HR Textbook Quizzes Topic 1

Top management has a great influence on the HR manager and the department. How does top management influence the HR department the most?

By the roles they allow the department to play

Which of the following is not a way HR professionals can create an ethical organizational culture?

Constant monitoring of employees

What is the goal of the selection process when trying to staff an organization's needs?

Create a match between candidate's ability and the needs of the job

Many millennials entering the workforce can be describe as _______________?

Cynical

What is one of the two categories of HR professionals?

HR generalists

Which of the following work designs can HR help implement that will serve to increase productivity and value?

Less structured work, where employees can be more creative

What can HR departments do to help minimize the costs of HR in an organization?

Measure the costs and benefits of different policies and implement the best ones

When the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was created in 1994, were corporations forced to become more or less competitive?

More

Although employees are starting to take a more active role in managing their own careers, the HR department still plays a significant role. What is that role?

The HR department guides the process to make sure the employees plans line up with the company's objectives

What is not needed to have great analytical skills?

The ability to work with others on a complex problem

HR's function traditionally was limited to attracting and hiring employees, but today, HR has many more functions. Which of the following is not a new function that HR plays in today's organizations?

Retention competencies

The effectiveness of an organization's HR management function depends largely upon...

The quality of people in the HR department

To be most effective in their duties, the HR department should be in what position of the organization's hierarchy?

The same as the top managers

What is an example of indirect compensation when it comes to rewards that are given to employees?

Rewards that are given for simply being a part of the organization

What is a societal trend that affects HR and its functions?

Symptoms of dysfunction in the workplace

Line managers are the ones that most often implement the initiatives that the HR department has come up with. What should HR not do when helping line managers implement these initiatives?

Take over the job so that it will be done successfully

Many employees are taking a more active role in managing their own careers, what is something they are NOT doing?

They are determining the implementations that the HR department should undertake

What have organizations started doing with their structure as the use of technology has increased in the workplace?

They have decreased the number of management levels in the organization

Which position in the organization determines how important human resource management will be to that organization?

Top management

An HR generalist will generally have a broader understanding of HR compared to an HR specialist, who will typically have detailed knowledge about a specific HR area.

True

HR department executives are now just as concerned with profits as any other executive.

True

HR departments should be departments that advocate and implement change.

True

HR managers must have a propensity for action.

True

HR staff should be in close proximity to the line managers so they can keep up on their needs.

True

HRM is the responsibility of all managers in the organization.

True

It has been suggested throughout this course that HRM cannot be effective without the support and direction of top management. Without that support, HRM is very limited on what it can change and influence within the company.

True

It is important for an HR manager to have the ability to be accepted by different groups.

True

True or False: HR policies must work in compliance with the organization's overall strategy?

True

Performance appraisals are important for both measuring and monitoring an employee's contribution, but they are also often the basis for deciding what?

Whether or not to give promotions

In the changing world, what terms are now being used to describe the traditional work environment?

Worker alienation

The economy is a critical element of the external environment and can have a significant impact on HR activities. What does a strong economy tend to create?

A more competitive market for recruiting talent

Which of the following is NOT a function of Human Resource Management?

Appraising client behavior

There are eight separate HR functions and activities that were discussed at the beginning of this topic. How must an organization view these functions to make them more productive?

As a unit

In the early 1900s, what was Human Resources primarily concerned with?

Distributing paychecks and working with unions

Legislation continues to put an emphasis on the rights of whom?

Employees

The economy, changes in technology, and competition are all examples of what type of environment that an organization has to be aware of?

External

Employees provide a non-replicable competitive advantage to the organization no matter what practices HR implements in the organization.

False

HR needs to implement all of the HR activities, making sure not to delegate the implementation to line managers who may not implement them correctly.

False

HR professionals have a job that is mostly static and does not require the HR professional to be innovative and ready for change.

False

Most small organizations have a specialized HR department.

False

The internal environment includes factors that the organization has no control over.

False

The responsibility of HR in the organization is solely the responsibility of the HR manager and HR staff.

False

True or False: HR professionals need to focus solely on acquiring HR knowledge and skills so that they can be more effective to the organization in all roles they undertake.

False

True or False: HR specialists are generally found in small firms.

False

What is a job that HR generalists do not do?

Focus on one area of HR

Although HR generalists and specialists should possess many of the same qualities, which of the following is correct about the level of expertise they should have?

HR specialists must have a more in-depth level of expertise

As HR professionals engage in more and more roles within the organization, HR will be more effective in helping the organization do what?

Improve quality of work life

HR functions are important because they serve to attract employees (an explicit objective). HR also has a few implicit objectives. Which of the following is an implicit HR objective?

Improvement of productivity

What is one way that HR can improve the quality of life for most employees in today's world?

Increase the amount of control employees have over their own jobs

One of HR's main objectives is to improve productivity. Which of the following best describes what HR managers should strive for when improving productivity?

Increasing output with higher quality

What is a not a necessary competency for today's HR professionals?

Keeping things the same in the organization to help stabilize it when change threatens it

Because new millennials entering the workforce are cynical and less patient with respect to authority, they sometimes do not get along with older workers who do accept authority. What is the HR function that will help resolve this conflict?

Know how to manage the skills of young workers

Which skill is not necessary for HR specialists to have to do their job well?

Knowledge of accounting

HR salaries exhibit a wide disparity of pay levels. Generally, are human resource managers paid more in large companies or small companies?

Large

What are millennials, who are just now entering the workforce, concerned about?

Opportunities for personal growth

HR tactics can help organizations in many ways. Which of the following is not something HR helps with?

Preparing the organization to stay the same in spite of surrounding changes

What is "strategy"?

Strategy refers to how an organization is going to compete.

Organizational size is an important factor in determining HR activities. With some exceptions, the larger the organization, the more developed its internal labor market is, and the less reliant it is on the external labor market. Based on this assumption, with some exceptions, what does the organization's size have to do with how the external market affects the organization?

The larger the organization, the less the external market affects it

What does corporate culture represent?

The organization's value system

When working to improve the organization's quality of work life, it is important to look at which part of the organization?

The physical health environment at work