Examine the functionalist view of the family Essay

Broadly speaking, the functionalist perspective has focused on the functions of the family in society and for its members. In other words, it looks at how the family, as an institution, helps in maintaining order and stability in society, and the significance of the family for its individual members. There are two main functionalist views on the family – Murdock’s view and Parsons’ view. Murdock’s view on the family is that the family performs four basic functions for its individual members and society at large. These are the ‘sexual’, ‘reproductive’, ‘economic’ and ‘educational’ functions. The ‘sexual’ function refers to the regulation of sexual activity. Evidence for this being a functionalist view on the family is that the idea of the four basic functions was created by George Murdock. Husbands and wives have sexual access to each other, and in all societies, there are norms concerning sexual activity outside marriage. Therefore, Murdock has argued that the family caters to the sexual needs of its adult members and also limits sexual access of other members of the society thereby maintaining stability. The ‘reproductive’ function relates to bearing and raising children. Again, this was part of the idea created by Murdock. The family provides the society with new members and assumes responsibility for raising them. The family is also an ‘economic’ unit, with a division of labour along gender lines. Evidence for this is Murdock’s consideration of this division of labour and his seeing it as rewarding for the spouses and as strengthening the bond between them, as they are perceived as doing distinct but complementary work. The ‘educational’ function can also be termed ‘socialisation’. Although initially an idea thought up by Murdock, Parsons also agreed with this view believing that this was one of the main functions of the family. The family has the responsibility of transmitting a society’s way of life, norms and values to the younger members. This function is an important one as, without culture, the society could not survive, and too much deviation from the norm would disrupt the stability of the society. Another view on the family is the view of Talcott Parsons. He has also written about the functions of the family. He has identified two functions that he perceives as being ‘basic and irreducible’. These functions are: the primary socialisation of children and the stabilisation of adult personalities of the population of the society. Primary socialisation occurs in early childhood and the family plays an important role at this stage. Evidence for this would be Parsons’ view and writings on the family. Later on, other institutions like the school or the peer group, will exercise much influence on the individual – this is called secondary socialisation. During primary socialisation, two important tasks are achieved by the family. Firstly, the family must transmit the culture of the society to the children. The child must not only be able to learn about the norms and values of the society he or she lives in, but should also be able to ‘internalise’ these norms and values, making them a part of himself or herself. Another functionalist view on the family is that it has the function of ‘stabilising the personality’ of its adult members. Evidence of this is Parsons’ view on the family. This means that family life provides adults with the emotional security that they need. The role of parents that they are asked to assume also provides them with opportunities for expressing their childish whims through their children.

Zimmerman vs. Atlas Energy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Zimmerman vs. Atlas Energy - Essay Example The hydraulic fracturing that the company used while linking the gas leaked toxic gas into his land and therefore making it inhabitable. When tests were conducted on Zimmerman’s property, it was established that there were alarming levels of carcinogenic chemicals that were dangerously above screening levels. 1500 feet from his place of residence, there was discovered seven potential carcinogenic chemicals. The company, known as Atlas Energy, Inc was formerly known as Atlas Energy and has been in the Energy business since 1968 and is by all means the leading producer in Marcellus Shale. According to Zimmerman, the substances that were found in his lands were so alarming that they could not be caused by nature and therefore, the company had acted negligently by not considering the fact that the land was a privately owned piece of property and should have been more careful with the chemicals they were going to use during their exercise. Zimmerman’s claims were based on th e fact that most farmers from areas which similar developments had taken place were exposed to similar conditions and there seemed like nothing was being done about the situation. A year earlier before the drilling started, Zimmerman claims that the baselines were completely normal and there was no indication of any harmful substances in his property after tests were carried out. 2. Discuss what management could have done in terms of risk management to have prevented the  events that lead to the lawsuit.   In the spirit of promoting sustainable development, international law encourages that all people practice safe methods of development so that the environment is preserved. Sustainable development basically promotes the use of the environment and available resources in such a manner that the current generation exhausts them fully while at the same time preserving the resources for the coming generations. The management at Atlas Energy should ensure that before the drilling begi ns all the precautions are taken so that the society around them is not affected in a bad manner. If it is obvious that such drilling will definitely result to contamination of the environment around the drilling, the management should ensure that the people living around are compensated and re allocated to a place where the chemical spilling will not affect their health and existence. If the initial precautions were ignored, the company management still had a chance to salvage the situation after it realized that Mr. Zimmerman had been affected by the chemicals spilled during the exercise. This would have been done by settling Mr. Zimmerman’s grievances outside the court and ensuring that there are options for Mr. Zimmerman to consider part from the courts. Since the management knew for sure that Zimmerman’s property had been ruined by the effects of their drilling, the Company should have found a way to compensate Mr. Zimmerman from the harm caused. In America, this will be the first of its kind if Mr. Zimmerman goes ahead to win the court case. In countries that majorly depend on foreigners to promote their economy, such scenarios are well expected but not in the United States of America. America is a developed country and a major economic power in the world and therefore, those who choose to develop the economy should do so considering the health of the people around them. 3. Discuss the ethical considerations reflected in the laws applicable to this case.   Every company owes a duty of care to its client and the general public to ensure that all their employees are well equipped to avoid negligence that can harm the public.

