opts for home-based–schooling for their children or alternatively place them in privately established schools that are run consistently with values they advocate. Opposed to the above concerns of social functionalism theory of education conflict theory â€Å"†¦sees the purpose of education as maintaining social inequality and preserving the power of those who dominate society† (Henry, Knight Lingard 1988, p.15). The conflict theory consequently indebts itself to concerns of social order. Conflict theorists claim that education has a principle and noble role in fostering social order. In this context, and in the most general sense, conflict theorists widely concur that education emerges as one of the tools that erode the concepts of status quo rather enhances the spread of social inequality. With regard to Sargent, these inequalities are acerbated by the fact that to some extent educational systems serves to create ways of segregatio n of the broader society population into social classes (1994, p.89). Members belonging to the lower social classes are more often accustomed to remaining obedient workers. As a way of comparison, both theorists strike to a consensus that education produces some kind of sorting. However, they immensely fail to agree on the manner in which education enacts such a sorting process. Sociologists who subscribe to functional theory of education argue that education sorts based on merit. On the other hand, conflict theorists posit that education systems seek to sort people based on ethnicity coupled with distinct classes. As Ball, Maguire, and Macrae (2000) notes â€Å"conflict theorists, proclaim that schools train those in the working classes to accept their position as a lower-class member of society† (p.57). This province of thought, on the other hand, as referred by subscribers of conflict theory, is a â€Å"hidden curriculum† that education serves to uphold as part of i ts roles. In the two theories, formal education guided by curriculum preset by the state forces produces some kind of social imbalance. For conflict theorists, a clear difference exists between schools located in two contrasting regions. For the regions occupied by the rich, schools receive excellent funds and hence stand better chances of attracting the best staff to administer the curriculum. On the other extreme, those schools situated in the poor regions have lesser funds available to them and hence attract moderate staff. With these differences in mind, conflict theorists argue that such differences end up reflecting themselves in the performance of students in schools. More sad is the fact that poor performance at the elementary level somewhat determines the destiny of the individual concerned. Maguire, Wooldridge, and Pratt-Adams agree with the line of thought and lament that â€Å"students who attend high-class schools gain substantial advantages in getting into the best co lleges and being tracked into higher-paying professions† (2006, p.109). These advantages of attending high-class schools are largely unavailable to students who attend less affluent schools. Conflict theorists claim that more often than not such students end up in technical and or in vocational training centers. Worse, still, once this kind of imbalances is established within a society, it normally is truncated from one generation to another. In this context, therefore education serves to maintain the dominance of wealthy and affluent members of the society in leadership of almost every sector of economy. Additionally, the functional theory also appreciates the likelihood of formal education to foster existence of social imbalances. In the course of ranking people based on their abilities, some imbalances are produced which in one way or another ends being truncated down to subsequent generations once they are established. From the preceding discussion in previous sections, pe ople have argued that the net effect of measuring student’s abilities through performance indicators such as tests is to produce some sort of prejudiced indication of the abilities of the students. Background characteristics of students play pivotal roles in determining the performance of the students in schools. Since these backgrounds are eminently valid for deferring number of students, this variation reflects itself in their performance. Arguably, the standardization of performance indicators without relative or correlation factors to accommodate the variation in the backgrounds of student produces some imbalance. In this regard, educational system tends to favor the advantaged people in the society. People who subscribe to conflict theory in unison agree on the capacity of the economics status of the affluent members of the society to favor them in economic terms and hence can afford best education. As this is not enough favor, testing procedures deployed in schools also tends to favor the affluent members of the society. The poor consequently suffer twin challenges. In fact, intelligence quotient tests are among the testing procedures that proactively favors the affluent class of people. Intelligence test happens to be one of the tests employed to segregate students in terms of their abilities based on the scores recorded from these tests. Other than inability to produce standardized results tests since they do not appreciate the differences among those they test for intelligence, Bourdieu see more trouble being acerbated by such tests, Bourdieu (1977) claim that