Management Control and Workers Participation

Management Control and Workers Participation Ting Cheuk Sze Today, I come to tell you a banned book, at least it used to be banned in the last 1980s in China which everyone views as modern literary classic nowadays. It is Nineteen Eight- Four, written by English author George Orwell, he is a literary great writer. The outline of the story actually is very simple, it is about the year 1984. He imagined a future world. In that future world experienced a nuclear war, the whole war in ruins. Finally, leave three countries. One of the countries called Oceania. It is believed to be composed of the United States and Britain. Sides of the Atlantic, there are also countries called Eurasia and Eastasia. These three countries in a state of war. The war between the three countries all occur in unmanned land, the territory of any country is never compromised. What were they fighting for? In fact, they were not mainly fighting for resources or ideological struggle. The war can provoke a national sense of patriotism, hatred of other countries, taking advantages for domination. 1984 world completely eradicate all other circumstances lead to the loss of power of the ruling class of their own in addition to the problem occurred. First he controlled the production of all things, that does not let too many people a good solution to the problem of food, clothing and have the energy to think about reasonable and objective laws of the world ruling class led to the presence of people appear moderate. As Weber (1978) said, business is discharged without regard for persons. Moreover, he does not let people starved to death and others lead to revolt. Then, he controlled everyones mind, namely to mak e everyone except the government should not think of the things you think about, even with the existence of God and other terms of the elimination of freedom leads to these ideas cannot be propagated, which is to eradicate the possibility of more powerful groups rose up against the middle-man. It is control by bureaucracy rules, it ensures the production and economic activities are in a predictable and impersonal manner control, which similar Nazi Germany ruling. Personal relationship is not necessary for organization. Is bureaucracy is good or bad? The important of bureaucratic organization for Nazi Germany have been show by Zygmunt Bauman (1989). Impersonal bureaucratic rules is working well for organization achieve specific goal. Bureaucratic organization run the business in efficiency way, stabilize the production and economic but the activity is impersonal(weber,1978). However, the education from bureaucratic organization are different from other, which mean that the term of im personal maybe have a different meaning in bureaucratic culture. Moreover, the standard of being a human such as happiness, sadness, arrogance is different. According to Fayol (in stewart,1997), manager cover the tasks of planning, motivating, controlling and coordinating. There are only three countries that society, each one the same but in such a strange state of society, each understand a wide range of war unfavorable ruling, but the war is present and must be, because they see the war has become a way to control resources, that is, when food and other necessities of excess production will lead to a lot of people out all day in order to meet the food and clothing problem When run around and attend to other cases, the government will use war to solve these too much of resources, so as to achieve domestic stability, which is the so-called war that is peace. Therefore, only the right to rule rests in the hands of the rulers, and extreme personality cult also indirectly eliminate the possible problem of the ruling class, which is an extremely stable society. War was not to conquer or defend territory, but to maintain a stable rule. I thin k peace from here is not for whole community but for the ruling class. The majority of people still struggle financially, only the upper layer benefit from war. War can help the party to manage the whole country. The rule methods are almost exactly the same in three countries, are made of a very authoritarian party. The book describes the social, history can be changed, the party people of the country live in dire straits, food is not satiation, but also deeply convinced that extremely privileged life now. People living in a variety of monitoring, thinking from, even instinct bow to the party-state. For people who do not like the party-state may make him disappear immediately, so that we are convinced that this person never existed. Production output is just a number, perhaps the fact that there is no start production. People still walk barefoot on the road. Woman being trained together with the party-state men just to complete the task of the party-state, as the party-state production people. The children always watched their parents, if the parents have found that attempts to betray the party-state or abnormal behavior, they ran thought police that give hair. Party state to prove his words always right, change constantly newspaper previously published remarks. History is forgotten, no party state impossible things. They are bureaucratic organizations, control the entire country. This book mainly is written about Oceania. The people are being brainwashing by the party, the nation people have to listen to party word. They even fabricated news to change history. They get the people obey and monitor the nationals every day. If nationals cannot meet their criteria, they will be caught because of thought crime literally. They will be disappeared or evaporated. According to Bell (1962), the nature and process of work has been