...Christopher Cordon Sociology 142 Friday 4- 4:50 P.M. 04-12-16 USC Village: What’s the Cost? Jack hammers, dump trucks, construction cranes and safety cones; all in a days work at USC’s new university village. We’ve all been somewhat affected by the recent demolition and construction in and around USC. Along with all the construction going on, traffic jams, detours as well as some of the noise going on, students such as myself aren’t the only ones affected. As beautiful and appealing as these renovations might seem, the price of a new beautiful new village does come at a cost to the residents, businesses and employees of the surrounding community. I was a member of this community as a young kid. I went to Vermont Ave. elementary just down the street form USC, and growing up, I did see a few changes here and there. Back in the early 90’s, the neighborhood had a completely different feel to it. There were gangs, drugs, and violence; typical for a South Los Angeles neighborhood. Over the years, USC’s presence started to change a few things. As students began to trickle over to the northwest neighborhoods, the tone of the neighborhood slowly changed. I was in elementary, so I didn’t really make much of it, only that a few of my friends from my block began moving away. As an 8 year old, you don’t really put two and two together until I started noticing the same thing in my new neighborhood in East Hollywood. Since it wasn’t a college neighborhood, there wasn’t a diverse group...
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...C. Wright Mills proposed the power-elite theory in 1956, which states that there is a power elite in modern societies, an elite who commands the resources of vast bureaucratic organizations that have come to dominate industrial societies. According to Mills, the power elite are the key people in the three major institutions of modern society- military, economy and the government (Mills 1956). It is the elite that occupy these leadership positions within the bureaucracies. Although this theory was proposed in what may have been a simpler time, the structure of power in America remains very much the same, as does the close relationship between the military, corporate, and government elites. Mills placed the military as one of the triumvirate groups that comprised the power elite. The military has been elevated to a position of prestige and power and the present class of professional soldiers has had an impact that is far greater than just military affairs. In World War II, large corporations tied to the defense industry rose in power and influence and formed the origins of what President Eisenhower called the military industrial complex (Swanson). The war brought a bureaucratic centralization of power. In more recent times, the demands of foreign affairs, the dangers of potential adversaries, the sophistication and mystique of new weapons, and especially the development of the means of mass destruction have all given power to our highest military leaders (Reynolds). Corporations...
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...1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 The Opportunity In the Baltimore/Washington D.C, finding upscale entertainment can often be difficult. Hectic work schedules and demanding lifestyles force social activities to be reserved for the weekend. Long lines, packed venues and substandard cuisine make the weekend social atmosphere less desirable and often a waste of time. Washington, DC venues offer an upscale beauty club environment with the opportunity to enjoy another person's company in sophistication. The people of Washington DC have proved this trend to be highly marketable trend, for example K Street in Washington DC is a strip of lounges on a whole street. Baltimore, however, has not had the opportunity to experience such a venue. The resurgence of "cocktail culture" over the past few years has customers looking for good value, not just good price. They are demanding higher quality ingredients and seeking out interesting, exotic and expertly prepared flavors. These Nightclubs/Lounges should feature unique offerings as a way to attract guests, promote business and differentiate from the other "wine and dine" establishments. 1.2 The Company An upscale lounge and sports bar called “ELITE Lounge” located in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. ELITE will serve drinks and appetizers and it will provide quality entertainment for men and women aged 21-50 years old. ELITE Lounge will provide upscale quality service, and prices will be comparable. Our revenue will be the...
