Deck 7: Technology and Organization

Question 1

Theory X:

A)refers to human relations theories of organization.
B)relies on economic manipulation.
C)relies on social manipulation.
D)is referred to as Theory Z when combined with Theory Y.
E)claims that productivity arises from workers, not procedures.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Organizational internal labor markets

A)keep production within the U.S.
B)consist of promoting workers up job ladders within the company.
C)do not rely on outside professional or technical training to generate initial skills.
D)recruit new workers largely through personal networks.
E)recruit new workers through intergenerational occupational inheritance.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Operations technology is

A)the people and machinery that produce a good or service, and the rules and procedures that pattern their use.
B)the same as organizational structure.
C)a term that describes manufacturing only.
D)the predecessor to microchip technology.
E)the technology used by line managers instead of staff managers.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

What is the correct historical order of the development of technologies?
A) microchip technology
B) simple tool technology
C) mass-production technology
D) craft technology

A)B> C> A> D
B)B> D> C> A
C)B> D> A> C
D)D> B> C> A
E)D> B> A >C

Question 5

American industrial engineer Frederick Taylor developed a system called

A)labor management.
B)scientific management.
C)technical control.
D)organizational control.
E)industrial relations.

Question 6

Working knowledge, the knowledge necessary to do a job, is

A)knowledge obtained in formal training programs.
B)tacit knowledge learned from work experience only (most formal knowledge is unnecessary).
C)formal knowledge and tacit knowledge combined.
D)determined by management.
E)common sense.

Question 7

The skill level of a job is generally measured in terms of:
A) substantive complexity
B) autonomy
C) pay level
D) grades earned in school

A)A & B
B)A & C
C)B & C
D)C & D
E)B & D

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT included in the characteristics of bureaucracy suggested by Weber?

A)management based on written document
B)existence of firmly ordered system of authority
C)existence of organizational rules that specify procedures
D)pursuit of organizational goals
E)development of expertise in the job

Question 9

De-skilling of jobs:

A)results from the change from capital-intensive to knowledge-intensive production.
B)has been lessened by mass production technologies.
C)has been increased by advanced electronic technologies.
D)may be offset by increasing skill requirements of new technologies.
E)is unrelated to technology.

Question 10

Technology and organization are two sides of the same coin, which is called

A)labor relations.
B)social relations of production.
C)economic relations.
D)industrial relations.
E)operational relations.

Question 11

What are the three aspects of technology?
A) operations technology
B) materials
C) knowledge
D) labor relations
E) capital investment

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

Question 12

Which of the following is not a consequence of bureaucracy?

A)an increased proportion of administrative workers
B)bureaucratic rigidity
C)reduced creativity
D)development of limited expertise by the workers
E)enhanced range of judgment by workers

Question 13

What are two recent bureaucratic innovations?
A) development of specialized staff positions
B) development of line positions
C) matrix organization of authority
D) bureaucratic control

A)A and B
B)A and C
C)C and D
D)B and D
E)B and C

Question 14

"Making out" is

A)what Frederick Taylor sought to encourage in the workplace.
B)part of the formal work culture.
C)workers' strategies for meeting production goals without exhaustion.
D)a result of direct personal control.
E)a violation of sexual harassment policies.

Question 15

In bureaucracy, rules are laid down by

A)the foreman.
B)a business consultant.
C)an industrial engineer.
D)the boss.
E)organizational rules.

Question 16

Informal work cultures are

A)based on social relationships that emerge among workers.
B)based on workers' social background such as ethnicity.
C)organized to oppose formal structure of bureaucracy.
D)always counter-productive for bureaucratic organization.
E)based on the relationship of workers to technology.

Question 17

Horizontal, vertical, and spatial differentiation are characteristics of

A)complex, bureaucratic organizations.
B)the matrix organization of authority.
C)bureaucratic division of labor.
D)internal labor markets.
E)on-the-job training.

