Sociological Imagination Essay - 582 Words

To understand the term `Sociological Imagination, it is important to identify what Sociology is and what do sociologists study. It is also vital to look at the three basic concerns of the sociological imagination or perspective, which include Social Structure, Social Institutions and Social Processes. Moreover, it is necessary to understand what C. Wright Mills means when he mentions the personal troubles of milieu and the public issues of social structure, and how it helps us to understand the society in which we live in. What is `Sociological Imagination? To answer this question a person must first know what Sociology is. Sargent (1994) states that There is no short answer... however, we can come to understand†¦show more content†¦Not from within the individual but outside the individual. Another question that would arise before looking into the `Sociological imagination is what do sociologists study? Sociologists concern themselves with the human behavior, what influences them and manipulates them to behave in that manner. Sociologists focus on the three basic concerns of the sociological imagination or perspective for explanations. Social structure, deals with the formation of society, how it was formed and why is it the way it is today. Giddens, A (1997) states It is the business of sociology to investigate the connections between what society makes of us and what we make of ourselves. The second, Social Institutions, shows the relationship among those major social institutions that play a major role in society and have the power to influence an individuals life such as family, religion, and education. The third, which is social processes, are dynamic to social life such as conflict and power. They combine these three and try to shape why society is the way it is, what makes something socially acceptable, who makes the rules and who plays the game. Sociological Imagination comes into the picture when a persons individual life is looked away from the society they live. It forces the individuals to detach themselves away from the familiar habits of their everyday lives in order to look at them from a newShow MoreRelatedSociological Imagination636 Words   |  3 Pagesproblems, family problems or an individual just may not be happy. Although, if this person uses their social imagination it may be a little easier for them to cope with their depression. Looking at their problems in a more general perspective helps them realize they are not alone and these are daily problems everyone faces. Sociologist C. Wright Mills quotes â€Å"The sociological imagination enables its possessor to understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the innerRead MoreThe Sociological Imagination And Me Essay1343 Words   |  6 PagesThe Sociological Imagination and Me Charles Wright Mills was a writer, a researcher, a teacher, a scholar and a well known sociologist. He was the author of the 1959 book, The Sociological Imagination. This book was poorly received by the sociological community at first, but it is one of the most widely read sociological texts today. The Sociological Imagination and Mills’ other works have had an immense impact on sociology, as he influenced many other scholars and the â€Å"New Left† movement of theRead MoreSociological Imagination Essay703 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿ Tierra Hodge Dr. Ngeo Boon Lin Intro to Sociology October 1, 2014 Sociological Imagination What is sociological imagination? According to C. Wright Mills sociological imagination is the ability to see how individual experiences are connected to the larger society. Sociological perspective enables one to grasp connection to history and biography. History is the background and biography is the individual’s specific experiences. C.Wright Mills came up with the idea that in order for one to understandRead MoreC. Wright Millss Sociological Imagination1301 Words   |  6 PagesThe sociological imagination, a concept coined by C. Wright Mills, is defined as, â€Å"the awareness of the relationship between personal experience and wider society.† The sociological imagination is not an innate way of thinking, therefore its inverse is commonly referred to as the ordinary way of thinking. People who think ordinarily, do not make connections between what is happening in their own milieu and what is happening in the larger society they live within. The memoir of Michael P atrick MacDonaldRead MoreSociological Imagination By C. Wright Mills942 Words   |  4 PagesSociological imagination according to C. Wright Mills (1959) â€Å"enables its possessor to understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals† (p.5) Mills in this book of The Sociological Imagination explains how society shapes the people. Mills wants people to be able to use sociological imagination to see things in a sociology point of view, so they can know the difference between personal troubles versus personal issuesRead MoreThe Sociological Imagination By C. Wright Mills Essay1970 Words   |  8 Pagesmay not be within our control, and it takes a toll on our lives. As a person experiences something that is out of their control, it is related back to social forces; this is what the sociological imagination is. C. Wright Mills, author of â€Å"The Sociological Imagination†, explains how the sociological imagination plays a part in human development, and how certain social forces affecting the lives of those who are constantly facing hardships. He explains that the problems that we face as human beingsRead MoreThe Sociological Imagination : C. Wright Mills1822 Words   |  8 PagesC. Wright Mills defines the sociological imagination as, â€Å"what they need, and what they feel they need, is a quality of mind that will help them to use information and to develop reason in order to achieve lucid summations of what is going on in the world and of what may be happening within themselves†. Mills also says that the sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society. When I read Chapter One: The Promise from C. WrightRead MoreThe Sociological Imagination : C. Wright Mills907 Words   |  4 Pageslimited to their day to day life and personal experiences that are directly related to them, they cannot see the bigger picture. They do not yet know that the sociological imagination can set them free from this trap and as C. Wright Mills said, In many ways it is a terrible lesson; in many ways a magnificent one.. The sociological imagination is truly an incredible thing. Most people go through life indeed feeling trapped by the personal troubles that plague their lives and some never even considerRead MoreThe Sociological Imagination As Described By C. Wright Mills930 Words   |  4 PagesThe sociological imagination as described by C. Wright Mills is â€Å"the ability to understand the intersection between biography and history or interplay of self and the world.† (13) Mills also describes the sociological imagination by saying, â€Å"we have come to know every individual lives, from one generation to the next, in some society; that he lives out a biography, and that he lives out within some historical sequence. By the fact of his living he contributes, however minutely, to the shaping ofRead MoreSociological Imagination Coined By Sociologist C. Wright Mills1138 Words   |  5 PagesThroughout our lives we encounter numerous personal troubles, no matter big ones or trivial ones. H owever, one may seldom relate their problems in a sociological level rather often try to ascribe the blame to their personal wrongs. In this essay I would introduce the topic of sociological imagination coined by sociologist C. Wright Mills, describing how personal matters have all sorts of interwoven relationships with social issues. It is also important to realize that there are distinctions between

