Deck 6: Formal Organizations: With Emphasis on Industrial Food

Question 1

A McDonald's manager has authority over employees only when they are on the time clock. This practice reflects which one of the following features of bureaucracy?

A)a clear-cut division of labor
B)organizational personnel treat clients as cases
C)authority belongs to the position, not the person
D)positions are filled on the basis of qualification

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Family, military units, and peer groups are examples of

A)primary groups.
B)secondary groups.
C)utilitarian organizations.
D)coercive organizations.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Primary groups are characterized by

A)weak ties.
B)objectivity.
C)emotional ties
D)impersonal associations.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

McDonald's is an example of a(n)

A)voluntary organization.
B)coercive organization.
C)utilitarian organization.
D)bureaucracy.

Question 5

A perfectly rational organization is a(n)

A)informal organization.
B)bureaucracy.
C)formal organization.
D)oligarchy.

Question 6

According to standard operating procedures, every customer at McDonald's is greeted with the words, "Welcome to McDonald's. May I take your order?" The practice corresponds with which characteristic of a bureaucracy?

A)a clean-cut division of labor
B)positions filled on the basis of qualification
C)personnel treat "clients" as cases
D)authority belongs to the position

Question 7

__________ draw in people that have no choice but to participate.

A)Voluntary organizations
B)Coercive organizations
C)Utilitarian organizations
D)Bureaucracies

Question 8

__________ draw in people who give time, talent, or treasure to support mutual interests, meet important human needs, or achieve a not-for-profit goal.

A)Voluntary organizations
B)Coercive organizations
C)Utilitarian organizations
D)Bureaucracies

Question 9

From a sociological point of view, a formal organization is

A)a legally recognized group of people.
B)a coordinating mechanism created by people to achieve stated objectives.
C)the building in which people meet.
D)a money making enterprise.

Question 10

___________ draw in people seeking material gain in the form of pay, health benefits, or a new status.

A)Voluntary organizations
B)Coercive organizations
C)Utilitarian organizations
D)Bureaucracies

Question 11

Organizations dedicated to compulsory socialization and resocialization, such as elementary schools and prisons are examples of

A)voluntary organizations.
B)coercive organizations.
C)utilitarian organizations.
D)bureaucracies.

Question 12

From a sociological perspective, formal organizations

A)cannot be studied apart from the people who create them.
B)have a life that depends on the people that belong to them.
C)continue to exist even as their members die, quit, or return.
D)are coordinating mechanisms without clear objectives.

Question 13

One requirement for buying a McDonald's franchise is that an applicant must have $750, 000 of unborrowed cash on hand. This requirement represents which one of the following features of a bureaucracy?

A)a clear-cut division of labor
B)organizational personnel treat clients as cases
C)authority belongs to the position, not the person
D)positions are filled on the basis of objective criteria

Question 14

If relationships between people are limited to a specific activity and setting, the people are part of a(n)

A)primary group.
B)secondary group.
C)outgroup.
D)ingroup.

Question 15

When a customer places an order at McDonald's, an order taker keys it into the computer, then kitchen employees assemble the order, send it to the order taker who hands it to the customer. This process represents which one of the following features of a bureaucracy?

A)a clear-cut division of labor
B)organizational personnel treat clients as cases
C)authority belongs to the position, not the person
D)positions are filled on the basis of objective criteria

Question 16

An employee that gives friends free food and soft drinks when the manager is not looking represents an example of

A)the informal dimension of organizations.
B)the formal dimension of organizations.
C)oligarchy.
D)trained incapacity.

Question 17

The 100,000+ members of the "Slow Food" organization give time and effort to address problems associated with the industrial food system. This organization would best be classified as a(n)

A)voluntary organization.
B)coercive organization.
C)utilitarian organization.
D)bureaucracy.

Question 18

The human biography can be described as a series of encounters with __________-- born in a hospital, educated in a school system, loaned money by a bank, and so on.

