Deck 2: Managing Demographic and Cultural Diversity

Question 1

IBM,like other firms today,has little difficulty finding minority representation in the computer science and engineering fields.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

While the American workforce is becoming more diverse,the world's workforce is not.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

IBM is a pioneer in programming for a diverse workforce.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Legal complaints charging organizations with discrimination have largely been eliminated due to the passage of a number of laws in the U.S.prohibiting discrimination against protected classes.

Question 5

Research indicates that groups with strong faultlines can perform well if certain norms are established.

Question 6

Though the glass ceiling was a legitimate issue a few years ago,today the number of women in executive positions of organizations is roughly the same as the number of men at that level.

Question 7

Deep-level diversity traits are most important for early interactions in the workplace,but as time goes on,surface-level traits become more important.

Question 8

A more diverse work team produces higher quality decisions because more alternatives are considered.

Question 9

Employees who are discriminated against are no more likely to leave their jobs than those who have not faced discrimination.

Question 10

One rationale provided for the existence of the glass ceiling for women is that women are viewed as being more passive and submissive compared to their male counterparts.

Question 11

A group with three older males and three younger women will have a strong faultline.

Question 12

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination in employment with regard to race,color,sex,religion and national origin.

Question 13

IBM's culture of respecting diversity seems to be creating a competitive advantage for the firm.

Question 14

One of the explanations for the wage gap between men and women is that women pursue occupations that are lower-paying than those pursued by men.

Question 15

When discrimination complaints are filed,the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)acts as a mediator between the company and the complainant.

Question 16

IBM's diversity management task forces acted on issues that were either based in reality or perception.

Question 17

It is a commonly held stereotype that men are more relationship-oriented than women.

Question 18

In firms pursuing a growth strategy,there is a negative relationship between racial diversity in the firm and company performance.

Question 19

The similarity/attraction phenomenon suggests that individuals are attracted to those who are similar to them.

Question 20

Race,age,and attitudes are examples of surface-level diversity.

Question 21

Preferential treatment programs for minorities can be illegal in some cases.

Question 22

Low power distance societies view an unequal distribution of power as relatively acceptable.

Question 23

Denny's Restaurants were able to successfully institute diversity training efforts that increased the numbers of minority members on its board and management team as well as the number of minority franchise owners.

Question 24

Affirmative action programs are among the most controversial diversity management methods available.

Question 25

An expatriate is an employee who is temporarily assigned to work in a foreign country.

Question 26

The Age Discrimination Act makes it illegal to discriminate against employees age 40 or older.

Question 27

Research indicates that older employees exhibit higher absenteeism than their younger counterparts.

Question 28

One suggestion for building a culture that respects diversity is holding managers accountable for diversity-related goals.

Question 29

To break the ice in an interview situation,an interviewer could legally ask,"What are some of the traditions your family practices for Christmas"?

Question 30

Reasonable accommodation for religious reasons does not require schedule modifications although it may require modifications to a firm's dress code.

Question 31

Disclosing sexual orientation is the key to explaining work attitudes of lesbian,bisexual,gay and transgender employees.

Question 32

Companies high in uncertainty avoidance prefer predictable situations and have low tolerance for ambiguity.

Question 33

In the United States,the workforce is becoming increasingly multicultural.

Question 34

Ethnic minorities experience a wage gap and a glass ceiling even more severe than that faced by women.

Question 35

Reasonable accommodation for employees with disabilities may require the firm to purchase equipment for the disabled employees' use but does not require any schedule or job duty modifications.

Question 36

In collectivist cultures,the importance of family is critical to understanding the nature of the society.

Question 37

Research suggests that some employees may be stigmatized if they were hired under an affirmative action program.

Question 38

In high power distance companies,participative decision making is common practice.

Question 39

Research suggests that age diversity in a work team can lead to higher performance.

Question 40

Nurturing (feminine)cultures are more likely to be characterized by a separation of gender roles than aggressive (masculine)cultures.

Question 41

The ways in which people are similar or different from one another is

A)culture.
B)diversity.
C)stereotypes.
D)faultlines.

Question 42

Goodwill Industries is an advocate for ________.

