Chapter 01: Human Resource Management in Organizations: Aplia Assignment

Shu Lin works in the HR Department of Life Plus Inc., an investment firm. Shu Lin's primary responsibilities include conducting job evaluations, administering salary surveys to assess market rates for different jobs, and researching best practices for employee pay-for-performance incentive plans. Which of the following HR functions does Shu Lin perform? A. Total rewards B. HR strategy and planning C. Talent management D. Talent acquisition

A. Total rewards

------------------ consists of the shared values and beliefs that give members of an organization meaning and provide them with rules for behavior.

Organizational culture

You have just accepted the job of Vice President of HR for Tesla. You know that the company is faced with many key strategic issues right now, including whether or not to build a plant in China, how to handle complaints of overwork from the manufacturing employees, and how to hire highly skilled new employees while keeping costs as low as possible. Which of the following activities would be most useful as you try to help Tesla meet its business challenges? Check all that apply. ( ) Making sure that all managers are aware of the latest employment laws ( ) Connecting with HR leaders from other companies to see how they have handled similar issues ( ) Setting up interdisciplinary teams to deal with issues ( ) Creating a new benefits system for employees

- Connecting with HR leaders from other companies to see how they have handled similar issues - Setting up interdisciplinary teams to deal with issues

Which HR role can create conflicts with line managers because of differences in opinion about how to manage employees? A. Strategic role B. Administrative role C. Operational and employee advocate role

C. Operational and employee advocate role

Dina is preparing a new training class for IT professionals. The class is called Why Can't They Ask Me for What They Need? and it is designed to give IT workers better customer service skills. What HR function is Dina performing? A. Talent management and development B. HR strategy and planning C. Employee and labor relations D. Risk management

A. Talent management and development

Which of the following functions are the responsibility of a modern HR department but were not responsibilities of personnel departments in the 1950s? Check all that apply. ( ) Working on mergers and acquisitions ( ) Improving the company's social responsibility ( ) Managing technological advances ( ) Outsourcing

ALL APPLY

Chris Mittelstaedt, founder and CEO of The FruitGuys, says that he is honest, doesn't hide anything from anyone, and has no hidden agendas. Chris's description of himself coincides with which competencies required of human resources managers? A. HR expertise B. Ethical practice C. Business acumen D. Critical evaluation

B. Ethical practice

Riordan has just taken a job as an HR Director at Nike. One of his first assignments is to find a way to get store managers to effectively handle HR tasks, such as performance reviews, training, promotions, and layoffs. Which of the following approaches would be best for doing this work? A. Give store managers complete responsibility for all store-related HR activities B. Tell the store managers that they will not receive bonuses unless they strictly follow Nike's HR policies C. Ask the store managers to meet with him to develop a new performance review process D. Tell store managers that they will be held personally liable should an employee bring a suit against Nike for employment practices

C. Ask the store managers to meet with him to develop a new performance review process

Based on Rebecca's description of Chris as allowing employees to bring their own passion and investment and considering them as more than employees, and Chris's description of himself as being open and honest, which HR role is Chris taking on? A. Strategic advice and counsel B. Policy formulation and implementation C. Service D. Employee advocacy

D. Employee advocacy

Elizabeth is an employee at Gaggle, a large organization that is devoted to wildlife conservation, education, and research. Elizabeth develops and validates hiring tools, such as structured interviews and personality tests, so that Gaggle can hire the best employees. Which HR function does Elizabeth perform? A. HR strategy and planning B. Talent management C. Equal employment opportunity D. Talent acquisition

D. Talent acquisition

Dmitri is the General Manager of a large department store in Vancouver, British Columbia. From Dmitri's perspective, his HR department has just a few tasks: getting payroll checks out correctly, making sure the company has up-to-date information about employees, and ensuring that the company doesn't get into legal troubles based on the way they work with employees. Dmitri perceives the HR department is operating in a way that is most similar to __________________.

a personnel department

Social media can be problematic for companies for which of the following reasons? Check all that apply. ( ) It can be used to harm a company's reputation. ( ) It doesn't give managers good information about what employees are thinking. ( ) It can be used to disclose trade secrets. ( ) Regulating it can violate worker's rights.

- It can be used to harm a company's reputation. - It can be used to disclose trade secrets. - Regulating it can violate worker's rights.

In small companies, what is the biggest impact for line managers of implementing a new HR department? Check all that apply. ( ) It gives them more time for vacations. ( ) It takes up their time because they have to implement formal HR policies. ( ) It frees up their time so they can focus on their primary activities. ( ) It makes them less likely to pay attention to their employees.