A)primary groups
B)formal organizations
C)coercive organizations
D)government agencies

Question 19

_______________ food systems are those in which the goal is to maximize profit by speeding up production and increasing the amount produced while cutting labor costs and the costs of ingredients.

A)Industrial
B)Mechanized
C)Fortune 500
D)Formal

Question 20

Sociologists classify formal organizations as

A)primary groups.
B)secondary groups.
C)multinational organizations.
D)global corporations.

Question 21

Suggestive selling, accepting credit cards as payment, and expanding operating hours to 24 hours are strategies used by the fast food industry to

A)lower production costs.
B)encourage people to purchase more products.
C)raise production costs.
D)improve existing products.

Question 22

Humans have a moral obligation to treat animals with kindness and empathy, and when "we no longer recognize the animals in a factory farm as living creatures capable of feeling pain and fear…we debase ourselves." This statement indicates that treatment of animals should be

A)instrumental-rational.
B)emotion-driven.
C)logical.
D)cost-effective.

Question 23

Which one of the following is an example of an externality cost?

A)the cost of labor
B)the cost of materials to produce a product
C)the cost of operating a manufacturing plant
D)the cost of restoring contaminated and barren land

Question 24

A hamburger purchased in a U.S.-based Wendy's and a hamburger purchased in a German-based Wendy's has the same appearance and taste. This phenomenon represents which feature of McDonaldization?

A)efficiency
B)predictability
C)control
D)quantification

Question 25

Order takers at a fast food restaurant ask every customer whether he or she would like to "supersize" their drink or meal. This strategy is an example of

A)lowering production costs.
B)creating new products.
C)creating new markets.
D)suggestive selling.

Question 26

The McDonaldization of society involved four principles. These principles are

A)efficiency, quantification/calculation, predictability, and control.
B)alienation, oligarchy, bureaucracy, and expert authority.
C)traditional, value-rational, instrumental, and purposeful action.
D)trained incapacity, informate, automate, and technology.

Question 27

The organizational trend guided by instrumental-rational action in which the principles governing fast food restaurants come to dominate other sectors of society is known as the

A)fast-food domination.
B)instrumentalization of society.
C)Ritzerization of society.
D)McDonaldization of society.

Question 28

A hospital advertises a heart procedure that allows patients to return to work in two weeks instead of the standard six weeks following surgery. This use of numerical indicators to allow patients to evaluate the speediest recovery time represents which dimension of McDonaldization?

A)efficiency
B)quantification and calculation
C)predictability
D)control

Question 29

Which of the following is one of the strategies McDonald's used to become a global giant?

A)raise production costs
B)reduce the number of products that it offers customers
C)create new markets
D)accept cash only

Question 30

Virtually all major fast food companies have introduced low-fat foods on their menus, and most have proved unpopular with consumers. This shows that multinationals, such as McDonald's, are

A)responsible for the obesity crisis.
B)not doing enough to inform consumers about the importance of a healthy diet.
C)responding to consumer tastes for items higher in calories and fat.
D)contributing to social inequality.

Question 31

McDonald's 600-page operations and training manual (that specifies everything from where sauces should be placed on buns to how thick pickle slices should be)would be of interest to sociologists studying

A)oligarchy.
B)expert authority.
C)the informal dimensions of organizations.
D)the formal dimensions of organizations.

Question 32

Factory farms, or CAFO's, raise thousands of cows and tens of thousands of chickens in tight quarters where they are fattened up for slaughter as quickly as possible. This emphasis on raising as many animals as possible in the shortest amount of time illustrates

A)instrumental-rational action.
B)value-rational action.
C)traditional agricultural practices.
D)effective business practices.

Question 33

Weber made several important qualifications regarding instrumental-rational thought and action. Which of the following is not one of those qualifications?

A)Rationalization refers to the way people actually think.
B)Rationalization refers to the ways in which daily life is organized to accommodate large numbers of people.
C)Rationalization does not assume better understanding or greater knowledge.
D)When people identify a desired goal and decide on the means to achieve it, they seldom consider less profitable or slower ways to achieve it.

