Identify and Discuss the Key Influences of the Strategic Hrm Diagnostic Model That Have Significance for Employee Recruitment and Selection Essay Example

Identify and Discuss the Key Influences of the Strategic Hrm Diagnostic Model That Have Significance for Employee Recruitment and Selection Essay The Strategic HRM Diagnostic Model (Stone, 2002:26) attempts to provide Human Resource Managers with an analytical framework designed to assist in the prediction and prevention of possible problems. The approach encourages HR managers to be pro-active, and to consider the nature of the internal and external environments before pursuing a particular course of action (Stone, 2002:25). The influences of the environments span all activities of Human Resource Management and this essay explores those that have significance for two HR activities in particular. The two of which are employee recruitment and employee selection. An organisation has extremely little, to no, control over its external environment, the aspects of which are too numerous to list. The external environment influences HRM practices, thus influencing HR activities, both directly and indirectly. In other words, an aspect of the organisation’s external environment may directly affect the processes of employee recruitment and selection through influencing HRM practices, but at the same time it will influence the organisation’s internal environment, hence affecting the processes through strategic alignment. One major external environmental influence may be politics. The state of politics may affect the processes of employee recruitment and selection in various ways. For example, political instability has had a dramatic influence on the practices of employee recruitment in Algeria (Mellahi Wood, 1996). This study addresses the impact the civil war has had on recruitment practices, among other things. An interesting discovery was that the lengthy political crisis led small and medium sized firms away from ‘rationalistic’, strategically driven practices and forced them into, what is referred to as, a ‘coping mode’. We will write a custom essay sample on Identify and Discuss the Key Influences of the Strategic Hrm Diagnostic Model That Have Significance for Employee Recruitment and Selection specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Identify and Discuss the Key Influences of the Strategic Hrm Diagnostic Model That Have Significance for Employee Recruitment and Selection specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Identify and Discuss the Key Influences of the Strategic Hrm Diagnostic Model That Have Significance for Employee Recruitment and Selection specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The ‘coping mode’ is reactive, as apposed to pro-active, fostering a ‘stay alive’ strategy; hence greatly affecting the management of human resources both directly and indirectly. Laws and regulations may also influence the HR activities of employee recruitment and selection. Changes in legislation could be seen as an indirect influence, in that an organisation’s objectives and strategy may have to be reconsidered due to restricting business opportunities or increasing competition as a result of the changes (Stone, 2002:17). Laws and regulations regarding equal employment opportunity, affirmative action, sexual harassment, privacy and terminations, however, prove to have a more direct influence, in that they have facilitated the creation of new jobs such as sex equity expert, gender bias officer and harassment facilitator (Lehn, 1997). The creation of new jobs requires the recruitment and selection of new employees, whether they are from outside or within the organisation; hence the direct influence. The process of employee selection is influenced in particular by equal employment opportunity (EEO) and affirmative action (AA) legislation (Sullivan, 1998), which require fair treatment for all members of the community and the elimination of discrimination. These factors play a major role in shaping the selection criteria and although they remain the same with respect to time, unlike other aspects of the external environment, they must still be considered a direct influence. The environmental influence of the labour market may also affect employee recruitment and selection. According to Doverspike, Taylor, Shultz and McKay (2002) â€Å"U. S. employers say they simply cannot find enough employees, let alone skilled employees†. This is due to the growth of the U. S. economy and the decrease of unemployment. This study explores various contributing factors of the shortage of job applicants in the U. S. , which is a significant problem for both private and public sectors. One such contributing factor is the changing demographic makeup of the workforce. Doverspike et al. 2002) explains that it is necessary to