Final answer:
Progressive discipline is the approach designed to address problems with just enough corrective action to remedy issues. It starts with minimal penalties and may increase in severity. Positive reinforcement is generally favored over positive punishment. The correct answer is option b. progressive discipline.
Step-by-step explanation:
The disciplinary approach intended to nip the problem in the bud by using just enough corrective action to remedy the shortcoming is known as progressive discipline. This tactic is a system of dealing with job-related behavior that does not meet expected and communicated performance standards. The primary goal of progressive discipline is to assist the employee to understand that a performance problem or opportunity for improvement exists.
Informal negative sanctions can be a part of progressive discipline, as they are less formal actions, like a verbal warning, that indicate disapproval of behavior and are intended to prompt a change in that behavior. Conversely, formal negative sanctions are more structured, such as a written reprimand or suspension.
In this context, disciplinary actions start with a minimal level of penalty and can increase in severity if the undesired behavior continues.
Positive punishment involves adding an unfavorable consequence after an undesired behavior is exhibited. Meanwhile, the use of negative punishment, such as a time-out method referenced in the given example, is designed to remove a desirable stimulus to decrease the unwanted behavior.
While positive punishment can be effective, approaches that focus on positive reinforcement are favored by many today, where desired behavior is followed by a positive stimulus, which can encourage that behavior to occur more frequently.