Deck 3: Diversity in Business and the Professions

Question 1

Pretoria Spheres is trying to foster an organizational culture in which employees would be able to have different beliefs from others, would not have any fear of being ridiculed for their behavior, and would always receive fair treatment. Which personality trait is Pretoria Spheres trying to instill in the employees?

A) Respect for self and others
B) Nonjudgmental attitudes
C) Ability to tolerate ambiguity
D) Flexibility

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Mustafa recently joined a construction team. Being a devout Muslim, he is religiously obligated to pray five times each day. This, coupled with his coffee breaks, makes his total number of breaks more than any other team member. This is annoying to the rest of the team, which results in Mustafa feeling as though everyone resents him. What trait can the team manager teach the group to avoid this situation?

A) Flexibility
B) Ability to tolerate ambiguity
C) Anxiety management
D) Respect for self and others

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Linda has been working for Transton Pharmaceuticals for more than two decades. Over the years, she has gained a reputation of being one of the most dedicated and gifted employees in the company. But, despite her experience and skill, she has failed to get nominated to the board of directors. While her numerous attempts to do so have been futile, she has witnessed several less-experienced male colleagues getting promoted to her coveted position. Which phenomenon does this scenario best illustrate?

A) Glass ceiling
B) Sexual harassment
C) Sexual orientation
D) Melting pot

Answer 3

A

Question 4

What kind of communication takes place among individuals having physical dissimilarities?

A) Interracial
B) Interethnic
C) International
D) Cross-cultural

Question 5

When companies advertise their products in the hope that people will buy them, the companies are trying to alter people's

A) attitudes.
B) beliefs.
C) values.
D) cultures.

Question 6

Curtis, a newcomer to the team, hails from Samoa. He is different from the rest of the group, especially in his dietary habits. His teammates find his behavior extremely odd and are tempted to comment on how he eats meals with his hands. In this scenario, how should Curtis's teammates react?

A) Withhold, delay, and temper their judgmental comments.
B) Voice their opinion only when Curtis is not present.
C) Bring Curtis's odd behavior to the notice of the manager.
D) Voice their opinions to Curtis.

Question 7

What are people's views about things that are good or bad termed as?

A) Beliefs
B) Values
C) Attitudes
D) Behavior

Question 8

What can be defined as people's profound cultural conjectures that influence every part of their lives?

A) Values
B) Beliefs
C) Attitudes
D) Diversity

Question 9

Which term encompasses all the factors that affect people's behavior?

A) Culture
B) Ethnicity
C) Diversity
D) Attitude

Question 10

Marshall likes to eat with a knife and fork, whereas his fellow group member, Rajesh, prefers to eat with his hands. Marshall finds this disturbing and tells Rajesh in a very rude way. In this situation, what is Marshall's greatest barrier to professionalism?

A) His attitude
B) His beliefs
C) His values
D) His ethnicity

Question 11

When Craven Fulham hired Park as the new senior manager, a lot of uncertainty dominated the workplace environment. This was because Park was a South Korean who was accustomed to a higher level of nonverbal communication. What can top management, which interacts with him on a regular basis, do to resolve this intercultural conflict in a positive manner?

A) Give themselves time to get used to the new style of management.
B) Bring the issue to the notice of the board.
C) Confront Park about this and ask him to adapt to their style of communication.
D) Ask the board for a new senior manager.

Question 12

Women working in the corporate sector continually face a certain hurdle that prevents them from getting promoted to the top positions in management. This hurdle is known as

A) the glass ceiling.
B) sexual harassment.
C) ageism.
D) participative management.

Question 13

Patrick, a newcomer to the office, engages in cracking immoral jokes, inappropriate touching, and making lewd comments to the female employees. This is making everyone uncomfortable at the workplace. This situation best exemplifies

A) sexual harassment.
B) stereotyping.
C) prejudice.
D) discrimination.

Question 14

People who have low levels of a certain belief do not feel connected to their culture. People with high levels of the same belief are likely to engage in repeated and unproductive conflicts in diverse business and professional settings. This belief is called

A) ethnocentrism.
B) prejudice.
C) interethnicity.
D) flexibility.

Question 15

When the environment at the workplace becomes awkward and unprincipled, __________ is said to have occurred.

A) sexual harassment
B) sexual orientation
C) discrimination
D) prejudice

Question 16

The directors of Wellbeing Inc. decided include spouses and kids in the coverage of their employees' health insurance policies. The only catch was that an employee's spouse should not belong to the same gender. As Olivia has an adopted child with her wife, Stana, she was not able to take part in this new program. She believed that she was being victimized against because of her

A) sexual orientation.
B) beliefs.
C) values.
D) ethnicity.

Question 17

Shunsuke is a 53-year-old man from Japan who has been living in Hartford, Connecticut for the past 40 years. He is gay and is legally married to an American, Bob, with whom he has two adopted children. Whereas Bob is a devout Christian, Shunsuke practices Buddhism. While processing his personal file in order to get his driving license renewed, the window clerk kept referring to Shunsuke as a "yellow person." In this scenario, which type of discrimination does Shunsuke encounter, and how?

A) Ethnicity bias; because the clerk is mocking the fact that Shunsuke is of Japanese descent.
B) Ageism; because the clerk is mocking the fact that Shunsuke is a middle-aged man.
C) Religious affiliation; because the clerk is mocking the fact that Shunsuke is a Buddhist.
D) Sexual orientation; because the clerk is mocking the fact that Shunsuke is married to a man.

