Culture, Technology, AGIL Functional Requisites, Ethics, Persuasion, and Corporate Scandals (Video Notes)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture notes.

Culture

Shared norms, beliefs, values, and practices of a group; shaped by interactions with technology and environment.

Technology

Tools, techniques, and knowledge that shape and are shaped by culture and daily life.

AGIL framework

Talcott Parsons' four functional requisites for viable culture: Adaptation, Goal setting, Integration, Legitimization.

Adaptation (AGIL)

Societal adjustment to environment, including resource gathering/distribution and division of labor; economy as adaptation.

Goal setting (AGIL)

Mechanisms for decision making; tribal councils or modern governments and interest groups influence decisions.

Integration (AGIL)

Use of a common language and shared norms to coordinate a society; family or institutions can act as integrators.

Legitimization (AGIL)

Shared myths, rituals, and texts that give a society a common identity (example: pledge of allegiance).

Relational mode (heart knowing)

Nonverbal, intuitive orientation to life; emphasis on relationships and meaning.

Objective mode (head thinking)

Verbal, symbolic, analytical orientation; emphasis on language, abstractions, and rational analysis.

Jung's four psychic functions

Thinking, Feeling, Sensation, Intuition — the four ways minds process information.

Sensation

Perception of concrete data and material details; linked to adaptation in AGIL mapping.

Feeling

Emotional evaluation and values; linked to integration in Jung/AGIL mapping.

Intuition

Pattern recognition and insight; linked to legitimization in Jung/AGIL mapping.

Thinking

Rational, language-based reasoning; linked to objective mode in Jung/AGIL mapping.

Left-brain Western culture

Rational, fact-based orientation; language and logic often valued over emotion in the West.

Right-brain heart cultures

Relational, intuitive orientations; often matrilineal or prosocial values in non-Western societies.

Ethics

External codes of conduct adopted by organizations or professions; enforced by institutions.

Morals

Personal beliefs about right and wrong; internal compass guiding behavior.

Code of ethics

Formal rules guiding professional conduct; examples include medical, legal, and corporate ethics codes.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

A corporation's duty to be a positive force in society and the environment, balancing stakeholders' interests.

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (1911)

Industrial disaster exposing unsafe working conditions; spurred labor reform and workplace safety laws.

Ford Pinto safety case

Industry exposes cost-benefit driven decision to release a car with known fuel risks; sparked safety reforms and consumer protection debates.

Nestlé baby formula boycott

Global protest against aggressive marketing of infant formula in poor regions; linked to infant health risks.

Bhopal disaster (1984)

MIC gas leak at Union Carbide plant; thousands died; major example of corporate negligence and governance failure.

Enron scandal

Massive corporate fraud via creative accounting; led to bankruptcy and regulatory reforms; involved top executives and auditors.

Arthur Andersen

Auditing firm implicated in Enron scandal; example of conflicts of interest and governance failures.

3M and corporate social responsibility

3M's CSR initiatives: energy efficiency, sustainability indices, pollution prevention, and commitment to broader social goals.

Persuasive technologies

Technologies that change attitudes or behaviors through social influence, including advertising and media tactics.

Pavlov

Classical conditioning experiments with dogs showing how a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus leading to a conditioned response.

Classical conditioning

Learning process where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a reflex through repeated pairing with a stimulus.

Watson

Behaviorist who argued that behavior is learned; emphasized stimulus-response and discounted conscious thought.

Spin (public relations)

Recasting ideas or events to appear favorable, often by omitting or distortin facts to support a position.