MIE 330 Chapter 1

As part of Eric's small business loan application, he has to demonstrate the "triple bottom line" of economic, social, and environmental benefits. In doing so, his business is seen as A) futuristic. B) corporate. C) sustainable. D) communal. E) profit.

C

Mani is unsure of which 401K and retirement plan will meet his needs. He should make an appointment to see a counselor who works with A) training and development. B) employee relations. C) compensation benefits. D) employee data and information systems. E) legal compliance.

C

Over the next decade, which of the following people will have the most difficulty attracting talented employees due to a skills deficit? A) Tracy, the owner of several fast-food franchises B) Rex, the HR manager for a biotech research firm C) Yelena, the director of a mobile advertising company D) Franco, the HR director for a large grocery chain E) Barbara, the superintendent of an urban school system

C

Employee engagement is the degree to which employees: A) are committed to personal growth in the organization. B) are given freedom to make decisions on their own. C) are involved with each other in a social setting. D) are involved in their work and their commitment to the company. E) are made to stay in the company for a longer period of time.

D) are involved in their work and their commitment to the company.

Which of the following is true of virtual teams? A) They are typically situated in the same location. B) They usually work in the same time zone. C) They can work well without relying on technology. D) They do not include partnership with competitors. E) They combine top talent to solve tough challenges.

E

High-performance work systems minimize the fit between a company's social system (employees) and its technical system.

FALSE

Empowering

Giving employees responsibility and authority to make decisions.

Which of the following statements is true about Generation X?

It values skepticism and informality.

According to emerging changes in the employment relationship, which of the following benefits do employees typically not expect to be provided by employers?

Job security

Which of the following statements is true about the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002?

Organizations spend millions of dollars each year to comply with regulations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Penalty for employers who have 50+ employees and who do not offer health insurance

$2000 per emp.

As part of today's job culture, new employees are assigned mentors who guide the new employee through on-the-job training as well as the culture of the company. This is known as _____ capital. A) social B) customer C) human D) intellectual E) financial

A

Which of the following HR competencies focuses on the ability to manage interactions with and between others with the specific goal of providing service and organizational success? A) Relationship management B) HR technical expertise C) Organizational navigation D) Ethical practice E) Business acumen

A

Competitiveness

A company's ability to maintain and gain market share in its industry.

The practice of companies having other companies provide services is known as:

outsourcing.

Sustainability

A company's ability to meet its needs without sacrificing the ability of future generations to meet their needs. "Triple bottom line" --economic, social, and environmental benefits.

Which of the following is a prediction about legal issues regarding employment in the U.S.?

There will be more focus on criminal background screening.

Shared Service Model

A way to organize the HR function that includes centers of expertise, service centers, and business partners.

Mentoring relationships are an example of _____ capital.

social

Organizations that pursue a _____ strategy pursue the "triple bottom line" of economic, social, and environmental benefits.

sustainable

Which of the following HRM practices involves helping employees understand how their jobs contribute to the finished product?

Work design

High Performance Work Systems

Work systems that maximize the fit between the company's social system and technological/technical system.

Traditionally, the HRM department was primarily a(n) _____.

administrative expert

When an HR professional is evaluated on how well he understands organizational metrics and their relationship to business success, he is being evaluated on his competency in A) relationship management. B) organizational navigation. C) business acumen. D) business communication. E) ethical practice.

C

When an HR professional is evaluated on how well she embraces inclusion and how effectively she works with diverse populations, she is being evaluated on her competency in A) organizational navigation. B) HR technical expertise and practice. C) global and cultural effectiveness. D) business acumen. E) critical evaluation.

C

Which of the following acts sets strict rules for businesses, especially for accounting practices that require more open and consistent disclosure of financial data and CEOs' assurance that the data is completely accurate? A) Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act B) Glass-Steagall Act C) Sarbanes-Oxley Act D) Dodd-Frank Act E) McCarran-Ferguson Act

C

Which of the following arguments states that companies develop reputations on favorability as prospective employers for women and ethnic minorities? A) System flexibility argument B) Marketing argument C) Employee attraction argument D) Problem-solving argument E) Creativity argument

C

Which of the following is one of the four characteristics of an ethical, successful company? A) The company gets the best deals, even to the detriment of its vendors. B) It has a vision that employees may relate to but cannot use in their day-to-day work. C) The company emphasizes mutual benefits in its relationship with customers, clients, and vendors. D) It works on the belief that one's own interest comes before the interest of others. E) It allows flexibility of ethical norms when the financial stakes involved are very high.

