Weber Theory on Rationalization of the Society in Contemporary South Africa - Essay Example

Max Weber’s theory of the ‘rationalisation’ of society to contemporary South Africa and Weber Theory on ‘rationalization’ of the society in contemporary South Africa Max Weber theory of rationalization refers to the application of knowledge in a particular field with an aim of improving results. It aims at achieving efficiency, calculative, predictability, control over uncertainties, and replacement of human with machines. Weber explains bureaucracy as resulting from rationality applied in an organization to enhance their leadership. This involves hiring and promotion in an organization based on qualifications and competence. He views traditional and rreligious beliefs as irrational because of their dependence of magic and supernatural power. This makes people not to make independent decisions because of a control by external force. In bureaucratic system, individuals are chosen and given responsibilities based on their personal qualifications and credentials without any discrimination and are compensated by a salary (Campbell, 1981). Bureaucracy is based on formal and clear hierarchical structure of power and authority, elaborate and rationally derived division of labour, and it is governed by formal rules and procedures in decision-making (Hughes, Sharrock, and Martin, 2003, p.113). A bureaucratic system is flexible and allows movement, advocates for capitalism for wealth creation and profit maximisation, and aims at creating value through efficiency. Rationalization can be applied in mechanization of agriculture in South Africa (Mrema, Baker, and Kahan, 2008). This involves the use of machines in crops production. It also involves the application in animal husbandry with an aim of improving quality and profits (Lund, Anthony, and Röcklinsberg, 2004, p.30). Crop production involves large-scale production of a single crop, high use of mechanization equipment and use of big tracks of land (Moore, 2012, p.47). This benefits them; hence they reduce costs through benefits of economies of scale. It also involves the use of machinery to cultivate lands, irrigate, and harvest. There is also use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides to improve the amount of crops produced. The crops are grown the whole year, which is not dependent on seasons due to large-scale irrigation. There is also genetic modification of seeds to make them more resistant to diseases, adapt to changing climates, and enable them to increase production. Genetic modification of seeds is used to improve the variety and quality of seeds, which is aimed at increasing production for commercial purposes (Paoletti and Pimentel, 1996, p.669). They also aim at reducing pest and increase resistance through genetic seeds (Qaim and Zilberman, 2003, p.901). This use of mechanization leads to replacement of humans with machines. Mechanization involves use of machinery such as tractors, greenhouses that operate both day and night to grow horticultural crops. It also leads to more efficiency and predictable production. This is different from the previous way of crop production that involved small-scale farming mainly for subsistence farming, use of traditional equipment such as hoes or animal farming, growing of crops only few seasons in a year when it is raining, low quality seeds, farming small parcels of land, and dependence on farm manure. Agriculture in animal improvement has enhanced better breeds of animals that mature faster and which are resistant to diseases, for example, the Boer goat (Malan, 2000). This involves use of improvements in quality of animal feeds, mechanized feeding, and improvement in administration of drugs to prevent diseases. There are now better breeds of cattle for milk production and beef kept in large scale. This is aimed at improving production for commercial purposes. Farmers keep layers and broilers, which mature faster for large-scale production of eggs and meat. Farmers are now using Artificial Insemination to get better quality breeds of their choice. This is done through collaboration with various government agricultural agencies, scientists, and universities. This has lead to conflicts in views with religious parties who see it as interfering with God’s work of creation (Wolson, 2008). The traditional way has been to crossbreed animals, rely on human labour for taking care of animals, low productivity, low quality breeds, and low collaborations with other agricultural partners. These improvements have led to more efficiency, predictability, calculative and replacement of humans with machines. Rationalization can also be applied in corporate governance. This refers to how companies and businesses are managed through well structured with formal policies and procedures, clarification of roles, division of labour, emergence of mergers and takeovers of small businesses to form bigger firms. It also involves good governance such as promoting transparency, reduction of interference of business owners from running the business and letting trained workers do the work. There are also improvements in financial discipline, a clear strategy of a firm, accountability and social responsibility to society, hiring is based on credentials and qualifications, there is transparency in management, and record keeping and reliance on scientific data for decision making. Corporate firms have strategies that guide them on how to achieve their goals (Van den Berghe and Levrau, 2004, p.468). There is also improved customer service through real-time feedback through telephone numbers, emails, and social media. Financial discipline entails prudent financial management practices and includes use of information technology to track every transaction to seal loopholes for fraud. It also involves transparency in their activities such as releasing their financial records to the public for scrutiny. Corporate social responsibility involves a firm sharing its profits with society by supporting of society programs such as supporting local businesses (Mcwilliams, and Siegel, 2001, p.117). These activities are aimed at increasing profitability and efficiency of firms because hiring process for managers and employees is fair and transparent. In