focus recruiting methods on the characteristics of certain ‘untraditional employee’ groups, so as to attract them amid the changing demographic makeup. Untraditional employee groups, for example, are Baby-Boomers, generation Xers, minority groups and any other group that requires special consideration when recruitment and selection processes are implemented. The state of economy can also have a more direct influence on the recruiting process, in that, the value or effectiveness of particular recruiting methods depends greatly on the state of economy (Teigen, 2002). For instance, high unemployment usually infers that unsolicited applications are more frequent and of better quality than they are when the labour market is tight. Also, in a situation of full employment several recruiting methods may need to be used simultaneously in order to generate even a few qualified candidates (Stone, 2002:180). Finally, technological advancement and the rate of technological change can influence employee recruitment and selection. In fact, a study was carried out by Byrne (2000) on the affect technological advancement has had on the management of the company, General Motors. Byrne (2000) states that â€Å"new technology, particularly the internet, is causing radical transformation that is nothing less than a new industrial revolution†. Thus, to survive and thrive in this century, managerial practices must change; hence influencing HR activities. These are only a small portion of the potential influences on HR activities from the external environment. Many more have significance to employee recruitment and selection, but it is important to remember that political, legal, environmental, economical and technological aspects of the external environment, as well as other aspects, affect HRM and HR activities periodically. In other words, although these aspects are key influences on HRM, they are managed through the development of a long-term strategy (Stone, 2002:18). This strategy, which is often referred to as the ‘corporate strategy’ or ‘master strategy’, is selected in light of the organisation’s external opportunities and threats and internal strengths and weaknesses. It influences HRM from within the organisation because strategic HRM requires HRM objectives and strategies to be linked, as closely as possible, to the organisation’s objectives and strategies. Thus, different types of organisational strategies produce a need for particular HR strategies (Stone, 2002:21). The successful integration of strategies, otherwise known as strategic alignment, has proven to improve an organisation’s environment for success (CCH, 1995). This is apparent in the case study of Colgate Palmolive’s development and implementation of their ‘global vision’ (Anfuso, 1995). Without successful integration, an organisation’s effectiveness would be substantially impaired (Grundy, 1998:50). Other aspects of the organisation’s internal environment, aside from its objectives and strategy, include the organisation’s purpose or mission, its structure and its culture. The purpose of an organisation is influenced by external factors and greatly influences the objectives and strategy, as well as the culture of an organisation. It can be considered, along with the organisation’s culture, when assessing its influence on the activities of employee recruitment and selection because it is essentially the projection of an organisations culture to the community. The purpose moulds the culture, thus potential employees deduce the values and beliefs of the organisation from its mission. The image of an organisation may affect the recruiting and selection processes by attracting or deterring potential applicants. According to Kristof (1996) â€Å"applicants are attracted to work environments that are compatible with their personal characteristics†. It is also important for management to foster a culture that promotes the achievement of the organisation’s strategic business objectives (Greene, 1995). With this in mind, selection criteria may be based on personality and attitude rather than skill or knowledge. Organisations use this tactic in hope of reducing the possibility of consequences and undesirable behaviours (Stone, 2002:211). An example of organisational culture having a negative influence on HRM is the case of Australia’s four largest banks (Westpac, National Australia, ANZ and Commonwealth). These organisations foster cultures which are high on authority and low on warmth, teamwork, employee commitment and concern for performance. Westpac’s culture, for example, is described as old-style ‘command and control’ and poses a dramatic influence on employee recruitment and selection through employee turnover, with the focus on women employees (Gray, 1997; Lyall, 1997). The structure of an organisation, as mentioned above, should be