Deck 17: The Future of Work

Question 1

Workplace relations in the innovative sector are likely to be

A)repressive.
B)unchanged.
C)postbureaucratic.
D)hierarchical.
E)inefficient.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

World economic competition has increased because

A)the world system has been dismantled.
B)there are now cartels for every raw material.
C)most nations have reached equivalent levels of industrialization.
D)Japan and Europe rebuilt their factories after World War II.
E)foreign colleges train so many North American students.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following is not a master trend about work in the 1990s presented by Hodson and Sullivan?

A)the increased movement of women into the workplace
B)increased competition in the world economy
C)bureaucratization of worklife
D)the spread of micro-processor technology in the workplace
E)all of the above are major trends among workplaces in the U.S.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Public goods are

A)products or services that are produced by citizens.
B)products or services to which the citizens are entitled without payment
C)products or services bought with government funds.
D)products or services produced by government workers.
E)products or services produced in an industry that is regulated by the government.

Question 5

Which of the following correctly distinguishes work in the innovative sector from work in the marginal sector?

A)Work in the innovative sector is expected to expand at twice the rate of marginal sector work in the twenty-first century.
B)Because of high turnover rates, the defining characteristic of work in the marginal sector is its process of continual learning.
C)Although technology is innovative, workers in the innovative sector have less say in determining their work conditions.
D)Work in the innovative sector will include job security.
E)Work in the marginal sector is organized to achieve economic efficiency.

Question 6

All of the following are examples of employee ownership presented in Chapter 17 EXCEPT:

A)cooperative ownership of companies
B)worker buy-outs
C)stock ownership
D)cooperative ownership by small proprietors of common facilities e government expropriation

Question 7

The innovative and marginal sectors will both development responses to

A)heightened international competition and technological change.
B)reduced productivity and lower efficiency.
C)higher wages and greater job security.
D)skill levels of workers and the number of unemployed workers.
E)job retraining programs and the demand for increased leisure.

Question 8

Which of the following will definitely characterize work in the innovative sector of the 21st century?

A)a focus on the use of 'cheap' labor and workers in less developed nations.
B)a focus on worker education and participation.
C)the extensive use of electronic monitoring in the workplace.
D)worker ownership of the rust-belt industries
E)tighter government regulation of the environment

Question 9

Because of the pace of technological change and the rapidly changing world economy, job redesign is most successful when

A)it incorporates skills and training at a variety of levels.
B)it is implemented as a continuous process.
C)workers own a stake in the company.
D)top-level managers support the plan.
E)a, b, c, and d

Question 10

Why will continual job redesign become necessary?

A)Because of the aging work force.
B)Because of the multicultural composition of the work force.
C)Because of the reduced skill levels of the workers.
D)Because of the pace of technological change.
E)Because of the need to develop new products.

Question 11

All of the following are forms of worker participation EXCEPT:

A)ESOPs
B)work groups
C)co-determination
D)joint union-management programs
E)vocational education

Question 12

Which of the following does the textbook suggest as a way to improve the quality of work life in the twenty-first century?

A)expanded leisure
B)decrease of unions and increase of worker participation
C)increased job retraining programs designed to encourage employment of the previously unemployable
D)decreasing provision of public goods in favor of marketed goods
E)expanded provision of family leave

Question 13

Fully employed U.S.workers have found that their work week has

A)decreased since 1970.
B)decreased to allow employers to create more jobs.
C)increased since 1970.
D)increased, but the increase has been offset by more paid vacation.
E)increased, but the increase has been offset by more paid holidays.

Question 14

Workers' power to affect change is based on their:

A)voting patterns.
B)knowledge of technology and products and collective organizations.
C)ability to gain positions as shareholders in their companies.
D)willingness to relocate to new plants in distant cities.
E)level of education and desire to get ahead.

Question 15

Which is NOT considered a significant barrier to job redesign in the U.S.?

A)Changes in strategy from top corporate leaders may not incorporate job redesign experiments at the local level.
B)Front line supervisors may oppose worker participation programs which threaten their jobs.
C)Innovative technology is required for job redesign, and most work cannot be meaningfully redesigned in the absence of new technology.
D)Large corporations' commitment to their employees is often limited or superficial.
E)None of the above-there are no barriers to job redesign in the U.S.

Question 16

How is electronic technology expected to increase productivity in the twenty-first century?

A)by shortening the time needed to develop new products
B)by monitoring workers electronically
C)by making greater use of unskilled labor
D)by shifting work from stagnant to growing industries
E)by letting plants work twenty-four hours per day

Question 17

The increased importance of teams in the modern workplace reflects many social forces.Which of these has NOT promoted the importance of teams in the workplace?

