HR Spring Midterm
Which of the following is a permissible question for job applications and interviews?
Can you meet the requirements of the work schedule?
_____ 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
Which of the following reflects a core value of total quality management?
encouraging cooperation with vendors, suppliers, and customers to improve quality
According to Herzberg's two-factor theory, individuals are motivated more by the extrinsic aspects of work than the intrinsic rewards.
false
Which of the following is the first step in the human resource planning process?
forecasting
Identify a disadvantage of using temporary and contract workers.
These workers tend to be less committed to an organization.
Which of the following responsibilities is specifically associated with the HR function of support for strategy?
human resource planning and forecasting
The external labor market consists of
individuals who are actively seeking employment.
_____ refers to a process of systematically developing training to meet specified needs.
instructional design
_____ formally lay out the steps an employee may take to appeal an employer's decision to terminate that employee.
due-process policies
Some of the employees of RVZ Services are unhappy with their supervisor's comments and remarks. They feel they are being unduly discriminated against by the supervisor, and so they turn to the HR department for help. Addressing such problems is a part of the HR function of
employee relations
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
Kathleen is a member of the human resource department at Jade Corp. Setting a goal to enhance the firm's strategy, Kathleen works to attain it by understanding the current human resources. Through a series of surveys, interviews, and observations, she learns what talents the various departments of Jade Corp. are currently in need of, and attracts new human resources according to those requirements. What kind of HRM responsibility does this example illustrate?
HRM's responsibility to serve as a strategic partner
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.
According to Herzberg's two-factor theory, which of the following factors would motivate individuals the most?
meaningfulness of a job
Readiness for training is a combination of employee characteristics and positive work environment that permit training.
true
The Society for Human Resource Management is the primary professional organization for HRM and the world's largest human resource management association.
true
Reliability answers the important question of
whether you are measuring something accurately.
Albright Corp. uses a set of quantitative tools to assess employee data such as performance, compensation, designations, and benefits. This is done to arrive at decisions based on accurate findings from analyses that can help the firm achieve its goals. Albright is engaging in the practice of _____.
workforce analysis
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act protects only those workers who are over the age of _____.
40
Which of the following best describes job sharing?
It is a work option in which two part-time employees carry out the tasks associated with a single job.
Which of the following best describes needs assessment?
It is the process of evaluating the organization, individual employees, and employees' tasks to determine what kinds of training are necessary.
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.
Which of the following statements is TRUE of an organizational policy of valuing diversity?
Organizations that value diversity see a diverse workforce as a competitive advantage
Which of the following is the correct statement about the HR responsibilities of supervisors?
Supervisors typically have responsibilities related to all the HR functions.
Reese's use of illegal drugs limits her ability to walk properly. The elevator at her office was not working for many months, so Reese needed to climb two flights of stairs and had difficulty getting to her desk. She tried suing her company under the Americans with Disabilities Act, arguing that her company discriminates against individuals who cannot perform major life activities. Which of the following would weaken Reese's argument?
The ADA does not cover conditions of substance abuse.
Which of the following is a correct statement regarding skilled knowledge workers?
They are not easily replaced because they own the knowledge that the company requires to produce its products.
Which of the following is true of competency models?
They help HR professionals ensure that all aspects of talent management are aligned with an organization's strategy.
In terms of the Job Characteristics Model, feedback refers to the extent to which _____.
a person receives clear information about performance effectiveness from the work itself
Which of the following is a challenge associated with an outsourcing strategy?
quality control problems
_____ influence the kinds of job applicants an organization reaches.
recruitment sources
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
The concept of "human resource management" implies that employees are
resources of the employer
Which of Kant's basic human rights is violated when a supervisor requires an employee to do something that is unsafe or environmentally damaging, in spite of the employee clearly objecting to the order?
right of freedom of conscience
The system in which employees have online access to information about human resource issues and go online to enroll themselves in programs and provide feedback through surveys is termed
self-service
Which of the following is defined as a systematic, planned effort to attract, retain, develop, and motivate highly skilled employees and managers?
talent management
Which of the following processes identifies the knowledge, skills, and behaviors that should be emphasized by training?
task analysis
What clusters of competencies are necessary for success in human resource management?
technical, interpersonal, business, and leadership
Sasha, a production manager at ZestCorp Inc., must predict future labor demand using information about inventory levels from the past three years. Sasha will most likely use _____ to predict the demand.
trend analysis
Effective training objectives include performance standards that are measurable.
true
Emily, a human resource specialist, has been asked to investigate complaints that an employee is bullying coworkers. Emily is obligated to protect this employee's privacy by ensuring that any information gathered is relevant to the complaint.
true
Equal employment opportunity laws affect the kinds of information an organization may gather on application forms and in interviews.
true
HR competencies are the sets of knowledge and skills associated with successful human resource management.
