Question 1

Which of the following is an example of a diversity principle that will help managers do a better job of managing company diversity programs?

Accepted Answer

All of these principles are important for effectively managing diversity programs. A diverse workforce should be treated with importance, but not be treated as special or inferior. Goals should be set high, but still achievable. Opportunities should be tailored to individuals' strengths and interests, rather than based on broad assumptions about their group. And, finding common ground among diverse employees is essential for creating a cohesive and inclusive work environment.

Question 2

In the nursing home industry, pairing two younger workers with an older worker creates more job opportunities for the older workers. Furthermore, this pairing could be a significant advantage in nursing homes where an older worker may have more sensitivity to aging problems. This would be an example of a type of mentoring called ____.

Accepted Answer

Diversity pairing involves matching individuals of different backgrounds, ages, or experiences to promote learning and understanding, which fits the scenario described.

Question 3

Unilever
Unilever has operations in 150 countries. Recently, Unilever took 100 of these top managers on a jungle retreat to Costa Rica. To the dismay of Unilever's chair, there were no women in the group. Upon investigation, he learned that only one woman had even been invited. As the retreat progressed, its participants commented on the richness of diversity in nature and how everything needs diversity to grow. These comments caused Unilever's chair to establish an executive committee to examine practical ways to overcome barriers to women's promotion. They decided to avoid setting numerical targets because they encourage positive discrimination and instead examined recruitment and promotion practices.
-Refer to Unilever. What are the potential benefits of this diversity program?

Accepted Answer

A diversity program such as the one established by Unilever can bring a range of benefits, including the avoidance of expensive lawsuits, the improvement of marketplace understanding, increased problem-solving abilities, and the ability to attract and retain a better workforce. Therefore, all of these potential benefits apply in this case.

Question 4

Wal-Mart
It all started when seven female employees in San Francisco sued for employment discrimination. Then a federal judge granted class-action status to the suit, allowing 1.5 million women who have worked or now work for Wal- Mart to join the lawsuit and ordered the company to turn over 250 computer tapes containing payroll, performance, and promotion data for the last six years. When those data were analyzed by a statistics professor, here is what he found:
 $\begin{array}{|l|l|l|l|l|}
\hline \text { Job } & \text { Women } & \text { Men } & \text { Women } & \text { Men } \
\hline \text { Store Manager } & \$ 89,300 & \$ 105,700 & 14.30 \% & 85.70 \% \
\hline \text { Co-Manager } & \$ 56,300 & \$ 59,500 & 22.80 \% & 77.20 \% \
\hline \text { Asst. Manager } & \$ 37,300 & \$ 39,800 & 35.70 \% & 64.30 \% \
\hline \text { Mgt. Trainee } & \$ 22,400 & \$ 23,200 & 41.30 \% & 58.70 \% \
\hline \text { Cashier } & \$ 13,800 & \$ 14,500 & 92.50 \% & 7.50 \%\
\hline
\end{array}$ Women were consistently paid less than men in the same jobs, especially store managers. And, while 65 percent of Wal­Mart's million­plus employees were female, a much smaller percentage of women held key management jobs, again especially store manager positions (just 14.3 percent). Even after controlling for seniority, part-time status, store location, and job title, women were still paid 34 cents less per hour than male workers. Consistent with these data, it took the average woman 4.4 years to be promoted to assistant manager and 10 years to become a store manager, compared to just 2.9 years and 8.6 years, respectively, for the average man. Of course, Wal-Mart appealed the judge's decision to expand the case from the seven original plaintiffs to the class­action suit with 1.5 million women. That appeal and then an eventual trial or settlement may take years. The question now is what does Wal-Mart do in the interim?
Certainly, pressure is building for Wal-Mart to address these issues. Even Wal-Mart stockholders are not happy. A spokesperson for Libra Investments, which owns 30,000 shares of Wal­Mart stock, said, "We are increasingly concerned about the number of lawsuits filed against Wal-Mart and the number of negative articles in the press. We believe there is a long-term financial risk to shareholders, from community resistance to stores to [price-to- earnings] contraction."
One of the things Wal-Mart decided in response is that it will promote women and minorities proportionate to how many apply for managerial jobs. Lee Scott, Wal­Mart's CEO, said, "If 50 percent of the people applying for the job of store manager are women, we will work to make sure that 50 percent of the people receiving those jobs are women." Not everyone, however, believes this is an equitable or legal solution. Roger Clegg, a lawyer for the Center for Equal Opportunity in Virginia, said, "Based on what [CEO Lee] Scott said, that's fine if 50 percent of
the people who are most qualified happen to be female, but if all the most qualified applicants are women, they should be hiring all women, not just 50 percent. And conversely, if less than 50 percent women are the most
qualified, they shouldn't be hiring 50 percent women. Wal-Mart, in its panic to reassure people that it wouldn't discriminate against women and minorities, is saying it will be discriminating against men and non-minorities, and that's illegal." Wal­Mart, however, maintains that its approach is fair, legal, and does not constitute a quota for the promotion of women and minorities.
The other significant change that Wal-Mart is making to its organizational structure and leadership is the addition of a corporate compliance department, which will be responsible for overseeing workers' pay as well as work hours and breaks (Wal-Mart has also been sued for allegedly not paying workers the overtime pay they deserved and for not giving workers the work breaks to which they're entitled on a daily basis), and for making sure that Wal­Mart's practices are in compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws wherever it does business throughout the world. CEO Lee Scott described the 140­person compliance office as "the eyes and ears of the board and management team."
-Refer to Wal-Mart. The promotion of women and minorities proportionate to how many apply for managerial jobs is most similar to ____________.