The current business environment Free Essays

The current business environment is characterized by a considerable level of competitive rivalry and as a result businesses have to constantly reengineer their internal processes in order to develop a sustainable competitive advantage. This is the situation in the airline industry and as a result Air Asia has to develop a sustainable competitive advantage. It is believed that the installation of the e-commerce application will facilitate the implementation of the most important strategy: maximizing access to information. We will write a custom essay sample on The current business environment or any similar topic only for you Order Now This is one of the most important strengths for the company not only because the company will be in a position to collect more information about its customers, but also because the customers will be able to get more information as well. As a result, this will serve as an advertising tool for the company. In this respect, the company will not be facing any problem because the strategy is being implemented through a joint venture with Microsoft. The airline industry is characterized by a high level of competitive intensity and therefore Air Asia has to constantly reengineer its internal operations in order to build and maintain a competitive edge. In this respect, the strategic focus of the company is cost minimization. uAccording to Michael Porter’s framework for strategy formulation, a business organization has three strategies at its disposal in order to build and maintain a competitive advantage. These are differentiation, cost minimization and focus (cited in Fred, 2006). Although Air Asia might be said to be implementing all three strategies, its focus is on minimizing costs. The company is implementing the strategy of focus by targeting underserved markets while it is implementing the strategy of differentiation by adding value-added services to its repertoire. However the reasoning behind choosing to adopt these strategies has been to locate opportunities for ensuring customer satisfaction through focusing on areas of the market which have not been targeted by competitors. As a result, Air Asia manages to charge lower prices than many of its competitors while maintaining comparable standards of quality. Mobile commerce is an extension of e-commerce according to which computer systems can be accessed through the internet on mobile devices such as PDA, smartphone or a cell phone (cited in Hitt, 2007). Mobil commerce has greater flexibility than e-commerce because it has satellite connectivity. As a result, devices which do not have internet connectivity but which have satellite connectivity can conduct transactions via m-commerce. In this respect, it must be mentioned that m-commerce can conduct video and audio conferencing. Therefore the application of m-commerce leads to greater scope for business-to-business and business-to consumer exchanges. This has become the crucial business model in the current business environment which is characterized by a high level of competitive rivalry. This means that businesses must focus on the process of cost minimization. This is facilitated through both e-commerce and m-commerce applications as they facilitate the development of B2B and B2C frameworks. However m-commerce is more convenient because of its greater accessibility. Air Asia’s application of Windows Vista can be extended to m-commerce because Microsoft has already developed operating systems for mobile phones. Therefore Microsoft will be in a position to create interoperability between e-commerce and m-commerce through the Air Asia gadget. Although m-commerce is wirelessly connected, it has the flexibility of being connected through e-commerce as well. This means that any solutions developed for e-commerce can be accessible through m-commerce. This will benefit the consumers because they will not have to be connected to the internet once the Windows Vista application is made compatible in the m-commerce platform. In this respect, the costs of conducting e-commerce applications are higher than m-commerce applications. E-commerce requires connectivity via a personal computer. With m-commerce the same amount of information can be processed through a cell phone. How to cite The current business environment, Papers