â€Å"tests, which claim to test intelligence, actually test cultural knowledge and therefore exhibit a cultural bias† (p.69). This perhaps presents a paradox, since people believe education to serve as the tool for a breakdown of cultural biases and in the modern age: promote global cultural diversity. Again, even though modern educationists claim that education is predominantly c ulturally neutral, this is perhaps not the case based on both conflict and social functional theory of education. It is evident from the theories that education bases itself on some background knowledge. This background knowledge often is culturally sensitive. Arguably, this thinking posses substance since the very initial knowledge that helps an individual to attach meaning to the environment he or she lives is based on the characteristics of this environment that one is put in immediately after being born. People who have differing artifacts dominate this environment. The construction of these artifacts differs based on people’s culture. Considering the differences and similarities in the concerns of the two theories of education, perhaps one can establish a compromise between the two that mitigates the imbalances and foster the positive aspects of each of the theories. This way we can challenge our understating on the role of education and settle on mechanisms that would p erhaps call for adopting a mechanism for ensuring that the education and its testing procedures end up being more reflective of the abilities of the students both academically and in extracurricular activities. There may be many ways of mitigating the imbalances. However, some of them would entail the provision of correlation factors in the scores recorded by students upon conduction of various tests on them such as intelligence tests while attempting to sort them out. These correlation factors need have factors that help to accommodate the various differences existing among students among them cultural differences, and economic differences among others. This way perhaps the dominance of one group of people in the best jobs would cease and hence produce a better equal society. There would be the mediation of the traditional role of education to maintain some discriminatory social order. Consequently, introspecting the roles of education from varying dimensions: from functional theor y or conflict theory would lead to striking to neutral point at which the role of education in the society would end up to foster equality other than propagating inequality. Conclusion The paper has dedicated itself to scrutinizing social functionalism and conflict theories of education. It has clarified how social functionalism theory entangles looking at educational system as analogous to a human body, which has many organs that must function in harmony for good bodily health. Any institution within the society that indebts itself to social harmony infers some sort of social order (Jones 2003, p.47). As revealed, there is the assurance of social order where the society generally appreciates the moral values that are generally applicable and binding all members of that society. The theory brings education into the picture as to whether it may profile such a role. The conflict theory, on the other hand, encompasses looking at education purpose from the dimensions of being a contribu tor of relationships that guide the society. Based on perception, the relationships are exploitative, subordinate, oppressive, and dominative in nature. A comparison of the two theories reveals that functional and conflict theories of education reveal existence of some social imbalances in their concerns. Education makes people climb up their social ladder by breaking down the barriers that may impair people from accomplishing this noble ability. With this regard sociologists, such Sargen argues that education is â€Å"perceived as one of the best means of achieving greater social equality† (1994, p.30). While some sociology scholars argue that any properly formulated educational system has the ability to achieve this purpose precisely, as the paper discussed others believe that education in one way or another introduce inequalities. These inequalities are reflected in the dominance by some affluent social class members in the control of major jobs that be regarded as the bes t in terms of rewards. The paper has also proposed how careful scrutiny of the concerns of the two theories may help in understanding education better. In this end the paper has argued that introspecting the roles of education from varying dimensions: from functional theory or conflict theory would lead to striking to neutral point at which the role of education in the society would end up to foster equality other than propagating inequality. References Anderson, M., Taylor, H., 2009. Sociology: The Essentials. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth. Apple, M., 2000. Official Knowledge: Democratic Education in a Conservative Age. London: Routledge. Ball, S, Maguire, M., Macrae, S., 2000. Choice, Pathways and transitions Post-16: New youth, new economies in the global city. London: Routledge. Ball, S., 2004. The RoutledgeFalmer Reader in Sociology of Education. Abingdon: Routledge. Basile, G., 2011. â€Å"Implications of Sociological Theories for Brand and Consumer Relationship Studies.