addition, owners no longer interfere with work of organisations, customer are served better, employment of information technology makes decision making easier based on available data and reduces costs of staffing, which ensures that firms operate optimum. Bigger firms benefit from competition and economies of scale, transparency and financial discipline enables organizations to gain trust from financiers and customers, while corporate social responsibility enables organizations gain more customers and ensure its sustainability. The traditional view of firms was that owners have unlimited control over their business, which led to businesses short lifespan because managers or employees cannot make independent decisions. Businesses are also small such that they do not benefit from economies of scale and have higher running cost. They mainly employed family members or friends leading to inefficiency as they could lack adequate skills or training. Failure in use of information technology has made running of businesses expensive; and the owners cannot make rational business decisions because of lack of proper data. Failure to keep records has made the profitability of many businesses. Firms that do not have a concern for society do not operate in the long-term, because they are eventually edged out by competitor. Also, firms that do not embrace financial discipline and transparency have collapsed because they face corruption, fraud, inefficiency in financial management, misuse of power and poor decision making. Rationalization can be applied in usage of contraceptives to prevent unplanned pregnancies and sexual transmitted diseases. Contraceptives include condoms, vasectomy, tubal ligation, injections, and emergency pills. They are used for birth control, however, sex education is mainly prohibited by religion as it is considered a taboo. Religion advocates for abstinence until marriage especially for youth. Religion has been vocal against the use of contraceptives on belief that children are gifts from God and see it as a form of murder (Groat, Neal, and Knisely, 1975, p.367). However, sexual relations are still prevalent, hence increasing the risk of pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (Mah and Halperin, 2010, p.14). This creates a conflict between religions as it advocates of contraceptives. This leads to new infections day after day. Failure to use contraceptives leads to increase in population where a family cannot adequately cater for needs of all its members, leading to escalation of poverty. Lack of use contraceptives has led to the deterioration of the state of the poor in society because of big families that are hard to provide for, especially if the breadwinner is earning too little pay. Rationalization is applied to control high rate of population growth and ensure that families’ welfare is met through smaller families. Rationalization in use of contraceptives leads to lower transmission of infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS. It also involves creating awareness of benefits of contraceptives through media and government policies. Weber theory of rationalization can also be applied to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. Religion preaches against homosexuality, premarital sexual relations, and adultery through churches and mosques. However, although religion advocates against premarital relations and multiple partners, they are still prevalent in the country. This leads to increases in new infections because religion preaches against the use of protection (Pletzer, 2000, p.47-48). This leads to great stigmatisation of infected persons from families and even in religion because of the belief that HIV/AIDS is caused by illicit sexual relations and failure to acknowledge that there are other causes such as mother to child transfusion. Infected persons avoid going for counselling for fear of victimization. People also fear going for a test (Gilbert and Walker, 2010, p.139). Since HIV/AIDS does not have a cure, the only option is to prevent it. Rationality advocates creating more awareness on causes and ways of prevention, which goes a long way in preventing the spread of the disease. Further, additional funding for HIV/AIDS helps to manage the disease and avoid some form of transmission such as mother to child. Provision of protection for men and women in the form of condoms also help reduce the rate of new infection. Rationalization can be applied in education in South Africa. Education is a tool for economic competitiveness, reduction of poverty and equality, improving welfare of citizens and gaining of knowledge. Education also involves the acquisition of technical skills necessary to attain specific job requirement. Rationalization is applied in form of departments, which students choose, grading system that rates people in terms of percentages to give excellent, good or poor and rules that students have to follow. Rationalization is the use of technology to access school libraries and other online learning materials, which simplifies the work of a student. There is also an application of specialization such that one takes up a task or course based on their knowledge and capabilities. There are also expert bureaucrats who emerge from the application of knowledge in their capacities. Rationalization is also applied in a university specializing in only specific fields such as business, medicine, or engineering. This helps to promote efficiency in carrying out their work and simplify work. Education in the traditional view aims at training an individual on values and ethics and is conducted at specified time. It aims at use of traditional methods of learning such as the use of only books, learning of many units rather than specialization. It is also informal and aims at ensuring that the individual is all-rounded. Religion also shares the same view as tradition in that aim is to make an individual a whole person in behaviour and beliefs. Beliefs are followed on the basis that they lead to salvation (Weber, 1946, p.15). Rationalization can be applied in medicine and healthcare. In contemporary South Africa, there are doctors and nurses who serve patients in hospitals and seek to treat patients based on scientific knowledge and methods