Saturday, January 25, 2020
Weber vs. Marx Essay -- essays research papers
Weber destabilizes the relationship between base and superstructure that Marx had established. According to Weber, the concept of historical materialism is naà ¯ve and nonsense because superstructures are not mere reflections of the economic base. (â€Å"The Protestant Ethic†and â€Å"The Spirit of Capitalism (1904-5) Weber agrees that the economy is one of the most faithful forces in modern life. However there are other social and legal factors which exhibit power and thus influence society. These factors help define bureaucratic society or Weber’s concept of modern society which operates through the rational administration of labor. According to Weber, the condition of modern society is disenchantment, which, through rationalization (division of labor), worldly activity is no longer motivated by cultural or spiritual values (meaning) but is instead motivated by economic impulsion. Ironically though, Weber attributes religious aestheticism (meaning) to the root of rationalization, and once mechanism (capitalism) takes off on its own, that religious root is no longer needed to justify work. Thus, mechanized petrification emerges, leaving hardly any room for spontaneity, with a few exceptions.                In establishing a definition of modern society, Weber, unlike Marx, acknowledges that certain ideas can have great influence on material conditions. He suggests a more complex, dynamic relationship between economy and superstructure. Human activity is motivated by reasons other than just capitalist consumption. For example, many people act based on meaning, such as religious or spiritual. Values shape how people live. Weber accuses Marx of being an economic determinist for believing that the mode of production is the only force that moves the base. Weber believes that social and legal factors such as status, class, party, and the division of social honor from economic order in addition to the eco nomy influence modern society, which, according to Weber, is a bureaucracy organized through the rational administration of labor. Weber believes that human history has been the progressive rationalization of life (modernity). The increased rationalism (measuring/controlling the labor process, ie: assembly line) based on logic and calculations instead of traditions, heart, and feeling of modernity le... ... be used to promote one’s status. An influential politician, for example, has a lot of power not because he has money, but because his decisions impact society at large and play a very important role in governing the lives of others.                                                             Weber notes that although bureaucratic rationalization has disenchanted the world and its endurance seems inevitable, the spirit has not been completely eradicated. Weber believes that as an advanced society we cannot escape the pattern of rational rules and laws. However, he allows for the arrival of prophets or charismatic people from time to time, those who exhibit good rational administration skills as well as heart and passion. While offering no clear solution, Weber leaves us with an optimistic hope fo r the future and inspiration, perhaps, to emulate those extraordinary leaders of our time.
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Project Management Case Study: The Spares Distribution Center (SDC) Essay
In the article written by John McMichael and Lockwood Greene (1994), the Boeing Commercial Airplane Group (BCAG) started to design and operate the new Spares Distribution Center (SDC) in SeaTac, Washington, for the company’s Customer Services Division. With the project aimed at yearly growth rate in the areas of inventory and shipments, there were internal and external risks that BCAG faced in relation to the project. Internal risks had something to do with the control system’s project design and implementation. As indicated in the article, â€Å"Custom software development with extensive sophistication and complexity could have increased design costs and jeopardized the overall schedule†(McMichael & Greene, 1994, p. 516). There were risks also in material handling, in managing extensive user input, and in the use of outside consultants. Internal risks were more centered on technical issues, which had to be solved through skills and correlation. When it came to external risks, however, these had something to do with political and social consent and acceptance. There had to be permitting by the new municipality, where the new project was to take place. Environmental impacts of the project had to be also considered here. More so, it was written that SeaTac was incorporated as a municipality â€Å"only months prior to the start of the project†(McMichael & Greene, 1994, p. 515), which reflected that the municipality was somehow alien to the processing of building permits and inspections. As for social acceptance, the new project of SDC would have had huge impact on the neighborhood, mainly because the project itself was huge. With the building to be extremely close to the SeaTac Airport, FAA’s rules and regulations should not be ignored. The new project of SDC posed some risks in the external and internal environments. However, these risks posed problems that could all be solved through communication, correlation, personal skills, and the procurement of knowledge and data. The most important thing, though, was to come up with the best project design that had to nullify all these risks.
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Choose, Chose, and Chosen How to Choose the Right Word
Choose is an irregular verb, with chose as the past form and chosen as the past participle form. The terms are like other irregular verbs that follow a similar pattern, such as break, broke, broken; steal, stole, stolen; freeze, froze, frozen; and speak, spoke, spoken. Understanding when to use choose, chose, and chosen requires knowing how the terms work grammatically. How to Use Choose, Chose, and Chosen The verb choose (which rhymes with news) means to select or decide on something from two or more possibilities. (Dont confuse the noun choice with the verb choose.) The simple past form of choose is chose (which rhymes with nose). The past participle form of choose is chosen (which rhymes with frozen). A helping verb (such as has, have, or had) usually comes before the past participle form chosen. The present participle form of choose is choosing (which rhymes with losing). Examples Seeing how the different forms of the verb are used in context in common language can help clarify when and how to use each. You can use choose, the present tense of the verb, to mean select, as in: You can choose any course in life that your heart desires.Please hurry up and just choose one candy apple. Or you can use the past tense of the verb, chose, again to indicate that someone selected something, for example: She took some time, but she chose a beautiful dress for the church service. Or use the past participle, chosen, such as: She has chosen a simple path in life; she never wanted to stand out or ask for too much. Note how the past participle requires the use of the helping, or auxiliary, verb has preceding it. An auxiliary verb is a verb that determines the mood, tense, voice, or aspect of another verb (in this case chosen) or a verb phrase. You can also use the three words in the same sentence, as in: Last week I chose all my classes for next semester, but I havent yet chosen a major as its so hard to choose. How to Remember the Difference Tell yourself that choose has chosen to add an o. This mnemonic device also reminds you that chosen, as the past participle, must be preceded by an auxiliary verb. You can extend this device by noting, I choose blue for the present tense, but I chose a rose in the past. Practice Try this brief practice exercise to test your knowledge of choose, chose, and chosen. The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to _____ one thought over another. (Attributed to William James)Youll be introduced to the stylist and shown racks and racks of clothes. Shes been given your sizes ahead of time and has ____ to ignore them. (Tina Fey, Bossypants)Last year, she _____ to ignore me, but now I have _____ to ignore her. Answers The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.Youll be introduced to the stylist and shown racks and racks of clothes. Shes been given your sizes ahead of time and has chosen to ignore them.Last year, she chose to ignore me, but now I have chosen to ignore her. Sources Choose. Mnemonic Devices Memory Tools.â€Å"Choose vs. Chose: Whats the Difference?† Writing Explained, 27 Sept. 2016.â€Å"Guide to the Scriptures: Choose, Chose, Chosen (verb).† Doctrine and Covenants 8, lds.org.
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