â €  International Journal of Management Studies, 13(3), pp. 261-269. Print. Bernstein, B., 1977. Class, Codes and Control Vol. 3. London: Routledge. Bessant, J., Watts, R., 2002. Sociology Australia. Sydney: Allen Unwin. Bourdieu, P., Passeron, J., 1990. Reproduction in Education, Society and Culture. London: Sage. Bourdieu, P., 1977. Outline of a Theory of Practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Bowles, S., Gintis, H., 1976. Schooling in Capitalist America. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. Breen, R., Goldthorpe, J., 1997. â€Å"Explaining Educational Differentials: Towards a Rational Action Theory.† Rationality and Society, 9(3), pp. 275-305. Print. Fine, M., and Weiss, L., 1998. The Unknown City: The Lives of Poor and Working-Class Young Adults. Boston: Beacon Press. Floud, J., Halsey, A., Martin, F., 1956. Social Class and Educational Opportunity. London: Heinemann. Furze, B., Healy, P., 1997. Understanding society and change in Stafford, C. and Furze, B . (eds) Society and Change (2nd Ed). Melbourne: Macmillan Education. Giddens, A., 1991. Introduction to Sociology. New York: W.W. Norton Company. Harker, R., 1984. On Reproduction, Habitus and Education in Robbins and Pierre Bourdieu Volume II. London: Sage Publications. Heath, A., Andersen, R., 2003. â€Å"Social Identities and political cleavages: the role of political context.† Journal of the Royal Statistical Society series, 166 (8), pp 301– 327. Print. Heath, A., Martin, J., Beerten, R., 2001. Old and New Social Class Measures: A comparison of pp 226-243 in D. Rose and D.J Pevalin (eds) A Researcher’s Guide to the National Statistics Socio-economic Classification. London: Sage. Heath, F., Cheung, S., 2007. Unequal Chances: Ethnic Minorities in Western Labor Markets. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Henry, M., Knight, J., Lingard, R., Taylor, S., 1988. Understanding Schooling: An Introductory Sociology of Australian Education. Sydney: Routledge. Jacob, A., 2001. Research links poverty and literacy. New York: ABC Radio Transcript. Jones, K., 2003. Education in Britain: 1944 to the present. Cambridge: Polity Press. Maguire, M, Wooldridge, T., Pratt-Adams, S., 2006. The Urban Primary School. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Meighan, R., Siraj-Blatchford, I., 1997. Sociology of Educating (3rd Ed). London: Cassell. Ogg, T., Zimdars, A., Heath, A., 2009. â€Å"Schooling effects on degree performance: a comparison of the predictive validity of aptitude testing and secondary school grades at Oxford University.† British Educational Research Journal, 35(5), pp. 781-807. Print. Sadovnik, A., 2007. Sociology of Education: A Critical Reader. London: Routledge. Sargent, M., 1994. The New Sociology for Australians (3rd Ed). Melbourne: Longman Chesire. Sullivan, A., 2001. â€Å"Cultural Capital and Educational Attainment.† Sociology, 35(4), pp. 893-912. Print. Wilson, B., Wyn, J., 1987. Shaping Futures: Youth Action for Liveli hood. Hong Kong: Allen Unwin. Wright, M., 1959. The Sociological Imagination. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Young, M., 1995. Knowledge and Control: New Directions for the Sociology of Education. London: Macmillan.

Indolence and Indolent

Indolence and Indolent Indolence and Indolent Indolence and Indolent By Maeve Maddox When I heard an NPR reporter use the expression â€Å"passive indolence,† I decided I’d better look up the word because I thought indolent included the idea of passivity. I couldn’t imagine, for example, talking about â€Å"active indolence.† The noun indolence has traveled a long way from its original meaning of â€Å"freedom from pain.† The Latin noun indolentia means â€Å"freedom from pain.† The abstract noun came from the Latin verb dolere, â€Å"to be pained† and the negative prefix in, â€Å"not.† Indolentia was a state of not being in pain. In modern medical usage, indolence and the adjective indolent retain the meaning of absence of pain: indolent: causing little pain; slow growing. Examples of indolent and indolence in the context of pathology: indolent ulcers occur on the upper lip of cats at almost any age. Indolent lymphomas are usually not considered curable because the cancer grows too slowly to be targeted accurately by most modern treatments. Prostate Cancer Indolence vs Aggressiveness Progress in the Treatment of Indolent Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) In general usage, however, indolence means, â€Å"the disposition to avoid trouble; love of ease.† Indolent is also a synonym for lazy. In the sense of taking things easy or giving oneself over to relaxation, indolence is not necessarily a bad thing. Hard-working people deserve occasional spells of indolence: lying on the beach or drowsing in a hammock on a pleasant afternoon. It is when people habitually avoid their responsibilities that indolence becomes a vice. the arrogance of orthodox economists, and the indolence of mainstream journalists. the authorities have already been breaking [the law] through their incapacity or their indolence in the face of the crisis of insecurity. China Punishes 20,000 Officials For Waste, Mediocrity, Indolence Mitt Romney: ‘â€Å"Nonworking parents† raise â€Å"indolent and unproductive† kids. Gordon slams indolent congressmen for lack of quorum in the House Indolence and indolent are useful words to describe laziness and irresponsibility, but an expression like â€Å"passive indolence† seems pleonastic. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Words for Facial ExpressionsDifference between "Pressing" and "Ironing"How Long Should a Synopsis Be?

