MGMT 330 - Exam #3
A manager is giving feedback to an employee who hopes to move into a supervisory role someday. Which statement represents the most effective kind of feedback?
"Last week, when we had a problem, your comments shifted the team from complaining to problem solving."
Ty earns a base rate of $12 an hour and receives a weekly attendance award of $20. He works 40 hours this week. What would be his total compensation for the week?
$500
To support human resource planning, an HR specialist monitors trends in the Consumer Price Index. In recent months, the CPI has been rising at an increasing rate. What can the specialist predict based on this information?
A rising cost of living will lead workers in the labor market to seek higher pay.
A company has a system of progressive discipline. Even so, in which situation would it be appropriate for the company to follow a stricter policy and dismiss an employee after a first offense?
A welder brought a gun to work and made threats to another employee.
An employee decides to leave his company. However, during his exit interview, an HR supervisor learns that Adam had no complaints about the work he did or the pay he received. What might be a source of job dissatisfaction for Adam that would potentially lead to his departure?
Adam experienced uncivil behavior from his co-workers and it was not addressed by management.
Which situation is an example of involuntary turnover?
An employee is fired after she stole from the company.
An employee believes that an organization needs to plan what they will pay employees in each job. Her colleague argues that an employee's pay should be independently negotiated. Which statement weakens the colleague's argument?
An unplanned approach will likely result in unfairness and dissatisfaction among the employees.
Bob and Carlotta are welders working for two different divisions of the same company. Both have the same level of experience. However, Bob earns more than Carlotta. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which statement justifies the organization's decision to pay Bob more than Carlotta?
Bob lives in a location where living expenses are higher.
Which U.S. organization conducts an ongoing National Compensation Survey measuring wages, salaries, and benefits paid to the nation's employees?
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Which statement is true about labor markets?
Competition for labor establishes the minimum an organization must pay to hire an employee for a particular job.
An HR team is meeting to discuss ways to improve the validity of its performance management system. One member suggests adding customer evaluations of the sales representatives in order to gauge their impact on customer satisfaction and sales. What is the major challenge of this approach?
Customer evaluations could cost hundreds of dollars for each survey.
Dakari and Hadia hold the same position at their company; however, Dakari earns more than Hadia. Which statement justifies the organization's decision to pay Dakari more than Hadia?
Dakari meets higher productivity targets than Hadia.
Kathryn and Eldred execute the same roles and responsibilities at their organization; however, Eldred earns more than Kathryn. Under the laws governing equal employment opportunity, which statement will justify the organization's decision to pay Eldred more than Kathryn?
Eldred has more experience than Kathryn.
Employee turnover at a company is low overall, but many employees from one department are seeking transfers to other divisions. Which situation is most likely an explanation for the employees seeking to leave their department?
Employees consider the manager of their department to be unfair.
A manufacturing company bases employees' pay entirely on market forces. In this case, what is a practical drawback faced by the company?
Employees might conclude that the pay rates are unfair.
To encourage employees to work the extra hours needed to get a start-up company off the ground, the CEO offered to institute a profit sharing program for everyone. Which condition that contributes to high performance is most demonstrated at this company?
Employees' rewards and compensation relate to the company's financial performance.
What would most likely aid in the formation of a high-performance work system?
Employees' rewards and compensation relate to the company's financial performance.
__________ behavior, or "Do the right thing," is most likely to result from values held by the organization's leaders combined with systems that promote this kind of behavior.
Ethical
An HR manager recommends adding self-appraisals to the company's performance management system. The other executives wonder why, since people would certainly want to inflate scores of their own performance. Which statement best supports the manager's idea of using self-appraisals?
Evaluating one's contributions gets employees thinking about their performance.
Which manager is using the most effective approach to conducting a performance feedback session?
Evan works with each employee to identify areas of strength, focusing on behaviors.
An HR department is reviewing its performance management system to make sure it can show fairness if an employee ever complains of discrimination. According to the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures, which statement demonstrates a potential problem that must be addressed if the HR department is to meet that goal?
Evidence shows that raters tend to give higher ratings to persons of the rater's own race.
Which federal law establishes a minimum wage and requirements for overtime pay and child labor?
Fair Labor Standards Act
A healthcare company provides a lower training pay rate to its employees belonging to the age group of 18 to 19 years. The rate is applicable for a period of 90 days. In this case, which law justifies the organization's decision to pay the lower amount?
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
A pharmaceutical company expects its employees to work long hours and achieve increased production rates. Employees earn one and a half times the usual hourly rate for working more than 40 hours in one week. Which law is the company abiding by in this scenario?
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
Dominick earned $7.25 per hour until his state raised the minimum wage to $12 per hour, at which time his pay was increased to $12. Which law is the organization abiding by in this scenario?
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
An apparel manufacturer employed a large-scale recruitment drive to hire some of the country's best fashion designers. The company's HR team was responsible for measuring the success of this recruitment drive to quantify its returns. In this scenario, the HR team can use a process referred to as
HR analytics.
When Kaleem joined a company as its human resource manager, he was surprised to hear some of the executives repeatedly laughing over stories about how the company's founder ensured that his fraternity brothers moved into management positions. According to the stories, the executives embellished the performance appraisals of these employees, which also influenced later staffing decisions. Kaleem talked to some employees about performance management at the company and learned that the system was widely viewed as corrupt. What is the most effective thing Kaleem can do, besides discouraging the storytelling, to decrease the political behavior related to performance management?
He should persuade executives not to tolerate or ignore distorted ratings.
