Deck 4: Employers: Objectives, Processes, and Strategy

Question 1

The legal environment does not affect an employer's ability to oppose unionization.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The extent of unionization of the industry in which a firm competes influences a firm's labour relations strategy.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Most Canadian firms adopt a strategy of union removal.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Concession bargaining is negotiation over employer demands for reductions in wages and benefits.

Question 5

Employers in Canada have less opportunity to oppose unions than employers in the United States because of the reliance on membership cards in the certification process in all Canadian jurisdictions.

Question 6

Employers in Canada and United States have the same opportunities to oppose unionization of their employees.

Question 7

Recently productivity growth has been the same in Canada and the United States.

Question 8

An employer's experience with unionization influences the employer's labour relations strategy.

Question 9

Employers use public relations efforts as one of the methods to achieve their objectives.

Question 10

The premise of a union avoidance strategy is that employees will not turn to a union if they are treated fairly.

Question 11

The primary objectives of employers are to maximize profitability and maintain control over the workplace.

Question 12

Wal-Mart is an example of a firm using a differentiation strategy.

Question 13

Differentiation is a strategy that involves an organization competing on the basis of price.

Question 14

A union resistance strategy involves the employer providing employee representation mechanisms, such as complaint procedures, to non-union employees.

Question 15

Cost leadership is a strategy that involves an organization competing on the basis of price.

Question 16

A union acceptance strategy refers to an employer voluntarily recognizing the union.

Question 17

The values or personal beliefs of some managers lead them to pursue control of the workplace.

Question 18

Wal-Mart is an organization that illustrates union opposition and removal strategies.

Question 19

A union avoidance strategy involves an employer adopting both legal and illegal means to oppose unionization.

Question 20

Labour relations strategy refers to how a firm competes in the marketplace.

Question 21

A low commitment human resource management strategy involves using traditional production methods with less emphasis on technological innovation.

Question 22

High-performance work systems are part of a low commitment human resource management strategy.

Question 23

Labour relations strategy:

A)relates to how the firm competes in the marketplace
B)relates to how the employer deals with unionization
C)has been constant since the 1980s
D)is not related to environmental factors
E)relates to a low commitment approach to human resource management

Question 24

A union opposition strategy could involve matching the pay rates of unionized firms.

Question 25

Comparing employers in Canada and the United States, it is more difficult for employers in Canada to oppose unions.

Question 26

The predominant approach of employers in Canada is a union avoidance strategy.

Question 27

Which of the following are methods used by employers to meet their objectives:

A)efficiency
B)grievances and arbitration
C)control
D)social activity
E)environment

Question 28

High-performance organizations maximize status differences between individuals in order to motivate employees.

Question 29

Which of the following is correct regarding labour productivity in Canada and the United States:

A)labour productivity is not a significant issue in either country.
B)labour productivity is higher in Canada.
C)labour productivity is higher in the United States.
D)there is no difference in labour productivity between the two countries.
E)labour productivity is lower in the United States.

Question 30

Most Canadian firms have widely adopted high-performance policies and practices.

Question 31

Employers who adopt a high commitment human resource management strategy will develop and rely on the skills of the workforce.

Question 32

Which of the following factors affect a firm's labour relations strategy:

A)experience with unionization
B)nature of employees
C)power of the union
D)a and b
E)a, b, c

Question 33

Which of the following are employer objectives;

A)contract negotiation
B)collaboration with the union
C)unilateral action
D)efficiency
E)a and d

Question 34

Company A is in financial difficulty.In contract negotiations with the union the company has demanded a five percent wage reduction.This illustrates:

A)concession bargaining
B)bargaining in bad faith
C)union avoidance
D)union resistance
E)union removal

Question 35

Concession bargaining involves employer demands for reductions in compensation.

Question 36

High-performance organizations emphasize reducing costs by lowering compensation.

Question 37

High-performance practices such as variable pay are welcomed by unions.

Question 38

Younger employees make union opposition easier for the employer.

Question 39

It is recognized that banks and fast food franchises have used a union acceptance strategy.

