HRM Ch8

119) A ________ is a subjective measure that defines specific behaviors and asks raters to indicate the frequency with which an employee performs the behaviors. A) BOS B) BARS C) SPUD D) GRAM

A) BOS

134) ________ indicates that outcomes (pay) should be distributed in proportion to inputs (performance). A) Equity theory B) Need theory C) Expectancy theory D) Procedural justice theory

A) Equity theory

142) ________ fluctuate directly in proportion to sales that are made. A) Full commission plans B) Piece-rate plans C) Partial commission plans D) Pay-as-you-go plans

A) Full commission plans

85) Regis has worked at Paper Plus for several years. When he was being interviewed, he was told the company promotes from within and many employees who start in low positions work their way up. Regis has not been promoted after several years and feels he is contributing what is expected of him. What is LEAST likely to occur? A) Regis will have an increase in affective commitment. B) Regis will have more negative moods and emotions. C) Regis will look elsewhere for work. D) Regis will put less effort into work.

A) Regis will have an increase in affective commitment

161) Career goals do NOT help employees ________. A) attain useful new knowledge and skills B) decide on the types of skills that they want to develop C) determine the kinds of jobs that they want to accept D) recognize the kind of knowledge that they want to acquire

A) attain useful new knowledge and skills

93) All of the following are examples of the evaluative purposes of a performance appraisal system EXCEPT ________. A) deciding how to motivate an employee B) deciding whom to promote C) deciding how to set pay levels D) deciding how tasks should be assigned

A) deciding how to motivate an employee

112) A manager wants to make sure that he gives his employees feedback, but he is very limited on time. He feels it is more important to give the employees information on how they are doing quickly. Which method would be BEST for the manager to use? A) graphic rating scale B) BARS C) BOS D) Scanlon scale

A) graphic rating scale

78) Which of the following written documents are NOT influential in helping individuals form their psychological contracts? A) instruction manuals for products B) compensation and benefits policies C) performance appraisal materials D) career development manuals

A) instruction manuals for products

90) Vincent works as a receptionist at an office. He is pleasant with employees and clients. Vincent keeps his desk very clean. Sometimes, he misses important calls because he is busy organizing his workspace. Which of the following BEST describes Vincent's pattern of behavior at work? A) positive customer service work but negative time management skills B) positive as the result of his doing a great overall job C) positive customer service work but negative telephone skills D) negative as the result of his doing a poor overall job

A) positive customer service work but negative time management skills

73) A(n) ________ is an employee's perception of his or her exchange relationship with an organization. A) psychological contract B) employment contract C) unwritten agreement D) physiological agreement

A) psychological contract

82) Which of the following BEST enables individuals to determine if a specific job is a good fit for themselves? A) realistic job preview B) intensive interview experience C) Q&A session with decision maker D) company website

A) realistic job preview

146) A ________ reflects a one-time commitment to a certain kind of job that is maintained throughout a person's working life. A) steady-state career B) linear career C) spiral career D) dynamic career

A) steady-state career

150) Bud Lewis is a toolmaker for Precision, Inc. He started as a toolmaker when he was 18 and has worked as a toolmaker and at Precision, Inc. for the past 22 years. Bud enjoys his work and is skilled at it. This type of career is known as a(n) ________. A) steady-state career B) linear career C) spiral career D) transitory career

A) steady-state career

126) A ________ is a type of schema built around some distinguishing, often highly visible characteristic of the person being evaluated. A) stereotype B) tendency bias C) primacy effect D) halo effect

A) stereotype

113) Teacher evaluations of a principal is BEST described as a(n) ________ appraisal. A) subordinate B) behavioral C) formal D) informal

A) subordinate

111) A manager wants to use only objective measures to appraise his employees. What measure should he NOT use? A) the quality of customer service an employee gives B) the number of days the employee arrived on time C) the amount of sales the employee makes per month D) the quantity of products the employee produces

A) the quality of customer service an employee gives

100) When ________ are used to assess performance, personal characteristics that are deemed relevant to job performance are evaluated. A) traits B) behaviors C) results D) outcomes

