MGMT 383 Chapter 1

What does QWL stand for?

Quality of Work Life

Coca Cola earns more than what percent of its revenues from outside the United States? A. 5 B. 25 C. 75 D. 95

C. 75

According to a study examining restructuring's effects on profitability and stock returns of 500 representative companies listed on the NYSE, in terms of profitability, which of the following categories of companies generated lower returns on assets in the year prior to the announcement of layoffs, the year when layoffs occurred, and in the two subsequent years on a relative basis? A. Asset upsizers B. Stable employers C. Downsizers D. Upsizers

C. Downsizers

The most important intellectual property in the creative economy is: A. intellectual capital B. telemedicine C. music D. software

. intellectual capital

The measure of output of goods and services relative to the input of labor, capital, and equipment is known as: A. quality enhancement. B. profits. C. productivity. D. resources.

. productivity

Managing change is an ongoing process whose objective is to enhance the ability of an organization to anticipate and respond to developments that are only in its external environment.

false

Modular corporations retain all major business functions under one roof.

false

Quality of work life is defined in terms of management perceptions of employee physical and mental well-being at work.

false

The advantage of bringing breakthrough products to market first will be shorter than ever because globalization will let competitors match or exceed them almost instantly.

false

The best way for a company to gain long time prosperity is to downsize.

false

The functional areas of HRM (staffing, retention, etc.) are the sole responsibility of the HR department.

false

Trends will include a decrease in automated and outsourced roles, more diversity of employees, and an increased importance on technical skills for successful managers.

false

In a(n) _____, employees operate remotely from each other and from managers. A. bureaucratic organization B. fluid organization C. telecommuting center D. virtual workplace

virtual workplace

Which factors have contributed to the attractiveness of globalization?

A. Cheap labor B. Plentiful resources C. Ease of travel

Many factors are driving change, but none is more important than the rise of: A. Internet technologies. B. women in the workforce. C. human resource professionals. D. cultural diversity.

A. Internet technologies.

Examples of how globalization of companies has affected the economy include:

A. Open boarders have allowed new ideas and technology to flow freely B. Accelerating productivity growth has allowed companies to be more competitive C. There is a growing fear that globalization only benefits big business

Ron is a senior production manager at an avionics product research and development organization. Which of the following would be part of Ron's responsibility for managing change? A. Providing a vision of where his unit is going. B. Providing expertise to facilitate the overall process of managing change. C. Developing legally sound performance management systems. D. Respecting the dignity of each individual in his unit.

A. Providing a vision of where his unit is going.

The category of HRM responsibility aimed at preserving and enhancing employee job competence is: A. development. B. staffing. C. retention. D. managing change.

A. development

According to the text, quality of work life is defined in terms of: A. employee perceptions of their well-being at work. B. the level of productivity achieved by employees. C. objective indices of employee well-being at work. D. the degree to which an organization adopts Japanese managerial principles.

A. employee perceptions of their well-being at work.

All of the following are prerequisites for selective hiring EXCEPT: A. interviewers screen for attributes that are easy to change through training. B. the organization needs to be clear about the most critical skills and attributes in the applicant pool. C. the skills and abilities sought should be consistent with particular job requirements and the organization's approach to the market. D. having a large applicant pool from which to select.

A. interviewers screen for attributes that are easy to change through training.

In terms of staffing, the responsibility of line management is: A. making final decisions on entry-level hires and promotions. B. doing a job/competency analysis. C. the development of legally sound performance management systems. D. investigation of employee complaints.

A. making final decisions on entry-level hires and promotions.

Companies that outsource work far from their home countries are said to be: A. offshoring. B. onshoring. C. outsourcing. D. nearshoring.

A. offshoring.

The challenge, opportunity, and also the frustration of creating and managing organizations frequently stem from the _____ problems that arise within them.