A)survival of the fittest
B)sales tax
C)using interviews to weed out diverse applicants
D)diversity

Question 43

Developing an openness to different experiences is a viable method to prepare oneself for a global career.

Question 44

Which of the following laws prohibits discrimination based on race,color,sex or national origin?

A)Age Discrimination Act
B)Americans with Disabilities Act
C)Family and Medical Leave Act
D)Title VII of the Civil Rights Act

Question 45

Prior to 1993,IBM managed diversity by

A)ignoring differences and providing equal employment opportunities.
B)minimizing differences and emphasizing similarities.
C)emphasizing differences and opportunities.
D)minimizing differences as deficiency and highlighting differences as opportunities.

Question 46

To enhance their cultural intelligence,employees should become experts in one culture.

Question 47

Which of the following statements on the benefits of effective management of diversity is INCORRECT?

A)Diverse workforces lead to higher-quality decisions.
B)Diverse workforces create cheaper products.
C)Diverse workforces lead to lower litigation costs.
D)Diverse workforces have led to higher stock prices for firms.

Question 48

Ethical standards held in different societies may emphasize different behaviors as ethical or unethical.

Question 49

Which of the following statements is INCORRECT about IBM's approach to diversity management?

A)IBM is interested in measuring the success of its diversity management programs as they believe that presence of these programs,rather than an emphasis on results,shows its commitment to diversity.
B)IBM has an excellent recruiting program for increasing its pool of diversity candidates.
C)IBM's diversity recruiting often faces major hurdles due to the limited minority representation in the computer science and engineering fields.
D)IBM's diversity task forces consist of senior and higher level management charged with understanding the eight identified diversity constituencies.

Question 50

Goodwill's core mission is to respect the dignity of individuals through the power of work.One way they accomplish this mission is by investing 82% of their revenue back into
a.employment programs.
b.donations to outside charities.
c.community development.
d.employee health programs.

Question 51

IBM has been successful in recruiting and managing a diverse workforce through

A)ignoring differences and treating everyone the same.
B)recognition and appreciation of diversity.
C)only hiring and promoting employees who qualify as diverse.
D)giving minority groups special privileges.

Question 52

Which of the following is NOT a benefit of effective management of diversity?

A)Greater creativity in decision making.
B)Better service to customers.
C)Higher productivity of operations.
D)More satisfied workers.

Question 53

IBM has always been a pioneer in valuing and appreciating diversity in its workforce.Which of the following is NOT a program IBM instituted before legislation or public policy dictated it?

A)gender pay equity
B)women in executive positions
C)family leave for all female employees
D)executive training programs for women

Question 54

Research on diversity in the workplace substantiated all of the following benefits to firms EXECPT:

A)The presence of faultlines increases cohesiveness at work.
B)Award-winning diversity management programs lead to higher stock prices for their companies.
C)In companies with a growth strategy,there is a positive correlation between racial diversity in the firm and company performance.
D)Diverse teams make higher quality decisions.

Question 55

Managing diversity effectively may have different meanings in different cultures.

Question 56

Which of the following was a challenge that the IBM diversity task force on Asian employees found to be a concern?

A)stereotyping
B)lack of participation in decision making
C)work/life management challenges
D)insufficient health plan coverage

Question 57

Which of the following was a challenge that the IBM diversity task force on African American employees found to be a concern?

A)work/life management challenges
B)lack of networking
C)insufficient health plan coverage
D)lack of participation in decision making

Question 58

At IBM,the promotion and effective management of diversity is considered:
a.a key business priority.
b.only after financial targets have been met.
c.a hindrance to success.
d.a relatively low priority.

Question 59

Ethnocentrism is the belief that one's own culture is superior to other cultures.

Question 60

Which of the following were identified by the IBM diversity task force as concerns held by women in the organization?

A)lack of networking opportunities
B)presence of a male-dominated culture
C)work/life management challenges
D)all of the above

Question 61

Our first interaction with individuals makes us aware of

A)Surface-level diversity.
B)collective diversity.
C)deep-level diversity.
D)value-based diversity.

Question 62

Gender discrimination is prohibited by which of the following laws?

A)Age Discrimination Act
B)Americans with Disabilities Act
C)Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
D)Occupational Safety and Health Act

Question 63

Demographic traits make up

A)deep-level diversity.
B)cultural diversity.
C)collective diversity.
D)Surface-level diversity.