C

Which of the following major dimensions of HRM practices involves training employees to have the skills needed to perform their jobs? A) Vision and mission of human resources B) Managing the human resource environment C) Acquiring and preparing human resources D) Compensating human resources E) Assessment and development of human resources

C

Which of the following statements is true about Generation X? A) It includes people who were born between 1925 and 1945. B) Its members grew up much before the personal computer was invented. C) Its members value skepticism and informality. D) It is called the "me" generation. E) Its members prefer close supervision and has a lot of patience.

C

_____ is a systematic, planned strategic effort by a company to attract, retain, develop, and motivate highly skilled employees and managers. A) Performance appraisal B) Workforce analytics C) Talent management D) Training and development E) Employee engagement

C

Which of the following activities is part of the assessment and development of human resources dimension of HRM practices?

Creating an employment relationship and work environment that benefits the company

Which of the following arguments states that diversity of perspectives and less emphasis on conformity to norms of the past should improve the level of resourcefulness?

Creativity argument

An HR dashboard is a series of indicators that A) only HR managers have access to. B) requires communication via an extranet. C) allows the public to understand the HR policies of a company. D) enables workforce analytics and evidence-based HR. E) helps managers hire new employees based on secondary data.

D

Today's workforce is changing. Many recent college graduates will expect to be allowed to work a flexible schedule that meets their needs. How is this different from the baby boomer generation? A) They surrender to establishments. B) They lack social conscientiousness. C) They do not conform to rules. D) They are considered to be workaholics. E) They focus on maintaining a hierarchy, even at the cost of justice.

D

Which of the following HRM practices involves employees participating in peer interviews? A) Work design B) Performance management C) Training D) Staffing E) Compensation

D

Which of the following activities is part of the assessment and development of the human resources dimension of HRM practices? A) Training employees to have the skills needed to perform their jobs B) Identifying human resource requirements C) Ensuring that HRM practices comply with federal, state, and local laws D) Creating an employment relationship and a work environment that benefit the company E) Creating pay systems as well as providing employees with benefits

D

Which of the following arguments states that heterogeneity in decisions potentially produces better decisions through a wider range of perspectives and critical analysis? A) System flexibility argument B) Marketing argument C) Employee attraction argument D) Problem-solving argument E) Creativity argument

D

Which of the following is a characteristic of Millennials? A) They are not comfortable with using computers and the Internet. B) They are pessimistic and cynical. C) They have low levels of self-esteem. D) They are eager to learn, work, and please. E) They are not narcissistic.

D

Which of the following is a core value of TQM? A) Methods are designed to meet the needs of external customers, not internal customers. B) A few, select employees in an organization are given training in quality. C) Processes are designed such that errors are detected and corrected immediately after they occur. D) The company promotes cooperation with vendors and customers to hold down costs. E) Managers measure progress with feedback based on qualitative observations.

D

Which of the following is true of how different generations view each other? A) Millennials may think Generation X managers are good delegators. B) Generation X managers may think that Millennials lack self-confidence. C) Millennials might believe that Baby Boomers do not comply with company rules. D) Traditionalists may believe that Millennials don't have a strong work ethic. E) Baby Boomers may consider Millennials to be technologically illiterate.

D

Which of the following statements is true about the composition of the U.S. labor force in the next decade? A) Immigration will cease to affect the size and diversity of the workforce. B) The largest proportion of the labor force is expected to be in the age group of 16-24 years. C) The percentage of highly skilled immigrants will continue to remain lower than the percentage of low-skilled immigrants. D) The median age of the labor force will increase to the highest number ever. E) The high cost of health insurance and a decrease in health benefits will cause many employees to quit working.

D

Which of the following, if true, would support reshoring as a strategy for a U.S. firm? A) Rising labor costs overseas B) Increasing wage costs in the United States C) Increasing public support for offshoring in the United States D) Improving health and safety requirements overseas E) Decreasing cost of living overseas

D

Evidence-based HR

Demonstrating that human resource practices have a positive influence on the company's bottom line or key stakeholders (employees, customers, community shareholders).

Alpha Consulting provides HR services to small companies that do not need full-time HR. Contracting with Alpha Consulting is known as: A) e-commerce. B) reshoring. C) downsizing. D) benchmarking. E) outsourcing.