transformed by the ideology of rationalism, with significant implication for the worker. Moreover, modern work s about the timing, pace and space constraints. The worker need to adapt to the working system of the industry, and it determines where and how working he/she lives. Merton (1940) mentioned, bureaucratic organization is impersonal machines. It is a rational management organizational structure. It must follow a specific set of rule and procedures, with clear authority registration, transfer responsibilities from top to bottom, the emergence is the result of social division. He also states that any organization must have some form of authority as a foundation. The appropriate authority can eliminate confusion and bring order. They cannot achieve organizational goals if there are no such authoritative organizations. The protagonist is called Winston Smith; he was working in a very important sector in Oceania. It is called Ministry of Truth, but it is a Ministry which is full of lie. It changes the real history. For example, they would say the invent airplane. They entertain the public. Winston Smith responsible for modifying the past new. Slowly he began to have doubts about this ruling and became a very dangerous man.The experience of management from Watson (1994), there is a strong sense that what workers do is right and it involves identity work, to find out who I am. Winston is clear that he was doing wrong. However, he did not have enough power to against as a person who be managed. Winston try to find out what is the real self. Abraham Maslow (1968) and Carl Roger (1961) view human life is a search for the authentic self. The real information provide by party which make people ideality themselves as party want. However, Winston experienced the world that is not control by bureaucratic orga nizations, which make him different from other. He fell in love with a girl, but please note that the relationship between man and woman is not allowed in this totalitarian. It is a sexually repressed country. Bureaucratic manager is an amoral, efficiency-seeking character as Maclnytyhe (1985) said. McMylor (1994) also argue that management is not a scientific way of practice built upon factual law-like generalizations. More likely to say the party is controlling the people than managing the people. The purpose of marriage is to have children and train more national comrades. They thought to enjoy sex, then also try to revolt the country. Then, they were caught. Both afflicted and been brainwashed. They had vowed never betray each other. In the end, they were brainwashed successfully and betrayed each others. After the twentieth century, modern technology makes totalitarian politics becomes feasible. Such as radio, broadcast which through modern totalitarian political will promote their partys idea and achievement. In the story, Nineteen Eight- Four, the most important technological product is telescreen. Its function is not only can play propaganda, but also as monitor used. Party place the screen throughout the country. People are monitored in home, office, square, corridors. In Oceania, the monitor is not target to against the behavior, but the thought. Goldstein (in the story) Mention in the book, the inability of the past totalitarian fully implemented, as a result of unable to grasp the peoples action. He control the past control the future, he who controls the present controls the past. The self follows the change on the social, the self is seen as historically produced and socially structured (Casey, 1995, P66). Winston Smith responsible for modifying the news. Winston had been proletarian district which is less relate the party and try to find whether before the revolution better than now, and finally failed. The grasp of reality is the most important aspect of the human personality, but this aspect has been destroyed by Ministry of truth. It also destroyed the human imagination. It manages everyones entertainment, novels and movies. As long as the purpose is to control their imagination. Imagination can help people to imagine the different possibilities when face with reality. Ministry of truth make people cannot imagine other environment that actual can happen. They lose imagination and becomes the slaves of reality, and the reality with is modified and controlled. The country attempts to modify the text, simplified expression of the text in order to more accurately grasp the reality. For example, they cannot say certain words big brother is ungood when after long term of brainwashing. The accept the new language, and will think big brother is ungood is a contradictory argument, logically it makes no sense. The external environment is how brainwashing work. It is possible the social relation can be systematic control in management. Therefore, treats people as if they were simply objects rather than also as subject. (Grey, 2013, P99) Big brother is watching you. Slogan are everywhere on the streets of all cities. Family can always hear the partys propaganda in their home. The environment that Winston Smith face, when he speaks, party heard at any moment, the police will go to monitor people behavior as well. In this story, sex is an important issue. Sexual attraction is taboo in bureaucratic organizations but anger and competitiveness are normally condoned (Martin et al. 1998:434). Winston and his girlfriend began a sexual liberation at the beginning, which is an action to against the government. In the high political repression, sex is repressed. Conversely, sexual liberation brings a revolt to against the high-pressure politics. Winston described his girlfriend as a half of a traitor. Although she pursuits sexual liberation, she did