MGT 291 First Exam
Steve Larson, Senior Diversity Consultant for Wachovia, points out that successful diversity programs must engage __________. a. Black women b. White men c. young men d. young women
B
Structured learning is related to preferences for _________ assessments. a. objective b. subjective c. easy d. difficult
B
Successful business strategies are grounded in creating and maintaining a competitive advantage that is ______________. a. inflexible b. sustainable c. volatile d. all of these
B
Using your knowledge of OB can help you to move up __________ in any organization. a. more steadily b. faster c. both of these d. neither of these
B
What company values team selling so much that it once terminated one of its most successful salespeople because he focused only on maximizing his own sales? a. David's Bridal b. Men's Wearhouse c. Macy's d. Belk
B
What is an expatriate? a. an illegal immigrant b. a person temporarily or permanently living in a country other than that of legal residence c. a person with dual citizenship d. a person who is a legal resident of a country other than the one where he or she was born
B
What nickname is given to W. Edwards Deming? a. "leader of legalism" b. "guru of quality assurance" c. "master of management" d. "paperwork Nazi"
B
What percent of the U.S. workforce reports either being bullied at work or witnessing bullying? a. 19 b. 49 c. 79 d. 99
B
What term refers to any system that interacts with the environment through one of the basic senses? a. sensory perception b. sensory modality c. learning modality d. information processing system
B
What term refers to the manner in which individuals process and organize information during learning? a. general mental ability b. information processing capacity c. verbal ability d. emotional intelligence
B
Which cultural dimension refers to how much pride and loyalty individuals should have for their family or organization? a. institutional collectivism b. in-group collectivism c. performance orientation d. future orientation
B
Which managerial function involves designing the organization's or workgroup's structure, identifying what tasks need to be done, hiring the right people, delegating and assigning each task, establishing a chain of command, and creating rules for communication and decision making? a. planning b. organizing c. leading d. controlling
B
Which of the following is NOT a source of competitive advantage? a. providing the best customer service b. having the most expensive product c. having a well-known brand name d. being more convenient to buy from
B
In convincing subordinates to cooperate, Chester I. Barnard proposed that ___________ was preferable to _______________. a. threats, promises b. promises, threats c. persuasion, economic incentives d. economic incentives, persuasion
C
Older workers almost always embrace new technologies readily.
False
Successful businesses following a specialization strategy rarely enjoy a high degree of customer loyalty.
False
Holland viewed vocational interests as an expression of personality.
T
Success in conventional occupations depends on low scores for openness.
T
The "like me" bias is inconsistent with social categorization theory.
False
The U.S. workforce is expected to become less diverse in coming years
False
The scientific method begins with a hypothesis
False
There is strong evidence that supervisors and subordinates tend to like each other more (and therefore accomplish more) when they are of similar ages.
False
Walmart is a good example of a firm pursuing a differentiation strategy.
False
When managers are surveyed ten to fifteen years out of school to identify the most important classes they ever took, they rarely mention organizational behavior
False
Traits describe what people do, but not why they do it.
T
Although many managers view diversity as a benefit to their companies, researchers are more divided on the effects diversity has on workgroup performance
True
Both individuals and organizations benefit from OB.
True
By 2030, about 1 in 5 people will be 65 or over.
True
Companies may pursue more than one strategy at a particular time
True
Effective employees and managers understand that they need to be flexible in adapting to work challenges.
True
Employees who need stability and predictability would not fit well in companies focused on product innovation
True
Ethnocentrism often has less to do with prejudice and more to do with inexperience or ignorance
True
Even though much of the research on organizational behavior has been done in the United States, what is true for Americans working in the U.S. may not be true for anyone else, including non-Americans working in the U.S.
True
For companies pursuing a differentiation strategy, the frequent introduction of new products is often a key to staying competitive
True
High employee retention also cuts the cost of operations.
True
In addition to better understanding yourself, organizational behavior can help you understand why people and groups behave the way they do in organizations.
True
In reality, we never see perfect +1.0 or -1.0 correlations when it comes to people's behavior.
