Business Foundations: Chapter 10

At Google, teams of workers make their own job assignments, create cross-functional teams, plan their work, and control their material and inventory needs. This is an example of job

enrichment.

Followers of Theory Y support all of the following assumptions except

managers must coerce and control workers to achieve organizational goals.

Holly gets paid a salary plus a commission for her sales of her company's product. In addition, if the company reaches a predetermined level of sales, she will receive profit-sharing. She has exceeded her sales goals and the company is near its profit-sharing point. Holly is ___ to sell and her ___ is high.

motivated; morale

According to Herzberg, managers should focus on ___ factors to produce employees who are dedicated for the long-term.

motivation

The Nike motto, "Just do it," most closely relates to the ___ level of needs.

self-actualization

The employee's desire to become the best there is concerns the employee's need for __ fulfillment.

self-actualization

Telecommuting can be especially beneficial to the disabled, working parents, and employees taking care of elderly or disabled family members and _____ percent of the US workforce are classified as telecommuters.

2.8%

Peter was hired to work six hours a day for five days a week and is able to complete all of his responsibilities within the time allotted. Peter is engaged in

a part-time work

Google managers operated on Theory Y because the workers are

highly motivated

All of the following are true about Vroom's expectancy theory except

it is easy to apply

____ is a systematic program of reinforcement to encourage desirable behavior.

Behavior modification

Herbert has attempted to institute job enrichment programs in his company but they seem to be failing. What must happen first for the programs to benefit the company?

Employees must show interest in taking on other tasks.

Melanie, a manager at a contemporary business, wants employees to have more control over their work. She should implement either

MBO or job enrichment.

____ describes an employee's attitude toward his or her job, supervisors, and the firm itself.

Morale

TLC Inc. has its own network site where employees can post pictures, personal notes, accomplishments, and network with employees in other offices and other countries. When employees use this site, what needs are they meeting?

Socail

____ is a work slowdown instituted by the employees to achieve a purpose beneficial to them.

Soldiering

Carlos has set up a rewards system using play money and a rewards chart. Employees who reach predetermined goals are issued the money to purchase items on the rewards chart or to accumulate to purchase higher valued rewards such as a week-long all-expense paid trip to Cancun, the Caribbean, or Vancouver, British Columbia. Carlos believes that his employees' motivation is based on how much they want something and on how likely they think they are to get it. He is using

Vroom's expectancy theory.

Allen has a garment jobbing business. He pays his employees based on the number of pieces they complete in an hour. Allen is using

a piece-rate system.

Every few days Dilbert Doogood, a manager at Something Big Productions, sends a maintenance worker into the office to move the plastic plants around and make new arrangements of them. When the man leaves, productivity increases in alignment with Hawthorne's experiments with lighting that showed

a sense of involvement affects production.

John works for accounting, Nancy works for legal, Marianne works in marketing, and David works in the technology development department of a large technology firm. They have been brought together to determine the best way to market and sell the company's new product. These individuals are part of a ___ team.

cross-functional

McGregor's Theory X submits that managers assume employees

dislike work and need to be controlled

With the exception of administrative personnel, employees at AJ's Engineering can work any hours they choose as long as they work 40 hours from Monday through Saturday and between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. This plan is called

flextime

Tony is sales manager for his region. He meets with each of his agents every quarter to review sales, set strategies for the coming quarter, and establish expected accomplishments for the coming year. These actions rely on

goal-setting theory.

People are motivated by ___ according to the equity theory.

receiving a reward commensurate with their performance,

By providing medical, dental, vision, and retirement benefits to employees, Microsoft is probably satisfying which level of need?

saftey

Which of the following is not an example of Herzberg's motivation factors?

working conditions

___ focused on determining how the work environment affects productivity.

The Hawthorne studies

Harry's girlfriend does things that his roommate, Tim, does not like. In order to retrain Harry's girlfriend, Tim gives her a candy every time she does what he tells her to do. Which theory does Tim utilize?

Reinforcement theory

____ is the systematic use of reinforcement to encourage desirable organizational behavior.

Behavioral modification

Philomena works at Very Large, Inc., an international conglomerate with offices in ten different countries. Recently the company had a problem with a new computer chip it had developed. The company outlined the problem in a post in the company's on-line newsletter where employees could read about it and volunteer to join the team to solve it. The manager of computer chip department read through the names and qualifications of the volunteers then formed a team. The team was comprised of individuals from throughout the world and, once formed, took over the management role by assigning tasks from within, doing progress assessments and employee critiques. Teams of this nature are formed only to solve individual problems and once the problem is solved they are disbanded. Which of the following would not be a label you would give to this team?

