Labor and Globalization

Your final paper for the course should be a sociological analysis of the “labor regime” dynamics of a job that you are familiar with. This could be a job you are currently working at. It could be one that you have worked on in the past. It can be one that you hope to have once you graduate. Or, it can be one that you know very well because someone close to you holds this position (ex. a family member, spouse, friend, etc.). Your analysis should include all of the following:

1. A description of the organization/ firm, including what commodities/services are produced, what the range of positions are within that workplace, a brief history of when this organization/firm developed, where it operates, and other useful information that helps clarify its basic goals and operations.

2. An analysis of the power structure and labor process of the firm. This should clarify who exercises power in the workplace, what the sources of this power are, how this power manifests in worker productivity and worker quiescence. This section of the paper should address issues of hegemony and class domination.

3. An analysis of the sources of worker power, or lack thereof. This section should analyze the strengths and limitations of managerial power in actually inducing worker productivity on the job.

4. An analysis of the commodification of workplace relations, between workers and managers, among workers, and among managers. This section should assess the extent to which these relations are commodified.

5. An analysis of the geographic nature of the job and organization/firm. This section should clarify how local labor regime dynamics are influenced by and/or connected to other workplaces across the globe.

Your paper should be written as a coherent essay that includes an introduction, body and conclusion. It should be 7-10 pages long, typed, double-spaced, and with absolutely no spelling or grammatical errors. When employing concepts such as hegemony, commodification, globalization, or worker power, your sources must be properly cited (in any format you feel comfortable using).

You should feel free to use any of the scholarly or professional sources discussed in this class, as long as they are clearly relevant to the main points of your paper. You are also expected to use at least two other scholarly sources in your paper. These sources must be academic sources, including a social science journal article or book published by a university press. You must include a reference bibliography at the end of your paper that lists the sources that you used in your paper. This bibliography does not count towards the total page count of your paper.