Showing papers on "Value (ethics) published in 1983"

Time and the Other: How Anthropology Makes Its Object

Abstract: Fabian's study is a classic in the field that changed the way anthropologists relate to their subjects and is of immense value not only to anthropologists but to all those concerned with the study of man. A new foreward by Matti Bunzl brings the influence of Fabian's study up to the present. Time and the Other is a critique of the notions that anthropologists are "here and now," their objects of study are "there and then," and that the "other" exists in a time not contemporary with our own.

The Change Masters: Innovations for Productivity in the American Corporation

Abstract: Kanter, writing in 1983, argued that American business was facing an unfavorable economic and social environment and in dire need of an "American corporate Renaissance." World events were threatening America's competitive strengths and survival. Nonetheless, she finds in exemplary companies practices that lead to productive responses to change and serve as models for fostering innovation, which will provide America's competitive advantage. The tools to "save the American corporation" already exist; they just need to be used. The author defines a "change master" as someone who can manage change effectively; they understand the architecture and strategy of change and the importance of the organizational environment. To stay ahead of this changing environment, firms need to stimulate more innovation, enterprise, and initiative. They must place more emphasis and value on individuals, who - in the right circumstances - come up with innovations. Firms must investment in people and long-term profitability related to taking a lead in innovation. Innovation is defined broadly as "bringing any new, problem solving idea into use." In general, Kanter is more focused on innovation within organizations ("corporate entrepreneurs") than entrepreneurial startups. Innovation is supported by cultures of pride and change, and by an environment that gives people the power to innovate and put ideas into action. Kanter's fundamental distinction is between segmented and integrated organizations. Integrated organizations are highly innovative and change oriented; they are willing to move beyond received wisdom, combine ideas from diverse sources, and embrace change as an opportunity. Firms invest in people; individuals may initiate ideas, but teams carry them forward. Firms incentivize initiative, and success comes not from domination but flexibility. High-innovation companies are also exemplary in human-resource practices. Problems are seen as wholes, related to larger wholes, and challenges to established practices. Segmented organizations are "innovating-smoothering" and anti-change. They compartmentalize actions, events, and problems, and keep pieces and persons isolated; innovation is inhibited at every step of the solution-search process. Problems are seen as narrowly as possible and independent of context and connections to other problems. Past structures and procedures dominate the future. The organizations are likely to be large, segmented, and hierarchical. Nevertheless, four change patterns in less-innovating companies are identified. In such firms, there is a tension between desire for innovation and blocking it. Kanter presents her well-known ten "Rules for Stifling Change." Innovation, nonetheless, can sometimes occur in segmented organizations; but even then, innovations do not survive initial trials or become widely used. Three skills are needed to manage innovation in integrated environments: power skills; ability to manage problems associated with use of teams and employee participation; and understanding how change is designed and constructed. Needed power tools are supplies information, resources, and support. Supporting the circulation of power are open communication systems, network-forming arrangements, and decentralization of resources. Successful and flourishing corporations will master the art of change: creating a new climate encouraging new procedures and possibilities, anticipating and responding to external pressures, and being responsive to new ideas from inside the organization. The challenge for innovative companies is "energizing the grass roots," or to combining the necessity of routine jobs with the possibility of employees contributing to innovation. Needed for innovation is the development of a "parallel participative organization" within the formal hierarchy of a company. Innovation requires a corporate entrepreneur who knows how

