Routledge

Essay Questions

  1. Explain the argument that sociology emerged historically to deal with major changes occurring in industrialising societies and give your own assessment of how relevant sociology might be today in dealing with work-related changes in societies.
  2. Select from the different ‘strands’ of thinking in the sociology of work and industry (a) the strand which look most potentially useful to you and (b) the strand which looks potentially the least useful. Explain why you have made this selection and assessment
  3. ‘Globalisation is a slippery notion which we should only use in examining changes in the sphere of work and industry with great care’. Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with this statement.
  4. To what extent do you agree with the view that, whatever its difficulties may be, no work enterprise could succeed without using bureaucratic principles?
  5. In what ways can it be argued the managers of work organisations have a degree of choice in the approach they take towards the employment of people?
  6. Discuss and evaluate the statement, ‘Occupational structures are, in effect, structures of inequality in contemporary societies’.
  7. How useful, in your, view is the notion of dynamic work orientations for understanding people’s work experiences and activities?
  8. ‘It is a key characteristic of the sociology of work always to go beneath the surface of particular outbreaks or manifestations of conflict in the workplace to understand the underlying structural conflicts and contradictions’. Explain and evaluate this statement.