A) traits

84) Harvey is working at a retail store during the holidays. He is new to the organization and will only be working for a month. He MOST LIKELY has a ________ contract. A) transactional B) relational C) verbal D) hand-shake

A) transactional

98) Lucy is a very hard worker but very critical of herself. At her last job she was always unsure of how she was performing and eventually quit because of the lack of feedback . She might have stayed if her manager had ________. A) used informal performance appraisals more often B) evaluated more employee dimensions for formal appraisals C) lengthened the time between formal appraisals D) evaluated fewer employee dimensions for informal appraisals

A) used informal performance appraisals more often

122) In a ________, an employee's performance is evaluated by a variety of people who are knowledgeable about their behaviors. A) workplace intervention B) 360-degree appraisal C) cycle of perception D) peer-to-peer system

B) 360-degree appraisal

118) A ________ is a type of rating scale for appraising employee performance that defines specific behaviors, but does not ask raters to indicate their frequency. A) BOS B) BARS C) MBO D) PDQ

B) BARS

140) Which of the following is an advantage of using bonuses rather than salary increases? A) Bonuses can be spent much more quickly than can salary increases. B) Bonuses are tied directly to current performance. C) Bonuses are usually taxed at a lower rate than are salaries. D) Bonuses vary less over time than do salary levels.

B) Bonuses are tied directly to current performance.

143) ________ are linked strictly to organizational performance. A) Piece-rate plans B) Gain-sharing plans C) Full commission plans D) Partial commission plans

B) Gain-sharing plans

133) ________ suggests that when pay is contingent on performance, employees are motivated to perform because doing so will help satisfy their needs. A) Equity theory B) Need theory C) Expectancy theory D) Procedural justice theory

B) Need theory

120) ________ are given by an employee's coworkers. A) Self-appraisals B) Peer appraisals C) 180-degree appraisals D) Subordinate appraisals

B) Peer appraisals

83) ________ are subjective because they entail intangible factors, such as opportunities for career development. A) Transactional contracts B) Relational contracts C) Legal contracts D) Motivational contracts

B) Relational contracts

164) ________ can result in certain members of an organization not receiving the career opportunities they deserve because they are different from decision makers. A) The contrast effect B) The similar-to-me bias C) The average tendency bias D) The knowledge-of-predictor bias

B) The similar-to-me bias

96) During ________, managers can provide feedback right after the desired or undesired behavior has occurred. A) a Scanlon session B) an informal performance appraisal C) a formal performance appraisal D) a behavioral observation cycle

B) an informal performance appraisal

124) To reap the benefits of 360-degree appraisals, research suggests the appraisals should focus on ________. A) traits B) behaviors C) results D) feelings

B) behaviors

115) A ________ assesses the performance of an employee along a continuum with clearly specified intervals. A) behaviorally anchored rating scale B) graphic rating scale C) behavioral observation scale D) polymorphic sensory scale

B) graphic rating scale

121) The use of peer ratings within work groups will MOST LIKELY ________. A) average out to an adequate rating of actual performance B) help to ensure that no group member gets a "free ride" C) inhibit the performance of the group D) minimize the importance of teamwork

B) help to ensure that no group member gets a "free ride"

136) The tenets of merit pay are LEAST related to ________. A) operant conditioning B) job characteristics model C) need theory D) equity theory

B) job characteristics model

147) In a ________, a person progresses through a sequence of jobs, and each job entails progress over the prior one in terms of responsibility, skills needed, and level in the hierarchy of an organization. A) steady-state career B) linear career C) spiral career D) transitory career

B) linear career

149) Starting as a loading dock clerk, Ted Arnold has worked his way up to vice president of administration in his 20 years at Owens and Clark Co. Despite his initial job, Ted was the loading dock supervisor, the transportation manager, and director of services before being promoted to his current job. Ted's career can be BEST characterized as a ________. A) steady-state career B) linear career C) dynamic career D) transitory career

