The History Behind Sociology

Although sociology has its roots in the works of philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, and Confucius, it is a relatively new academic discipline. It emerged in the early 19th century in response to the challenges of modernity. Increasing mobility and technological advances resulted in the increasing exposure of people to cultures and societies different from their own. The impact of this exposure was varied, but for some people, it included the breakdown of traditional norms and customs and warranted a revised understanding of how the world works. Sociologists responded to these changes by trying to understand what holds social groups together and also to explore possible solutions to the breakdown of social solidarity. Thinkers of the Enlightenment period in the 18th century also helped set the stage for the sociologists who would follow. This period was the first time in history that thinkers tried to provide general explanations of the social world. They were able to detach themselves, at least in principle, from expounding some existing ideology and to attempt to lay down general principles that explained social life. The Birth of Sociology as a Discipline The term sociology was coined by French philosopher Auguste Comte in 1838, who for this reason is known as the â€Å"Father of Sociology.† Comte felt that science could be used to study the social world. Just as there are testable facts regarding gravity and other natural laws, Comte thought that scientific analyses could also discover the laws governing our social lives. It was in this context that Comte introduced the concept of positivism to sociology — a way to understand the social world based on scientific facts. He believed that, with this new understanding, people could build a better future. He envisioned a process of social change in which sociologists played crucial roles in guiding society. Other events of that time period also influenced the development of sociology. The 19th and 20th centuries were times of many social upheavals and changes in the social order that interested the early sociologists. The political revolutions sweeping Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries led to a focus on social change and the establishment of social order that still concerns sociologists today. Many early sociologists were also concerned with the Industrial Revolution and the rise of capitalism and socialism. Additionally, the growth of cities and religious transformations were causing many changes in people’s lives. Other classical theorists of sociology from the late 19th and early 20th centuries include Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim,  Max Weber, W.E.B. DuBois, and Harriet Martineau. As pioneers in sociology, most of the early sociological thinkers were trained in other academic disciplines, including history, philosophy, and economics. The diversity of their training is reflected in the topics they researched, including religion, education, economics, inequality, psychology, ethics, philosophy, and theology. These pioneers of sociology all had a vision of using sociology to call attention to social concerns and bring about social change. In Europe, for example, Karl Marx teamed with wealthy industrialist Friedrich Engels to address class inequality. Writing during the Industrial Revolution, when many factory owners were lavishly wealthy and many factory workers despairingly poor, they attacked the rampant inequalities of the day and focused on the role of capitalist economic structures in perpetuating these inequalities. In Germany, Max Weber was active in politics while in France, Emile Durkheim advocated for educational reform. In Britain, Harriet Martineau advocated for the rights of girls and women, and in the U.S., W.E.B. DuBois focused on the problem of racism. The Modern History of Sociology The growth of sociology as an academic discipline in the United States coincided with the establishment and upgrading of many universities that were including a new focus on graduate departments and curricula on â€Å"modern subjects.† In 1876, Yale University’s William Graham Sumner taught the first course identified as â€Å"sociology† in the United States. The University of Chicago established the first graduate department of sociology in the United States in 1892 and by 1910, most colleges and universities were offering sociology courses. Thirty years later, most of these schools had established sociology departments. Sociology was first taught in high schools in 1911. Sociology was also growing in Germany and France during this period. However, in Europe, the discipline suffered great setbacks as a result of World Wars I and II. Many sociologists were killed or fled Germany and France between 1933 and the end of World War II. After World War II, sociologists returned to Germany influenced by their studies in America. The result was that American sociologists became the world leaders in theory and research for many years. Sociology has grown into a diverse and dynamic discipline, experiencing a proliferation of specialty areas. The American Sociological Association (ASA) was formed in 1905 with 115 members. By the end of 2004, it had grown to almost 14,000 members and more than 40 â€Å"sections† covering specific areas of interest. Many other countries also have large national sociology organizations. The International Sociological Association (ISA) boasted more than 3,300 members in 2004 from 91 different countries. The ISA sponsored research committees covering more than 50 different areas of interest, covering topics as diverse as children, aging, families, law, emotions, sexuality, religion, mental health, peace and war, and work. Sources About ASA. American Sociological Association, 2019. Statutes of the International Sociological Association. International Sociological Association.

