HR
Josh was laid off at age 39 from a position as Chief Financial Officer for a medium-sized agricultural products firm in Nebraska. The company had been acquired by a larger corporation, and it laid off all the executives of the acquired firm. Josh has looked for work intensely for two years, but the downturn has hit Nebraska hard, and opportunities are scarce. Josh has lost his medical benefits and he is willing to take any job he can get. Josh has heard repeatedly that he is over-qualified and that his computer skills are outdated. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
"Overqualified" is often a code word for age discrimination. Josh may be a victim of age discrimination.
In 2008, the average annual full-time pay of women was ____ as that of the average full-time pay as men.
80
In over ____ percent of couples, both partners have a career.
80
Which of the following examples would most likely NOT be considered evidence of age discrimination?
A modeling agency has sent an 52-year-old man to pose for a photo shoot for a teen-oriented product line. The shoot director was over heard to say on the phone, "What were you thinking? I gave you our target customer profile!"
The federal government's policy of ____________requires a covered employer to submit documentation of its attempts to narrow the gaps between the demographic composition of its workforce and the demographic composition of the labor markets from which it hires employees.
Affirmation Action
Amanda has just completed her MBA for which her company paid all tuition and book expenses. Amanda signed a training contract with her employer that runs for four years. A headhunter has contacted Amanda with an offer of a position that would be a significant promotion. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
Amanda could ask the offering company for a signing bonus that would cover her financial obligation to her employer for her MBA expenses.
Marcie and Andrew are married. They are both professional employees at the City Zoological Park. Marcie is an exotic-animal veterinarian specializing in big cats, while Andrew is a designer of animal exhibits. As HR director for a zoo in a major city you want to hire Marcie as chief of veterinary medicine for the zoo. You realize that
Andrew will need the inducement of a job equivalent to his current one before he and Marcie will consider relocation.
You are the director of HR for a medium-sized firm. You are looking to hire a benefits specialist. You would prefer the individual to be certified in this field. Consequently, you will check applicant resumés for these initials
CEBS
The ____ allows victims of intentional discrimination on the basis of sex, religion, or disability to receive both compensatory and punitive damages.
Civil Rights Act of 1991
How can recruiters easily and accurately track responses to advertisements in various media?
Code ads in different media by using different contact names.
With regard to exit interviews, which of the following statements is FALSE?
Consultants are usually hired to conduct exit interviews due to the high emotional levels and security issues connected with them.
Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding cost per hire?
Cost per hire should include only direct costs of recruiting.
Cliff, the HR manager for a small firm, has hired a web designer to add a jobs section to the firm's existing website. Cliff should make sure all the following areas are covered:
Demographic data such as race, age and gender should be collected on the on-line application form.
Ernest, the vice president of HR for the Legendary Repose motel chain, has been on the HR side of the hotel/motel industry for over 30 years. Ernest has become a prized partner with the top executives of the LR corporation, and his advice is valued by the executives. Ernest prides himself on making decisions based on his "gut" and his intuition which he has honed over his career. Which of the following statements is most likely to be TRUE?
Ernest appreciates the efficiency aspect of HRMS more than the decision-making aspect of HRMS.
A company with high wages cannot be economically competitive.
False
A disadvantage of Internet recruiting is that it generates large numbers of passive job seekers who, as a whole, tend to be low-quality.
False
A major issue in the modern workplace is that interesting and challenging assembly line jobs have been deskilled into monotonous and repetitive jobs.
False
A top research scientist at a major university is hired away by a private pharmaceutical firm. This is an example of the truism that if solid performers want to leave, the organization cannot hold them.
False
Angie has clinical depression that sometimes makes it hard for her to concentrate. Angie is not eligible for accommodation under the ADA.
False
As the director of HR for a major interstate trucking line, you realize that a non-discriminatory work environment is not a key factor in retention of truck drivers because the truck drivers usually work without direct supervision and on their own
False
Because of strict U.S. labor laws protecting workers from exploitation, U.S. workers spend the fewer hours at work compared with almost every other developed nation in Europe and Asia.
False
Because the core of HR management involves working with people one-on-one, the introduction of web-based technology has had little impact on the day-to-day working lives of HR managers.
