MGMT: Exam 2

What is true about medical examinations of job candidates?

Medical examinations are conducted after a candidate has been given a job offer.

Evelyn, the HR manager at Freton Inc., recruits her cousin Gia as production manager in the company. This move results in resentment among several of the company's employees. By hiring her cousin, Evelyn has engaged in the practice of hiring relatives, or

Nepotism

Which of the following best describes a learning management system?

A software application that automates the administration, development, and delivery of training programs

Reliability

Ability of a test to yield very similar scores for the same individual over repeated testings, consistency of measurement

Generally, an organization checks references

After it has determined that an applicant is a finalist for a job.

Which question can be answered by performing a person analysis?

Are employees ready for training?

A work team can be empowered by

Authorizing the team to make decisions traditionally made by managers.

applicant tracking system

Automated approach to selection process that reviews electronically submitted resumes, matches them against company selection criteria, and allows hiring managers to track job candidate information and hiring outcomes

What happens in the final stage of human resources planning?

Evaluating Outcomes

_____ are computer systems that incorporate the decision rules used by people who are considered to have proficiency in a certain area

Expert systems

A protean career is one that remains constant despite the changes in a person's interests, abilities, and values and in the work environment.

False

A risk of diversity training programs that focus on attitudes toward minority groups is that they may alienate minorities.

False

Action learning uses challenging, structured outdoor activities, which include difficult sports.

False

An expert system can increase efficiency by enabling more highly skilled employees to do work that otherwise would require many less-skilled employees.

False

Automated systems always ensure that all highly qualified candidates are included in the selection process

False

Compensation usually discourages high-performance organizations when it is linked in part to performance measures.

False

For an organization's human resource division, "customers" are the organization's top management.

False

High-performance work systems are characterized by high employee turnover.

False

If a concept involves more than five items, the training program should deliver information in shorter sessions or chunks.

False

In coordination training, team members understand and practice each other's skills so that they are prepared to step in and take another member's place.

False

Jenny is the human resource manager for a machine job that produces custom parts. To make these products, production employees must be able to quickly learn new methods and machines. To identify job candidates who can quickly acquire new skills, Jenny could administer achievement tests.

False

Putting together a request for proposal for a training program is a quick process.

False

The Civil Rights Act of 1991 encourages the use of sex norming as a selection tool.

False

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is an assessment tool for behavioral styles based on the works of the psychologist William Marston.

False

The development of high-potential employees is usually a very swift process.

False

The process of selecting employees remains constant for all organizations and for all jobs.

False

The training technique most widely used in the workplace is behavior modeling.

False

To ensure success with an outsourcing strategy, companies should outsource work that requires tight security.

False

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.

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

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.

A start-up software company hires Kiera as its first human resource manager. Whenever a new position needs to be filled, Kiera sits down with the supervisor to gather facts that will be included in a realistic job preview. Kiera knows that the impact of job previews on candidates is limited, but she believes the effort is important anyway. Which statement best explains Kiera's decision to provide realistic job previews?

Giving realistic information is not expensive or difficult, so it is worth even a small benefit.

TTI Inc., a software company, is currently looking for new candidates to fill vacant positions. It is looking for prospective candidates who are enthusiastic about their work and willing to share their knowledge on various topics related to their field. The HR department is responsible for finding the right type of candidate to fit the open roles in the organization. In this scenario, the HR department contributes to high performance through

Recruitment and selection

Which element in a high-performance work system contributes to high performance by encouraging people to strive for objectives that support the organization's overall goals and includes the performance measures by which employees are judged?

Reward systems

In most organizations, the first step in the personnel selection process is

Screening the applications to see which ones meet the basic requirements for the job.

Ensuring that employees are ready for training in terms of their attitudes, motivation, basic skills, and work environment is the _____ step of the instructional design process.

Second

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

Self-assessment

Opec Technology, a firm that manufactures mobile phones, has seen a major improvement in cost reduction since it instituted a three-week training program for all of its new recruits. During the training program, the new employees are constantly encouraged to express their thoughts and ideas. Good ideas are rewarded immediately by the trainers, thereby encouraging active participation. Which factor most likely explains the success of the training?

Social support

Which statement is true of executive search firms?

They serve as a buffer, providing confidentiality between an employer and a recruit.

Which group in an organization usually makes most of the decisions about organizational structure?

Top management

Which of the following consists of an organization's planned effort to help employees acquire job-related knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors?

Training

Which of the following refers to the computations and calculations involved in reviewing and documenting HRM decisions and practices?

Transaction processing

A reliable measurement generates consistent results.

True

Action planning often involves the preparation of a career development plan.

True

Along with physical elements, the training context should include emotional elements.

True

Coaches are peers or managers who work with other employees to motivate them, help them develop their skills, and provide them with reinforcement and feedback.

True

Downsizing can be used to reduce surplus labor because it yields fast results.

True

Downsizing disrupts the social networks through which people are creative and flexible

True

Effective training objectives include performance standards that are measurable

True

Equal employment opportunity laws affect the kinds of information an organization may gather on application forms and in interviews.

True

For on-the-job training (OJT) programs to be effective, an organization should review OJT practices at companies in similar industries.