An employee at a chemical company noticed that several of the security personnel at the company allowed tankers to be filled over the legal limit with highly flammable gases. The employee gathered evidence of such instances and presented it to senior management. A few months later, the company had not acted, and the employee contacted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Less than a week later, the company fired him. Assuming that the employee had not had disciplinary issues and wanted to file a claim alleging he was wrongfully discharged, what would be the strongest basis for his claim?
He was disciplined for doing what the law requires.
For empowerment to succeed, managers should
Help their teams ensure that communication flows in both directions.
As part of his company's initiative to create a high-performance work system, Darrin, an HR manager, has been reorganizing work so that teams of employees will concentrate on coordinating their efforts to make sure customers are satisfied. The vice president of human resources has asked Darrin to explain to a team of executives how this project will help the company's financial performance. What would be the most effective explanation for Darrin to use?
Improving customer satisfaction should increase demand, leading to greater sales and profits.
A company has extensively made use of cloud computing for several functions of its HR department. This technology has helped manage department functions, store necessary data, and also has given employees access to the required databases to resolve customer queries and complaints. Which scenario, if true, would disrupt the services provided by this arrangement?
Internet access in the facility becomes intermittent for three hours every day.
Management at a manufacturing company believes that pay is an investment that can generate returns in attracting, retaining, and motivating a high-quality workforce. In this case, which statement is true about this company?
It considers its employees as resources.
What is a valid reason for ethical behavior to be a necessary condition for high performance?
It contributes to good long-term relationships with employees, customers, and the public.
What is a benefit of using ranking as a measure of performance?
It counteracts the tendency to avoid controversy by rating everyone favorably or near the center of the scale.
What is a disadvantage of a pay structure that rewards employees for getting promotions?
It discourages employees from gaining valuable experience through lateral career moves.
What is an advantage of a two-tier wage system?
It helps reduce labor costs without cutting employees' existing salaries.
A company has been known for its excellent customer service for the past 40 years. The company carefully selects employees based on their combination of skills and commitment to the company's values of service and quality. What is the most likely reason this company's selection process contributes to its high performance?
It hires employees who not only know how to do their work but are enthusiastic about it.
Which statement regarding an employee assistance program is accurate?
It is a system that supervisors can use to refer their employees for professional treatment when necessary.
What is an advantage of using results-oriented performance measurement?
It is relatively easy to link to the organization's goals.
A furniture company has seen sales decline in a highly competitive environment. To be able to offer a lower-cost product, management decides to close its factory in North Carolina, laying off 85 full-time workers from the company's 465-person workforce. Under the Workers' Adjustment Retraining and Notification Act, what must the company do?
It must give the employees 60 days' notice before it can begin the layoffs.
An HR executive claims that the department's effectiveness has improved since it implemented the use of an HR dashboard. What capability of an HR dashboard best explains this improvement?
It provides an easy-to-scan review of HR performance on a companywide basis.
What is a pay policy line?
It shows the mathematical relationship between job evaluation points and pay rate.
What is a drawback of a minimum wage in terms of social policy?
It tends to be lower than the earnings required for a full-time worker to rise above the poverty level.
Which statement about the mixed-standard scale is most accurate?
It uses several statements describing each trait to produce a final score for that trait.
Madesh, a highly skilled technician, has been one of the most productive employees at his company. But after the company went through a downsizing effort, Madesh has taken on many more responsibilities and is struggling to keep up. What is the most likely consequence of this situation?
Madesh experiences role overload and becomes dissatisfied with his job.
Which statement about e-HRM is most accurate?
Most administrative and information-gathering HRM activities can be part of e-HRM.
Which statement about job-based pay structures is most accurate?
Organizations may avoid change because it requires repeating the time-consuming process of creating job descriptions and related paperwork.
__________ is a process for resolving disagreements by taking them to a panel composed of representatives from the organization at the same levels as the people in the dispute.
Peer review
A manager is writing a recommendation to begin gathering performance appraisal information from peers along with other sources of information. Which statement best supports the manager's recommendation for getting peer feedback?
Peers have expert knowledge of job requirements.
When Jesse was fired, his supervisor told him the reason was that he did not meet performance standards. The supervisor assumed that would prevent Jesse from claiming he had been dismissed unjustly. What is the main flaw in the supervisor's assumption?
People who sue for unjust dismissal usually claim the real reason for the dismissal differs from what the employer said.
Roberto and Paige hold the same position at their company. However, Roberto earns more than Paige. In the context of pay structure, which statement justifies the organization's decision to pay Roberto more than Paige?
Roberto works the night shift, and night hours are less desirable for most workers.
An employee works longer hours than his subordinates, however, he is not paid overtime for working more than 40 hours per week. Under the FLSA, which statement justifies the organization's decision not to give the employee overtime pay?
Roger is considered as an exempt employee.
Ryan is a hardworking, reliable employee in a warehouse. His supervisor notices that this is the fifth year in a row in which Ryan's performance appraisal shows that he has met requirements for every performance standard of his job. Even so, the supervisor has identified areas for improvement. Which statement gives the most significant reason for seeking improvement in Ryan's performance?
Ryan may seek further career development within the company, which will be aided by improving his performance.
A training and development manager believes that in addition to providing superior benefits to employees, it is important to create an environment in which employees are able to develop. She suggests a new program that encourages employees take time out of their workday to research relevant topics and share knowledge with their colleagues. Which statement best demonstrates the positive or negative value of this program to the company?
Shared knowledge can lead to new innovations for the company, as well as the development of internal talent.
A CEO wants to carry out the first company-wide performance appraisal. She wants to make sure that the information obtained for performance appraisal is free of bias and that the managers have provided information about subordinates without any personal issues influencing the information. Which option will assist the CEO in obtaining her objective?
She should hold calibration meetings because they hold managers accountable for the appraisal information they provide about their subordinates.