Cross-functional team

Starbucks hires many part-time employees but provides benefits for employees who have been with the company for a pre-determined length of time. Arianna was hired as a barista. She did not understand all of the initial hiring documents she received when she started working, but when she received her tax documents at the end of the year, she noticed that she had been given stock options which would permit her to buy the company stock at a reduced rate. Which of the following motivational techniques is the company using?

Employee ownership

___ is a situation in which employees own the company they work for by virtue of being stockholders.

Employee ownership

Con Crete Company is trying a new method to motivate employees. At the beginning of the year the company began a stepped in-processing program. During the first year of employment, entry-level employees are mentored by their supervisor during bi-weekly meetings that give them the opportunity to ask questions. The supervisor shows the employee how his or her work contributes to the goals of the organization. At the end of the first year, they are given new tasks to do that are related to, but not the same as, the tasks they already perform, because of the close supervision and mentoring they received the first year, they are expected to be able to accomplish the new tasks without supervision but may ask for coaching if they feel it is needed to perform well. What type of motivation technique is Con Crete Company using?

Job enrichment

___ developed the hierarchy of human needs.

Maslow

___ factors in the workplace act as satisfiers.

Motivation

Perez and Hezron are commissioned textbook salesmen representing their publisher throughout Illinois. Perez has a wife and two children and is the sole provider for his family. His daughter was just diagnosed with cancer and he needs greater income to cover her medical bills. Hezron just graduated from high school and will attend an ivy league college in the fall. He has college and housing bills to pay, but has several scholarships and grants which substantially reduce the cost of his education. He would like to save money for grad school. Perez arrives at the publisher's sales office every morning before it opens and spends the day out making calls on professors. He does not leave until the college offices he is to visit that day close. He grows anxious if he only gets an agreement for one new account a day. Hezron arrives when the office opens and stops soliciting sales eight hours later. If he only secures two contracts a month, he is not concerned. The sales office area director said Perez is more motivated than Hezron. Which of the following best defines the area director's comment?

Motivation is the internal process that energizes, directs, and sustains behavior.

Lazarus was asked to join a team with Jacquelin, Alondra, Mateusz, and Mindy to resolve a product packaging issue their company was having. Lazarus took an instant dislike to Alondra because she was boisterous and did not seem to take things seriously. Because Alondra seemed to be friends with Mateusz, Mindy avoided her. After the team had been together for about a week, they had a loud argument that resulted in the members expressing the pros and cons they saw with working with each of the other members. Mindy discovered that she was not liked because she refused to take a stand and say what she meant. After the argument, the group unofficially made Jacquelin leader because she was even-tempered and they all respected her. With the appointment of Jacquelin as leader, the group began working in earnest on the problem because they finally understood what their roles were on the team. At what point in the team formation process was the team at the end of this scenario?

Norming

Rachel is leaving for maternity leave. Upon her return to work she does not want to work full-time. Her employer has given her a choice between part-time and job sharing. What is the difference between these two arrangements?

Part-time jobs can be done in less than full-time; however, in job-sharing, a full-time job is created from two part-time employees.

Zappos main office has an area where tired employees can go to sleep if needed. Which level of need is sleep most related to?

Physiological

____ is the most difficult need to satisfy.

Self-actualization

____ is the name given to working from home all the time or for a portion of the work week.

Telecommuting

Bill, a supervisor at a grocery store, continually monitors employees' performance and often goes into the stock room to make sure they are working. He reprimands employees who talk to one another while working the registers, even if no customers are present, and surveys the breakroom to ensure employees do not take longer breaks than allotted. Bill most likely uses ___ assumptions when dealing with employees.

Theory X

Kevin is a manager of an auto parts store. To motivate employees to work, he warns them often about losing their jobs. Kevin's actions indicate that his assumptions about employees reflect ___ concepts.

Theory X

Carrie is the director of personnel for the technology development department for a large company. She wants to institute an MBO system nationwide. She should begin by

ensuring that top management endorses and participates in MBO.