A)increased skill demands associated with advanced technologies.
B)new management theories about the best way to organize production.
C)worker demands for increased voice in the workplace.
D)increased racial and gender diversity of the workforce.
E)All of the above have been important social forces promoting the importance of teams in the workplace.

Question 18

An example of a public good is

A)the stock market.
B)churches.
C)parks.
D)professional sports.
E)income taxes.

Question 19

The extensive use of microprocessors has

A)increased the marginal sector.
B)reduced the need for public goods.
C)accelerated the pace of change.
D)reduced the need for improved distribution systems.
E)reduced the attractiveness of ESOPs.

Question 20

Worker participation implies that workers share in

A)the profits.
B)any deficits.
C)decision making.
D)political lobbying.
E)union-busting.

Question 21

The most notable example of joint union-management initiatives in North America is in which industry?

A)steel.
B)electronics.
C)mining.
D)automobiles
E)chemicals

Question 22

A danger of guest worker programs is

A)development of a permanent underclass.
B)decline in the public school system.
C)a threat to public health.
D)increased crime.
E)all of the above

Question 23

A successful aspect of German worker training is

A)its ESOPs.
B)its flexible community college offerings.
C)its in-house training.
D)its apprenticeship programs.
E)its quality control circles.

Question 24

Which of the following is NOT a precondition for job redesign?

A)an organization willing to experiment
B)workers have sufficient power to demand change
C)competition threatens a firm's position in the market
D)job security is guaranteed by government regulation
E)employer's commitment to workers

Question 25

Creation of an underclass is likely to result from

A)increased female labor force participation.
B)increased apprenticeship programs.
C)stagnating opportunities for minority workers.
D)development of more worker-ownership plans.
E)revitalized central city shopping areas.

Question 26

Mechanisms for worker participation could best be described as

A)a continuum of types of input.
B)new forms of bureaucracy.
C)a source of venture capital.
D)a barrier to job redesign.
E)a feature of the marginal sector

Question 27

The influx of female workers into the labor force

A)has eliminated gender discrimination and prejudice in the workplace.
B)has resulted in more men holding lower-status jobs than women.
C)has been the strongly influenced by declining fertility and reduced child- rearing expectations of women.
D)reversed during the 1990's with the resurgence of the social value of child-rearing.
E)is a myth.

Question 28

The marginal sector is likely to have all of the following features EXCEPT

A)low pay and few benefits.
B)extensive outsourcing.
C)many temporary workers.
D)longer probationary periods.
E)increased training opportunities.

Question 29

According to the text, the average number of hours worked each week has

A)dropped steadily since 1850.
B)dropped since 1850 except in times of war.
C)dropped for women but risen for men.
D)dropped after 1850 but rose after 1970.
E)steadily increased since 1900.

Question 30

Continuing modern industrial developments of societies seem likely to blur the distinction between

A)labor and management.
B)labor and capital.
C)technology and organization.
D)socialist and capitalist nations.
E)energy and matter.

Question 31

Put these forms of worker participation programs in order from the most restrictive (allow workers to address the fewest issues) to least restrictive (allow workers to address the most issues):
A)Suggestion box
B)Worker ownership and co-ops
C)Workers represented by unions
D)Quality Control Circles

A)D, A, C, B
B)A, D, C, B
C)C, A, D, B
D)B, D, A, C
E)A, B, C, D

Question 32

The marginal sector is likely to grow because

A)worker participation is a form of resistance to change.
B)driving down wages is one response to competition.
C)rapid technological change rarely increases productivity.
D)it is inefficient to invest in worker training.
E)employers prefer long-term solutions to short-term solutions.

Question 33

Which of the following is a public good?

A)license plates produced by prison inmates
B)commercial airlines
C)national parks
D)professional football games
E)newspapers

Question 34

Issues that could contribute to the marginality of women workers are:
I)inadequate child care
II)high rates of divorce and family dissolution
III)discrimination

A)I, II, and III
B)I and II
C)I and III
D)II and III
E)III only

Question 35

Standardization of tax, labor, and environmental laws across the country could reduce the marginal sector by:

A)eliminating competition among the states to minimize their standards.
B)taxing exploitive employers more heavily.
C)introducing new training programs.
D)encouraging further downsizing.
E)making outsourcing less attractive.

Question 36

Increased worker participation threatens the jobs of

A)top executives.
B)middle managers.
C)supervisors.
D)staff managers.
E)production workers.

