Intro to HR

What are the ages of workers protected by the ADEA now?

40+

What is an affirmative action plan?

A plan for government contractors to make efforts to hire women and minorities

A small firm needs to dismiss one worker and wants to use a performance appraisal system to choose which worker should be laid-off.Which type of performance appraisal is appropriate in this context?

A straight ranking appraisal by a supervisor

Which of the following external recruitment methods often results in an oversupply of qualified employees?

Acquisitions and mergers

Affirmative action is defined as:

Action taken by an employer to overcome discriminatory effects of past or current practices

Which of the following are disadvantages that arise from recruiting skills from outside the organization instead of training and developing employees internally?

Additional costs from recruiting skilled talent; The promotional opportunities are reduced because employee enter at a higher pay-grade and higher position

When did benefits become much more popular?

After WWII

What is an effective way to gather relevant information about job applicants during the selection process?

An application blank where the most important information is weighted heavily

As part of their mission the EEOC enforces which of the following?

Anti-discrimination statutes

Which performance appraisal method can make managers more aware of their impact on employees without feeling threatened?

Appraisal by subordinates

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

There are many ways to gather data on an individual. In choosing the performace appraisal method, when should the relevance of each source be considered?

Before

Which form of indirect compensation can be integrated into the organization's strategic planning?

Benefits

Criteria for evaluating HRP need to balance what is forecasted vs. what is actual. Which of the following is NOT a criterion that could be used to evaluate HRP?

Budget vs. desired rates

Incentive pay plans are usually structured in a way to reflect all of the following about the organization except...

Building structure

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

A human resources department is working on increasing diversity within the organization.Which strategic role for a human resources department is being demonstrated?

Champion for change

Which of the following is a static change in an organization?

Changing paperwork to a different format

What does bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ) mean?

Characteristic that is necessary to successfully perform the job

Title VII is included in which piece of legislation?

Civil Rights

A computer software company wants to hire permanent employees who have the most up-to-date knowledge of software development tools, but previous work experience is not necessary.What should be a primary source of recruitment for this situation?

Colleges offering the relevant degree

A company needs to motivate employees to be engaged in their job responsibilities. They decide to reward attendance at training sessions.Which performance improvement approach is being used?

Compensation

Demonstrating that a relationship exists between a selection procedure and a psychological trait or measure is the definition of which measure of validity?

Construct

Which type of validity identifies the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to complete a job and needs no quantitative analysis?

Content

Which of the following forms of performance evaluation is the most widely used?

Conventional

Which of the following flexible compensation packages sometimes lets employees elect to receive cash amounts rather than benefits?

Core-plus-option plan

Which factor represents an organization's value system?

Corporate culture

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

What was the Civil Rights Act of 1964 law intended to do?

Curb societal beliefs that people are different based on their physical appearance

In which phase of the business life cycle would an organization be in if they were very top-heavy (in administration)?

Decline

There are a few things that employers can do to help indirect compensation have a better impact on the gains of the company. Which of the following is not something that employers should do?

Decrease communication of the benefits packages so fewer employers use them and costs go down

What is the purpose of the Analysis stage of the ADDIE model?

Determine if the training program will meet a real need in the organization

Which of the following things is least effective for a company to do in order to help employees value the company's indirect compensation package?

Do nothing, since indirect compensation is valued as highly as direct compensation by all employees

The effect of the ADA was to standardize and nationalize employment protections for the qualified disabled employee in both the public and private sectors. What organization has the enforcement power to back up the protections written in the ADA?

EEOC

Which of the following types of validity reviewed in this topic use the correlation coefficient as its measure of validity?

Empirical

Which form of validity for making employment decisions (e.g., select, promote) is legally defensible if challenged in court?

Empirical Validity

What is recognized by courts in several states as an implied contract that can be legally binding?

Employee handbook

The leadership of an organization has decided to move forward with a formal training program. Successful implementation depends upon selecting the appropriate training media for the right workers under the right conditions.Which factor should be considered in selecting the appropriate training media?

Employee readiness for training

EAPs - along with everything else in HR - have evolved over time. What has the focus of EAPs shifted to?

Employee well-being

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

Employees

Which of the following is not an internal source of recruiting?

Employment center applicants

What is the function of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)?

