Chapter 2 - Human Resource Management

Who does NOT have an alternative work arrangement?

Full-time employee

What is NOT a core value of total quality management (TQM)?

Manufacturing goals are set to expedite production.

Why might a company experience negative stock returns and lower profitability after laying off some of its highest-paid salespeople?

The average sales per employee will decrease.

Select all that apply What are two ways reengineering might affect human resource management?

The pay structure might need to be adjusted. The organization might need to recruit employees with a new set of skills.

What service allows a company to use large databases and sophisticated software, even if the company cannot afford a powerful computer?

cloud computing

Over the next decade, the Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts most jobs will be in _____.

service occupations

What is expected to be the fastest-growing age group in the labor force in the next decade?

Workers 55 and older

Bart is working with a new client to develop software that tracks product usage in different areas of the country. Bart meets with the client twice a week to go over the development so the product is a better fit for his client's strategy. This approach is known as _______ and is being used by more and more software companies.

agile

What name has been given for the approach that software-development companies use to weave the development process more tightly into an organization's activities and strategies?

agile

When you feel fully involved in your job and committed to your employer, you are experiencing

employee engagement.

Bruce works for an energy company in Houston but has recently been assigned to the company's office in Indonesia. He will work in Indonesia for the next two years. Bruce is an example of a(n) ______.

expatriate

Over the past few years, employee benefit costs have become particularly relevant to HR managers in the area of _____.

health insurance

Karen can access her available vacation days and the amount of money she has paid in taxes this year through the employee portal on her computer. She doesn't have to ask an HR employee for this information. This demonstrates how employee records have become ______ through the use of technology.

self-service

What two-word term describes when employees have online access to information about HR issues

self-service

Traditionally, human resource management was seen as an administrative function, while today more companies are looking at HRM to support a company's ______.

strategy

Groups of employees who rely on communications technology to keep in touch and coordinate activities are called _____.

virtual teams

Some manufacturing companies have difficulty filling jobs because _____.

applicants lack skills to run computer-controlled machinery

Alyce works in a customer service department. She was given basic guidelines in responding to customer calls, but she was told that she could make her own decisions regarding product returns based on the customer call. Her company provides her with employee _____.

empowerment

A ________ team uses videoconferencing and e-mail to keep in touch with each other, rather than speaking face-to-face.

virtual

What is a merger?

Two companies join to become one entity.

In terms of work characteristics, Millennials on the whole tend to value _____.

being noticed and respected by others

The use of online remote server computers to do the user's computing tasks is known as

cloud computing

Which alternative work employee is employed directly by one company for a specific period of time as stated in a written contract?

contract worker

The biggest challenge human resource management faces when a company expands into a global market is adapting to the local _____.

culture

To see what human resources are available, an organization determines which individuals are actively seeking employment, otherwise known as the _______ labor market.

external

From an organization's perspective, the key to survival in a fast-changing environment is _____.

flexibility

Alternative work arrangements allow a company to be _____ and change to meet the current needs of the organization.

flexible

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, by the year 2026 the labor force in the United States is expected to

grow somewhat

It is predicted that service jobs will have the highest growth rate between 2016-2026, especially those associated with _____.

health care

What name is given to a computer system that is used to acquire, store, manipulate, analyze, retrieve, and distribute information related to an organization's human resources?

human resource information system (HRIS)

Foreigners who have entered the United States without following the legal requirements for immigration or asylum are called undocumented or ______ immigrants

illegal

Devin works as a sales associate for a retail store. Devin would be considered part of the store's ______ , labor force. (Enter one word in the blank.)

internal

An organization's employees as well as individuals who have contracts to work at the organization are the

internal labor force

Many U.S. employers in such fields as construction and farming hire immigrant workers to

keep the company's costs low.

Suhindra has a degree in computer science with a specialty in networking. His possession of specialized information makes him a(n) ______.

knowledge worker

The government forecasts a 6.6% increase in the labor force between 2016 and 2026, which is _____ the increase experienced at the end of the 1990s.

less than

An intranet provides a solution to the privacy issue associated with e-HRM because it _____.

limits access to authorized users

Select all that apply Which of the following are associated with employee engagement? (Select all that apply)

low turnover rate better customer service higher productivity

Work teams often assume many activities traditionally reserved for _____.

managers

By 2016 the number of manufacturing jobs being reshored in the United States was _____ the number of jobs being offshored.

more than

Sara's U.S.-based company built a manufacturing facility in India and hired only employees from India to work there. This demonstrates the idea of _____.