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...Definitional activity (covering Power, Authority, and Legitimacy) There is no universally accepted view of power. Some authors have defined power as domination over others (Hobbes, 1651) while others defined it as a passage to achieve goals (Parsons, 1963). Some look to where power lies to define power from where power lies in the hands of many, this can be seen as Pluralism (Dahl, 1957) to where power lies in the hands of a few, this can be seen as Elitism (Pareto, 1935) but essentially it is the ability to do something For example, in the UK system, there are many accounts of both Elitism and Pluralism but realistically, we live in an Elitist state. The definition of authority is based on the power or right to act in a particular way and to influence others. To excise authority, consent is needed. Some may argue that there are three types of authority: charismatic authority, traditional authority and rational-legal authority (Weber, 1958). It can be argued that authority is used to excise social control (McLaughlin, 2008) and even that we, as humans, need authority in order to live (Seligman, 2003). An example of authority in the UK system could be the Prime Minister, as he has the power to “give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience” (Collins English Dictionary, 2009). The definition of legitimacy has many forms and shapes but some may argue that it derives from something that is right and proper. “Legitimacy has both a normative and a sociological meaning” (Keohane...
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...Alexander Hamilton: The Founding Father of Elite Democracy In America today, there is a constant battle going on that is unbeknownst to the general public. It has been going on in America since the foundations of this country. However, the weapons in this war are not guns; it is the political influence that won this kind of war. The war is between the two types of democracy, elite and popular. Popular democracy is defined as, “a political system in which the people are involved as much as possible in making the decisions that affect their lives” (Miroff). On the other hand, elite democracy is defined as, “a political system in which elites acquire the power to decide by a free and fair competition for the people’s votes (Miroff).” The two types of democracy contradict each other, and since the founding of the country has been struggling to gain an edge over the other. However, in the United States, this started with the Federalists, who supported elite democracy, and the Anti-Federalists, who supported popular democracy. The Federalist Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison were put against the Anti-Federalist Samuel Adams, James Monroe, and Thomas Jefferson. Alexander Hamilton was a...
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...a good job providing jobs to the people and giving them the right amount of purchasing power to buy the things that they need and want. The breakdown of the economy led to a lot of secondary effects. For one, the economic breakdown led to the closing of a lot of businesses and the consequent loss of a lot of people’s jobs. The loss of the people’s jobs or what they call unemployment in economics led to another wave or series of negative effects such as their inability to pay rent and buy goods that they need. To emphasize the overall effects of the ripple that the economic breakdown created, what it did was it led to the loss of the ordinary citizens’ purchasing power. This proved to be one of the major causes of the worsening of the effects of the Great Depression. Jobs were basically generated because of the presence of the businesses and if businesses were strong, the more likely they are to provide jobs. Unfortunately, during that time, the businesses were not so strong. In fact, they were so fragile and brittle that a lot of ordinary citizens lost their jobs, and because of the considerably lowered purchasing power, a lot of businesses suffered—because the ordinary people did not have the means to make purchases from businesses , which in turn contributed more to the vicious cycle that put the world’s largest economy into a deep state of depression. Even the middle class and the elite citizens got affected by the widespread economic events that happened during the great...
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...SOC 300 Soldiers and Politics Week 9 Slide # Topic Narration 1 Introduction Welcome to week nine of Sociology three hundred. This week we are going to discuss Soldiers and Politics. In much of the Third World there has been military involvement in politics at the national level. Many prominent positions in government have been and continue to be held by military leaders. Throughout this course, we have noted that the developing world is diverse. Thus, the level of military involvement in the political arena of each nation is different. In many countries there is no clear dividing line between the armed forces and political activity. With the rise of democracy in many Third World countries in recent years, there has been a steady decline in military leadership at the government level. However, this is not to say that military leaders have completely stepped down from politics. In fact, countries such as Libya and Pakistan still have military rulers in the highest positions of government. In other countries the armed forces continue to exert considerable influence over civilian political leaders. Prior to the nineteen eighties military involvement in politics of the developing world was pervasive. It was considered by some to be a defining feature of political underdevelopment. And certainly it was a feature of extreme instability within nations. A study of fifty nine developing nations shows that between nineteen forty six and nineteen seventy, there...
