53) Differentiate between rational persuasion and inspirational appeals in terms of their operation
and direction of influence.
54) Discuss the effectiveness of various influence tactics.
55) Discuss how power affects people and consider whether power is corruptive.
56) Which of the following statements is true?
A) The impact of sexual harassment is individual, not organizational.
B) The definition of sexual harassment changes from country to country.
C) Today, the rise of overt forms of sexual harassment presents a major concern for
organizations.
D) Women in positions of power in an organization are free from sexual harassment by male
subordinates.
E) Curtailing sexual harassment requires higher-order intervention programs as managers cannot
be expected to help in this regard.
57) Sexual harassment ________.
A) is proportionally prevalent for women across all types of jobs
B) is virtually non-existent for men
C) is increasing according to the EEOC
D) is more prevalent in male-dominated societies
E) is less likely to occur where there are large power differentials
58) A woman is most likely to experience sexual harassment as ________.
A) a sales woman at a luxury car dealership
B) a teacher in an elementary school
C) a waitress at a sports bar
D) a professor at a small liberal arts college
E) a DJ at a hip radio station
59) Connie Cole works as a junior market analyst at SPS Services. Her previous manager retired
a couple of months back, and she now has a younger male manager who repeatedly insists that
she accompany him for a coffee or dinner after work. Initially, Connie was unsuspecting and
refused because she did not have the time for such engagements during weekdays. Later, when
her manager’s requests became frequent, she grew uncomfortable and firmly told him that she
was not interested in him and his attempts were not welcome. She realized that this step could
backfire because, as her superior, he has complete control over her appraisals, bonuses, and
promotions. Her manager even told her that if she does not agree, he will “find other ways.”
Connie’s experiences are best described as ________.
A) whistle-blowing
B) scapegoating
C) domestic abuse
D) sexual harassment
E) ambient abuse
60) Which of the following factors can lead to greater probability of sexual harassment at the
workplace?
A) an active sexual harassment policy
B) large power differentials
C) a no-retaliation policy for victims seeking justice
D) awareness regarding sexual harassment
E) larger percentage of women in positions of power
61) To limit sexual harassment in the workplace, managers should strive to ________.
A) recognize that sexual harassment occurs in most work environments
B) instantly terminate anyone accused of sexual harassment
C) provide general guidelines about sexual harassment, but avoid detailed explanations
D) reassure employees that they will not encounter retaliation if they file a complaint
E) investigate only the most serious complaints
62) Tina Simmons worked as a welder at a shipyard company where she was forced to encounter
nude and partially nude pictures posted by her male co-workers in common areas. The men also
referred to her using obscene nicknames and made offensive remarks concerning her body.
When Tina complained, her supervisor took no corrective action despite having an active sexual
harassment policy approved by the EEOC. Tina wished to file a discrimination suit but instead
she chose to endure the harassment as she could not risk losing her job. Which of the following,
if true, would have strengthened her resolve to file a discrimination suit?
A) The colleagues who sexually harassed Tina shared a great rapport with her supervisor.
B) Tina had heard of only one prior instance wherein an employee in the company had filed a
discrimination suit.
C) Tina shared a strained working relationship with her supervisor.
D) The company policy prescribed that Tina would face no backlash if she approached the
EEOC.
E) Tina had few female colleagues at the shipyard where she worked.
63) Define sexual harassment and identify ways managers can protect themselves and their
employees from it.
64) Which of the following is true of political behavior in an organization?
A) Political behavior is usually unethical.
B) Using political behavior is not necessary in most organizations.
C) Most experienced managers believe political behavior is a major part of organizational life.
D) Effective managers have been trained to use political behavior.
E) Political behavior is necessary for ensuring role clarity in an organization.
65) Political behaviors usually ________.
A) lie outside of an individual’s specified job requirements
B) are counterproductive to individual goals
C) are seen only in large organizations
D) are sanctioned by organizational leaders
E) are expected as part of each job requirement
66) Which of the following factors contributes to political behavior in the organization?
A) presence of pure and objective facts
B) existence of uniform goals and interests among all employees
C) provision of clear and objective performance outcomes
D) presence of limited resources in the organization
E) perception that gains of one group are not at the expense of the loss incurred by another group
67) ________ occurs when people within organizations use whatever influence they can to taint
the facts to support their goals and interests.
A) Legitimate political behavior
B) Politicking
C) Illegitimate political behavior
D) Sabotage
E) Whistle-blowing
68) Whistle-blowing is not considered to be a political behavior.
69) Limited resources are one of the major reasons for the development of organizational
politics.
