Question 1

The system of work organization, which was not interested in the well-being of those who did the work, but was aimed at achieving maximum output, is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Scientific management, developed by Frederick Taylor, focused on maximizing efficiency and output, often at the expense of workers' well-being.

Question 2

Name and briefly describe any three characteristics of bureaucracies, according to Weber.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Name and briefly describe any three characteristics...

Question 3

What is McDonaldization? What are the benefits vs. risks of McDonaldization to a society such as Canada's?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is McDonaldization? What are the benefits...

Question 4

The phenomenon whereby companies now look worldwide for the most profitable place to set up production is known as:

Accepted Answer

Globalization refers to the process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale, including looking worldwide for the most profitable places to set up production.

Question 5

What factors are creating higher than necessary levels of unemployment in Canada?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What factors are creating higher than necessary...

Question 6

In the earliest human societies, hunters and gatherers' families divided jobs, with women typically gathering (primarily because of child-raising requirements), and men hunting (as they had more mobility). This is what we call the:

Accepted Answer

The division of labor in early human societies, where different tasks were assigned based on gender roles, is referred to as the social division of labor.

Question 7

What does Marx mean by alienation? How does alienation occur?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What does Marx mean by alienation? How...

Question 8

What is meant by the "globalization of production"?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is meant by the "globalization of...

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT associated with unemployment?

Accepted Answer

Unemployment is often associated with an increase, not a decrease, in family violence due to stress and financial strain.

Question 10

In post-World War II society, particularly in Canada and the United States, an understanding developed among those who owned business and industry, those who worked in those businesses and industries, and the State (government). Essentially, the contract, or socially accepted understanding, was that if you work hard and produce more goods and services each year, the economy willgrow. This social contract was based on the economics of:

Accepted Answer

This social contract is based on Keynesian economics, which emphasizes the role of government intervention and fiscal policy to manage economic growth and stability.

Question 11

In 1895, Durkheim studied the division of labour and wrote that it would lead to ________, a social problem where people feel atomized and experience a sense of normlessness.

Accepted Answer

Durkheim introduced the concept of "anomie" to describe a state of normlessness, where individuals feel disconnected from the collective conscience of society, often resulting from rapid changes or the breakdown of social norms.

Question 12

Goldthorpe found in his classic studies that some workers respond to the alienating aspects of our work situation in a/an ________ fashion. People often think that if they have to work under monotonous and undesirable conditions then they had better be paid well, so they can enjoy their leisure time. According to Goldthorpe, this is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Goldthorpe's studies identified the "instrumentalist" attitude, where workers view their jobs as a means to an end, valuing high pay to compensate for monotonous work, allowing them to enjoy leisure time.

Question 13

Which of the following statements associated with the concept of downsizing is NOT true?

Accepted Answer

Downsizing has not been rare since the 1990s; it has been a common practice for companies seeking to cut costs and increase efficiency.

Question 14

According to Marx, the phenomenon whereby workers were separated from the decisions concerning how and when to work, what to make, and how to relate to other workers involved in the production is known as:

Accepted Answer

Marx's concept of alienation refers to the estrangement of workers from the products of their labor, the production process, their own self, and their fellow workers, due to the capitalist mode of production.

Question 15

According to your text, which of the following is NOT a method that would reduce resistance in the workplace?

Accepted Answer

Scientific management focuses on efficiency and productivity, often neglecting worker input and satisfaction, which can increase resistance rather than reduce it.

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT an example of resistance in the workplace?

Accepted Answer

Punctuality is not an example of resistance in the workplace; it is a positive behavior indicating timeliness and reliability.

Question 17

The system of work organization leading to mass production for a mass market using assembly-line methods is known as:

Accepted Answer

Fordism is a system of work organization leading to mass production for a mass market using assembly-line methods.

Question 18

The division of a single job into many parts is called the:

Accepted Answer

The detailed division of labour refers to breaking down a job into smaller, specialized tasks, allowing workers to focus on specific tasks to increase efficiency.

Question 19

Consider occupational segregation. In your own experience have you noticed occupational segregation based on sex? Race? Using an example, describe how and why occupational segregation may occur.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Consider occupational segregation. In your own experience...

Question 20

In every work relationship, those who carry out the tasks have consented in one way or another to be there and do their job. Yet, except in the most ideal circumstances, these same workers will harbour some level of discontent with the safety conditions, the pay, the supervision, or a thousand other things and will act on that discontent in minor or major ways. We call this:

Accepted Answer

This situation is described as "resistance," where workers express their dissatisfaction with various aspects of their work environment through actions, whether minor or major.

Quiz 14: Organizations and Work