HRM Ch. 14

Samantha, a web content writer, is pursuing a course in creative writing alongside her job. She works in office for 10 hours a day for 4 days instead of working 8 hours a day for 5 days so that she has the flexibility of 3 days off a week. In this scenario, which of the following alternative work schedules has Samantha chosen?

A compressed workweek

In the context of evaluating performance-enhancement programs, which of the following is an HR indicator?

The turnover rate of a company

Which of the following statements is true of restricted stock plans?

Which of the following statements is true of restricted stock plans?

In the context of incentive plans based on firm profitability, a situation in which employees may not see how their efforts lead to increased profits is often referred to as _____.

a line-of-sight problem

An incentive plan established to give senior managers the choice to buy company shares in the future at a predetermined fixed price is referred to as _____.

a stock-option plan

Group-level reward systems in which employees are gradually given a major stake in the proprietorship of a corporation are called _____.

employee stock ownership plans

In the context of the job characteristics approach, task identity is the:

extent to which a worker does a complete portion of the total job.

Barryst Inc. evaluates the performance of all its employees at the end of a project term. It provides financial rewards to all the employees who maintain a productivity of 105 percent or more at the end of the term. In this scenario, to reward its employees, Barryst Inc. uses a(n) _____.

individual incentive plan

The redesigning technique that attempts to increase both the number of tasks a worker does and the control the worker has over the tasks is called _____.

job enrichment

Rockslide Inc., a manufacturer of sports equipment, implements a plan in which a part of the company's gains is paid into a pool that is distributed to all of its employees on retirement. In this scenario, Rockslide Inc. most likely uses _____.

profit sharing

Which of the following is a difference between a stock-option plan and a stock-purchase plan?

A stock-option plan is given to senior managers, whereas a stock-purchase plan is typically offered to all the employees of a firm.

Which of the following is a similarity between job enlargement and job enrichment?

Both attempt to increase the number of tasks that workers perform.

Which of the following statements is true of work teams?

If work is designed to be done by teams, we cannot reward individuals in true teamwork settings.

Which of the following statements is true of the productivity measurement and evaluation system (ProMES)?

It includes a method for tying performance at the individual and group levels to organizational productivity.

Andrea, a junior-level employee, decides to quit her job at the pharmaceutical company she has been working at for the past 12 years. However, the fact that Andrea is a talented and efficient employee makes it hard for the company's management to let her go. Therefore, the management offers her a deal in which Andrea will be entitled to some of the company's shares provided she remains with the company for another 2 years. If she leaves before this period is over, she will not have any claim over her shares in the company. In the given scenario, Andrea's company offers her _____.

a stock-purchase plan

A guaranteed amount of money that an employee will be paid is called the employee's _____.

base salary

Which of the following is true of an employee stock ownership plan?

It involves a company taking out a loan and purchasing its own stock in the market.

Which of the following statements is true of performance feedback?

It plays an important role in both behavior modification and goal setting

Which of the following statements is true of telecommuting?

It provides employees with the ultimate in flexibility.

Which of the following is a true statement about performance feedback?

It should provide developmental feedback targeted at an individual's behavior, not on the individual.

In the context of evaluating performance-enhancement programs, which of the following is a financial and accounting indicator?

Stock Prices

Neil, a market research analyst, works for a company based in a different city. As he lives at a considerable distance from his office, he chooses to do most of his work from home. He receives assignments electronically and does not need to travel to work every day. In this scenario, which of the following work arrangements has Neil most likely chosen?

Telecommuting

Which of the following statements is true of alternative work arrangements?

The AFL-CIO has complained that work-at-home arrangements allow management to impose unfair working conditions on employees.

Proace Inc., a manufacturer of chemical fertilizers, encouraged suggestions from its employees on novel ways to reduce costs. A team from the research and development department of the company came up with an alternate method of production that would lead to a reduction in the manpower and raw materials required for production. The company implemented this method and achieved positive results. As a reward, the company distributed three-fourths of the profit earned from this method among all of its employees. Which of the following incentive plans did Proace Inc. most likely implement?

The Scanlon plan

Which of the following statements is true of employee training in an organization?

The employee training process begins with some type of needs assessment.

Which of the following statements is true of faith-based businesses?

Their contributions to churches potentially restrict business growth.

Which of the following statements is true of cyberthreats?

They are becoming more sophisticated.

Which of the following statements is true of flexible work hour plans?

They are often not feasible in organizations that rely heavily on teams.

Which of the following statements is true of incentive compensation systems?

They are practical only when performance can be measured easily and objectively.

Which of the following statements is true of flexible work hour plans?

They often are not feasible in organizations that rely heavily on teams.

Which of the following statements is true of compressed workweeks?

They presumably make it less likely that an employee will lose work time to deal with personal business

The productivity measurement and evaluation system (ProMES) process is based on:

a model of motivation that is similar to the expectancy model.

In the context of performance management, the systematic and simultaneous application of positive reinforcement and either punishment or extinction (or both) is known as _____.

behavior modification

The National Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Protection Act (NCPA) was passed to:

codify the cybersecurity operations at the Department of Homeland Security and direct it to share information about cybersecurity risks and accidents.

In the context of the job characteristics approach, autonomy is the:

degree of control a worker has over how a task is performed.

A commercial organization that is founded and managed in ways that explicitly acknowledge religious beliefs is called a(n) _____.

faith-based business

An indication of a company's chances of long-term survival where employee efforts generate profits for potential profit sharing and determine the company's stock price is referred to as _____.

firm-level performance

A variable that is presumed to affect how the job characteristics approach works for different people is referred to as _____.

growth-need strength

Systematically moving employees from one job to another is called _____.

job rotation

Jessica works at a hospital as a receptionist on Monday and Thursday, as an attendant on Tuesday and Friday, and as a clerk on Wednesday. Her manager assigns different tasks to her through the week to keep her motivated and satisfied. In this scenario, the redesigning technique that Jessica's manager uses to increase her work satisfaction is:

job rotation.

Fangrafix Inc., a graphic design company, financially rewards its employees based on their relative contributions to the organization; that is, employees who make greater contributions are paid more than those who make lesser contributions. In this scenario, to reward its employees, Fangrafix Inc. uses _____.

merit-pay plans

In the context of behavior modification, the basic notion is that it is:

not enough to eliminate the undesirable behaviors of a person unless we can also provide the person with a new set of desirable behaviors.

In the context of the job characteristics approach, skill variety is the:

number of tasks a person does in a job.

In the context of privacy and cybersecurity in the 21st century, a program designed to collect and process foreign intelligence that passes through American servers is called _____.

the Planning Tool for Resource Integration, Synchronization and Management

Which of the following statements is true of the Scanlon plan?

In the Scanlon plan, employees usually receive between two-thirds and three-fourths of the total cost savings that a suggested strategy achieves.