Organizational Behavior, Version 1.1
Bauer & Erdogan
FWK Test Item File
Chapter 2
TRUE/FALSE
1. While the American workforce is becoming more diverse, the world’s workforce is not.
(False)
2. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination in employment with regard to race, color, sex, religion and national origin.
(True)
3. With the passage of a number of laws in the United States prohibiting discrimination against race, color, gender, religion, national origin and age, complaints filed charging discrimination have largely been eliminated.
(False)
4. A more diverse work team produces higher quality decisions because more alternatives are considered.
(True)
5. Employees who are discriminated against experience more stress at work but are no more likely to leave their jobs than those who have not faced discrimination.
(False)
6. When discrimination complaints are filed, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) acts as a mediator between the company and the complainant.
(True)
7. In firms pursuing a growth strategy, there is a negative relationship between racial diversity in the firm and company performance.
(False)
8. The similarity/attraction phenomenon suggests that individuals are attracted to those who are similar to them.
(True)
9. Race, age, and attitudes are examples of surface level diversity.
(False)
10. Deep-level diversity traits are most important for early interactions in the workplace, but as time goes on, surface traits become more important.
(False)
11. A group with three older males and three younger women will have a strong faultline.
(True)
12. Research indicates that groups with strong faultlines can perform well if certain norms are established.
(True)
13. It is a commonly held stereotype that men are more relationship-oriented than women.
(False)
14. One of the explanations for the wage gap between men and women is that women pursue occupations that are lower-paying than those pursued by men.
(True)
15. Though the glass ceiling was a legitimate issue a few years ago, today the number of women in executive positions of organizations is roughly the same as the number of men at that level.
(False)
16. One rationale provided for the existence of the glass ceiling for women is that women are viewed as having personality characteristics that are not associated with successful leaders.
(True)
17. Ethnic minorities experience a wage gap and a glass ceiling even more severe than that faced by women.
(True)
18. Denny’s Restaurants were able to successfully institute diversity training efforts that increased the numbers of minority members of its board and management team as well as the number of minority franchise owners.
(True)
19. Research indicates that older employees exhibit higher absenteeism than their younger counterparts.
(False)
20. The Age Discrimination Act makes it illegal to discriminate against employees age 40 or older.
(True)
21. Research suggests that age diversity in a work team can lead to higher performance.
(True)
22. Reasonable accommodation for religious reasons does not require schedule modifications although it may require modifications to a firm’s dress code.
(False)
23. Reasonable accommodation for employees with disabilities may require the firm’s purchase of some equipment for the disabled employees’ use but does not require any schedule or job duty modifications.
(False)
24. Disclosing sexual orientation is the key to explaining work attitudes of lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender employees.
(False)
25. To break the ice in an interview situation, an interviewer could legally ask, “What are some of the traditions your family practices for Christmas”?
(False)
26. One suggestion for building a culture that respects diversity is that managers should be accountable for diversity-related goals.
(True)
27. Affirmative action programs are among the most controversial diversity management methods available.
(True)
28. Preferential treatment programs for minorities can be illegal in some cases.
(True)
29. Research suggests that some employees have a stigma attached to them because they were hired under an affirmative action program.
(True)
30. In the United States, the workforce is becoming increasingly multicultural.
(True)
31. An expatriate is an employee who is temporarily assigned to work in a foreign country.
(True)
32. Low power distance societies view an unequal distribution of power as relatively acceptable.
(False)
33. Companies high in uncertainty avoidance prefer predictable situations and have low tolerance for ambiguity.
(True)
34. In collectivist cultures, the importance of family is critical to understanding the nature of the society.
(True)
35. In high power distance companies, participative decision making is a regular process.
(False)
36. Feminine cultures are more likely to be characterized by a separation of gender roles than masculine cultures.
(False)
37. Developing an openness to different experiences is a very viable method to prepare oneself for a global career.
(True)
38. To enhance their cultural intelligence, employees should become experts in one culture.
(False)
39. Ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s own culture is superior to other cultures.
(True)
40. Ethical standards held in different societies may emphasize different behaviors as ethical or unethical.
(True)
41. Managing diversity effectively may have different meanings in different cultures.
(True)
42. IBM is a pioneer in programming for a diverse workforce.
(True)
43. IBM’s diversity management task forces acted on issues that were either based in reality or perception.
(True)
44. IBM, like other firms today, has little difficulty finding minority representation in the computer science and engineering fields.
(False)
45. IBM’s culture of respecting diversity seems to be creating a competitive advantage for the firm.
(True)
MULTIPLE CHOICE
Opening Section: Doing Good as a Core Business Strategy: The Case of Goodwill Industries
|
46. Goodwill Industries is an advocate for ________.
a. survival of the fittest
b. sales tax
c. using interviews to weed out diverse applicants
d. diversity
(d) Easy/Comprehension
47. A total of $3.23 _______ was invested into employment programs in 2008 by Goodwill Industries.
a. billion
b. million
c. thousand
d. dollars
(a) Easy/Comprehension
| Section I: Demographic Diversity |
48. The ways in which people are similar or different from one another is
a. culture.
b. diversity.
c. stereotypes.
d. faultlines.