Polaroid Case - 893 Words

Polaroid Case I. We Need Greenlight But for Which Reason? Quality control of film cartridges on R2 was a routine process, but the QC department found that there are some discrepancies between the defect rate of QC auditors and the Operators. Defects were being passed through the entire manufacturing process unnoticed. While pre-existing measurements at quality control showed low overall defect rates, there were complications in the process and interference from operators that affected QC numbers. Project Greenlight was initially necessary to allow for accurate measurement of processes and quality control during the process as opposed to the end of the process. Once implemented, Greenlight would serve to measure and†¦show more content†¦From this analysis we conclude that the process involved in finger height is problematic and should be optimized before moving forward on analysis of other parts of the overall process. The regular violation of control limits may point to a significant contribution to overall quality control rejections. III. Quality Check â€Å"Type of Defects† (exhibit 4) and â€Å"Reported Defect Rates† (exhibit 5) suggests that the output quality of R2 has declined. The reported defective rate from the operators had decreased from under 1% to 0.5% and the defective rate from the central process auditors had increased from over 1% to levels averaging 10% (stated in case). The exhibits also show that although the types of defects noticed by the operator and auditor are same, but the number of times the defect observed by auditor is significantly higher. Factors contributing to decrease in quality of product are numerous. R2 does not inspect for the types of defects that consumers notice. Rather, it inspects for more technical, hidden defects. Operators do not follow the guidelines for interpreting control charts as most of the defects are sighted by Quality Control at the end of the process. Some problems that operators did not regard as important are not reported and result in rejection by quality cont rol at the end of the process. Operators tweak the machines when products do not meet the processShow MoreRelatedThe case of Polaroid in 1996.2773 Words   |  12 PagesExecutive Summary The case of Polaroid in 1996 is a popular topic of discussion amongst finance specialists due to the complex issues involved. Specifically, after a long period of unsuccessful moves to discover a sales vehicle that will enable the company to resume its success of the early 1970s, in the mid-1990s the company is found on the verge of bankruptcy. Its new CEO Di Camillo is facing a very large debt, which is due to mature in six years. Furthermore,although the company does not performRead MorePolaroid Case1837 Words   |  8 PagesPolaroid Case Objectives * Introduces the construction and use of statistical process control (SPC) charts and an understanding of the relationship between SPC and conformance quality. * Creating the strategy and implementation steps for transforming an operation from inspection-based to one that relies on statistically controlled process. * Understanding the complex human and organizational problems that occur when the basic operating philosophy is changed. * Applying qualityRead MorePolaroid Case1849 Words   |  8 PagesPolaroid Case Objectives * Introduces the construction and use of statistical process control (SPC) charts and an understanding of the relationship between SPC and conformance quality. * Creating the strategy and implementation steps for transforming an operation from inspection-based to one that relies on statistically controlled process. * Understanding the complex human and organizational problems that occur when the basic operating philosophy is changed. * Applying quality toolsRead MorePolaroid Case Analysis1348 Words   |  6 PagesIIM Indore | Polaroid Corporation: European Distribution system | Logistics Management system | | Submitted to | Prof. S. Venkatramanaiah | | Group 2 | AludaiyaarasuAsvin VMohan M S Prabu PRajasekar VijayaraghavanSrinivasan DK.M.Venkatraj | Synopsis: Polaroid Corporation, headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was a company marketed a wide variety of instant photographic products for consumers and industries. After the deregulation of US motor industry consolidationRead MorePolaroid Case 990 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿a. How does Polaroid’s distribution needs vary by subsidiary in Europe? What are the implications of these differences? You must consider the cultural diversity of the countries in Europe where Polaroid operates. In Europe, Polaroid was organized into 12 subsidiaries, each operating a separate warehouse to serve its national market, and the largest subsidiaries reside in France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. The International Distribution Service Center (IDSC) shipped products to theRead MoreCase Study on The Polaroid Corporation5590 Words   |  23 PagesIntroduction Polaroid Corporation was founded in 1937 by Edwin Land who dropped out of Harvard College in order to focus on the research on the polarization of light. He developed the first instant camera in 1948. From that time onwards the instant camera was the main product of the company. 