E

Google employs the practice of team building and rewards ideas that are outside the box. They are likely to have _____ compared to a company with low engagement. A) lower retention B) lower empowerment C) poorer customer service D) lower productivity E) lower turnover

E

Holly was hired recently by her firm to provide coaching to a work unit that is underperforming. This is part of the _____ function of HR. A) recruitment and selection B) compensation and benefits C) employee relations D) personnel policies E) performance management

E

Many companies today are having to redo their personnel policies to address the issue of social networking. This is due to a fear of A) suppressed knowledge sharing. B) creation of online expert communities. C) loss of expert knowledge. D) no sharing of best practices. E) lower productivity

E

Which competency is an HR professional said to have if he is able to act personally and professionally with integrity and accountability? A) Critical evaluation B) Consultation C) Business acumen D) Communication E) Ethical practice

E

Which of the following HRM practices involves rewarding employees based on their team's performance? A) Work design B) Performance management C) Training D) Staffing E) Compensation

E

Which of the following arguments states that companies with the best reputations for managing diversity will win the competition for talent? A) System flexibility argument B) Marketing argument C) Employee attraction and retention argument D) Problem-solving argument E) Creativity argument

E

Which of the following arguments states that diversity of perspectives and less emphasis on conformity to norms of the past should improve the level of resourcefulness? A) System flexibility argument B) Marketing argument C) Employee attraction and retention argument D) Problem-solving argument E) Creativity argument

E

Which of the following arguments states that diversity of perspectives and less emphasis on conformity to norms of the past should improve the level of resourcefulness? A) System flexibility argument B) Marketing argument C) Employee attraction and retention argument D) Problem-solving argument E) Creativity argument

E

Which of the following is a prediction about legal issues regarding employment in the United States? A) The emphasis on eliminating discrimination is likely to end. B) The focus will turn away from pre-employment tests. C) There will be less focus on criminal background screening. D) There are likely to be fewer challenges to race discrimination. E) There will be less emphasis on discrimination against veterans.

E

Which of the following is true about the Six Sigma process? A) It focuses on the end product of employee satisfaction. B) It terminates once the processes have been brought within the Six Sigma standards. C) It strives to attain quality through supervision of daily work, not through training. D) It discourages employees from lean thinking. E) It aims to create a total business focus on serving the customer.

E

Which of the following is true about the product line administrative services and transactions? A) It deals with implementation of business plans and talent management. B) It emphasizes knowing the business and exercising influence. C) It emphasizes the knowledge of HR and of the business and competition. D) It contributes to the business strategy based on considerations of business capabilities. E) It deals with functions such as compensation, hiring, and staffing.

E

Which of the following dimensions of HRM practices measures employees' performance? A) Linking human resource to business objectives B) Managing the human resource environment C) Acquiring and preparing human resources D) Compensating human resources E) Assessing and developing human resources

E) Assessing and developing human resources

An HR dashboard of a company: A) does not include productivity metrics. B) relies on secondary data from external sources. C) cannot be accessed by employees. D) impedes evidence-based decision-making. E) helps conduct workforce analytics

E) helps conduct workforce analytics

Concerns about the level of service customers receive from overseas operations are likely to: A) increase outsourcing of jobs to developing countries. B) increase the company's public image. C) discourage employing U.S. citizens for the job. D) result in a cost advantage of shifting the job offshore. E) increase reshoring of jobs back to the United States.

E) increase reshoring of jobs back to the United States.

When considering a balanced scorecard that depicts a company from a(n) _____ perspective, the examples of critical business indicators include improving operating efficiency, launching new products, continuous improvement, and empowering the workforce. A) training and development B) internal C) financial D) customer E) innovation and learning

E) innovation and learning

When an HR professional is evaluated on how well he understands organizational metrics and their relationship to business success, he is being evaluated on his competency in _____.

business acumen

Among the functions performed by an HR department, vacation, retirement plans, and profit sharing are categorized under the _____ function.

compensation benefits

Distribution channels are an example of _____ capital.

customer

Which of the following arguments states that companies develop reputations on favorability as prospective employers for women and ethnic minorities?

Employee attraction argument

Which of the following is true of cloud computing?

Employees are not aware of the location of the databases.

Knowledge Workers

Employees who own the intellectual means of producing a product or service.

Which competency is an HR personnel said to have if he is able to act personally and professionally with integrity and accountability?

