HRM Ch. 5 Multiple Choice

Due to a series of resignations from the organization, Zylon Inc., a large software firm, is facing an acute labor shortage. During which of the following human resource planning steps would the firm contemplate several options to address the labor issue? a Goal setting and strategic planning b Program evaluation c Forecasting d Program implementation e Data collection

a

Hector is a maintenance supervisor at a large petroleum refinery in Texas. His friend, Ronald, who works at another refinery in Louisiana, informs Hector about a vacancy for a maintenance manager's position at the Louisiana refinery and asks him to apply for the position. Hector is an example of a(n) _____. a referral b direct applicant c virtual employee d internal employee e poached employee

a

The _____ requires that everyone receiving unemployment compensation be registered with a local state employment office. a Social Security Act b Employers' Liability Act c Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act d Protection of Employment Regulations e Equal Pay Act

a

The first step in the human resource planning process is _____. a forecasting b goal setting c program implementation d program evaluation e groupthink

a

When a company faces a shortage of employees in the workforce, and it predicts that current demand for products or services may not extend to the future, it will a try to garner more hours out of the existing labor force. b recruit and train new employees. c be willing to hire part-time employees. d decrease the production rate by half to meet quality standards. e lease out its machinery to other factories, thereby maintaining income.

a

Which of the following is most likely to lead to a successful downsizing? a Avoiding indiscriminant reductions b Informing employees that they are laid off via emails c Downsizing at random d Avoiding changes in the nature of work roles e Removing the company's long-term employees first

a

Sometimes, organizations advertise just to promote themselves as a good place to work in general. This is called _____. a product advertising b image advertising c informative advertising d proactive advertising e subliminal advertising

b

The programs developed in the strategic-choice stage of the process are put into practice in the _____ stage. a forecasting b program-implementation c goal-setting d evaluation e program feedback

b

Which of the following best exemplifies the process of self-selection? a An applicant posts his or her resume on an online job bulletin board. b An applicant decides to interview with a particular company while at a job fair. c An applicant is asked to return for a second interview with a firm. d An applicant asks a friend for advice on which companies to apply to. e An applicant calls a firm to check whether she has been selected.

b

Which of the following is the biggest downside for large job sites? a Most job sites do not return with quick results, which can be frustrating for an applicant. b Because of the sheer size of the website, there is a lack of differentiation between candidates listed on the site. c Job sites offer lackluster customer service, which is a huge disappointment for applicants. d Most job sites post jobs that are completely unrelated to an employee's expertise and job interest. e While they promise excellent service, the exuberant service charges discourage applicants from using job sites.

b

Which of the following is true about outsourcing? a Outsourcing became a valid choice after certain methods of production and manufacturing became obsolete. b Outsourcing is a logical choice when a firm simply does not have certain expertise and is not willing to invest time and effort into developing it. c Technological advancements have slowed the momentum of outsourcing being done today. d Statistical forecasting resulted in companies' transferring their operations and functions overseas. e Companies shifted their operations overseas because customers were complaining about poor client services domestically.

b

Yield ratios express the a output yielded by a new hire in relation to the cost of recruiting the new hire. b percentage of applicants who successfully move from one stage of the recruitment and selection process to the next. c ratio between the price paid to a recruiting firm for potential applicants versus the number of applicants hired. c cost of hiring new employees as opposed to promoting internal employees to vacant positions. d quality of new hires by comparing the cost of training new recruits to the cost of hiring them.

b

Which of the following best explains why older people approaching retirement age have no intention of retiring? a Many employers want to stay away from the costs of hiring a younger crowd and refuse to retire the older workers. b Older workers typically occupy the best-paid jobs and hence prevent the hiring of younger workers. c Improved health of older people in general, in combination with the decreased physical labor in many jobs, has made working longer a viable option. d Employers are ignoring situations where it is more expensive to pay for an older worker's experience than to hire younger employees. e Statistical forecasting results have shown that older people are an asset to an organization's economic strength.

