school work

Max Weber

·      German sociologist, philosopher, jurist, & political economist

In 1882 Weber enrolled in the University of Heidelberg as a law student

University of Heidelberg: a public research university in Heidelberg Germany: founded in 1386 by pope urban VI  and is the 3rd university established in the holy roman empire

Took his mothers side and grew astranged from his father

In 1886 he passed the examiner for Referander - bar exam

Earned his doctorate in 1889 by writing a dissertation on legal history titled The history of commercial partnerships in the middle ages

Webber examined various legal principles according to the profit, risk and cost of an enterprise

Webber then joined the faculty of the University of Berlin two years later

In 1888 he joined the Verein für Socialpolitik,[26] a new professional association of German economists affiliated with the historical school, who saw the role of economics primarily as finding solutions to the social problems of the age and who pioneered large scale statistical studies of economic issues. He also involved himself in politics, joining the left-leaning Evangelical Social Congress

·      Ideas influenced social theory & social research

Social theory - analytical framework, or paradigms that are used to study and interpert social phenomena

Social research -  a research conducted conduct by social scientist. Social Research Methodologies are quantitative and qualitative

Quantitative Research - approach social phenomena through quantifiable evidence, and often rely on statistical analysis of many cases (or across intentionally designed treatments in an experiment) to create valid and reliable general claims. Related to quantity.

Qualitative Research:emphasize understanding of social phenomena through direct observation, communication with participants, or analysis of texts, and may stress contextual subjective accuracy over generality. Related to quality.

·      Among 1 of the 3 founders of sociology

Other 2 are David Emile Durkheim, and Karl Marx

·      Key proponent of methodological antipositivism, arguing for the study of social action through interpretive means, based on understanding the purpose and meaning that individuals attach to their own actions

·      Didn’t believe in monocausality & rather proposed that for any outcome there can be multiple causes

·      Best known for his political ideas, in particular for his enormously influential definition of the state as a community “that successfully claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory”

·      Main intellectual concern was understanding the processes of rationalization, secularization, & “disenchantment” that he associated with the rise of capitalism & modernity

o   Saw these as the result of a new way of thinking about the new world

·      Best known for his thesis combining economic sociology & and the sociology of religion, elaborated in his book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, in which he proposed that ascetic Protestantism was one of the major “elective affinities” associated with the rise in the Western world of market-driven capitalism & the rational-legal nation-state

o   Argued that it was in the basic tenants of Protestantism to boost capitalism

o   Thus, it can be said that the spirit of capitalism is inherent to protestant religious values

·      Emphasized the importance of cultural influences embedded in religion as a means for understanding the genesis of capitalism

·      The Protestant Ethic formed the earliest part in weber’s broader investigations into world religion

o   He went on to examine the religions of china, the religions of India & ancient Judaism, with particular regard to their differing economic consequences & conditions of social stratification

·      in “Politics as a Vocation” Weber defined the state as an entity that successfully claims a “monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory”

·      the 1st to categorize social authority into distinct forms which he labelled as charismatic, traditional, & rational-legal

·      his analysis of bureaucracy emphasized that modern state institutions are increasingly based on rational-legal authority

·      made a variety of other contributions in economic history, as well as economic theory & methodology

·      weber’s analysis of modernity & rationalization significantly influenced the critical theory associated with the Frankfurt school

·      after the 1st world war, he was among the founders of the liberal German democratic party

·      also successfully ran for a seat in parliament & served as advisor to the committee that drafted the ill-fated democratic Weimar constitution of 1919

·      died of pneumonia in 1920 after contracting the Spanish flu, aged 56

Henri Fayol

·      French mining engineer, mining executive

·      author & director of mines who developed the general theory of business administration called Fayolism

·      he & his colleagues developed this theory independently of scientific management

·      acknowledged as a founder of modern management methods

·      mining engineering

1.     starting in the 1970s, fayol wrote a series of articles on mining subjects

·      Fayolism

1.     was 1 of the 1st comprehensive statements of a general theory of management

2.     proposed that there were 5 primary functions of management & 14 principles of management

·      functions of management

1.     Planning

2.     Organizing

3.     Staffing

4.     Directing

5.     Controlling

·      Principles of management

1.     Division of work - The division of work is the course of tasks assigned to, and completed by, a group of workers in order to increase efficiency. Division of work, which is also known as division of labour, is the breaking down of a job so as to have a number of different tasks that make up the whole. This means that for every one job, there can be any number of processes that must occur for the job to be complete.When an individual does the same job repeatedly he acquires speed and accuracy in performance. In words of Fayol," The worker always on the same post, the manager always concerned with the same matters, acquires an ability, sureness and accuracy which increases their output".

2.     Authority and Responsibility - Authority is the right to give orders and obtain obedience, and responsibility is the corollary of authority.

3.     Discipline - Employees must obey and respect the rules that govern the organization. Good discipline is the result of effective leadership.

4.     Unity of command - Every employee should receive orders from only one superior or behalf of the superior.

5.     Unity of direction - Each group of organizational activities that have the same objective should be directed by one manager using one plan for achievement of one common goal.

6.     Subordination - The interests of any one employee or group of employees should not take precedence over the interests of the organization as a whole.

7.     Remuneration - All Workers must be paid a fair wage for their services.

8.     Centralization and decentralization - Centralization refers to the degree to which subordinates are involved in decision making.

9.     Scalar chain - The line of authority from top management to the lowest ranks represents the scalar chain. Communications should follow this chain.

10.  Order - this principle is concerned with systematic arrangement of men, machine, material etc. There should be a specific place for every employee in an organization

11.  Equity - Managers should be kind and fair to their subordinates.

12.  Stability of tenure of personnel - High employee turnover is inefficient. Management should provide orderly personnel planning and ensure that replacements are available to fill vacancies.

13.  Initiative - Employees who are allowed to originate and carry out plans will exert high levels of effort.

14.  Esprit de corps - Promoting team spirit will build harmony and unity within the organization.

Fredrick Taylor

·      American mechanical engineer who sought to improve industrial efficiency

·      One of the 1st management consultants

·      Was 1 of the intellectual leaders of the efficiency movement and his ideas, broadly conceived, were highly influential in the progressive era

·      Summed up his efficiency techniques in his book The Principles of Management

·      His pioneering work in applying engineering principles to the work done on the factory floor was instrumental in the creation & development on the branch of engineering that is now known as industrial engineering

·      Made his name in scientific management but made his fortune patenting steel-process improvements

·      His system of industrial management has influenced the development of virtually every country enjoying the benefits of modern industry

·      Introduced time study @ the Midvale planet

o   Profession of time study was founded on the success of this project, this also formed the basis of Taylor’s subsequent theories of management science

·      Taylor’s scientific management consisted of 4 principles

1. Replace rule-of-thumb work methods with methods based on a scientific study of the tasks.

2. Scientifically select, train, and develop each employee rather than passively leaving them to train themselves.

3. Provide "Detailed instruction and supervision of each worker in the performance of that worker's discrete task" (Montgomery 1997: 250).

4. Divide work nearly equally between managers and workers, so that the managers apply scientific management principles to planning the work and the workers actually perform the tasks.