Endogenous formation of coalitions

Abstract: THE FORMATION OF COALITIONS is a fundamental problem in game theory. By a "coalition" is meant a group of "players" (e.g., economic or political agents) which decide to act together, as one unit, relative to the rest of the players. This includes the instances of syndicates, unions, cartels, blocks, political parties, parliamentary coalitions, etc. We would like to emphasize that forming a coalition does not eliminate the individual players as decision makers. In all interactions with the other players, coalition members act as one unit (it may be useful to think of a "representative agent" taking their place);2 however, this arrangement will continue only as long as each player finds it desirable to act this way. Further bargaining occurs among the members of each coalition on how to divide what they obtained together. Thus, the existence of coalitions implies that the interactions among the players will be conducted on two levels: first, among the coalitions, and second, within each coalition. Most of the existing models in economics and game theory assume that the coalition structure is given exogenously; instead, we try here to obtain it as an endogenous outcome of our model. Namely, we want to be able to predict which coalitions will in fact form in each given situation.3 Our theory combines two kinds of game theoretic concepts: value and stability. The basic idea is, first, to evaluate the players' prospects in the various coalition structures, and then, based on these "values," to find which ones are stable. We will call this value "coalition structure value," or "CS-value" for short. The reason we are considering "coalition structures" (i.e., partitions of the set of players into disjoint coalitions) rather than just "coalitions" is that, in general, players may find it to their advantage to join forces in some situations, and to act separately in others-all depending on the way the other participants are organized. This implies that both the value and the stability concepts should depend on the entire coalition structure. The CS-value we analyze in this paper was first developed by Owen [7].

The Change Masters: Innovations for Productivity in the American Corporation

Abstract: Kanter, writing in 1983, argued that American business was facing an unfavorable economic and social environment and in dire need of an "American corporate Renaissance." World events were threatening America's competitive strengths and survival. Nonetheless, she finds in exemplary companies practices that lead to productive responses to change and serve as models for fostering innovation, which will provide America's competitive advantage. The tools to "save the American corporation" already exist; they just need to be used. The author defines a "change master" as someone who can manage change effectively; they understand the architecture and strategy of change and the importance of the organizational environment. To stay ahead of this changing environment, firms need to stimulate more innovation, enterprise, and initiative. They must place more emphasis and value on individuals, who - in the right circumstances - come up with innovations. Firms must investment in people and long-term profitability related to taking a lead in innovation. Innovation is defined broadly as "bringing any new, problem solving idea into use." In general, Kanter is more focused on innovation within organizations ("corporate entrepreneurs") than entrepreneurial startups. Innovation is supported by cultures of pride and change, and by an environment that gives people the power to innovate and put ideas into action. Kanter's fundamental distinction is between segmented and integrated organizations. Integrated organizations are highly innovative and change oriented; they are willing to move beyond received wisdom, combine ideas from diverse sources, and embrace change as an opportunity. Firms invest in people; individuals may initiate ideas, but teams carry them forward. Firms incentivize initiative, and success comes not from domination but flexibility. High-innovation companies are also exemplary in human-resource practices. Problems are seen as wholes, related to larger wholes, and challenges to established practices. Segmented organizations are "innovating-smoothering" and anti-change. They compartmentalize actions, events, and problems, and keep pieces and persons isolated; innovation is inhibited at every step of the solution-search process. Problems are seen as narrowly as possible and independent of context and connections to other problems. Past structures and procedures dominate the future. The organizations are likely to be large, segmented, and hierarchical. Nevertheless, four change patterns in less-innovating companies are identified. In such firms, there is a tension between desire for innovation and blocking it. Kanter presents her well-known ten "Rules for Stifling Change." Innovation, nonetheless, can sometimes occur in segmented organizations; but even then, innovations do not survive initial trials or become widely used. Three skills are needed to manage innovation in integrated environments: power skills; ability to manage problems associated with use of teams and employee participation; and understanding how change is designed and constructed. Needed power tools are supplies information, resources, and support. Supporting the circulation of power are open communication systems, network-forming arrangements, and decentralization of resources. Successful and flourishing corporations will master the art of change: creating a new climate encouraging new procedures and possibilities, anticipating and responding to external pressures, and being responsive to new ideas from inside the organization. The challenge for innovative companies is "energizing the grass roots," or to combining the necessity of routine jobs with the possibility of employees contributing to innovation. Needed for innovation is the development of a "parallel participative organization" within the formal hierarchy of a company. Innovation requires a corporate entrepreneur who knows how