Ethical practice

T/F: Bread and Butter has decided to adopt total quality management (TQM). In doing so, training in quality was offered to only the employees who oversee the ovens and baking.

F

T/F: CompCo has contracted with Move Bros for relocation services. This type of practice is not the norm for outsourcing.

F

T/F: Companies have historically looked at HRM as a means to contribute to profitability and quality.

F

T/F: Evidence-based HR refers to the demonstration that human resource practices have no impact on the company's bottom line or key stakeholders.

F

T/F: First State is faced with a decision to hire part-time employees or more full-time employees. Management has heard that part-time employee make the job easier to fill but take longer to train. On the other hand, it is easier to terminate full-time employees.

F

T/F: High-performance work systems minimize the fit between a company's social system (employees) and its technical system.

F

T/F: Lean is a new way to envision the work. Projects using lean methodology emphasize only new skills to improve and do not encourage the use of old skills in new ways.

F

T/F: Measuring employees' performance is a part of the compensation function of HR.

F

HR functions related to benefits administration such as health plan eligibility status, relocation, and payroll are usually not outsourced.

FALSE

Orientation and skills training are responsibilities of HR personnel involved in analysis and design of work.

False

Which of the following HR competencies focuses on the ability to apply the principles of HR management to contribute to the success of a business?

HR technical expertise

Which of the following is a prediction about legal issues in the workplace in the U.S.?

Health care reform will drive compliance issues.

_____ refers to the policies, practices, and systems that influence employees' behavior, attitudes, and performance.

Human resource management

Which of the following major dimensions of HRM practices involves training employees to have the skills needed to perform their jobs?

Acquiring and preparing human resources

Distribution channels are an example of _____ capital. A) social B) customer C) human D) intellectual E) financial

B

The training and development function of an HR department includes A) job analysis. B) orientation. C) performance measures. D) attitude surveys. E) policy creation.

B

When Joe responded to Terri's email about how to find information on benefits and compensation, Joe was providing A) performance management. B) self-service. C) employee engagement. D) talent management. E) shared service.

B

Which of the following HR competencies focuses on the ability to apply the principles of HR management to contribute to the success of a business? A) Relationship management B) HR technical expertise C) Organizational navigation D) Ethical practice E) Consultation

B

Which of the following dimensions of HRM practices involves ensuring that HRM practices comply with federal, state, and local laws? A) Vision and mission of human resources B) Managing the human resource environment C) Acquiring and preparing human resources D) Compensating human resources E) Assessment and development of human resources

B

Which of the following is true of a balanced scorecard? A) It indicates the value of a company based on its competitive demands. B) It depicts a company from the perspective of internal and external customers. C) It measures a company's performance based on the business strategy adopted by it. D) It should not be used to link HRM activities and a company's business strategy. E) It guides companies to increase the time spent on new product and service development.

B

Which of the following statements is true about the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002? A) In case of noncompliance, it limits charges to heavy fines; it does not include prison terms for executives. B) Organizations spend millions of dollars each year to comply with regulations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. C) It imposes no criminal penalty for corporate governing and accounting lapses. D) Retaliation against whistle-blowers is not included as a violation under the law. E) It was passed in response to illegal and unethical behavior by employees toward the management.

B

_____ is a companywide effort to continuously improve the ways people, machines, and systems accomplish work. A) The Six Sigma process B) Total quality management C) Quality control D) The process decision program E) The activity network

B

Which of following is true of lean thinking?

It aims to do more with less effort, time, space, and equipment.

Which of the following is true of workforce analytics?

It can show that HR practices influence an organization's profits.

Which of the following people would be categorized as part of the external labor market with regards to Phoenix Inc.?

Keith, who works for Jupiter Inc. and is seeking employment elsewhere

Which of the following HRM practices involves employees receiving feedback?

Performance management

Stakeholders

Shareholders, the community, customers, employees, and all other parties that have an interest in seeing the company succeed.

T/F: Big data used in evidence-based HR gathers information from many different sources.

T

T/F: In a learning organization, improvements in product or service quality do not stop when formal training is completed.

T

T/F: In exchange for working longer hours without job security, employees want companies to provide flexible work schedules and comfortable working conditions.

T

T/F: Intangible assets are equally as or more valuable than financial and physical assets, but they are difficult to duplicate or imitate.

T

T/F: Social networking tools can help prevent the loss of expert knowledge that occurs due to retirement.

