CSUSM MGMT 415 Exam #1

Naomi, a white female applicant, is refused a job at a state university in favor of a less qualified minority applicant. She could consider suing the university on charges of reverse discrimination against her under the ___________.

Fourteenth Amendment

Brenda, the vice president of human resources at FSE Inc., meets with the executive committee to discuss planning for future job openings at the vice president level. Brenda advises the committee that sending some high potential employees to an assessment center would be beneficial, although a full day assessment could cost $20,000. Which of the following statements supports Brenda's recommendation?

Assessment centers primarily identify whether employees have the functional skills they need to carry out their jobs.

A peer or manager who works closely with employees to motivate them, help them develop their skills, and provide reinforcement and feedback is known as a

Coach

Doug was part of a formal mentoring program and was mentored by Amelia. The mentoring sessions were conducted over a period of six weeks to improve Doug's communications and interpersonal skills in the workplace. The sessions, however, were unsuccessful. Which of the following, if true, would most likely have caused the failure of the mentoring sessions?

Doug's participation was involuntary, and he had little understanding of the details of the program.

Identify the correct statement regarding downsizing.

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

Which of the following statements accurately characterizes electronic performance support systems (EPSSs)?

EPSSs provide expert advice when a problem occurs on the job.

Aaron has been a systems analyst at a software company for six years. Although he works hard, gets favorable performance reviews, takes night classes in business management, and has applied for promotions, his coworkers always get the promotions instead. Aaron started asking his coworkers about this, and one of them said, "Don't you realize? This management will never promote someone like you." This supports Aaron's concern that he may be a target of discrimination because he is black; other talented employees are black, but no black employees have moved into management positions. Aaron decides to discuss the problem with the human resource manager. If he can't find a satisfactory solution that way, with which federal agency could he file a complaint?

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Which of the following requires the federal government to base all its employment policies on merit and fitness?

Executive Order 11478

Which of the following is a standard that human resource managers must satisfy for HRM practices to be ethical?

Human resource practices must result in the greatest good for the largest number of people.

Harley wants to build a start up company with a small number of people working for him. He decides to do all the hiring himself. Antonio, a friend of Harley's who is also a lawyer, wants to warn Harley about the risk of discrimination complaints other companies have received by applicants who were not hired. Which of the following statements would best express the basis of Antonio's concern about avoiding discrimination?

Interviews are subjective, so they have the potential of assessing candidates based on questions not related to the job.

Which of the following is TRUE of an intranet?

It is a network that uses Internet tools but limits access to authorized users in the organization.

Given that the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has published numerous standards, what is the significance of the OSH Act's general duty clause?

It is very significant, because NIOSH cannot anticipate all possible hazards.

Which of the following best describes a phased retirement program?

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

What is a basic difference between job specifications and job descriptions?

Job descriptions look at a job's activities, and job specifications look at the qualities needed to do the job.

Henry has been newly appointed as the head of the HR team at AAS Technologies. In an attempt to establish a more efficient and reliable workflow, Henry has taken up the responsibility of creating job descriptions and job specifications for the newly hired and current engineers within the organization. While doing so, Henry gathers information about the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) required for an engineer to successfully perform the job. How will determining the KSAOs most benefit the organization?

KSAOs will be a resource for writing job descriptions.

Leeding Engines Inc. specializes in manufacturing internal combustion engines. Recently, Leeding has decided to create a division for the flexible fuel field. During this time, Mark, the HR manager, has been reviewing and updating job descriptions. With the knowledge that a new division of jobs will be created, what would be the appropriate course of action for Mark to take next?

Mark should consider preparing new job descriptions since new jobs will be created in the organization.

Which of the following helps identify employees' preferences for working in different types of environments, such as sales and counseling?

Self-Directed Search

Adam, an HR executive observes that telework or telecommuting has been a rising trend. He considers developing a policy to allow telecommuting at his company. Which of the following statements is a fact about telecommuting that would support implementing this policy?

Telecommuting may support a strategy of corporate social responsibility.

Rigatel Corp., an investment bank, is in the final stage of its selection process for a business analyst. Rob is one of the desired candidates for the position. As part of background checks, the bank wants to look at his credit history. Which of the following acts requires them to obtain Rob's consent before using a third party to check his credit history?

The Fair Credit Reporting Act

Victoria is a human resource specialist. To gain competency in her field, she keeps up with business news related to human resource management. One area of the news she pays attention to is coverage of the cases the Supreme Court hears each year. Why would stories about the Supreme Court be relevant for Victoria's career?

The Supreme Court may issue rulings that interpret employment law.

When a manufacturer experienced a slowdown in sales, it laid off the two employees with the poorest attendance. One of the employees sued the company, saying it should have laid off the most recently hired workers. What defense would the company most likely offer?

The layoffs were instances of employment at will.