Question 18

"If an individual is not satisfied with the advice provided by a lawyer, he always has the option to consult another lawyer." The prejudicial language evident in this statement best exemplifies which type of bias, and how?

A) Gender; by excluding the actual person who can be a woman.
B) Ageism; by excluding the age of the actual person who can be very old or very young.
C) Religious affiliation; by excluding the religion practiced by the actual person who can belong to a minority community.
D) Sexual orientation; by excluding the sexual preference of the actual person who can belong to the LGBT community.

Question 19

What term can be defined as the disparities in conduct, either in a good way or a bad way, of people on account of them being different from others, whether physically or otherwise?

A) Discrimination
B) Diversity
C) Culture
D) Belief

Question 20

"People should become more aware of the reasons why they speak and behave as they do." Which term best describes this statement?

A) Self-reflexive
B) Discriminating
C) Ethnocentric
D) Prejudiced

Question 21

"Conflict resulting from diversity can be positive." Criticize the relevance of this statement by analyzing whether the conflicts that arise within increasingly culturally diverse work groups can have a positive influence in the workplace.

Question 22

Lodaf Rileth believes that his country's heritage lies at the very top of the global cultural pyramid. Not only does he continually harp on the supremacy of the traditions of his nation and his fellow citizens, he specifically makes disparaging comments about Jews, people of African origin, and homosexuals. Which concept best describes Lodaf's behavior?

A) Ethnocentrism
B) Prejudice
C) Interethnicity
D) Cross-cultural

Question 23

Which scenario best exemplifies discrimination based on the person's physical abilities?

A) Katie is a 39-year-old Mexican American who lives with her girlfriend, and is 4'7" tall. She applies for the position of Head Librarian in the Library of Congress. Despite her excellent qualifications, she is told that she isn't right for the job because she cannot reach the highest shelves in the library.
B) Chrissie is 58-years-old, and her face is scarred from a car accident. She has worked for 20 years at Boston Legal and has developed a reputation as one of the most talented attorneys in her firm. Chrissie has never been promoted, but has watched several less-experienced male colleagues become partners in her firm.
C) Ji-Long was born in China, is 48-years-old and has lived in New York City for 20 years. He is gay, legally married, and walks with a slight hunch. While processing his personal file in order to get his passport renewed, the window clerk kept referring to Ji-Long as "Oriental man."
D) Harbhajan is a devout Sikh from Chandigarh who is 6'7" tall. He wears a turban, has long hair and a beard, and wears a religious kara (Sikh steel bangle). While boarding a flight in Newark airport, he sees people staring and commenting on what kind of faith would compel a man to wear a turban and bangles.

Question 24

Analyze the various personality traits that can facilitate a person becoming an effective intercultural communicator and, in the process, enhance his or her communication competence.

Question 25

Compare and contrast the behaviors and attitudes of individuals who display varying levels of ethnocentrism. Analyze the likelihood of their beliefs playing a significant role in initiating frequent and futile conflicts in diverse business and professional settings.

Question 26

Poldek is a Jew of Polish descent who always wears a yarmulke. Standing at approximately 5 feet tall, he is relatively short by American standards. Poldek has a boyfriend named Oskar. Directly after graduating summa cum laude from Princeton University at the age of 21, he applied for a position in one of the top management organizations in the United States. Despite the fact that he had all of the necessary qualifications and expertise required for the role, he was rejected in favor of a less-qualified 35-year-old straight, white, Christian-American female. The company told Poldek that he was not mature enough to be selected for such a role, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Which type of bias is illustrated in the scenario?

A) Ageism
B) Racial
C) Gender
D) Ethnicity

Question 27

"Prejudice against certain ethnic groups also increases and decreases in response to public events." Analyze how the level of discrimination against specific communities depends on the manner in which the general public reacts to real-life events.

Question 28

Examine the various methods by which a member of a group or team can analyze conflicts and potentially turn them into constructive discourses.

Question 29

Analyze the effectiveness of diversity training, which is provided by organizations, in dispelling conflict among culturally varied people.

Question 30

Analyze how the process of recognizing and accepting the differences in perspectives of colleagues plays a crucial role in managers overseeing a culturally diverse workplace.

Question 31

Garrincha hails from Manaus in the Brazilian state of Amazonia. He has a relatively laid-back attitude toward life in general and toward timekeeping in particular. He was hired by a major German automobile company and was asked to move to Dortmund. Once there, Garrincha found it exceedingly challenging to get to meetings on time, despite being told not to do so on numerous occasions. After further such discretions, he was fired by his supervisor. Which factor, or lack thereof, led to Garricha's dismissal?

A) Cultural self-knowledge
B) Organizational context
C) Discourse from conflict
D) Ethnicity discrimination

Question 32

Explain how disagreements arise within groups and teams in the workplace due to disparities in cultural beliefs, and analyze the role played by cultural dilemmas in initiating the said conflicts.

Question 33

An accounting firm has laid out a directive to maintain a decorous atmosphere in the office. But the employees constantly disregard this dictate by talking in loud voices and being overtly disorderly in their behavior. This leads to an undercurrent of conflict between management and the employees. Which component of the cultural communication triangle conflict is evident in this scenario?

A) Organizational context
B) Cultural self-knowledge
C) Discourse from conflict
D) Ethnicity discrimination

Question 34

Analyze the cultural communication conflict triangle and examine its relevance to the modern global workplace.

Question 35

Examine how the process of analyzing one's own cultural perspective can enable a person to thrive in a culturally diverse workplace.