Sociology 101 Exam 3

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Market

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a regular gathering of people for the purchaseand sale of provisions, livestock, and other commodities

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capitalism

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an economic and political system in which a country’s tradeand industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by thestate

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socialism

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a political and economic theory of social organization thatadvocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should beowned or regulated by the community as a whole

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central planning

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an economy where decisions on what to produce,how to produce and for whom are taken by the gov’t

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entrepreneur

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a person who organizes and operates a businessor businesses, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so

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rational-choice perspective

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the view that people behave as they do because they believethat performing their chosen actions has more benefits than costs

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social network

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a network of social interactions and personal relationships

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organization

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an organized body of people with a particular purpose,especially a business, society, association, etc.

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bureaucracy

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a system of gov’t in which most of the importantdecisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives

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loose coupling

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an approach to interconnecting the components ina system or network so that those components, also called elements, depend oneach other to the least extent practicable.

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structural inertia

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the tendency of a mature organization tocontinue on its current trajectory

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Niche

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a shallow recess, especially one in a wall todisplay a statue or other ornament

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Organizational Isomorphism

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a similarity of the processes or structure of oneorganization to those of another, be it the result of imitation or independentdevelopment under similar constraints

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Coercive Isomorphism

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changes involves pressures from otherorganizations in which they are dependent upon and by cultural expectationsfrom society

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Normative Isomorphism

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change is driven by pressures brought about by professions

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Mimetic Isomorphism

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the tendency of an organization to imitate anotherorganization’s structure because of the belief that the structure of the latterorganization is beneficial

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division of labor

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the assignment of different parts of amanufacturing process or task to different people in order to improveefficiency

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industrial revolution

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the use of steam power, the growth of factories, and themass production of manufactured goods

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labor process

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organization of work under capitalism; materialized orobjectified in use values

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Hawthorne studies

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the fact that people will modify their behavior simplybecause they are being observed.

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scientific management

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management of a business, industry, or economy, according toprinciples of efficiency derived from experiments in methods of work andproduction, especially from time-and- motion studies

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assembly line

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a series of workers and machines in a factory bywhich a succession of identical items is progressively assembled

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deskilling

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reduce the level of skill required to carry out (a job)

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autonomy

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the right or condition of self- gov’t, especiallyin a particular sphere

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union

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an organized association of workers formed to protect andfurther their rights and interests

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lean production

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systematic method for the elimination of wastewithin a manufacturing system

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precariat

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a social class formed by people suffering from precarity,which is a condition of existence without predictability or security, affectingmaterial or psychological welfare

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social stratification

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a system by which a society ranks categories ofpeople in a hierarchy

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inequality

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difference in size, degree, circumstances, etc.;lack of equality

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slavery

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the state of being a slave

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feudalism

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a political and economic system in which socialrelationships are organized around agriculture and control over land

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serf

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an agricultural laborer bound under the feudalsystem to work on his lord’s estate

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mean

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intend to convey, indicate, or refer to; signify

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median

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denoting or relating to a value or quantity lying at themidpoint of a frequency distribution of observed values or quantities, suchthat there is an equal probability of falling above or below it

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income

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money received, especially on a regular basis,for work or through investments

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wealth

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an abundance of valuable possessions or money

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net financial assets (NFA)

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a tangible liquid asset that derives valuebecause of a contractual claim of what it represents; i.e. stocks, bonds, andbank deposits

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consumption

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the using up of a resource

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middle class

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the social group between the upper and workingclasses, including professional and business workers and their families

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class

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the system of ordering a society in which people are dividedinto sets based on perceived social or economic status

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life chances

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social science theory of the opportunities each individualhas to improve his or her quality of life

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class analysis

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there is no universal or uniform social outlook,rather that there are fundamental conflicts that exist inherent to how societyis currently organized

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bourgeoisie

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the middle class, typically with reference to its perceivedmaterialistic values or conventional attitudes

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proletariat

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workers or working-class people, regarded collectively

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socioeconomic status (SES)

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economic and sociological combined total measure of aperson’s work experience and of an individual’s or family’s economic and socialposition in relation to others, based on income, education, and occupation

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egalitarian

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of, relating to, or believing in the principle that all peopleare equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities

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college wage premium

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the additional average salary a college graduate earnsrelative to a high school graduate

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deindustrialization

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decline in industrial activity in a region or economy

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globalization

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the process in which people, ideas and goodsspread throughout the world, spurring more interaction and integration betweenthe world’s cultures, gov’t’s and economies

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sweatshop

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a factory or workshop, especially in the clothing industry,where manual workers are employed at very low wages for long hours and underpoor conditions.

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outsourcing

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obtain (goods or a service) from an outside orforeign supplier, especially in place of an internal source

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economic restructuring

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refers to the phenomenon of western urban areasshifting from a manufacturing to a service sector economic base

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progressive tax system

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taxing mechanism in which the taxing authority charges moretaxes as the income of the taxpayer increases, A higher tax is collected fromthe taxpayers who earn more and lower taxes from taxpayers earning less.

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minimum wage

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the lowest wage permitted by law or by a special agreementtax

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inequality of opportunity

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characteristics like gender, economic circumstances,geography, and ethnicity can tap large groups of people in poverty, andspecifically affect access to basis services among children

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social mobility

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the movement of individuals, families, households, or othercategories of people within or between social strata in a society. It is achange in social status relative to others’ social location within a givensociety

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caste society

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a division or class of society based on wealth,rank, or occupation

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association

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a group of people organized for a joint purpose

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immobility

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the state of not being able to move around

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labor markets

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the supply of available workers in relation toavailable work

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meritocracy

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gov’t or the holding of power by people selected on thebasis of their ability

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poverty line

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the estimated minimum level of income needed to secure thenecessities of life

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relative poverty

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the condition in which people lack the minimumamount of income needed in order to maintain the average standard of living inthe society in which they live

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absolute poverty

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a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basichuman needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities,health, shelter, education and information

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working poor

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working people whose incomes fall below a given poverty line

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homelessness

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without a home, and therefore typically living on thestreets