Living in the information era presupposes being able to acquire new knowledge and use it properly. As far as the acquisition tools are concerned, however, a major conflict seems to have emerged. While the scientific method of qualitative or qualitative research has been defined as the most efficient means of acquiring the necessary information, the unorthodox methods of gathering information pertain within contemporary society.
Indigenous ways of living in nature are opposed to the scientific method of cognition, yet the two should be combined so that a perfect method of cognition should be created.
Science as the Most Reasonable Way to Cognise the World
The opinion of science seems to have become the only credible source of knowledge in a contemporary world, and for a good reason – with the recent technological breakthrough and the advent of the era of the information society, science has clearly become the main tool in acquiring new knowledge. Thus, science is viewed as the key means of propelling the humankind.
Indeed, the scientific methods of cognizing the world have a range of advantages compared to the existing alternatives – science supports the key theoretical tenets with logical reasoning, vast research, and impressive evidence. Moreover, it is crucial that the present-day theories offer substantial information on the connections between the existing domains.
Indigenous Ways of Knowledge and Intuitive Understanding of the World
One of the major problems and at the same time major advantages of indigenous ways of knowing is that they blur the line between objective reality and spirituality, therefore, leaving the person discovering these ways to a major introspect. On the one hand, the idea of losing touch with reality does impede the process of cognizing the world. O the other hand, meditation paves the way to metacognition.
The latter, in its turn, helps one locate one’s place in the universe; as a result, the process of acquiring knowledge about the relations between different elements of nature becomes a possibility. Much to the credit of the people supporting an indigenous way of cognizing the environment and locating people’s place in it, there are some grains of reason in the philosophy that is not supported by contemporary science.
Conclusion: Locating a Compromise
The entire conflict revolves around the phenomenon of an intuitive understanding of nature and its laws. On the one hand, the existence of intrinsic knowledge has not been proven scientifically and, thus, cannot be relied upon. On the other hand, it is the indigenous knowledge that allows for insight and, therefore, enhances an intuitive understanding of nature’s laws and principles.
On the other hand, even the cognition of one’s self, not to mention the attempts at understanding the order of the universe, requires that basic rules and information should be learned. In their endeavors of learning the principles of nature’s cycle on their own, one is most likely to spend an entire lifetime on figuring out what the rest of the humankind has learned already with the help of science.
Herein the key to the conflict between the intrinsic knowledge and science lies. It is essential that one should learn the key principles of a scientific method, as well as the essential concepts that have advanced science so far. At the same time, one must train their skill of indigenous knowledge, therefore, creating a stronger link with nature and learning about the relationship between the latter and the spirituality of one’s people, i.e., the roots of one’s culture.
In his article “A critical Mess”, Scott Rowan highlights the problems associated with the monthly cycling event ‘Critical Mass’ in the streets of Chicago. In his argument, Rowan, the president of Sherpa Multimedia, explains the pains and frustrations that the Chicago community undergoes when the cyclists take to the streets demonstrating their riding skills and claiming that it is their constitutional right to do so. I tend to agree with Rowan that the problem can be solved through corporate sponsorship.
Specifically, the cyclists take to the streets without warning, blocking the roads and shouting obscene words at other road users, who are forced to stick in the traffic for several minutes or even hours. Even more worrying is the time at which the event takes place.
Almost every Critical Mass event takes place on Fridays and in the morning rush hour when most of the city commuters are moving towards their workplaces. If corporations are involved in sponsoring the cyclists, the companies involved are likely to consider their social responsibility and rights of others by making sure that the sponsored participants are educated on the need to respect other road users.
Noteworthy, it is embarrassing to note that the cyclists have the support of the authorities. The Chicago City Hall has recognized the rights of the cycles to assemble and express their conscience about the affairs of the city. Rowan states that “…Every time they start their “en mass” movement, the police always give them escort and protection…” (Rowan 12). They do not recognize other people’s rights and affairs.
I recognize the right of the people to assemble and expression. I also support the right of the cycles to claim that the city planners did not recognize cyclers as normal road users. Therefore, I believe corporations can determine the best time and place for the event because it will be a form of business. Thus, the organizations will ensure that they adhere to civil and traffic rules and regulations.
However, it is clear that the main problem concerns the behavior of the participants. Although they have the right to assemble, I do not think the constitution grants them the right to disrupt the public. In most of the events, some participants attend the event while under the influence of alcohol (Schweitzer 18).
They abuse other road users, cause traffic jam and sometimes accidents. On their part, the city authorities have failed to consider the economic loss associated with the event. A minute delay in the city’s traffic means a loss to the economy, yet the city’s coffers have huge deficits. When corporations are involved, they will be accountable for any behavior and problems caused by cyclists. Therefore, they are likely to ensure that the cyclists are registered before they are allowed to participate.
Instead of finding better methods of solving the problem, the authorities and the media support the event and the hooliganism associated with it. In his article, Rowan suggests that the city of Chicago should “…consider the initiatives that the organizers of the 2012 London Olympics did- corporate sponsorship” (Rowan 12).
According to Rowan, corporate sponsorship will turn the chaotic event into a profitable monthly event that will attract genuine and decent cyclers into the city. He argues that it will ensure that motorists are safe and the hooliganism will cease.
I must agree with Rowan on this matter. Providing corporate sponsorship does not necessarily mean that the riders will behave. However, it will attract decency because the sponsors will be held liable for any problem associated with the behavior of the riders. Corporations that sponsor the event will be responsible for any damages made, including accidents, public disruption and traffic jams.
Thus, they will try to hold the event at the appropriate time and place in order to avoid some of these problems. On their part, the riders will be required to behave in the appropriate manner and ensure that their actions do not violate the rights of other road users.
Works Cited
Rowan, Scott. “Critical Mess…uh En Masse.” Chicago Tribune 2 Oct. 2011: 12. Print
Schweitzer, Kevin. “Bike’s Messengers: Critical Mass a Rolling Example of Cycling’s Appeal”. Chicago Tribune 25 May 2003: 18. Print
The results of a conversation depending on the levels of communication between the parties that are involved. Some conversations, depending on the levels they are based upon, yield positive results and may create healthy relationships. The Social Penetration Theory by Irwin Altman states that the level of conversation defines communication and relationship.
He argues that a close social relationship can be created from a healthy conversation where the two parties involved are in the same level of understanding. This research paper seeks to explore how levels of conversation influence levels of relationships and functions.
There are several levels of conversation. A conversation may be social, mental, emotional, or spiritual. In a social conversation, there is an exchange of views and expectations from the parties. This level of conversation requires one to be keen on communication to be able to know whether the conversation will continue or not.