Patricia considers Mica, her office assistant, to be both highly skilled and highly motivated. Mica frequently surprises Patricia with creative problem solving, above and beyond the basic job requirements. What response should Patricia make to Mica's performance?
She should reward Mica and offer her opportunities for career development.
Which statement about skill-based pay is most accurate?
Skill-based pay does not necessarily provide an alternative to the bureaucracy and paperwork of traditional pay structures.
The human resource department of a company brings in a consultant to evaluate its performance management system. The consultant says she evaluated the validity of the system's performance measures and identified some deficiencies. What does the consultant most likely mean?
Some behaviors that contribute to business success are not being measured.
Under the FLSA, which statement is true of child labor?
The FLSA's restrictions on the use of child labor apply to children younger than 18.
The supervisor of the recruiting department at a company is currently in charge of filling a few high-demand positions and is planning to poach talent from rival companies, luring their employees away with attractive job benefits. The HR manager, however, argues that the supervisor's plan will not work. Which explanation is most likely to strengthen the HR manager's argument?
The candidates are looking for higher pay, not better benefits.
An employee was moved to a new work team to help in the development of a new product. The team leader described the set of tasks that the team members would be working on. The employee, however, feels that these tasks contradict the expectations set forth in his previous role at the company. Which situation is most likely to be the primary source of the employee's dissatisfaction about his role?
The company has brought together employees from different functions to form a team, leading to conflicting expectations.
A human resource department is evaluating its pay structure. A compensation specialist computes the compa-ratio of the designers and determines that it is 1.4. What problem is most likely to result from a compa-ratio of this size?
The company may have difficulty keeping costs under control.
A human resource manager is advising the company's business executives that paying more for labor than competitors can support the company's strategy. Under what conditions might this idea be most valid?
The company pays more to attract top talent, using employees' knowledge to become more innovative than competitors.
A manager believes that he can fire his subordinate at any time he wishes to do so. What statement, if true, would help strengthen the manager's belief?
The employee does not have a specific employment contract with the company.
Walid, a supervisor, is discussing an employee with Min-Seo, the human resource manager at his company. The employee's performance has been falling, and the employee has been absent on several workdays. Walid is concerned about this change in behavior. Min-Seo suggests that Walid encourage the employee to contact the employee assistance program (EAP) for a referral to a counselor. In which situation would Min-Seo advice be most appropriate?
The employee has the necessary skills but lacks motivation.
A cement company received more than $2,000 in federal money. The company hired employees belonging to the age group of 25 to 40. Soon after, the company was charged for violation of law under the Davis-Bacon Act of 1931 and the Walsh-Healy Public Contracts Act of 1936. What would most likely explain the reason for the company being sued?
The employees of the company are not being paid at rates at least equal to the prevailing wages in the area.
After a manufacturing company implemented a comparable-worth policy, its expenses increased, and as a result, profits declined. What difficulty of comparable-worth policies does this example illustrate?
The employer is at an economic disadvantage because of increased pay for some jobs.
A manufacturing firm aims to become a high-performance work system. To do this, a survey team asks employees for comments and suggestions on how they can improve the firm. Some of the newest hires say they feel left out of decision-making processes, while some of the experienced employees say their objections towards the firm switching to cheaper manufacturing equipment went unheard. Which condition would help the firm strengthen the formation of its high-performance work system?
The management should allow experienced employees to participate in planning changes in equipment, layout, and work methods.
An employee is demonstrating behaviors on the job that may endanger other employees. His manager wants to refer him to the company's employee assistance program. Which situation would call for such a referral?
The manager has reason to believe the employee's behavior problems are related to alcohol abuse.
Which statement about pay ranges is most accurate?
The market rate or the pay policy line generally serves as the midpoint of a range for the job.
What does it mean when the compa-ratio is below 1?
The organization may be underpaying its employees.
What is a drawback of setting pay rates based strictly on a pay policy line?
The pay rates in the organization may not match the pay structure in the market.
An employee is known among his colleagues for his arrogance, rude behavior, and short-tempered nature. His supervisor does not feel like the employee is performing well and wants to fire him. However, the manager of the HR department, advises the supervisor to rethink his decision in order to avoid the possibility of the employee reacting violently or filing a lawsuit when he receives the news. In this scenario, which situation is most likely to result in an amicable discharge of the employee?
The supervisor encourages the employee to think about whether he is a good fit for the job and whether he might want help finding another.
A supervisor asks the HR manager for advice on delivering performance feedback. The supervisor finds that the meetings tend to be confrontational and don't lead to performance improvement. She tells the HR manager how she carefully fills out the appraisal form ahead of time and then invites the employee into the conference room to discuss her feedback immediately, before the employee has time to think up excuses for poor performance. What is the best advice the HR manager should give the supervisor for delivering performance feedback?
The supervisor should give employees a chance to complete a self-assessment ahead of time.
An HR manager is coaching a supervisor who needs to develop leadership skills. The manager suggests that the supervisor use performance feedback as a tool for the development of employees. Which action would be an example of this purpose of performance feedback?
The supervisor uses performance measures to identify assignments that will help employees build on their strengths.
Some employees at a clothing manufacturer investigate pay rates on Salary.com and learn that the company has been paying them significantly more than the national average for their jobs. In this case, what is the most likely reason for this?
There are regional differences in pay.
What attitude do employees typically express toward performance feedback?
They appreciate regular feedback, because they want to know if they are on track.
What is a disadvantage of broad bands?
They reduce the opportunities for promoting employees.
A heavy machinery company has employees belonging to the age group of 17 to 30. Thom, a 17-year-old, is prohibited from working with heavy machinery tools. Instead, he works in the mail room. Under the laws governing Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which statement justifies the organization's decision to forbid Thom from doing heavy machinery work?
