Deck 8: The Workplace 1: Basic Issues

Question 1

According to David Ewing,two factors explain the absence of civil liberties and the prevalence of authoritarianism in the workplace.Which of the following is one of them?

A)discriminatory employment practices due to strict constructionist interpretations of the Constitution
B)the rise of personnel engineering and professional management
C)the common law doctrine of eminent domain
D)employer resistance to unionization

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The Wagner Act of 1935

A)established the Food and Drug Administration.
B)prohibits employers from interfering with employees trying to organize unions.
C)guaranteed employers the right of refusing to bargain with union representatives.
D)guaranteed the right to work and outlawed union shops.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Griggs v.Duke Power Company,which prohibits

A)tests given to employees or applicants to have inconsistent results.
B)tests given to employees or applicants from being invalid.
C)tests given to employees or applicants from being unreliable.
D)employers from requiring a high school education as a prerequisite for employment or promotion without demonstrable evidence that the associated skills relate directly to job performance.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Groups of 18th century skilled artisans formed secret societies for two basic reasons.Which of the following is one of those reasons?

A)to equalize their relationship with their employers
B)to distinguish themselves from carpenters and shoemakers
C)to gain control of the German government
D)to avoid having to set minimal standards for their crafts

Question 5

Fair personnel policies and decisions must be based on criteria that are clear,job related,and

A)partial toward friends.
B)equally applied.
C)ignore personality.
D)minimize nepotism.

Question 6

Which of the following is a correct statement about union activities?

A)A sympathetic strike occurs when workers who have no particular grievance of their own and who may or may not have the same employer decide to strike in support of others.
B)A corporate campaign occurs when people refuse to patronize companies that handle products of struck companies.
C)The 1947 Taft-Hartley Act forbids individual states from outlawing union shops.
D)Labor historians generally consider the American Federation of Labor (AFL) the first truly national trade union.

Question 7

Choose the factual statement concerning wages:

A)An employer's financial capabilities are irrelevant to the question of fair wages.
B)A fair wage is whatever an employee is willing to accept.
C)Extrinsic,non-job-related considerations are often relevant to setting fair wages.
D)A fair wage presupposes a fair work contract.

Question 8

To be successful any test used by a corporation must be

A)sound.
B)valid.
C)created outside the corporation using the test.
D)one that can be used by any organization for any position.

Question 9

Tests are designed to measure the applicants' skills in verbal,quantitative,and

A)ethical skills.
B)empathy skills.
C)logical skills.
D)social skills.

Question 10

According to David Ewing,

A)the corporate invasion of employees' civil rights is rampant.
B)sympathetic strikes ought to be made illegal.
C)employers have the right to fill the positions of striking workers with other workers.
D)seniority ought not be a factor in making transfers or promotions.

Question 11

Since Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1994,

A)all disabled persons must be hired.
B)employers must make "reasonable accommodations" for disabled workers.
C)employees must try to "undo" their disabilities.
D)employers must be careful to "screen" out disabled persons.

Question 12

Unions employ two kinds of boycotts to enforce their demands.These two kinds of boycotts are

A)positive and negative.
B)corporate and private.
C)active and passive.
D)primary and secondary.

Question 13

Which of the following is an accurate statement about employment law in the workplace?

A)It's illegal to fire workers because of union membership.
B)Courts at all levels and in all states now agree that employees cannot be dismissed without just cause.
C)The civil liberties of employees have to be restricted for corporations to run efficiently.
D)More and more companies are moving toward "employment at will".

Question 14

The hiring process needs to include screening,testing,and

A)safety awareness.
B)eliminating candidates.
C)interviewing.
D)job descriptions.

Question 15

Choose the most accurate statement concerning the workplace:

A)If wages conform with the law,they are fair wages.
B)Employers have no obligation to dismiss workers as painlessly as possible.
C)An employer's financial capabilities affect what constitutes a fair wage scale for that employer's employees.
D)All instances of nepotism raise serious moral concerns.

Question 16

Austin Fagothey and Milton Gonsalves believe a direct strike is justified

A)when it is motivated by revenge.
B)when workers are coerced into striking.
C)when it is a last resort.
D)under no conditions.

Question 17

Which of these is a valid reason for not hiring a potential employee?

A)The person is overqualified.
B)There's a gap in the person's unemployment history.
C)The person dresses poorly.
D)The person has a lack of experience.

Question 18

According to common law,to legally dismiss an employee,an employer

A)cannot have bad motives.
B)is obligated not to discriminate.
C)must have good cause.
D)need have no reason at all.

Question 19

Employers have the right to fire an employee who performs inadequately,but they should do so

A)as painlessly as possible.
B)with vengeance.
C)in a public display so all can learn.
D)in humiliation.

Question 20

Which statement is true about the hiring and employment process?

A)A job description permits employers to rely on the preferences of their customers as a reason for discriminatory employment practices.
B)A job specification describes the qualifications an employee needs,such as skills,educational experience,appearance,and physical attributes.
C)According to common law,unless there is an explicit contractual provision to the contrary,every employment is employment "at will."
D)In validating job specifications,a firm lists all pertinent details about a job,including its duties,responsibilities,working conditions,and physical requirements.