The people involved in this level of conversation may have varying opinions depending on their understanding of the topic of discussion. However, mutual respect and understanding should prevail in the conversation in order to get better results irrespective of the level of relationship that exists between the parties. A mental level of conversation aims at giving facts over an issue. This level of conversation lays the grounds for deeper communication and relationship.
One should be keen to pick other information that may be expressed through the tone or body movements in order to understand how to tune the conversation to be fruitful. Emotional and spiritual levels of conversation are very tricky. The emotional conversation seeks to get a confidant. Whatever one says in this level of conversation is supposed to be kept secret and not to be shared with other persons.
If this condition is not observed the relationship between the parties may become sour after the conversation. The spiritual level of conversation is based on one’s believes and faith in some form of divine power. In this level of conversation, a self-fulfilling relationship may be developed particularly if the people involved in the conversation share the same faith.
To realize a self-fulfilling relationship we need to consider the level of conversation and the level of relationship for both parties. A person at the social level of conversation may find it tricky developing a relationship with another person who is in the emotional level. This is so because at that moment of the conversation these two people are in different moods and worlds of reasoning and understanding. Considering this factor will avoid conflicts and stressful relationships.
Some outcomes of a given conversation that is not level sensitive may affect our relationships severely if no efforts are made to rectify the situation. This is evident from the relationship I had with my class teacher some time back. She called me after class work and reprimanded me over my poor performance in class. At this particular time, I was in deep sorrow and pain as I was mourning over the death of my best friend who had passed on the previous day.
The grief made me talk in a rude manner to the teacher during the conversation. We exchanged words that affected our relationship to a great level. After a long time of stress, I decided to make up with the teacher, and she was very sorry when I explained what I was going through at that moment. This is a clear indication of how levels of conversation may influence levels of relationship and function as self-fulfilling prophecies about our relationships and ourselves
In a coherent society, humanity lives not according to the laws of nature but according to the laws, which society and social code dictate to people. Having decided the question of survival, humanity can afford its living taking into account the feelings and emotions of individuals and not caring about the best ways of growing in number. That is why in the majority of states relationships are now being built based on the principles of faith and devotion.
Men and women chose one partner and tried to do their best to preserve and save this bond, guarantee its stable development and prosperity. The idea of fidelity is widely accepted in society and a persons devotion to his/her partner is praised and encouraged. However, there are still states, in which men have the right to have several partners at the same time.
It is explained by religious aspects and by polygamous nature of a man. Being responsible for the continuation of mankind, a man should have as many partners as it is possible to guarantee the prosperity of humanity. Being rather popular at different periods of our history, polygamous and monogamous relations have their advantages and disadvantages. However, being widely spread nowadays, monogamy needs further analysis.
Nowadays, monogamy is determined as a marriage or relations with only one person at a time (DeLecce para. 1). This sort of relations is considered to be the only legal type of bond in the majority of states all over the world. However, there were times when people considered monogamy to be wrong and unacceptable. Archeologists and paleontologists often find some evidence which prove that in ancestral times, people practiced polygamy as it was the best way to guarantee their survival.
Usually, the strongest men had the right to have several wives. It was a beneficial practice from evolution as the best man could give his qualities to descendants. However, in the process of its development, humanity changed the model of its behavior and started practicing monogamy. This shift was influenced by several factors.
One of the most important was the religious aspect. Christian church became more influential and powerful, and it promoted the development of monogamous relations, strictly forbidding relations with several women at one time. However, being in a marriage with one woman, a man still practiced relations with another. The change in consciousness of people came with the development of complicated and democratic societies, where the moral became powerful enough to influence the choice and behavior of men.
Having chosen a monogamous type of relations, humanity gained some obvious advantages. The first one is more stable and clear relationships within the married couple. Being the basic element of the society, a family should be strong enough to be able to develop itself and guarantee the development of the state.
Within this framework, this sort of relations seems to be more preferable. Having only one partner, a person is more caring, and he/she devotes most of his/her efforts trying to guarantee happiness and comfort to his/her beloved one. The second advantage is a better treatment for children in a monogamous family. There was a high degree of child mortality in the societies which practiced polygamy as men could have as many children as he could afford, though not being involved or interested in their raising (Shuiling 56).
Moreover, there were cases of male infanticide as men were trying to get rid of would be rivals (Lukas and Clutton-Brock 527). On the contrary, the typical modern monogamous family has one or two children, that is why it is very important for both partners to guarantee their childrens safeness and upbringing. Parents devote the greater part of their time, forces and funds to the creation of good conditions under which their children will live.
However, there are not only advantages of this sort of relations. First of all, it should be said that from evolution, monogamy is very dangerous and makes humanity weaker. There is no use denying the fact, that monogamous family cannot produce as many children as polygamous and that is why the future of society seems to be more vulnerable.
Though, mortality degree of children being lower in monogamous families, polygamous ones still give more would be members of society. Moreover, there is one more disadvantage in practicing monogamy. Very often monogamous relations succumb to boredom and jealousy. Being together for a long period, partners very often become tired of each other. In its turn, it can lead to psychological and physiological problems.
Moreover, a great number of crimes are committed by one of the partners on the foot of jealousy or some other inner problems. Polygamous marriage lacks this drawback, guaranteeing diversity for one of the partners. Moreover, monogamous relations can suggest more ways to avoid scandals and misunderstanding within a couple.
Nowadays, monogamous relations are standard for the majority of states all over the world. People accepted this model with all its advantages and disadvantages. Having made this choice under the influence of several factors, people now live according to its rules. There are several problems connected with this type of relations. The first one is that being officially married or in relations with a partner, very often a person has a lot of partners outside these relations.
Formally being monogamous, in practice these relations turn out to be polygamous. That is why it is possible to speak about the deceitful character of this sort of relations as it promotes the development of jealousy and misunderstanding.
However, it should be said that monogamous family is the only way for people to raise children and respect each other which seem to be acceptable in modern society as it respects rights and does not humiliate the dignity of one of the partners. Nevertheless, it still has some prejudices connected with the role of women in marriage, that is why it is possible to say that monogamous relations are not so ideal as they often said to be.
Having analyzed the data, it is possible to come to certain conclusions. First of all, it should be said that the sort of relations in which a person has the only partner and is devoted to him/her is the most popular in the world. Monogamy is a common mating system in a modern democratic society.
Developed under the influence of the Church and moral aspects, it now still has some advantages and disadvantages. Guaranteeing tighter relation between partners within a family, it also supplies children with better conditions, under which they live and develop. However, it sill promotes the development of jealousy and violence within a family. With this in mind, it is impossible to call monogamy an ideal type of relations for people as they still have strong animal instincts.
The subject of single motherhood has been ignored for a long time. People often struggle to meet their daily needs without caring if everybody else is leading a comfortable life. In a real sense, single mothers struggle to make ends meet. The four central themes discussed in this paper include poverty, mastery and personal control, universal social policies, and the social capital and social support of the single mothers in poverty.
