Chapter 3 – Organizational Culture and Environment: The ConstraintsTrue/False QuestionsA MANAGER’S DILEMMA1. According to the information presented in “A Manager’s Dilemma,” the training programs were wellplanned and integrated across all business units.False (moderate)THE MANAGER: OMNIPOTENT OR SYMBOLIC2. In the symbolic view of management, managers are seen as directly responsible for anorganization's success or failure.False (easy)3. The current dominant assumption in management theory suggests managers are omnipotent.True (moderate)4. The view of managers as omnipotent is consistent with the stereotypical picture of the take-chargebusiness executive who can overcome any obstacle in carrying out the organization’s objectives.True (moderate)5. The symbolic view of managerial impact is useful in explaining the high turnover among college andprofessional sports coaches, who can be considered the “managers” of their teams.False (difficult)6. The view that a college football team had a losing season due to the failure of key players to obtainsufficient school grades represents the symbolic view of management.True (moderate)7. In the omnipotent view of management, much of an organization's success or failure is dueto forces outside management's control.False (easy)8. If an organization subscribes to the symbolic view of managers, it is unreasonable to expectmanagers to have a significant effect on the organization's performance.True (easy)9. A manager's role in the omnipotent view of management is to create meaning out of randomness, confusion, and ambiguity.False (moderate)THE ORGANIZATION’S CULTURE10. An organizational culture refers to a system of shared meaning.True (moderate)11. The organizational culture is a system of shared meaning held by members that distinguishes the organization from other organizations.True (moderate)12. Organizational culture is a perception, not reality.True (moderate)13. Presently, there is no method for analyzing or assessing organizational culture.False (moderate)14. Strong cultures have more influence on employees than weak ones.True (moderate)15. An increasing body of evidence suggests that strong cultures are associated with high organizational performance.True (easy)16. Compensation in mentioned in the text as a dimension of organizational culture.False (moderate)17. Most organizations have very weak cultures.False (moderate)18. An organization's founder has little influence on its culture.False (moderate)19. Rituals are repetitive sequences of activities that express and reinforce the key values of an organization.True (moderate)20. Organizational stories typically contain a narrative of significant events or people.True (moderate)21. A good example of an organizational story is the process college faculty members go through in their quest for tenure.False (moderate)22. Employee stock option is mentioned in the text as an example of a material symbol.False (moderate)23. The link between values and managerial behavior is fairly straightforward.True (moderate)THE ENVIRONMENT24. The part of the environment directly related to achievement of an organization's goals is the specific environment.True (moderate)25. The general environment refers to everything inside the organization.False (easy)26. Environmental uncertainty can be divided into two dimensions: degree of trust and degree of integration.False (difficult)27. Because certainty is a threat to an organization's effectiveness, managers try to minimize it. False (easy)28. The term suppliers include providers of financial and labor inputs.True (moderate)29. To a national network such as NBC, your home VCR is considered a competitor.True (moderate)30. Ralph Nader's Center for Responsive Law is considered a pressure group that managers must deal with.True (moderate)31. Industry conditions is an example of an organization’s general environment.False (moderate)32. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 made jobs accessible to people with disabilities.False (moderate)33. The Americans with Disabilities Act grants 12 weeks of unpaid leave to employees for birthor adoption of a child.False (moderate)34. Economic conditions are part of the organization's specific environment.False (moderate)MANAGING WORKFORCE DIVERSITY35.Based on the data presented in “Managing Workforce Diversity,” federal mandate is the numberone factor driving diversity efforts by organizations.False (moderate)Multiple-Choice QuestionsA MANAGER’S DILEMMA36. According to the information presented in “A Manager’s Dilemma,” Vancouver is a city where theenvironment is fairly stable and the relationship among stakeholders is critically important. Which of the following approaches to managing stakeholder relationships should Catherine Deslauriers, the city of Vancouver’s staff and organizational development coordinator, pursue?a.Stakeholder partnershipsb.Boundary spanningc.Stakeholder management (difficult)d.Scanning and monitoring the environmentTHE MANAGER: OMNIPOTENT OR SYMBOLIC37. What are the two views of managerial impact on the success or failure of the organization?a. O mnipotent and symbolic (moderate)b. O mnipotent and reflectivec. Symbolic and interactived. Reflective and interactivee. D ynamic and static38. What view suggests that