...SUBJECT: - SOCIOLOGY TITLE OF THE PROJECT: - POWER AND AUTHORITY RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: - The researcher will have a doctrinal approach towards the Project. Information for the Project will be collected from Books, Journals and Internet. ACKNOWLEDGMENT This Project couldn’t have been successfully completed without the support and guidance of our Sociology Professor, M. Lakshmipati Raju Sir and we would like to express our immense gratitude to him for his constant support and motivation that has encouraged us to come up with this project. Lastly, we would like to thank our classmates for their whole hearted support at all times during the course of the Project. Thanking You Rahul Kr. Dubey CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………..4 2. WHAT IS POWER?.......................................................................................................5 A. THE EMERGENCE OF POWER…………………………………………6 B. THE DIVISION OF POWER……………………………………………..9 3. WHAT IS AUTHORITY…...…………………………………………………………9 A. POLITICAL AUTHORITY……...………………………………………11 4. THE DEMOCRATIC CONCEPTION OF POLITICAL AUTHORITY………..….15 5. THE RELATIONSHIP AND DISTINCTION BETWEEN POWER AND AUTHORITY…………………..............................................
Words: 9038 - Pages: 37
...Main article: Authority (sociology) Max Weber, in his sociological and philosophical work, identified and distinguished three types of legitimate domination (Herrschaft in German, which generally means 'domination' or 'rule'), that have sometimes been rendered in English translation as types of authority, because domination isn't seen as a political concept in the first place.[citation needed] Weber defined domination (authority) as the chance of commands being obeyed by a specifiable group of people. Legitimate authority is that which is recognized as legitimate and justified by both the ruler and the ruled. Weber divided legitimate authority into three types: * The first type discussed by Weber is Rational-legal authority. It is that form of authority which depends for its legitimacy on formal rules and established laws of the state, which are usually written down and are often very complex. The power of the rational legal authority is mentioned in the constitution. Modern societies depend on legal-rational authority. Government officials are the best example of this form of authority, which is prevalent all over the world. * The second type of authority is Traditional authority, which derives from long-established customs, habits and social structures. When power passes from one generation to another, then it is known as traditional authority. The right of hereditary monarchs to rule furnishes an obvious example. The Tudor dynasty in England and the ruling families...
Words: 629 - Pages: 3
...Power. Authority. Violence A research paper highlighting the relation between the three terms: power, authority and violence, and the nature of violence and power in Hannah Hannah Arendt’s theory in her book ‘Crises of the Republic’. ------------------------------------------------- Sushrut S. Vaidya (20155042) Hannah Arendt (1906 – 1975) was a political theorist, who through her theories got the recognition of a philosopher and framed the thoughts of many political theorists to come through her topics on the nature of power, authority and totalitarianism. Through this paper, I shall be talking about my take on the relation between the three fundamentals of Hannah Arendt’s theory in her book ‘Crises of the Republic’. The relation that I will be deriving is between her theory of power, authority and violence. I hope to be, at the end of this paper, be able to provide an input as to where the ideal culminated theory lies and be able to put forward a few points on the continued flow of power. Power, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is defined as the ability to act or produce an effect or as the possession of control, authority or influence over others. Power, has evolved into its many forms as it was practiced through time. Turning back time to back when primordial man asserted his power over others to the beginning of civilized life to the time where empires began and required ruling to the creation of the ‘modern man’, power has been exercised multiple...
Words: 1932 - Pages: 8
...To what extent was Peter’s failure to delegate authority the main cause of the difficulties that Sam faced in completing the report? [16 marks] The failure of Peter to realise what was needed for Sam to complete the report for him means that it was the main cause of Sam’s difficulties. Sam was very unfortunate and had tried numerous times to get hold of him. Peter should have realised that Sam needed this other information to produce a detailed report for him. However this was not the only reason that Sam had difficulties. One of the main reasons that Sam failed to produce a good report is that Peter didn’t give Sam enough information to complete the task that he had delegated to him. He explained what he wanted Sam to do in under 20 minutes which isn’t a long enough amount of time for Sam to understand exactly what was needed. This is equally as important to the fact that Peter failed to delegate authority properly. Sam had never taken on any roles like this and this makes it difficult for him to complete the report properly as he has had no previous practice or training. Peter failed to delegate authority properly as he should have picked someone with more experienced who was in a better position to be able to produce the report. Peter also undermined the importance of the report by going away somewhere else so that he wasn’t able to complete the report himself. This may have meant that Sam was less motivated to do the report as Peter didn’t value the report that much...
