FINAL HRM

T OR F In the context of behavior of the recruiter, realistic job previews greatly help organizations to reduce turnover by retaining new hires.

F Research suggests that realistic job previews have a weak and inconsistent effect on turnover.

T OR F Mining is one of the 10 occupations expected to gain the most jobs between 2012 and 2022.

F The 10 occupations expected to gain the most jobs between 2012 and 2022 include health care, sales, food preparation, as well as other services.

T OR F The process of task analysis involves identifying employees who require training.

F The third area of needs assessment is task analysis, the process of identifying the tasks, knowledge, skills, and behaviors that training should emphasize.

T OR F Only individuals who have studied HR management can function in an HR department

F The typical field of study is business, but some HRM professionals have degrees in the social sciences, the humanities, and law programs. This is important because to be successful in HR, you need to speak the same language as people in the other business functions.

T OR F The goal of training is to prepare for changes.

F Training traditionally focuses on helping employees improve performance of their current jobs. The goal of training is to prepare for the current job.

T OR F In the context of job experience, lateral moves usually exclude job rotation, transfer, or temporary assignment to another organization.

F Various job assignments can provide for employee development. An organization may enlarge an employee's current job or move the employee to different jobs. Lateral moves include job rotation, transfer, or temporary assignment to another organization.

T OR F When making any changes to an organization's pay structure, the human resource department does not need to communicate the same to the employees.

F When making any changes to an organization's pay structure, the human resource department should determine the best ways to communicate the reasons for the change.

T OR F Training is always the best solution when needs assessment is conducted in response to a performance problem.

F When needs assessment is conducted in response to a performance problem, training is not always the best solution. The person analysis is therefore critical when training is considered in response to a performance problem.

T OR F The rater bias that occurs when the bias is in a favorable direction is called the horns error.

F When the bias is in a favorable direction, this is called the halo error. When it involves negative ratings, it is called the horns error. Halo error can mistakenly tell employees they don't need to improve in any area, while horns error can cause employees to feel frustrated and defensive.

T OR F One method to simplify a job's mental demands is to increase the amount of information that the job requires.

F There are several ways to simplify a job's mental demands. One is to limit the amount of information and memorization that the job requires.

T OR F Negative affectivity means pervasive high levels of satisfaction with all aspects of life, compared with other people's feelings.

F Negative affectivity means pervasive low levels of satisfaction with all aspects of life, compared with other people's feelings. People with negative affectivity experience feelings such as anger, contempt, disgust, guilt, fear, and nervousness more than other people do, at work and away.

Which of the following is true of job specifications?

They focus on the qualities a person performing a job must possess. Job description focuses on the activities involved in carrying out a job, whereas a job specification looks at the qualities or requirements the person performing the job must possess.

Which of the following is true of the functions of human resources?

They help in achieving sustainable competitive advantage

Which of the following is true of employee records maintained by organizations?

They are maintained such that employees' privacy is ensured.

Which of the following is a similarity between group bonuses and team awards?

They encourage members to cooperate so that they can achieve their goals.

Which of the following questions is answered by the task analysis aspect of needs assessment?

What subjects should the training cover? The needs assessment answers questions in three broad areas: (1) Organization—What is the context in which training will occur? (2) Person—Who needs training? (3) Task—What subjects should the training cover?

Which of the following statements is true of transfers?

they are usually lateral moves

With _____, trainees at different locations attend programs online, using their computers to view lectures, participate in discussions, and share documents.

distance learning

Which of the following is true of job analysis?

it is the process of getting detailed information about jobs

_____ requires constructing and applying statistical models that predict labor demand for the next year, given relatively objective statistics from the previous year.

trend analysis

The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that between 2012 and 2022, most new jobs will be in _____.

service occupations

Identify the performance measurement method that requires managers to rank employees in their group from the highest performer to the poorest performer.

simple ranking Simple ranking requires managers to rank employees in their group from the highest performer to the poorest performer.

