Human Relations - Final Exam

A manager gives merit raises to employees based on performance. An employee comes to the manager to complain about not getting a large merit raise. In which of the following ways would the employee communicate if he uses the adult ego state?

"Bill got a larger merit raise than I did. Would you please explain what Bill does that I don't so that I can do better the next round?"

You have been bringing in food and drinks and storing them in the refrigerator at work. Chris, your coworker, has been taking them without asking you. You don't think it is fair for Chris to take your food and drinks. Which of the following should you say as your XYZ statement to initiate conflict resolution?

"Chris, you have been taking my food, and I don't get to eat it. I feel as though you are taking advantage of me."

Dan regularly gives in to his employees' requests for extensions on deadlines. As a result, he often has to apologize to clients for the delays. Which of the following conflict management styles does Dan use?

Accommodating

Michelle has a packed schedule for the entire week. Her colleague asks her to help with the induction program scheduled for the company's new recruits. Michelle agrees to help. Which of the following conflict management styles has Michelle used in this scenario?

Accommodating

Beth prefers to learn new skills on the job rather than in training sessions. Her decisions are based on instinct and not on technical analysis. Which of the following is most likely Beth's learning style?

Accommodator

Kendall relies on his instinct to determine the designs that appeal to people. He bases his decisions on his interactions with people rather than on statistical analysis of consumer behavior. Which of the following is most likely Kendall's learning style?

Accommodator

Albert is a sales representative at Maxim Insurance Inc. He tends to make quick decisions based primarily on input from people without much analysis. Albert likes being a sales representative as it gives him the freedom to set sales schedules and challenges him to close sales deals. He learns well through training sessions that involve role playing. Which of the following is most likely Albert's learning style?

Accomodator

Amanda had promised her boss that her team would complete the high-priority project before the deadline. However, Amanda's team was unable to meet the target, which made her boss look bad in front of the client. Which of the following should Amanda do to reestablish a good working relationship with her boss?

Admit her shortcoming and apologize

Jerry is a considerate person and is liberal in accepting the changes in his organization. Owing to his gregarious nature, Jerry has a lot of friends where he works. He finds it easy to establish a rapport with people. Which of the following Big Five personality dimensions is best reflected by Jerry in the scenario?

Agreeableness

Nancy, an employee at MegaWorks Corp., has been on the job for only a week. She needs to ask the accountant some questions, but she does not remember his name. Which of the following would be most appropriate for Nancy to do before contacting the accountant?

Ask someone for the accountant's name

Cindy did not say anything the first time Carl pushed her as they walked in the hall. On the way back, he did it again. This time, Cindy caught his eye, smiled, and said, "Carl, you should signal before crossing into my lane." Cindy's behavior can be best described as _____.

Assertive

Debra is a marketing researcher at Dale Manufacturers Inc. She enjoys compiling information. Debra always follows scientific procedures when conducting research. She believes that although questionnaires are useful, watching people select products in stores provides more valuable information. Which of the following is most likely Debra's learning style?

Assimilator

A trainer gave specific instructions for a task, and trainees were told not to consult anyone or ask questions to complete the task. Which of the following communication styles did the trainer use in this example?

Autocratic

You have taken over as the new manager of a department. The employees are interested in doing their work well and have potential. However, they do not have the competence to achieve the allotted tasks because they have not worked together before. Which of the following supervisory styles would be most appropriate in this stage of group development?

Autocratic

You've been promoted from being an employee in one department to becoming the supervisor in another. The supervisor you are replacing did not succeed in getting much work done because he let employees make ongoing decisions. Production declined in recent months and that is why you got the job. As a situational manager, which supervisory style should you ideally use?

Autocratic

Amanda always reaches work half an hour late. However, her boss, Jill, never confronts her about her tardiness. Which of the following conflict management styles does Jill use?

