The Structuralism Theory of Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Structuralism Theory of Culture - Essay Example Roland Barthes was responsible for explaining the concept of myth as it contributed to the structuralist theory. He came up with the â€Å"Myth Today† concept whereby it defines myth as a category of speech. According to him, myth is not just any type of speech but also a means by which people use to communicate. The myth is a message that is sent to a particular group of people. According to the study, therefore, a myth cannot be perceived as an object, idea or concept but rather form and way of signification. For this reason, it is illusionary to discriminate other people’s myths. This, therefore, shows that there is no primitive, better or poor culture. It is important to note that anything can be considered to be a myth as it is a speech but depending on how it is conveyed. The strength of the myth is how it is conveyed thus cannot be defined as an object. Everything in this world is open to any suggestions from the society this is so because no laws exist in forbid ding anyone to talk about things (John, 2002, pp.234-240). Objects can be used to come up with some mythical statements. The difference is that some objects are used for a while, others are not used at all and others are used for a very long time. A myth can be formed can survive for some time and be forgotten as the mythical objects keep changing. The concept of myth is founded on history as it existed from a very long time. For this reason, the concept of myth has not evolved over the years.  ... The difference is that some objects are used for a while, others are not used at all and others are used for a very long time. A myth can be formed can survive for sometime and be forgotten as the mythical objects keep changing. The concept of myth is founded on history as it existed from a very long time. For this reason, the concept of myth has not evolved over the years. Myths generally exit orally though they can be in writings. Since they have a historical foundations, most of them are passed orally and rarely in writings. Today, myths can be supported through sport events, cinemas, publicity, shows and photographs. It is important to note that a myth it is impossible to define a myth by its material or object because of their arbitrary meanings. For example, interpreting a diagram or a picture depends on the consciousness of an individual. This makes it very hard to grasp the concept behind a myth. Thus myths use materials that can be understood easily. It is evident that peopl e will prefer pictures than writings as they are more attractive to view than reading. More so, pictures can help individuals to immediately give meaning without any dilutions. The materials are simply used to ease communication as myths generally aim at sending various messages to people. As people give meaning to the pictures, they therefore turn in to meanings given through writings (John, 2002, pp.234-240). The concept and form of myth Mythology is a very ambiguous concept because sometimes it gives full meaning when in a particular situation but sometimes it is empty when one is faced with the same situation. It contributes to language as it involves individuals giving meaning whereby there is use of the sensory organ. One has to use the eyes to look at a

THE ORGANIZATION Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

THE ORGANIZATION - Coursework Example In this case study, the father son duo have diametrically opposite leadership styles, wherein the father ‘Peter’ believes in an extremely friendly business environment marked by ‘Participative’ leadership, the son ‘Joseph’ is seen to portray the typical character of an ‘Autocratic’ leader. It is stated that Peter is a man of charisma and has a dynamic personality; some scholars like Rowe and Guerrero argue that charisma is a necessary condition for leadership (Rowe and Guerrero, 2011, 260). A charismatic leader can ensure that the workforce will follow in his footsteps, and consider him to be right, instead of doubting in the effectiveness of the leader. With such personality traits Peter could have chosen to be an autocratic leader who leads from the front and gives orders, such that they would be followed since the staff believes in him and is devoted and Peter trusts them. However, he chose to be a democratic leader or in other w ords, a participative leader (Appel and Schmid, 2003, 22). The name itself suggests that the characteristics of such a leader do not revolve around strictness and authoritative rule, but allows for participation and a democratic way of decision making. On the other polar side is the leadership style adapted by the ‘bright’ but not ‘brilliant’ Joseph. He is categorized as having adapted the authoritative or autocratic leadership style which is recognized as being a one man show, since the leader does not allow for participation in decision making, delegation of duties is not carried out, there is lack of trust of the leader in the staff and vice versa, thus the opposite of democratic leadership. Leadership is cited as one of the crucial reasons behind the decision of managerial staff to leave a job (Hogan, 2007, 38), thus the fact that under Peter’s leadership almost all employees have been retained by the organization for at least 10 years is a subst antial proof of his effective leadership, and that he is welcomed by his staff. When this factor is considered for Joseph’s leadership, it was observed that the employees were not happy, which can be figured out from the statement by Mr. Spike who told Joseph that he ‘just couldn’t work in this climate’, hence showing that employee turnover would be high as even the most loyal and senior manager wants to quit the job under Joseph’s leadership. Furthermore, Peter does not practice a laissez-faire leadership style or a rigid leadership style, since his delegation of duty and decision making is coupled with regular inspections of the efficiency and quality of work and the organization on the whole. He believes in motivation through praise, and thus has made it a regular practice to praise good work, and simultaneously pointing out flaws and inefficiency in any work done by the staff, but since he is so accommodating and open to his staff, it automatica lly leads to a welcoming response and the staff does not mind if he points out flaws, but on the contrary regards his comments as constructive criticism. While, on the other side, autocratic leaders such as Joseph, believe in meeting rigid targets, and do not allow for any suggestions, it is their personal style of motivation, however apart from the positive aspect of speeding up the process, it