Failure to Learn

BP suffered from an all-too-common "learning disability" which was the fundamental and underlying cause of the Texas City Refinery disaster on 23 March, 2005 which killed 15 and seriously injured two hundred, according to Professor of Sociology, Andrew Hopkins, of Australian National University.
Direct costs incurred by BP well exceeded $3 billion as $2 billion and $1 billion respectively went on compensation for the victims families and the subsequent recovery and overhaul of the Texas City site and Refinery. Reputational and share price costs are probably immeasurable.
It is easy to ask why the operators simply didn't allow the liquid distillate to be released from the distillation column with the 9ft high level exceeded many times before the liquid eventually purged into the atmosphere some 158ft later. All it took was an idling work vehicle to set off the massive explosion and resultant fire.
There were no warning alarms to indicate the exceeding of safe liquid distillate levels; there was no process HAZOP identifying the criticality of the hazard; and finally, there was no corrective action taken as a result of the chronic overfills of the column that had become an operational norm. The focus on process safety took a very distant seat to that of occupational safety.
According to Professor Hopkins the lessons from Esso Longford (1998), the NASA Challenger (1986) and Columbia (2003) disasters and the Texas City disaster are so similar it's striking--they failed to learn from previous mistakes. BP was so attentive to the 'high frequency-low consequence' events of lost time injuries they were found to be inept and "systematically inattentive" to the risks associated with the 'low frequency-high consequence' events relating to process safety incidents.
There are many lessons out of this disaster, all tabled in detail in Professor Hopkins' book, Failure to Learn: the BP Texas Refinery Disaster.[1] But the key lesson for all organisations is to actually commit to taking action from the learnings from related incidents.

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The Traveling Psychologist

Coming to the world's most cosmopolitan city has its advantages and disadvantages. To understand Shanghai you have to appreciate its size, 6,000 square metres about four times the size of London and its costs - the sixth most expensive city in the World. Having said this in Western calculations daily life is still inexpensive compared to living in England. However this essay is not about Shanghai directly, or its geography and economics, but its, feel, its sounds, and its senses. In other words what is it like to come to Shanghai and actually live everyday in a city, that like New York, never sleeps.
When I first arrived in Shanghai I was put-up by some relatives of my Chinese girlfriend in a small apartment near Shanghai Indoor Stadium. However they were about to move and so within a short time I found myself helping them to move to their new apartment closer to the husband's business area. Within another two months I had moved again, this time to my own apartment in an International School where I was employed to teach English, some science and psychology. This school was located in the new area of Pudong where most Westerners who work for the big companies such as General Electric and General Motors rent expensive houses and villas in guarded enclosed grounds. For some reason the Chinese fear for Westerner's and always insist on almost locking them away when not at work. I had spent three years in China, first in JinHua (Zhejiang Provence) and then two years in Wuhan, known as the cauldron of China as it is so hot there. So when coming to Shanghai I was not a new foreigner to China but by and large an old hand.
However Shanghai is not like the rest of China, it is a mega-city and crowded with foreign nationals, with embassy's to serve them and restaurants to please all tastes from which ever country you hail from. So at first I was actually disappointed as before in JinHua and Wuhan I had been special, people were interested in you, invited you places and to their homes, but in Shanghai you are one of many and so you lose that feeling of being different very quickly. I did not like Pudong, it is like living in a graveyard, there are times you can walk to the local Carr Four supermarket (French) and hardly see another person except for some American teenagers running about on skateboards and mountain bikes, well out of the price range of most Chinese. In a word for me it was, boring and felt like a suburban desert rather than a bustling over-populated China. At the end of six months my contract with the school ended and I took up a post with a Chinese psychology company as its Clinical Director. It was an easy job as I only worked one day a week for what a Chinese would have to work two months for. They wanted my "name" more than me so I started using the spare time to teach business English to Chinese companies and started my own business giving Western style counselling to the local people. This also meant another move to my present apartment at Nanpu Bridge on the Puxi side. Every night the streets are full of traders selling, dubious food, trinkets, clothes, flowers and abundance of other merchandise and of course the cheap DVDs!! (Piracy here is like no other country - everything is copied and sold openly in the street). From about 6pm to 11pm the outside street from my apartment is full of people, walking, shouting and buying/selling almost everything you can think of. This can be a little annoying sometimes trying to get past them to your apartment block entrance and just going thirty metres to the Chinese supermarket is a trial of dodging motorbikes that insist they have right-of-way on the pavement. I never move out of the way but feign deafness and frustrate their progress as much as possible.
Once you are settled in Shanghai, job, place to live, confident about taking the Metro and buses everywhere then you can start to explore. At first you do the usual things go and see the Pearl TV Tower and the decide whether to spend the 100 rmb to go to the top and then deciding not too. You can also pay to go to the top of this building which has an unusual square cut out at the top and see all of Shanghai; again though frugalness got the better of me and I decided not to pay but to photograph instead. Not far from there is the under-water tunnel to the Bund area (the old colonial buildings) leading to the Peoples Square. Again you only do this once and having paid my 50 rmb you get to visit three museums underground and then take the little train under the river through a tunnel that is lit by a laser show as you pass through. The first museum is the Sex Museum and a really funny place to visit. I guess it is my English dry wit that sees things from an ironic point of view when visiting something that is showing traditional sexuality that is not reflected at all in the populace at large. The other two areas are the aquarium (a little dull) and a light show ( a little weird) where you sit in a dark room by yourself and listen to the sounds of people moving about in the room and trying to scare you. (Did not scare me but I did laugh at one point). Once through the museums you can go off on the tiny train through the tunnel to the Bund on the other side of the river. As for the rest of Shanghai you tend to explore as you go - and so with all the teaching in different parts of the city I eventually went everywhere. If you like shopping you can go to the cheap areas outside any major district but in the main centres you can see world-class shopping department stores and high-class clothiers. However Shanghai's main shopping is often at big-city prices and you have to be quite rich to shop here as you would in London, Paris or New York.
The night life here is rich in choice but many foreigners frequent the bars and night-clubs. I never really like this scene in Shanghai as they tend to attract irresponsible Westerners who get drunk, insult Chinese women and tend in general to behave badly. There are many tourist areas with bars and cafes that are designed to catch the unwary pocket - they charge sometimes 100 times the value of a drink or food in these places. Better to seek out the bars and clubs the Chinese use that are friendlier and less expensive. The nightclubs tend to play techno-music all night - this is not only very boring music but also repetitive and sounds somewhat fake. You are better to go to places that play live music; some of the Chinese rock session bands are quite entertaining. The difference though from the West is they try to ply you with food all the time and drinking is actually secondary to their idea of a good time. There are plenty of theatres and cinemas as in most big cities and that is purely a matter of taste.
On a daily basis as in any city when you are working and trying to make ends meet you start to take the city for granted and all those treasures that tourists talk about you pass by without a single thought. Shanghai is about making money, being in business and trying to succeed. Many Chinese migrate here from the smaller cities, towns and countryside hoping to join the big company and make their fortunes. However like many large commercial cities many have their dreams dashed in the struggle to just make a living to pay the rent and eat a decent meal once a day. Most of my friends in Shanghai are girls, this is for two reasons, one, most of my students and work colleagues are female anyway and secondly I prefer female company. However so many of them are unattached, smart, working, but very lonely. Shanghai seems to exude loneliness especially for girls coming into the city from outside. You also see how strong Shanghai born women are here too - they tend to be intelligent, confident and classical in their dress and habits. They also tend for the men to be too successful and therefore scare off the local men who want a more timid girl to marry. The Chinese love to control each other and so strong women here can be lonely too. (Even if they are in a relationship).
The big question is will I stay in Shanghai or move on? I like the city and its people, with its bright evening lights and sultry atmosphere. Shanghai has a lot to offer and you would be hard put to find other big cities as clean and tidy (at least in the main areas) and with so many green areas full of trees and water features. My favourite thing about the city is the statues! They are everywhere, but what I enjoy about them is that they are of normal scenes, people and comic invention. They add a certain vitality and amusing interest to street scenes where normally the pavement is empty except for the millions of people who pass by.
Maybe I could settle down here for a while but I know I suffer from wanderlust and sooner or later will say goodbye to Shanghai and hello to my next adventure.