An instructor who provides a rubric for grading all assignments and provides detailed instructions for what will be required to obtain extra credit would be using

equity theory.

Gary's Corp. has undergone an extensive job redesign for all positions within the company. This type of ___ restructuring has been undertaken to create a better worker-job match.

job enrichment

Fred's business separates the computer repair technicians from the customer service personnel. After repeated returns of computers from customers with complaints, Fred decided to combine the customer service and repair functions to improve customer-technician communications and motivate employees to improve the quality of their service. This motivational technique is called

job redesign.

Harry's Autos used to have three full-time employees, but one employee, Peter, had family issues that required him to be home in the afternoon. Now Peter works from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Paul works from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Both are working on the exact same tasks. This is an example of

job sharing.

Miss Maple has a reward chart in her first grade classroom. Each time a child completes one of the required activities on the chart, she puts a gold sticker on the chart by the child's name. When a child has 30 stickers, he or she can choose a prize from the prize box. This teacher is practicing

positive reinforcement.

James is the manager of an office. In the afternoon, the office workers start playing music which escalates into dancing by quitting time. James realizes that this activity is decreasing productivity and would like it to stop, but has not determined the best way to do so. According to researchers, the most effective form of reinforcement is __ and by ___, the activities can be terminated.

positive; encouraging proper behavior

After Todd cost the company where he was employed $30,000 in wasted materials because he did not follow instructions even after initially having the procedures shown to him, receiving training, being reminded of the proper procedures several times, and additional feedback, he was demoted. This action indicates the use of

punishment

Everett is part of a highly skilled scientific research team working to find a cure for diabetes. His team establishes its own budget, purchases supplies, conducts performance reviews within its own ranks, and takes corrective action as needed. The team has found that by keeping management within its ranks, it can more quickly adapt to needs within the group and the changes demanded by the work they are performing. Everett is part of a ___ team.

self-managed

Some of the benefits of ____ for the employer is that he or she has the benefit of the full-time employee's contribution to achieving the goals of the organization while saving on real estate and travel expenses, and the employer has access to larger labor pools.

telecommuting

Caren works for an American firm that emphasizes short-term employment, individual decision making and responsibility, rapid evaluation and promotion, explicit control, and specialized career paths. Her firm is most likely a ___ firm.

type A

Deborah works for Hewlett-Packard, an organization that emphasizes long-term employment, collective decision making, individual responsibility for the outcomes of decisions, and moderately specialized career paths. Hewlett-Packard is most likely a ___ firm.

type Z

____ is the definition of scientific management, which was researched by Frederick W. Taylor.

"The application of scientific principles to the management of work and workers"

___ advanced the concepts of Theory X and Theory Y.

Douglas McGregor

Digital Devices will promote an employee to a vice president of sales. Employees who seek the promotion must call the current vice president of sales' office for an appointment. At the appointment, the employee must provide a timed sales demonstration and answer questions before a panel of six executives. If an employee passes the first part of the interview process, they are passed on to the second phase which requires making cold calls on assigned contacts and trying to sell them the company's services. If the employee passes this portion of the process, he or she undergoes phone interviews by three of the company's executives in other cities. Each portion of the interview process is scored and the employee with the highest score receives the promotion. Monique called the vice president of sales' office and scheduled an appointment. She prepared the demonstration, and studied the most asked interview questions, but was not sure she really wanted the position because it involved a lot of travel and she did not like to travel. Arvid prepared the presentation, studied the most-asked interview questions, and practiced his presentation and answers until he had them memorized and could present them smoothly. He really liked to travel and looked forward to the higher pay. The thought of being able to travel for free made the job even more desirable to him. He feels confident he can get the promotion and excel at it. Which of the following theories explains why it is most likely Arvid will be granted the promotion instead of Monique?

Expectancy theory

Cloie's Ceramics embarked on a plan to make its ceramics staff happy with their jobs. Cloie had more sinks installed and subscribed to a towel service so employees could use terrycloth towels to dry on after washing their hands. She purchased a hypoallergenic hand lotion and had containers of it available at each wash station. She also had the refrigerator stocked with cold drinks and treats. At the beginning of the year three employees reported they were satisfied with the work environment as it was, the remaining ten employees were dissatisfied. By the end of the year she found that four employees reported they were satisfied with the work environment, two employees were dissatisfied and the remaining seven were not dissatisfied. She was puzzled by these results because she thought employees should be satisfied or dissatisfied and asked you for input. You explained that she has stumbled upon the same results of a famous motivational researcher. Which of the following researchers presented a theory of motivation based on satisfaction and dissatisfaction?