(b) Easy/Knowledge
49. Which of the following laws prohibits discrimination based on race, color, sex or national origin?
a. Age Discrimination Act
b. Americans with Disabilities Act
c. Family and Medical Leave Act
d. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
(d) Easy/Comprehension
50. Which of the following is NOT a benefit of effective management of diversity?
a. greater creativity in decision making
b. better service to customers
c. higher productivity of operations
d. more satisfied workers
(c) Medium/Comprehension
51. Which of the following statements on the benefits of effective management of diversity is INCORRECT?
a. Diverse workforces lead to higher-quality decisions.
b. Diverse workforces create cheaper products.
c. Diverse workforces lead to lower litigation costs.
d. Diverse workforces have led to higher stock prices for firms.
(b) Difficult/Synthesis
52. Research on diversity in the workplace has not substantiated which of the following benefit to firms?
a. Diversity, and the presence of faultlines, increases cohesiveness at work.
b. Award-winning diversity management programs lead to higher stock prices for their companies.
c. In companies with a growth strategy, there is a positive correlation between racial diversity in the firm and company performance.
d. Diverse teams make higher quality decisions.
(a) Difficult/Comprehension
53. The similarity/attraction phenomenon may explain which of the following?
a. Minorities are hired as often as their Caucasian counterparts.
b. Disabled individuals are hired as often as those who are not disabled.
c. Women do not earn salaries as high as that of their male counterparts.
d. Women and men have equal access to mentoring opportunities.
(c) Medium/Evaluation
54. Demographic traits make up
a. deep-level diversity.
b. cultural diversity.
c. collective diversity.
d. surface diversity.
(d) Easy/Knowledge
55. Surface diversity traits include
a. values.
b. gender.
c. attitudes.
d. beliefs.
(b) Easy/Knowledge
56. Deep-level diversity traits include
a. gender.
b. age.
c. attitudes.
d. race.
(c) Easy/Knowledge
57. Which of the following is a surface-level diversity trait?
a. aggressiveness
b. Type A personality
c. being smart
d. being Asian
(d) Easy/Application
58. Which of the following is a deep-level diversity trait?
a. middle-aged
b. Caucasian
c. aggressiveness
d. amputee
(c) Medium/Application
59. Our first interaction with individuals makes us aware of
a. surface diversity.
b. collective diversity.
c. deep-level diversity.
d. value-based diversity.
(a) Medium/Comprehension
60. Which of the following statements regarding the similarity/attraction phenomenon is INCORRECT?
a. Surface-level traits affect interpersonal interactions only after people have known each other for a long time.
b. Age, race and gender dissimilarity are strong predictors of employee turnover in that employee’s early tenure with a firm.
c. Those employees who feel different from other employees in a firm may feel isolated in their early tenure with a firm.
d. Surface traits are attended to because they are assumed to be related to deep-level diversity traits.
(a) Medium/Evaluation
61. Which of the following approaches is NOT a viable option to manage the similarity/attraction phenomenon?
a. Develop a formal mentoring program that assigns new employees a mentor in the firm.
b. Provide management training programs that make managers aware of the similarity/attraction phenomenon.
c. Develop a recruiting program based upon peer referrals.
d. Attend to new employees as they enter the organization and during their early stays in the firm.
(c) Difficult/Evaluation
62. A faultline is
a. an attribute along which a group is split into subgroups.
b. a generalization about a particular group of people.
c. the way in which people are similar or different from each other.
d. the values, beliefs and customs that exist in a society.
(a) Easy/knowledge
63. A workgroup has three Caucasian males and three African American females. How would you categorize the faultline in this group?
a. There is no faultline in the group.
b. There will be a strong faultline in the group.
c. There will be a weak faultline in the group.
d. There will be a faultline of medium strength in the group.
(b) Medium/Application
64. If a workgroup contained three males, one over 55, one 20 and another 30 years of age, and three females, one 50 years of age, one 30 and one 20 years of age, how would you categorize the faultlines in the group?
a. There will be a strong faultline in this group that aids performance.
b. There will be a strong faultline in the group that weakens performance.
c. There will be a weak faultline within the group.
d. There will be a faultline of medium strength in the group.
(c) Difficult/Application
65. Research indicates that groups with faultlines exhibit which of the following characteristics?
a. teams with faultlines make more effective decisions.
b. teams with faultlines are more creative.
c. teams with strong faultlines have the potential to perform well if they can establish certain norms.
d. all diverse teams exhibit faultlines.
(c) Medium/Analysis
66. A stereotype is
a. an attribute along which a group is split into subgroups.
b. a generalization about a particular group of people.
c. a way in which people are similar or different from each other.
d. a difference in values, attitudes or beliefs.
(b) Easy/Knowledge
67. “Women are bad drivers,” is an example of a
a. surface diversity trait.
b. faultline.
c. stereotype.
d. deep-level diversity trait.
