MGT CH 5

Which of the following best describes a phased-retirement program?

It refers to reducing the number of hours older employees work, as well as the cost of these employees.

Trotta Inc., a manufacturer of widgets, has entered into a contract with a third party to perform a few functions of its supply chain management. The company is engaged in:

Outsourcing

A small company that manufactures special-order wood furniture has kept its employees busy on a 40-hours-a-week schedule for the past two years. The company just received a large contract from a Japanese company that is opening offices in the area. The Japanese company has given a month's time for completion of its order. To complete the contract in the required one month, the furniture company needs additional skilled labor on short notice. Which of the following strategies is best suited to avoid this short-term labor shortage if the company desires to find a simple and cost-effective solution?

Overtime

In the context of evaluating the quality of a recruitment source, yield ratios express the:

Percentage of applicants who successfully move from one stage of the recruitment and selection process to the next.

Which of the following aspects of recruitment is most likely to affect the nature of the positions that are vacant?

Personnel policies

In the context of human resource planning, the primary goal of forecasting is to:

Predict labor shortages or surpluses in specific areas of an organization.

Which of the following is a challenge associated with an outsourcing strategy?

Quality-control problems

In the context of managing human resources, the process of _____ creates a buffer between planning and the actual selection of new employees.

Recruiting

Nazir, an HR manager at Solomon Beverages, recognizes and attracts potential job seekers to his organization. In the context of HRM functions, Nazir is carrying out the _____ process.

Recruiting

_____ influence the kinds of job applicants an organization reaches.

Recruitment sources

Identify a disadvantage of using temporary and contract workers.

These workers tend to be relatively less committed to the organization.

Identify the benefit of relying on internal recruitment sources.

They are generally cheaper and faster than other means.

The goals in any organization sets in its human resource planning process should come directly from the analysis of its labor supply and demand.

True

The steps in a workforce utilization review are identical to the steps in the HR planning process.

True

When implanting an HR strategy, the organization must hold some individual accountable for achieving the goals.

True

Identify the benefit of applying statistical forecasting methods.

Under the right conditions, they provide predictions that are much more precise than judgmental methods.

Which of the following is true of temporary workers?

Using temporary workers frees an employers from many administrative tasks.

Keri, a trainer at Klemens Inc., plans on finding out how many candidates moved from the initial interview stage to the training selection stage in the past month in the company. She needs to compare the _____ to accomplish her task.

Yield ratios

Which of the following observations is true of utilizing the services of independent contractors?

A company is not supposed to directly supervise the contractors.

In the context of options for reducing a labor surplus, identify the similarity between natural attrition and early retirement strategies.

Both strategies yield slow results for an organization.

In the context of options for avoiding a labor shortage, identify the similarity between outsourcing and overtime strategies.

Both strategies have high revocability.

Gilbert, an HR manager at MaxNet Inc., hires 50 employees in five months. He has used different sources of recruitment to recruit these employees. He desires to determine the success rate of the recruitment sources. Gilbert must use the _____ to achieve his objective.

Cost per hire.

People who apply for a vacancy without prompting from an organization are referred to as a(n):

Direct applicants

Jonathon, the CEO of Maxofan Inc., finds that the company needs to eliminate a labor surplus to avoid financial difficulties. To deal with this problem, he chooses a strategy that gives him fast results. However, the amount of suffering caused to employees is high. Jonathon is most likely using the ________ strategy to reduce the labor surplus.

Downsizing

Identify the correct statement regarding downsizing.

Downsizing often disrupts the social networks through which people are creative and flexible.

47. Wilma heads the production department at Riden Inc., a firm that stresses the importance of maintaining regular contact with customers. Wilma is expecting a labor surplus in the future. John, a supervisor, recommends downsizing as an option to deal with this labor surplus. However, Wilma rejects this option. Which of the following statements will validate that Wilma made the right decision?

Downsizing would hurt long-term organizational effectiveness.

_____ formally lay out the steps an employee may take to appeal an employer's decision to terminate that employee.

Due-process policies

Joe, the CEO of TexTel Inc., studies the structure of his organization and finds that many of its processes are inefficient. His company has a team-oriented culture in which people perform as groups and complete short-term projects to earn revenue. He decides to downsize the organization to increase profits and use the profits to enhance the organization's efficiency. Emily, the company's HR manager, thinks downsizing is detrimental to the organization's growth. Which one of them is right?

Emily is right because downsizing will affect the organization's team culture and result in poor productivity.

