Human Resource Management, Exam 1

Which of the following is true regarding the differentiation strategy?

Companies achieve above-average returns if they succeed in their differentiation strategy.

Which of the following activities is part of the assessment and development of the human resources dimension of HRM practices?

Creating an employment relationship and a work environment that benefit the company

Which of the following was replaced by the Occupational Information Network (O*NET)?

Dictionary of Occupational Titles

Tokyo Electronics is facing financial difficulties mainly due to losses incurred by its gaming division. As a consequence, it has decided to shut down operations of this division. Which of the following strategies has Tokyo electronics adopted?

Divestment strategy

________ is the planned elimination of large numbers of personnel designed to enhance organizational effectiveness.

Downsizing

Which competency is an HR professional said to have if he is able to act personally and professionally with integrity and accountability?

Ethical practice

The last step in the human resource planning process is forecasting. T/F

False

Which of the following is true about the Six Sigma process?

It aims to create a total business focus on serving the customer.

Which of the following is true of workforce analytics?

It can show that HR practices influence an organization's profits.

Which of the following is true of a balanced scorecard?

It depicts a company from the perspective of internal and external customers.

Which of the following is true about outsourcing?

Outsourcing is a logical choice when a firm simply does not have certain expertise and is not willing to invest time and effort into developing it.

Which of the following approaches to job design has roots in human-factors literature?

Perceptual-motor approach

Which of the following activities entails specifying those activities and outcomes that will result in the organization successfully implementing the strategy?

Performance management

Marisol, an HR manager at a technology firm, is entrusted with the task of hiring a member for a new team. She has already received information about what the new role will entail as well as the tasks that the new employee will be performing. She is currently using several media to seek applicants for the role. Which of the following human resource management (HRM) practices is Marisol performing?

Recruitment

Which of the following HRM practices involves employees participating in peer interviews?

Staffing

_____ is a process that primarily addresses the competitive challenges an organization faces.

Strategic management

Which of the following sources is most appropriate for providing accurate information regarding the importance of job duties?

Supervisors

Which of the following arguments emphasizes that reactions should be faster and cost less?

System flexibility argument

Which of the following is true about temporary workers?

Temporary workers give employers some flexibility to respond to fluctuations in consumer demand for their products and services.

Which of the following is a core value of TQM?

The company promotes cooperation with vendors and customers to hold down costs.

Which of the following is a characteristic of people of the Baby Boomer Generation?

They are considered to be workaholics.

How does the mechanistic approach differ from the motivation approach?

Workers in organizations that follow the mechanistic approach can be easily replaced?

Work-flow design is the process of

analyzing the tasks necessary for the production of a product.

Executive Order 11478 requires the federal government to

base all its employment policies on merit and fitness.

The director of a movie auditions only white males to play the role of Abraham Lincoln in a biographical film on Lincoln's life. This is an example of

bona fide occupational qualification.

Caroline has increasingly become more frustrated with her current job. She visits her HR department to discuss her skills and aspirations as she does not want to leave the company. HR recommends she complete

career planning

Gemco Inc., a high-end luxury jewelry manufacturer, has training programs to ensure that its current employees always design and manufacture jewelry in keeping with its high quality standards. Which of the following directional strategies has Gemco adopted?

concentration

A company that wants to become the lowest cost producer in an industry should _____.

construct efficient large-scale facilities

During the strategic implementation stage of the strategic management process, an organization

ensures that it has skilled employees in place

Work-flow design is the process of analyzing the tasks necessary for the production of a product or service, and it is performed after allocating and assigning these tasks to a particular job category or person.

false

According to the "Job Characteristics Model," ________ is the extent to which a person receives clear information about performance effectiveness from the work itself.

feedback

The main provision of the Occupational Safety and Health Act states that each employer should furnish each employee a place of employment free from recognized hazards that cause or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm. This is referred to as the

general duty clause.