Poverty and the well-being of single mothers
In the ancient days, it was rare to find single mothers. Women would accept to be in polygamous families or in abusive marriages to have the father figure taking care of the family. However, lately, women would rather go and suffer from poverty instead of staying in abusive marriages. Single women spend most of their time hustling and trying to make ends meet.
While employment policies would seem to help the women by offering them over-time payments, the overtime has its negative effects on the social life of the single mothers, as well as their dependants. The mothers who seek overtime payments to earn additional income have insufficient time to care for their children and perform house chores. Their children are forced to learn to do some of the difficult chores at a tender age; a case of child abuse (Albelda, 2011).
Such mothers and their children have hardened up to live in a state of absolute poverty. Such families have accepted their poverty situation, and they suffer in silence because they do not know where to seek refuge. The poverty of single mothers can be explained by such factors as low wages and lack of public support (Hill, 2011, p. 2). Single mothers in poverty treat their problems as personal responsibilities, and they have developed coping strategies. Their children may not obtain full education like children from elite families, and they are not sure of their next meal.
Some of the single mothers, especially those who lack sufficient education to secure lucrative jobs, have to do manual jobs to earn for living. Reports indicate that some single mothers are molested by their employers who know that they do not have a choice, but to submit to them. Some single mothers admitted that they had sexual insults from their employers, and they feared the consequence of reporting the matter.
The little consideration given to single women living in poverty distorts the women and their families. Some of the women struggle to the extent of being hopeless. They turn from highly esteemed individuals to lowly esteemed individuals with no self-control (Ridge & Millar, 2010). The overwork leaves single mothers with no ability to obtain better job opportunities or the freedom to make better choices in life.
Some mothers have given up in life; they have no control over their lives, and therefore, relatives or privileged individuals misuse them for their benefit. The poor women have consistent exposure to stresses, and this reduces their self-esteem and life span (Eshbaugh, 2009). The single mothers living in poverty reach a point where they cannot achieve their set goals because of the difficult economic status.
They may end up suffering from depression, ulcers, high blood pressures, and some of them may be even prone to the fatal outcome. Death marks the beginning of a very difficult lifestyle for the helpless kids, who are left in the unsafe hands of relatives and the harsh world. There is a high probability that the poverty in the family will reoccur in the future if no action is taken.
It would be worthwhile if the government reviewed its antipoverty programs and upgraded the levels of benefits of the low-income earners, and especially the single women living in poverty. Other than enhancing the employment opportunities for single mothers living in poverty, the government needs to accept the fact that the nation is in a crisis (Brandy & Burroway, 2012). Their number of marriages are dilapidated, where women prefer to live singly to have their freedom.
Regardless of the cause of single parenthood, the person suffering greatly is the innocent child whose life determines the future of the nation (Johnson, Honnold, & Threlfall, 2011). The government should work towards protecting the children of single mothers and ensuring that they do not suffer from the consequences of broken marriages. The single mothers who have a heavy burden of caring for their children need help from the government.
It is important that the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program has played a critical role in helping single mothers living in poverty. Moreover, there is a program named Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), which has played a critical role in strengthening the avenue between work and families of single mothers living in poverty. However, not all single mothers are aware of the above-named programs, and the government needs to invest in advertising the programs to bring general awareness to the required audience.
Mastery and personal control
Single parenthood is not deliberate for all mothers. Some fateful incidences like the death of the husband, unplanned pregnancies, or rape would lead to single parenthood. However, there are those single mothers who deliberately chose to lead a single motherhood lifestyle. Modern Americans are more willing to spend a significant part of their adult life without a formal spouse. This factor contributes to rising divorce rates (Cherlin, 2009, p. 229). The mothers did it for the desire of mastering their lives.
In this case, mastering is the ability for single mothers to take full control of their lives and the lives of their children (Eshbaugh, 2009). Research indicates that most of the women who deliberately chose to live the single motherhood lifestyle had a history of abusive marriages and thus preferred living a life of poverty as long as they have sound minds.
Although teen mothers are said to demonstrate lower mastery levels as compared to matured mothers, to some extent, mastering one’s life is casual relief form stressfulness. The teen mothers can gain experience in mastering their lives as they outgrow from teenage to adulthood.
Mastering is a mechanism that enables most single mothers to cope with all life situations. The single mothers living in poverty are hardened, whereby they develop a way out every difficult situation that arises (Eshbaugh, 2009). Life is interesting, and a series of successes and failures enables people to master their lifestyles. Single women living in poverty pass the mastery ability to their children, and thus, their children can negotiate and alter difficult situations.
If subjected under similar life problems, children living in poverty with their single mother are likely to cope effectively as compared to children from rich families. Such individuals are more likely to accept different forms of family because they are not strongly affected by conventional stereotypes about family (Cherlin, 2009, p. 229). Research indicates that some of the successful individuals in the world came from very humble backgrounds that opened their minds, and this molded them from being great innovators and inventors.
Mastery has played a critical role in single mothers living in poverty. Even though the government gives financial and material assistance to poor mothers, they have also invented new ways of generating income. Single mothers living in poverty are slowly becoming less dependent on government support, and they may soon be self-reliant (Albelda, 2011). They have invented ways of generating income from underexploited self-sufficient projects.
The term poverty will soon snuff out because many single women are participating in self-employment projects. The government should take responsibility and give financial support to the projects of the mothers. Adult education and training programs would play a critical role in encouraging single women living in poverty to take part in the self-sufficiency programs instead of waiting for aid from the government.
Mastery and personal control have enabled single mothers to treat their problems as personal responsibilities. They acknowledge their problems and work tirelessly towards finding tentative or permanent solutions to the problems. Mastery has enabled single mothers living in poverty to accept their position and keep away from criticism of those trying to underestimate them.
Despite the life stresses that poor mothers go through, they have the energy to walk majestically and proclaim their positions in society (Iwata, 2007). It is upon the government to work tirelessly to enhance the sense of belonging to the single women living in poverty.
Social capital, social support, and social security
The society is the greatest determinant of the well-being of single mothers living in poverty. Social support to the single mothers living in poverty offers the mothers with the necessary network to develop social contacts outside their sphere, and meet with potential employees and acquaintances. The information obtained from social networks helps single women considerably.
They obtain new investment ideas, share their life experiences, access useful information, and obtain comfort from their peers. Social support enables poor mothers to feel a sense of belonging, and thus, social trust is strengthened (Johnson, Honnold, & Threlfall, 2011). Strengthened social trust helps in building strong community relationships and deepened mutual obligations. Gender inequalities have not been eliminated, and at present women tend to have lower incomes than men do.
