Deck 1: Introduction to Industrial Relations

Question 1

According to Dunlop,an IR system includes all but the following:

A)a web of rules governing the actors' workplace behaviour.
B)three major actors.
C)a single,clear statement as to how the system works.
D)a common ideology binding the system together.
E)various contexts.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Radicalists and Political Economists believe

A)society is composed of one class that blends owners and workers.
B)widespread inequality is an integral part of any capitalist system.
C)existing political and economic arrangements can solve most current Industrial Relations issues.
D)the value of goods and services produced by the workers is adequately reflected in wages.
E)profits are equally shared by owners and workers.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Neoclassicists' major research strategy is:

A)interviews of employers and employees.
B)case studies.
C)surveys of employees.
D)quantitative statistical analysis.
E)historical research.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Radicalists who believed that change in the Industrial relations system win Canada would come through a giant general strike were known as

A)Syndicalists.
B)Classical Marxists.
C)Reformists.
D)Institutionalists.
E)Political Economists.

Question 5

Reformists' political position is best described as

A)far right.
B)right of centre.
C)left of centre.
D)centre.
E)far left.

Question 6

The difference between the value of goods and services produced and their costs were referred to by Radicalists as

A)surplus value.
B)surplus cost.
C)marginal value.
D)marginal cost.
E)profits.

Question 7

A particular difficulty with the Canadian Industrial relations system,as viewed by Political Economists is

A)inadequate representation of skilled labourers.
B)inadequate representation of professional disciplines.
C)inadequate recognition of managerial action.
D)inadequate representation of small business owners.
E)inadequate representation of women.

Question 8

From a Marxist perspective,Trade Unions are

A)a band-aid solution and distraction from the working person's main mission.
B)a prelude to the total overthrow of the capitalist system.
C)a tool of the capitalists used to placate workers.
D)the best solution to Industrial relations issues.
E)a good compromise between a Marxist and capitalist view.

Question 9

Which of the following does not do much to explain the difference in union membership rates between Canada and the U.S.?

A)different union certification processes in the two countries
B)the existence of a social democratic party in Canada
C)broad trends in the Canadian and American economies
D)different laws governing the exclusion of various occupational groups from unionization
E)the fact that,in the past,a fair number of American unions were heavily involved with organized crime

Question 10

As an interdisciplinary subject,Industrial Relations draws on all of the following fields,except

A)Business Management.
B)Political Science.
C)Anthropology.
D)Law.
E)History.

Question 11

Institutionalists' major interest is in

A)eliminating all workplace conflict.
B)incentive pay.
C)overthrowing the existing economic order.
D)unions' impact on wages.
E)real world IR institutions and public labour policy issues.

Question 12

Political Economists believe in

A)centralizing of power issues.
B)use of direct action to bring the capitals class to its knees.
C)violent overthrow of the capitalist society.
D)decentralized power issues and the isolation of Industrial relations from large economical and societal developments.
E)irrelevancy of political solutions to Industrial relations issues.

Question 13

Which of the following does not help explain why union-management relations is an inadequate definition of industrial relations?

A)government's role in the IR system
B)the role of customers and suppliers as stakeholders
C)the fact that over half the country's work force is not unionized
D)the role of entire communities as stakeholders
E)the growing importance of management in the IR system

Question 14

Which of the following statements concerning Thomas Kochan and his associates' views of Dunlop's systems framework is inaccurate?

A)The systems framework doesn't go far enough in explaining the importance of workplace conflict.
B)Dunlop places too much emphasis on collective bargaining.
C)Dunlop pays insufficient attention to the role of management.
D)The systems framework is of no value at all.
E)The systems framework inaccurately assumes that all IR developments are carried out in isolation from other aspects of the firm's operations.

Question 15

Political economists believe change in the Industrial Relations system should come through

A)direct actions such as general strikes.
B)employee ownership and management of business enterprises.
C)direct affiliation with a political party.
D)violent overthrow of society.
E)indirect Political activity such as lobbying.

Question 16

Which of the following statements concerning managerialists is closest to being true?

