staffing multiple choice questions

3 general features of the EEO laws

(1) state (but not local) government employers are immune from lawsuits by employees who allege violation of the ADA or the ADEA. State employees must thus pursue disability and age discrimination claims under applicable state laws (2) organizational officials and individual managers cannot be held personally liable for discrimination under the Civil Rights Act, the ADA, or the ADEA. They might be liable, however, under state law. (3) the ADA, Civil Rights Act, and the ADEA extend to US citizens employed overseas by American employers. Also, a foreign company that is owned for controlled by an American employer and is doing business overseas generally must also comply with the ADA, Civil Rights Act, and ADRA

executive order 11246 (1965, 1967, 2014)

(coverage) federal contractors with contracts in excess of $10,000 (prohibited discrimination) race, color, religion, national origin, sex

rehabilitation act (1973)

(coverage) federal contractors with contracts in excess of $2,500 (prohibited discrimination) individual with disabilitiy

genetic information nondiscrimination act (2008)

(coverage) private employers with 15 or more employees federal, state, and local governments educational institutions employment agencies labor unions (prohibited discrimination) genetic information

civil rights act (1964, 1978, 1991)

(coverage) private employers with 15 or more employees federal, state, and local governments educational institutions employment agencies labor unions (prohibited discrimination) race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy

americans with disabilties act (1990, 2008)

(coverage) private employers with 15 or more employees federal state and local governments (prohibited discrimination) qualified individual with a disabilitiy

Which of the following is not a good reason for using an outside consultant for job analysis? a. Technical innovativeness is critical b. Legal scrutiny of project output/processes is high c. Knowledge of organization culture is critical d. Data collection involves specialized statistical methods

c (knowledge of organization culture is critical)

Elements of the SPLENDID concept include _________. a. Strategize b. Delegate c. Lead d. None of the above

c (lead)

The purpose of retention systems is to ___________. a. attract qualified applicants to job openings in the organization b. establish a good person-job match c. manage the inevitable flow of employees out of the organization d. establish a good person-organization match

c (manage the inevitable flow of employees out of the organization)

According to the staffing quantity model, an organization will be __________ when availabilities exceed requirements. a. fully staffed b. understaffed c. overstaffed d. none of the above

c (overstaffed)

The primary source of common law is________. a. The Constitution b. Federal statutes c. Past court decisions d. Federal agency guidelines

c (past court decisions)

Contamination error_________. a. is easy to minimize and control b. is the same as deficiency error c. represents unwanted sources of influence on a measure d. shows a lack of an acceptable coefficient alpha

c (reps unwanted sources of influence on a measure

The correlation coefficient expresses __________. a. causality b. variance c. strength of the relationship between two variables d. the range between two variables

c (strength of the relationship between two variables)

Noncompliance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act (1986) could result in ___________. a. imprisonment for up to six months b. fines equal to $50,000 for each unauthorized alien employed c. summary closing of a business d. imprisonment of the alien for up to five years

c (summary closing of a business)

Which of the following statements is(are) true regarding the concept of person-job match? a. Jobs are characterized by their requirements and embedded rewards. b. Individuals are characterized by their level of qualification. c. There are implied consequences for every person-job match. d. All of the above.

c (there are implied consequences for every person job match)

In terms of the person/organization match: a. the "organization" refers to tasks to be performed, such as those on the job description. b. the term "person" refers mainly to qualifications, such as education and work experience. c. there is a concern with the "fit" of people to jobs and other people in the organization. d. a and b are correct. e. All of the above are correct.

c (there is a concern with the fit of people to jobs and other people in the organization)

The Age Discrimination In Employment Act (1967) prohibits discrimination against individuals who are ____ years or older. a. 40 b. 50 c. 60 d. 65

a (40)

The term which refers to employment practices which are "facially neutral" is _________. a. EEO b. affirmative action c. quotas d. union contracts

a (EEO)

Which of the following is(are) true regarding quotas? a. Quotas must be temporary. b. They are less specific than AA guidelines. c. They are required by law in most situations. d. Quotas are illegal.

a (Quotas must be temporary)

Which of the following statements is true regarding the laws and regulations which govern the employment relationship? a. Their purpose is to create a reasonable balance of power between the employer and employee. b. Their purpose is to create a reasonable power advantage for employees. c. Their purpose is to create a reasonable power advantage for employers. d. Their purpose is to provide protections for employees only.

a (Their purpose is to create a reasonable balance of power between the employer and employee.)

