Republic of the Philippines

CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE

F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines
GRADUATE SCHOOL

PA 217-HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PUBLIC RELATIONS

First Semester S.Y. 2022-2023
Final Examination

NAME: ERIC JOHN R NEMI YEAR & COURSE: MPA 1 SCORE:

Date: December 16, 2022
Essay Questions:
1. Identify major forces influencing human behavior at work. Discuss briefly.
Personal Motivation

It would be so easy for me to jump to the fundamental attribution error which

suggests that the reason my neighbour’s lawn looks like this is… why? He’s lazy! He’s
just too lazy to care. Perhaps he doesn’t enjoy mowing. That could be true. But maybe
there’s something else going on here.

Personal Ability

It could also be that there’s a personal ability problem. He grew up in the city and
never had a lawn of his own. He never learned how to mow a lawn. He personally lacks
the skills – the ability – to maintain his lawn.

Social Motivation

Maybe there’s a social motivation issue going on. He is very upset with his wife
and so he is making a point. He has decided not to mow the lawn until she treats him
right. So now, my issue is with the wife, right? If I want to see change on my neighbour’s
behaviour I need to start talking to the people in his family.

Social Ability

We know that there could be a social ability challenge. Maybe he’s looking to re-
landscape and he doesn’t know what kinds of plants are indigenous to the area. He’s
already rung the local garden centre but nobody’s called him back. He can’t mow until he
gets more information.

Structural Motivation

Perhaps there’s a structural motivation issue. There’s no incentive for him. We

live in a neighbourhood where there are no council laws dictating that he needs to
maintain his lawn. On top of that, he owns his own business. What’s the best use of his
time? Earning a living by doing his day job or mowing the lawn when there’s no incentive
or reward there?

Structural Ability

And finally, there could be a structural ability problem. Perhaps his lawnmower
isn’t working and needs to be fixed? So as keen as he is on having an award-winning
lawn, he lacks the tools to do the job.

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 Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE
F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines
GRADUATE SCHOOL

Each one of these sources can come into play. We often limit ourselves in
moments where it’s so tempting to jump to the fundamental attribution error – assuming
people are only influenced by personal motivation.

2. Discuss the seven major themes that serve as the foundation for effective human
relations.

Communications- I feel like I practice good communication skills with people in general.
More specifically, recognizing that “communication is the human connection” (Reece,
Brandt, Effective Human Relations, 17) it my effective communication skills are very
positively correlated with how many healthy relationships I have in my life. (I.E.-
Relationships with my friends, family, children, partner, school instructors, student peers,
etc…)

Self-awareness- I think that I have a solid understanding of my self-awareness. Being

aware of my weaknesses and strengths and making decisions on which “battles” are
worth fighting for when having difficulty communicating with people (whether it be my ex-
wife or my children).

Self-acceptance- I didn’t journal any previous experiences regarding past attempts to

overcome obstacles with the intentions of reaching goals at former places of employment
or volunteer organizations. I believe I have a good foundation with my self-acceptance
and it has shown me how to be more tolerant, cope with change and work in group more
successfully. Some of these jobs included the US Army and working with South
Minneapolis Neighbourhood Organizations who wished to oppose city and state
legislation that negatively affected their communities.

Motivation- In my relationships I am frequently reviewing “where we are at” and “what I

could do” to make things better, or keep them as they are. This would be an example of
the motivation theme and how it key to making the best of my interpersonal relationships
with friends, family, and peers.

Trust- In my experience with my step-son Sol, I can see how trust plays an integral role
with how we can overcome the stress of disappointment. Also, by building trust with him,
it enables me to support him in learning how to make good and healthy decisions about
hygiene, homework, dietary choices, and social skills.

Self-disclosure- I did not journal about my previous work experiences, but self-
disclosure is an important key for me because I have a criminal record. I’ve always made
a point to bring this up at all of my interviews, and explain what the crimes where, when
they committed and pointed out my commitment to distance myself from the activities of a
young kid to show that I am a now a responsible parent. This has always worked in my
favour, as opposed to not bringing it up at the interview and then having to go over it after
a thorough background check. Often times, the later-way results in immediate
disqualification from the job I was interviewing for.

Conflict Resolution- Although I avoid confrontation more than I probably should, it’s not
always possible. I find that I have the ability to step into the role of mediator when my
step-son may have an argument or problem communicating with his mom (my partner).

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 Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE
F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines
GRADUATE SCHOOL

3. Describe the nature and diversity in an organization.

People with different demographic differences working in the organization makes diverse
workforce. And it is becoming more important for the organizations to know about these
differences and how to manage it. Diversity is also the common issue in the workforce
environment, in some companies’ employees often get discriminated or misunderstood
because of the diverse features. So, it is important for the companies to manage the
diversity workforce to value best performance. Most important aspect these days is to
train the managers to handle the diverse workforce.
To manage a diverse workplace, organizations need to ensure that
they effectively communicate with employees. Policies, procedures, safety rules and
other important information should be designed to overcome language and cultural
barriers by translating materials and using pictures and symbols whenever applicable.

