Deck 8: Influencing the Political Environment

Question 1

Most scholars agree that business must participate in politics.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Firms are more likely to have a sophisticated political strategy when the company is a frequent target of public scrutiny.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

When a manager directly employs a lobbyist to represent the company's political strategy in Washington this is called aggressive organizational involvement in politics.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Businesses and trade associations spend very little on lobbying.

Question 5

Businesses should stick to pursuing profits and have no legal right to be engaged in political activities.

Question 6

Sometimes businesspeople leave the private sector to take employment in government before returning to the corporate world.

Question 7

In many countries,the political environment has a select few participants.

Question 8

The emergence of public issues often encourages companies to monitor public concerns,respond to government proposals,and participate in the political process.

Question 9

Businesses must wait for a public issue to arise before forming a political strategy.

Question 10

Various stakeholder groups often use far different tactics than businesses to influence government officials,elections,and regulation.

Question 11

A corporate political strategy does not:

A) Hinder a competitor's ability to compete economically.
B) Seek to continue the firm's economic survival or growth.
C) Determine the legal limits allowed for campaign financing.
D) Exercise a firm's right to a voice in government affairs.

Question 12

Labor unions have been an active participant in United States politics for decades.

Question 13

According to the textbook,the heads of most public affairs departments are senior vice president or vice president positions.

Question 14

Public policies and government regulations are shaped by:

A) Business.
B) Special interest groups.
C) Government.
D) All of the above.

Question 15

A Super PAC is a financial-incentive political strategy tool.

Question 16

In recent annual Harris polls,which entity did Americans believe had the greatest amount of political power?

A) Small businesses.
B) Large businesses.
C) Political action committees.
D) Lobbyists.

Question 17

Under U.S.law,lobbying activities must be disclosed publicly.

Question 18

What method(s)did the businesses opposed to Arkansas' "religious freedom" laws use to influence lawmakers?
A)

A) Filed a lawsuit.
B) Made public announcements.
C) Hired private lobbyists.
D) Both B and C, but not

Question 19

Expert witnesses provide information to legislators for businesses or business groups.

Question 20

Proponents of business as a political participant argue:

A) A pluralistic system invites many participants.
B)
B) It is business's constitutional right to be involved.
C) Business is a vital stakeholder of government.
D) Both A and C, but not

Question 21

The information strategy tool most used by business is:

A) Political contributions.
B) Lobbying.
C) Legal challenges.
D) Direct communication.

Question 22

When a firm solicits its stockholders for political contributions for a particular candidate by letter and then sends those contributions to the candidate on behalf of its stockholders,it is called:

A) Lobbying.
B) Bundling.
C) Collating.
D) Constituency building.

Question 23

Economic leverage occurs when a business uses it economic power to:

A) Hire lobbyists to gain a desired political action.
B) Pay for the costs of regulation to acquire a desired political action.
C) Threaten to leave a location unless a desired political action is taken.
D) Buyout another firm to acquire a desired political action.

Question 24

Which political action strategy seeks to gain support from other affected organizations to better influence policymakers?

A) Information strategy.
B) Constituency-building strategy.
C) Financial-incentive strategy.
D) Lobbying strategy.

Question 25

Supporters of advocacy advertisements believe that they:

A) Identify a company as an interested and active stakeholder.
B) Can help mold public opinion on a particular policy issue.
C)
C) Increase union activity and long-term expenses for an organization.
D) Both A and B, but not

Question 26

When a business seeks to overturn a law after it has been passed or threatens to challenge the legal legitimacy of the new regulation in the courts,this is called:

A) Accumulating.
B) Overturn lobbying.
C) Legal challenges.
D) Funneling.

Question 27

A common tactic in a financial-incentive political strategy is:

A) Lobbying.
B) Legal challenges.
C) Expert witness testimony.
D) Political contributions.

Question 28

Advocacy ads are also called:

A) Issue advertisements.
B) Research and development plans.
C) Constituent advertisements.
D) Price control advertisements.