B) linear career

153) Most of the career opportunities that organizations use to motivate their members are built on the idea that as people gain experience, they should be given the opportunity to assume more responsible positions in an organization. This describes the career category known as ________. A) steady-state career B) linear career C) spiral career D) dynamic career

B) linear career

139) A research team is working together to find ways to curtail a Lyme disease outbreak. The success of the group is very dependent on the contributions of each individual. In this situation, ________. A) merit pay should be given at the individual level B) merit pay should be given at the group level C) merit pay should be given as a salary increase not as a bonus D) merit pay should not be used

B) merit pay should be given at the group level

158) Employees in the ________ generally have been in the workforce between 20 and 35 years and often face the challenge of remaining productive. A) exit stage B) midcareer stage C) situational stage D) transformational stage

B) midcareer stage

156) As college students prepare to graduate, they begin to try to find a job that will be a good start in the chosen career. Students try to learn as much as possible about potential jobs and organizations from sources ranging from college placement offices to career/job fairs to personal contacts. This is called the ________ stage. A) preparation for work B) organizational entry C) early career D) organizational

B) organizational entry

163) When careers are managed in an ethical fashion, promotions are based on ________. A) seniority B) performance C) subjective criteria D) personal impressions

B) performance

141) In a ________, an employee is paid for each unit he or she produces. A) full commission plan B) piece-rate plan C) partial commission plan D) pay-as-you-go plan

B) piece-rate plan

79) A psychological contract that is ________ in nature focuses on extrinsic outcomes. A) relational B) transactional C) controversial D) professional

B) transactional

80) An example of a ________ is an employment situation in which there is an initial probationary period, during which either party can terminate the relationship. A) interactive contract B) transactional contract C) relational contract D) contingency contract

B) transactional contract

103) The use of behaviors to evaluate worker performance focuses on ________. A) the worker's personality B) what the worker does C) the worker's knowledge D) what the worker is like

B) what the worker does

123) Managers fear that 360-degree appraisals ________. A) will replace them in the appraisal process B) will turn into popularity contests at the workplace C) will provide a limited perspective amongst appraisers D) will discourage potential employees from working at the company

B) will turn into popularity contests at the workplace

81) Which of the following statements on relational contracts is FALSE? A) Relational contracts are long term. B) Relational contracts are general and evolving. C) Relational contracts contain limited obligations. D) Relational contracts contain intangible factors.

C) Relational contracts contain limited obligations.

74) Which of the following is FALSE regarding psychological contracts? A) They are perceptual in nature. B) They refer to perceived exchange relationships between employees and organizations. C) They are seldom subject to errors and biases. D) Organizations and organizational members generally seek to abide by psychological contracts.

C) They are seldom subject to errors and biases.

130) One of the three supervisors at Goldilocks' Soup Company tends to rank all employees at a "normal" level of performance. This is an example of the ________. A) halo effect B) leniency bias C) average tendency biases D) similar-to-me effect

C) average tendency biases

117) A ________ describes specific behaviors and indicates the frequency of them. A) behaviorally anchored rating scale B) graphic rating scale C) behavioral observation scale D) polynomial array

C) behavioral observation scale

144) The principle of ________ suggests that jobs of equivalent value to an organization should carry the same pay rates, without regard to the nature of the work itself or the personal characteristics of the people performing the work. A) procedural justice B) distributive justice C) comparable worth D) compensatory equity

C) comparable worth

116) The GREATEST weakness of a graphic rating scale is that ________. A) it is difficult to construct and must be constructed thoughtfully B) employees' behaviors may correspond to multiple points on the scale C) different raters may disagree on the meaning of the scale points D) it is time consuming to use for appraisal purposes

C) different raters may disagree on the meaning of the scale points

87) The STRONGEST goals of the performance appraisal process are to ________. A) encourage high levels of worker motivation and performance and provide control over compensation increases B) provide accurate information to be used in managerial decision making and to encourage communication between supervisors and subordinates C) encourage high levels of worker motivation and performance and provide accurate information to be used in managerial decision making D) control compensation increases and document fairness, equity, and a lack of discrimination in promotion practices

