MGT 3500 Ch.10

At the Saturn plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee, the role of the union was envisioned as: A. Largely restricted to interpreting the union contract B. A full participant in business decision-making C. Management's "puppet" D. Challenger of management's authority

B

The key goal of job control unionism is to: A. Replace management decision-making with worker control B. Increase the union's role in subjective decision-making C. Remove management subjectivity from decision-making D. Replace detailed work rules with more flexible decision making processes

C

The major criticism of the sociotechnical system in place at Saturn of Tennessee is: A. It is too complicated to administer. B. It allows unions to develop such a strong power base independent of management that companies find themselves implementing policies that are good for employees but not for the shareholder. C. This form of business partnership has the union "selling out" to management because unions that are concerned with making a profit for the company cannot fully look out for employee interests. D. Unions are not adept at offering business advice and playing a role in developing company strategy, making production decisions, etc.

C

Until the 1970s, scientific management and job control unionism proved to be fairly: A. Detrimental to the U.S. economy. B. Ineffective at stopping srikes. C. Complementary systems that operated well together. D. Effective at increasing managerial control over the workplace decisions.

C

Which of the following is not a key change in the business environment since the 1970s: A. Greater demand for high-quality goods and services B. More highly educated workers C. Greater stability in consumer tastes and preferences D. Increased sophistication of technology

C

Detailed systems of narrow job classifications and precise job descriptions are most likely to threaten: A. Employment flexibility B. Procedural flexibility C. Pay flexibility D. Functional flexibility

D

The American version of "lean production" has been called: A. Taylorism B. Cooperative management C. Quality circles D. Management by stress

D

Strategies to overcome resistance to change that are most consistent with a fostering change strategy include: A. Integrative bargaining B. Education and communication C. Participation and involvement D. Facilitation and support E. All of the above

E

Scientific management forms of work organization are being replaced with: A. Flatter, team-oriented work structures B. Protections for management rights C. Assembly line production processes D. Increased specialization of work

A

The business environment prior to 1974 was "friendly" to companies using scientific management and mass manufacturing methods because: A. U.S. manufacturers dominated the world economy. B. A large number of firms controlled most of the profits in a single industry. C. Education levels were significantly higher than they are today. D. All of the above.

A

Quality of working life programs were implemented largely to deal with problems associated with: A. Job control unionism B. Worker dissatisfaction C. Management favoritism and bias D. Poor communication between management and labor

B

Relocating to a nonunion site (e.g., in the south or in another country), by subcontracting or by working toward union decertification is a change strategy for unionized companies known as: A. Fostering B. Escape C. Forcing D. Avoiding

B

A system to protect workers against managerial abuse by dictating rewards and job allocation through detailed work rules, seniority rights, and/or a contract is known as: A. Business unionism B. Job control unionism C. An implicit psychological contract D. A collective bargaining contract

B

In the post World War II era, U. S. unions have sought: A. To gain unilateral control over managerial decisions in the workplace. B. To limit or restrict management authority over things that affect workders directly. C. To limit all managerial control, in cluding decisions on strategy and market competition D. To limit employee input into the operations of business.

B

In today's global market, U.S. companies using traditional mass manufacturing methods are: A. More efficient and highly competitive B. No longer competitive C. As competitive as other methods of production D. Rebounding and becoming more competitive again

B

Initial attempts at employee involvement programs were generally unsuccessful because: A. Employees turned out to be rather ignorant of their own jobs and how what they did fit into the "big picture" for the company B. They did not change the underlying structure of standardized, routinized work organization C. They did not change the degree of involvement employees had in decision making D. Changing working conditions to make them more humane turned out to have little to no impact on employee job satisfaction and work quality

B

Systems of mutually-supporting human resources practices that combine flexibility with employee involvement in decision making are called ____________________. A. quality circles B. high-performance work systems C. self-directed work teams D. functional employee initiatives

B

Under Section 8(a)(2) of the NLRA representation plans in which employees provide ideas to management through brainstorming and information-sharing sessions are considered legal because: A. They aren't actual "committees" B. It is clear to employees that management is just collecting information - not negotiating with them C. Management is giving employees a chance to give their input D. All of the above

