BU288 - Midterm 1 Exam Questions
and Answers32
Jill paid according to performance and works under clear unbiased performance review system
with appeal mechanisms but pay is 500 under market value. What kind of fairness is violated? -
ANSWERS -High procedural fairness and low distributive fairness
What is organizational commitment? - ANSWERS -An attitude that reflects the strength of the
linkage between an employee and an organization. Implications for whether someone tends to
remain in the organization
3 types of Organizational Commitment - ANSWERS -1. Affective commitment = emotional
attachment and identification, "want to" stay
2. Continuance commitment = the costs that would be incurred in leaving an organization and
the lack of alternative employment, "need to" stay
3. Normative commitment = a feeling of obligation to an organization, "ought to" stay
Consequences of Organizational Commitment - ANSWERS -- All 3 forms of commitment reduce
turnover intentions and actual turnover
- affective commitment is positively related to performance
- continuance commitment is negatively related to performance
- an especially bad performance for both the employee and the organization is high
continuance commitment coupled with low affective commitment
Micro OB - ANSWERS -The attitudes and behaviours of individuals and groups in organizations
Meso OB - ANSWERS -How organizations can be structured more effectively
,Macro OB - ANSWERS -How events in the external environment affect organizations
Goals of OB - ANSWERS -Predict, explain, and manage behaviour and events in organizations
OB Research - ANSWERS -Research is a way of finding out about the world through objective
and systematic information gathering. OB researchers follow strict research methods to conduct
quality research, separates OB from opinion and common sense
Evidence Based Management - ANSWERS -Translating principles based on the best scientific
evidence into organizational practices, managers decide based on the best available science.
EBM is more likely to result in the attainment of organizational goals
Reasons to care about OB research - ANSWERS -- You're a consumer of OB research through
textbooks, business press, professors, etc
- A critical perspective is necessary to evaluate interventions
- Your knowledge of OB research can enable you to practice EBM
Conducting OB Research - ANSWERS -- Decide on your research question
- Articulate your theory and form your hypothesis. Hypothesis = formal statement of the
expected relationship between 2 or more variables. IV/Predictor --> DV/Outcome
- Design your study
- Collect your data
- Analyze data and report findings
Independent Variable (IV) - ANSWERS -The variable that predicts or is the cause of variation in a
dependent variable
,Dependent Variable (DV) - ANSWERS -The variable that is expected to vary as a result of changes
to the independent variable
Moderating Variable - ANSWERS -Variable that affects the nature of the relationship between IV
and DV such that the relationship depends on the level of the moderating variable
Mediating Variable - ANSWERS -A variable that intervenes or explains the relationship between
IV and DV
Measurement of Variables - Reliability - ANSWERS -An index of the consistency of a research
subject's responses
Measurement of Variables - Validity - ANSWERS -An index of the extent to which a measure
truly reflect what it's supposed to measure
Research Techniques - Observational Design - ANSWERS -Listening to what people say and
watching what people do in an organization. Ex. kids and marshmallows
Participant Observation - ANSWERS -Participant observation: researcher becomes functioning
member of the organization
Direct Observation - ANSWERS -Researcher observes organizational behaviour without taking
part in the studied activity. Use when influence is a concern, observer cannot learn the job
tasks, and opportunity to record info is important
Observation Design - Advantages/Disadvantages - ANSWERS -Advantages:
- depth
- breadth
- richness
, - spontaneity
- realism
Disadvantages:
- lack of control
- small number of cases
- limited generalizability to other settings
- Hawthorne effect
Harthorne Effect - ANSWERS -Research subjects can react to being studied and change their
behaviour! Hawthorne effect refers to a favourable response of subjects in an experiment to a
factor other than the IV or treatment. This "other factor" is psychological in nature such as
subjects' reactions to special attention
Research Techniques - Correlational Design - ANSWERS -Measure and examine relationships
between variables without introducing change
- Survey
- Interview
- Existing data
We get correlational relationships not casual relations from correlational design
Relationships between Variables - ANSWERS -Correlation: "x is related to y" or "x and y are
associated". X and Y change together
Casual Relationship: "x leads to y" or "y results from x" or "x predicts y". X changes first then Y
changes along with X (temporal precedence)
- Knowing the correlation != knowing the casual relationship (what causes what)
- Knowing the correlation != knowing why an association exists