In the Fleishman Job Analysis System, _____ are typically asked to evaluate a job in terms of the abilities required to perform the job.

subject-matter experts

Which of the following options for avoiding a labor shortage gives speedy results and has high revocability?

temporary employees

Glen, the owner of a fast expanding startup, wants to employ an effective performance measure that will help him attain the long-term as well as short-term goals of his organization. He also wants to use this as a basis for incentive pay within his organization. In this case, Glen should first

Create a balanced scorecard

_____ policies formally lay out the steps an employee may take to appeal an employer's decision to terminate that employee.

Due- process

Paul, a manager at a logistics company, wants to have Emma, a temporary worker, handle customers' queries. Paul's colleague, Ali, argues that Emma should not be allowed to interact with customers because she is a temporary worker. Which of the following statements will strengthen Ali's argument?

Emma may not be as dedicated to the firm as other permanent employees.

Which of the following is a disadvantage of an organization with a high paying incentive scheme?

Employees may focus on only the performance measures that are rewarded.

Which among the following is an effective way that can be used to defend against discrimination claims in the context of involuntary layoffs of older employees?

Establishing performance-related criteria for layoffs

Which of the following legal measures requires all federal contractors and subcontractors to engage in affirmative-action programs designed to hire and promote women and minorities?

Executive Order 11246

_____ are directives issued solely by the president, without requiring congressional approval.

Executive orders

Managers today treat human resource management primarily as an administrative function.

F

One of the core values of total quality management (TQM) is to provide training to selected employees of the organization.

F

T OR F A differential piece rate system is unsuitable for routine, standardized jobs with measurable output.

F

T OR F A major drawback of the simple ranking method involves validity.

F

T OR F Employment at will holds that if there is no specific employment contract saying otherwise, an employer or employee may end an employment relationship only after going through due process.

F

T OR F If a measure does not specify what an employee must do to help the organization achieve its goals, it can still support the organization's strategy.

F

T OR F In the Job Characteristics Model, skill variety defines the extent to which a person receives clear information about performance effectiveness from the work itself.

F

T OR F Internal sources of recruitment help in filling up entry-level positions for an organization.

F

T OR F Profit sharing is an incentive pay structure under which employees obtain the rights to buy a certain number of shares of stock at a specified price.

F

T OR F Reducing the number of hours of work helps in eliminating labor shortage.

F

T OR F The Occupational Information Network (O*NET) relies on fixed job titles and narrow task descriptions.

F

T OR F The primary reason organizations engage in downsizing is to promote present competitiveness and reduce ongoing production costs

F

T OR F Organizations must try to ensure that good performers want to leave the company to look for better opportunities.

F Organizations must try to ensure that good performers want to stay with the organization and that employees whose performance is chronically low are encouraged—or forced—to leave.

T OR F Presentation methods of training require trainees to attend a class.

F does not require trainees to attend a class

In the context of workflow design, a job is defined as _____

a set of related duties

Nuon Corp., a mobile phone manufacturing company, is bought by Source Inc., a computer hardware manufacturing company. This is an example of a(n) _____.

acquisition

Which of the following individuals would typically pursue an internship?

an accountant

Groups of employees who work together, learn from each other, and develop a common understanding of how to get work accomplished are referred to as

communities of practice

Which of the following programs generally emphasize either attitude awareness and change or behavior change?

diversity training

_____ is the first step in human resource planning

forecasting

Readiness for training depends on _____

situational constraints

Which of the following is true about personal dispositions?

Job dissatisfaction is high among employees with low emotional stability.

Identify a true statement about internal sources of recruitment.

Organizations that use only internal sources of recruitment can wind up with a workforce whose members all think alike, which may be poorly suited to innovation.

According to the instructional design process, which of the following steps should be taken by an organization after ensuring the readiness of its employees for training?

Planning the training program including its objectives

Which of the following statements is true about training?

