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Essay Subject:
A qualitative research study.... More...
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Paper Abstract: A qualitative research study. Assessment of whether money has led to the decline in the quality of life. Theory used is George Simmel's THE PHILOSOPHY OF MONEY. Simmel's evaluation of the pursuit of profits by corporations. Open-ended survey of four people to elicit their opinions on the effects of money on American society.
Paper Introduction: The research problem of this study is: Has money led to the decline in the quality of life, as suggested in George Simmel’s The Philosophy of Money? According to Simmel (1978), money that was initially created as a human tool for transactions has come to dominate every aspect of human life. Many components that contribute to the quality of life are measured by their monetary worth. Thus, the creation of a rational and objective world that revolves around money has undermined the value of nonrational aspects of life such as love, which cannot be quantified by money (in Ritzer, 2000, pp. 276-7). Thus, the purpose of this research study is to determine whether Simmel’s concern about the effects of money has relevance to contemporary society.
This writer agrees with Simmel’s evaluation of the negative effects of money. The relentless pursuit of profits by
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For corporate executives and many others, the workpressure to increase profits compels them to resort to various tactics toincrease profit margins. The student cites the example of large corporations such as Nike whoexploits impoverished workers in Vietnam in order to increase theirprofits. All four of the participants believed that money as a medium ofexchange has contributed significantly to the quality of their lives. Nonetheless, he statedthat his valuation of things in life is definitely shaped by money. The research methodology used to assess the validity of this writer'sresponse is a qualitative survey. For example, when she applied for jobs on campus,she inevitably opted for the one that paid the most money, even though shewas more interested in another. Classical sociological theory (3rd ed.). Second, she has acquired the art of "stretching her income" to caterto her needs and the needs of her family. For example,enjoying a beautiful sunset does not require any monetary expenditure.Bringing a picnic to beach certainly costs considerably less money thangoing to a fancy restaurant. (1991). Unlike all the other participants, the computer technician who alsohas a comfortable income stated that her valuation of life is onlypartially shaped by money. In contrast, the restaurant owner maintained that Americans are notobsessed with the pursuit of money. Using a quantitativeanalysis will restrict the participants' responses to the survey.Furthermore, a written questionnaire is used instead of an interviewbecause the questionnaire provides participants time to think about theirresponses. Rather, he is caughtup in the "restless never-ending process of profit-making" (in Kivisto,1991, p. First, she has learned to attach value toevents, things and people, which have no monetary worth. However, in her leisure, she has learned to enjoy many thingsthat do not cost money. This writer agrees with Simmel's evaluation of the negative effectsof money. At the same time, they also demonstrated how money hasacquired power over people by shaping their lives and perceptions. In addition, the teacher and the technician pointed out that thequality of life cannot simply be assessed in monetary terms. The research problem of this study is: Has money led to the declinein the quality of life, as suggested in George Simmel's The Philosophy ofMoney? (2 ). Boston: McGraw Hill. Furthermore, when she was invited todifferent events or parties, she also preferred to go to her rich friend'sparties. In his opinion, money is simply anecessary tool for businesses to be conducted. Apart from the monetary value ofthe product, she also assesses the value of the product based on theimportance of the products to her family. Overwhelmed by a heftycollege tuition and expenditure on books, she revealed that she often basedher decisions on money. Therefore, all the participants believe that their quality of lifewill suffer if they have to use another system of exchange such as thetraditional system of bartering. If she knows that the product isvital to her family, she is willing to spend a few extra dollars for it. Since mostpeople have their distinctive opinions about money, this writer wants touncover the variety of perceptions about money. For the other participants, money offers them theconvenience and freedom to purchase things they want from differentvendors. The relentless pursuit of profits by corporations in modernsociety has become an integral part of the world economy. Social theory: Roots and branches. As Karl Marx (1867)describes in his work, "The General Formula for Capital," the capitalist isnot interested in obtaining commodities for his use. According to Simmel (1978), money that was initially created as ahuman tool for transactions has come to dominate every aspect of humanlife. Thus, the purpose of this research study is todetermine whether Simmel's concern about the effects of money has relevanceto contemporary society. For therestaurant owner, his financial success is dependent on his ability toattach a monetary value to things. Theirresponses also showed that the quality of life is dependent on theirdefinition. For