- Correlation != Causation
and Answers32
Jill paid according to performance and works under clear unbiased performance review system
with appeal mechanisms but pay is 500 under market value. What kind of fairness is violated? -
ANSWERS -High procedural fairness and low distributive fairness
What is organizational commitment? - ANSWERS -An attitude that reflects the strength of the
linkage between an employee and an organization. Implications for whether someone tends to
remain in the organization
3 types of Organizational Commitment - ANSWERS -1. Affective commitment = emotional
attachment and identification, "want to" stay
2. Continuance commitment = the costs that would be incurred in leaving an organization and
the lack of alternative employment, "need to" stay
3. Normative commitment = a feeling of obligation to an organization, "ought to" stay
Consequences of Organizational Commitment - ANSWERS -- All 3 forms of commitment reduce
turnover intentions and actual turnover
- affective commitment is positively related to performance
- continuance commitment is negatively related to performance
- an especially bad performance for both the employee and the organization is high
continuance commitment coupled with low affective commitment
Micro OB - ANSWERS -The attitudes and behaviours of individuals and groups in organizations
Meso OB - ANSWERS -How organizations can be structured more effectively
,Macro OB - ANSWERS -How events in the external environment affect organizations
Goals of OB - ANSWERS -Predict, explain, and manage behaviour and events in organizations
OB Research - ANSWERS -Research is a way of finding out about the world through objective
and systematic information gathering. OB researchers follow strict research methods to conduct
quality research, separates OB from opinion and common sense
Evidence Based Management - ANSWERS -Translating principles based on the best scientific
evidence into organizational practices, managers decide based on the best available science.
EBM is more likely to result in the attainment of organizational goals
Reasons to care about OB research - ANSWERS -- You're a consumer of OB research through
textbooks, business press, professors, etc
- A critical perspective is necessary to evaluate interventions
- Your knowledge of OB research can enable you to practice EBM
Conducting OB Research - ANSWERS -- Decide on your research question
- Articulate your theory and form your hypothesis. Hypothesis = formal statement of the
expected relationship between 2 or more variables. IV/Predictor --> DV/Outcome
- Design your study
- Collect your data
- Analyze data and report findings
Independent Variable (IV) - ANSWERS -The variable that predicts or is the cause of variation in a
dependent variable
,Dependent Variable (DV) - ANSWERS -The variable that is expected to vary as a result of changes
to the independent variable
Moderating Variable - ANSWERS -Variable that affects the nature of the relationship between IV
and DV such that the relationship depends on the level of the moderating variable
Mediating Variable - ANSWERS -A variable that intervenes or explains the relationship between
IV and DV
Measurement of Variables - Reliability - ANSWERS -An index of the consistency of a research
subject's responses
Measurement of Variables - Validity - ANSWERS -An index of the extent to which a measure
truly reflect what it's supposed to measure
Research Techniques - Observational Design - ANSWERS -Listening to what people say and
watching what people do in an organization. Ex. kids and marshmallows
Participant Observation - ANSWERS -Participant observation: researcher becomes functioning
member of the organization
Direct Observation - ANSWERS -Researcher observes organizational behaviour without taking
part in the studied activity. Use when influence is a concern, observer cannot learn the job
tasks, and opportunity to record info is important
Observation Design - Advantages/Disadvantages - ANSWERS -Advantages:
- depth
- breadth
- richness
, - spontaneity
- realism
Disadvantages:
- lack of control
- small number of cases
- limited generalizability to other settings
- Hawthorne effect
Harthorne Effect - ANSWERS -Research subjects can react to being studied and change their
behaviour! Hawthorne effect refers to a favourable response of subjects in an experiment to a
factor other than the IV or treatment. This "other factor" is psychological in nature such as
subjects' reactions to special attention
Research Techniques - Correlational Design - ANSWERS -Measure and examine relationships
between variables without introducing change
- Survey
- Interview
- Existing data
We get correlational relationships not casual relations from correlational design
Relationships between Variables - ANSWERS -Correlation: "x is related to y" or "x and y are
associated". X and Y change together
Casual Relationship: "x leads to y" or "y results from x" or "x predicts y". X changes first then Y
changes along with X (temporal precedence)
- Knowing the correlation != knowing the casual relationship (what causes what)
- Knowing the correlation != knowing why an association exists
- Correlation != Causation
