Work and Society Review Questions
Course Introduction
Work and Society explores the complex relationship between work, individuals, and broader social structures. The course examines how work shapes identity, status, and lifestyles, while also analyzing the impact of technological change, globalization, and shifting labor markets on employment patterns and workplace organization. Topics include the historical evolution of work, contemporary issues such as job insecurity and work-life balance, and the intersections of class, gender, and ethnicity in different occupational settings. Through sociological theories and empirical studies, students gain a critical understanding of how work both reflects and influences social norms, economic systems, and cultural values.
Recommended Textbook
Work Industry and Canadian Society 7th Edition by Harvey Krahn
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14 Chapters
375 Verified Questions
375 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Historical Perspectives on Work 1700-1950s
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Sample Questions
Q1) During the first half of the 1800s, Russia's economy was dominated by agriculture, with powerful landowners profiting from the work done by landless peasants. During the second half of the 1800s, many large factories and railway systems were built by rich individuals and families and large companies. In 1917, the Russian Revolution led to the state (government) taking over ownership of farms, factories, railways, and the rest of the economy. This system stayed in place until 1989. Which of the following best describes Russia in the early 1800s?
A) Mercantile capitalism.
B) Feudalism.
C) Industrial capitalism.
D) Socialism.
Answer: B
Q2) Compared to the era of industrial capitalism in western Europe, which of the following characterized feudal society?
A) More rapid social change.
B) Less emphasis on religion.
C) Less wage labour.
D) Larger communities.
Answer: C
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Chapter 2: Contemporary Debates on Work 1950s to Present Day
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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.
Answer: B
Q2) 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.
Answer: A
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Chapter 3: Canadian Employment Trends
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following individuals would be <b><u>excluded</b> </u>from the calculation of the labour force participation rate?
A) Jonathan, who is 45 years old and unemployed.
B) Mary, who is 70 years old and working part-time as a "greeter" at a large retail store.
C) Elliot, who is 14 years old and working part-time at Burger King.
D) Christine, who is 35 years old and self-employed as a daycare operator.
Answer: C
Q2) Which of the following is correct about the age distribution of Canada's population?
A) It has remained much the same for the past several decades.
B) Over one-third of Canadians today are age 65 and older.
C) The age profile of the working age population is not a good fit with the decision-making and authority structure of most work organizations.
D) Immigrants tend to be older than Canadian-born citizens.
Answer: C
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Chapter 4: Good Jobs, Bad Jobs, No Jobs
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Q1) Briefly outline historical trends in self-employment in Canada. Distinguish between self-employed employers and own-account self-employment.
Q2) Which of the following is correct about nonstandard employment in Canada?
A) Close to 60 percent of employed Canadians are now in nonstandard jobs.
B) Self-employment rates have been declining steadily since the 1990s.
C) Temporary (contract) work is the most common form of nonstandard work.
D) For the past two decades, part-time employment rates have remained just below 20 percent.
Q3) Which of the following is correct about part-time employment in Canada?
A) Part-time employment rates have remained stable over the past few decades.
B) There are more men than women working part-time in Canada.
C) The part-time employment rate is higher for workers under the age of 25.
D) Part-time employment for women 25 and over has increased dramatically in the past few decades.
Q4) Approximately what proportion of employed Canadians worked part-time in 2012?
A) About 5 percent.
B) About 20 percent.
C) About 40 percent.
D) About 50 percent.
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Chapter 5: Labour Markets: Opportunities and Inequality
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Q1) Which of the following have been demonstrated by studies of the labour market experiences of immigrants to Canada?
A) On average, immigrants to Canada have less education than Canadian-born workers.
B) The educational credentials of immigrants are highly valued in Canada.
C) Compared to several decades ago, it is taking immigrants longer to "catch up" with Canadian-born workers with equivalent education.
D) Female immigrants are having greater difficulty finding satisfactory employment in Canada, but this is not the case for male immigrants.
Q2) Which of the following is most correct about labour market segmentation?
A) It may be taking a different form as the labour market becomes more polarized.