not seem to seek liberation. She was party members, she knew the party would confound right and wrong and turn things upside down. Winstons girlfriend did not believe the party said, but will be still applauded warmly in every convocation. In personal, she is totally not believing it. What she thinks about is satisfaction from daily needs. In my point of view of society in 1984 can also be applied in the community nowadays to a certain extent. Think of our life now, everyone has a cell phone on hand. We like to share life now; everyone has a cell phone on hand. We like to share life with other. We automatically show our life to others instead Big Brother. Big Brother is everyone around us. Thank you for your attention. (1976 words) References: Abraham H. Maslow (1968)Toward a Psychology of Being-Reprint of 1962 Edition First Edition Start Publishing LLC an imprint of NBN Books on Jan 1, 1968 Bell,D(1960). The end of ideology (rev.ed.).New York, NY: Free Press Casey, C. (1995). Work, self and society after industrialism. London: Routledge. Grey, C. (2013). A very short, fairly interesting and reasonably cheap book about studying organizations (3rd ed). London: Sage. MacIntyre, A. (1985). After virtue (2nd ed). London: Duckworth. Martin, J. (1990),re-reading Weber: searching for Feminist Alternatives to Bureaucracy, paper presented to the Academy of management in San Francisco McMylor, P. (1994). Alasdair MacIntyre: Critic of modernity. London: Routledge. Merton, R.K. (1940). Bureaucratic structure and personality. Social Forces, 18(4): 560-568. Rogers, C. R. (1961). On Becoming a person: A psychotherapists view of psychotherapy. Houghton Mifflin. Watson, T. J. (1994).In Search of Management: Culture, Chaos and Control in Managerial Work. London and New York: Routledge Weber,N.(1930), the protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, London: Allen Unwin.(1978),Economy and Society: An outline of interpretative Sociology, ed. G.Roth and C. Wittich, Berkeley, Calif: University of California Press Stewart, R. (1997). The reality of management (3rd ed). Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull Essay

Like Starsky and Hutch, Jaws and flared jeans, Jonathan Livingston Seagull was one of the hits of the 1970s. It was even made into a movie. But what exactly is this book, and is it still worth reading? Bach’s bestseller is an uplifting fable of a seagull, Jonathan, who decides he is much more than just a seagull, who wants something else out of life. It consists of fewer than 100 pages, including many dreamy photographs of gulls in action. The book is now a symbol of the alternative or New Age spirituality that emerged at this time – yet as many have noted, Jonathan’s experience in the story is an allegory for the life of Jesus Christ. Flying into the unknown Jonathan is different to other birds in his flock: â€Å"For most gulls, it is not flying that matters, but eating. For this gull, though, it was not eating that mattered, but flight.† His father tells him that â€Å"The reason you fly is to eat†, and that flying for the sake of it is not done. Still, Jonathan spends his days experimenting with high-speed dives and flying very low over the water. He wants to push his limits, to find out what is possible. Often, it ends in desperate failure. He resigns himself to just being part of the flock, doing things the way they had always been done. But one day he tries a dive, and is able to accelerate to a hundred and forty miles per hour, â€Å"a gray cannonball under the moon†. The next day, he goes even beyond this, over two hundred miles per hour, the fastest a gull had ever flown. In his celebration Jonathan flies down from the heights and flies right through his own flock, luckily not killing anyone. He realizes he has taken his species to a new level. Once he teaches them what he knows, he thinks, they will no longer have a tired life of going from one fishing boat to another, picking up fish heads just to survive. He will show them a higher level of existence. Genius banished Yet the next day, Jonathan is summoned to stand before the gull Council. For his ‘reckless irresponsibility’ he is shamed and banished from the flock. He is told he does not understand the purpose of gull life – to eat to stay alive as long as possible. Out at the Far Cliffs, Jonathan spends his days alone, sad not so much for himself but for the possibilities the flock has spurned. For all the time he is finding new ways to do things. From his flying experiments he discovers that a controlled high-speed dive into the water can get the better-tasting fish which swim some distance below the surface. Ironically, his love of flying itself has lead to an abundance of food. Jonathan later meets a group of more advanced gulls, gulls like him who fly for the sake of it. They take him into another dimension, a sort of heaven for gulls, and he is told that he is a one-in-a-million gull, because he has learned the lesson of life: that it is not just to ‘get throughâ⠂¬â„¢ but to seek your own perfection in some way. Most gulls have to go through a thousand lives before they realize this. In the author’s words: â€Å"We choose our next world through what we learn in this one. Learn nothing, and the next world is the same as this one, all the same limitations and lead weights to overcome.† We must seek our own perfection; this is the reason for living. Final word It might take only half an hour to read, but Jonathan Livingston Seagullcan clear the mind and lift the sights, like a walk on the beach breathing in the salty air. It is easy now, 35 years on, to overlook the originality of the book’s concept, and though some find it rather naà ¯ve, in fact it expresses timeless ideas about human potential. When you go to the seaside you see gulls always squabbling over a single french fry or a bread crust, and think, ‘How they squabble over nothing!’ Yet this book shows us that most people are like the gulls in Jonathan’s flock: if they only got out of their narrow mindsets they would realize what riches awaited them. Like the British explorer of the same name, Jonathan Livingston knows that â€Å"The gull sees farthest who flies highest†. If pondering big changes in your life, this book may inspire the confidence you need. it teaches us to do what you want to do ignoring what others will think of you.. but we sho uld full heartedly practice to achieve our dream just like Jonathon Livingston ,each time he practice he comes to know the mistake in his fly wants perfection so he spends days and nights learning more about the speed and flight. That’s all I wanted to answer.. The first lesson that became obvious to me was the lesson of how to live freely. To be able to live the way you want and not caring about the opinions of others. This seems to me to be the most important lesson I have learned from this book, because even though this may be the hardest lesson to follow I believe it gives you the greatest satisfaction. I have learned in recent years that by just following the â€Å"flock† you can cause yourself to be very disappointed, but by following your own heart you can surprise yourself as to how happy you can be. Starting now and continuing into the future I plan to live by my own values and not be ashamed if I think differently from the rest of my peers. To truly live freely though, it is inevitable that some tough choices will have to be made and that is the second lesson I attained from the book. Throughout our lives we will be faced with choices and it is our decision to either choose the path that will let us be truly and freely happ y or the path that others think we should follow. Applying this to my own life may be a little hard at first because it is always difficult to go against the grain but I think that over time by gradually making proper choices for myself I could finally reach my true happiness. Another lesson that affected me was how we need to challenge our own limiting self-beliefs. From the time we are born we are told what is right, what is wrong, and what to believe.

Patrilineal vs. Matrilineal Succession

Patrilineal societies, those that connect generations through the father’s line, dominate the world’s culture. And most sociologists would argue that we still live for the most part under a patriarchy, in which men serve as heads of almost every important social, cultural, and political institution. But a few cultures throughout history were matrilineal and therefore connected generations through the mother’s line. These cultures included many Native Americans, certain South Americans, and the Spanish and French Basque. And although matrilineal law is not codified in the Torah, the Jewish Oral Tradition as written in the Mishnah outlines an overwhelmingly matrilineal society: a child of a Jewish mother is always Jewish, regardless of the faith of the father. Patrilineal Succession For most of history, patrilineal succession (a patrilyny) dominated family units. Names, property, titles, and other valuables were traditionally passed on through a male line. Females did not inherit, unless there were no male heirs. Even then, distant male relatives would inherit over close female relatives like daughters.  Property passed from father to daughter indirectly, usually through dowries on a daughter’s marriage, which was paid to and came under the control of her husband or her husband’s father or another male relative. Matrilineal Succession In matrilineal succession, women inherited titles and names from their mothers, and passed them down to their daughters. Matrilineal succession did not necessarily mean that women held the power and property and titles. Sometimes, men in matrilineal societies were the ones who inherited, but they did so through their mother’s brothers, and passed their own inheritances along to their sisters’ children. The Role of Women in Promoting Patrilyny While most theorists believe that patriarchal systems came to dominate both Western and non-Western cultures through the use of force, social anthropologist Audrey Smedley’s research with the Birom people of Nigeria led her to posit that it might, in fact, be women themselves who willingly invented many features of the patrilyny. Furthermore, she argues, men’s roles are actually more constricted than women’s roles, and that women have significant decision-making within such organization. Moving Away From the Patrilyny In many ways, modern western culture has adopted more matrilineal-like structures, especially in poor communities where men are marginalized for other cultural reasons—race or immigration status, for instance.  The modern American imprisonment of a large percentage of the black male population means that many children do not have as much contact with fathers and other male relatives. So too have various property rights laws over the past several hundred years served to diminish the control that men have over women’s inherited property and women’s right to choose who inherits their property. In western cultures, it has become more common for women to keep their birth names after marriage, even if a substantial percentage of those women give their husband’s name to their children. And even if adhering to some version of  Salic law  has long prevented royal daughters from becoming  queens regnant, many monarchies have or are beginning to abolish the strict patrilineal assumptions in inheriting royal titles and power.