Sustainable Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Sustainable Management - Essay Example According to Hulme, â€Å"Climate change is a scientific and a moral issue.† The process of generating scientific consensus has been largely driven by the desire to communicate climate science to policy users and to construct knowledge’ (Weingart, 1999). However, in doing so, the uncertainties have been downplayed (Van der Sluijs et al., 1998). Who are the IPCC and what is their function, and what are major findings of their report on global warming? IPCC is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which is a scientific intergovernmental body and its main aim is to assess human-induced climate change, analyse its impact and provide options for adaptation and mitigation. The two major findings of its reports are --- firstly, climate change is unequivocal and secondly, the past and future anthropogenic carbon emissions will contribute to global warming resulting in rising sea levels. Global warming a consequence of the earth’s natural life cycle and has nothing to do with the emission of greenhouse gases? Discuss. Anthropogenic warming and rise in sea level would continue for centuries due to the impact of the Earth’s natural life cycle, even if the Greenhouse gas concentration stabilizes. Carter et al. (2006) suggest that climate is not driven primarily by human use of fossil fuels. Researchers believe that the perception that nature is a resource at our disposal is the factor which shapes our view towards exhaustion of resources. Further, Christiansen (1994a, 1994b, 1994c) argues that the formation of climate based institutions based on IPCC, suites the union of some political, scientific and business interests. To what extent do you agree with the Stern Report? Stern believed a rise of five to six degree of temperature may be a real possibility due to climate change. The Stern Report concludes that the benefits of early actions on climate change outweigh the cost of not acting. The report points towards the potential imp act of climate change on water, health, food production and environment. Some conclusions of the Stern Report can be justified, as not taking any steps to reduce climate change will definitely raise the cost of living. The report states the cost of not acting on climate change will be equivalent to at least 5% of the gross domestic product loss each year. What steps can organisations take reduce their carbon footprint? Organizations can reduce their carbon footprints by reducing carbon emissions through fuel combustion, transportation, process emissions and fugitive emissions. The carbon footprints can be reduced by reducing the consumption of fossil fuels, monitoring waste disposal, transportation and use of products. What are the main points in Peter Senge’s book â€Å"The Necessary Revolution†, chapters 1 and 2? Peter Senge’s book â€Å"The Necessary Revolution† (chapters 1 and 2) talks about a different kind of world where excess energy of one busines s can be used to heat another. The book imagines a world where the commercial buildings are regenerative and create more energy than they are using. The book imagines a world of sound products and processes where products are cost effective rather than wasteful. Corporations such as Cosco, Nike and BP,

'' reviewing and analyzing four articles contained in the book Essay

'' reviewing and analyzing four articles contained in the book Campaigns on the Cutting Edge book by Semiatin - Essay Example In essence, different platforms have been realized in terms of campaigns due to the increased adoption of the emerging technologies. Direct interaction between candidates and voters has increased (Semiatin 29). Candidates nowadays reach out to voters though their social media accounts or even those of their campaign teams. This type of interaction has made the voter feel involved in campaign even though they might not be physical present at the campaigns. Campaign management has been widely facilitated and enhanced through technology. Through modern ways of communication which are cheap, fast, efficient and convenient. A candidate in a different region can be able to coordinate with campaign team in separate regions. Through email, Skype, fast mobile communication and other forms, coordination is easier and efficient (Semiatin 67). It is worth noting that interaction among human beings has been facilitated through the use of technology. Coordination can be done remotely without neces sarily being there in person. To some extent, this has resulted to the minimization of resources that could be incurred in terms of transport and food. What is more, this has enabled carrying out activities simultaneously in a wider region, saving time, money and enhancing campaigning. By avoiding unnecessary movements during campaigns, the campaign affair has consequently become cheap and efficient. All this thanks to new technological developments around the world. Mobility has also been enhanced by technology. Increased movement within short duration of time has enabled campaign teams to cover wider regions and in that case attaining their set goals and objectives accordingly. Use of transport systems like the electric trains and air transport has enabled campaign teams cover wider areas and be able to change locations within the same day which would previously be cumbersome and tedious if not possible. Mobility has greatly helped utilize the limited time to the maximum. Saving s ome considerable amount of time means enough time for brainstorming on the next strategic moves and reducing pressure on the campaign times especially when deadlines and time becomes a constraint. Evolution from party driven to candidate and voter driven campaigns has been achieved greatly through technology. it is worth noting that emerging technology is nearly touching every aspect of life and in that case