Thom cannot be employed in hazardous occupations because he is 17 years old.
Which statement about high-performance work systems is accurate?
To develop a high-performance work system, organizations need to determine what kinds of people fit their needs and then locate, train, and motivate those people.
Executive pay has drawn public scrutiny in recent years. Which statement best explains the reason?
Top executives' pay is much higher than average workers' pay.
An entrepreneur believes in employee empowerment, so as soon as she began hiring managers, she made subordinate reviews part of her company's performance appraisal system. However, she and her human resource manager have realized that the managers don't always place enough emphasis on efficiency and results, perhaps out of fear that their employees will give them lower ratings. What would be the best way for the company to use subordinate feedback?
Use the results of subordinate feedback to identify avenues for employee development.
A company was preparing to roll out a new performance management system. The human resource executive insisted that for the new system to succeed, they must first explain it to employees. She said employees need to perceive the system as fair. Why would this effort make the performance management system more effective?
When employees are more confident about performance measures, they are more likely to apply the feedback.
An HR manager is developing a plan for ensuring the company has enough engineers. They haves already gathered data on the number of mechanical engineering graduates from nearby colleges. Now they want to test various salaries and determine the corresponding percentages of graduates who would accept a job offer the company. This will allow the HR manager to advise the best salary range to offer, given the supply of labor. Which information system is intended for this kind of analysis?
a decision support system
Which HRM practice helps organizations achieve high performance?
a performance management system measuring customer satisfaction and quality
Who would be most likely to hear and resolve a case if arbitration is used?
a retired judge
The ways in which organizations use the performance management system to provide information for day-to-day decisions about salary, benefits, and recognition programs falls under the __________ purpose of a performance management system.
administrative
A production manager needs to measure the performance of 10 subordinates. He writes their names on a paper and circles Tevy's name as the best-performing employee of the group. He then circles Ambrose's name as the worst employee of the group. He rates the remaining employees as second best, second worst, and so on. In the context of methods of performance measurement, the manager is using the __________ method.
alternation ranking
Open-door policy, peer review, and mediation are techniques for
alternative dispute resolution.
Peer review is an example of
alternative dispute resolution.
Role __________ is uncertainty about what the organization and others expect from the employee in terms of what to do or how to do it.
ambiguity
Which term refers to a display of a series of HR measures, showing human resource goals and objectives and the progress toward meeting them?
an HR dashboard
According to the FLSA, which individual is most likely a nonexempt employee?
an hourly paid production line employee
In a learning organization, training is viewed as
an investment in the organization's human resources.
A company follows the process of progressive discipline. The organization communicates with an employee about unacceptable behavior and responds to a series of her offenses. Which step would immediately precede a threat of temporary suspension?
an official written warning
The role __________ technique is a process of formally identifying expectations associated with a role.
analysis
At a high-performance organization, recruitment and selection aim at obtaining the kinds of employees who can thrive in this type of setting. These employees
are enthusiastic about knowledge sharing.
Barb, a supervisor in a shoe store, observes Carl, an employee, becoming anxious and defensive when a customer complains about some shoes. The customer reacts to Carl's behavior by raising her voice and demanding to talk to a manager. When should Barb give Carl performance feedback related to his handling of customer complaints?
as soon as she is finished talking with the complaining customer
To determine the outcomes of the HR functions at a company, several top-level managers suggest conducting a formal review of the HR department to evaluate its functions. The CEO approves the implementation of this suggestion. To measure the effectiveness of the HR department's functions, the company would most likely use an HRM
audit.
New technology usually involves __________, which is using equipment and information processing to perform activities that had been performed by people.
automation
A company wants to assess the performance of its employees. It uses a questionnaire that usually has a high fit with strategy, validity, and reliability; moderate acceptability; and very high specificity. Which approach to employee performance is being focused on by this questionnaire?
behavioral
The __________ performance management method requires managers to rate the frequency with which an employee has exhibited a behavior during a rating period.
behavioral observation scale
An insurance company incurred losses of about $100 million. To analyze its losses and to overcome them, the company began comparing its own practices against those of its successful competitors. In this scenario, which procedure is adopted by the insurance company?
benchmarking
In the context of an HRM audit, average unemployment compensation payment primarily serves as a vital business indicator for activities related to
benefits.
The slogan of an exercise apparel company is "Loving the Planet." This is more than just an advertising message. The company hires people who not only have job-related skills but also a commitment to sustainability and enjoyment of nature. The employees regularly have opportunities to sign up for service projects such as river cleanups and recycling drives. Employees are enthusiastic about developing and marketing products made with all-natural ingredients sustainably sourced. The HR department uses its communication tools to remind employees about how everyone contributes to realizing this eco-friendly vision for the company. Together, these efforts at the company create
brand alignment.
What is the result of combining more assignments into a single layer, thus giving managers more flexibility in making assignments and awarding pay increases?
broad bands
The management of a company wants to begin electronically monitoring the computer work of the employees who process claims filed by customers. The company's HR executive expects that employees will resist the monitoring because they will feel robbed of their human dignity. How could the HR department best address this concern?
by applying the data to employee development programs that can help employees advance in their careers
Marcia and Darius are both data-entry clerks in the same department of a company. On the anniversary of her employment, Marcia receives a 2 percent increase in salary. Later that day, while talking to Darius, she learns that on his anniversary, his pay increase was 4 percent. How could the company's supervisor and HR department best ensure that Marcia will perceive outcome fairness in this situation?
by demonstrating that raises of different sizes are associated with differences in performance
Patton was recently dismissed from her job in a hardware store. She had often been late for work, and she was so unresponsive to customers' needs that the store had received several complaints about her. Furthermore, she frequently complained about policies and procedures. A week after Patton's dismissal, the store's manager learned that Patton intended to sue the company for wrongful dismissal. She was saying she had complained of management's misdeeds, so the company retaliated. How should the human resource department have prepared the company for this situation?
by setting up a performance management system that documents employee performance problems
A retailer has outlets in more than 30 cities in the United States. After a recent expansion of an additional 25 outlets, the company looked to expand its IT infrastructure to make it easier for workers to apply for jobs and for employees to submit their time sheets. The IT department decided against increasing the capacity of the company's servers. Instead, the team used a third-party hosting service for running these applications. The employees at the stores are allowed access to this information through a web interface. This company is most likely employing
cloud computing.