The Holidays free essay sample

The Holidays The meaning of holidays is essentially a time we embark moments and share time with love one’s. In the United Sates, holidays are a very superior time that many of us embrace. Many can think back on holidays that they’ve encountered and recollect favorable moments. For many, it is the time of the year when people seem to grasp inside of one another and distinguish the best of things. Clearly, to some amount the â€Å"holiday season† gives people a sense of pleasure. Halloween and Christmas are two holidays that many people choose to rejoice. Indeed, they are both the most decorated holidays of the year, and both originate from Christian beliefs. But there’s something about the two that have mystified throughout their existence. Halloween and Christmas share similar attributes, but they are also vastly different in history, culture and traditions. On October 31, many people celebrate the eve of All Saints Day; better known to the world as Halloween. We will write a custom essay sample on The Holidays or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page When people think of Halloween, they think of a day filled with frights, terror and fun. There are many cultural influences that have prompted to the holiday e now call Halloween; such as Day of Dead and All Souls Day. Halloween is refrained by death, but this doesnt make the holiday wicked. In fact, its a time of celebration for greeting spirits that have departed from past years. Some beliefs include wearing costumes so spirits would think that the living coexisted with the dead. Consequently, decorations on Halloween entail of skeletons, ghost, witches, and pumpkins. Simply, the idea is to decorate your house as daunting as it can be. As a tradition, children are able to stroll at night going oor to door, and receive as much candy as they can fit into their pillowcases. By the end of the night, children compete with siblings and friends to see who received the most candy. Halloween is the only holiday kids receive so much candy; it can last the entire year. It is clear that child ren take a joy on this event. Also, in today’s modern time it’s the only day out of the year a person can dress up as a character. However, Christmas is a sacred religious holiday; celebrated on December 25. The yearly centenary of the Christian church to memorialize the birth of Jesus. Though the original concept of Christmas is for the church service to celebrate the birth of Christ; people celebrate Christmas Day in many ways. Our culture has formed it more around giving gifts to loved ones and spending time with family. Subsequently, there are many types of decorations that are displayed during Christmas time that contain whites, reds and greens. Decorating houses with bright lights, mistletoe’s, bells, snowmen, angels and stockings is a traditional act. As for kids, they await for Santa Clause to arrive, so they can open gifts on Christmas morning. Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, is a historic, legendary and mythological individual. Believed by numerous children to bring gifts to the homes of well-behaved children. The iconic Santa Claus has been in existence since the early 1800’s who’s been portrayed as a stocky, joyful, white- bearded man with red rosy cheeks, wearing a red coat with black leather boots. Furthermore, receiving gift is one of the most exciting aspects of modern Christmas. Gift are usually items that were asked for throughout the year. In all, many citizens take the time to enjoy time away from work and dearly spend it with love ones. We come across many holidays that contribute to a social phenomenon like religion, beliefs and traditions. Despite the similarities among Halloween and Christmas, they are more different than people may present. Overall, I think people can view both in a positive or negative way, but some may agree that all holidays always have a very special meaning. A holiday give people time to experience and learn; that is how they can differentiate holidays