(c) Medium/Application
68. Stereotypes
a. often lead to unfair decisions being made.
b. are never accurate descriptions of particular groups.
c. are assumptions held by only one individual.
d. are often verified prior to making decisions based upon them.
(a) Medium/Analysis
69. The faculty of a Midwestern business school is comprised of 33 males and 4 females. The past five candidates hired have all been male. There seems to be a (an)__________ diversity issue in this workplace.
a. age
b. race
c. religion
d. gender
(d) Easy/Application
70. Gender discrimination is prohibited by which of the following laws?
a. Age Discrimination Act
b. Americans with Disabilities Act
c. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
d. Occupational Safety and Health Act
(c) Easy/Knowledge
71. Which of the following is not an explanation that has been offered to account for the earnings gap of 21% between the pay of females and males?
a. Women lack the high-level skill sets that men possess.
b. Women have résumé gaps due to time off for childcare.
c. Women pursue lower-paying occupations than men pursue.
d. Women tend to negotiate less than men and when they do negotiate, women attain lower levels of pay than men do.
(a) Medium/Analysis
72. The glass ceiling
a. is based on a faultline in the employee workgroup.
b. is the underrepresentation of women in executive and upper level management positions of companies.
c. is an issue that was a problem until a decade ago.
d. is the result of the less effective leadership styles practiced by women.
(b) Medium/Comprehension
73. Which of the following statements regarding the explanations for the glass ceiling is INCORRECT?
a. The glass ceiling may exist for women because they lack the education levels necessary to assume high-level managerial positions.
b. The glass ceiling may be based on the stereotype that the male characteristic of assertiveness is necessary to manage, but women tend to be passive.
c. The glass ceiling may exist for women because their accomplishments are often not valued as highly as are those of their male counterparts.
d. The glass ceiling may exist for women because they are viewed as displaying submissive characteristics in contrast to their male counterparts who are viewed as possessing more confidence.
(a) Medium/Evaluation
74. Acme Corporation sales associates are generally attractive Caucasian college age men and women. Individuals who work in the stock room unpacking and readying clothing for displays are young, Asian and African American employees. This scenario suggests that Acme may need to examine their recruiting efforts to address __________ diversity in their stores.
a. gender
b. age
c. race
d. age and race
(d) Medium/Application
75. Which of the following statements regarding race diversity in the American workplace is correct?
a. Highly-paid minority managers indicate that they have experienced very few situations in the workplace where race was an issue.
b. A majority of American employees surveyed indicate that their firms are quite effective at hiring and promoting minorities.
c. Ethnic minorities experience a slight wage gap but no glass ceiling.
d. Overt discrimination against ethnic minorities still occurs in many workplaces.
(d) Medium/Analysis
76. Which of the following is a research finding about race diversity? According to prior research findings,
a. African Americans are more likely to turnover than their Caucasian counterparts.
b. the sales performance of Hispanics is equal to their Caucasian counterparts.
c. Caucasian Americans are more likely to be absent from work than their African American counterparts.
d. ethnic minorities are more likely to experience a satisfying work environment than their Caucasian counterparts.
(a) Medium/Evaluation
77. Based on employment statistics, age diversity at work will continue into the future. Thus, the findings from research examining age diversity will become increasingly useful in managing the workforce. Which of the following statements about those research findings is accurate?
a. Older workers are generally stereotyped as more qualified and having higher potential.
b. Older employees are more likely to be absent from their jobs.
c. Older workers are less likely to quit their jobs when dissatisfied at work.
d. Older workers are stereotyped as being more able to handle stress.
(c) Difficult/Evaluation
78. Age is positively correlated with all of the following behaviors EXCEPT
a. citizenship behaviors.
b. compliance with safety rules.
c. performance.
d. work injuries.
(d) Medium/Analysis
79. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act
a. prohibits discrimination against employees older than 65.
b. prohibits discrimination against employees age 40 or older.
c. prohibits discrimination against employees only with regard to pay.
d. is seldom cited in lawsuits as age discrimination is largely absent from the American workplace.
(b) Easy/Knowledge
80. All of the following are challenges of managing age diversity in the workplace EXCEPT
a. an age-diverse team has differing opinions on fairness than one not age-diverse.
b. an age-diverse team has different learning styles that vary by generation.
c. an age-diverse team has higher team performance than one not age-diverse.
d. an-age diverse team offers fewer alternatives to a problem than a team where there is limited age diversity.
(d) Medium/Analysis
81. Accommodating religious diversity in the workplace does not include
a. work schedule modifications.
b. dress code modifications.
c. work duty modifications.
d. pay level modifications.
(d) Easy/Comprehension
82. The Americans with Disabilities Act
a. requires a firm to hire individuals with disabilities.
b. requires a firm to interview individuals with disabilities.
c. prohibits discrimination in employment against individuals with physical disabilities.
d. prohibits discrimination in employment against individuals with physical or mental disabilities if these employees are otherwise qualified to do their jobs with or without reasonable accommodation.
