Deck 1: Communication and the Changing World of Work

Question 1

Which of the following does the book cite as a classic example of botched multicultural management?

A) Google's underestimation of the impact of social media
B) Disneyland Paris's ignorance of French culture
C) Foxconn's use of underage workers
D) International human trafficking

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following definitions most clearly illustrates the concept of organizational communication?

A) The closer integration of countries and peoples thanks to developments in progressive capitalism
B) Habitual ways of seeing the world that are unique to each individual
C) The interaction required to direct a group toward a shared goal
D) The ways in which businesses make use of knowledge as a commodity

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following concepts refers to the new developments in communication technology that bridge information software with biological processes?

A) Biometrics
B) Urgent organizations
C) GPS
D) Wetware

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The Center for Creative Leadership identified four pivotal skills for global managers. They include all of the following EXCEPT

A) international business knowledge.
B) cultural adaptability.
C) the ability to speak multiple languages.
D) the ability to play the role of the innovator.

Question 5

An individual's overall satisfaction with his or her work experience in the context of other life experiences is the clearest definition of which of the following concepts?

A) Employee satisfaction
B) Quality of life
C) The goals of a progressive workplace
D) The goals of a family-friendly workplace

Question 6

According to the text, which of the following is NOT considered to be one of the changing critical dimensions of organizational processes?

A) Job security
B) Compensation
C) Time
D) Space

Question 7

Organizations like Amazon and Dell are cited by the book as examples of

A) urgent organizations.
B) new communication technologies.
C) multicultural organizations.
D) organizations that use outsourcing.

Question 8

Which of the following best describes how Chapter 1 views change?

A) Inevitable
B) Relatively slow
C) Understandable only in theory
D) Largely unnecessary, because systems are fairly stable

Question 9

According to the text, traffickers in Southeast Asia are usually trading in which of the following commodities?

A) Young women and children
B) Both illegal and prescription drugs
C) Nuclear material
D) Food

Question 10

Success across national boundaries requires, at the very least, which of the following skill sets?

A) The ability to speak the language of customers
B) The ability to speak the language of suppliers
C) Some understanding of cultural subtleties
D) All of the options are correct.

Question 11

For a period of time, which organization's conferences were a lightning rod for people protesting the negative economic effects of globalization on the environment and the world's poor?

A) International Monetary Fund (IMF)
B) World Trade Organization (WTO)
C) The World Bank
D) U.S. Federal Reserve

Question 12

According to the text, human survival has always hinged on

A) social contracts.
B) the ability to work together.
C) knowledge management.
D) managing natural resources.

Question 13

Which of the following effects of globalization is considered a questionable labor practice in the text?

A) The use of technology such as the Internet
B) An increased loyalty toward stakeholders
C) Outsourcing labor to other countries
D) A focus on quality and customer service

Question 14

According to the text, which of the following technological advances has had a significant impact on organizations and business practices, as evidenced by the way that American music, films, and television command large markets abroad?

A) Companies must communicate to transcend time and space.
B) Technology has created new sites for work.
C) Many employees are now knowledge workers.
D) E-commerce has made it possible for any small company in the United States to be a global business.

Question 15

Which of the following have organizational communication scholars learned from the economic collapse of 2008?

A) Government and international agencies are important.
B) The economy is completely global.
C) Blind faith in market capitalism is dangerous.
D) All of the options are correct.

Question 16

Answers to questions about organizational communication are

A) highly situated and perishable.
B) the same across all industries.
C) the same as they were in previous times.
D) changing over time, but they apply to all organizations.

Question 17

Which of the following most completely defines the term urgent organization?

A) One that is in danger of bankruptcy
B) One that has an organizational crisis
C) One that tries to shorten the product development cycle by placing less emphasis on customer service
D) One that aims to shorten the time employees respond to customers and to one another

Question 18

Which of the following are governments and consumers pressuring health-care providers to offer in place of costly fee-for-service business models?

A) Physician-centered models
B) Global health care
C) Lowest-cost models
D) Prevention-centric practices focusing on primary care physicians as care coordinators

Question 19

Which of the following best characterizes the new social contract regarding the relationship between employees and organizations?

A) Employees who are efficient and are committed are guaranteed job security.
B) Employees who meet productivity standards are guaranteed increased social services such as child care and flexible work hours.
C) Employees must fit an organization's needs at the time while job security is fleeting.
D) Employers act in the best interest of their employees.

Question 20

The potential to adopt a universal (and perhaps planetary) code of human rights is one version of which concept?

