MGMT 330 Exam 2

Most companies use _____ moves as an option for employee development.

upward, downward, and lateral

What is a step a downsized company can take to counter negative employee emotions?

Build confidence in the company's plans for a stronger future.

Which of the following best describes a phased-retirement program?

It refers to reducing both the number of hours older employees work as well as the cost of these employees.

Identify an accurate difference between predictive validation and concurrent validation.

Predictive validation correlates future job performance and applicant test scores; concurrent validation does not.

Identify a disadvantage of using temporary and contract workers.

These workers tend to be less committed to an organization

What is true of validity?

Validity ensures the fairness of employment practices during selection procedures.

Which question is permissible to ask in job applications and interviews?

Will you need any reasonable accommodation for this hiring process?

Gretchen applies for a data systems operator position in one of the federal governmental agencies. As part of the selection process, she takes a civil services exam that measures her existing knowledge and skills. This scenario exemplifies a(n)

achievement test

The decision-making dimension of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator relates to the

amount of consideration given to others' feelings when making a decision.

Katie has been through a series of self-assessments and has received constant feedback. She has listed her goals for the future and thought of various ways in which she can accomplish them. The act of determining the various methods to accomplish Katie's goals is an example of

an action plan.

Which of the following is an internal source of recruitment?

job postings

Allie, a human resource manager at an electronics firm, observes that many employees who are reaching the traditional retirement age are not interested in leaving the organization. Which statement best explains the reason for this trend among older employees?

jobs are becoming less physically demanding

Which assessment center exercise is being used when a team of five to seven employees is assigned a problem and must work together to solve it within a certain time period?

leaderless group discussion

Identify the limitation of cognitive ability tests.

legal issues related to administering the tests

Paula, a human resource executive, is setting up a mentoring program at her company. Which action will best help the program succeed?

making sure the performance management system rewards managers for employee development

If a former employer gives a glowing statement about a candidate and the new employer later learns of misconduct on the part of the employee during his or her previous employment, the new employer may sue the former for

misrepresentation

Along with 50 other candidates, Paula applied for the position of analyst at Atticus Inc. Because Paula's profile stood out from other candidates' profiles, she was called for an interview in which she performed well. In the context of the steps involved in the selection process for recruitment, which step would most likely be taken next by the recruiter?

verifying Paula's qualifications through background checks

The extent to which something provides economic value greater than its cost is called its

utility

The _____ of an employment test is indicated by the extent to which the test scores relate to actual job performance.

validity

What is a challenge associated with an outsourcing strategy?

quality-control problems

Which statement is true about an assessment center?

At an assessment center, multiple raters or evaluators evaluate employees' performance on a number of exercises.

Identify the similarity between the outsourcing and overtime strategies for avoiding a labor shortage.

Both strategies have high revocability.

Antoine is proud of his team of warm, knowledgeable, and ethical recruiters at Luvia Insurance. They are sure to give realistic job previews, and they keep up to date on the company's policies so they can provide applicants with accurate answers to a host of questions. However, it sometimes takes a while to fill positions. And over the past year, Antoine has observed that the number of applicants who accept offers has fallen. He follows up with several who turned down offers and learns that they took jobs elsewhere because they developed an unfavorable opinion of Luvia Insurance. Which situation most likely explains this problem?

Candidates are not getting timely feedback about their applications.

David was part of a formal mentoring program and was mentored by Angela. The mentoring sessions were conducted over a period of six weeks to improve David's communication and interpersonal skills in the workplace. The sessions, however, were unsuccessful. Which scenario, if true, would most likely have caused the failure of the mentoring sessions

David's participation was involuntary, and he had little understanding of the details of the program.

_____ increases an employee's ability to move into jobs that may not yet exist.

Development

Frank is the CEO of Telex Inc., a company that has a team-oriented culture in which people perform as groups and complete short-term projects to earn revenue. After studying his company's structure, Frank feels Telex's current processes are inefficient. As a result, Frank decides to downsize the organization and then use the profits to enhance the organization's efficiency. What is a disadvantage of this approach?

Downsizing will interfere with the effectiveness of the organization's teamwork.