Question 37

The greatest worker participation is found with

A)quality of work life circles.
B)work groups.
C)codetermination.
D)joint union-management programs.
E)worker ownership.

Question 38

Which of the following is NOT a suggestion given by Hodson and Sullivan for reducing marginality in the future economy?

A)Increase the minimum wage.
B)Restrict mergers and plant closings.
C)Standardize tax, labor and environmental laws across the country.
D)Expand worker training programs.
E)Cut welfare benefits available to unemployed workers or illegal immigrants.

Question 39

Profit-sharing has been found to increase

A)corporate income taxes.
B)the chance of worker buy-out.
C)worker commitment and enthusiasm.
D)union-management cooperation.
E)interest in job training.

Question 40

An important characteristic of work in the innovative sector will be

A)declining health benefits.
B)less training for workers.
C)greater job instability.
D)continual job redesign.
E)stagnant technology.

Question 41

Questions are related to the following fact situation:
Calcitron, Inc., has three divisions that each produce the same product, but each in a different region of the country.Calcitron has begun to test the effects of different work schedules, using a different schedule at each division and then comparing the absenteeism, turnover, accident rate, job satisfaction and other data from the workers at each workplace.The company's management hopes to adopt the work schedule that produces the best results.
Calcitron has called together workers from each division to review the results of the data collection from the three divisions.Calcitron asks the workers to discuss the positive and negative aspects of each work schedule.This discussion is an example of

A)worker participation.
B)worker retraining.
C)empowerment.
D)profit sharing.
E)sample surveys.

Question 42

All of the following are likely to be overrepresented in the marginal sector EXCEPT:

A)women
B)minority group members
C)temporary workers
D)unskilled workers
E)union members

Question 43

The marginal sector is likely to experience increased

A)pensions and fringe benefits.
B)schedule flexibility.
C)retraining.
D)profit-sharing.
E)discontent and noncompliance.

Question 44

Because of the growth of marginalized jobs in recent decades, the United States experienced

A)increased leisure.
B)increased inequality.
C)increased productivity.
D)reduced technological change.
E)reduced international competition.

Question 45

Questions are related to the following fact situation:
Calcitron, Inc., has three divisions that each produce the same product, but each in a different region of the country.Calcitron has begun to test the effects of different work schedules, using a different schedule at each division and then comparing the absenteeism, turnover, accident rate, job satisfaction and other data from the workers at each workplace.The company's management hopes to adopt the work schedule that produces the best results.
Calcitron is engaged in

A)marginalization.
B)workplace experimentation.
C)employee ownership.
D)total quality management.
E)worker retraining.

Question 46

Questions are related to the following fact situation:
Calcitron, Inc., has three divisions that each produce the same product, but each in a different region of the country.Calcitron has begun to test the effects of different work schedules, using a different schedule at each division and then comparing the absenteeism, turnover, accident rate, job satisfaction and other data from the workers at each workplace.The company's management hopes to adopt the work schedule that produces the best results.
The workers express a strong preference for a work shift that would minimize their commuting time.Based on their input, Calcitron has decided to develop two groups of jobs that will be organized to work four days a week for ten hours.Calcitron is engaged in

A)marginalization.
B)empowerment.
C)worker education.
D)job redesign.
E)Theory X.

Question 47

Questions are related to the following fact situation:
Calcitron, Inc., has three divisions that each produce the same product, but each in a different region of the country.Calcitron has begun to test the effects of different work schedules, using a different schedule at each division and then comparing the absenteeism, turnover, accident rate, job satisfaction and other data from the workers at each workplace.The company's management hopes to adopt the work schedule that produces the best results.
After the two groups of jobs are developed and posted, many Calcitron employees apply for the new shifts, and the rate of quitting at each work site drops sharply among the workers on the new shifts.An external consultant concludes that Calcitron is experiencing

A)postbureaucracy.
B)postindustrialism.
C)benefits of worker participation.
D)benefits of job redesign.
E)both c and d

Question 48

How will unions have to change in the innovative sector?

A)They will have to stop bargaining collectively.
B)They will have to represent managers as well as workers.
C)They will have to take an active role in proposals to increase productivity.
D)They will have to stop lobbying Congress.
E)They will have to abandon efforts at international organization.

Question 49

Kevin is the CEO of a large company.Kevin believes that his workers would be more committed to the company if their economic situation was more closely tied to that of the company.How could Kevin accomplish such a goal?

A)ESOPs
B)a plan of profit-sharing
C)a cafeteria plan of fringe benefits
D)either a or b
E)any one of a, b, or c