Deck 4: Diversity at Work

Question 1

Virtually all growth in new jobs will come from the service industry.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

It is important that executives see that creative responses to work/family dilemmas are in the best interests of both employers and employees.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Mexicans,Puerto Ricans,and Cubans constitute the three largest groups classified as Hispanic.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Fifty percent of U.S.managers either resign or are fired within 18 months of a foreign takeover.

Question 5

The proportion of single-parent family groups with children under age 18 has increased dramatically,and today single mothers are more likely than married mothers to be unemployed.

Question 6

To survive,to serve,and to succeed,organizations need to accomplish goals that are defined more narrowly than ever before,which means carrying out strategies that each part of the organization can execute alone.

Question 7

Women also earn about 50 percent of all undergraduate business degrees and 55 percent of all MBAs.

Question 8

Similarities between employees and customers like similar cultures,manner of dress,and language creates more efficient interactions and better business for the firm.

Question 9

More than 500 million people will legally work outside their home countries in the next 20 years due to conflict,natural disasters,climate change,and economic opportunism.

Question 10

If all the United States' working women were to quit their jobs tomorrow and stay home to cook and clean,businesses would disintegrate.

Question 11

While women's share of the workforce is expected to increase,men's share is projected to decline slightly over the same time-period.

Question 12

The demographics of the United States are changing so dramatically that over the coming decades it will be impossible for employers to fill their ranks with members of the traditional workforce,white males.

Question 13

As a group,women who interrupt their careers for family reasons never again make as much money as women who stay on the job.

Question 14

Today,husbands married to women in paid jobs equally share the responsibility for family care and housework.

Question 15

"Valuing diversity" essentially means accepting accents or language,dress or food of employees whose race,ethnicity,or gender differ from your own.

Question 16

Managing diversity is an essential part of HR strategy.

Question 17

African Americans will make up about 50 percent of the U.S.civilian workforce by the year 2018.

Question 18

The average American is better educated than Asian Americans.

Question 19

Virtually all of the growth in new jobs will come from manufacturing industries.

Question 20

Almost 80 percent of couples are dual earners.

Question 21

Which of the following are included in the five main reasons diversity has become a dominant activity in managing human resources?

A) The shift from a manufacturing to a service economy
B) Globalization of markets
C) New business strategies requiring teamwork
D) All of the above

Question 22

Racial and ethnic minorities,women,and immigrants will account for increasingly large segments of the U.S.labor force over time.

Question 23

When companies discover they can communicate better with their customers through employees who are similar to their customers,those companies then realize they have increased their _____ diversity.

A) primary
B) secondary
C) internal
D) external

Question 24

It is important for executives to use an age/experience profile to identify types of jobs where older workers can use their experience and talents most effectively.

Question 25

Firms have found that only through _____ can they execute newly adopted strategies stressing better quality,innovation,cost control,or speed.

A) affirmative action
B) strategic international alliances
C) globalization
D) work teams

Question 26

Which of the following is true?

A) Diversity is problem focused,while affirmative action is opportunity focused.
B) Diversity is government initiated,while affirmative action is voluntary.
C) Diversity is proactive,while affirmative action is reactive.
D) Diversity is quantitative,while affirmative action is qualitative.

Question 27

To whatever degree management may consider changing older workers' work conditions,it should explore the proposed changes jointly with the workforce.

Question 28

Over the next 25 years the U.S.workforce will have more:

A) immigrants.
B) people of color.
C) older workers.
D) all of the above.

Question 29

Persons with disabilities are less likely to be working than any other demographic group under age 65.

Question 30

Separating workers from different generations is a good way to solve intergenerational conflict.

Question 31

_____ of U.S.managers either resign or are fired within 18-months of a foreign takeover.

A) 50%
B) 25%
C) 10%
D) none of the above

Question 32

Roughly _____ percent of U.S.employees work in service-based industries.

A) 12
B) 38
C) 53
D) 90

Question 33

A key source of problems in mergers,acquisitions,and strategic international alliances is differences in _____.

A) Corporate cultures
B) Intolerance
C) Discrimination
D) Declining productivity

Question 34

Many members of the silent generation currently hold positions of power.

Question 35

The workforce is now and will continue to be less and less diverse.

Question 36

Baby-boomer generation represents approximately one-third of the American workforce.

Question 37

At present,the U.S.workforce is populated by three different generations of workers,each with different,often conflicting values and attitudes.

Question 38

_____ refers to actions taken to overcome the effects of past or present practices,policies,or other barriers to equal employment opportunity.

A) Affirmative action
B) Managing diversity
C) Voluntarism
D) ROWE

Question 39

Most mature workers are no longer interested in self-improvement.

Question 40

Which of the following describes affirmative action rather than diversity?

A) Legally driven
B) Assumes integration
C) Proactive
D) Opportunity focused

Question 41

Which of the following is NOT considered a primary cause of intergenerational conflict?

A) Work ethic
B) Professionalism
C) Managing change
D) Organizational hierarchy

Question 42

Survey results indicate that employees want more opportunities for _____ and that their top priority is to gain the flexibility to control their own time.

A) extended leave
B) executive positions
C) telework
D) alternative career paths

Question 43

Which of the following is not for everyone,but it may work especially well with clerical positions where the need for coordination of the overall workload is minimal?

A) Flextime
B) Job sharing
C) Flexible scheduling
D) Teleworking

Question 44

In regard to older workers,not only must a firm analyze the requirements of jobs better,there must also be improved ways of managing the _____ of workers in those jobs.

A) denigration
B) hourly wage
C) declining health
D) performance

Question 45

The baby-boom generation:

A) represents approximately 50 million Americans.
B) was born in the middle of the Great Depression.
C) does not change jobs frequently.
D) is a computer-literate generation.

