BUREAUCRACY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

BUREAUCRACY - Essay Example It is, however, quite ironic that modern society now use bureaucracy as a critical generalization for inefficiency and red tape (Fisher; Heady). This was not how Max Weber visualized bureaucracy. Weber became the foremost exponent of bureaucracy when it was still in its crude form where bureaucracy and rationality were inseparable. Under such intertwined aspect, the four main elements of Weber’s rational bureaucracy were distinct lines of hierarchical authority, practical specialisation, professional training of administrators or supervisors, and efficient decision making (Borgatti). Practitioners have, however, extended Weber’s ideals of bureaucracy into a social structure distinguished by the following elements : job specifications, system of supervision and subordination, unity of command, general use of written documents and records, skills and competency training, use of rules and policies and hiring of personnel and work assignment based on competence and experience (Borgatti). Beyond Weber’s iron cage, Wang compiled the following perceived dysfunctional aspects of a bureaucracy : red tape from all the rules and the signatures required to get things going, difficulty to transform from this system to another and also the tendency to segment attention and response as a result of division of labor. There were some inadequacies pinpointed on the bureaucratic system of organization. Drawn from the thoughts of Bennis and Miner, the most obvious downside of bureaucracy are summarized in the following statements: (1) Owing to the rigidity of rules and procedures and the specialisation typical of a bureaucracy, it does not promote personal growth and professional maturity; (2) Since the system is run based on the principle of â€Å"unity of command†, conformity and â€Å"group-think† are developed; (3) Its inflexible structure is not

Where Im Calling From Essay -- Where Im Calling From Essays

Where I'm Calling From   Ã‚   Sickness is a part of life, and sometimes a gateway to death. There are many different kinds of sickness- some that strike hard and fast, and others that are slow, painful, and consuming. Alcoholism is a sickness of the latter variety. It slowly takes over a victim's life, ripping away loved ones while ravaging the victim's body from head to toe- beginning with the mind. The healing process is all that can rescue one from sickness- it is the only way to stray from its path and avoid death. In Raymond Carver's, "Where I'm Calling From," the narrator's attempted recovery from years of alcoholism is documented in detail. The story specifically focuses on the damage that alcoholism does to relationships, and how recovering from that damage can be the most difficult part of the healing process.    The narrator begins the story in Frank Martin's drying-out facility. He is a drunk, and has checked into the home for the second time. At the beginning of the story, some of the physical dysfunctions associated with the disease are revealed, and they range from shakes and tremors to seizures. This part of the story is used by Carver to display the physical problems that result from withdrawal from alcohol. It is clear that these problems are significant, but overcoming them doesn't compare to the task of repairing the bonds with family members and friends that have been destroyed. In this story, the healing process is quite unique for the characters in that it involves a large group of men, all suffering from the same illness, pulling together and supporting each other through the pain- almost like a modern day leper colony. They are separated from their family and friends, and are ... ...e call to his wife. "She'll ask me where I'm calling from, and I'll have to tell her...There's no way to make a joke out of this" (Carver 296). That is what it all comes back to. He will have to tell her that he is still trying to get well, and he must hope that she'll wait for him. His disease is what cost him his marriage, and there is no way he can bring himself to joke or lie about it. He realizes that it is all his fault. The narrator's disease is unique in that his physical addiction will never be cured, but he still has hope of finding happiness and love by refusing to drink. And, if he is to survive, it will be his need for both love and happiness that must control him, and steer him clear of the path of sickness.    Works Cited Carver, Raymond. "Where I'm Calling From." Where I'm Calling From. New York: Random House, Inc., 1989. 278-296.

