BUAD Exam 1 Practice Questions
________________ commitment is defined as the degree to which an employee feels positive emotional attachment to the organization and strong identification with its values and goals.
Affective
Which of the following distinguishes an informal group from a formal group?
An informal group is formed by its members
Which of the following is the core strength of problem-solving teams?
As employees, team members usually know the job best.
What psychologist's work laid the foundation for the study of behavior modification?
B.F. Skinner
___________ refers to exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration.
Burnout
__________ is NOT one of the seven universal emotions.
Confusion (The seven universal emotions are joy, sadness, fear, surprise, anger, contempt, and disgust.)
Which of the following is not one of the five basic group performance factors?
Cooperation
Which of the following enumerates one reason why service organizations have different hiring standards from manufacturing organizations?
Employees who manufacture goods don't usually interact with customers.
__________ is the act of persisting with a failing course of action.
Escalation of commitment
A functional team is a team with members from different departments or function areas.
False
A solution to a problem that borrows components from a solution to a different problem is not creative.
False
According to the expectancy theory of motivation, a negative sum of valences will encourage motivated behavior regardless of other factors.
False
Attitudes are more stable than personality attributes.
False
Diversity is considered an important element of the modern workplace; however, there is little practical benefit to be gained by actively promoting it.
False
Employees who are expected to work unusual and demanding schedules are usually satisfied receiving additional time off and do not require higher pay.
False
Employment in the service sector is expected to decline in the near future.
False
Ethical behavior is not as profitable as unethical behavior, but it has other advantages.
False
Globalization is a new phenomenon.
False
Herzberg's dual-structure theory suggests that the feelings of satisfaction and dissatisfaction that workers experience are derived from the same set of factors.
False
How an organization treats its employees is not an ethical issue.
False
In the early stages of the learning process, fixed-ratio reinforcement is particularly effective for promoting desirable behaviors.
False
Informal leadership is always an asset to teams in organizations.
False
Managers should have sole responsibility for evaluating employees since studies have shown that employees are not capable of evaluating their own performance.
False
Managers who want to raise the level of job performance from their employees find that motivation is easier to manage than ability or environment.
False
Most firms have found that tying direct compensation to the amount of time an employee has spent with an organization is the most effective way to maintain a high level of motivation.
False
Organization-level outcomes, including productivity, absenteeism and turnover, and profitability, are assessed at the individual level as well as at the organizational level.
False
Psychological contracts are like traditional business contracts in that they are negotiated or written in legally binding form.
False
Race and gender are the only determinants of diversity in the United States.
False
Technology is not a factor in the shift toward a service-based economy.
False
Which of the following would be most likely to support an organization's empowerment efforts?
Increasing commitment to training
___________ diversity is diversity in knowledge and experience.
Informational
An employee in which one of the following countries would be most likely to go behind her boss's back in order to finish a project successfully?
Israel
Which of the following countries is highly assertive and materialistic?
Japan
____________ refers to an individual's general strategy for dealing with other people and the degree to which they feel they can manipulate others in interpersonal situations.
Machiavellianism
Whose theory is the Hierarchy of Needs?
Maslow
By some estimates, the "half-life" for a technical education in engineering is about three years. Which of the following scenarios illustrates this principle?
Oksana graduates with a degree in mechanical engineering in 2017. By 2020, half of what she learned in her university classes is obsolete.
Which managerial function involves designing jobs, grouping jobs into units, and establishing patterns of authority between jobs and units?
Organizing
__________ fit refers to the fit between a person's interests, abilities, values, and personality and a profession.
Person-vocation
At what phase of team implementation is performance usually above prior levels?
Phase 4
_________ refers to attributing our own characteristics to other people. Self-handicapping
Projection
Some experts believe that groupthink contributed to the failure of NASA's Challenger mission. If this is correct, then which of the following was NOT likely true about the Challenger team members?
they fought constantly and couldn't agree on anything
David is self-aware, manages his emotions, expresses empathy for others, and possesses social skills. He has high
emotional intelligence
What term refers to a heightened emotional and intellectual connection that an employee has for his/her job, organization, manager, or coworkers that, in turn, influences him/her to apply additional discretionary effort to his/her work?
employee engagement
What term refers to the degree to which an employee has the authority to make and implement decisions?
empowerment
Listening to employees, recognizing their work, building trust, and behaving ethically has been shown to boost each of the following measures of performance EXCEPT
environmental preservation
What term refers to standards of behavior about how people ought to act in different situations?
ethics
Which of the following refers to a positive type of stress?
