business managment data bank

1. You are the HRM manager in a company with a highly diverse workforce. Over lunch you are explaining to a Caucasian, middle-class, line manager that she needs to use different training techniques with her Hispanic employees than with her black employees because of the difference in their cognitive structures. By “cognitive structures,” you mean:

a) their personality traits.

b) the way they perceive and respond to the world around them.

c) their social and economic grouping.

d) those individual characteristics over which they have little or no control.

e) their problem-solving abilities.

2. Fundamentally, diversity:

a) consists of those elements in our lives over which we have no control, but which make us individuals.

b) is caused by the choices we make about our lifestyles, etc., that make us who we are.

c) is all the human characteristics that make us who we are.

d) is simply another term for affirmative action in the workplace.

e) is another term for “stereotype”.

3. Jorge is from Guatemala. Amanda, an American co-worker, assumes that Jorge, (and all Guatemalans) are just like her two Latina friends, and that the three share the same abilities, likes, and dislikes. Amanda is guilty of:

a) discrimination.

b) stereotyping.

c) harassment.

d) closed-mindedness.

e) a and b

4. An important diversity issue is understanding the distinction between diversity and the source of diversity. Which of the following is an example of diversity?

a) Terrance believes men should lead group discussions. Cami thinks gender is irrelevant to leadership.

b) Marshall and Patty attended parochial school as children and readily accept authoritarian leadership.

c) Jesus enjoys hot spicy food because he is a Latino.

d) Carla does well in mathematics because she is an Asian-American.

e) All of the above are examples of the sources of diversity.

5. Diversity is a function of:

a) stereotyping.

b) an individual’s group membership.

c) individual characteristics, some of which can be changed, and some over which one has no control.

d) segmented communication networks.

e) the current implementation of affirmative action programs and their quotas.

6. When identifying individual characteristics in groups of people, it is very likely that:

a) two groups will have substantial overlap with regard to any given characteristic.

b) two groups will have very little overlap with regard to any given characteristic.

c) the overlap that occurs between two groups is affected by the groups’ interactions with one another.

d) overlap is a function of two groups’ geographical closeness.

e) two groups will only have overlap if they are from the same continent.

7. The exclusion of certain people from participation in an organization because of their group membership:

a) is a legal way to eliminate some stress in the workplace caused by diversity programs.

b) is not only illegal, but may cost the organization access to creativity and experiences it wouldn’t otherwise have.

c) will legally save companies a significant amount of money.

d) should be done very carefully to avoid violating the law.

e) is only a legal option for small, privately-held companies.

8. The growing awareness of changing workforce demographic and the need to fully integrate and work effectively with nontraditional and minority employees is called:

a) equal employment opportunity.

b) affirmative action.

c) diversity training.

d) diversity management.

e) valuing diversity.

9. The number of people over age 55 in the United States will grow by about ____ over the next decade.

a) 10%

b) 26%

c) 18%

d) 46%

e) 77%

10. By the year 2010, _____ of the U.S. workforce will be white Americans.

a) only 35%

b) almost 70%

c) about 50%

d) 85%

e) 90%

11. The fastest-growing minority group in the United States from 2000-2010 will be:

a) female Americans.

b) Asian-Americans.

c) Hispanic-Americans.

d) White Americans.

e) African-Americans.

12. U.S. workforce participation by Hispanic-Americans by 2010 will:

a) increase by over 13%.

b) double.

c) decline by 4.3%.

d) remain the same.

e) decrease by more than 30%.

13. Changing workforce demographics is exemplified by the fact that, of the 20 million jobs created over the next ten years, women and minorities will fill:

a) 12%.

b) 22%.

c) 36%.

d) 48%.

e) 75%.

14. The number of women in the work force is expected to continue to _______; the number of men in the workforce is expected to _______.

a) increase / increase proportionally

b) decrease / increase overall

c) decrease / decrease proportionally

d) increase / decrease overall

e) none of the above

15. Between 1996 and 2006, the percentage of African-Americans in the workforce is expected to:

a) double.

b) decrease by half.

c) decrease slightly.

d) increase slightly.

e) increase by 10%.

16. Workforce diversity can enhance organizational effectiveness by:

a) reducing costs and improving quality.

b) decreasing communications and conflict.

c) simply recognizing the inevitable change in the face of the workforce in the future.

d) creating greater system stability.

e) increasing creativity, leading to better problem solving.

17. Greyhound’s increase in profits is considered to be a result of:

a) marketing strategies directed toward a multiethnic, multicultural population.

b) breaking away from corporate “group-think.”

c) apprenticeship programs.

d) diversity training.

e) all of the above

18. It is a challenge to convince people to value diversity because:

a) it is seen as diminishing the common ground necessary to a viable society.

b) most managers already see diversity as an asset to their companies.

c) diversity programs have created a strong backlash.

d) quotas in affirmative action programs have been eliminated.

e) it tends to decrease system flexibility.

19. One hindrance to diversity in the workplace, according to Jo Vanderkloot, is:

a) the American value of individualism.

b) the view that one should not comment on difference because to be different is to be deficient.

c) the general lack of group cohesiveness in the workforce.

d) the traditional top-down American management style.

e) that diversity can cause system inflexibility.

20. During lunch with co-workers, Camille brings up the new focus that Moen and Associates seems to place on diversity. She claims that rather than encouraging differences in the workplace, it would be more effective to encourage a social “sameness” for all company employees, regardless of the cultural and racial differences that are represented at Moen. Her view is in line with which perspective?

a) Difference as better.

b) Difference as deficiency.

c) Integration over assimilation.

d) The cultural relativity perspective.

e) b and d

21. The question about whether to adapt management practices to fit the different sets of workplace values, beliefs, and attitudes is the challenge of managing employee diversity related to:

a) the international issues in management.

b) valuing employee diversity.

c) individual vs. group fairness.

d) organizations’ resistance to change.

e) group cohesiveness and interpersonal conflict.

22. The cultural relativity concept of management displays which of the following characteristics?

a) A value placed on varying beliefs, attitudes, and patterns of behavior.

b) Standardized management practices.

c) A strong belief in universalism.

d) Flexible management practices that can be molded to different cultures.

e) a and d

23. The fact that most communication within an organization occurs between members of the same sex and race demonstrates the diversity management challenge related to:

a) the resistance to change in organizations.

b) retention of minority and women employees.

c) group cohesiveness.

d) communication channel segmentation.

e) valuing employee diversity.

24. Some managers and mainstream employees feel that organizations have compromised their standards to comply with EEO requirements. This belief exemplifies the challenge to managing diversity of:

a) resentment.

b) the retention of men who will likely quit in frustration.

c) competition for opportunities.

d) balancing individual versus group fairness.

e) backlash.

25. The best strategy to handle the various challenges to managing diversity is to:

a) assume an individual’s behavior is based on their ethnic grouping.

b) remember that women are always more conceptual and emotional than men, regardless of ethnic background.

c) remember that the primary determinant of behavior is one’s group membership.

d) treat employees as individuals.

e) focus on the sources of diversity, not the diversity itself.