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The Sociology of Human Behavior

This evening I decided that I would try a small experiment to test the theory that we all tend to "judge" others based on appearnace and come to some conclusions about the way that person is from those perceptions.
For the past 6 months I have been network marketing and have had a rather conservative picture on my Facebook profile. Tonight I changed that to a photo that was of me 3 years ago when I had my Wiccan shop running full time. The Witches Haven in Cedar City Utah.
I was not so surprised to see what the result was. The immediate result was that I received comments of shock...one even saying...WOW! Others were less "shocked" and ranged from a thumbs up to "I didn't have any clue". This is not a negative thing and my theory was not to show negativity versus positive resulting reactions but to see raw reaction...period.
I placed a status statement shortly after placing the picture on my profile that stated, "I changed my profile picture here to make a point. Whether you call your clergy Bishop, Father, Rabbi, or High Priest,etc...never judge by the cover as we are peaceful and only wish to assist our fellow man."
I am happy to state that while my theory was proven that we all make judgments or we tend to have pre-conceived ideas of one another we also have the intelligence to think about these ideas and notions and make informed decisions about our final judgment.
I hope that we all will take the time to think about how we are judging others based on appearances only and that we will stop and think about all of the reasoning and conditions that played into the way they appear. This article will be appearing in a post on my blog and by the time this is posted the picture on my FB profile will have been changed back. I neglected to mention that apparently it did have the affect that people were no longer friend requesting me and some chose to leave and that was also expected. I have left it on my blog as it portrays who I truly am...away from the politics...and out of the "lime light" as it were.
May we all be cautious about the way we are treating one another because of the language we may speak, the clothing we may wear, the creed we may hold ourselves to, and just treat one another with the respect that deep down we all deserve. In the end nothing else matters but the fact that we are all here on earth and we are all human and have feelings, emotions and frailties.

