Question 1

Many companies view career development as a good way to prevent job burnout.

Accepted Answer

Career development can provide employees with opportunities to learn new skills, take on new challenges, and advance within their current company, which can help prevent job burnout by keeping employees engaged and motivated.

Question 2

According to a 1991 government study on the "glass ceiling":

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to a 1991 government study on...

Question 3

Which of the following is most likely a true statement?

Accepted Answer

Research has consistently shown that women and minorities are often excluded from informal career development efforts, such as networking and mentorship opportunities, which can limit their professional advancement. The glass ceiling is a global issue, not unique to the United States. While progress has been made in increasing representation of women in directorship positions since the 1991 study, there is still a long way to go to achieve true parity. Government intervention programs have helped reduce barriers to some extent, but systemic bias and discrimination continue to exist in many workplaces.

Question 4

Nearly ________% of all couples are working couples.

Accepted Answer

According to recent statistics, approximately 80% of all couples in the United States are considered working couples, meaning both partners hold full-time or part-time jobs outside of the home. Therefore, the best choice is B.

Question 5

When both members of a couple have careers and occupational responsibilities,their personal lives are less likely to affect their performance.

Accepted Answer

Balancing careers and personal lives can be challenging, and personal issues can indeed affect performance at work, as stress and responsibilities outside of work can impact concentration, motivation, and overall productivity.

Question 6

In the past,career development in bureaucratic organizations was initiated and driven by the employees themselves,but now,employees take up less of a role in their individual career development.

Accepted Answer

In the past, career development was driven by the organization and senior management, with little input from employees. Today, there is more emphasis on employees taking an active role in their own career development, but organizations still play a significant role.

Question 7

Marcus is trying to encourage his employees to think and plan for their future careers.He's concerned,however,that he might create or feed unrealistic expectations.Marcus is most likely trying to answer which of the following questions?

Accepted Answer

Marcus is concerned about creating unrealistic expectations, which implies that he is trying to find a balance or measure of how much career emphasis is enough.

Question 8

The two-income family is becoming increasingly common.

Accepted Answer

The statement is true, as more and more households are relying on two incomes to make ends meet.

Question 9

Too much of an emphasis on career development can be detrimental to an organization by creating unrealistic expectations,leading to dissatisfaction and poor performance.

Accepted Answer

When an organization puts too much emphasis on career development, it can create unrealistic expectations among employees. If employees feel that they are not progressing fast enough or are not receiving the promotions or opportunities they were promised, they may become dissatisfied and their job performance may suffer. It is important for organizations to balance career development with other aspects of employee satisfaction and performance, such as job satisfaction, work-life balance, and recognition for good work.

Question 10

Barriers to the advancement of women and minorities are clearly visible and can be eliminated through career development strategies.

Accepted Answer

While career development strategies can help, barriers to the advancement of women and minorities are often systemic and multifaceted, including unconscious bias, cultural norms, and structural inequalities, making them not always clearly visible or easily eliminated through career development strategies alone.

Question 11

Additional Case 9.1 
Ron, the CEO at CableNet, wants to invest in career development because he is concerned that the firm is not prepared to meet future needs and challenges. Rudy, the operations manager, states that CableNet has already invested significantly in employee training, and a career development program would be a costly duplication. Rudy produces a recent productivity and quality study that shows significant improvement among employees to support his assertion that a development program is unnecessary. Charles, an IT manager, states that most supervisors currently discuss career options with their subordinates as part of the management process. Charles asserts that managers are taking care of their employees well enough and that nothing else is necessary. Tanya, the HR director, suggests that assigning employees to various jobs would give them a wider base of skills at a minimal expense. She asserts that an active career development program would help the company with EEO-related matters, which are a concern to her. The workforce is about 30% female and 45% minority, but upper management is 100% Asian-American male.

-Refer to Additional Case 9.1.Tanya's comments show that the company is most likely facing the challenge of:

Accepted Answer

Tanya's suggestion of an active career development program to address EEO-related matters indicates that the company is facing the challenge of meeting the needs of a diverse workforce. The fact that upper management is 100% Asian-American male suggests that there may be concerns related to diversity and inclusion within the organization. A career development program can help address these concerns by providing equal opportunities for all employees to develop their skills and advance their careers, regardless of their gender or ethnicity.

Question 12

Dual-career couples are best described as couples:

Accepted Answer

Dual-career couples are couples in which both partners have professional careers or are actively pursuing careers. Therefore, both members have career issues at stake. While A, C, and D may be true in some cases, they do not accurately reflect the definition of dual-career couples.

Question 13

The "glass ceiling" is best defined as the:

Accepted Answer

The glass ceiling is an informal barrier that prevents women and minorities from advancing their careers within firms. This barrier is not an official policy but it is a result of deeply ingrained societal and cultural norms and biases that impact the hiring and promotion decisions of organizations.

Question 14

Which of the following is LEAST likely a negative aspect of career development programs that foster unrealistic advancement expectations?

Accepted Answer

While fostering unrealistic advancement expectations may lead to negative consequences such as employee dissatisfaction, poor performance, and increased turnover, discrimination is not directly related to such programs. However, if these programs are implemented unfairly, discrimination may occur.

Question 15

If career development is over-emphasized,the organization may suffer when employees become more concerned about their image than their actual performance.

Accepted Answer

When career development is over-emphasized, employees may be more focused on portraying a certain image or achieving certain titles or promotions, rather than actually performing well in their roles. This can lead to a decrease in overall productivity and effectiveness within the organization.

Question 16

The glass-ceiling phenomenon affects women more in South Korea than in the U.S.

Accepted Answer

South Korea has a stronger patriarchal culture and gender inequality is more deeply ingrained in the society, leading to greater barriers for women in the workplace compared to the U.S.

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT a common issue associated with dual-career couples?

Accepted Answer

While dual-career couples may experience conflicts between personal and career lives, need flexible scheduling for childcare responsibilities, and struggle with career advancements that require a geographic move, additional health care benefits to cover both members of the couple is not a common issue associated with dual-career couples. Health care benefits are typically provided through the employer and cover both members of the couple regardless of whether they have a dual-career situation or not.

Question 18

Ken and Vicki are a dual-career couple.Ken has received an overseas assignment,but Vicki is concerned that she will be unable to obtain employment authorization.How does the text suggest handling such issues?

Accepted Answer

Helping Vicki obtain a temporary resident visa would allow her to legally work in the country where Ken has been assigned. This would enable her to continue her career while accompanying her partner on his overseas assignment. Encouraging Vicki to telecommute or paying for monthly visits are not feasible long-term solutions, and offering Ken another position may not be practical or feasible for the company.

Question 19

A couple whose members both have occupational responsibilities and career issues at stake is referred to as a(n)________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A couple whose members both have occupational...

Question 20

The employee-empowerment approach to career development is especially beneficial in flat organizations where advancement opportunities are greater.

Accepted Answer

Employee empowerment is particularly beneficial in flat organizations because there are fewer advancement opportunities, so focusing on empowering employees to take charge of their own career development and job satisfaction becomes more important.

Quiz 9: Developing Careers