In many cases, women are financially dependent on their spouses (Hill, 2011, p. 5). Social support builds unity, such that all people, regardless of their social class, can access the diversified community resources. Social capital has played a critical role in offering both social support and social power to single mothers living in poverty.
The poor mothers can access soft loans to meet their daily needs. The mothers can even use the loans to invest in small projects that would enhance their financial well-being, and thus be able to manage their needs. The single mothers living in poverty are among the minorities in the society, but the social capital projects recognize them, and the projects help in creating strong bonds between the single mothers and women of their caliber.
As stated before, the society takes the role of offer social security to single mothers living in poverty. It is upon the society to ensure the poor mothers live a comfortable life free from distresses. It is noteworthy that single mothers living in poverty are not vocal because of their tightened schedules in their daily hustles to make ends meet. They may not have access to the necessary information on the current issues. It is upon the society to find ways to get them informed of the happenings.
The information of the procedures to follow in case of a problem should be made available in the places that the poor mothers are likely to visit (Iwata, 2007). Politicians are likely to take advantage of poor mothers. They make heavenly promises to the poor mothers to win their votes, and it is upon the society to protect the single mothers living in poverty from false information.
One should remember about the stereotypes about single mothers; for instance, according to a popular misconception, these women do not seek employment and only expect support from the government (Hill, 2011, p. 4). Due to these stereotypes, they do not receive the assistance that they need.
The society and the local governments should act on behalf of the larger government to embed and protect single mothers living in poverty. The single mothers ought to have a voice to speak, and an ear to listen to them. Most importantly, the government should take an initiative to punish the reckless individuals who father children and leave the burden of caring for the children to the mothers.
Universal social policy
It takes a couple to have a child, but the single mothers have often taken the full responsibility of caring for the child. Overall, the main objective of social policies is to improve the welfare of citizens (Petersen, Sznycer, Cosmides, & Tooby, 2012). Universal social policies would work towards protecting the rights of the child. Single mothers living in poverty strain heavily in trying to meet the needs of the children that keep on growing as the children grow older (Brandy & Burroway, 2012).
The biological fathers of the children could be somewhere “enjoying” life, whereas the mother and the child suffer in difficult life situations. While some single mothers could have chosen to be single, there must be an underlying reason, probably abusive marriages. Some Americans have often mistaken single mothers, when, they say that they deserve to live in poverty.
However, some single mothers’ husbands neglect them, some conceived at a tender age, while some single mothers’ husbands died before they could gather enough wealth to cater for the children. It is encouraging to note that single mothers have benefit entitlements from government policies.
The government also has policies to offer total assistance to single mothers living in poverty. The government has taken a great role in ensuring the existence of policies that care for the children. Children living in poverty have statutory entitlements, social insurance, and child maintenance allowances.
The universal social policies have played a critical role in ensuring that single mothers living in poverty have access to their basic needs (Ridge & Millar, 2010). However, some of those mothers have remained to live a life of poverty because of the overdependence of the government.
They never take quality time to think of a worthwhile project that can earn them some extra income to upgrade their lifestyle. It is noteworthy that the “lazy” single mothers living in poverty ought to rise and find a way to generate extra cash other than their entitlements by the government. Also, the scholars state that the development and realization of the social policy largely depend on the norms and values, which are encouraged in the society (Petersen et al., 2012).
Conclusion
From the discussions, it is evident that single mothers are a minority group in society, and they need recognition and protection. The society and the government should invent and invest in long-lasting solutions to alleviate poverty. The solutions would relieve the government from the burden of overdependence on financial support, and this will consequently relieve the taxpayer.
Reference List
Albelda, R. (2011). Time binds: US antipoverty policies, poverty, and the well-being of single mothers. Feminist Economics, 17(4), 189-214.
Brandy, D., & Burroway, R. (2012). Targeting, universalism, and single-mother poverty: A multilevel analysis across 18 affluent democracies. Demography, 49(1), 719-746.
Cherlin, A. (2009). The Origins of the Ambivalent Acceptance of Divorce. Journal Of Marriage & Family, 71(2), 226-229.
Eshbaugh, E. (2009). Socioeconomic predictors of mastery among mothers in poverty. Journal of Poverty, 13(1), 426-440.
Hill, K. (2011). Single Mothers – How are They Doing?. Journal Of Organizational Culture, Communications & Conflict, 15(1), 1-10.
Iwata, M. (2007). Identifying the poor: Analysis of impoverished single-mother households. Journal of Poverty, 11(3), 29-45.
Johnson, J.A., Honnold, J.A., Threlfall, P. (2011). Impact of social capital on employment and marriage among low-income single mothers. Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, 38(4), 9-31.
Petersen, M., Sznycer, D., Cosmides, L., & Tooby, J. (2012). Who Deserves Help? Evolutionary Psychology, Social Emotions, and Public Opinion about Welfare. Political Psychology, 33(3), 395-418.
Ridge, T., & Millar, J. (2010). Following families: Working lone-mother families and their children. Social Policy & Administration, 45(1), 85-97.
The narrative about a fictional town named McMinden contains a number of sociological concepts, among which the notion of social stratification appears to be the most expressively stated. As such, social stratification presupposes a hierarchical organization of society, where the division of people into classes is based on the amount of power and wealth.
Discussed, inter alia, by such theorists as Karl Marx and Max Weber, social stratification finds its expression in the division of society into classes, among which three major groups are singled out: the upper class, the middle class, and the lower class. In the town of McMinden, the aforementioned classes are represented by bankers, business owners, and professional people as the upper class; people employed in various white-collar, blue-collar, retail, service, and agribusiness jobs as middle class; and unskilled workers as the lower class (¶¶ 3-4). In my real-life situation, I can observe the same tendency of social stratification.
Such stratification roots in the social division of labor, discussed by Karl Marx and defined as categorizing different jobs to different workers depending on the job type and complexity. Apparently, in the town of McMinden, the upper-class people are involved in more intellectual, white-collar jobs that bring more income, and the lower-class citizens content themselves with working at the meat-packing factory (¶¶ 3-4).
In the modern world, there is observed a tendency of crossing the borders of social stratification and involving in jobs that correspond to the level of education rather than to the economic or social background.
In addition to the division of labor, social stratification in the town of McMinden results in strict social distancing. The concept of social distance was developed by Emory S. Bogardus and is employed to describe the level of closeness and acceptance between different social groups. In case with McMinden, social distance reveals itself in the icy and even hostile attitude among the different racial groups living in the town.
Apart from the white settlers, the racial composition of the town is by a quarter made up of Hispanic, black, Native American, and Asian people who are not treated respectfully by the white population (¶¶ 1, 7, 9). The same problem of social distancing and unwillingness to maintain good neighborly relation can be witnessed nowadays in countries where the number of immigrants is high.
