Managing Human Capital

Clarence is selecting questions for a structured interview format he is designing. He wants to ask each candidate a question or two that will tap the candidate's motivation. Which of the following would NOT be a good motivation question? A. "What rewards mean the most to you?" B. "How would you measure success?" C. "What kinds of projects excite you?" D. "What is an example of a difficult problem you faced and solved?"

D. "What is an example of a difficult problem you faced and solved?"

Felicia wants to avoid discriminating against any of her employees in hiring for a team leader position in her large urban childcare facility, which primarily serves children from birth through age 5. She is requiring the exact same qualifications for all employees who apply. Stephen thinks the qualifications discourage men from applying for the promotion. What type of discrimination is Stephen claiming here? A. Adverse impact B. Disparate treatment C. Diverse impact D. Adverse effect

A. Adverse impact

Oscar wants to avoid discriminating against any of his employees in hiring for a team leader position in his department. He is requiring the exact same qualifications for all employees who apply. Andrea thinks the qualifications discourage women from applying for the promotion. What type of discrimination is Andrea claiming here? A. Adverse impact B. Disparate treatment C. Diverse impact D. Adverse effect

A. Adverse impact

Marco was born in Houston, Texas, speaks English and Spanish, and is 42 years old. If he thinks he is being discriminated against based on a protected-class characteristic, which one would it be? A. Age B. Race C. National origin D. Ethnicity

A. Age

Jackie believes her manager, Sanford, always tells her coworker, Naji, that his work is great, but criticizes Jackie for turning in similar work. Jackie's allegation is an example of ________. A. Bullying B. Adverse impact C. Disparate treatment D. Workplace violence

A. Bullying

Kendra is concerned with enhancing her company's organizational culture, which values loyalty, tradition, and longevity. What type of organizational culture exists at her company? A. Consensual B. Entrepreneurial C. Bureaucratic D. Competitive

A. Consensual

Which term best describes training that can help learners identify the most effective ways of working with people from a particular culture or country? A. Culture-specific cross-cultural training B. Global awareness training C. General cross-cultural training D. Diversity-centered training

A. Culture-specific cross-cultural training

Warren is feeling pressured at work and doesn't know whether he can continue to do his job. Which term best describes what he is feeling? A. Dysfunctional stress B. Functional turnover C. Dysfunctional turnover D. Functional stress

A. Dysfunctional stress

Lola is not able to pay salaries as high as her competitors pay, so she is considering additional benefits to attract and retain employees. Which of the following optional benefits should she include? A. Flexible spending account B. Health insurance C. Retirement plan D. Life insurance

A. Flexible spending account

Enrico is a poor performer who quits his job when his boss, Rashaune, tries to talk to him about his tardiness. This is an example of ________. A. Functional turnover B. Involuntary turnover C. Avoidable turnover D. Dysfunctional turnover

A. Functional turnover

The HR department is a support function that gives managers the tools they need to execute the firm's ________, and helps them develop skills in using these tools. A. HRM strategy B. Financial plan C. Marketing strategy D. Sales plan

A. HRM strategy

Victoria has been thinking about her employees and why they choose to stay with the company. She has been exploring the idea of organizational commitment and the three different types employees can feel toward the company. Which of the following is an example of affective commitment? A. Having a positive emotional attachment to the organization and strong identification with its values and goal B. Staying with an organization because of perceived high economic and/or social costs involved with leaving C. Feeling obliged to stay with an organization for moral or ethical reasons D. Maintaining employment due to workplace benefits and competitive pay

A. Having a positive emotional attachment to the organization and strong identification with its values and goal

Kristal is using tuition reimbursement at work to pursue an advanced degree. She is studying the concept of workforce redeployment. Which of the following examples in her workplace illustrates this concept? A. Her company telling an employee with property management experience to work on a special project B. Her company laying off employees when closing a satellite office C. Her company approving an employee's request to transfer to a different department D. Her company allowing employees to work from home

A. Her company telling an employee with property management experience to work on a special project

Kim runs a small clothing shop. She believes affirmative action requires her to employ some minorities. Three people apply for a clerk position and she selects the Native American female based solely on her skin color. This statement is an example of what? A. Ignorance B. A stereotype C. A perception of loss D. Prejudice

