Functionalism In Families And Societies

Functionalism In Families And Societies Functionalists view the family as a nuclear family structure, i.e. a mother, father and 1 or 2 children. Murdock surveyed 250 societies from the small hunting tribes to the large industrialised societies. He found that in every society there was some form of a nuclear family, he concluded from this study that the nuclear family was universal. Murdocks definition of a nuclear family is Within the framework of the nuclear family, Murdock identified with four family functions which if were ignored, society would not exist. Sexual, Reproduction, Economic and Education were the four functions. Similar to Murdock, Tallcott Parsons another functionalist had his own views of what functions the nuclear family should contribute to society. He believed that there were two important roles within the family Expressive and Instrumental. The womens role was the Expressive role as she was the one who raised, nurtured and taught the children the norms and values within the home. The mans role was the Instrumental role because he went out to work to provide financial security for his family. Parsons also identified the family as being the primary agent of socialisation and came up with the warm bath theory primary socialisation (norms and values) and stabilisation of adult personalities (support and love for the adults within the family. Criticisms Functionalists view of the family is similar to a fairy tale, because they ignore the family dynamics and in some families the darker side i.e. abuse, neglect and violence through male domination. Marxism A Marxist perspective of the family saw the family as a means of production and cheap labour whereby they are influenced by capitalism in a capitalist society. Marxists identified three main functions which they saw as a way for the family to fulfil for capitalism. Inheritance of Property means that in order for property to be handed down to a legitimate heir, sexual relationships need to be restricted to one person, thus the offspring would be blood related. For this to happen, The monogamous nuclear family developed with the emergence of private property, in particular the private ownership of the forces of production, and the advent of the state, (cited in Haralambos, M. 1985. 340) The second function is the Ideological Functions which families need to fulfil by socialising children with the ideas that there will always be bosses and workers within a capitalist society. The last function looks at the Unit of Consumption whereby families work to produce goods, which are bought by the families to enable them to be fed and clothed, which bring greater profit for the capitalists. Criticisms Marxists ignore the different structures of families which are found in todays society and with this the different roles within the family. Feminism Feministic views of the family are split into 3 groups, similar to that of the key perspectives. Liberal feminists believe that both the male and the females have equal roles within the family when it comes to the household chores and childcare. Marxist feminists view the women as the producer of future workers and womens oppression stems from capitalism and not the family. Radical feminists view of the family structure is one of patriarchal and that men are seen as the enemy. This type of family within society is also seen by feminists as the key institution in its contribution to maintaining social control Criticisms All three branches of feminism view the nuclear family as the most dominant unit within society, as well as believing that all members of the family serve society, performing different functions. Post Modernist A post modernistic view of the family is at the opposite ends of the scale to functionalism. Post modernists believe that in most societies there are diverse and multi-cultural types of families where members within these units are free to make their own life choices as to how, what and where they live, work and socialise within society. Post modernists also believe that everyone is entitled to the same opportunities in education, healthcare and family support as in their view, there are no class divisions (working and ruling classes), in most societies. Zietlin et al summarises this view of the world, The post modern world is shaped by pluralism, democracy, religious freedom, consumerism, mobility and increasing access to news and entertainment, (Zietlin class handout 2009. 92) Criticisms Because of their views of equal opportunities and freedom of speech and choices they ignore the fact that some people can and do make wrong choices with regards to ignoring the norms and values which are passed down the generations which inevitably upsets the social control aspects in some societies. How the roles and relationships of the family have change over time. Sociologists view childhood as Social Construction because they are biologically distinct from adults, (Harris, M. 2008.44) For this reason I will explain the question in two parts. Children The role of the child within a pre-industrial family (pre 1750), was one of equal standing. As soon as the child could walk and talk they were taught the family trade and were expected to carry on the family tradition. After the industrial revolution came the emergence of the industrial family (1800-1900), when children as young as 6 or 7 were sent to work in factories and down coal mines to bring money into the family home, however this brought about higher mortality rates because children werent as strong as adults. The mortality rates went into decline when the modern industrial family emerged (1900-2000), this is because children were starting to be seen as children and not as cheap labour. Experiences of childhood began to emerge for the majority of children within families, however there are still some societies today that still send their children out to work, but this is now not the norm in todays world. Gender roles and relationships During the pre-industrial years both men and women worked together with other family members. However this all changed between 1750 and 1900 when women were expected to stay at home and be responsible for household chores, childcare and producing the future workforce. This type of family structure was very patriarchal the men had the power so they were the dominators in the family. However this started to change when the modern industrial family emerged between 1900 and 2000, as more women were given the opportunity to become educated, this led to more women in the workforce. This led the family to share the household chores and the childcare and sometimes swap roles within the family if the man became unemployed. Diversity of the contemporary family structure What is a family? This question has been raised by many sociologists and the majority of these have all had different opinion. However in answer to this question, a family can be the nuclear or extended type of family, which are 2 or 3 generations living under one roof. This type of family was more common pre-1750 when families worked with and supported each other, and which still does happen in some cultures and societies i.e. Asian families. Other types of family structures which are more common in Britain today are the one parent families, the step families, the divorced families and the gay and lesbian families who have children. Families today are extremely diverse and multi-cultural through social influences from the media, education and global improvements. Conclusion Throughout this assignment I have paid particular attention to the different views of Functionalism, Marxism, Feminism and Post Modernism. I have given an evaluation of each perspective and have briefly described the changes in roles, relationships and structures within families. I have concluded in my evaluation that my opinion of families and households is one that in todays society of choice, freedom, diversity and multi-cultural structures that post modernism is by far the best view and explanation of society today.

