Deck 1: Introduction to the Study of Diversity in Organizations

Question 1

According to Cox and Blake, valuing diversity can benefit organizations in which of the following areas?

A) Cost, resource acquisition, marketing, creativity, problem solving, and system flexibility.
B) Cost, financial remuneration, accounting, creativity, problem configuration, and system flexibility.
C) Organizational commitment, marketing, accounting, creativity, problem configuration, and financial stability.
D) Organizational commitment, advertising, creativity, problem configuration, and financial stability.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Diversity without a supportive climate can result in negative consequences in an organization

Answer 2

True

Question 3

According to the text, which of the following statements is true of the demographic makeup of the workforce?

A) Blacks are now half of the workforce.
B) Whites are about half of the workforce.
C) Whites are a majority of the workforce.
D) ​Hispanics are almost half of the workforce.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following is true about demographic changes around the world?

A) In some European countries and Japan the workforce is shrinking.
B) Developing countries are providing few workers for other countries.
C) More younger workers are being added to the U.S. workforce than in the past.
D) All of the above.

Question 5

Which of the following statements accurately describes research on the performance of diverse groups compared with homogeneous groups?

A) Initially, the diverse groups failed to performed better because they were too tolerant of each others' differences.
B) Over time, the diverse groups performed worse because they were less tolerant of each others' differences and felt comfortable expressing this discomfort.
C) Initially, the homogeneous groups outperformed the diverse groups, but by the end of the semester, the diverse groups outperformed the homogeneous groups.
D) There was no difference in the performance of diverse and homogeneous groups either initially or overtime.
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Question 6

Research on the "Value in Diversity" perspective found that

A) diversity had a slightly negative impact on organizational functioning.
B) there was little support for the "Value in Diversity" hypothesis.
C) racial diversity was associated with increased sales revenue and more customers.
D) gender diversity was associated with greater relative profits, while racial diversity was not associated with greater relative profits.

Question 7

Individual benefits of working and learning in diverse environments (that have impacted positively on group dynamics) that have been documented by researchers include

A) being able to take the perspective of others.
B) higher grades for students.
C) seeing diversity as being divisive, but beneficial nonetheless.
D) greater attachment to members of one's own groups.

Question 8

Diversity is beneficial only to women and minorities. ​

Question 9

As of the most recent year studied, women and minorities made up 85% of the workforce.

Question 10

Doing a better job of integrating workers from various backgrounds often results in

A) worse exit interviews.
B) lost productivity while positions are unfilled.
C) higher recruiting costs.
D) Greater organizational competitiveness.
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Question 11

Which of the following is true of group membership categories?

A) White men have reason to be concerned about diversity issues.
B) Because White men are now less likely to occupy leadership positions than others, they are more likely to seek the power to implement organizational level changes.
C) Multiple group memberships make diversity less important to everyone.
D) Some categories are immutable, but some may change over one's lifetime.

Question 12

Which of the following is accurate of the stereotype of Asian Americans as being the "model minority"?

A) Jobs held by Asians support the stereotype of Asians as successful and high earners.
B) Asians are sometimes perceived as the "model minority" because they have broken through the glass ceiling and other forms of discrimination.
C) Some Asian entrepreneurs are self-employed because of a lack of opportunities in formal organizations.
D) Asians are very individualistic and cannot be stereotyped no matter how hard one might try.

Question 13

The term "ethnicity" refers to

A) differences between Hispanics and Asians.
B) a shared national origin or cultural heritage among people.
C) biological differences identifiable by scientists.
D) race

Question 14

Education levels, employment levels, and income levels provide information on the status of different groups because

A) education levels affect whether and where people are employed, their income levels, and their opportunities for and actual advancement.
B) Differences in employment levels between groups are completely explained by differences in education levels.
C) comparisons cannot be made between racial and ethnic groups and between men and women to determine the education to income relationship for each group.
D) status is a mental concept not based on reality.

Question 15

What demographic and employment changes have happened now that the year 2000 has passed and the year 2020 is approaching?

A) Manufacturing jobs are increasing.
B) The current workforce is more diverse than it was in the past, but Whites remain the largest numerical group.
C) Increasing globalization has little effect on interactions, because many employees communicate solely by e-mail and phone, rather than face to face.
D) In the U.S. and Canada, workforce growth is increasing.

Question 16

In terms of attracting and retaining employees from various backgrounds,

A) organizations that discriminate may have higher compensation costs because of drawing from a larger pool of workers.
B) if an organization develops a reputation for valuing only a subset of workers, those preferred workers will tell their friends who are similar, thus increasing the overall numbers of potential applicants and workers.
C) recruitment advertisements featuring heterogeneous workers have no effect on minorities' desire to work for organizations.
D) if an organization develops a reputation for valuing all types of workers, this will increase the organization's ability to compete in tight labor markets.

Question 17

Which of the following are not among the potential negative outcomes that may be consequences of increased diversity?

A) Dysfunctional communication processes.
B) Harassment.
C) Perceptions that traditional workers are unqualified.
D) Lowered attachment, commitment, and satisfaction.

Question 18

In their 1987 research on the changes that would occur in the nature of work and in the demographic background of workers in the 21st century, Johnston and Packer stated that

A) by the year 2000, 85% of the workforce would be women and minorities.
B) by the year 2000, 65% of the workforce would be women and minorities.
C) by the year 2000, 85% of the net new entrants to the workforce would be women and minorities.
D) by the year 2000, White men would be a very small minority of the workforce.

Question 19

Employment discrimination occurs when personal characteristics of applicants and workers that are related to productivity are valued in the labor market.

Question 20

Despite the amount of media attention focusing on lawsuits and damage settlements, an organization's likelihood of being sued is relatively small.

Question 21

Women are earning more than men because they are earning more college degrees than men.

Question 22

Developing nations are increasingly being seen as sources of new workers for many countries, many of which had historically resisted immigration. ​

Question 23

Costs of doing a poor job in integrating workers from different backgrounds can be quite high.
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Question 24

Research indicates that effective management of diversity is associated with stock prices.

Question 25

​Being supportive of diversity can sometimes result in organizations facing boycotts and negative publicity from those resistant to diversity.

Question 26

Blacks have higher average education levels than Latinos, yet Blacks have higher average unemployment rates than Latinos. ​

Question 27

As a result of efforts to avoid discrimination against minorities, the unemployment rate for Whites is about three times the rate for African Americans.

Question 28

People who are not personally affected by discrimination may still find overt discrimination offensive and choose to spend their dollars in organizations that do not discriminate. ​

Question 29

Researchers have found that groups composed of diverse members produced higher quality ideas than groups composed of homogenous members ​

Question 30

The number of discrimination charges filed with the EEOC averages nearly 500,000 per year.