INDUSTRY AS A SOCIAL SYSTEM

INDUSTRY

The production side of business activity is referred as industry. It is a business activity, which is related to the raising, producing, processing or manufacturing of products.

The products are consumer’s goods as well as producer’s goods. Consumer goods are goods, which are used finally by consumers. For example, Food grains, textiles, cosmetics, VCR, etc. Producer’s goods are the goods used by manufacturers for producing some other goods. For example, machinery, tools, equipments, etc.

Thus, Expansion of trade and commerce depends on industrial growth. It represents the supply side of market.

SYSTEM

The term ‘system’ implies an orderly arrangement, an interrelationship of parts. In the arrangement, every part has a fixed place and definite role to play. The parts are bound by interaction. To understand the functioning of a system, for example the human body, one has to analyze and identify the sub-systems and understand how these various subsystems enter into specific relations in the fulfillment of the organic function of the body.

Likewise, society may be viewed as a system of interrelated mutually dependent parts which cooperate to preserve a recognizable whole and to satisfy some purposes or goal. Social system may be described as an arrangement of social interactions based on shared norms and values. Individuals constitute it and each has place and function to perform within it.

INDUSTRY AS A SOCIAL SYSTEM

As the time passed, simple society became very complex and complicated. There was industrial economy all over the world. Economic system began to change. Industrialization brought about large scale urbanization. The people left their village in search of employment in the industrial towns. The age old joint family system saw signs of disintegration.

New awakening came such as religion, family, caste, educational and political systems came under heavy pressure. The rural community underwent change as a result of the influence of urban areas. Capitalism got entrenched. Between the capitalists and workers there developed the influential middle class. Laws were made to regulate the working conditions.

In an urban community, social structure is very complex. This complexity is due to larger number of individuals participating in the process, of interaction, large number of occupations, more cultural traits and so on. People do not have personal contact among themselves.

They have no fellow feelings. In the urban areas, there are class extremes. Social mobility is greater in city because there is considerable division of labour and competitiveness. People in city belong to different cultures, races and creeds belonging to different parts of the world.

Industrialization brought about the break of the family as a production unit. The growth of factories and industries made the workers to seek the job in the industry. They had to move away to distance places, and thus in the process the original kinship society, women and children too came out to work. With their involvement in production, the work at home that once had kept the family bound in togetherness was lost.

With the wage women gained independence, attended to their individual development. As a result the family bond was vanished. Individual’s economic stability, the options of work coupled with the security provided by law set the husband-wife relation on the norms of equality: Marriage came to be contractual arrangement. Economic security destroyed the protective patriarchal authority, kinship role and the community life.

The technological character of the industrial revolution made division of labour in its acute form. Job differentiation increased to a large extent. It created professional, vocational and working class groups. Society became class based. The old peasant class was transformed into working class. Unskilled workers got employment in industry.

With the bureaucratization of industry, the salaried, administrative, professional and managerial class came up.

Homelessness became the feature of industrial centres. In the city house rent is very high and therefore poor cannot afford for it. This results in homelessness in big cities.

Industrialization has given rise to a number of evil effects. These include labour problems, industrial disputes and class conflict, increase in crime and exploitation. Urban problems are endless. To name the more important among them are pollution, unemployment, crime and juvenile delinquency, overcrowding and slum, drug addiction and alcoholism.

Thus, industrialization has affected social life in every aspect. The customs and traditions, the manner, the ways and modes of living have been deeply influenced by industrialization.