Steve, a production manager at Winfield Inc., finds that productivity in the organization is low compared to the cost of labor. He plans to reduce labor costs by hiring highly skilled labor that results in greater productivity at lower costs. In the context of deterring labor surplus and shortage, which of the following should Steve focus on to accomplish his goal?

Employing workers with a core competency.

_____ states that if there is no specific employment contract saying otherwise, the employer or employee may end an employment relationship at any time, regardless of cause.

Employment at will

Berzen Inc. hires John as a supervisor in the company. They have an implied understanding that both the employer and the employee have the right to end their relationship at any time they desire. In the context of personnel policies, the relationship between the company and John is based on the _____.

Employment-at-will policy.

Gary, the CEO of El Eram Inc., is dealing with an aging labor force problem, which is reducing productivity across the organization. The most effective way of dealing with this situation is to _____.

Encourage lower-performing older workers to leave voluntarily by offering early-retirement incentives.

Errol, a manager at a large toy store, is expecting increased sales during the holiday season. He knows that he will experience a labor shortage during this time. Which of the following options is most suitable for Errol's situation to avoid a labor shortage?

Errol must hire temporary employees because he can let them go once the holiday season is over.

Which of the following is an element in the final stage of human resources planning?

Evaluating outcomes

Which of the following is the first step in the human resource planning process?

Forecasting

Organizations carry out human resource planning to:

Gain an advantage over competitors.

Gordon, a supervisor at AutoMate Inc., realizes that a couple of months from now he might experience a labor shortage for approximately two weeks due to increased demand for the company's products. Which of the following is the ideal option for dealing with this labor shortage?

He should encourage employee overtime because it helps to increase productivity for a short period of time.

Carmella, an HR manager at Crexion Inc., is dealing with labor shortage problems due to a sudden increase in production levels at the company. Among the following options, the fastest way to fix this problem is to _________.

Hire temporary employees.

Bob, an HR manager at Delair Inc., is expecting a labor surplus in the company in the month of December. Bob has nearly eight months to deal with this problem. In order to reduce labor surplus, Bob must use a _____ strategy, which causes less suffering for employees.

Hiring Freeze

Janet, an HR manager at SenNet Inc., hires employees who have a specific set of skills that will give her company advantage over its competitors. In the context of strategic planning, Janet is:

Hiring individuals with a core cometency

Britt, a production manager at Felix Inc., is expecting labor shortage for a short period of time. He needs to avoid it with a strategy that can be easily eliminated in the future when there is optimal labor available for work. Which of the following options for avoiding a labor shortage would be the right solution for Britt?

Hiring temporary employees.

Which of the following are the most widespread methods for eliminating labor shortages?

Hiring temporary workers and outsourcing work.

Rhodes Group, a financial services corporation, advertises itself to cultivate a favorable picture of the organization by using the slogan, "Investing innovatively." This scenario is an example of _____ advertising.

Image

Identify the correct statement regarding internal recruitment sources.

Internal recruiting minimizes the possibility of unrealistic employee expectations.

Why is temporary employment popular with employers?

It gives them flexibility in operations.

Which of the following best describes outsourcing?

It refers to contracting with another organization to perform a broad set of services.

Which of the following is an internal source of recruitment?

Job Postings

The process of communicating information about a job vacancy on company bulletin boards, in employee publications, on corporate intranets, and anywhere else an organization communicates with employees is referred to as:

Job postings

Nicole, a manager at an electronics firm, believes that the firm has to create many early-retirement programs with incentives to minimize a labor surplus, as the employees who are reaching the traditional retirement age are not interested in leaving the organization. Which of the following statements explains the reason for this trend among older employees?

Jobs are becoming less physically demanding.

In the context of forecasting the demand for labor, using trend analysis, inventory levels, changes in technology, and actions of competitors are examples of:

Leading indicators.

Margaret, HR manager at Frexotel Inc., recruits her cousin Linda as production manager in the company. This results in resentment among several of the company's employees. This practice of hiring relatives is called _____.

Nepotism

The most important source of recruits for entry-level professional and managerial vacancies is:

On-campus interviewing

A manufacturing company hit by a slump in demand is experiencing a labor surplus. The company expects the market to improve in six months, and it does not want to lay off any of its employees. Which of the following strategies is an equitable way to handle this issue that results in spreading the burden more fairly?

Reduced work hours

Steve applies for a job at Texel Inc. because his friend Dan, who is a manager there, prompts him to do so. In this scenario, Steve is a(n) _____.