Question 18

Employees come to terms with the requirements of their jobs through a process

A)called "making out."
B)of improvisation.
C)called "informal work cultures."
D)of resistance.
E)of sabotage.

Question 19

The "Hawthorne Effect" describes which of the following relationships?

A)Punishing workers decreases productivity, while rewarding them increases productivity.
B)Punishing workers increases productivity, while rewarding them decreases productivity.
C)Punishing workers has no effect on productivity, but rewards increase productivity.
D)Attention to workers, whether it is punitive or not, increases productivity.
E)Attention to workers, whether it is punitive or not, decreases productivity.

Question 20

The analysis of labor

A)is characteristic of the social division of labor.
B)is the breaking down of a task into parts.
C)leads to increased production due to increased manual dexterity.
D)is inherent in bureaucratic control.
E)is limited to data, people, and things.

Question 21

Scientific management is most consistent with

A)direct personal control.
B)the social division of labor.
C)foreman's control.
D)technical control.
E)contingency theory.

Question 22

The form of the division of labor has changed in human history, and the dominant organizational structure has changed correspondingly.Choose the correct combination of the type of division of labor and the corresponding organizational structure of work.
A) division of labor by gender and age
B) social division of labor
C) manufacturing division of labor
----------
1) family and group structure
2) feudal relations and guild structures
3) large complex organizations

A)A-1 B-2 C-3
B)A-2 B-1 C-3
C)A-3 B-2 C-1
D)A-1 B-3 C-2
E)A-3 B-1 C-2

Question 23

In the textbook, which of the following are specified as efforts to control labor to get the maximum amount of work?
A) direct personal control
B) scientific management
C) technical control
D) matrix organization of authority
E) bureaucracy

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

Question 24

A certain company is known to be profitable, but for years by-products from its plant have been polluting a nearby stream.The company management has decided that it would not be cost effective to clean up the stream.This is an example of

A)Theory X.
B)Theory Y.
C)contingency theory.
D)bureaucratic rigidity.
E)externalizing costs.

Question 25

Which of the following inferences is NOT true about the effects of increasing division of labor?

A)It produces vertical differentiation within organizations based on power.
B)Some researchers argue that the purpose of increasing division of labor is to lessen workers' skills and thus lower wages.
C)With the growth of large enterprises, direct personal control is replaced by extended methods of control.
D)Workers develop a greater sense of autonomy.
E)Some jobs are deskilled.

Question 26

Which of the following is NOT considered part of scientific management?

A)one best way to do every task
B)observing workers
C)owners regain direct control of how to do work
D)training less-skilled workers to do a specific task
E)emphasize intrinsic rewards

Question 27

Gail is an accountant who oversees the payroll office of the Bo-Ring Tool-and-Die Company.Her job implies that she is a(n)

A)staff manager.
B)line manager.
C)foreman.
D)efficiency expert.
E)project supervisor.

Question 28

Which of the following statements about informal work cultures is NOT correct?

A)They may limit bureaucratic control of labor.
B)They may facilitate organizational goals.
C)They may allow discrimination against some workers, despite formal rules.
D)They do not arise in unionized workplaces.
E)They may affect the level of productivity.

Question 29

The principal difference between direct personal control and foreman's control is

A)in large companies, the hired foreman took the owner's place as supervisor.
B)the foreman was elected by the workers.
C)the foreman directed the apprenticeship program and selected the best trainees to hire.
D)a foreman knew the production technology.
E)the foreman was a more skilled worker.

Question 30

The principal difference between social division of labor and manufacturing division of labor is

A)specialization of workers in crafts versus their specialization in tasks.
B)division of labor by gender and age versus no such division of labor.
C)direct personal control versus bureaucratic control.
D)use of tools versus the use of knowledge.
E)division of labor by training and skill versus the division of labor by occupational inheritance.