T

T/F: The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 imposes criminal penalties for corporate governing and accounting lapses.

T

T/F: The amount of time that the HRM function devotes to administrative tasks is decreasing, and its role as a strategic business partner is increasing.

T

T/F: The three product lines of HR as a business are administrative services and transactions, business partner services, and strategic partner roles.

T

T/F: To be effective, balanced scorecards must be customized by companies to fit different market situations, products, and competitive environments.

T

To be effective, balanced scorecards must be customized by companies to fit different market situations, products, and competitive environments.

TRUE

Outsourcing

The practice of having another company provide services.

Which of the following is a characteristic of Millennials?

They are eager to learn, work, and please.

_____ is a companywide effort to continuously improve the ways people, machines, and systems accomplish work.

Total quality management

Which of the following is true of how different generations view each other?

Traditionalists may believe that Millennials don't have a strong work ethic.

When a corporate organization competes through globalization, as opposed to technology, it is likely to put most of its efforts on _____.

expanding into foreign markets

Self-service

giving employees online access to HR info

When an HR professional is evaluated on how well she embraces inclusion and how effectively she works with diverse populations, she is being evaluated on her competency in _____.

global and cultural effectiveness

Trade secrets are an example of _____ capital.

intellectual

In high-performance work systems:

line employees interact frequently with quality experts and engineers.

A company whose employees have high engagement is likely to have _____ when compared to a company with low employee engagement.

lower turnover

Sustainability refers to the ability of a company to:

meet its needs without sacrificing the ability of future generations to meet theirs.

Exporting jobs from developed to less developed countries is known as _____.

offshoring

The training and development function of an HR department includes _____.

orientation

Among the functions performed by an HR department, feedback and coaching are categorized under the _____ function.

performance management

A company competing through sustainability is likely to _____.

provide high-quality products and services

The employee data and information systems function of an HR department focuses on responsibilities such as _____.

record keeping and workforce analytics

Giving employees online access to information about HR issues such as training, benefits, and compensation is called _____.

self-service

Social Networking

websites and blogs that facilitate interactions between people.

Traditionally, the HRM department was primarily a(n) A) proactive agency. B) finance expert. C) employer advocate. D) administrative expert. E) payroll expert.

D

When considering a balanced scorecard that depicts a company from a(n) _____ perspective, the critical HR indicators are employee satisfaction with HR department services and employee perceptions of the company as an employer. A) learning B) internal C) financial D) customer E) innovation

D

A company competes for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. If it is evaluated based on how senior executives create and sustain vision, values, and mission, it is likely that the company is being judged on the criterion of A) strategic planning. B) workforce focus. C) customer and market focus. D) operation focus. E) leadership.

E

A company competing through sustainability is likely to A) place increased value on tangible assets. B) avoid social and environmental responsibilities. C) emphasize productivity more than quality. D) adapt badly to changes in the labor force. E) provide high-quality products and services.

E

According to emerging changes in the employment relationship, which of the following benefits do employees typically not expect to be provided by employers? A) Flexible work schedules B) Comfortable working conditions C) More autonomy D) Employability E) Job security

E

In high-performance work systems, A) previously established boundaries between employees and customers remain intact. B) managers and employees work together, while vendors and suppliers work independently. C) line employees are trained to specialize in individual tasks. D) employees do not communicate directly with suppliers and customers. E) line employees interact frequently with quality experts and engineers.

E

Which of the following is true of workforce analytics? A) It relies on qualitative measures to evaluate employer performance. B) It collects and analyzes information only from external databases. C) It does not aid in evidence-based human resource decisions. D) It does not include information from HR databases and financial reports. E) It can show that HR practices influence an organization's profits.

E

Which of the following is true of emerging trends in the international market? A) Offshoring involves low-skilled manufacturing jobs with repeatable tasks. B) Globalization is limited to a particular sector of the economy. C) U.S. managers in overseas locations typically have the necessary cultural understanding to attract and retain talented employees. D) In most emerging markets, companies are now facing an excess of talented employees. E) Although companies may be attracted to offshoring because of potential lower labor costs, reshoring is becoming more common.

E) Although companies may be attracted to offshoring because of potential lower labor costs, reshoring is becoming more common.

responsibilities of an HR dept.

