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Social engineering is a concept in political science that refers to efforts to influence popular attitudes and social behaviour on a large scale, whether by corporations or private groups. Before one can engage in social engineering, one must have reliable information about the society that is to be engineered, and one must have effective tools to carry out the engineering. Both of these only became available relatively recently – roughly within the past one hundred years.
The development of social science made it possible to gather and analyse information about social attitudes and trends, which is necessary in order to judge the initial state of society before an engineering attempt and the success or failure of that attempt after it has been implemented. At the same time, the development of modern communications technology and the media provided the tools through which social engineering could be carried out. Social engineering can be carried out by any organization – whether large or small, public or private.
Social control includes to social mechanisms that regulate individual and group behaviour, leading to conformity and compliances to the rules of a given society or social group. Many mechanisms of social control are cross-cultural, if only in the control mechanisms used to prevent the establishment of chaos or anomie.
The social values that are present in individuals are products of informal social control. It is exercised by a society without explicitly stating these rules and is expressed through customs, norms, and mores. Individuals are socialized whether consciously or subconsciously. During informal sanctions, ridicule can cause a straying towards norms. Through this form of socialization, the person will internalize these mores and norms. Traditional society uses mostly informal social control embedded in its customary culture relying on the socialization of its members to establish social order. More rigidly-structured societies may place increased reliance on formal mechanisms.
Informal sanctions may include ridicule, sarcasm, criticism and disapproval. In extreme cases sanctions may include social discrimination and exclusion. This implied social control usually has more effect on individuals because they become internalized and thus an aspect of personality.
As with formal controls, informal controls reward or punish acceptable or unacceptable behaviour (i.e., deviance). Informal controls are varied and differ from individual to individual, group to group and society to society.
Formal social control is expressed through law as statutes, rules, and regulations against deviant behaviour. It is conducted by corporation and organizations. In societies the goals and mechanisms of formal social control are determined through policy and thus enjoy a measure of support from the population and voluntary compliance.
According to the propaganda model theory, the leaders of modern, corporate-dominated societies employ indoctrination as a means of social control. Theorists such as Noam Chomsky have argued that systematic bias exists in the modern media. The marketing, advertising, and public relations industries have thus been said to utilize mass communications to aid the interests of certain business elites. Powerful economic and religious lobbyists have often used school systems and centralised electronic communications to influence public opinion. Democracy is restricted as the majority is not given the information necessary to make rational decisions about ethical, social, environmental, or economic issues.
In order to maintain control and regulate their subjects, authoritarian organizations and corporations promulgate rules and issue decrees. However, due to a lack of popular support for enforcement, these entities may rely more on force and other severe sanctions such as censorship, expulsion and limits on political freedom.
Sociologists consider informal means of social control vital in maintaining public order, but also recognize the necessity of formal means as societies become more complex and for responding to emergencies.
An organization’s capacity and performance in managing social issues are increasingly recognized as important contributors to business success. To effectively manage risks, uncertainties and long-term opportunities, managers need the right set of policy around these issues.

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