Due to mechanization of agriculture around the town of McMinden, fewer workers were needed to support farming, and the area witnessed the phenomenon of depopulation. As young people preferred to obtain education and prestigious jobs elsewhere, they moved out of the town (¶ 10). This process of rural flight from the more rural areas to the less rural ones has led to such thinning out of the town population that McMinden is only alive and breathing due to the immigrants attracted by the perspective of unskilled work at the meat-packing factory. Nowadays, the tendency to rural flight is still observed to a certain degree in more rural areas, while inhabitants of large megapolises tend to move out to the less densely populated suburbs.
The concepts of social stratification, division of labor, and social distance discussed in the essay appear to be connected by cause-and-effect relation. As a result of division of labor, there emerges social stratification. And resulting from the strict borders set by social stratification appears social distance. The process of depopulation and rural flight can be considered as related to the aforementioned concepts as well. Depopulation of McMinden occurs since young people are escaping from the established social division to larger cities where it is easier to overcome social and racial borders.
Homelessness can be discussed as one of the major social issues in Canada today. The media and scholars pay very much attention to the topic, while accentuating its importance for the Canadian society. The stories of millions of homeless people round the world attract the audience who intends to examine the aspects of their life and possible perspectives for the future because these people have suffered from tsunamis, earthquakes, civil wars, floods, and fire. However, the street youth is the unique category discussed in the context of homelessness. In their book Leaving the Streets: Stories of Canadian Youth, Jeff Karabanow, Alexa Carson, and Philip Clement discuss the attempts of the young homeless Canadians to exit the dangerous street life, and they focus on the personal stories of male and female Canadians between 16 and 24 (Karabanow, Carson, & Clement, 2011, p. 8).
To focus on the issue in detail, it is necessary to review the authors’ thesis, their key arguments, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the book, and to conclude about its significance. Although the book discusses only one category of the street population in Canada, Karabanow, Alexa Carson, and Philip Clement provide the effective detailed examination of the street youth’s attempts to exit the street life because they focus on the personal stories and experiences, analyze different variants of street disengagement, and concentrate on the role of the social exclusion and capital for the process while pointing at the crucial factors to change the situation for better.
The authors of the book are inclined to support the idea that to exit the street life successfully, the street youth should become oriented to the principles of the street disengagement and to breaking all the bonds connecting the person with the street community, and it is the most challenging aspect of the process (Karabanow, Carson, & Clement, 2011, p. 6-12).
The main strength of the book is that the authors present the examples and strategies related to the effective street disengagement basing on the real-life personal stories and experiences. The next strength of the book is that the authors pay much attention to the discussion of the problem of social exclusion and motivation influencing the young people’s attempts to exit the street life. From this point, to summarize the book arguments, it is important to note that the authors focus on the role of such concepts as social exclusion and social capital in the young people’s street disengagement, the role of the service providers in supporting the youth, and the role of the external and internal factors to influence the young people’s choice (Karabanow, Carson, & Clement, 2011, p. 10-16). However, the book is rather weak to present the issue in the cultural context instead of social context because of focusing primarily on social concepts.
The book is different from the other works on the topic because the authors focus on the problem of the street youth from the perspectives for the street disengagement when many authors are inclined to focus on the legal issues of the problem or on the nature of homelessness as the social phenomenon (Mervyn, 2006, p. 12; Warriner & Peach, 2007, p. 118-120).
Furthermore, this book can work as the guide that helps social workers use different approaches while handling different young people exiting the streets. Thus, the service providers can use the book to come up with different tactics for handling street youths. The book is also the great resource for students studying the youth related programs. It presents the greatest diversity in terms of the street youth’s life which is not unique for Canada and many countries all over the world and accentuates the similar experiences observed in different countries. It is, therefore, a good book when it comes to understanding the diversity of the street young people who suffer from being homeless.
While evaluating the book, it is necessary to state that the book provides the detailed and clear examination of the topic because the authors focus on many details and evidences to support their arguments. Thus, the heterogeneity of the youths in the streets comes to the fore in the book, and the authors use a lot of data to support their unexpected claims related to the idea of social exclusion. It is a good approach to deal with the issue of homeless in relation to street youths in Canada because the authors present the proper discussion of the emphasis on exclusion achieved with the help of such terms as “squeegee kids”, “runaways”, “group-home” among many others (Karabanow, Carson, & Clement, 2011, p. 10).
The book explains the meaning of different labels in order to emphasize diversity and help the readers understand the various groups and situations typical for the life in the streets. However, the fact that these labels are not static and that the shifts are possible shows that street life is transformative.
The authors effectively manipulate this idea while stating that service providers use this diversity to come up with strategies on how to help the homeless youths in the streets leave the street. The book, therefore, helps in guiding service providers with vital information about the homeless street youth and their motives. The authors also provide credible evidences to support the idea about the diversity of the youths’ choices while focusing on the street disengagement.
It is necessary to realize that if the youth comes from different backgrounds, those people can experience the street life differently. Thus, the process of exit is different and based on many factors, as it is stated in personal stories. The authors state that the exiting street life means “a renewed or rebuilt sense of citizenship — a shift away from exclusion towards inclusion”, and individual challenges, reasons, and barriers influence the process significantly (Karabanow, Carson, & Clement, 2011, p. 16).
The other striking feature in this book is the fact that it talks about the transient nature which many homeless street youths demonstrate. Some of the reasons why they move from one place to another are the searches of services that can support them. The bottom-line is the fact that these homeless street persons are highly mobile. The authors state that this movement and constant changes of location normally ensure that most of the youths do not disengage from the streets during their first attempt. They are people who like experimenting with things, and they are “unattached to mainstream culture and as such, outside the realm of public citizenship” (Karabanow, Carson, & Clement, 2011, p. 15).
These arguments of the authors are effective to see the problem from the other perspective. This book brings a very valid point in the transient nature of the homeless street youths.
This book provides different types of evidences because it is based on the analysis of interviews with the street youth and representatives of the social services. The youth living in the streets and the service providers tell their stories from the book’s pages. Much attention is paid to the ways which are used by the young people to exit the street life and to the successes of their initiatives. The necessary data and examples are received from different persons who work closely with the homeless youth in Canada, and the authors use the qualitative data and statistics to reflect the real situation in the country and to support their arguments. The presence of many personal materials and facts creates the impression that the book is well balanced and supported (Karabanow, Carson, & Clement, 2011, p. 67-83).
The fact that the book gives the evidences to discuss the all points of the stories means that the reader is not limited to the discussion of the street disengagement, but he also can reflect on the general culture of the youth in Canada.