1. Analysis and design of work 2. recruitment and selection 3. training and development 4. performance management 5. compensation and benefits 6. employee relations/labor relations 7. personnel policies 8.employee data and information systems 9. legal compliance 10. support for business strategy

HRM must practice these three basic standards for their practices to be ethical

1. practices must result n the greatest good, for the greatest # of people. 2. employment practices must respect basic human rights of privacy, due process, consent and free speech. 3. must treat employees and customers equitably and fairly

Which of the following people would be categorized as part of the external labor market with regard to Phoenix Inc.? A) Ahmad, who works for Phoenix Inc. as a full-time employee B) Tamika, who works for Phoenix Inc. and is looking for a new job C) Pete, who is an employee at a direct competitor of Phoenix and is not looking for a new job D) Rogerio, who is unemployed and not looking for employment E) Karla, who works for Jupiter Inc. and is seeking employment elsewhere

E

Which of the following, if true, would support reshoring as a strategy for a U.S. firm?

Increasing transportation costs

Employee Engagement

The degree to which employees are fully involved in their work and the strength of their job/company commitment. Employees who are "all in."

HR or Workplace Analytics

The practice of using data from HR databases and other data sources to make evidence-based human resource decisions. HR workforce analysts use quantitative/scientific methods to analyze data from HR decisions, financial statements, and employee surveys to prove HR influences organizations bottom line profits and costs.

Which of the following is true of virtual teams?

They allow projects to be worked on 24 hours a day.

Tacit knowledge is an example of _____ capital.

human

External Labor Market

persons outside the firm who are actively seeking employment

Which of the following HRM practices involves helping employees understand how their jobs contribute to the finished product? A) Work design B) Performance management C) Training D) Staffing E) Compensation

A

Which of the following arguments emphasizes that reactions should be faster and cost less? A) System flexibility argument B) Marketing argument C) Employee attraction and retention argument D) Problem-solving argument E) Creativity argument

A

Cloud Computing

A computing system that provides information technology infrastructure over a network in a self-service, modifiable, and on-demand model.

Learning Organization

A culture of lifelong learning in which employees are continually trying to learn new things.

Balanced Scorecard

A means of performance measurement that gives managers a chance to look at their company from the perspectives of internal and external customers, employees, and shareholders.

_____ assets include human capital, customer capital, social capital, and intellectual capital. A) Intangible B) Physical C) Financial D) Material E) Fixed

A) Intangible

Which of the following is true about the use of social networking tools within an organization? A) It may result in employees wasting time. B) It reduces distribution of job postings. C) It undermines learning. D) It discourages online expert communities. E) It leads to loss of expert knowledge.

A) It may result in employees wasting time.

Which of the following HRM practices supporting high-performance work systems is associated with decentralized decision-making, reduced status distinctions, and information sharing? A) Work design B) Performance management C) Training D) Staffing E) Compensation

A) Work design

Ensuring that HRM practices comply with federal, state, and local laws is part of: A) managing the human resource environment. B) acquiring and preparing human resources. C) compensating human resources. D) assessment of human resources. E) development of human resources.

A) managing the human resource environment.

Feedback and coaching are part of the _____ function of an HR department. A) performance management B) compensation and benefits C) employee relations D) personnel records E) recruitment and selection

A) performance management

Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award

An award established in 1987 to promote quality awareness, to recognize quality achievements of U.S. companies, and to publicize successful quality strategies.

How does employees' use of mobile devices offer an advantage to companies? A) Companies do not need to lease storage space in the cloud. B) Employees have access to work information at any time or location. C) Companies can decrease spending on desktop computers and software. D) The devices facilitate automation of key HR and business practices. E) It minimizes social networking by employees during business hours.

B

Often someone new to HR will be assigned to the _____ HR department to manage employee data and information systems functions. A) job analysis and description B) record keeping and workforce analytics C) attitude surveys and labor law compliance D) orientation and skills training E) talent and change management

B

Sampson Lighting was struggling to make a quality product and meet its payroll. The costs for labor were too high. They visited several countries and then decided to move the production side of the business. This is called A) insourcing. B) offshoring. C) reshoring. D) onshoring. E) homesourcing.

B

Which of the following is true of a human resource information system (HRIS)? A) It is a manual system, which was used traditionally by the HR departments. B) Managers rely on HR personnel for retrieving data from the HRIS. C) It provides only day-to-day data, which cannot be used to evaluate policies and programs. D) Managers can request the HRIS to automatically prepare a personnel report. E) Employees are prevented from accessing any of the information on the HRIS.