Herzberg

____ developed the motivation-hygiene theory.

Herzberg

___ are equal to salary motivation according to the Hawthorne studies.

Human factors

Gwendolyn works in the marketing department for a women's magazine. Her employer believes that employees should have regular breaks in their work to stay focused but expects them to return to work immediately afterwards. In spite of tight deadlines and brutal competition, her manager likes to inject fun into the workplace and one time distributed toy guns that shot soft sponges to everyone. When he blew his whistle, the office erupted into a play war zone. All employees are paid well and recognized for their contributions to the company. Gwendolyn looks forward to going to work each day because of the sense of camaraderie and fun she finds there. Angie works in the marketing department for a women's fashion magazine. She is paid more than Gwendolyn, receives a better benefit package, is permitted to set her own schedule, and can form workgroups with other employees that are managed from within the group to complete projects, but the company expects employees to dedicate all paid time exclusively to work. All employees at Angie's company are well-paid and recognized for their contributions to the company. Angie enjoys her work but the intense pressure to perform prevents her from looking forward to going to work every day. When asked about the unique approach to work, Gwendolyn's manager said that she had discovered that a little fun relieved stress, brought the workforce together, and periodic "wars" or competitions tended to alleviate personal animosities and helped employees work well together. When Angie's manager was asked about his approach to work, he said he has no need to entertain his employees because they are paid well for their work. He added that they are given rewards and freedoms that break up the boredom of doing the same task each day. When comparing Gwendolyn's attitude towards work to Angie's, what is the primary difference?

Moale

____ embraces the idea that satisfaction and dissatisfaction are distinct dimensions.

The motivation-hygiene theory

At Zappos, employees are informed of the company's values and goals and work to be done, and then permitted to accomplish their tasks without interference from management but with help given whenever needed. Zappos follows a ___ concept of employee motivation.

Theory Y

Hewlett-Packard forms employees into units and permits them to set unit goals and means of attaining them so they will accomplish the overall goals of the company. It also permits the units to determine what personal rewards will be given for reaching the goals. By doing this, Hewlett-Packard is applying

Theory Y

Harold, age 65, has worked for the same accounting firm since he finished college and passed his CPA exam. When the firm has a decision to make regarding accepting a new large business as a client, the decision is made collectively by all of the firm accountants and responsibility is shared collectively. Evaluations and promotions are slow, management has implied control, and there is no specialized career path other than providing high-quality accounting services. This firm is most likely a ___ firm.

Type J

The Hawthorne studies concluded that

employees' motivation to work is influenced by human factors.

Giving employees greater involvement in their jobs and the organization's operations by permitting employees to have greater involvement in decision making is known as

empowerment

Martha applied for one of two openings for secretary to the CEO at Upward Upward, Inc. In addition to the job description and requirements, the job posting said the starting salary would be between $60,000 and $70,000 depending on skills, education, and experience. The job called for a minimum of six years of experience, a high school diploma (but preferably a bachelor's degree in business or accounting), proven ability to use a wide variety of office equipment, a typing speed of 65 words per minute, and proven proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Martha was employed as secretary to the CEO at a different company for seven years, she had an MBA, and taught the entire Microsoft Office Suite at a college in addition to using it on the job. She used Microsoft Publisher to create the company newsletter. Maria applied for the same job as Martha. She had a bachelor's degree in accounting, four years of experience as a receptionist, used Word and Excel and was vaguely familiar with Outlook. The company hired Martha at $61,000 per year and Maria at $69,000. Martha was outraged when she discovered the discrepancy in their pay. Which of the following theories addresses the reasons for Martha's reaction?

equity theory

The fire department gives awards once a year to employees who devise new ways to make the department work more efficiently and capable of responding to calls more rapidly. When employees receive awards the ___ need is filled.

esteem

Google, Zappos, and other tech companies strive to keep their employees happy and satisfied as a means of ensuring they will perform better. This philosophy, borne of the Hawthorne studies, gave rise to the __ movement.

human relations

Craig would like to employ a motivational technique that involves expanding a worker's assignments to include additional but similar tasks. To do this he should use

job enlargement.

