A) Technology and the changing nature of work 1. What does Erik Brynjolfsson say about productivity and income? How does Brynjolfsson say that people can find gainful employment if they have to compete against technology? (1-2 sentences) 2. What does Robert Gordon say about productivity and innovation? (1-2 sentences) 3. Brynjolfsson and Gordon present contrasting viewpoints on productivity in the US, but both agree that worker incomes have fallen. Looking forward, do you side with Brynjolfssons optimism or Gordons pessimism about technologys impact on the worker and why? What do you think will happen to income and standard of living in the decades to come? 4. Visit the Occupational Outlook Handbook at: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/. In the search box, type in name of the career you that you hope to pursue. Depending on how specific the career is, you may be given several links as options or you may be taken directly to a summary page. Once on the summary page, pay special attention to the information about job outlook for the next ten years. 1. What career did you choose? 2. How many jobs currently exist for this career? 3. What is the expected job outlook for this career? 4. How do you think your chosen career will be impacted by technology? B) Technology and Work-Life balance 1. Using your own words, define work-life balance. 2. Based on what you have read, why is work-life balance important (cite sources as appropriate) for individuals as well as organizations? 3. Based on what you have read, what are some effective strategies for improving work-life balance? 4. What different approaches might anthropologists, gerontologists, and sociologists take regarding work-life balance? In other words, what issues arise regarding work-life imbalance might be of particular interest to each of these social sciences?