Avoiding

William is the marketing manager for a newly launched sedan of Power Motors Ltd. However, the car had technical problems in its ignition system. The company decided to recall all sedans from the market. William convinced the management to work on this issue based on customer feedback and convinced them to relaunch the vehicle. Which of the following guidelines for effective human relations has William followed in this scenario?

Being genuinely interested in other people

Sophia is a manager at Fabrics Inc. She needs to meet a few suppliers and negotiate with them for a shorter delivery time. When bargaining with the suppliers, Rita should avoid

Being too quick to give in

"Mr. Brown is a retired old man. Do not send him an e-mail; he doesn't use the Internet." Which of the following communication barriers is indicated by this example?

Channel Selection

Felix and Hannah have to conduct a market survey for a client. They cannot decide how to divide the work between themselves. Finally, they agree that Felix will be in charge of preparing the survey questionnaire and the presentation file, while Hannah will take care of analyzing the data and presenting the findings to the client. Which of the following conflict management styles have Felix and Hannah used in this scenario?

Collaborating

Three colleagues have been given the responsibility of coming up with a policy regarding Internet use during working hours. All of them have different opinions about what it should entail. Which of the following conflict management styles should ideally be used in this scenario?

Collaborating

Keeping in mind uncertain economic conditions, the workers at a steel plant agree to a lower wage package in exchange for job security. Which of the following conflict management styles does this scenario reflect?

Compromising

As a supervisor, you spend little time telling the employees what to do and most of the time encouraging them to do a good job. However, at present, your employees have fallen behind schedule on an important project that is due soon. As a situational manager, which supervisory style should you ideally use?

Consultative

As a supervisor, you want to improve performance in your department. You give specific instructions, telling the employees what the task is and when, where, and how to perform it, as well as oversee performance at all major stages through completion. Although you already have ideas covering broad areas, you are open to suggestions from the employees. However, you have the final say. Which situational supervisory style has been used in this scenario?

Consultative

Dennis is an accountant and likes dealing with numbers and concrete accounting processes. He is always willing to help his colleagues solve problems, even though he avoids personal interactions with them. Although Dennis enjoyed college, he believes that one really learns about accounting when one gets into the job. Which of the following is most likely Dennis's learning style?

Converger

John is a sales executive with Omega Industries, and he sells engine valves to other industries. He is interested in knowing more about the products, and he also helps the research and development team with his inputs. However, he has a short temperament and does not get along with other team members. Identify the learning style of John.

Converger

Dilton has a job offer from a mobile phone company. He is stalling the decision as he wants to weigh his career options. Which of the following steps should the hiring agent of the mobile phone company take to get Dilton to accept the offer?

Create urgency

"Do not smile too much. In this country, it is a sign of weakness. Look sterner." Which of the following communication barriers is indicated by this example?

Culture

Which of the following scenarios illustrates a recommendation made by equity theory?

Daniel, a supervisor, keeps his employees morale high by treating them impartially.

Victor, a sales representative with Ignis Laboratories, works for more than 40 hours a week. Nevertheless, he enjoys his work and achieves his weekly and monthly targets. This has made him a top performer in the company. Identify the stressor that Victor has successfully managed.

Degree of satisfaction

Ian is a clerical worker. He sorts files, as do the other ten employees in the department. All the employees know that they are supposed to place the files in the exact place when they are finished so that others can find them when they need them. As a rule, the employees should have only one file out at a time. Ian's supervisor notices that Ian has five files on his desk of which one is a file that another employee urgently needs. Which of the following steps of the coaching model should Ian's supervisor take immediately after describing to Ian his current behavior?

Describe desired performance

Danny has recently graduated with a degree in advertising and is looking for a job. He has posted his resume on the Internet. Which of the following should Danny do first in order to network effectively?

Develop a network

Briana considers herself a failure. She has changed several jobs last year and is trying hard to hold on to the one she has right now. If she is willing to take responsibility for her poor performance and improve, Briana should

Develop a positive self-concept

Neil and Tim graduated together. Tim landed a job through a friend of his father's. Which of the following should Neil do to get a job?