The book asks the readers and the service providers to understand the idea of exiting the street as the complex phenomenon because such factors as the youth’s ideals, motivation, barriers, and fears are associated with the process. The discussion of these factors is a very important for those service providers involved in the promotion of youth programs. The authors pay the readers’ attention to the fact that the homeless street young people are young girls and boys who are often unhealthy in relation to their emotions, spirituality, and even physical features. Thus, these factors also influence significantly their opportunities to exit the street successfully.
These results of exploitations, the lack of care, sufferings and abuse should be treated appropriately to contribute to the youth’s adaptation. The authors provide many evidences to support these claims while referring to the examples of exploitations and abuses (Karabanow, Carson, & Clement, 2011, p. 67-83). Karabanow, Carson, and Clement provide the sound arguments to state that the street disengagement is the complex social problem which should be discussed from the large perspective.
Jeff Karabanow, Alexa Carson, and Philip Clement’s Leaving the Streets: Stories of Canadian Youth makes the readers to look at the problem of the homelessness from the other point while referring to the issue of the street youth. This book is extremely focused on the idea of the successful street engagement, and it is necessary for those representatives of the social services who work to support the homeless street youths. However, this narrow focus can be discussed as one of the book’s limitations. Nevertheless, the authors discuss the various factors to influence the street exit issue in detail, and the book addresses the aspects of the marginalized groups’ life properly.
The book can serve as a guide to form the associated policies and give details on how to handle the issue of homeless in relation to the street youth in the contemporary Canadian society. The authors have done the significant work, and their research and the qualitative data add to the book’s credibility. Furthermore, the book provides the links for the future research in the field because the topic of barriers and challenges preventing the youth from exiting the street is very large and diverse.
References
Karabanow, J., Carson, A., & Clement, P. (2011). Leaving the streets: Stories of Canadian youth. Canada: Fernwood Publishing. Web.
Mervyn, J. (2006). Metamorphosis an in depth look at the lives of former street kids. Vancouver: University of British Columbia. Web.
Warriner, W. E., & Peach, I. (2007). Canadian social policy renewal, 1994-2000. Halifax, N.S.: Fernwood Publishing. Web.
The following are the main points from the chapter 15 of the Self Help in Hard Times book that were determined as Zinn’s main points of interest:
Social Unrest is a By-product of Inequality
The first main point of Zinn in this chapter is that social unrest is connected to inequality in the current system. As seen in the case of the IWW, the various protests brought about by the defunct socialist party as well as the other subsequent protests that were shown in the chapter, the concentration of wealth and opportunity towards a small sector of the population breeds considerable discontent (Zinn 380). Simply put, the more processes implemented that favor the wealthy, such as tax deductions and priority treatment, the more likely people are to rebel resulting in social unrest.
Zinn points out that the development of social unrest through organizations such as unions is only a by-product of a greater case of social resentment over the trickle down effect having little in they way of sufficient positive social benefits. It is based on this that Zinn implies that the problem with worker strikes is not the creation of unions; rather, it is the way in which the current system is setup where a select few are given disproportional advantages over the rest of the population (Zinn 385). So long as this problem persists, the same protests, violence and societal unrest will continue to exist well into the future. The problem, as Zinn points out, is that there is a considerable difference between a living wage and what employers pay their workers. If workers are actually paid enough for them to live comfortably, it is unlikely that they would even strike in the first place.
Resistance to Change
Another of the main issues pointed out by Zinn in this chapter is the resistance to change presented by the government, the wealthy and other local organizations. For example, despite the Seattle protests being generally peaceful, the response of the authorities once it was over was to violently arrest the individuals who lead the IWW. Not only that, there are numerous instances showcased in the chapter of law enforcement generally overreacting when it came to peacefully addressing the problem of worker strikes (Zinn 379). There was also the case of resistance to change on the part of the rich wherein instead of acknowledging the fact that their workers were being underpaid and giving them better wages, they actively attempted to repress the workers as much as possible in the form of the armed guards or bringing in new workers who were not part of the union.
The government was also not any better as evidenced by the policies that were implemented that continued to favor the rich despite widespread social discontent. One way of explaining why there is resistance to change is to look at it from the perspective of institutional theory which states that people are more likely to adhere to a particular institution due to how long it has been present despite the existence of alternative institutions that are better and more efficient. This is due to age being perceived as a form of stability wherein, despite the presence of better alternatives, people would still prefer something that they know is stable. This helps to explain why the rich and those in power continue to uphold the current system despite clear evidence that it is unstable.
In her article “Too Young to Wed”, author Cynthia Gorney seeks to address the issue of child brides. The article begins by describing the illegal wedding ceremony of three child brides. While two of the girls are aged 15 and 13, the youngest, Rajani, is only 5 years old. The three young brides are being married off by their family to men they have never met. The article reveals that the community overlooks illegal weddings easily especially if the brides have reached puberty.
The article states that an outsider observing illegal ceremonies feels an impulse to rescue the young brides. However, child marriage is a complicated activity and such an action would not help. Forced early marriages happen for a variety of social reasons. In some cases, they occur because the risk of a girl losing her virginity before marriage is unacceptable. In other instances, these marriages are carried out as business deals where a family gives the bride child away to settle a debt or resolve family conflicts.
The article notes that early marriage in most cases ends the academic life of a child. However, poverty makes it impossible for some families to avoid this practice. Girl education is hard for many poor families who give priority to the education of their sons. In such communities, early marriage is encouraged by the older females of the family including aunts and grandmothers. However, men are responsible for most forced marriages. In the case of 10-year-old Ayesha who was married off to a 50-year old, the women in the family tried to stop the marriage. However, Ayesha’s father threatened to kill her if she reported the matter to the police. Now the girl lives in misery with her old husband.
The article highlights the case of the 10-year old Nujood Ali who requested a divorce after she had been forcefully married to a man in his 30s. Nujoob’s case was different since she decided to fight back against this practice. Her actions brought the issue of forced child marriages to public attention. It also encouraged other children to take action when faced with similar situations. Even so, the article reveals that not all children would have the courage to do this. The government and child protection agencies need to do more to help deal with the problem. The article suggests that more education programs are needed to reach more underage girls and their families and therefore discourage this habit.
The underlying community issues that encourage child marriages should be dealt with in order to prevent this practice. Community-led programs that encourage people to move away from this practice result in the reduction in child marriages. The case of Shobha Choudhary who was married off when only eight years of age is highlighted. Because of a free education program offered by the Veerni Project, this young girl was able to continue studying even after marriage.
However, Shobha still has to live with her uneducated husband since doing otherwise would disgrace her parents. The young girl was sponsored to go through college by the article’s author and her husband. Shobha is now studying computers and learning English. The article concludes by highlighting the case of a 13-year-old bride who died after injuries sustained following sexual intercourse with her new husband
Reference
Gorney, C. (2011). Too Young to Wed: The Secret World of Child Brides. Web.