Difference And Inequality Essay

City Road is a good place to investigate inequality and differences as it plays host to a variety of different people, businesses and cultures. Inequalities and differences can be observed just by walking along City Road in the changes that have taken place, in the people that we meet and in the shops that we see, and can be measured in in many different ways. Inequality is prevalent all over the world and can be for various reasons. To discover where inequality and difference can occur we can compare the lives and circumstances of different individuals by asking questions and looking deeper into their stories to see if there is a pattern, in doing so we can get a sense of how inequality can occur. In the first video we heard from John Arthur, a homeless resident of City Road. John tells us of his childhood and how he started to drink at a very early age, he tells us that as an adult he made bad choices and even spent time in prison for his actions. John explains how he never felt like he fitted in anywhere, and blames this on his earlier years. This example in my opinion shows an unequal distribution of circumstance and care as a child and has directly impacted his place in society as an adult. As we compare John Arthurs`s story to Mark Hocking the differences are immediately obvious. Mark`s circumstances and social standing are better than John Arthur`s because Mark Hocking is well known and has a respected and well known business. Mark Hocking tells us how he had a car repair garage which did well in the early days, and he even managed to sell a few cars from the forecourt, however due to larger car show rooms emerging Mark felt his place on the street was in danger so he took the opportunity to reinvent his business and is now a well-established company making bespoke architectural items to order. John Arthur and Mark Hocking are excellent examples of how different lives and circumstances can affect your place in society, and how inequality can occur just by where you are born and how it can create differences in opportunities and income. In conclusion Inequalities can be defined in many different ways, through culture, distribution of resources, wealth, social stature and opportunity and many more.

Project on Samsung.

COMPANY PROFILE Samsung Group is a South Korean multi national conglomerate company headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul. It comprises numerous subsidiaries and affiliated businesses, most of them united under the Samsung brand, and is the largest in South Korean. Samsung Electronics Co. , Ltd. mainly engaged in the production of consumer electronic products. One of the world's largest semiconductor manufacturers, Samsung Electronics is also South Korea's top electronics company.Samsung Distribution ChannelIt makes many kinds of consumer devices, including DVD players, digital TVs, and digital still cameras; computers, color monitors, LCD panels, and printers; semiconductors such as DRAMs, static RAMs, flash memory, and display drivers; and communications devices ranging from wireless handsets and smartphones to networking gear. The company, which is the flagship member of Samsung Group, also makes microwave ovens, refrigerators, air conditioners, and washing machines.Nearly half of sales come from the Asia/Pacific region. Company Vision :- Samsung Electronics' vision for the new decade is, â€Å"Inspire the World, Create the Future. † This new vision reflects Samsung Electronics’ commitment to inspiring its communities by leveraging Samsung's three key strengths: â€Å"New Technology,† â€Å"Innovative Products,† and â€Å"Creative Solutions. † Samsung SWOT analysis Strengths:- 1. Hardware integration with many open source OS and software 2.Excellence in engineering and producing hardware parts and consumer electronics 3. Innovation and design 4. Focus on environment 5. Low production costs 6. Largest share in mobile phones and 2 place in smartphones sales 7. Ability to market the brand Weaknesses:- 1. Patent infringement 2. Too low profit margin 3. Main competitors are also largest buyers 4. Lack its own OS and software 5. Focus on too many products Opportunities:- 1. Growing India’s smartphone market 2.Growing mobile advertising industry 3. Growing demand for quality application processors 4. Growth of tablets market 5. Obtaining patents through acquisitions Threats:- 1. Saturated smartphone markets in developed countries 2. Rapid technological change 3. Declining margins on hardware production 4. Breached patents 5. Apple’s iTV launch 6. Price wars Marketing Mix (4P’S) of samsung smart phones 4 P’s of Samsung smartphone: What made it possible for Samsung to beat Apple in smartphone sales?

Organizing A New Company Is Relatively Simple Costa Rica

Organizing a new company is relatively simple in Costa Rica. Starting a business in the country takes on average 24 days with incorporation taking two to three months, ten times longer than in the US. Costa Rica has achieved the 58th ranking in ease of doing business in 2016. This is a 21 rank jump from 2015 suggesting that Costa Rica is quickly improving itself. The World Bank considers Costa Rica to be in a very stable state in terms of their economy and politics [8.]. Being the most politically stable of democracies in the Americas, it provides a safe and solid foreign investment opportunity. Government policy is aimed at transforming Costa Rica into the technical giant of Latin America and has enabled international corporations including Continental Airlines, Coca-Cola, Cisco, Acer, Microsoft and GE to invest majorly with their production and distribution facilities.[8.],[9.] This year the GDP has experienced a growth of 3.5% and there is a 4.3% 5-year compound annual growth expe cted [10.]. There has been and will continue to be numerous and rapid changes in Costa Rica’s business environment. New laws have been introduced that ensure that both the locals as well as the investors can benefit. From being a country known for its unstructured laws, this is a major step towards a safer investment practice. 3.2 Cost competitiveness Quality of life in Costa Rica is high. 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