Enforcing federal anti-discrimination statutes

Which of the following is not a parameter that needs to be considered when applying the selection process?

Environmental context

What is typically the second phase of human resource planning

Establishing HR objectives and policies

What is the type and number of competitors' openings considered when looking at supply and demand within HR?

External labor demand

While there have been amendments to this law that have influenced and updated the law, the basic premise hasn't changed. This law is the primary law governing wages and salaries. Which of the following is this law?

Fair Labor Standards Act

True or False: Because human resource management is about managing the human capital needs within the organization, when implementing HRP, the organization only needs to focus on the organization's internal factors. TrueFalse

False

True or False: Data collection is important only as a means of control for HR plans and programs.

False

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

False

True or False: For recruiting to be effective, the focus needs to be on the needs of the organization only.

False

True or 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

True or False: Human resource planning is all about the programs and policies that an organization is going to implement and so it is about training, not about restructuring the company. TrueFalse

False

True or False: In the introduction to this topic there was a formula given for performance. It states that an employee's performance could be illustrated by the following formula: P (performance) = f (knowledge, skills, and abilities), where performance (P) is a function (f) of KSAs.

False

True or False: Internal recruitment methods tend to achieve affirmative action goals.

False

True or False: It is okay to start the recruitment process before there is a clear statement of the education, skills, etc., necessary for the job.

False

True or False: Job performance is only determined by the employee.

False

True or False: Organizational development helps organizations survive through changes, but it usually does not help the organization's strategic opportunities.

False

True or False: Organizations must monitor the performance of new employees, only for the benefit of the success of the organization.

False

True or False: Recruitment does not need to be concerned with equal employment opportunity.

False

True or False: Social Security only includes Medicaid.

False

True or False: The selection process begins even before an organization has created a group of applicants.

False

True or False: There are only two types of profit-sharing plans: the cash plan and the wage-dividend plan.

False

True or False: To maintain a competitive edge, companies realize they only need to attract the right employees and they will be competitive in today's market.

False

True or False: Unlike most HR activities, compensation has little relation to a wide range of other HR activities.

False

True or False: Validity is inherent in the test, while reliability depends on the use of it.

False

True or False: When designing organizational development interventions, HR professionals should design the interventions mainly at the individual and department levels.

False

The principle of employment-at-will states that employers can terminate

For any (non-discriminatory) reason.

What is not an exception established by common law for the employment at-will doctrine?

Formal contract exception

HR planning does which of the following for training and development?

Formalizes the process of developing talent from within the organization to fill needed roles

Which incentive leads to enhanced productivity and subsequently creates additional earnings?

Gain sharing plan

Which of the following is not a role that line managers play in the selection and orientation process?

Gathering information about the potential employee

Which human resource professional provides a broad range of support to the overall organization?

Generalist

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

Which of the following covers short-term absences because of sickness?

Health insurance programs

How do performance appraisals help the company be legally compliant?

Helps establish the validity of employment decisions.

Which of the following is how performance appraisals influence training and development?

Helps understand the reason behind undesirable performance

The assessment phase provides all of the following information about the training except:

How much the training will cost

What does strategic fit mean?

How well the company fits its internal capabilities with external opportunities

When management is working to identify and implement the actions the organization will take, which of the following questions are they answering?

How will we reach our goals?

An agreement created through the actions of the employer and employee is a(n) ________ contract.

Implied

What is an exception to the doctrine of employment at will?

Implied Contract

What are two societal trends that are influencing the world of work?

Increased competition, increase in technology

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

Which of the following is not a goal of indirect compensation?

Increasing turnover

Which of the following employee costs is becoming much more of a concern for employers?

Indirect compensation

Which of the following is not one of the four principal determinants of wages?

Individual Teamwork Determination

Which of the following is not included in the Affordable Care Act?

Insurers may deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditions

Which selection instrument is used to obtain information on the applicant's motivation and details of previous experiences to get a more subjective feel for the candidate?

Interview

Why is human resource planning important?

It ensures the right people in the right jobs at the right times

Why is it important to know what an organization's learning curve is when forecasting demand?

It helps the company get a more accurate idea of how many employees will be needed in the future.

Which of the following is an advantage to grouping jobs into classes?

It is an efficient way to administer salaries

All of the following are advantages to on-the-job training except...