A software company uses job evaluations to establish the value of its jobs in terms of criteria such as their difficulty and their importance to the organization. The company then compares the evaluation points awarded to each job with the pay for each job. If jobs have the same number of evaluation points but are not paid equally, the pay of the lower-paid job is raised. Based on the scenario, identify the policy adopted by the company.
comparable worth
To improve the performance of employees, a company provides recognition and monetary benefits to those employees whose performance exceeds expectations. This strategy can motivate some employees to perform better. This is an example of a(n) __________ strategy.
compensation
An employee was told by senior management that they expected him to exercise more authority and leadership with his work group. Just two days prior to that, his team told him that while they appreciated the initiative he demonstrated, they expected him to be less authoritative and more democratic in the future. The term that best describes what the employee is experiencing is role
conflict
In a high-performance work system, organizational structure promotes cooperation, learning, and
continuous improvement.
Each employee's and each group's ongoing efforts to gather information and apply the information to their decisions in a learning organization is called
continuous learning.
The employees at a nonprofit are always looking for ways to improve facilities and benefits for the impoverished children they care for. They then implement those ideas to improve performance. This is an example of
continuous learning.
Barney needs to assess a subordinates' performance. He considers the subordinate to be reliable and meets all his requirements, so he rates her as a good performer. But then Barney thinks about another exceptional employee in his department, and decides that, compared with her, the first subordinate is just average. In this way, Barney has committed a __________ error.
contrast
The positive or negative bottom-line views that people have of themselves are known as
core self-evaluations.
The Walsh-Healy Public Contracts Act of 1936
covers all government contractors receiving $10,000 or more in federal funds.
Conducting personal business online during work hours is called
cyberslacking.
An HR department uses a human resource information system (HRIS). The employees of the department can view and track their individual progress as well as the progress that the department has made using HRIS. The component of the HRIS that enables this is called an HR
dashboard.
The senior management of a firm is undecided about the number of employees needed for its new project. To advise the executives, a human resource specialist uses a computer system to estimate how long teams of three different sizes will take to complete the project, assuming the project is of either low, average, or high difficulty. The type of system appropriate for this case is a(n)
decision support system.
A manufacturing company has a pay structure based on job descriptions. As the company moves toward customizing production to meet customers' specific needs, it finds that managers are lacking flexibility in both job assignments as well as awarding pay increases to their employees. It has decided to reduce the number of levels in their job structure in order to increase their flexibility. This is called
delayering.
Subordinate evaluations are the most appropriate to use for which purpose?
developmental
What will most likely be the result of using an unplanned approach, in which each employee's pay is independently negotiated?
dissatisfied employees
A supervisor needed to rate the performance of 20 subordinates. He used a rating scale to rate them on a scale of 1 to 10. He rated the subordinates all between 4 and 6, which led to a central tendency error. In the context of types of rating errors, the supervisor committed a __________ error.
distributional
Outcomes of a high-performance work system include higher productivity and
efficiency.
A CEO believes in providing employees with a flexible and open environment to enhance their skills and growth in the company. In the context of performance management and ethical issues associated with it, which of the following would the CEO most likely oppose and why?
electronic monitoring systems because they make the employees feel like robots and that they are being watched
Which term refers to a referral service that employees can make use of to pursue professional treatment for emotional problems or substance abuse?
employee assistance program
A CEO holds a meeting with employees, telling them they need to put 100 percent effort into their daily work. The CEO adds that with every quarter the company meets its sales targets, employees will receive a $500 bonus. In this scenario, the CEO's actions are most likely to improve
employee engagement.
Historically, if an organization and employee do not have a specific employment contract, the employer or employee may end the relationship at any time. This is referred to as the __________ doctrine.
employment-at-will
Which practice is most likely to enhance occupational intimacy?
establishing policies that show concern for employees' needs
A(n) __________ refers to the meeting of a departing employee with the employee's supervisor and/or a human resource specialist to discuss the employee's reasons for leaving.
exit interview
Employees with negative affectivity are inclined to
experience feelings of anger, contempt, fear, and guilt.
A firm's HR department uses a computer system that assists in the selection of candidates to be interviewed for a job opening. The computer system enables the interviewer to act as both an interviewee and interviewer in a simulation, thus providing the HR specialist with comprehensive knowledge about the firm's overall interview and selection process. This computer system is likely to be a(n)
expert system.