False
Category scaling methods are easy to develop and they help guard against leniency bias by supervisors by forcing the supervisors to rank subordinates against one another on each performance category
False
Despite the increase in global trade, most U.S.-based organizations experience little impact from global competitors or foreign business practices.
False
Effectiveness compares inputs and costs to outputs and benefits.
False
Employee organizational commitment is the extent to which individuals feel linked to organizational success and how the organization performs positively.
False
HR planning audits of current employees and their capabilities tend to be disruptive to the organization because of the extensive interviewing that must be done.
False
HR staff members are protected by whistle-blower statutes, so typically HR employees have no fears of reporting ethical violations they observe.
False
Human resource management is a technical discipline requiring specialized skills. Accordingly, all HR activities should be carried out by HR professionals.
False
If a performance appraisal system faces a legal challenge because there is evidence of disparate impact on protected classes, management could defend against this challenge by showing that supervisors were given wide discretion in how they applied evaluation criteria
False
In the job characteristics model, task identity is defined as the extent of individual freedom and discretion in the work and its scheduling.
False
It is best for organizations to avoid rehiring "alumni," even when they were strong performers, because these individuals have demonstrated a lack of organizational loyalty and would not be good prospects for long retention.
False
It is illegal and an invasion of privacy for employers to monitor employee computer use.
False
It is rare for U.S. firms to offshore work such as service delivery because this work requires different skill sets than those held by employees available overseas.
False
Job analysis refers to organizing tasks, duties, and responsibilities into a productive unit of work.
False
Members of a virtual teams may have never met in person.
False
Now that women make up almost 50% of the U.S. workforce, HR policies and practices supporting work and family balance are less needed.
False
On-the-job training is by far the most commonly used form of training, because it can be smoothly integrated into the regular work flow
False
One reason that employees take ethical shortcuts in the pursuit of organizational profits is that performance appraisal systems cannot be structured in a way to penalize unethical behaviors.
False
Psychological contracts focus mainly on intangible and subjective concepts such as loyalty, fair treatment and sense of job security.
False
The "sandwich generation" is defined as the generation that must cope with increasing responsibilities at work at the same time that they must cope with increasing responsibilities at home.
False
The EEOC enforces both the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1991, and the various anti-discrimination executive orders applying to federal contractors
False
The concept of reinforcement is based on the law of confirmation, which states that people tend to repeat behaviors that receive an immediate confirmation.
False
The driver of a truck that makes liquor deliveries to a local casino has been making lewd comments and suggestions to one of the female employees who works on the receiving dock. Although the HR director is outraged by this behavior, he has no legal power in this situation because the truck driver is not an employee of the company.
False
The key success measure of the HR planning function is the minimization of selection and retention costs.
False
The legal terms "essential function" and "primary duty" are interchangeable
False
The most accurate and uniform job descriptions and specifications are those written by managers and supervisors.
False
Training professionals consider e-learning the most effective training tool available to them
False
Training should be viewed tactically because it is focused on employees' current job capabilities. Development should be viewed strategically because it is focused on employees' needed future capabilities
False
When interviewing an individual over 65 for a job, it is legal for the interviewer to inquire about the person's medical history because age is not a disability and thus not protected by the ADA.
False
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
HR management is the voice of organizational ethics.
Jennifer, a member of the HR department, is working on the organization's job descriptions. She must classify duties as essential or marginal for ADA purposes, and she must also classify duties as primary or non-primary for FLSA purposes. Which of the following decision rules can Jennifer use in her task?
If a duty is primary for FLSA purposes, it will also be an essential job function for ADA purposes.
Deedee is a 54-year-old manager in the client-support-services department of a heavy equipment manufacturer. Deedee has been with the company all of her career and has had a steady rise in the hierarchy through promotions. She has shone in numerous training and development programs. Currently, Deedee is meeting performance expectations. In the judgment of Deedee's superiors that she has "topped out" and will not be qualified for further advancement. Which of the following statements is most appropriate for Deedee's situation?
In the future, Deedee should be considered for lateral moves
Bob has an opening to fill in his department. Although high performance is really needed from a new employee, Bob's organization has little to offer in the way of organizational support. The organization has no real training program, the technology the department uses is outdated, and the relationships among Bob's other subordinates are somewhat conflict-ridden. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
In this situation, Bob is most likely to get high performance from the new hire if he selects an applicant with extremely high ability.
