(Human Resource Management) Chapter 01: Concept Check Quiz:

Which of the following companies is most likely to achieve the human resource management (HRM) goal of complying with legal and social obligations? a. A company that hires specialized employees to remain competitive b. A company that gives its employees the freedom to act and make decisions as they deem fit c. A company that develops practices to promote ethnocentrism d. A company that makes sure its employees are aware of regulatory requirements

A company that makes sure its employees are aware of regulatory requirements

Identify a true statement about the HR department of small organizations. a. Small organizations never subcontract their basic administrative activities. b. A single manager can usually handle the HR function in small organizations. c. The HR department of small organizations has specialized subunits. d. Small organizations usually provide extensive HR training to their HR staff.

A single manager can usually handle the HR function in small organizations.

Which of the following statements is true of human resources? a. Each employee is important to the overall effectiveness of an organization. b. Each employee should be selected with the aim of creating an ethnocentric work environment. c. The human resources of an organization are also known as material resources. d. After financial resources, human resources are an organization's most important resources.

Each employee is important to the overall effectiveness of an organization.

_____ is the way in which the human resource management (HRM) function provides the most value to an organization. a. Complying with legal and social obligations b. Facilitating organizational competitiveness c. Promoting individual growth and development d. Developing an ethnocentric work environment

Facilitating organizational competitiveness

Which of the following statements is true of the career opportunities in human resource management (HRM)? a. HR managers are likely to have a demanding and rewarding experience in their organization. b. HR managers are likely to be considered second-class citizens in their organizations. c. A Global Professional in Human Resources certification is necessary to become an HR manager. d. A graduate degree in HRM is a necessary prerequisite for a person to enter the HRM profession.

HR managers are likely to have a demanding and rewarding experience in their organization.

Which of the following statements is true of the strategic perspective on human resource management (HRM)? a. The HR department of an organization is responsible exclusively for hiring first-line employees. b. The HR department of an organization is responsible for developing ethnocentric practices. c. HR tasks and functions are highly interrelated. d. HR managers are second-class corporate citizens.

HR tasks and functions are highly interrelated

_____ refers to the comprehensive set of managerial activities and tasks concerned with attracting, developing, and maintaining a qualified workforce in ways that contribute to organizational effectiveness.

Human resource management

_____ are an organization's most important resources.

Human resources

Which of the following statements is true of the global perspective on human resource management (HRM)? a. New applications of technology have reduced the HR needs of organizations. b. The HRM function is concerned exclusively with hiring globally diverse first-line employees. c. HR managers are regarded as second-class corporate citizens. d. Increasing globalization has reinforced the need to view HRM from a systems perspective.

Increasing globalization has reinforced the need to view HRM from a systems perspective.

Which of the following statements is true of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938? a. It established a minimum wage. b. It required that employers provide certain employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year. c. It dealt with unionization procedures. d. It required that national labor unions elect new leaders at least once every five years.

It established a minimum wage

Which of the following statements is true of outsourcing? a. It reduces a firm's risk of facing intellectual property theft. b. It results in an increase in HR staffs within companies. c. It increases job dissatisfaction among workers. d. It is an important competitive weapon for an organization.

It is an important competitive weapon for an organization.

Which of the following statements is true of personnel management during the 1930s and 1940s? a. It was concerned solely with structuring individual jobs to maximize efficiency and productivity. b. It was concerned almost exclusively with hiring first-line employees. c. It was considered a function of line managers. d. It was seen as a critical function in most business organizations.

It was concerned almost exclusively with hiring first-line employees.

Which of the following statements is true of scientific management in the 20th century? a. It was concerned exclusively with creating an ethnocentric work environment. b. It was based on the belief that employees work harder if they are happy. c. It was focused on maximizing job satisfaction and quality rather than efficiency and productivity. d. It was concerned with every motion that a worker made.

It was concerned with every motion that a worker made.

Which of the following was a result of the Hawthorne studies? a. It established a minimum wage. b. It required that national labor unions elect new leaders at least once every five years. c. It required that employers provide certain employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year.term-15 d. It dealt with unionization procedures.

Managers began to focus more attention on better understanding the human character of their employees.

Which of the following statements is true of today's HR executives? a. They need a solid educational background as the sole prerequisite for success. b. They are tasked with developing policies that promote ethnocentrism in the workplace. c. They are regarded as second-class corporate citizens. d. They need to understand different specialized areas such as the legal environment and labor relations

They need to understand different specialized areas such as the legal environment and labor relations.

Which of the following statements is true of contemporary HR managers? a. They are responsible for promoting ethnocentrism in the workplace. b. They are regarded as second-class corporate citizens. c. They are required to be a member of the Society for Human Resource Management. d. They represent a diverse set of professionals with a variety of backgrounds.