such that it helps achieve the organisation’s strategic objectives. The restructuring of an organisation to suit a selected strategy directly influences the activities of employee recruitment and selection. Organisations with narrow spans of control that are hierarchical in structure, for example, tend to be authoritarian, rigid, formal, highly specialised and bureaucratic. Whereas, organisations with wide spans of control that are flat in structure tend to be more flexible, adaptable, informal, less specialised and more entrepreneurial. Each type of structure requires employees with particular qualities and skills; therefore, the recruitment and selection processes are influenced. Downsizings and the financial costs of maintaining a full-time work force may initiate a change in the structure of an organisation. According to Burgess (1996) these factors have motivated employers to make greater use of independent contractors, temporary workers and executive leasing; hence, eliminating a number of jobs. Essentially, viewing employee recruitment and selection in a strategic light requires the HR manager to conduct each activity with top priority (HR Focus, 2000). This is because, for many organisations, competing for skilled employees is imperative as they are seen as a source of competitive advantage (Thomas, 2001; Way, 2000). To reiterate, the implementation of strategic alignment encourages the activities of recruitment and selection to reflect the direction of the strategic HRM objectives, which again reflect the direction of the strategic business objectives. The external environment influences the activities of recruitment and selection both directly and indirectly. Their direct influence is periodical and ever-changing and their indirect influence is a result of their affect on the organisation’s internal environment, which then influences the strategic HRM objectives. This essay is by no means a comprehensive study of all the possible influences of the Strategic HRM Diagnostic Model that have significance for employee recruitment and selection. Instead, it logically maps the influences of key aspects of an organisation’s internal and external environments, on the HR activities of employee recruitment and selection. Reference List- Anfuso, D. 1995. â€Å"Colgate aligns HR with its global vision†. Personnel Journal 74[1]:1 Burgess, J. 1996. â€Å"Workforce casualisation in Australia†. Journal of International Employment Relations Review 2[1]:33-54 Byrne, J. A. 2000. â€Å"Management by web†. Business Week 3696:44-52 CCH. 1995. â€Å"Successful companies integrate HR practices with business goals and full leverage employees†. Human Resources Management, Ideals and Trends 330:56-57 Doverspike, D. , Taylor, M. A. , Shultz, K. S McKay, P. F. 2000. â€Å"Responding to the challenge of a changing workforce: Recruiting non-traditional demographic groups†. Public Personnel Management 29[4]:445-457 Gray, J. 1997. â€Å"Macho bank culture drives top women from Westpac†. Australian Financial Review 3:1-32 Greene, R. J. 1995. Culturally competitive HR strategies†. HR Magazine 40[6]:115- 123 Grundy, T. 1998. â€Å"How are corporate strategy and human resources strategy linked? †. Journal of General Management 23[33]: 49-72 HR Focus. 2000. â€Å"The top HR issue of 2000†. HR Focus 77[4]:1 Kristof, A. L. 1996. â€Å"Person-organisation fit: An integrative review of its conceptualizations, mea surement, and implications†. Personnel Psychology 49:1-49 Lehn, A. 1997. â€Å"Against all reason? †. Review 49[4]:30-37 Lyall, K. 1997. â€Å"Bank women resigned to frustration†. Weekend Australian 8-9th March:6 Mellahi, K Wood, G. T. 2003. From kinship to trust: Changing recruitment practices in unstable political context†. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management 3[3]:369-381 Stone, Raymond J. 2002. Human Resource Management. Milton: John Wiley Sons. Sullivan, J. 1998. â€Å"Recruitment in the next millennium†. RCSA Journal 3:10 Teigen, M. 2002. â€Å"The suitable few: Managerial recruitment practices in the Norwegian state bureaucracy†. Scandinavian Journal of Management 18:197-215 Thomas, T. 2001. â€Å"The battle for talent†. Business Review Weekly 23[12]:72-73 Way, N. 2000. â€Å"Talent war†. Business Review Weekly 22[32]:64-70

6 Steps to Surviving a Job as a Night Shift Nurse