Question 21

Just cause requires that reasons for discipline or discharge relate directly to job performance.

Question 22

Labor historians generally consider the Knights of Labor (K of L),established in 1869,as the first truly national trade union.

Question 23

A job description describes the qualifications an employee needs,such as skills,educational experience,appearance,and physical attributes.

Question 24

It is morally right for employers to dismiss employees for any reason.

Question 25

Of the four types of discharge,firing

A)results from an employee's poor performance¾that is,from his or her failure to fulfill expectations.
B)is for-cause dismissal¾the result of employee theft,gross insubordination,release of proprietary information,and so on.
C)usually refers to the temporary unemployment experienced by hourly employees and implies that they are "subject to recall."
D)designates the permanent elimination of a job as a result of workforce reduction,plant closing,or departmental consolidation.

Question 26

In the interview process,the interview should avoid rudeness,coarseness,condescension,and

A)giddiness.
B)hostility.
C)sternness.
D)questions.

Question 27

In union terms,a direct strike occurs

A)when an organized body of workers withholds its labor to force the employer to comply with its demands.
B)when union members and their supporters refuse to buy products from a company being struck.
C)when workers who have no particular grievance of their own and who may or may not have the same employer decide to strike in support of others.
D)when people refuse to patronize companies that handle products of struck companies.

Question 28

Inbreeding refers to longevity on a job or with a firm.

Question 29

The reliability of a test refers to the quality of exhibiting a reasonable consistency in results obtained.

Question 30

According to common law,unless there is an explicit contractual provision to the contrary,every employment is employment at will and either side is free to terminate it at any time without advance notice or reason.

Question 31

When weighing the decisions to dismiss employees,companies need to remember that employment affects families and communities,not just individuals.

Question 32

The express purpose of a boycott is the same as a strike -- to hurt the employer and strengthen the union's bargaining position.

Question 33

The key moral ideal in promotions is

A)loyalty.
B)likeability.
C)intelligence.
D)fairness.

Question 34

Due process requires specific and systematic means for workers to appeal discharge or disciplinary decisions.

Question 35

The English philosopher Francis Bacon (1561-1626) called conscious and unconscious biases and stereotypes

A)"plagues of interviewing."
B)"idols of the mind."
C)"the best tools."
D)"mind benders."

Question 36

The Wagner Act of 1935 permitted firing workers because of union membership or union activities.

Question 37

Inbreeding is the practice of showing favoritism to relatives and close friends.

Question 38

In a handful of American cities local ordinances prohibit discrimination against those who are short or overweight.

Question 39

Nepotism is the practice of promoting exclusively from within the firm.

Question 40

A corporate campaign occurs when an organized body of workers withholds its labor to force an employer to comply with its demands.

Question 41

What is the difference between a "job description" and a "job specification"?

Question 42

What is the importance of the Wagner Act of 1935?

Question 43

From the beginning,unions have been driven by an attempt to protect workers from abuses of power at the hands of employers.

Question 44

A primary boycott occurs when people refuse to patronize companies that handle products of struck companies.

Question 45

Name three criteria that is relevant to the fairness of tests used for hiring employees.

Question 46

An individual is usually an equal with the employer in the negotiation process.

Question 47

What's the difference between a direct strike and a sympathetic strike?

Question 48

One of the chief concerns of nepotism is the disregard of managerial responsibilities to the organization and of fairness to other employees.

Question 49

Sympathetic strikes are ineffective.

Question 50

Sometimes the screening process unfairly excludes certain applicants.Give two examples.

Question 51

Job performance and the fairness of the work contract are relevant to the issue of fair wages.

Question 52

According to David Ewing,two historical factors lie behind the absence of civil liberties and the prevalence of authoritarianism in the workplace.What are these two factors?

Question 53

The express purpose of a strike is the same as that of a boycott -- to hurt the employer or company financially and strengthen the union's bargaining position.

Question 54

When most people fire another employee,they do it with great joy.

Question 55

How did the passage of the National Labor Relations Act in 1935 advance the cause of unionism?

Question 56

What does "just cause" require in situations of employee discipline or discharge? What does "due process" require?

Question 57

What is the importance of the Taft-Hartley Act?

Question 58

If employees who don't join the union get the same benefits as union members,this raises a question of fairness.

Question 59

Explain these concepts: seniority,inbreeding,and nepotism.

Question 60

According to Shaw and Barry,a workplace environment in which employees are treated fairly and their inherent dignity respected is compatible with a firm's business goals.

Question 61

Do you agree with Austin Fagothey and Milton A.Gonsalves that strikes should only be given as a last result? Justify your answer.

Question 62

What are the key principles of ethical interviewing? Justify your answer.

Question 63

How are unions relevant to business ethics? Justify your answer.

Question 64

Should legislation be passed to require that some or all employees be paid a living wage? Justify your answer.

Question 65

How is "just cause" and "due process" relevant to business ethics? Justify your answer.