Whistleblowing is the act of speaking up about wrongdoing for the public’s greater good. It is an essential asset to a country as it involves loyal individuals who would somewhat be abused but uncover the truth. For many nations, there are laws provided by the state to protect whistleblowers and which they can use to sue employers if they receive wrongful termination from their jobs or in the case of witness protection (Malek, 2010). Thus, whistleblowing remains an essential asset in any administration, especially in nations where the justice system is well defined. In many instances, corruption is unchallenged because people do not speak out against many acts, not knowing their voices are potent weapons against injustices.
Citizens in many countries face high personal risks when they blow the whistle, especially when there is no legal protection, and thus they are deterred from speaking out. This paper will discuss whistleblowing from two different vantage points, that is, the society and the workplace points of view. In this regard, the report will focus on both the advantages and the disadvantages of defector with respect to society, marginal working groups like immigrants, and the workplace. In addition, the paper will examine how various social controls can be used to support whistleblowing positively. In the end, the report will recommend different intervention tactics and highlight possible economic or social benefits that would be realized if the recommendations were implemented.
Whistleblowing from Societal and Workplace Points of View
Whistleblowing is an effective mechanism if one is willing to be unique and speak out on behalf of others before a small problem turns into a mountain of issues. Some individuals opt to endure economic degradation by acting in what they think is per the group to avoid going incongruent to the majority (Bellaby, 2018). To compromise or to maintain what one believes in can be acceptable forms of the paradox. However, for whistleblowing to be effective, the puzzle should be bypassed because standing with the truth is paramount. It is ineffective in most cases of corruption and making the government accountable because speaking out will cause no change. Some individuals believe that speaking out will do little to change the situation; for instance, internally working for the government can be complicated for possible whistleblowing. Thus, ineffectiveness is felt when the government does not provide a clause in the constitution for external whistleblowing or protection to whistleblowers (Eisenstadt & Pacella, 2018).
Fear of separation is another negative aspect of whistleblowing, where individuals do not fear the unknown but fear what they know will happen after speaking out. (Malek (2010) asserts that risk and certainty is a dilemma that faces whistleblowers. The paradox occurs in the thoughts where an individual does not want to be seen as a non-player or disloyal, but then the unwillingness to speak up will cause harm upon discovery—for instance, blame and suspicion (Culiberg & Mihelič, 2017). A good example is where an organization or the government commissions a project. The project’s chairperson has put so much energy into the project and feels that it will be successful. An individual who is a financial consultant realizes that the plan will fail but chooses to keep quiet because he or she does not want to kill the chairperson’s spirit. Due to the uncertainty surrounding whistleblowing, the whistleblower wants to be on the right side of things if the project succeeds.
There is a definite difference between how whistleblowing works in society and the view from the workplace. For example, in the workplace, there may lack clear, precise criteria that an individual can provide information to the people in authority unanimously. Adding to this, an individual may be compelled to be silent about most things for fear that he or she will be termed as disloyal (Moy, 2018). Even when the workplace individuals are at a more advantage of accessing the information, they embark on some risk analysis that may occur if they speak out. However, in society, there may be occurrences of whistleblowing because the individual does not stand to lose much. The only hindrance to whistleblowing in society or the public is the authenticity of the information and how it will be received generally (Culiberg & Mihelič, 2017).
The other difference in whistleblowing viewpoints between society and the workplace is the type of complaints raised (Givati, 2016). In the community and in particular for government and public institutions, there is no limit to which allegations can be built. However, it is not the case in the place of work because there is provision for what claims should be raised and to what extent, meaning can the information be disclosed externally or not. There is a consideration of whether the data is about whistleblowers only or other people in the workplace. According to Lewis (2018), there is an exemption to the deliberation where particular grievances are so endemic that they become interested in the public.
Further, Farooqi et al. (2017) explain an interconnectedness between the societal and the workplace view of whistleblowing. The connection happens when reports and grievances in the workplace are sidelined and buried, and therefore the whistleblower is prompted to spill the information to the public. In this regard, the perception of whistleblowing is that the action is to prevent any misconduct in the workplace to benefit the individuals in and outside the workplace. However, caution should be taken because some whistleblowers have personal and selfish interests like reaping some benefits and rewards. Before the information is accepted, it should be scrutinized and verified (Farooqi et al., 2017).
It is paramount that whistleblowing is considered a priority, and culture of speaking out should be cultivated. The philosophy can be useful if the government safeguards the whistleblowers by introducing strong whistleblower legislation that can also see that the assertions are carefully scrutinized. From the discussion, there is both effectiveness and ineffectiveness in using whistleblowing to fight corruption (Chen, 2019). Fear, coupled with the government’s financial ability and power to silence a whistleblower, causes ineffectiveness in an attempt to maintain a good face across the borders. It is a useful tool because it unravels many mysteries that are hidden from the typical person. When it is used accordingly, the device is capable of keeping the government on its toes. It also serves as a mechanism where the government can account for every project they undertake. Conclusively, the similarity between the societal and workplace in whistleblowing is that there is a revelation of unhidden information. The two viewpoints should, therefore, be combined to uncover the truth (Bellaby, 2018).
Firms, organizations, and employers can significantly benefit from whistleblowing as it helps them mitigate the losses or potential losses that could have been caused as a result of misconduct by an employee. Organizations can benefit from whistleblowing as it helps reduce the risk that the business would have incurred due to litigation, fines, criminal sanctions, or adverse publicity (Malek, 2010). It should be noted that employers that encourage whistleblowing are more likely to receive internal whistleblowing alerts than those who discourage it, which means that they can be able to deal with it on time. Organizations lose vast amounts of money in employee theft, improper use of equipment and resources, and employees falsifying documents. As a result, organizations stand to gain when whistleblowers come forward because they feel safe and report misconduct before it escalates. While it may not seem as important to report workplace issues, it is critical to state that employers benefit a lot when their workers can report problems on time (Chen, 2019).
Immigrant workers face all kinds of threats from their employers like being fired, being reported to the authorities, or being deported if they blow the whistle (Castro et al., 2016). As a result, many of them remain underpaid and overworked, working for over a hundred hours a week for three dollars an hour. Consequently, many persons would rather see corruption and other social vices prevail instead of whistleblowing for few of blowback or retaliation. On the contrary, the act of blowing the whistle has rescued many immigrant workers from discrimination and oppression. In addition, due to whistleblowers, many discriminated employees have sued employers and companies and got compensation (Castro et al., 2016).