A. Ignorance

An employer who provides a greater 401(k) match, financial planning seminars, and long-term care insurance is trying to achieve which goal? A. Increasing retirement security B. Decreasing employee stress C. Improving employee skills D. Decreasing healthcare claims

A. Increasing retirement security

After gathering information on its sales force, General Electric learned that their salespeople were spending 80 percent of their time on bureaucratic tasks unrelated to sales. This is an example of ________ information that can be used to refocus these employees' efforts on the key aspects of their job. A. Job analysis B. Job enlargement C. Job enrichment D. Job rotation

A. Job analysis

Nick is a supervisor who has a vacant position on his team. He has been asked to identify and describe the important aspects of the position and the worker characteristics required to succeed at it. What is this called? A. Job analysis B. Job enrichment C. Job enlargement D. Job rotation

A. Job analysis

Martin manages a team of 21 investment bankers. Martin likes to think of himself as a distinguished professional, so he always wears the finest designer suits. On Monday, he walks into the morning meeting and fires anyone who is not dressed in the latest fashions—including both men and women. What has Martin done? A. Not broken the law as the fired employees are not in a protected group B. Broken the law because firing these employees is not at all fair C. Practiced rational employment because this action is fair D. Broken the law as the fired employees are all 38-year-old white males

A. Not broken the law as the fired employees are not in a protected group

The ongoing process of selecting and managing aspects of the organizational structure to facilitate organizational goal accomplishment is called ________. A. Organizational design B. Organizational change C. Formalization D. Centralization

A. Organizational design

Mark is unhappy with his new job as a first-line supervisor at the call center. He dislikes trying to motivate his subordinates to increase their productivity. He is dreading having to give the upcoming performance appraisals to his subordinates. Mark finds the job boring and watches the clock all afternoon, longing for the end of his shift. He is planning to apply for another job. Mark is experiencing ________. A. Poor person-job fit B. Poor person-group fit C. Poor person-organization fit D. Poor person-priorities fit

A. Poor person-job fit

If a company wants to make efforts to promote affirmative action, what should it do? A. Recruit at colleges with a historically high-minority student body B. Promote protected-class members regardless of qualifications C. Restrict succession management programs to minorities D. Offer sign-on bonuses only to job applicants within a protected class

A. Recruit at colleges with a historically high-minority student body

Currently Ari is developing a new compensation plan for DRA Software Company. It is important to make sure that what is being rewarded by the compensation system is strongly tied to organizational objectives, because people tend to ________. A. Repeat what is measured and rewarded B. Guess what they think management wants done C. Produce what is convenient D. Avoid doing unpleasant tasks

A. Repeat what is measured and rewarded

What is the difference between replacement planning and succession management? A. Replacement planning means identifying specific backup candidates, while succession management means building feeder groups up and down the leadership pipeline B. Replacement planning means employing efficient hiring processes for production employees, while succession management means employing a focused hiring process for well-qualified external candidates C. Replacement planning means employing a focused process for improving employee productivity, while succession management means employing a broad, team-oriented production scheme for capacity planning D. Replacement planning means increasing employee performance, while succession management means assessing employee performance against a given standard practice

A. Replacement planning means identifying specific backup candidates, while succession management means building feeder groups up and down the leadership pipeline

Gisela is frustrated that her employees seem to reach a certain level in the company and then leave for management opportunities elsewhere. She is trying to come up with a strategy to keep those employees from leaving. Which strategy should she consider? A. Succession management B. Replacement planning C. Workload redistribution D. Workforce redeployment

A. Succession management

Xander is Yolanda and Zeek's manager. When Xander completes Yolanda's performance review, he rates her low because he measures her against Zeek instead of measuring her against the requirements of her position. This type of human bias and error is called ________. A. The contrast effect B. The recency effect C. The halo effect D. The horns effect

A. The contrast effect

Kim believes all Asians are hard workers. This statement is an example of what? A. A perception of loss B. A stereotype C. Prejudice D. Ignorance

B. A stereotype

Regina is concerned about an increase in her company's voluntary turnover. Which factor may be contributing to this trend? A. Salaries that lead the market B. An upswing in the economy C. Better benefits than her competitors D. A downturn in the economy