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Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born Michael Luther on January 15, 1929. He later changed his name to Martin. Martin Luther, both an activist and clergyman, is known to be one of the most prominent leaders in the African-American civil rights movement.
He grew up in the segregated southern States during the time when African-Americans were ostracized and discriminated against. He attended public school in Georgia and graduated high school at the age of fifteen. In 1948, he received the Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Morehouse College, a distinguished African-American institution of Atlanta from which both his father and grandfather had graduated.
While attending graduate school in Boston, Martin met his future wife, Coretta Scott, a strong and powerful woman who shared his views and cared deeply about civil rights. They were married soon after and eventually had four children, two sons and two daughters.
It was no surprise that Martin became a pastor as his father and grandfather were both pastors at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Up until his death, he served as co-pastor alongside his father. Aside from being considered as one of the civil rights icon, he was recognized as a martyr by two Christian churches in America.
On August 28, 1963, the peaceful march in Washington took place. He gave his "I Have A Dream" speech to more than 250,000 people who gathered to hear the famous national speaker from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Later that year, he was named as Time's Man of the Year.
He was arrested several times and became a target of violent threats. After one of his arrests, he wrote the famous Letter from a Birmingham Jail, narrating his beliefs and hopes for the future of America. His many protests helped convince the U.S. Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This act made it illegal to treat African-Americans or other ethnic groups unfairly.
It was the same year (1964), at the age of 35, he became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil obedience and other non-violent means. In the spring of 1968, he travelled to Memphis, Tennessee to lead the protest in support of African American garbage workers to give them better working conditions. While standing on the balcony of his motel room, he was assassinated by James Earl Ray, a convict who had escaped from jail.
Martin Luther King, Jr. will always be remembered for his unselfish devotion to raise public consciousness in America and the peaceful means he used to make the changes. Martin Luther King, Jr Day is annually celebrated on the third Monday of January.

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The Sociologic Of Political Silence

The hegemonic categorization of the Jamaican landscape is primarily the justifiable reason for the sophisticated demonstrations and social hemorrhaging. This group of elitists has exponentially benefited from playing the proletariat class. They have not offered their clientele the respect of voice on matters of social concerns or political mismanagement. The present government’s socio-economic policies are chiefly responsible for the erosion of much of the social fibre and economic livelihood of the Jamaican people. The poor are not only suffering but they are also hemorrhaging while the business class offers the society stillness as a tool of needed social change. PIOJ (2004) report, Economic and Social Survey Jamaica, report confirms that the national poverty stood at 16 per cent. Of the 2, 650,900 inhabitants, there are 424,144 poor people, which absolute valuation seems not to perturb the hegemony of this society. In order to attain that social society that we all desire, justice through actions and deems must be a hallmark of the leadership.