70) Define political behavior and explain its features.
71) Timothy Jenkins spent six years at Hartford Mills, a company that takes a strong stand
against unionization. Though Timothy’s designation was that of a production supervisor, as the
company grew, he also took on additional duties like keeping a check on employee safety,
ensuring that legal measures are followed, and implementing programs for labor welfare that the
company planned. Many believed that Timothy was doing a great job for the company, and so it
came as a surprise when Timothy was rumored to face severe disciplinary action, as he was
encouraging the workers to join a union. However, he was let off with a mere warning. Which of
the following, if true, would explain this paradox?
A) The management had recently instituted a formal employee welfare committee.
B) Timothy stressed the fact that he was a meticulous worker who always adhered to company
policies.
C) The management had recently moved from an open shop mechanism to a closed shop
mechanism.
D) Timothy claimed that he was only looking to ensure greater employee welfare, which was one
of the duties the company had assigned to him.
E) Timothy complained that allowing unionization would hurt employees’ work/home balance.
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72) Timothy Jenkins had been working for six years at Hartford Mills, a company that takes a
strong stand against unionization. Though Timothy’s designation was that of a production
supervisor, as the company grew, he also took on additional duties like keeping a check on
employee safety, ensuring that legal measures are followed, and implementing programs for
labor welfare that the company planned. Many believed that Timothy was doing a great job for
the company, and so it came as a surprise when Timothy was rumored to face severe disciplinary
action, as he was encouraging the workers to join a union. However, he was let off with a mere
warning. Timothy argued that he was only doing his job–a job in which he had responsibility for
improving the welfare of employees. Which of the following, if true, would help Hartford Mills
avoid such situations in the future?
A) ensuring the provision of a retaliatory policy for employees who go against the company
B) holding town hall meetings to explain to employees why Timothy was suspected
C) enlisting the support of popular employees like Timothy to discharge the employee welfare
duties
D) engaging in collective bargaining as it is the only way to motivate employees to work
efficiently
E) specifying the permissible and prohibited aspects of an employee’s formal role in the
organization
73) Reactive and protective behaviors designed to avoid action, blame, or change are termed
________.
A) repressive behaviors
B) defensive behaviors
C) submissive behaviors
D) impression management behaviors
E) proactive behaviors
74) Will Cears works at Mesner Corp. as a middle-level manager. Will recognizes that his firm is
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plagued by organizational politics. Since he is not good at playing games, he frequently engages
in defensive behaviors in order to protect himself and his interests. Will is frustrated because he
believes that he has little control over his environment and his environment is uncomfortable to
him. He has had some success at establishing a sense of control for himself by appearing to be
cooperative and supportive to his colleagues. However, he continues to hold his reservations
against politicking and does not engage in it. This is an example of ________ in order to avoid
action, blame, or change.
A) buffing
B) buck passing
C) scapegoating
D) misrepresenting
E) stalling
75) Buck passing is seen when an employee ________.
A) avoids an unwanted task by falsely pleading ignorance or inability
B) prolongs a task to give the appearance of being occupied
C) documents his or her activity rigorously to project an image of competence and thoroughness
D) develops explanations that lessen his or her responsibility for a negative outcome
E) transfers responsibility for the execution of a task or decision to someone else
76) Which of the following defensive behaviors involves rigorously documenting activity to
project an image of competence and thoroughness?
A) bluffing
B) justifying
C) scapegoating
D) stretching
E) overconforming
77) Placing the blame for a negative outcome on external factors that are not entirely
blameworthy is known as ________.
A) scapegoating
B) buffing
C) stalling
D) justifying
E) overconforming
78) Daphne is one of the three project managers at Virgo Inc., an art and design studio. Raymond
and Gabriel, the other two project managers, are unhappy working with Daphne as she always
selects projects that suit her area of expertise and avoids projects which require more ambiguous
work, have tight deadlines, and represent a low probability of success. Raymond and Gabriel feel
that they deserve greater credit than Daphne for being open and accepting different work
demands and situations, as opposed to Daphne, who always takes a conservative and risk-averse
approach. Daphne is using the defensive behavior of ________ here.
A) scapegoating
B) ingratiating
C) stalling
D) retaliating
E) playing safe
79) Which of the following defensive behaviors involves developing explanations that lessen
one’s responsibility for a negative outcome and apologizing to demonstrate remorse?
A) scapegoating
B) misrepresenting
C) justifying
D) overconforming
E) stretching
80) Which of the following is a defensive behavior that is used to avoid change?
A) stalling
B) scapegoating
C) misrepresenting
D) stretching
E) preventing