An organization's _____ is what it hopes to achieve in the medium- to long-term future, and it reflects how an organization's reason for being is operationalized.

goal

Trade secrets are an example of _____ capital.

intellectual

An organization uses _____ to measure the quantity and quality of its resources.

internal analysis

The written affirmative action plan that specifies what an employer plans to do to reduce underutilization of protected groups is called a

list of action steps.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s many jobs left the United States for a cheaper labor force. The American people did not like this move to ________ and stopped buying certain products until the company came back to the United States.

offshoring

The one-way linkage level

often leads to strategic plans that companies cannot successfully implement.

Among the functions performed by an HR department, feedback and coaching are categorized under the _____ function.

performance management

Sanjay is the manager at a restaurant and offers to promote Linda, a waitress at the same restaurant, in return for sexual favors. This is an example of

quid pro quo harassment.

The employee data and information systems function of an HR department focuses on responsibilities such as _____.

record keeping and workforce analytics

Giving employees online access to information about HR issues such as training, benefits, and compensation is called _____.

self-service

Nikeyah has resisted advances from her male boss, who is interested in pursuing a sexual relationship with her. In addition, he has been withholding her promotions for more than a year for this reason alone. Nikeyah can sue her boss for

sexual harassment.

Mission, goals, external analysis, internal analysis, and strategic choices are the five major components of the _____ process.

strategy formulation

According to the "Job Characteristics Model," ________ is the degree to which a job requires completing a "whole" piece of work from beginning to end.

task identity

Customer service representatives who seek to solve problems for customers need to understand their

task significance.

The strategic management decision-making process usually takes place at a firm's highest levels, with a firm's strategic planning group, which includes

the chief executive officer and the president.

Divisional structures tend to be more flexible and innovative because of

their work-flow focus.

The ________ section in a position analysis questionnaire (PAQ) focuses on the physical activities, tools, and devices used by the worker to perform the job.

work output

Jamal, an efficiency expert, proposes the "just-in-time" inventory method to Liza, the CEO of Neptune Inc. If Liza is to accept the proposal, which of the following changes is he most likely to implement in Neptune Inc.?

He is likely to introduce processes that support lean production.

Which of the following, if true, would support reshoring as a strategy for a U.S. firm?

Improving health and safety requirements overseas

Which of the following statements is true of the administrative linkage level between the human resource management function and the strategic management function?

In this level, the human resource management department is completely divorced from any component of the strategic management process.

Which of the following statements is true of the SWOT analysis?

It gives the strategic planning team of an organization all the information it needs to generate a number of strategic alternatives.

How does lean production differ from "batch work" methods?

It has fewer employees who are well trained.

Which of the following includes a list of the tasks, duties, and responsibilities that a job entails?

Job description

Which congressional legislation requires contractors and subcontractors that receive more than $2,500 annually from the federal government to engage in affirmative action for individuals with disabilities?

Rehabilitation Act

External analysis and internal analysis combined constitute the _____.

SWOT analysis

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is a quasi-judicial agency.

True

The U.S. president has the power to veto any law passed by Congress.

True

Women in the office often comment on Hunter's good looks and toned body. They like to tease him about showing them his six-pack abs. Hunter could file a complaint under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

True

_____ costs are incurred regardless of the number of units produced.

fixed

The process of attempting to ascertain the supply of and demand for various types of human resources is called

forecasting

In a large, multinational company, several of the tasks are split out across several states and countries. Each location has a specific component of the overall product. An employee survey recently revealed that employees had a weak conceptualization of the company's overall mission. This company has a

functional structure

A high level of pay relative to that of competitors can ensure that _____.

the company attracts high-quality employees

When a company faces a shortage of employees in the workforce, and it predicts that current demand for products or services may not extend to the future, it will

try to garner more hours out of the existing labor force.

Sarah has been asked to compare the current workforce of her company with that of the available labor supply. She creates a spreadsheet with the columns "Race," "Ethnicity," and "Gender." She is doing a ________ analysis.

utilization

_______ forecast and monitor the proportion of various protected group members, such as women and minorities, that are in various job categories and career tracks.