They represent a diverse set of professionals with a variety of backgrounds

Unlike the HR department in a small organization, the HR department in a large organization: a. is unlikely to have specialized subunits. b. has a full-time HR manager with a secretary or assistant. c. requires the owner or general manager to perform HR duties. d. requires line managers to handle its basic HR functions.

has a full-time HR manager with a secretary or assistant.

Gears Inc., an automobile manufacturing firm, has hired an external agency to handle its employee compensation function so that its HR employees can focus on other tasks, such as legal compliance and employee training. The firm has made this change for two reasons: to increase workforce efficiency by reducing the time spent on the compensation function and to reduce the dissatisfaction caused by the repetitious nature of this function. In the given scenario, Gears Inc. is employing _____.

outsourcing

For an organization, ownership investment, sales revenues, and bank loans that provide capital and cover expenses necessary to conduct business constitute the organization's _____.

physical resources

Designing jobs that are challenging and provide personal satisfaction to employees helps an organization achieve the human resource management (HRM) goal of: a. complying with and meeting social obligations. b. promoting individual growth. c. creating an ethnocentric work environment. d. adhering to legal business guidelines.

promoting individual growth.

In the context of the evolution of the HR function, _____ was concerned with structuring individual jobs to maximize efficiency and productivity.

scientific management

Elizabeth is a manager in the accounting department of an investment firm. She monitors the day-to-day financial transactions of the firm. She also collates, analyzes, and reports accounting information to her superiors. In the given scenario, Elizabeth can be traditionally considered to be a(n) _____. a. staff manager b. black-collar worker c. blue-collar worker d. ancillary worker

staff manager

Unlike line managers, staff managers: a. support efforts and functions that are directly related to achieving organizational goals. b. include operations managers, financial managers, and marketing managers. c. contribute directly to their organization's bottom line. d. are directly responsible for the creation of goods and services.

support efforts and functions that are directly related to achieving organizational goals.

The HR department of Vierra Publishing Corporation has developed a sponsorship scheme to support students facing financial difficulties. Under this scheme, the company will select a meritorious student every year and sponsor his or her education until he or she graduates. In this scenario, the initiative undertaken by the HR department of Vierra Publishing Corporation aligns with the human resource management goal of _____. a. facilitating organizational competitiveness b. complying with and meeting social obligations c. enhancing productivity and quality d. creating an ethnocentric work environment

complying with and meeting social obligations

Which of the following was an effect of the Industrial Revolution? a. Businesses recognized the disadvantages of scientific management and replaced it with personnel management. b. Small enterprises and farms run by families interested in supporting themselves began to emerge. c. Business owners began to rely on professional managers to oversee a portion of their operations. d. Managers recognized the importance of ethnocentric practices and began implementing them.

Business owners began to rely on professional managers to oversee a portion of their operations.

Which of the following statements is true of personnel management during the 1950s? a. The job of personnel managers became less complex. b. Personnel management was seen as a critical function in business organizations. c. Companies began to experiment with sophisticated reward d. The roles of HR managers as compliance officers and strategic partners grew in importance.

Companies began to experiment with sophisticated reward systems.

Which of the following statements is true of human resource management in the electronic age? a. Electronic communication systems have reduced the occurrence of issues related to ethics and privacy in organizations. b. The use of technology has reduced organizations' needs for specialized employees. c. The widespread use of technology has drastically affected the basic approach to how human resources are managed. d. New technologies have made it easier for management to deliver information and communicate with employees.

New technologies have made it easier for management to deliver information and communicate with employees.

_____ is the total set of features and characteristics of a product or service that bears on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs. a. Productivity b. Efficiency c. Validity d. Quality

Quality

Which of the following activities most likely aligns with the human resource management goal of facilitating organizational competitiveness? a. Recruiting skilled employees to help achieve organizational targets b. Matching employee contributions to local charities c. Ensuring that organizational activities are conducted within the law d. Conducting charitable functions and fund-raisers

Recruiting skilled employees to help achieve organizational targets

Which of the following statements is true of the HR department of a small organization? a. Relatively little training is provided to HR staff on how to handle HR issues in a small firm. b. A separate HR unit is a necessity in a small firm. c. The HR department of a small firm has specialized subunits. d. A small firm never subcontracts its basic administrative activities

Relatively little training is provided to HR staff on how to handle HR issues in a small firm

_____ are those responsible for an indirect or support function that would have costs but whose bottom-line contributions to their organizations are less direct than the contributions of line managers. a. Staff managers b. Blue-collar workers c. Operations managers d. Ancillary workers