Utopian Society The Giver Essay Example For Students

Utopian Society The Giver Essay What would your life be like in a utopian society? Jonas knows what it is like. He has lived in one for twelve years. At the age of twelve he is chosen to be the Receiver. + Through the essay one will be aware of the memories Jonas received, the results of the memories, and the wisdom he gained as a result of the memories. Memories play an important role in The Giver. For example, this is the first memory Jonas received: Then he shivered. He realized that the touch of the hands felt, suddenly cold. At the same instant, breathing in, he felt the air change, and his very breath was cold.(p.80) This was the memory of a sled ride in the snow. Although this memory is happy, as the book continues he realized memories arent all happy. Results play a major role in the conclusion and what makes The Giver end the way it does. This is when a major change in the relationship between Jonas and the Giver takes place: The Giver looked away as if he could not bear to see what he had done to Jonas. Forgive me, he said.(p.120) After this took place Jonas started to change and to realize a lot of things. Thus, some results are positive, but also some are negative. We will write a custom essay on Utopian Society The Giver specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Wisdom is the final topic discussed in the essay. Jonas learns a lot and becomes wiser throughout the book. It is easy to see wisdom through his actions that follow: Methodically Jonas hacked the fish in to pieces with a sharp rock and fed the raw shreds to himself and Gabriel.(p.173) This event took place after Jonas took Gabriel and ran away. Because of the situation he faced, Jonas had no choice but to rely on his wisdom. In a utopian society ones life wouldnt really be his own. No one really has a life or freedom in a utopian society. Through memories, Jonas learned a lot. The results of the memories gave him wisdom. The wisdom Jonas gained helped him and Gabriel survive. Of all the three topics discussed, wisdom plays the biggest role of all. English Essays .

Recognizing And Nurturing Intrinsic Motivation Essays - Free Essays

Recognizing And Nurturing Intrinsic Motivation Essays - Free Essays Recognizing And Nurturing Intrinsic Motivation Running head: RECOGNIZING AND NURTURING INTRINSIC MOTIVATION Recognizing and Nurturing Intrinsic Motivation: A Cautionary Tale Article Critique Recognizing and Nurturing Intrinsic Motivation: A Cautionary Tale This article related to the pre-teaching experiences of educators and the necessity for training in the identification of intrinsic motivation in the gifted learner. For far too many years, gifted learners were only thought to be the achievers in the group. Those students that were able to excel in whatever assignment was given or any task at hand were generally those identified as the gifted and talented in the group. This paper implies that this belief continues to be widely held. Those in teacher training are required to perform a given number of hours of observation in a mentor teacher's classroom prior to the completion of their program. Without adequate training in the identification of internally motivated behavior, this writer concludes that many of the teacher-identified gifted students would be missed. From the author's perspective, most of the pre-teachers doing the observations in this paper identified the teacher-pleasers as the intrinsically motivated in the classroom. Usually this type of student is most responsive to extrinsic motivation, according to the author. Future teachers need to be trained to recognize the nonconformist gifted learner as well. Too often these students are allowed to fall between the cracks because their true intrinsic motivation is never identified. They are usually labeled early on as a troublemaker or as rowdy. Failure to identify those students that only faintly demonstrate characteristics of giftedness can lead to continual classroom disruptions and the loss of potential for the student. I could not agree more strongly with the author. Having taught several vocational science classes in local high schools, I have met many students that are indeed gifted but are nonconforming holding little regard for those that do not seek to understand them on a personal level. There are many strong young minds lost every year because teachers and other professionals are not adequately trained or equipped to identify and differentiate curriculum for these underground students. According to the author characteristics of the intrinsically motivated student include: students that accept challenges willingly, those that show persistence in difficult tasks, those who exhibit curiosity, remain task-committed, and reflect satisfaction in their own efforts despite the opinion of others. The author sees this motivation as fueled by students' psychoacademic needs to control their own decisions. These students, almost by their very nature, do not exhibit the teacher pleasing characteristics so often identified with the gifted student. In fact, the author sites research indicating that extrinsic rewards (teacher pleasing) can be devastating to the intrinsically motivated student. This system lessens the ability of the child to learn and work for the satisfaction therein. The author feels these students can lose their perceived power over their decisions much more quickly than the average learner can. In the paper it is described as a fragile commodity, lost more easily than gained. The author concludes by reinforcing the need for teachers to be trained early on in the recognition and nurture of intrinsic motivation in order to foster self-esteem and a safe environment in which the gifted learner can prosper. Bibliography Lashaway-Bokina, N. (2000). Recognizing and nurturing intrinsic motivation: a cautionary tale. Roeper Review, 22(4), 225-229. Bibliography Lashaway-Bokina, N. (2000). Recognizing and nurturing intrinsic motivation: a cautionary tale. Roeper Review, 22(4), 225-229.