Substantive and reflexive elements in modern law

Abstract: spheres of action for the autonomous pursuit of private interests. In doing so, it guarantees a framework within which substantive value judgments are made by private actors. Thus, "formalities" facilitate private ordering. They are "premised on the lawmaker's indifference as to which of a number of alternative relationships the parties decide to enter" (Kennedy, 1976: 1685; cf. Heller, 1979: 187). The corollary elements of formal law are: conventionality, legalism, and universalism (Habermas, 1976: 264; cf. Unger, 1976: 204). (2) With this orientation, formal law fulfills specific external social functions. Formal law develops its own system rationality insofar as it establishes spheres for autonomous This content downloaded from 207.46.13.80 on Thu, 11 Aug 2016 06:13:06 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms

From Policy to Practice

Abstract: This title was first published 1983. A common method, concern, and argument underlie all of these essays. The method is 'value critical'. The concern is with a more institutionally grounded understanding of why governments do what they do. The argument is substantive, dealing with concrete issues such as the claim for economic resources, social protection and the organization of social services....The canonical (that is, the conventional and normative) view is thrown into question, on the implicit assumption that things do not work as expected, that there is inherently a difference between the text and the message.

The Sociology of Values

Abstract: The history of the concept of values is reviewed from its beginnings in the 19th century to the present Work on values rose to preeminence under Talcott Parsons and his associates during 1950-1965, Nevertheless, the theory they produced was flawed: It lacked sophisticated empirical support, imposed preordained categories on reality, and was formulated at an unresearchable level of abstraction Alternative theories of values fared only somewhat better More vibrant is the long tradition of (nonParsonian) empirical studies in various subject areas (eg achievement, religion) This body of work, however, is ad hoc in nature: The data produced are essentially noncomparable and do not advance the concerns of value theory The recent work of Kohn (on class and values) and Rokeach (on general value systems) has begun to remedy the situation It is suggested that value analysis of the future can only solve past ditficulties if (a) it develops grounded theory and research methods—ie, hypotheses and techniques t

Reason and Value

Abstract: Introduction - the problem 1. Desire and motivation 2. Motivating reasons and grounding reasons 3. Desire and the good 4. Objective value (part one) 5. Objective value (part two) 6. Hedonism 7. Good and evil 8. Meaning, value and practical judgements References Index.

Value and Population Size

Abstract: It is foolish to think that the consequentialist principles we use to assess the values of different populations could ever be the only principles in an acceptable moral theory. They have to be accompanied by supplementary principles setting constraints which we must not violate while pursuing our population goals and which we must not violate in particular by taking the lives of existing people. If we are to assess population principles as population principles then we must assess them in circumstances where these constraints do not apply that is in circumstances where only increases and not decreases in the human population are in question. (excerpt)

Value-Critical Policy Analysis

Abstract: The task of policy analysis is to bring evidence and interpretation to bear on decision making and social practice. This task involves not only the presentation of evidence about the consequences of pursuing alternative actions but also an interpretation of what it is we are doing in society, why we are doing what we do, and what we might do differently given our puzzlement and worry about what we do.

Beyond “Bad Science”: Skeptical Reflections on the Value-Freedom of Scientific Inquiry:

Abstract: It is often implied, suggested, or presupposed that science and values are rather like oil and waterdistinct sorts of things that are not expected to mix. The relation of values to science either does not exist or is highly problematic. Without denying the problematic nature of this relation-and with the hope of clarifying or beginning to clarify itI will suggest in this essay another way of thinking about some of the issues included under the rubric of "science and values." Loren Graham, in his book Between Science and Values,' has addressed the impact on and relevance to human cultural and personal values of twentieth-century scientific theory. I shall, in this essay, instead raise some questions concerning the reverse relation: how do human cultural and personal values relate to scientific practice (and, indirectly, to the results of that practice). I will not defend any particular theses about the integrity and autonomy of science from social and other values or about the lack thereof, but do seek to foster some skepticism toward conventional understanding of these attributes.