Develop networking skills

Tim, a brilliant scientist, has received a job offer from a pharmaceutical company. Before accepting the offer, he decides to negotiate with the management regarding the benefits and compensation package. Which of the following should Tim do in order to meet his objective?

Develop options and trade - offs

Your department is one of the top performers in the company. The members work as a team even in the absence of your supervision. However, lately, you have realized that there is a conflict within the department. Nevertheless, performance has not dropped due to the conflict. From this information, we can say that the department is in the _____ stage of group development.

Dissatisfaction

Kathy enjoys brainstorming. She gathers all the facts and analyzes a situation from multiple perspectives before making a decision. As a result, she sometimes misses opportunities. Which of the following is most likely Kathy's preferred learning style?

Diverger

Jonathan and Ruby are having an argument. Instead of responding directly to Ruby, Jonathan switches the topic of discussion and talks about things that are irrelevant to the argument. Which of the following response styles is Jonathan using?

Diverting

Which of the following scenarios illustrates a correct criterion for setting objectives?

Dominique a supervisor believes that people will not be motivated to work for their accomplishments if they do not believe that the objectives are achievable.

"Dharma, can I have Jones in my office in 15 minutes? Please ask him to bring the quarterly report along." Identify the flow of organizational communication in this example.

Downward Vertical Communication

Homer is studying architecture and wants to intern at the city's best architectural firm. He meets his uncle Greg, who knows someone in the esteemed firm. Which of the following should Homer do first in the networking interview process?

Establish rapport

"Let me think over what you said, and I'll let you know my opinion." Which of the following listening tips does the speaker want to apply in this example?

Evaluating after listening

Ashley is often inattentive when her boss is speaking to her. She says, "I often don't listen to what my boss is saying since I can predict what he is going to say." Which of the following perception biases does this statement reflect?

Expectations

Rudolph refuses to get involved in a confrontation with his supervisor. His supervisor threatens to take serious action against him, but Rudolph manages to stay away from confrontation. In the context of conflict management styles, the supervisor is most likely using the _____ conflict management style.

Forcing

Alvin tells his parents, "We don't see things the same way because you are old and I am young." Which of the following perception biases does Alvin have?

Frame of reference

"Hey, Danny, did you know the new girl in HR is Jack's sister?" Identify the flow of organizational communication in this example.

Grapevine Communication

Derrick believes that he has worked hard over the previous quarter and generated considerable reveneue for his company. He expects to receive a promotion in the next appraisal cycle. Which of the following determinants of job satisfaction does this scenario reflect?

Growth and upward mobility

You are a manager in the frozen foods department of a supermarket. Every two weeks, the frozen foods cases must be cleaned. Since Chris does the best job, you usually select Chris to clean the cases. Chris has come to you and said, "Why do I always have to do the dirty work of cleaning the cases? It's not fair that I have to clean the cases more often than the other two employees." According to the complaint model, which of the following should you do immediately after listening to Chris and paraphrasing his complaint?

Have the complainer recommend a solution

Aaron has started working for a new firm. There are thirty people on his floor. He is having problems remembering their names. Which of the following should Aaron do to improve his ability to recall names?

He should call people by their names two or three times while talking to them

Don is a quality control manager at Vittel Glass House. He shouts at his subordinates if they fail to meet his expectations. This has severely affected his relationship with his subordinates. Which of the following is a guideline for effective human relations that Don should follow in order to correct this?

He should think before acting

Joanne's colleagues praise her ability to remain calm under all circumstances. Joanne is confident about her professional skills and can perform well under pressure. Which of the following Big Five personality dimensions is best reflected by Joanne in this scenario?

High Adjustment

Kenneth will complete his probation as a teller by the end of this month. Over the past six months, he has proved to be tenacious and capable. He diligently follows the bank's standards and works systematically. Which of the following Big Five personality dimensions is best reflected by Kenneth in this scenario?

