Chapter 15: Assignment

In the context of the employee selection process, which of the following statements is true of references and background checks? a. They help in filtering out unethical employees. b. They are part of a structured interview process. c. They provide concrete verification of the past accomplishments of candidates. d. They are losing their significance because of the high costs involved.

a. They help in filtering out unethical employees.

Which of the following statements is true of contingent workers? a. They offer flexibility. b. They expect full-time jobs. c. They are expensive to employers. d. They are permanent employees.

a. They offer flexibility.

One of the consequences of the Great Recession was that: a. many jobs disappeared altogether. b. employees in low-tech, low-end jobs were promoted to higher management positions. c. there was an increase in the number of high-tech, high-end jobs. d. workers retired voluntarily to avoid being laid off.

a. many jobs disappeared altogether.

Which of the following statements is true of online training? a. It requires minimal discipline for completion. b. It standardizes the presentation of training materials. c. It depends on the quality of individual instructors. d. It has no significance in off-the-job training.

b. It standardizes the presentation of training materials.

Which of the following represents a strategic challenge for human resource (HR) management? a. Reducing the number of work-life balance programs b. Maintaining the link between pay and performance c. Maintaining a high ratio of younger workers to older workers d. Refraining from documentation to avoid employee lawsuits

b. Maintaining the link between pay and performance

In the context of employee training and development, which of the following statements is true of orientation programs? a. They take place in the last stage of the training and development process. b. Research shows that strong orientation programs significantly reduce employee turnover. c. Research shows that orientation programs increase costs for a company. d. They do not reveal any administrative information to employees.

b. Research shows that strong orientation programs significantly reduce employee turnover.

In the context of employee separation, _____ is a personal reason for leaving a job. a. recession b. change in career aspirations c. changing business needs d. organizational restructuring

b. change in career aspirations

Companies recognize that the core goal of human resource (HR) management is to: a. maximize profit by reducing the resources spent on recruiting employees. b. nurture their human investment so that it yields the highest possible return. c. create a vertically integrated supply chain. d. develop an autocratic management system in the organization.

b. nurture their human investment so that it yields the highest possible return.

Identify a true statement about internal recruitment. a. It brings new ideas and perspectives to an organization. b. It is riskier than external recruitment. c. It boosts employee morale. d. It relies on trade associations as a source of recruitment.

c. It boosts employee morale.

Which of the following statements is true of internal recruitment? a. It is riskier than external recruitment. b. It brings new ideas and perspectives to an organization. c. It reduces the cost of employee training. d. It relies on trade associations as a source of recruitment.

c. It reduces the cost of employee training.

In the context of the employee selection process, which of the following statements is true of employment testing? a. Employment testing is losing its significance. b. Testing is done after making the job offer. c. Skills testing and personality testing carry a fair amount of legal risk. d. Physical exams are solely used by organizations to screen out certain individuals.

c. Skills testing and personality testing carry a fair amount of legal risk.

According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), workplace discrimination is considered sexual harassment: a. only if an individual is requested for sexual favors. b. only if the harasser is a man. c. even if the harasser is not the victim's supervisor. d. even if the offensive conduct is welcomed by the individual.

c. even if the harasser is not the victim's supervisor.

In the context of the employee selection process, applications are: a. a tool for skills testing and personality testing. b. solely used to choose qualified candidates. c. primarily a tool to reject unqualified candidates. d. the least important tool in hiring decisions.

c. primarily a tool to reject unqualified candidates.

Which of the following statements is true of affirmative action? a. Affirmative action increases educational opportunities for minorities but decreases employment opportunities for them. b. Policies that follow affirmative action violate the stipulations of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. c. The U.S. Supreme Court has accepted mechanistic affirmative action programs that amount to quota systems based on race, ethnicity, or gender. d. The opponents of affirmative action claim that affirmative action programs result in reverse discrimination against certain groups.

d. The opponents of affirmative action claim that affirmative action programs result in reverse discrimination against certain groups.

To avoid wrongful-termination lawsuits by a former employee, a company should: a. ensure that the reason for termination is not individual performance. b. hire qualified attorneys before terminating the employee. c. not disclose the official reason for terminating the employee. d. document sound business reasons for the termination of the employee.

d. document sound business reasons for the termination of the employee.

Amanda, the accounts manager at Juren Bank, approaches Shirley, a human resource executive, and informs her that she is being sexually harassed by a colleague. If Shirley takes reasonable care in preventing sexual harassment, she would: a. hold off this complaint until she is approached by other employees. b. explain to Amanda that in order for the complaint to be considered sexual harassment, the accused should be her supervisor. c. explain to Amanda that her complaint will be considered sexual harassment only if she is asked for sexual favors. d. ensure that everyone in the organization understands that the firm does not tolerate sexual harassment.

d. ensure that everyone in the organization understands that the firm does not tolerate sexual harassment.

To gain respect from both senior management and their peers, human resources (HR) executives: a. must develop an autocratic management system in the organization. b. must focus on recruiting employees at low wages. c. must be intolerant toward any exception when enforcing company policies. d. must know the strategic goals, core customers, and competitors of their company.

d. must know the strategic goals, core customers, and competitors of their company.

Which of the following statements is true of the wage gap between CEO pay and worker pay? a. In 2010, CEO pay was tied to the employee turnover rate. b. In 2014, the average American CEO earned 500 times what the average employee earned. c. In 2014, the control of investors over executive compensation increased. d. In 2011, CEO pay was correlated to the employment rate.

c. In 2014, the control of investors over executive compensation increased.

Which of the following is a disadvantage of telecommuting? a. It decreases the productivity of employees. b. It restricts access to a broad talent pool. c. It makes it difficult to maintain a cohesive company culture. d. It decreases work-family balance of employees.

c. It makes it difficult to maintain a cohesive company culture.

Companies that experience a fluctuating need for workers sometimes opt to hire _____, employees who do not expect regular full-time jobs. a. permanent workers b. long-term workers c. contingent workers d. probationary workers

c. contingent workers

Which of the following is an advantage of telecommuting for an organization's employees? a. More influence within the organization b. Stronger connection to the culture of the organization c. More fast-track career potential d. Better work-family balance

d. Better work-family balance

In the context of off-the-job training, which of the following is a key drawback of computer-based training? a. It requires employees to be physically present at the training venue. b. It depends on the quality of the individual instructor. c. It uses training materials that are not standardized. d. It takes a lot of discipline to complete an online program.

d. It takes a lot of discipline to complete an online program.

Which of the following statements is true of flextime? a. It tends to reduce employee retention. b. It has the least scope of abuse and does not require constant management. c. It makes more sense in jobs that entail extensive customer interaction. d. It tends to increase employee morale.

d. It tends to increase employee morale.

Sarah, a human resource executive at Opexa Inc., is assigned the task of recruiting employees to fill the vacant positions in the company. She is given a limited budget for this job. Therefore, she does not want to incur high costs of recruitment and training. She also wants to use this as an opportunity to increase the morale of current employees. In this scenario, Sarah should: a. contact trade associations for potential employees. b. post advertisements in newspapers. c. consider referrals from current employees. d. promote employees from other positions within the company.

d. promote employees from other positions within the company.