A. people-related

Globalization has been encouraged by A. the ease of travel and communication B. the decrease in employees willing to take foreign posts C. the complexity of matrix organizations D. a lack of global resources

A. the ease of travel and communication

Theoretically, quality of work life (QWL) involves giving workers the opportunity to make decisions about the design of their jobs and workplaces, and what they need to make products or to deliver services most effectively. What workers want varies by country. Chinese workers value: A. chances to learn. B. competitive base pay. C. challenging work. D. work/life balance.

chances to learn

Retention comprises all of the following activities EXCEPT: A. rewarding employees for performing their jobs effectively. B. ensuring harmonious working relations between employees and managers. C. maintaining a safe, healthy work environment. D. identifying work requirements within an organization.

d

Organizations known for the quality of their products and services strongly believe that _____ are the key to those results. A. eminent board members B. virtual organizations C. employees D. outstanding HR managers

employees

A process is a collection of activities that takes one or more kinds of input and creates an output that is of value to a customer.

false

Big advertisers are increasingly moving away from pay per click online advertising, as they are prone to manipulation.

false

Business-based flexibility" is characterized by private deals based on individual's needs.

false

Company X is increasing production by adding more employees to its workforce and scaling up its existing facilities. Company X is essentially increasing its productivity.

false

Flexibility is currently viewed by most managers and employees as a new and effective way of working to achieve business results, rather than as an exception or employee accommodation.

false

How the people are selected, trained, and managed does not determine to a large extent how successful an organization will be.

false

If the findings of the study that examined restructuring's effects on 500 representative companies listed on the NYSE is assumed to hold good in future, a company that downsizes now will yield stock returns significantly higher than those of upsizers or stable employers.

false

In the 21st century, employers are enjoying an abundance of skilled help.

false

Reengineering

is the fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in cost, quality, and speed.

There is a substantial and growing body of research evidence showing a strong connection between how firms _____ and the economic results they achieve. A. select board members B. educate their management staff C. manage their people D. diversify their product line

manage their people

The fundamental premise of high-performance management systems is that organizations perform at a higher level when they are able to tap the ideas, skills, and efforts of all of their people. This is a dimension of: A. employment security. B. reduced differences in status. C. self-managed teams and decentralization. D. sharing of information.

reduced differences in status.

It generally takes _____ before quality-management programs become institutionalized.

three to five years

Changes in any single part of the HRM system have a reverberating effect on all other parts of the system.

true

Cheap labor and plentiful resources, along with ease of travel and communication, have created global labor markets.

true

Globalization is a fact of organizational life, as countries, companies, and workers are interconnected as never before.

true

One of the greatest challenges of Chief HR officers is creating a true sense of ownership among senior leaders as to their role of Chief Talent Officers.

true

One study found that a 10 percent increase in a measure of goal-setting activity of firms was associated with a six percent increase in industry adjusted stock returns.

true

Originally invented as a way to improve quality, Six Sigma's main value to corporations today lies in its ability to save time and money.

true

Over the past decade, organizations have become more complex, dynamic, and fast-paced.

true

Recognizing that you have the right people in critical leadership roles is not an HR responsibility, but rather a business imperative which must be truly owned by the leaders of the firm.

true

The focus for the 21st century organization is far more likely to look like a web: a flat, intricately woven form that links partners, employees, external contractors, suppliers, and customers in various collaborations.

true

The new global corporation might be based in the United States but do its software programming in Sri Lanka, its engineering in Germany, and its manufacturing in China

true

The sharing of information on such things as financial performance, strategy, and operational measures conveys to an organization's people that they are trusted.

true

There is a growing fear among many people that globalization benefits big companies instead of average citizens - of America or any other country.

true

When productivity increases, businesses can pay higher wages without boosting inflation

true

Quality of work life (QWL) depends a lot on what workers want. _____ is the main requirement of workers in the United States. A. Career opportunity B. Competitive base pay C. Chances to learn D. Challenging work

B. Competitive base pay

Teams substitute peer based control for hierarchical control of work is known for in: A. Cultural stewards B. Organizational design C. Strategy architects D. Selective hiring

B. Organizational design

How do less-developed countries win from globalization? A. They can sell sophisticated technologies to emerging economies. B. They get jobs making low-cost products for rich countries. C. They gain the ability to buy expensive imports. D. They can sell services to relatively under-developed countries.

B. They get jobs making low-cost products for rich countries.

Organizations strive to retain talented workers in a hot job market by offering employees: A. coordination of control. B. flexible work schedules. C. Total Quality Management. D. unity of command.

