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Download Stratetic Staffing 2nd Edition Phillips Test Bank all chapters
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Strategic Staffing, 2e (Phillips/Gully)
Chapter 7 Recruiting
2) Interactional fairness relates to people's perceptions of the interpersonal treatment and amount
of information they received during the hiring process.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 170
Skill: Concept
Objective: 1
3) Procedural fairness relates to people's beliefs that the policies and procedures that produced
the hiring or promotion decision were unfair.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 170
Skill: Concept
Objective: 1
4) Spillover effects are a direct and intentional consequence of a firm's recruitment practices.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 170
Skill: Concept
Objective: 1
5) Spillover effects from the recruitment process do not have an impact on the firm's image.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 170
Skill: Concept
Objective: 2
1
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall
8) Frontline recruiters make very few applicant screening decisions.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 172
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
9) Recruiters are seen as setting the standard for talent for the company.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 172
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
10) The largest impact of recruiter behaviors tend to be on overall applicant impressions of the
recruiter.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 172
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
11) Recruiters influence job seekers depending on the degree to which they are seen as reliable
signals of what it would be like to work for that company.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 172
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
12) A recruit's perception of the recruiter's knowledge has little impact on how attractive a job is.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 173
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
14) As per marketing research, responses to sources similar to the recruit are likely to be
unfavorable.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 173
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
2
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall
15) Becoming an employer of choice may increase the number of unqualified or inappropriate
applicants.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 173
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
16) Persuasion is an important recruiter skill, and in order to persuade an individual to consider
leaving a job she or he is happy with, the message must come from a trusted and respected
individual.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 174
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
17) Realistic job previews can help counter inaccurate employer images.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 186
Skill: Concept
Objective: 4
18) Providing a false positive picture of an organization during the recruitment process can prove
to be beneficial in the short-run.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 186
Skill: Concept
Objective: 4
19) When an applicant believes that an assessment method is unfair because it does not give him
an opportunity to demonstrate job-relevant skills ________.
A) distributive fairness is low
B) procedural fairness is low
C) interactional fairness is low
D) interactional fairness is high
Answer: B
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 170
Skill: Concept
Objective: 1
3
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall
20) Roberto applied for the post of a software engineer at Tech Infosystems. He was asked to
correct a software problem as a screening test and then interviewed by a panel that comprised of
a hiring manger, the HR manager, and a software engineer from the firm. Which of the following
statements, if true about the recruitment process, would result in Roberto concluding that the
procedural fairness was high?
A) He was not given the job despite the fact that he corrected the software problem and was
satisfied with the way the interview went.
B) He could not correct the software problem in the screening test and was not selected for the
position.
C) He was not selected for the post after successfully passing the screening test and was bullied
during the interview.
D) He did not get the job, but another candidate who had had a similar interview experience did.
Answer: B
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 170
Skill: Critical thinking
Objective: 1
AACSB: Reflective thinking skills
21) Amy was unhappy with the way she was treated when she applied for the position of a shop-
floor assistant at a local retail outlet. When her friend Carrie hears about this, she stops shopping
at that store. This is an example of ________.
A) incorrect signaling
B) cognitive dissonance
C) spillover effect
D) groupthink
Answer: C
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 170
Skill: Application
Objective: 2
AACSB: Analytic skills
22) Which type of fairness is perceived to be low by most job applicants who are not selected for
a particular job?
A) distributive fairness
B) procedural fairness
C) interactional fairness
D) recruiter fairness
Answer: A
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 170
Skill: Concept
Objective: 1
4
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall
23) An applicant who finds a recruiter to be rude and unhelpful is likely to perceive ________.
A) low distributive fairness
B) low procedural fairness
C) low interactional fairness
D) high procedural fairness
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 170
Skill: Application
Objective: 1
AACSB: Analytic skills
25) For which of the following types of candidates will initial recruiter experiences be more
important in their ultimately becoming applicants at all?
A) active job seekers
B) lesser skilled recruits
C) passive job seekers
D) inexperienced recruits
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 172
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
26) The extent to which recruiters influence job seekers depends on the degree to which
recruiters ________.