B. An upswing in the economy

In performance management, coworkers tend to rate each other more honestly when ratings are used for what purpose? A. Pay B. Development C. Promotion D. Discipline

B. Development

Jack is an intern and he has been asked to call all of the applicants for a recently filled position to ask them whether the outcome of the decision was fair. What is he trying to determine with this information? A. Procedural fairness B. Distributive fairness C. Interactional fairness D. Equitable fairness

B. Distributive fairness

Which of the following requires federal contractors to set goals for hiring minorities and females? A. Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988 B. Executive Order 11246 C. Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 D. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act

B. Executive Order 11246

Mark thinks his employer may not be paying him correctly for overtime he has worked. Which law governs this issue? A. National Labor Relations Act of 1935 B. Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 C. Equal Pay Act of 1963 D. Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988

B. Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938

Ricardo and Elizabeth have been working together for years. They share stories about their weekend activities, including details about dates and sexual encounters. They also like to tell racy jokes and tease one another about their appearance. Their coworker Drusilla feels really uncomfortable and complains to their manager. What potential claim is she making about her coworkers? A. Quid pro quo harassment B. Hostile environment harassment C. Retaliation D. Preferential treatment

B. Hostile environment harassment

Eric is the Director of Human Resources. He is interviewing candidates for an open position. He plans to end the interview by asking each candidate the following question: "If, on the day you start your position as manager, two employees immediately submit their resignations, what will you do to stop employee turnover from increasing in your department?" What type of interview question is this? A. Structured B. Situational C. Case D. Behavioral

B. Situational

Sally is Jane's direct supervisor and she has a good knowledge of what Jane's job requires. This is called ________. A. Task assessment B. Task acquaintance C. Task evaluation D. Task acknowledgement

B. Task acquaintance

Valerie's department budget is being cut, so she is trying to decide whether she should not award holiday bonuses to any of her 30 employees this year or, instead, let go of her 5 part-time employees. Which ethical standard is she applying? A. Common good B. Utilitarian C. Rights D. Fairness

B. Utilitarian

Charlie wants to enhance employee engagement in his department. What can he do to accomplish this goal? A. Give employees little authority to make decisions on tasks B. Provide employees with limited feedback on work C. Allow employees to use their unique skills and abilities D. Decrease opportunities for promotion

C. Allow employees to use their unique skills and abilities

Alfredo is constantly turning in work assignments late. He claims Sean is purposely withholding the reports he needs to complete the work assignments on time. Alfredo's allegation is an example of ________. A. Disparate treatment B. Workplace violence C. Bullying D. Adverse impact

C. Bullying

Bob is working on his performance goals for this year. He should ensure his goals are ________. A. Easy and specific B. Easy and broad C. Challenging and specific D. Challenging and broad

C. Challenging and specific

A large commercial landscaping service in the Southwest requires all Hispanic applicants for crew boss positions to have a U.S. high school diploma. Native English speakers are not required to have a high school diploma. The stated business purpose of this requirement is to ensure that the Hispanic applicants speak and write English well enough to perform the job. This is an example of ________. A. A bona fide occupational requirement B. Adverse impact C. Disparate treatment D. A business necessity

C. Disparate treatment

Mark and Sally were hired at the same time for an entry-level position requiring a bachelor's degree and no work experience. Both Mark and Sally met only the minimum requirements. Mark is upset because he thinks Sally is unfairly being paid more because she's a woman. Which law would apply if he makes a claim? A. National Labor Relations Act of 1935 B. Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 C. Equal Pay Act of 1963 D. Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988

C. Equal Pay Act of 1963

Which of the following is NOT considered a sensory modality? A. Auditory B. Tactile C. Experiential D. Kinesthetic

C. Experiential

Christiano found out his supervisor is making a 10 percent bonus for meeting her goals, but he is only making a 5 percent bonus for meeting his goals. He is questioning whether it is ethical to not be paid equal bonuses for meeting goals. Which ethical standard is he applying? A. Rights B. Common good C. Fairness D. Utilitarian

C. Fairness

Kendra is hiring in her department and is concerned with enhancing organizational culture. Which characteristic should she focus on when evaluating applicants? A. Skills relevant to the position B. Years of work experience C. Fit within the organization D. Relationships with current employees