managers are directly responsible for an organization's success orfailure?a. S ymbolic view of managementb. A utocratic view of managementc. O mnipotent view of management (moderate)d. Linear view of managemente. Q uality view of management39. According to which of the following views of managerial impact is it external forces, not management that determines outcomes?a. S ymbolic view of managementb. A utocratic view of managementc. O mnipotent view of management (moderate)d. Linear view of managemente. Q uality view of management40. The current dominant assumption in management theory _____________.a. s uggests a balanced view of managers as symbolic and omnipotent.b. s uggests managers are symbolic.c. s uggests managers are omnipotent. (moderate)d. is that both the symbolic and omnipotent views are fading.e. i s that neither symbolic nor omnipotent views are relevant.41. The view of managers as _____________ is consistent with the stereotypical picture of the take-charge business executive who can overcome any obstacle in carrying out the organization's objectives.a. s ymbolicb. o mnipotent (moderate)c. g eneralistd. autocratice. d ynamic42. Which of the following views of managerial impact is useful in explaining the high turnover among college and professional sports coaches, who can be considered the “managers” of their teams?a. S ymbolicb. O mnipotent (moderate)c. G eneralistd. Autocratice. D ynamic43. Which of the following statements best represents the symbolic view of management?a. O utside forces have most of the influence on organizational outcomes. (difficult)b. E ffective managers are viewed as role models that employees emulate.c. U pper management's proper role is that of organizational figurehead.d. Managers are one of the three significant forces that determineorganizational outcomes.e. M anagers are directly responsible for the success or failure of the organization.44. The view that a college football team had a losing season due to the failure of key players to obtain sufficient school grades represents which view of management?a. O mnipotentb. S ymbolic (moderate)c. D emocraticd. Systematice. O rganic45. Following the symbolic view, managers have a(n) _____________ effect on substantive organizational outcomes.a. s ubstantialb. m oderatec. l imited (moderate)d. unlimitede. u ndetermined46. In which of the views of managerial impact is the actual part that managers play in organizational success or failure minimal?a. O mnipotentb. S ymbolic (moderate)c. D emocraticd. Systematice. O rganicTHE ORGANIZATION’S CULTURE47. Organizational culture is similar to an individual's _____________.a. s killsb. p ersonality (easy)c. m otivationd. abilitye. k nowledge48. Which of the following phrases is associated with the definition of organizational culture?a. I ndividual responseb. S hared meaning (easy)c. D iversity of thoughtd. Explicit directionse. I nternal growth49. The organizational _____________ is (are) a system of shared meaning held by members that distinguish(es) the organization from other organizations.a. c ulture (easy)b. v aluesc. r itualsd. structuree. h ierarchy50. Which of the following is not implied by your text's definition of culture?a. C ulture is a perception.b. I ndividuals tend to describe an organization's culture in dissimilar terms. (difficult)c. T here is a shared aspect of culture.d. Organizational culture is a descriptive term.e. R esearch suggests seven dimensions to an organization's culture.51. The strength of culture is dependent on all but which of the following organizational factors?a. S izeb. I ndustry (moderate)c. A ged. Turnovere. O riginal culture intensity52. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the text as a dimension of organizational culture?a.Attention to detailb.People orientationpensation (moderate)d.Aggressivenesse.Stability53. Sony Corporatio n’s focus on product innovation is an example of which of the following dimensions of organizational culture?a.Attention to detailb.People orientationc.Outcome orientation (moderate)d.Aggressivenesse.Stability54. Organizations in which the key values are intensely held and widely shared have _____________ cultures.a. e mergingb. a ggressivec. w eakd. strong (moderate)e. a ssertive55. Most organizations have ____________ cultures.a. v ery weakb. w eak to moderatec. m oderated. moderate to strong (moderate)e. s trong to very strong56. What is the original source of an organization's culture?a. T he organization's industryb. T he organization's sizec. T he organization's aged. The organization's geographic locatione. T he organization's founder (moderate)57. Which of the following is not a way in which culture is transmitted to employees?a. S toriesb. R itualsc. O rganizational chart (moderate)d. Material symbolse. L anguage58. _____________ are repetitive sequences of activities that express and reinforce key values of the organization.a. R ituals (easy)b. S toriesc. S ymbolsd. Languagee. H abits59. Organizational _____________ typically contain a narrative of significant events or people.a. s tories (moderate)b. r itualsc. o rganizational chartd. material symbolse. l anguage60. A good example of an organizational _____________ is the process college faculty members go through in their quest