A) are transparent in the recruitment process and provide feedback
B) share similar demographic characteristics with the applicant
C) share educational backgrounds with the applicants
D) are seen as reliable signals of what it would be like to work for the company
Answer: D
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 172
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
5
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall
27) Which of the following seems to be most important with regard to recruiter demographics?
A) The recruiter should be of the opposite sex as the recruit.
B) The recruiter should be the same ethnicity as the recruit.
C) The recruiter should be at the same job level as the position being recruited for.
D) The recruiter needs to be able to relate to a recruit's value system and motivations.
Answer: D
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 173
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
28) Tracy has an interview with a disorganized, unprepared recruiter and concludes that the
company does not have a very professional culture. This is an example of ________.
A) a realistic job preview
B) signaling
C) cognitive dissonance
D) a person specification
Answer: B
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 173
Skill: Application
Objective: 3
AACSB: Analytic skills
29) Karen learns that the book store, where she has recently got a job, has no other female
employees. Thinking that this could lead her employers and coworkers to treat her unfairly, she
declines the offer. This is an example of ________.
A) a realistic job preview
B) a person specification
C) cognitive dissonance
D) signaling
Answer: D
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 173
Skill: Application
Objective: 3
AACSB: Analytic skills
30) What is the disadvantage of getting line managers to recruit for a firm?
A) They are not impartial in their recruitment choices.
B) They have to take time out from their actual jobs.
C) They are not competent enough to select recruits.
D) They cause applicants to have a negative image of the firm.
Answer: B
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 175
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
6
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall
31) Having recruiters evaluate candidates for their fit with several different positions is an
example of ________.
A) interpersonal skills
B) applicant attraction
C) multiple assessments
D) workforce development
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 179
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
32) When a union organizer tries to get a job with a company for the purpose of unionizing the
company's workforce, this is known as ________.
A) discrimination
B) negligent hiring
C) reneging
D) salting
Answer: D
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 179
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
33) Which of the following recruiting metric gives the number of employees who voluntarily
quit within their first year?
A) turnover rate in the company
B) new recruit efficiency
C) new hire satisfaction
D) new hire failure rate
Answer: A
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 180
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
34) Which of the following do corporate executives use to form an image of a specific
organization?
A) quality of the firm's products
B) advertisements released by the firm
C) economic performance indicators
D) knowing an employee of the firm
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 181
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
7
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall
35) A formal document detailing the process to be followed when a firm recruits for an open
position is a ________.
A) recruiting guide
B) staffing plan
C) external recruiting analysis
D) realistic job preview
Answer: A
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 181
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
36) How can an organization with a positive employer branding image increase the quality of its
applicant pools?
A) by reducing recruitment flaws through training
B) by following a targeted recruiting effort
C) by using external agencies to recruit for them
D) by following unconventional methods to recruit
Answer: A
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 184
Skill: Concept
Objective: 4
38) Peter will not take a job that offers a salary below $45,000 per annum but is flexible on
where the job is located. For Peter, pay is a ________.
A) noncompensatory screening factor
B) bona fide occupational qualification
C) terminal decision point
D) compromise factor
Answer: A
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 186
Skill: Application
Objective: 4
AACSB: Analytic skills
8
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall
39) Presenting both positive and potentially negative aspects of a job to recruits is a ________.
A) realistic job preview
B) job description
C) job enhancement preview
D) person specification
Answer: A
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 187
Skill: Concept
Objective: 4
40) Before joining the Regal Hotel as a concierge, Maxine was told that she would be required
not only to work her own shifts but also work others' shifts if they were unexpectedly absent. She
was also warned about the temperamental and inebriated guests who often checked in late at
night. In spite of these warnings, Maxine accepted the job. What function of the realistic job
preview has been used in Maxine's case?
A) self-selection
B) immunization
C) vaccination
D) salting
Answer: C
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 187
Skill: Application
Objective: 4
AACSB: Analytic skills
41) While interviewing Denise for the position of counselor at the local rehabilitation facility for
troubled teens, she was informed that her line of work would involve interacting with youths
who have a history of violent behavior as well as drug and alcohol abuse. Denise accepts the
position without hesitation. What function of the realistic job preview is being discussed here?