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The categorization of Jamaicans as poor has been declining (Henry-Lee, 2001) but the economic indicators of growth are not impressive as our Caricom counterparts. Looking at the absolute figures, the social realities of the peoples are not marginally measured or understood. Despite the fluctuations in economic growth valuations, rural poverty continues to be higher than the national figures and of those for other towns and cities. Coupled with the economic hardship of poverty, rural Jamaica over the last six months is seeing a dwindling of economic activities. As a social scientist, I believe that the current tidal waves of price increases are eroding the economic livelihood of many of the poor. This situation means that the economic hardship of the people within the context of the hegemony – silence, is destroying the moral and other social fibre of the poor. "What are poor to do?"
‘Once economic growth was taking place, it was that poverty would be reduced’ (Henry-Lee, 2001, p.202) but this orthodox phenomenology may be changing in Jamaican as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at constant prices have been increasing (PIOJ, 2004, p.3.1) with a simultaneous change in economic hardship of the poor while the hegemonic class expand their physical surroundings and amass European amenities. To date, the constant salary, the MTTP (Ministers Tricking the Poor), the minimal bus fare increases (only 67 % - what!), the huge increases in prices of basic foods and increase in political leadership are making the ‘poor’ poorer. Those hurdles are not the challenges of the poor as they wrestle with ‘prince’ and ‘guards’ for sanity. The electricity increases, instructional materials increases, the last blatant disdain by the Prime Minister, ‘Rt’ honourable Percival James Patterson, for the intellectual mindset of the ‘black’ academic is frightening and speaks volume of the private sector’s silence.
The private sector, despite ‘recognizing’ the challenges of governance and policies formulation of the government, continue to hemorrhage in silence, which, I construe, indicates the tenants of the PNP over the economy. I realize that there is no longer a unified Jamaica but a PNP, a JLP group and a business class. This situation was unfolded to me over time as there is not core concern that may create unison in order that Jamaicans can forge around with the interest of all. The socio-political arena has changed globally and nationally for the JLP but the reality is, the average citizenry of this society are still clamouring for hegemony and social transformation though development.
It is the business class that is the engine of growth in all societies and not the public sectors. This group dictates the terms of economic activities and stipulates the atmosphere of governance but the Jamaican group is hemorrhaging from fear and political conformity. Hence, the present proletariat class, the underclass, is left to view the heavens for a haven. When the business class fails to provide that leadership for the society, the ‘labourer’ class will gradually venture in deviant acts as a medium of grappling with political mismanagement. ‘Too many people are comfortable with the present affairs (Bourne, 2005) and silence of the ‘underclass’ is becoming increasingly deafening. If the business class continues with this dialectic silence, the poor may resort to revolution in an effort to understand and come to a rationale of their social space.
The old philosophical construct of poverty is primarily food consumption of the poorest quintile but this definition fails to recognize that poor people are social beings with children. One researcher (Henry-Lee) forwarded a slant that; the poor spend the largest proportion of their earnings on food, which means that the business class must begin to offer a position against any erosion of their economic base. If there are presently 424, 100 absolutely poor people any increase in food prices will see them living how?
According to Rapley (1996, p.7), "state interventions to relieve poverty would inhibit initiative, and would stifle investment because they would rely on increased taxes." Dr. Rapley’s cited perspective is a clear indication of the stance taken by all traditional economists. This stance sees development as solely an economic growth phenomenon that is driven by the free market but many post World War II economists differ on a theorizing for this construct. Lewis concurred with classicalists like Smith and Keynes that development is primarily economic. Rapley (1996, p.16) stated that, "Lewis argued that in a Third World economy, the wage rate was set at a constant level as determined by minimum levels of existence in traditional family farming." This ensured a virtually unlimited supply of cheap labour, which has an advantageous factor in industrial development (Rapley, 1996 p.16). As a social scientist who is concerned with development and its determinants, the researcher is cognizant of the different discourse on the issue but will analyze both schools of thought before coming to a consensus.
The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS, 2002) wrote, "while material poverty affect a large number of households, the Report points to the impending dangers of more widespread and subtle forms of poverty that include poor health, inadequate levels of educational attainment; lack of economic assets or access to markets or jobs that could create the unsafe physical environment; and various forms of social exclusion." This report forwards the core of the post-1950 scholars’ viewpoints on development that is broader than the Classicalists theorizing that was once the epistemological framework on development thoughts. The article points to other non-economic growth theorizing such as health care, education and other psychosocial conditions. Hence, the author will not seek to continue in the pre-1950s epistemological mindset as it is a one sided theorizing but will seek to quantify any validity of the contemporary developmentalists’ perspective on the issue as this include social, political and economic factors. This paper surrounds the social aspect to development in the form of expenditure on health care and expenditure on education with the intention of using those two (2) determinants of contemporary development in order to ascertain any causal and/or associational relationship between expenditure on social programmes and their influence on levels of development.
Spikes (2002) posits: "poverty can be regarded as the inability to obtain the essentials of life; for others it is a matter of low income; for others a problem of social inequality". He goes on to say that "poverty can be explained in terms of material conditions, that is basic needs, food, clothing, and shelter; however limited resource interfere with the ability to acquire the essentials. Poverty can be seen as exclusion; the European Union defines the poor as persons whose resources (material culture and social) are so limited as to exclude them from the minimum acceptable way of life in the member state in which they live depending on benefits as equivalents as claiming social assistance".
It is frightening to say the least that despite efforts within the technological age people are living in abject poverty that retards the process in which many of these issues should have been addressed. Haralambus (1995)"poverty implies an undesirable social problem that a solution should be found. Basic amenities, for examples, shelter health and nutrition: the latter according to Drewnowski and Scott in Haralambus "is measured by factors in relation to the amount of calories and protein consumed by the individual. Shelter is measured by the quality of living arrangements (dwelling etc.) and health is measured by factors such as infant mortality and the quality of medical treatments available.
When individuals are malnourished, the health of these individuals would affect them in terms of their physical and mental states. A medical practitioner, Dalzell-Ward (1974: 23), commented that "The deprivation of energy foods’ will result in excessive fatigue which will in turn diminish social and work performances and interfere with well-being." The economist Adam Smith states that this would be an indication of reduced economic growth. Professor Todaro (Todaro, 2000) from his perspective, that development envelope social, political and economic changes in peoples lives. Another medical practitioner concurred with Dalzell–Ward (1974) when she said:
In fact many of today’s problems with students are actually health related. Kids are not able to learn sufficiently if they are hungry, tired, hung-over from alcohol, or worried about violence. We need to eliminate barriers that affect students’ readiness to learn. A variety of physical and mental conditions impact students’ attendance and their ability to pay attention in class anger, and restrain from self-destructive impulses.
Eurocentric beliefs have so conquered the epistemology of world ideology that it becomes difficult even for the ‘honest’ advocate to be effective. Individualism-profiteerism drives the engine of social existence that humans only protect themselves, even if it appears that another is being helped in the process. Christianity is a by-product of the Eurocentric system and so helps to explain its true tenet. Europe in an effort to corner all epistemologies of the ontology of man’s existence and creation offered spiritualism. Christianity operates as though it has the sole authority to the ontology of creation. Despite its stance, the ideological phenomenology of Christianity subsumes individualism. Unlike the other traditional epistemological construct of man, humanitarianism is a tenet of their doctrine but they are not the iconic thought because they were fashioned prior to Europe’s delineation of world ideology. References
Macro-Economic theory: A mathematical treatment. New York, United States: St. Martin’s Press.
Baguant, J., Prinz, C., Toth, F.L., and Wils, A.B. 1994. Population-Development-Environment: Understanding their interactions in Mauritius. Laxenburg, Austria: International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis.
Banae, Mitiku, E., and Yandell, Dirk. 2006. Development strategies and opportunities: The case of Africa. Review of Human Factor Studies, 12: 114-133. Academic Research Premier EBSCOhost Research Databases. University of the West Indies Library, Kingston, Jamaica. 12 September 2006 [http://epnet.umi.com/].
Beardshaw, J. 1992. Economics: A Students Guide. England: Pitman Publishers.
Bloom, David E., David Canning, and Jaypee Sevilla. 2004. “The Effect of Health on Economic Growth: A Production Function Approach.” World Development 32, no. 1: 1-13.
Booth, David. (eds). 1994. Rethinking social development, theory, research and practice. Longman Scientific and Technical. Longman Group Limited. Longman House, Burnt Mill, Harlow.
Chambers, Robert. 1989. Rural development: Putting the last first. 7th Edition. United Kingdom: Longman House.
Dalzell-Ward, A. (1974). A textbook of health education. London: Tavistock Publications.
Easterly, William. 2001. The political economy of growth without development: A Case Study of Pakistan. USA.: World Bank. Retrieved on October 12, 2006 from [http://ksghome.harvard.edu/~drodrik/Growth%20volume/EASTER~1.PDF].
National income and social accounting, 4th. London, United Kingdom: Hutchinson and Company.
Findlay, Ronald. 1989. W. Arthur Lecture: National and Global Perspectives on Economic Development – The two models of Arthur Lewis. National Economic Association and the Southern Center for Studies in Public Policy of Clark College.

