Practice Management Final Exam

Front 1

True or False: An ad hoc committee and a task force differ from each other in that one is a temporary arrangement and the other is essentially permanent.

Back 1

False

Front 2

True or False: It is an essential requirement of any committee that its members never attempt to exercise line authority over others.

Back 2

False

Front 3

True or False: An advantage of committee activity is that the stimulation of shared thinking may lead to a better decision than that reached by an individual.

Back 3

True

Front 4

True or False: A committee can never take the place of individual managers who accept specific responsibilities and exhibit leadership.

Back 4

True

Front 5

True or False: When a committee is created, it is best to first constitute the committee, then charge its members with describing the group's purpose, function, and scope of activity.

Back 5

False

Front 6

True or False: A sometimes-encountered disadvantage of committees is the occasional committee that continues to exist and to meet long after its basic charge has been fulfilled and it has outlived its usefulness.

Back 6

True

Front 7

True or False: For most standing committees in a health care organization, meeting minutes or other records of proceedings are optional, created or not according to the chairperson's performance.

Back 7

False

Front 8

True or False: A "team" is ordinarily seen as less formal or less structured than a "committee," although it is possible for each to exist for a specific purpose..

Back 8

True

Front 9

True or False: There is always the chance that a team composed of mostly rank-and-file employees could be considered an illegal labor organization.

Back 9

True

Front 10

True or False: Some important and highly disruptive effects on teams occur because most rewards and compensation systems focus on individual effort rather than on team performance.

Back 10

True

Front 11

The ad hoc committee is created for the express purpose of:
A) exploring or otherwise talking over a problem of specific interest to the department.
B) deliberating on a recurring basis within the context of a specific grant of authority.
C) dealing with one issue and disbanding when the issue is resolved.
d) none of the above.

Back 11

C) dealing with one issue and disbanding when that issue is resolved.

Front 12

The plural executive is:
A) a body such as an organization's board of directors that exercises authority over the organization's management.
B) a governing group of two or more individuals of equal authority
C) a standing committee that is required by law or regulation
D) a management body that exercises authority over the multiple elements of a system

Back 12

A) a body such as an organization's board of directors that exercises authority over the organization's management

Front 13

A sometimes-significant disadvantage of committees is that:
A) committee interaction, with its emphasis on deliberation and group participation, is relatively slow compared with other decision-making processes.
B) the time consumed including the hours spent in formal meetings can be expensive.
C) coordinating the availability of a number of busy committee members can be difficult
D) all of the above.

Back 13

D) all of the above

Front 14

A Team composed primarily of rank-and-file employees may legally engage in:
A) discussions of terms and conditions of employment for the purpose of offering recommendations to management
B) deliberations concerning specific employee grievances.
C) pursuit of work-simplification or methods improvement projects
D) representation of fellow workers is discussions with management.

Back 14

C) pursuit of work-simplification or methods improvement projects.

Front 15

Active employee participation in conducting the business of the organization can be encouraged by:
A) requiring each employee to submit one new work-improvement idea each month.
B) getting employees together occasionally to solicit their observations and brainstorm ideas.
C) mandating the establishment of employee committees charged with specific responsibilities.
D) providing each group of employee with a strong leader who will ensure participation.

Back 15

B) getting employees together occasionally to solicit their observations and to brainstorm ideas.

Front 16

True or False: As is feasible, all conflict should be resolved at as low an organization level as possible.

Back 16

True

Front 17

True or False: Some of the patterns of accommodation to organizational life that are functional for the organization can be dysfunctional for the individual employee.

Back 17

True

Front 18

True or False: The prospect of negative sanctions is the most effective means of ensuring employee compliance and performance.

Back 18

False

Front 19

True or False: The development of an employee's sense of identification with the organization if good for the organization but rarely is it good for the individual.

Back 19

False

Front 20

True or False: Salary and benefits are generally accepted as the strongest forces motivating employees to perform.

