88) Company chants are examples of ________.
A) rituals
B) material symbols
C) stories
D) company policies
E) business strategies
89) Company chants are used to ________.
A) inform employees about changes in rules and policies
B) transmit company culture to employees
C) inform employees about latest technologies
D) communicate company strategies to the employees
E) update employees regarding performance of the company
90) Which of the following can act as a common denominator to unite members of a given
culture or subculture?
A) mechanistic organizational structure
B) 360-degree appraisals
C) jargons and acronyms that are specific to the organization
D) bureaucratic organizational structure
E) narrow span of control
91) Alcoa headquarters has few individual offices, even for senior executives. The space is
essentially made up of cubicles, common areas, and meeting rooms. This informality conveys to
employees that Alcoa values ________.
A) autocracy
B) competitiveness
C) rigidity
D) equality
E) formalization
Ask Socrates Inc. is a computer software company that employs highly intelligent, but somewhat
unusual people. Every Friday, free lollipops, toys, or other treats are given out to encourage
employees to remember how creative they were when they were children. All the new members
of the organization are told about the founders who were three young people who “got lucky”
and sold a video game that they invented. The employees are allowed to dress informally and can
set their own working hours.
92) Which of the following is most likely to be used by Ask Socrates Inc. to inform its new
employees about its founders?
A) stories
B) material symbols
C) organizational charts
D) rituals
E) corporate chants
93) The regular distribution of lollipops, toys, or treats every Friday is an example of a ________
that helps reinforce Ask Socrates’ culture.
A) dominant mechanism
B) ritual
C) primary process
D) protective mechanism
E) fundamental procedure
94) Ask Socrates Inc. employees are allowed to dress informally. This is an example of a
________ through which organizational culture is transmitted.
A) primary procedure
B) ritual
C) material symbol
D) symbolic act
E) fundamental mechanism
95) What are the various ways in which the organizational culture can be transmitted to the
employees?
96) Provide examples of how an ethical culture can be transmitted through stories, rituals, and
material symbols.
97) An organizational culture most likely to shape high ethical standards among its members is
one that ________.
A) is low in risk tolerance
B) is high in aggressiveness
C) focuses only on outcomes
D) takes a short-term perspective
E) balances the rights of multiple stakeholders
98) Pam works for a corporation that recently fired three top managers who were caught using
the company credit cards to lavishly furnish their offices and even purchase “office” furniture
that was found in their personal homes. Which method of maintaining an ethical culture is Pam‘s
company pursuing?
A) serve as a visible role model
B) communicate ethical expectations
C) provide ethical training
D) visibly punish unethical acts
E) provide protective mechanisms
99) A positive organizational culture emphasizes ________.
A) the use of negative reinforcement and punishment
B) the use of rituals in transmitting organizational culture
C) individual vitality and growth
D) the significance of highly centralized management
E) organizational standardization and institutionalization
100) Larry has an employee who is amazing at clearly seeing rules and enforcing them. He has
recently promoted her to the lead position in quality assurance. Which method of creating a
positive organizational culture is Larry utilizing?
A) rewarding more than punishing
B) building on organization strengths
C) using standardized practices
D) building on employee strengths
E) transmitting organizational culture through rituals
101) Patricia is a team leader. When looking at an e-mail from one of her team members, Patricia
noticed that the e-mail was sent at nine-thirty in the evening. The next day she personally went to
the employee’s cubicle and told him how much she appreciated him staying late to get the project
to the client on time. Which aspect of creating a positive organizational culture is Patricia
utilizing?
A) rewarding more than punishing
B) building on organization strengths
C) emphasizing individual growth
D) building on employee strengths
E) providing extrinsic rewards
102) Liz is the lead editor for a small, city newspaper. One of her advertising sales
representatives is pulling in a lot of restaurant clients. Liz realizes that the representative is quite
knowledgeable about food and speaks quite elegantly when describing different dishes. She has
begun discussing with the representative the possibility of collaborating with a writer to include a
weekly restaurant review that includes the representative on the byline. After the first couple of
reviews, the representative is able to increase ad sizes and sales. He is very happy with his new
job diversification. Which aspect of creating a positive organizational culture is Liz utilizing?
A) rewarding more than punishing
B) building on organization strengths
C) emphasizing individual vitality and growth
D) creating loose management oversight
E) using narrow spans of control
103) Organizations that promote a spiritual culture ________.
A) use stories for transmitting the organizational culture to the employees
B) use wide spans of control
C) recognize that people seek to find meaning and purpose in their work
D) de-emphasize community differences within the organization
E) tend to downplay the importance of employee satisfaction
104) Which of the following terms refers to the recognition that people have an inner life that
nourishes and is nourished by meaningful work that takes place in the context of community?
A) dominant culture
B) fundamental mechanism
C) workplace spirituality
D) outcome orientation
E) subculture
105) Art-Is–Us claims to be a spiritual organization. Company employees are encouraged to
show kindness toward others. Employees are treated with esteem and value and supported for
their creativity and flexibility. While the organization values profits, its purpose is to spread the
pleasure of art to as many people as possible. Which of the following is not one of the cultural
characteristics commonly found in spiritual organizations?
A) benevolence
B) competitiveness
C) open-mindedness
D) trust and respect
E) strong sense of purpose
106) An organizational culture that encourages its managers to engage in severe competition and
discourages them from taking risks and innovating is most likely to shape high ethical standards
among its members.
107) A positive organizational culture emphasizes building on employee strengths, rewards more
than it punishes, and emphasizes individual vitality and growth.
108) Workplace spirituality recognizes that people have an inner life that nourishes and is
nourished by meaningful work in the context of community.
109) Spiritual organizations discourage flexible thinking and creativity among employees.
110) What can management do to create a more ethical culture within an organization?
111) Explain the characteristics of a positive organizational culture.
112) Compare and contrast an ethical organizational culture and a positive organizational
culture. How are they similar and different?
113) What is workplace spirituality?
114) What are the characteristics of a spiritual organization?
115) How can U.S. managers be culturally sensitive?
A) by indulging in frequent discussions about religion
B) by discussing politics frequently
C) by listening more
D) by speaking quickly
E) by talking in a high tone of voice
116) Which of the following statements is true regarding effects of national culture on
organizational culture and ethical behavior within an organization?
A) As compared to managers in the United States, managers in developing economies are less
likely to see ethical decisions as embedded in a social environment.
B) Organizations can safely ignore local culture while establishing its operation in another
country.
C) Generally, U.S. managers see bribery, nepotism, and favoring personal contacts as highly
unethical.
D) Organizational cultures rarely reflect national culture.
E) Most U.S. managers do not view profit maximization as a moral obligation.
117) Explain the difference between a typical U.S. manager’s point of view of ethical behavior
and that of a manager in a developing economy and the implications of the difference.