Responding to argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Responding to argument - Essay Example While a group of people consider homosexuality as part of what God has intended for some people in the time of creation, some others consider all kinds of sexual orientation and its practical aspects as part of human freedom and susceptibility to sin. Naturally, the former group tries to justify homosexual tendencies as normal and not something to be cured, while the latter seek religious and other sorts of help to cure themselves of this ‘disease’. Fr.Hopko tries to substantiate the orthodox position with the help of scriptures. He chooses to make use of three references from the Bible – Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1: 26-27 and I Corinthians 6:9-11 – to display how the Bible considers homosexuality an abomination that deserves due penalty and how those who practice it will fail to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. However, the arguments are not totally intolerant towards people who happen to be homosexuals by choice or circumstances. Hopko asserts the concept that Christians are redeemed sinners and reveals the extent to which sinful acts are forgiven in the Christian ideology if the people acknowledge their sins and repent for them. There could even be cases where people are led against their will to commit sins, where their passions overpower their conscience. Even as such sins remain a serious affront towards Christian faith, Hopko points out how such sinners could seek the religious and community help to come back t o a true Christian life. He tries to strike a balance in his arguments by criticizing the mindless, truly demonic hatred of anti-homosexuals and also the mindless, equally demonic homosexual activity by its misguided advocates and enablers. He brings in the analogy of the burden of a cross to define homosexuality and affirms that there is redemption for people with homosexual affinities if they are willing to struggle against it. Though the entire article sounds sensible and balanced at first reading, anyone who is aware

Marketing Communication and Branding Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing Communication and Branding - Assignment Example This essay demonstrates that advertisement poster is one of the most effective elements of integrated marketing communication. Keeping the objectives of the marketing communication for Travel worth in mind, certain posters can be prepared to use in the campaign planned by the company. The posters for the company would include an attractive message to catch the eyes of the viewer, which would help the company to get customers. The main objective of Travel worth is to obtain travelers for their adventure tours and in order to achieve it; the posters should contain certain facts about the adventure world and certain images related to fun in the tours. The tagline for the posters can be ‘Payless, Have more, Do more’, which would represent that the cost of the tour would be less, fun and adventure would be more. There should be certain schemes on the poster to attract the customers such as, ‘Be the first one to avail the discounts on the Tour, and be the last one to ava il the discounts on the Fun’. These lines would also attract the adventure lovers to avail the schemes offered by Travel worth. The poster should preferably be bright in colors such as yellow or red, which would easily catch the eyes of the customers. The poster should contain certain images of the previous tours arranged by the company and the experiences that the travelers had. All these factors would make the poster meaningful as well as effective for the company to attract the customers and grab their interests for the products offered by the particular company.... In relation to the mentioned objectives in question number one, it can be stated that the model would help to identify the situation, the crisis in the market, and it would also help to plan a campaign to attract new or existing customers. The model would help to take different strategies. To spread awareness about company and its existing Tour programs, the campaign will be effectively used as a strategic objective. In order to create a different image of the organization and to attract the consumers, a tactical approach will be taken by providing various schemes and discounts. In relation to existing situation of economic downturn the company can take a decision to propose certain discounts or sale to their customer, which would help them to acquire new travel lovers. In keeping with the strategic viewpoint, up gradation in the better news paper or in other media for advertisement of the company would be made and which would be implemented through the actions. Travelworth would get ample scope to maintain the sustainability with the help of IMC and SOSTAC model. In the period of downturn in the European economy the companies are basically fighting for the sustainability in the market, and to save the existing customers and the brand name. SOSTAC model would help Travelworth to be stable in the market and to gain new customers and revenue2. Question 3 Q.3. Advertisement poster is one of the most effective elements of integrated marketing communication. Keeping the objectives of the marketing communication for Travelworth in mind, certain posters can be prepared to use in the campaign planned by the company. The posters for the company would include an attractive message to catch the eyes of the viewer, which would help the company to get