6 Steps to Surviving a Job as a Night Shift Nurse Being a night shift nurse can be extremely rewarding and heroic. It can also be incredibly grueling. Before you sign up to this gig, here are a few survival tips. And for those of you with no interest in such work, read on to see some of the challenges that face these tireless heroes who do such vital, life-saving work. 1. Understand your inner clock.Your circadian clock is your internal inclination to follow a normal 24-hour cycle. It also helps to regulate many of your body processes: hormones, temperature, heart rate, etc. The more you understand about these rhythms (and how your job will mess with them), the better off you’ll be. Realize that you will naturally crave sleep between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m., and do what it takes to train your body to, well, do the opposite of what it naturally wants to do.It may not be at the ideal time every day, and you’ll likely have to schedule your sleep instead of just falling into a normal routine like everybody else yo u know, but it’s even more important for you. Get blackout curtains for your room. Use eye masks or ear plugs or white noise machines to optimize your sleep environment. Make a sleep schedule and stick to it. Make sure you get long periods of uninterrupted sleep and that your family respects these periods.2. Keeping yourself healthy is key.The healthier you are, the better prepared your body will be to survive night shifts. Keep an eye out for conditions you’re at a higher risk for than your daytime components, like insomnia, daytime drowsiness, high blood pressure, diabetes, menstrual irregularities, common colds, and weight gain. Make sure to exercise and be active- it will help you stay alert. And make sure to eat right: reach for snacks high in protein and complex sugars, rather than candy and chips. Drink plenty of water. Having a healthy home life can help reinforce all the good habits you’ll need to cultivate to stay afloat at work.3. Bond with your cowor kers.Your coworkers are like a family- even more so when you’re all working in the trenches of the night shift. It’s a much different, and often more intimate environment. Take advantage of this to really work as a team, communicating effectively, and being able to rely on each other when the going gets tough.4. Don’t overdo the caffeine.Caffeine can be your friend- it can boost your alertness just when you need it. Remember to give yourself 25 minutes or so for it to kick in. But be judicious- too much caffeine can make you jittery or affect your out-of-work sleep quality. Find a balance that works for you and doesn’t compromise your sleep.5. Schedule your home life.It’s important that you keep your home life going strong, so it’s a place of comfort and stability. This might mean having to schedule things that normal families take for granted. But it’s worth it. Make sure you’re staying in constant touch- through texts, emails , phone calls, etc. Leave post-it notes or start a bulletin board to stay connected. And make sure to have a few date nights on the books if you have a special someone.6. Know the costs.Being a night nurse is really tough. The hospital may be a bit quieter, but patients are rarely able to sleep and often are needier or more anxious at night. Your patients might even get a bit angry or disgruntled as the night progresses. You’ll also get a lot of the leftover grunt work no one in the day shift wanted to do. And if you get hungry? Forget about it. The cafeteria will long have closed.That said, if you remember to stock up on snacks and food to fuel your shift, and you can learn to adjust your inner clock (and withhold your rage at the FedEx guy or the ice cream truck), you’ll also have the benefit of an extremely important and gratifying job- and one that offers a bit more flexibility than other, more regularly scheduled gigs.

Scoring Cyber Competitions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 130

Scoring Cyber Competitions - Essay Example Since it is an online activity, there needs to be an automated scoring machine which can be manipulated to generate and maintain scores to the competing teams. In fact, some competitions might require the use of certain services such as web, email, and database each of which plays an integral role in determining the success of the competition (Cashell, et al., 2004). Each of these machines should always be made available and actively maintained throughout the competition. Besides, I would like to recommend that competitors should be equipped with both offensive and defensive skills. Offensive skills can be crucial in launching an attack and allowing access to the vulnerabilities. On the other hand, defensive skills can be of much value especially when eliminating the vulnerabilities and building one’s own network before defending it (Loguidice & Barton, 2014). Lastly, the cyber competition should involve the use of rewards. The machine chosen should be in proper condition to help in awarding and deducting points from the competitors depending on the level of their performance. Points should be added if the competitor complies with all the rules and manages to carry out a successful defense, attack, and injections in line with the competition. Otherwise, points might be lost if they fail to do so or intentionally interrupt the scoring system.