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The Development of Sociology and Modernity

The development of sociology was born out of two revolutions: the French Revolution of 1789, and the Industrial revolution. Both of these events destroyed all previous social norms and created a new social organization: the modern industrial society. In particular, the French Revolution destroyed not only the political and social foundations of France, but almost every country in Europe and the North Americas. Ideas of liberty and equality were put into practice, setting the stage for a completely new social and political order. These changes also represented the victory for the downtrodden in France, and the beginnings of societies in other countries based on the individual and individualism. A new class of people, emboldened by what happened in France, appeared on the political stages of Europe and North America and were not afraid to fight for their rights as citizens and human beings.
The concept of modernity came about when classical theorists needed to understand the meaning and significance of the Twin Revolutions and the effects of industrialization, urbanization, and political democracy on rural societies. The term 'modernity' was coined to capture these changes in progress by contrasting the "modern" with the "traditional." Modernity referred to a world constructed anew through the active and conscious intervention of individuals. In modern societies, the world is experienced as a human construction, an experience that gives rise to a new sense of freedom and to a basic anxiety about the openness of the future.
Modernity consists of three elements: traditional, institutional, and cultural. Traditional modernity means that there is a historical consciousness, a sense of breaking with the past, and a post-traditional consciousness of what is going on in the world. Institutional modernity is concerned with capitalism, industrialism, urbanism, and the democratic nation-state. Cultural modernity entails new beliefs about science, economics, and education. It involves a criticism of religion and separation of religion from politics and education.
A new social science was created in the wake of these events and was given the name 'sociology' by Auguste Comte, a French philosopher and he is thought of as the founder of modern sociology. Sociology is not only about intellect, but is connected with developments in the social world and changes in society. One reason why sociology is different than the other social sciences is that it attempts to describe different sets of social forces that develop in a society at different times and places, with different actors and results. As societies change, it is the nature of these changes that sociologists attempt to explain, and it is the changes themselves that lead to different explanations of these changes.
For example, Marx's political-economic theory is an explanation of nineteenth century capitalism as it developed in Britain. Weber's analysis of bureaucracy and rationalization could not have emerged much sooner than it did, because the bureaucratic structures and the forces of rationalization had not developed all that much before Weber's time. And Durkheim's analysis of the changing division of labor could take place only once some of the economic and social trends of modern, industrial societies became apparent. The same is true today: as society changes and becomes more modern, new sociological theories and approaches are developed in an attempt to understand and explain these changes.
Marx, Weber, and Durkheim had different views on modernity. For Marx, modernity is capitalism and he felt that the ideal of true democracy is one of the great lies of capitalism. He thought that the only ideas that came out of a capitalist society was alienation, class conflict, and revolution. He also thought that capitalism will be eventually destroyed by revolution. For him, history is a human construction and that history is made by those who have the political and material means to do so. Humans participate in their own oppression through false conscious, any belief, idea, or ideology that interferes with an exploited and oppressed person or group being able to perceive the objective nature and source of their oppression.
Weber construes modernity as rationalization, bureaucratization, and the "Iron Cage." For him, the history of modernization was increased rationalization. There would be a search for the most efficient techniques and stresses that everything is reevaluated. Everything humans depend on would be controlled by large capitalist bureaucratic organizations.
Durkheim saw modernity as moral order, anomie and the decline of social solidarity. In his analysis of modernity, there is a breakdown of social values, the breaking down of traditional social order. Anomie is a transitional problem, lacking moral regulation. Increased egotism is also a problem. All three of these classic theorists had a very critical view of modern capitalism and society.