offshoring

The practice of a U.S. company hiring local employees to work at a facility in a foreign country rather than sending U.S. employees is called

offshoring

In terms of work characteristics, Baby Boomers on the whole tend to value _____.

opportunities for learning

HR management can support strategic efforts to control costs through downsizing, reengineering, and _____.

outsourcing

What technique uses computers to analyze large quantities of data and help human resource managers make decisions?

people analytics

Companies that use human resource information systems (HRIS) must take particular care regarding what issue?

privacy

Nici knows that her employer expects her to take a bigger role in the company now that she has been promoted to assistant manager. He hasn't said anything to her directly, but her advancement tells her that's what she must do. This demonstrates the idea of a _____ contract.

psychological

A description of what an employee expects to contribute in an employment relationship and what the employer will provide in exchange for those contributions is called a(n) _____.

psychological contract

A complete review of an organization's critical work processes to make them more efficient and able to deliver higher quality is called

reengineering

Reviewing an organization's critical work processes to make them more efficient is called _____.

reengineering

The reestablishment of work operations of U.S. companies in the United States is called ______.

reshoring

As a result of the current age-related trends in the United States job market, by 2026 it is likely that human resource professionals will spend much of their time on issues related to

retirement

Select all that apply Often reengineering results in employees being _____.

retrained laid off reassigned to new jobs

As the human resource manager, Garrett has been asked to find three new marketing employees who can help the company define its social media presence. Which function is Garrett involved in?

supporting company strategy

A companywide effort to continually improve the way people and systems accomplish work is called _____.

total quality management (TQM)

Select all that apply HRM should have a significant role in a merger or acquisition in the areas of

training. compensation. performance appraisals.

Why are knowledge workers in a position of power within an organization?

Because they own the information the company needs to produce its products and services

What functions would be handled by HRM during a merger or acquisition?

Analyze the difference in compensation structure between the two companies. Understand the employee review system of both companies.

What technology that simulates human thinking (learning from data, adapting to change, and making decisions automatically) can human resource managers use in the application of people analytics?

Artificial intelligence (AI)

Which best describes a high-performance work system?

Best fit between social and technical systems

What is one of the main reasons why the traditional 40-hour workweek has become obsolete in many cases and has been replaced by alternative arrangements such as temporary work and flexible schedules?

E-commerce

As technology has caused a shift away from the traditional 40-hour workweek, what is one of the most common ways businesses have compensated employees for the increased stress and intrusion on their free time?

Flexible work schedules

What is NOT an effective strategy for companies expanding into global markets?

Hiring entirely from the home country's talent pool

In the coming decade, the fastest-growing ethnic group within the U.S. workforce is expected to be _____.

Hispanics

Select all that apply When a business downsizes its workforce, what should be done for the company's employees?

Inform all employees about the circumstances of the downsizing. Boost the morale of the remaining employees. Provide downsized employees with outplacement services.

What is an advantage of using a human resource information system?

It enables a HR professional to store, manipulate, and analyze data.

Which of the following describes the current characteristics of the U.S. labor force?

It is growing more diverse.

What is the term for all of the people who are willing to work and are able to?

Labor force

What is a major reason many companies use an alternative work arrangement?

To control costs of a project

True or false: Immigration is one important source of racial and ethnic diversity in the U.S. work force.

True

Matt uses a vendor to provide all of the buttons for his clothing production facility rather than trying to produce buttons himself. Using this vendor is an example of _____.

outsourcing

The practice of having another company provide services is called _____.

outsourcing

Which of the following is an economic effect of having an older workforce?

Companies must cope with rising health care costs.

Define the technical component of a high-performance work system.

Equipment and work processes

True or false: Dylan, who is 21 years old and a college graduate, belongs to the fastest-growing group of workers in the workforce.

False

True or false: The number and kinds of people in the internal work force determine the kinds of human resources available to an organization.

False it's the external work force

Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding immigrants who legally come to the United States?

More than half of legal immigrants are relatives of U.S. citizens.

What is an acquisition?

One company buys another.

What functions would be handled by HRM during a merger or acquisition?

Understand the employee review system of both companies. Analyze the difference in compensation structure between the two companies.

What has contributed to a shift in the type of skills needed for employees in the U.S. economy?

Use of computers to do routine tasks

The use of contingent workers has been _________(increasing/decreasing) recently.

increasing

The assignment of work to groups of employees with various skills is called _____.

teamwork