(d) Medium/Comprehension
83. Discrimination charges filed against employers based on disabilities cover which of the following impairments?
a. cancer
b. hearing impairments
c. manic-depressive disorder
d. all of the above
(d) Medium/Knowledge
84. Research suggests all of the following reasons why individuals with long-term illnesses or those requiring ongoing care seem to be discriminated against EXCEPT
a. stereotyping as incapable of performing a job.
b. more likely to be locked into a dead end job.
c. more likely to be employed in jobs with high skill and qualification requirements they do not possess.
d. more likely quit their jobs.
(c) Medium/Knowledge
85. Reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities may include all of the following EXCEPT
a. modifications in employee schedules.
b. providing auxiliary equipment like telephone amplifiers.
c. physical changes to the company facilities (e.g. wheelchair ramp).
d. assignment of their essential job functions to other employees.
(d) Medium/Application
86. Which of the following federal laws prohibits discrimination in employment against lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender individuals?
a. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
b. Family and Medical Leave Act
c. Americans with Disabilities Act
d. There is currently no federal law protecting lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender individuals.
(d) Easy/Knowledge
87. Research findings indicate which of the following statements about issues related to sexual orientation in the workplace is INCORRECT?
a. Whether they disclose their sexual orientation or not is the key to the work attitudes of lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender individuals.
b. Fear of disclosing sexual orientation and its possible negative consequences leads to lower job satisfaction among lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender individuals.
c. Respect for diversity in sexual orientation can be shown by written company policies prohibiting discrimination based upon sexual orientation.
d. In firms with benefits programs extended to lesbians, bisexuals, gays and transgender individuals, discrimination based on sexual orientation is less frequent and job satisfaction is higher.
(a) Medium/Analysis
88. Which of the following is an illegal interview question?
a. What was your grade point average at XYZ University?
b. Tell me about a time when you experienced conflict in a past job.
c. What are your childcare arrangements?
d. What was your salary at your last place of employment?
(c) Difficult/Application
89. Which of the following statements regarding diversity in the workplace is correct?
a. The wage gap between Hispanic and Caucasian workers is smaller than the wage gap between male and female workers.
b. While female workers face a glass ceiling, other minorities face no such issue to attainment of upper level managerial jobs.
c. Company policies requiring disclosure of sexual orientation lead to higher job satisfaction and organization commitment among lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender employees.
d. Federal law requires reasonable accommodation be considered when an employee brings up a disability.
(d) Difficult/Synthesis
90. Which of the following statements regarding diversity in the workplace is accurate?
a. Older employees are more prone workplace injury than their younger counterparts.
b. Women who negotiate achieve higher salaries than men who negotiate.
c. More than half of the Fortune 500 companies offer same sex health benefits to their employees.
d. While employees with physical disabilities are protected by federal law, employees with mental disabilities remain unprotected, and face routine discrimination.
(c) Difficult/Synthesis
91. Which of the following is not a suggestion for managing demographic diversity?
a. Review recruitment practices.
b. Make managers accountable for diversity.
c. Institute affirmative action programs with quotas.
d. Build a culture of respect for diversity.
(c) Medium/Comprehension
92. Which of the following statements regarding the management of demographic diversity is INCORRECT?
a. Diversity training programs are most successful in those firms where there are explicit rewards for increasing company diversity.
b. Companies can support diversity by reviewing their employment advertising to ensure that diversity is being advocated at all job levels.
c. In the most successful companies, diversity is viewed as human resource management department’s responsibility.
d. Many people see affirmative action programming as a controversial way to manage diversity because it provides an unfair advantage to minority members.
(c) Difficult/Synthesis
93. Which of the following groups of programs is not viewed as being part of an overall affirmative action program?
a. broad-based recruitment
b. simple elimination of discrimination
c. preferential treatment
d. tie-breakers such that all things being equal preference is given to minority candidates
(a) Medium/Analysis
94. The affirmative action program about which the most negative perceptions are held is
a. simple elimination of discrimination.
b. tiebreakers.
c. preferential treatment.
d. targeted recruitment.
(c) Difficult/Evaluation
95. At some time in your career, you may be different from others in your workplace. Which of the following is not a viable piece of advice to offer someone who is “different”?
a. Know your rights; you are protected from discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, sex, religion or national origin.
b. Choose a mentor who is similar to you and at your same level.
c. Build effective relationships; create opportunities to get to know others in the workplace.
d. Examine company resources; see if your firm offers networking opportunities or interest groups.
(b) Medium/Comprehension
Section II: Cultural Diversity
|
96. The values, beliefs, and customs that exist in a society is
a. culture.
b. diversity.
c. power distance.
d. affirmative action.
(a) Easy/Knowledge
97. Which of the following is not one of Hofstede’s four dimensions that explain variation among cultures?
a. individualism/collectivism
b. introversion/extraversion
c. low uncertainty avoidance/high uncertainty avoidance
d. masculinity/femininity
(b) Medium/Knowledge
98. Collectivistic cultures are
a. cultures where people define themselves as individuals and form looser ties with their groups.
b. cultures that value achievement and competitiveness as well as acquisition of money and other material objects.
c. cultures where people have strong bonds to their groups and group membership forms a person’s self-identity.
d. cultures that value maintaining good relationships, caring for the weak and quality of life.