Referral

Most direct applicants to an organization have done some research and concluded there is enough fit between themselves and the vacant position to warrant submitting an application. This process is termed:

Self-selection

In the context of HR planning, implementation that ties planning and recruiting to an organization's strategy and to its efforts to develop employees becomes a complete program of:

Talent Management

Yienze Inc., a manufacturer of electronic goods, is experiencing financial losses, and company management is trying to less the fiscal losses. The company is also facing the problem of labor surplus due to low demand for its products. In this context, which of the following is the best way to deal with this labor surplus?

The company must consider downsizing because it is the quickest way to deal with a labor surplus that results in financial losses.

Solenz Inc. is a relatively new company that employs 23 workers. The company is facing a labor surplus problem with approximately 3 more employees than it needs. Which of the following is the best strategy to deal with this labor surplus?

The company must implement work sharing, which will take up the time of extra workers and help complete projects faster.

Grexel Tools Inc. is a large manufacturing company with branches in different countries in Asia. The company desires to gain competitive advantage by reducing unnecessary process costs. Which of the following is most suitable for this company to gain competitive advantage?

The company must outsource their work to a location where they can get inexpensive labor that still provides quality output.

Jackson, a production manager at Crenel Inc., is expecting a labor shortage in the next six months due to increased demand for the company's products during the holiday season. He thinks the best way to deal with this labor shortage is to hire new employees. However, Pamela, the HR manager thinks this idea would prove expensive and would lead to a labor surplus in the future. Which of the following statements, if true, supports Pamela's argument?

The demand for products will fall after the holiday season.

Which of the following statements is true about referrals?

The use of referrals tends to promote nepotism.

Brendan and Angela are HR managers at Seattle Investments. They are expecting a labor surplus over the next two years when the organization will have 24 more than the required number of employees. Typically, two employees leave the organization each month. IN this scenario, which of the following is the best way to deal with the predicted labor surplus?

They must consider natural attrition because the company has enough time to deal with the labor surplus without causing suffering to the employees.

Which of the following is true of executive search firms?

They serve as a buffer, providing confidentiality between an employer and a recruit.

Which of the following is true of companies that use a "lead-the-market" pay strategy?

They would pay more than the current market wages for a job.

Betty, a production manager at Renton Inc., needs to avoid a labor surplus in the company in a fast and effective way. She wishes to do so with minimal suffering to the employees in terms of lay-offs and salary. Which of the following strategies will help Betty accomplish her goal?

Transfers

James, a new HR manager at Flannel Inc., aims to understand the proportion of employees in the public relations department to decide if the company needs to hire new employees. James most likely needs to use a __________ to achieve his objective.

Transitional Matrix

Ron, an HR manager at Fronton Inc., needs to determine how the number of administrative staff increased in the last two years. He observed that there was a decrease in the accounting department by the same number of staff. In the context of determining labor supply in the accounting department, Ron must use a _________.

Transitional Matrix

Sasha, a production manager at ZestCorp Inc., must predict future labor demand using information about inventory levels for the past three years. Saha is most likely using ________ to predict the demand.

Trend analysis

A transitional matrix is a chart that lists job categories held in one period and shows the proportion of employees in each of those job categories in a future period.

True

Contracting with another organization to perform a broad set of services is called outsourcing.

True

Downsizing can be used to produce surplus labor because it yields fast results.

True

Downsizing disrupts the social networks through which people are creative and flexible.

True

In general, all companies have to make decisions in three areas of recruiting; personnel policies, recruitment sources, and the characteristics and behavior of the recruiter.

True

In the context of employing temporary and contract workers, if the person providing the service is a contractor and not an employee, the company is not supposed to directly supervise the worker.

True

In the context of forecasting the demand for labor, leading indicators are objective measures that accurately predict future labor demand.

True

In the context of recruiter traits and behavior, the recruiter affects the nature of both the job vacancy and the applicants generated.

True

Many of the people reading classified ads are either over- or under qualified for the position.

True

Harriett wants to apply for a job vacancy. She calls the recruiter who had advertised this vacancy to know more about the job. The recruiter gives some background information about the positive and negative qualities of the job to Harriett. Which of the following terms refers to the job information given by the recruiter?

realistic job preview

Juliette intends to approach Kaskade Inc. to fill a vacant position they have in the organization. She conducts a background check to find the merits and limitations of the vacancy. In the context of the behavior of the recruiter, Juliette is checking the _____.

realistic job preview