High Conscientiousness

"I have outlined a plan for the event. We'll have to discuss all major considerations before you can start executing the plan. I'll check the progress daily thereon." Which quadrant of the two-dimensional leadership styles does this behavior reflect?

High Structure and high consideration

Daniel, the supervisor of a team of financial analysts, aims to become a manager. He is confident and assertive about his ideas in the workplace. Daniel always gives precise instructions to his team members and expects them to follow the instructions. Which of the following Big Five personality dimensions is best reflected by Daniel in this scenario?

High Surgency

"Hi, Sam, how are you? How did you like our new product range?" Identify the flow of organizational communication in this example.

Horizontal Communication

Isaac, a pizza delivery boy, travels almost five hours every day. The motorbike he drives is unsafe because it is rickety and old. Ideally, Isaac should be given a new motorbike. Under which of the following factors can Isaac's need be classified?

Hygiene

Dana, a corporate executive, is hoping for a promotion in the next quarter. She feels that in order to be more productive and have better relationships, she should build a more positive self-concept. Which of the following is the first step Dana should take in order to accomplish this?

Identify her strengths and areas that need improvement

Sam, a supervisor, needs an extra pair of hands to complete an urgent task. George, an employee in the accounts team, has worked as part of his team before and knows the job. However, George is a moody man and always has his hands full. Which of the following influencing tactics would be most appropriate for Sam to use for persuading George?

Ingratiation Tactic

Dillon's team comprises a lot of talented individuals, yet it has not performed well. Dillon wants his team to know that it can be the best. Which of the following influencing tactics would be most appropriate for Dillon to use in this situation?

Inspirational Appeal Tactic

Mark, who attended a music festival where a local band performed, says "I did not like their music much, but my friends really liked it." Identify the perception bias exemplified in Mark's statement.

Interest

Victor is a production line manager at MotorPower Industries. He observes that his subordinates are bored because of the monotonous job in the production line. To motivate them, he asks them to redesign faulty machine components. He also ensures that the best design will be awarded, and it will be sent to the research and development department for implementation. Identify Victor's method of motivating his subordinates.

Job enrichment

A supervisor has to make travel reservations for a number of delegates attending an international conference on trade and commerce. The supervisor's office engages a travel agent who will handle all details like airline bookings and flight schedules. Which of the following communication styles would be most appropriate when the supervisor communicates with the travel agent?

Laissez-faire

Laura meets Cindy, the owner of a well-known advertising agency in Los Angeles, at a social gathering. Laura wants to make a good first impression so that she can intern at Cindy's firm. Which of the following, if true, would help Laura make a favorable first impression?

Laura maintains eye contact while introducing herself to Cindy

Joe, an employee at Projection Inc., seeks close relationships with others. He also enjoys lots of social activities. Which of the following would be the most appropriate way to motivate Joe?

Letting him work as part of a team and giving him lots of praise and recognition

Mathew is the chairman of the employee grievance cell in Victor Motors Company. He addresses employees' issues in the company and tries his best to resolve them. Identify the guideline for effective human relations used by Mathew in this scenario.

Listening to people

Harry is a marketing manager with Purge Purification Systems. He directs his subordinates about the data to be included in their daily and weekly reports. However, he does not instruct them on the reporting method. He also encourages them to talk to him whenever they find anything difficult. In the context of the two-dimensional leadership styles developed by Ohio State University, identify the leadership behavior of Harry.

Low structure and high consideration

Joseph is a sales manager with Emergo Industries. He had to prepare and present the annual sales report to the management in one day, but he was least prepared. Therefore, he ordered his subordinates to prepare a presentation before the end of the day without giving them any other instructions. In the context of the two-dimensional leadership styles, which of the following is most likely to be Joseph's leadership style in this scenario?

Low structure and low consideration

"Could you lower the volume? I'm on the phone." Which of the following communication barriers is indicated by this example?

Noise

"Hey, Alvin, do you get what I'm saying? Repeat to me what you are expected to do at the exact stroke of midnight." Which of the following communication barriers is indicated by this example?

