Work Ethic: Meaning and Application in the American Context
The Meaning of "Work Ethic" and How This Phrase Applies to Americans
From the onset, it is important to note that the phrase "work ethic" does not have an assigned definition. This is to say that many definitions of the phrase have been offered in the past. For this discussion, I will make use of the dictionary meaning of the phrase. Work ethic according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is in basic terms "a belief in work as a moral good" (Merriam-Webster, 2013). For this reason, work ethic should be seen as a belief in not only the importance but also the moral benefit of work. On this front, work is seen as having a certain intrinsic value and hence is deemed good for the overall development of a person and the society at large. As per the definition above, work ethic has therefore…...
New Work Ethic
Describe how typical the attitudes that Sheehy reports appear to be in work environments you have experienced.
During my work as a bartender and waiter in the food service industry I have certainly experienced a great many of the same attitudes that Sheehy encountered in his experimental job. There was certainly a significant amount of contempt for customers and a strong get-away-with-what-you-can approach to job roles. There was always very little regard for the company or ownership of the various restaurants I have worked in, though attendants did seemingly go out of their way in many cases to provide commendable service since the primary mode of income came in the form of tips (which also kind of falls in line with Sheehy's reporting of extreme egotism in his workplace). Nevertheless, like Sheehy's working environment, theft was very common. That is, bartenders would continuously steal alcohol for themselves and…...
It would make tasks unbearable and laborious and would not be a positive thing for the individual.
Furthermore, and more importantly, a solid work ethic translates into a great output by the individual. A solid work ethic means that work that is produced will be great and top notch compared to people who do not. It is all those different attributes that have been mentioned previously that facilitate an individual doing a great job and therefore, are absolutely essential. It allows for people to complete their work in a manner that is highly productive to the company or firm or agency that the individual is working for and for the individual themselves.
Having a solid work ethic is something that is absolutely essential in this ever changing workplace. In law enforcement in particular where the community looks for guidance and for a role model, a solid work ethic reflects well upon…...
Coaching management styles work best for Generation Xers, complete with prompt feedback and rewards for results (Eisner, 2005). They use a team of people to support their own personal individual efforts and bring a talent for problem-solving to the workplace (Smola & Sutton, 2002).
Generation Y looks for management that will further their professional development. This young generation performs best when working for and with those who hold the same values. As they often were involved in decisions in the home, from an early age, they often expect to have decision making capabilities in their professional lives as well. For this reason, an inclusive management style works best for this generation, with feedback on their performance. When treated professionally and given challenging work that fits their skills, Generation Y performs best (Eisner, 2005). Armour (2007) notes that like Generation X, Generation Y have high expectations of their employer and their…...
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References
Adams, S. Jan 2000, "Generation X: How understanding this population leads to better safety programs," Professional Safety vol. 45, no. 1, p. 26.
Chen, P. & Choi, Y. 2008, "Geneartional differences in work values: A study of hospitality management," International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management vol. 20, no. 6, pp. 595-615.
Eisner, S. Autumn 2005, "Managing Generation Y," S.A.M. Advanced Management Journal vol. 70, no. 4, p. 4.
habits of earlier generations and those of our current generation. Just as music and slang change from generation to generation, so do work habits. The work habits of earlier generations differ greatly from the work habits of the current generation, and the current generation will need to catch up in work attitude and social skills if American products and services are to remain at the top of the world market.
The older generations of workers today have a work ethic that is rooted in responsibility and dedication (for the most part). Many of these workers expected to be at their jobs until they retired. They give the company their loyalty because they expect the company to be loyal to them. Today, these work habits seem old-fashioned to many, but they are the ethics of generations who were raised at a slower pace, and when there were distinct guidelines about the…...
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References
Jamrog, Jay J. "The Coming Decade of the Employee." Human Resource Planning 25.3 (2002): 5+.
Work Values
Cross-cultural comparison on work value between U.S. And China
A value is "what a person consciously or subconsciously desires, wants, or seeks to attain" (Locke, 1983). Peterson and Gonzalez (2005) say values "are motivational forces," and "influence the role work plays in people's lives." Dawis (2005) asserts that each person (P) has requirements that need to be met, most through their environments (E). In fact, Dawis claims that "Many of P's needs in adulthood can be met at work." The ones that matter most to P. are E's ability to deliver rein forcers (e.g., pay, prestige, and working conditions) that satisfy P's needs. Similarly, E has parallel and complementary requirements that can be met by P. And make P. A satisfactory worker. Thus, understanding work values has a benefit for both individuals (as they look for work environments that support their values), and also for organizations (if they recognize the…...