Accepted Answer

Affirmative action is purposeful steps taken by an organization to create employment opportunities for minorities and women. The proportionate promotion of these two groups is essentially an affirmative action approach.

Question 5

Bentley College launched a comprehensive diversity initiative that includes frequent diversity retreats for faculty, staff, and student leaders; innovative recruitment efforts; employee benefits for domestic partners; and extensive support services focused on race, gender, and disability. Bentley uses the____________ paradigm for managing diversity.

Accepted Answer

The learning and effectiveness paradigm for managing diversity not only takes into account surface-level diversity but also focuses on integrating deep-level diversity differences such as personality, attitudes, beliefs, and values into the actual work of the organization.

Question 6

The term____________ refers to a work environment where (1) each member is empowered to contribute in a way that maximizes the benefits to the organization, customers, and themselves; and (2) the individuality of each member is respected by not segmenting or polarizing people on the basis of their membership in a particular group.

Accepted Answer

The term "organizational plurality" refers to an environment where individuals are valued for their diversity and differences, and these differences are used to create a stronger and more effective organization. This includes empowering each member to contribute their unique perspective and skills while respecting their individuality.

Question 7

In a recent meeting, San Mateo County Supervisors voted unanimously to conduct a(n)____________ , which would provide an accounting of how well the makeup of local boards and commissions reflects the racial, gender, cultural, geographic, and ethnic diversity of the county.

Accepted Answer

A diversity audit is a formal assessment that measures employee and management attitudes, investigates the extent to which people are advantaged or disadvantaged with respect to hiring and promotions, and reviews companies' diversity-related policies and procedures.

Question 8

A(n)____________ is a formal assessment that measures employee and management attitudes, investigates the extent to which people are advantaged or disadvantaged with respect to hiring and promotions, and reviews companies' diversity-related policies and procedures.

Accepted Answer

The description best matches that of a diversity audit, which aims to evaluate a company's diversity-related policies and procedures, measure employee and management attitudes, and assess if individuals are disadvantaged or advantaged in terms of hiring and promotions.

Question 9

Unilever
Unilever has operations in 150 countries. Recently, Unilever took 100 of these top managers on a jungle retreat to Costa Rica. To the dismay of Unilever's chair, there were no women in the group. Upon investigation, he learned that only one woman had even been invited. As the retreat progressed, its participants commented on the richness of diversity in nature and how everything needs diversity to grow. These comments caused Unilever's chair to establish an executive committee to examine practical ways to overcome barriers to women's promotion. They decided to avoid setting numerical targets because they encourage positive discrimination and instead examined recruitment and promotion practices.
-Refer to Unilever. To focus on deep-level diversity, Unilever would need to use the ____________paradigm.

Accepted Answer

The learning and effectiveness paradigm is focused on understanding and valuing individual differences through learning and skill development, and optimizing the fit between individuals and work systems to maximize effectiveness. This approach goes beyond simply addressing issues of access and fairness and seeks to create a culture of inclusion that values and leverages diversity to improve performance. Unilever's establishment of an executive committee to examine practical ways to overcome barriers to women's promotion aligns with this paradigm.

Question 10

Unilever
Unilever has operations in 150 countries. Recently, Unilever took 100 of these top managers on a jungle retreat to Costa Rica. To the dismay of Unilever's chair, there were no women in the group. Upon investigation, he learned that only one woman had even been invited. As the retreat progressed, its participants commented on the richness of diversity in nature and how everything needs diversity to grow. These comments caused Unilever's chair to establish an executive committee to examine practical ways to overcome barriers to women's promotion. They decided to avoid setting numerical targets because they encourage positive discrimination and instead examined recruitment and promotion practices.
-Refer to Unilever. A need to be concerned about ____________diversity was revealed by the retreat in Costa Rica.