Words: 493 - Pages: 2
...politics Power gets used to implement a decision. The role of Power becomes most effective when Power does not remain a source of coercion. In-fact after getting legitimized it becomes Authority. Means the stability of Authority depends upon legitimacy. So in short Authority is a quality or capacity of a person, institution, rule or order which becomes important in defining whether Authority is correct or authentic, so that people can follow the rules and regulation without any hesitation. Because of the use of Authority official Governmental policies, rules and regulations get accepted in the society. Authority has two main components: Power and Legitimacy. Legitimacy of a rule or a decision signifies the fact that people reckon the decision as fruitful and in welfare of the society. Thus they are always ready to follow the rule or decision. Demonstration of Power does not become necessary as long as Legitimacy is attached to Power. It only comes out as a symbol. Like a judge with his black gown or a policeman with his uniform. Just like beauty lies in the eyes of beholder, Legitimacy lies in the eyes of beholder. There is no question, that without Power it will be very difficult to implement the official decision as well as rules, but only by the fear of punishment or by the coercion authority may not prove successful as far as long term benefits are concerned. Infact such a step becomes tyranny and works as a catalyst for the rebellion. The able use of Power always gets support...
Words: 307 - Pages: 2
...rational authority is the most rational type of authority. In this understanding, key concepts to the task at hand will be defined and discussed; after which a brief background of Weber and the three types of authority will be given. The essay will then proceed to show how legal rational authority is the most rational type of authority by highlighting its advantages and disadvantages then comparing it with the other forms of authority and then a fitting conclusion will be given at the end. The term legal is defined as means based on or required by law, the term rational means based on or in accordance with reason or logic and the term Authority refers to the power or right to give orders and enforce obedience (Collins, 2011). Thus Max Weber defined legal rational authority as the type of authority which rests on the grounds of a belief in legality of normative rules and the right of those elevated to authority under such rules to issue command (Basu, 1994). Legal rational authority is the type of authority that rests on legally established impersonal order, rule of law and not humans (LeMay, 2002). Legal rational authority has also been defined as authorities found in organizations were rules are applied judicially and in accordance with ascertainable principles valid for all members in the organization (Prasad, 1991). Weber (1864-1920) was a German sociologist, who laid emphasis on the three types of authority thus traditional authority, charismatic authority and legal...
Words: 1968 - Pages: 8
...Sports Authority MGMT 430 Professor Finger Steven Velarde December 2, 2015 Table of Contents Executive Summary……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….Pg. 3 Problem.…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………….Pg. 4 Background………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………….Pg. 5 Discussion of Findings……………………………………………………………………………..……………………………Pg. 6-7 Conclusion and Recommendations………………………………………………………………………………………Pg. 8 References…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..Pg. 9 Executive Summary Sports Authority is one of the largest sporting goods retailer in the United States and in certain of the world. The store is well known for supplying sporting apparel, sports equipment, footwear, and exercise equipment. The important key people for this company is CEO Michael Foss and CFO Thomas Hendrickson. Over the past decade, the retail store has been successful with their sales at the beginning and being able to sponsor a lot of programs and organizations. The problem they have now is their sales and revenue lack increasing (Sports Authority 2015). This research will focus on the following questions: * How does the alliances with outside vendors contribute to the decision of closing? * Why did the company lack making some changes over the years knowing their sales were decreasing? * How can Sports Authority negotiate with their partners to avoid closure? Resolutions the company needs to focus on, are the contact...