Not Listening

Prolifik, a software startup, received an award for the best innovative business. They developed a new software application that can be used by manufacturing industries around the world. The employees worked hard to achieve this feat. Which of the following levels of behavior is most likely exemplified in this scenario?

Organizational

You are a manager in a retail store. The company policy is that employees should not work for longer than three hours without a 10-minute break or a 30-minute meal period. Employees are not to take breaks until told to do so by you. During the recent holiday season, you have not been giving employees their breaks. Donald comes to you and says, "Why do I have to work such long hours without a break? It's not fair. Yesterday I worked for five hours without a break." In this scenario, which of the following steps in the complaint model should you take first?

Paraphrase the complaint

Norma is organizing an event for her company. She has to create billboards that will be placed at different units of the firm. She needs to collaborate with a design specialist to agree on a design. Which of the following communication styles would be most appropriate when Norma communicates with the designer?

Participative

You are considering delegating a new task to one of your best employees, Pete. However, Pete is hesitant to take on the new assignment. You are confident he can do it on his own. As a situational manager, which would be the ideal supervisory style to use in this scenario?

Participative

Your department is one of the top performers in the company. The members work as a team even in the absence of your supervision. However, lately, you have realized there is a conflict within the department, but performance has not dropped due to the conflict. Which of the following supervisory styles would be most appropriate for this stage?

Participative

Rhonda loves her job and is very satisfied with her compensation. She is further motivated to perform efficiently when she hears that incentives will be given to efficient employees. Which of the following would be Rhonda's determinant for job satisfaction?

Pay and benefits

Jack, an employee at Eco Systems Inc., gave the board of directors a presentation on the product launch plan for their new product. His presentation was highly appreciated as it covered most of the queries that the directors had about this launch. Which of the following does Jack's action best reflect?

Performance

"The company's Annual Sports Meet will be held on November 15 this year." Which of the following message transmission channels would be most appropriate for this message?

Poster

Karen, the manager of a production team, has to develop a plan in order to change some aspects of a particular product. The changes have to be adopted by her subordinates and the entire team, so they need to be presented methodically. Which of the following influencing tactics would be most appropriate for Karen to use in this scenario?

Rational Persuasion Tactic

Nathan tells Robbie that he will give him all the support he needs to help him overcome the loss of his pet. Which of the following types of response styles is Nathan using?

Reassuring

Dennis is very grateful to his friend, Tom, for helping Dennis get a job. Whenever Tom asks for help with some work, Dennis willingly obliges. This scenario best illustrates Tom's ________.

Referent Power

Harry has tremendous personality and charisma. He always stands up for his colleagues and although he does not have much position power, he is able to influence many people because he is so well liked. From the information given in this scenario, we can conclude that Harry has ________.

Referent Power

Gareth and Javier are discussing a topic. While responding to Gareth, Javier paraphrases the concepts discussed so that Gareth can analyze if Javier understood the topic. Which of the following types of response styles is Javier using?

Reflecting

George is a pastry chef with BakeNeat Stores. His ice cream sandwiches are the most sought-after dessert in the town. However, he is unable to make more than 100 ice cream sandwiches per day because the machine he is using is obsolete. Identify the factor affecting George's performance in this scenario.

Resources

Mark and Joseph are junior photographers with Iclick Studios. Both of them are professional and sincere. However, Mark is recognized as the top performer among Iclick's entry-level employees. This was possible because he acquired the license to use the latest photo editing application, while Joseph did not. According to the performance formula, which of the following factors helped Mark achieve this feat?

Resources

Kyle, an employee at Hercules Corp., has shown great determination and strength under extremely challenging circumstances. His manager decides to send him and his family on a vacation on company expense to keep him going. Which of the following is being used by Kyle's manager as a way to influence Kyle?

Reward Power

Which of the following is the correct way of giving praise according to Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson's technique of one minute of praise?

Robert says, "Sam, you did a very good job on the new promotional design. It projects out company in a very good light." .........