A) self-selection
B) a commitment to the choice
C) immunization
D) salting
Answer: B
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 187
Skill: Application
Objective: 4
AACSB: Analytic skills
9
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall
42) ________ has (have) been used in some cases to counter inaccurate employer images.
A) Salting
B) Realistic job previews
C) Employer branding
D) Recruiter knowledge
Answer: B
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 187
Skill: Concept
Objective: 4
43) Linda, a qualified and experienced nurse, is being interviewed for the position of a senior
care nurse at a facility for terminally ill patients. Which of the following, if true, would suggest
self-selection has taken place in this situation?
A) She is caught in a dilemma over whether to accept the offer after meeting with several nurses
who tell her about the challenges of the job.
B) She was shown a video depicting a "day in the life" of a worker at this facility and realized
that the job entailed far more hardships than she had anticipated.
C) She was told about the hardships of the job during the interview and was asked to accept the
offer in spite of them.
D) She was asked to serve a month's probation at the end of which the organization would decide
on her job fitness.
Answer: B
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 187
Skill: Critical thinking
Objective: 4
AACSB: Reflective thinking skills
44) Which of the following would help the process of compiling information about the job or
organization that candidates will find more and less attractive?
A) surveying prospective employees
B) surveying present employees
C) surveying external job postings
D) surveying the labor market
Answer: B
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 188
Skill: Concept
Objective: 4
10
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall
45) Which of the following statements is true of a recruitment guide?
A) It is an informal set of guidelines followed by the organization.
B) It addresses external recruitment processes not internal ones.
C) It lays down which staff members are responsible for recruiting.
D) What is and what is not acceptable recruitment behavior is left to the discretion of the staff
member.
Answer: C
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 189-190
Skill: Concept
Objective: 5
46) What is signaling and what role does it play during recruiting?
Answer: Because people often have limited information about organizations and jobs, in the
absence of objective information they may rely on traits of the recruiter and the recruiter's
behaviors as signals of aspects of both the company and the job opportunity. Recruitment
experiences, including perceived recruiter competence, recruitment delays, and the gender
composition of interview panels, are interpreted by applicants as symbolic of broader
organizational characteristics and can negatively influence job offer acceptance decisions.
Applicants may form negative impressions of the organization if a poor recruiter is considered
representative of the organization as a whole.
The choice of the person sent to recruit can be taken as a signal of the importance of the job, with
higher-level recruiters, the actual hiring manager, and the CEO being considered reflective of
more important jobs than staff recruiters. The recruiter may also be a signal of demographic
diversity in the organization if the recruiter is a demographic minority. Because recruiter
behaviors affect applicant attraction indirectly through influencing applicant perceptions of job
and organizational attributes, it seems likely that recruits infer characteristics about the
organization from their experiences with the organization's recruiters. The fact that recruits are
more put off by poor recruiter behavior when the recruiter is a hiring manager rather than a
human resource representative suggests that recruits may make stronger generalizations about
the job and organization from experiences with people in the organization who are closely linked
to that job, such as the hiring manager. This further emphasizes the point that as recruiters hiring
managers can have a large impact on the success of a staffing effort.
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 173
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
11
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall
47) What are recruiter profiles and how are they used in staffing?
Answer: Whether a recruiter is internal or external to the organization, understanding the
recruiter characteristics most likely to attract desired recruits can enhance recruiting
effectiveness. An effective strategy for identifying who should recruit for a given position is to
gather and analyze the information needed to create a reviewer profile of the individual recruiters
who have been the most effective in attracting targeted recruits and meeting staffing objectives in
the past. Over time, organizations can track applicant reactions to different recruiting styles and
messages, and profile the skills, characteristics, and backgrounds of its most effective recruiters
and recruitment options for different positions.
A recruiting source effectiveness analysis may find that external recruiters are preferred to
internal recruiters when time to fill is important and the level of the position is relatively high.
Internal recruiters may be identified as the better choice when low cost-per-hire is the key. When
recruiting new graduates with different degrees, recruiters from different backgrounds may be
differentially effective. Analyzing this type of information can help an organization better
specify who should recruit and what the job specifications should be for the recruiter for each
position.
