Exam 11: The Economy and Work

Are things like contingent work and volunteerism (Third Sector labor) just other ways for corporations or organizations to exploit workers? Do they offer workers freedom from bureaucracy and choice in terms of volunteer opportunities? Define these concepts and support your answer with facts on globalization.

Resistance strategies relate to the variety of ways in which individuals and groups cope with their working conditions.

What are networks of corporations, product designers and engineers, manufacturing firms, distribution channels, and consumer outlets that create products called?

Beyond just money, the economy is about

Which of the following examples highlights the autonomy experienced by knowledge workers such as those who work at Google?

________ is/are the technological development MOST associated with the Information Revolution.

________ might be made worse if more people were encouraged to telecommute.

What changes in the economy would be associated with travel agents hiring inmates in minimum-security prisons to take calls and schedule vacations for customers?

Some for-profit higher education institutions receive a large proportion of tuition payments via government grants and loans. These institutions may often attempt to enroll as many students as possible, regardless of their actual preparation for college. Thus, many suggest that for-profit higher education institutions are benefiting from a version of

In 2008 and 2009, the Obama administration's United States government initiated a large-scale economic bailout of the banking and auto industries. The government invested enormous amounts of money and, as a result, became the majority shareholder in some corporations. According to the text, this means that the United States

Describe two advantages and two disadvantages of telecommuting.

What effect did the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 have on unions?

What is it called when nations compete to attract transnational corporations by undercutting their citizens' wages or offering tax incentives?

Describe three ways in which the rise of the industrial economy increased levels of stratification by class, race, and gender.

In 2005, teaching assistants at the University of Oregon went on strike. Which aspect of their job made it easier for them to strike than most American workers?

How are strictly controlled workers within bureaucracies different from robots?

Barbara Ehrenreich explored some of the issues of power and service work in her book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America (2001). As research for the book, Ehrenreich took minimum-wage service jobs as a waitress, a hotel maid, and a Walmart employee. What was her main finding?

A benefit of telecommuting is that

Donald Roy's classic study of the workplace called "Banana Time" showed that

What is a transnational corporation? Why are transnational corporations especially influential in shaping the world of work and the economy today?