You are a clergyperson managing a religious organization. You have four part-time employees to answer the door and the phone and to do odd jobs in between. These employees' minimum wages have been increased recently. The increased cost is not yet in your budget, so you decided to cut back the number of working hours of Fabio, one of the employees. Later, Fabio comes to you and says, "Why do I get stuck losing more hours than the other three workers? I'm as good as or better than any of the other workers. It's not fair." You ask Fabio for a solution. According to the complaint model, which of the following should be your next step?

Schedule time to get all the facts

Peter is the programming head of Windward Systems. He clearly defines the departmental objectives and motivates his subordinates to achieve these objectives. He also provides training for the employees to enhance their skill sets. According to Hersey and Blanchard, which of the following is most likely to be Peter's leadership style?

Selling

Jonathan wants to buy a new motorbike and visits a dealer. After negotiating with the dealer for a while, Jonathan tells the dealer that he will buy the bike only if he gets free insurance for it. From this scenario, it can be said that Jonathan has

Set a specific limit objective

Rita works as a manager at Pinnacle Corp. She has a meeting with a few cement suppliers. When bargaining for the best price of the product with the suppliers, which of the following steps should Rita take?

She should open with some small talk

"Can you please slow down a bit? I am jotting down some points lest I forget them." Which of the following listening tips has the speaker applied in this example?

Taking Notes

Rufus, a supervisor at an automobile store, is considered friendly by his subordinates and has the authority to assign important work to the high performers under his wing. However, he does not chalk out clear objectives for his subordinates. In the context of Fiedler's contingency leadership theory model, ________ leadership style would be the most appropriate for this situation.

Task oriented

Nelson had been busy preparing for his final exams for the past few months. However, a few days before the exam, he lost the interest and motivation to study as a result of the high pressure to perform well. Which of the following did Nelson most likely experience?

Temporary Burnout

"Why are we spending so much time discussing this? It's very simple and clear," thought Tony, as he scribbled carelessly during the team meeting. Which of the following types of problem members does Tony belong to?

The bored member

Which of the following scenarios illustrates the variable ratio schedule alternative to intermittent reinforcement?

The employees of Nesta Corp. are given praise for excellent work

Dona is the human resource manager with Consultus Inc. She ordered her subordinates to hire 10 people for the position of consultants within a period of one month. This target forced her subordinates to hire without proper evaluation of the candidates and affected their morale as well as the quality of the hired consultants. In the context of the Leadership Grid, identify the leadership style of Dona.

The impoverished manager style

Rachel is the last person to contribute anything during team meetings. She tends to shy away from conversations. Which of the following types of problem members does Rachel most likely belong to?

The silent member

During a problem-solving discussion, Todd asked, "Why do we keep discussing these problems when they never go away? Don't we have a holiday on Friday?" Which of the following types of problem members does Todd belong to?

The wanderer

Erika, a research student, is passionate about science. She continues working in the laboratory long after all her peers leave for the day. She hopes to make a revolutionary breakthrough that can help mankind. Which of the following determinants of job satisfaction does Erika's attitude reflect?

The work itself

Wilma, an employee at Neptune Co., is hardworking and talented. She keeps herself informed about the latest developments in her field and is performing well in her job. Which of the following is the most important reason for Wilma to develop her networking skills?

To advance within the organization

"I will give you the performance scores based on the quality of your files. Please send the files to me once they are completed." Identify the flow of organizational communication in this example.

Vertical Communication

"You look puzzled. I'll try to put it in simple terms." Which of the following listening tips has the speaker applied in this example?

Watching for nonverbal cues

Mark is a sales executive with Emergo Systems. Mark can leave early from office for his piano practice sessions as soon as he achieves his daily target. Which of the following is exemplified in this scenario?

Win - Win

Richard is unambitious and prefers spending most of his time by himself. His colleagues consider him aloof and insecure. He finds it difficult to work under high pressure and often blames his colleagues. According to the Big Five personality dimensions, Richard's personality is

low in agreeableness