Which of the following components of individual career choice is MOST likely to change as a person matures? This means that the career the individual first selected may not be appropriate as time passes.
Interests
A/an ____ is a grouping of tasks, duties, and responsibilities that constitutes the total work assignment for employees.
Job
____ are obligations to perform certain tasks and duties.
Responsibilities
The extent to which the work requires several different activities for successful completion indicates its
Skill Variety
__________ is the use of human resource management practices to gain or keep a competitive advantage.
Strategic HR management
A large Japanese semiconductor manufacturer is building a manufacturing plant in rural Texas. The Japanese firm has developed a highly-effective system of motivating employees which results in high productivity and high worker satisfaction. As an HR consultant to the Japanese firm, what should your advice be?
The Japanese firm should study the local Texas culture and redesign its motivation system for the U.S. plant.
John took early retirement last year at age 58. Now his former employer wants to rehire John as an independent consultant. Which of the following statements is FALSE?
The employer is violating the ADEA because it is hiring John to do the same work that he did as an employee, but without paying for his health benefits and other benefits provided to regular employees.
Albert is an assistant store manager for a national discount retailer. When Albert was denied a promotion to store manager he filed a claim based on religious discrimination with the EEOC, which was eventually denied. After the claim, Albert was transferred to be the assistant store manager at a location requiring a 97-mile round trip commute that takes about four hours of travel time per day. His previous worksite had been only 15 minutes from his home.
This action could be considered retaliation.
You are the recruiter for an ophthalmologic products company. Your firm needs a scientist with a highly-specialized background. You have been unable to lure any scientist with the needed qualifications to your firm, even though you have offered a very high salary. After intensive searching, you have found a Canadian-educated, Peruvian scientist with impeccable credentials who is interested in moving to the U.S. Which problem are you most likely to encounter?
Tight immigration quotas for highly skilled workers.
A drawback of HR benchmarking is that the results do not shed light on the reason for discrepancies between the organization's benchmarking ratios and the ratios of the organizations to which it is being compared.
True
A lack of a deep talent pool in the organization would be classified as a "weakness" in a SWOT analysis.
True
A strong test of the effectiveness of a training program is the technique of pre-measure/post-measure with a control group
True
A survey of HR professionals indicated that common ethical misconduct in HR activities included favoritism in hiring and promotion as well as personal bias in performance appraisal and pay increases.
True
Amanda makes notes about each of her subordinates' exceptionally good and poor performance in a performance log. If Amanda subsequently recommends that an employee be terminated, this performance log would serve as documentation in court.
True
An individual's career will typically cycle between periods of stability and less-stable periods of transition, including stretches of unemployment.
True
An organization with a strong union may have less flexibility than a nonunion company in deciding who will be hired and where a newly hired person will be placed.
True
Business process reengineering (BPR) involves radical redesign of work flow in the organization
True
Christopher has a heart problem that makes vigorous activity dangerous. His work team is going to Utah for a white-water rafting outdoor experience to learn team building skills. Christopher is invited to go along, but he will have to wait at the hotel while everyone else is on the water and camping out. He's been assigned an e-learning activity and will be included in the team's breakfasts and dinners. Christopher may have a legal case that he has not been accommodated in this training program.
True
Competencies are individual capabilities that can be linked to enhanced organizational performance by individual employees or teams of employees.
True
Downsizing reduces costs in the short term but can damage the organization in the long run by depleting its talent pool.
True
If employees view e-learning tools as an Internet game that they enjoy playing, the training has succeeded at the reaction level.
True
If the U.S. educational system does not improve, U.S. employers will be forced to expand international outsourcing of employees with degrees in computers, engineering, and health sciences..
True
In the balanced scorecard approach, HR analysis should address accountability, validity and actionable results.
True
Job analysis can help determine whether someone should be classified as exempt or nonexempt under wage/hour laws.
True
Most HR outsourcing is related to the administrative role of HR.
True
Niche job sites are more useful for recruiting applicants with specific technical skills than are general job boards.
True
One of the benefits of using independent contractors to offset labor shortages is that these workers can be dismissed when they are no longer needed.
True
Poorly-designed pay-for-performance systems could cause high-performing employees to leave the organization because of perceived inequity.
True
Recruiting efforts for jobs requiring highly-educated and skilled employees, such as engineers, are more often being taken overseas to attract talented individuals willing to work for salaries lower than U.S. averages.
