Management, 13e (Robbins)
Chapter 5 Managing Diversity
1) The ways in which people in an organization are different from and similar to one another is
known as ________.
A) business etiquette
B) work culture
C) workplace diversity
D) organizational democracy
2) The period of time between the 1960s to 1970s focused on ________.
A) assimilating minorities and women into the corporate setting
B) making employees more aware and sensitive to the needs and differences of others
C) diversity and inclusion for business success, profitability, and growth
D) complying with laws and regulations through affirmative action policies and programs
3) Soon after Jeff was hired as a company accountant, his company developed corporate
programs to help improve self-confidence and qualifications of diverse employees so they could
“fit in.” During which period of time did Jeff start working for his employers?
A) new millennium
B) 1960s to 1970s
C) early 1980s
D) late 1980s to late 1990s
4) During which era was the term “workforce diversity” first used?
A) new millennium
B) late 1980s
C) 1960s to 1970s
D) early 1980s
5) Which of the following was a feature of the period from the late 1980s to the late 1990s in
terms of workplace diversity?
A) shifting from compliance and focusing only on women and minorities to including everyone
B) focusing on complying with laws and regulations, such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
C) seeing workplace diversity as a core business issue, important to achieve business success,
profitability, and growth
D) developing corporate programs to help improve self-confidence and qualifications of diverse
individuals so they can “fit in”
6) In terms of workplace diversity, the New Millennium has witnessed increased focus on
________.
A) complying with laws and regulations laid down by the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission
B) assimilating minorities and women employees into the corporate setting
C) shifting from compliance to include everyone in diversification efforts
D) diversity and inclusion for business success, profitability, and growth
7) People are going to be different. The focus of managers should be ________.
A) to find ways to keep various groups within the workforce from creating conflict
B) to find ways to develop strong relationships with and engage the entire workforce
C) to make sure the practices within their departments comply with the letter of the laws
governing discrimination in employment
D) to find commonalities among various groups displaying surface-level diversity
8) Jack and Jill are discussing the new hire in their department: her hair color, skin tone, manner
of dress, and accent. Jack and Jill are focusing on ________.
A) surface level diversity
B) deep-level diversity
C) stereotypes
D) biases
9) Which of the following demographic characteristics reflects surface-level diversity?
A) differences in values
B) ethnicity
C) personality
D) work preferences
10) Amanda works as a technical support executive at ColorWare Systems. Which of the
following factors, if true, could trigger certain stereotypes about Amanda among her co-workers,
though not necessarily reflecting the way they feel or think about her?
A) Amanda does not believe in engaging in gossip about her coworkers.
B) Amanda prefers working late every evening to working over the weekend.
C) Amanda has a Swedish mother and an African American father.
D) Amanda tends to dominate discussions among her co-workers.
11) How does surface-level diversity differ from deep-level diversity?
A) Surface-level diversity is reflected by differences in personality and values, while deep-level
diversity is influenced by age and ethnic differences.
B) Surface-level diversity can affect the way people view organizational rewards and their
communication with others, while deep-level diversity does not necessarily reflect the ways
people think or feel.
C) Surface-level diversity can affect the way people perceive others, especially in terms of
assumptions or stereotyping, while deep-level diversity may affect general behavior of people at
work.
D) Surface-level diversity becomes more important as people get to know each other, while
deep-level diversity becomes less relevant with increasing familiarity between people.
12) In the process of getting acquainted, John and his new co-worker Bill have discovered they
have different tastes in music and books, that one is extroverted and the other introverted, that
one prefers working in teams and the other works best alone. They are exploring ________.
A) surface-level diversity
B) deep-level diversity
C) stereotypes
D) biases
13) Differences arising from which of the following factors becomes more important to people as
they get to know each other?
A) gender
B) ethnicity
C) sexual orientation
D) personality
14) Which of the following people management benefits arises from workplace diversity?
A) improved system flexibility
B) potential to increase market share
C) increased understanding of the marketplace
D) better use of employee talent
15) Ben is selecting members for a problem-solving team. Which of the following team
compositions is most likely to result in better team performance?
A) employees with at least ten years of seniority
B) employees from the quality department
C) employees from a variety of ethnic and gender backgrounds
D) an all-male or all-female team
16) Which of the following benefits of workplace diversity contributes to organizational
performance?
A) reduced costs associated with high turnover and absenteeism
B) potential source of competitive advantage from improved innovation efforts
C) increased understanding of the marketplace and improved ability to better market to diverse
customers
D) ability to attract and retain employees of diverse backgrounds
17) In his exit interview, James, a member of a minority group, mentioned that he had been
passed over for promotions in favor of less qualified internal candidates. This situation relates to
________.
A) people management
B) organizational performance
C) organizational strategy
D) deep-level diversity
18) When the VP of marketing selected the new product development team members, he made
sure there was a mix of ages, genders, and ethnicities on the team. This VP was most concerned
with ________.
A) people management
B) organization performance
C) organization strategy
D) legal compliance
19) Which of the following benefits of workplace diversity is categorized as strategic?