Macroeconomics - power of the federal reserve in monetary policy Term Paper

Macroeconomics - power of the federal reserve in monetary policy - Term Paper Example The paper provides a brief overview of some recent actions that are taken by Federal Reserve. Federal Reserve is one of the most powerful institutes in terms of its capability of significantly influencing the monetary policy of United States of America. The primary mission of Fed is to make sure that sufficient money as well as credit is available and a sustainable economic growth is maintained without inflation. The organization has the power of slowing down the growth of money supply into the financial system when the inflation is likely to threaten the purchasing power of the common mass. The Fed has three tools to influence the monetary system and these are ‘discount rate’, ‘open market operations’ and ‘reserve requirements’ (Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, n.d.). Among these ‘open market operations’ can be considered as the Fed’s main tool for influencing the monetary policy. There is a committee named Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) that is responsible for developing monetary policies that are based on â⠂¬Ëœopen market operations’ (Federal Reserve, n.d.). In open market operations, US government securities are bought and sold in the open market. The primary objective of such buying and selling is to influence the short-term interest rate and the growth of credit and money. Once the policy is developed by FOMC, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York takes the responsibility of implementing it. The second most important tool is the ‘discount rate’ which is nothing but the interest rate that is charged by the Fed from different financial institutions against short-term loans. The third one i.e. the reserve requirement is the amount that the financial institutions have to keep aside as ‘reserve’. If the ‘reserve requirement’ is raised by the Fed then the banks are likely to have less money for lending and as a result the growth of money

Anachronisms in A Knights Tale

Anachronisms in A Knights Tale There are several anachronistic factors portrayed in the 2001 film A Knights Tale, and these elements are specifically crafted to help allow the viewer to relate to a subject that lays outside of their area of expertise, in this case the middle ages. By blending the use of modern music, and modern clothing items, with historical references and names of that time period, the director Brian Helgeland, is providing the audience a way to relate to a subject matter that they may be unfamiliar with. The Merriam Webster Online dictionary defines Anachronism as: an error in chronology; especially a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other. A person or a thing that is chronologically out of place; especially:   one from a former age that is incongruous in the present. the state or condition of being chronologically out of place Anachronism in storytelling is not a new phenomenon. The earliest forms of dramatic entertainment in the Middle Ages was the staging of religious narrative as public plays. These performances also relied on such anachronism to help the audiences to understand a time far removed from their own.   The roles of characters from religious plays were modelled after the roles members of the audience could relate to, to make the story easier for the audience to accept. The same can be said of the film A Knights Tale, which uses modern day elements, blended with a romanticised version of medieval history, to enhance the audiences familiarity with the period portrayed. In medieval times a sport arose. Embraced by noble and peasant alike though only noble knights could compete. The sport was jousting. For one of these knights, an over-the-hill former champion, it was the end. But for his peasant squire William, it was merely the beginning. (A Knights Tale chapter 1) The jousting arena as portrayed in one of the first action scenes of the film, is shown in a fairly historically accurate manner, from the design of the raised throne area for the local nobility, to the dirt and plain wooden benches for the peasants. The trappings of heraldic devices, the horses armor, or barding, and the lances and other tournament equipment are quite authentic in appearance; only the use of Queens We Will Rock You seems out of place. But the inclusion of this type of music, and that song in particular are quite intentional. That same piece of music can be heard used today, in a similar setting. In a modern hockey arena or football stadium, you can see different groups of people, seated on benches, with painted faces, cheering wildly for their chosen team. These people are separated into different areas, some with a better view of the activities than others, and this music is quite often played to help raise the anticipation of the fans, and to increase their enjoym ent of the games. This lends an air of familiarity to the scene in the movie. Jousting tournaments, much like modern sporting events today, provided a sense of community and belonging that could be enjoyed by all, peasants and nobility alike.   The use of Queens We Will Rock You helps demonstrates the excitement and extravagance of the tournament scene, and reminds us how much this new sport is like our own NHL, WWF or Football industries. (Cetiner-Oktem, 2009, p.50). The anachronistic terminology used in describing the final jousting tournament in London as the World Championship also helps forge a link to our modern times, making the events seem more familiar and allowing the viewer to willingly suspend his disbelief. The anachronism of modern clothes follows a similar logic in allowing the audience to relate to the film. From the style of Jocelyns transparent blouse, the use of a modern day hat, overcoats with deep v neck lines, or a black and white outfit that has a more modern look to it, these clothing choices are far more relatable to a modern audience than the chemise, underskirt, overskirt, bustle, corset, and heavy fabric over dress of a noblewomans closest. The clothing of the women is not the only anachronistic wardrobe in the film. Williams character also wears fitted and shaped pants, very similar in design to modern dress pants, and his dress tunic for the feast is cut much more in the style of a modern overcoat, rather than the traditional tunic he would have worn in the middle ages. These style cues