Back 20

False

Front 21

The situation in which a teacher's union goes on strike at the beginning of the school year is an example of the conflict strategy of:
A) containment of conflict
B) contagiousness of conflict
C) strategic leniency
D) routinization of conflict

Back 21

B) contagiousness of conflict

Front 22

A collective bargaining agreement (union contract) specifies the jobs covered by the agreement. This part of the contract is referred to as:
A) union security clause
B) union activity clause
C) management rights clause
D) recognition clause

Back 22

B) union activity clause

Front 23

A collective bargaining agreement (union contract) specifies that individuals in covered jobs must join the union. This part of the contract is referred to as:
A) recognition clause
B) union activity clause
C) union security clause
D) management rights clause

Back 23

A) recognition clause

Front 24

True or False: Employee training and staff development are helpful overall but have little effect in changing behavior to meet the needs of the organization.

Back 24

False

Front 25

True or False: It is difficult to detect certain forms of e-mail abuse by employees because an individual's e-mail is private.

Back 25

False

Front 26

True or False: Any employee, professional or otherwise, is more likely to contribute to short-term turnover if he or she has not been adequately oriented.

Back 26

True

Front 27

True or False: An organization can usually successfully forbid any full-time employee to engage in outside business or financial activities of any kind

Back 27

False

Front 28

True or False: The Stark Law is federal legislation that makes it illegal for physicians to refer Medicare or Medicaid patients to other providers in which they have a financial interest.

Back 28

True

Front 29

In the process of mentoring, in which a more experienced employee guides and nurtures a newer, less experienced employee, it is recommended that:
A) all senior employees in the department be assigned their turn as mentors to afford them the experience
B) at the start of the relationship a specific length of time for the mentoring to last is established
C) the manager closely monitors the mentor's behavior during the relationship
D) mentors should serve voluntarily and willingly without being required to do so

Back 29

D) mentors serve as voluntarily and willingly without being required to do so

Front 30

According to straightforward interpretation of most organizations' codes of conduct, which of the following does not constitute an ethical violation:
A) taking orders for one's home-based food container business at the office during the work day
B) photocopying a recipe booklet on the office copier
C) using one's own cell phone to place personal calls at one's work station during lunch hour
D) selling one's children's fund-raising candy bars at work

Back 30

C) using one's own cell phone to place personal calls at one's work station during lunch hour

Front 31

Which of the following is ordinarily not covered during a general orientation to the organization?
A) how to file claims under the organization's health insurance program
B) the administrative structure of the organization
C) the customary timing and frequency of performance evaluations
D) the organization's expectations concerning attendance

Back 31

A) how to file claims under the organization's health insurance program

Front 32

An adequate training objective includes all of the following except:
A) level of mastery or acceptable performance level
B) time limit for reaching level of mastery
C) performance standard
D) error penalty

Back 32

D) error penalty

Front 33

The capacity to obtain compliance from another without relying on formal actions, rules or force is termed:
A) power
B) authority
C) influence
D) congruence

Back 33

C) influence

Front 34

The right to command or exact compliance in an organization it termed:
A) power
B) authority
C) influence
D) congruence

Back 34

B) authority

Front 35

The zone of acceptance is the same as:
A) zone of compliance
B) zone of reciprocal influence
C) zone of indifference
D) zone of attentiveness

Back 35

C) zone of indifference

Front 36

All of the following are alternate terms for technical competence except:
A) functional authority
B) law of the situation
C) authority of the facts
D) zone of attentiveness

Back 36

D) zone of attentiveness

Front 37

Which of the following is an impersonal source of a manger's authority?
A) functional authority
B) official position
C) law of the situation
D) talent and traits of the manager

Back 37

B) official position

Front 38

All of the following are impersonal restrictions on the manager's authority except:
A) zone of indifference
B) union contract
C) state licensure laws
D) predominant value system of the society

Back 38

A) zone of indifference

Front 39

All of the following terms for styles of leadership are related except:
A) authoritarian
B) boss-centered
C) laissez-faire
D) bureaucratic

Back 39

C) laissez-faire

Front 40

The usual style of leadership among professional practitioners is:
A) authoritarian
B) boss-centered
C) laissez-faire
D) bureaucratic

Back 40

C) laissez-faire

Front 41

Participative leadership style is the opposite of:
A) charismatic leadership
B) situational authority
C) autocratic authority
D) laissez-faire leadership

Back 41

C) autocratic authority

Front 42

The committee chair position is rotated among the members. This is an example of:
A) bureaucratic leadership
B) participative leadership
C) zone of indifference pattern
D) laissez-faire pattern

Back 42

B) participative leadership

Front 43

True or False: The widespread changing of the name "Personnel" to "Human Resources" has been instrumental in elevating the status of this organizational level.

