Deck 17: A Survey of Labor Relations in Market Economies

Question 1

Bargaining issues or methods are unspecified because most countries do not have a collective bargaining law.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Anarchists and syndicalists favored capitalistic ownership of the means of production.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Repression ceases to be an effective strategy in the second stage of export-oriented industrialization as a developing middle class gains the opportunity to exercise political power.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

In the U.S. ,the locus of power is vested in the local unions.

Question 5

In general,unions are fast gaining ground in Asia and have higher influence there than in Western countries.

Question 6

All workers in China are not required to belong to the ACFTU because union participation is difficult to enforce.

Question 7

Mandatory membership in unions is not important in Europe since there is no exclusive representation requirement in most countries.

Question 8

Pay inequality in most socialist economies was smaller than in capitalist societies except in the old USSR.

Question 9

Countries in the first stage of EOI are primarily competing by containing costs.

Question 10

As wage differentials increased in Eastern Europe following the collapse of communism,support for egalitarianism decreased.

Question 11

Contrary to the case in the United States,age and educational attainment are negatively related to union member activity in Japan.

Question 12

Japanese unions emerged just before the World War II and were discouraged by the United States during the martial law period after the war.

Question 13

German works councils have veto rights regarding recruitment,restructuring,and dismissal decisions.

Question 14

Evidence suggests works councils are more interested in preserving union interests than plant interests.

Question 15

Regionalization and globalization of the economy have put increasing pressure on unions and reduced their ability to increase wages given the increasingly competitive nature of product markets.

Question 16

In Europe,Germany and England were early spawning grounds for revolutionary approaches to government and employment.

Question 17

Import-substitution industrialization strategies require that output be either substantially cheaper or of better quality than the domestic products with which it will compete.

Question 18

The frequency of impasses is negatively related to duration and intensity.

Question 19

Exclusive representation of workers is uncommon outside the United States.

Question 20

Union leaders in the United States are more entrenched than those in Europe,particularly at the local level.

Question 21

Which of the following is negatively related to union member activity in Japan?

A) Length of membership in the union
B) Interaction with others
C) Educational attainment
D) Job status

Question 22

Industrial democracy has developed to a much higher degree in most industrialized countries than in the United States.

Question 23

_____ unions began to organize about the same time and in the same manner as did the Knights of Labor in the United States.

A) British
B) Russian
C) Swedish
D) German

Question 24

Among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)member countries,FDI is positively influenced by the extensiveness of labor market institutions.

Question 25

_____ advocated the takeover of the state by the proletariat together with state ownership of the means of production to end the exploitation of workers.

A) Frederick Taylor
B) Sigmund Freud
C) Adam Smith
D) Karl Marx

Question 26

In Great Britain,the Fabians and other socialists:

A) favored state ownership and planned economies.
B) advocated capitalist principles to address the issue of fair wealth distribution in the society.
C) favored the free market system.
D) advocated a policy of zero state interference in labor markets.

Question 27

Which of the following is true about labor unions in socialist economies?

A) Labor unions in socialist economies are precluded from meeting statist objectives.
B) In economies that switched from socialistic to market oriented,unionization remained low in the state-owned sector.
C) Labor unions in socialist economies are expected to assist in meeting production goals.
D) Labor unions in socialist economies relied on legitimate goal conflict between the interests of the state and its citizens to advance their own political agendas.

Question 28

In which of the following nations does collective bargaining resemble U.S.labor relations,with recognition initially obtained primarily at the plant level and with generally adversarial bargaining at the establishment or corporate level?

A) Sweden
B) Britain
C) Japan
D) Germany

Question 29

Which of the following is true about the structure of labor movements?

A) British unions organize into nationals,but locals retain a good deal of authority.
B) Americans concentrate union control in labor federations.
C) In Japan,because most bargaining is conducted at the local or enterprise level,most locals do not affiliate with a national.
D) In Germany,a large number of local unions do most of the bargaining.

Question 30

Employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs)are not popular in Japan,where implementation of ESOPs led to decreased productivity.

Question 31

Foreign direct investment by U.S.firms is positively related to union density,centralized collective bargaining,and layoff restrictions.

Question 32

Which of the following movements was largely responsible for catalyzing the breakdown of the Communist system in Poland?

A) Knights of Labor
B) Free market
C) Social democracy
D) Solidarity

Question 33

Which of the following is true about the Marxist approach?

A) State ownership of the means of production promoted a greater exploitation of workers.
B) Capitalistic ownership of the means of production was imperative to end the exploitation of workers.
C) The goals of unions and the state are synonymous.
D) Capitalistic ownership of the means of production improved the bargaining power of the workers.