The Persistence of Materialist and Post-Materialist Value Orientations

Abstract: The theory of the Silent Revolution relates value change to the process of population replacement. Materialist and post-materialist values are seen as reflections of the conditions that prevailed during one's pre-adult years. This assumption is tested here by analysing a Dutch panel, questioned in 1974 and in 1970. The change actually found at the individual level is not in line with the predictions of the theory and leads to a dilemma. The first option implies a rejection of the socialization hypothesis - one of the cornerstones of the theory. The second option places considerable doubts on the reliability of the instrument. Moreover, the validity of the instrument seems to be questionable too. The remarkably similar marginal distribution of the materialist and post-materialist value types in both years, accompanied by massive shifts between the types, points into the direction of political attitudes and non-attitudes instead of basic orientations or basic outlooks.

Children and Commercials

Abstract: The paper examines the issues underlying the debate over television commercials directed at children from the perspectives of both the proponents and opponents of regulation, drawing a distinction between what research can tell us about the consequences of children's exposure to commercials and value judgments about those consequences inherent in making policy decisions. Following a brief review of empirical studies concerned with the general impact of commercials on children, the paper turns to a closer examination of research concerned with developmental changes in children's processing of and responses to commercials. It argues that the persuasive nature of the commercial renders it a special case which children do not fully understand until the age of about seven years. Strategies that might increase children's understanding of the nature of commercials, hence might moderate the impact of commercials, and that can be employed in the school, in the home, or via television itself, are suggested.

The Problem of Moral Reasoning in American Public Administration: The Case for a Code of Ethics

Abstract: * This essay categorizes and analyzes the arguments for and against a code of ethics for the American Society for Public Administration. The arguments against a code are said to be from practicality, procedure, and administrative theory. The arguments for a code are said to be from objectivism, community, and courage. The negative argument from practicality is based on the founders' call for moderation in moral matters. The negative argument from procedure places great value on consensus, and builds consensus around the agreement to agree on nothing substantive. The negative argument from administrative theory honors the tradition of the value neutral administrator who has no discretion and therefore no moral responsibility. The affirmative argument from objectivism posits transcendent values and holds that actions are the predicates of being. The affirmative argument from community maintains that the community is the arbiter of what is ethical, and that ethical relativism represents both a loss of

Systems thinking in psychiatry: some theoretical and clinical implications.

Abstract: The author discusses the theoretical and pragmatic value of systems thinking in psychiatry. An awareness of the pluralistic, multifactorial origins of psychopathology broadens the psychiatrist's understanding and increases his or her therapeutic potential. The psychiatrist who thinks in systems terms is a true generalist in medicine, and to practice that way is the most effective way of treating people.

Social Work Values: An Enquiry

Abstract: Originally published in 1983 Social Work Values is a sustained enquiry about the present situation of social work. It describes the treatment of social work values in the social work literature and in research, and pursues three distinct avenues towards an improvement on the present unsatisfactory treatment. First, the book introduces and encourages more philosophical reflection on the customary ‘lists’ of social work values. Second, it investigates three social work controversies: between the Charity Organisation Society and ‘the Socialists’; between the Functionalist and the Diagnostic schools of social work; and between ‘radical’ Marxists and ‘the rest’. Third, and finally it explores the treatment of ‘value’ and ‘values’ in economics, sociology, ordinary usage, and philosophy, in order to establish the distinctive elements to which the term ‘values’ is applied.