Question 34

With the help of science, the fast food industry has been able to produce a uniform-looking and uniform-tasting potato. However, this potato comes at a cost-it requires heavy doses of chemicals that pollute land and surrounding waters. Sociologists call this a(n)_________________ cost.

A)externality
B)social
C)environmental
D)secret

Question 35

The "on-paper" workings of an organization correspond with

A)an oligarchy.
B)an ideal type.
C)the informal dimension of organizations.
D)the formal dimension of organizations.

Question 36

Mohammed works in a fast food restaurant. When he fills drink orders, the dispenser automatically fills the cup with ice and soft drinks and shuts itself off. This is an example of what McDonaldization principle?

A)efficiency
B)quantification and calculation
C)predictability
D)control

Question 37

In a British-based McDonald's court case, employees testified that they routinely witnessed managers and employees watering down soft drinks and failing to throw away food that had been dropped on the floor. These observations relate to

A)oligarchy.
B)the ideal type.
C)the informal dimensions of organizations.
D)the formal dimension of organizations.

Question 38

According to the Pizza Hut Web site, the company needs a herd of 250,000 dairy cows producing at full capacity 365 days a year to fill the company's demand for cheese toppings. This view of cows reflects __________ action.

A)value-rational
B)instrumental-rational
C)traditional
D)effective

Question 39

The term "iron cage of irrationality" is used to describe the

A)informal dimension of organizations.
B)problems of oligarchy.
C)formal dimension of organizations.
D)irrationalities that supposedly rational systems generate.

Question 40

Egg suppliers regularly deprive hens of food and water for as long as two weeks, as the practice increases egg production. This view of chickens reflects

A)instrumental-rational action.
B)value-rational action.
C)effective action.
D)traditional action.

Question 41

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

A)automating technologies.
B)oligarchy.
C)statistical measures of performance.
D)expert knowledge and responsibility.

Question 42

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

A)the informal dimension of organizations.
B)oligarchy.
C)statistical measures of performance.
D)alienation.

Question 43

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

A)instrumental logic.
B)trained incapacity.
C)apathy.
D)a bureaucratic mentality.

Question 44

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

A)trained incapacity.
B)statistical measures of performance.
C)the informal dimension of organizations.
D)expert knowledge and responsibility.

Question 45

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

A)the self.
B)the family.
C)the product.
D)the process of production.

Question 46

Karl Marx believed that increased control over nature is accompanied by

A)disenchantment.
B)anomie.
C)alienation.
D)trained incapacity.

Question 47

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

A)Trained incapacity
B)Automate
C)Informate
D)Professionalization

Question 48

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

A)the informal aspects of organizations.
B)statistical measures of performance.
C)expert authority.
D)the iron cage of rationality.

Question 49

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

A)the McDonaldization of society.
B)the informal dimension of organizations.
C)externality costs.
D)oligarchy.

Question 50

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

A)oligarchy.
B)alienation.
C)disenchantment.
D)trained capacity.

Question 51

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

A)an automating tool.
B)an informating tool.
C)a learning tool.
D)a technological resource.

Question 52

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

A)Alienation
B)Oligarchy
C)Professionalization
D)Bureaucracy

Question 53

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

A)the process of production.
B)the product.
C)the family.
D)the self.

Question 54

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

A)oligarchy.
B)bureaucracy.
C)expert power.
D)McDonaldization.

Question 55

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

A)informating
B)automating
C)updating
D)empowering

Question 56

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

A)freedom of expression.
B)empowering behavior.
C)a clear division of labor.
D)flextime.

Question 57

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

A)alienated from the process
B)professionalized
C)formally trained
D)obsolete

Question 58

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

A)helping people to produce unprecedented amounts of food.
B)eliminating the need to fight weeds with hoes.
C)undermining the practice of planting crops in rows.
D)leading to the loss of knowledge about how to control insects and disease without chemicals.

Question 59

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

A)informal dimensions of control.
B)a safe work environment.
C)informating the workplace.
D)alienation from self.

