Deck 1: Establishing Credibility

Question 1

Kai,who wants to be a veterinarian,has lined up a summer internship working for a local veterinary hospital.That kind of experience will help him develop competence.

Answer 1

True
Explanation: People develop competence in many ways: through study,observation,and,most importantly,practice and real-world business experiences.

Question 2

Nancy wants to cultivate a sense of community.Her first step should be to explain her needs to the team.

Answer 2

False
Explanation: Speaking about "our needs" or "your needs" as opposed to "my needs" engenders trust and helps you come up with solutions that achieve mutual benefit.

Question 3

Because business problems are expensive and time-consuming to solve,experts recommend avoiding open discussion of serious issues.

Answer 3

False
Explanation: Nothing short of complete honesty is demanded in the business world.By avoiding open and honest communication of business problems,employees doom a business to poor financial performance.

Question 4

Kelsey pursues business opportunities aggressively because she believes that doing nothing can be very costly.Kelsey demonstrates a focus on action.

Question 5

Today,most workplaces are becoming more closed off and independent.

Question 6

Effective communicators gain trust by connecting with others.

Question 7

Character-based traits are instrumental in establishing trust in the workplace.

Question 8

In recent years,employees have increasingly judged their upper managers to be ethical.

Question 9

People who cheat in school are more likely to cheat in the workplace.

Question 10

The FAIR test is a way to predict how employees will react to a new policy.

Question 11

In the post-trust era,most employees have faith in their leaders and colleagues.

Question 12

It is the duty of government employees to act visibly,predictably,and understandably when dealing with the public.

Question 13

A study showed that the public speaking ability of business leaders is a key influence on employee engagement.

Question 14

A person of integrity will have one set of values for his or her personal life and another set of values for his or her work life.

Question 15

A company president often states in her written and oral communications that she is answerable to the people who use the company's products.By repeating this so frequently,she most likely causes people to mistrust her.

Question 16

In recent years,transparency has become the dominant business ethic for communications.

Question 17

In the phrase stakeholder view,the word stakeholder refers to someone who owns a share of the business.

Question 18

Someone who has an enlarged vision of those affected by his or her business activities has a sense of accountability.

Question 19

A manager who acts out of self-interest is more likely to be viewed as credible than one who does not.

Question 20

Employees usually speak up when they observe potentially unethical behavior.

Question 21

Aiko is a middle manager at a technology company.Which of the following actions would help Aiko build a sense of community among her team members?

A) assign all the team roles without explaining why decisions are made
B) emphasize how the quality of the team's work affects her chance at promotion
C) empower each team member to set personal goals for his or her career
D) put more emphasis on immediate results than on developing skills
E) encourage team members to compete to improve productivity

Question 22

Lena is the general manager of an international clothing manufacturing company.She wants to give one of her managers an "Employee of the Year" award.Which of the following managers should she choose if she is looking for the employee with the highest level of competence?

A) Ted,who is completely trustworthy with confidential information
B) Dahia,who is the first one to explain what she needs in any situation
C) Cora,who develops effective action plans to achieve team goals
D) Juana,who considers company interests above those of customers
E) Dexter,who keeps a low profile and does not draw attention to himself

Question 23

Greg is the purchasing manager at a jeans-manufacturing company.He knows he could save his company money by using cheaper,thinner cotton,but he says,"Our customers count on us to provide a durable product.I do not want to let them down." What quality does this demonstrate?

A) competence
B) character
C) fairness
D) expertise
E) community

Question 24

Edgar's boss has told him that he needs to demonstrate more competence on the job.Which of the following actions will help him do so?

A) taking on fewer projects at one time
B) asking coworkers what their needs are
C) working independently and not consulting others
D) hiding his mistakes from his team members
E) setting specific work goals and achieving them

Question 25

Which of the following actions will help a manager establish a sense of caring?

A) holding regular meetings to ask about employee concerns
B) setting clear and measurable goals for each employee
C) taking a course in making teams function more efficiently
D) assigning people to projects without their input
E) encouraging people to use the pronouns "I" and "me" in communication

Question 26

Which phrase explains what the post-trust era is?