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 174
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
Just as consumers think about an organization as a provider of products or services, job seekers
form beliefs about the organization as a potential employer, and for many people these beliefs
provide the basis for determining whether to pursue or accept employment offers. This suggests
that newer or lesser-known organizations with weak or nonexistent images among job seekers
may have greater difficulty attracting recruits using passive recruitment sources such as
newspaper advertisements than organizations that are more widely known and favorably thought
of.
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 174
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
12
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall
49) Compare and contrast self-selection, vaccination and commitment to choice as functions of
realistic job previews.
Answer: Realistic job previews (RJPs) involve the presentation of both positive and potentially
negative information to job candidates. Rather than trying to sell them on the job and company
by presenting the job opportunity in the most positive light, realistic job previews strive to
present an honest and accurate picture.
John Wanous, a professor of management and human resources, has identified three functions
that are served by an RJP:
Self-selection: Giving applicants a more balanced picture of the job and organization allows
them to opt out of the application process if the opportunity is not a good match for them. RJPs
do not necessarily make large numbers of applicants more likely to drop out of the application
process, and the applicants likely to be lost after communicating realistic information about the
job and company are not likely to have been successful hires anyway.
Vaccination: RJPs may work by "vaccinating" employees' expectations and allowing them to
develop coping mechanisms to deal with unpleasant or unexpected aspects of the position. When
encountering these aspects on the job, the employee is prepared for them and is less negatively
affected by them.
A commitment to the choice: If employees are informed about the negative aspects of a job
before they accept employment, they cannot claim that they did not know about them. Thus, they
may be more committed to the choice they have made, that is, they may be more inclined to stay
in their positions because they realize they willingly accepted the job despite knowing its
realities.
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 187
Skill: Synthesis
Objective: 3
AACSB: Analytic skills
13
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall
50) How should a recruiter divulge information regarding the job to the applicant with respect to
timing?
Answer: After the firm has identified the more- and less-attractive aspects of the job and the
organization, a decision needs to be made about when to communicate this information to
applicants. The content of the recruiting message is likely to change over time, focusing initially
on broader issues, such as the job title, the general nature and responsibilities of the job, and the
job's location. At the initial stage of making contact with a potential recruit, the communication
is intended to allow each party to quickly and cost-effectively assess the general likelihood of a
fit between the applicant's competencies, values, and experiences and the organization's
particular job openings. If the organization has an opening for an accountant but the potential
applicant has a background and an interest in marketing, the recruiting effort is not likely to be
pursued further by either party. As the fit between the recruit and the job begins to look better,
information that is more detailed is provided about the job's requirements, responsibilities,
authority level, and advancement potential. Job candidates are typically interested in learning all
they can about the organization's strategy and position in its market, the firm's available training
programs, travel requirements, and the stability of the job and company. Candidates may also be
interested in learning what they can about the organization's values and culture, and the
recruitment messages from the company can be designed to inform the candidate about these
issues both directly and indirectly. Compensation issues can be discussed at any time but are
often reserved for late in the recruitment and hiring process.
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 188-189
Skill: Concept
Objective: 4
14
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall
Another random document with
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In der Tiefe.
*
Eines Tages ging es dem Einsiedlerkrebs nicht recht gut. Er
fühlte einen unangenehmen Druck im Magen und konnte fast gar
keine Luft kriegen.
„Was ist denn mit dir los?“ fragte die Seeanemone. „Du hast dir
soeben einen Fisch entgehen lassen.“
„Ja,“ versetzte der Einsiedlerkrebs. „Es geht mir jämmerlich. Ich
werde nicht anders können, ich muß umziehen.“
„Du willst umziehen?“ rief die Seeanemone.
„Ja, ich muß. Ich kann in diesem Hause nicht mehr bleiben. All
das gute Essen hat mich zu dick gemacht.“
„Das ist ja eine schöne Geschichte. Und es ging uns doch gerade
so gut.“
„Es wird uns auch weiterhin gut gehen. Wir wollen uns nach
einem neuen, großen Schneckenhaus umsehen.“
Da machten sie sich auf die Wanderung; und noch am selben
Tage fanden sie eine wunderschöne große Königsschnecke, die auf
dem Meeresgrunde lag. Der Einsiedlerkrebs wandte und drehte sie,
klopfte mit der Schere darauf und sah nach, ob sie dicht sei.