The human resource department at an accounting firm is preparing a policy for the drug testing of job applicants. Jim makes a list of statements to include in the policy and shows the list to his supervisor, Peggy. Which statement would Peggy direct Jim to change?

Drug test reports should not be sent to applicants.

Fernando, a human resource executive, is meeting with the executive team to discuss the need to fill a soon-to-be-vacant position for vice president of the company's Medical Devices Division. Normally, he posts vacancies on the company's website, but he encourages the team to allocate funds to hire an executive search firm (ESF) for filling this position. Which statement best supports Fernando's recommendation?

ESFs provide confidentiality for employer and recruit, giving access to better candidates.

Employees at Atkins Inc. are frustrated with their manager, Kyle, who does not believe in providing feedback because he thinks it's a waste of time. His employees argue that they do not know how to hone their skills if they are not told what areas they should work on and what areas are satisfactory. Which statement would strengthen the employees' arguments?

Employees who receive feedback gain more clarity on their roles and how they fit within an organization.

What is a requirement under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986?

Employers must verify and maintain records on the legal rights of applicants to work in the United States.

__________ states that if there is no specific employment contract saying otherwise, the employer or employee may end an employment relationship at any time, regardless of cause.

Employment at will

Clark, a newly appointed human resource manager at Gamma Corp., learns that several female managers have complained that the company has a "glass ceiling." Indeed, the top positions are all filled by men, but Clark isn't sure whether the pattern is just a coincidence. He agrees to investigate. Which condition, if it exists, would be evidence of a glass ceiling at Gamma?

Gamma has no formal mentoring program to ensure that the female managers have mentors.

Daniel, an accounting manager at Plot Co., agreed to work with a coach. He chose this in order to become more of a team player, which would, in turn, lead him to being considered for a larger role in management. After two months, however, he complained to the human resource manager that the process was time-consuming and he has not seen any positive results. Which response to Daniel's complaint would best reflect how coaching can contribute to employee development?

Getting results can take several months—and the employee has to keep practicing.

Greater Grocers, an international retailer, opens a store in a town predominantly populated by a particular racial group. While recruiting employees for the store, it uses a test in the selection process that favors that same racial group. When questioned about the selection procedure, the management reasons that the customers are more comfortable with employees of their own race. In the context of the legal standards of selection, what is an accurate statement?

Greater Grocers' actions during the selection process violate the Civil Rights Act of 1991 because customer preference is not a justifiable reason for discriminatory practices.

Which statement is correct regarding internal recruitment sources?

Internal recruiting minimizes the possibility of unrealistic employee expectations.

Chad wants to build a start-up company with a small number of people working for him. He decides to do all the hiring himself. Lucas, a friend of Chad's who is a lawyer, warns Chad about the risk of discrimination complaints he could receive from applicants who are not hired. Which statement best expresses the basis of Lucas's concern about avoiding discrimination?

Interviews are subjective, so they have the potential of assessing candidates based on questions not related to the job.

Which statement is true about the 360-degree feedback process?

It involves rating an individual in terms of work-related behaviors.

Which statement best describes the multiple-hurdle model of personnel selection?

It is a process of arriving at a selection decision by eliminating some candidates at each stage of the selection process.

Which statement best describes outsourcing?

It refers to contracting with another organization to perform a broad set of services.

Pen & Paper Inc., a publishing company, administered the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment to its editorial team and learned that some individuals are drawn toward gathering the facts and details needed for decision making, while others focus more on noticing relations among the facts. Some of the employees enjoy learning this about themselves, but the human resource specialist who administered the assessment cautions them not to use the results to limit their understanding of what they can do. Which statement best explains the need for caution in applying the results of this assessment?

MBTI scores are not necessarily valid and reliable.

Maxim is an HR manager at a large accounting firm. He hires and trains the firm's staff of recruiters. Maxim hires people with education in human resource management and a warm attitude that displays a positive interest in people. How else should he equip the recruiters so that they have success in this kind of work?

Maxim should equip recruiters with the kinds of information job applicants are seeking.

The _____ is a self-assessment tool that helps employees identify their occupational and job interests.

Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory

Anthony, a human resource executive for Beta Equipment, is preparing a recommendation to the company's executives that the company develop a program of succession planning. The company has been growing rapidly, so he anticipates some resistance to the time required for careful planning. Which statement would best support Anthony's idea for succession planning?