A) a period in which the government no longer allows monopolies or trusts to form
B) a period characterized by the formation of trusts to manage the wealth of businesses
C) a period in which people put more of their trust in big business than in big government
D) a period in which the government allows financial trusts to try to make the economy safer
E) a period in which people have lost the trust they once had in the business community

Question 27

Performing at the highest standards,not just for oneself,but for the team,for the supervisor,for the consumer,and for the company's shareholders,indicates a sense of

A) individuality.
B) accountability.
C) opportunity.
D) future-orientation.
E) endurance.

Question 28

The Durable Business Machine Company has been around for almost a century and generally has a good reputation for accountability.Which of the following actions might harm its reputation for taking a stakeholder view?

A) The company consistently pays its shareholders high dividends.
B) The company offers its employees good benefits packages.
C) The company develops products that meet customer needs.
D) The company helps its employees develop professional skills.
E) The company keeps profits high by eliminating pollution controls.

Question 29

What brought about the state of affairs known as the post-trust era?

A) the disclosure of widespread cheating in school
B) a series of business scandals and economic crises
C) the decrease in human interactions in business
D) the practice of outsourcing jobs
E) a switch to more transparency by businesses

Question 30

Roland and Quan are both on the staff of a car dealership.Roland is always asking colleagues to cover his shifts,but he never returns the favor.Quan often covers shifts for colleagues even though he rarely takes time off himself.Which statement best describes the difference between Roland and Quan?

A) Quan adheres to the company ethics policy,and Roland does not.
B) Quan relies on corporate values,and Roland relies on personal values.
C) Quan is an effective communicator,and Roland is not.
D) Quan is a giver,and Roland is a taker.
E) Quan trusts his colleagues,and Roland does not.

Question 31

In the post-trust era

A) businesses are often thought to operate against the public's best interests.
B) the majority of employees have faith in their leaders and colleagues at work.
C) transparency is no longer important in the workplace.
D) stakeholders do not require businesses to be accountable to them.
E) character-based traits play a very small role in establishing credibility.

Question 32

Which of the following communication techniques show that someone has a team orientation?

A) discussing only positives rather than focusing on negatives
B) being open and transparent about the company's confidential matters
C) using the FAIR test to evaluate what other people say
D) using the pronouns "you" and "we" to discuss goals and needs
E) keeping personal motivations hidden in the workplace

Question 33

In what way does caring help establish credibility in the business world?

A) It helps people understand serious business problems.
B) It encourages people to work as individuals instead of as teams.
C) It promotes closed communication structures.
D) It encourages people to demonstrate accountability.
E) It makes individuals less transparent.

Question 34

Character refers to

A) the stated and lived values of a company.
B) the knowledge and skills needed to accomplish business tasks.
C) a reputation for adhering to high moral and ethical values.
D) a set of principles that govern behavior in the workplace.
E) the ability to cultivate a sense of community in the workplace.

Question 35

Javier is an editorial manager at a publishing company.He wants to give one of his supervisors an "Employee of the Year" award.Which of the following supervisors should he choose if he is looking for an employee with a strong sense of caring?

A) Jon,who sets short- and long-term deadlines for every project and meets them promptly
B) Ayesha,who always takes on extra work to help the department meet its deadlines
C) Paul,who is the best copy editor and proofreader in the department
D) Jenny,who helps her employees develop the skills that will allow them to advance
E) Trung,who communicates openly whenever he has doubts or questions

Question 36

Hachiro produces results.He is scrupulously honest.He checks to see that his teammates have what they need.He always talks about his team's accomplishments,not his own.However,he fails to consider the impact of his company's actions on the public.Hachiro needs to improve in developing a sense of

A) caring.
B) community.
C) character.
D) accountability.
E) competence.

Question 37

The Daily News just hired five young reporters.Which new employee has the most competence?

A) Kate,who made top grades in journalism at a prestigious university and then traveled for a year
B) Giorgio,who has a degree in English and has published three stories in literary magazines
C) Helena,who earned a journalism degree and interned at a local newspaper for two summers
D) Bill,who earned a degree in philosophy and spent a year writing for a school newspaper
E) Becca,who made top grades at a small college and graduated with a degree in English

Question 38

During performance evaluations,Jana is consistently praised for her ability to see how corporate decisions will affect stakeholders.What does this characteristic of Jana's demonstrate?

A) accountability
B) competence
C) expertise
D) transparency
E) honesty

Question 39

Which of the following is true of character?