True
Johnson & Johnson, Nike, and 3M are good examples of organizations whose competitive advantage is based on product innovation.
True
Mismatches between merged or acquired organizations can result in underperformance and the loss of talented employees.
True
OB is an important topic for anyone who works or who will eventually work in an organization, which means practically everyone
True
Organizational behavior skills should be applied flexibly
True
Production technology can increase work group autonomy, decision making, and responsibility.
True
Scientific management left no room for individual preferences or initiative, and was not always accepted by workers.
True
Separation, variety, and disparity summarize the three other types of within-group diversity that reflect different types of deep-level diversity.
True
Sir Francis Bacon developed the scientific method
True
Societies such as the U.S., Sweden, and Germany have small variation in the distribution of power across supervisors and employees while others such as Japan and Mexico have a large power difference.
True
Starbucks is pursuing a specialization strategy.
True
The effective management of people is key to the creation of a competitive advantage and business strategy execution.
True
The scientific method begins with theory.
True
Most ethical dilemmas in the workplace are very simple, with obvious "right" answers.
False
A _________ is a collection of verbal and symbolic assertions that specify how and why variables are related, and the conditions under which they should and should not relate. a. theory b. fact c. data set d. statistic
A
A __________ is a decision making guide that describes the highest values to which an organization aspires. a. code of ethics b. code of conduct c. book of discipline d. book of behavior
A
According to researchers, about 40% of people learn primarily through which sensory modality? a. visual b. olfactory c. gustatory d. tactual
A
An organization consists of people with ___________ assigned roles working together to achieve __________ goals. a. formally, common b. casually, individual c. formally, individual d. casually, common
A
Deming believed that removing _______ from the workplace gives employees pride in their workmanship, which increases production. a. fear b. diversity c. competition d. hierarchy
A
Deming felt that when things go wrong, there is a 94 percent chance that the ________ rather than the __________ is the cause. a. system, worker b. worker, system c. manager, employee d. employee, manager
A
During the human relations movement, what classic book described organizations as systems of cooperative human activity? a. Chester I. Barnard's Functions of the Executive b. Sigmund Freud's Psychopathology of Everyday Life c. B. F. Skinner's Walden Two d. Noam Chomsky's Syntactic Structures`
A
Firms pursuing a __________ strive to be the lowest cost producer in an industry for a particular level of product quality a. cost leadership strategy b. differentiation strategy c. specialization strategy d. evaluation strategy
A
If a company is good at engineering efficient manufacturing processes to keep production costs and customer prices low, it is likely to be pursuing which strategy? a. cost leadership b. differentiation c. specialization d. growth
A
In order to maximize person-organization fit, what company offers new customer service agents $2,000 to leave after the initial training period if the employee feels that he or she is a poor fit? a. Zappos.com b. Etsy.com c. Amazon.com d. Ebay.com
A
Most of the learning style inventory research has focused on whom? a. children b. college students c. managers d. none of these
A
Researchers have identified a lack of ______ as the prevalent attitude that reduces prosocial behavior, or acts of kindness that benefit others including sharing, cooperating, and helping. a. time b. money c. energy d. caring
A
___________ is based on the belief that productivity is maximized when organizations are rationalized with precise sets of instructions based on time-and-motion studies. a. Scientific management b. Sociological management c. Straightforward management d. Strategic management
A
The Grant Thorton 2007 Corporate Responsibility Survey reported the four greatest obstacles to successful execution of corporate responsibility programs. Which of the following was NOT one of them? a. a focus on long-term goals b. the cost of implementation c. difficulty measuring return on investment d. a non-supportive corporate culture
