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1. What are the main factors upon which rationalization is based?
Answer: Rationalization refers to a way to solve problems based on four main factors. The first factor is predictability, which refers to things that can be repeated with the expectation of the same result. The second factor is calculability, which refers to things that can be counted and quantified. The third factor is efficiency, which is the best way to some given end. The final factor is rationality, which is based on ideas about control and enhanced certainty of outcomes.
2. What are the core features of bureaucracies according to Weber?
Answer: Weber believed six core features made up bureaucracies and he believed the first feature of the machines made from humans was that they were based on hierarchically organized offices with a vertical chain of command. Weber explained how bureaucracies have a clear division of labour and are dominated by a need for technical qualifications for those who work in them. Finally, Weber analyzed how bureaucracies rely on impersonal decision-making, and are staffed by full-time, salaried employees.
3. How did Durkheim use the division of labour concept to distinguish between mechanical and organic solidarity?
Answer: Durkheim defined the division of labour as the specialization of labour into specific and distinct tasks. He suggested that societies built upon mechanical solidarity have a less complex division of labour than societies built upon organic solidarity. This was the distinguishing factor between the two with organic solidarity allowing for a higher division of labour leading to a more efficient and cheaper way of producing products in a world dominated by rationality.
4. In what ways did Marx explain that the work process was distorted to the disadvantage of workers?
Answer: Marx believed work in a capitalist system or mode of production was distorted for four main reasons. The first reason is that the work process under capitalism is not collectively focused anymore; instead workers pursue their own interests. The second distortion is the result of the exploitation workers experience. This refers to the way in which they keep only a small portion of the wealth they make. The third distortion refers to the way in which recognizing you are enriching your employer more so than yourself affects your enjoyment of work. Finally, Marx believed work under capitalism was distorted because of the way it separates or alienates workers from the product they make, the process to make it, their colleagues, and, ultimately, themselves.
5. What are the primary sectors of the Canadian economy?
Answer: The Canadian economy is made up of three different sectors: the primary, the secondary, and the tertiary. The primary sector consists of harvesting or extracting resources in work such as mining, forestry, farming, and fishing. The secondary sector refers to the work of manufacturing finished goods. The secondary sector consists of things like automobile production, textile manufacturing, and construction. The tertiary sector of the economy is the service industry, including services to businesses and individuals. This consists of work like retail sales, transportation, distribution, entertainment, hospitality, tourism, banking, health care, and the law.