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1.
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.
2.
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
3.
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.
4.
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.
5.
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
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6.
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
7.
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.
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
9.
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.
10.
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
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11.
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
12.
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.
13.
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
14.
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
15.
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
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16.
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.
17.
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
18.
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.
19.
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
20.
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
21.
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
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22.
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.
23.
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.
24.
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
25.
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
26.
Globalization eliminates differences in language and culture.
A)
True
B)
False
27.
Many contemporary organizations rely on informal communication networks to assist in
responding to a turbulent business environment.
A)
True
B)
False
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28.
Advances in communication technology are instrumental in creating the possibility of a
global business community.
A)
True
B)
False
29.
Today, most people have enough economic safety to prioritize family and personal
needs over work.
A)
True
B)
False
30.
Organizational communication refers to the interaction required to direct a group toward
a shared goal.
A)
True
B)
False
31.
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.
A)
True
B)
False
32.
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.
A)
True
B)
False
33.
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.
A)
True
B)
False
34.
The new social contract allows for greater long-term job security.
A)
True
B)
False
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35.
Some communities have created 912 numbers for serious conditions in order to free up
their 911 lines for true emergencies.
A)
True
B)
False
36.
An iPhone or BlackBerry is an example of a wetware technology.
A)
True
B)
False
37.
Child care is a low–demand industry in the United States, primarily because most
families live close to grandparents and other relatives.
A)
True
B)
False
38.
Globalization allows modern organizations to transcend time and space.
A)
True
B)
False
39.
Religion has become an increasingly important element of diversity in the workplace.
A)
True
B)
False
40.
The North American Free Trade Agreement prevented jobs from being sent overseas.
A)
True
B)
False
41.
Explain the concept of worldview. Offer an example of a worldview that illustrates its
relevance to organizational communication.
42.
How does the book define organizational communication? How can you rewrite that
definition in your own words?
43.
Provide an example of outsourcing, and explain why it is an issue for organizational
communication scholars.
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44.
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.
45.
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?
46.
Give an example of botched multicultural management.
47.
How does trafficking exploit individuals?
48.
What are some of the sources for the ethical concerns that many individuals have
regarding major corporations and globalization?
49.
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?
50.
What does it mean to say that questions about organizational communication are
situated and perishable? Provide an example of each.
51.
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.
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.
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53.
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.
Answer Key
1.
A
2.
C
3.
B
4.
C
5.
D
6.
D
7.
D
8.
A
9.
D
10.
B
11.
C
12.
D
13.
A
14.
B
15.
A
16.
C
17.
B
18.
A
19.
D
20.
B
21.
A
22.
B
23.
D
24.
A
25.
A
26.
B
27.
A
28.
A
29.
B
30.
A
31.
A
32.
A
33.
B
34.
B
35.
A
36.
B
37.
B
38.
A
39.
A
40.
B
41.
42.
43.
44.
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45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.