C. Fit within the organization

Walter was assigned a big project today. He knows it's an important opportunity for his career at the company. He is really nervous, but excited. Which term best describes what he is feeling? A. Optimal stress B. Dismal stress C. Functional stress D. Dysfunctional stress

C. Functional stress

Iliana was born in New York City, speaks three languages, and is 37 years old. If she thinks she is being discriminated against based on a protected-class characteristic, which one would it be? A. Nationality B. Age C. Gender D. Ethnicity

C. Gender

Fran has been having recurring back pain. She shares with a coworker that she is going to file a workers' compensation claim. To be eligible for workers' compensation, Fran must ________. A. Have purchased workers' compensation insurance B. Not be totally or partially responsible for the accident or injury C. Have suffered a work-related injury or illness D. Prove that the accident/injury was caused by employer negligence

C. Have suffered a work-related injury or illness

Eric is the Director of Human Resources. If he wants to help increase the organizational performance of the company he works for, what should he do? A. Advise the Finance Director to make smarter financial decisions B. Research the market's need for new or improved products and services C. Improve the company's ability to cope with growth and change D. Revise the ultimate long-range goals of the company

C. Improve the company's ability to cope with growth and change

Linda is a manager of a department with 30 employees. Linda likes to think of herself as very fashionable and is very concerned with what others think of her. She walks into her department and fires anyone who is not dressed in the latest fashions. What has Linda done? A. Broken the law because firing these employees is not at all fair B. Practiced rational employment because this action is fair C. Not broken the law as the fired employees are not in a protected group D. broken the law as fired employees are all 38-year-old white males

C. Not broken the law as the fired employees are not in a protected group

Meredith is an office manager who is also responsible for many of the company's human resource tasks. She has set a goal this year to increase her efforts to support the company's leadership. What action would best help her reach this goal? A. Creating a checklist for the hiring process that promotes accession, efficiency, and timeliness B. Writing clear policies related to employee schedules and document control C. Providing employees with opportunities for professional development and growth D. Setting individual limits for vacation time and financial benefits

C. Providing employees with opportunities for professional development and growth

Callie is examining the direct costs of voluntary turnover in her department. Which of the following is a cost she should consider? A. Employee morale B. Increased workload C. Salary increases D. Reassigning responsibilities

C. Salary increases

Michelle spends a portion of her time keeping current with industry trends and where pockets of talent are located. She also routinely tries to connect with qualified individuals to interest them in an open position within her company. Michelle is spending her time ________. A. Recruiting and resourcing B. Sourcing and structuring C. Sourcing and recruiting D. Researching and recruiting

C. Sourcing and recruiting

Maria complains to her boss, Ellen, that there are no open management positions at her company, so when she gets her master's degree, she will have to go work somewhere else. Which of the following strategies should Ellen consider to keep Maria from leaving the company? A. Replacement planning B. Workforce redeployment C. Succession management D. At-will employment

C. Succession management

Vince is concerned because employees in his call center keep quitting. He is looking for ways to retain these employees. What strategy can he try using? A. Creating job ads that portray the job as more glamorous than it is B. Making performance evaluations less detailed C. Training employees in a way that is very specific to the company's way of doing things D. Reducing the job challenges so duties are more routine

C. Training employees in a way that is very specific to the company's way of doing things

General Automotive has 5,000 employees in three plants. Due to a recent economic downturn, General Automotive is reducing its workforce by 1,000 people. Which of the following acts will require General Automotive to take specific measures to ensure compliance? A. National Labor Relations Act of 1935 B. Equal Pay Act of 1963 C. Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988 D. Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938

C. Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988

Claudette is an HR manager for XYZ Software Company. What can she do to best support organizational strategy? A. Reward, discipline, and terminate employees consistently. B. Offer safety training at least annually C. Publish the employee handbook on the company website D. Acquire, develop, and retain the best employees.