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 organizations with sustainable strategies, the HR departments focus on employee development and empowerment rather than short-term costs.
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 relatively objective measures that accurately predict future labor demand.
true
Kira feels that being denied a promotion has more to do with being a woman than with her overall performance. However, her supervisors and the HR department are refusing to hear her case. This suggests that Kira has been denied her right to due process.
true
The goals an organization sets in its human resource planning process should come directly from the analysis of its labor supply and demand.
true
Through the process of work flow design, managers analyze the tasks needed to produce a product or service.
true
Training refers to any planned effort by a firm to facilitate the learning of job-related knowledge, skills, or behavior by employees.
true
When two firms in one industry join together to hold a greater share of the industry, it represents a consolidation.
true
Work processes are the activities that a work unit's members engage in to produce a given output.
true
Which of the following actions during the selection process would be illegal under the equal employment opportunity laws?
asking candidates how close they are to retirement age
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 wants to know which kind of source delivered the most new hires for the money. To answer that question, Gilbert should determine the _____.
cost per hire
Which of the following is a characteristic of current-day high-performance work systems?
employee empowerment in decision making
In employment law, reasonable accommodation refers to an employee's obligation to adjust and make compromises on their personal beliefs and practices, including completely disregarding them, if they conflict with an organization's policies.
false
Interviewing is considered the most accurate basis for making a selection decision.
false
The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires that employers obtain a candidate's consent before downloading his or her résumé from an online job site.
false
The Occupational Safety and Health Act directly regulates employee behavior in workplaces to ensure safety.
false
The best stage to prepare for evaluating a training program is after the program has been implemented.
false
The expanded use of "project-based" organizational structures has reduced the need for analysis of work flows.
false
Under equal employment opportunity laws, if an employer uses an interview process that eliminates most candidates who are black or Hispanic, the employer must show that the method is necessary for selecting candidates who project the right brand image.
false
Which of the following is likely to contribute to errors in a job analysis?
fixed and unchanging job descriptions for various jobs
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
Given the increasing use of computers to do routine tasks, which of the following skills is most likely to be actively sought by U.S. employers today?
interpersonal skills
Jenny is a line manager at Maxvin Corp. She is assigned the task of understanding and gathering detailed information about the requirements of carrying out a certain job. Information gathered by Jenny will be used to provide essential knowledge for staffing, training, performance appraisal, and other HR activities. Which of the following most likely corresponds to the task undertaken by Jenny?
job analysis
Which of the following refers to the process of getting detailed information about jobs?
job analysis
A list of the tasks, duties, and responsibilities that a job entails is called a _____.
job description
Maxwin Infomatics Corp., a nationwide logistics company, has announced the opening of a new unit for the manufacturing division. Alex, the HR manager, has been asked to help plan for the creation of the new unit. Which of the following relates to the task undertaken by Alex, if he is involved in the process of explaining how an employee will execute his or her tasks?
job design
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
Which of the following is a characteristic of effective training objectives?
measurable performance standards
Margaret, the HR manager at Frexotel Inc., recruits her cousin Linda as production manager in the company. This move results in resentment among several of the company's employees. By hiring her cousin, Margaret has engaged in the practice of hiring relatives, or _____.
nepotism
Sairs Info Solutions is a firm that develops software applications for other companies. After the company moves into a new office space, most of the employees complain about the lack of comfortable seating arrangements. Following up on the complaint, the HR department advises management to invest in studying the ergonomics of the new office space. Which of the following would serve as an incentive for the company to invest in the study of ergonomics?
Ergonomics reduces the physical strain on employees performing a job.