facilitating means through which other activities are carried out accordingly. Possibility of accessing a wider voter region simply through television is now enabled. Social media sites like Twitter and Facebook have not been left behind either. Initially campaigns would involve tedious ground coverage through campaign caravans or even numerous expensive flights especially when accessing remote regions. Evolution of cable TV with the easy and cheap accessibility has made it possible and enabled the wider population to only sit at the comfort of their homes and be able to get eve ry single bit of information about campaigns without necessarily attending rallies, leading to easier and more convenient ways of voter mobilization (Semiatin 81). Through embracing of modern digital ways of relaying news and information for example though visual and print media, campaigns have never been this efficient. In other words, the implementation of technology in campaigns has played a great part in determining how different activities are performed. Through

Lifestyles of K-Pop Authors

Lifestyles of K-Pop Authors Kpop or Prison? South Korea is a sovereign state in East Asia, with many rules of etiquette and customs based on traditional Chinese ways, but moulded into a unique culture through industrialization, urbanization and westernization. The author, Sonja Vegdahl Hur stated that lurking behind the sometimes stoic Korean faà §ade is a multitude of emotions. However, in the Kpop industry idols are expected to show a profusion of emotions but have to refine them in order to create an image of complete perfection, this is to attract audiences and conform to the trends in their society. Kpop is a genre that originates from 1980s South Korea and is heavily based on audiovisual content and a fusion of foreign musical elements. They present idols in a debut showcase which consists of television broadcast promotions and online marketing instead of radio. But to get to the stage, idols must go through a tough training period for sometimes many years. Sixty years ago Korea was a war-torn country but is now flourishing. This has been achieved through hard work which has been transferred to education. But the globalisation of an already competitive system has caused too much stress from a young age.   Is being diligent in Korea worth the cost of their mental health? These companies obviously use idols dreams against them as in order to be the best, entertainment industries put idols through gruelling periods of dance, vocal training, learning many languages and instruments. Granted, this method does have strengths; the ingrained idea that success is key to a good life, no matter the cost is a great motivator, but is living their dream worth the stiff price in health and happiness? I dont think so. The proof is in the West. Many artists are extremely popular like Beyoncà ©, yet they never had to learn difficult dance routines or another language to rise to the top. But, this also shows where culture differs, the image of perf ection is not necessarily as important in the West as it is in Korea. Idols are mostly required to dye their hair, wear contacts and get double eye-lid surgery to remove the epicanthic fold in order to appear more perfect and European. All idols participate in music shows such as Inkigayo (like our MTV music charts) where all digital sales, physical album sales, streams and music video views are totalled up and the winner gains the trophy this is vital for the group survival in the industry as if their popularity is in constant decline with hardly no wins the company will most likely drop them and this usually means theyll lose their homes and source of income as its all provided by the company, yet they still have to pay a large proportion for it. Trainees are constantly disciplined by the companies theyre signed under. An ex-SM Entertainment trainee revealed, If you dont improve but youre pretty they tell you to stay underwater and hold your breath for 5 minutes and make you sit in a V and drop basketballs on your stomach when you breathe. This is apparently to encourage the trainee to work harder but it breaches human rights as Korean law prohibits such practices of inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. A famous law suit emerged in 2009. A popular group TVXQ, took their management to court over a 13 year contract which ended with success and the ruling prompted the Fair Trade Commission to bring a model contract in an attempt to improve standards. Another ex-trainee, Stella Kim was interviewed by Le Film Magazine and specified her ordeal during the period she trained under SM; If you were deemed overweight, then you would be weighed in front of everybody and shamed for it. Howbeit, the training affected her even aft er she quit, she went through a stage of anorexia and at her lowest point weighed 90lbs at 5ft 7 along with Korean students at her college in America recognising her and calling her ugly or fat. This shows that training in Korea needs to be reformed as the current method creates idols to develop feelings of self-worthlessness with a distorted set of social values. Soloists and groups need fans in order to keep gaining popularity. However, some fans go overboard and develop a harmful fixation on idols. In Korea theyre called Sasaeng fans. These people are notorious for engaging in actions that inaugurate an invasion of privacy. For example, a member of JYJ, Yoochun found that his home and parking lot had CCTV cameras installed by Saesangs. On the other hand is the opposite extreme, anti-fans. This refers to the torment of idols where people construct organisations to mentally and physically threaten idols. They have committed many crimes and go to extreme methods such as, Yoon Kye-Sang from the group G.O.D who received a drink adulterated with bleach and laundry chemicals which was drunk by his mother, who had to hospitalised. Idols are heavily criticised for appearance in Korea as there is a massive expectation of perfection. A case with girl group Red Velvet, included comments against their youngest member, Yeri who was only 17 at the time, w here netizens internet citizens wrote derogatory sexually explicit comments about her on a live show. In comparison to Western artists, Kpop idols work considerably harder for a little amount of freedom and profit. A comment on a website, Quora mentioned that, Kpop isnt about selling music its about selling idols people that fans worship.   