Deck 9: The High-Tech Revolution

Question 1

Optimistic scenarios about the impact of high technology stress that the technology is

A)rapidly increasing.
B)neutral and inevitable.
C)impossible to control.
D)too expensive to be widely acquired.
E)a substitute for worker skill.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

What is the effect of high technology on worker satisfaction?

A)High technology leads to greater satisfaction only.
B)High technology leads to greater alienation only.
C)High technology leads to greater satisfaction among the middle managers.
D)High technology may lead either to greater satisfaction or to greater alienation.
E)Technology plays no role in job satisfaction.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Assembly jobs in electronics

A)are often exported overseas.
B)are now done entirely by robots.
C)have been upgraded in most factories.
D)are usually done by men.
E)are highly-paid.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Most jobs in high-tech industries are

A)highly paid.
B)highly skilled.
C)eventually displaced by robots.
D)filled by minority workers.
E)in low-tech occupations.

Question 5

Electronic surveillance

A)is forbidden by law in the United States.
B)is used to provide greater safety in the workplace.
C)is used to insure quality control in production.
D)is used to monitor the work behavior of employees.
E)exists only in science fiction such as Orwell's 1984.

Question 6

The U.S.Bureau of Labor Statistics defines high technology industries in terms of

A)total sales based on high technology production.
B)total assets in high technology equipment.
C)total profits from goods and services produced with the application of high-technology production.
D)the relative proportion of workers with college educations.
E)the relative proportion of technology-oriented workers and/or the relative expenditures on research and development.

Question 7

The greatest union successes relating to technological changes in the U.S.have focused primarily on

A)the pace of work after technology is introduced.
B)how to train existing workers in the new technology.
C)the cost of buying the new technology.
D)the level of international competitiveness.
E)minimizing the impact of job displacement.

Question 8

Nurse anesthetists and biological technicians are examples of

A)occupations made obsolete by new technology.
B)occupations that have been made possible or expanded by the new technology.
C)deskilled occupations.
D)occupations that have been up-graded in skills by the new technology.
E)occupations that are closely monitored by the new technology.

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT characteristic of telecommuting?

A)On average, telecommuting yields higher pay than comparable work in offices.
B)Isolation and diminished visibility are problems for telecommuting workers.
C)"Offshore" telecommuting is a significant threat to the jobs and working conditions of North American workers.
D)By 2005, 10% of the labor force was telecommuting at least part time.
E)Telecommuting offers greater flexibility in working hours.

Question 10

The main problem in determining the effects of new technology on job creation and job displacement is

A)calculating the indirect and long-term effects.
B)projecting the growth rates of new occupational specialties.
C)that workers frequently move from region to region as jobs decline and grow.
D)that the Census Bureau regularly changes job classifications and occupational titles.
E)that managers view such information as a trade secret.

Question 11

According to the "mixed-effects position" on skills, when new technology is introduced, skills appear to increase in settings where

A)worker power is absent.
B)workers have power through union organization or professional expertise.
C)managers perceive no need to maintain worker skill.
D)managerial authority is centralized.
E)workers fear losing their jobs.

Question 12

Census Bureau projections of the number of new jobs created show that

A)most jobs will be deskilled.
B)most jobs will be upgraded.
C)few occupations will be affected by technological change.
D)large numbers of new jobs will not be created in the high-technology industries.
E)by 2000 everyone will be a high-technology worker.

Question 13

The mixed-effects position is one perspective on the effect of technology on job skills.A parallel perspective on the effect of technology on the number of jobs is

A)the job displacement thesis.
B)the job creation thesis.
C)the dual occupational structure.
D)the low-tech imperative.
E)the subsidiarity hypothesis.

Question 14

At the heart of high technology is

A)the transistor.
B)the typewriter.
C)the computer.
D)the silicon computer chip.
E)new metal alloys.

Question 15

All of the following are acronyms used in high-technology work EXCEPT:

A)CNC
B)MSG
C)NC
D)MIS
E)both CNC and NC

Question 16

According to the text, assembly workers have a generally positive attitude towards robotics

A)before robots are introduced to their manufacturing plant.
B)after robots are introduced to their manufacturing plant.
C)both before and after robots are introduced to their manufacturing plant.
D)because robotics technology increases workers' earning potential.
E)None of the above-assembly workers almost always have a strong negative attitude toward robotics.