(c) Easy/Knowledge
99. Cultures that are comfortable in unpredictable situations and have high tolerance for ambiguity are
a. low uncertainty avoidance cultures.
b. collectivistic cultures.
c. high uncertainty avoidance cultures.
d. individualistic cultures.
(a) Medium/Comprehension
100. A culture that values maintaining good relationships, caring for the weak and quality of life is
a. a low power distance culture.
b. a masculine culture.
c. a high power distance culture.
d. a feminine culture.
(d) Easy/Comprehension
101. High power distance cultures
a. view an unequal distribution of power as relatively acceptable.
b. prefer predictable situations and have low tolerance for ambiguity.
c. emphasize caring for the weak and quality of life.
d. are comfortable in unpredictable situations and have high tolerance for ambiguity.
(a) Easy/Comprehension
102. A culture categorized by high uncertainty avoidance is
a. Denmark.
b. Jamaica.
c. Greece.
d. China.
(c) Medium/Comprehension
103. Which of the following is not a culture that is characterized as feminine in its orientation?
a. Norway
b. Japan
c. Sweden
d. Costa Rica
(b) Medium/Comprehension
104. All of the following cultures are categorized as individualistic EXCEPT
a. USA.
b. United Kingdom.
c. Pakistan.
d. Australia.
(c) Medium/Comprehension
105. If a collectivist was told, “Tell me about yourself.”, he might say
a. I want to be a doctor when I graduate.
b. I like playing video games.
c. I am a black belt in karate.
d. I am the third child of a doctor and a lawyer.
(d) Medium/Application
106. Which of the following statements is not illustrative of actions of an individual from a collectivist culture?
a. “My brother caused the accident, we will cover the costs.”
b. “My parents and I live with my grandparents and an aunt and uncle.”
c. “I must decide which of the two jobs I am going to accept.”
d. “My mother and father must approve of my girlfriend before I can ask her to marry me.”
(c) Difficult/Application
107. Which of the following statements about collectivists and individualists is accurate?
a. Collectivists are more generous in the assessment of their group members while individualists are relatively more accurate in their evaluation of group members.
b. Collectivists are friendly with both in-group and out-group members.
c. Collectivists use direct communication with their in-groups at all times.
d. Collectivists are used to changing groups over the course of their lives and are highly adaptable to new groups.
(a) Medium/Analysis
108. In cultures high in power distance
a. there is a higher degree of egalitarianism.
b. managers are believed to be more powerful and deserving of respect.
c. managers and subordinates use first names among each other in the workplace.
d. there is higher utilization of participative decision making practices.
(b) Medium/Analysis
109. Companies in cultures high in uncertainty avoidance
a. have a very short, simple recruiting and selection process for new employees.
b. tend to have written employment contracts for employees.
c. have limited numbers of policies and procedures in employee handbooks and other manuals.
d. tend to enter a large number of foreign markets.
(b) Medium/Analysis
110. Which of the following statements regarding the masculinity/femininity dimension of cultures is INCORRECT?
a. In feminine cultures, only women value maintaining good relationships, but in masculine cultures, both males and females value maintaining good relationships.
b. In masculine cultures, the ratio of CEO pay to other management level employees is higher.
c. In cultures high in femininity, work/life balance programming like telecommuting is more plentiful than in masculine cultures.
d. There is greater separation of gender roles in masculine cultures than in feminine cultures.
(a) Medium/Analysis
111. Angela is planning on an international business career following graduation. She is meeting with a career counselor to ensure that she is preparing herself as fully as she might for such a career. Which of the following pieces of advice will the counselor offer her?
a. There is no need to learn a foreign language; English has become the global business language.
b. Become familiar with different cultures by visiting several countries in a short amount of time.
c. It is a good idea to plan your return, as well as planning your departure.
d. Do not show your limited understanding to locals to avoid losing credibility.
(c) Medium/Analysis
112. Cultural intelligence is
a. the ways in which people are similar or different from one another.
b. the values, beliefs and customs that exist in a society.
c. a person’s capability to understand how a person’s cultural background influences one’s behavior.
d. the degree to which the society views an unequal distribution of power as acceptable.
(c) Easy/Knowledge
113. The belief that one’s own culture is superior to other cultures is
a. geocentrism.
b. ethnocentrism.
c. monocentrism.
d. polycentrism.
(b) Easy/Knowledge
114. Which of the following statements is a good suggestion for managing cultural diversity?
a. For the most effective international experiences, train individual employees thoroughly in one culture before moving on to another.
b. Keep in mind that local employees in the foreign country are too immersed in the culture to help you understand their culture. For a more objective viewpoint, other expatriates are more useful.
c. There is a very high probability that problems experienced on an expatriate assignment are due to cultural differences and misunderstandings.
d. Culture changes, sometimes quickly; do not assume that what was true a year ago is true today.