D. Acquire, develop, and retain the best employees.

Rose is creating a diversity training. The fourth step in this process includes ________. A. Determining whether the training reduced discrimination claims B. Deciding the time and location of the training session C. Analyzing whether a new policy would be better than a training session D. Conducting the training for all senior managers

D. Conducting the training for all senior managers

Callie is examining the indirect costs of voluntary turnover in her department. Which of the following is a cost she should consider? A. Training for new employees B. Fees for placing job advertisements C. Increases in salary for promotions D. Drop in employee morale

D. Drop in employee morale

Eric is a good performer, but when he approaches Frank about a raise, Frank tells him to wait until his annual review in six months—so Eric resigns. This is an example of ________. A. Involuntary turnover B. Functional turnover C. Unavoidable turnover D. Dysfunctional turnover

D. Dysfunctional turnover

Nina, a consultant, has been hired to generate ideas to decrease voluntary turnover. Which of the following situations is relevant to her task? A. Zena is let go after the third time her cash drawer is short B. Lucy's position is eliminated as a result of a merger C. Quinn is fired because of poor performance D. Felicia resigned because she found a better-paying job

D. Felicia resigned because she found a better-paying job

Imogene's Cupcakes has announced a competition to reward the store manager with the highest dollar sales with a paid vacation to a luxury resort. Imogene's Cupcakes' pay-for-performance plan will probably ________. A. Encourage cooperation among hourly store employees B. Encourage teamwork among the store managers across the city C. Increase morale of store managers in historically low-performing locations D. Help retain store managers who feel they have a chance to win the reward in the upcoming year

D. Help retain store managers who feel they have a chance to win the reward in the upcoming year

Olivia is a recent college graduate who was just hired to do bookkeeping and human resource functions at a local plumbing company. She is reviewing the company's benefit plan. Which of the following benefits must it include to avoid violating employees' rights? A. Insurance for workplace equipment B. Life insurance coverage C. Short-term disability coverage D. Insurance for work-related injuries

D. Insurance for work-related injuries

The veterinary assistants at a large veterinary practice alternate between working at the reception desk, working in the lab and X-ray department, and assisting the doctors during office visits with patients. This is a type of ________. A. Job enrichment B. Job enlargement C. Job redesign D. Job rotation

D. Job enrichment

JB Industrial is preparing for at least one merger and acquisition this year. A key HR pre-combination activity will be ________. A. Identifying a new marketing strategy B. Determining the likelihood of financial success of the combined company C. Establishing the business strategy for the combined company D. Managing the due diligence phase

D. Managing the due diligence phase

Harry's employer gives every employee a two-week paid vacation each year. What is this an example of? A. Psychological contract B. Procedure C. Progressive discipline D. Policy

D. Policy

Jovanni shows up to work each day because he believes his company is going to provide him with the tools he needs to do his job and pay him for his work every Friday. His employer supplies him with the tools he needs and pays him each Friday because of its belief that Jovanni will show up each day and get the job done. This is an example of ________. A. At-will employment B. Policy C. Procedure D. Psychological contract

D. Psychological contract

Jim feels like his boss Tina is making unwelcome sexual advances. She recently offered to give him a promotion if he will go on a date with her. What type of harassment is Jim experiencing? A. Hostile environment harassment B. Retaliation C. Preferential treatment D. Quid pro quo harassment

D. Quid pro quo harassment

Susan is new to the company, so Travis is filling her in on how things really work. He tells her about who is really in charge, whom she needs to go to with questions, and how to go about getting things done without stepping on anyone's toes. What is Travis explaining? A. The company's organizational commitment B. The company's organizational chart C. The company's organizational design D. The company's organizational structure

D. The company's organizational structure

Kristal has been a Project Manager for two years. She has recently been told that her project management experience in health care is needed for a particular new client. Her normal job responsibilities are being set aside to have her focus on the new client. This is called ________. A. Succession management B. Replacement planning C. At-will employment D. Workforce redeployment

D. Workforce redeployment

Tom has failed to show up for scheduled team meetings twice this month. His manager, Dave, completed a form specifying the problem's history, Tom's explanation, and the company's expectations for change, along with the consequences for not improving within a specified time period. Dave gave Tom a copy of this form and placed another copy in his employee file. Which step of progressive discipline does this describe? A. Counseling B. Termination C. Suspension D. Written warning

D. Written warning

Which influence tactic includes using flattery or praise to put the other person in a good mood and make the person more likely to help? A. Personal appeals B. Rational persuasion C. Ingratiation D. Exchange

Ingratiation