A
The concept of Machiavellianism is based on what publication? a. The Prince b. The Frog Prince c. The Little Prince d. The Princess and the Pea
A
The motto of a/an ___________ is "ready, aim, aim," whereas the motto of a/an ____________ is "ready, fire, aim." a. introvert, extravert b. extravert, introvert c. bully, supervisor d. supervisor, bully
A
Wanting to reduce our fear of failure _______ our interest in pursuing achievement-related goals or _______ our intent to quit challenging tasks quickly if success is not immediate. a. decreases, increases b. increases, decreases c. changes, does not change d. does not change, changes
A
What company's credo clearly spells out these values: customer well-being, employee well-being, community well-being, and shareholder well-being, in that order? a. Johnson & Johnson b. Dove c. Neutrogena d. Burt's Bees
A
What has long urged shoppers to bring their own bags to promote recycling? a. Trader Joe's b. Kroger c. Winn Dixie d. Harris Teeter
A
What term refers to the degree to which an employee adds something that is missing in the organization or workgroup by being different from the others? a. complementary fit b. supplementary fit c. oppositional fit d. confrontational fit
A
What type of fit is most related to previous work experience? a. person-job fit b. person-group fit c. person-organization fit d. person-vocation fit
A
What type of learners are most likely to need to use practical situations in order to understand abstract topics? a. observational learners b. discovery learners c. group learners d. structured learners
A
Which dimension of John Holland's vocational model includes characteristics like building, practical, hands-on, tool-oriented, and physical? a. realistic b. investigative c. artistic d. social
A
Which managerial function involves setting goals, establishing a strategy to pursue those goals, and forecasting future threats and opportunities that might influence the company's needs and strategies? a. planning b. organizing c. leading d. controlling
A
Which of the following terms is used to refer to separation based on the existence and strength of subgroups due to the composition and alignments of different group member characteristics? a. faultlines b. party lines c. lines of prejudice d. barrier lines
A
Which of the following terms refers to a change in the way groups integrate information and reconcile different perspectives? a. information processing b. perspective shifting c. strategy evaluation d. goal orientation
A
Which personality inventory is based on Carl Jung's work on psychological types? a. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) b. Personal Globe Inventory (PGI) c. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) d. Self-Directed Search (SDS)
A
Which sensory modality is MOST important to learning? a. visual b. tactile c. kinesthetic d. auditory
A
Which term refers to the capacity to rapidly and fluidly acquire, process, and apply information? a. general mental ability b. information processing capacity c. verbal ability d. emotional intelligence
A
Which two of the "Big Five" personality dimensions have the strongest and most consistently positive relationship with performance motivation? a. emotional stability and conscientiousness b. agreeableness and openness to experience c. conscientiousness and agreeableness d. extroversion and emotional stability
A
Who created the Attraction-Selection-Attrition framework? a. Ben Schenider b. Ben Stein c. Ben Franklin d. Ben Savage
A
Who developed a learning style orientation measure to address some of the limitations of the Kolb inventory? a. Towler and Dipboye b. Tazwell and Bonner c. Flower and Lipboys d. Maxwell and Trotter
A
_____ means differences in the concentration of valuable social assets or resources—dissimilarity in rank, pay, decision-making authority, or status, for example. a. Disparity b. Variety c. Token d. Separation
A
__________ learning is related to preferences for action and interactional learning. a. Group b. Discovery c. Experiential d. Observational
A
Diversity metrics allow companies to monitor their progress and to define their priorities for future action.