of treatment. There is use of drugs and medicine that has been certified as fit for human treatment. They also prescribe treatment for the patient illness that could be in a form of medicine, surgery, or advice. There are midwives who assist pregnant women in delivery. This increases efficiency in that there are reduced infections or transmissions of diseases such as HIV/AIDS during delivery. Mothers are given advice as to best care for their babies as they grow up. Application of rationality includes where treatment in hospital leads to wellbeing of a patient and correct diagnosis. Rationality of mothers delivering in hospitals is evidenced by fewer cases of mortality from complications of birth and excess bleeding. Rationality is also witnessed when mothers deliver in hospitals because of postnatal care and vaccination for the child. In contrast, traditional view is based on medicine men or women and is mainly based on herbs or accepted traditional way of treating a disease. The treatment is mainly based trial and error and cases of misdiagnosis are frequent. Traditional healers achieve respect through skills and authority is mainly achieved by inheritance. Rationality in healthcare is achieved through provision of easier access to hospital through more dispensaries and hospitals in remote areas and overpopulated places. It could also be achieved by use of mobile clinics that enable treatment of people who cannot access hospitals. Raising more awareness on reliance on hospitals as opposed to traditional healers helps to counter beliefs of reliance of traditional medicine and magic. Hospitals also enable government to plan for its healthcare and without enough information. Rationalization can also be applied in improvements in the human body. This is through such activities as exercises, taking balanced diet, maintaining good hygiene. Rationality of engaging in excises is to help improve efficiency of the body and reduce a possibility of diseases associated with lack of exercise. A balance diet ensures that the body has enough nutrients to ensure the health of the body and helps in improving lifespan of an individual. Individuals may also use proper diet with an aim of achieving a particular weight of the body. This is in contrast to the traditional way of having to eat with aim of being satisfied. It also helps to prevent association of diseases resulting from poor dieting from other external forces such as witchcraft. Rationality can also be applied in taking care of animals because they provide food to humans. This is through care for animals such as sheep, goats, and cattle instead of failing to provide for them yet they provide human with manure, meat, or milk. In conclusion, Max Weber theory of rationalization has several applications in South Africa contemporary society. It could be used in medical work where it could be used for treatment or childbirth , education, corporate governance where it could be used to ensure proper governance, prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. It could also be applied in agriculture where it could be used for large-scale production of crops and getting better breeds for farmers, contraceptives to ensure birth control and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases and improvements in the body through clothes and diet. This involves the use in various ways and also looking at the traditional view, which is related to the religious view and looking at the rationalized society to decide on the best way to solve the issue. Bibliography Campbell, T., 1981. Seven theories of human society. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 9-11 Gilbert, L., and Walker, L., 2010. ‘My biggest fear was that people would reject me once they knew my status…’: stigma as experienced by patients in an HIV/AIDS clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa. Health & social care in the community, 18(2), 139-146. Groat, H. T., Neal, A. G., and Knisely, E. C., 1975. Contraceptive nonconformity among Catholics. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 367-377. Hughes, J. A., Sharrock, W., and Martin, P. J., 2003. Understanding Classical Sociology: Marx, Weber, Durkheim. Sage. Kuyek, D., 2002. Genetically modified crops in Africa: Implications for small farmers. Genetic Resources Action International, 1, 20. Lund, V., Anthony, R., and Rocklinsberg, H., 2004. The ethical contract as a tool in organic animal husbandry. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics,17(1), 23-49. Mah, T. L., and Halperin, D. T., 2010. Concurrent sexual partnerships and the HIV epidemics in Africa: evidence to move forward. AIDS and Behavior, 14(1), 11-16. Available http://cptoolkit.hivsharespace.net/files/Evidence_to_Move_Forward_Mah_2008.pdf Accessed 18 May 2014. Malan, S. W., 2000. The improved Boer goat. Small Ruminant Research, 36(2), 165-170. Mcwilliams, A., and Siegel, D., 2001, ‘CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: A THEORY OF THE FIRM PERSPECTIVE, Academy Of Management Review, 26, 1, pp. 117-127, Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 17 May 2014 Moore, H., 2012. Future of Anthropological Knowledge. Routledge. 46-49 Mrema, G. C., Baker, D., and Kahan, D., 2008. Agricultural mechanization in sub-Saharan Africa: time for a new look. Agricultural Management, Marketing and Finance Occasional Paper (FAO). Paoletti, M. G., and Pimentel, D., 1996. Genetic engineering in agriculture and the environment. BioScience, 665-673. Pletzer, K., 2000. Factors affecting condom use among South African University students. East African medical journal, 77(1). Qaim, M., and Zilberman, D., 2003. Yield effects of genetically modified crops in developing countries. Science, 299(5608), 900-902. Van den Berghe, L. A., and Levrau, A., 2004. Evaluating boards of directors: what constitutes a good corporate board?. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 12(4), 461-478. Weber, M., 1946. The ‘rationalization’of education and training. Social Stratification: Class, Race, and Gender in Sociological Perspective. 150-152. Wolson, R., 2008. Assessing the prospects for the adoption of biofortified crops in South Africa. Available http://agbioforum.org/v10n3/v10n3a08-wolson.htm Accessed 18 May 2014. . Read More