A)They will not work with a union under any conditions.
B)They believe in motivating through fear rather than through positive incentives.
C)They are strongly pro-union.
D)They believe that if workers are paid well enough,managers needn't pay much attention to intrinsic working conditions.
E)They believe that if progressive HRM policies are followed,most workplace conflict can be done away with.

Question 17

All but which one of the following are challenges posed to employers by today's changing work force and changing economy?

A)maintaining loyalty and commitment
B)finding good IR people to negotiate with their unions
C)modifying work schedules to meet the needs of people of different religious persuasions
D)providing same-sex medical benefits to meet the needs of gay and lesbian couples
E)providing physically accessible premises to meet the needs of disabled workers

Question 18

According to Radicalists,the bourgeoisie control

A)entrepreneurship.
B)capital.
C)labour resources.
D)means of production.
E)raw materials.

Question 19

Dunlop's "Common Ideology" is best defined as

A)substantive rules regarding system outcomes such as pay.
B)political affiliation shared by all actors in the system.
C)common ideas defining the role,place and function of all actors in the system.
D)rules governing behaviour by all actors in the system.
E)economic ideas shared by all actors in the system.

Question 20

All but which one of the following employment patterns has increased significantly over the past 20 years?

A)work done on a short-term contractual basis
B)regular part-time work
C)regular full-time work
D)work performed at home
E)self-employment

Question 21

What are some of the important differences between Radicalists and Political Economists?

Question 22

List some advantages and disadvantages of today's increasingly fluid work schedules and lack of job security.

Question 23

What are the roles of managers,workers,and governments in Dunlop's systems framework?

Question 24

Unions/management relations in Canada are conducted within a Federal legislative framework only.

Question 25

What are some important differences between IR and organizational behaviour OB),human resource management HRM),and labour studies?

Question 26

What are the important differences between Systems theory and Strategic Choice Theory?

Question 27

It would be fair to say that the field of IR really began in North America as a reaction against the neoclassical perspective.

Question 28

Unions have an easier time recruiting members in regions with a history of positive labour relations

Question 29

Employment Legislation and Labour Relations Legislation are two distinct areas of law with no interaction.

Question 30

Dunlop's notion of shared ideology has proved useful in explaining the reasons for workplace conflict.

Question 31

What are some important differences between institutionalists and reformists?

Question 32

Traditional Marxists believe change in the Industrial Relations system should come through

A)direct affiliation with a political party.
B)employee ownership and management of business enterprises.
C)direct actions such as general strikes.
D)indirect Political activity such as lobbying.
E)violent overthrow of society.

Question 33

What common ideals are shared by Radicalists and Political Economists?

Question 34

Craig's version of the system framework places considerable importance on the role of management and management-related outcomes.

Question 35

What are some important differences between IR and labour economics and the sociology of work?

Question 36

List one major strength and one major weakness of the managerialist perspective.

Question 37

Why aside from the money they earn at work)do most people find work such an important experience?

Question 38

It would be fair to say that there are a good many workaholics in the Canadian labour force.

Question 39

Few of today's workers need concern themselves very much with job security.

Question 40

Most people who work do it only for the money.

Question 41

Discuss some of the strengths and weaknesses of the systems approach to IR.

Question 42

From a reformist perspective,why must the Industrial Relations system be reformed to allow labour relations legislation and collective bargaining to work?

Question 43

Of the important environmental differences between Canada and the United States,which is the most important in making Strategic Choice theory less applicable in Canada?

Question 44

Reformists would argue that as things stand,unions are unable to offer many workers any real protection against arbitrary or unfair treatment by their employers.

Question 45

Industrial relations IR)has a single,very powerful theory which explains most phenomena in the field.

Question 46

Countries that have a labour or social democratic party are likely to have higher union membership rates than countries which don't.

Question 47

A general strike is the type of action that syndicalists believe will reform Industrial Relations.

Question 48

What were some of the developments that gave rise to the strategic choice framework?

Question 49

Explain how a study of Canadian and American union membership rates over time illustrates IR's interdisciplinary nature.

Question 50

Union growth occurs unrelated to employment and economic trends

Question 51

Members of the political economy school are more sophisticated in their political prescriptions than were traditional Marxists of earlier years.