MBA I Semester I

Organisational Behaviour - Sample Paper

Time: Total Marks: 70

[Note: The Question Paper has five Questions of 14 marks each. It is compulsory to attempt
all the questions.]



Q1. Answer the following multiple choice questions 14 marks

1. Power is the ability of individuals or groups to induce or influence the beliefs or
actions of other persons and groups. Power can be derived from many sources. The
managers source of power that comes directly from his formal position within the
organization is called
(a) Legitimate power
(b) Expert power
(c) Referent power
(d) Reward power
(e) Coercive power.
2. Every organization has certain goals and objectives, and one of the important factors
affecting their achievement is the structure of the organization. In which of the
following organizational structures are activities grouped by workflow?
(a) Functionaldepartmentation
(b) Process departmentation
(c) Customer departmentation
(d) Geographic departmentation
(e) Product departmentation.
3. Which of the following is a course of action selected as a way to deal with a specific
problem?
(a) Downsizing
(b) Leadership
(c) Organizing
(d) Decision-making
(e) Structuring.


4. Complex interactions between the manager's stage of moral development and the
various moderating variables determine whether he will act in an ethical or unethical
manner. Moderating variables include individual characteristics, structural design of
the organization, the organizational culture and the intensity of the ethical issue. The
strength of a person's convictions refers to which of the following individual
characteristics?
(a) Value
(b) Ego strength
(c) Attitude
(d) Perception
(e) Locus of control.

5. Which of the following is not true about the differences between authority and
power?
(a) Authority is the right to do something, power is the ability to do something
(b) Authority is the legitimate power given by an organizationto a member holding a
position power, requires no formal position.
(c) Authority is derived only through position; power is derived through many sources
(d) Authority is a broader concept; power is a narrow concept
(e) Authority can be delegated; power cannot be delegated.


6. Which of the following is/are common forms of group decision-making?
I. Decision trees.
II. Preference theory.
III. Delphi technique.
(a) Only (I) above
(b) Only (II) above
(c) Only (III) above
(d) Both (I) and (II) above
(e) All (I), (II) and (III) above.
7. Acc to Herzberg , Which of the following is a maintenance factor
(a) Salary
(b) Work
(c) Responsibility
(d) Recognition
(e) All
8. Which of the following is a method that can be used to overcome the tendency towards
conformity in group decision-making?
(a) Interactive Groups
(b) Nominal group technique
(c) Groupthink
(d) Senstivity Training.


9. A Study of culture and practices in different societies is called
a) Personality
b) Anthropology
c) Perception
d) Attitude
10. Hawthrone study is related to which state of organizational behavior
a) Industrial revolution
b) Scientific management
c) Organizational Behavior
d) Human relation movement
11. Which motivational theory states that Humans are motivated by levels of need
a) Maslow
b) Hertzberg
c) Porter Lawler
d) All of the above
12. In leadership trait theory for the Ohio state leadership study the leader is
a) combine the focus on task and employee
b) Focus and aim on task and getting things done
c) Inspires workers to aim higher and earn more
d) Is concern about small detail and how to increase productivity?
e) All of the above
13. Girls are not good at sports is an example of
a) Perception
b) Stereotyping
c) Personality
d) Halo effect
14. Felt emotions are:
a) Individuals fake emotions
b) Individuals actual emotions
c) Individuals hiding true emotions
d) Individuals trying to modify true emotions

Q.2 (a) Briefly explain the following terms with example:-
i. Anchoring Bias
ii. BATNA
iii. Little professor in Transactional analysis (TA)
iv. Emotional intelligence
v. Distributive bargaining
vi. Organizational citizenship behavior


07
(b) Distinguish between (any two)
i. Job Enrichment & Job Enlargement

ii. Transactional and transformational leadership.
iii. Trait fit and person fit theory of personality.

07
OR
(b) Compare Maslow s Hierarchy of need theory and Herzberg Two factor 07
theory.


Q.3 (a) What are the common Errors and Biasness and errors occur at the
time of making decisions.

07
(b) Thirty five years ago, young employees who were hired, were
ambitious, conscientious, hardworking and honest. Todays young
workers do not have the same values. Do you agree with the
managers statement? Support your answer with reasons.


07
OR
Q.3 (a) Explain any one situational theory of leadership in detail. 07
(b) What is the evidence for the effect of culture on group status and social
loafing? According to you, how does diversity affect groups and their
effectiveness over time?