Succession planning ensures that Beta Equipment is ready with candidates if a key position becomes vacant.

Which law requires employers to make "reasonable accommodation" to incapacitated individuals?

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991

Sean works in the human resource department of a well-known and highly respected maker of athletic equipment. He suggests that the company expand its recruiting by placing job advertisements on popular websites for job seekers. However, his supervisor says this has become a poor use of the company's recruiting dollars. Which is the most likely reason for the supervisor's objection?

The company will be flooded with applications from individuals who are barely qualified.

A strategic approach to selection requires ways to measure the effectiveness of selection tools. What is a basic standard for this?

The method offers practical value.

The employees at Foster Center acknowledge that their supervisor is excellent at his work and that he has received many accolades during his 40-year career. However, they claim he is a dysfunctional manager. When confronted, the supervisor argues that his work should speak for itself and the employees' opinions of his behavior are irrelevant. Which statement, if true, would support the employees' claim?

The supervisor often discourages employees from challenging tasks, saying that they are incapable of accomplishing them.

Which statement is true about referrals?

The use of referrals can contribute to nepotism

Identify the correct statement regarding job performance tests.

They provide fair evaluations for applicants.

Tom, a supervisor at AutoMax Inc., realizes that a couple of months from now, he might experience a labor shortage for approximately two weeks due to increased demand for the company's products. Which option would be best for dealing with this labor shortage?

Tom should encourage employee overtime because it helps to increase productivity for a short period of time.

Acting as a mentor gives managers

a chance to develop their interpersonal skills.

For what purpose do organizations typically review applicant résumés?

as a basis for deciding which candidates to investigate further

During interviews for medical assistants at the Fairview Medical Center, all the candidates are asked to talk about a situation in the past when they had to empathize with an emotionally unstable person and help that person make rational decisions. This was to test whether the candidates would be able to assist a frantic patient and help him or her make informed decisions. This is known as a(n) _____ interview.

behavior description

Identify the similarity between the natural attrition and early retirement strategies for reducing a labor surplus.

both strategies yield slow results for an organization

How can individuals acting as references for job applicants minimize the risk of being sued for defamation or misrepresentation?

by only giving information about observable, job-related behaviors

The energy dichotomy of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator indicates

individuals' degree of introversion or extroversion.

Tests designed to measure such mental abilities as verbal skills, quantitative skills, and reasoning ability are referred to as _____ tests.

cognitive ability

Unon Inc. offers its employees a career management program in which they can take a variety of self-assessments. When employees complete these self-assessments, what is the organization's responsibility in the next stage of the career management process?

communicating to the employee the results of the performance evaluation and any development opportunities available

For tests that measure abstract qualities such as intelligence or leadership skills, validity would best be established by _____ validation.

construct

Brick-n-Go, a construction firm, is in need of a construction superintendent whose primary responsibilities involve organizing, supervising, and inspecting the work of several subcontractors. Brick-n-Go administers a construction-error recognition test, where an applicant has to enter a shed that has 25 construction errors and has to record as many of these errors as can be detected. What type of validity is being established in this case?

content validity

Statistics that measure the degree to which two sets of numbers are related are known as

correlation coefficients.

Herbert, an HR manager at Maxtier Inc., hires 50 employees in five months. He used different sources of recruitment to recruit these employees. He wants to know which kind of source delivered the most new hires for the money. To answer that question, Herbert should determine the

cost per hire

If a person who is a reference gives negative information about a job candidate, there is a chance the candidate will claim _____, meaning the person damaged the applicant's reputation by making statements that cannot be proved truthful.

defamation

Identify the traits that are found in a conscientious person.

dependable, organized, persevering, and achievement-oriented

Using job experiences for development assumes that

development is most likely when an employee's skills do not fully match the skills required.