make the characters, and the settings seem more like our own, thus allowing us to adapt to the historical setting of the movie a little easier. These anachronisms not only bridge the gap between periods, but create a deep sense of familiarity for the audience. There are many historically appropriate names and places referenced in the film, including the character of Geoffrey Chaucer. By incorporating a person of historical significance, the film gains some added credibility as a period piece, but the fictional character is portrayed in a manner that makes it easier for the audience to accept and understand the character. As Chaucer speaks to the crowds as Williams herald, he uses a style of speech and tone of voice that is instantly recognizable to many modern viewers. The verbal build-up of Williams character, the accounting of all his attributes, and his past battle accomplishments, are all very reminiscent of the style and mannerisms of famous fight announcer Bruce Buffer, whom many viewers in the audience would know from Professional boxing and UFC fights. As Cetiner-Oktem states in the essay Dreaming the Middle Ages, Chaucer is not a part of American culture. Thus, this encounter may also be read as bridging the infant American cultur e, embodied in William, to the well-established English culture, embodied in Chaucer. (Cetiner-Oktem, 2009, p.50) Another historical name that is used in the film is that of Williams noble alter ego; Ulrich von Liechtenstein from Gelderland. As we have learned in our course studies, Sir Ulrich was a real knight from the thirteenth century, who also followed the ideals of courtly love and chivalry, and wrote of his many adventures. (McKenzie, 2017) The plot device that Lady Jocelyn uses to get William to prove his love to her in the film also has some historical bearing. It was originally contrived by Chrà ©tien de Troyes in his story Lancelot or The Knight of the Cart in the twelfth century. In it Guinevere tells Lancelot to do his worst, and lose in a tournament, only to change her mind midway, and tell Lancelot to do the best he can, in order to prove his love for her. All of these historical embellishments all help to provide some credibility to the time period the film is set i n, and may even provoke the audience to look further into the actual truth of the history portrayed, as it did in my case. I feel that although this film is a neo-medievalist telling of a story, all of the modern and historical elements, from the historical names and places, to the modern elements of music and fashion are combined together with some artistry and grace to create a compelling tale that the audience can easily relate too, while providing escapist fantasy. The film still provides an enjoyable portrayal of medieval times, and provides enough historical facets to be thought provoking. References Anachronism. (N.D.) in Merriam-Websters Online Dictionary. Retrieved March 4, 2017, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anachronism Black, T. (Producer), Helgeland, B. (Producer), Van Rellim, T. (Producer) Helgeland, B. (Director). (2001) A Knights Tale [Motion picture]. United States: Columbia Pictures. Cetiner-Oktem, Z. (2009). Dreaming the Middle Ages: American Neomedievalism in A Knights Tale and Timeline. Interactions, (1), 43. McKenzie, A. (2017). Week 6: Neo-medievalism in Film: Chivalry Fountains: Knightly Chivalry and the Arthurian Tradition. [Online course slides] Retrieved on March 4, 2017, from https://conestoga.desire2learn.com/d2l/le/content/145142/viewContent/3017348/View McKenzie, A. (2017). Week 6: Neo-medievalism in Film: Chivalry Fountains: The Chivalric Code of Honour. [Online course slides] Retrieved on March 4, 2017, from https://conestoga.desire2learn.com/d2l/le/content/145142/viewContent/3017347/View

To Deny Competition is to Deny Life Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive

To Deny Competition is to Deny Life I can remember in fourth grade having an Easter egg hunt at school and having the teacher tell us that we could pick up only three eggs, and then we were to stop. Truth be told, that rule was probably in place for people like me who were so incredibly slow that the other kids would have gotten all the eggs before I even got there, but that didn't matter. I can still remember how stupid I thought it was and how it took the whole point out of the experience. Or how about when we had an art "competition" and half the class got first place ribbons and everyone else got second place ribbons. I had even less art skills than speed at that time and it still annoyed me. What was the prize worth if it was easily attained? Why were they trying to fool me in order to make me feel good about myself? Why were they afraid of real competition? I have been a fierce competitor all my life. I believe I owe most of the credit to having two older brothers who are somewhat close in age. I remember shooting baskets and knowing full well that the only way I was going to shoot the ball was if I managed to get the ball away from my much taller and bigger brothers. If I wanted to play with them at all, I had to learn some way of bridging that natural gap, and it instilled in me a competitive spirit that has been carried with me, further developed, and found to be essential throughout many aspects of my life. Humans are naturally competitive beings. If we weren't, we wouldn't still be around on this planet. One of the greatest and healthiest forms of competition is found in sports. The fact that sports are still thriving also points to our need for competition, for they are an outlet for our ... ... of life. If people can't see this, then it is easy to understand how they can't see the true beauty of competition. Competition is an essential part of growing up. It mirrors life almost to perfection while allowing it to be a game. To deny competition is to deny that life will present us with struggles. It is to pretend that this world will not offer obstacles to be overcome. To fear the pain of failure for either yourself or anyone else is to misunderstand the importance of challenges to create purpose. It is to misunderstand the balance of life. A hollow victory is no victory at all. So I say give me competition. I'll strive to do and be my best and I'll take my chances and if I fall short then so be it, for that's reality. Allow me to hold in balance the chance of failure and the hope of success, for it is in these moments that I can dare to be alive.