Question 64

Which of the following is a deep-level diversity trait?

A)Middle-aged
B)Caucasian
C)Aggressiveness
D)Amputee

Question 65

Stereotypes

A)often lead to unfair decisions being made.
B)are never accurate descriptions of particular groups.
C)are assumptions held by only one individual.
D)are often verified prior to making decisions based upon them.

Question 66

Research indicates that groups with faultlines exhibit which of the following characteristics?

A)Teams with faultlines make more effective decisions.
B)Teams with faultlines are more creative.
C)Teams with strong faultlines have the potential to perform well if they can establish certain norms.
D)All diverse teams exhibit faultlines.

Question 67

"Eskimos are bad drivers," is an example of a

A)surface-level diversity trait.
B)faultline.
C)stereotype.
D)deep-level diversity trait.

Question 68

The faculty of a Midwestern business school is comprised of 33 males and 4 females.The past five candidates hired have all been male.There seems to be a (an)__________ diversity issue in this workplace.

A)age
B)race
C)religion
D)gender

Question 69

Deep-level diversity traits include

A)gender.
B)age.
C)attitudes.
D)race.

Question 70

A stereotype is

A)an attribute along which a group is split into subgroups.
B)a generalization about a particular group of people.
C)a way in which people are similar or different from each other.
D)a difference in values,attitudes or beliefs.

Question 71

A faultline is

A)an attribute along which a group is split into subgroups.
B)a generalization about a particular group of people.
C)the way in which people are similar or different from each other.
D)the values,beliefs and customs that exist in a society.

Question 72

Which of the following is a surface-level diversity trait?

A)Aggressiveness
B)Type A personality
C)Being smart
D)Being Asian

Question 73

Surface-level diversity traits include

A)values.
B)gender.
C)attitudes.
D)beliefs.

Question 74

Which of the following statements regarding the similarity/attraction phenomenon is INCORRECT?

A)Surface-level traits affect interpersonal interactions only after people have known each other for a long time.
B)Early in an employee's tenure,age,race and gender dissimilarity with colleagues are strong predictors of turnover.
C)Employees who feel different from other employees in a firm may feel isolated.
D)Surface-level traits are attended to because they are assumed to be related to deep-level diversity traits.

Question 75

If a workgroup contained three males,one over 55,one 20 and another 30 years of age,and three females,one 50 years of age,one 30 and one 20 years of age,how would you categorize the faultlines in the group?

A)There is no faultline in the group.
B)There will be a strong faultline in the group.
C)There will be a weak faultline within the group.
D)There will be a faultline of medium strength in the group.

Question 76

The glass ceiling

A)is based on a faultline in the employee workgroup.
B)is the underrepresentation of women in executive and upper level management positions of companies.
C)is an issue that was a problem until a decade ago.
D)is the result of the less effective leadership styles practiced by women.

Question 77

Which of the following approaches might be used to manage the similarity/attraction phenomenon in an organization?

A)Allow new employees to decide for themselves who they work best with.
B)Provide management training programs that make managers aware of the similarity/attraction phenomenon.
C)Develop a recruiting program based upon peer referrals.
D)Match new employees to mentors that are similar in terms of race,gender,or tenure.

Question 78

Which of the following is NOT an explanation that has been offered to account for the earnings gap of 19% between females and males?

A)Women lack the high-level skill sets that men possess.
B)Women have résumé gaps due to time off for childcare.
C)Women pursue more lower-paying occupations than men pursue.
D)Women tend to negotiate less than men and when they do negotiate,women attain lower levels of pay than men do.

Question 79

The similarity/attraction phenomenon may explain which of the following?

A)Minorities are hired as often as their Caucasian counterparts.
B)Individuals with disabilities are hired as often as those without disabilities.
C)Women do not earn salaries as high as that of their male counterparts.
D)Women and men have equal access to mentoring opportunities.

Question 80

A workgroup has three Caucasian males and three African American females.How would you categorize the faultline in this group?

A)There is no faultline in the group.
B)There will be a strong faultline in the group.
C)There will be a weak faultline in the group.
D)There will be a faultline of medium strength in the group.