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References
Bernstein, Paul. (1997). American Work Values: Their Origin and Development. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Cappelli, P., Bassi, L., Katz, H., Knoke, D., Osterman, P. And Useem, M. (1997). Change at Work. New York: Oxford University Press.
Dawis, R.V. (2005). The Minnesota theory of work adjustment. In Brown, S.D. & Lent, R.W. (Eds.) Career development and counselling: putting theory and research to work. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Farber, Henry S. (1997). "Changing Face of Job Loss in the United States, 1981-1995." Brookings Papers on Economic Activity 1: Microeconomics: 55-128.
In the midst of an economic downturn that has been compared to the 1929 Great Depression, the United States' unemployment figures are far too high. "The unemployment rate rose from 9.8 to 10.2% in October, and nonfarm payroll employment continued to decline (-190,000), the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The largest job losses over the month were in construction, manufacturing, and retail trade." (Bureau of Labor Statistics) The ten percent mark seems high but it has not matched the Great Depression high at over twenty five percent, yet. Obviously, getting and maintaining a job is very important objective right now. Some management teams around the nation have successfully implemented various solutions to the problem of high levels of layoffs and job elimination during this current financial meltdown. The underlying goal is to try new approaches that will keep workers employed and companies operating in a fiscally responsible way.…...
Work ewards
An individual comes to work to meet economic needs, belonging needs, the need to feel a sense of self-worth, the need to serve others, or the need for self-development and self-expression" (Pascarella, 1997). This quote neatly expresses the complex nature of work, and explains the difficulties faced by employers who wish to seriously address the issue of work rewards. Unlike theories of the past, employers who wish to encourage an increased level of productivity and commitment from their workers are required to ensure the presence of a wide variety of work rewards. These factors include some, such as economic reward, that have existed as long as the concept of work itself, and others, such as ensuring that workers are able to fully utilize their educational and vocational skills, which are an increasing source of concern, and which successful employers of the future must address.
Pascarella again captures the essence of…...
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Reference
Brandt, B. Less is More. In Cooley, M., & Powell, K. (1997) Making Choices: Reading Issues in Context (pp. 191-198). Boston: Houghton.
Pascarella, P. Whatever Happened to the Old Protestant Ethic? In Cooley, M., & Powell, K. (1997) Making Choices: Reading Issues in Context (pp. 159-166). Boston: Houghton.
Sullivan, R.E. Jr. Greatly Reduced Expectations. In Cooley, M., & Powell, K. (1997) Making Choices: Reading Issues in Context (pp. 229-235). Boston: Houghton.
.. "answers in his autobiography with a quotation from the ible: "Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings. (Proverbs 22:29)."
Weber's explanation of the rise of capitalism through the rise of Protestantism in Western Europe and in the United States is also a criticism of another sociologist and economist's theories, Karl Marx. The latter also use religion to find explanation for overwhelmingly numerous human activities, before the humankind freed itself from the magic of religion, but it was the other way around. Marx found religion as the product of human activities, while Weber contradicts his theories by putting religion at the core of capitalism. Weber studies the role of religion not as a generally attribute of the humankind, no matter where and when. In our case, Weber relates economic growth in the modern western world to the Protestantism based on the reformism. The only common…...
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Bibliography
1.Engerman, Staley. Economic History Services. Project 2001: Significant Works in Twentieth-Century Economic History. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Review Essay. 2000 by EH.NET. Retrieved: Jul 15, 2006 http:/ / the.net/bookreviews/library/engerman.shtml
2. Weber, Max. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
Meanwhile, it is the high-earning but consumption-oriented under accumulators of wealth (UAWs) who patronize luxury car dealerships, high-end country clubs, and so- called "high fashion" clothing manufacturers. In this regard, one of the most powerful influences motivating such irresponsible consumption is the concentration of media attention on relatively few wealthy celebrities whose model of ostentatious consumption is simply not representative of the habits of most Americans with equally high net worth (Stanley & Danko 1996).
Whereas many PAWs earn substantially less than some of their UAW counterparts, they invest a substantial portion of their salaries into long-term stable investments that translate into a secure financial future. Conversely, the typical UAW, many of whom are so-called "successful professionals" earning very high salaries, increases spending to match any increase in income. As a result of continually "trading up" to the most expensive car, home, and clothing they can afford at any given…...
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References
Branden, N. (1985) Honoring the Self: The Psychology of Confidence and Respect. New York: Bantam
Einstein, a. (1954) Ideas and Opinions. New York: Crown
Lowenstein, R. (2007) Subprime Time: How Did Home Ownership Become So Rickety? New York Times Magazine; Sept. 2/07
Mills, C. (1953) White Collar: The American Middle Class. New York: Oxford University Press.
