The Works of Weber, Durkheim, and Marx - Assignment Example

Marx, Durkheim, and Weber explored the connection between the economy and society in the 19th century. Marx was of the view that the factor determining the social superstructure was economy while Durkheim viewed that the social factors creating a society included the economy as one of the major factors. Weber, however, viewed economy as an extension of religious belief. Durkheim and Weber are in agreement with each other on the subject of modern day capitalism being determined by religious factors. In this aspect, both of them were in disagreement with Marx’. Marx considered ideology to be the consequence of economic determinants while Weber considered such a view as naive. Weber opened the way for analyzing other ideological phenomenon including law, culture and politics via analyzing the connection between society and economy in terms of religion. Albeit Durkheim did not consider religion as an economy determinant, he did believe religion to be a fundamental social phenomenon and followed its roots to the very beginnings of society. It is in totemism that Durkheim found the ultimate origins of social structure. Weber appears to follow Durkheim’s work and further analyzed the relationship of religion with modern day capitalism. Durkheim provided a framework for creating a sense of stability of the layers of integration and life. Through this, he is making the people today to believe the amount of constraint and control the society has on them. In today’s world, the Marx’s theory of work hold relevance because albeit the form of capitalism is changing in today’s world, the core essence of it still remains the same and Marx through his theory has covered in depth the core essence of capitalism. \ 2. The Fordist model was the social system dominating the industrial world in the 20th century. It referred to a production system based on technology and an economic model based on mass production which made investment a possible act thereby increasing productivity. Taylor’s scientific management principles, on the other hand, were practiced widely in the 20th century and generated a sense of cooperation among the workers and the managers. This led to the development of teamwork that is enjoyed by employees nowadays. Albeit Taylorism is not practiced in its true form, it has made significant changes. Both Fordism and Taylorism altered the manner in which industrialization is viewed till today. Through these theories, changed working conditions were seen which have helped in creating a society where the goods produced by the employees can be consumed by them. Also, with the arrival of robotics in the automobile industry, the two concepts remain string till today. Both these concepts have provided us with a method of enhancing the control of the capitalist over the working manner of the employees and workers and have also aided us in enhancing the degree of production. 3. When comparing the levels of misbehavior and conflict within a workplace, it is evident that it is indeed not a thing of the past. There are numerous reasons supporting the fact that in the modern times the degree of workplace misbehavior has increased. In the previous years, there existed a clear chain of command and authoritarian structure. Workers were observed to follow the commands and were seen to keep their issues to themselves. Nowadays, the workplace is seen to be egalitarian. There occurs a flatter chain of command and primarily knowledge based workers. These workers seem to possess the knowledge and freedom of changing their jobs whenever they feel like they are being treated roughly. Currently, people from all parts of the world and of all ages are seen to be working together as opposed to before. Since they possess different behavioral experiences and goals, they get into conflict without even realizing why the misunderstandings develop. Lastly, nowadays women work in equal numbers as males within any organization and workplace. Albeit the two genders have come a long way of tolerating and understanding one another and working harmoniously in the workplace, there still are certain behavioral differences that lead to misbehavior and conflict. These include simple communication styles, teasing, aggression and flirting. 2011-2012 1. Organizational misbehavior refers to any intentional action by an organizational member that aims at violating the core organizational norms and improper code of conduct demonstrated by employees can led to a great deal of problems for the organization and also for the employee himself. Majority of the employees demand autonomy as well as dignity in their workplace. When they are denied of these needs, there emerges a strong tendency to generate hindrance in the progress of the organizational work and misbehave. The prevalence of misbehavior within the employing organizations demonstrates that firstly, the energy of the organization is being depleted and secondly that the need of the employee demonstrating the misbehavior are not being met. The leading drives of employee misbehavior include them being bad fits, being unclear about their roles within the organization, them not being valued and encouraged, lack of inspiration for the employee and lack of support as well. 2. There are numerous different manners in which the unrecognized work is undervalued and hidden. This is mostly observed in the workplaces and also in other cases in our daily lives. In organizations and workplaces, undervaluing of the employees work is observed at every organizational level. By not giving credit, giving silent treatments and majorly by breaking promises regarding the works of the employees, undervaluing of the employee works takes place. Furthermore, the presence of lack of communication being the employee and the employer within the workplace also leads to the works being undervalued. The manner of thinking of the employers regarding the role of the employee plays a major role in helping to undervalue the work of the employee. Age factor of the employers also affects this; the greater the age, the greater the chances that the employer will not consider valuing the work of the employee. 3. I agree with the statement that Taylorism and Fordism have had a major impact on the manner in which we carry out our work in the present times. Both these concepts played a role in shaping up the labor processes and production for the capitalist enterprises. The development of these concepts paved way to the ‘new capitalism’ and played a role in contributing to the development and growth of the industrial unionism. Taylorism and Fordism have led to undermining the knack and ability of the workers to bargain on the basis of skill. Side by side they have enhanced the ability of the workers to bargain on the primary basis of control over the workplace. Taylorism has had a major part in affecting the way in which we work. The scientific management principles introduced by Taylorism led to the generation of a sense of cooperation among the workers and the managers working within the workplace. This has eventually marked its way by the development of teamwork that is observed in a vast majority of the working places across the globe. Without a sense of unity and team work among the members of an organization, the chances of the survival and the chances of success would have been minimal. 2010-2011 1. The recent times, the works of Weber, Durkheim and Marx have been seen to reflect a certain degree of relevance regarding the understanding of work in the current times. Concerning the theory of work by Durkheim, it can be seen that he developed for the people a framework that aimed at developing a great sense of stability not only in the lives of people but also in the layers of regulation, control and integration that tend to maintain it. He was of the view that people should know that the social stability and solidarity are not to be taken for granted but are special factors that need to be explained in depth. Through this, he is making the people today to believe the amount of constraint and control the society has on them. In recent times, Marx’s theory of work is also seen to hold relevance. This is because albeit the form of capitalism is seen to be changing in today’s world, the foundation of it still remains the same and Marx through his theory has provided a great deal of knowledge regarding the core values of capitalism. Weber has aided in the understanding of work as well. This is largely because of his management theory. Due to this, this is awareness among the organizations regarding the hiring of the employees, the meticulous record keeping, the clear defining of the job roles and the Hierchy of authority. 2. Emotional labor can be referred to as the degree of manipulation of an individual’s outward behavior or the inner feelings to display the correct emotion in response to the occupational norms or the display rules. It is can be defined as essentially putting on an act so as to affect the emotional state of other individuals in a manner that is suitable to the employer or meets the expectations set by the employer. It is not generally directed towards the consumer but is also directed towards the work environment. Within the workplace, employers are seen to demonstrate emotional labor at various occasions such as pretending to care about the opinions of their employees. Emotional labor can be considered as a skilled labor. This is because the performance of the emotional labor demands and involves the display of desired emotions in which skill plays a vital role. The level of skill involved in the demonstration of emotional labor has a vital impact on the perceptions of the service quality. Most important skill requirement for emotional labor is the interpersonal skills and the communication skill of the individual such as listening and acting along the course of their work. Read More