Affirmative action plans

In a company where units are given autonomy to work independently, but are now asked to work together, the units may become territorial and refuse to share ideas for fear of being eliminated. This functional structure will produce which drawback?

Cascading effect of errors

Which of the following statements is true about downsizing?

Downsizing efforts often fail because employees who survive the purges often become narrow-minded, self-absorbed, and risk averse.

Which of the following statements is true of the strategic implementation stage of the strategic management process?

During this stage, an organization follows through on a strategy chosen in the strategy formulation stage.

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is enforced by the

Employment Standards Administration of the Department of Labor.

Which of the following agencies is responsible for investigating and resolving discrimination complaints, gathering information, and issuing guidelines?

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Due to a series of resignations from the organization, Zylon Inc., a large software firm, is facing an acute labor shortage. During which of the following human resource planning steps would the firm contemplate several options to address the labor issue?

Goal setting and strategic planning

Employers prefer hiring and training new employees rather than having to pay existing workers extra for overtime production. T/F

False

Executive Order 11478 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin and applies only to federal contractors and subcontractors. T/F

False

Jan is a veteran HR manager and she still prefers to solicit applications through newspaper advertisements. Her argument is that she will get better candidates. Is she correct? T/F

False

Newspaper ads generate the largest number of recruits, and many of these are qualified for the position. T/F

False

The Occupational Safety and Health Act assigned the responsibility for inspecting employers, applying the standards, and levying fines to the Department of Health.

False

Which of the following rules states that an employment test has disparate impact if the hiring rate for a minority group is less than 80 percent of the hiring rate for the majority group?

Four-fifths rule

According to emerging changes in the employment relationship, which of the following benefits do employees typically not expect to be provided by employers?

Job security

As per the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, an "illegal act" occurs when a discriminatory compensation decision is adopted. T/F

True

MediPlus is planning a large technology project. The company currently has a technology staff of two people who provide desktop support. The company has decided to contract with IT4U to get the job done. This is an example of outsourcing. T/F

True

One component of the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) examines how employees interact with colleagues. T/F

True

Which of the following is a characteristic of Millennials?

They are eager to learn, work, and please.

Which of the following is true of statistical forecasting methods that capture historic trends?

They provide predictions that are much more precise than judgmental methods.

Which of the following is true of how different generations view each other?

Traditionalists may believe that Millennials don't have a strong work ethic.

Pavi, an employee with Manor Electricals, has been transferred to a different division within the company. To facilitate a smooth transition, the company has initiated a program for Pavi that will provide her with the knowledge and skills required to perform the new role effectively. Which of the following human resource management practices did Manor Electricals perform?

Training

A comparison of the proportion of workers in protected subgroups with the proportion that each subgroup represents in the relevant labor market is called a workforce utilization review. T/F

True

A factory manufacturing line was slow to produce products and was failing to meet quotas. The manager recommendation was to do a time-and-motion study. This is a strong first step. T/F

True

A new school superintendent is faced with filling many vacancies. As the HRM, you become concerned when it appears that all the promotions and new hires are from the same race. This is disparate treatment. T/F

True

Jason, an African-American, and Robert, a Caucasian, both experienced welders, apply for two openings at Virgo Inc. Robert is hired and Virgo continues to look for candidates to fill the other position. Jason alleges racial discrimination by Virgo, but Virgo denies this. Which of the following statements would both negate Jason's case and support Virgo's case?

Virgo deals in building equipment that requires a certified welder and Jason is not a certified welder

Which of the following pairs of recruiter characteristics does an applicant tend to respond to most positively?

Warmth and informativeness

Jake, the CEO of a company, appraises his managers based on how well they empower their employees. Which of the following managers is Jake likely to rate the highest in this regard?

Zara, who assigns responsibility to her subordinates and intervenes only when there is a need