The use of work experience is usually low in training

Which of the following statements is true about the differential piece rate system?

There is a direct link between how much work employees do and the amount they earn.

Which of the following is a disadvantage of using an output-based, production-oriented incentive scheme?

They do not encourage employees to learn new skills or cooperate with others.

T OR F An effective training program actually teaches what it is designed to teach, and it teaches skills and behaviors that will help the organization achieve its goals.

T

T OR F Both involuntary and voluntary turnover are expensive.

T

T OR F In practice, organizations' career management systems vary.

T

T OR F Incentive pay can be used to attract employees who are more team-oriented

T

T OR F Incentive pay for executives lays the groundwork for significant ethical issues

T

T OR F Organizations that want employees to focus on efficiency adopt a gain sharing program.

T

T OR F Research suggests that coaching helps managers improve by identifying areas for improvement and setting goals.

T

T OR F The scorecards of a company that is emphasizing low costs and prices would be different from the scorecards of a company emphasizing innovative use of new technology.

T

T OR F Training can benefit the organization when it is linked to organizational needs and when it motivates employees.

T

T OR F nformation for assessment may come from the employees, their peers, managers, and customers.

T

T OR F If incentive pay is extremely rewarding, employees may focus on only the performance measures rewarded under the plan.

T

T OR F Organizations can tie incentive pay only to individual performance.

F Organizations can tie incentive pay to individual performance, profits, or many other measures of success.

Which of the following cases is covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990?

Alicia is hearing impaired by birth and uses sign language to converse.

Which of the following is a characteristic of the HR profession?

Adequate knowledge of finance is required To be successful in HR, the candidate must have credibility as a business leader. The candidate must be able to understand finance and to build a business case for HR activities.

Which of the following is the first step in the career management process?

Data gathering Assessment tools may be applied to data gathering, the first step in the career management process. Self-assessment refers to the use of information by employees to determine their career interests, values, aptitudes, and behavioral tendencies.

Brio Animatics, an animation company, incurs heavy losses due to high competition. In a market survey, most of the employees reveal that they are unaware of the platforms used by the competitors and that they lack knowledge of the latest technology in the field. In this scenario, which of the following HR functions must be given utmost focus to match the skills of their competitors?

Development Development involves acquiring knowledge, skills, and behaviors that improve employees' ability to meet the challenges of a variety of new or existing jobs, including the client and customer demands of those jobs.

Though Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provides that an employer cannot use race as a basis for not hiring a candidate, classifying job applicants on a racial basis is allowed.

F

T OR F All the skills that employers want require a college education

F A college degree is a basic requirement for many jobs today. However, not all the skills employers want require a college education.

T OR F A job description looks at the qualities or requirements the person performing a job must possess.

F A job description is a list of the tasks, duties, and responsibilities (TDRs) that a job entails. A job specification looks at the qualities or requirements the person performing the job must possess.

T OR F To ensure that employees' performance improves, an organization should pay managers a bonus when employees are satisfied

F A manager who doesn't quite know how to inspire employees to do their best might be tempted to fall back on overly positive performance appraisals, letting work slide to keep everyone happy.

T OR F In a progressive discipline system, measures are taken solely to punish an employee to rectify misconduct.

F A progressive discipline system seeks to prevent misbehavior (by publishing rules) and to correct, rather than merely punish, misbehavior.

T OR F For an organization, the external labor force consists of the organization's workers—its employees and the people who have contracts to work at the organization.

F An organization's external labor market refers to the individuals who are actively seeking employment. For an organization, the internal labor force consists of the organization's workers—its employees and the people who have contracts to work at the organization.

T OR F Direct applicants are people who apply for a vacancy because someone in the organization prompted them to do so.

F Direct applicants are people who apply for a vacancy without prompting from the organization. Referrals are people who apply because someone in the organization prompted them to do so.

T OR F Employment at will is a benefit offered to retain and attract employees

F Employment at will is the principle that an employer may terminate employment at any time without notice.