Question 46

Which of the following would NOT be considered a key force accounting for women today aiming for high-level business jobs?

A) Changes in education
B) Changes in corporate restructuring
C) Changes in the economy
D) Changes in technology

Question 47

Gen Y'ers rate which of the following as at least as important as compensation?

A) High quality colleagues
B)
B) Flexible work arrangements
C) Both A and
D) None of the above

Question 48

Which of the following statements about Asian Americans in the workforce is true?

A) The share of the workforce comprised by Asian Americans is close to 18 percent.
B) Asian Americans as a group have witnessed a decline in purchasing power over the last decade.
C) The average American is better educated than Asian Americans.
D) 50 percent of Asian Americans aged 25 and over have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Question 49

New mothers gradually increasing their hours at work or choosing to cut their hours for reduced pay is an example of:

A) job sharing.
B) an alternative career path.
C) teleworking.
D) flexible scheduling.

Question 50

Companies committed to making diversity a competitive advantage are likely to use all of the following practices EXCEPT:

A) hire those firms with a solid track record of diversity.
B) forge links with colleges recruiting minorities.
C) develop non-secession programs for males.
D) set goals for minority hiring.

Question 51

All of the following are true about Generation Y EXCEPT:

A) inability to handle numerous projects.
B) the constant need for stimulation/entertainment.
C) a blurring of the lines between work and leisure time while on the job.
D) short attention spans.

Question 52

Which generation was born in the middle of the Great Depression?

A) The silent generation
B) Generation Y
C) The baby-boom generation
D) Generation X

Question 53

They demand interesting work assignments,and thrive on open-ended projects that require sophisticated problem solving.This is a computer-literate generation.

A) The baby-boom generation
B) Generation X
C) Generation Y
D) The silent generation

Question 54

The steps undertaken by organizations to attract and retain racial and ethnic minorities include all of the following EXCEPT:

A) focus on bringing in the best talent.
B) establish mentoring programs.
C) hold minority employees accountable for meeting diversity goals.
D) promote minorities to decision-making positions.

Question 55

To manage diversity you should replace inflexibility and intolerance with:

A) care and concern.
B) fear and distance.
C) adaptability and acceptance.
D) discipline and segregation.

Question 56

Which generation is also known as the "baby busters?"

A) Generation X
B) Generation Y
C) The baby-boom generation
D) The silent generation

Question 57

Which generation represents about one-third of the workforce?

A) The silent generation
B) The swing generation
C) The baby-boom generation
D) Generation X

Question 58

This generation was born between 1946 and 1964.

A) The silent generation
B) The swing generation
C) The baby-boom generation
D) Generation X

Question 59

The baby-boom generation currently accounts for _____ percent of the workforce.

A) 10
B) 54
C) 75
D) 90

Question 60

Three-quarters of professional women who quit large companies did so:

A) because of lack of career progress.
B) to stay at home with their children.
C) to care for an ailing parent.
D) to start their own businesses.

Question 61

In the course of their five-year research project on the effects of diversity on business performance,researchers offered all of the following implications for practice EXCEPT:

A) modify the business case.
B) experiment and evaluate.
C) look beyond the business case.
D) adopt a more synthetical approach.

Question 62

Among corporations,which of the following is the No.1 financial supporter of gay-rights groups in the United States?

A) IBM
B) Nike
C) Ernst & Young
D) Apple

Question 63

Which demographic group is less likely to be working than any other group under age 65?

A) Minorities
B) Women
C) Persons with disabilities
D) Migrant workers

Question 64

Subconscious expectations about what people can and cannot do at particular times of their lives is termed:

A) ethnic segregation.
B) mid-career plateau.
C) age grading.
D) obsolescence.

Question 65

If firms are unable to link HR practices to ____,then their ability to learn how to effectively manage diversity will be limited.

A) content supply chain
B) business performance
C) corporate research
D) time management

Question 66

Give at least three suggestions on how you can handle questions about diversity.

Question 67

Write a short note on intergenerational conflict.

Question 68

GLBT employees,as a group,comprise,by some estimates,_____ percent of the population.

A) 1
B) 3
C) 6
D) 14

Question 69

Poll after poll of employers demonstrates that they regard most people with disabilities as good workers,punctual,conscientious,and competent - if given:

A) reasonable accommodation.
B) good benefits.
C) preferential treatment.
D) extra time to complete their work.

Question 70

This group is growing by about 10 percent each year.

A) GLBT
B) Workers with Disabilities
C) Older workers
D) Female workers

Question 71

What is the first step in attaining the advantages of diversity?

Question 72

Give at least one reason why women have raised their expectations and levels of aspiration sharply higher in the past 30 years.

Question 73

List at least three reasons why diversity has become a dominant activity in managing an organization's human resources.

Question 74

Performance at an acceptable but not outstanding level,coupled with little or no effort to improve one's current performance is termed:

A) obsolescence.
B) mid-career plateau.
C) glass ceiling.
D) career bottleneck.

Question 75

Explain the five key forces that account for the changes for women in the workplace over recent years.

Question 76

What is the difference between managing diversity and managing affirmative action?

Question 77

Why is the share of the workforce comprised by Asian Americans expected to reach an estimated 6.3 percent by 2022?

Question 78

What steps can employers to accommodate problems faced by workers with disabilities?

Question 79

The tendency for knowledge or skills to become out of date is:

A) burnout.
B) plateauing.
C) age grading.
D) obsolescence.

Question 80

List some of the practices that companies which are committed to making diversity a competitive advantage follow.