B

Which of the following does not characterize the nature of competition for U.S. companies in today's economy: A. Emphasis on high quality good and services that respond quickly to changes in consumer tastes B. Capitalize on narrowly defined, routine jobs as a way to hold down labor costs so they are comparable to low wage countries C. Need for greater levels of employee involvement that can capitalize on higher education levels D. Short-term, market-driven employment relationships where the employee is more closely tied to their job/occupation than to the company they work for

B

A fostering change strategy requires all of the following except: A. Integrative bargaining over specific terms and conditions of employment B. Distributive bargaining over specific terms and conditions of employment C. Attitudinal structuring to improve the labor-management relationship D. Threats of relocation and plant closure

D

At the time scientific management was introduced to U. S. manufacturing craft unions were: A. Excited about the possibility of higher wages that would come from greater efficiency. B. Concerned about lost productivity due to such a radical change in work processes. C. Excited about having someone pay attention to what they were doing. D. Concerned about losing autonomy and dignity in their jobs.

D

High performance work practices have been linked to: A. Higher employee satisfaction B. Higher employee stress C. Higher employee commitment D. All of the above

D

Job control unionism became an acceptable model for the U.S. because it: A. Supported mass manufacturing requirements for stable production. B. Made the workplace more predictable C. Gave unions a way to challenge management decisions without resorting to strikes. D. All of the above

D

Joint industrial councils have been shown to: A. Be wholly ineffective at bringing employee voice to management decision-making. B. Weaken management's decision rights C. Create harmony between management and the employees D. Give workers voice over a broader range of issues than if they were unionized.

D

Most, sometimes all, aspects of the contract that exists between an employer and an employee is unwritten, sometimes never even explicitly discussed. Employees work hard for an employer and engage in certain actions or behaviors because they perceive that they will be rewarded (or punished), rather than because of any written rule or expectation. This unwritten contract is known as the: A. Perceptual contract B. Explicit contract C. Social contract D. Psychological contract

D

Quality circles are: A. A frequent component of continuous improvement programs. B. A way for workers to make suggestions about how to improve productivity and quality. C. Not intended to change the underlying structure of work. D. All of the above.

D

Taylorism failed in the 1970's because: A. Companies could sell massive quantities of mass produced, identical products. B. Companies could not react quickly enough to changing consumer needs. C. Simple, repetitive jobs created boredom and alienation along with mental and physical fatigue resulting in higher turnover, absenteeism, etc. D. Both b and c.

D

The key management practices that drove job control unionism included all of the following except: A. Management insistence on maintaining sole authority over traditional management practices B. Narrow job classifications C. Minimal employee input into decision making D. Restrictive systems of reward based on job seniority

D

In 1992, the NLRB issued a decision in the Electromation case that: A. Ruled employee committees formed by management for the purpose of understanding employee concerns over wages, hours, and working conditions violated Section 8(a)(2) of the NLRA. B. Established that a company appointed employee committee was not necessarily illegal just because it talked to management about wages, hours, and working conditions. C. Ruled that any employee committee formed by management was illegal because it served to keep unions out. D. All of the above.

A

Job control unionism seeks to achieve all of the following except: A. Increase employee participation and decrease managerial control B. To replace management manipulation of piece rates with wages based on job content C. To ensure promotions and layoffs are based on seniority rather than managerial judgment D. To decrease arbitrary decisions through legalistic, contractual rules

A

Management practices that routinize and standardize work, often using time and motion studies to break the job down into its smallest tasks, are known as: A. Scientific management B. Job control unionism C. Fordism D. Total quality management

A

Scientific management is typically associated with all of the following except: A. An organizational structure that is flat, with little differentiation between job levels. B. Protections for management rights. C. Assembly line production processes. D. Increased specialization of work.