07

Q.4 (a) Describe the major factors that describe individual s Personality.
Explain any trait theory in detail.
1.
07
(b) What ere existential positions in TA? How do the following positions
affect the transactional styles of managers ?
a. Im not OK Youre OK
b. Im not OK Youre OK
c. Im OK Youre not OK
d. Im OK Youre OK

07

OR

Q.4 (a) Discuss the steps of negotiation process. What can you do to improve
your your negotiation effectiveness.
07
(b) How does culture influence perceptions of politics, preferences for
different power or influence tactics, and the effectiveness of those
tactics.

07

Q.5 Ethical Dilemma Is there an emotional double
standard for Men and women at work ?
14 marks
Although we all have emotions, norms moderate the display of
emotions at work. You might wonder whether this informal rule applies
more to one gender than another. Are there norms against men
displaying feminine emotions such as compassion or tearfulness, and
are women discouraged from displaying masculine emotions such

as angry hostility or bravado?

Although evidence continues to accumulate, there is some support for
existence of this double standardat least for the few emotions that
have been studied. Research consistently shows that displays of anger
raise mens status and lower womens. One study found female
managers who displayed anger were viewed as having an angry
personality (Shes a witch, Shes out of control), whereas
mens anger was attributed to external circumstances (He was
under pressure, His colleagues behavior caused his anger).
What about crying at work? Stereotype theory would suggest that
crying hurts men more than women, but that does not appear to be the
case. A Penn State study found that crying on the job was more
damaging to a womans career than a mans.
These studies suggest that, to some degree, women are in a no-win
situation. They are expected to be more emotional than men, but when
they show those emotions they are punished for it.
Questions
1. If one of your coworkers cried at work, would it influence your
opinion of him or her? What factors might be relevant to your
appraisal? ( 7 marks)

2. If you were concerned about a possible no-win situation for
women displaying emotions at work, what specific things might
you do to change the culture if you were in charge? ( 7 marks)



OR


Q.5 1. Thanks for Nothing 14 marks
Though it may seem fairly obvious that receiving praise and
recognition from ones company is a motivating experience, sadly
many companies are failing miserably when it comes to saying
thanks to their employees. According to a recent report by
BlessingWhite Inc., 24 percent of Indian workers are highly
disengaged, meaning that they couldnt care less about their
organization. Employee recognition programs, which became more
popular as the world economy shifted from industrial to knowledge-
based, can be an effective way to motivate employees and make them
feel valued. In many cases, however, recognition programs are doing
more harm than good according to Curt Coffman, global practice
leader at Gallup.
Take Ko, a 50-year-old former employee of a dot-com in California.
Her company proudly instituted a rewards program designed to
motivate employees. What were the rewards for a job well-done?
Employees would receive a badge which read U Done Good and,
each year, would receive a T-shirt as a means of annual recognition.

Once an employee received 10 U Done Good badges, he or she could
trade them in for something bigger and bettera paperweight. Ko
states that she would have preferred a raise. It was patronizing. There
wasnt any deep thought involved in any of this. To make matters
worse, she says, the badges were handed out arbitrarily and were not
tied to performance. And what about those T-shirts? Ko states that the
company instilled a strict dress code, so employees couldnt even wear
the shirts if they wanted to. Needless to say, the employee recognition
program seemed like an empty gesture rather than a motivator.
Even programs that provide employees with more expensive rewards
can backfire, especially if the rewards are given insincerely. Employees
may find more value in a sincere pat on the back than gifts from
management that either are meaningless or arent conveyed with
respect or sincerity. However, sincere pats on the back may be hard to
come by. Gallups poll found that 61 percent of employees stated that
they havent received a sincere thank you from management in the
past year. Findings such as these are troubling, as verbal rewards are
not only inexpensive for companies to hand out but also are quick and
easy to distribute. Of course, verbal rewards do need to be paired
sometimes with tangible benefits that employees valueafter all,
money talks. In addition, when praising employees for a job well-done,
managers need to ensure that the praise is given in conjunction with the
specific accomplishment. In this way, employees may not only feel
valued by their organization but will also know what actions to take to
be rewarded in the future.
Questions
1. If praising employees for doing a good job seems to be a fairly
easy and obvious motivational tool, why do you think
companies and managers dont often do it? ( 7 marks)
2. Are there any downsides to giving employees too much verbal
praise? What might these downsides be andhow could you
alleviate them as a manager? ( 7 marks)



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