A) It is central in establishing trust.
B) It is innate and cannot be cultivated.
C) Its importance has decreased in the post-trust era.
D) It is seldom important in long-term,collaborative relationships.
E) It increases when the level of transparency decreases.

Question 40

Which of the following is true of competence?

A) It has grown less important in the post-trust era.
B) It is often evaluated by one's track record of achievements.
C) It is innate and cannot be gained through experience.
D) It increases when individuals focus on connecting with others.
E) It depends mainly on the ability to build a sense of community.

Question 41

Phil is a manager who is preparing to send a memo to members of his team.Which of the following will best help him evaluate the memo before he sends it?

A) asking questions to challenge rationalizations
B) consulting the Ethics Resource Center
C) surveying team members
D) applying the FAIR test
E) reviewing his company's code of ethics

Question 42

What type of company is required to have a code of ethics available to all employees?

A) all companies that employ more than 100 people
B) all companies that trade internationally
C) all companies that have more than a single owner
D) all companies that are publicly traded
E) all companies that make more than a million dollars

Question 43

Ethics means

A) the skills needed to identify and overcome business problems.
B) the practice of sharing all relevant information with stakeholders.
C) a written code of conduct designed to guide the actions of a company.
D) rules of conduct or moral principles that guide individual or group behavior.
E) a set of guidelines for evaluating how much honesty to use in a given situation.

Question 44

Chuck is the chief financial officer of his company.At the annual meeting,he gives a presentation that contains only positive financial news even though the company had a lay-off in the previous year.What impact is Chuck's presentation likely to have on the employees?

A) It will create hope that the coming year will be better than the previous year.
B) It will cause employees to forget about the previous year's problems.
C) It will create mistrust because the presentation did not offer the whole truth.
D) It will not have much effect because employees do not listen to such presentations.
E) It will impress the employees with Chuck's team orientation and positive attitude.

Question 45

Which of the following is true of corporate values?

A) Corporate values are those that are formulated and adhered to by individuals.
B) Publicly traded companies can decline to adopt a code of conduct.
C) The employees of a company are not bound by corporate values.
D) Corporate values are most effective when aligned with personal values.
E) Corporate values are implied and unwritten rules that are open to interpretation.

Question 46

How does having a high level of trust impact communication?

A) It improves communication because people have to rely more on rhetoric.
B) It improves communication because people feel less resistance to ideas.
C) It worsens communication because people take things for granted.
D) It worsens communication because people question each other's motives.
E) It improves communication because people have to be persuaded to cooperate.

Question 47

The most successful people are those whose

A) personal values take priority over the corporate values where they work.
B) personal values are subservient to the corporate values where they work.
C) personal values align with the corporate values where they work.
D) lives are ruled entirely by their personal values.
E) lives are ruled entirely by the corporate values where they work.

Question 48

Which of the following statements about business ethics is true?

A) They are skills needed to identify and overcome business problems.
B) They are of decreasing significance to businesses in the post-trust era.
C) They are self-formulated values prioritized and adhered to by individuals in business.
D) They measure the extent to which employees care for the needs of the business.
E) They are commonly held principles in the business community for acceptable behavior.

Question 49

Mario works for a research firm.He discloses a client's confidential information publicly.This action is an example of a

A) business ethics violation.
B) low-trust relationship.
C) conflict between personal and corporate values.
D) failure to be transparent.
E) rationalization of unprofessional practices.

Question 50

Why has transparency become so important in the post-trust era?

A) It creates the feeling among employees that managers care about their interests and needs.
B) It helps reduce the fear that unethical or dishonest practices are being conducted in secret.
C) It reduces incompetence by stressing the acquisition of necessary skills and knowledge for the job.
D) It empowers each individual employee to think primarily about his or her career needs.
E) It focuses on action and results so it helps businesses address their most pressing issues.

Question 51

What is the recommended thing to do if you observe unethical behavior in the workplace?

A) Assume that the person knows what he or she is doing and ignore it.
B) Accuse the person of acting with bad motives or criminal intent.
C) Ask questions that challenge the rationalization of the behavior.
D) Report the behavior to the media or to law enforcement immediately.
E) Make a joke about the behavior to subtly convey your discomfort with it.

Question 52

Rita is the general manager of a software company.She wants to give one of her employees an "Employee of the Year" award.Which of the following individuals should she choose if she is looking for an employee who communicates fairly in business?