True
Rules of the IRS and Department of Labor determine which workers qualify as independent contractor.
True
Strategic HR is proactive rather than reactive in focusing on future business needs..
True
Supervisors who can constructively communicate negative feedback to subordinates is critical to an effective performance appraisal system.
True
The frequent changes to which the organization must adapt demands that employees be continually trained to update their capabilities
True
Turnover rates vary by industries, so it is impossible to prescribe the ideal level of turnover that would apply to all companies.
True
Turnover, especially dysfunctional turnover, can be seen as a symptom of underlying problems in the organization that must be fixed before turnover can be reduced.
True
Typical operational HR functions include legal compliance, processing applications, training supervisors, and answering questions about wages and salaries.
True
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
Typically, the level of unemployment in Europe is lower than that of the U.S
Josh is 32 years old. He worked for one organization for seven years after graduating with a bachelor's degree. He received three promotions in that time. Since then, he was "downsized" out of the organization, and is working part-time as a bartender while training as an X-ray technician. Josh is experiencing
a career transition
Carla is 52. She has been laid off twice in her life, once when her employer downsized, and once when her next employer was acquired by a larger rival. Now she has hit a career plateau after five years with her current employer. Carla is rather frustrated. Each time she has changed employers, she has "retooled" and acquired more skills and expanded her knowledge base. When talking to a career counselor, the counselor suggested Carla view her career as
a cycle of stability and instability.
Revenue divided by full time employee equivalents is
a measure of employee productivity
Revenue divided by full time employee equivalents is
a measure of employee productivity.
In a training context, self-efficacy refers to
a person's belief that he/she can successfully learn the training program content
The best way to determine if the training caused the change in performance, or whether it was some other factor, is to use a control group combined with
a pre-post measure technique
Providential Security, a firm specializing in protecting financial institutions, invests heavily in training its staff. One of its training exercises (which the company refers to as its "war games") involves actually putting a high-rise office building of one of its clients on "lockdown" in reaction to a bomb threat. The building is evacuated and secured, then all the Providential staff are debriefed. This is an example of
active practice with feedback.
The Americans with Disabilities Act
allows physical ability tests to be given to applicants if the tests are job-related
Important factors that affect retention of employees in the workplace include all the following EXCEPT
an undemanding job.
One of the top challenges faced by family-owned firms is
attracting "outsiders" with key capabilities into the firm.
Job tasks classified as "miscellaneous"
cannot be considered essential functions under the ADA.
The simplest methods for appraising performance are the
category scaling methods.
The auditors in a public accounting firm are assigned to new project teams as their current projects end. Consequently, an auditor may work on one project for an entire year or the auditor may be assigned to several different shorter-term projects during a year. All of the following are behaviors that would be important to encourage through the performance appraisal system EXCEPT
competitiveness
Chuck's office has moved to a ____ arrangement where Monday through Thursday the employees work from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. with an hour off for lunch, and everyone takes Friday off.
compressed workweek
Newly hired employees at a construction company specializing in construction of residences for seniors and individuals with disabilities are required to spend one week at work entirely in a wheelchair. This training is most likely to be directed toward
creating a sensitivity in employees to the mobility challenges of the firm's clients
The Functional Job Analysis (FJA) method examines the three components of jobs:
data, people and things.
Of the following steps in the development of an MBO performance appraisal system, _____________ falls earliest in the process.
developing accurate job descriptions
Work is defined as
effort directed toward producing or accomplishing results
In order to minimize backlash by majority males against diversity efforts, trainers and managers should
emphasize that employees are free to believe whatever they wish, but they must behave with respect toward all the individuals with whom their work brings them into contact.
Mark, the director of HR for a large professional services firm, wishes to do a job analysis of the professional jobs in the firm. Which method would the employees find MOST intrusive and burdensome to carry out?
employee diary/log
Tina, the director of HR, is disturbed at the high level of turnover at her company. From exit interviews, she suspects that certain supervisors have higher dysfunctional turnover rates among their subordinates than others. In order to verify this hunch, Tina should analyze turnover by department and by
employee performance ratings.