Gina, a marketing manager, sets up a meeting with Xavier, a human resource manager, to ask for his help in improving her interviewing methods. Gina explains that she is a people person, and her department is built on teamwork, so when candidates interview for a job, she tries to get to know the candidates as people. She always begins by saying, "Tell me about yourself," and based on what the candidate says, she lets the conversation unfold for 30 to 60 minutes. How does this approach limit Gina's effectiveness as an interviewer?

The wide latitude of these nondirective interviews can result in low reliability and often poor validity.

To ensure transfer of training, an organization's training programs should prepare employees to self manage their use of new skills and behaviors on the job. According to your text, Which of the following is NOT a way for trainee employees to manage their new skills and behaviors?

Trainees should employ their new skills and behaviors perfectly.

Which of the following exemplifies the best use of utility for a selection procedure?

Tywell Capital, an international investment firm, spends close to a million dollars to hire a renowned economist as its new CEO.

Megan is starting a new business and is worried about OSHA regulations because she has often heard that they are extremely complex. Which statement offers Megan the best advice for meeting the requirements of the OSH Act?

Use the "Compliance Assistance Quick Start" on OSHA's website.

Marianna Baxter attends an interview for the position of a paralegal at one of the biggest law firms in the country. During the interview, she is asked a particular question which she refuses to answer. Frustrated by her behavior, the interviewer repeats the question. She refuses to answer it again and says that it violates her rights under equal employment opportunity law. Which of the following is most likely the question she was asked?

What is your ancestry?

Which of the following is a permissible question to ask in job applications and interviews?

Will you need any reasonable accommodation for this hiring process?

Which of the following is described as a detailed description of a situation that trainees analyze and discuss and is designed to develop higher order thinking skills?

a case study

What is an HR dashboard?

a display of how the company is performing on specific HR metrics

Which of the following scenarios reflects a job lacking the characteristic of task significance?

a job that has minimal impact on the lives of other people

The glass ceiling is likely caused by

a lack of access to developmental relationships.

Mirth Inc., a cookie manufacturer, combines with Herge Corp., a chocolate manufacturer, to form a company called Hobbes Inc. This scenario illustrates

a merger.

A customer at Danielle, a French restaurant, complains to Jason, the owner, about a specialty dessert being unacceptable. Jason inspects the dessert and finds that brie, a type of cheese, is overripe. Jason questions the new pastry chef, Mario, who acknowledges he should have substituted another type of cheese for the brie. Jason analyzes the situation and concludes that Mario should be put through additional training to avoid such mistakes in the future. What type of analysis has Jason performed in this situation?

a needs assessment

Most organizations are looking for educational achievements to find employees who can handle _____________.

a variety of responsibilities, interact with customers, and think creatively.

Which of the following forms of group building gives teams or work groups an actual problem, has them work on solving it and commit to an action plan, and holds them accountable for carrying out the plan?

action learning

Lewis Corp., an automobile manufacturer, purchases Vision Inc., a company that produces auto parts and accessories. This scenario exemplifies

an acquisition.

Acme Manufacturing wants to build a new factory and is comparing locations in three states. How could an HR professional use consultation competencies to support this effort?

by gathering data about labor supply and demand in the states

Identify the occupation that would typically employ an apprentice.

carpenter

Which of the following is a characteristic of current day high-performance work systems?

employee empowerment in decision making

Nicole, an employee at Neo Corp., develops and distributes newsletters that announce upcoming events in the company. Which of the following human resource management practices is being performed by Nicole?

employee relations

Which of the following conditions will most likely ensure a job rotation will succeed?

employees and their managers agree on which skills are to be developed

Race norming refers to ______________.

establishing different norms for hiring members of different racial groups.

Employees who take assignments in other countries are called

expatriates.

Which of the following is a "Big Five" personality trait?

extroversion

Which of the following actions associated with an OSHA inspection can result in criminal charges?

falsifying records subject to the inspection

Under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994, employers must reemploy workers who left jobs to fulfill military duties for up to __________ years.

five

The four general approaches that companies use for employee development include

formal education, assessment, job experiences, and interpersonal relationships.

Organizations carry out human resource planning to

gain an advantage over competitors.

Which of the following is a component of a basic career management system?

goal setting

Costabin Inc., a company in the recycling business, has revamped its management and business criteria. It has also added new objectives that would require recruitment of new and skilled labor. The responsibility of identifying the numbers and the kinds of employees lies with the HR department of the firm. This responsibility of the HR department is known as

human resource planning.