4. Explain the nature of individual differences, the concept of fit, and the role of realistic job
previews.

Nature of Individual Differences

The fact that people are different from each other is a very common observation. The
differences in psychological characteristics are often consistent and form a stable pattern.
By ‘consistent’, we mean that people tend to show regularity in their behaviour and their
patterns of behaviour do not change very frequently. This consistency and stability in
behaviour is unique to every person. People develop their unique traits/ characteristics
and patterns of behaviour due to their genetic makeup and the environment in which they
are brought up. Once we know these differences systematically, we can utilize the
capabilities of people efficiently for their healthy development. Knowing about the specific
characteristics of a person is necessary in order to extend support and utilize his or her
potential to optimal level.
Individual differences occur due to interaction of genetic and environmental factors.
We inherit certain characteristics from our parents through genetic codes. The phenotype
or the expressed forms of our characteristics depend on contributions of the socio-cultural
environment. This is the reason why we are not exactly like our parents and our parents
not exactly like our grandparents. We do share similarities with our parents in respect of
many physical attributes like height, colour of eyes, shape of nose etc. We also inherit
certain cognitive, emotional and other characteristics from our parents like intellectual
competence, love for sport, creativity etc. However, our own characteristics develop
largely by the support from the environment which we inhabit

The concept of fit has been viewed as an internal consistency among key strategic
decisions or the alignment between strategic choices and critical contingencies with the
environment (external), organization (internal), or both (external and internal). A number
of research perspectives or approaches related to fit are presented. Research design
problems are discussed: definition of terms, theoretical issues, and empirical issues.
Emphasis is on how key variables or dimensions of fit are defined and measured in
research.
Realistic Job Preview (RJP) is a recruiting tool used to communicate both the good
and bad aspects of a job. Essentially, it is used to provide a prospective employee a
realistic view of what the job entails. This measure, much like the job-fit measure, is to
provide candidates a richer description of the agency and the job (e.g., work environment,
duties, expectations) to help them decide if they are a good match. While the RJP can be

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 Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE
F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines
GRADUATE SCHOOL

useful for reducing turnover, it should be used as a candidate self-evaluation tool rather
than a traditional selection device
5. Discuss how attitudes are formed, describe the meaning of cognitive dissonance and
identify the three important work-related attitudes.

Attitude is a general and lasting positive or negative opinion or feeling about some
person, object, or issue. Attitude formation occurs through either direct experience or the
persuasion of others or the media. Attitudes have three foundations: affect or emotion,
behavior, and cognitions. In addition, evidence suggests that attitudes may develop out of
psychological needs (motivational foundations), social interactions (social foundations),
and genetics (biological foundations), although this last notion is new and controversial.

Cognitive dissonance is the discomfort a person feels when their behavior does not
align with their values or beliefs. It can also occur when a person holds two contradictory
beliefs at the same time. Cognitive dissonance is not a disease or illness. It is a
psychological phenomenon that can happen to anyone. American psychologist Leon
Festinger first developed the concept in the 1950s.

The three important work-related attitudes

Avoiding: This involves avoiding or ignoring the dissonance. A person may avoid

people or situations that remind them of it, discourage people from talking about it,
or distract themselves from it with consuming tasks.
Delegitimizing: This involves undermining evidence of the dissonance. A person
may do this by discrediting the person, group, or situation that highlighted the
dissonance. For example, they might say it is untrustworthy or biased.
Limiting impact: This involves limiting the discomfort of cognitive dissonance by
belittling its importance. A person may do this by claiming the behavior is rare or a
one-off event, or by providing rational arguments to convince themselves or others
that the behavior is OK

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 Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE
F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines
GRADUATE SCHOOL

Grading Rubric for each item

Aspect / Task Total Maximum Points Score
points
Introduction & Conclusion 25 points
• topic stated clearly, question clear, situated within “big think”
• conclusion clearly sums up results
• conclusion points to further research and/or policy implications
• clear argument from beginning to end
• spelling and grammar correct
• sentences well-constructed, paragraphs have points
• paper is proper length
Literature review & Bibliography 25 points
• lit review is organized well, focuses on questions
• relevance of literature to question is clear & source notes
• provide credit in footnotes for quotes & ideas
• properly cite sources in bibliography
Model, discussion of question, & Analysis 25 points
• economics used to answer the question laid out clearly
• express something in form of an equation
• good discussion of the question
• data source clearly spelled out; dataset described well
• analysis done properly
• writeup of analysis makes it clear what was done
• discuss results in clear & compelling way
Relevance 25 points
• discuss results in clear & compelling way regarding the relevance of
the moral theories in contemporary society
NOTE: Plagiarism result of 10% onwards disqualifies the entire
paper
Total 100
General Comments:

Prepared by:

NOEL S. MANILA, MAPA

Assistant Professor 1

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