Use of Structural Functionalism Theory to Analyze the Globe and Mail Newspaper Article (Essay Sample)

Use of Structural Functionalism Theory to Analyze the Globe and Mail Newspaper Article
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Institution
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Introduction
In this paper, I am going to use the Structural Functionalism Theory as one of the sociological perspectives to analyze one of the current events in the world. An article from the Canadian based newspaper, The Globe and Mail is what we will zero in on. The report dated January 12th, 2015 from this mainstream newspaper will be our point of interest. I believe that this theory best explains the event highlighted in the report among the other sociological perspectives. The headline of the article reads ‘Zambia pressed to reverse mining royalty hike’. It was published by one Mr. Geoffrey York. The thesis from my point of view is that Zambia must repeal the mining royalty hike. The theory that is chosen will comprehensively address this issue. It is because the approach appreciates the fact that the society as a whole is not only dynamic but also very complex. Therefore, it argues that the different systems in place should work hand in hand in order to promote both stability and solidarity in the society.The Zambian government should seek all the means possible to avert the situation in the country. It should put in place the measures at her disposal to enable the high tensions in the country among the copper mines workers and their families to reduce. The article tries to highlight how failure by the government of Zambia to consider the needs of some of her employees in the mining sites could spark unnecessary tension in the nation. There is a need for the government to be rational and check all the needs of her people before imposing an increment in the royalty that they charge. It is evident that this will lead to the state becoming unstable and, therefore, ungovernable. The theory will deeply look into the issues that need to be corrected so as to make the state stable once again. Those in administration will definitely disagree with this statement. But, even in doing this, they should appreciate the fact that the copper mine companies have been paying royalty in the past years. It is the new tax regime rates that are making the operations almost impossible for them. Reducing the rates will serve both the copper mine owners and the employees well in terms of revenue and salary payment respectively.Summary of the ArticleIn this newspaper article, Mr. Geoffrey York argues that the government of the day in the Republic of Zambia is going under a lot of pressure from the opposition politicians, the trade unions and the various business groups in the country. The bone of contention is the massive increase in the royalty that is charged among the copper miners. Those who are against the rise in the charges believe that it will lead to rendering many of the workers there jobless. The rates are just unacceptable. It is not that the citizens do not want to comply with the tax regulations, but it is the amount charged that is unbelievable. A report released from the chamber of miles in Zambia states that close to 12,000 jobs are hanging in the balance due to the sharp hike in the royalties charged by the government.Zambia is known as the second largest copper producing state in the continent. It goes without saying that the economy of this sub-Saharan African state economy is dependent to an identifiable extent, the copper mining industry. It, therefore, means that the latest development in the country will inevitably affect its economy (Fraser, 2010). It has made most of the Zambian workers to feel unease. The presidential elections are scheduled to take place on 20th January this year. One of the leading candidates in that race that is believed to be hotly contested, Nevas Mwamba has come out to claim that investors could pull out of the country if the issue is not amicably addressed. The royalty charged on this sector has tripled from the previous rate of 6 per cent to 20 per cent under the new tax regime that came into effect on the first day of January. One of the Canadian mining companies, Barrick Minerals Limited has stated that it will be laying off its 4,000 employees in March and to suspend its operations in its base at Lumwana copper mine by June this year. The company purchased the mine from Equinox Minerals at $7.3 billion.The acquisition led to its stock driving down and a series of write-downs that has made most of its mine values to wipe out. Nevertheless, the acquisition of this company by the Barrick minerals limited from the Equinox Minerals was troubled at the initial stages. The business analysts, however, believe that the company will not be conducting a rollback as they await the outcome of the forthcoming elections in the country. There is still some glimpse of hope that the new regime may change the situation if they get into power. Another Canadian mineral company that is likely to be affected by these new measures is the First Quantum Minerals Limited. The higher royalty rates will hit it hard just like it has done to the sister company Barrick Minerals Limited. I strongly believe that the government must reduce the royalty charges to stop these citizens from being rendered jobless. Moreover, more investors will be scared away by the new developments in Zambia. The state of the economy of the country will be at stake. Rendering many people jobless will have a severe effect to the country. The jobless will get involved in any sort of activity in order to find means to sustain themselves. The issue needs to be addressed fast by the relevant stakeholders to prevent the tension that will arise if it is not solved.(See Appendix)Explanation of the Structural Functionalism TheoryThis sociological perspective was developed by two sociologists, Robert Merton, and Herbert Spencer. They argued that the society was functioning just like the body of human beings. These sociological thinkers contributed immensely to the development of this theory. They believed that functionalism as a theory explains the fact that the society is a complex system and there is need for all the parts to play their roles effectively and work together so as to promote not only solidarity but also stability. The theory has four aspects that are exclusively examined deeply to help us understand the theory. The functionalism theory is composed of the social structure, manifest functions, latent functions, and the social functions. The latent function refers to the issues in the society that do serve the purpose that they are intended. For instance, the use of the newspaper to act as a fly swatter is a latent function of the document. It is because this is not the original reason as to why it was published.The manifest function refers to systems in the society that serve the purpose as to why they are in place. For instance, the main manifest function of the newspaper is to provide those who will read it with the information or news. The society has some systems put in place to provide the manifest functions while other systems are put in place to provide the latent functions. The two can gel towards ensuring that there is a proper balance that will enable the society to operate in solidarity. The social structures in the society refer to the description of the facets of the organization of the society as a whole. It includes the race, ethnicity, religion, demographic and the level of income structures that we have in the society among other issues. It explains the functions that each of these structures performs in order to realize the proper functioning of the various institutions that exist. The core features in understanding this concept lie in the existence of practices, rules and the institutions that have the powers to effectively execute their smooth co-existence.A social structure is socially embodied in the beliefs, thoughts and actions of each individual human being in the society. The social function aspect tries to analyze the events or occasions in the society that make people assemble for the social interactions (Dillon, 2010). How this help to bring solidarity and a stable state is explained by the functionalism theory. The various members of the society do not meet by accident despite the fact that they have come from different backgrounds, race, and languages. They come together because they have to realize a common purpose. The theory explains the forces behind these integration processes that contribute towards realizing a stable and solid society.The structural functionalism approach explains how our lives in the society are guided by the social structures that promote social behaviors that result in having relatively stable patterns. They help give shape to our lives either in the community or at the family levels. They include things like education that have consequences in the smooth operation of the society at large in terms of social placement, socialization, and learning. The central tenets of the theory that I have decided to use in this article are the social structure, the latent function aspect, the manifest functions aspect and the social functions aspect. The four core aspects of this theory will help us analyze the article that appeared in the newspaper regarding the happenings in the Republic of Zambia. They will try to explain how from the theoretical point of view, the government should handle the matter so as to ensure satisfaction of the affected group in the country.Application of the Structural Functionalism Theory to the Newspaper ArticleThe newspaper article states how the government is under enormous pressure to reduce the royalty charges. This means that the functionalism aspect was not deeply considered by the government before putting the new tax regimes in place. The government should have consulted largely not only with the revenue collection authorities but also with the common citizens. Failure by the side ...