Kevin, the CEO of MedImpact Inc., finds that the company needs to eliminate a labor surplus to avoid financial difficulties. To deal with this problem, he chooses a strategy that gives him fast results. However, the amount of suffering caused to employees is high. Kevin is most likely using the __________ strategy to reduce the labor surplus.

downsizing

Identify the detail that can be asked in an application form to gather information about suitable candidates.

educational background

Jacob, the CEO at Einstein Inc., learns that his company is perceived as low-value by customers. He plans to combat this by hiring highly skilled and knowledgeable employees in order to improve Einstein's competitive standing. In this scenario, Jacob will most likely be hiring

employees with a core competency

Kris is a technical analyst at Tulla Inc. and has consistently impressed her managers with her ability to perform outstandingly in all projects assigned to her. Her manager, Robert, understands that she is really good at her job, but also recognizes that she might experience burnout because of the repetitive nature of the job. He talks to her about developing other possible skills by working full time for a short period at a different company. In this scenario, which approach to employee development is Robert encouraging?

externship

The step in the career management process in which employees receive information about their skills and knowledge and where these assets fit into the organization's plans is called

feedback

A sales firm regularly enrolls some of its employees in a six-month marketing course with a leading university. At the end of the course, the employees are able to perform better in the organization. Which method of employee development has the firm used?

formal education

Greene Creations, a popular furniture manufacturer, provides employee support through various workshops on interior design techniques. It also offers three-month courses on various aspects of decorating a home, from suitable paint for a media room to contemporary outdoor furnishings. This adds to employees' existing knowledge and skill sets, helping create customer satisfaction. In this scenario, which approach to employee development is Greene Creations taking?

formal education

The four general approaches that companies use for employee development include

formal education, assessment, job experiences, and interpersonal relationships.

Organizations carry out human resource planning to

gain an advantage over competitors.

Christian is the HR manager of Pryor's Printing, a publishing company. He wants to know if a certain test of cognitive ability, used in the advertising industry, can be successfully used in his organization. This scenario suggests that he wants to know if this test is a(n) _____ method.

generalizable

Gabby, an employee at Lewis Inc., finds it difficult to attain a promotion even after working for seven years at the firm. She believes that she is not being promoted because she is a woman. In this scenario, Gabby's progress in the organization is restricted by a

glass ceiling

Charlie, an HR manager at Delaney Inc., is expecting a labor surplus for the company in the month of November. This gives Charlie nearly eight months to deal with the problem. In order to reduce the labor surplus, Charlie decides to use a __________ strategy, which causes less suffering for employees.

hiring freeze

Brandon, a production manager at Felix Inc., is expecting a labor shortage for a short period of time. He would like to avoid it with a strategy that can be easily eliminated in the future when there is optimal labor available for work. Which option for avoiding a labor shortage would be the right solution for Brandon?

hiring temporary employees

In order to cultivate a favorable picture of the organization, Shubert Group, a financial services corporation, advertises itself to potential applicants by using the slogan, "Investing in you no matter what road you take." This scenario is an example of __________ advertising.

image

According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Extroverted types (E) gain energy through

interpersonal relationships.

In-basket tests are examples of _____ tests.

job performance

Job rotation involves

moving an employee through a series of job assignments in one or more functional areas of the company.

What does a correlation of 0 mean?

no correlation

A _____ interview allows interviewer discretion in choosing the questions to be asked and generally includes open-ended questions about the candidate's strengths, weaknesses, career goals, and work experience.

nondirective

Organizations use outsourcing as a way to

operate more efficiently and save money.

Which test is a legal means to test the integrity of job applicants and generally involves asking applicants directly about their attitudes toward theft and their own experiences with theft?

paper-and-pencil honesty test

Kate is the HR manager of Gunther Corp., a software company located in Chicago. She wants to establish the validity of a test designed for computer technicians using a predictive validation strategy. Accordingly, Kate must administer the test to

people applying for computer technician jobs in Gunther Corp.

In the context of evaluating the quality of a recruitment source, yield ratios express the

percentage of applicants who successfully move from one stage of the recruitment and selection process to the next.

Which aspect of recruitment is most likely to affect the nature of the positions that are vacant?

personnel policies

Ed, an entrepreneur, wants to hire a human resource professional who can help him make decisions about who will or will not be allowed to join his organization. In advertising for this professional, what term should he use to describe the process he wants help with?

personnel selection

Leo is a human resource specialist at a company with a promote-from-within policy. Based on that policy, what method should he include in his recruiting efforts to fill an open position for an accounting supervisor?

posting the job on the company's intranet

In the context of human resource planning, the primary goal of forecasting is to

predict labor shortages or surpluses in specific areas of an organization.

