Deck 16: Employees and the Corporation

Question 1

Most management experts recommend that employers do let employees know they are being electronically monitored.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The Occupational Safety and Health Act gives workers the right to a job "free from recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm."

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The employment relationship confers rights and duties on both sides.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Where are workers not permitted to form independent unions?

A) United States.
B) Communist countries.
C) Military dictatorships.
D) Both B and C, but not

Question 5

During the 1930s, many workers in the United States joined unions, and the ranks of organized labor grew rapidly. This historical period was called:

A) The Fair Deal.
B) The New Deal.
C) The Progressive Era.
D) The Age of Unionization.

Question 6

Under U.S. laws:

A) Only private workers have the right to hold an election to choose what union they want to represent them, if any.
B) Only public workers have the right to hold an election to choose what union they want to represent them, if any.
C) Most private and public workers have the right to hold an election to choose what union they want to represent them, if any.
D) Only the employer has the right to hold an election to choose what unions they want to represent the workers within the organization, if any.

Question 7

Employees in the United States have the right to organize and bargain collectively.

Question 8

The U.S. Constitution protects the right to free speech-which means only the government can take away this right.

Question 9

Some labor unions have departed from their traditional adversarial approach to work cooperatively with employers for their mutual benefit.

Question 10

According to a recent study, nearly all companies test employees or job applicants for drugs.

Question 11

Drug testing for cause is commonly used after an accident or some observable change in behavior.

Question 12

In a business context, privacy rights refer to protecting an individual's personal life from unwarranted intrusion by his or her employer.

Question 13

Employment-at-will is a legal doctrine that means employees are hired and retain their jobs at the sole discretion of the employer.

Question 14

If someone is entitled to be treated a certain way, this refers to a(n):

A) Relationship.
B) Obligation.
C) Duty.
D) Right.

Question 15

The Council for Economic Priorities has developed a set of workplace rules called Social Accountability 8000, or SA 8000.

Question 16

In general, employee assistance programs have been very cost effective.

Question 17

The term labor standards refers to the conditions under which a company's employees work.

Question 18

Employers are not required by law to agree to the union's demands, but they are required to bargain in good faith.

Question 19

Employees in the United States have a legal right to:

A) Organize and bargain collectively.
B) A safe and healthy workplace.
C) A job.
D) Both A and B, but not

Question 20

Under the new social contract, the bond between the employer and employee has become stronger.

Question 21

Which law allows individuals who sue federal contractors for fraud to receive up to 30 percent of any amount recovered by the government?

A) False Standards Act.
B) Economic Priorities Act (as amended in 1999).
C) U.S. False Claims Act (as amended in 1986).
D) Fair Labor Standards Act.

Question 22

Since the mid-1950s the proportion of American workers represented by unions has:

A) Decreased.
B) Increased.
C) Remained about the same.
D) Grown only in the manufacturing sector.

Question 23

Which of the following is true about romantic relationships in the workplace?

A) Most businesses have strict policies forbidding all romantic relationships in the workplace.
B) OSHA requires businesses to forbid workplace romantic relationships.
C) Many companies allow managers to become romantically involved with subordinates, so long as they do not supervise them directly.
D) Many companies allow managers to become romantically involved with subordinates if the subordinate has been working at the company for at least 18 months.

Question 24

The right to free speech is protected in the United States by the:

A) Constitution.
B) Free Speech Amendment.
C) False Claims Act.
D) Fair Labor Standards Act.

Question 25

When an employee believes their employer has done something that is wrong or harmful to the public, and he or she reports alleged organizational misconduct to the media, government, or high-level company officials, what has occurred?

A) Insider trading.
B) Hot-lining.
C) Whistle-blowing.
D) Snitching.

Question 26

According to the US Department of Labor:

A) Annually, more than 4 million workers in private industry are hurt or become ill on the job.
B) Annually, more than 4 million workers in public industry are hurt or become ill on the job.
C) Four out of every 100 workers are hurt or become ill on the job annually.
D) Both A and C, not

Question 27

Which of the following is (are) true about honesty tests?

A) Employees welcome the opportunity to prove their honesty.
B) It is a written psychological test trying to predict employee honesty on the job.
C) It has been found to be an effective way of determining employees' integrity.
D) All of the above.

Question 28

According to the new social contract:

A) The employer is obligated to provide long-term job security.
B) Companies try to attract workers by giving them interesting and challenging work.
C) Job security is based on seniority, but salaries may be lowered for poor performance.
D) The employer is without any responsibilities toward employees.

Question 29

Which of the following is not an argument favoring employee drug testing?

A) It improves employee productivity.
B) It decreases employee theft and absenteeism.
C) It promotes safety in the workplace.
D) It is an intrusion on individual privacy.

Question 30

Which of the following statements is not true about the right to a safe and healthy workplace?

A) Over recent years no new categories of accidents or illnesses have emerged.
B) Extensive training and careful precautions are necessary to avoid accidents, injuries, and illness.
C) Many jobs are potentially hazardous to workers' safety and health.
D) Some occupations, such as drilling and mining, are particularly dangerous.