T OR F Executive orders are directives, which are passed by Congress during emergencies.

F Executive orders are directives, which are issued solely by the president. They do not require congressional approval.

T OR F The activities of HR professionals are limited only to the HR department.

F HR activities are by no means limited to the specialists who staff those departments. In large organizations, HR departments advise and support the activities of the other departments

T or F human resources can be easily substituted because the skill sets of employees are identical

F Human resources have no good substitutes. When people are well trained and highly motivated, they learn, develop their abilities, and care about customers. It is difficult to imagine another resource that can match committed and talented employees

T OR F In the context of legal requirements, when an employer terminates an employee who reports for jury duty, it is not a violation of public policy.

F It is a violation of public policy to terminate an employee for doing what the law requires—for example, cooperating with a government investigation, reporting illegal behavior by the employer, or reporting for jury duty.

T OR F Lead-the-market pay strategy is used by organizations for downsizing and laying off older employees in the organization.

F Lead-the-market pay strategy is used by organizations to attract good candidates. By paying more than the current market wages for a job, organizations ensure they hire the best talent in the industry.

T OR F The mixed-standard scale approach requires managers to keep a record of specific examples of the employee acting in ways that are either effective or ineffective.

F One way to rate behaviors is with the critical-incident method. This approach requires managers to keep a record of specific examples of the employee acting in ways that are either effective or ineffective.

An ecommerce company spends a lot of money on product replacement as customers often complain about the products they receive. The company has to replace the products delivered with better products. Which of the following core values of total quality management can assist the ecommerce company in tackling the problem of product replacements?

Guaranteeing the quality of products so that the errors are completely eliminated instead of errors being identified and fixed

In the context of ethical human resource management, which of the following actions of an organization constitutes right of freedom of speech?

Handling complaints and criticism from employees

Which of the following statements is true about standard hour plans of incentive pay?

If a mechanic completes work in less than the standard time, he receives payment for the full standard time.

Bill, the CEO of an advertising firm, is very concerned about the performance of his company. He has noticed that productivity is decreasing every day as his company continues to grow. To counter this, Bill has decided to implement an incentive scheme to motivate his employees to work toward building a better-performing company. Which of the following statements weakens his decision?

In addition to an incentive scheme, employees also want interesting work, flexibility, and a sense of belonging to the work group.

Which of the following statements characterizes a progressive discipline system?

It fulfills the purpose of discipline by teaching employees what is expected of them.

Which of the following is true about the paired-comparison method of measuring employee performance?

It involves comparing each employee with each other employee to establish rankings.

Which of the following is true of competency?

It is an area of personal capability that enables employees to perform successfully.

Which of the following statements is true about the concept of profit sharing?

It is an incentive pays in which payments are a percentage of the organization's profits and do not become part of the employees' base salary.

Which of the following is a cost associated with voluntary turnover?

Loss of talented employees

Nadia and Fred execute the same roles and responsibilities at their organization. However, Nadia earns more than Fred. According to the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which of the following will justify that the organization's decision to pay Nadia more than Fred is a legal decision?

Nadia's quality of work is higher than that of Fred.

Which of the following is true of the trends in the U.S. labor market?

Some of the fast-growing occupations require a college degree.

Mammoth Corp. wants to ensure that its employees' behavior is connected with the goals of the company in order to help achieve its business objectives. Which of the following purposes of performance measurement should be used by Mammoth Corp.?

Strategic purpose Strategic purpose means effective performance management helps the organization achieve its business objectives. It does this by helping to link employees' behavior with the organization's goals.

T OR F A basis for outcome fairness is that everyone should know what to expect.

T

T OR F A disciplinary action meets the standards of interactional justice if the manager explains to the employee how the action is procedurally just.

T

T OR F A potential drawback of 360-degree feedback is that it demands a significant amount of time for raters to complete the evaluations

T

T OR F An organization should provide a document for managers to file, recording the nature and date of an offense.

