#19 - In the decade from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s

[moshei24]

In (D), it means most of the downsizing took place starting after the first survey was done, and was finished within a year, so it's saying that the downsizing didn't affect people's sense of job security when the surveys were each taken. Correct?

[Dave Killoran]

Exactly. Good work!

[moshei24]

Thank you!

[Barcelona10]

Hi, I am struggling with this question and was hoping I could get some help.

I was in between B and D, and went with D. The reason why I went with D is that I have no idea how that resolves the fact that both the 1984 polls and 1994 polls revealed similar results. In fact, I thought it didn't help because, if most of the major downsizing during the period was completed within a year after the first survey, then it may be the case that most of the downsizing occurred in the period DURING the first survey--we know only that the downsizing, which is a bad thing supposedly, ENDED or was completed about one year after the survey. The second survey would thus not be experiencing downsizing. So, we are left not knowing why the stated surveys ended up the way they did. Where am I going wrong in my thinking?

B is correct, and I understand why it is also not really resolving anything, but I thought D was not resolving to a greater extent.

Many thanks in advance.

[Steve Stein]

Hi Barcelona10,

That's a good question--it deals with employees' responses to surveys in 1984, and in 1994, and the fact that their perceived job security had not changed much between the first survey and the second, in spite of major downsizing that had taken place in the interim.

Answer choice (D) resolves the paradox by providing that most of the major downsizing took place within a year after the first survey--such downsizing wouldn't affect the 1984 survey, which took place before the downsizing--and if the downsizing were complete within a year, that would leave nine years before the next survey; this would help explain why the employees could have felt fairly secure once again by the time the 1994 survey rolled around...nearly a decade to get over the tough times.

I hope that's helpful! Please let me know whether this is clear--thanks!

~Steve

[Barcelona10]

Thank you for the response!

You are clear, but I again, I am not sure why you read it as the downsizing occurring after the first survey. The answer choice D says that "most of the major downsizing during this period (i.e., the period of the crisis) was completed within a year after the first survey." Just because downsizing is completed or finished after a survey, doesn't mean that such downsizing didn't occur during or even before the survey, does it?

[Steve Stein]

Thanks for your response; good question!

Answer choice D provides that most of the major downsizing was " completed within a year after the first survey." Subtle, but that wording refers to the window of time between the survey and a year after the survey.

Regardless, the paradox deals with the issue that employees' perception of their own job security did not seem to change much from '84 to '94, despite changes that took place during that period. The normal expectation, it would seem, would be that undermining job security would cause the perceived security numbers to drop from '84 to '94, but they didn't drop much.

58% felt very secure in 1985, and 55% were still feeling very secure in 1994. Answer choice D provides that whatever undermining had taken place, the employees had by '94 had nine years to redevelop a sense of security.

Please let me know whether this is clear--thanks!

~Steve

[Barcelona10]

Thanks again, and yes, your explanation was clear!

[reop6780]

Hello, powerscore

I got this one right but had suspicion on answer D.

The problem for me is that downsizing was completed AFTER the first survey.

How come do people on the first survey respond positively when downsizing is ongoing problem since it is not completed till AFTER their survey?

I chose the correct answer B since it is definitely not resolving discrepancy at all, but I need to solve my mystery about answer D.

Thank you, always!

[Steve Stein]

Hi,

Thanks for your message--that's an interesting question. We are told that even though downsizing took place during that decade, people's perceptions about their own job stability remained about the same from 1984 to 1994.

Since this is a Resolve Except question, the four wrong answer choices will all contribute to a reconciliation of the apparent discrepancy. Answer choice (D) provides that most of the major downsizing took place during the year after the first survey. If this were the case, that would give the 1994 survey respondents about nine years to feel secure once again, by the time the later survey came around.

I hope that's helpful! Please let me know whether this is clear--thanks!

~Steve