eustress
When all other options have failed, what strategy may be used for dealing with challenges faced by multicultural teams?
exit
A person who has a(n) __________ locus of control believes that most of the things that happen to her are out of her hands.
external
Luck, lack of resources, and other people are examples of __________ factors.
external
Which type of reinforcer is most appropriate when a manager realizes he or she has been rewarding the wrong thing and wants to stop the behavior?
extinction
Deming believed that removing _______ from the workplace gives employees pride in their workmanship, which increases production.
fear
Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence is most important for which of the following groups?
firefighters
Allowing employees to decide what hours they work on the days they are required to work would be an example of __________
flextime
Which of the following was a primary cause of the decline of the manufacturing sector in the United States?
foreign competition
When a firm shares the value of productivity gains with the workforce, it is called __________.
gain sharing
When all team members from all teams are rewarded based on the performance of the organization, division, or plant, this system is called:
gain-sharing
Which term refers to the capacity to rapidly and fluidly acquire, process, and apply information?
general mental ability
The fourth step in the rational decision making process is to ________________
generate alternatives
The extent to which goals are challenging, attainable, and require effort is known as ___________
goal difficulty
In collectivistic cultures such as Japan, performance appraisals tend to be ________
group-based
Social loafing often results from the assumption by some group members that if they do not work hard:
others will pick up the slack
A company has a(n) _____________ workforce when one group of employees has a contractual arrangement with the firm that is different from that of another group.
tiered
The third stage of GAS, exhaustion, does not always happen.
true
When groupthink occurs, group members are more interested in __________ than in __________.
unanimity, considering alternatives
A group works effectively toward accomplishing its goals during which stage?
performing
What term refers to the match between an individual and his or her supervisor and workgroup?
person-group fit
What term refers to the fit between a person's abilities and the demands of the job?
person-job fit
Boris works as a receptionist. He's happy with his salary, he gets along well with his coworkers and his boss, there's no stress, and he can get all of his tasks done proficiently. However, he feels unfulfilled and hopes to get a different job soon. Which of the following does Boris lack?
person-vocation fit
A performance bonus is an example of which of the following?
positive reinforcement
Informational diversity has a _______ impact on team performance; demographic diversity often has a ________ impact.
positive, negative
According to prospect theory, people are more strongly motivated by ________ than by ________.
potential losses, potential gains
What term refers to valuing control of situations and other people?
power
A company's ________ policy states what data the company will collect about its customers, how that data will be used, and how its customers can opt out of having their information collected and/or shared.
privacy
What term refers to the performance improvements that occur because people work together rather than independently?
process gain
What type of decisions are routine, address specific problems, and result in relatively structured solutions?
programmed
What is the primary motivation behind off-shoring?
reduced labor costs
In collectivist cultures, _______________ typically take precedence over specific tasks or responsibilities.
relationships
Deepak is the founder of a small game development studio. He devised a method for meeting deadlines that has proven very effective for his organization. Deepak believes that his method will also work for any other organization. What type of perspective does this belief reflect?
universal
What level of the corporate ladder is least diverse?
uppermost leadership
Which of the following is NOT a dimension of self-efficacy?
value
What are extrinsic work values?
values related to the outcomes of the work, such as financial gain
What are intrinsic work values?
values that are related to the work itself
Michael Porter says that, to have a competitive advantage, a company must ultimately be able to give customers _______________.
superior value for their money
Successful business strategies are grounded in creating and maintaining a competitive advantage that is ______________.
sustainable
Deming believed that when things go wrong, it is almost certain that the ________ rather than the __________ is the cause.
system, worker
An extrovert is most likely to be which of the following?
talkative
In most appraisal systems, who is an employee's primary evaluator?
the supervisor
Management by objectives efforts are typically designed to accomplish all of the following EXCEPT __________
allow individual goals to determine organizational policy
A supervisor can enrich a job by doing which of the following? introducing new or harder tasks granting additional authority to employees organizing work in teams any of these
any of these
What term refers to how people explain the causes of their own as well as other people's behaviors and achievements?
attribution
There is emerging evidence that emotional intelligence of group members can promote:
cohesiveness
In business organizations, most employees work in __________ groups.
command
When there is no known information regarding the outcome of a decision, but enough information exists to estimate the probabilities of several outcomes, a ___________________ exists.
condition of risk
Derek serves on the board of directors for a furniture company. He is also the CEO of a timber company attempting to secure a contract with the furniture company. What is this situation an example of?
conflict of interest
What term refers to the fundamental premises people hold about themselves and their functioning in the world?
core self-evaluations
What term refers to businesses living and working together for the common good and valuing human dignity?
corporate social responsibility
Firms pursuing a __________ strategy strive to be the lowest cost producer in an industry for a particular level of product quality.
cost leadership
Nonprogrammed decisions require managers to use ____________ rather than ___________.
creativity, decision rules
Organizations pursuing a specialization strategy often try to develop a competitive advantage based on which of the following?
customer intimacy
Harriet's company makes tax software. It used to take the company two years to roll out a new version of the software, but now it only takes one year. The company has reduced its _______
cycle times.