T

T or F Job analysis and job design determine the kinds of employees an organization needs.

T Based on job analysis and design, an organization can determine the kinds of employees it needs.

T OR F For effective performance management, both the manager and the employee have to value feedback and exchange it on a regular basis.

T For effective performance management, both the manager and the employee have to value feedback and exchange it on a regular basis—not just once or twice a year. Also, the manager needs to make time to provide ongoing feedback to the employee and learn how to give and receive it.

T OR F The purpose of industrial engineering is to maximize efficiency.

T If workers perform tasks as efficiently as possible, not only does an organization benefit from lower costs and greater output per worker, but workers should be less fatigued. This point of view has for years formed the basis of classical industrial engineering, which looks for the simplest way to structure work in order to maximize efficiency.

Sprint Inc., an IT company, buys Lewis Corp., a software consulting firm. This is an example of an acquisition.

T Often, organizations join forces through mergers (two companies becoming one) and acquisitions (one company buying another). In this case, Sprint Inc., an IT company, buys Lewis Corp., a software consulting firm. Hence, this is an example of an acquisition.

T OR F The person analyzing a job determines whether each item on the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) applies to the job being analyzed.

T Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) is a standardized job analysis questionnaire containing 194 items that represent work behaviors, work conditions, and job characteristics that apply to a wide variety of jobs. The person analyzing a job determines whether each item on the questionnaire applies to the job being analyzed.

T OR F In the context of recruiter traits and behavior, providing timely feedback helps in enhancing a recruiter's impact on applicants in a positive way.

T Providing timely feedback and avoiding offensive behavior helps recruiters to create a positive impact on potential applicants.

An employer who makes a punishment contingent on the rejection by an employee of any kind of sexual advance is engaging in quid pro quo harassment.

T Quid pro quo harassment indicates that a person makes a benefit (or punishment) contingent on an employee's submitting to (or rejecting) sexual advances. For example, a manager who promises a raise to an employee who will participate in sexual activities is engaging in quid pro quo harassment.

Offshoring is the practice of moving operations from the country where a company is headquartered to a country where pay rates are lower but the necessary skills are available.

T Regardless of where their customers are located, organizations are looking overseas to hire talented people willing to work for less pay than the U.S. labor market requires. The efforts to hire workers in other countries are common enough that they have spurred the creation of a popular name for the practice: offshoring.

State laws that require employers to provide employees with information about the health risks associated with exposure to substances considered hazardous are known as right-to-know laws.

T State laws that require employers to provide employees with information about the health risks associated with exposure to substances considered hazardous are known as right-to-know laws. State right-to-know laws may be more stringent than federal standards.

T OR F When feedback forms require that the subordinates identify themselves, they tend to give the manager higher ratings.

T Subordinate evaluations have some potential problems because of the power relationships involved. Subordinates are reluctant to say negative things about the person to whom they report; they prefer to provide feedback anonymously. When feedback forms require that the subordinates identify themselves, they tend to give the manager higher ratings.

T OR F

T Succession planning forces senior management to regularly and thoughtfully review the company's leadership talent.

T OR F Ergonomics focuses on outcomes such as reducing physical fatigue, aches and pains, and health complaints.

T The goal of ergonomics is to minimize physical strain on the worker by structuring the physical work environment around the way the human body works. Ergonomics therefore focuses on outcomes such as reducing physical fatigue, aches and pains, and health complaint

T OR F The growth in e-commerce, plus the shift from a manufacturing to a service and information economy, has changed the nature of employees who are most in demand.

T The growth in e-commerce, plus the shift from a manufacturing to a service and information economy, has changed the nature of employees who are most in demand. The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that between 2012 and 2022, most new jobs will be in service occupations, especially health care and social assistance.

T OR F Fewer of today's careers involve repetitive tasks, and more rely on an expanding base of knowledge.

T To remain marketable, employees must continually develop new skills.