for tenure.a. s toryb. s ymbolc. a nchord. sacrificee. r itual (moderate)61. All of the following are mentioned in the text as examples of material symbols EXCEPT:a.dress attire.b.size of offices.c.employee stock options. (moderate)d.reserved parking spaces for certain employees.e.health club memberships for employees.62. Which of the following statements is accurate concerning organizational culture?a. I t has little impact on managers.b. G enerally, the rules of organizational culture can be found in the employee handbook.c. O rganizational culture is always passed along by word of mouthd. Organizational culture is rarely explicit. (difficult)e. T he organization's culture expands a manager's decision-making options.63. The link between organizational values and managerial behavior is _____________.a. u ncertainb. f airly straightforward (moderate)c. loose and difficult to seed. unimportante. h idden64. In organizations whose culture conveys a basic distrust of employees, managers are more likely to use which of the following leadership styles?a.Democraticb.Participativec.Authoritarian (moderate)d.ConsensusTHE ENVIRONMENT65. According to the text, the _______________ environment includes those constituencies that have a direct and immediate impact on managers’ decisions and actions and are directly re levant to the achievement of the organization’s goals.a.generalb.specific (moderate)c.secondaryd.forwarde.reverse66. Which of the following is not an example of a constituency that makes up the specific environment?a.Customersb.Sociocultural factors (moderate)c.Supplierspetitorse.Pressure groups67. For a company such as Walt Disney World in Florida, a bank would be an example of what kind of factor in their specific environment?a. C ompetitorb. S upplier (moderate)c. S pecial-interest groupd. Government agencye. C ustomer68. Which of the following is not an example of a specific environmental factor?a. S uppliersb. P olitical conditions (moderate)c. C ustomersd. Governmental agenciese. S pecial-interest pressure groups69. For an organization such as a hospital that needs nurses, the labor union and the local labor market are examples of what kinds of factors in their specific environment?a. S pecial-interest group and supplierb. C ustomer and special-interest groupc. B oth are examples of suppliers (difficult)d. Government agency and competitore. S pecial-interest group and competitor70. Voters represent what factor in the specific environment of governmental organizations?a. S pecial-interest groupb. C ompetitorc. S upplierd. Customer (moderate)e. G overnment agency71. Typically, the specific organizational environment includes which of the following?a. E conomic factorsb. P olitical conditionsc. T echnological factorsd. Globalization issuese. C ompetitors (moderate)72. United Parcel Service represents what factor to the U.S. Postal Service in its specific environment?a. C ompetitor (moderate)b. S upplierc. C ustomerd. Special-interest groupe. G overnment agency73. To a national network such as NBC, your home VCR is considered a _____________.a. c ustomerb. s upplierc. s pecial-interest groupd. competitor (moderate)e. r egulator74. According to the text, _____________ is having an impact on who an organization’s competitors are because it has virtually eliminated the geographic boundaries.a.local area networkb.the intranetc.the Internet (easy)d.video conferencing75. Ralph Nader's Center for Responsive Law is an example of what factor in the specific external environment?a. C ompetitorb. P ressure group (moderate)c. C ustomerd. Government agencye. S upplier76. Typically, the general organizational environment includes which of the following?a. P olitical conditions (moderate)b. I ssues directly relevant to achieving organizational goalsc. S takeholdersd. Supplierse. G overnment agencies77. Compared to the specific environment, which of the following is an accurate statement about the general environment of an organization?a. T hey have less impact on the organization's operations. (difficult)b. T hey have more impact on the organization's operations.c. T hey have about the same impact on an organization's operations.d. It is the concern of upper management.e. I t is generally considered an unimportant environmental factor.78. Which of the following is not an example of an organization's general environment?a. E conomic conditionsb. P olitical conditionsc. S ocial conditionsd. Technological conditionse. I ndustry conditions (moderate)79. Interest rates, inflation rates, and stock market indexes are all examples of what factor in an organization's general environment?a. E conomic (moderate)b. P oliticalc. S ociald. Technologicale. G lobal80. A downturn in the contributions from the public to the United Way charity is an example of the impact from what factor in its general environment?a. P oliticalb. S ocialc. T echnologicald. Economic (moderate)e. G lobal81. Which of the following is not true of the impact of government regulations on an organization?a. O rganizations spend a great deal of time with them.b. O rganizations spend a great deal of money with them.c. T hey limit managerial choices.d. They increase managerial discretion. (difficult)e. T hey may determine what an organization can sell.82. Which