Deck 5: Management and Employer Representatives

Question 1

What control strategies did Friedman identify?

A) Personalised and technical control strategies
B) Direct and responsible autonomy control strategies
C) Bureaucratic and commitment-based control strategies
D) None of the options given here is correct

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Describe a 'technical control' strategy.

Answer 2

Technical control was embedded in technical organisation and work design. It was a form of control where the degree of discretion in work was low.

Question 3

List and briefly describe the three main collective managerial styles.

Answer 3

Bargained constitutional: A style that accommodates itself to unions but developed around the need to achieve control and the institutionalisation of conflict
Modern paternalist: Embraces a welfare-oriented approach to employees but recognises and values relationships with unions and other employee representatives
Sophisticated consultative: A strong commitment to the development of employees and to their involvement in the processes of decision-making and problem-solving.

Question 4

Employment relations policies and practices, adopted by management, will be affected by:

A) the interests they act for (for example, owners and shareholders).
B) the type of business strategies used to compete in the market.
C) the values that the management may hold about employment relations.
D) All of the options given here are correct

Question 5

Describe the 'responsible autonomy' control strategy.

Question 6

Godard and Delany (2000) argue that 'there is evidence that new work and HRM practices negatively affect workers largely because they intensify the work process and increase stress'. Do you agree? Discuss why or why not.

Question 7

What is management?

Question 8

Constraints on managerial discretion include:

A) the state's restrictions on managerial autonomy and the type of technology.
B) All of the options given here are correct
C) the structure and policy of trade unions and the decisions of industrial tribunals and courts.
D) the influences of labour, product and capital markets in addition to the market for corporate control.

Question 9

What is the role of management in the employment relationship?

Question 10

List three factors affecting how managers conduct their relations with employees and their representatives.

Question 11

List Porter's three generic business strategies and give two features of each.

Question 12

Employer associations could be described as:

A) collective organisations of employers.
B) both collective organisations of employers and the employer equivalent of unions for employees.
C) the employer equivalent of unions for employees.
D) collective organisations of employees employed in one organisation.

Question 13

List and briefly describe four forms of managerial control.

Question 14

What are the main constraints on managerial discretion?

Question 15

Which of the following generic business strategies did Porter identify?

A) Innovation
B) Quality enhancement
C) Cost reduction
D) All of the options given here are correct

Question 16

What do Katz and Derbishire argue are the four patterns of workplace practices?

Question 17

Describe the two dimensions of Purcell's categorisation of management style.

Question 18

Briefly describe the 'sophisticated human relations', paternalist and traditional management styles.

Question 19

What are employer associations?

Question 20

Examples of Australian employer associations are:

A) the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) and the Business Council of Australia (BCA).
B) the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) and the office of the Australian Building and Construction Commissioner (ABCC).
C) the Business Council of Australia (BCA) and the Australian Safety and Compensation Council (ASCC).
D) the Business Council of Australia (BCA) and the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU).

Question 21

Explain a high-performance work system.

Question 22

List and describe Kabanoff's (1993) organisational culture types.

Question 23

Describe the reasons employment relations and HRM policies are often not well integrated with business strategies.