T OR F Many U.S. industries, including meatpacking, construction, farming, and services, rely on immigrants to perform demanding work that may be low paid.

T While government policy toward immigrants is a matter of heated public debate, the human resource implications have two practical parts. The first involves the supply of and demand for labor. Many U.S. industries, including meatpacking, construction, farming, and services, rely on immigrants to perform demanding work that may be low paid.

T OR F Violating the right of freedom of conscience could be considered illegal.

T People have the right to refuse to do what violates their moral beliefs, as long as these beliefs reflect commonly accepted norms. A supervisor who demands that an employee do something that is unsafe or environmentally damaging may be violating this right if the task conflicts with the employee's values. Such behavior could be illegal as well as unethical.

Which of the following can be regarded as part of an organization's external labor market?

The individuals who are actively seeking employment

T OR F Workflow takes place in the context of an organization's structure.

Work processes are the activities that a work unit's members engage in to produce a given output. They are described in terms of operating procedures for every task performed by each employee at each stage of a process.

Harry is a manager at Chariot Inc., and he is one of the managers performing employee evaluations. Harry uses only one part of the rating scale and as a result, the scores cannot be compared. Which of the following rating errors has Harry made?

distributional error Raters make distributional errors when they tend to use only one part of a rating scale. If different raters make different kinds of distributional errors, scores by these raters cannot be compared.

The instructional design process concludes with the

evaluation of the training program's results. The instructional design process begins with an assessment of the needs for training—what the organization requires that its people learn. Next, the organization ensures that employees are ready for training in terms of their attitudes, motivation, basic skills, and work environment. The third step is to plan the training program, including the program's objectives, instructors, and methods. The organization then implements the program. Finally, evaluating the results of the training provides feedback for planning future training programs.

Jonah, who is leaving his job at Carlton Inc., is in a meeting with his supervisor and a member from the human resources department to explain why he is leaving. In this case, which of the following procedures is being conducted by the HR for Jonah?

exit interview

In the Job Characteristics Model, task significance is defined as the _____.

extent to which a job has an important impact on the lives of other people

Moby, a mechanical engineer, is a job seeker. He has been searching for a job for two to three months. He browses the internet and finds that Carlton Inc. Has vacancies for mechanical engineers. He responds to this vacancy and applies for the job. In the context of sources of job applicants, Moby is a(n)_____.

external applicant

Katie is the HR manager at Potter Inc. She forecasts the labor demand and concludes that there will be a labor surplus after 6 months due to a temporary decline in product demand. Which of the following strategies will help her to effectively deal with this potential labor surplus given the amount of time she has to implement the strategy?

hiring freeze

The list of the tasks, duties, and responsibilities that a job entails is known as a _____.

job description

In the context of employee development, _____ refers to the combination of relationships, problems, demands, tasks, and other features of an employee's jobs.

job experience

_____ refers to enlarging jobs by combining several relatively simple jobs to form a job with a wider range of tasks.

job extension

Wilbur works as a teacher in a primary school. Although his pay is low, his job keeps him really happy. In this scenario, which of the following is being experienced by Wilbur?

job satisfaction

_____ refers to a process for determining the appropriateness of training by evaluating the characteristics of an organization.

organizational analysis

Employees' sense of _____ usually would reserve loss of a job for the most serious offenses.

outcome fairness

Mentoring involves an experienced, productive senior employee who helps develop a less experienced employee, called the _____.

protege

_____ exists when employees are able and eager to learn and when their organizations encourage learning.

readiness for training

_____ refers to background information about a job's positive and negative qualities.

realistic job preview

In the context of human resource management,_____ creates a buffer between planning and the actual selection of new employees

recruiting

In a Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ), _____ refers to the physical activities, tools, and devices used by a worker to perform a job.

work output The questionnaire organizes the items that represent work behavior into six sections concerning different aspects of a job. One of these six sections is work output, which refers to the physical activities, tools, and devices used by the worker to perform the job.