Question 60

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

A)statistical measures of performance.
B)trained incapacity.
C)informal policies.
D)an oligarchy.

Question 61

McDonald's and the products it sells are part of a global-scale food chain involving hundreds of thousands of suppliers who grow, raise, and manufacture products. McDonald's is part of the

A)slow food movement.
B)primary market.
C)industrial food system.
D)GMO movement.

Question 62

Which of the following least describes the kinds of products created by the industrial food system?

A)high calorie
B)processed
C)nutrient high
D)affordable

Question 63

The family, __________, introduces us to food and that introduction shapes our related tastes and expectations about food.

A)a primary group
B)a coercive organization
C)a secondary group
D)a voluntary organization

Question 64

From an instrumental rational point of view which of the following qualifies as "efficient"?

A)Cooking food using a valued family recipe past down since 1900.
B)Following religious principles as guides to raising farm animals.
C)Genetically modifying fish to ensure its growth hormones are always suitable.
D)Treating animals as creatures capable of emotions.

Question 65

What is the McDonaldization of society? Give an example of an organization (other than a fast food organization)that follows the principles of McDonaldization.

Question 66

On a societal level, we can argue that the industrial food system has cultivated a type of ___________ among consumers to cook food that takes time, patience, and planning.

A)internalization
B)trained incapacity
C)value-rational behavior
D)dependency

Question 67

Imagine you were called into an organization and asked to identify its strengths and weaknesses. What concepts discussed in Chapter 6 could you use to frame an analysis?

Question 68

Think about an organization for which you have worked for or an organization on which you depend. What features of organizations discussed in Chapter 6 come to mind when you think of that organization?

Question 69

Logan works at a major fast food establishment. One day when the lines of customers waiting to order was long, he noticed his friend at the back of the line and waved him up to the front. Logan violated which one of the following principles governing bureaucracies?

A)a clear-cut division of labor
B)positions filled on basis of objective criteria
C)staff treat clients as cases
D)authority belong to position

Question 70

McDonald's does not cook the food it sells. It thaws, assembles, fry's and warms food that has been manufactured by other organizations. It is part of the

A)slow food movement.
B)primary market.
C)industrial food system.
D)GMO movement.

Question 71

Many grassroots organizations have emerged in response to industrial food. The movement "Label It" encourages consumers to go into stores and put labels on products likely to contain genetically engineered ingredients. Those who belong to "Label It" are part of

A)utilitarian organization.
B)bureaucracy.
C)voluntary organization.
D)coercive organization.

Question 72

McDonalds has 34,000 units in 119 countries with 1.9 million employees. It qualifies as a

A)primary group.
B)voluntary organization.
C)transnational organization.
D)coercive organization.

Question 73

To what extent is the food you eat a product of the industrial food system? (Hint: think about what kinds of things you eat and drink most often and the meaning of industrial food)

Question 74

Factory farms, also known as Concentrated Animal Feed Operation (CAFO's)are driven by thought and action that qualifies as

A)value-rational.
B)traditional.
C)instrumental-rational.
D)ideal.

Question 75

Archer Daniels Midland, Pepsi Co., Tyson Foods, and McDonald's are major players in the global-scale industrial food system. They are

A)primary groups.
B)voluntary organizations.
C)transnational corporations.
D)coercive organizations.

Question 76

The 12 transnational corporations that are global leaders in the industrial food system have a combined revenue of $548.9 billion. There are only _________ countries in the world with a gross national product that exceeds this amount.

A)5
B)2
C)20
D)50

Question 77

Miguel works at a bank and supervises 20 employees. He makes a point of not socializing outside of work  and always keeps the interactions business-like. Miguel is part of a

A)primary group.
B)coercive organization.
C)secondary group.
D)voluntary organization.

Question 78

Imagine that you are being interviewed for a job that requires you to manage employees. The interviewer asks how might you know when there is a moral problem, and what steps you would take to address it. Use concepts from chapter six to answer the question.