It minimizes distractions to other employees

Recently an employee received a performance appraisal that included several items with a poor performance rating. The employee was upset and felt the appraisal was unfair because the items listed were not part of his daily work requirements.Which human resources activity relates to the employee's concern?

Job Analysis

An organization has recently added 50 new clients, and their production must increase as rapidly as possible. To increase production levels, a manager urges an existing employee to accept a newly created position responsible for hiring new employees.What should the company use to determine the appropriate compensation level for this new position?

Job Evaluation

Two tangible products of job analysis are

Job description and job specifications

All employees in a company receive an e-mail message from human resources with information that a job is available in the marketing department. The message includes the job description and specifies that current employees are encouraged to submit an application.Which method is the company using to obtain job applicants?

Job posting

A fast-growing U.S. company is seeking a human resources generalist. This job entails recruiting and hiring a large number of employees, monitoring performance measures, determining training needs, and ensuring compliance with federal laws as the company continues to grow.Which criterion aligns with the job as outlined above?

Knowledge of legal regulations in employment

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

Large

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

Which activity does the strategic human resources manager need to be engaged in, given the fact that organizational survival is increasingly dependent on adaptation?

Managing succession by creating contingency plans for key employees within the organization

What does an effective selection process not do for the organization?

Maximizes potential for litigation with people who claim to be rejected on a discriminatory basis

Within the HRM literature, there are two types of criteria often mentioned. Which of the following defines what an actual criterion is?

Measurable factors that also constitute a successful person

Which of the following methods of performance appraisals use qualitative instead of quantitative data?

Narrative essay

Job duties for a marketing coordinator position include the following: planning international trade shows by identifying, assembling, and coordinating requirements; establishing contacts; developing schedules and assignments; coordinating mailing lists. Which item should be included in the required skills section of this job posting?

Operates Microsoft database software

Peter Senge stated that learning organizations are all of the following except...

Organizations that focus on managerial aspiration

All of the following are dynamics of change except...

People will continue the changes once the initial pressure is off

All of the following are personal factors that may affect pay differentials among individuals with similar jobs, except for...

Performance

What is the formal structural system of measuring, evaluating, and influencing an employee's job-related attributes, behaviors, and outcomes?

Performance appraisal

Which of the following is a type of direct compensation?

Performance-based pay

At which level of analysis are annual performance reviews?

Person

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

Personal Growth

Which of the following individual incentive plans guarantees a standard pay rate for each unit of output?

Piecework plan

What is usually the best way to implement a new program?

Pilot Program

Which human resource function helps the organization understand the number and type of employees the organization will need in the future?

Planning

Which of the following is not an HR policy that an organization would implement if they were looking at adopting an entrepreneurial strategy?

Policies that focus on highly repetitive behavior

What is the next step in the OD process after the HR professional has gathered and analyzed the data?

Prepare a report about the climate for change

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

Which of the following is not a characteristic of the new organizational model that is shifting from the traditional model as reviewed in this topic?

Primary focus on productivity

Which step in the human resource planning process ensures that the organization will have the needed supply of employees in the future?

Programming

There are six purposes of human resource planning talked about in this topic. Which of the following is not one of those purposes?

Provide more opportunities for women and majority groups in future growth

The 403(b) plan is a tax-advantage retirement savings plan available to whom?

Public education employers

Which of the following is NOT a step in an organization's affirmative action plan?

Reasonable quotas

Title VII protects individuals against employment discrimination on the basis of:

Religion, sex, race, color, national origin

Which of the following is a strategy to forecast supply, but not demand?

Replacement planning

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

Which of the following is not a mandatory benefit that employers must provide for their employees?

Short- and long-term disability

Why do some organizations prefer to use simulations instead of training in the actual job environment?

Simulations are less hectic and safer than the actual environment

Which of the following effects occurs when past performance appraisal ratings, whether good or bad, are allowed to unjustly influence current/correct ratings?

Spillover

What are two statistical projection methods used to determine human resources demand?

Stochastic technique, Multiple linear regression

How an organization is going to reach its goals is considered which of the following?

Strategy

Which of the following will not help ensure effective performance evaluations?

Subjective Criteria

Which of the following is an advantage to using appraisal by subordinates?

Subordinates may help the superiors understand what they can do to improve

What does HR organizational development (OD) not do?

Take a quick approach to implementing the change

What is Pay Equity?