Question 17

Workers need training for the high-technology workplace.Each of the following has been suggested in Chapter 9 EXCEPT for

A)on-the-job training.
B)continuing education.
C)liberal arts education.
D)degree-granting programs in robotics.
E)home study programs.

Question 18

Computer accounting systems that integrate inventory, payroll and schedule information are called

A)Management Information Systems.
B)Computer-Aided Numeric Controls.
C)Innovative Technological Systems.
D)"New" Accounting Systems.
E)Computer-Assisted Design.

Question 19

is the glamour occupation of high technology.

A)Middle management
B)Biological technician
C)Radiologist
D)Engineering
E)Computer operator

Question 20

De-skilling occurs because

A)college graduates make insubordinate workers.
B)unions are not interested in issues of worker skill.
C)machines using the new technology rarely break down.
D)automation reduces the need for workers to make autonomous decisions.
E)workers do not take advantage of training opportunities.

Question 21

Flexibility made possible by computer-aided production systems refers to

A)flexibility in information retrieval and product design.
B)increased task variety for workers.
C)flexibility in terms of work schedules.
D)increased involvement of production workers in decision-making.
E)employer-sponsored high-tech physical fitness programs promoting employee health.

Question 22

Skill upgrading occurs because

A)each worker's job becomes more complex.
B)each worker wants substantial retraining.
C)the least skilled jobs are the first to be replaced by automation.
D)employers look for better-trained workers to operate expensive equipment.
E)higher pay always results from introduction of advanced technology.

Question 23

When machine work uses CNC technology, the key issue for structuring work becomes

A)the speed of production.
B)the social relations between machinists and computer programmers.
C)the authority to program the device controlling production.
D)the expense of the technology involved.
E)the number of stockholders the company has.

Question 24

Microprocessor based technologies and robotics may lead to a loss of jobs, called

A)technological unemployment.
B)robo-unemployment.
C)technological displacement.
D)the Vonnegut Effect.
E)over-rationalization.

Question 25

What outcome does research evidence suggest for occupational distribution in high-technology settings?

A)increasingly middle-class distribution of jobs
B)mostly highly-paid jobs, with a few poorly-paid jobs
C)increasing share of poorly-paid jobs, with a few highly-paid jobs
D)creation of non-traditional occupations whose pay varies from setting to setting
E)unchanged occupational distribution from the 1980s

Question 26

The potential displacement effects of high technology

A)are limited to assembly-line workers.
B)are limited to middle managers.
C)are limited to white-collar workers.
D)are generalized principally to American workers.
E)are generalized throughout the occupational structure.

Question 27

The use of microchip applications may have a bigger effect than continuous-process automation because

A)a much wider range of products may be affected.
B)microchips are cheap to produce.
C)microchips are small.
D)continuous-process automation requires electric power.
E)continuous-process automation does not displace workers.

Question 28

The economic impact of the Internet is expected to include the following EXCEPT:

A)making access to information easier
B)lowering the cost of marketing and sales
C)lowering prices and simulating demand
D)improving communication with customers
E)creating new occupations

Question 29

One common consequence of advanced technology is

A)increased pay rates
B)shorter work-days
C)reduced supervision
D)centralized control
E)low capital investment

Question 30

Why do some community planners believe that it is a bad idea to recruit aggressively for high-tech firms?

A)Such firms are major polluters.
B)Such firms are not interested in local issues.
C)Such firms have limited potential for creating new jobs, but may require substantial public funds to relocate.
D)The managers of such firms usually lobby against community projects, such as school bonds, that would raise taxes.
E)The workers of such firms relocate from other states and rarely mix well with the local community.

Question 31

Which of the following is NOT an occupation experiencing growth due to advances in computer technology?

A)systems analyst
B)web master
C)robotics engineer
D)typist and stenographer
E)research-and-development scientists

Question 32

Electronic information systems permit top management to have access to greater information more quickly than ever before.This fact is likely to imply

A)greater centralization of control and decision-making.
B)more sharing of decision-making with lower levels of supervisory personnel.
C)the development of additional levels of bureaucracy.
D)a heightened concern for plant security.
E)reduced budget for capital expenditures.

Question 33

Mr.Figley is a manager who does not understand the new electronic production system that his workers use.His major concern is that his division show a profit each quarter, even if the equipment is used improperly.Mr.Figley illustrates the problem of

A)inadequate motivation.
B)insufficient use of electronic monitoring.
C)inevitable tension between efficiency and equity.
D)intuitive managers.
E)incompetent managers.