As HR manager for a building supply retailer, you are offering employees 16 hours of paid time off for them to work as a group on a Habitat for Humanity construction project. You hope to improve retention of these employees by
encouraging friendships among co-workers.
n order to translate organizational strategies in to employee behaviors that support these strategies, performance management systems use a variety of techniques at the individual employee level. These techniques include all of the following EXCEPT
ensuring that the individual employee is satisfied with his/her performance appraisal
At Ochre Automobile Insurance, the job of appraiser involves spending 40 percent of the time conducing "drive-by" assessments of the damage to policy-holders' vehicles. This task would be considered a/an
essential job function
The cessation of NASA's space shuttle program and the five year delay before the Constellation program launches, means that NASA
faces a knowledge gap if experience shuttle-related employees retire before the Constellation program starts up.
In addition to administrative efficiency, the major reason for compiling data in HR management systems is to
facilitate information-based HR decision making
An artist has been a visiting instructor at a noted art academy for three years. The academy's process for moving a temporary/visiting instructor to regular faculty status is to have the artist's portfolio of work examined by a panel of noted artists who are not affiliated with the academy. This is a version of a/an
field review.
Georgiana, the vice president of HR in an Ohio-based firm, is in a meeting with the other top level corporate executives. They are discussing whether it is a good strategy for the firm to open a branch in Amsterdam. In her role as head of HR, Georgiana must
frankly explain that the firm's current human talent pool does not have the capabilities to handle the expansion
For the less-experienced manager, the last stage in a successful mentoring relationship is ____ the mentor
friendship with
Emil is the assistant HR manager at a commercial construction company. Emil handles almost every aspect of human resources at the company, from employee questions about benefits to holding exit interviews. Emil is an HR
generalist
Eclipse Executive Services offers ransom insurance policies for companies up to $10 million per kidnapping. This is an example of a business opportunity generated by which one of the following HR management challenges?
globalization of business
Fernando is an entrepreneur and his start-up company that provides small electricity-generating wind power for individual homes is growing. Fernando has asked you, an HR consultant, to help him set up HR systems for his company. Fernando is concerned that he will have to develop an affirmative action plan, and fears that this will severely restrict his ability to hire the kinds of employees he feels necessary. You tell Fernando that he will NOT have to develop an AAP plan as long as he does all the following EXCEPT
he keeps the company privately owned, e.g. the company stock does not trade on a stock exchange.
Sarah is the Executive Vice President of HR for a large research hospital. The hospital must replace its CEO who was killed in a plane crash, along with his designated successor. Sarah will likely turn to __________________ to help her recruit applicants for this position.
headhunters
Which of the following strategies is NOT a recommendation for helping members of protected classes "break the glass" ceilings and elevators in organizations?
hiring more majority men into organizational functions that are becoming female-dominated, such as HR and communications, thus giving these functions more prestige
The collective value of the competencies, knowledge and skill of the employees in the organization is known as the organization's
human capital.
The new CEO of the firm has told the vice president of HR that all HR activities must use the cost of capital as the benchmark against which their the returns from the activities are measured. The new CEO is implementing
human economic value added (HEVA).
Homer is confused as to why his 25-year-old daughter is changing jobs for the third time since she graduated from college. His daughter told Homer that she's learned everything she could from her current job and that it's time to move on. Homer's daughter is in the stage of her career where most people need to
identify interests and acquire capabilities.
What is the first step in constructing behavioral scales?
identifying the most important performance factors in an employee's job description
Angela is a self-employed graphic artist. Typically she is hired by companies for special projects that may last anywhere from a week to six months. Angela is a/an
independent contractor
Which of the following was identified as an organizational problem that often occurs as part of the job analysis process?
inflation of the importance of the incumbent's job
What information should be provided in the job specification to ensure compliance with ADA regulations?
information necessary to determine what accommodations might or might not be possible
An "employment game" would be most useful for a job that
involves a certain amount of adventure or drama.
The performance consulting approach to training
is a process in which a trainer and the organization work together to decide how to improve organizational and individual results.
Cisco Systems HR department instituted ethics training based on the TV show American Idol. All of the following are advantages of this training technique EXCEPT
it facilitates face-to-face interaction of trainers and trainee-employees.
The veterinary assistants at a large veterinary practice alternate between working at the reception desk, working in the lab and X-ray department, and assisting the vets during office visits with patients. This is a type of
job rotation
Recommendations for successful recruiting include all the following processes EXCEPT
keeping the recruiting function in-house to better mesh recruiting with organizational strategy.