Furthermore, Kpop artists are overworked; F(x)s Krystal collapsed on stage due to fatigue as sleeping only 2 hours a day became too much to handle, whilst forced to perform. Even after training life for idols is still stressful and difficult. 9MUSES ex-member, Sera mentioned in the documentary, No one treats me as a human being. But idols have to abide by the contracts and stick with the companies until it ends. The contracts allow the companies to take away human rights and basic freedoms which any ordinary person would have. For example, the right to contact family and under the Korean Labour Standards Act it says working hours per week should not exceed 40 hours. In the i-D Magazine (fashion culture magazine), 2NE1 member CL stated, You have to be perfect. You have to perform well, you shouldnt date anyone and fans have a standard image, especially with girls because boys can date anyone.   This conveys the issue of sexism in Korea. Statistics from a picture on Instagram revealed that there was at least a 10 million Won ( £6839.32) pay gap between male and female idols. An actress, Jang Ja Yeon, age 29 committed suicide and explained in a let ter that her former agency CEO, Kim Sung Hun had forced her to meet influential people at parties to provide sexual favours in order to keep her job. In conclusion, Kpop life and training is far worse than artists from Europe. They have more freedom and arent always faced with the difficulty of being from a different nation. To improve conditions, I think companies could (and should) let their idols sleep more, eat, wear and sing what they want. To be more equal, both genders should be paid for doing the same thing and whilst training be allowed more free time to rest and be treated more like a human being and not an object to gain the company more money and fame. Whilst netizens complain about idols low health, they should in fact criticise their companies more in order to make a change and the industry must realise that the combination of extremely high standards and a lifestyle that makes those standards impossible to meet wont make idols happy or able produce content to the best of their ability. Therefore, they deserve better working conditions. Bibliography Primary Source: Culture Shock! 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Case analysis: Deloitte & Touche Essay

In Deloitte & Touche, women had accounted for almost half of all new hires throughout the 1980s, yet by 1991, of the 50 candidates being nominated for partnership on that year, only four were women. There was serious imbalance of male and female gender in the workforce despite steps to ensure that the firm would be hiring women during the 1980s. Moreover, the high turnover of women leaving was accruing huge expenses for the firm . In this paper, I will first discuss the challenges faced in the organization and the reasons why the management saw a need for an organization change. Next, I will argue that the current situation favors the change process and despite the possible restraining forces; Deloitte & Touche is in a good position in successfully implementing the strategies. I will then discuss the possible restraining forces that would hinder the change and comment on the recommendations and strategies by the Task Force. Lastly, I will suggest further solutions that would help in overcoming the restraining forces so that this would further aid in the development of the change process. Mike Cook had initially assumed that the main reason why women left the workforce in greater numbers was due to family commitments. However, despite the strategies implemented in the 1980s to hire more talented women and ensuring that there was no glass ceiling for women in the firm, the statistics in 1991 proved that the previous solutions were not adequate and that the firm was incurring huge expenses due to the high rate of turnovers. Thus in 1992, a Task Force was formed whereby the firm hired outside consultants to find out why women were not advancing at the same rate as men, and why they were leaving at a higher percentage rate. After much investigations and interviews, the Catalyst report showed that the top two reasons for their departure was because the women had perceived that there was a male dominated work environment and that opportunities for career advancement was difficult. An imbalance work-life which was perceived by Mike Cook as the main reason was ranked third in importance. Clearly, the management had earlier identified the main reason incorrectly. When one examines the situation at hand, the firm is in a favorable position to execute the change. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, the critical mass, whom are the partners in the firm are suddenly aware of the  real problem the plagues the firm. Engaging the critical mass is crucial as their support for the change is important and their leadership would help transmit effectively the change strategies. Secondly, the firm is presently at the third stage of the development process, whereby they have diagnosed correctly the exact problem. In addition, Lois Evans, one of the top-ranked women in the firm had similarly echoed that the current work environment was a crappy place for any woman to be. By identifying the precise problem, the organisation can now tackle more effectively and implement the appropriate solutions to change the male dominated corporate culture. Changing a corporate culture is extremely difficult and this in my opinion is the biggest restraining force. The challenge for any organization is how to reinforce people in changing an old culture that has lasted for so long. The key to the success is not to impose cultural changes, but to facilitate an environment whereby employees are involved in finding their own new approaches to change. Another major restraining force that might occur is that many male employees might sense a threat in their positional power. In addition, many male workers might start wondering whether these changes would benefit them, and would start questioning the strategies suggested by the Task Force which seems to favor women only. The organization at present is still not accustomed in seeing women in positions of power and thus by developing leadership platforms for women such as an advisory council might bring about suspicion and insecurity for the men. In examining the recommendations suggested by the Task Force, I do agree that the firm should hold workshops and seminars to educate and communicate to the employees that men and women are colleagues . I would suggest that during these workshops, change agents should inform the male workers their subtle actions and words can actually create an unwelcome culture for women. Insensitive comments that make women feel uncomfortable in the workforce should also be avoided. For example, statements such as â€Å"someone working part-time is not interested in the career† or â€Å"she has kids, maybe he should handle the international assignments† should not be made formally, as well as in an informal setting. In addition, managers should also learn to avoid gender stereotypes that women are incapable to handle challenging  assignments simply because they are mothers. Therefore by increasing the awareness of the dangers of stereotyping, male employees would understand and be mo re acceptable when they recognize and see major changes in the work environment that might favor women employees. I similarly agree with the Task Force that the firm should build goals in their business planning and provide directional goals for women in leadership . Defining the criteria to measure and monitor progress for women is also crucial. This is because better information and improving access to career development and training opportunities are significant ways in educating the women their route of advancement. It is obvious that if you do know what is available, the possibility of you attempting to take part would be much higher. Thus it is important to ensure that women receive the same opportunities as men and this can be solved by designing a program to monitor the promotion rates among women and men. I would therefore suggest that the Human resource department have a program that tracks work assignments to ensure that women at Deloitte & Touche are considered for premier clients and projects at equal rates as their male counterparts. Offices should be evaluated annually, ensuring women are being offered fair shots at career-advancing assignments. Another solution is to include women as assessors and to ensure that they are included on senior promotion interview boards. However, one should be cautious and avoid achieving a fix quota. The firm must highlight that equality and meritocracy still exists in the workplace between men and women. This is crucial so that the firm would avoid to be seen as promoting a women-favored environment only. Besides the listed solutions in the case study, there are further considerations that Mike Cook might need to consider. Firstly, it is important to have a policy that is clear to the staff within the organization. Moreover, identifying the right people within the firm to implement the policies is vital as electing change agents who might unconsciously or consciously disagree with the new corporate philosophy might in return sabotage the whole change process rather than aid it.  Secondly, the creation of a positive environment has to start with the chief executive officer and the leaders, and they must set the example in creating an atmosphere of encouragement for the women. The management must also be prepared to provide sufficient resources for the training and development of women. Thirdly, in the creation of a flexible work environment for women as recommended by the Task Force, the challenge the organization face is to dispel myths that the only way a worker can contribute and have the potential for career advancement is on accumulating work hours or â€Å"face time†. While the management should allow women to work at home on occasional periods, and be connected to the work site via a computer through tele-working, the complexity of have this flexible work environment or working from home is in the method of supervision. Managers therefore need to plan and prepare for the experience of tele-work and develop appropriate communication and accountability strategies. Managers should also be respectful to the employee and their personal workspace and have to be careful not to neglect the worker, causing them to fall into the â€Å"out of sight† trap. In conclusion, Deloitte & Touche is in a good position in sustaining and implementing the change process. This is because the firm has correctly identified the root problem and possess a strong Task Force in recommending sound strategies. However, the firm must still be aware of possible restraining forces and also take time to set the right policies and choose the correct change agents within the firm to spearhead this change process. Managers should also be aware of the difficulties in having a flexible work environment, and thorough research and planning should be invested into this program so that they are better prepared to handle the transition.