World of Work

Question 1

From an agrarian to a post-industrial society

Answer 1

• industrialization
  >people began moving to urban centres + worked in factories (working conditions, long hours, low pay)
  -20th century: machines began to replace people in manufacturing process
  >increased production + lower costs
  >reduced need for human labour for unskilled workers
  >rise in unemployment in areas where mining had been economic backbone
  -today: western post-industrial societies are dominated by economy that is based on production + consumption of services + information, not goods

Question 2

Changing workplace

Answer 2

• Past generation: entire working life w/ 1 employer
• today: people change jobs more often + are more mobile, work more flexible hours
• people are setting up small business, become freelance to remain more in control of their lives at work
• jobs no longer as secure

Question 3

Equality at work

Answer 3

• equality legislation to protect people at work + to cover recruitment process
>people not be discriminated
• business recognise importance of diversity in workplace
>can encourage creativity + innovation

Question 4

Rich + poor gap

Answer 4

• employees often expected to show high level of flexibility
• employment growth in UK, Germany + USA BUT number of jobs for people w/ no/low work skills is decreasing + gap between rich + poor is widening

Question 5

Minimum wage + living wage

Answer 5

• Germany: minimum wage calculated on basis of hourly rate/monthly payment
>calculated in accordance w/ development of job market
• Pro: prevents people from being exploited by employers + from having to rely on social benefits
• UK: voluntarily pay “living wage” instead
>hourly rate calculated on basis of cost living index (travel, food, cost of heating…)

Question 6

Living Wage Foundation

Answer 6

• too many parents working 2 jobs just to make ends meet, no time for children
• Both houses of Parliament among living wage

Question 7

Benefits

Answer 7

• getting a personal insight into other cultures
• improving one’s foreign language skills
• experiencing different educational systems
• contributing to one’s personal development
• making new friends
• improving one’s career opportunities
• broadening one’s horizon on various levels

Question 8

lingua franca

Answer 8

• language spoken by such a vast of people all over the world that it enables speakers of different first languages to successfully communicate w/ each other
• British Empire covered 1/4 of world’s population

Question 9

Code mixing

Answer 9

Speaker uses words, syntax from his mother tongue + English words in same sentence

Question 10

Code switching

Answer 10

speaker who switches between vocabulary, syntax of his mother tongue + English in same sentence