B) Managers rely on HR personnel for retrieving data from the HRIS.

When a corporate organization competes through globalization, as opposed to technology, it is likely to put most of its efforts into A) social responsibility. B) environmental issues. C) expansion into foreign markets. D) development of HR dashboards. E) integration of technology and social systems.

C

Which of the following statements about HRM practices is true? A) According to research on HRM practices, it is more effective to focus on a few isolated practices than improve HRM practices as a whole. B) When effective HRM practices are implemented, it substantially reduces the autonomy of employees. C) HRM practices directly affect an employee's ability to satisfy customer needs. D) Firms with HRM practices prefer not to filter employees on how they value customer relations. E) HRM practices should be implemented independent of a company's strategic goals.

C) HRM practices directly affect an employee's ability to satisfy customer needs.

Which of the following categories for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Examination focuses on design, management, and improvement of work systems? A) Leadership B) Customer focus C) Operations focus D) Customer and market focus E) Results

C) Operations focus

Providing customer service to organizational stakeholders is an example behavior of _____. A) HR technical expertise and practice B) ethical practice C) relationship management D) business acumen E) critical evaluation

C) relationship management

Which of the following HRM practices involves rewarding employees based on their team's performance?

Compensation

Total Quality Management (TQM)

Cooperative form of doing business that relies on the talents and capabilities of both labor and management to continually improve quality and productivity.

Che was being recruited by a competitor due to her success at her current company in getting several new patents. This is an example of ____ capital. A) social B) customer C) human D) intellectual E) financial

D

Intangible Assets

Education, trade secrets, management philosophy. A type of company asset including human capital, customer capital, social capital, and intellectual capital.

Which of the following arguments states that companies with the best reputations for managing diversity will win the competition for talent?

Employee attraction and retention argument

T/F: Samir is responsible for orientation and providing basic computer training. He must be a member of the HR analysis and design team.

F

T/F: Since the baby boomers are getting closer to retirement, the U.S. workforce is predicted to decrease in average age

F

T/F: The balanced scorecard should not be used to link a company's human resource management activities to the company's business strategy.

F

T/F: When a firm shifts to evidence-based HRM, it should stop using workforce analytics.

F

A company that adopts total quality management (TQM) trains only selected employees in quality.

FALSE

Applications of the Malcolm Baldrige Award are reviewed by an independent board of examiners who are selected from the public sector.

FALSE

Companies have historically looked at HRM as a means to contribute to profitability and quality.

FALSE

Evidence-based HR refers to the demonstration that human resources practices have no impact on the company's bottom or key stakeholders.

FALSE

From a company perspective, it is harder to add part-time employees than it is to add full-time employees.

FALSE

Lean thinking emphasizes only on learning new skills to improve and does not encourage the use of old skills in new ways.

FALSE

Measuring employees' performance is a part of the compensation function of HR.

FALSE

Projections to the demographics of the U.S. workforce predict that the average age of the workforce will decrease.

FALSE

The balanced scorecard should not be used to link a company's human resource management activities to the company's business strategy.

FALSE

When a firm shifts to evidence-based HRM, it should stop using workforce analytics.

FALSE

Ethics

Fundamental principles of right and wrong by which employees and companies interact. Greatest good for largest number of people, respect human rights to privacy, due process, consent, and free speech, and treat employees fairly.

Alternative Work Arrangements

Independent contractors, on-call workers, temporary workers, and contract company workers who are not employed full-time by the company.

Which one of the following is true about the Six Sigma process?

It aims to create a total business focus on serving the customer.

Which of the following is true about the product line administrative services and transactions?

It deals with functions like compensation, hiring, and staffing.

Which of the following is true of a balanced scorecard?

It depicts a company from the perspective of internal and external customers.

Internal Labor Force

Labor force of current employees

Which of the following is a concern caused by Gen-Y generation employees using social networking tools?

Lower productivity

Which of the following dimensions of HRM practices involves ensuring that HRM practices comply with federal, state, and local laws?

Managing the human resource environment

Reshoring

Moving jobs back to the U.S.

Offshoring

Out of the country, less developed countries.

Which of the following arguments states that heterogeneity in decisions potentially produces better decisions through a wider range of perspectives and critical analysis?

Problem-solving argument

Lean Thinking

Process used to determine how to use less effort, time, equipment, and space, but still meet customers' requirements.