Backing Whistleblowing Using Various Social Controls
Society is slowly starting to accept and promote a friendly and sustainable culture with lobby groups advocating for the rights of those who wish to speak out. Many whistleblowers receive retaliation and fail on their mission due to the current state laws and lack of sufficient federal laws. In many nations, whistleblowers experience a lack of legal representation when they want to stand up for organizations or government breaches in the workplace (Park et al., 2020). At the moment, the Whistleblower Protection Act is only able to protect personnel who are under the Federal Government, leaving those in the private-sector vulnerable depending on the legislation that is available in their local administration, and which has a short time in which they are supposed to report any misconduct. Some States offer recommendable policies to encourage people to come out and speak against the social vices. However, other states offer no protection at all. Thus, society is still far behind in the implementation of safeguard rules for individuals who are willing to stand up for what they believe in or to challenge the social issues in the workplace (Park et al., 2020).
Firms need to enact policies and teach them to their employees. For instance, establishments, especially multinational corporations, need to create an environment where ethical behavior is valued and rewarded and inspire and promote moral responsibility. When the leadership and management in an organization are willing to reassure the whistleblowing culture, this boosts and informs them that the management cares for its employees and that they take their social issues responsibly and with seriousness. As a result, many employees, especially those marginalized like the immigrant workers, will come out and voice their concerns.
The report has established that they benefit the organizations, employers, employees, and society due to whistleblowing. Thus, employers should be ready to make whistleblowing policies and embed them into the organizational culture, visions, and mission so that the employees are aware that they can either internally or externally speak their concerns to the management (Berg, 2020). Many employees will only be willing to voice their workplace concerns to the authorities if they are sure. They can be guaranteed that the organization is ready to come up with a problem-solving mindset. Thus, establishing and enacting policies and having in place ethically-minded leaders can be viewed as essential social control that will support whistleblowing (Krambia, 2020).
Organizations could create and boost whistleblowing culture by offering employees incentives and rewards for those who can raise social issues that are valid within the workplace. While every firm cannot offer incentives to employees who raise valid concerns, those companies and employers who are able to recognize this as part of their responsibility, gain a competitive edge and are more likely to receive loyalty from their employees. According to Givati (2016), offering incentives such as money dramatically increases the number of times employees report misconduct in the workplace. It is an excellent opportunity for the leaders to emphasize personal benefits and the employees’ moral obligations as this has the potential to strengthen individual employee interest in becoming a champion in their respective departments in the workplace. Incentives give a positive notion that the organization’s management is aware and is willing to reward those who blow the whistle on wrongdoing that occur at the workplace. Altering the general public’s perception of whistleblowing may be challenging for both employees and employers (Mesmer & Viswesvaran, 2015). However, offering incentives and rewards may prove to be a great tool and a sound intervention method in the workplace in cases where reporting of misconduct has not yet begun.
Useful Interventions and Possible Economic or Social Benefits if the Interventions are Implemented
There are recommendations for legislative principles developed by Transparency International with regard to whistleblowing. The first recommendation being giving whistleblowing a broader meaning than confining it to corruption and specific dangers (Anvari et al., 2019). The other suggestions are that whistleblowing will have comprehensive coverage and protection for the belief that the information disclosed is correct at the time it is revealed. Additionally, there are recommendations to protect the whistleblower and provision for the right to personal security. The proposal shows signs of growth and change of perception of whistleblowing. The plans will prompt more people to speak out because of the assurance of protection (Farooqi et al., 2017). Thus, there will be more freedom and an expansive scope in whistleblowing in the future than in the current situation.
The pressure on whistleblowing in the numerous nations across the globe forces many people to step back. However, multiple states are putting into place a disclosure that will see that they are exempted from the disciplinary proceedings (Culiberg & Mihelič, 2017). Still, the burden will fall solely on the information disclosed and proving whether the whistleblower has broken the law. Additionally, the right oath of confidentiality and loyalty shall be given to the whistleblower. The developments are promising, and prospectively within a few years, the voice of the people shall be heard. As a result, the need to have an exclusive agency that protects whistleblowers’ rights is necessary (Krambia, 2020).
The agency should develop and implement anti-corruption policies that address and investigate information conveyed by whistleblowers (Eisenstadt & Pacella, 2018). In the future, various nations should be steps ahead because there are enough experience and infrastructure to support whistleblowers as they convey their information. Additionally, mechanisms of providing data should be put into place, for example, hotlines and e-services, because the channels are essential to whistleblowers who are in turn, are critical in keeping the government accountable and on its toes. In the next, few years if whistleblowing is given the importance that it deserves, there will be a reduction in corruption and more stability in many countries (Eisenstadt & Pacella, 2018).
Organizations and companies can benefit economically when they implement whistleblowers controls and intervening recommendations in leadership failure cases. Clients are more likely to buy products and services from a company that have a good image and upholds their values and principles rather than a company that mistreats its employees. According to Moy (2018), high employee turnover negatively affects an organization’s revenue. Still, an employee who feels that they are treated fairly and valued by their employer is likely to report misconduct incidences and are also expected to remain as long-term employees and loyal to the company. As a result, organizations and firms benefit economically from a workforce that feels both safe and valued. A labor force that is satisfied with how the company treats them means a clientele representing a brand image resulting in high revenue creation (Berg, 2020).
In general, society will benefit both socially and economically when workers feel safe when they report social issues that affect them in their workplaces. When there is a connection between employees’ ethical and moral behavior in any given workplace, the results will ensure that workplace violence, theft, or employee misconduct is kept at its minimum. For a long while, society has been looking for ways in which they can improve the living standards of every person, and this means that if these businesses are able to protect whistleblowers, then they are able to enhance the trust and morality in the business sector, which translates to more revenue for the company (Mesmer & Viswesvaran, 2015). Issuing incentives and protection to whistleblowers is a factor that potential buyers, customers, employees, and even CEOs, who are a brand image of the company, cannot pass. Thus, in the long run, whistleblowing is not a method that aims to improve a personal image or gains but a mechanism that seeks to enhance societal values and the position of society in terms of social behavior and economic power (Anvari et al., 2019).
Conclusion
To sum up, corruption remains unchallenged because many people do not realize their voices are powerful weapons against injustices. The paper has highlighted whistleblowing from two different points of view: society and the workplace point of view. In this regard, the paper has focused on both the benefits and the shortcomings of whistleblowing with respect to society, marginal working groups like immigrant workers, and the workplace. The paper has also examined how various social controls can be utilized to promote whistleblowing positively. In the end, the paper has listed different intervention tactics and highlighted possible economic or social benefits that would be realized if the recommendations were implemented. Whistleblowers need to know that they are protected so that they can speak out the ills in the society. Otherwise, those in positions of power or in government will not enjoy the advantages and contributions that those who blow the whistle can offer. The society benefits economically morally when people can speak against societal vices. For instance, people who are being discriminated like the immigrant workers can get help if someone spoke out. It is our responsibility as a society to encourage those who blow the whistle in the fight agaist corruption.
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