Art of Loving Response

In Response to The Art of Loving In The Art of Loving, Erich Fromm asks the question â€Å"is love an art? † In an effort to answer this question, he identifies, discusses, and analyzes the different objects of love. Fromm states that loving as an art means that one must love all objects, rather than only loving the â€Å"right† one (43). For this reason, the objects that he analyzes include brotherly love, motherly love, erotic love, self-love, and the love of God. When analyzing each object to explain his statement, Fromm tends to use broad generalizations about society, which do not cover all circumstances.In this essay, I will identify and address the areas where Fromm makes sweeping, inappropriate generalizations about society, as well as acknowledge his accurately fitting descriptions. The first object of love that Fromm identifies is brotherly love, defined as the love for all people as equals. Fromm feels that this is the most fundamental type of love because of its â€Å"lack of exclusiveness†. Fromm defines a brother to be equivalent to the neighbor mentioned in The Golden Rule from the Bible, which states, â€Å"love thy neighbor as thy self (44). Not all of society grew up learning The Golden Rule; therefore, this sweeping statement does not explain all relationships within society. Instead, Fromm should have said that brotherly love is based on one who respects and understands his neighbor and friend as an equal. This explanation could apply to many more relationships within society. Even though I was raised a Catholic, not all love relationships relate to those from the Bible. Any non-believers may also agree. This refutes Fromm’s statement that the brotherly love found within the Bible is fundamental for all relationships.Fromm defines motherly love as absolute and unconditional. He considers this love to be â€Å"the highest kind of love, and the most sacred of all emotional bonds† (Fromm 47). A mother loves t he growing child and wishes for his separation from her. She guides him and facilitates this separation so the child may flourish and grow on his own in the world (Fromm 48). Fromm goes further and relates the nurturing ability of a mother to God’s nurturing of man in the Biblical creation story (Fromm 46).Once again, not all of society grew up with a Biblical, Christian background. Those who are not familiar with the creation story or do not believe that God created the world fail to understand the correlation. Even though this is just one example, Fromm fails to sympathize with those people who come from a non-Christian background. The third type of love that Fromm very clearly and accurately discusses is erotic love. Erotic love is the â€Å"craving for complete fusion† with another person.This illusive type of love becomes easily confused with the act of â€Å"falling† in love, except it includes an act of will and physical attraction (Fromm 49). Frommâ€⠄¢s description accurately addresses the ideas that erotic love can be easily dissolved since it is based solely on attraction. I agree that true love includes more than pure physical attraction; it involves a decision, a judgment, and a promise as well as an attraction. I really appreciate Fromm’s statement that love is not just a feeling. Feelings can come and go and there is no way to promise a feeling for forever.This hints to the reason for a decision and a judgment along with the promise in marriage. This is true and evident in our society because marriages normally do not last unless there is another attraction between those in the couple besides a physical one. The next topic the Fromm discusses is self-love, which provides the idea that one must love themselves before one can love others. As Fromm states it: The affirmation of one’s own life, happiness, growth, freedom is rooted in one’s capacity to love, i. e. , in care, respect, responsibility, and kn owledge.If an individual is able to love productively, he loves himself too; if he can love only others, he cannot love at all. (55-56) He makes a point to mention that self-love and selfishness are counterparts, in that self-love creates happiness and selfishness only leads to frustration. Fromm notes that selfishness originates from the hatred of oneself and, in return, that person wants everything in the world (56). I agree with Fromm’s description that self-love is the first step in loving others, however, I disagree that selfishness is the complete opposite of self-love.Selfishness, rather, is the result of loving oneself too much to the extent that one thinks they deserve everything in the world; everything is to their disposal and no one else’s. Fromm fails to address this extreme, yet he does a justifiably sufficient job at explaining the importance of self-love. Self-love sets the basis for all relationships because it is difficult to love another person witho ut loving oneself first. The last object of love that Fromm discusses for the longest extent is the love of God.He states that there is no way of â€Å"loving† God, but rather believing in a â€Å"unity† with Him. God is a symbol of justice, love, and truth instead of an actual being (Fromm 72). Therefore, those who love God have faith in an ultimate unity (Fromm 73). Having grown up in a Catholic school, I agree with Erich Fromm’s analysis. God is not a being and the only way to discuss the reality of such a symbol is to discuss what He is not. God is not a father. God is not a mother. He loves similarly to both, but He isn’t a physical mother or father.Also, because He is not a being it is difficult to say that one can â€Å"love† Him. Therefore, believing in God is the same as loving God; however, there are different maturity levels to which one â€Å"loves† God. As one grows older and learns more about God, one may become closer to Him. This â€Å"growing closer† and â€Å"maturity† correlates to the strength of one’s belief and trust in Him. I can relate to this section since I am a raised Catholic, however, an atheist or non-Christian may not understand why this section is necessary for Fromm to discuss in order to answer his original question.Atheists, for example, do not have a being or god to love or believe in. In The Art of Loving, Erich Fromm raises the question, â€Å"is love an art? † To answer his question, Fromm identifies and analyzes the objects of love from erotic love to the love of God. In this response, I identified the areas where Fromm includes broad generalizations about society and acknowledged his appropriate analyses about love. Works Cited: Fromm, Erich. The Art of Loving. New York: Harper & Row, 1974. Print.

The Effects Of Drug And Alcohol Abuse - 860 Words

Many believe that drug and alcohol abuse are related to being a â€Å"bad† person, but what if you save lives as a living? A large majority of substance abusers have either been traumatized or have come from a bad background--scarring and causing them to seek out a way to make themselves feel better without having to tell someone. The newest series to hit Netflix, Nurse Jackie, shows addiction, and it’s lack of discrimination, in its truest form as an amazing nurse, Jackie Payton, struggles to juggle her family, work, and addiction. Abuse of drugs and alcohol have become quite the uproar in not only adults but teens as well in the past years. Many of these individuals are trying to escape a past ghost or decision by either drinking or drugging their problems away. This may not be the safest or most socially accepted way of dealing with problems, but it is the most popular one occurring throughout the world. The people abusing substances are usually lonesum creatures that drive off of isolation and are very prideful. They do not like having people know that they are hurt so they help themselves to what they can get. For most, the â€Å"help† they find to relieve themselves is some sort of drug or large amounts of alcohol. People do this because it allows them to remain neutral as stressful things happen throughout their lives, making them feel in control of what is going on. This makes them no different from someone going to a doctor; these people want to feel better so they doShow MoreRelatedEffects Of Al cohol And Drug Abuse919 Words   |  4 Pagesof Alcohol and Drug Abuse There may be some things that you don t know about the impact of drug and alcohol abuse on friends and family and how your friends and family may react to your choices. 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