Question 1

Which of the following is the horizontal expansion of an employee's job?

Accepted Answer

Job enlargement refers to adding more tasks or responsibilities to an employee's job horizontally. This can increase the scope of the job and provide more variety to the employee's work. Job enrichment, on the other hand, involves providing opportunities for vertical growth in knowledge, skills or abilities, such as through training or job redesign. Job rotation refers to the periodic shifting of an employee from one job to another within the same organization. Task generalization is not a recognized term in the context of job design.

Question 2

Companies that want to meet the diverse needs of their employees by offering work-scheduling options can use which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Flextime is a work-scheduling option that allows employees to adjust their work hours to accommodate personal or family needs. It can help companies meet the diverse needs of their employees, such as those who have childcare responsibilities or who prefer to work outside of traditional hours. Options like job enlargement and job enrichment pertain to the nature of work, while gain-sharing is related to rewards and incentives.

Question 3

Which of the following is the expansion of the number of tasks and variety of tasks performed by a worker?

Accepted Answer

Job enlargement involves adding more tasks or responsibilities to an employee's current job, increasing the variety of tasks performed by the worker. Job enrichment involves adding more depth and complexity to an employee's current job, while task rotation involves moving employees between different tasks or jobs. There is no such thing as "job upsizing."

Question 4

Anila Sudavarian works as a receptionist for a medical clinic from 8 a.m. until 12 noon five days a week. At noon, he is replaced by Louise Cho who works at the same job from noon until 4 p.m. Which of the following scheduling options is being used by Sudavarian and Cho?

Accepted Answer

Sudavarian and Cho are using job sharing, where they divide the responsibilities and hours of one full-time job.

Question 5

Bill Nielsen works as a graphic designer. He arrives at work at 7 a.m. and goes home at 3 p.m. One of Nielsen's coworkers who performs the same job arrives at work at 9 a.m. and goes home at 6 p.m. Another coworker arrives at 9 a.m. and leaves work at 5 p.m. From this brief description, you should realize that Nielsen's employer uses which of the following strategies?

Accepted Answer

The description indicates that employees have different start and end times, which is characteristic of flextime. Flextime allows employees to choose their working hours within agreed limits. Job enrichment, a compressed workweek, and job rotation are not indicated by the varying work schedules.

Question 6

All the accounting personnel at a large construction company work nine-hour days Monday through Thursday and then get a three-day weekend. Which of the following does this construction company permit for its accounting department?

Accepted Answer

The accounting personnel at the construction company are working longer hours Monday through Thursday and therefore have a compressed workweek with a three-day weekend. Flextime would allow for flexibility in start and end times but does not necessarily involve a compressed workweek. Job enrichment and job rotation involve expanding job duties and responsibilities, which is not described in the scenario.

Question 7

Which of the following means that a portion of an employee's pay is directly linked to an individual or organizational performance measure?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following means that a...

Question 8

They are logged in to their computer from home or anywhere else?

Accepted Answer

Telecommuting refers to working from a remote location, such as home, while staying connected to the company's computer network through the internet.

Question 9

Which of the following allows management to focus on achievable goals to realize the best possible results with the resources available?

Accepted Answer

Management by objectives (MBO) is a management approach whereby managers and employees collaboratively set goals for the organization, with a focus on achievable goals that will result in the best possible outcomes with the resources available. MBO helps to align employee efforts with organizational objectives, and provides a framework for measuring progress and success. Expectancy theory and equity theory are both motivational theories, while scientific management is a management approach focused on optimizing work processes. None of these options specifically address the concept of setting achievable goals with available resources.

Question 10

Which of the following is the redesign of a job to provide workers with more authority, responsibility, and challenge, as well as the opportunity for more personal achievement?

Accepted Answer

Job enrichment is the redesign of a job to provide workers with more authority, responsibility, and challenge, as well as the opportunity for more personal achievement. Task enlargement refers to increasing the number of tasks a worker performs, whereas task generalization applies to the expansion of the number of tasks and responsibilities at the same hierarchical level. Job integration involves combining duties that were previously separated.

Question 11

Oscar Ramirez's job has been redesigned. He has more authority and responsibility and feels the job now is very challenging to him. What has the company used to challenge Ramirez?