Back 43

False

Front 44

True or False: Incidents of "sexual harassment" are not limited in the workplace; they can still occur off-premises and after hours.

Back 44

True

Front 45

True or False: The Federal legislation that had the greatest influence on the human resources workload was the Equal Pay Act of 1963.

Back 45

False

Front 46

True or False: Because of its value in the organization, the Human Resource department is essentially immune to downsizing or outsourcing.

Back 46

False

Front 47

True or False: Human Resources department is not the ultimate decision maker of whether an individual is discharged.

Back 47

True

Front 48

True or False: In a given organization, the labor relations function might be part of Human Resources or it might be a department in its own right.

Back 48

False

Front 49

True or False: In working with Human Resources on recruitment, the department manager should continue to request more applicants until a perfect or near-perfect one arrives.

Back 49

False

Front 50

True or False: Although the bulk of the payroll function may reside in the Finance division or even be outsourced, Human Resources often handles the critical input to the payroll system.

Back 50

True

Front 51

True or False: Human Resource's involvement with the performance appraisal system is limited to the distribution of forms and the filing of completed evaluation.

Back 51

False

Front 52

True or False: For Human Resources to be of maximum assistance to the departments, it is necessary for the managers to frequently take the initiative to challenge Human Resources.

Back 52

True

Front 53

The management of Human Resources department of the organization:
A) has direct authority over all department managers and employees concerning infractions of work rules and personnel policies.
B) should wait to be called upon before offering advice, counsel, or assistance.
C) exercises line authority only within the human resources department
D) functions best in a natural adversarial relationship with department managers

Back 53

C) exercises line authority only within the human resources department.

Front 54

The federal legislation that has made the greatest impact on the workload of Human Resources is:
A) the Family and Medical Leave Act
B) the Civil Rights Act of 1964
C) the Americans with Disabilities Act
D) the 1975 amendments to Taft-Hartley (the Labor-Management Relations Act)

Back 54

B) the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Front 55

Which of the following activities is least likely to be found in the majority of present-day Human Resource departments?
A) compensation
B) risk management
C) recruitment
D) employee relations

Back 55

B) risk management

Front 56

When human resources finds it necessary to recommend against a department manager who wishes to fire a particular employee, it is usually because:
A) there is no documentation trail showing that procedures have been followed.
B) Human Resources, not the manager, is responsible for deciding who gets fired.
C) Human Resource practitioners' judgment overrules that of the department managers.
D) the department manager is most likely acting arbitrarily.

Back 56

A) there is no documentation trail showing that the procedures have been followed.

Front 57

Concerning the wage and hour laws applicable to the organizations, the department manager:
A) need know little or nothing about these laws, which are the province of Human Resources
B) need not be concerned with the differences between exempt and nonexempt employees
C) should be generally conversant with these laws so as to be able to answer employee's routine questions
D) should have full working knowledge of all pertinent aspects of the Fair Labor Standards Act

Back 57

C) should be generally conversant with these laws so as to be able to answer employee's routine questions

Front 58

True or False: When writing a business letter it is recommended to make the same important statement two or three times in different words to ensure it is understood.

Back 58

False

Front 59

True or False: One significant problem affecting interpersonal communication is the tendency of most people to believe they are better communicators than they really are.

Back 59

True

Front 60

True or False: The potentially strongest means of communication in business is the formal letter.

Back 60

False

Front 61

True or False: Electronic mail (e-mail) is an efficient means of communication because, unlike formal letter writing, editing and rewriting are unnecessary.

Back 61

False

Front 62

True or False: One of the principle advantages of face-to-face communication is that the recipient of the message is exposed to nonverbal as well as verbal elements.

Back 62

True

Front 63

True or False: Empathy in communication is the ability to project one's personality onto others and think and feel as they do.

Back 63

True

Front 64

True or False: The first need to be considered when it is proposed to hold a meeting is what persons of what qualifications should attend.

