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2016 Winter In-Class Final

1. Which of the following terms most accurately represents the process whereby a task of set of tasks can be performed with an ever-narrowing range of skills? a) enskilling b) deskilling c) rationalization d) labor displacement 2. The breakdown of the production process into small segments – each one performed by a different worker – is most accurately represented by which of the following terms? a) the craft-mode of production b) bureaucracy c) the division of labor d) labor displacement 3. Science and technology have enjoyed a strong relationship since the time of the ancient Greek city states: True/False 4. Which of the following perspectives on power and the state is most likely to view government subsidies to technology companies as a means of serving the collective good? a) b) c) d)

Power elite model Political economy model Pluralist model Power resources model

5. Government shapes technological development through the granting of patents and trademarks. Accordingly, which of the following is NOT true? a) By conferring onto the holder of a patent a legal monopoly on the use of the protected invention, patents serve as a motivation to invent b) By stipulating that detailed information about a patented invention be made available to the general public, patent law can be seen to stimulate technological development c) Patents offer ironclad protection for inventors d) Patents often become quickly obsolete by the rapid advance of technology e) Patents are sometimes used to impede technological advance, as in the case of well-entrenched firms shelving their patented inventions in order to preserve the status quo 6. Mass production technologies were first enabled by the steam engine and fossil fuel such as coal

True/False 7. REPEAT 8. REPEAT 9. Which of the following terms most accurately represents the process of determining and implementing the most efficient means of completing a task? a) b) c) d) e)

Innovation Mechanization Mass production Rationalization automation

10. Which of the following terms most accurately represents the process whereby technology is used as a means of mechanizing, standardizing and expediting production processes? a) b) c) d) e)

Taylorism Fordism Craftism Post-industrialism None of the above

11. Technologies have been known to hollow-out job content. Which of the following is NOT an aspect of job content? a) b) c) d)

Complexity; e.g, scope and integration of tasks Diversity; e.g, range of tasks to be completed Autonomy; e.g, degree to which self-direction is required Remuneration; e.g, material rewards like income

12. REPEAT 13. REPEAT 14. All of our major technological systems are contained within formal organizations. A formal organization is a large primary group formed to achieve specific goals True/False 15. N/A 16. Automation technologies a) Replace human muscle power with machines b) First appeared in workplaces after the invention of the microprocessor

c) Are information and knowledge-intensive and require relatively small labor forces d) Impact manufacturing activities but not services 17. Which of the following represents the strong emphasis placed on rules and regulations by bureaucracies? a) b) c) d) e)

Specialization Hierarchy of authority Formalization Meticulous record keeping Impersonal relations

18. Which of the following most accurately represents an organization’s chain of command? a) b) c) d) e)

Specialization Hierarchy of authority Formalization Meticulous record keeping Impersonal records

19. In the first stage of mass production technologies the principal strategic resource changed from capital to land True/False 20. N/A 21. REPEAT 22. Joan Woodward studied the impact of technologies on the structure of organizations. Accordingly, which of the following organizational traits were associated with small-batch process technologies? a) b) c) d) e)

Centralization of decision making Steep hierarchy of authority Top-down flow of information A and C only None of the above

23. The development of production technologies has been explicitly motivated by a desire to increase productivity True/False 24. The mechanization of work would include which of the following? a) The assembly line b) The typewriter

c) The steam-driven tractor d) The dentist drill e) All of the above 25. Post-Fordism started in the 1970’s with the advent of computer technologies True/False 26. Craft technologies a) b) c) d)

Involved a complex division of labor First emerged around the time of the Industrial Revolution (18th century) Rationalized production Were enabled by the development of settled farming and creating of an agriculture surplus

27. Which of the following technological stages introduced the mechanization of production? a) b) c) d) e)

Microchip technologies Simple tool technologies Craft technologies Cultivation technologies Mass production technologies

28. Fordism includes all but which of the following? a) b) c) d) e)

The standardization of products (i.e, the mass product of identical goods) The standardization of production (i.e., interchangeable components) A heavy reliance on technical means of worker control A complex division of labor All of the above ARE typical Fordism

29. Craft technologies expanded the division of labor by craft whereas mass production technologies expanded the division of labor by occupation: True/False 30. REPEAT 31. Which of the following was NOT an important source of energy immediately prior to the Industrial Revolution? a) Wood b) Wind c) Human and animal muscle power

d) All of the above WERE important sources of energy immediately prior to the Industrial Revolution 32. Into which of the following was mechanization first introduced in the early stages of the Industrial Revolution? a) b) c) d)

Textile industry (the spinning jenny) Automotive industry (the assembly line) Oil and gas industry (continuous-process technologies) Transportation industry (the railway)

33. The government frequently uses the tax system to regulate tech development, but rarely uses the legal system: True/False 34. Hierarchical organizations are a) b) c) d)

Consistently and predictable becoming less popular as the use of ICTs spreads The most prevalent form of management More common as small business structure than in large companies A new organizational method that uses virtual teams to problem solve

35. Who among the following early inventors is given most credit for promoting the steam engine, for coining the term “horsepower” and for converting steam power into circular motion? a) b) c) d)

