GWD-2-Q8

verygong

The traditional model of employer-employee relations in the United States was a “psychological contract” in which employees made long-term commitments to organizations in exchange for long-term job security, training and development, and internal opportunities for promotion.  Beginning mainly with the recession in the early 1970’s, this paradigm began to unravel.  Organizations began using extensive downsizing and outsourcing to decrease the number of permanent employees in the workforce.  Among employees this situation has resulted in a decided shift in desire: instead of working their way up in an organization, many now prefer to work their way out.  Entrepreneurship at the small business administration are now the fastest-growing majors in business schools.  

   Several factors have generated movement from the old paradigm to the new one. Organizations have had legitimate and pressing reasons to shift to a new paradigm of employer-employee relations.  Large numbers of permanent employees make it difficult for organizations to respond quickly to downturns in demand by decreasing payroll costs. The enormous rights in wrongful discharge suites has created incentives for organizations to use temporary, contract, and leased employees in order to distance themselves from potential litigation problems.  Moreover, top management is under increased pressure from shareholders to generate higher and higher levels of return on investment in the short run, resulting in declines in hiring, increases in layoffs, and shortage of funds for employee development.

   At the same time, a lack of forthrightness on the part of organizations has led to increased cynicism among employees about management’s motivation and competence. Employees are now working 15 percent more hours per week than they were 20 years ago, but organizations acknowledge this fact only by running stress-management workshops to help employees to cope.  Sales people are being asked to increase sales at the same time organizations have cut travel, phone, and advertising budgets.  Employees could probably cope effectively with changes in the psychological contract if organizations were more forthright about how they were changing it. But the euphemistic jargon used by executives to justify the changes they were implementing frequently backfires; rather than engendering sympathy for management’s position, it sparks employees’ desire to be free of the organization all together.  In a recent study of employees’ attitudes about management, 49 percent of the sample strongly agreed that “management will take advantage of you if given the chance.”

Q8:

The passage suggests that organizations’ movement to the “new paradigm” (line 11) is based in part on the expectation that wrongful discharge suites against employers are____?

 

A.      less likely to be filed by non-managerial employees than by managers

 

B.       less likely to be filed by leased employees than by contract employees

 

C.      less likely to be filed by contract employees than by permanent employees

 

D.      more likely to be filed by employees with a long history in the organization than by newer hirers

 

E.       more likely to be filed in small organizations than in large ones

Answer C, how to translate into Chinese? A little bit confused...thx

chouliulu

The enormous rights in wrongful discharge suites has created incentives for organizations to use temporary, contract, and leased employees in order to distance themselves from potential litigation problems.
应该是定位于这一句。

公司为了避免被卷入可能的官司而使用暂时的，合同的，租借的雇员。

verygong

thanks, so how to translate the answer C, I thought it was B...

weixiaozi09

B哪里错了呢？

miaoyin_tx

B.       less likely to be filed by leased employees than by contract employees

C.      less likely to be filed by contract employees than by permanent employees

文中leased，contract employee和permanent employee是对应的，b比较错了对象，field这里大概是 引起导致 之类的意思。contract/leased employee 不大会去跟employer闹，这是文中的信息，所以现在在管理者里有转用这类employee的行为。

开若兰

QUOTE:

以下是引用miaoyin_tx在2009-9-18 6:54:00的发言：

filed这里大概是 引起导致 之类的意思。

 

file（vt.）在这里的意思是：（向有关当局）提交（法律文件，申请书）；（向…）提起（诉讼）。

开若兰

 

Question 5:
The primary purpose of the passage is tofficeffice" />

 

A. discuss the financial implications of a recent shift in attitudes among workers

B. propose a new approach for businesses to increase loyalty among their employees

C. defend certain business practices in light of criticism of corporations, actions in a recent past

D. speculate about possible long term benefits of a recent change in the general business climate

E. consider some of the factors contributing to a major shift in employer-employee relationships

 

Question 6:

The passage suggests that which of the following is a legitimate reason for organizations’ shift to the new model of

employer-employee relations?

 

A. Organizations tend to operate more effectively when they have a high manager-to-employee ratio.

B. Organizations can move their operations to less expensive locations more easily when they have fewer permanent

employees.

C. Organizations have found that they often receive higher quality work when they engage in outsourcing.

D. Organizations with large pools of permanent workers risk significant financial losses if the demand for their product or

service decreases.

E. Organizations are under increasing pressure to adopt new technologies that often obviate the need for certain workers.

 

Question 7:
Which of the following best characterizes the function of the final sentence of the passage (lines 30-32)?

 

A. It is such as an alternative explanation for phenomenon discussed earlier in the passage.

B. It provides data intended to correct a common misconception.

C. It further weakens an argument that is being challenged by the author.

D. It introduces a specific piece of evidence in support of a claim made at beginning of the final paragraph

E. It answers a question that is implicit in the preceding sentence.