False
A ________ is anything that gives a firm an edge over rivals in attracting customers and defending itself against competition. a. cultural privilege b. competitive advantage c. business bias d. personal talent
B
A ___________ specifies expected and prohibited actions in the workplace, and gives examples of appropriate behavior. a. code of ethics b. code of conduct c. book of discipline d. book of behavior
B
According to General Electric CEO Jack Welch what is the source of productivity? a. highly intelligent leaders b. challenged, empowered, excited, rewarded teams of people c. well-organized policy manuals d. law enforcement
B
Deming's ______________ cycle of continuous improvement promoted the adoption of 14 principles to make any organization efficient and capable of solving almost any problem. a. plan-check-act-do b. plan-do-check-act c. act-do-check-plan d. act-plan-check-do
B
Diversity is much more than ____ and can reflect combinations of characteristics rather than a single attribute. a. appearance b. demographics c. gender d. attitudes
B
Greater diversity is related to _____ social integration in work groups, which _____ turnover. a. more, decreases b. less, increases c. more, increases d. less, decreases
B
If a company creates and maintains a culture that encourages employees to bring new ideas into the company, it is most likely to be using what strategy? a. cost leadership b. differentiation c. growth d. specialization
B
Linking part of each business unit's bonus pool specifically to diversity goals helped financial firm ING raise the proportion of its top-management positions around the world held by women by ________ percent over four years. a. 95 b. 25 c. 50 d. 5
B
Most service-quality experts say that ______ is the most critical element in building a customer-oriented company. a. hard work b. talent c. group cohesion d. extraversion
B
Race and gender are to relationship conflict as tenure and education level are to ______. a. role conflict b. task conflict c. social conflict d. executive conflict
B
Someone who is ____________ takes what he or she wants, lies to get ahead, and lacks both a conscience and a capacity for empathy. a. controlling b. antisocial c. histrionic d. avoidant
B
Standards of behavior about how people ought to act in different situations are called _________. a. laws b. ethics c. principles d. mores
B
Diversity training and diversity education need to communicate that bias is not a part of being human.
False
Which of the following is NOT one of the seven universal emotions? a. joy b. confusion c. fear d. surprise
B
Who is credited with having developed the scientific method? a. Sir Walter Raleigh b. Sir Francis Bacon c. Sir Isaac Newton d. Sir Elton John
B
Who theorized that there are a number of distinct forms of intelligence that each individual possesses in varying degrees? a. Stanford b. Gardner c. Wechsler d. Kaufman
B
Who was the first psychologist to examine the concept of personality traits? a. Paul T. Costa, Jr. b. Gordon W. Allport c. Robert R. McCrae d. Isabel Briggs Myers
B
__________ is a statistical technique used to combine the results of many different research studies done in a variety of organizations and for a variety of jobs. a. Path analysis b. Meta-analysis c. Regression d. Analysis of variance
B
____________ people are detail oriented and want facts. a. Intuitive b. Sensing c. Extraverted d. Introverted
B
The organizational behavior skills in your metaphorical "toolkit" should be applied _____________. a. rigidly b. flexibly c. randomly d. none of these
B. Flexibly
A specialization strategy can be successful if __________________. a. it results in lower costs than competitors serving the same niche b. it results in an ability to offer customers something other competitors do not c. either of these d. neither of these
C
A/an ___________ locus of control is related to passivity and learned helplessness and a/an __________ locus of control has been positively related to confidence in one's ability to successfully perform tasks. a. positive, negative b. negative, positive c. external, internal d. internal, external
C
According to Michael Porter, to have a competitive advantage a company must ultimately be able to give customers _______________. a. the best possible product b. the best customer service c. superior value for their money d. everything they want
C
Although Costco pays its employees substantially more than its closest competitor, Sam's Club, it has similar financial returns on its labor costs due to which of the following? a. lower turnover b. higher levels of employee productivity c. both of these d. neither of these
C
Although many managers view diversity as a benefit to their companies, researchers are more divided on the effects diversity has on _________. a. sales b. customer perspectives c. workgroup performance d. individual performance
C
Business strategies are ___________. a. planned b. reactive c. both d. neither
C
Emotional Intelligence has been found to be ____________ personality dimensions. a. related to b. distinct from c. both of these d. neither of these
C
Human resource outsourcing firm Hewitt Associates' Cross-Cultural Learning Partners Program paired the _______ and each of his direct reports with _______ in order to better learn about reciprocal mentoring. a. janitor, secretaries b. top manager, the CEO c. CEO, diverse associates d. oldest employee, youngest employee
C