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...Summary – Managing in France Cultural Impacts Shaped by several centuries of events including: * Rule by Bourbon Kings * French Revolution * French Enlightenment * World Wars I and II French People expect Government to have a major role in society through several initiatives including: * Strong Presidency that has the ability to easily shape policy * Centralized Education system with equal treatment for Primary and Secondary Education * Two tiered system for Higher Education * Universities for all Secondary School Graduates * Grande Ecoles for Intellectual Elite * Heavy involvement in Business * National Champion Industries * Strict Labor Market Regulation French Culture as defined by Hofstede Power Distance France is seen as a Moderately High Power Distance Culture whereas the US is a Moderately Low Power Distance Culture. There is a far more respect and need for hierarchy and an elite in the France than in the US. Individualism France is seen as a moderately individualistic society. The French prize their individuality, but also share a need with caring for others and sacrificing some of their individuality for the greater good of the society. In contrast, the US is a high individualistic culture. Masculine/Feminine France is seen as a moderately feminine culture in that they place a higher concern on quality of life than in the US which is a moderately masculine culture. Uncertainty Avoidance France...
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...played a big part in the coming American Revolution. However, the rich elites of America sought to rebel against the British for their own purposes. The rich did not enjoy the fact that the British began imposing new taxes on their products, and they saw it as a way to cut into their profits. The British implemented such taxes on the colonies because they were in turn losing profits due to underground smuggling and trading outside the ranks of the mother country. The British were losing control of the colonies to the more educated well-off men, which used the power of persuasion to sway the lower class of colonists to gain an upper hand over the British. Even though the lower classes of people were doing fine under British rule, the rich Americans knew if they were not onboard then the liberty the rich wanted would be unattainable. This led to many rebellions against the British, but not all of which came from the elite. With that being said, the rich educated men of America used forms of propaganda to bring people to their side. Promises of liberty and equality sounded good to the people. The common folk saw a way to receive more rights under a local government rather than Imperial British control. The Molasses Act was put into place by the British to defer trade with the French for sugar, but this tax did not stop the smuggling of the main product to make rum from outside vendors so it quickly lost its power. “This hurt the British West Indies market in molasses and sugar and...
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...paper will discuss the differences between conservatism, classical liberalism, and socialism. Unlike a democracy, conservatism, classical liberalism, and socialism have three different outlooks on the operation of how the government should operate. The first quote is; “We believe in the power and opportunity of America’s free-market economy. We believe in the importance of sensible business regulations that promote confidence in our economy among consumers, entrepreneurs and businesses alike” (CCRCC, 2012). The quote comes from the national Republican Party. The second quote; “our way we need to modernize and reform our economy for the long term, to deliver fairness at home, more competitiveness abroad, and strong regional growth” this quote comes from President Barrack Obama, which is related to the Democratic Party (Whitehouse, 2012). The third quote is; “Individuals should be free to make choices for themselves and to accept responsibility for the consequences of the choices they make,” this quote id derived from the Libertarian Political Party (The Libertarian Party, 2002). Conservatism According to Agre (2012) conservatism, is a type of rule where a domination of society by an elite class of citizens. Unlike classical liberalism and socialism, conservatism is a type of rule that the...
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...analysed, and whether the failure of African states to prosper can be explained by colonial practices. State Formation Ever since the boundaries of Africa were drawn up in 1884/5, very little has changed in terms of the continent's territorial divisions. Much has been made of the fact that the post-colonial states which constitute Africa were the products of colonial demarcations, and whose territories are not congruent to existing political and ethnic organizations. Ethnic conflict within states is an unfortunate feature of several African states, and one which undoubtedly retards development of any kind. There has been debate surrounding the nature of African ethnicities and whether they were synthetic constructs created by colonial powers(Berman 1998), or a continuation of traditional polities within the colonial landscape(Spear...