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A Look into Sociology

Sociology is an intricate study of humankind on many forms. Whether it be focused on the individual, the family, or a city, sociology takes an in depth look at humanity itself and analyzes it from many different angles. These are just a few examples of how sociology can analyze the subject. This article will examine six significant factors and give a better look on sociology itself.
First there are general basics. Sociology has its roots in the Enlightenment. With the want for more information, more understanding of the world, man started to focus on the very thing he created himself: society. Humankind began to analyze everything and anything that they could. It wasn't surprising when they started to really analyze themselves. This, in a way, is what sociology is. Sociology is the study of human behavior, from its origins to its evolutions. It is the analysis of the development of mankind.
With the increase in human development, there became a higher variety of human-life. It changed form as it moved across the world, from rural to urban, from one religion to another, from one race to another. This is why sociology is important to the world. It breaks down all the information and reorganizes it most effectively.
Sociology is a science like many others, though it is quite different in the same way. Closest to it might be psychology, though different on many levels. What makes sociology an unique science is its focus on humanity. Though seemingly easy at first, after a good look one can recognize the complex behavior of mankind that has evolved over thousands of years from having a society. This makes sociology important both to the present and the future, for it takes what has happened in the past and present and uses the information effectively in understanding groups, individuals, and society itself.
Like a science, there are many different ways one can study and record this information. Surveys are one of the major ones. There are also observational studies and experiments. Sociological experiments can be like other scientific ones, with variables for scientific research, but lots of the times the answers aren't so simple. It takes a good eye and mind to analyze the data, making sociology a more delicate process in the long run.
The second item to focus on is culture. Culture is the grouping of specific mindsets that have developed over time in certain parts of the world, allowing any scientist or onlooker to realize general differences between groups and make general recognitions this way. Thus said, it is an important factor to take into account when dealing with sociological information. There are so many different cultures in the world that they act like variables in giant analytic experiments for the sociologist.
Culture can be broken down into many different aspects or parts. One important one to note is language. Language both creates barriers and brings worlds together. Different languages cause speed bumps in scientific or any form of study throughout the world. It brings insight further into the culture of the people being studying and allows the sociologist more key and individual information. Almost like religion and politics, language has a unique way of developing that reflects both on the culture and history of those that use it, finding its roots being mixed and interwoven like many of the people who make use of it.
A third important item to focus on is the social structure. The social structure is the creation of different levels in society throughout the world to better define and understand how society itself works. It is not man made in that people can decide how many layers there are to society or the different reactions between different levels. It is an evolution of society itself, changing from culture to culture or place to place.
Social structure can be broken down into looking at society as having different statuses and different roles. Through hard work, misfortune, or pure luck people find themselves on different levels of society compared to the person standing next to them or even the person they were a month, week, or day ago. Status can be looked at as the person's worth through society's eyes. People tend to use this as the way to judge others quickly. Though not necessarily negative in that there are different statuses, it has for the most part been associated with a negative, almost snooty view when used to analyze others. Role is much deeper, though, and can defy status in many different ways. While status can be looked at as almost just a term or some physical measurement of humans in society, the role is a much deeper, more personal experience. Through careful study and critiquing, one could evaluate another or a whole group and come to a logical assumption or even answer to what their role is, but for the most part it is more of a show and tell kind of deal. Simply, it is the bond that an individual has with society, telling their purpose on how they hold the society together.
A good part of culture, sociology, and society are groups. Not everything is on the individual level. The size of the group affects the effectiveness of productivity. Too small of a group might lead to too many unanswered questions, while too large could grow so complex that many overlooked factors have been uncounted for. The perfect size, this balance between small and large, between answerable and countable, is not clear. It is dependent on the answers and topic that is being questioned at the time. One might need a large group to make references about a whole city, province or even country. On the other hand, a smaller group might give better information about a specific area or classing or even status in a certain place or time.
These groups could be societies themselves. Societies are merely just humans grouped by distinguishable differences in culture, mind, history, relationship, and teachings. It appears to be a complicated system of organization, but it is no different in culture, religion, or role/status in its way of defining and dedicating answers to truth. It can be used to find common grounds and further separate viewpoints and information from larger groupings. Societies are very important groups of people, both to the real world and to sociology.
The fourth important item is socialization. Socialization is the way of converting or forming into the very definitions of society. This is a great way to show how humans differentiate from other animals. The complexity of our societies and groups is what defines us as humans, accounted with our rationality of course. Our interaction with each other is at a much more vital and intricate level. We go beyond the instinctive world and step into rationality. This is what makes our forms of communication, our languages, our social behaviors the way they are. This is what makes us so easily adaptable in the world. We are so heavily reliant on some form of socialization, that to think of world without it would mean thinking of a world without humans. We would be almost like primitive homo sapiens and other ancient races of man, only worse because we would be going from socialization and not towards it.
The fifth major factor in sociology is race and ethnicity. Like culture and religion, race can play an important role to a society and its social structure. A certain race can bring benefits to itself in one place while another can be discriminated against with equality. Even still, one race can experience both extremes throughout the world and even in the same proximity. Races, ethnicities and groups can be broken down into majority and minority. This is like most social classing. Majority refers to the more populace or the ones that have the most power in that given area. Minority is just in the opposite, referring to the weaker of the two either size/numbers or politics/power.
It is important to note the difference between race and ethnicity here. Race refers to the grouping of people through biological similarities and histories while ethnicity is created from both racial and cultural ties, making it not necessarily inherit in that it's physically in a person's blood, but inherit in that it is so tightly woven to the history of the person and his/her people that it has been a kind of grouping. Though there are some that will deny races exist at all, scientists have generally agreed on there being only three races. Humans in general assume or at least say there are many more, confusing both races and ethnicity with each other and other groups. By the common human's understanding of the word race, it is so misunderstood that it has no biological reference whatsoever. But on scientific terms, race would require an evolutionary viewpoint to accept it as been true.
The sixth item and factor is gender. Gender plays an important part in sociology like any of the humane sciences. There is a definite difference between man and woman. This is the case both physically and mentally (though in some instances the two are interrelated by definition in psychology). Sex is the more scientific look upon the situation, while gender is the social. While both imply the two different forms of sexual creatures, male and female, the word sex tends to just refer to this while gender also implies the identity created by this distinction in both society and cultures.
There are numerous other factors to sociology, but these are six of the most important and first focused on when researching across the world. In truth, the structure of society, of mankind and all things it has created, is a complex and delicate one. Each piece is carefully placed, woven, tied and held there by another. So tight they are that if one falls it is hard to tell how many will follow suit. Just as much as we can not say what event will move us in the next direction, we can not know what event will slow us down, stop us, or even be our downfall. Sociology can only understand the here and now.