In the Diversity at Johnson & Johnson case study, which of the following is NOT part of J&J's online Diversity University? a. diversity-related resources b. classes that introduce the concepts c. video conferencing with fellow employees d. cultural awareness training tools featuring country-specific content
C
Individuals with a high ______________ believe they can improve their skills and abilities. a. self-efficacy b. performance goal orientation c. learning goal orientation d. none of these
C
Organizational members who are responsible for the attainment of organizational goals by planning, organizing, leading, and controlling the efforts of others in the organization are called __________. a. executives b. coordinators c. managers d. bosses
C
To promote awareness and empathy, MetLife implemented which type of program? a. a round table event where employees engaged in open discussion b. a company retreat to build better relationships c. a "diversity live" series using professional actors d. a company picnic where employees played games
C
When starting a company, what sequence of steps should a person take? a. organize, plan, control, lead b. organize, plan, lead, control c. plan, organize, lead, control d. plan, organize, control, lead
C
Which managerial function involves directing and coordinating the work of others, influencing and motivating others, maintaining morale, and resolving individual and group conflicts? a. planning b. organizing c. leading d. controlling
C
Which of the following increase(s) with age? a. knowledge b. conscientiousness c. both of these d. neither of these
C
Which of the following is an example of relationship conflict? a. a disagreement about how to delegate tasks to a work group b. a disagreement about the ultimate goal of a project c. a verbal attack on one employee's personal motives d. a dispute regarding the interpretation of the policy manual
C
_______ allows monetary damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination. a. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 b. Title V of the Civil Rights Act of 1954 c. The Civil Rights Act of 1991 d. The Emancipation Proclamation
C
____________ tend to focus on the logical soundness and preciseness of ideas, rather than the ideas' practical values; they tend to work in research and planning units. a. Convergers b. Divergers c. Assimilators d. Accomodators
C
In the future global workforce, there should be a surplus in talent due to larger diversity.
False
A recent survey of 1,121 managers and human resources experts from around the world investigated the top reasons why employees break the rules. Each participant was asked, "What are the top three factors that are most likely to cause people to compromise an organization's ethical standards?" Which factor was listed most often? a. desire to steal from or harm the organization b. lack of consequence if caught c. wanting to help the organization survive d. pressure to meet unrealistic business objectives/deadlines
D
According to Michael Porter, businesses can compete successfully by doing which of the following? a. being the cheapest producer b. making unique products valued by consumers c. applying their expertise in a narrow market segment to meet that segment's particular product or service needs d. any of these
D
An understanding of OB can help organizations to prevent which of the following problems? a. unhappy employees b. weak leadership c. lack of direction d. all of these
D
By listening to employees, recognizing their work, building trust, and behaving ethically, managers have boosted such performance measures as _________. a. operating earnings b. return on investments c. stock price d. all of these
D
Diverse groups are _____ able to provide for all of their members' needs and tend to have _____ integration and communication than do homogenous groups. a. more, more b. more, less c. less, more d. less, less
D
Having more women in top management positively affects the performance of firms pursuing a/an _____ strategy. a. diverse b. competitive advantage c. winning d. innovation
D
If you thought you were different from other people at work because of a lower pay rate, you would have the diversity perspective of _________. a. attitudinal diversity b. deep-level diversity c. surface-level diversity d. relational demography
D
Investing now in developing your OB skills will do which of the following? a. prepare you to be a more effective employee b. prepare you to be a more effective manager c. help you to move up faster in any organization d. all of these
D
Maximizing the efficiency of the manufacturing or product development process to minimize costs is referred to as _________. a. managerial skill b. business superiority c. maintenance strategy d. operational excellence
D
Most operationally excellent firms require managers to hire and train employees with which of the following characteristics? a. flexible b. able to focus on shorter-term objectives c. concerned about minimizing production costs d. all of these
D
Research has found that group _______ is better than ________ in terms of affecting positive work-related behavior and attitudes. a. competitiveness, cooperativeness b. cooperativeness, competitiveness c. heterogeneity, homogeneity d. homogeneity, heterogeneity
D
Researchers at Sysco found a positive relationship between associate satisfaction and commitment and the satisfaction of ______________. a. customers b. shareholders c. suppliers d. all of these
D