Question 40

Which of the following are measures that an employer could pursue to increased efficiency:

A)Utilizing same technology
B)outsourcing
C)union opposition
D)increasing cost of productivity
E)decreasing cost of labour

Question 41

Research has established that high-performance work systems have:

A)improved results for all firms
B)improved results for some firms
C)failed to improve results for any firms
D)been more widely adopted in Canada than United States
E)improved union management relations

Question 42

Union resistance is a labour relations strategy that involves an employer attempting which of the following:

A)have certified unions removed from the workplace
B)prevent unionization through both legal and illegal means
C)convince employees they need a union
D)limit the spread of unionization further in the organization
E)negotiate the best deal possible with the union

Question 43

Which of the following statements correctly describes the majority of Canadian employers:

A)They have developed policies to transform the workplace.
B)When a union has gained bargaining rights they adopt a strategy of union acceptance.
C)When a union has gained bargaining rights they adopt a strategy of union removal.
D)They have adopted a strategy of union opposition.
E)They have adopted a strategy of union assistance.

Question 44

A high-performance work system includes:

A)job simplification
B)increases in training and development
C)centralized decision-making
D)reducing job security
E)a and b

Question 45

A high commitment approach to human resource management has been associated with:

A)a cost leadership business strategy
B)union resistance
C)union acceptance
D)a differentiation business strategy
E)reducing labour costs

Question 46

Identify the meaning of "labour relations strategy" and describe four alternative strategies that could be adopted.

Question 47

Which of the following is a factor affecting an employer's labour relations strategy:

A)the values of individual employees
B)the methodology of the union representing employees
C)labour relations legislation regulating employer conduct
D)competitor's focus on their employees' philosophy
E)union output

Question 48

Which of the following features would be emphasized by an organization employing a differentiation strategy:

A)productivity
B)improved technology
C)management ideology
D)design
E)union philosophy

Question 49

Which of the following is correct regarding high performance work systems (HPWS)/

A)They have been widely adopted in Canada
B)It is universally accepted that HPWS have improved employee's work lives
C)Unions accept all of the features of HPWS
D)Some features of HPWS will be opposed by unions.
E)Is universally accepted that HPWS have improved results for employers

Question 50

A high commitment approach to human resource management emphasizes or includes:

A)improved technology
B)compensation freezes
C)minimizing training
D)decreasing labour costs
E)reduced levels of commitment

Question 51

A low commitment approach to human resource management emphasizes or includes:

A)increasing labour skills
B)technological innovation
C)reducing labour costs
D)higher compensation levels
E)higher levels of commitment

Question 52

Which of the following companies are the most likely to pursue a union opposition strategy:

A)Company A, which has adopted a differentiation approach in the marketplace
B)Company B, which primarily uses young part-time employees
C)Company C, which competes in an industry in which most employers are unionized
D)Company D, which has managers who are indifferent on the matter of unionization
E)Company A and Company B

Question 53

Which of the following make it more difficult for employers in Canada to oppose unionization than is the case in the United States:

A)the delay between a union application for bargaining rights and a representation vote
B)first contract arbitration
C)right to work legislation
D)granting bargaining rights on the basis of a representation vote instead of membership cards
E)provisions that allow employers to hire permanent replacements for striking workers

Question 54

Which of the following correctly describes the level of adoption of high-performance work systems by Canadian employers:

A)adopted in the service sector
B)rejected
C)adopted by U.S.subsidiaries only
D)partially adopted
E)completely adopted by a majority

Question 55

Identify the meaning of "labour relations strategy" and describe four factors that could affect a labour relations strategy.

Question 56

A cost leadership strategy is:

A)competitive strategy based on having the highest price
B)competitive strategy based on having the modest price
C)is the basis on which a firm competes
D)is a competitive strategy based on having a distinctive or unique product.
E)competitive strategy based on having the lowest price

Question 57

One strategy or approach to unions that an employer could adopt has been referred to as union substitution / avoidance.Describe the objective of the strategy and outline how the employer could implement the strategy.

Question 58

Distinguish between a high commitment and a low commitment approach to human resource management.

Question 59

Identify the primary objectives of employers and describe four methods that could be used to achieve those objectives.

Question 60

Outline the policies and practices associated with high-performance organizations and describe the implications for the union-management relationship.