Future of Work

Question 1

Meritocracy

Answer 1

System of government based on rule by ability instead of wealth or social status.
Job qualifications

Question 2

Sociology of Work

Answer 2

Social relations
Behind the scenes actors
Historical structures

Question 3

Social Inequality at work

Answer 3

• When Meritocracy isn’t working
• “Quintessentially American”
• Basic needs can’t be met
• Lack of social mobility

Question 4

Standard Employment

Answer 4

• Continous
• Full time
• Direct relationship between employee and employer

Question 5

Fordism (Industrial Labor)

Answer 5

• Mass production of standardized good on assembly line

- Semiskilled labour

Question 6

Union Memberships

Answer 6

• Peak time: 1979

- Purpose: power to negotiate for more favorable working conditions and other benefits

Question 7

Collective Bargaining

Answer 7

Negotiation of wages and other conditions of employment by an organized body of employees

Question 8

Labor Relations

Answer 8

Owners of means of production
- lowest possible wages & benefits
- expand profits to new markets
- rests efforts by workers to mobilize & fight back
Labor Performers
- forced to sell labor for going rate
- repetitive & unsatisfying jobs
- struggle for better wages & job conditions

Question 9

Karl Marx and Capitalism

Answer 9

• Pursuit of Profit
• Class based labor struggle
• Proletariate vs. Bourgeoisie

Question 10

Power Elite

Answer 10

• Occupy strategic command posts of social structure in society
• Interwoven interest of leaders of:
  gov./politicians
  business leaders
  military leaders
• Interchange positions in economic, political, social & military realms

Question 11

Blue Collar Jobs/Workers

Answer 11

• hard manual labor
• low job security
• Unskilled (skilled through trade school)
• Physically exhausting

Question 12

White Collar Jobs/Workers

Answer 12

• Desk job
• Suit and tie
• Mental attention
• Skilled through college/university
• Stable w/specific skills

Question 13

Global Capital

Answer 13

• Buying and selling of financial securities on an international level
• Interlinking investment exchanges

Question 14

Multinational Corporations

Answer 14

Operates in various countries around the world

- produces or sells goods/services in various countries

Question 15

Subcontracting

Answer 15

Employing a person outside of company to perform a job as part of a larger project

Question 16

Dual Labor Market

Answer 16

Primary
- Unionized
- Educated
- Men of similar backgrounds
- Blue & White collar professionals
Secondary
- Women
- Migrant workers
- Easily replaceable
- Impoverished

Question 17

Racialized Jobs

Answer 17

• Hierarchical arrangement limiting employee agency and mobility based on race
• Stereotypical qualities imposed upon radicalized person
• Subordinate Labor Groups: Black/Hispanic
• Dominant Racialized Labor Groups: White/European

Question 18

Immigrants in US economy

Answer 18

• cheap unskilled labor

- > 1/3 of workforce

Question 19

Precarious Labor

Answer 19

• Temporary work
• Lower wages
• Dangerous working conditions
• Filled by women, minorities, and undocumented people

Question 20

Standard Labor

Answer 20

• Long term
• Opportunity for advancement
• White/European Men
• Skilled/Educated

Question 21

Factors Leading to Shift of Precarious Labor

Answer 21

• Globalization
• Deregulation
• Decline of Unions
• Neoliberalism Economic Policies

Question 22

Neoliberalism (Economic Philosophy)

Answer 22

• Transfer control of economic factors to private sector from public
• Favors free market capitalism
• Opposes gov. spending, regulation, and public ownership

Question 23

Double Movement - Karl Polanyi

Answer 23

Push for social protection against marketization

1st Movement:

• Bourgeoisie encourages creation of a market utopia
• market is given life of its own away from society
• Nature and humans as “fictitious commodities” of land and labor

2nd Movement:

• Protests against ravages of free market
• preserve all social factions except bourgeoisie

Question 24

Contingent Labor Schedules (Halpin reading)

Answer 24

• no explicit or implicit contract for long-term employment

- minimum hours worked vary in non-systematic manner

Question 25

Surface Acting

Answer 25

Displaying of emotions required for job without changing how they actually feel

Question 26

Deep Acting

Answer 26

Changing of internal feeling to match organizational expectations - more natural and genuine emotional display

Question 27

Feeling Rules

Answer 27

Socially shared norms that influence how individuals want to try to fell emotions in given social relations

Question 28

Aesthetic Labor

Answer 28

Screening, managing, and controlling workers on basis of physical appearance - "being the brand" - attract customers/consumers

Question 29

Immaterial Work & Inequality

Answer 29

Not purchasing, but still interacting with tangible products

Question 30

Role of Customers (Power)

Answer 30

Satisfy desire and needs of customers

Question 31

Pivot Points

Answer 31

Used to determine overall trend of the market over different time frames

Question 32

Motivations (Adler & Adler)

Answer 32

1. Challenging nature of work 2. Managers had greater opportunity to integrate work and leisure interest 3. Managers motivated by co-workers 4. Material Comfort

Question 33

External Labor Market

Answer 33

- Upper level positions open to all, not just current employees - Wider choice for senior appointments

Question 34

Inbetweenness (Wilson)

Answer 34

Second generation citizens receive resources from Mexican families and American community where they were born and came of age

Question 35

External Labor Market

Answer 35

- Upper level positions open to all, not just current employees - Wider choice for senior appointments

Question 36

Career Jobs

Answer 36

- View jobs as permanent | - Get low/no skill jobs that pay enough to support and look no further