Fundamental Concepts
Society - Society is made up of people, groups, networks, institutions, organisations and systems. These aspects of society may include local, national and global patterns of relationships. People belong to informal and formal groups, within and between these groups there are patterns of interactions.
Culture - Culture refers to the knowledge, ways of thinking, feeling and behaving that give each society its coherence and its distinctive way of life. Culture is demonstrated by the beliefs, customs, values, laws, arts, technology and artefacts people generate and use as the interpret meaning from their world and solves present and future problems.
Environment - Every society is located in a particular physical setting. The attitudes and values people have in regard to their environment greatly affect interactions between the person, society, culture and environment. Environments present societies with opportunities and restraints.
Time - Every person, society and environment is located in time and is changing through time. Our perceptions of time as past, present and future are also important for social enquiry and action. These perceptions draw on past events that influence our present. They need not determine our future. We can perceive a range of possible future that can assist our decision-making.
Power - involves a capacity to influence others to follow a course of action or point of view they would not otherwise follow.
Authority - Authority implies a legitimate use of influence/persuasion. Someone in authority has accepted rights to make decisions regardless of those affected by the decisions opinion.
Technology - Technology means the tools that make tasks easier, enhancing the natural ability of persons to perform those tasks. Technology is not accessed equally across the world and countries and companies with higher access to