Words: 1796 - Pages: 8
...Journal of Business Ethics (2008) 77:431–449 DOI 10.1007/s10551-007-9358-8 Ó Springer 2007 The Dark Side of Authority: Antecedents, Mechanisms, and Outcomes of Organizational Corruption Ruth V. Aguilera Abhijeet K. Vadera ABSTRACT. Corruption poisons corporations in America and around the world, and has devastating consequences for the entire social fabric. In this article, we focus on organizational corruption, described as the abuse of authority for personal benefit, and draw on Weber’s three ideal-types of legitimate authority to develop a theoretical model to better understand the antecedents of different types of organizational corruption. Specifically, we examine the types of business misconduct that organizational leaders are likely to engage in, contingent on their legitimate authority, motives, and justifications. We conclude by suggesting managerial implications of our theoretical model and propose directions for future research. KEY WORDS: authority, bureaucracy, corruption, opportunity, motivation, justification, types of organizational corruption, weber, white-collar crime The issue of corruption has been gaining increasing importance in today’s world. The World Bank has singled out corruption as the largest obstacle to economic and social development, and in our search of the word ‘corruption’ in article headings in The Wall Street Journal in 2004, the word appeared 496 times. Much evidence also suggests that corruption is as ancient as disloyalty and...
Words: 11977 - Pages: 48
...According to Weber, authority is power accepted as legitimate by those subjected to it. These three forms of authority are said to appear in a "hierarchical development order". States progress from charismatic authority, to traditional authority, and finally reach the state of rational-legal authority which is characteristic of a modern liberal democracy. However in this paper, we will try to agree with Max Weber’s statement that, legal – rational authority is the most rational type of authority, while giving reasons to our argument. In English, the word 'authority' can be used to mean power given by the state (in the form of Members of Parliament, Judges, Police Officers, etc.) or by academic knowledge of an area (someone can be an authority on a subject). The word "Authority" with capital "A”, refers to the governing body upon which such authority (with lower case "a") is vested ( Arendt, 1961: 53). However, authority is often used interchangeably in governments with the term "power". However, their meanings differ. Authority refers to a claim of legitimacy, the justification and right to exercise power (Spencer, 1970: 258). For example, while a mob has the power to punish a criminal, for example by lynching, people who believe in the rule of law consider that only a court of law to have the authority to order capital punishment. Max Weber, in his sociological and philosophical work, identified and distinguished three types of legitimate domination that have sometimes been rendered...
Words: 1986 - Pages: 8
...Why Obama Does Not Relate to the Types of Authority! As it stated in the text book, Max Weber says we perceive power as either legitimate or illegitimate. Legitimate power is called authority. This is power that people accept as right. In contrast, illegitimate power called coercion is power that people do not accept as just (Henslin, 2013). I chose to do my essay on president Barrack Obama. It was difficult to find information to support one of these categories. In my studies I found that he doesn’t really relate to any of the three types of authority. He acts as though he doesn’t have to abide by laws. He has done things that most presidents were impeached for. The first and most common type of authority is traditional. Traditional authority is when you’re born into a ruling family. He was born to a white woman from Kansas and an African American from Kenya. There were not royals in the family. The second type of authority is Rational- Legal authority. This is based on custom and written rules. This is matters that have been agreed on by certain people. Bureaucracies are based on written laws; therefore they have also held the name bureaucratic authority. Barrack Obama should fall under this category because this is the way he was elected and the morals he should have. He has manipulated people into agreeing with things that he wanted by withholding all of the information. He stated that he believed that the government should be transparent; however he has continued to...
Words: 628 - Pages: 3
...AUTHORITY, DELEGATION AND DECENTRALISATION What is an authority? Authority is the cement of organisation structure in which various units of organisation are integrated. Without authority a manager cesses to be a manager. It is the authority that gives managers power to act. Authority is glue that holds organisation together. It is impossible to have an organisation unless some persons have the authority to command action of others. The word Authority is derived from the Latin word “auctoritas” meaning invention, advice, opinion, influence, or command. In English, the word 'authority' connotes power given by the state or by academic knowledge of an area (someone can be an authority on a subject) Weber defined domination (authority) as the chance of commands being obeyed by a specifiable group of people. Legitimate authority is that which is recognized as legitimate and justified by both the ruler and the ruled. Authority sometimes refers to;- 1) The Institutionalized and legal power inherent in a particular job, function, or position that is meant to enable its holder to successfully carry out his or her responsibilities. 2) An agency or body created by a government to perform a specific function, such as environment management, power generation, or tax collection is an authority. 3) Judgment of a court or judicial opinion quoted in support of a legal argument. In management field, the concept authority can be defined as:- 1. The right to guide and direct the actions...