90% of the company’s efforts were tied up to this product over the next decades. Within four decades, sales of the firm grew from $142000 to over $1 billion. Significant break- through of Polaroid included: Read MorePolaroid Corporations 1996 Case1197 Words   |  5 PagesPolaroid Corporation, 1996 In late March 1996, Ralph Norwood was faced with the task of restructuring Polaroid’s capital structure. In the past, Polaroid had a monopoly in the instant-photography segment. However, with upcoming threats in the emerging digital photography industry and Polaroid experiencing recent losses in their market share due to Kodak’s competition, Gary T. DiCamillo, recently appointed CEO of Polaroid, headed a restructuring plan to stimulate the firm’s performance. The firm’sRead MorePolaroid Case Study Essay3638 Words   |  15 PagesBACKDROP Polaroid is manufacturer of photographic equipment, accessories and related items used in instant photography. The organization was divided into two main divisions – The Consumer Photography Division and the Technical and Industrial Division with each of these divisions contributing around 40% of Polaroid’s revenues of $ 1.3 billion in 1984. The company produced two main types of films: 1. The peel apart film which required the user to physically pull the film out of theRead MoreArticle About The Creepiest Outdoor Halloween Decor960 Words   |  4 PagesBurn a Hole in Your Pocket. All was not lost though; two products made me think about how fads and what’s in-style just circle around. The I-1 Analog Instant Camera and the Polaroid ZIP Mobile Printer made me think about how cameras and recording our family memories have changed with the creation of new technology. The Polaroid Instant Camera was my favorite camera growing up and well into my second child’s elementary years. Then we bought a digital camera and we stopped having actual pictures. Read MorePioneer Petroleum6035 Words   |  25 PagesNo. 526 â€Å"Big City Trust Company† Case Analysis amp; Corporate Strategy Group 4 Report Estepa, Joan Carla E. | Member | BSC Management, Corporate Focus | Reyes, Corinne Erlyn L. | Member | BA Humanities with Professional Certificate in Business Management | Yan, Lee Rainier C. | Member | B.S. Chemical Engineering | Dean Atty. Joe-Santos Balagtas Bisquera MBA Professor Case Analysis Executive Summary According to the case, Auto-Drive Company is developing an

The Qualities of Hero Free Essays

Chris McClendon 12/11/09 3rd Hour The Qualities of Hero What makes Annie Sullivan significant? The traits that she showed in The Miracle Worker by William Gibson made her significant. In this story she showed many characteristics that make her unique in comparison to other teachers. Being half blind herself, she could relate to Helen in some ways. We will write a custom essay sample on The Qualities of Hero or any similar topic only for you Order Now Annie Sullivan exemplified many heroic qualities such as patience, perseverance, and self-determination. First, Annie Sullivan showed patience in many different situations throughout the story. Patience appeared in this play when Annie requested to stay with Helen, alone in the cabin for two weeks. She stated, â€Å"Two weeks, for only one miracle. † (Act II). Helen tested Annie’s patience when choosing not to cooperate with her. They got into many altercations, but still remained patient. Helen benefited the most from Annie’s perseverance. Sullivan’s patience helped her to teach Helen. When Helen tested Annie’s patience, she remained calm and continued to tolerate Helen’s behavior. This example shows how Annie exemplified patience in â€Å"The Miracle Worker†. Another characteristic that Annie showed in this story included perseverance. Annie persevered during the scene where she tried to teach Helen how to fold the napkin. When she started, Helen did not seem to respond to sign language or folding the napkin. After a few days, she appeared hopeless to her parents. Sullivan still continued to try and teach her through all the obstacles, even when the Kellers wanted her to leave. â€Å"The room’s a wreck, but her napkin is folded. † (Act II). Annie stated this after she successfully taught Helen how to fold a napkin. Even though the Kellers didn’t believe in Annie, and Helen seemed to not respond to her teaching, Annie still continued to try and teach her. Clearly, Annie Sullivan showed perseverance in this story. Lastly, Sullivan showed the quality of self-determination. Annie showed self-sufficiency throughout the whole play. A specific example would be when the Kellers thought that Annie would give up, but she didn’t. â€Å"Here, give up, why I only today saw what has to be done, to begin! † (Act II). Annie said this to the Kellers when they thought that she might have given up. Sullivan was determined to teach Helen sign language. She remained persistent and did not give up. At this point Annie would do whatever she had to do to teach Helen sign language. She wanted to stay alone in the cabin with Helen even though the Kellers opposed. This self-determination helped Helen to learn and to pay more attention to Annie. This is how Annie Sullivan showed self-determination. In conclusion, Annie Sullivan illuminated many qualities that would make one see her as heroic. Three specific examples of these traits are patience, perseverance, and self-determination. Sullivan shows these characteristics throughout the entire play. The world would be a better place if there more people showed the traits that Annie Sullivan did. I agree with Robert Brustein when he states, â€Å"Gibson possesses substantial literary and dramatic gifts and an integrity of the highest order. In addition, he brings to his works authentic compassion, wit, bite and humor, and a lively, literate prose style equaled by few American dramatists. † in the New Republic. When William Gibson wrote this play he used much compassion and drama. Lastly, I am grateful for being able to read this transcendental play. How to cite The Qualities of Hero, Essay examples