Sociological Approach to the Study of Religion

Outline and assess one of the main approaches to the study of religions. Religion and ‘The Study of Religions’ has many approaches which try to investigate the core of what religion is and what it means to the people who practice it. Sociology is one such approach that this essay will be looking at through its founding fathers Emile Durkheim, Max Weber and Karl Marx. Sociology in general looks at people’s dynamics and explains a group’s influence. It demonstrates how religious belief and practices have become so important over time and emphasises their role and significance throughout. Each of these three sociologists has a link to these ideas which will be the main thesis in this essay. Emile Durkheim looks at religion from a functionalist perspective in the sense that he assumes that religion has a positive role in society, as it acts as an important socialisation process for all members. The theory is largely based on the Arunta tribe in Australia, where he discovered objects worshipped which he calls ‘totems. ’ These totems according to him were an important factor in the society; seeing that the objects became a symbol of the group’s identity and unity. These objects he claims are â€Å"collective representation† (Fish, Jonathan S. 2005: 30) as they have reinforced the importance of integration into the community via the worshipped objects. The worshipped object have an emotional significance to them as the â€Å"totems serve as evocative device for reminding individuals of their initial feelings long after the assemblies† (Fish, Jonathan S. 2005:51) therefore evidently it becomes more about the idea and symbolism of the object rather than the object itself that unites all. Thus making the idea of rituals of greater significance as it generally binds people together which for Durkheim is always a positive thing. On the other hand, Durkheim does not offer a real explanation on why some deviate from such society’s e. g. Islamic fundamentalists such as the Taliban. Perhaps his theory generally works on a tribal base rather than bigger societies, where conflicts and divides are more common; in a smaller community less people are likely to go against the status quo. Moreover, to say that religion only plays a positive role is absurd. How can one explain the atrocities that occur on the name of religion for instance? For this reason I find Durkheim’s theory limiting as it does not look at all aspects of religion or religious life but merely draws a quick conclusion to it. Also according to this perspective religion instils the same norms and values for everyone, making it a regulatory function in society. Religion for Marx then becomes a form of social control which provides guidelines through religious texts e. g. 10 commandments. These norms which are shared gives people the opportunity to unite to what may be seen as morally incorrect or sinful. This can be vital in a society as it can allow social stability. Durkheim argument is plausible as there has been a significant rise in New Religious Movements. This evidently shows that people still require religion in their life. Moreover, the recent increase on religious fundamentalists can be a point that strengthens Durkheim argument as it can be evidence for people being threatened by a weakening society. Karl Marx similar to Durkheim starts with the assumption that religion is in fact a product of society. Importantly, however, he disagrees with Durkheim as he does not see religion as beneficial for the whole of society but argues it benefits only the ruling class or what he calls the ‘bourgeoisie’. Religion, according to Marx only transmits bourgeoisie ideologies to convince the working class or ‘proletariats’ that inequality is natural and fair phenomena in the world. Making religion as a whole a â€Å"collective smoke-screen† (Connolly, P. 1999:100) as it distorts reality which gives explanation for inequality as being of religious significance i. e. sin. For Marx this is the core idea behind religion making it a tool for oppression and a form of social control. Religion is claimed to be the â€Å"opium of the people† (Hamilton, Malcolm B 2001:81), making it a drug which is used by people as an illusion to hide or cover up the real causes of suffering, which for Marx is primarily capitalism. Capitalism covers up religion and manages to help the bourgeoisie greatly, as it becomes a â€Å"comforting illusion† (Hamilton, Malcolm B 2001:80) as the proletariats do not question the status quo due to their belief in getting a greater reward in the afterlife. Religion itself is used to justify hierarchy in the world, a verse in a hymn such as the following are used, â€Å"the rich man