Property Rights and X-Efficiency: Comment

Abstract: Louis De Alessi's paper (1983) begins in an ecumenical spirit and suggests that property rights theory and the X-efficiency approach have not drawn on each other's contributions. I share that spirit. There is much to learn from a variety of approaches. But, as De Alessi proceeds, the ecumenical spirit withers. The last three sections argue to the effect that general neoclassical theory (i.e., property rights theory)' obtains the same results as X-efficiency theory, but has a superior methodology. De Alessi's paper puts me in the position of a reluctant dualist. His approach resembles an intellectual takeover bid since it argues 1) that neoclassical theory is flawed, 2) that the property rights approach has corrected the flaws, and 3) by implication that it supercedes other micro approaches.2 The concepts of property rights, transaction costs, and adjustment costs, and their motivational implications, are certainly useful. I see no reason to argue against them, or against property rights theory. But I believe that there is more to the explanation of inefficiency. Thus I will stress the special nature of the X-efficiency approach, examine our differences, and attempt to correct some of De Alessi's misinterpretations. Nevertheless, I believe that De Alessi's article renders an important service since it gives a succinct summary of property rights theory and explains its significance. The main differences between us lie in the basic presupposition behind the two approaches. In answering the motivation question, property rights theory seems to say that property rights are the only motivating force, and that people act to fully maximize wealth given the limits of their property rights. When they do so, their activities are efficient. The X-efficiency approach raises a different type of question. Namely, it asks (within the firm and outside of the exchange relationship) what are the motivating forces that determine effort and productivity, including the motivating forces leading to maximizing or less-than-maximizing behavior. Property rights are, of course, a motivating force. However, it is one of many, not the only motivating force, nor in many instances is it the most important one determining effort. It is important to highlight these differences because different modes of analysis determine not only results, but what the analyst looks for and possibly finds. The value of a theory depends in part on the research it generates. Another difference lies in the interest in inefficiency. It is not clear whether De Alessi cares about inefficiency. The postulate of maximization of utility by all individuals and the explicit assertion by De Alessi that "The equilibrium solution associated with a given set of constraints is efficient" (p. 73) gives the impression that inefficiency is assumed away. Clearly, the X-efficiency approach sees inefficiency as a major problem. Only if one employs an approach that at least recognizes within it the possibility of inefficiency can one have empirical results which indicate an approximation to efficiency. Inefficiency must be a variable if we are to be able to find meaningful empirical instances which are efficient. Compared to the neoclassical approach, the property rights approach seems to dissect the firm into component individuals and their implicit contracts. After dissection, the property rights approach assumes that the ordinary utility-maximization rules still apply. *Professor of Economics and Population, Department of Economics, Harvard University, 204 Littauer Center, Cambridge, MA 02138. I am indebted to H. Barkai, J. Dean, R. Frantz, E. Helpman, J. Medoff, and J. Rothenberg for valuable comments. They are not responsible for errors or viewpoints. 'The labels "property rights theory" and "general neoclassical theory" will be used interchangeably. 2To stake his claim, De Alessi might have considered at least some other alternative approaches, such as the work of Oliver Williamson (1970) and that of Richard Nelson and Sidney Winters (1982).

Ranking the Ratings: The Case of Materialist and Post Materialist Value Orientations

Abstract: Changes in political values among the mass publics of advanced industrial societies have been a matter of great interest to many social scientists in recent decades. One precise statement of the amount and the direction of this type of change is Ronald Inglehart's (1971, 1977) theory of the "Silent Revolution," which reduces Abraham Maslow's need hierarchy to two key hypotheses. First, Inglehart assumes that individuals' priorities reflect their socioeconomic environment: the highest subjective value is placed on those things that are in relatively short supply. Second, he assumes that individuals' values reflect conditions during their pre-adult years (Inglehart, 1979:145). Because of unprecedented levels of prosperity in most western countries, the satisfaction of safety and sustenance needs will be taken for granted by the generations born after World War II. Instead, these young people will stress the needs for love, esteem, and self-actualization while the older elements of the population remain predominantly oriented towards the satisfaction of safety and sustenance needs. So the rise of new generations and the decline and disappearance of old ones indicate a change in the distribution of value orienta tions of mass publics. According to Inglehart, this shift is the main source of the changes in the modes of political participation, the nature of the issues, and the decline in support for authority observed in many advanced inustrial societies since the 1960s.

Medical ethics' assault upon medical values.