Johannes Guttenberg James Watt Charles Babbage James Hargreaves

36. Fordism has been given credit for all but which of the following? a) b) c) d)

The emergence of the middle class in North America The generation of new forms of immaterial labor The advent of lean production The proliferation of mass produced commodities

37. Post Fordist workplaces typically include which of the following? a. Relatively lean aspects of production (e.g., non-standard work such as part-time, temporary, contract) b. Computerized technologies (e.g., robotics)

c. Just-in-time inventory systems d. Systems of continuous innovation and product improvement (e.g., Kaizen) e. None of the above

38. The majority of regulatory agencies in Canada regulate the conceptualization/design stages of new technologies, not the actual use of existing technologies. a. True b. False

39. Which of the following is NOT a criticism of Fordism? a. Unresponsive to economic fluctuations b. Unresponsive to the principles of scientific management c. Unresponsive to rapidly changing consumer preferences d. Unresponsive to rapid technological changes e. Unresponsive to foreign competition

40. Which of the following is NOT true about the introduction of the mechanized factory system during the Industrial Revolution? a. It gave rise to the decentralization of production b. It introduced time-metric (clock-control) into the workplace c. It introduced close supervision of workers d. It deskilled the craft trades

41. Henry Ford introduced the assembly line into car manufacturing in an effort to enrich the jobs to craftsmen and, thereby, improve the quality of cars. a. True b. False

42. Which of the following is NOT true regarding the craft & artisan period in the historical evolution of work related technologies? a. It first emerged just after the Agricultural Revolution b. It was made possible by the advent of new agricultural technologies and the subsequent development of an agricultural surplus c. Workplace divisions of labour were complex, marked by a high degree of specialization d. The principal transforming resource was muscle power e. The principle strategic resource was skills/knowledge

43. Fordism, in retrospect, was a relatively inflexible system of manufacturing because a. It relied on hard automation technologies b. It had to incorporate costly just-in-case systems of production to accommodate an abundance of product defects c. It was relatively unresponsive to economic fluctuations d. It was relatively unresponsive to rapidly-changing consumer preferences e. All of the above

44. Scientific management a. Is the application of technological principles to the labour process b. Was an attempt by Frederick Taylor to merge the tasks of conceptualization and execution in factories c. Resulted in the simplification of the division of labour in workplaces d. Served to consolidate the power of craftsmen e. None of the above

45. Scientific Management a. Was shortly-lived because of the advent of Fordism b. Successfully increased on-the-job satisfaction among workers

c. Was depicted in the video Clockwork as the single most important in the resurrection of the crafts-mode of production in the U.S. d. Was based on the assumption that human workers are intrinsically hard-working e. None of the above

46. According to the video “Surviving Progress”, a progress trap refers to a situation where our survival is threatened by our increasingly efficient means of exploiting the natural environment a. True b. False

47. According to the video “Surviving Progress”, there is a grave risk of running 21st century software (our technological know-how) on the ancient hardware of our primate brain which hasn’t been upgraded in 50,000 years a. True b. False

48. Post-Fordism is usually associated with reduced unemployment and the expansion of middle management. a. True b. False

49. Which of the following arguments is made in the video “Surviving Progress”? a. As in the past, science and technology will generate solutions associated with the rapid depletion of our natural resources b. Currently humans are consuming resources at a rate which would be sustainable only if we had more than one planet. c. The problem is no over-consumption, but rather under-production d. When all is said and done, progress is synonymous with Gross Domestic Product e. A & B only

50. Which of the following is NOT normally associated with the rationalization of clerical work?

a. The invention of the typewriter b. An increase in the complexity of the division of labour c. The deskilling of workers d. Feminization of the labour force e. All the above ARE typically associated with the rationalization of clerical work

51. Which of the following is TRUE about clerical work? a. It was first created during the Administrative Revolution around the turn of the 20th century b. Women have always been over-represented in clerical work c. It emerged alongside the development of office technologies such as the audio-recorder d. Men have always been over-represented in clerical work e. None of the above is true

52. Which of the following is TRUE regarding clerical work and technology? a. The mechanization of printing had no effect on clerical workers because clerical occupations didn’t appear until the turn of the 20th Century b. Technological change had little to no effect on clerical work until the introduction of microprocessors c. Clerical work was immune to the effects of technology because of the existence of powerful clerical guilds d. None of the above is true.