- It frees up their time so they can focus on their primary activities.

Which of the following areas of content knowledge is more heavily tested (as a percentage of the total certification) in the SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources) than in the PHR (Professional in Human Resources)? A. Talent planning and acquisition B. Leadership and strategy C. Total rewards D. Learning and development

B. Leadership and strategy

A large retail store is experiencing huge problems with high turnover among its sales associates. Interviews with employees who have quit their jobs has revealed that low pay, a lack of opportunities for advancement, and high stress were the main reasons why sales associates were quitting. The store manager decided that she wanted to hire a consultant to help the company to reduce employee turnover. This store manager needs to hire a consultant who specializes in _______________________.

human resource management

When do most small businesses add an HR function to their management team? A. When they achieve a million dollars a year in sales B. When they have between 80 and 100 employees C. After they have added accounting, sales, and marketing functions D. After the first CEO of the company leaves

B. When they have between 80 and 100 employees

Tyler has been hired as the new HR chief officer at Uber, a company that has faced many ethical problems over the past few years. Which of the following actions should Tyler take if he wants to encourage ethical behavior at Uber? Check all that apply. ( ) Set up a system so that employees can confidentially report ethical violations ( ) Set up an ethics team that can give advice to employees who are facing ethical dilemmas ( ) Privately congratulating employees who have behaved ethically ( ) Create a written code of ethics for Uber employees

- Set up a system so that employees can confidentially report ethical violations - Set up an ethics team that can give advice to employees who are facing ethical dilemmas - Create a written code of ethics for Uber employees

Which of the following statements are true about companies that have effective HR practices? Check all that apply. ( ) They have higher stock prices than other companies. ( ) They have higher productivity than other companies. ( ) They have higher profits than other companies. ( ) They have higher levels of turnover than other companies.

- They have higher stock prices than other companies. - They have higher productivity than other companies. - They have higher profits than other companies.

For a variety of reasons, many companies today are installing digital cameras and other employee monitoring technology in the workplace. This allows the company to examine security as well as the productivity of their employees during the workday. What would be the most important thing for an HR manager to do if her CEO decided to put in security cameras or other monitoring technology? A. Work with the IT department to manage the technology B. Come up with innovative ways to use the data gathered by the security cameras C. Tell job applicants about the monitoring technology during the recruiting process D. Hire more high performers who don't need to be monitored

A. Work with the IT department to manage the technology

Felix is doing an analysis to see if his company has a representative number of women in jobs at all levels of management. He will use the results of his analysis to prepare a report that the company must give to the U.S. government to meet legal requirements. What HR function is Felix performing? A. Employee and labor relations B. Risk management C. Equal employment opportunity D. HR strategy and planning

C. Equal employment opportunity

When Wells Fargo set up product sales goals that tied the pay of their employees to the number of new accounts they opened, the employees opened fake accounts in the names of current customers. Which of the following roles was broken in this situation? A. HR departments should encourage open discussion when ethical issues emerge. B. HR departments should develop business processes that discourage bad behavior. C. HR departments should develop financial controls that discourage bad behavior. D. HR departments should ensure that incentives do not lead to unethical behavior.

D. HR departments should ensure that incentives do not lead to unethical behavior.

One thing that is special about TWT (Total Wellness Totally) is that the founders have created a unique system that assesses each individual and creates a personalized nutrition and fitness plan tailored to that individual's requirements. This system has been patented by the company and represents the company's __________________.

intellectual property

Which of the following HR employees can be most accurately described as a "specialist"? Check all that apply. ( ) Lukas is the Vice President of Human Resources at a large non-profit organization. He never knows what his day will bring—sometimes he has to worry about selection, sometimes he has to worry about strategy, and sometimes he has to worry about performance management and training. ( ) Sofia works as a consultant. She is known as one of the best recruiters of lawyers in her area. ( ) Agustina knows more about the Affordable Care Act than anyone else in her company. When coworkers have a question about benefits, they always come to her. ( ) Paul was just hired as an HR assistant. He likes his job because it is so varied. Sometimes he is investigating sexual harassment complaints, sometimes he is researching new benefits providers, and sometimes he is responding to employee problems and questions.

- Sofia works as a consultant. She is known as one of the best recruiters of lawyers in her area. - Agustina knows more about the Affordable Care Act than anyone else in her company. When coworkers have a question about benefits, they always come to her.