Abstract: THE VIGOROUS resurgence of interest in medical ethics during the past two decades has created a large and controversial literature. Especially problematic is the application of medical ethicists' views in clinical settings. Physicians are decidedly ambivalent about these ethical contributions; on the one hand, they are eagerly searching for assistance in resolving the increasingly complex ethical dilemmas now so common in medical practice. On the other hand, they are wary and disappointed because, until now, the ethicists' contributions have been of dubious value. In this article we will argue that the currently dominant school in medical ethics, that of a patient autonomyrights model based in rationalist philosophy and liberal political theory, has been used to subvert values intrinsic to medicine, that it has done so without adequately establishing the merits of its case, and that the unfortunate result has been the attempted replacement of the historic medical value system by

The arts as healing

Abstract: The relationship between artistic involvement and individual mental health is considered, and the concept of "healing" is differentiated from that of "therapy." Seven properties of art experience are identified which, when developed, have contributed to patients' recovery from mental illness. Implications of these properties for clinical programs, and the related value of art experience for non-patients, are discussed.

Crime and Delinquency in the Roaring Twenties

Abstract: This paper reports the existence of a wealth of data on crime and delinquency for the 1920s and earlier. It attempts to demonstrate the validity, and hence the value, of these old and forgotten data by "reverse" replication-by showing that these data yield results identical with a number of our recent studies based on contemporary data thought to be of good quality. This also provides us the opportunity to test and expand further our propositions about the nature of "moral communities" and their effect on crime and delinquency. In addition, we are able to test and clarify further our thesis that there are two fundamentally different forms of deviance, only one of which is pertinent to sociological theories. Finally, examination of rates of juveniles in detention at the turn of the century and in detention now permits reconsideration of the "child-saver" thesis.

What is meaning

Abstract: In "What is Meaning" (1903) the author elaborates on the fundamental tenets of her theory of sign, to which she gave the overall term ‘significs’. One of the main obstacles to an adequate theory of meaning, in Lady Welby’s opinion, is the unfounded assumption of fixed sign meaning. "There is, strictly speaking, no such thing as the Sense of a word, but only the sense in which it is used – the circumstances, state of mind, reference, ‘universe of discourse’ belonging to it. The Meaning of a word is the intent which it is desired to convey – the intention of the user. The Significance is always manifold, and intensifies its sense as well as its meaning, by expressing its importance, its appeal to us, its moment for us, its emotional force, its ideal value, its moral aspect, its universal or at least social range." This facsimile of the 1903 edition of "What is Meaning" is accompanied by an essay on "Significs as a Fundamental Science" by Achim Eschbach, and "A Concise History of Significs" by G. Mannoury.

Some Aspects of Islamic Ethics

Abstract: I shall do two things in this essay. First, I shall offer a methodological proposal for the study of any religious ethic. Second, I shall present a paradigm of this methodology by focusing upon some salient features of Islamic ethics that lend themselves congenially to comparison with Western thought and practice. The methodological proposal I have to offer is that in any inquiry into a religious ethic we proceed so as (1) to distinguish so far as possible its obligation, virtue, and value components, (2) to observe the ways in which these components are related to each other, and (3) to seek an understanding of the manner in which religious beliefs infuse and/or shape the content of these components individually and jointly. Such a methodology is designed to facilitate the understanding of the materials that constitute any religious ethic to which it is applied, not to place these materials in an ill-fitting straitjacket. Therefore, in any inquiry employing it we should subject the methodology itself to review as to its appropriateness, especially as to whether there are significant aspects of the religious ethic under consideration that elude its capacity to illumine or that are misrepresented by its employment. It is my belief that it is quite well suited to the study of a considerable part, if not all, of Islamic ethics, and I shall therefore employ it in the analysis that follows.

Social Evaluation of Curriculum

Abstract: and to suggest a set of questions and strategies that will be more responsive to the actual socioeconomic reality of schools. In so doing, we will propose ways of engaging in the social evaluation of curriculum that go beyond the more individualistically and psychologically oriented models in use within programmatic evaluation efforts today. We will argue that because evaluation is a process of placing value on a procedure, process, goal, or outcome (Apple, 1974), that alternatives to the current ways we do place value on curricula can be developed only by seeing how values now work through our activity and expanding the ways we look at these procedures, processes, goals, or outcomes to include the ideological and economic "functions" of our educational system.'

