Chapter 2
Which of the following is true with regard to SWOT analysis? In a SWOT analysis, external analysis attempts to identify the company's strengths and weaknesses. A SWOT analysis represents the strategy believed to be the best alternative to achieve the company goals. A SWOT analysis is typically conducted in the strategic training and development initiatives step of the strategic training and development process. A SWOT analysis provides a company the information needed to generate several alternative business strategies and make a strategic choice.
A SWOT analysis provides a company the information needed to generate several alternative business strategies and make a strategic choice
Which of the following is true of centralized training?
A centralized training function helps drive stronger alignment with business strategy.
Companies that emphasize innovation and creativity are labeled as _____.
Baseball teams
The _____ considers four different perspectives: customer, internal, innovation and learning, and financial.
Balanced Scorecard
A SWOT analysis is typically conducted in the _____ step of the strategic training and development process.
Business strategy formulation and identification
_____ relates to managers' and employees' ability to obtain and distribute valuable resources such as data, information, or money.
Control
Which of the following is not one of the major reasons organizations outsource training?
Desire for greater control
Companies adopting a(n) _____ strategy need to train employees in job-search skills and to focus on cross-training their remaining employees.
Disinvestment
_____ involves examining a company's operating environment to identify opportunities and threats.
External analysis
A centralized training function not only hampers the streamlining of processes but also denies the company a cost advantage in purchasing training from vendors.
False
Companies pursuing an external growth strategy typically focus on human capital issues to enhance efficiency.
False
Companies should generally avoid involving unions in retraining and productivity-improvement efforts.
False
Compared to ten years ago, organizations are less focused now on creating a learning and training brand.
False
Employees working for a company that has a skill-based pay system are compensated for the skills they are using for their current jobs rather than the number of skills in which they are competent.
False
Explicit knowledge is thought to have a stronger impact on helping organizations achieve a competitive advantage than tactic knowledge.
False
From a strategic perspective, "diversify the learning portfolio" refers to providing strategic diversity training to enhance a company's
False
Internal analysis involves identifying opportunities and threats
False
Line managers spend less time managing individual performance and developing employees than midlevel managers or executives do
False
Tacit knowledge developed through experience and shared through interactions between employees is easy to imitate.
False
The first step in the strategic training and development process is to identify metrics to determine if training will be successful.
False
Uniqueness refers to employee potential to improve company effectiveness and efficiency.
False
In _____ financial and other resources are not available for development, so companies tend to rely on hiring talent from the external labor market.
Fortresses
The final step of the strategic training and development process involves _____.
Identifying measures or metrics
The strategic training and development process begins with _____.
Identifying the business strategy
Which of the following is true about a learning organization?
In a learning organization, employees learn from failure and from successes.
Development of an organizational culture that values creative thinking and analysis is characteristic of a company adopting a(n) _____ strategy.
Internal growth
Which of the following positions is characterized by high value and low uniqueness?
Lab technician
Business-level outcomes chosen to measure the overall value of training or learning initiatives are referred to as _____.
Metrics
_____ refers to the company's decisions regarding where to find employees, how to select them, and the desired mix of employee skills and statuses.
Staffing strategy
Which of the following is not one of the major business strategies discussed in the text?
Product differentiation
When the top management of Mason's firm made it mandatory for all product managers to undergo skills training, he told his superior that he would be uncomfortable with the process. He added that he was certain of not being able to cope with the new developments. In this instance, Mason is demonstrating _____.
Resistance to change
Which of the following is not one of the four major components of the balanced scorecard?
Sustainability
Which of the following is true of the business-embedded (BE) learning function?
The BE function is customer-focused
Job-based employees are likely to receive less training than knowledge-based employees.
True
Learning organizations emphasize that learning occurs not only at the individual employee level but also at the group and organizational levels.
True
Outsourcing allows a company to focus better on its business strategy by saving cost and time.
True
Which of the following is not one of the major "change-related" problems that need to be addressed before the implementation of new training practices?
Training-business strategy incongruence
Companies that adopt state-of-the-art HRM practices realize higher levels of performance than firms that do not
True
Emphasis on the creation of intellectual capital and the movement toward high-performance work systems using teams has resulted in employees performing many roles once reserved for management.
True
For companies in an unstable or recessionary business environment, training programs focus more on correcting skill deficiencies rather than preparing staff for new assignments.
True
In highly integrated businesses, training is likely to include rotating employees between jobs in different businesses.
True
In learning organizations, there is an understanding that failure provides important information.
True
Job-based employees are characterized by _____.
high value and low uniqueness
A(n) _____ strategy focuses on new market and product development, innovation, and joint ventures.
internal growth
Uniqueness refers to _____.
the extent to which employees are specialized and not highly available