Exam 21: Networks, Groups, Bureaucracies, and Societies

What are the four main criticisms that sociologists have levelled against bureaucracies?

Heads of bureaucracies generally have a good handle on what is happening in their organizations.

A man in a wheelchair is waiting at a subway station with several other people, when he gets swarmed by a group of unruly teens-they poke fun at him and race him up and down the station platform in his chair. Why do the witnesses do nothing?

Evidence is given in the text to indicate that our society affects us deeply, despite the commonly held belief that we are autonomous and free. Which of the following is presented in the text as the most compelling evidence?

Most of us develop some degree of loyalty to secondary groups in our lives-such as school loyalty, or company loyalty-yet we may know only a fraction of the members in these groups. According to the text, how is this commitment fostered?

Primary groups are larger and more impersonal than secondary groups.

Compare and contrast the research of Stanley Milgram and Solomon Asch. What does this research tell us about human nature, and how does being armed with such knowledge help us know what to watch out for, and how to behave in our own lives?

What is groupthink? Give an example.

Where did the Industrial Revolution originate?

Dr. Jeffrey Wigand was the vice-president of research and development for the Brown and Williams Tobacco Corporation and reported that the company was adding ammonia and other chemicals to cigarettes to enhance nicotine absorption and speed up addiction.

Who conducted experiments on conformity using perception of line lengths and group judgments?

You are an auto worker in an assembly plant, working on a line with a small team of other workers. In addition to doing their own jobs, all team members are also responsible for checking the quality of the work being performed. What is the term given to this style of worker authority?

Many people believe that former U.S. president George W. Bush and the senior political bureaucrats of his government seized too much power when running the American government. Which ideas about bureaucracy do these criticisms reflect?

An undergraduate student in his early 20s befriends a new but shy sociology professor only slightly older than himself. With the guidance of his professor friend, the student eventually becomes a sociology professor, too. How was this accomplished?

Discuss the sociological explanations for the origins of evil. Use genocide or war as your example.

A president of a large corporation sends out an email memo to initiate some corporate cultural change, but after six months is frustrated with the lack of results. Why might this be the case?