Question 34

The electronic revolution differs from earlier technological innovations in that

A)only blue-collar employment is severely affected.
B)only the advanced industrial countries are affected.
C)the effect is widespread among industries and occupations.
D)there is now greater economic growth than there was earlier in the century.
E)the capital equipment is too expensive for most firms to purchase.

Question 35

An inherent problem with telecommuting is

A)inconvenient hours.
B)inconvenient place of work.
C)isolation.
D)close supervision.
E)lack of skill.

Question 36

Tens of thousands of workers in the electronics industry were laid off in the early 1980s.This fact illustrates

A)inevitable job displacement from the use of high technology.
B)resistance of the workers to retraining.
C)the need for job upgrading.
D)the accelerated boom-and-bust cycle of high technology.
E)the low level of demand for electronics equipment.

Question 37

The growth rate for robotics engineers is very high.Which of the following is an inaccurate inference from this fact?

A)New jobs in robotics engineering will represent a substantial share of new employment.
B)The occupation code for robotics engineers will not be changed.
C)Colleges and universities will begin to offer more courses in robotics.
D)More continuing education on robotics techniques will be offered.
E)Additional industries will consider adding robotics technology.

Question 38

"Social context determines the effects of high technology on skills." This argument is made by which of the following theoretical positions?

A)skill-upgrading thesis
B)deskilling thesis
C)social skill thesis
D)mixed-effects position
E)semi-skilled position

Question 39

Middle managers are affected by high-technology development because

A)middle managers generally resist organizational goals, such as higher productivity.
B)middle managers are laid off so that the new technology can be purchased.
C)computerized information systems do many of the tasks previously done by middle managers.
D)middle managers resist retraining to use the new technology.
E)middle managers resist monitoring the workers who report to them.

Question 40

Companies in high technology industries tend to have

A)a rapid cycle of corporate birth and death.
B)as many unionized workers as other manufacturing industries.
C)a reluctance to use electronic monitoring on their own personnel.
D)lower levels of job satisfaction.
E)more women employees than men.

Question 41

Database manager is an example of a high-tech occupation with a rapid growth
Rate.Based on this fact, we can conclude

A)there will be many more data managers in the future.
B)more students should study to become data managers.
C)the total number of data managers in the future depends upon how many there are today as well as how rapidly the occupation grows.
D)data managers cannot be automated out of existence.
E)data managers are well paid.

Question 42

The mixed-effects position suggests that the results of technological change are determined by

A)the cost of the technology.
B)the relative power of the actors involved.
C)the social context in which the technologies are introduced.
D)both a and b
E)both b and c

Question 43

In the high-technology industries, engineers are

A)underrepresented.
B)obsolete.
C)being replaced by robots.
D)deskilled.
E)overrepresented.

Question 44

The cartoon Dilbert pokes fun at

A)electronic surveillance.
B)management from the rear.
C)union leaders.
D)continuous-process automation.
E)dispersion of information.

Question 45

Which of these are situations when workers skills are likely to be upgraded with technological advances?

A)When workers are unionized.
B)When workers have professional expertise.
C)When managers perceive that downgrading the workforce will hinder production.
D)All three of the above situations (A, B, and C) are likely to result in skill upgrades for workers.
E)None of the above - skill upgrades for workers are extremely rare and unpredictable.

Question 46

Electronic monitoring of employees

A)is regulated in Canada and Europe.
B)is uncommon.
C)is not yet technologically feasible.
D)is limited to a few industries.
E)is associated with higher pay.

Question 47

Nanotechnology manipulates

A)vacuum tubes.
B)microchips.
C)microscopic processes.
D)the centralization of control. e telecommuting.

Question 48

There is a reasonable degree of consensus on each of the following propositions, EXCEPT:

A)The major effect of new technologies is to transform existing jobs.
B)High technology creates few jobs relative to the number of jobs it destroys.
C)Organizations that effectively use high technology can compete more effectively.
D)Technological innovations can increase productivity and product quality.
E)Technological innovations reduce the hierarchy of authority in the workplace.

Question 49

Unionized workers in have been able to negotiate stronger agreements concerning automation than workers in the United States have.

A)Canada and Malaysia.
B)Canada and Scandinavia.
C)Philippines and Singapore.
D)Scandinavia and Southeast Asia.
E)Mexico and the Caribbean.

Question 50

Which of the following would NOT be an example of a high-tech industry?

A)genetic engineering
B)electronics
C)residential construction
D)pharmaceuticals
E)aerospace