Question 29

Businesses promote an information strategy by inviting government leaders to:

A) Visit local plant facilities.
B) Attend company award ceremonies.
C) Give speeches to employees.
D) All of the above.

Question 30

Firms in the chemical industry,which must contend with frequently changing environmental regulations and the risk of dangerous accidents,usually have:

A) No defined political strategy.
B) A sophisticated political strategy.
C) A political strategy focused on intellectual property rights.
D) A political strategy focused on licensing rights.

Question 31

Hiring former government officials for positions in the corporate world is:

A) Normally legal.
B)
B) Always unethical.
C) Considered unethical by over 50% of Americans.
D) A and C, but not

Question 32

Since 2011,the total amount spent on lobbying activity has:

A) Remained exactly the same.
B) Doubled.
C) Decreased slightly.
D) Increased slightly.

Question 33

Which of the following is not a constituency-building strategy tool?

A) Expert witness testimony.
B) Advocacy advertising.
C) Public relations.
D) Legal challenges.

Question 34

Dark money refers to:

A) Anonymous contributions to for-profit organizations.
B) Money collected illegally by PACs.
C) Soft money.
D) Undisclosed contributions to tax-exempt organizations.

Question 35

One of the oldest financial-incentive strategy tools is:

A) Political action committee contributions.
B) Political consulting aid.
C) Advocacy advertising.
D) Lobbying.

Question 36

Expert witness testimony is often collected:

A) Through company newsletters.
B) On the steps of the White House.
C) In Congressional hearings.
D) From The Wall Street Journal.

Question 37

Lobbyists,under U.S.law,must disclose their:

A) Political affiliation and expenses.
B) Earnings.
C) Expenses.
D) Earnings and expenses.

Question 38

To influence government policymakers' actions,an information strategy involves:

A) Business leaders speaking before government policymakers.
B) Government policymakers hiring special interest groups for fact-finding projects.
C) Businesses listening to government policymakers in order to develop a corporate strategy.
D) Gaining support from other affected organizations.

Question 39

Which of these statements accurately describes a Super PAC?

A) Allows limited contributions from unions.
B) Allows limited contributions from individuals.
C) Is also called the dependent expenditure-only committee.
D) Does not allow direct contributions to candidates or political parties.

Question 40

A company that builds stakeholder coalitions to influence government is using which strategy?

A) Informational.
B) Financial-incentives.
C) Constituency-building.
D) Friendly forces.

Question 41

In a survey of 110 companies in 2014,the most frequent public affairs tactic was related to:

A) Grassroots issues.
B) Political action committees.
C) Issues management.
D) Federal government regulations.

Question 42

The typical public affairs executive spends most of the day:

A) Coalition building.
B) Direct lobbying.
C) Fund raising.
D) All of the above.

Question 43

In 2011,the Global Electoral Organization (GEO)discussed which critical election administration issues?

A) How to disengage electoral stakeholders.
B) The role of the media in elections.
C) How to increase election disputes.
D) How to hide dark money contributions.

Question 44

Prepare a strong argument in favor of and in opposition to businesses being involved in the political process.

Question 45

To help control political favoritism,there have been global efforts to:

A) Promote fairness in the electoral process.
B) Control the rapid decrease in campaign costs.
C) Diminish the role of political parties.
D) Discourage grassroots participation.

Question 46

How do the three types of corporate political strategies differ from each other?

Question 47

Compare and contrast the three levels of business political involvement.

Question 48

Who are the major participants in the political process and are they cooperative or adversarial in their relations with each other?

Question 49

When managers become personally involved in developing public policy,the firm is at what level of business political involvement?

A) Limited organizational involvement.
B) Moderate organizational involvement.
C) Aggressive organizational involvement.
D) Holistic organizational involvement.

Question 50

Describe two tactics used to promote each of the three types of corporate political strategies.

Question 51

Describe the role of an organization's public affairs department and describe who would be in charge of that department.

Question 52

Briefly describe the public policy process of a foreign country and its implication on the business political activity in that country.