Accepted Answer

The retreat revealed a need to be concerned about surface-level diversity, which includes observable attributes such as gender.

Question 11

Which of the following diversity practices is a special kind of mentoring?

Accepted Answer

Diversity pairing is a special kind of mentoring where two people from different backgrounds, experiences, or identities are paired together to learn from each other and promote diversity and inclusion.

Question 12

Which of the following paradigms for managing diversity not only takes into account surface-level diversity but also focuses on integrating deep-level diversity differences such as personality, attitudes, beliefs, and values into the actual work of the organization?

Accepted Answer

The learning and effectiveness paradigm focuses on integrating deep-level diversity differences such as personality, attitudes, beliefs, and values into the actual work of the organization, and not just addressing surface-level diversity. This paradigm encourages organizations to recognize and embrace diverse perspectives and styles, which can lead to improved creativity, problem-solving, and decision-making.

Question 13

Wal-Mart
It all started when seven female employees in San Francisco sued for employment discrimination. Then a federal judge granted class-action status to the suit, allowing 1.5 million women who have worked or now work for Wal- Mart to join the lawsuit and ordered the company to turn over 250 computer tapes containing payroll, performance, and promotion data for the last six years. When those data were analyzed by a statistics professor, here is what he found:
 $\begin{array}{|l|l|l|l|l|}
\hline \text { Job } & \text { Women } & \text { Men } & \text { Women } & \text { Men } \
\hline \text { Store Manager } & \$ 89,300 & \$ 105,700 & 14.30 \% & 85.70 \% \
\hline \text { Co-Manager } & \$ 56,300 & \$ 59,500 & 22.80 \% & 77.20 \% \
\hline \text { Asst. Manager } & \$ 37,300 & \$ 39,800 & 35.70 \% & 64.30 \% \
\hline \text { Mgt. Trainee } & \$ 22,400 & \$ 23,200 & 41.30 \% & 58.70 \% \
\hline \text { Cashier } & \$ 13,800 & \$ 14,500 & 92.50 \% & 7.50 \%\
\hline
\end{array}$ Women were consistently paid less than men in the same jobs, especially store managers. And, while 65 percent of Wal­Mart's million­plus employees were female, a much smaller percentage of women held key management jobs, again especially store manager positions (just 14.3 percent). Even after controlling for seniority, part-time status, store location, and job title, women were still paid 34 cents less per hour than male workers. Consistent with these data, it took the average woman 4.4 years to be promoted to assistant manager and 10 years to become a store manager, compared to just 2.9 years and 8.6 years, respectively, for the average man. Of course, Wal-Mart appealed the judge's decision to expand the case from the seven original plaintiffs to the class­action suit with 1.5 million women. That appeal and then an eventual trial or settlement may take years. The question now is what does Wal-Mart do in the interim?
Certainly, pressure is building for Wal-Mart to address these issues. Even Wal-Mart stockholders are not happy. A spokesperson for Libra Investments, which owns 30,000 shares of Wal­Mart stock, said, "We are increasingly concerned about the number of lawsuits filed against Wal-Mart and the number of negative articles in the press. We believe there is a long-term financial risk to shareholders, from community resistance to stores to [price-to- earnings] contraction."
One of the things Wal-Mart decided in response is that it will promote women and minorities proportionate to how many apply for managerial jobs. Lee Scott, Wal­Mart's CEO, said, "If 50 percent of the people applying for the job of store manager are women, we will work to make sure that 50 percent of the people receiving those jobs are women." Not everyone, however, believes this is an equitable or legal solution. Roger Clegg, a lawyer for the Center for Equal Opportunity in Virginia, said, "Based on what [CEO Lee] Scott said, that's fine if 50 percent of
the people who are most qualified happen to be female, but if all the most qualified applicants are women, they should be hiring all women, not just 50 percent. And conversely, if less than 50 percent women are the most
qualified, they shouldn't be hiring 50 percent women. Wal-Mart, in its panic to reassure people that it wouldn't discriminate against women and minorities, is saying it will be discriminating against men and non-minorities, and that's illegal." Wal­Mart, however, maintains that its approach is fair, legal, and does not constitute a quota for the promotion of women and minorities.
The other significant change that Wal-Mart is making to its organizational structure and leadership is the addition of a corporate compliance department, which will be responsible for overseeing workers' pay as well as work hours and breaks (Wal-Mart has also been sued for allegedly not paying workers the overtime pay they deserved and for not giving workers the work breaks to which they're entitled on a daily basis), and for making sure that Wal­Mart's practices are in compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws wherever it does business throughout the world. CEO Lee Scott described the 140­person compliance office as "the eyes and ears of the board and management team."
-Refer to Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart has 65 percent female employees, and women comprise just 41.3 percent of its management trainees, 35.7 percent of its assistant managers, 22.8 percent of its co-managers, and 14.3 percent of its store managers. This indicates the giant retailer may have a(n) .