Sparkle Spin, a national appliance brand, recruited 15 people as brand managers. They all took a test as part of the recruitment process. Three months after the recruitment, their test scores were analyzed along with their performance on the job to find a substantial correlation between the two factors. Which method of research is exemplified in this scenario?

predictive validation

A(n) _____ involves moving an employee into a position with greater challenges, more responsibility, and more authority than in the previous job.

promotion

A(n) _____ is a career that frequently changes based on changes in a person's interests, abilities, and values and in the work environment.

protean career

For assessment to work efficiently, an employee must be

provided suggestions to improve his or her weak skills.

Amber wants to apply for a job vacancy. She calls the recruiter who advertised this vacancy to learn more about the job. The recruiter gives some background information about the positive and negative qualities of the job to Amber. Which term refers to the job information given by the recruiter?

realistic job preview

In the context of managing human resources, the process of __________ creates a buffer between planning and the actual selection of new employees.

recruiting

While applying for the position of administrative assistant, Monica was asked to provide the name and phone number of her previous supervisor. She was also provided the alternative of presenting a letter from her previous supervisor vouching for her performance on the job. Which tool used in the initial selection process is illustrated in this case?

references

Jim applies for a job at Texture Inc. because his friend Chris, who is a manager there, prompts him to do so. In this scenario, Jim is a(n)

referral

In _____, a participant takes the part of a manager or employee in a situation involving the skills to be assessed.

role-plays

Providing employees with the opportunity to get away from the day-to-day stresses of their job and acquire new skills and perspectives is known as a(n)

sabbatical

Which activity is most appropriate for the first step of the career management process?

self-assessment

Why might an organization demote an employee to a lower-level position?

so that the employee can learn different skills

Milton Inc., a software company, conducts Inscape's DiSC inventory assessment to evaluate its employees. The assessment reveals that there are very few employees who are calm, supportive of others, and work far ahead of any deadlines. Which DiSC category applies to the employees described in the scenario?

steadiness

Ross is being interviewed for an entry-level financial analyst position at a well-known asset management company. Ross is asked questions about the current state of the U.S. stock market, the current net worth of certain financial firms, and concepts such as IPOs and mergers from a set of predetermined questions that the interviewer has prepared. This is an example of a(n) _____ interview.

structured

In the context of HR planning, implementation that ties planning and recruiting to an organization's strategy and to its efforts to develop employees becomes a complete program of

talent management

Ashley, a purchasing manager, tells Franklin, the human resource manager, that she has selected a candidate to be her purchasing assistant. She shows him a draft of an e-mail message offering the candidate the job at the agreed-on starting wage. She asks Franklin if there is anything else she should mention in the message. Franklin replies that Ashley should add information about

the job responsibilities, work schedule, and starting date.

What is the organization's responsibility in the goal-setting stage of the career management process?

to ensure that the goal is specific, challenging, and attainable

Rantly Corp. is eliminating its desktop computer repair center in Minnesota. Meanwhile, the demand for mobile device repair—a service it provides in Florida and New Jersey—is growing rapidly. Betsy, a human resource specialist at the Rantly Corp. headquarters in Miami, must plan to avoid a labor surplus in Minnesota in a fast and effective way. She wishes to do so with minimal employee suffering in terms of layoffs and salary. Which strategy would best help Betsy accomplish her goal?

transfers

Damien, an HR manager at Guidelines Inc., is preparing for a 5 percent increase in the production labor force next year. To do this, he needs to determine what the current number of production employees is and how the number is likely to change by the end of the year. To help with this analysis, Damien should use a

transitional matrix

A chart that lists job categories held in one period and shows the proportion of employees in each of those categories in a future period is called a

transitional matrix.

Nishi, a production manager at Havana Health, must predict future labor demand using information about inventory levels from the past three years. Nishi will most likely use __________ to predict the demand.

trend analysis

Janine, a trainer at Keller Inc., wants to find out how many candidates moved from the initial interview stage to the training selection stage in the past month. To find out, she needs to compare the

yield ratios