Who developed scientific management?
Frederick Taylor
_____________ stress refers to manageable levels of stress for reasonable periods of time that generate positive emotions including satisfaction, excitement, and enjoyment.
Functional
Who theorized that there are a number of distinct forms of intelligence that each individual possesses in varying degrees?
Gardner
In the study of stress, what does GAS stand for?
General Adaptation Syndrome
The __________ effect occurs when people improve some aspect of their behavior or performance simply because they are being assessed.
Hawthorne
___________ are written predictions specifying expected relationships between certain variables.
Hypotheses
Which of the following statements is most associated with emotion-based decision making?
I plan my life based on how I feel
The ability to think in the abstract and visualize the "big picture" is classified as a technical skill.
False
The concept of bounded rationality asserts that managers are typically able to process all available information and arrive at the single best solution.
False
The most dangerous cost of teams is the possibility that new team may take a long time to perform at prior levels.
False
The study of organizational behavior is useful in that it enables managers to predict behavior patterns before they develop.
False
True of False: The study of organizational behavior involves both human behavior and characteristics of organizations, but its principal focus is the exterior environment that surrounds the organization.
False
When changing to a team-based organizational structure, great progress is often seen almost immediately.
False
According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, physiological needs include things that offer safety and security, such as adequate housing and clothing and freedom from worry and anxiety.
False, (Physiological needs include food, sex, and air. The question lists security needs)
Diversity can be the product of combinations of characteristics; it is not limited to singular properties.
True
Employees may improve their own productivity if they are able to participate in making decisions about how their jobs are done.
True
What term refers to an incompatibility between behavior and an attitude or between two different attitudes?
cognitive dissonance
Maslow helped to increase managers' awareness of the motivating potential of giving employees which of the following?
greater responsibility, challenge, and continuous development
Which sensory modality is LEAST important to learning?
gustatory
What term refers to the manner in which individuals process and organize information during learning?
information processing capacity
According to Victor Vroom, _______________ is the belief that performance will result in obtaining a particular reward.
instrumentality
According to __________, an individual's behavior results from a continuous, multidirectional interaction between the characteristics of the person and of the situation.
interactionalism
Ichabod's company refashions discarded dolls and other toys into furniture, utensils, and decorative items. Which of the following is the most apt label for Ichabod's organization?
manufacturer
Which dimension of self-efficacy refers to beliefs about how confident the person is that the task can be accomplished?
strength
Changing the shape of a team is known as:
structural intervention
What type of learners are most likely to enjoy making outlines of text and lecture material?
structured learners
A contingency plan specifies what will be done if ___________
the primary plan is disrupted
The steps of the scientific method go in which order?
theory, hypothesis, data, verification
Formal rewards play a bigger role in a person's perceptions of equity than do informal rewards.
True
Group cohesiveness can be increased by competition or the presence of an external threat.
True
MBO has value as a way to motivate employees.
True
Most creative people are also intelligent.
True
Most managerial work involves simultaneous use of the planning, organizing, leading, and controlling functions.
True
Performance appraisal systems that evaluate individual performance tend to rank employees' performance at the same general level.
True
The successful application of organizational behavior principles can reduce a company's rates of turnover and absenteeism.
True
There are elements of diversity aside from gender, age, and race.
True
When implementing teams, sometimes small performance improvements are seen in the initial stage due to excitement or anticipation for teams.
True
Workers are likely to improve their performance when they believe that needs that are important to their well-being will be satisfied if they do so.
True
People who are impatient, competitive, ambitious, and uptight are said to have what personality type?
Type A
Which of the following affects creativity?
cognitive ability
Which of the following scenarios most clearly exemplifies the successful use of a manager's diagnostic skills?
Sally suspects that Gary is underperforming because he is not getting enough sleep, not because he is incapable. She lets him work from 10 to 6 instead of 9 to 5, and his performance improves.
The _________ method relies on systematic studies that identify and replicate a result using a variety of methods, samples, and settings.