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a dramatic increase in workers ____ during the next decade. a. age 20-30 b. age 30-40 c. age 40-50 d. age 65 and older
D
The study of organizational behavior can help us to answer which of the following questions? a. What is the role of politics at work? b. What steps can I take to effectively manage my career? c. What are the positive and negative effects of stress at work? d. all of these
D
The study of organizational behavior can help us to answer which of the following questions? a. Why are emotions important at work? b. Is there one best way to lead? c. Why are some teams more effective than others? d. all of these
D
What characteristics give Costco a competitive advantage? a. a strong and loyal customer base b. access to a broad range of high quality products for low prices c. committed employees d. all of these
D
What is explained by the field of organizational behavior? a. individual motivation b. team dynamics c. organizational structure d. all of these
D
What letter is used to refer to a correlation? a. f b. p c. n d. r
D
What nickname was given to Mary Parker Follett? a. proponent of management b. practitioner of management c. professor or management d. prophet of management
D
What term refers to employer and employee expectations of the employment relationship, including mutual obligations, values, expectations and aspirations that operate over and above the formal contract of employment? a. informed consent b. emotional contract c. intelligent contract d. psychological contract
D
Which managerial function involves monitoring performance to ensure that it is consistent with quality and quantity standards? a. planning b. organizing c. leading d. controlling
D
Which of the following is NOT one of the five dimensions of emotional intelligence? a. self-awareness b. self-motivation c. self-management d. self-interest
D
Which of the following is a hypothesis? a. I wonder if there is a relationship between goal-setting and productivity. b. A researcher found a .8 correlation between goal-setting and productivity. c. Personally, I am more productive when I set goals. d. Setting a goal will be positively related to the number of products assembled.
D
Which of the following is/are part of business strategy? a. strategies of different functional areas in the firm b. how changing industry conditions will be addressed c. how the firm will address the range of choices it faces d. all of these
D
Which of the following was a primary goal of the Global Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness (GLOBE) Research Program? a. to determine which cultures have the most effective leaders b. to figure out why different cultural groups have different ideas about effective leadership c. to teach people from different cultures how to be effective leaders d. to develop societal and organizational measures of culture and leader attributes that are appropriate to use across all cultures
D
Which of these could be a source (or sources) of competitive advantage? a. distribution b. speed c. convenience d. all of these
D
_____ reflects dissimilarity in an attitude or value, for example, especially with regards to group goals or processes. a. Disparity b. Variety c. Token d. Separation
D
Because they are so complex, mental ability tests cannot be computerized.
F
Carl Jung always intended for his work to be applied to a personality inventory.
F
Convergers tend to organize concrete situations from different perspectives and structure their relationships into a meaningful whole.
F
Divergers depend primarily on active experimentation and abstract conceptualization to learn.
F
In French employment relationships, psychological contracts are based more on agreement than on conflict.
F
Person-organization fit has a strong, positive relationship with meeting job requirements.
F
Personality does not change with age.
F
Supplementary fit is the degree to which an employee adds something that is missing in the organization or workgroup by being different from the others.
F
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is highly reliable.
F
There is a lot of evidence that well-developed tests predict job or training success better for members of majority groups.
F
A code of ethics specifies expected and prohibited actions in the workplace, and gives examples of appropriate behavior
False
A correlation is an answer to a simple yes or no question.
False
All organizations are able to create a competitive advantage
False
Americans probably have a less parochial perspective than people from other cultures
False
An independent variable is a criterion
False
An understanding of OB makes workers technically better in their area of specialty.
False
Correlations must be positive
False
Assimilators tend to be more concerned about abstract concepts and ideas than about people.
T
Being singled out for high performance is seen as undesirable by workers in societies including Australia, Japan, and the Netherlands
T
A better product that is worth a premium price or a good product at a lower price can both be a source of competitive advantage.
True
A correlation of 0 indicates no relationship between the two variables.
True
A dependent variable is a criterion
True
A mounting body of evidence shows that an emphasis on the softer side of business positively influences bottom line results.
True
A single group member's similarities and differences from other group members is called relational demography.
True