A

The underlying principle of quality of working life programs was that: A. If working conditions were more humane, job satisfaction and product quality would increase B. If product quality were improved, people would feel better about their jobs C. If work life were improved, workers' lives would be better D. All of the above

A

What are some of the concerns the labor movement has for workers regarding nonunion representation plans versus unions? A. While it looks like a bilateral mechanism to employees, the formation, structure, nature, and continued existence of the plan is actually unilaterally controlled by management B. Managers can parify the workers by occasionally giving the representation plan a "victory" without truly granting the employees any power C. There is also the potential for management to convey subtle and not-so-subtle antiunion messages D. All of the above

D

Which of the following is not a characteristic of scientific management principles? A. Using time and motion studies B. Breaking jobs down into their simplest tasks C. Calculating the quickest way to complete a task D. Getting employee feedback on how best to do the job

D

____________________ procedures make it difficult to transfer and promote workers around on the basis of skills and merit. A. Union-mandated B. Management rights C. Lean production D. Seniority-based

D

In 2009, Mercury Marine, an outboard motor manufacturer, threatened to close their plant in Fond du Lac, WI and move to a nonunionized location in Oklahoma. This threat caused the union workers to vote to accept a contract with major concessions, including a 30% decrease in pay for newly hired workers and workers returning from layoff. This strategy could best be described as a: A. forcing strategy B. fostering strategy C. escape strategy D. acceptance strategy

A

__________ is a feature of job control unionism that threatens ___________________. A. Standardized wages tied to jobs; functional flexibility B. Detailed systems of narrow job classifications; employment flexibility C. Detailed, lengthy, legalistic union contracts; procedural flexibility D. Restrictive work rules; wage flexibility

C

All of the following are criticisms of scientific management principles except: A. Unnecessary training costs B. Competition between workers C. Work pace speed ups D. Alienation and boredom

A

Because the union contract at Saturn empowered teams to make numerous decisions, provisions describing __________________ were not necessary. A. Management rights B. Union rights C. Seniority rules D. Grievance procedures

A

Detailed systems of narrow job classifications that restrict employees from doing work outside their specific job description are a barrier to: A. Functional flexibility B. Procedural flexibility C. Pay flexibility D. Employment flexibility

A

Easily shifting workers into different jobs in response to changing customer demands and production needs is the goal of ____________________. A. Functional flexibility B. Flexible employment C. Pay flexibility D. Procedural flexibility

A

Flexibility in the workplace can create: A. A sense of alienation where there is no sense of connection or loyalty between the employer and employee. B. Greater competitiveness and profitability. C. A deep bond between the employee and employer. D. Both a and b

A

A corporate culture of constant change and small improvements is known as: A. Job control unionism B. Scientific management C. Continuous process improvement D. Functional specialization

C

An example of a continuous process strategy that use statistical methods to measure defects and guide continuous improvement is: A. Kaizen B. Scientific management C. Total quality management D. Reengineering

C

Changing labor utilization through varying work hours or number of employees is the goal of ____________________. A. pay flexibility B. functional flexibility C. employment flexibility D. procedural flexibility

C

In response to calls for greater pay flexibility: A. Unions have refused to budge from a seniority based pay system. B. Management has worked to stifle creativity in pay design. C. Unions have agreed to more flexible pay systems like merit, bonuses, and skill-based pay. D. The government has passed laws aimed at protecting and employers right to design pay plans without union interference.

C

Scientific management forms of work organization are being replaced with flatter, team-oriented work structures that serve ____________________ and employee involvement rather than mass manufacturing. A. union demands B. increased productivity C. flexible specialization D. extrinsic motivators

C

The ability to shift workers to different tasks and functions in response to business needs is called: A. Employment flexibility B. Pay flexibility C. Functional flexibility D. Procedural flexibility

C

The dominant paradigm of work structure in the U.S. for much of the 20th century was: A. Self-directed work teams B. Employee involvement programs C. Scientific management D. Processes from the Kaizan philosophy

C

The four types of flexibility needed by businesses include all of the following except: A. Employment flexibility B. Pay flexibility C. Community flexibility D. Procedural flexibility

C

Which of the following employee involvement mechanisms is likely to be considered illegal under Section 8(a)(2) of the NLRA? A. Ones in which employees provide ideas to management or where information-sharing sessions are held to share information with employees. B. Plans in which employees have final decision-making authority, like self-directed work teams or grievance committees. C. Plans in which employees are appointed by management to speak on behalf of all other employees in matters affecting them. D. Plans that are primarily concerned with issues of quality and productivity.

C

Work specialization increases efficiency in all of the following ways except by: A. Allowing workers to become really good at their job tasks B. Making training easier C. Keeping employees engaged and focused on their jobs D. Improving efficiency through routines and patterns

C