The final examination for this course will be on Monday, April 20, 1998 in the Main Gymnasium (rows 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 23, and 24). You will have two hours to complete the exam, although the exam is the same length as the mid-term exams. You are responsible for chapters 7-10 of the textbook and parts 7-9 of the reader, as well as any additional material covered in class since the mid-term exam. This examination is worth 35% of your final grade.
The exam will consist of 20 multiple-choice questions and one essay. Please bring a pencil (the multiple choice questions will be computer graded). Three of the following five essay questions will be on the exam, and you will be asked to answer one of them. In your essay, you will be expected to make reference to at least two of the assigned articles in the reader. The exam will contain a list of the articles (and authors) in Parts 7-9 of the reader. If you wish, you can also incororate material from the first half of the course. As in the mid-term exam, a portion of the essay marking will be based on writing style, grammar, and spelling.
Grades will be posted on the Sociology 366 home page and outside of the instructor’s office (Tory 4-23) as soon as possible after the final exam.
1. In your opinion, what are some of the central issues Canadian unions will have to solve if they are to survive into the 21st century as useful organizations?
2. Many different factors (e.g., economic, demographic, political, managerial, technological, environmental, and so on) could have effects on labour markets, work organizations, and the quality of work life in the next decade. Identify and discuss the fou r specific factors which you think might have the largest effects.
3. When asked, a large majority of workers say they are satisfied with their job. So why should we worry about changing working conditions, management approaches, or organizational structures?
4. Some social theorists have argued that conflict is inevitable in the workplace in industrial capitalist societies. Others believe that some kind of consensus might be possible. Critically discuss these two positions.
5. Workplaces are organized differently, workers are managed differently, and industrial relations have different rules in different societies. In your opinion, are there things we might learn from these societies that would lead to higher productivity and less conflict in North American workplaces?