chapter 14 Flashcards
(34 cards)
work
the activity by which people produce from the natural world and so ensure their survival. work should not be thought of exclusively as paid employment. In traditional cultures, there was only a rudimentary monetary system, and few people worked for money. in modern societies, there remain types of work that do not involve direct payment
occupation
any form of paid employment in which an individual regularly works
economy
the system of production and exchange that provides for the material needs of individuals living in a given society. economic institutions are of key importance in all social orders. what goes on in the economy usually influences other areas of social life. modern economies differ substantially from traditional ones because the majority of the population is no longer engaged in agricultural production
capitalism
an economic system based on the private ownership of wealth, which is invested and reinvested in order to produce profit
technology
the application of scientific knowledge of the material world to production, involving the creation of material instruments (such as machines) used in human interaction with nature
housework
unpaid work carried out in the home, usually by women. domestic chores such as cooking, cleaning, and shopping, also called domestic labor
division of labor
the specialization of work tasks by means of which different occupations are combined within a production system. all societies have at least some rudimentary form of division of labor, especially between the tasks allocated to men and those performed by women. with the development of industrialism, the division of labor became vastly more complex than in any prior type of production system. in the modern world, the division of labor is international in scope
economic interdependence
in the division of labor, the dependence of individuals on others to produce many or most of the goods they need to sustain their lives
corporations
business firms of companies
family capitalism
capitalistic enterprise owned and administered by entrepreneurial families
entrepreneur
the owner/founder of a business firm
managerial capitalism
capitalistic enterprises administered by managerial executives rather than by owners
welfare capitalism
the practice by which large corporations protect their employees from the fluctuations of the economy
institutional capitalism
consolidated networks of business leaderships in which corporations hold stock shares in one another, resulting in increased concentration of power
interlocking directorates
linkages among corporations created by individuals who sit on two or more corporate boards
global capitalism
the current transnational phase of capitalism, characterized by global markers, production, and finance; a transnational capitalist class whose business concerns are global rather than national; and transnational systems of governance (such as the world trade organization) that promote global business interests
fordism
the system of production pioneered by Henry ford, in which the assembly line was introduced
Taylorism
a set of ideas, also referred to as scientific management, developed by Frederick Winslow Taylor, involving simple, coordinated operations in industry
low trust systems
organizational or work settings in which people are allowed little responsibility for, or control over, the work task
high trust systems
organizational or work settings in which individuals are permitted a great deal of autonomy and control over the work task
alienation
the sense that our own abilities as human beings are taken over by other entities. The term was originally used by Karl Marx to refer to the projection of human powers onto gods. subsequently, he used the term to refer to the loss of workers’ control over the nature and products of their labor
post-fordism
the period characterized by the transition from mass industrial production, using fordist methods, to more flexible forms of production favoring innovation and aimed at meeting market demands for customized products
flexible production
a manufacturing system involving a complex network of contract factories that enable both the process of production, and the product Itself, to be quickly modified in order to meet changing demand and market conditions
outsourcing
a business practice that sends production of materials to factories around the world. the components of one final product often originate from many different countries and then are sent elsewhere to be put together and sold. factories from different countries must compete with one another to maintain business