The Business Stone Field's Limousine Company Essay

The Business Stone Field's Limousine Company - Essay Example Demographic analysis entails demographic data such as total population and its growth, change in employee demographics in the market etc. Operational analysis includes safeguarding continuity and company development in terms of company operations. Individual analysis focuses on looking at how well an individual doing his job and determining his capacity to do new and different tasks. It shows which employee needs training and how. Heathfield (n.d.) states a distinct method of conducting training needs assessment. Training methods can be of various kinds. For instance, reading assignments, simulations, on the job training, group discussions, lectures, demonstrations, audio visual presentations, brainstorming, oral presentations, problem solving workshops, case study, role playing, field trips and unstructured group interactions. The media included can be audio tapes, video tapes, computers, manuals, guides and the suchlike. There are certain principles that can help in employee training. For example, focusing on emotional maturity, integrity and compassion; the main of this is to develop a person on the whole, including skills and knowledge. Another principle can be to focus on learning, not training specifically. All of this would also contribute to training for learning skills or facts which would be of great benefit for the company. Written material such as case studies, manuals, guides etc with personal instruction or classroom lectures can be the basis for learning. Simply reading the texts would be really helpful in understanding them on your

Wernicke's aphasia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Wernicke's aphasia - Essay Example Included in the effects of aphasia is the problem in the articulation and comprehension of a particular language which can be perceived in both the written and spoken activities (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders [NIDCD], 1997). There are different types of aphasia on the basis of the specific area affected and damaged in the left hemisphere of the brain. The focus of the study, Wernicke’s Aphasia is a type of aphasia affecting the distinct part of the brain referred to as the Wernicke’s area. The Wernicke’s Aphasia is a specific type of language impairment on the basis of the damage in the specific area of the brain for language development and control. The said are is located in the left hemisphere of the brain for speech related skills and activities specifically for comprehension (NIDCD, 1997). The said area of the brain damaged is named after one of the earliest contributors in the field of psychiatry as well as neuropathology Dr. Carl Wernicke, a Polish expert in the anatomy of the brain. He is responsible for creating the clinical picture related to the pathoanatomic analysis of the brain which can be considered as essential in the correlation between the physiology of the brain and the functions performed in the different parts of the body. The parts of the brain affected by the disease are presented in figure 1 (NIDCD, 1997; University of Illinois Department of Neurology & Rehabilitation, 2003). The discovery then of the Wernicke’s disorder can be attributed to the establishment of the field in science that correlates psychology with neurology. For that matter, modeling allowed the critical analysis helpful in both fields. In the said study, Wernicke being one of the strong and essential proponents and active participant in research had been honored by giving his name to the concepts he established. Included in the