Woman is Not a Rational Animal: On Aristotle’S Biology of Reproduction

Abstract: The conservatism of Aristotle has long been a subject of discussion among philosophers. His belief in the superiority of the male sex, however, while it has not entirely escaped their notice,1 has not thus far been carefully examined. In a path-breaking article,2 Christine Garside-Allen brought to our attention the possibility that the work of Aristotle is in fact the study of the male human, rather than the human species, and pointed to the possibility that this may be true of most influential philosophers. This task of hers was an explicit necessity because in most cases philosophers’ ideas about sex difference are not now widely known. In what are known as the “main” theories of various political or moral philosophers, distinctions of sex are not often mentioned, or they are alluded to briefly in a way that makes them appear inessential to the theory. I want to suggest that the reason for this is not that their views of sexual differences are incidental to the theory but that in almost every case they are considered to be a question which is prior to general ethical or political issues. This may be the case regardless of whether or not these views are actually discussed in any detail. For most of these thinkers, however, there will be found a treatise of some sort on the subject. It has been the practice of twentieth-century scholars and educators in the face of the greater equality of women, simply to disregard these works, which they view as minor or peripheral, or perhaps crankish, like Berkeley’s late essays on the value of tar water. Unfortunately, this policy is not soundly based on the actual role of these views in most political and social philosophy.

The concept of responsibility: some implications for organizational behaviour and development

Abstract: Two approaches to the conceptualization of responsibility in organizations are suggested. (1) Seen as an objective statement of employees’ responsibilities as defined for them in formal terms. (2) As a subjective belief held by employees regarding their role and obligations in relation to specific events. The significance of the subjectivist conceptualization for understanding employee motivation is considered, especially where employees place a negative value on the moral implications of their formal role. Management theory, incorporating the objective definition, typically serves to manipulate persons’ subjective sense of responsibility. The case for countering or replacing such control-oriented theory through the enhancement of persons’ critical moral awareness is considered. Although the ethical appeal is considerable, scepticism is raised as to the possibility of doing more than sensitize theorists and practitioners to the issues involved.

Value Conflicts in American Higher Education: A Survey.

Abstract: broadening in the range of tasks which higher education is expected to perform in American society, and a dizzying array of judgments and perspectives about how well it is doing in its various jobs. Behind this complex of tasks and judgments lie competing conceptions of the values that do or ought to shape our society, and about higher education's role in furthering their achievement. The values and the conflicts among them are often articulated only in passing, with their full complexity and interdependence rarely noted. My aim in this article is to lay out in a structured way some of the most important problems of value conflict in American higher education and to survey the literature bearing on them. I do not attempt to resolve the issues posed, but only to state them clearly and to demonstrate their interdependence and difficulty. The intended result is greater clarity in understanding the questions we face, which is a necessary though not sufficient condition for further progress in our deliberations about them.

A historical approach to the question of abstract labour

Abstract: Few topics in political economy have enjoyed as much attention, or have been the center of such controversy as the “labour theory of value” – a theory which gained prominence in the writings of the classical school of the late-eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and which continues to be a major topic of Marxist political economy into the present period. The object of this paper is to outline a coherent approach to the labour theory of value by addressing one central problem that has long plagued Marxist theoreticians, and whose various solutions underlie the stances that have been adopted by different schools toward virtually all of the other important topics of Marxist thought. That problem is the sense in which what Marx termed the “abstract labour” representing the value of commodities, is an extant social phenomenon in capitalist economies; in short, the problem of the “ontology” of abstract labour.

The Art of Helping, IV

Abstract: problem at the other end of the spectrum of resistance, i.e., that of "this is the only way, the family way." In this reviewer's opinion, social workers should be cautious in settings that give high value to "family treatment" and which are primarily or solely led by psychiatrists, and should realize the social worker role is more encompassing than a "family therapist's." We are in danger of losing awareness of the need for advocacy, brokerage, linkage and development of community supports, instrumental needs, and so on. Finally, this reviewer feels very comfortable in highly recommending this book for beginning family workers. The authors clearly accomplish their general objectives of introducing family treatment to a variety of problem situations and provide readers with the opportunity to develop an understanding of a "family system" approach.