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The Basic of Sociology Term Paper Writing

A sociology term paper is an important part of this genre's curriculum because it forces the student to come up with ideas in the field and apply them to specific situations in society. An example of this is when a student is asked to look at a specific demographic and attempt to come up with a reason why a certain occurrence is prevalent in this particular demographic. Where this gets difficult is when data has to be analyzed in order to figure out why this trend has been the case. A term paper thesis is a must in this circumstance, as there must be a premise of some sort that is backed up by this data. This data can be found in a variety of different places and must be used effectively in order for the composition to make any sense at all. If the data does not support the thesis, then the composition will not work and the mark on this particular composition will be low, which would be a good time to hire a term paper writer.
Sociological research involves coming up with reasons why things happen in society. There are many different aspects of sociology that are equality complex and sociology should be viewed similarity to science. Scientific analysis will often, however, involve mathematical equations and this is not applicable to sociology. This subject is more about applying these numbers to real life situations and seeing where trends are developing. This will usually be an APA term paper because that is the term paper citation that is most often used by researchers in this field. Many times, these papers will be similar to a religion term paper because these sociological issues will often cross into religious debates.
Sociology can be a very complex subject, so you may want to receive some dedicated help from the writers at (Company Name). Many of these writers hold degrees in sociology and the various sub disciplines that are incorporated under it, so they will no doubt have your topic covered. If you are looking for term paper assistance, look no further than the dedicated writers, as they can be trusted with all of your composition needs. There is no use taking a chance with your education, as it is too expensive to try to do over and even if you can afford it, schools will be weary of admitting you if you have failed in the past. By receiving help in the form of a custom composition, you are proving that you value your education and appreciate the opportunity that you have been presented with.
Your sociology term paper does not have to be a difficult thing for you to complete if you receive dedicated assistance free from more experienced writers. These experienced writers will have no problem with getting through your paper because they have gone over this data countless times. They know how to write in a clear and presentable manner, which will take all of your academic worries away.

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Human Services Degree

Human service degrees are pursued by freshmen entering college as well as professionals already working who would like to advance their career in management and administrative positions, academic, supervisory, criminology and criminal justice settings. Human service workers are mostly known to work in conjunction with other professionals such as doctors, teachers, social workers, police and other specialists in helping them solve problems.
Human service program involves different types of fields such as sociology, psychology, women and children studies, human growth and development, abnormal psychology and case management procedures. You need to investigate which program will compliment your skills.
When you get a bachelor's in human services you can then work or continue graduate studies to pursue jobs in contexts such as community health centers, addiction facilities, working with the elderly, helping others deal with food stamps and related services, and counseling individuals and families. Some people will pursue a master's degree in social work or a mental health counseling program afterward.
The programs will provide you with training and knowledge that will help you respond more effectively to social issues and challenges in your community. You'll learn skills with patients, get trained for implementing treatment plans, understand crisis management issues and management skills. If you want to be a child advocate
There are often course electives that also will cover subjects such as one-to-one counseling studies, family therapy, criminal justice, health care administration,probation issues and management of non-profit agencies
This field continues to be in high demand and offer a variety of options both right out of school as well as before entering graduate school.

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Understanding Online Associate Degrees

Online associate degrees are becoming increasingly popular as alternatives to more expensive Bachelor's degree programs for students on a budget these days. Many individuals also like associate degrees because it gives them a good education and training and puts them in the work force more quickly than other types of advanced degrees; however, some people aren't sure what type of Associates program they should be looking into and are confused by the different types offered.