Parul was working at Walmart when she found out that Maia was making more for the same job at Target. She went to her manager and demanded a raise. This demonstrates how __________ equity impacts a person's feelings about pay equity.
external
Celeste started her small retail clothing store because she wanted to sell clothing that made people feel good about themselves. After the first year, her salespeople were excited that they had achieved a profit, but Celeste didn't feel that was a good measurement of successful performance. From this information, what criterion for the effectiveness of a performance measure is lacking?
fit with strategy
A production manager needs to measure the performance of 12 of her subordinates. She divides the number of employees into categories: exceptional, above average, average, and below average. She assigns a certain percentage of employees to each category to determine the quality of their performances. In the context of methods for measuring performance, the manager is using the __________ method.
forced-distribution
A manager uses a scale rating approach to evaluate his employees. He considers one employee at a time and circles a number or a word to signify the degree to which that employee demonstrates a particular trait in the scale. Which approach is the manager using to assess his employees?
graphic rating scale
What is the name of the rating error that leads employees to believe that no aspect of their performance needs improvement?
halo error
High-performance work systems result in
high product quality.
When an employee evaluates his or her manager low on all performance criteria due to dissatisfaction with the manager's disposition, the employee has most likely committed a(n)
horns error.
Which principle of discipline holds that an organization's discipline should give a clear-cut warning and follow up with consistent, objective, and immediate consequences?
hot-stove rule
What is the first step in the performance management process?
identifying what the company is trying to accomplish
The management at a company decides to search its employees on the job. However, the company's HR manager believes that it could violate the employees' privacy. Which condition would strengthen the HR manager's belief and likely result in a lawsuit?
if the search involves communications, such as e-mails, that are searched without probable cause
A board of directors is worried about company theft and decides to institute an immediate search of the employees on the job. However, the head of the HR department believes that doing so could maximize the likelihood of a lawsuit due to privacy concerns. Which condition would strengthen the HR manager's belief?
if the search is done only on employees and not supervisors
Based on the expectation that two people in conflict should first try to arrive at a settlement together, organizations have a policy of making managers available to hear complaints. Typically, the first "open door" is that of the employee's
immediate supervisor.
A year ago, a production facility of a beverage company became the subject of negative news coverage following complaints that it had been slow to alert the community to some contamination of the water supply. During the reporters' investigation, several employees came forward to blame a supervisor who they claimed ignored their suspicions about the contamination. After the stories spread, the human resource department noticed that the number of workers applying for jobs at the facility had rapidly declined and so had the quality of applicants who did apply. The troublesome manager was dismissed, and now the human resource department is investigating how to improve the ethical climate at the facility. Which measure would contribute most to the effort?
including measures of ethical behavior in performance management
An employee was recently promoted at an IT firm. Their supervisor has given them access to previously restricted computer programs, and they can now retrieve certain confidential data necessary to perform their job responsibilities. Given the nature of the work, which element of a high-performance work system is illustrated in this scenario?
information systems
Hank is known for his short temper. One morning, he gets into a heated argument with one of his supervisors and responds with hostility. Rather than immediately terminating Hank, the owner calls him in for a discussion. The owner treats Hank with dignity and respect, listening to what he has to say about the incident. This scenario demonstrates the use of __________ justice.
interactional
A perception of __________ is a judgment that the organization carried out its actions in a manner that took the employee's feelings into account.
interactional justice
Two managers want to the check the consistency of results for a performance measure that uses ratings by a supervisor. They want to know if different supervisors would rate the same behavior the same way. In the context of criteria for effective performance management, the managers are interested in the measure's
interrater reliability.
A human resource department gathers data for computing compa-ratios of several positions. Based on the data, for which position is Fresher Inc. most likely underpaying for human resources?
inventory clerks: average salary of $20,000, range midpoint of $30,000
Rohanna, a supervisor, is meeting with an employee whose performance has deteriorated since the previous year. The employee used to do the same work well, so Rohanna believes the problem is not likely to be related to ability. Which response would be most likely to help in this situation?
investigating whether the employee feels she has been treated fairly
Terminating an employee for the use of illegal drugs is an example of __________ turnover.
involuntary
An employee was suspended for two weeks for drug use. Six months later, the employee was fired from the job because her productivity did not show any improvement even after undergoing treatment for drug use. Which form of discharge did the employee experience?
involuntary turnover
An employee is known for his short-tempered and argumentative nature. During a heated exchange at work one day, the employee makes a derogatory gesture toward his manager, which causes him to be fired. This scenario is an example of
involuntary turnover.
Compa-ratio
is defined as the ratio of average pay to the midpoint of the pay range.
Under the FLSA, exempt status of employees depends on their
job responsibilities and salary.
An employee loves her job. She feels that it allows for the fulfillment of her important job values. This employee is experiencing
job satisfaction.
An insurance company defines the difference in pay between an entry-level recruiter and an entry-level assembler, as well as the difference between an entry-level recruiter, an HR manager, and the vice president of the human resource department. What is being exemplified in this scenario?
job structure
Which elements establish an organization's pay structure?
job structure and pay level
A company pays attention to improving employee skills on the job. Its training centers and mentors are open to one-on-one sessions, group discussions, and workshops. The organization boasts a world-class resource center that offers the latest editions of many books and journals related to the industry. All employees have free access to the knowledge pool in the organization and are welcome to initiate discussions on topics of interest. In this scenario, the company has created a __________ organization.
learning
At a beauty supply company, an employee created a popular line of lip balm, lip gloss, and lipstick after many hours of research and discussions with experts. Now, with their manager's encouragement, they frequently conduct workshops for other employees about lip color and other beauty products. In this scenario, which feature of the company is exemplified?
learning culture
Andrew, a manager at a meat packing company, is asked to rate his subordinates' performances. He needs to rate 30 employees on a scale that ranges from 1 to 10, with 10 being the best. He rates 25 of the employees with a score of 8. In doing so, Andrew commits a rating error. In the context of types of rating errors, Andrew's mistake is called
leniency.
How can managers improve employee satisfaction with the feedback process?
letting employees voice their opinions and discuss performance goals during the feedback process
Assuming an organization wants to motivate employees through promotions, and assuming enough opportunities for promotions are available, the organization would want to
limit the overlap from one pay range to the next.