legislation requires an employer to provide a working environment free from hazards to health?a. O ccupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (moderate)b. E qual Employment Opportunity Act of 1972c. T oxic Substance Control Act of 1976d. Child Safety Protection Act of 1994e. F amily and Medical Leave Act of 199383. Which legislation forbids discrimination in all areas of employer-employee relations?a. O ccupational Safety and Health Act of 1970b. E qual Employment Opportunity Act of 1972 (moderate)c. T oxic Substance Control Act of 1976d. Child Safety Protection Act of 1994e. F amily and Medical Leave Act of 199384. Which legislation grants unpaid leave for birth, adoption, or to care for serious illness?a. O ccupational Safety and Health Act of 1970b. E qual Employment Opportunity Act of 1972c. T oxic Substance Control Act of 1976d. Child Safety Protection Act of 1994e. F amily and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (moderate)85. The impact of the aging workforce is an example of what general environmental factor for the movie industry?a. S ocial (moderate)b. T echnologicalc. E conomicd. Demographice. C ompetitive86. A change in the way an organization does business because of increasing female labor participation rates is an example of which factor of an organization's general environment?a. D emographicb. E conomicc. C ompetitived. Technologicale. S ocial (moderate)87. According to the text, which of the following groups includes individuals who were born between the years 1946–1964?a.The Depression groupb.The World War II groupc.The baby boomers (difficult)d.Generation Xe.Generation Y88. Which of the following groups are often described as the Digital or Net generation because of their immersion into and acceptance of computers and all things digital?a.The Depression groupb.The World War II groupc.The baby boomersd.Generation Xe.Generation Y (difficult)89. According to the text, the members of which of the following groups are thinking, learning, creating, shopping, and playing in fundamentally different ways that are likely to greatly impact organizations and managers?a.The Depression groupb.The World War II groupc.The baby boomersd.Generation Xe.Generation Y (difficult)90. Which factor has been the most rapidly changing component in an organization's general environment in the past quarter century?a. G lobalb. E conomicc. S ociald. Technological (moderate)e. P olitical91. The enhanced speed and quality of managerial decision making due to an integrated office system is an example of the impact of which general environmental factor?a. G lobalb. S ocialc. P oliticald. Economice. T echnological (moderate)92. Which of the following are the two dimensions of environmental uncertainty?a. D egree of change and degree of complexity (moderate)b. D egree of change and degree of volumec. D egree of complexity and degree of impactd. Degree of impact and degree of timinge. D egree of timing and degree of complexity93. Computer manufacturers operate in an environment that is best described as _____________.a. s tableb. s taticc. d ynamic (moderate)d. fixede. o pen94. According to the text, the _______________ refers to the number of components in an organization’s environment and the extent of the kno wledge that the organization has about those components.a. d egree of stabilityb. o pennessc. c omplexity (moderate)d. change95. _______________ are any constituencies in the organization’s external environment that are affected by the organization’s decisions and actions.a.Stockholdersb.Baby boomersc.Stakeholders (moderate)d.Generation Xe.Generation Y96. The _______________ the stakeholder and the _______________ the environment, the more managers can rely on simply scanning and monitoring and environment for trends and forces that may be changing.a.less critical; more uncertainb.less critical; more certain (difficult)c.more critical; more uncertaind.more critical; more certain97. The _______________ the stakeholder and the _______________ the environment, the more managers need to be proactive in their efforts to manage the stakeholder relationships.a.less critical; more uncertain (difficult)b.less critical; more certainc.more critical; more uncertaind.more critical; more certain98. The _______________ the stakeholder and the _______________ the environment, the more managers can use more direct stakeholder management efforts such as conducting consumer marketing research, encouraging competition among suppliers, and establishing governmental relations departments or lobbying efforts.a.less critical; more uncertainb.less critical; more certainc.more critical; more uncertaind.more critical; more certain (difficult)99. The _______________ the stakeholder and the _______________ the environment, the more managers should use stakeholder partnerships to pursue common goals.a.less critical; more uncertainb.less critical; more certainc.more critical; more uncertain (difficult)d.more critical; more certainMANAGING WORKFORCE DIVERSITY100. All of the followin g are mentioned in “Managing Workforce Diversity” as ways organizations should consider to reinforce employee behaviors that exemplify inclusiveness EXCEPT:a.encourage individuals to value and defend diverse views.b.create traditions