Back 64

False

Front 65

True or False: The principle reason for keeping formal letter writing to a bare minimum is to avoid contributing to the overflow of the paperwork experienced in health care.

Back 65

False

Front 66

True or False: It can often be shown that the fastest means of communication within the work organization operates outside of the organization's formal communication channels.

Back 66

True

Front 67

True or False: Distrust of various individuals within the chain of command can impede both upward and downward communication.

Back 67

True

Front 68

As a communication process, listening presents unique problems largely because:
A) listening is a passive process, while the other communication processes (speaking,writing,reading) are all active.
B) there is a strong tendency among many people to equate listening with simple hearing.
C) rather than listening, some people are thinking of what they will say next.
D) all of the above

Back 68

D) all of the above

Front 69

Information flows downward in an organization better than it flows upward in part because:
A) management controls most of the means of communication within the organization.
B) few employees feel they have anything worth communicating upwards.
C) the majority of employees are readily receptive to whatever comes down from top management.
D) employees know that even if they say or ask nothing, management will anticipate their needs and communicate accordingly.

Back 69

A) management controls most of the means of communication within the organization.

Front 70

The telephone will remain important in business communication because:
A) it has proven to be the most accurate means on interpersonal communication available.
B) it provides the opportunity for immediate feedback and response.
C) since the person on the other end of the line is not seen, irrelevant distractions are avoided.
D) it leaves no tell-tale record of what was said it how it was said.

Back 70

B) it provides the opportunity for immediate feedback and response.

Front 71

Which of the following is not one of the principle components of communication?
A) initiation
B) feedback
C) argument
D) transmission

Back 71

C) argument

Front 72

Feedback is an essential part of all modes of communication because:
A) all parties to a conversation and all recipients of a message are entitled to their turn
B) it is needed to ensure that the intended message was received
C) whether needed or not, it is the step that closes the communication loop
D) all of the above

Back 72

B) it is needed to ensure that the intended message was received

Front 73

A collective bargaining agreement (union contract) specifies that management may implement work rules. This part of the contract is referred as:
A) disciplinary action clause
B) management rights clause
C) union activity clause
D) mutual agreement clause

Back 73

B) management rights clause

Front 74

Management refuses to provide a designated bulletin board for union activity notices. This is a violation of:
A) union activity clause
B) mutual agreement clause
C) union recognition clause
D) union security clause

Back 74

A) union activity clause

Front 75

A teachers' union postpones its strike actions until the first day of classes for the school year. This is an example of the conflict strategy of:
A) limitation of conflict
B) routinization of conflict
C) expansion of conflict
D) dramatization of conflict

Back 75

C) expansion of conflict

Front 76

A union and management agree to settle their issues and enter into a new labor union contract through binding arbitration in order to avoid a strike. This is an example of the conflict strategy of:
A) limitation of conflict
B) routinization of conflict
C) expansion of conflict
D) dramatization of conflict

Back 76

C) expansion of conflict

Front 77

Conflict within the work organization is:
A) contrary to efficient operations, counter-productive, and to be avoided whenever possible
B) an inevitable component of cooperative action; that is, can always be expected
C) expected to consume a significant portion of top management's time and attention
D) an ever-destructive force that detracts from organizational effectiveness

Back 77

B) an inevitable component of cooperative action; that is, can always be expected

Front 78

It is essential for every health care organization to have work rules and personnel policies because:
A) these are required by various government agencies and other regulatory bodies
B) without them, employees would be going their own way and doing as they wish
C) they are needed to guide employee behavior and provide the basis for consistent treatment of employees
D) without their guidance, department managers will ignore many troublesome situations

Back 78

C) they are need to guide employee behavior and provide the basis for consistent treatment of employees

Front 79

The training method in which an employee is given job assignments in a variety of work assignments in a planned sequence is termed:
A) role playing
B) conference rotation approach
C) job rotation approach
D) case study approach

Back 79

C) job rotation approach

Front 80

All of the following are external mandates for training programs except:
A) mission and values statement of the organization
B) professional licensure requirements
C) risk management programs imposed by insurance carrier
D) accrediting agency requirements

Back 80

A) mission and values statement of the organization