A company gives its employees monetary bonuses at the end of the company's fiscal year based on their contributions to the firm's financial success. This is a method of
linking compensation to performance measures.
Research on the effects of two-tier wage plans found that
lower-paid employees were more satisfied on average than higher-paid employees.
A human resource department has played a leading role in helping a hospital become a high-performance work system. Recently, the team has been focusing on the hospital's performance management. Which effort would most directly ensure that performance management supports the development of a high-performance work system?
making sure employees know how their work contributes to the hospital's mission
Cho, an outside neutral party, is helping simplify a conflict between two technical teams of a company. Though Cho's solution has no binding power, both teams decided to accept her solution. This is an example of
mediation
If peer review does not lead to a compromise, a neutral party from outside the organization hears the case and tries to help the people involved resolve the conflict and reach a compromise. This process is called
mediation
Charlie hates his job, but he is also dissatisfied with other aspects of his life and feels no one has it as bad as he does. Charlie demonstrates
negative affectivity.
People experience __________ when they love their work, when they and their co-workers care about one another, and when they find their work meaningful.
occupational intimacy
An employee finds work meaningful and is a passionate team member. They show concern for one another and love their job. In the context of job satisfaction, the feeling experienced by the employees is known as
occupational intimacy.
Which type of alternative dispute resolution functions well only to the extent that employees trust management and the managers who hear complaints listen and are able to act?
open-door policy
Although labor and product markets limit organizations' choices about pay levels, there is a range within which organizations can make decisions. The size of this range depends on the
organization's competitive environment.
Which term refers to the way in which an organization groups its people into useful divisions, departments, and reporting relationships?
organizational structure
A new firm has to hire qualified individuals, compartmentalize them into different departments, and hire a set of managers who will be able to instruct, monitor, and guide these employees to ensure smooth functioning of the organization. In this scenario, the company is creating a(n)
organizational structure.
Arthur arrives late at the office on a Monday morning due to a personal emergency. His manager fires him, although this was the first instance of Arthur arriving late at work. In this scenario, Arthur would most likely notice a lack of __________ in dealing with employees who arrive late at work.
outcome fairness
A company tries to avoid the potential for violence or a lawsuit each time an employee is asked to leave the company. It does this by having the former employees meet with a specialized member of the HR staff to discuss their feelings while also getting help to find a new job. Which strategy does the company use in this scenario?
outplacement counseling
An employee has just been discharged from his job after the company he was working for started downsizing. Confused about his state of joblessness, the employee threatens to sue the company for reparations. Which program can help the company avoid such situations from exiting employees?
outplacement counseling
A professional counselor is asked to talk to an ex-employee about his performance issues. The counselor talks to this ex-employee about his grief and fear, as well as some strategies for finding a new job. Which role is the counselor performing?
outplacement counselor
After an organization downsizes, it may expect much of its remaining employees. This high expectation and demand occur in a state of role __________ for the employees.
overload
What term is defined as a set of possible pay rates with a minimum, maximum, and midpoint of pay for employees holding a particular job?
pay range
The process through which managers ensure that employees' activities and outputs contribute to the organization's goals is the definition of
performance management.
An employee is unhappy at her job and has requested a transfer. In this scenario, which type of job withdrawal is the employee requesting?
physical job withdrawal
Organizations under pressure to cut labor costs may respond by
postponing hiring decisions.
Delina loves gossiping about her colleagues during office hours, which causes her to receive a reprimand from her supervisor. A few days later, the supervisor fires Collin, another subordinate, for a similar reason. The employees reporting to this manager are most likely to conclude he demonstrates a lack of __________ in dealing with employees who gossip at work.
procedural justice
Which process seeks to avert misbehavior and to correct, rather than merely punish, misbehavior?
progressive discipline
Which aspect of satisfaction is among those emphasized by the Job Descriptive Index?
promotions
What is the final step in performance management process?
providing consequences for performance results
A human resources executive emphasizes to her staff that the department should focus on serving its "customer," the company's employees. Which activity best expresses treatment of employees as customers?
providing employees with the training they need to succeed at work
An employee is very dissatisfied with her job situation, but she does not perceive any other employment opportunities, so she stays and spends most of the workday dreaming about nonwork matters. What is this employee experiencing?
psychological job withdrawal
A supervisor gets fired from his job when he refuses to break federal laws and discharge harmful chemicals from the company's production facility into a nearby river. He files a wrongful discharge suit. Which exception to the employment-at-will doctrine is he likely to choose when filing his suit?
public policy
Lisa refuses her employer's request to falsify the contents of a report to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The employer subsequently discharges Lisa for "not following orders." Identify the exception to the employment-at-will doctrine that supports a wrongful discharge suit.
public policy
What does an employer violate when it terminates an employee for refusing to do something unethical, unsafe, and illegal?
public policy
Overlapping pay __________ give the organization more flexibility in transferring employees among jobs, because transfers need not always involve a change in pay.
ranges
A software company is currently looking for new candidates to fill vacant positions. It prefers candidates who are enthusiastic about their work and willing to share their knowledge on various topics related to their field. The HR department is responsible for finding the right type of candidate to fit the open roles in the organization. In this scenario, the HR department contributes to high performance through
recruitment and selection.
A standard feature of a modern HRIS (Human Resource Information System) is the use of __________ databases, which store data in separate files that can be linked by common elements.
relational
A manager uses a rating tool to evaluate the performance of subordinates. However, the scale she used did not yield consistent results, and it could not be determined if a change had taken place in the performance of the employees. What was lacking in the rating scale?
reliability
After an HR manager hears reports that some employees are drinking liquor on the job, she arranges to conduct a random search for evidence. Which action would be the most appropriate way for the manager's company to act fairly regarding employees' privacy in this scenario?
requesting consent before gathering information
Talent poaching makes it difficult for companies to
retain their top performers.