E-Business Model Archetypes-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Develop your understanding of the Business Model as a Concept and how a theoretical understanding of business models can be used to explain value creation, value appropriation and/or the innovation process at firms in real-life. Answer: The aim of the topic is to discuss the concepts of the Business model such as e- business model archetypes, business model as an activity system and Business model as cost/revenue architecture. These concepts are being utilized by the company to address any kinds of static problems taking place in the working circle of the organization (DaSilva Trkman, 2014). There are numerous ways which can be taken into consideration while making an approach to the problems through the use of an effective model of a business. Therefore, the importance of the company business model should be taken into account in order to approach the problems and changes that have been brought to an organization by following a better business model. The business model provides a clearer concept about how the company is running and how it is operating. The Management team would be able to discuss to the employees that how an organization manages to create deliver and capture the value. A business model consists of the nine building basic blocks and they are (Amit Zott, 2012; Wirtz et al., 2016). For whom the company is creating a value? Who are the most important customers?What are the values that are being delivered to the customers? Which are the problems of the customers that are being needed to solve? Who are the customers who need are being satisfied by the company? What are the important bundles of services and products are being offered to each segment of the customer? Which are the channels are needed to be taken into consideration to reach the customer segments? How the company is approaching them? How the integration of these channels happen? (Amit Zott, 2012; Schaltegger, Ldeke Hansen, 2012). The meaning of the term e business indicates the means of doing business automatically. It includes e-markets, e-commerce and the business supported by the internet. The recent advances in the field of communication and technologies for example the entry of the swift internet process and at the same time a rapid decline is being predicted in the communication and computing costs. This entire change has given a new change to the forms of the organization (Zott, Amit Massa, 2011). Several scholars have made an attempt to make a classification of e-business through the description of their types. E-business is actually an area for research about the models of business and the roles that firms function in their own ecosystems. To address this, the scholars framed out different business models, also developed the taxonomies and typologies. The scholars have appeared to be less concerned about the empirical based testing. Their contribution to descriptive analyzation varied degree (Zott, Amit Massa, 2011).The notion of value incorporates customer value, value system and proposition of value. The financial aspects include cost structures and revenue streams and also the aspects which are related to the architecture of the network exist between the partners of exchange and their firms. As for example Internet, logistic streams, infrastructure and delivery channels. The antecedents of business model of e commerce are New information and communication technologies (Z ott, Amit Massa, 2011). The activity system is considered to be a set of organizational activities which are interdependent and they are centered around the focal firm, which includes those which are conducted by the focal firms, their partners, customers, vendors and many others (Zott, Amit Massa, 2011; Wirtz et al., 2016). While explaining the creation of value, the business models concept has been used from the perspective of the digital economy. The business in order to survive the age of revolution companies tends to develop the innovative business models which incorporate the partners, channels of distributions. The antecedents of business models include unique propositions of value, the process of distribution of the bargaining power (Zott, Amit Massa, 2011). Cost revenue Architecture: Revenue Architecture to align with the business architecture for the sustainable predictable growth of revenue. It is important to align the go to market strategy with the model of business. Important to enable the sales to integrate channels, people and process (Baden Haefliger, 2013).Engagement programs buyer across the sales and marketing. It is also important to understand the process the technology is converted into the outcomes of market. It is important to understand the new modes of innovative technologies and the mechanism can be built by connecting the customers with the technologies. This mechanism is giving power to firm to commercialize the innovations of technology (Zott, Amit Massa, 2011; Wirtz et al., 2016). The three concepts of these emerging themes of the business model, they are the concepts based on system levels which are surrounded by the activities which are more or less focused