„Sie ist gut,“ sagte er. „Die nehme ich.“
„Und obendrein ist sie leer,“ sagte die Seeanemone. „Das ist ein
Vorzug mehr.“
„Das kann ich nun freilich nicht finden,“ sagte der
Einsiedlerkrebs. „Wäre eine Schnecke darin gewesen, so hätten wir
sie ja fressen können. Und dann wäre das Haus auch rein gewesen.
Jetzt ist es vermutlich voller Sand und kleiner Steine, und ich muß
vor dem Einzug ein gehöriges Reinemachen veranstalten.“
„Wie genau du es nimmst!“
„Ich bin dazu gezwungen. Wenn auch nur das kleinste Sandkorn
drinnen zurückbliebe, so würde es meinen Hinterleib furchtbar
martern, daß ich gleich wieder ausziehen müßte.“
„Ja, es ist wahr ... dein Hinterleib,“ sagte die, Seeanemone. „Den
hab’ ich ja noch gar nicht zu sehen gekriegt. Heraus mit ihm, damit
ich mich davon überzeugen kann, ob er wirklich so weich und lecker
ist, wie du sagst.“
„Er kommt schon, wenn es Zeit ist,“ erwiderte der
Einsiedlerkrebs.
Und nun fing er mit dem Reinemachen an. Er stülpte das
Schneckenhaus um, schüttelte es, beklopfte es mit den Scheren und
steckte seine langen Beine hinein, um in allen Winkeln
herumzuscharren. Dann drehte er es mit der Mündung nach der
Richtung, aus der der Strom kam, so daß das
Wasser gehörig hindurchspülen konnte. Zuletzt
schnüffelte er mit seinen Fühlhörnern nach, ob
noch ein wenig Sand oder Fäulnisstoff darin war.
Das Ganze dauerte über zwei Stunden, und der
Seeanemone fing die Sache an langweilig zu
werden.
„Jetzt genügt es, glaube ich,“ sagte sie. „Man
kann auch z u sorgfältig sein.“
„Nicht, wenn es sich um den Schwanz
handelt,“ sagte der Einsiedlerkrebs.
Er saß eine Weile in Gedanken versunken da, betrachtete sein
neues Haus und betrachtete auch die Seeanemone.
„Bist du wirklich satt, lieber Freund?“ fragte er dann.
„Nicht allzusehr,“ erwiderte die Seeanemone. „Hast du einen
Leckerbissen für mich, so soll’s mich freuen.“
„Allerdings habe ich einen,“ sagte der Einsiedlerkrebs. „Ich habe
meinen Schwanz. Und es würde mir außerordentlich leid tun, wenn
er den Anlaß zur Beendigung unserer Freundschaft geben würde.“
Er sah die Seeanemone scharf an, und die Seeanemone
erwiderte seinen Blick. Dem Einsiedlerkrebs kam es so vor, als ob
sein lieber Freund einen sehr hungrig-gierigen Ausdruck im Gesicht
hätte.
„Tu’ mir den Gefallen und dreh’ dich nach der andern Seite um,
wenn ich den Schwanz aus dem alten Schneckenhause
hervornehme,“ sagte er. „Ich muß dir gestehen, deine Anwesenheit
ist mir äußerst peinlich. Ich glaube, ich habe mein Hinterteil noch
niemand gezeigt.“
„Ach was, ich bin doch dein bester Freund,“ sagte die
Seeanemone.
„Ganz richtig,“ sagte der Einsiedlerkrebs. „Aber ich kann trotzdem
nicht. Hör’ einmal ... ich hab’ eine Idee. Ich will dir zuerst auf das
neue Schneckenhaus hinüberhelfen. Das ist das Allervernünftigste.“
Sie machten sich an die Arbeit, und nach Verlauf einer geraumen
Weile saß die Seeanemone da, wo sie sitzen sollte.
„Du bist nicht hungrig,“ sagte sie.