Scientific
___________management is based on the belief that productivity is maximized when organizations are rationalized with precise sets of instructions based on time-and-motion
Scientific
___________________ would be LEAST likely to result in improved performance.
Setting unattainable goals to maximize worker productivity
__________ diversity refers to observable differences in people, including race, age, ethnicity, physical abilities, physical characteristics, and gender.
Surface-level
Which of the following allows monetary damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination?
The Civil Rights Act of 1991
___________ is a highly individualistic country.
The United States
Who developed a learning style orientation measure to address some of the limitations of the Kolb inventory?
Towler and Dipboye
Allowing work teams to plan, organize, direct, and control their own work is known as empowerment.
True
Decision-making skills are what enable employees to effectively resolve situations that require them to choose one alternative from among several.
True
What is an expatriate?
a person temporarily or permanently living in a country other than that of legal residence
A nonprogrammed decision is appropriate when __________
a situation requires exceptional problem solving skills
A 360-degree feedback system includes __________
a wide range of feedback, as well as intangible and subjective measures of performance.
Seeing a problem as a cultural difference, and not a personality issue is known as:
adaptation
What term refers to a general tendency of an individual to experience a particular mood or to react to things in a particular way or with certain emotions?
affectivity
Sheryl is cooperative, forgiving, and understanding. She has high __________
agreeableness
Which stress stage is triggered we first encounter a stressor?
alarm
Type A personality types tend to have which of the following characteristics? they are likely to be highly work oriented. they have a strong sense of time urgency. they have a lot of drive and motivation. all of the above
all of the above
Diversity can involve which of the following? gender race age all of these
all of these
High Machiavellians exhibit ______________. resistance to social influence orientation to cognitions rather than emotions bossiness all of these
all of these
Increased employee-centered decision making is related to increases in which of the following? motivation decision quality morale all of these
all of these
Meeting management software can create a record of _______________. ideas presented comments made votes taken all of these.
all of these
Which of the following is/are impacted by decision making? business strategy product design customer interaction all of these
all of these
Which of the following traits is/are related to job satisfaction? extraversion agreeableness emotional stability all of these
all of these
Which strategy/strategies gives job candidates realistic information about what it would be like to work for a given firm? hiring customers realistic job previews using employee referrals all of these
all of these
Workplace bullying can include which of the following? threats verbal abuse intimidation all of these
all of these
Which approach to performance management identifies financial and nonfinancial performance measures and organizes them into a single model?
balanced scorecard
Albert works as a salesperson making $8 an hour plus 5% of every sale he makes. He receives two weeks of paid vacation a year as well as 50% matching in a 401K retirement fund. In this scenario, "$8 an hour" represents Albert's _______
base-pay
In the Equity Theory of Motivation, what is the meaning of "equity?"
belief of fair treatment relative to others
Personality is a product of which of the following? environment heredity both of these
both
Why might some people pursue multiple vocations during the course of their careers? because they get bored with one vocation because they have diverse interests both
both
A goal is most likely to be attained when ________________ people are strongly committed to it. people are given feedback showing their progress toward the goal. both of these
both of these
What term refers to the "invisible" characteristics in others that take more time to learn about, but can have a strong effect on group and organizational performance?
deep-level diversity
The second step in the rational decision making process is to ________________
define the problem
___________________ is the first step in the organizational behavior modification process.
defining what can be improved
Which of the following is NOT an important role played by top-management when implementing teams?
delegating new responsibility to individuals
The third step in the rational decision making process is to ________________ generate alternatives. define the problem. state the situational goal.
determine the decision type
Which of the following is not a facet of human resource management?
developing incentives to use fewer employees
Divergent thinking is a skill that allows people to see __________ situations, phenomena, or events.
differences among
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?
differentiation
Which of the following is a way that an individual in a group can fight against the onset of groupthink?
discuss the issue with someone outside the group
Which term refers to the variety of observable and unobservable similarities and differences among people?
diversity
What is the second step in the performance appraisal process?
documentation
Post-decision dissonance is _________ a choice that was already made.
doubt about
One of your remote employees makes a mistake on an important project, so you must write her an email that explains the nature of the mistake and stresses how vital it is that the mistake is both fixed and never repeated. At the same time, because it was an honest mistake, you do not want your email to demoralize, demotivate, or otherwise unduly upset your employee. Your ability to write an email that corrects your employee's behavior without damaging her productivity or your relationship with her falls under which category of skills?
interpersonal skills
Personality clashes are an example of ______________.
interpersonal value conflict
Which of the following is/are true about intuition?