Accepted Answer

The data presented suggest that Wal-Mart has a glass ceiling for women, as they are underrepresented in higher-level management positions despite making up a majority of the company's workforce.

Question 14

Bentley College launched a comprehensive diversity initiative, which includes frequent diversity retreats for faculty, staff, and student leaders. What basic type of diversity training is Bentley using?

Accepted Answer

Awareness training is designed to raise employees' awareness of diversity issues and to
challenge the underlying assumptions or stereotypes they may have about others.

Question 15

According to a recent census, over 40 percent of the Australian population was born overseas or had one parent born overseas. The abilities of these immigrants add value to the Australian workplace. The Australian government would have employers welcome these migrants and their children into their organizations as valued workers. Which paradigm for managing diversity does the Australian government most likely support?

Accepted Answer

The access and legitimacy paradigm focuses on the acceptance and celebration of differences to ensure that the diversity within the company matches the diversity found among its primary stakeholders.

Question 16

The two basic types of diversity training programs are____________ .

Accepted Answer

The two basic types of diversity training programs are awareness training and skills-based diversity training. Awareness training is aimed at increasing employees' understanding of diversity and its benefits, while skills-based training focuses on developing employees' skills for working in a diverse workplace. Neither mentoring, organizational plurality, nor computer simulation are considered basic types of diversity training programs. While role-playing can be a component of diversity training, it is not one of the two basic types.

Question 17

Unilever
Unilever has operations in 150 countries. Recently, Unilever took 100 of these top managers on a jungle retreat to Costa Rica. To the dismay of Unilever's chair, there were no women in the group. Upon investigation, he learned that only one woman had even been invited. As the retreat progressed, its participants commented on the richness of diversity in nature and how everything needs diversity to grow. These comments caused Unilever's chair to establish an executive committee to examine practical ways to overcome barriers to women's promotion. They decided to avoid setting numerical targets because they encourage positive discrimination and instead examined recruitment and promotion practices.
-Refer to Unilever. This is an example of a diversity program because it____________ .

Accepted Answer

The fact that Unilever took its top managers on a jungle retreat to Costa Rica and later established an executive committee to examine practical ways to overcome barriers to women's promotion are indications that this is a voluntary initiative by the company to promote diversity. There is no mention of this program being punitive or dictated by affirmative action legislation, nor is it explicitly designed to compensate for past discrimination. Therefore, the best choice is B.

Question 18

Unilever
Unilever has operations in 150 countries. Recently, Unilever took 100 of these top managers on a jungle retreat to Costa Rica. To the dismay of Unilever's chair, there were no women in the group. Upon investigation, he learned that only one woman had even been invited. As the retreat progressed, its participants commented on the richness of diversity in nature and how everything needs diversity to grow. These comments caused Unilever's chair to establish an executive committee to examine practical ways to overcome barriers to women's promotion. They decided to avoid setting numerical targets because they encourage positive discrimination and instead examined recruitment and promotion practices.
-Refer to Unilever. By encouraging the promotion of more women to top management positions to better match the diversity of its stakeholders, Unilever was managing diversity through the ____________paradigm.

Accepted Answer

Unilever was managing diversity through the access and legitimacy paradigm, which focuses on matching the diversity of the organization with that of its stakeholders to improve business effectiveness.

Question 19

Unilever
Unilever has operations in 150 countries. Recently, Unilever took 100 of these top managers on a jungle retreat to Costa Rica. To the dismay of Unilever's chair, there were no women in the group. Upon investigation, he learned that only one woman had even been invited. As the retreat progressed, its participants commented on the richness of diversity in nature and how everything needs diversity to grow. These comments caused Unilever's chair to establish an executive committee to examine practical ways to overcome barriers to women's promotion. They decided to avoid setting numerical targets because they encourage positive discrimination and instead examined recruitment and promotion practices.
-Refer to Unilever. After studying the problem, the executive committee discovered that the company recruited the same number of men and women, but women were not being promoted to the top management positions. This probably resulted from the existence of a(n)____________ .

Accepted Answer

The executive committee discovered that women were not being promoted to the top management positions, which is indicative of a glass ceiling. This refers to an invisible barrier that prevents women and other minorities from advancing to higher positions within an organization despite their qualifications and achievements. It is a systemic issue that can be caused by discrimination, bias, and a lack of diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Question 20

Organizational plurality is consistent with____________ .

Accepted Answer

The answer of Organizational plurality is consistent with____________ .
...

Quiz 11: Section 1: Managing Human Resource Systems