Phillip likes to use MBO to manage his business. MBO stands for

management by objective.

An employer's emphasis on achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement, and growth would be emphasizing

motivation factors.

Whenever Jane, a trainee at QRT Corp., answers the telephone improperly, her supervisor looks at her, raises one of his eyebrows, and frowns slightly. After receiving five of these looks one morning, Jane no longer answered the telephone improperly. Her supervisor was using ___ to eliminate the undesirable activity.

negative reinforcement

GHI Corp. has employees forming teams. The role of each person within the team will become apparent during the ___ stage of team development.

norming

Empowerment means making employees more involved in their jobs and in the operations of the organization by increasing their _________.

participation in decision making

Jenny's Glass Shop sells handmade glass objects produced by her employees. She pays the employees a set amount for each piece they produce regardless of the amount of time it takes. She pays them on a

piece-rate system

Andre is a hinge salesman. When Andre gains a new hardware store as a client, he receives a commission on the sales to the store for the next year. These commissions lead Andre to work harder to obtain more new accounts. For Andre, the commissions are

positive reinforcement.

Large non-profit hospitals have a donors' wall where they list donors in categories based on the amount of money they have contributed to the hospital. Each year many of the hospitals hold galas and give plaques and recognition to the donors to encourage them to continue giving. This is an example of

positive reinforcement.

Teri has temporarily brought together knowledgeable employees from different part of the organization to form a team to solve a specific problem. Teri has formed a

problem-solving team.

At the end of each day, Javier gives his work crews movie tickets, gift coupons for dinner for two at nice restaurants, and other items when they complete a job early and exceed the expectations of the business owners for the quality of work performed. Javier is using ___ behavior.

reinforcement

Walmart holds morning meetings which gather all employees together briefly. During the meeting the manager acknowledges employees who excelled in their work the previous day. This daily praise session is based on the theory that rewarded behavior is likely to be repeated and that punished behavior is less likely to recur, and is called the

reinforcement theory.

One of Herzberg's motivation factors is

responsibility.

Banks in Sun City, a retirement community, were robbed regularly one year. In response, the banks added additional security devices, double entries that required people entering to open and then close one door entirely before opening the second door, and security guards. In spite of this, while the security guard stood at the entrance to one of the banks, robbers entered the other door and held up the bank and its customers. The bank employees have indicated that they feel uneasy on the job. The bank may find that the employees' and customers' ___ needs must now be met.

saftey

Mary just started a new job and already feels a strong sense of belonging, which is characteristic of the __ need level.

social

rnestine manages a bistro for a large restaurateur. David manages a bistro for the same restaurateur five miles from Ernestine's shop. Moonrise manages a bistro for the same restaurateur five miles from David's shop. All of their employees are paid the same and have the same benefit packages. Ernestine is very involved in the community and includes her employees in fundraisers for autism awareness and providing coffee for a nonprofit string music organization's fundraisers. She also does fundraising for elimination of breast cancer. She holds potluck picnics in the park with her employees where they play team games and have relay races with prizes for the winning teams. Once an employee is hired at her store, the employee very rarely leaves unless life events require it. David is into sports and does not really get involved with his employees. He has a high employee turn-over. Moonrise loves surfing and sponsors a children's surfing tournaments. He invites employees to attend the national surfing championships and extreme sports events with him but does not hold storewide events. Moonrise has a few very faithful employees. Which of the following needs are fulfilled by Ernestine more than the other managers?

social needs

Ted is a computer programmer who works for a company that was located a ten-minute drive from his home. The company moved to another state but Ted did not want to relocate. He asked his employer if he could perform his work from home and attend meetings via Skype. Ted's employer agreed but required that Ted be available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon for conferences. Ted's employer is practicing ____ as a motivational technique.

telecommuting

Kevin worked for Tire Company for five years. His sales surpassed those of every other salesperson regardless of the shift he worked because he had excellent up-selling techniques. In spite of his efforts, he discovered that he earned far less than any of the other salespeople. Consequently, he quit and took a sales position with a competitor who paid salesmen a commission in addition to a salary. To avoid losing other top performing salespeople, Tire Company should apply

the equity theory.

Daniel, a supervisor at a manufacturing plant, instituted quality circles and encouraged subordinates to meet unit and company goals by working together and self-regulating their activities. Daniel's attitude reflects assumptions underlying

theory Y