Question 34

Anarchists and syndicalists advocated:

A) abolishing the socialist agenda in labor reforms.
B) capitalistic ownership of the means of production.
C) abolishing the capitalist ownership of the means of production.
D) capitalist reforms to restore the economy and better allocate wealth to the workers.

Question 35

Compared to workers in Western countries,ex-Communist country workers:

A) were less egalitarian.
B) experienced greater job satisfaction.
C) more strongly supported trade unions.
D) were more affluent.

Question 36

Union leaders in Europe are more entrenched than those in the United States,particularly at the local level,because:

A) only a small number of national unions do most of the bargaining in Europe.
B) the union leadership in Europe is more adept at bargaining.
C) European unions share corporate rather than geographical relationships.
D) there are fewer elections in Europe.

Question 37

Which of the following countries have politically or religiously based national federations?

A) Germany
B) The Netherlands
C) Britain
D) Sweden

Question 38

Which of the following is true about the structure of labor movements?

A) In the United States,the locus of power is vested in the national unions.
B) In Europe,there is a very high rank-and-file participation in union activities.
C) The United States concentrates union control in labor federations or at the local level.
D) Union members and employees in many European countries have a high degree of involvement in contract negotiations at the plant or enterprise level.

Question 39

Which of the following observations concerning Japanese unions is true?

A) They emerged after World War II.
B) Following World War II,they exhibited Marxist tendencies when real wages were low.
C) They were discouraged by the U.S.during the martial law period following the war.
D) Unlike most industrialized countries,Japanese unions do not affiliate with federations.

Question 40

Large differences exist in contract administration in different countries because in many countries the contract is simply a basic agreement that individual plants and employees may add to.

Question 41

_____ approaches are likely to be used where labor unions are likely to create an opposition political force,and also when the state has a strong need to tap the results of economic growth.

A) Corporatist
B) Inclusive
C) Centrist
D) Repressive

Question 42

Identify a major difficulty labor unions face in regionalization and globalization.

A) The influence of the local level unions on national unions is overwhelming and counter-productive.
B) The unions are almost always national organizations that have little ability to coordinate pressure across political boundaries.
C) The increasingly competitive nature of product markets has strengthened the ability of the unions to raise wages.
D) The predominant socialist ideology of the unions resists wide adoption.

Question 43

Which of the following is true about union organizing and representation?

A) Organizing and representation outside North America is unlike what occurs in the United States.
B) In European Union member nations workers vote in their workplaces to be represented.
C) Exclusive representation is common outside the United States.
D) The multiplicity of representatives and the lack of exclusive jurisdiction leads to problems in the European Union.

Question 44

Which of the following countries has taken a modernist as opposed to a populist approach,toward a partnership?

A) Argentina
B) South Korea
C) Spain
D) Libya

Question 45

Which of the following regional trade treaties covers Argentina,Brazil,Paraguay,and Uruguay?

A) Mercosur
B) NAFTA
C) ASEAN
D) APEC

Question 46

_____ strategies have limited growth implications since there is probably some limit on the potential level of internal consumption,particularly given income levels.

A) Import-substitution industrialization
B) Labor- intensive industrialization
C) Export-oriented industrialization
D) Comparative advantage industrialization

Question 47

Which of the following helps explain why union density falls far short of union coverage in most of Europe?

A) Affiliation to unions is regarded with suspicion by most employers which,in turn,negatively affects employee prospects.
B) Mandatory membership is not important.
C) Exclusive representation is a requirement in most countries.
D) Higher job satisfaction among workers dilutes the role of unions.

Question 48

Bargaining issues in countries outside the United States are both broader and narrower.There are no distinctions between mandatory,permissive,or prohibited issues because most countries:

A) adhere to a corporatist ideology and different unions in these countries have a legal duty to bargain.
B) share responsibility equally with their local unions.
C) do not require exclusive representation.
D) do not have a collective bargaining law and their bargaining methods are unspecified.

Question 49

Which of the following is true about unions in Germany?

A) In Germany,a corporatist approach is taken.
B) German unions lack technical expertise.
C) German unions are not consolidated.
D) In Germany,labor and management operate as "social competitors" with widely conflicting goals.

Question 50

Countries in the first stage of export-oriented industrialization (EOI)are most likely to compete by _____.

A) developing skills
B) containing costs
C) increasing productivity
D) increased flexibility

Question 51

Which of the following observations concerning union density among European nations is true?

A) Union density is uniform among all European nations.
B) Nordic countries have the lowest union density.
C) Between 1990 and 2012,union densities declined in every country in Europe except Iceland and Spain.
D) France has the highest union density.

Question 52

Why is the motivation to join labor unions lesser in Europe than in the United States?

A) Because negotiated agreements in major industries are usually adopted by other employers.
B) Because a high level of involvement in complex contract negotiations is mandated at the plant level.
C) Because unlike in the United States,labor unions in Europe are mostly organized along religious lines and are therefore very rigid.
D) Because affiliation to labor unions is considered politically subversive in Europe and is discouraged by the government.

