Deck 14: Motivation in Multinational Companies

Question 1

All the following are true about work centrality EXCEPT

A)High levels of work centrality may lead to dedicated workers and more effective organizations.
B)Higher levels of work centrality closely match average number of hours worked in a country.
C)High levels of work centrality in Japan have been physically and psychologically stressing to middle-aged managers.
D)It represents the function of work in an organizational culture.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The concept of work centrality refers to

A)The reasons why people work.
B)The degree of importance of work in the life of an individual.
C)The functions that work plays in people's lives.
D)Goals that people hope to achieve from working.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

All of the following statements about work in different countries are true EXCEPT

A)Regardless of country, money has the highest priority for why people work.
B)All people hope to receive certain benefits from work.
C)In some societies, work is very central and absorbs more of a person's life.
D)People from different countries have different goals for their jobs.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following motivation theory suggests that only some people have the need to win in competitive situation or to exceed excellence standards?

A)Expectancy theory
B)Motivator-hygiene theory
C)Achievement-motivation theory
D)Reinforcement theory

Question 5

When applying need theories in a cross-national context,managers should

A)Ignore the differences in needs between nations and apply the models uniformly.
B)Take into consideration the particular needs that people seek to satisfy in different countries.
C)Give the same magnitude of importance to work needs and apply these motivational tools.
D)Understand work centrality and then provide the same rewards to satisfy needs.

Question 6

Which types of motivation theories explain motivation arising from satisfaction of needs and values combined with an individual's beliefs regarding the work environment?

A)Needs theories
B)Work centrality theories
C)Process and reinforcement theories
D)Work functions theories

Question 7

All of the following statements are true about hygiene factors EXCEPT

A)Hygiene factors bring people to neutral states of motivation.
B)Hygiene factors include good benefits and good working conditions.
C)Hygiene factors can motivate workers similarly to motivating factors.
D)Hygiene factors include those characteristics that allow people to fulfill lower level needs.

Question 8

All of the following statements about Maslow's hierarchy of needs are true EXCEPT

A)People have six basic type of needs.
B)People have basic needs that follow a hierarchy from lower level to higher level needs.
C)People first seek to satisfy lower level needs and then move to higher level needs.
D)All of the above are true.

Question 9

All of the following statements are true EXCEPT

A)Equity norms prevail in individualistic cultures.
B)Equality norms prevail over equity norms in collectivist cultures.
C)Equity norms prevail in collectivist cultures.
D)All of the above are true.

Question 10

The national context affect motivation through all of the following EXCEPT

A)Cultural values and norms.
B)Social institutions that lead to different types of organizations.
C)The existence of strong organizational cultures.
D)National differences in work centrality.

Question 11

Motivation refers to

A)A feeling of deficit or lacking.
B)Goal-directed behaviors to satisfy human needs.
C)The use of work to satisfy many needs.
D)Consequences of a person's behavior that discourages the behavior.

Question 12

Expectancy theory proposes that

A)Motivation is solely determined by the satisfaction of needs.
B)Motivation is determined by the workers' perceptions of fairness at work.
C)Motivation is a result of an individual's preferences and belief that his/her effort will lead to some valued results.
D)Motivation is a purely automatic process.

Question 13

The importance of work refers to

A)how central work is in an individual's life.
B)The degree of obligations to work in the life of an individual.
C)The functions that work plays in people's lives.
D)People's expectations from work.

Question 14

In a cross-national context,expectancy theory prescribes that managers

A)Should specify the hierarchy of needs of workers.
B)Identify and eliminate potential sources of inequity at work.
C)Identify valued outcomes and convince workers that their efforts will lead to these outcomes.
D)Punish workers for not achieving organizational goals.

Question 15

People's expectations from work (such as work providing necessary income or work providing satisfactory experiences)refer to

A)Functions of work.
B)Work centrality.
C)Importance of work.
D)Work motivation.

Question 16

Need theories of motivation are based on the assumption that

A)Motivation is a function of the individual's beliefs of what happens if one works hard.
B)Motivation is a result of the outcomes of one's past behaviors.
C)Motivation is a function of why people work.
D)People can satisfy basic human needs in the work setting.

Question 17

The theory based on the idea that employees compare their inputs and outcomes to other persons in the work setting to determine if they are being fairly treated is

A)Needs difference theory.
B)Expectancy theory.
C)Equity theory.
D)Reinforcement theory.

Question 18

Reactions to a person's behavior that encourage the person to continue the behavior is

A)Goal-directed behavior.
B)Punishment.
C)Reinforcement.
D)Need.

Question 19

Conclusions from the World Values Survey and the European Values Survey on functions of work reveal that

A)People across the world assign the same degree of importance to work functions.
B)People across the world rate income as the most important work function.
C)People from different nations do not assign the same magnitude of importance to work functions.
D)Workers saw the most important function of work as providing contact with other people.

Question 20

Principles of goal-setting theory include all of the following EXCEPT

A)Set clear and specific goals.
B)Provide incentives to achieve goals.
C)Give feedback on goal attainment.
D)Assign do-your-best types of goals.

Question 21

Hygiene factors include

A)The size of desks and color of offices.
B)Interesting tasks in the job.
C)Challenges in the job.
D)All of the above

Question 22

Setting goals for work groups is recommended in

A)Individualistic cultures.
B)Collectivist cultures.
C)High power distance cultures.
D)Goal setting for groups works equally well in all cultural settings.