Behind processed food Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Behind processed food - Research Paper Example The process of chemically treating foods was introduced in 1910, by the 1930s, frozen food became available, and the phenomenon of fast food emerged in the 1940s and became popular quickly. Obviously fast food is chemically treated and not natural and generally unhealthy, in 1994, food became even more manipulated with the introduction of genetically modified organisms (Leite 1)). Now we have huge supermarkets and a lot of the foods available in them is unhealthy processed food. Overweight rates in the world are increasing and the United States are the highest rated country when it comes to this subject, if the obesity being in high rates we need to find a solution to this phenomenon. Processed foods should contain more natural ingredients and the government should be more involved in regulating the ingredients that are put into these foods to maintain the population healthy and so the rate of health issues due to overweight becomes lower. Food is our guiltiest pleasure; food is related to all our festivities, whenever there is a birthday there is a cake, in Christmas family gatherings, when we go out with friends usually there food involved. Food is the most important part of our lives wherever we go there is food and we use it to sustain ourselve (Kim 54). We obviously need food to survive but we do not know is that by consuming these foods we might be killing our self. Processed food is everywhere in our lives and it’s very difficult to out run it. Of course, there are places like Whole Foods which distribute unprocessed, all-natural, healthy food to its customers. Their items are naturally grown and fresh and contain little to none chemicals. No matter where we go we try to buy our food there is always going to be a little bit of some form of chemicals. This is why places like whole foods are convenient, especially for the people

Explain in detail how a risk manager can make optimal use of insurance Essay

Explain in detail how a risk manager can make optimal use of insurance as part of an overall risk management strategy - Essay Example A considerable number of companies have lost equipment, buildings, and materials to natural disasters. In addition, many companies have lost human resources, as well as revenues as they could no longer manufacture goods and services. The four leading strategies for risk management include risk financing, loss reduction, loss prevention, and risk avoidance (Iverson 2013, p. 2). Even though some businesses can assume, reduce, or even avoid certain risks, few business organizations can fully protect themselves without purchasing insurance. Overall, a risk manager can effectively make use of insurance as part of a general risk management strategy to ensure sustainability and profitability of the business. Most companies greatly benefit from taking their risks into consideration when they are performing extremely well, as well as when markets are rapidly growing. Accordingly, the companies can sustain growth and profitability (Andersen 2010, p. 1). A risk manager plays a vital role in predicting and enacting measures that would help prevent or control losses within the company. The process of risk management involves identifying various exposures to potential losses, measuring the exposures, and making an informed decision about the most suitable approach to protect the company from losses or harm, considering the nature of the risks and the goals and resources of the company (Andersen 2010, p. 1). Some risks are more important than others. Therefore, the risk manager must determine the importance as well as ability of each risk while identifying and evaluating exposures. The goals and resources of a company are vital to selecting the best method for preventing or controlling risks. However, the risk manager must monitor the method already selected and implemented to ensure that it generates or produce the projected outcomes. In general, company risks fall under five broad categories