A) better use of talent
B) improved system flexibility
C) potential to improve market share
D) reduced costs associated with high turnover
20) The concept of workforce diversity expanded from compliance to an issue of business
survival during the early 1980s.
21) Workplace diversity refers exclusively to the differences between employee characteristics.
22) Demographic characteristics such as differences in age, gender, race, etc. reflect surface-
level diversity among employees.
23) Deep-level diversity refers to easily perceived differences that may trigger certain
stereotypes, but that do not necessarily reflect the ways people think or feel.
24) An important impact that workplace diversity has on organizational performance is through
the increase in employee turnover.
25) One of the strategic benefits of workplace diversity is that it can be viewed as the “right”
thing to do.
26) Define “workplace diversity.” Provide a brief description of the evolution of workplace
diversity over the last five decades.
27) Briefly explain the demographic characteristics that affect workforce diversity.
28) Give a brief description of the people management benefits derived from workplace
diversity.
29) What benefits does workplace diversity afford an organization in terms of its performance?
30) How is workplace diversity beneficial to organizations from an ethical perspective?
31) Which of the following correctly reflects the characteristics of the current U.S. population?
A) Nearly one in five Americans today is an immigrant.
B) The median age of the U.S. population has risen significantly over the last decade.
C) The Asian population in the United States is presently the largest ethnic group.
D) The Hispanic community represents nearly one-third of the total U.S. population.
32) As chief of new product development for a U.S. consumer goods firm, Carmen should be
very aware that ________ is likely to have the greatest influence on consumer preferences for the
next few decades.
A) changes in religion
B) the aging of the population
C) declining birth rates
D) increasing inflation
33) Which of the following statements is true of the changing trends in U.S. workplaces?
A) The surge in immigration, especially over the last two decades, has flooded the United States
with low-wage foreign labor.
B) Organizations must recognize that they can’t expect employees to assimilate into the
organization by adopting similar attitudes and values.
C) In most U.S. metropolitan cities, more immigrants are employed in low-wage jobs like
construction, cleaning, or manufacturing, than in white-collar occupations.
D) People now entering the workforce are significantly older, less ethnically diverse and/or
native-born.
34) The total world population is forecasted to hit 9 billion by 2050, at which point the United
Nations predicts the total population will either stabilize or peak after growing for centuries at an
ever-accelerating rate. The main reason for this major shift is ________.
A) the unprecedented rate at which world population is aging
B) the decline in birthrates as nations advance economically
C) the high level of mobility of the international workforce across national borders
D) the alarming rate of depletion of natural resources necessary for sustaining the population
35) Which of the following trends has been observed in the world population in terms of aging?
A) People aged 65 and older will soon outnumber children under age 5 for the first time in
history.
B) The world’s population aged 80 and over is projected to decrease 233% by 2040.
C) The world’s population is growing older, but at a slower rate than it did in comparison with
the previous two centuries.
D) As nations have advanced economically, birthrates have increased in proportion to the
growing world population.
36) Trends observed in the shifting world population indicate that people aged 65 or more will
soon outnumber those aged 5 or less. Also, the world’s population aged over 80 is expected to
more than double by the year 2040. Which of the following is a likely implication of such
population trends?
A) decreasing demands on social entitlement programs
B) increasing global savings rates
C) dwindling labor supply
D) decreasing preference for white-collar occupations
37) According to projections of the U.S. population, the ethnic groups that will exhibit the most
change are the Hispanic and African American populations.
38) The main reason for the predicted stabilization of world population growth by 2050 is the
decline in birthrates as nations advance economically.
39) People aged 65 and older are expected to soon outnumber children under age 5 for the first
time in history.
40) Worldwide population trends indicate that we will witness dwindling labor supply and
increasing total global savings rates.
41) What are the significant trends occurring in the composition of the global workforce? What
are the likely repercussions of such trends?
42) Which of the following perceptions do employers typically have of older employees?
A) lack of sound judgment
B) resistant to new technology
C) weak work ethic
D) better attendance
43) What positive perception do employers typically have of older employees?
A) enthusiastic towards new technology
B) open to change
C) strong work ethic
D) flexible and adaptable
44) Given a choice between Jane, a 50-something internal candidate, and Jenny, a 20-something
internal candidate, Joe selected Jane. Joe would probably say it was because ________.
A) he thought Jane would be more flexible in meeting the needs of the new position
B) he thought Jenny would be uncomfortable with the technology in the new position
C) he expected Jenny would ask for more time off
D) he expected the quality of Jane’s work would be better than Jenny’s
45) Which of the following statements is true of gender diversity in workplaces?
A) No consistent male-female differences exist in problem-solving ability, analytical skills,
competitive drive, motivation, sociability, or learning ability.
B) Today, men make up nearly two-thirds of the workforce, while women account for the
remaining third.
C) Affirmative action policies have resulted in women, generally, starting their careers at higher
levels than men.
D) Despite the disparity in representation in the workforce, women earn nearly as much as men
do on a median basis.
46) In which of the following areas are consistent male-female differences observed?
A) problem-solving ability
B) sociability
C) work schedule preferences
D) competitive drive