Any one who tried to gain enough power and wealth would be considered a threat to the power of the church and was therefore quickly deposed of their wealth.
Weber proposed that even though Catholics tolerated a greater display of outward wealth, Protestant doctrines asked the followers to concentrate on mundane pursuits. It also asks its followers to accept a lower station in life without a hierarchical structure to force the issue. There were no examples of upward mobility or examples of extravagance to follow. The Protestant faith in promoted a pride in one's work and the "work and Save" ethic. The members were self-motivated, not forced into submission by the Church. This was a key difference between these two philosophies. Weber claimed that this attitude was much more productive than the Catholic idea of wealth attainment. The Calvinists had a word which meant ones calling, or duty on earth.…...
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Bibliography
Ashley, D. And Orenstein, D. 1995. Sociological Theory: Classical Statements, third edition, Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Baechler, J. 1988. The Cradle of Capitalism: the Case of England
John A. Hall & Michael Mann, Europe and the Rise of Capitalism (Blackwell, 1988).
ork Ethic: Douglass and FranklinIntroductionAlthough they lived in different centuries and had very different backgrounds, Frederick Douglass and Benjamin Franklin share many similarities. Both men were born into humble beginnings but rose to become widely respected leaders. They were both self-educated and used their writing talents to further their causes. And both men were tireless advocates for the rights of others, whether it was Douglass fighting for the freedom of all Americans or Franklin working to secure civil rights for African Americans. In many ways, these two great men were ahead of their times, and their legacy continues to inspire people today. This paper will explore what both men thought about work ethic, how they envisioned it, and what it meant to them, as can be seen in their respective autobiographies and other works like Self-Made Men and ay to ealth.hat is the Self-Made Man?Douglass states quite clearly in Self-Made…...
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Works CitedDouglass, Frederick. Narrative.Douglass, Frederick. “Self-Made Men.” Ben. Autobiography. https://www.thefederalistpapers.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/The-Autobiography-of-Benjamin-Franklin-.pdf Franklin, Ben. “Way of Wealth.” https://financialmentor.com/wealth-building/wealth-program-system/the-way-to-wealth-by-benjamin-franklin/18247https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/manly-lessons/manvotional-self-made-men-by-frederick-douglass/ Franklin,
If only one person had tried to do most of the work, it does not seem as though that person would have had the needed skills to do everything just right. When a group is made up of people who have all kinds of different skills, it is easy to see how that would be beneficial to the group. It makes everything go more quickly and smoothly, and it also brings a lot of value to the finished product that is created by the group. There is more to it than just that, however, because having an effective work group means that each person in that group was able to communicate with others properly about what he or she could contribute. By working together, it became much easier to create a group process in which everyone was able to play to their strengths.
Each group member contributed, but some were…...
Gemeinschaft Society
The work Gemeinschaft is translated as "community" and is a reference to the "closeness of holistic social relationships said to be found in pre-industrial communities, and imputed to the community as moral worth." (Hughes, nd, p.1) Gemeinschaft is reported to be dependent in terms of its existence upon the member's "subjective will" and as stated in the work of Tonnies (1925) "The very existence of Gemeinschaft rests in the consciousness of belonging together and the affirmation of the condition of mutual dependence." (p.69) While a similar association exists in what is known as Gesellschaft, this society or association is based on unity based on "common traits and activities and other external phenomena." (Tonnies, 1925, p.67) Such as the "ethnic community, community of speech and community of work" are not Gemeinschaft since they are lacking the critical factor of "shared feeling which is essential to Gemeinschaft." (Hughes, nd, p.1)
Tonnies F (1925) "The Concept of Gemeinschaft," in Cahnman WJ & Heberle R (Eds) Ferdinand Tonnies on Sociology: Pure, applied and empirical. Selected writings, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp62-72.
The working class standards of morals work as a substitute to how success is defined in terms of economics (Sachin, 2012). These people value morals more than the money and believe that morals outweigh money in having a successful life. They love to maintain dignity in their lives. Despite having their morals above money, they draw the lines between economic classes. Hence they do not separate themselves from the poor but do so while they are comparing themselves with the richer economic class (Arakji, 2012). These workers have rigid boundaries while defining dignity and consider themselves more moral and value oriented and worth-full than their peers of the people better than them in economic position. The book is a great comparison of American working class to the French working class. Both have moral values and like to pursue values rather than money yet keeping their self-dignity and self-respect intact.…...
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References
About the Book, the Dignity of Working Men, (n.d.), Retrieved from:
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