Regarding employment contracts, _________. a. both written and oral contracts are enforceable b. employment-at-will is defined under set-term contracts c. an example of a tort in staffing is race discrimination in violation of the Civil Rights Act d. all of the above are correct

a (both written and oral contracts are enforceable)

In defining essential job functions for the purposes of complying with ADA regulations, which of the following does not convey the meaning "essential?" a. Compensation for the function is above average b. Position exists to perform the function c. Incumbent expertise required to perform the function d. There are limited numbers of employees among whom performance of the function can be distributed

a (compensation for the function is above average)

The staffing practice in which an organization does selective hiring during downturns or recessions that occur prior to a clear upturn in economic strategy is called ___________. a. countercyclical hiring b. cyclical hiring c. strategic hiring d. none of the above

a (countercyclical hiring)

The common law principle which states that, in the absence of any contract language to the contrary, either the employer or employee may terminate the employment relationship at any time is called_________. a. employment-at-will b. affirmative action c. equal employment opportunity d. a consent decree

a (employment at will)

The person/job match model says that there must be a match between ________. a. job requirements with KSAOs and job rewards with individual motivation b. job requirements and individual motivation c. KSAOs and individual motivation d. none of the above

a (job requirements with KSAOs and job rewards with individual motivation)

A _____________ staffing strategy would have an organization concentrate on acquiring individuals who can come in and "make things happen." a. lead system b. lag system c. internal hiring d. external hiring

a (lead system)

Assessing intrinsic job rewards, _____________. a. may require substantial organizational commitment b. requires the same resources as measuring extrinsic rewards c. is done almost as a matter of course in most organizations d. never involves statistical procedures

a (may require substantial organizational commitment)

A _____________ staffing strategy would have an organization concentrate on acquiring new employees who can "hit the ground running." a. pure acquisition b. pure development c. lead system d. lag system

a (pure acquisition)

Length in inches is an example of a(n) __________. a. ratio scale b. nominal scale c. ordinal scale d. interval scale

a (ratio scale)

Applicant flow statistics require the calculation of _________. a. selection rates for the groups under analysis b. interview rates for the groups under analysis c. rejection rates for the groups under analysis d. range scores for the groups under analysis

a (selection rates for the groups under analysis)

1. The process of acquiring, deploying, and retaining a workforce of sufficient quantity and quality to create positive impacts on the organization's effectiveness is called _________. a. staffing b. recruitment c. selection d. placement

a (staffing)

When predictor and criterion scores have been obtained, the predictor can be considered valid if ___________. a. the correlation coefficient has the desired practical and statistical significance b. the correlation coefficient has statistical significance alone c. the correlation coefficient is insignificant d. the correlation coefficient has practical significance alone

a (the correlation coefficient has the desired practical and statistical significance)

The larger the correlation coefficient, __________. a. the greater the practical significance b. the smaller its practical significance c. the larger its range d. the smaller its statistical significance

a (the greater the practical significance)

Where the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is concerned, _______. a. the law does not apply to all disabled people b. the law requires the hiring of all disabled people c. the law prohibits refusal to hire a disabled person d. the law provides advantages to disabled people

a (the law does not apply to all disabled people)

According to the overall staffing organizations model, HR and staffing strategy are driven by ______________. a. the mission, goals and objectives of the organization b. support activities c. legal compliance activities d. all of the above are correct

a (the mission, goals and objectives of the org)

If the squared correlation coefficient between X and Y is .80, what percentage of common variance is shared between the two variables? a. 64% b. 80% c. 40% d. 50%

b (80)

Disparate treatment focuses on_________. a. allegations and evidence about the effects of discriminatory actions b. allegations and evidence about intentions to discriminate c. adverse impact d. quotas

b (allegations and evidence about intentions to discriminate)

A recent survey of executives regarding what they feel are the most significant business problems they face in their jobs found that the top problem was ___________. a. thinking and planning strategically b. attracting, developing, and keeping good people c. maintaining a high performance climate d. managing time and stress

b (attracting, developing, and keeping good people)

The staffing system components model says that the phases of the staffing process occur in which order after the initial interaction between the applicant and the organization? a. selection, recruitment, employment b. recruitment, selection, employment c. recruitment, employment, selection d. employment, recruitment, selection

b (b. recruitment, selection, employment)

19. Which of these activities is most directly associated with the employment phase of the staffing process? a. Screening job applications b. Deciding on finalists for a job c. Advertising a job opening d. Evaluating the results of a job aptitude test

b (deciding on finalists for a job)