Question 31

Adherents of Theory of Z would argue that efficiency

A)is associated with bureaucracies.
B)is associated with matrix forms of organization.
C)depends upon communication between staff and line.
D)depends upon the contingencies an organization faces.
E)is a result of direct worker participation in decision-making.

Question 32

What is/are the important way(s) in which workers acquire skills?

A)formal schooling
B)friends, hobbies, experiences outside work
C)informal on-the-job training
D)both a and c
E)both a and b

Question 33

Workers' negotiation of their actual job tasks within the formal description of the job is part of the process of

A)vertical integration.
B)making out.
C)the social division of labor.
D)personal control.
E)deskilling.

Question 34

Firestone's failure to warn of the dangers involving the tires sold on Ford Explorer sport utility vehicles is an example illustrating

A)bureaucratic rigidity.
B)centralization of control in the economy.
C)concerns about corporate accountability.
D)bureaucratic inefficiency.
E)Parkinson's Law.

Question 35

The belief in technological determination overlooks

A)the role of managers
B)the role of accounting innovations
C)organizational structure
D)centralization of decision-making
E)national regulations

Question 36

Skill consists of

A)job complexity
B)job diversity
C)job autonomy
D)both a and b
E)a, b, and c

Question 37

Compared with other theories of organization, the contingency theory argues that _________ is a critical variable.

A)number of supervisory levels
B)ratio of supervisors to production workers
C)environment in which company operates
D)horizontal differentiation
E)efficiency

Question 38

The existence of internal labor markets is associated with

A)higher turnover.
B)longer job tenure.
C)lower skill levels.
D)less centralized decision-making.
E)fewer fringe benefits.

Question 39

Motorola, Inc., has a number of plants located in Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore.This fact is an example of

A)horizontal differentiation.
B)vertical differentiation.
C)spatial differentiation.
D)patrimonial organization.
E)matrix organization.

Question 40

Taylor's solution to 'soldiering' was

A)formal apprenticeships.
B)deskilling of the work force.
C)more direct participation in decision-making.
D)less personal control.
E)more centralized bureaucracy.

Question 41

Informal work cultures

A)are always positive.
B)may help the organization meet its goals.
C)may oppose organizational goals.
D)both a and b
E)both b and c

Question 42

It is sometimes argued that women and minorities are treated more fairly large bureaucracies than other work settings.One reason for this is:

A)the federal whistle-blowing law
B)the prevalence of larger number of clerical jobs
C)that formal rules make discrimination more difficult
D)the centralization of control
E)reduced creativity in bureaucracies

Question 43

Carl is one of the most valuable carpenters on the work site.He is the one the foreman turns to when there is a particularly difficult piece of work.Smoking is not allowed on the job site, but everyone knows that Carl sometimes goes behind the construction shack to have a smoke.The foreman never mentions it.The foreman's behavior is

A)illegal discrimination.
B)bureaucratic rigidity.
C)an indulgency pattern.
D)whistle-blowing.
E)resistance.

Question 44

Apprenticeship is most likely to be associated with

A)craft technology.
B)mass-production technology.
C)scientific management.
D)simple tool technology.
E)electronic technology.

Question 45

Annette works in an accounting department.Because of her careful review of the accounts, she becomes aware that the company is disguising a large part of its profits to avoid paying the state business tax.She calls the state office and reports the company.Annette is

A)a snitch.
B)insubordinate to her superiors.
C)a whistleblower.
D)an investigative reporter.
E)violating an indulgency pattern.

Question 46

If an organization is top-heavy with managers,

A)then it uses a matrix form of organization.
B)then it has a high ratio of supervisors to production workers.
C)then it has life-time employment.
D)then it has an internal labor market.
E)then it has direct worker participation.

Question 47

Technological determinism implies

A)that new technology will always be more expensive
B)that managers must hold engineering degrees
C)that all gains in productivity will come from technology
D)that managers are not responsible if jobs are boring
E)that technology upgrades will be cost-drivers