Job Scenario, Multiple-Choice
Marketing assistant Jody has been having financial problems recently. She has been late with
some bills, and has neglected other bills for months. She figures that if she can at least
concentrate on her job, she will perform well enough to get a salary increase in four months. Any
extra money she receives will be applied immediately toward rent payments. During a product
launch meeting, she feels a small vibration coming from her handbag, and recognizes that it is
her cell phone indicating a call or text message is waiting. Jody peeks at her phone to see a text
message from her landlord that states, “Pay $750 by tomorrow or be evicted.” Jody feels the
urgent need to reply to the message, explaining that she will have the money in five days.
26) From the standpoint of displaying good interpersonal skill, what should Jody do about
responding to the call?
A) Pick up her cell phone immediately and send a response explaining her plan to pay in five
days.
B) Place her cell phone on her lap, and send a text message the best she can without appearing to
be sending a text message.
C) Begin to cough, holding up five fingers suggesting that she has to leave the room for, and will
return in a few minutes. While out of the conference room, Jody then sends the urgent text
message.
D) Wait for a break in the meeting, and then discretely compose a message to her landlord.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
27) Feeling panicked by the text message from her landlord, Jody simply picks up her cell phone
and sends a brief message to her landlord, indicating her intention to pay within five days. She
writes, “Can get the $750 in five days, parents will help.” Jody’s boss observed her sending the
text message, and gave her a stern look. Later that day the boss reprimands Jody for displaying
unprofessional conduct. In response, Jody is best advised to do the following:
A) State that the message was urgent, but she agrees that she displayed poor interpersonal skill
by responding immediately.
B) Explain to her boss that she is good at multitasking, and therefore did not miss out on what
was going on in the meeting.
C) Explain to her boss that he is somewhat out of touch with the modern world of immediate
communication.
D) Point out to her boss that there is no formal organizational policy that prohibits responding to
phone calls during a meeting.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
7
5.2 True/False Questions
1) A loud, unusual ring tone is an effective way of bringing positive attention to yourself as a
professional person.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
2) Asking your work associate permission to access work-related information on your
smartphone while in conversation with him or her demonstrates positive interpersonal skill.
AACSB: Interpersonal relations and teamwork
3) When it is necessary to send or receive a cell phone call when working in a group, it is
recommended that you stand back about two feet.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
4) When Chief Financial Officer Sally sends and receives cell phone calls while interacting with
subordinates she diminishes their status.
AACSB: Interpersonal relations and teamwork
5) A recommended way to make better use of time is to catch up on phone calls while eating.
AACSB: Interpersonal relations and teamwork
6) Buck sends text messages to executives in his company, using incorrect abbreviations, no
capitalization or punctuation, along with incomplete sentences. Based on this approach, Buck is
likely to be admired by company executives for avoiding the appearance of a stiff bureaucrat.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
7) If you are the driver of a vehicle with other coworkers present, it is a positive interpersonal
skill to demonstrate your ability to send and receive text messages while driving at close to the
speed limit.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
8
8) Assume you send to a coworker, an e-mail that includes insulting comments about company
management, but you also include a smile emoticon at the end of the message. You are still
displaying negative interpersonal skill.
AACSB: Interpersonal relations and teamwork
9) Firing workers by e-mail demonstrates good interpersonal skill because the sender avoids
dealing with anger and despair.
AACSB: Interpersonal relations and teamwork
10) The facial expressions and body language visible in a webcam interview are useful for
making judgments about a job candidate.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
11) Tamara uses good judgment when she sits about three feet from her computer monitor while
participating in a webcam job interview.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
12) When conducting a webcam interview from home for work purposes, it is a good idea to
have a television playing in the background, as well as having a household pet in view because it
is best to appear warm and human.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
13) Jenna is working on a challenging customer problem with Carlos. Jenna observes on her
smartphone that she has an important call. She is demonstrating good interpersonal skill by
saying to Carlos, “Excuse me for a moment, but my call is more important than you at the
moment.”
AACSB: Interpersonal relations and teamwork
14) Displaying pornography in the workplace, even if displayed on a worker’s own computer, is
likely to be considered an illegal form of harassment.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
9
15) Making negative jokes about the race, ethnicity, or age of coworkers is not classified as
harassment so long as accompanied by a smile to show that you are not serious.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
16) Accounts receivable specialist Naomi is nomophobic, so she feels calm and relaxed while
away from a mobile device.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
17) One way of demonstrating positive interpersonal skill on social networking sites is to make
compassionate and gracious comments about your employer.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
18) One of the reasons that writing correctly on social media sites is important is that some
people regard written communication skills as a subset of interpersonal skills.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
19) A good way of using social networking to display good interpersonal skills is to use the Web
sites to help others grow and develop, such as offering them useful information.
AACSB: Interpersonal relations and teamwork
20) A notable problem with spending a lot of time accessing social networking sites during
working hours is that the person might be perceived by the manager as being insensitive and
immature.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
21) Company tradition, or the corporate culture, serves as an important guide as to whether the
use of a laptop during a meeting is acceptable behavior.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
10
22) It is recommended that you minimize eye contact during a PowerPoint (or similar computer
graphics) presentation to avoid interfering with your technology focus.
AACSB: Interpersonal relations and teamwork
23) The accepted mode of dress for participating in a videoconference has become to wear
business attire above the waist, and sports attire below.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
24) With the telepresence form of videoconferencing becoming more popular, there is less to
worry about in terms of behavior and appearance because telepresence relies on robots.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
25) Although telecommuters have frequent electronic contact with work associates, they often
lack a solid human connection.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
26) Your online reputation is a private matter, and therefore does not supply information that can
be used to make judgments about your job-oriented interpersonal skills.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
11