C) encourage high levels of worker motivation and performance and provide accurate information to be used in managerial decision making

95) In a ________, the performance dimensions and the way employees are evaluated on them are determined in advance. A) Scanlon plan B) performance contract C) formal performance appraisal D) behavioral observation system

C) formal performance appraisal

97) To motivate its employees to perform at a high level and make good decisions, it is BEST for an organization to use a combination of ________. A) informal performance appraisals and merit pay systems B) formal performance appraisals and behavioral observation systems C) formal performance appraisals and informal performance appraisals D) informal performance appraisals and Scanlon plans

C) formal performance appraisals and informal performance appraisals

89) Dick Sines is a manager in the customer service department of Grand Prix Auto Parts. According to a recent performance appraisal, Dick was told he was spending too much time trying to solve problems with the computer system in his area and not enough time supervising employees. The MAIN purpose of this performance appraisal is to ________. A) give Dick a chance to explain why he is spending time trying to fix the computer system B) give Dick's manager new insight into the operation of Dick's area C) give Dick feedback concerning whether he is focusing his effort in the right direction and on the right set of tasks D) provides documentation that Dick has been warned that he needs to spend more time supervising

C) give Dick feedback concerning whether he is focusing his effort in the right direction and on the right set of tasks

162) Which of the following BEST describes ethical career practices? A) making employees feel good even if that means not telling them the truth B) avoiding discussions with employees on the future even when asked about it C) informing employees honestly about their future potential with the company D) hiring an outside contractor to speak with employees about their future

C) informing employees honestly about their future potential with the company

86) According to expectancy theory, employees are likely to have high levels of expectancy, instrumentality, and motivation ONLY if ________ A) they like their supervisors and coworkers B) they have received high quality education and continue to learn C) managers can accurately evaluate their performances D) managers are motivated to achieve as much as possible

C) managers can accurately evaluate their performances

105) Counting the number of cups of coffee that a store sold in a given day would be an example of a/an ________ appraisal. A) performance B) subjective C) objective D) trait

C) objective

110) Washington Steel appraises employee performance in its fabricating shop based on the amount of work each employee completes in an average eight-hour shift. This type of appraisal system is ________. A) subjective B) behaviorally based C) objective D) graphically oriented

C) objective

102) An employee complained that an appraisal was unfair because he did not have control of what was being assessed. For this argument to be valid, the appraisal MOST LIKELY considered ________. A) time management B) behaviors C) outcomes D) traits

C) outcomes

155) You, as a college student, are deciding the kind of career you want and determining the qualifications and experience you will need in order to land a good career-starting job. You are in the ________ career stage. A) early B) transformational C) preparation for work D) organizational entry

C) preparation for work

106) When ________ are used to appraise performance of employees, the focus is on the effects of their behaviors, or their actual output. A) traits B) objectives C) results D) opinions

C) results

137) For which of the following jobs would it be BEST to determine pay based on individual performance? A) judge B) teacher C) salesperson D) coach

C) salesperson

151) Chris Ryan developed a strong background in understanding mechanical issues while serving in the U.S. Navy and as a repair technician after she finished her enlistment. Chris later moved on to a position selling technical equipment in which she had to discuss highly technical issues with customers. She recently joined Seismic Computational, Inc., as a marketing specialist in its technical instrumentation division. There she directs the advertising and promotion of the company's highly complex technical equipment to a very knowledgeable group of consumers. This type of career is known as a(n) ________. A) steady-state career B) linear career C) spiral career D) transitory career

C) spiral career

127) Laura notices that Amy does a much better job than her coworkers. She is on time and turns in work that has fewer errors than her coworkers. Laura's supervisor, Cheri, tells her of an upcoming position. Cheri is thinking about hiring from outside the company but Laura tells her she has the perfect candidate. This is an example of ________. A) the halo effect B) the similar-to-me effect C) the contrast effect D) the primacy effect