Question 53

Which of the following is true about unionization in the U.S.?

A) Union bargaining coverage is quite high.
B) There is lesser resistance among employers to unionization.
C) Union wage premiums are generally higher.
D) The variation in earnings is increased more by unionization in the U.S.than in most other developed countries.

Question 54

_____ is unrelated to union member activity in Japan.

A) Dissatisfaction with pay
B) Interaction with others in the work group
C) Age
D) Job status

Question 55

Which of the following is an effective strategy for the second stage of export-oriented industrialization?

A) Banning labor organization
B) Enhancing worker skills
C) Containing costs
D) Relaxing labor standards

Question 56

Which of the following is true about the European Work Council (EWC)directive?

A) In many situations,the EWCs are less symbolic than influential.
B) Progress in transnational bargaining in EU industries is usually even.
C) The directive requires that transnational employers set up works councils with representatives from all the EU countries in which the employer operates.
D) Cross-national wage coordination has been developed,but transnational bargaining,greater information exchange,and EU-wide codes of conduct have not.

Question 57

Which of the following directives was passed at the EU level in 1994 in anticipation of increasing consolidation and creation of transnational industries in Europe as a result of increased economic integration?

A) European Trade Management directive
B) European Central Labor directive
C) European Corporatist Approach directive
D) European Work Council directive

Question 58

With the exception of _____,in EU member nations workers do not vote in their workplaces to be represented.

A) Poland
B) Great Britain
C) Germany
D) France

Question 59

In Germany,most establishments are required to have _____ that advise management on employment matters.

A) quality circles
B) works councils
C) solidarity groups
D) union partners

Question 60

The European Work Council (EWC)was:

A) supported by employers.
B) pushed by the European Trade Union Congress.
C) representative of a centrist approach.
D) suppressed by social democratic representatives.

Question 61

Discuss the early stages in the development of European labor union.

Question 62

Foreign direct investment (FDI)by U.S.firms is positively related to _____.

A) union density
B) centralized collective bargaining
C) layoff restrictions
D) works councils

Question 63

Which of the following refers to mutual consensus on goals and processes in union-management involvement?

A) Advisory
B) Codetermination
C) Collective bargaining
D) Impasse

Question 64

Which of the following European countries has the most adversarial system and decentralized bargaining?

A) Hungary
B) Italy
C) United Kingdom
D) Spain

Question 65

Briefly describe how works councils function in Germany.

Question 66

Except for Great Britain,bargaining in most EU countries occurs at the _____ level,involving national unions or federations and employer associations.

A) industry
B) national
C) individual
D) local

Question 67

What is union density? Write a short note on trends in union density across European nations.

Question 68

Which of the following refers to an approach implemented by Japanese unions in which the state pressures employers to improve wages to union workers in line with productivity and inflation increases?

A) Kanban
B) Shunto
C) Kaizen
D) Guanxi

Question 69

Different mechanisms have been developed to enhance union-management or worker-manager cooperation.What are the three primary levels of decision-making that these mechanisms can be involved with?

Question 70

What are some of the general changes in industrial relations following from increased globalization?

Question 71

Explain the effects of repressive and benign strategies on growth and unionization and mention the political regimes in which they are likely to be found.

Question 72

Among the EU countries,only _____ allows unionists on boards of directors.

A) France
B) Sweden
C) Germany
D) Italy

Question 73

Adopting the Euro meant that EU members would see _____.

A) inflation rates fall substantially
B) dramatic reductions in transactions costs
C) increased costs associated with financing debt
D) mandated restraints on state budgeting and deficits

Question 74

What is the role of works councils in German establishments?

Question 75

Which of the following is true about worker cooperatives?

A) Worker cooperatives are more common in the United States than in Europe.
B) Employees own the firm in worker cooperatives.
C) Worker cooperatives typically yield low productivity.
D) Technology-intensive production functions are highly popular in worker cooperatives.

Question 76

Write a short note on the structure of labor movements in European countries.

Question 77

Name and briefly describe the two basic approaches that developing economies may adopt to industrialize.

Question 78

Bargaining is most centralized in _____.

A) France
B) Canada
C) Japan
D) New Zealand

Question 79

How does industry-level bargaining help enhance introduction of technological change? How does the British practice in this regard make it difficult to incorporate technological change?

Question 80

Which of the following is true about ESOPs in Japan?

A) Firms adopting ESOPs in Japan were less likely to be more labor-intensive.
B) Implementation of ESOPs increased productivity in Japan.
C) Implementation of ESOPs increased imports in Japan.
D) Firms adopting ESOPs in Japan were less likely to experience high employment growth.