Staff managers

Which of the following acts made it illegal for employers to consider factors such as gender, religion, race, skin color, or national origin when making employment-related decisions? a. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 b. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 c. The Labor Management Relations Act of 1947 d. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1989

The Civil Rights Act of 1964

Who among the following managers in a manufacturing company is traditionally considered to be a line manager? a. The human resource manager b. The accounting manager c. The legal manager d. The marketing manager

The marketing manager

Which of the following statements is true of contemporary human resource management (HRM)? a. Contemporary HRM is concerned exclusively with hiring first-line employees such as production workers, blue-collar workers, and other operating employees. b. The importance of HRM activities is decreasing because of the growing realization of the importance of technology as a source of competitive advantage. c. Contemporary HRM policies are aimed at promoting ethnocentrism in the workplace. d. The view of HRM as part of the legal enforcement arm of an organization is largely applicable only in the United States.

The view of HRM as part of the legal enforcement arm of an organization is largely applicable only in the United States.

Identify a true statement about contemporary HR managers. a. They are considered a critical source of information about employment practices. b. They are responsible for promoting ethnocentrism in the workplace. c. They are required to be a member of the Society for Human Resource Management. d. They are regarded as second-class corporate citizens.

They are considered a critical source of information about employment practices.

Identify a true statement about contemporary HR executives. a. They are required to be a member of the Society for Human Resource Management. b. They must have a graduate degree in human resource management. c. They must have general management abilities that reflect conceptual, diagnostic, and analytical skills. d. They are required to develop policies that promote an ethnocentric environment in the workplace.

They must have general management abilities that reflect conceptual, diagnostic, and analytical skills.

The passage of _____ made it clear that organizations had to find ways to hire, reward, and manage people effectively within the limits of the law.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Which of the following is a difference between the HR departments in a large organization and a small organization? a. Unlike the HR department in a large organization, the HR department in a small organization mostly requires line managers to handle its basic HR functions. b. Unlike the HR department in a large organization, the HR department in a small organization has specialized subunits. c. Unlike the HR department in a small organization, the HR department in a large organization requires the owner to handle HR duties. d. Unlike the HR department in a small organization, the HR department in a large organization provides little training to its HR staff to handle complicated HR issues.

Unlike the HR department in a large organization, the HR department in a small organization mostly requires line managers to handle its basic HR functions.

Which of the following terms is defined as the attempt to measure, in objective terms, the impact and effectiveness of human resource management (HRM) practices in terms of metrics such as a firm's financial performance? a. Market basket analysis b. Job analysis c. Open-book management d. Utility analysis

Utility analysis

Silis Inc., a manufacturer of automobile parts, imports advanced machinery to improve its products. The HR department of the company organizes training sessions for the employees to learn how to operate the new machine. The department also introduces monthly reward systems to improve employee motivation. In the given scenario, the activities undertaken by the HR department of Silis Inc. most likely align with the human resource management goal of _____. a. complying with social obligations b. adhering to legal business guidelines c. creating an ethnocentric work environment d. enhancing productivity and quality

enhancing productivity and quality

A firm's _____ is a body composed of key top managers that makes major policy decisions and sets corporate strategy.

executive committee

In the context of the human relations era, the Hawthorne studies revealed that: a. individuals worked better in an ethnocentric environment. b. individual and group behavior played an important role in organizations. c. scientific management played a crucial role in increasing job satisfaction. d. most managers viewIn the context of the human relations era, the Hawthorne studies revealed that: a. individuals worked better in an ethnocentric environment. b. individual and group behavior played an important role in organizations.term-10 c. scientific management played a crucial role in increasing job satisfaction. d. most managers viewed their employees as people rather than as machines.ed their employees as people rather than as machines.

individual and group behavior played an important role in organizations.

To achieve the human resource management (HRM) goal of enhancing productivity and quality, organizations should: a. match employee contributions to local charities. b. ensure that business is conducted within the law. c. organize charitable functions and fund-raisers. d. invest in training and development of employees.

invest in training and development of employees.

Astro Inc., a pharmaceutical company, wants to develop a drug to fight a new virus that is affecting people in Asian countries. To assist its team of doctors in developing the drug, the company hires two scientists who had previously conducted research on the virus. The company intends to use their expertise on the subject to create the drug. In the given scenario, Astro Inc. has most likely hired _____. a. ancillary workers b. knowledge workers c. black-collar workers d. blue-collar workers

knowledge workers

Jasper is a manager at an electronic equipment manufacturing firm. He supervises assembly-line workers and manages inventory. He also assigns employees to various tasks and assignments. In the given scenario, Jasper can be traditionally considered to be a(n) _____. a. staff manager b. ancillary worker c. blue-collar worker d. line manager

line manager