Management-by-objectives is best for
linking individual performance to organizational goals
The main responsibility for conducting performance appraisals lies with
managers
All of the following are useful ways to integrate Hispanic employees into a majority-dominated workplace EXCEPT
mandating an English-only workplace
Which of the following types of data should be included in an inventory of employee skills and capabilities?
marital status and willingness to relocate
Carlos, the director of HR for a large paper manufacturing company, is studying the financial costs of turnover of plant personnel at all levels. The easily calculable costs are sobering, but Carlos is also concerned about the hidden costs of turnover including
missed project deadlines
Which is not one of the major challenges currently facing HR managers?
motivating employees without pay raises and promotions
Work-life balance issues
negatively affect the average pay levels that women employees have achieved.
Ingrid is a recent immigrant from Denmark with a valid U.S. work permit. She has applied for work on the wait staff at a Chinese restaurant near her home. Ingrid doesn't have a car, and this restaurant is one of the few employers she can walk to. Ingrid was turned down for an opening at the restaurant, although she has relevant job experience. Later, Ingrid noticed a Chinese man was hired for the job. Ingrid should
not sue because Chinese origin is a bona fide occupational qualification in this case
Counting the number of items a clerk scans per hour is be an example of a/an ____ measure of performance.
objective
The shared values and beliefs of an organization is its
organizational culture
Job design can affect all of the following EXCEPT
organizational strategy
Data that should be reviewed in the preparation stage of the job analysis process include all of the following EXCEPT
pay scales attached to current jobs.
The Equal Pay Act, enacted in 1963, requires employers to
pay similar wage rates for similar work without regard to gender
As the unemployment rate rises,
people available for work tend to have high qualifications.
If an organization decides to implement changes in organizational practices to improve retention of valued employees, the changes should be
pilot tested in a limited area to see if they are effective.
Unit labor cost is a measure of
productivity
Unit labor cost is a measure of
productivity.
The vice president of HR for a large magazine publisher is creating an internship program for students in journalism and communication university degree programs. All of the following should be included in the internship program EXCEPT
providing interns full employee benefits during their internship.
Karl handles the HR duties in a small commercial bakery of only 16 employees. Nine of these employees are bakery assistants with the same job duties. Karl has decided to make a list of the bakery assistants placing the best employee at the top and the worst employee at the bottom, with the other bakery assistants placed in between according to how they compare with the best and the worst employees. He is fairly satisfied that this system will work for his small company. Karl is using the ____ system.
ranking
Henry, a manager for a floor covering manufacturing firm, is attending a presentation by a consultant discussing needed changes in operations to apply information gathered in workflow analysis regarding product development, customer service and service delivery. "Looks like the company is implementing ____." Henry thinks to himself.
re-engineering
Which of the following would NOT be a reasonable accommodation for a modest-sized company for an employee who uses a wheelchair?
relocating the business from a second floor that is not accessible by wheelchair to the ground floor
The Immigration Reform and Control Act
requires employers to pay prevailing U.S. wages to immigrants holding the appropriate visas.
All of the following are good coaching practices EXCEPT
requiring subordinates to analyze independently the reasons for their mistakes
Downsizing an organization typically has all of the following effects on the organization EXCEPT
revenue generation.
When opportunities for promotion are scarce, a good way to keep employees motivated and develop their talents within the organization is
rotating them through lateral assignments
Job ____ is the process of shifting a person from job to job.
rotation
The ____ equals the number of persons hired divided by the number of applicants.
selection rate
In order to lessen the conflict between the administrative and the developmental roles of performance appraisal, the recommended practice is to
separate the administrative feedback and the developmental feedback into different interviews.
About 50% of the private sector employees in the U.S. economy are employed by
small businesses.
Pauline is an employee of a large city. She is the lead negotiator for contracts between the city government and the police and firefighters' unions. Pauline is an HR
specialist.
As Director of HR, you are designing an ethics program for your organization. You plan to develop a written code of ethics, training for all organizational members, and means for organizational members to obtain advice on ethical situations. What critical element is missing from your plan?
systems for confidential reporting of misconduct
As Director of HR, you are designing an ethics program for your organization. You plan to develop a written code of ethics, training for all organizational members, and means for organizational members to obtain advice on ethical situations. What critical element is missing from your plan?
systems for confidential reporting of misconduct.