(d) Medium/Analysis
| Section III: The Role of Ethics and National Culture |
115. Which of the following statements regarding demographic diversity and ethics is correct?
a. Younger employees are more upset by unethical behaviors than older employees.
b. When judging the ethicality of hypothetical situations, women and men use similar standards when judging the ethicality of monetary issues.
c. Younger employees tend to find negotiation tactics like bluffing to be more unethical than their older counterparts.
d. Men and women have similar standards when judging the ethicality of breaking organizational rules.
(b) Medium/Evaluation
116. Which of the following statements regarding cultural diversity and ethics is correct?
a. In a study, Koreans suggested that being ethical was compatible with being profitable.
b. In a study, American subjects viewed environmental damage as more ethical than their Korean or Indian counterparts.
c. In a study, Americans viewed an auditing company sharing a client’s auditing information with another client as more ethical than Russians subjects did.
d. In a study, Korean and Indian subjects found software piracy and nepotism less ethical than American subjects did.
(b) Medium/Evaluation
117. Which of the following statements about demographic diversity around the world is INCORRECT?
a. In Japan, women face less of a glass ceiling than in the United States.
b. In France, a study indicated that resumes with French-sounding names were more likely to get interviews than those with North-African–sounding names.
c. Japan is a relatively homogeneous society.
d. Overt sexism against women is rampant in Japan
(a) Medium/Evaluation
Closing Section: Managing Diversity for Success: The Case of IBM
|
118. IBM has always been a pioneer in valuing and appreciating diversity in its workforce. Which of the following is NOT a program IBM instituted before legislation or public policy dictated it?
a. gender pay equity
b. women in executive positions
c. family leave for all female employees
d. executive training programs for women
(d) Medium/Evaluation
119. Prior to 1993, IBM managed diversity by
a. ignoring differences and providing equal employment opportunities.
b. minimizing differences and emphasizing similarities.
c. emphasizing differences and opportunities.
d. minimizing differences as deficiency and highlighting differences as opportunities.
(a) Difficult/Evaluation
120. Which of the following was NOT a challenge that the IBM diversity task force on women found to be a concern?
a. lack of networking opportunities
b. lack of equal pay opportunities
c. presence of a male-dominated culture
d. work/life management challenges
(b) Medium/Comprehension
121. Which of the following was NOT a challenge that the IBM diversity task force on Asian employees found to be a concern?
a. stereotyping
b. limited employee development plans
c. work life management challenges
d. lack of networking
(c) Medium/Comprehension
122. Which of the following was a challenge that the IBM diversity task force on African American employees found to be a concern?
a. work/life management challenges
b. lack of networking
c. insufficient health plan coverage
d. lack of participation in decision making
(b) Medium/Comprehension
123. Which of the following statements is INCORRECT about IBM’s approach to diversity management?
a. IBM is interested in measuring the success of its diversity management programs as they believe that presence of these programs, rather than an emphasis on results, shows its commitment to diversity.
b. IBM has an excellent recruiting program for increasing its pool of diversity candidates.
c. IBM’s diversity recruiting often faces major hurdles due to the limited minority representation in the computer science and engineering fields.
d. IBM’s diversity task forces consist of senior and higher level management charged with understanding the eight identified diversity constituencies.
(a) Difficult/Comprehension
124. Which of the following statements regarding diversity in the American workforce is INCORRECT?
a. Individuals of African American, Hispanic and Asian backgrounds constitute roughly thirty percent of the American workforce.
b. Women constitute almost half of the American workforce.
c. Increasing numbers of young people are flooding the labor markets.
d. Sixteen percent of the American workforce is foreign-born.
(c) Medium/Comprehension
FILL IN THE BLANK
125. ____________ refers to the ways in which people are similar or different form each other.
(Diversity)
126. ______ ________ _ ___ _______ _________ ______ prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, sex, religion or national origin.
(Title VII of the Civil Rights Act)
127. The tendency for individuals to be attracted to similar individuals is called the ____________-_____________ phenomenon.
(similarity/attraction)
128. Demographic traits like race, gender and age are part of _________ diversity.
(surface)
129. Diversity in values, beliefs and attitudes is called _________ ____________ diversity.
(deep-level)
130. An attribute along which a group is split into subgroups is called a ___________.
(faultline)
131. A generalization about a particular group of people, like “men never ask for directions” is an example of a ________________.
(stereotype)
132. The fact that women earn 79% of what men earn demonstrates the _________ _________.
(earnings or wage gap)
133. The ______ __________ is the invisible barrier faced by women and minorities where they are represented in lower level occupations in the firm but not at the higher and executive levels.
(glass ceiling)
134. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act prohibits employment discrimination against individuals age __________ and over.
(40)
135. The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination in employment against individuals with physical or mental disabilities if they are otherwise qualified to do their jobs with or without _________ _____________.
(reasonable accommodation)
136. __________ __________ programs are those designed to recruit, promote, train and retain employees belonging to a protected class.
