practice

• Business studies GCSE. Presented by www.anki.com. Other flashcards available: Physics, Biology, Maths, German, French at www.anki.com, copyright 2024.
• When analysing markets, a range of assumptions are made about the rationality of economic agents involved in the transactions
• The Wealth of Nations was written

  1776
• Rational


  (in classical economic theory) economic agents are able to consider the outcome of their choices and recognise the net benefits of each one
• Producers act rationally by


  Selling goods/services in a way that maximises their profits
• Workers act rationally by


  Balancing welfare at work with consideration of both pay and benefits
• Governments act rationally by

  Placing the interests of the people they serve first in order to maximise their welfare
• Groups assumed to act rationally


  • Consumers
  • Producers
  • Workers
  • Governments
• Rationality in classical economic theory is a flawed assumption as people usually don't act rationally
• Marginal utility


  The additional utility (satisfaction) gained from the consumption of an additional product
• If you add up marginal utility for each unit you get total utility
• The qualities, are for A Level study only: Social inequality and difference in relation to ethnicity, Social inequality and difference in relation to age, Weberian and New Right sociological explanations of social inequality and difference.
• To view the full specifications, and examples of assessment material, for OCR AS or OCR A Level Sociology, please visit OCR's website: www.ocr.org.uk.

  
• The content of this book, as well as OCR Sociology for A Level 2, covers all topic options in the new specification. Each chapter has a range of features which have been designed to present the course content in a clear and accessible way, to give you confidence and to support you in your revision and assessment preparation.
• Getting you thinking


  Each section starts with an activity that has been designed to get you thinking about the topic.
• Activity


  Activities appear throughout the book and have been designed to help you develop your understanding and sociological skills.
• Study


  Sociological studies are summarised in these boxes. The studies included are not required by OCR but have been added to help develop understanding and support further discussion.
• Quick question


  Quick questions are exactly that – questions to answer quickly that will help you think about, and understand, different topics in the book.
• Check your understanding


  These questions have been designed specifically to help to check that you have understood different topics.
• Section summary


  These boxes contain summaries of what you have learned in each section but we have left some blanks for you to fill in!
• Practice questions


  These have been designed to offer study practice.
• Glossary


  Key terms in bold in the text are defined in the glossary at the end of the book.
• Sociology, put very simply, is the study of society. Sociologists are interested in how societies work and the ways in which individuals, groups and institutions are interrelated.
• In sociology we look at institutions such as the family, the media, religion and the education system and ask questions about their structure, in whose interests they operate, and the effect that they have on individuals and on society as a whole.
• We are also interested in areas of social concern such as crime, divorce and poverty, and try to explain why these issues occur and how they affect society and individuals.
• The important issue of inequality is a key focus in sociology, and sociologists look at how factors such as social class, gender, ethnicity and age can affect an individual's chances in life.
• Sociological evidence


  As a sociology student, you will come across various forms of sociological evidence, which you will use to express and evaluate ideas about different aspects of society.
• Theories


  Sociologists develop theories about how society works.
• Research methods


  Sociologists carry out research on aspects of society to help them understand what is happening and why.
• Sociological studies


  The use of these sociological studies is important in supporting or challenging different ideas.
• Concepts


  Sociologists also often develop concepts – these are terms that sociologists use to express particular ideas about society.
• Examples


  Examples are useful to illustrate sociological points, and also to evaluate ideas.
• No previous knowledge is required, but an open and enquiring attitude is essential.
• Culture


  The concept of culture is central to sociology. It refers to the entire way of life of a particular society, including knowledge, language, faith, art, music, fashion, morals, laws, customs, traditions, lifestyle and more.
• Cultures vary hugely across the world – there is a diversity (variety) of cultures.
• Values


  Beliefs and ideas that society sees as important, and that are accepted by the majority of society.
• Norms


  Expected patterns of behaviour that are based on the values of a culture.
• Norms are linked to values – the reason we perform certain behaviour is because we hold certain beliefs.
• Conformity


  Most people in a society follow the norms most of the time.
• Deviance


  Behaviour that goes against the norms of a group or a society.