HR Dashboard

Productivity and absenteeism that are accessible by employees and managers through the company intranet or human resource information systems.

ISO 9000-2000

Quality standards adopted worldwide.

Which of the following HR competencies focuses on the ability to manage interactions with and between others with the specific goal of providing service and organizational success?

Relationship management

Which of the following acts sets strict rules for businesses especially for accounting practices that require more open and consistent disclosure of financial data and CEOs' assurance that the data is completely accurate?

Sarbanes-Oxley Act

Virtual Teams

Separated by time, geographic distance, culture, and/or organizational boundaries and rely exclusively on technology for interaction between team members.

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

Sets strict rules for corporate behavior/heavy fines/prison for noncompliance. Passed by Congress in response to unethical/illegal behavior by managers/executives, setting up stricter rules for businesses against discrimination.

Which of the following HRM practices involves employees participating in peer interviews?

Staffing

Which of the following arguments emphasizes that reactions should be faster and cost less?

System flexibility argument

Six Sigma Process

System of measuring, analyzing, improving, and controlling processes once they meet quality standards.

Human Resource Info System (HRIS)

System used to acquire, store, manipulate, analyze, retrieve, and distribute HR info.

T/F: As part of updating the HR resources available to employees and managers, Tyree creates an intranet of useful materials that include performance evaluation metrics. This is an example of an HR dashboard.

T

T/F: Since HR can use the Internet for training, benefits, and contracts, their role in providing self-service has decreased.

T

T/F: When it comes to problem solving, cultural diversity can provide companies with a competitive advantage.

T

T/F: Workers with disabilities can be a source of competitive advantage.

T

Advances in technology have decreased HRM's role in providing self-service to employees.

TRUE

An HR dashboard is a series of indicators that are accessible to both managers and employees.

TRUE

Disabled workers can be a source of competitive advantage.

TRUE

In a learning organization, improvements in product or service quality do not stop when formal training is completed.

TRUE

In exchange for working longer hours without job security, employees want companies to provide flexible work schedules and comfortable working conditions.

TRUE

Intangible assets are equally or more valuable than financial and physical assets, but they are difficult to duplicate or imitate.

TRUE

Social networking tools can help prevent the loss of expert knowledge that occurs due to retirement.

TRUE

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 imposes criminal penalties for corporate governing and accounting lapses.

TRUE

The amount of time that the HRM function devotes to administrative tasks is decreasing, and its role as a strategic business partner is increasing.

TRUE

The three product lines of HR as a business are administrative services and transactions, business partner services, and strategic partner roles.

TRUE

When it comes to problem solving, cultural diversity can provide companies with a competitive advantage.

TRUE

_____ refers to a systematic planned strategic effort by a company to attract, retain, develop, and motivate highly skilled employees and managers.

Talent management

Change

The adoption of a new idea or behavior by a company.

Which of the following is one of the four characteristics of an ethical, successful company?

The company emphasizes mutual benefits in its relationship with customers, clients, and vendors.

Which of the following is a core value of TQM?

The company promotes cooperation with vendors and customers to hold down costs.

Which of the following statements is true about the composition of the U.S. labor force in the next decade?

The median age of the labor force will increase to the highest number ever.

Human Resource Management

The policies, practices, and systems that influence employee behavior, attitudes, and performance.

Talent Management

The systematic planned strategic effort to use bundles of HRM practices acquiring and assessing employees, learning and development, performance management, and compensation to attract, retain, develop, and motivate highly skilled employees and managers.

Which of the following is a characteristic of people of the baby boomer generation?

They are considered to be workaholics.

Jake, the CEO of a company, appraises his managers based on how well they empower their employees. Which of the following managers is Jake likely to rate the highest in this regard?

Zara, who assigns responsibility to her subordinates and intervenes only when there is a need

When considering a balanced scorecard that depicts a company from a(n) _____ perspective, the critical HR indicators are employee satisfaction with HR department services and employee perceptions of the company as an employer.

customer

An HR dashboard is a series of indicators that:

enables workforce analytics and evidence-based HR.

A company competes for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. If it is evaluated based on how senior executives create and sustain vision, values, and mission, it is likely that the company is being judged on the criterion of _____.

leadership

When companies are trying to meet the shareholders' and the general public's demands to act more ethically and environmentally responsible, they are recognizing the importance of _____.

social responsibility