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Money = power
Conflict and power relationships
Conflict and power relationships
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Power and influence rule the world, and some people have more than others. The ways a person can gain power or influence are money, who they know and are related to, and their actions. Influence can be used to secure more power or maintain a person’s current level of power. There are several individuals who hold power and influence, while other people do not. There are several reasons as to why this is the case, such as money and the scale influence is being measured on.
People with money have access to near unlimited power, and those without it have less of a chance of persuading someone to give themselves an item. Rich people can practically buy a politician into office by running ads for them and against their opponent. Then, exerting influence on them, the rich people can force politicians to make laws that increase or maintain their wealth. That helps the politician to stay in office and continue to work on behalf of the rich. People with money can influence people by offering them malicious bribes or coercing them to do something good for the affluent person. Those people can then go and often increase the rich person’s wealth. Rich people can exert influence on people so they can maintain their lifestyle and power.
The people who one knows can greatly increase your influence on other people. If one knew an owner of a restaurant, you could probably receive discounted meals. If one is related to a politician, they are more likely to listen to you and do your bidding. For example, if a business was using unlawful business practices and you were related to a politician, then you could use influence to bring about change. That change could be in the form of new regulations, new laws, or other restrictions. Peo...
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... can cause a huge difference in lives of people around the world.
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“My husband had this wonderful magnetic quality-this glow-he’d just point those incredible blue eyes at you and you’d feel like you were under a big hot sun or something…” (O’Brien 195). Many people described Paul Wade, John’s dad, as powerful and influential. So influential, in fact, a kid from John Wade’s class claims he “wish[es] he was my father” (O’Brien 67). Often, the words power and influence go hand in hand. However, these words possess two different meanings. According to the Oxford Learner’s dictionary, power is defined as “The ability to control people or things ” (Oxford Learner’s). While power is described as the ability to control, the term influential is defined as “The effect that somebody/something has on the way a person thinks or behaves or on the way that something works or develops” (Oxford Learner’s). Paul has little power over John; however, Paul’s indirect influence leaves a long lasting, negative impact on his son’s actions.
Kiisel, Ty. "It's Not What You Know, It's Who You Know?" Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 02 May 2012. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.
Graves, J.A. (2012, Feb. 26). The 10 best jobs. US News: Money Careers. Retrieved from
In society, it can be agreed that there are two main types of power, proximal relations of power and distal relations of power. Proximal relations of power deals within the personal relationships in society, whereas distal relations of power are related to society in a more abstract way that affects it as a
Shobert, B. (2014, February 19). Today's best business opportunity: Global aging. Retrieved from Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/benjaminshobert/2013/10/03/todays-best-business-opportunity-global-aging/
People define being influential as having someone or something looking up to you. Another way people define being influential is having control over something. Influence can be used in many ways, it can be used to make you buy something, or it can make you think different, it can also be used to help encourage people. Most of the time famous people are influential to the lower tier an example would be a professional baseball player would be a big influence to someone who is just starting out, or an popular actor influential too. Although some people say that having much influence is bad because it can make you become greedy with power but, Stan Lee proves that wrong by using his influence to help to other people in his life.
Workman, Daniel. "Top US Exports." Top US Exports. Homestead, 2013. Web. 06 Nov. 2013. .
"List of Private Companies Worldwide, Letter - Businessweek." Businessweek.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2014. .
Some theorists believe that ‘power is everywhere: not because it embraces everything, but because it comes from everywhere… power is not an institution, nor a structure, nor possession. It is the name we give to a complex strategic situation in a particular society. (Foucault, 1990: 93) This is because power is present in each individual and in every relationship. It is defined as the ability of a group to get another group to take some form of desired action, usually by consensual power and sometimes by force. (Holmes, Hughes &Julian, 2007) There have been a number of differing views on ‘power over’ the many years in which it has been studied. Theorist such as Anthony Gidden in his works on structuration theory attempts to integrate basic structural analyses and agency-centred traditions. According to this, people are free to act, but they must also use and replicate fundamental structures of power by and through their own actions. Power is wielded and maintained by how one ‘makes a difference’ and based on their decisions and actions, if one fails to exercise power, that is to ‘make a difference’ then power is lost. (Giddens: 1984: 14) However, more recent theorists have revisited older conceptions including the power one has over another and within the decision-making processes, and power, as the ability to set specific, wanted agendas. To put it simply, power is the ability to get others to do something they wouldn’t otherwise do. In the political arena, therefore, power is the ability to make or influence decisions that other people are bound by.
There are several sources of power, some of them are authority, reward, expertise, and coercion.
Power is defined in the course study notes as the “ability of individuals or groups to get what they want despite the opposition”. Power is derived from a variety of sources including knowledge, experience and environmental uncertainties (Denhardt et al, 2001). It is also important to recognize that power is specific to each situation. Individuals or groups that may be entirely powerful in one situation may find themselves with little or no power in another. The county Registrar of Voters, who is my boss, is a perfect example. In running the local elections office, she can exercise the ultimate power. However, in a situation where she attempted to get the county selected for a desirable, statewide pilot project, she was powerless, completely at the mercy of the Secretary of State. Power is difficult to measure and even to recognize, yet it plays a major role in explaining authority. In organizations, power is most likely exercised in situations where “the stakes are high, resources are limited, and goals and processes are unclear” (Denhardt et al, 2001). The absence of power in organizations forces us to rely on soley hierarchical authority.
Distribution and exercise of power shape attitudes towards authority. How people sustain themselves economically, and how they manage to obtain the necessities of life, determines assigned roles of individuals and the relationships among them.
“Money is number and numbers never end if it takes money to be happy your search for happiness will never end.” (Bob Marley). For the majority of people in our modern-capitalist world, money is the first thing, and sometimes the only thing that measures success in life. Money can buy power. Money can buy fame. Money can buy time. Sometimes money can even buy a life. So money has become the first common goal for everybody. There are many different perspectives, and how people view the world, in terms of success, and money. Money is not the root of all evil, but the love of money is the root of all evil.