53. Clerks have always been relatively unskilled, low status, poorly paid workers with few promotional opportunities a. True b. False

54. Which of the following management theories uses forms of ideological suasion (e.g., attempts to convince workers that worker’s goals are one and the same) to increase labour productivity? a. Scientific Management

b. Fordism c. Human Relations Theory (1930s) d. The New Human Relations/Resources Paradigm (1980s)

55. The invention of mechanical printing in Europe a. Is credited to Thomas Newcomen b. Triggered the industrial Revolution c. Involved carving entire pages on wood or copper tablets d. Required the development of several sticking point technologies such as new types of ink

56. Prior to the invention of mechanical printing in Europe, the effects of written language were minimal because few people were literate and written material was expensive and, therefore, scarce. a. True b. False

57. The invention of the mechanical printing press triggered the ______________ by ______________ a. Industrial Revoltion; stimulating the need for steam engines to run the presses b. Protestant Reformation; making the Christian bible widely available to the general population c. Rapid spread of democracy; undermining the Roman Catholic church’s knowledge monopoly d. Development of capitalism; fostering traditional belief systems across Europe e. Catholic Reformation; enabling the development of the Catholic church’s knowledge monopoly

58. In class we considered briefly the demise of the penny-farthing bicycle as an example of which of the following 4 focal points of Social Constructivism? a. Relevant social groups b. Interpretive flexibility c. Closure and stabilization d. The wide macro-context

59. Technological innovation is a 2 stage process. Which of the following is characteristic of Stage One? a. The existence of numerous competing technologies of life-kind (e.g., cars at the turn of the 20th century) b. The outcome of competition is determined by relative technical merit c. The outcome of competition is determined by socio-cultural factors d. No competition exists between technologies of life-kind e. A & C only

60. Christopher Freeman’s ‘Coupling Process’ implies that technological innovation/development is the product of the interplay between science, technology and politics (e.g., government subsidies to technology companies). SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND THE MARKET a. True b. False

61. The Great Breakthrough Thesis argues that technological changes is often due to a. The critical insights of self-reliant, genius inventors such as Johannes Guttenberg b. The tireless efforts of brilliant entrepreneurs such as Steve Jobs c. The critical need to invent ‘sticking point’ technologies d. Unpredictable serendipitous discovery such as Alexander Fleming’s penicillin. e. A & B only

62. In the competition for automotive supremacy at the turn of the 20th century, the internal combustion powered car was always the undisputed favourite compared to the electric and steampowered car. a. True b. False

63. The Demand-Pull Thesis belongs to which of the following theoretical approaches? a. Social Constructivism

b. The Great Breakthrough Thesis c. Technological Determinism d. Everett Rogers’ s-curve model of technological diffusion

64. Which of the following is NOT one of the ways that post-Fordist productions are flexible? a. Functional flexibility b. Numerical/labour flexibility c. Utilization of hard automation d. Remuneration (wages/benefits) flexibility

65. According to the video Surviving Progress, a. If consumption rates remain high, we will start eating into our natural capital by the middle of this century b. It is now an economic necessity for Brazilians’ to exploit their forest resources at unsustainable levels. c. China’s deeply embedded, traditional culture has, thus far, successfully blocked the introduction of Western economic values d. On balance, the human evolutionary experiment has been a roaring success

66. Which of the following 4 focal points of Social Constructivism applies most appropriately the process whereby the Beta format was rendered obsolete by the VHS format in the competition for video recording supremacy? a. Relevant social groups b. Interpretive flexibility c. Closure and stabilization d. The wider macro-context

67. Which of the following is NOT an example of rationalization? a. McDonalds

b. An assembly line c. A bureaucracy d. A Scantron test e. All of the above ARE examples of rationalization

68. According to SuperVision (Gillion & Monahan), security systems at border crossings (e.g., biometric software and iris scans) are the least, despite other shortcomings, devoid of any hidden prejudices based on race, gender and age. a. True b. False

69. According to SuperVision, which of the following is true in regard to unmanned aerial vehicles, or ‘drones’? a. Collateral damage is not an issue with drones because of their high degree of precision and accuracy b. Drone pilots are virtually immune to adverse psychological effects because they typically operate at a significant distance from their targets, sometimes 1000’s of miles away c. Current laws in the U.S. limit the use of drones to patrolling international borders and participating in military training exercises d. Because drones are relatively small, they pose no significant threat to life or property should they crash e. None of the above is true

70. According to SuperVision, which of the following is NOT true? a. Britain has more CCTV cameras than any other country b. Video surveillance is an effective deterrent for property crime, but not violent crime. c. There is a growing trend towards the integration of public (e.g., on the street) and private (e.g., indoor locations) CCTV cameras monitored from a centralized control room (e.g., in a police station). d. All of the above ARE true.

Eugenics -Baldwin-skull measuring -to ensure human stock was not disabled -to improve the human race to weed out the weak -was culturally and racially discriminate Practice Examination Questions 1. How was science used in cases like Ms. Muir’s? What did science fail to see in this case? 2. Discuss the role of science in the eugenics movement. 3. Is it likely technological advances will lead to a resurgence of eugenics in the future? Dr. Ruth Hubbard argues “…what we are doing today is not considered eugenics because it is not compulsory; to either engage in pre-natal diagnosis or to act upon it.”

Groups: There is a fear technological advances may lead to eugenics in the future. What can be done to prevent selective breeding in the future?

Technological Fixes: use the power of technology in order to solve problems that are non-technical in nature.

Social problems are not amenable to technological fixes.

Groups: In view of the simplicity of technological engineering, and the complexity of social engineering, to what extent can social problems be circumvented by reducing them to technological problems?

-we are more likely to use the media then face to face communication

Groups: What are the strengths and weaknesses of Bugeja’s arguments on communication?

Groups: What will communication in the future be like? What are the pros and cons of communication through technology?

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