That people get paid what they feel they deserve in relation to others

When recruiting with colleges, when is a good time to begin recruiting?

The earlier the better—some companies actively recruit by the students' junior year

How does fraud usually occur, with regard to unemployment insurance?

The employee collects money from unemployment while he/she is working another job

Which of the following correctly describes a PPO (preferred provider organization) plan?

The employee must go to a doctor on the preferred provider list

Who pays for defined benefit retirement plans?

The employer

Who usually pays the insurance premiums for workers compensation in most states?

The employer

How are jobs grouped together in job families?

The jobs can be different but need to be similar in value

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 is test-retest reliability?

The measuring of a test at two points in time and comparison of the results

What is a contract plan when it comes to the evaluation phase of a training or development program?

The plan written up near the end of the training by the participants that shows the parts of the training they feel were most beneficial and that they agree to apply after the training

An internal job posting has many advantages for an organization. Which of the following is not an advantage of an internal job posting?

The process of filling vacancies may be lengthened

What is perhaps the most important financial relationship for individuals within the organization?

The relationship between compensation and performance appraisal

How do performance appraisals affect the selection process?

They are a form of feedback

Why can appraisals by supervisors be effective?

They are most familiar with the job of the subordinate

Which of the following is a correct statement about an employee that is exempt from FLSA requirements?

They must be a salaried employee

Which technique addresses labor forecasting to project future human resource needs based on past staffing levels?

Time series

What do organizations use utilization reviews for?

To assess the cost of benefits

Which of the following is the main purpose of HR planning when it comes to recruiting programs?

To determine what types of jobs the organization needs to fill

An effective performance appraisal system generally serves which purposes?

To inform incumbents where they stand; To future develop and guide individuals to perform better

What was the goal of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964?

To make it illegal to discriminate against individuals based on their protected classes

What was the purpose of the Executive Order 10925 that established affirmative action?

To mandate that managers of federally funded projects work to eliminate bias in employment practices.

Why do companies engage in training and development?

To remove performance deficiencies; To help incorporate new technologies; To reduce turnover

When unplanned and haphazard training occurs, what is most likely to happen?

Training and learning may take place, but may not be in the best interests of the organization

What is the distinction between training and development?

Training is directed at the employees' current job whereas development helps the employee prepare for future jobs.

True or False: Evaluating the organization's characteristics and finding which phase of the business life cycle the organization is in may help the organization avoid the recline and decline phases.

True

True or False: Forecasting creates certainties about the future of the company.

True

True or False: HR managers must have a propensity for action.

True

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

True

True or False: HRM is the responsibility of all managers in the organization.

True

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

True

True or False: Ranking approaches used as the performance appraisal method may be used efficiently by the subordinates as well as supervisors for ranking themselves.

True

True or False: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act makes it unlawful for an employer to pay someone less based on his/her religion.

True

True or False: Workable structures serve the objective in planning and programming.

True

Organizational leaders are acknowledging many things about HR. Which of the following are corporate executives concluding about human resources?

Unqualified human resources is as serious a production bottleneck as scarcity of capital

What does corporate culture represent?

Value System

Which of the following concerns faced by employers is not a current concern regarding employee benefits?

Wage rates

What is a form of direct compensation?

Wages

What is a type of direct compensation that plays a strategic role in attracting and retaining qualified applicants?

Wages

For the most part, training and development help an organization, but there is a drawback. Which of the following are a downside to training and development?

Well-trained individuals can decide to move to better-paying jobs in other organizations

Which of the following is the definition of what a central tendency bias error is when evaluating the performance of employees?

When managers rate the majority of incumbents in the middle of the pack

Values about work are changing, which means that HR planning activities need to also change. Which of the following is something that the majority of today's workers are NOT valuing more?

Work that does not change - job security

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

Worker Alienation

Which form of compensation is an example of fixed pay?

Yearly Salary

Performance deficiencies can be attributed to individual deficiencies as well as situation factors that affect performance. All of the following are situational factors that affect performance except...

employee knowledge

In an interview, which cues are often seen as more important?

non-verbal

A firm needs to lay off employees and wants to develop a plan to minimize the effect on employees. The firm opts to try a combination of buyouts and outplacement counseling.Which type of plan is the firm engaging in?

redundancy plan