Theories of Decision Making Essay Example for Free

Theories of Decision Making Essay Theories of Decision Making The Rational Comprehensive Model The rational comprehensive model is based on the reasoning of economists, mathematicians, and psychologists. It assumes that the decisionmaker can identify the problem, that the decisionmaker’s goals, values, and objectives are clear and ranked in accord with their importance, that alternative ways of addressing the problem are considered, that the cost and benefits or advantages and disadvantages of each alternative are investigated, that alternatives and their consequences can be compared with other alternatives, and that the decisionmaker will choose the alternative that maximizes the attainment of his or her goals, values, and objectives. However, problems are not always clearly defined; problems have to be formulated in a way which enables people to make decisions about them. Decisionmakers must have vast amounts of information in order to make use of the rational comprehensive decision-making technique. There needs to be an ability to predict the future consequences of decisions made. Also, problems confronting decisionmakers often embody conflicting values. In addition, it is tough to ignore the sunk costs of former decisions, these may foreclose many alternatives. Moreover, this model of decisionmaking assumes that there is one (unitary) decisionmaker, when in fact a great many people, interests and institutions are usually involved. The Incremental Theory Attempts to correct deficiencies of the rational comprehensive model and to better describe how policy decisionmakers actually behave have resulted in incremental theory. Incremental theory holds that the selection of goals and objectives is intertwined with, not distinct from, the scientific analysis of the problem. Decision makers only consider alternatives for dealing with a problem that differs marginally (incrementally) from existing policies (suggesting that they do not completely remake policy every time they make a policy decision, but instead refashion existing policy). For each alternative, only important consequences are considered. Problems confronting the decisionmaker are continually redefined. Constant ends-means and, means-ends adjustments are made to better manage policy. Seldom are there ever single decisions or totally correct solutions available to resolve a problem. A good decision is one that policy makers can agree on, not one that may be most appropriate for an agreed objective. Incremental decisionmaking is remedial, not holisticly-devised or future-oriented. Rarely are decisions faced in all or nothing terms. Mixed Scanning Okay, this one is pretty simple. Sociologist Amitai Etzioni (you need only remember his last name) found fault with both the rational-comprehensive model of decisionmaking and the incremental model of decisionmaking. His mixed scanning approach considers both fundamental and incremental decisions. Mixed scanning incorporates a broad-based analysis sometimes and an in-depth analysis at other times. It considers the differing capacities of decisionmakers. Etzioni’s approach is not very specific about how mixed scanning could be used in practice. Decision Criteria Decisions can be studied as an individual or collective process. First, consider the role of values in decisionmaking. Values are a big deal in Presidential campaigns: witness Dan Quayle and â€Å"Murphy Brown† squabbling over values projected by a fictional TV character who elects to have a child out of wedlock. Much of the Clinton vs. Dole 1996 Presidential campaign involved disputes about values big government vs. small government, pro-life vs. pro-choice, and pro-gun control vs. antigun control, et cetera. Values Below are five categories of values which sometimes guide decisionmakers. Organizational Values Decision makers, especially bureaucrats, are influenced by organizational values. Sometimes agencies use rewards and sanctions in subtle ways to induce their members to act in accordance with organizational values. Wearing a common uniform—as do the police, firefighters, the military, the Park Service and the Forest Service, et cetera—is one way those organizations attempt to build common values among their workers. Organizational values involve the promotion of organizational interests in the decisionmaking of those in the collectivity. Professional Values The norms of one’s profession instill values that are often critical in decisionmaking. Lawyers (believe it or not), doctors, professors, and other occupational specialization’s requiring years of training, education, and ork experience embody professional norms or values that shape decisionmaking behavior. Personal Values This can involve personal ambitions, reputation, and self-interest. Note that rational choice theorists put far too much weight on explaining the behavior of individuals in terms of self-interest. This is understandable because so much of self-interest is tied to economic gain, which can be modeled in elegant, mathematical, and abstract terms. Policy Values This means acting on the basis of perceived public interest or acting in accordance with beliefs about what is proper, ethical, necessary, or morally correct. The Small Business Administration is filled with people who are likely to believe that small businesses are worthwhile, need help to survive, and promote beneficial public interests. Ideological Values Rationalizing and legitimizing actions on the basis of a political ideology (or belief system). Nationalism was a paramount ideology in explaining the behavior of many leaders (and average people) during Desert Shield and Desert Storm operations against Iraq. Conservatism and liberalism, although over-used and often misunderstood as American political ideologies, manifest ideological values. Political Party Affiliation Party membership is interwoven with leadership influence, policy values, and ideological values. However, the Republican and Democratic parties are mass membership parties that seek to appeal to an extremely broad range of political interests and ideologies. Also, party members are not nearly as cohesive in voting as they once were (more people vote split tickets than vote along straight party lines). Party is still a pretty good predictor of how most legislators will vote on a bill. Parties are sometimes associated with specific policy positions. Constituency Interests When party interests conflict with constituency interests, legislators usually vote in favor of their constituency interests. A legislator’s constituency is made up of the voters and key interests that elected him or her to office. Legislators are delegates sometimes, and trustees other times. As delegates they decide matters in accordance with the views of the majority of their constituents or in accordance with a vital block of back-home interests. As delegates they attempt to anticipate the feelings and sentiments of their constituents. When legislators behave as trustees, they consider interests beyond their constituencies. They may think about National interests, the greater public good, international issues, broadbased economic concerns, charity, future generations, interests with little or no political representation, and protecting the National and global environment, et cetera. Public Opinion Public opinion usually has an impact on policy decisionmaking when decisions involve broad direction or thrust. Most members of the general public have a very limited knowledge of what policy makers are considering. Public opinion does impact foreign policy in a broad sense. Deference Deferring to the judgment of others occurs when administrators obey the wishes of their politically appointed superiors, or when legislators vote in accordance with the wishes of the top representatives or senators who head key committees or subcommittees. Judges defer when they interpret laws in accordance with the wishes of the legislative originators of the statute. Decision Rules Stare decisis is sometimes a decision rule. It means new decisions are often based on precedents in decisionmaking that came before. It also applies to committee decisionmaking dynamics. THE PUBLIC INTEREST This is tough to define. It is sometimes thought of as the outcome of competing interest group forces. The public interest may involve decisionmaking aimed at helping the Nation as a whole, rather than seeking to benefit selfish special interests. Some may argue that reducing the Federal deficit or balancing the Federal budget advances the public interest. Some may reason that maintaining the Nation’s capacity to mobilize and respond to disaster threats is in the public interest.