(Affirmative Action)
137. The values, beliefs and customs that exist in a society are the _________.
(culture)
138. An American citizen working in an American company located in Japan would be called a(n) ____________.
(expatriate)
139. ___________ ______________ are cultures where people have stronger bonds to their groups and group membership forms a person’s self-identity and ________ ___________are cultures where people define themselves as individuals and form looser ties with their groups.
(Collectivistic cultures, individualistic cultures)
140. A society that views an unequal distribution of power as relatively acceptable would be categorized as a _______ _________ ___________culture.
(high power distance)
141. Cultures that are comfortable in unpredictable situations and have high tolerance for ambiguity are called ________ ____________ _________ cultures.
(low uncertainty avoidance)
142. A ________ culture values achievement, competitiveness and the acquisition of money and other material objects.
(masculine)
143. _____________ _____________ is a person’s capability to understand how a person’s cultural background influences one’s behavior.
(Cultural intelligence)
144. ______________ is the belief that one’s own culture is superior to other cultures.
(Ethnocentrism)
SHORT ANSWERS
145. What are some of the benefits of diversity?
Higher creativity in decision making, better understanding and service to customers, more satisfied workforce, higher stock prices, lower litigation expenses, and higher company performance.
146. Briefly describe the similarity/attraction phenomenon.
The similarity/attraction phenomenon is the tendency for individuals to be attracted to similar individuals. So, individuals are more likely to have conflict with those who differ from them with regard to demographic characteristics like race, color, gender, etc. The phenomenon may explain some of the unfair treatment individuals experience. For example, women tend not to be hired into higher-level positions in the firm. To progress to those levels, they may need to have a mentor to “show them the ropes”. But if only men are in those positions, they would, according to the phenomenon, pick others like them, so they would choose men. Hence, women never get the chance to be promoted.
147. Define and give an example of surface diversity.
Surface diversity includes traits that are visible to those around us and include such demographic traits as gender, race and age.
148. Define and give an example of deep-level diversity.
Deep-level diversity includes values, beliefs mental abilities, and attitudes.
149. Define and provide an example of a faultline.
A faultline is an attribute along which a group is split into subgroups. An example is a group of six, three older women and three younger men. This group has a strong faultline because the group would be divided by gender and age.
150. Define the term stereotype and give an example.
A stereotype is a generalization about a particular group of people. An example of a stereotype is that women are poor drivers.
151. What is the earnings gap?
The earnings gap is the difference in salary level between men and women or between minorities and Caucasian males (generally). Currently, the wage gap between men and women is that women earn 79% of that earned by men. Minorities differ slightly from that figure with Hispanics making about 64% of what Caucasian males earn.
152. What is the glass ceiling?
The glass ceiling is an invisible barrier that tends to keep women and minorities at lower levels in the firm. In 2008, only twelve of the Fortune 500 firms had female CEOs and only three had African American CEOs.
153. A number of research studies have focused on older workers in the workplace. What were some of the findings that impact the management of the workplace?
Age is correlated with higher levels of citizenship behaviors like volunteering, higher safety rule compliance, lower work injuries, lower counterproductive behaviors and lower rates of tardiness and absenteeism. In addition, older people are less likely to quit their jobs when they are dissatisfied, are able to handle stress effectively and may perform better than their younger counterparts.
154. What are some accommodations that must be made for those with religious issues in the employment relationship?
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits firms from discriminating in employment on the basis of religion. Employers are required to make reasonable accommodation to ensure the practice of their religious beliefs unless it poses an unreasonable hardship on the employer. Generally the accommodations that the firm makes have to do with schedule and dress code modifications.
155. What is an example of a reasonable accommodation for a disabled individual that a firm might make?
One reasonable accommodation has to do with access to the place of employment. Wheelchair ramps, for example, are such an accommodation. Other accommodations, depending on the disability, might include some equipment that the disabled individual could use to assist him in the performance of his job such as a telephone amplifier for those with hearing impairment, schedule modifications, and reassignment of some non-essential job functions.
156. What is a program that can be a part of a larger affirmative action initiative?
Any of the following are possibilities: simple elimination of discrimination, targeted recruitment, tie-breakers and preferential treatment.
157. Define Hofstede’s individualism-collectivism dimension and give an example of each type of culture.
Individualism refers to cultures where people define themselves as an individual and form looser ties with their groups. An example of an individualist culture is the United States where personal independence is valued.
Collectivism refers to cultures where people have stronger bonds to their groups and group membership forms a person’s self-identity. An example of this type of culture is Mexico where the family is very important.
158. Define Hofstede’s low-high power distance dimension and give an example of each type of culture.
Low power distance is a society that views an unequal distribution of power as relatively unacceptable. In a low power distance culture, egalitarianism is the norm. A high power distance society views an unequal distribution of power as relatively acceptable. An example is Turkey, where elementary and high school students stand to greet their teachers when they enter the room.
159. Define Hofstede’s low-high uncertainty avoidance dimension and give an example of each type of culture.
A low uncertainty avoidance culture is comfortable in unpredictable situations and has high tolerance for ambiguity. An example is Russia, where companies do not have rule-oriented cultures.