and ceremonies that celebrate diversity.c.encourage employees to view diversity as an organizational liability. (moderate)d.reward appropriate “heroes” and “heroines” who accept and promote inclusiveness.municate formally and informally about employees who champion diversity issues.MANAGING IN AN E-BUSINESS WORLD101. According to “Managing in an E-business World,” which of the following is not mentioned as a critical external environment issue facing managers in an e-business world?a.Customersb.Supplierspetitorsernment (moderate)102. The ______________ environment of an organization was mentioned as the critical external environment issue facing managers in an e-business world according to “Managing in an E-business World.”a.generalb.specific (moderate)c.secondaryd.forwarde.reverse103. According to “Managing in an E-business World,” which of the following companies is recognized as the world’s largest Web-based e-mail provider?a.Yahoob.Hotmail (moderate)c.Microsoftd.America Online104. According to “Managing in an E-business World,” many analysts believe that ______________ transactions are likely to become the most important applications of e-business models.a.business-to-consumerb.consumer-to-consumerc.consumer-to-businessd.business-to-business (moderate)105. Which of the following is not mentioned in “Managing in an E-business World” as a company that participated in the creation of an Internet market called “?”a.General Motors (moderate)b.Nortel Networksc.IBMd.Matsushita Electric IndustrialScenarios and QuestionsTHE ORGANIZATION’S CULTURECorporate Takeover (Scenario)Todd works for SeaLan Tech, an environmental consulting firm that has just been purchased by Zerex, Inc., a biomedical research organization. Based on his early encounters with the new upper management from Zerex, he feels that SeaLan is a "lower-key, friendlier" organization. He is concerned that the new company will eliminate this company’s old culture, and he does not like the prospects.106. If you were talking with Todd and asked him what the term culture meant, he would reply that, basically, it isa. t he formal rules of an organization.b. t he nationality of the workers in the company.c. a system of shared meaning. (easy)d. a system that reflects diversity and respect for differences.e. t he nonverbal behaviors in an organization.107. Todd is concerned with the degree to which managers focus on results or outcomes rather than techniques and processes used to achieve those outcomes. He is concerned with _____________.a. s tabilityb. a ggressivenessc. t eam orientationd. outcome orientation (moderate)e. p eople orientation108. Todd notices that management is very concerned with the effects of outcomes on people within the organization. This is referred to as _____________.a. s tabilityb. a ggressivenessc. t eam orientationd. outcome orientatione. p eople orientation (moderate)109. Todd is assessing the organization's _____________, the degree to which organizational activities emphasize maintaining the status quo in contrast to growth.a. s tability (moderate)b. a ggressivenessc. t eam orientationd. outcome orientatione. p eople orientation110. Todd has been learning the seven dimensions of organizational culture. Which of the following is not one of those seven dimensions?a. S tabilityb. A ggressivenessc. T eam orientationd. Outcome orientatione. M ember orientation (moderate)Changing Organizational Culture (Scenario)Mary has been asked by the company president to change the organizational culture to reflect the company's new organizational goals. As executive vice president, she certainly understands the goals, but is really not sure she understands what to do about the culture.111. Mary asked employees if they knew what constituted "good employee behavior." She found that very few understood and most had a variety of ideas. This is one indicationa. t hat her company has a strong culture.b. t hat her company has a weak culture. (moderate)c. t hat her company has no culture.d. that her company must have high turnover.e. t hat her company must not be productive.112. Mary also found out that in order to build a strong new culture, she should do all but which of the following?a. U tilize their recruitment efforts.b. D evelop socialization practices to build culture.c. E ncourage a high turnover rate.d. Have management make explicit what is valued in the organization.(difficult)e. E ncourage employee commitment to organizational values.113. Mary was surprised to find that most organizational culture strengths area. w eak.b. w eak to moderate.c. m oderate to strong. (moderate)d. strong.e. v ery strong.THE MANAGER: OMNIPOTENT OR SYMBOLIC114. Mary has also been asked, as part of the cultural change, to build on the belief that managers are directly responsible for the organization's success or failure and not forces outside their control. This would be consistent with an organizational culture that has a(n) ______________ view of management.a. t raditionalb. o mnipotent (moderate)c. s tandardd. symbolice. c onservative115. The new view of management change for the new culture will be difficult because, in the past, success has been viewed as being outside management's control, a view known as _____________.a. t raditionalb. o mnipotent。