it evolves over time
Worker productivity and motivation can be improved through positive work-related experiences, according to the theory of ___________________
job enrichment
A work group of three secretaries who take turns answering the phones, sorting mail, and typing and filing correspondence are demonstrating which of the following?
job rotation
Which of the following is NOT a motivation factor in Herzberg's model?
job security
A person who feels equitably treated is motivated to ________
keep things as they are
The final step in the rational decision making process is to ________________
measure and adjust
Satisficing refers to making a _________ rather than _________ decision.
satisfactory, optimal
According to the human relations approach, offering employees _____________ is the best way to enhance motivation in the workplace.
self-direction
What term refers to a person's confidence in his or her ability to organize and execute the courses of action necessary to accomplish a specific task?
self-efficacy
What term refers to any system that interacts with the environment through one of the basic senses?
sensory modality
Title VII prohibits employee discrimination based on a variety of characteristics. Which of the following is NOT one of them?
sexual orientation
Convergent thinking is a skill that allows people to see __________ situations, phenomena, or events.
similarities among
Group composition is the degree of _______ or _______ among group members on factors important to the group's work.
similarity, difference
A key component of equity theory is that employees compare their own input/output ratios with the input/outcome ratios of other employees. What is the term for this phenomenon?
social comparison
___________ happen(s) when people are motivated to look good to others and want to maintain a positive self-image.
social facilitation
Which of the following is NOT a strength of cross-functional teams?
specializing in a specific area
Which of the following is NOT a way that a group leader can fight against the onset of groupthink?
state her view to get the discussion started
Group members tend to ask the leader about a group's purpose and goals during which stage?
storming
A biologist wants to know whether a plant's growth is affected by the material it's planted in. She plants lima bean seeds in a jar of dirt, a jar of cotton, and a jar of rocks, then provides each jar with equal amounts of water, plant food, and sunlight. In this experiment, what is the independent variable?
what the seeds are planted in
When does intrapersonal value conflict occur?
when being happy pulls us to spend quality time with our family, but personal ambition pulls us to work longer hours and pursue promotions
When does intrapersonal value conflict occur?
when highly ranked instrumental and terminal values conflict
The study of organizational behavior is beneficial to managers because _________
working with people is an improvable skill.
___________ are superior in generating alternative hypotheses and ideas and tend to be imaginative and people- or feeling-oriented.
Divergers
Which of the following is NOT considered a form of incentive program?
Base pay
____________ depend primarily on active experimentation and abstract conceptualization to learn.
Convergence
_________ is the ability of an individual to generate new ideas.
Creativity
"Knowledge workers" are valuable to organizations because of what they have gained in terms of practical work experience over the course of their careers rather than what they know.
False
Which of the following is NOT typically true of an affinity group?
Members have widely varying titles or duties within the organization.
Which of the following has NOT contributed to the rise in the volume of international business?
The ease with which companies can obtain financing
Organizational behavior is defined as the study of three interrelated areas, one of which is...
The individual-organization interface.
Social loafing is less common when tasks are very ______________
important
Paid time off is an example of ________
indirect compensation
The _________________ makes job specialization difficult to implement, even though it seems as if it would be highly effective.
monotony associated with each task
Group polarization is the phenomenon that members' opinions tend to be _______ extreme before a discussion _______ they are after a discussion.
more, than
Arthur appears to be poised, calm, resilient, and secure. He displays low
neuroticism
What term refers to feeling obliged to stay with an organization for moral or ethical reasons?
normative commitment
Which of the following is NOT an example of organizational citizenship?
not asking for raises
Which of the "Big Five" personality dimensions is associated with being imaginative, cultured, curious, broad-minded, and artistically sensitive?
openness to experience
Humphrey and Lina, who work at different firms, each receive a 3% raise. Most of Humphrey's coworkers receive a 5% raise, and he is unhappy with his raise. Most of Lina's coworkers receive a 1% raise, and she is happy with her raise. Humphrey and Lina most likely have different reactions to their raises because their raises have different _________
symbolic value
The job characteristics theory says that __________ is critical to motivating workers because it helps them identify with their work and its tangible outcome.
task identity
A team's shared belief that it can organize and execute the behaviors necessary to reach its goals is known as:
team efficacy
What term refers to drawing a general impression about something or someone based on a single (typically good) characteristic?
the halo effect
Attribution theory says that we evaluate behavior in terms of all of the following EXCEPT __________
the nature of the job.
Behavior that is reinforced after periods of time, with the time span varying from one time to the next is called
variable-interval.
What term refers to differences in a certain type or category, including group members' expertise, knowledge, or functional background?
variety