Words: 3379 - Pages: 14
...Certificate Authority: Certificate authority is used to issue certificates and to verify the identity of the owner. It is a part of the public key infrastructure. These certificates helps the users to trust the website information confirming it is secure and a trusted party. CSR refers to Certificate Signing Request. Whenever a CSR is sent to the certificate authority, it is sent along with the public key and the other specific information possessed only by the owner. The CA then verifies the identity of the owner with the information provided by the owner. It then issues a certificate with the public key stating that the owner is legitimate and can be trusted. This certificate will be signed by the CA and is usually known as signed certificate....
Words: 1504 - Pages: 7
...Dunlap v. Tennessee Valley Authority 519 F.3d 626 (6th Cir. 2008) Jonathan Booker Business Employment Law – HRM 510 Professor Mecker February 9, 2011 Dunlap v. Tennessee Valley Authority 519 F.3d 626 (6th Cir. 2008) Review of the Case David Dunlap brought suit under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, alleging racial discrimination by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The district court found that Dunlap had been subjected to discrimination under both disparate treatment and disparate impact analyses, concluding that the TVA’s subjective hiring processes permitted racial bias to both Dunlap and other black job applicants to occur. The TVA appealed, arguing that the district court erred in each of these analyses. David Dunlap is a black man who has worked as a boilermaker and boilermaker foreman for over twenty years. Most of his work experience has been with TVA through contract or temporary work through his union. He has tried to gain permanent employment with TVA since the 1970s’ to no avail. He applied for a position and submitted his resume and application for a job opening at TVA as a boilermaker. Dunlap was not chosen for the position and he brought suit against TVA. Dunlap alleges that the interview process was biased and TVA selected less qualified candidates some of whom had family affiliations to the Cuberland selection committee members. 1. What were the legal issues in this case? According to Walsh (2010), David Dunlap brought suit...
Words: 1133 - Pages: 5
...NBS8007: Understanding Organisations Question 1: Do good managers need to understand how power and authority operates within organisations? Name: Surawich Channoi Student Number: 110490551 Course: E-business (Information Systems) Module Leader: Mr Ewan Mackenzie Due Date: 10.12.2012 Word Count: 1509 In every organisation, it is common that there are several groups of staff with different positions work together as a company. In order to manage enormous amount of people, it is necessary to have good managers, leader of each department in an organisation. They will have to use various management tools in order to control and motivate their subordinates to work loyally and effectively, one of the most important tool is power. Finkelstein mentioned that "Power is defined here as the capacity of individual actors to exert their will" (Finkelstein, 1992). However, despite the fact that using power can manipulate and sustain company success, it is also able to create unpleasant effects if the reckless managers overuse or unable to manage it correctly. While some experts agree that power is an essential criterion to managers, there are evidences which point out the negative effects when the managers do not understand their authorities and cannot use power appropriately. Although, mismanaged application of power might lead to significant crisis in an organisation, this essay will attempt to illustrate that professional managers can make a good use of power as a viable method...
Words: 1802 - Pages: 8
...Tennessee Valley Authority or TVA is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power distributors serving 9 million people in parts of seven southeastern states. (Tennessee Valley Authority, 2017) Within TVA I work in a group called Configuration Management and Document Control (CMDC). I am choosing to do this analysis on my immediate group and Manager. CMDC is an engineering support office that focuses on customer support. We maintain and update engineering documents for various plants, procedures and processes, plant drawings, along with a lot of other document control processes. As a part of TVA our first objective is to align ourselves with the company’s vision and mission. Our immediate...
Words: 346 - Pages: 2