his business, he needsto perform a variety of monetary calculations to ensure that the money hespends on his overheads and food is at least covered by the amount of moneyhe receives from the customers. Although all participantsbelieved that money is vital to their quality of life, most also assertedthat it has dominated the mindset of Americans who are driven by the needto generate profits. Therefore, the teacher believedthat money has played a strong role in shaping her perceptions becausemoney is an integral part of American society. Shestated that the capitalist system essentially forces people to think aboutmoney all the time. The presentation of the responses of the participants of the surveyhas shown that money is a double-edged sword. While taking time to preparea wonderful meal can improve the quality of life, many Americans havereplaced this practice by going to restaurants or ordering delivery.Therefore, the expenditure of money in obtaining cooked food becomes theessential factor in the quality of life, not the "free" pleasure ofpreparing a meal. Many components that contribute to the quality of life are measuredby their monetary worth. To what extent has the existence of money as a currency of exchangecontributed to the quality of your life?2. His valuation of things in business isoften extended into his private life. Therestaurant owner highlighted the fact that money as a medium of exchangeprovides people with a measuring instrument for calculating the worth ofdifferent objects. How has money shaped the way you value things in life? Their reward of an expensive lifestyle also trainsthem to put money on a pedestal. Four individuals with differentoccupations (a teacher, a student, a restaurant owner and a computertechnician) are given a questionnaire that elicits their opinions about theeffects of money on American society in general and their lives. The open-ended questionnaire has been chosen as a research instrumentbecause the research question deals with a subjective topic. Therefore, the research question of this study could have beenimproved by offering a precise definition of the concept of "quality oflife." Furthermore, with more planning, a series of questions derived fromthe individual components of Simmel's theory of money could have beenformulated to determine the comprehensive effects of money on the lives ofAmericans today. Similarly, the student who is also on a limited income asserted thather valuation of things is affected by money. Thus, these people learn to value money aboveother aspects of life. In her workplace, she is compelled to valuethings based on their monetary worth because she works with very expensiveequipment. Because manyAmericans lead hectic lives, they no longer take time to experience "free"things that contribute to the quality of life. For many people in this world, the constant expansion ofmoney is their ultimate objective. Although moneywas first established to improve the bartering system, it has transformedthe transaction by becoming the desirable commodity. ReferencesKivisto, P. Third, when she is treated to an event or a meal that costs a lot ofmoney, the teacher stated that she probably savors and appreciates theoccasion more than the corporate executives who have access to theseluxurious amenities on a regular basis. While at least half of the respondents (the restaurant ownerand the student) assessed the quality of life based on monetary terms, theother half rated the quality of life in other ways such as hiking in themountains and family life. 33). In this way, herquality of life is not dictated by the amount of money she has. For example, she spends her weekends hiking in themountains or cycling on the bike path. For example, when he goes onvacations, he always chooses the cheapest vacation package even though hecan afford the more expensive one that offers a few more luxuries. To what extent do you believe that Americans who live in a capitalistsociety are obsessed with the pursuit of money?3. The technician qualified her criticism of the Americans' need togenerate the money by noting that the success of all companies is primarilymeasured by their ability to increase their profit margins each year. For the teacher who has a meagerincome compared to many people her own age, money has certainly shaped hervaluation of things in life. 276-7). Nonetheless, three of the participants asserted that Americans wholive in the capitalist society are overly obsessed with the need to acquiremoney. Therefore, she asserted that her valuation of things is shaped bythe fact that she has a limited income. In contrast to the two previous participants, the restaurant owner whohas good business enjoys a comfortable lifestyle. Thus, the creation of a rational and objectiveworld that revolves around money has undermined the value of nonrationalaspects of life such as love, which cannot be quantified by money (inRitzer, 2 , pp. However, these two participants remarked thatthe reason why they considered money to be a significant contributor to thequality of life is related to the American way of life. The last question addresses the effects of money on eachparticipant's valuation of things of life. Los Angeles: Roxbury Publishing Company.Ritzer, G. Nonetheless, the restaurant owner concurredwith the other participants when he concluded that people are forced tothink about things in monetary terms because money plays an important rolein American society. This open-ended survey consists of three questions:1.
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