„Das bin ich allerdings nicht,“ sagte der Einsiedlerkrebs. „Ich
kann bloß nicht verstehen, woher du das wissen willst!“
„Ich merke es an der Art, wie du mich mit deinen Scheren
anrührst,“ erwiderte die Seeanemone. „Ich merke es immer an den
Scheren der Leute, ob sie hungrig sind. Aber komm nun ... jetzt ist
die Reihe an dir. Kann ich helfen, so stehe ich zu Diensten.“
Der Einsiedlerkrebs rührte sich nicht von der Stelle.
Er hatte eingesehen, daß er sich sehr dumm angestellt hatte. Er
hätte die Seeanemone zuerst hinabsteigen und in einiger Entfernung
warten lassen sollen. Dann hätte er selbst hinüberziehen können,
und die Seeanemone wäre nachgekommen.
„Ich bin doch nicht recht zufrieden mit dem Schneckenhaus,“
sagte der Einsiedlerkrebs dann. „Bleib du nur so lange sitzen,
während ich umherkrieche und mich nach einem andern umsehe!
Ich werde bald wieder hier sein.“
„Niemals,“ sagte die Seeanemone. „Es kann nicht deine Absicht
sein, daß ich die Unbequemlichkeit noch einmal haben soll. Komm
... sonst ist es vorbei mit uns.“
„Dann schließe dich,“ sagte der Einsiedlerkrebs. „Zieh’ die Arme
mit den Brennesseln ganz ein, wie du es machst, wenn du dich
ausruhst.“
„Schwatz’ nicht so dumm! Nimm einmal an, es käme gerade ein
schöner Fisch heran! Du weißt ja, ich bin hungrig.“
„Dann wart’ ich, bis du satt bist.“
Und dabei blieb es. Die Seeanemone fing ein paar Fische und
fraß sie. Dann zog sie die Arme ein und saß wieder wie eine
trockene, eingeschrumpfte Feige da. Da ließ der Einsiedlerkrebs das
alte Haus fahren und kam heraus.
„Nä —,“ sagte die Seeanemone und guckte heraus.
„Hinein mit dir,“ schrie der Einsiedlerkrebs. „Wenn du nicht gleich
hineingehst, beiß’ ich dich.“
Die Seeanemone entfaltete sich ganz und fächelte mit den
Brennesseln ganz nah am Hinterleib des Einsiedlerkrebses herum.
„Denk’ daran, wieviel Freude und Nutzen wir noch voneinander
haben können,“ sagte der Einsiedlerkrebs und wand sich
jämmerlich.
„Ich überlege mir das gerade,“ sagte die Seeanemone. „Sonst
hätte ich natürlich längst deinen Schwanz gefressen. Noch nie im
Leben hab’ ich einen solchen Leckerbissen gesehen.“
„Aber es ist nur ein Bissen. Hast du ihn gefressen, so ist er weg.“
Die Seeanemone sagte nichts, fächelte und fächelte nur mit den
Armen und kam dem Hinterleib ihres guten Freundes immer näher.
Der Einsiedlerkrebs krümmte sich in größten Nöten.
„Wenn du das tust, so begehst du eine große Dummheit,“ sagte
er. „Dann mußt du morgen dein altes Leben wieder anfangen, das
nicht entfernt so bequem war wie das, das du führst, seitdem du bei
mir wohnst. Du wirst wieder nur langsam von der Stelle kriechen.
Den einen Tag sitzest du auf einem dummen Stein und lässest alle
Fische entwischen. Den nächsten sitzest du auf einem Hai, der mit
dir auf und davon schwimmt und dich herumwirbelt, so daß du weder
aus noch ein weißt.“
Die Seeanemone fächelte mit den Armen.
„Au!“
„Ich habe dich nicht angerührt.“
„Du warst nahe daran,“ sagte der Einsiedlerkrebs. „Du denkst an
nichts andres. Das kann ich dir ansehen. Wenn du das tust, so
benimmst du dich wie ein junger, unbesonnener Mensch. Als wir
jung waren, da taten wir so etwas. Da dachten wir nie an den
morgigen Tag.“
„Das war eine schöne, schöne Zeit,“ sagte die Seeanemone
fächelnd.