c

Which of the following is an example of an intrinsic reward? a A manufacturing organization offering a monthly bonus on joining the firm at a particular position in a particular city b A firm providing free vehicles to employees who are promoted to the managerial level c The U.S. Army appealing to the patriotism in people to get more new recruits d A bank offering loans at a subsidized rate to its employees e A school management giving monthly bonuses to the teachers

c

Which of the following is considered a slow option for reducing an expected labor surplus and has a low impact on human suffering? a Downsizing b Demotions c Early retirement d Pay reduction e Temporary employees

c

Which of the following is true of statistical forecasting methods that capture historic trends? a They are useful for predicting events in the labor market that have no historic precedent. b They are particularly useful in situations where there is no long, stable history. c They provide predictions that are much more precise than judgmental methods. d They remove the need for subjective judgments of experts. e They include variables such as intuition and guesswork in economic decision-making.

c

A policy that lays out the steps an employee can take to appeal a termination decision is called a(n) _____. a counter cyclical hiring policy b outsourcing policy c employment-at-will policy d due process policy e affirmative action policy

d

Executive search firms (ESFs) are taking the place of internal recruiting activities at many companies. require the person being placed to make the initial contact with the prospective employer. are unaffected by the reduced employment levels because of the recent recession. primarily seek out potential job candidates who are already employed. have remained unaffected by the increased use of low-cost electronic search vehicles.

d

Is the argument that "call center" staffing is the only type of work being offshored valid? a No, because countries to where jobs are being offshored are facing a shortage of skilled labor and are refusing "call center" jobs. b Yes, because the level of education and infrastructure does not support high-end support jobs such as reading X-rays and other medical tests. c Yes, because the state of online security and privacy is less advanced in developed countries. d No, because figures have shown that countries such as China and India are trying to climb the skill ladder of available work. e Yes, because in order to maintain employment rates in their own countries, companies avoid offshoring jobs.

d

The approach that pays employees higher wages than what competitors pay their employees in similar roles is called the _____. a premium-wage approach b free-rider effect c lead-indicator approach d lead-the-market approach e first-mover advantage

d

The process of attempting to ascertain the supply of and demand for various types of human resources is called _____. a outsourcing b downsizing c delegation d forecasting e implementation

d

The purpose of setting specific quantitative goals is a to make sure that employees are held accountable for achieving the stated goals. b to ascertain whether the company has successfully avoided any potential labor surpluses or shortages. c to collect data about current employees, measure their performances, and compare the results with global standards in order to get a better idea of the firm's international competence. d to focus attention on a problem and provide a benchmark for determining the relative success of any programs aimed at redressing a pending labor shortage or surplus. e to predict areas within the organization where there will be future labor shortages or surpluses.

d

Which of the following is NOT one of the forces that draw out an older worker's career? a The improved health of older people in general b The fear of Social Security being cut c Employers being constrained by age discrimination legislation d Insufficient younger workers to replace the older workforce e Employers' fear of losing the experience that older workers possess

d

_____ are people who are prompted to apply for a job by someone within the organization. a Direct applicants b Internal employees c Boomerang employees d Referrals e Virtual employees

d

Which of the following statements is true about downsizing? a The typical organizational response to a surplus of labor has been downsizing, which is slow but low in human suffering. b An organization turns to downsizing only in times of recession. c In firms that are high in research and development intensity, downsizing has been linked to higher long-term organizational profits. d The negative effects of downsizing seem to be reduced in service industries characterized by high levels of customer contact. e Downsizing efforts often fail because employees who survive the purges often become narrow-minded, self-absorbed, and risk averse.

e

Recruiting advertisements in newspapers and periodicals are a exempt from the requirements of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. b are used exclusively to attract applicants who are currently employed. c are likely to generate less desirable candidates than direct applications or referrals. d are generally used to attract candidates from a specific minority community. e are less expensive than direct applications or referrals.

c

A(n) _____ shows the proportion of employees in different job categories at different times. a invertible matrix b transitional matrix c definite matrix d task role matrix e orthogonal matrix

b

Each of the following is a relatively fast method to reduce an expected labor surplus EXCEPT _____. a work sharing b retraining c pay reduction d demotion e transfer

b

Statistical planning models almost always have to be complemented by _____. a competitor information b subjective judgments c transitional matrices d unstable history e labor forecasts

b

Which of the following actions is most likely to enable organizations to increase the impact that recruiters have on those they recruit? a Withholding the company's information b Excluding personnel specialists c Recruiting individually d Providing highly positive, unrealistic descriptions of the job e Providing timely feedback

e