A high uncertainty avoidance culture prefers predictable situations and has low tolerance for ambiguity. An example of this culture is Germany, where people prefer structure in their lives and like rules and procedures that manage situations.
160. Define Hofstede’s masculinity/femininity dimension and give an example of each type of culture.
Masculinity is a culture that values achievement, competitiveness, and the acquisition of money and other material objects. An example of a masculine culture is Japan where there is a separation of gender roles.
Femininity is a culture that values maintaining good relationships, caring for the weak and quality of life. An example of a feminine culture is Sweden where work/life balance is important and work arrangements like telecommuting are popular.
161. IBM was a pioneer in creating programs to value and develop a diverse workforce prior to federal legislation requiring such programs. Briefly discuss one of the programs IBM instituted that values diversity.
In 1935, IBM President Thomas Watson promised equal pay between the genders employed by the firm. In 1943, IBM had its first female vice president. The firm granted women unpaid leave for the birth of a child thirty years before the Family and Medical Leave Act; it then extended that benefit to female employees, raising the leave to one year in the 1960s and three years in 1988.
162. Briefly discuss the task forces that IBM established under Louis Gerstner to promote diversity in the firm, and address the masculine culture of the firm at the time.
The eight task forces established were women and men, Asians, African Americans, lesbian/bisexual/gay/transgender, Hispanic, Native American and employees with disabilities. Each task force had senior and higher level employees on it and each task force was charged with understanding how each constituency felt so they could be made to feel welcome at IBM. Each task force conducted meetings and surveyed employees to arrive at key factors related to each group. The key factors did not have to be based in reality; if employees perceived the issues to exist, IBM designed a program to address it.
ESSAY
163. What lessons do the IBM diversity management task forces offer to other firms?
Answers will vary but some general thoughts include: IBM’s success with diversity management suggests that other firms should consider implementing similar programs. IBM has tripled the number of female executives, doubled minority executives and increased those categorized as lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender seven-fold. IBM has seen this program to be a competitive advantage. Using the information from the task forces, IBM introduced programs to enhance networking activities for women and Asians, and helped retain African Americans.
164. Why would companies consider implementing diversity programs?
There are a number of different reasons for such programming, but some of the benefits of diversity initiatives include:
Higher creativity in decision making: The more diverse a group, the more options a group considers, which leads to higher-quality decisions. This increased quality could lead to more creative decisions that could positively impact the company’s bottom line.
Better understanding and service to customers: The more a firm understands about the breadth of its customer base, the more opportunity is offered for growing a market or tapping a new market segment.
More satisfied workforce: When employees feel fairly treated, they are more satisfied. More satisfied workers turnover less.
Higher stock prices: Companies with a more diverse workforce find that they have a higher stock price in the days following the announcement of diversity initiatives.
Lower litigation costs: If a firm is being fair to its employees, there is no need for employees to file complaints against the firm for discriminating against them with regard to federal law. Obviously a lack of complaints saves substantial litigation fees.
Higher company performance: Those firms managing diversity effectively tend to perform better.
165. Michael is a new manager for a Fortune 500 firm. He is preparing for his first assignment, which is to complete a diversity audit of his firm. What are some of the areas he should consider for assessment?
A number of demographic groups can be investigated in the firm. However, some of the major groups include: gender (what is the number of women in executive or higher level management positions, are there pay differences between women and other groups in the firm); race (again what is the number of minorities in upper management positions in the firm and what is their pay rate); age (how are older workers treated, are they stereotyped); religious (what accommodations are made for religious beliefs); disabled (what accommodations need to be made) and sexual orientation (are same sex benefits offered).
166. You are being interviewed for a position in a financial services firm. The last three questions that the interviewer asked of you have been illegal questions. What can you do?
Some options:
Continue to refuse to answer and maybe even point out the illegality of the question.
Answer shortly and then change the subject.
Answer the intent of the question, not the actual question.
Walk away from the interview.
167. You are an organizational behavior consultant who has been brought into a firm to present some best practices with regard to managing demographic diversity. What are some of those best practices which you could present in a seminar?
Build a culture that respects diversity. All levels of the firm must support diversity.
Make managers accountable for diversity.
Institute diversity training programs.
Review recruitment practices and ensure the firm is targeting a diverse candidate pool.
Consider affirmative action programs to enhance diversity.
168. You are an advisor for international business students. You are meeting with freshmen business students this afternoon. What are some recommendations you could make to these students to prepare them for global careers?
Answers will vary but some general responses are:
Learn a language.
Immerse yourself in different cultures.
Develop an openness to different experiences.
Develop a strong social support network.
Develop a sense of humor.
Plan your return from a foreign assignment to avoid reverse culture shock.
169. You are an organizational behavior consultant who has been hired to present a training seminar to managers in a Fortune 500 firm about suggestions for managing cultural diversity in the firm. What are some of the topics you will consider presenting during the seminar?
Help employees build cultural intelligence; companies are very diverse now and the more cultures you can understand the better prepared your firm will be.
Avoid ethnocentrism.
Listen to locals.
Recognize that culture changes.
Do not always assume that culture is the problem.
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