B. flexible work schedules.

Staffing is comprised of all the following activities EXCEPT: A. identifying work requirements within an organization. B. involving employees in business strategy. C. recruiting, selecting, and promoting qualified candidates. D. determining the numbers of people and the skills necessary to do the work.

B. involving employees in business strategy

A broad objective of HRM is to _____ of all workers in the organization.

B. optimize the usefulness

All of the following are general categories of HRM activities EXCEPT: A. managing change. B. development. C. outplacement. D. adjustment.

C

When senior managers take true ownership of their responsibility to have the right people in critical leadership roles, they are embracing their role of: A. Morale supervisors B. Technical training specialists C. Chief Talent Officers D. Applied motivational strategist

C. Chief Talent Officers

The 21st-century corporation must adapt itself to management via the Web and must be: A. predicated on stability. B. organized around rigid hierarchies. C. built on shifting partnerships and alliances. D. constructed on bricks and mortar.

C. built on shifting partnerships and alliances.

_____ comprises activities intended to maintain compliance with the organization's HR policies and business strategies.

D. Adjustment

How the people are selected, trained, and managed determines to a large extent how successful an organization will be: A. Selected. B. Trained. C. Managed. D. All of the Above

D. All of the Above

A basic element of Organizational Design is: A. Self-managed teams B. Decentralization C. Extensive training D. Both A & B

D. Both A & B

Which of the following is a characteristic of a 21st-century corporation as compared to a 20th-century corporation? A. Focus is internal B. Style is structured C. Mass production of products D. Strategy is bottom-up

D. Strategy is bottom-up

Which of the following is a retention responsibility of the line management? A. Compensation and benefits B. Performance feedback to subordinates C. Management and organizational development D. Face-to-face resolution of conflict

Face-to-face resolution of conflict

List three ways in which sustainability affects an organization's business model, structure, and processes:

One, organizations consider a wider set of stakeholders when setting strategy. Two, stakeholders help with the implementation of such a strategy, as employers partner with external organizations. Three, sustainability affects corporate practices, requires greater involvement and accountability of boards of directors, and it requires business transparency.

The goal of _____ is to reduce variability from a process (no more than 3.4 defects per million) in order to avoid errors and increase predictability. A. ISO 13485 B. Total Quality Management C. ISO 9000 D. Six Sigma

Six Sigma

Downsizing is probably the most common form of restructuring.

TRUE

List at least three human resource aspects that greatly benefit from vendor HRIS applications (e.g., benefits enrollment).

Any three of the following: 1) applicant tracking, 2) time and attendance records, 3) training and development, 4) payroll, 5) pension plans, 6) employee surveys

Which of the following was NOT part of the "Three-C" logic that dominated industrial society's approach to organizational design throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries? A. Coordination B. Command C. Control D. Compartmentalized information

Coordination

List and describe the five broad activities encompassed by HRM.

List and describe the five broad activities encompassed by HRM. The following activities constitute the HRM system: Staffing comprises the activities of (1) identifying work requirements within an organization, (2) determining the numbers of people and the skills mix necessary to do the work, and (3) recruiting, selecting, and promoting qualified candidates. Retention comprises the activities of (1) rewarding employees for performing their jobs effectively, (2) ensuring harmonious working relations between employees and managers, and (3) maintaining a safe, healthy work environment. The objective of development is to preserve and enhance employees' competence in their jobs through improving their knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics. Adjustment comprises activities intended to maintain compliance with the organization's HR policies and business strategies. Managing change is an ongoing process whose objective is to enhance the ability of an organization to anticipate and respond to developments in its external and internal environments, and to enable employees at all levels to cope with the changes.

What growing trend will result in waves of individualized products and services, as well as huge savings for companies, which will no longer have to guess what and how much customers want?

Mass customization

The most vital of all resources in work settings is: A. people. B. technology. C. culture. D. finances.

People

modular corporation.

The basic idea is to focus on a few core competencies—those a company does best, such as designing and marketing computers or copiers—and to outsource everything else to a network of suppliers. Companies are outsourcing work within their home countries (onshore), near their home countries (near-shore), and far from their home countries (offshore