Question 23

Applying reinforcement at a cross-national level is challenging because

A)It is hard to identify the organizational rewards that can be used as reinforcers.
B)It is hard to understand how work values influence potential rewards.
C)It is hard to know which type of reinforcer is more applicable in different cultures.
D)All of the above

Question 24

All of the following are true about the operant-conditioning model EXCEPT

A)Behavior is a function of its consequences.
B)People will stop behaviors that have unpleasant consequences.
C)People will continue behaviors they like irrespective of the nature of consequence.
D)People will continue behaviors that have pleasant consequences.

Question 25

Some of the detrimental effects of social loafing can be reduced if

A)Individuals are held responsible for performance.
B)Groups are held responsible for performance.
C)The group leader is held responsible for performance.
D)None of the above

Question 26

Social loafing

A)Is the social process of sharing.
B)Occurs when people prefer to work in groups.
C)Means that everyone's work is easier in groups.
D)Occurs when people put out less effort when working in groups.

Question 27

Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons discussed to explain why people engage in social loafing in individualistic cultures?

A)When working in groups, people in individualistic cultures often feel less pressure to work and less responsible for work outcomes.
B)Workers in groups in individualistic cultures often believe that the group will make up any slack in their personal efforts.
C)People in individualistic cultures often give priority to their own work over the group.
D)All of the above are reasons to explain social loafing in individualistic cultures.

Question 28

A crucial difference between the US job characteristics model and the European STS approach is

A)The US model focuses on core job characteristics, while the European model focuses on tasks.
B)The US model focuses on individuals, while the European model focuses on work teams.
C)The US model focuses on work teams, while the European model focuses on individuals.
D)There are no differences between the US job characteristics model and the European STS approach.

Question 29

According to equity theory,equity conscious people are most likely those

A)Who behave consistently with equity theory.
B)Who are more likely to tolerate situations where they are underrewarded.
C)Are more likely to experience satisfaction if underrewarded.
D)None of the above

Question 30

Which motivation theory proposes that if a pleasurable consequence follows a behavior,then the behavior will continue and if an unpleasant consequence follows a behavior,the behavior will stop?

A)Needs theory
B)Expectance theory
C)Equity theory
D)Reinforcement theory

Question 31

In individualistic cultures,performance drops off with the use of teamwork because

A)Of social loafing.
B)Workers believe that the group will make up any slack in their personal efforts.
C)Workers do not feel responsible for group outcomes.
D)All of the above

Question 32

According to the text,those who are underrewarded are likely to

A)Return their rewards.
B)Reduce their inputs.
C)Increase their inputs.
D)None of the above

Question 33

The need to maximize personal achievement refers to which type of need in Maslow's hierarchy of needs

A)Physiological needs.
B)Self esteem needs.
C)Self actualization needs.
D)Security needs.

Question 34

An expatriate finds that one of his subordinates regularly jokes about a minority group in the country.She decides to ignore the jokes hoping that the subordinate will eventually stop such jokes.Which aspect of reinforcement theory is she using?

A)Avoidance
B)Extinction
C)Punishment
D)Operant conditioning

Question 35

Which of the following refers to the aspect of a job where the person can complete a whole piece of work from beginning to end?

A)Feedback
B)Task significance
C)Task variety
D)Task identity

Question 36

Which of the following theories is NOT considered as one of the needs theories?

A)Equity theory
B)Achievement motivation theory
C)Maslow's hierarchy of needs
D)Motivator-hygiene theory

Question 37

A manager gives bonuses to high performing foreign employees hoping that they will continue performing at a high level.This manager is using which motivational principle?

A)Extinction
B)Goal-directed
C)Reinforcement
D)Punishment

Question 38

Esteem needs refer to

A)Basic survival needs such as food, water and shelter.
B)Safety and avoidance of pain and life-threatening situations.
C)Being loved and having friendship.
D)Focus on respect and feelings of self-worth.

Question 39

The sociotechnical systems approach to job design

A)Gives priority to the technical efficiency of workers.
B)Attempts to mesh both modern technology and social needs of workers.
C)Has no major differences with the US job characteristics model.
D)Focuses on designing each worker's task for job enrichment.

Question 40

All of the following statements about the US job characteristics model are true EXCEPT

A)The model suggests that work is more motivating when managers enrich core job characteristics.
B)The model suggests that enriching job characteristics is motivating for all types of individuals.
C)The model assumes that one critical state for motivation to occur is if the worker believes his/her work to be meaningful.
D)The model assumes that only some people will respond well to enriched jobs.

Question 41

Why is it necessary to understand the meaning of work in different cultures before planning work motivation strategies?

Question 42

What are the three major principles of allocating rewards? Discuss how each principle works.Why is equality preferred in more collectivistic cultures while individualistic cultures favor equity?

Question 43

Compare and contrast the need theories of motivation to the process theories of motivation.How can these theories be applied in multinational management?

Question 44

Describe Vroom's Expectancy Theory.What are some implications for multinational management?

Question 45

Discuss equity theory.What are the implications for multinationals?

Question 46

Explain why performance drops off when teams are used in individualistic cultures.Explain the significance of social loafing in the process.How can social loafing be reduced?

Question 47

Discuss some of the implications of the operant-conditioning model for multinational management.

Question 48

Compare and contrast the Job Diagnostics Design Approach to the European Sociotechnical Systems Approach to job design.