A) Julio,who always discloses his sources of information
B) Eva,who often draws conclusions from assumptions
C) Deb,who often says that customers never know what they want
D) Lisa,who builds team spirit by reminding people when birthdays are
E) Todd,who seldom checks his programs for bugs

Question 53

According to management expert Stephen M.R.Covey,which of the following is foundational to permanent success?

A) speaking and writing eloquently
B) demanding the respect of subordinates
C) overcoming many struggles
D) inspiring the trust of others
E) having a warm and charming manner

Question 54

Martin is the general manager of a sports equipment manufacturing company.He wants to give one of his employees an "Employee of the Year" award.Which of the following individuals should he choose if he is looking for an employee with a strong sense of ethics?

A) Delia,who shares all relevant information with stakeholders
B) Nathan,who went to night school to acquire more job-related skills
C) Kelly,who shares the company's trade secrets with its competitors
D) Ai,who created a spreadsheet to help track production stages
E) Valeria,who conducts personal business on company time

Question 55

What is the relationship between honesty and competition?

A) Too much honesty destroys competition.
B) Businesses must commit fraud to compete.
C) Truly honest businesses do not need to compete.
D) Honesty and competition have no relationship.
E) Honesty encourages competition on merit.

Question 56

Which of the following is characteristic of people in high-trust relationships?

A) a willingness to cooperate
B) high resistance to new ideas
C) complicated and formalized communication styles
D) a tendency to assume the worst of other people
E) a strong disinclination to help other people

Question 57

What does the "I" in the FAIR test of ethical business communication stand for?

A) Intent of communicator
B) Interest of audience
C) Impacts on stakeholders
D) Insight into motives
E) Illustration of credibility

Question 58

Which of the following can the FAIR test help you avoid?

A) showing preference to one employee over another
B) revealing confidential or proprietary information
C) receiving low ratings from subordinates
D) rationalizing unethical behaviors
E) showing disrespect to other people

Question 59

Uli is an employee of an educational technology firm.She volunteers to stay late when there is a deadline and always embraces a challenge.Which of the following is likely true about Uli?

A) She is emotionally connected to her work.
B) She desires a lot of praise from others.
C) She has a high-trust relationship with her boss.
D) She is a strong communicator.
E) She answers directly to stakeholders.

Question 60

What does the "F" in the FAIR test of ethical business communication stand for?

A) Fresh
B) Facts
C) First
D) Forthright
E) Fitting

Question 61

According to recent studies,what impact does having highly engaged employees have on a company?

A) It increases mistrust.
B) It decreases cooperation.
C) It increases profitability.
D) It decreases overtime.
E) It increases resistance.

Question 62

When employees are engaged,that means they are connected to their work

A) ethically.
B) emotionally.
C) intellectually.
D) physically.
E) professionally.

Question 63

Simpler communications and decreased miscommunications are associated with

A) high-trust relationships.
B) small team size.
C) strong speaking skills.
D) well-paid employees.
E) highly engaged stakeholders.

Question 64

Why is it important to cultivate high-trust relationships in the workplace?

Question 65

Karin supervises five teams.She wants to give an award to the team that has successfully created a high-trust relationship.Which team should she choose?

A) Team A,whose members communicate well and are easy to motivate
B) Team B,whose members rarely take time off from work
C) Team C,whose members consistently get positive reviews from customers
D) Team D,whose members have many different communication styles
E) Team E,whose members have worked together for the longest time

Question 66

Which of the following behaviors indicates engagement by employees?

A) viewing coworkers' motives with suspicion
B) feeling resistant to new ways of doing things
C) sharing news in the most positive way possible
D) keeping one's motives to oneself
E) putting in extra time to meet the company's goals

Question 67

Discuss the role of competence in establishing credibility.Explain how competence affects the perceptions of others.

Question 68

Why is it important that corporate values be aligned with personal values?

Question 69

What are business ethics? Use details from the text to explain.

Question 70

Why should a business take a stakeholder view of groups in society that are not part of the company and do not use the company's products or services?

Question 71

Why has establishing credibility become so important in the post-trust era?

Question 72

Discuss the role of character in establishing credibility.

Question 73

Why is transparency especially important in the post-trust era?

Question 74

Why is it important for a company to have a business ethics policy?

Question 75

What role does understanding the interests of others play in the establishment of credibility? Give a specific example.