Question 1

Select the statement that does not represent one of the common aspects of the contemporary work scene.
A)Workers have significant choices and alternatives open to them in the workplace.
B)More jobs today are temporary, part-time, or subcontracted out to third parties.
C)Most workers will likely have no more than one or two jobs in a lifetime.
D)The social values of work, such as camaraderie and social status, are lost to part-time and temporary workers.

Accepted Answer

Most workers today experience multiple job changes throughout their careers due to the dynamic nature of the contemporary work scene, making the idea of having only one or two jobs in a lifetime less common.

Question 2

Which of the following statements is a classical interpretation of work?
A)Humans are intellectual, yet work is physical.
B)For cultured and civilized people, work is undignified.
C)Humans are free beings; work is a necessity.
D)Work diminishes human nature and human potential.
E)All of the answers are correct.
F)None of the answers are correct.

Accepted Answer

All of the statements are classical interpretations of work.

Question 3

Which of these statements does not describe the hedonistic interpretation of work?
A)Work is the price we pay to get the necessities of life and other things that make life pleasurable.
B)Happiness is the enjoyment of cultural activities.
C)There is no specific content for human happiness.
D)Individuals are allowed to choose whatever ends they desire.

Accepted Answer

The hedonistic interpretation of work primarily focuses on work as a means to achieve pleasure and avoid pain, rather than specifically emphasizing the enjoyment of cultural activities as a form of happiness.

Question 4

Which of the following statements is not true about the issues confronting business ethics?
A)Not every job contributes to the development of human potential.
B)The proper kind of workplace contributes to human development.
C)Jobs do not have the potential for influencing and shaping individuals.
D)Individuals exercise control over jobs.

Accepted Answer

Jobs have the potential to significantly influence and shape individuals by providing them with opportunities for growth, learning, and development. This contradicts the assertion in option C, making it not true in the context of business ethics discussions.

Question 5

Which of the following is a true expression of Marx's concept of alienation?
A)Alienation is the result of low wages.
B)Alienation is the result of work that prevents the full development of human potential.
C)Alienation means the separation and distinction of one social class from another.
D)The capitalistic system does not inevitably mean a life of alienation for workers.

Accepted Answer

Marx's concept of alienation refers to the estrangement of people from aspects of their human nature as a consequence of living in a society of stratified social classes. The theory argues that the capitalist mode of production leads to workers being alienated from their labor, the products of their labor, and their own self-development, because their work is controlled by others and geared towards the profit motives of the capitalist, rather than the fulfillment of the worker's own human potential.

Question 6

Select the statement that describes the human potentials that work can fulfill.
A)Work provides the occasion for developing talents and exercising creativity.
B)Through work, humans create their own society and culture and thereby their own identities.
C)Work expresses our nature as social beings.
D)Work allows us to experience our freedom and autonomy in making choices and directing our lives.
E)All of the answers are correct.
F)None of the answers are correct.

Accepted Answer

Each statement (A through D) accurately describes different aspects of how work can fulfill human potentials, such as developing talents (A), creating society and culture (B), expressing our social nature (C), and experiencing freedom and autonomy (D).

Question 7

Indicate the statement that is not consistent with Bowie's liberal theory of work.
A)One of the moral obligations of a firm is to provide meaningful work.
B)It is a simple enough task to find a justification for any objective, normative definition of meaningful work.
C)Meaningful work defined as nothing more than what employees say it is, is a subjective and individualistic definition of work.
D)The more people are compelled to work, the greater the responsibility to make sure that workplace conditions are as humane as possible.

Accepted Answer

Bowie's liberal theory of work suggests that defining meaningful work and justifying it on objective, normative grounds is complex and challenging, not simple.

Question 8

How might a liberal have to respond to the suggestion that some workers might prefer to work at highly routine, unchallenging, and boring jobs?
A)Employers have no choice but to eliminate these jobs.
B)Employers have no obligation to eliminate these jobs.
C)These jobs do not necessarily suppress the human faculties of rational and autonomous choice.
D)While it may be true, on the one hand, that as long as no one is forcing employees to do these jobs, employers don't have to eliminate them, it is also true that accepting the ethical legitimacy of these jobs violates the fundamental values of rational and free choice.

Accepted Answer

The answer of How might a liberal have to respond...

Question 9

In the context of the meaning of work, which of the following statements is true?
A)Work means activities that involve perseverance, discipline, toil, usually performed with a degree of seriousness and concentration.
B)The meaning of work is likened with being idle, relaxing, playing, and activities such as reading a book or playing a round of golf.
C)Work does not include any task, accomplishment, or undertaking unless it generates an income.
D)An activity is not regarded as work unless the worker's identity and the activity are "morally inseparable."

Accepted Answer

Work is generally defined as activities that require effort, discipline, and often a serious attitude, distinguishing it from leisure activities like relaxation or play.