True

In an organization, a supervisor usually makes the final employee selection decision.

True

Landry, a human resource manager, proposes that her company hire an expert in HR analytics. This competency could enable the company to measure the economic costs and benefits of its HR programs, so it can continue only the programs that add value.

True

One way to measure HRM effectiveness is to use HR analytics to measure a program's success in terms of whether it achieved its objectives and whether it delivered value in an economic sense.

True

Race norming refers to establishing different norms for hiring members of different racial groups.

True

Research suggests that assessment center ratings are valid for predicting performance, salary level, and career advancement.

True

The approaches to employee development fall into four broad categories: formal education, assessment, job experiences, and interpersonal relationships.

True

The goals an organization sets in its human resource planning process should come directly from the analysis of its labor supply and demand.

True

To set up a performance management system that supports the organization's goals, employees need to understand what they must do to contribute to goal achievement.

True

Ronald, the general manager of Bennett Furniture, believes that each employee must thoroughly understand the goals of the organization. He understands that adhering to the vision and mission of the organization will help increase employee satisfaction and clarity. What strengthens Ronald's belief?

Understanding the organization's goals helps employees improve their performance

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

Upward, downward, and lateral

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

Utility

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

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.

Compensation systems can help create the conditions that contribute to high performance. Consequently, organizations can increase empowerment and job satisfaction by

Communicating the basis for decisions about pay

Lee, the CEO of Opal Inc., a digital media startup, holds a meeting with his employees, telling them he wants them to put 100 percent effort into their daily work. He adds that in every quarter the company meets its sales targets, employees will receive a $500 bonus. In this scenario, Lee’s actions are most likely to improve

Employee engagement

The management at a pesticide manufacturing company has observed a decline in quality measures. The managers ask Lori, the firm's HR manager, to investigate whether training might solve the problem. Lori conducts needs assessment and recommends a training plan. Which observation will Lori most likely find in her person analysis?

Employees of the firm's production department lack clarity in decisions regarding quality standards for manufacturing.

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.

Ernie, a manager at a large decoration store, is expecting increased sales during the upcoming holiday season. He knows that his current workforce will not be able to meet demand, putting him at risk of a labor shortage. Which strategy would be the best option to help Ernie avoid a labor shortage?

Ernie should hire temporary employees because he can let them go once the holiday season is over.

The second step in human resource planning is:

Goal setting and strategic planning

To determine the outcomes of the HR functions at Veranda International, several top-level managers suggest conducting a formal review of the HR department to evaluate its functions. The CEO approves the implementation of this suggestion. Which way to measure the effectiveness of human resource management would Veranda use?

HRM Audit

What are the most widespread methods for eliminating labor shortages?

Hiring temporary workers and outsourcing work

In the feedback step of the career management process, the employee is primarily responsible for

Identifying what skills he or she could realistically develop in light of the opportunities available.

Which statement is true about task design?

It involves the clustering of details pertaining to an organization's required activities.

What is true about a transfer?

It is an assignment of an employee to a position in a different area of the company, usually in a lateral move.

Which statement is true about a learning organization?

It supports lifelong learning by enabling all employees to continually acquire and share knowledge

Managers are most likely to support training if

It will solve a significant problem

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

El Niro Inc. is automating processes so the company can meet its demand with a smaller workforce. The CEO asks Megan, the vice president of human resources, for advice on how to address the resulting labor surplus. Megan studies the workforce and observes that many employees are in their 50s and 60s. Furthermore, these employees are the highest-paid workers in every job category. Based on this information, what should Megan suggest as the most effective way of addressing El Niro's labor surplus?

Offer early retirement incentives to the employees in their 50s and 60s.

Organizations use outsourcing as a way to

Operate more efficiently and save money.

Faller and Whitney Company, a firm that builds enterprise resource planning products for customers, wants to implement training programs for its employees as an HR initiative. Senior management proposes the use of an instructional design process. What should ideally be Faller and Whitney's next step?

Organization analysis

Sarah, a manager at Energy Inc., conducts an interview with Matthew for a job as regional sales manager. During the course of the interview, she has Matthew take a test that assesses Matthew's integrity by asking him about his attitude toward shoplifting and his own experiences with shoplifting, if any. Which test is Sarah conducting?

Paper-and-pencil honesty test

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.

A client asks Term Technologies to complete a project that involves working with a software tool called ELIM, which is new to the company. The training manager in Term Technologies's HR department begins by conducting a needs assessment. Which method will the training manager use to identify individuals' needs and readiness for training?

Person analysis

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

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

Selection methods should accurately predict how well individuals perform, and they should:

Produce information that actually benefits the organization.

What is a challenge associated with an outsourcing strategy?

Quality-Control Problems

Which process identifies the knowledge, skills, and behaviors that should be emphasized by training?

Task analysis

Personnel Selection

The process through which organizations make decisions about who will or will not be allowed to join the organization

What is a business indicator for the success of the compensation system designed by the HR department of an organization?

The ratio of average salary offers to the average salary in the community

Which statement is true about cognitive ability tests?

They are especially valid for jobs requiring adaptability.