B) It has been declining since the 1980s when corporate downsizing became popular.
C) It occurs mainly because of inadequate skills and training among Canadian workers.
D) It can only be reduced by further investments in human capital by individual workers.
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Chapter 6: Gender and Paid Employment
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Q1) Rosabeth Moss Kanter's main argument about gender inequality in organizations can be best described by which of the following?
A) Men and women employed in similar occupations in an organization will react in different ways to their job conditions.
B) There is a biological basis for gender inequality in organizations.
C) There is little gender inequality in modern organizations.
D) An individual's position within an organization influences his or her attitudes and behaviour.
Q2) When Nancy was a child, her mother told her she could be a doctor when she grew up. Eventually, Nancy decided to work as a nurse, as that was the occupation where she believed her natural skills would be best employed. Which of the following theories best explains Nancy's career trajectory?
A) Human capital theory.
B) Labour segmentation theory.
C) Gender-role socialization.
D) Dual-economies theory.
Q3) In a few sentences, explain the difference between horizontal and vertical gender stratification within occupations.
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Chapter 7: Household, Family, and Caring Work
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Q1) "The only way to improve the ability of individuals/families to successfully balance work and family in Canada is to outsource more of the work involved in childcare, eldercare, kin work, and household work." Critically discuss this statement with reference to the material discussed in Chapter 7.
Q2) Briefly discuss recent trends in time spent by women and men on housework and childcare in Canada.
Q3) According to research, which of the following is correct about flexible workplace options in Canada?
A) Women and men working part-time jobs are as stressed about time as full-timers. B) A majority of workers have control over their work schedules.
C) Most workers find it difficult to spend some of the day working from home.
D) Most workers find it difficult to interrupt their workday to deal with family needs.
Q4) Describe the types of policies and programs that individuals/families can access to try to balance work and family responsibilities. How effective have such initiatives been in Canada? How might these policies and programs be improved so that individuals/families are better able to reconcile their work and family responsibilities?
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Page 9
Chapter 8: Organizing and Managing Work
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is a central principal of human relations theory?
A) Industrial harmony is healthy.
B) More power should be bestowed to workers.
C) It is only effective in large bureaucracies.
D) It views conflict between workers and managers as natural and productive.
Q2) Which of the following is most correct about scientific management?
A) Robots are used to replace workers.
B) Workers have a lot of autonomy.
C) It represents a "human relations" approach.
D) Complex tasks are subdivided to improve efficiency.
Q3) Explain Gerhard Lenski's theory of social inequality. What role does technology play in this theory?
Q4) Describe what is meant by the term bureaucracy. What are some of the criticisms that researchers have mounted against bureaucratic organizations? In your opinion, what role will bureaucracies have in Canada over the next half-century? Support your argument with material from Chapter 8, as well as earlier chapters if necessary.
Q5) Describe what you think makes a "good" manager. Support your position with reference to the material and debates discussed in Chapter 8.
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Chapter 9: In Search of New Managerial Paradigms
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Q1) A completely new workplace that offers opportunities for both technological and social innovations is best described by which of the following concepts?
A) Sociotechnical incubator.
B) Innovation transplant.
C) Organizational restart.
D) Greenfield site.
Q2) Ajit, a machine operator in a factory, was recently trained to perform basic maintenance on his machine, and how to do related paper work (e.g., order replacement parts). Which of the following terms best describes the changes in Ajit's job description?
A) Work team training.
B) Job rotation.
C) Workplace re-engineering.
D) Job enrichment.
Q3) Which of the new managerial paradigms discussed in Chapter 9 is likely to be the most influential in Canada 20 years from now, given current labour force and labour market trends? Explain your prediction.
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11
Chapter 10: Conflict and Control in the Workplace
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Q1) The concept "survivor syndrome" is best defined by which of the following?
A) Young people who spent years in university and now have to pay off massive debts.
B) The costs employers face trying to rehabilitate workers injured on the job.
C) Manufacturing firms that have remained competitive despite out-dated technology.