Accepted Answer

Job enrichment involves giving an employee more authority, responsibility, and control over their work. This is exactly what has happened with Oscar Ramirez's job, making job enrichment the best choice for the company's approach to challenging him. Job enlargement refers to adding more tasks to an employee's job, which may not necessarily increase their authority or responsibility. Job development and job rotation are not applicable in this scenario.

Question 12

Which of the following statements best describes how culture influences motivation?

Accepted Answer

Culture can influence what is considered important for individuals to feel motivated. For example, in individualistic cultures, personal achievement may be highly valued, while in collectivist cultures, social harmony and relationships may be more important. Therefore, social needs may not be of equal importance in all cultures, making option B the correct choice. Options A, C, and D are incorrect as they make blanket statements that do not take into account cultural differences.

Question 13

A company experimenting with flextime, telecommuting, and job sharing is interested in which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The company's interest in experimenting with flexible work arrangements such as flextime, telecommuting, and job sharing suggests that they are trying to find options that will help retain quality employees. These are all work-scheduling options that are often requested by employees seeking a better work-life balance, and their implementation can help reduce turnover rates by increasing job satisfaction and engagement. Employee empowerment (choice A) and increasing job performance through effective management of time (choice D) may be positive outcomes of these flexible work arrangements, but they are not the company's primary interest in experimenting with them. The information provided does not suggest that the company is focused on determining which team management technique is most effective given its situational variables (choice C).

Question 14

In many companies, workers are trained by assigning them to several different jobs over a period of time. What is this regular shifting of assignments called?

Accepted Answer

The regular shifting of assignments in a training program is known as job rotation. This allows workers to gain experience and develop a range of skills across different roles within the company.

Question 15

Which of the following is the vertical expansion of an employee's job?

Accepted Answer

Job enrichment is the vertical expansion of an employee's job, which involves increasing the job's depth by adding tasks that require more skill and responsibility. Job enlargement (A) is the horizontal expansion of a job, which involves adding tasks that are similar in complexity to the current job. Task generalization (C) refers to the application of existing skills to new and different tasks, while job upsizing (D) is not a recognized term in relation to job design.

Question 16

Which of the following best describes goal-setting theory?

Accepted Answer

Goal-setting theory posits that specific and challenging goals lead to higher levels of performance compared to vague or generalized goals. This is because specific goals provide individuals with clear direction, focus and motivation, making it easier for them to monitor their progress and adjust their efforts accordingly. Additionally, when individuals receive feedback on their progress toward their goals, they can use this information to further improve their performance. Therefore, option A is the best description of goal-setting theory.

Question 17

Given the trend toward employee empowerment in the workplace, more and more employers are finding which of the following theories useful?

Accepted Answer

Goal setting theory is useful in employee empowerment as it involves setting clear, achievable objectives that motivate and engage employees, aligning with empowerment principles.

Question 18

Julia Li is a low-level manager for a manufacturer of collectible plates and figurines. She is assigned new jobs every few months so she can learn all aspects of her company's operations. Which of the following concepts is management utilizing?

Accepted Answer

Job rotation is the practice of moving employees between different jobs or departments within the organization. In this case, Julia Li is being assigned new jobs every few months to learn all aspects of the company's operations, indicating the use of job rotation. Job enrichment involves expanding job responsibilities and increasing employee autonomy, while job enlargement refers to adding more tasks to an existing job. Job development is a more general term that may refer to any kind of training or career advancement opportunity provided to employees.

Question 19

Which of the following statements best describes forms of variable pay?

Accepted Answer

Gain sharing is a form of variable pay that involves sharing the financial gains of increased productivity with employees. It is typically a group-based incentive plan and is designed to motivate employees to work together to improve productivity and reduce costs. Profit-sharing plans, on the other hand, involve sharing a portion of a company's profits with employees, and are not the same as piece-rate plans. Stock options are a form of equity-based compensation and not a type of job-sharing pay plan. The final statement about intrinsic and extrinsic rewards is not a characteristic of variable pay plans but rather a general statement about motivation theory.

Question 20

According to B.F. Skinner's operant learning theory the idea behind reinforcement is that consequences influence which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Skinner's theory emphasizes that behavior is shaped by its consequences, and reinforcement is a consequence that increases the likelihood of the behavior being repeated in the future. Therefore, the primary influence of reinforcement is on behavior, not motivation, desire, or outcomes.

Quiz 11: Motivating Employees