Question 1

A chemist working for a large corporation has the training to design a pesticide, but he or she is not trained to consider the abilities and limitations of the consumers who use it. This situation speaks to the problems associated with

Accepted Answer

The situation described highlights the issue of expert knowledge and responsibility, where a chemist can create a product (in this case, a pesticide) but may not fully consider or understand the broader implications of its use by consumers, including safety or practicality. This underscores the importance of experts not only having deep knowledge in their field but also being aware of and responsible for the broader impacts of their work.

Question 2

A fast-food service restaurant keeps statistics on the amount of milkshakes sold per gallon of shake mix used as a way of monitoring workers' performance. This recordkeeping represents

Accepted Answer

This is an example of using statistical measures to monitor and evaluate performance within an organization.

Question 3

Workers trained to do their jobs in an efficient way to meet organizational goals while ignoring other important matters related to their health, the community, and the environment risk developing

Accepted Answer

Trained incapacity refers to a situation where workers are so specialized or trained to perform tasks in a certain way that they become incapable of adapting to new situations or considering broader implications of their actions, such as impacts on health, community, and the environment. This concept explains how over-specialization can lead to a narrow focus that neglects broader concerns.

Question 4

A student writes, "At my place of work, sales staff is rewarded according to a point system. When a customer applies for and is accepted for a store credit card, the salesperson receives 1,000 points." The student is writing about

Accepted Answer

The student is describing a system where sales staff performance is quantified using points, which is a statistical measure of performance. This system quantifies the achievement (in this case, successful credit card applications) in a numerical way to assess and reward staff performance.

Question 5

Carmen works between 6pm and 2am six days a week. Thus, she is not home for dinner and is still sleeping when her husband leaves for work and her kids leave for school. Marx would argue that such a situation leaves Carmen alienated from

Accepted Answer

Marx's concept of alienation includes several dimensions, but in the context of Carmen's situation, the most relevant form of alienation is from her family. Her work hours prevent her from spending time with her family during key moments such as dinner, and when her husband and kids leave for work and school, further alienating her from family life.

Question 6

Karl Marx believed that increased control over nature is accompanied by

Accepted Answer

Marx argued that as workers are increasingly separated from the control of the means of production and the products of their labor, they become alienated. This alienation is a result of the capitalist mode of production, which estranges workers from their labor, the products of their labor, and their fellow workers, leading to a sense of isolation and powerlessness.

Question 7

_____________________ means to use computers to increase workers' speed or to keep an eye on their job performance.

Accepted Answer

Automate means to use computers to increase workers' speed or to keep an eye on their job performance.

Question 8

McDonald's evaluators pose as customers and conduct each year more than 500,000 unannounced visits at its 31,000 restaurants. The company also uses a checklist of 500 performance measures to evaluate each of its restaurants. This practice represents

Accepted Answer

The practice of using a checklist of 500 performance measures to evaluate restaurants is an example of statistical measures of performance, as it involves quantifiable metrics to assess the performance of each restaurant.

Question 9

An estimated 3 percent of plastic bags used to carry home groceries and other items end up in creeks, rivers, lakes, and oceans where ducks, turtles, and other wildlife choke on the plastic debris that they mistake for food. Sociologists call this situation

Accepted Answer

This situation is referred to as "externality costs," which are costs or benefits of economic activities that are not reflected in the market prices of goods or services. In this case, the environmental damage caused by plastic bags, such as harm to wildlife, is an external cost not accounted for in the price of plastic bags.

Question 10

When decision-making power is concentrated in the hands of a few people that hold the top positions in an organizational hierarchy, the result is a state of

Accepted Answer

Oligarchy is a form of power structure in which power effectively rests with a small number of people. These people could be distinguished by royalty, wealth, family ties, education, corporate, or military control. In the context of an organizational hierarchy, when decision-making power is concentrated in the hands of a few at the top, it resembles the structure of an oligarchy.

Question 11

A computer keeps track of the amount of time it takes for a fast-food worker to fill a drive-through order. If average drive-through time exceeds a certain number, the manager is alerted. This is an example of using the computer as

Accepted Answer

The answer of A computer keeps track of the amount...

Question 12

__________________ is a state in which human life is dominated by the forces of human inventions.

Accepted Answer

Alienation, in a sociological context, often refers to a state where individuals feel disconnected or estranged from the products of their work or the processes of society, which can include being dominated by the forces of human inventions. This concept is closely associated with the works of Karl Marx, who discussed how workers become alienated in capitalist societies as they lose control over their labor and its products.

Question 13

Because employers own the factory buildings, the tools, the machines, and the labor of workers, the workers are alienated from

Accepted Answer

Workers are alienated from the process of production because they do not own the means of production.

Question 14

McDonald's employs about 500,000 people in its corporate offices. It is impossible for that many people to come together to discuss issues that affect daily operations. This shortcoming reflects the principles of

Accepted Answer

The answer of McDonald's employs about 500,000 people in its...

Question 15

If management uses the computer to "check up" on workers, it is using the computer as an ______ tool.

Accepted Answer

The computer is being used to monitor or oversee workers, which aligns with the concept of automation in management practices.

Question 16

In her book In the Age of the Smart Machine , Zuboff distinguished between work environments that promote trained incapacity and those that promote

Accepted Answer

Zuboff's work in "In the Age of the Smart Machine" emphasizes how technology and smart systems can transform work environments to promote empowering behavior, enabling employees to have more control and input into their work processes, rather than fostering trained incapacity.

Question 17

Workers are ________ when they produce not for themselves or for known consumers but, rather, produce for an abstract, impersonal market.

Accepted Answer

Workers are considered alienated from the process when they produce goods not for themselves or for known consumers, but for an abstract, impersonal market. This concept is often discussed in the context of Karl Marx's theory of alienation, where the worker is disconnected from the product of their labor.

Question 18

Although chemicals have reduced the physical demands involved in producing goods, they have negatively impacted society by

Accepted Answer

Chemicals have indeed made it easier to control pests and diseases in agriculture and other sectors, but this convenience has led to a decreased understanding and loss of traditional methods for managing these issues without relying on chemical solutions.

Question 19

Employers that specify exactly how workers should look, behave, and speak are contributing to

Accepted Answer

Employers that specify exactly how workers should look, behave, and speak are contributing to alienation from self, as these practices can disconnect individuals from their personal identities and expressions, making them feel estranged in their work environment.

Question 20

June works as a cashier. Her productivity is judged according to the number of items passed over a scanner per hour. She is being rated according to

Accepted Answer

June's productivity is being evaluated based on a quantifiable metric (number of items scanned per hour), which is a statistical measure of performance.

Quiz 6: Formal Organizations: With Emphasis on Industrial Food