in his castle, the poor man at his gate, god made them. Highly or lowly, and ordered their state†. This stresses Marx’s point that as it’s believed to be sanctioned by God it is unlikely to be challenged by anyone. The Marxists perspective generally makes many valid arguments which society can relate to even today. The idea of caste system is still relevant in many Hindu traditions (although generally frowned upon). Buddhism has the idea of karma meaning if you are a poor person in this life then it’s to do with your own bad karma in the previous life. Therefore Marxism is correct in this aspect, that religion is used in order to justify inequality. Another key piece of evidence for the Marxists perspective is the fact that the Catholic Church is arguably allowing the spread of aids due to its stance against contraception. As a result of this, there is a continuation of social deprivation especially in Africa which further illustrates that religion is generally used to keep social inequality. Marxism disagrees that religion can bring about social change, this, however can be disputed. This is mainly due to the fact religious leaders have challenged the status quo in order to bring about change in their societies. Two main examples being Father Camillo Torres Restrepo and Martin Luther King whose works brought about a vast amount of change to Colombia and America respectively. Evidently this contrasts to the Marxists view as it shows that religion can in fact bring about social change and consequently allow for equality. Personally, I feel that the Marxists view limits human nature as it assumes they will simply follow rather than stand up to injustice. More importantly sociology in general claims to work in an objective and scientific way but I cannot see how it is possible with Marxists ideas such as on the religion being a drug and comforting as these ideas are impossible to measure. Max Weber is regarded as a social action theorist due to his claim that religion can shape and define society. He argues that religion can indeed bring about social change; he bases his argument on a Christian group named the Calvinists whom according to him brought about a form of western capitalism. This form of â€Å"ascetic Protestantism† (Johnstone, Ronald L. 2004:196) allows for the growth of capitalism because of their belief on disciplined hard work which to them emphasised the Glory of God. This â€Å"spirit of capitalism† (Furseth, Inger and Pal Repstad 2006:36) did not allow for the accumulation of wealth but actually encouraged reinvestment back into the society according to Weber. The so called Protestant ethics approach leads him to believe that this led to social change as society turned to mass producing mechanised industries. Another way the Calvinist were able to bring about social change, was thorough the apprehension people had. Calvinists believed in predestination which led to the belief that having a good business or being successful could have indicated that you were one of God’s chosen people. This gives the perception that people were competing over heaven and failure was not an option for people. However, Weber does not limit the growth of capitalism to the Calvinist alone as he is aware of other factors. Weber’s argument must be treated with a degree of caution. Evidence suggests that Protestant nations were not always capitalistic and vice versa. Also many believe that Catholic countries were already flourishing before the breakaway from Catholicism occurred. The study of Religions deal with many wide and opposing issues some of which have been covered in this essay through the works of Durkheim, Marx and Weber. Although, each sociologist does give a good account of explaining the dynamics within a religious group but with each case a very simplistic and generalised view was given by the sociologist about religion. It is plausible to argue that religion brings people together through rituals but is it not a natural thing for people to unite whilst doing something together? In this view then perhaps anything can be said to have religious significance as long as it brings people together. Additionally, the idea of a greater reward in the afterlife is not the only justification given about inequality. In the greater sense inequality within religion can be about anything from the roles of men and women to dress code. Therefore once again this idea has been limited to it being about capitalism. Religion is said to be able to bring about social change which arguably is a factor but for it to be the only thing is for me far fetched. It is an inherent thing for people to fight when they are being wronged. It is about something within rather than it being about religion.