„Neulich sind wir doch übereingekommen, daß d i e G e g e n w a r t
die bessere Zeit ist,“ sagte der Einsiedlerkrebs verzweifelt. „Jetzt
sind wir ruhiger und verständiger und machen uns zunächst immer
klar, wie es werden wird. Wenn ich alt und hinfällig wäre, würd’ ich
noch nichts dazu sagen. Und wenn einer von uns auf dem letzten
Loche pfiffe, so wäre es nur recht und billig, daß der andere ihn
fräße. Er wäre ja der Nächste dazu. Aber nun stehen wir beide im
kräftigsten Alter und können einander für lange Zeit Nutzen und
Freude bringen. Daran solltest du denken.“
„Ich denke daran. Und ich glaube, du hast recht. Kriech also
hinein ins neue Haus! Ich werde dir nichts tun.“
„Ziehst erst deine Brennesseln ein!“
Die Seeanemone tat es, und der Einsiedlerkrebs schaffte
langsam und vorsichtig seinen Hinterleib in das neue Haus. Das
nahm Zeit in Anspruch; ordentlich mußte es ja gemacht werden, und
während der ganzen Prozedur heftete er das eine seiner Stielaugen
auf die Seeanemone. Aber sie bezwang sich, bis alles überstanden
war.
„Das war keine Kleinigkeit,“ sagte der Einsiedlerkrebs. „Ich hatte
wirklich Furcht vor dir.“
„Dazu hattest du auch allen Grund,“ erwiderte die Seeanemone.
„Ich habe mich sehr zusammennehmen müssen. Erinnerst du dich
daran, was du sagtest: Daß wir einander auffressen sollen, wenn wir
alt und verbraucht sind?“
„Ich erinnere mich meiner Worte recht gut und bleibe auch
dabei,“ sagte der Einsiedlerkrebs. „Es ist auch noch gar nicht so
sicher, daß ich früher alt werde als du. Aber das soll unsre Sorge
einstweilen nicht sein. Jetzt ist die Freundschaft erprobt und wird
desto länger vorhalten.“
Drauf kroch er vergnügt von dannen mit seinem neuen Hause
und seinem Freunde auf dem Nacken. Sie fingen eine Menge Fische
ein und gediehen beide aufs beste.
*
Einige Zeit darauf war der Seeanemone etwas sonderbar
zumute.
Sie hatte ihre Not mit der Entfaltung ihrer Blüte und ließ einen
kleinen Fisch nach dem andern entwischen.
Der Einsiedlerkrebs sah es wohl, aber er hatte selber ein paarmal
mit seiner Schere daneben gegriffen und sagte darum nichts.
„Wie geht es dir?“ sagte die Seeanemone hierauf.
„Danke, vortrefflich,“ antwortete der Einsiedlerkrebs. „Und dir?“
„Es ist mir noch nie so gut gegangen wie heute. Ich fragte nur,
weil ich sah, daß du nach einem Fisch fehlgriffst.“
„Wirklich? Ich habe selber gar nicht darauf geachtet. Dagegen
hab ich gesehen, wie d u vorhin zwei Fische vorbeisegeln ließest,
außer einer wunderschönen Schnecke. Du fängst doch nicht etwa
an, dich alt zu fühlen?“
„Gott, wie kannst du das glauben!“ sagte die Seeanemone und
fing an, wie toll mit den Armen zu fächeln. „Du fällst wohl eher als ich
zusammen.“
„Ich ... alt?“ sagte der Einsiedlerkrebs und schnitt heftig mit der
Schere vor sich hin. „Nein, ich werde dich ganz gewiß überleben.
Und dann fress’ ich dich auf. Du weißt ja, so haben wir’s verabredet.“
„Gott behüte! Ich werde dich auch auffressen, verlaß dich darauf!
Im Augenblick bin ich leider nicht hungrig, sonst tät’ ich es gerne
sofort.“
„Na, also hungrig bist du auch nicht! Das ist ja ein schlechtes
Zeichen.“
Der Einsiedlerkrebs fing an, das Haus tüchtig zu schütteln, und
bemerkte, daß die Seeanemone nicht so fest saß wie sonst. Aber es
krachte so in ihm selber, daß er einen gehörigen Schreck bekam.
Die Seeanemone ließ ihre Brennesseln auf einen vorbeistreichenden
Fisch gleiten, aber sie brannten nicht mehr. Der Einsiedlerkrebs griff