York SOSC 1340 – Surviving Progress or The Corporation

York SOSC 1340 – Surviving Progress or The Corporation

Subject: General Questions    / General General Questions
Question
ntroduction to Business and Society 2016-17
SOSC 1340/1349 A and B Essay 2
Due: IN LECTURE Feb 10 (Section A) or Feb. 15 (Section B)
Length: 6-8 pages/1500-2000 words (double spaced, 12 point font, 2.5 cm margins)
Value: 30 marks (out of 150)
Late essays will be subject to a -2% penalty per day
Synthesizing Course Materials
You are required to draw on one of the films Surviving Progress or The Corporation or the
creative readings by Rice, Garrett and Steinbeck to illustrate your understanding of the key
concepts raised in the text(s) you will be analyzing. The essay writing process involves
several preliminary stages: formulating a working thesis, organizing your notes and
constructing an essay plan. See the guidelines from the first essay instructions and review
Shea and Whitla, part 4.
Independent Research
You are writing a ‘persuasive essay’ (Shea and Whitla, pp. 228-9) which involves some
research. You will need to find and use two secondary ACADEMIC sources for this essay (no
Wikipedia, dictionary.com, etc.). You MUST use proper referencing techniques and engage in
textual analysis (consult Shea and Whtila, chapter 9). Failure to properly and consistently
document and acknowledge your sources constitutes PLAGARISM and makes you subject to
academic sanction. Instructions
Pick one of the essay topics below. DO NOT simply answer the questions in the order that
they appear in the topic. The order of presentation is something you need to think deeply
about: you need to think about what it is that you want to say and the order that it would
be best to say it in order to show how well you understand the concepts, issues and
arguments under consideration. Return to your introduction after you have completed your
draft to ensure that the order of presentation you outline here corresponds to the
structure of your essay.
Formal Requirements
Essays must include a title page (include your name, student number, TAs name and
submission date) and a properly formatted bibliography. Papers should be double
spaced, with 12 point font (Times New Roman, Arial or Cambria are common ones) and
one inch margins. Each page of your essay (not including the title page, which would be
page ‘0’) must be numbered. Your essay must start with a comprehensive introduction which
includes: i. The position the author takes on the key question; ii. Your thesis; and iii. An
explanation of how your essay will be organized. Your essay must have a clear paragraph
structure, with each paragraph starting with a clear topic sentence.
*You are required to complete the SPARK module on selecting sources at:
http://www.yorku.ca/spark/books_journals_more/index.html Essay Topics
1. What is the difference between ‘real progress’ and ‘progress traps’ according to Wright?
Why does he refer to civilization as a ‘pyramid scheme’? What is the Victorian ideal of
progress, and how might this have contributed to an ideology of progress that has helped
to obscure the fact that our civilization is in the midst of ‘the biggest progress trap in
human history’? 2. What is the difference between the ‘social division of labour’ and the ‘detail division of
labour’, according to Braverman? What are the social consequences of the capitalist
organization of production? What is the Babbage Principle and how does its application
to the labour process result in the ‘degradation of work’? How can we use Rice’s play to
illustrate the effects Braverman describes? 3. How does Nace define the modern corporation and how is it different from the ‘classical’
form? What are the ‘essential characteristics’ of the corporation, according to Glasbeek?
How does limited liability help to protect investors (shareholders) and executives,
managers and directors of the corporation from individual responsibility? Who—or
what—is responsible for what happens to the farmers in Steinbeck’s story? 4. Should the corporation have legal and ethical obligations to society beyond promoting
the private interests—maximizing profits—of shareholders? Why does Friedman refer
to ‘social responsibility’ as a ‘dangerous doctrine’? How does Glasbeek’s critique of the
ethical justification of capitalism represent a response to Friedman? Is Garrett’s main
character (Mr. Galt) acting to maximize private interests, or the public interest?