Bao is an experienced employee at an organization. The latest policy implemented by the firm's management provides only new employees with bonuses and other perks for exemplary performance. Bao has raised concerns regarding the revised policy, but management stands firm on its revised policy. For Bao's company to be a high-performance work system, which element is Bao seeking to improve?
reward systems
Which element in a high-performance work system contributes to high performance by encouraging people to strive for objectives that support the organization's overall goals and includes the performance measures by which employees are judged?
reward systems
An HR manager believes that it is important for employees to feel a sense of satisfaction about their jobs, because a satisfied employee will contribute more to the organization than an employee who is dissatisfied with their job. Which action by this manager would best contribute to employee satisfaction?
rewarding employees for meeting goals
A manager is concerned about an unacceptable level of job dissatisfaction among a number of work teams in her organization. She has determined that the primary cause of the dissatisfaction is the uncertainty that exists among employees regarding what is expected of them. Based on this limited information, the most appropriate intervention would be
role analysis technique.
A single father works full time and attends to the needs of his two young children. He often feels a lot of pressure in balancing his work and looking after his children. What is this father experiencing?
role conflict
When in situations they dislike, employees with positive core self-evaluation tend to
seek change in socially acceptable ways.
Mehra is the new HR manager at a newspaper. She meets with the company's leaders to discuss how she intends to support business objectives. Mehra tells them that the paper has a performance management process that delivers reliable information, but it needs to be more strategic. Which action would best make performance management more strategic?
setting individual performance measures that are linked to the organization's goals
Alternation ranking is a variation of __________ ranking.
simple
A real estate firm ensures that employees' pay is dependent on what they are capable of doing. The company also supports efforts to empower its employees by encouraging them to be independent and to make decisions in various areas. This, in turn, results in job enrichment. Based on this information, what pay structure is being utilized by this company?
skill-based pay systems
A number of techniques are available for measuring HRM's effectiveness in meeting its customers' needs depending on the situation. These techniques include reviewing a set of key indicators, measuring the outcomes of __________, and measuring the economic value of HRM programs.
specific HRM activity
In the context of an HRM audit, the ratio of acceptances to offers made primarily serves as a business indicator for __________ activities.
staffing
The HR department of a company identifies the per capita requirement costs in its annual audit. It also calculates the average number of days taken to fill open positions at the firm. The data gathered were used as business indicators in the HRM audit. These business indicators are most likely to measure the performance of the __________ activity of the company.
staffing
Which step in the performance management process involves giving employees training and ongoing feedback from managers?
step 3 Provide support
Which element of a high-performance work system determines how the details of the organization's necessary activities will be grouped, whether into jobs or team responsibilities?
task design
The __________ approach to performance feedback is used by most managers.
tell-and-sell
Which step ends the progressive discipline process?
termination
An HR manager establishes a performance management system for his company. He wants to check the consistency of results over time. In the context of criteria for determining the effectiveness of performance measures, the manager is trying to check the __________ of the performance management system.
test-retest reliability
The pay ratio reporting policy, as part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, requires that companies report the ratio of their average worker's pay to that of
the CEO.
A company received $100,000 in federal contracts. The company paid its employees at rates at least equal to the prevailing wages in the area. The calculation of prevailing rates by the company was based on 30 percent of the local labor force. In this case, which law did the company comply with?
the Davis-Bacon Act of 1931 and the Walsh-Healy Public Contracts Act of 1936
Which performance management system has as a drawback the fact that it requires a lot of information that needs to be remembered by the manager conducting the evaluation?
the behavioral observation scale
In the role analysis technique, role of occupant refers to
the employee who fills a role in the organization.
As a predictor of job dissatisfaction, the most important element is
the nature of the task itself.
An employee has demonstrated low productivity for a long period. Her manager evaluates her performance and finds that she requires more training to improve her productivity. In the context of improving employees' performance, the employee lacks
the necessary abilities.
What is a business indicator for the success of the compensation system designed by the HR department of an organization?
the ratio of average salary offers to the average salary in the community
What is a key element of high-performance work systems?
the right people
Employees tend to be satisfied with their jobs as long as they perceive that
their jobs meet their important values.
What term is described as the computations and calculations involved in reviewing and documenting HRM decisions and practices?
transaction processing
An HR department is having trouble documenting its hiring decisions. In addition, irregularities were uncovered when reviewing the offers made to job candidates during the previous year. As a solution to these issues, the HR manager proposes that all activities related to employee selection be documented thoroughly using computer databases. In this scenario, the manager proposes using
transaction processing.
What is a typical first response in the progressive discipline system?
unofficial spoken warning
What term refers to whether an appraisal measures all the relevant aspects of performance and omits irrelevant aspects of performance?
validity
When employees initiate a turnover when the organization would prefer to keep them, it is called __________ turnover.
voluntary
A manager is leaving the company for a better job at a competing firm. Which form of turnover is illustrated in this scenario?
voluntary turnover
Employees' conclusions about equity depend on
what they choose as a standard of comparison.
Under which circumstance is appraisal politics most likely to occur?
when senior employees tell newcomers stories about distorted ratings
A vice president of human resources wants to ensure that his company's performance management process is effective, so he sets up an annual review of the process. What should that review measure?
whether measures of individual performance support the department's and company's objectives
When employees cannot work with management to make changes, they may engage in __________, taking their charges to the media in the hope that if the public learns about the situation, the organization will be forced to change.
whistle-blowing