Epic of Beowulf Essay - 1106 Words

The 8th century epic poem Beowulf illustrates a loss of community, cultural values and tradition. On the other hand, an elegiac passing of an extraordinary hero and the relationship between the themes of mortality and heroism are well discussed in Beowulf. Beowulf’s character exemplifies the Germanic and the Anglo-Saxon ideals of the hero: strong, fearless, bold, loyal, and stoic in the acceptance of fate. Despite his lack of humility, Beowulf was the definition of a hero in his own time by his demonstration of chivalry and his important roles in society. It is a fact that Beowulf’s â€Å"superman figure† and warrior character had a strong influence on his efforts over what he was trying to achieve. Beowulf’s biggest concern was to see†¦show more content†¦Like the typical hero, Beowulf gave boasts. While in Hrothgar’s kingdom, Beowulf defended himself against the kin-killer Unferth and he bragged that he would kill Grendel: â€Å"I w ill show him how Geats shape to kill/ in the heat of battle†(602-603). This boasting was done to prove his valor and bravery. Beowulf also proved that he was a superhuman when he destroyed both Grendel and Grendel’s mother since no other warriors had attempted to even get close to those demons. Beowulf’s leadership skills were just as impressive as his heroic characteristics. He was just as valiant and courageous as a king as he was a warrior. Beowulf was not only the archetypal hero, but also the ideal Germanic king. In order for one to understand what a good king was, Halfdane related an example of a bad king to Beowulf. Halfdane’s example of Heremond was that he was a horrible ruler because he was â€Å"bloodthirsty†(1719), â€Å"killed his own comrades†(1714) and at the end of his life, â€Å"gave no more rings†(1719). In contrast, Beowulf as a king was compassionate towards his warriors and was a â€Å"lavisher of ringsâ € (3009). Unlike Heremond, Beowulf valued a sense of community and camaraderie. Beowulf was not only a generous ruler, but also a king who had outstanding leadership and peace-making skills. His main reason for coming to the Danes’ land was to make peace with Halfdane and his kingdom. In addition, the relationship between Beowulf and Unferth, after UnferthShow MoreRelatedBeowulf : The Epic Of Beowulf1027 Words   |  5 Pages To begin, Beowulf the poem has a unknown author, Beowulf is an epic poem. In Beowulf he is challenged by the murderous monster Grendel, Grendel is eating and slaughtering Hrothgar the King of the Danes men and people, the king needs Beowulf s help in defeating Grendel, Beowulf ends up killing the monster and is now tormented by the monster s mother that is much larger, she is no match for Beowulf and he kills her as well, lastly it is Beowulf’s last battle after he has been king of Geatland forRead MoreThe Epic Of Beowulf By Beowulf2577 Wor ds   |  11 Pagesoriginal aspects of these different religions. Due to the construction of this Beowulf, students and professors are able to study and get a true understanding of a pagans’ demeanor and how life evolves through their eyes. Throughout the epic poem Beowulf, paganism is exemplified as this epic hero falls victim to fate while embarking on his journey through life fighting monsters and chasing after his fame. To begin with, Beowulf was composed in Old English by an anonymous writer between the sixth and seventhRead MoreThe Epic of Beowulf733 Words   |  3 PagesBeowulf is the oldest anglo-saxon poem written in English. The poem describes the heroic deeds of Beowulf in his fight against monsters. Even if the events narrated in the poem take place in Denmark, the poem was transmitted by oral language between the anglo-saxon even 200 years after its creation. Anglo-saxons did not consider themselves british, but vikings, and their heroes were always from Scandinavia. The author of Beowulf is anonymous. The original poem was written on sheep tanned leatherRead MoreBeowulf as Epic823 Words   |  4 PagesWhat makes an epic? Is Beowulf an epic? ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · What is an epic poem, and how does it differ from other kinds of poetry or storytelling? How have epic poems traditionally been transmitted from generation to generation? How do tellers remember these long and complicated stories? According to Robert Harris’s Glossary of Literary Terms, he defines an epic as the following: Epic. An extended narrative poem recounting actions, travels, adventures, and heroic episodes and written in a high style (withRead More Epic of Beowulf Essay - Beowulf as Epic Hero844 Words   |  4 PagesBeowulf as Epic Hero Epic heroes usually exemplify the character traits most admired in their societies, and Beowulf is no exception.   Beowulf is set in the Anglo-Saxon society, a time when war was rampant among the many peoples trying to take over the different kingdoms of England.   In this dangerous, violent time people lived in constant peril and jeopardy.   These conditions only allowed people of great bravery to survive and men of outstanding courage were admired the populous.   TheseRead MoreThe Epic Of Beowulf As An Epic Hero1519 Words   |  7 Pageswhisked away following a journey, you have most likely read an epic. An epic by definition is â€Å"a long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the history of a nation†. Every epic has a main character that undergoes the same archetypal journey as all other heroes, an epic hero. There are specific qualities one must have to be considered an epic hero. Each epic hero possesses superhuman strength, displays a strong senseRead MoreComparing Beowulf And The Epic Of Beowulf937 Words   |  4 Pagesthe Roman Empire. In the story Beowulf, his actions portray him, indeed be an epic hero. Both Christianity and Paganism are both portrayed throughout the epic Beowulf. Beowulf frequently speaks of God throughout the story, while there are also many Pagan elements that are evident throughout the story as well. In addition, It s hard to ignore the Christian and Pagan elements in Beowulf. These types of elements are what define the heroic warrior in the epic Beowulf(Vengeance the Pagan and ChristianRead MoreThe Epic Of Beowulf As An Epic Hero711 Words   |  3 Pagesthan the writer. These â€Å"epic heros† are protagonists that fulfill their potential of greatness through using their bravery, strength and humility for good. The near ancient tale of Beowulf is a classic example of an epic story that contains an epic hero. In this tale Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, has been terrorized by a beast known as Grendel. This beast has been murdering the king’s people and no one has come close to stopping this killer. A Geat warrior named Beowulf hears of the King’s predicamentRead MoreThe Epic : An Analysis Of The Epic Of Beowulf701 Words   |  3 PagesBeowulf is one of the longest surviving Anglo-Saxon poem. The epic takes place in the sixth century in what is now Denmark and Sweden. The poem opens with Hrothgar, whose successful rule is signified by a glorious mead-hall called Heorot. For 12 years, a massive man-like ogre named Grendel, a descendant of Cain, has raided Heorot and killed the kings warriors. Beowulf, a young warrior from Geatland (Sweden), comes to Hrothgar’s aid, bringing 14 of his best men with him. At a feast before the endRead MoreBeowulf : An Epic Hero930 Words   |  4 Pages The story of Beowulf shows its reader many characteristics of why this Anglo-Saxon poem is an epic. First of all, Beowulf is a warrior of epic renown by the time he formally introduces himself in the poem. Next, Beowulf is the warrior that many strive to be in life. In addition, Beowulf finds himself tackling many quests that involve dangerous beasts, or as he might call them, demons. The next quality shown by Beowulf is his bravery and honor. The reader is able to easily identify this characteristic