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There are three different types of online associates degrees commonly offered. Associate of sciences, associate of applied sciences, and associate of arts.
Associate of Sciences (AS): This is a program that focuses primarily on the physical sciences, such as health care programs, computer sciences and graphic design combined with a core college curriculum of liberal arts classes.
Associate of Applied Sciences (AAS): Similar to an AS, but with the focus on specific vocational training rather than physical sciences built around the core curriculum. These degrees tend to be more "hands on" in nature with fewer theoretical classes. Some examples would be massage therapy, crime scene investigation, paralegal studies and dental hygiene.
Associate of Arts (AA): The associate of arts is also built around a core liberal arts curriculum, but concentrates on the humanities and social sciences, such as psychology, sociology and the arts. There are a wide range of majors for this degree program as well, including criminal justice, sociology, linguistics and communications.
Online associates degrees can be considered a final goal or a stepping stone. The associate degree is an end in itself for many people; after graduating from high school and moving into the workforce, they've realized they can make more money if they have a degree. An associate degree is a wonderful way to increase your income potential without spending too much money. For others, however, continuing education past high school is just the beginning of their educational journey. More students than ever are realizing that getting an associates degree is the perfect stepping stone toward a bachelors degree down the road. There are several reasons for getting an online associates degree first that make sense for students:
1: An online associate degree can be pursued at your own pace and on our own schedule while you work and put away some money toward your education. You are not only saving money on the first two years of your education by getting your core liberal arts course out of the way online, you're getting a solid foundation in the major of your choice while you're working.
2: You can raise your income and take a break to work for a few years with your associate degree before going back for your bachelor degree. 3: The programs are convenient for everyone, no matter where they live or what there schedule is, and traditional colleges now routinely accept transferred associates degree programs from online schools.
4: Students who have served in the military often find they can get credit toward AS and AAS degrees for some of their military training. In fact, active duty military members often find out that if they are studying in programs such as avionics, mechanics or similar programs, they can be as much as half-way through the program based on the instruction they received in the military.
Programs offering online associate degrees have advantages for a great many people. Consider if they are the right fit for you.

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Sociology Schools Focus on Social Hierarchies

Sociology Schools, universities, and colleges provide systematic study of societies and human social action and interaction. Sociology may focus on social rules and social processes that connect and separate people as individuals and as members of groups. The study of sociology includes examining organizational and developmental aspects of human social existence.
The field of sociology includes analysis of momentary contact between strangers and acquaintances on the street as well as the study of global social processes. Sociology Schools offering Bachelor degrees will entail the liberal arts studies, as well as concentrations in the study of social theory, research methods, social organizations, social structures, family structures, social hierarchies, psychology, statistics, and much more.
Sociology Schools cover a broad discipline that may be difficult to fully understand. Sociology studies all components of social structure: social hierarchies, caste systems, and class structure inequities; demographic sociology, i.e., population, gender, age, and race dynamics; deviant behavior, crime, and criminal behavior; political sociology as relates to governments, governmental functions, and laws; and much, much more.
New fields of sociology continue to develop. Economic sociology is one of these, which studies sociological analysis of economic phenomena. Sociology research results have affected policies in education, laws, and administration decisions with development of public policy.
Sociology Schools prepare students in careers such as, teaching or conducting research. The Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science provides the undergraduate preparation for graduate work in sociology. Many other careers require a solid foundation of knowledge about social structure and human behavior. Sociology programs are flexible, allowing students to combine the sociology majors with other concentrations. The broad base of liberal arts provides prepares students for divergent career paths with advantages for a professionals in business, law, and medicine.

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Sociology Careers and Salaries

The Job description
Sociology is a vast subject involving many divisions and categories and sociologists can specialize in any area of their choice and competence. For instance some sociologist study the community of cities or rural areas while others focus on the factors affecting the physical and mental health. Sociologists are absorbed by colleges and universities, where they do research and surveys apart from teaching and handling administrative jobs.
Qualification
A doctoral degree is a prerequisite to be a sociologist however those who obtain bachelors degrees can get into low rank jobs like research assistants or counselors. Many universities offer online degree on sociology, which are ideal for those who are unable to do a regular course
Career Scope
Sociologists can work for government, private or non profit organizations. Some of the services they offer include family counseling, community planning and health care among others. There are part time sociology assignments as well. Promotional scopes in sociology careers depend on skill and experience. Sociologists with master's degrees can become supervisors while the sociologists with a doctoral degree can easily become full time professors in colleges or universities.
Working Conditions
Sociologists spend a major part of their day in reference libraries, class rooms or among the people. To be a successful sociologist you should have good interpersonal skills and should be self driven and capable of working on your own.
Good communication skills and the ability to work as a team are the other virtues of a successful sociologist. Though the salary package might vary from case to case on an average the annual salary for sociologists was $57,870 in 2004.Other benefits include paid holidays, health insurance, and retirement plans. They can also supplement their income by undertaking consultation world, authoring books and part time teaching assignments.

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