BottleCap Creations offers its employees a career management program in which they can take a variety of self assessments. When employees complete these self assessments, what is the organization's responsibility in the next stage of the career management process?

identifying opportunities and personal areas needing improvement

A(n)_______measures the ability to juggle a variety of demands, as in a manager's job where the candidate is presented with simulated memos and phone messages describing the kinds of problems that confront a person in the job.

in-basket test

Which of the following refers to the process of getting detailed information about jobs?

job analysis

Aaron, an HR manager, observes that the number of employees quitting their jobs has been steadily increasing over the last six months. On closer inspection, he finds that a majority of the employees who quit were unhappy with the pay structures. Aaron assesses the significance of each job to the organization, which helps him set up fair pay structures. This in turn helps the organization retain valuable employees. Which of the following most likely relates to the task undertaken by Aaron?

job evaluation

One method to simplify a job's mental demands is to ______________.

limit the amount of memorization required for the job.

Which of the following HR functions includes preparing and distributing employee handbooks that detail company policies?

maintaining positive employee relations

Summerton High School has three open positions for teachers. The school's HR personnel review résumés to identify the candidates who meet the school's minimum requirements. Next, potential candidates are then invited for interviews. After this, interviewers discuss the results with HR personnel and select a short list of candidates, who then appear before a panel of teachers and HR personnel for the final interview. Summerton's new teachers are then selected from among these finalists. Which of the following terms describes Summerton's method of selection?

multiple-hurdle model

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

on-campus interviewing.

Samcys Services Inc. specializes in providing round the clock building security services to multinational companies. Samcys selects security guards, conducts background checks, provides them with uniforms and training, and schedules guards to patrol and monitor security at clients' facilities. In the work flow analysis for Samcys, which of the following terms best describes the security services?

outputs

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 might the company use if it wants to avoid this short term labor shortage while finding a simple and cost effective solution?

overtime

Which of the following tests is a legal means to test the integrity of job applicants and generally involves asking applicants directly about their attitudes toward theft and their own experiences with theft?

paper-and-pencil honesty test

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 training methods uses techniques like lectures, workbooks, video clips, podcasts, and websites?

presentation methods

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

quality-control problems

Juliette is a recruiter for Kaskade Inc. When she interviews job candidates, she works hard to provide background information about the job's positive and negative qualities. She aims to be sure every detail is accurate, so that any employees hired will feel they got what they expected and will want to stay on with the company. Juliette's behavior is an example of providing a ___________.

realistic job preview

Identify the process through which an organization seeks applicants for potential employment.

recruitment

When an organization undertakes a complete review of its critical work processes to make them more efficient in an effort to deliver higher quality, it is engaging in

reengineering.

Marika is a senior journalist at a news agency. She goes on a temporary leave for six months and travels around different parts of South Asia during her leave. She records her travel experiences in a book and shares it with her colleagues upon her return. During her leave, she was also being paid by the organization. This is an example of a(n) ___________.

sabbatical

Independent contractors are

self-employed individuals with multiple clients.

KTPO Telecom wants to implement an on the job training program for the sales staff that are unaware of the technical aspects of the firm's products. The lack of technical knowledge among its sales staff is harming the company's prospects of securing lucrative contracts. Although KTPO's IT team is well versed in various technologies, it is not well suited to handle a training program. However, the best IT trainers in the industry cost more than what KTPO can afford to spend on the training program. This scenario illustrates ____________.

situational constraints

The industrial engineering approach is most likely to emphasize ________.

streamlining jobs to make them simpler and more efficient

Traditional management thinking treated human resource management primarily as a means to __________.

support a company's strategy.

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.

Cody works at a machine production facility assembling small parts in a specialized division. In addition to his regular job duties, Cody works in tandem with his other coworkers to schedule work, select new team members, and carry out multiple assembly tasks. This style of work is best described as

teamwork

The clusters of competencies needed by human resource professionals include ________________.

technical, interpersonal, business, and leadership competencies.

Name the model that was developed by Richard Hackman and Greg Oldham to describe ways to make jobs more motivating.

the Job Characteristics Model

The goals an organization sets in its human resource planning process should come directly from ____________.

the analysis of its labor supply and demand.

During downsizing, the HRM function must "surgically" reduce the workforce by cutting only the workers who are less valuable in their performance. According to your text, which of the following is a reason for this being difficult to achieve?

the best workers may leave before the organization lays off anyone

Office workers who encounter a chemical infrequently are covered by _____________.

the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act's Hazard Communication Standard.

The most frequent uses of assessment are ___________.

to identify employees with managerial potential to measure current managers' strengths and weaknesses

Identify the main purpose of diversity training programs that focus on attitudes.

to increase participants' awareness of cultural, ethnic, personal, and physical differences in the workforce

Solenz Inc. is a relatively new company that employs 23 workers. When it finished a major contract, the owner realized that there wasn't enough work left for all the remaining workers. The company is negotiating contracts that could provide future work in a few months, but it currently must address its labor surplus in order to remain financially sound. Which of the following is the best strategy to deal with this labor surplus?

work sharing