Question 31

A reason for an increase in employee monitoring does not include:

A) To achieve greater efficiency at work.
B) To avoid negligent hiring claims.
C) To maintain an honest work force.
D) To reduce health insurance premiums.

Question 32

Privacy rights seek to protect the employees' private lives from:

A) Competitors' actions.
B) Workplace violence.
C) Intrusive and unwarranted business actions.
D) Pressure to unionize.

Question 33

Polygraph testing:

A) Is encouraged by the Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988.
B) Is used by 85 percent of U.S. companies as a pre-employment screening procedure.
C) Has been replaced by written psychological tests.
D) Is used by 85 percent of U.S. companies to discover employee theft.

Question 34

Which of the following is true about random drug testing of employees?

A) It screens randomly-selected employees at various times through the year.
B) It randomly tests selected applicants before hiring, as a part of a physical examination.
C) It tests an employee believed to be impaired by drugs and unfit for work.
D) It regularly tests employees from randomly-selected job categories or job levels.

Question 35

Which of the following is not true about employee theft?

A) It accounts for 20 percent of the nation's business failures in the U.S.
B) It is a significant economic, social, and ethical problem in the workplace.
C) Every employee has stolen from an employer at least once in his or her career.
D) Employees damage coworkers and their employers by stealing from the company.

Question 36

Which of the following led to significant corporate restructuring and downsizing?

A) Fierce global competition.
B) Emphasis on improving the "bottom line."
C) Improved corporate profitability.
D) Both A and B, but not

Question 37

Which of the following is (are) true about Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)?

A) They offer counseling and follow-up to alcohol abusers.
B) Roughly 90 percent of employers offer EAPs for alcohol users.
C) In general, EAPs have been very cost-effective.
D) All of the above

Question 38

The Occupational Safety and Health Act gives workers the right to a job:

A) With equal wages for similar kinds of work.
B) With wages that enable an employee to enjoy a decent standard of living.
C) That is free from recognized hazards that are likely to cause death or serious injury.
D) That does not require them to lift, bend, or move items at any time on the job.

Question 39

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act makes it illegal for employers to:

A) Sue federal contractors for fraud.
B) Retaliate against whistle-blowers who report information that could have an impact on the value of a company's shares.
C) Hire employees who have a prior record of accounting fraud.
D) Both B and C, but not

Question 40

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics, the highest injury rates are found in which industry?

A) Manufacturing.
B) Service.
C) Healthcare.
D) None of the above.

Question 41

Only after which of the following conditions is (are) met, should the whistle-blower go public?

A) The unreported act would do serious and considerable harm to the public.
B) The employee has reported the act to his or her immediate supervisor and has made their moral concern known.
C) Both A and
D) None of the above.

Question 42

Discuss the pros and cons of the new social contract from the viewpoint of an employer and employee. What duty does an employer have to provide job security to its workers?

Question 43

The conditions under which a company's employees work is called:

A) Labor standards.
B) Sweatshops.
C) Accountability standards.
D) Wage levels.

Question 44

Provide an example where employee whistle-blowing is justified and an example where it is not. Provide support for each example.

Question 45

As the use of electronic communication at work has risen, new ethical issues involving worker privacy have emerged. Should employers be allowed to read employee e-mail, inspect their MySpace pages or blogs, or access files located on a personal computer at work? Why or why not?

Question 46

Some people believe that the right of privacy should be extended to the workplace. Others feel that, on the contrary, that such an extension would constitute an unwarranted incursion into management's right to manage. Please comment on this debate, using examples from the text discussion of electronic monitoring, romance in the workplace, employee drug testing, and employee honesty testing. Are there particular circumstances under which it is, or is not, appropriate for employers to monitor employee behavior?

Question 47

Discuss working conditions around the world. What challenges face multinational corporations? What approaches are companies using to establish fair labor standards? Which approaches might work better than others?

Question 48

Workers in the United States enjoy several important legal guarantees. Discuss three major worker rights. What are the U.S. laws and regulations that govern each? How do such policies compare with those of other countries?

Question 49

Developing a corporate policy on alcohol abuse is a difficult challenge. As the CEO of a firm, how would you fairly treat and protect the privacy of an employee who has an alcohol problem, while maintaining the company goal of maximizing the productivity of each employee?

Question 50

When groups of companies define industry-wide standards that they can all agree to, these are called:

A) Corporate codes of conduct.
B) NGO codes of conduct.
C) Industry-wide codes of conduct.
D) Fair wage levels.

Question 51

A strong employer-employee relationship is central to:

A) Achieving a corporation's goals of economic production.
B) Satisfying the wishes of those who contribute their skills and talents to the company.
C) Increasing the gross domestic product of a nation.
D) Both A and B, but not

Question 52

The Council of Economic Priorities has developed a set of workplace rules called:

A) ISO 9000.
B) Social Accountability 8000.
C) Global Compact.
D) Caux Roundtable.