A) Globalization
B) Urgent organizations
C) Worldviews
D) Outsourcing

Question 21

Many American workers are changing their personal definition of life success to include not only their career, but also deeper involvement with their communities and personal growth.

Question 22

Religion has become an increasingly important element of diversity in the workplace.

Question 23

Organizational communication refers to the interaction required to direct a group toward a shared goal.

Question 24

While 24/7 access to employees has a clear upside for customers, its downside is the toll it may take on

A) productivity.
B) the health of the employees.
C) employees' personal relationships.
D) All of the options are correct.

Question 25

Many contemporary organizations rely on informal communication networks to assist in responding to a turbulent business environment.

Question 26

The new social contract allows for greater long-term job security.

Question 27

Today, most people have enough economic safety to prioritize family and personal needs over work.

Question 28

Globalization eliminates differences in language and culture.

Question 29

According to Chapter 1, which of the following is the most dynamic source of power in contemporary organizations?

A) Informal communication networks
B) Inspirational leaders
C) Virtual work teams
D) Empowered work teams

Question 30

An iPhone or BlackBerry is an example of a wetware technology.

Question 31

Some communities have created 912 numbers for serious conditions in order to free up their 911 lines for true emergencies.

Question 32

Advances in communication technology are instrumental in creating the possibility of a global business community.

Question 33

Which of the following factors have contributed to the increased need to balance work and family?

A) The prevalence of two-career families and the high demand for child care
B) The lack of union jobs and increase of single-parent families
C) The high demand for child care and the loss of jobs demanding specific skill sets
D) The increase of both single-parent families and two-career families

Question 34

The North American Free Trade Agreement prevented jobs from being sent overseas.

Question 35

Over the past few years, there has been an explosion of cybercrime worldwide, with more than twenty major security breaches recorded annually in the United States.

Question 36

Globalization allows modern organizations to transcend time and space.

Question 37

Organizational communication is perishable in that

A) most organizations have only one opportunity to succeed.
B) what worked last year may no longer be relevant this year due to customers' tastes and technology.
C) ideas often "die" with the individual who initiated them.
D) communication that is suited for one organization may not be suitable for another organization.

Question 38

The conviction of CEOs and CFOs such as Enron's Kenneth Lay and Jeff Skilling has done quite a bit to increase employee loyalty, because the employees now know that the organization is willing to indict its own CEO.

Question 39

There are some exceptions to the globalizing trend, and they can be observed in a shift to more local employment and purchasing practices. Which of the following industries has experienced this emphasis on localization?

A) Food
B) Gas and oil
C) Automobiles
D) Electronics

Question 40

Child care is a low-demand industry in the United States, primarily because most families live close to grandparents and other relatives.

Question 41

Some scholars argue that globalization is inevitable. Others say it is dangerous and that we need to focus on more local forms of organization. Based on the text for the course, develop your own stance on globalization and make a case for or against it. Does it provide more promises or problems for modern organizations and individuals? Make sure you use appropriate definitions and examples to support your points.

Question 42

Give an example of botched multicultural management.

Question 43

What does it mean to say that questions about organizational communication are situated and perishable? Provide an example of each.

Question 44

A significant portion of Chapter 1 focuses on the new social contract. Define the new social contract by explaining where it came from (i.e., What was the old social contract?), how it changes modern organizations, and why individuals need to understand it. Use examples throughout your essay to illustrate your points.

Question 45

What role do organizations such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization play in shaping global conversations about the economy?

Question 46

Explain the role of multicultural management in modern organizations. Offer one example of how some organizations are adapting to the needs of their multicultural employees and consumers.

Question 47

When a major organization or corporation loses the personal data of its customers, primarily through some form of computer hacking, what kind of pressure does that place on the organization?

Question 48

Provide an example of outsourcing, and explain why it is an issue for organizational communication scholars.

Question 49

How does the book define organizational communication? How can you rewrite that definition in your own words?

Question 50

How does trafficking exploit individuals?

Question 51

What are some of the sources for the ethical concerns that many individuals have regarding major corporations and globalization?

Question 52

Part of understanding organizational communication means understanding the role that new communication technologies play in our everyday lives. The text addresses social networking sites such as Instagram, Snapshot, Vine, Twitter, and Facebook as forms of new technology that are changing the ways in which we communicate. Explain what new communication technologies include, and describe how social networking sites operate as new communication technologies that help manage knowledge.

Question 53

Explain the concept of worldview. Offer an example of a worldview that illustrates its relevance to organizational communication.