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...(2013) pp. 31-49 Elites, political elites and social change in modern societies1 Luis Garrido Vergara* Resumen Los estudios académicos acerca de las élites políticas poseen una vibrante historia reciente. El objetivo aquí es proveer un resumen selectivo de esa historia, enfocándose en la importancia de la distinción social y en las teorías de la estructura de poder como el marco teórico para comprender la influencia de las élites políticas en el cambio social. Dado que nuevas perspectivas y preocupaciones han surgido en este campo, la organización de este artículo no es completamente cronológica. Aunque puedan haberse ignorado muchas contribuciones relevantes, la intención aquí es brindar algún sentido de la riqueza e importancia de lo que han logrado los académicos acerca de la relación entre élites y representación, los vínculos entre élites, democracia y cambio social y las teorías de la estructura de poder. En este artículo también se estudia hasta qué grado la introducción de una nueva metodología de investigación por parte de la teoría de la dominación de clase de Domhoff abrió una nueva perspectiva en los estudios sobre las élites. Finalmente, se presentan una estrategia de investigación para las élites y dos conclusiones principales. Palabras clave: Élites políticas - cambio social - estructura de poder - representación. Abstract Scholarly studies of elites and political elites have a vibrant recent history. My aim here is to provide a selective summary of that history...
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...stratification provides for society. • Discuss Melvin Tumin's rebuttal to Davis and Moore's functionalist view of social stratification. • Explain the conflict perspective's view of social stratification as it relates to class conflict and scarce resources. • Evaluate Gerhard Lenski's attempt to synthesize the functionalist and conflict perspectives' views on social stratification. • Define ideology and understand how elite classes use it to maintain social stratification. • Compare the social stratification system in Great Britain and the former Soviet Union to the social stratification system in the United States. • Identify the major characteristics associated with the Most Industrialized Nations, Industrializing Nations, and Least Industrialized Nations. • Describe and evaluate the major theories pertaining to the origins of and maintenance of global stratification. Chapter Summary Social stratification is the division of large numbers of people into layers according to their relative power, property, and prestige. It applies to both nations and to people within a nation, society, or other group. Social stratification affects all of one's life chances from the access to material processions to their position in society to their life expectancy. Although they may differ as to which...
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...Porsche: Guarding the Old While Bringing in the New Porsche: Guarding the Old While Bringing in the New Team 5 Principles of Marketing February 2014 Team 5 Principles of Marketing February 2014 1. Develop a 1-2 paragraph summary of your assigned Company. When a person hears the name Porsche, immediately the word elite comes to mind, along with a few other words such as success, money, and speed. These terms are exactly what the owners of this one of a kind sports car are trying to obtain. In 1931 Ferdinand Porsche entered the car making market. For the first 20 years of business Ferdinand focused on his famous Volkswagen Beetle. It wasn’t until 1950 that the Porsche sports car came into the eyes of this rising businessman. The first Porsche cars, the 911 and 356 models, were unique and fast with their motors located in the back of the vehicle. This car screamed the words expensive and luxurious. Porsche purchasers dropped an enormous amount of cash to own one of these beautiful cars. Owners were a limited group of entrepreneurs and part of a small group that viewed their vehicles as an extension of themselves, much like their expensive suits and watches that were thousands of dollars. Porsche buyers enjoyed being “special.” Since Porsche was such an expensive car that caught the attention of a select group of buyers, the company began to struggle with the idea of expanding its market to a broader horizon. Ferdinand Porsche decided to create a cheaper model...
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...Elite Running “A lot of people run a race to see who is the fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more.” -Steve Prefontaine. Long distance running in athletics have races ranging from 3 thousand meters to ten thousand, twenty thousand, thirty thousand meters, and all the way up to the marathon which is a grueling forty two kilometers. It includes cross country races over similar distances. Olympic events include the five and ten thousand meter races, held on a track, and the marathon contested on roads. Like the middle distance races ( eight hundred and fifteen hundred meter), long distance races are ran at a strategic pace, but less seldom...
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