C) the contrast effect

148) In what way do spiral careers differ from transitory careers? A) the number of jobs held B) the number of organizations worked for C) the relationship of jobs held to each other D) the length worked at each position

C) the relationship of jobs held to each other

99) The three basic types of information that can be assessed in performance appraisals are ________. A) cognitive, behavioral, and affective B) traits, behaviors, and contingency C) traits, behaviors, and results D) personality, skills, and abilities

C) traits, behaviors, and results

108) ________ measures are used primarily when an appraisal focuses on facts and results. A) Graphic B) Behavioral C) Subjective D) Objective

D) Objective

135) ________ suggests that the methods used to evaluate performance and distribute pay must be fair. A) Equity theory B) Need theory C) Expectancy theory D) Procedural justice theory

D) Procedural justice theory

159) Which of the following is LEAST LIKELY one of the reasons why midcareer workers often experience career plateaus? A) Hierarchical organizations have fewer promotion opportunities for workers as workers move up the organizational ladder. B) Competition for promotion opportunities is intense and has been made more so by many corporate downsizing and the offshoring of jobs. C) Changes in technology or the lack of important new skills and abilities may limit the opportunity to be promoted. D) Workers in this stage are no longer interested in career development and promotion due to a growing focus on personal endeavors.

D) Workers in this stage are no longer interested in career development and promotion due to a growing focus on personal endeavors.

107) In which case would using results to assess performance be disadvantageous? A) an employee's sales numbers go down when she is denied a pay raise B) an employee's sales numbers go up as the price of the product remains the same C) an employee's sales numbers go up after she receives additional training D) an employee's sales numbers go down as the price of the product goes up

D) an employee's sales numbers go down as the price of the product goes up

154) The ________ captures the idea that careers are not tied to a single organization and that people will have a variety of work experiences in different organizations over the course of their working lives. A) evolutionary career B) multi-phase career C) nontraditional career D) boundaryless career

D) boundaryless career

132) Operant conditioning theory suggests that to encourage the learning of desired organizational behaviors, rewards should be distributed to employees ________. A) contingent on education B) based on personal traits C) based on interpersonal skills D) contingent on performance

D) contingent on performance

138) Juan Regales works as a repair technician for the telephone company. Juan's primary job is to fix the equipment at the top of utility poles. He spends 95 percent of his time working alone. One of the reasons Juan enjoys his job is that he can count exactly how many repairs he has completed in one day. Juan's company is promoting teamwork and has proposed replacing the current individual performance assessment plan with a plan basing pay on team performance. If such a plan were implemented, Juan's motivation would MOST LIKELY ________. A) increase because of the opportunity to have a sense of camaraderie B) decrease because Juan obviously lacks social skills C) increase because he could complete more calls, which is the source of his extrinsic motivation D) decrease because Juan's individual output may not be accurately assessed

D) decrease because Juan's individual output may not be accurately assessed

75) All of the following are determinants of psychological contracts EXCEPT ________. A) direct communication B) observations C) written documents D) education

D) education

76) Realistic job previews do NOT promote ________ of employees. A) motivation B) satisfaction C) retention D) education

D) education

77) Which of the following observations does NOT help employees form their psychological contracts? A) treatment of coworkers B) behaviors of managers C) distribution of outcomes D) experiences of colleagues

D) experiences of colleagues

91) Accurate performance appraisals provide employees with ________. A) autonomy B) self-efficacy C) self-confidence D) feedback

D) feedback

92) Performance appraisals allow managers to do all of the following EXCEPT ________. A) help a worker formulate appropriate career goals B) evaluate whom to promote C) determine who should receive a pay increase D) hire new employees to fulfill important functions

D) hire new employees to fulfill important functions

94) All of the following are choices managers need to make when developing an effective performance appraisal system EXCEPT ________. A) what to evaluate B) whether to use formal or informal appraisals C) which methods of appraisal to use D) how to appraise the quality of outputs

D) how to appraise the quality of outputs

131) Pay is NOT a(n) ________ between employees and an organization. A) central aspect of psychological contracts B) key component of the exchange relationship C) powerful motivational tool D) input into the production process