on the value which act as catalysts to focus on the study of the models of business. The more researches are needed to be done to study the models of business so that these concepts can be developed when the scholars would feel to throw light on the conceptual differences from the other similar concepts which includes the activity systems, ecosystems or the value networks (Zott, Amit Massa, 2011). However these concepts are interrelated and this would be further used for redesigning the models of business. Meaning of business context means where the vocabulary which are specialized in nature are employed and this includes an individual organization, a community of a larger business or particular projects (Beringe Tarlin,2012). It also frames out the needs and agreements. The needs and the capability of the design must focus on the purposes in the context of business (Zott, Amit Massa, 2011; Wirtz et al., 2016). The change is an inevitable concept. The organization or the companies go through the phases of change. The change in organization happens when the strategies of business or the major parts of any organization are changed. This term is also known by the name restructuring, reorganization or the turnarounds (Ben, Dunphy Griffiths, 2014). For example: The Germany Diary Sector faced significant changes. The number of the farmers and also the processors of diaries have gone down in the last few years. Due to the coming of the powerful agents at the steps of the diary industry, the strategic interactions waged along with the value chain have become significant (Chen, Chinag Storey, 2012). With the increase of the retailers buying power in the recent years raised concerns. There are no existences of the workhouse model where there is no imperfect competition. The gap would be closed by developing a model that allows the industry to wage negotiations between the retailers, farmers and foo d processors. The business model would be framed in such a way that the project of the research is divided into the two work packages which would determine the two issues and try to solve them in the value chains of agriculture. In the first work package, if the products are conventional as well as strategic, the bargaining position between the retailers can get softened. It also focuses on the model of econometric and the development of the market structure at the level of processor. It is known as empirical business model (Chen, Chinag Storey, 2012; Glover et al., 2014). In the second work package, the competition between the forms of organization is known as cooperatives and the firms which are not profit at the level of processor. It is here important to understand the differences in the ownership which might affect the outcomes of the negotiations in the vertical relations (Glover et al., 2014). The business model would impact the performances of the model which would combine the work packages and help them to develop accordingly. This in turn impacted the organization by going through the changes of value analysis, the change in the internal module has become relevant with the fact that it might impact the negotiations in the vertical relations as mentioned before. It is also the duty of the managers to go through this change of the business model and make the teams work on the decision changes of the organization. The managers needs to look through the further implementation of the new business model which would bring effectiveness in the working of the organization. On a concluding note it could be stated that the business model would help to develop the business more systematically. The three concepts are needed to be utilized properly so that the researches are can frame out the model of business in a more systematic manner. Finally the notion of the change in inevitable and the company name German Diary industry must take note of new business model which should be rather taken into account in order to bring changes in the organization. References Amit, R., Zott, C. (2012). Creating value through business model innovation.MIT Sloan Management Review,53(3), 41. Baden-Fuller, C., Haefliger, S. (2013). Business models and technological innovation.Long range planning,46(6), 419-426. Benn, S., Dunphy, D., Griffiths, A. (2014).Organizational change for corporate sustainability. Routledge. Beringer, J., Tarlin, E. (2012)."Business context data companion tool."U.S. Patent No. 8,250,169. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Chen, H., Chiang, R. H., Storey, V. C. (2012). Business intelligence and analytics: From big data to big impact.MIS quarterly,36(4). DaSilva, C. M., Trkman, P. (2014). Business model: what it is and what it is not.Long range planning,47(6), 379-389. Glover, J. L., Champion, D., Daniels, K. J., Dainty, A. J. D. (2014). An Institutional Theory perspective on sustainable practices across the dairy supply chain.International Journal of Production Economics,152, 102-111. Schaltegger, S., Ldeke-Freund, F., Hansen, E. G. (2012). Business cases for sustainability: the role of business model innovation for corporate sustainability.International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development,6(2), 95-119. Wirtz, B. W., Pistoia, A., Ullrich, S., Gttel, V. (2016). Business models: Origin, development and future research perspectives.Long Range Planning,49(1), 36-54. Zott, C., Amit, R., Massa, L. (2011). The business model: recent developments and future research.Journal of management,37(4), 1019-1042.