Question 10

Identify a true statement regarding a job.
A)A job is a role that one steps into and out of as a means for earning money.
B)A jobs refers to a tradition of work in which a person's identity and activities are "morally inseparable."
C)A job involves developing relationship between the self and the activity.
D)A job enables the evolution of social status and self-esteem in ways that a career does not.

Accepted Answer

A job is essentially a role that individuals take on to earn money, often without the deep personal or identity ties that might come with a career or vocation.

Question 11

The value of housework and child care have systematically been undervalued by social programs such as Social Security, unemployment insurance, and many public policies concerned with marriage and divorce.

Accepted Answer

Housework and child care are often not considered in the calculation of benefits for social programs like Social Security and unemployment insurance, nor are they adequately accounted for in many policies related to marriage and divorce, leading to their systematic undervaluation.

Question 12

A job might be described simply as work in which self-identity and the activity are independent of each other.

Accepted Answer

A job is often seen as a means to earn a living, where the work performed does not necessarily reflect or influence one's self-identity.

Question 13

It is its potential to be intimately connected to our deepest values that makes the meaning and value of work have important implications for the structure and operation of the workplace.

Accepted Answer

The meaning and value of work are deeply connected to individual values and beliefs, which in turn influence how workplaces are structured and operate, reflecting the importance of aligning work with personal and societal values for overall satisfaction and productivity.

Question 14

According to the classical interpretation of work, happiness is simply getting whatever one wants.

Accepted Answer

The classical interpretation of work often involves the concept of achieving fulfillment or purpose through one's efforts, rather than merely obtaining what one desires. Happiness, in many classical philosophies, is more complex and involves living a virtuous life, self-improvement, and contributing to the greater good, rather than just the satisfaction of personal desires.

Question 15

The human fulfillment model of work believes that work is the primary means for developing human potential.

Accepted Answer

The human fulfillment model of work posits that work is not just a means to an end (such as earning a living) but is also a primary means for individuals to develop their potential, capabilities, and overall personal growth.

Question 16

According to the human fulfillment model, the psychological and social benefits of work do not reduce to merely subjective and personal values.

Accepted Answer

The human fulfillment model suggests that work provides psychological and social benefits beyond subjective and personal values, emphasizing the role of work in contributing to overall well-being and societal cohesion.

Question 17

Karl Marx was sure that industrial capitalism inevitably, necessarily, alienates workers from the product of their work, from the creative process of work, and from their very essence as social creatures.

Accepted Answer

Karl Marx argued that industrial capitalism leads to alienation of workers in several dimensions: from the product of their labor, from the labor process itself, from their own essence as creative beings, and from other workers. This is because the capitalist mode of production commodifies labor and separates workers from the means of production, making their work feel more like a means to survive rather than a fulfilling activity.

Question 18

Both liberals who believe that the ethical assessment of work should be based on how work affects the workers' ability to make free and autonomous decisions about their lives and the human fulfillment school that makes that judgment on the basis of what makes a good meaningful human life are saying essentially the same thing.

Accepted Answer

While both perspectives value the impact of work on individuals, liberals focus on autonomy and freedom in decision-making, whereas the human fulfillment school emphasizes the broader concept of what constitutes a meaningful and good life, which can include but is not limited to autonomy.

Question 19

The idea that the meaning and value of work is whatever the workers determine that it is simply doesn't challenge in any significant way Bowie's contention that employers have an obligation to provide meaningful work.

Accepted Answer

Bowie's contention that employers have an obligation to provide meaningful work is based on the premise that work should contribute to the worker's sense of purpose and self-fulfillment. The idea that the meaning and value of work is determined by the workers themselves does challenge Bowie's contention by shifting the responsibility for finding meaning in work from the employer to the employee, suggesting that the creation of meaningful work is not solely the employer's obligation.

Question 20

Primary goods are those goods that are necessary in order to achieve whatever other goods an individual chooses to pursue.

Accepted Answer

Primary goods are those goods that are necessary for survival, such as food, water, and shelter. They are not dependent on other goods, and are therefore necessary in order to achieve any other goods an individual chooses to pursue.

Quiz 5: The Meaning and Value of Work

Select the statement that does not represent one of the common aspects of the contemporary work scene.

Which of the following statements is a classical interpretation of work?

Which of these statements does not describe the hedonistic interpretation of work?

Which of the following statements is not true about the issues confronting business ethics?

Which of the following is a true expression of Marx's concept of alienation?

Select the statement that describes the human potentials that work can fulfill.

Indicate the statement that is not consistent with Bowie's liberal theory of work.

How might a liberal have to respond to the suggestion that some workers might prefer to work at highly routine, unchallenging, and boring jobs?

In the context of the meaning of work, which of the following statements is true?

Identify a true statement regarding a job.