D) Negative effects of downsizing on employees who kept their jobs.
Q2) Which of the following scenarios would be the best example of Andrew Friedman's concept of a "shifting frontier of control"?
A) A large manufacturing company shifting its operations to factories in China.
B) An automobile manufacturing company shifting to lean production methods.
C) Nursing home workers forming a union and getting some control over working hours.
D) A large bank introducing a form of electronic surveillance of workers in all branches.
Q3) "Technological innovation is the engine of both economic growth and social development." Critically evaluate this claim, making reference to theories and empirical evidence presented in this and other textbook chapters.
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12
Chapter 11: Unions and Industrial Relations
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Sample Questions
Q1) Despite relatively low levels of union density in western European countries like Germany and France, unions have a strong impact on wage settlements for a majority of workers. Which of the following statements best explains this situation?
A) Highly centralized collective bargaining in which national unions negotiate with employer federations.
B) Decentralized bargaining, whereby local unions negotiate with local employers.
C) European Union legislation that requires workers in all EU countries to receive similar wage settlements.
D) Union density is measured differently in these two countries.
Q2) Which of the following best distinguishes craft unions from industrial unions?
A) Craft unions exist only in Quebec; industrial unions are active in all parts of Canada.
B) Craft unions represent specific occupations; industrial unions try to organize all the workers in a particular industry
C) Craft unions are mainly found in developing countries; industrial unions are most common in industrialized economies.
D) Craft unions are gaining members; industrial unions are declining in size.
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Chapter 12: Alternative Approaches to Economic Organization
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Q1) Which of the following is an essential defining feature of "industrial democracy"?
A) Effective communication channels between management and workers.
B) Opportunities for workers to decide how they do their own job.
C) Government legislation regarding how workers must be paid and treated.
D) Formal attempts to involve workers in decisions about workplace issues that go beyond how they do their own jobs.
Q2) Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from research on different approaches to worker ownership in North America?
A) Employee share ownership plans (ESOPs) are more likely to be available to workers in smaller companies.
B) Producer co-operatives are often more sensitive to local concerns about economic development than are privately owned companies.
C) Producer co-operatives have only been successful when they have been very large.
D) Worker buyouts are almost always economically unsuccessful.
Q3) Briefly explain the key difference between a "worker buyout" and a "producer co-operative."
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Page 14
Chapter 13: Work Values and Work Orientations
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Q1) In recent decades, some politicians have expressed concerns about a declining work ethic among the poorest members of society. Recent research typically leads to which of the following conclusions?
A) Poor immigrants are willing to work hard, but not poor native-born Canadians.
B) The urban poor, but not those in rural areas, seem to have a declining work ethic.
C) The real problem is that most poor people do not have adequate skills and training.
D) The main problem is not enough good jobs and inadequate government policies.
Q2) Which of the following conclusions best reflects recent Canadian research on the work orientations of adult women and men?
A) Women continue to be more focused on extrinsic work rewards, compared to men.
B) Men continue to be more focused on extrinsic work rewards, compared to women.
C) Gender differences in both extrinsic and intrinsic rewards have disappeared.
D) Gender differences in both extrinsic and intrinsic rewards exist only among recent immigrants.
Q3) Briefly outline the core argument in Max Weber's book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.
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Page 15
Chapter 14: Job Satisfaction, Alienation, and Work-Related Stress
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following factors does the "person-environment fit" model add to our understanding of workplace stress?
A) Work orientations.
B) Job satisfaction.
C) Alienation.
D) Work values.
Q2) Based on what you have read in Chapter 14, describe the type of job that you think you would find most satisfying. Outline the theory or theories that support your position.
Q3) Which of the following propositions is central to Robert Blauner's argument in his book Alienation and Freedom?
A) Alienation is a key feature of capitalism, and varies little across industries.
B) Worker ownership of the means of production is necessary to reduce alienation.
C) Automated technologies that demand high skill levels lead to reduced alienation.
D) Industrial democracy offers the best hope of reducing alienation in the workplace.
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