"The reason I love my work," remarked a nanny for two pre-school boys, "is that I am able to make sure they get the best start in life possible as regarding affection, nutrition, and intellectual stimulation. They enter kindergarten as really well-adjusted children." This nanny feels her job has high
task significance. task identity.
A job description identifies the
tasks, duties, and responsibilities of a job.
All of the following statements are true about team-based performance appraisal EXCEPT
team performance appraisal is most effective in the administrative aspect of performance management.
All of the following are positive multi-generational management activities EXCEPT
teams of high-potential employees are comprised of individuals who have at least 15 years of potential future tenure at the organization.
A pre-supervisor training program should include all of the following topics EXCEPT
technical job skills.
The position of vice-president of HR is open in a large paper-products manufacturing company. Two individuals are being considered, both from the internal HR function at the firm. The selection committee wants the new vice-president to be a strategic contributor to the firm. All of the following competencies are highly desirable EXCEPT
that the candidate be a highly detail-oriented person.
The largest professional organization for HR generalists is
the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
Which of the following has been a geographic trend within the last decade that has forced changes in HR plans?
the continued importance of industry hubs with infrastructure and supply bases.
COBRA is a lifeline for employees who have been laid off because
the employee is able to continue medical benefits for at least 18 months if he/she pays the cost of the insurance.
Job specifications list
the knowledge, skills, and abilities an individual needs to perform the job satisfactorily
Job specifications list
the knowledge, skills, and abilities an individual needs to perform the job satisfactorily.
Molly, a customer service representative for an insurance company, was rude to a confused and agitated customer who called the help line. The customer immediately contacted Molly's supervisor and lodged a complaint. Molly's supervisor then reprimanded Molly and recorded the incident in Molly's file. Molly vowed to herself to never make that mistake again "even if the caller is a lunatic." This is an example of
the law of effect
The main considerations in determining whether a task is an essential function or a marginal function of the job include all of the following EXCEPT
the number of employees performing the task.
The focus on talent management has intensified in the last few years due to all of the following factors EXCEPT
the obsolescence of baby boomers' skills.
Archie is developing performance standards for the job of pediatric nurse practitioner for a pediatrics medical practice. Archie should base these standards directly on
the pediatric nurse practitioner job description.
If a recruiter needs to find applicants who have a scarce, highly-specialized skill, it would be most efficient to use
the web site for that particular professional or occupational association.
According to the textbook, when managers are responsible for entering and updating employee information in skills databases,
they may minimize the skills of their most productive subordinates for fear the subordinates may be transferred.
One of the items on the performance appraisal form at Bioengineering Devices, Inc., is "The employee demonstrates creativity, inventiveness and openness to new ideas." This can be considered ____ performance information.
trait-based
Vendome Products will have a labor surplus of 15% in its non-exempt employee ranks next year because of decreases in sales of its major product line. Vendome will need to consider all of the following alternatives EXCEPT
transferring non-exempt employees working on this product line into exempt-level jobs at Vendome.
The most restrictive job descriptions exist in
unionized workforces.
All of the following are recommendations for making a performance appraisal system more effective and more defensible legally EXCEPT
use multisource methods of performance appraisal
The director of HR is reluctant to institute an educational assistance program. His major argument against such a program is
when an employee graduates, he/she may move to another company
Trunkline Chemicals is considering opening a manufacturing plant in Vietnam. As director of HR, you assign a committee of HR staff to investigate all of the following factors EXCEPT
whether the change in manufacturing location will be profitable in the short-run
major trend regarding diversity is that
with the retirement of baby boomers, employers will experience a "brain drain."
The Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) focuses on the ____ elements that describe behaviors necessary to do the job
worker-oriented
An analysis is being conducted at YourOneStop Pharmacy to track how prescription orders arrive, how they are logged in, how they are filled, how they are stored, how they are sold to customers, etc. The analysis is considering all the inputs, activities, and outputs associated with the prescription drug business at the store. This is an example of
workflow analysis.
As director of HR, you are organizing the process of analyzing all the jobs in the organization. Because your employer is an oil exploration firm with many engineers and scientists
you will have to call on many subject matter experts for panel interviews.