D) input into the production process

129) Four employees were given an IQ test before beginning work at Smart Solutions. Don the manager was very impressed with the scores of Stacy and Jean. He always made sure to give them the difficult assignments. When there were openings for higher level positions, he suggested Stacy and Jean as being the most qualified. Don's choices may have been affected by ________. A) leniency bias B) the contrast effect C) the primacy effect D) knowledge-of-predictor bias

D) knowledge-of-predictor bias

160) In what stage are workers more apt to be perceived as slower and less productive? A) early career B) mid-career C) organizational entry D) late career

D) late career

157) Bob Shaffer is frustrated. He has been working for 22 years and feels his chances of obtaining a promotion or finding a new job with added responsibilities are insignificant. Bob just doesn't feel productive at times and knows the number of upper-level positions that would meet his needs is much smaller now due to downsizing. In which career stage is Bob? A) organizational entry B) late career C) early career D) midcareer

D) midcareer

88) During a performance appraisal, a manager tells a grocery store cashier that she is spending too much of her time greeting customers and providing friendly service and not enough time making sure that she is ringing up the grocery bills correctly. Which of the following BEST describes this cashier's limitation? A) not sufficiently motivated B) not contributing required inputs C) contributing too many inputs D) misdirecting inputs

D) misdirecting inputs

114) Subjective measures are LEAST LIKELY used for appraisals based on ________. A) traits B) behaviors C) results D) numbers

D) numbers

104) John Conroy and Mark Meyers are the two top producers in the fabricating department at Faye & Cy, Inc. In fact, their productivity is equal. John puts a lot of himself into his work—sweating and pounding, shouting at coworkers, and talking to the equipment as he works. Mark is very quiet and rarely seems to exert himself on the job. The fact that the production of these workers is identical and their actions on the job are so different illustrates the potential difficulties with ________. A) formal performance appraisals B) informal performance appraisals C) performance appraisals that evaluate workers' results D) performance appraisals that evaluate workers' behaviors

D) performance appraisals that evaluate workers' behaviors

109) All of the following are objective measures of performance EXCEPT ________. A) gross profit margin B) net income after taxes C) return on investment capital D) quality of interpersonal interactions

D) quality of interpersonal interactions

165) Which of the following steps would a company be LEAST LIKELY to do to help dual-career couples, single parents, and workers caring for elderly parents? A) limit unnecessary moves and travel as much as possible B) use flexible working arrangements C) have on-site day care centers D) reduce work obligations and not reduce pay

D) reduce work obligations and not reduce pay

125) The ________ occurs when the individual who is assessing worker performance tends to view others who are similar to himself or herself more positively than those who are dissimilar. A) halo effect B) contrast effect C) primacy effect D) similar-to-me effect

D) similar-to-me effect

128) On her first day on the job, Sandra Washington forgot her umbrella and returned from lunch soaking wet. Since that first day, she has never had a problem with remembering things related to her job, and she has not forgotten her umbrella. At the end of her first year on the job, her supervisor noted on Sandra's performance appraisal that Sandra had a problem with forgetfulness. This incident is an example of ________. A) the halo effect B) stereotype C) harshness bias D) the primacy effect

D) the primacy effect

101) Evaluating ________ has numerous disadvantages including ignoring situational effects, increasing the likelihood of lawsuits, and providing little motivation for change in the workplace. A) context B) situations C) behaviors D) traits

D) traits

145) A manager wants to base his employee's salaries on the principle of comparable worth. He plans to rank each of his employees in different categories to determine the worth of each job he manages. In which category should the manager NOT rank his employees when determining comparable worth? A) behaviors B) knowledge C) effort D) traits

D) traits

152) During her 20-year career, Sue Riley has been an accountant, a roofer, a certified financial planner, and a small claims court judge. She also has managed a pizza restaurant, a plumbing store, and a sewer plant. This type of career is known as a(n) ________. A) steady-state career B) linear career C) spiral career D) transitory career

D) transitory career