Human Relations for Career & Personal Success, 11e (DuBrin)
Chapter 8 Communication in the Workplace
1) A major purpose of a company using a social networking site within the organization is to
________.
A) encourage employees to purchase company products or services
B) facilitate employees building their working relationships
C) make the workday more fun for employees
D) find out what types of information employees are sharing with each other
2) A typical use of a company intranet would be to ________.
A) give customers a convenient place to complain
B) advertise company products and services to a wide audience
C) make company information available in a convenient location for employees
D) provide an online place for employees to socialize
3) Willy makes proper use of the wiki feature on the company intranet when he ________.
A) lists a few personal items for sale to other employees
B) explains to his boss why he deserves a raise this year
C) explains what he thinks company management is doing wrong
D) adds some updated features to product information
4) Downward communication is the flow of messages ________.
A) from a lower level to a higher level
B) from one co-worker to another
C) from one level to a lower level
D) in a circular direction
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5) Marge has an open-door policy which allows employees to bring a complaint to her without
checking with their manager first. This is an example of ________ communication.
A) downward
B) upward
C) problem
6) All of the teachers in the social science department willingly share their ideas and expertise
with each other. They are good at ________ communication.
A) upward
B) downward
C) diagonal
7) The transmission of messages to higher or lower organizational levels in different departments
is known as ________ communication.
A) diagonal
B) ineffective
C) downward
8) Formal communication channels are often bypassed through information technology.
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9) Jan faces an emergency at her workplace, so it would be appropriate for Jan to bypass the
formal channels of communication to handle the emergency.
10) Adam published negative information about the company he works for in his private blog.
Adam is liable to be fired.
11) A practical application of a social networking site within a company is to match potential
mentors with people who are looking to be mentored.
12) A wiki feature of a company intranet is quite democratic because employees are invited to
modify company policies such as sick days allowed, and the compensation of company
13) A formal communication channel in a company can often serve an informal, social purpose
such as containing a classified ad section.
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14) Webinars are useful communication vehicles yet they are quite costly because company
employees from all over the country and world have to gather together to watch broadcasts of
websites and videos.
15) Sally has a major concern about a company product. To use the open-door policy to
communicate these concerns, Sally first consults with her supervisor before communicating
higher in the organization.
16) Carter brings a complaint about unhealthy working conditions to top-level management. He
is therefore making use of the company’s open-door policy.
17) Matt is likely to receive more upward communication because he is known for listening to
18) Lola has a group of people in both her formal and informal channels that she gets in touch
with on a regular basis to get her work accomplished. This group of people is often referred to as
her ________.
A) subordinates
B) grapevine
C) network of contacts
D) downward communication
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19) Marketing specialist Martin is participating in a community of practice when he ________.
A) spreads gossip about company officials
B) acquires an important new job-related skill
C) applies new developments in his field to his job
D) shares work relevant information with coworkers
20) A major contribution of employee networks (or communities of practice) is that ________.
A) they sometimes assume responsibility for key problems
B) expand the social life of employees
C) identify poorly performing employees
D) maintain tight control over work-related information
21) Samantha is part of the shadow organization in her company because she ________.
A) quietly steals company supplies
B) works from home or another remote location
C) helps accomplish work whether or not it is part of her regular responsibilities
D) has a side business that she runs partly on company time
22) Jason sits quietly in his cubicle, getting his work accomplished. To find out if Jason is really
a loner, management might conduct a ________.
A) shadow organization
B) organization chart analysis
C) performance evaluation
D) social network analysis
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23) ________ makes a contribution to the organization because trading information strengthens
ties among workers and humanizes the workplace.
A) Negative gossip
B) Positive gossip
C) Upward communication
D) Diagonal communication
24) A recommended way of combating negative rumors in an organization is for management to
________.
A) screen all e-mail and instant messages before they are sent
B) conduct an extensive social network analysis
C) promote healthy, accurate communication
D) spread rumors in opposition to negative rumors
25) Ken spends time everyday walking among her employees and customers to see how things
are going and gather informal feedback. Ken’s behavior is referred to as ________.
A) horizontal communication
B) searching for rumors
C) management by walking around
D) wasting time
26) An advantage of open office space is that it facilitates ________.
A) informal communication among workers
B) formal downward communication
C) being able to engage in brainwriting
D) satisfying the human need for privacy
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27) Trudy has some tidbits of knowledge about safety features of a drug that she would like to
28) The shadow organization of a company is revealed by network analysis which traces who
29) Ted, a product design specialist, is included as a participant in a social network analysis, so
the researcher is likely to ask Ted, “To whom do you turn for advice?”
30) An important feature of the company grapevine is that it passes along information almost
strictly through people talking to each other face-to-face.
31) Barb passes along positive gossip to her co-workers, but this would not be considered part of
the grapevine because it is positive.
32) A major purpose of open workspace arrangements is to facilitate informal communication
among employees.
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33) Safety inspector Gilda works in an office that has been shifted to shared workspaces, so she
34) To use presentation technology to your advantage, ________.
A) talk to the audience and not the screen
B) reduce the text on each slide to the bare minimum
C) triple check your presentation for spelling errors
D) all of the above
35) Pandora has landed a job that requires considerable telephone interaction with customers.
Pandora can increase her telephone effectiveness if she ________.
A) frowns when she speaks on the phone
B) smiles when she speaks on the phone
C) increase her productivity by multitasking while on the phone
D) maintains a steady tone while talking to customers
36) A problem noted with telecommuting is that it ________.
A) lacks a solid human connection
B) lacks the efficiency of the traditional office
C) relies too heavily on in-person updates
D) leads to frequent labor-management problems
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37) Research about multitasking suggests that ________.
A) when workers can multitask well, the workforce can be reduced by one half
B) after age 25, the ability to multitask vanishes
C) about three-fourths of the modern workforce is good at multitasking
38) According to some information technology research, the average worker dealing with
information loses about how many minutes of productivity every day to electronic interruptions
and distractions?
A) 10
B) 20
C) 60
D) 120
39) A notable consequence of electronic communication devices is that they have ________.
A) facilitated creating sharp boundaries between work and personal life
B) facilitated breaking down the distinction between work and personal life
C) made it more difficult to communicate with coworkers after hours
D) helped block the start of most rumors
40) Computer-generated data sometimes creates the subtle communication problem that the data
are regarded as ________.
A) the product of tampering by a hacker
B) having been created mostly to manipulate other people
C) infallible
41) A notable advantage of e-mail systems is that they curtail office politics by keeping people
42) Eric has very little self-discipline, so he would do well as a telecommuter because he would
not be closely supervised by a boss.
43) A potential disadvantage of being a telecommuter is that many of these workers believe they
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44) Decades of research indicate that the quality of mental output and depth of thought
45) An information technology research and consulting firm found that the average worker
dealing with information gains the equivalent of two hours of productive work per day through
multitasking.
46) A subtle communication feature of computer-generated data is that it is relatively easy to
convince company officials, such as bankers and credit card officials, that the data are incorrect
and you are right.
47) A key suggestion for having a successful business meeting is to ________.
A) be flexible about start and stop times
B) block critical feedback and commentary
C) keep participants seated when quick action is needed
48) A noted consequence of standup meetings is that ________.
A) participants usually have to think more quickly than in sit-down meetings
B) it is quite difficult to serve refreshments
C) wearing high heels is prohibited
D) PowerPoint slides cannot be shown
49) Product development manager Sylvia is probably on the right track when she holds brief
standup meetings to deal with urgent problems.
50) There is no need to solve small issues ahead of meetings with e-mail, because the group will
be getting together for the meeting and can take care of everything at that time.