Deck 2: Contemporary Debates on Work 1950s to Present Day

Question 1

Which of the following is a critique of globalization?

A) Poorer countries receive an unfair advantage.
B) Multinational corporations employ a majority of the world's workforce.
C) Workers can easily migrate to any country.
D) National cultures may be threatened.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following best characterizes a Keynesian economic principle?

A) The government should have an active role in the economy.
B) The free market should not be regulated.
C) Economic competitiveness requires the shrinking of the welfare state.
D) High unemployment and inequality are normal and unavoidable.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

"Live-in caregiving" is a good example of which two types of work?

A) Interactive service work and mobile work.
B) Emotional labour and knowledge work.
C) Telework and mobile work.
D) Nonstandard work and service work.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Nonstandard work can be best described as which of the following?

A) Shift work.
B) Work performed by illegal immigrants in Canada.
C) Work performed for a minimum wage.
D) Part-time, temporary, or contract work.

Question 5

Which of the following is the best example of "emotional labour?"

A) A live-in caregiver who develops strong personal relationships with the family she or he works for.
B) An Oscar Award-winning dramatic performance.
C) A fast-food worker who is forced to smile when interacting with customers.
D) The performance of emotions in relationships with family members.

Question 6

Based on Gordon Laxer's analysis, which of the following best exemplifies the economic changes involved with globalization?

A) The increase in free trade agreements aimed to expand free markets.
B) Ideological change that comes with trade liberalization.
C) The emergence of a universal world culture.
D) New communication technologies that contribute to a growth in services.

Question 7

Which of the following best characterizes the type of capitalism that has emerged in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union?

A) Lower levels of inequality than observed when capitalism emerged in western Europe.
B) Much more competition than when capitalism emerged in western Europe.
C) A strong liberal welfare state.
D) An odd mix of communism, capitalism, and organized crime.

Question 8

In his analysis of work and social inequality, Pierre Bourdieu emphasized which of the following arguments?

A) An individual's social background has little impact on his or her work prospects.
B) The rules in work organizations are established by managers and owners.
C) Relationships and networks serve as important resources for individuals at work.
D) Workers are more likely to get ahead if they focus on acquiring just a single form of capital, rather than multiple forms.

Question 9

In his descriptions of postindustrial society compared to industrial societies, Daniel Bell emphasized which of the following arguments?

A) Power would be concentrated among fewer people than in the past.
B) Knowledge workers would become the new elite in society.
C) Only a small number of workers would be involved in knowledge production.
D) The United States would no longer be a dominant world power.

Question 10

"Creative destruction," according to Joseph Schumpeter, is best characterized by which of the following?

A) The impact of the "managerial revolution" on traditional family-run businesses.
B) The breaking down of old industrial structures and their replacement by more competitive, efficient, and high-technology alternatives.
C) The demise of state socialism and the emergence of capitalism in Russia.
D) The impact of "free trade" on Canada's cultural industries.

Question 11

Which of the following has been demonstrated by the emergence of industrial capitalism in the East Asian "tiger nations" and in the "BRIC" economies?

A) The validity of the "convergence" theory of industrialism.
B) It now takes less time for countries to industrialize than it did a century ago.
C) Industrial capitalism always functions best if the state (the government) is not involved in any way at all.
D) Industrialization eventually always leads to greater social equality.

Question 12

Which of the following is the best example of the negative impacts of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)?

A) The increase of employment-related geographic mobility within Canada.
B) Mexican migrants who participate in transnational families while working away from home.
C) Highly skilled workers leaving Canada for higher paying work in the United States or Mexico.
D) The rise of low-wage factory production in Mexico.

Question 13

Which of the following is a central argument in the "managerial revolution" theory?

A) Diffusion in ownership and the rise of managers leads to reduced workplace conflict.
B) Managers think and act much like owners do.
C) Many corporations are still controlled by a small, powerful group of shareholders.
D) Family ownership of large corporations is a thing of the past.

Question 14

The term emotional proletariat describes workers in low-skilled jobs with high emotional demands. Which of the following is the best example of a "privileged emotional manager"?

A) A Canada Post letter carrier.
B) A bank teller.
C) A player on the Toronto Blue Jays.
D) A family doctor.

Question 15

Which of the following best describes Bourdieu's term habitus?

A) The social site where relationships are formed and individuals struggle over position and resources.
B) The combination of economic, social, cultural, and symbolic capital that impact an individual's position at work.
C) The values and lifestyles that individuals acquire from belonging to certain social groups.
D) The physical environment in which social groups interact.

Question 16

Which of the following statements is not part of Ulrich Beck's conceptualization of "risk society?"

A) An increase in flexible labour markets, including more part-time and temporary jobs.
B) The erosion of social security programs, such as unemployment insurance, contributes to individualizing risk.
C) Individuals in developed economies are experiencing less clarity and more insecurity in work and life than in the past.
D) Multinational corporations are less risk-averse than they were a half-century ago.

Question 17

Which of the following best characterizes Richard Florida's view of the transformation from goods to knowledge production in contemporary society?

A) Knowledge workers will become increasingly polarized in high- and low-skilled jobs.
B) Creativity and the creative class are responsible for economic growth.
C) Geography becomes less important as workers participate in a networked society.
D) High human capital and education are not as essential for creative workers.

Question 18

Which of the following is the central argument of the "logic of industrialism" thesis?

A) Industrialization leads to lower levels of social inequality.
B) Urbanization has to occur first, before industrialization can develop.
C) Because of industrialization, all countries will eventually resemble each other.
D) Industrialization has to occur first, before large scale urbanization will take place.

Question 19

Based on the work of Foucault, which of the following best describes how power operates in contemporary organizations?

A) Managers participate in direct observation, standing behind workers to observe them.
B) Workers realize that their peers and managers might be watching them at any time.
C) Customer surveys carry more power than manager assessments of workers.
D) New technologies are used to control the pace of work.

Question 20

Which of the following is the best example of a "mobile worker"?

A) An insurance salesperson who telecommutes part of the time from home.
B) A customer service representative in an Indian call centre.
C) A professional worker who bicycles to work and back.
D) The chief executive officer (CEO) of a trucking company.

Question 21

Globalization is a term that is frequently used without a specific definition. Based on your reading of Chapter 2, how would you define globalization? What are the multiple dimensions of globalization and how is the process of globalization impacting workers in Canada in the early 21st century?

Question 22

Imagine you are a historian living in the year 2115 and you are tasked to study the major socioeconomic changes that shaped work at the beginning of the 21st century. Outline the most important changes, and explain which you think had the largest impacts for society, as well as for the day-to-day experiences of work by individuals.

Question 23

Outline the basic argument of the "logic of industrialism" thesis and, in a few sentences, explain why you think it is valid or not.

Question 24

Imagine that Michel Foucault and Pierre Bourdieu were engaged in an argument about how power and inequality function in the workplace. What arguments and counterarguments might each thinker make? What examples might they draw on to support their arguments?

Question 25

Outline the relationship between interactive service work and emotional labour, and explain the different experiences of emotional labour in low- and high-skilled jobs.

Question 26

Explain Pierre Bourdieu's multiple types of capital and give a work-related example for each.

Question 27

Outline the basic characteristics of a postindustrial society and, in a few sentences, explain why Canada is or is not a postindustrial society.