The process that involves the placement of new hires on the actual job they will hold is called ____________. a. acquisition b. deployment c. retention d. none of the above

b (deployment)

An example of an exception to employment-at-will, outside of specific contract language restrictions, would be __________. a. discharging an individual on the basis of poor performance b. discharging someone on the basis of race c. discharging an individual for stealing from the company d. none of the above

b (discharging someone on the basis of race)

The most prevalent form of the employment relationship is_________. a. independent contractor b. employer-employee c. temporary employee d. employer-employer

b (employer-employee)

The culmination of the staffing process is __________. a. recruitment b. hiring someone for a job c. selection d. making a job offer

b (hiring someone for a job)

It can be accurately said of the "task dimension" component of a job description that it ____________. a. provides a rating of task importance b. is a grouping of similar tasks c. indicates appropriate KSAOs d. indicates the nature of KSAOs

b (is a grouping of similar tasks)

According to the overall staffing organizations model, one support activity is _________. a. external staffing b. job analysis c. internal staffing d. labor relations

b (job analysis)

The formation of the employment relationship does NOT include which of the following staffing decisions? a. Hiring b. Layoffs c. Promotion d. Transfer decisions

b (layoffs)

Rankings of the finishes of competitors in a foot race is an example of a(n) ________. a. ratio scale b. ordinal scale c. interval scale d. none of the above

b (ordinal scale)

A z score of 3.0 for a job applicant's score on an aptitude test indicates the applicant ______ a. achieved a score 3 points higher than the average score b. received a score 3 standard deviations above the mean score c. had a score 3 percent higher than the average score d. had a score plus or minus 3 points relative to the mean score

b (received a score 3 standard deviation above the mean score)

In a job rewards matrix, "reward differential" refers to ____________. a. relative differences in reward levels of different reward characteristics b. relative differences in reward amount experienced by different job incumbents c. rewards before and after the job analysis has been performed d. relative differences between management and worker rewards

b (relative differences in reward amount experienced by different job incumbents)

Validity of a measure is best defined as _________. a. the upper limit of reliability b. the degree to which the measure does indeed measure what it is intended to measure c. the lower limit of reliability d. the consistency of measurement

b (the degree to which the measure does indeed measure what it is intended to measure)

In situations where a "mixed motive is involved, ___________. a. only legal reasons for not hiring may be present b. the hiring practice is illegal when both legitimate and discriminatory reasons for not hiring are present c. stock statistics are the issue d. AA could not be part of the issue

b (the hiring practice is illegal when both legitimate and discriminatory reasons for not hiring are present)

A job description is best defined as ______. a. the organization's framework for AA compliance b. the organization's indicator of tasks required for each job c. the organizations principle job training tool d. the organization's performance appraisal instrument

b (the organization's indicator of tasks required for each job)

. Which of the following statements is true regarding staffing? a. The organization is the only active player in the staffing process. b. The staffing process is composed of a series of interrelated parts including recruitment, selection, decision making and job offers. c. The staffing process should only be viewed from the perspective of the individual (line) manager. d. None of the above.

b (the staffing process is composed of a series of interrelated parts including recruitment, selection, decision making and job offers)

The key to a successful rebuttal in a disparate treatment case is_________. a. to prove adverse impact b. to provide nondiscriminatory reasons for the practice(s) in question c. to show the presence of a "mixed motive" d. to prove discrimination

b (to provide nondiscriminatory reasons for the practices in question)

Which of the following types of jobs are most suitable for a job analysis? a. idiosyncratic jobs b. traditional jobs c. flexible jobs d. team-based jobs

b (traditional jobs)

In the measurement of reward differentials, the standard deviation of ratings assigned to each reward by the respondents indicates _____________. a. strength of reward rating b. variability of reward c. reliability of the reward d. validity of the reward

b (variability of reward)

The principle reason for having the manager participate as a job analyst is to ___________. a. provide acceptance of job statements to guide performance on the job b. verify statements are inclusive and accurate c. control incumbent responses on job analysis questionnaires d. establish pay scales

b (verify statements are inclusive and accurate)

The staffing quantity model uses _________ to determine whether a condition of being overstaffed, fully staffed, or understaffed exists. a. projected staffing requirements b. projected staffing availabilities c. projected economic trends d. A and B are correct

d (A and B are correct)

The job context component of a job description does not ___________. a. encompass both tasks and KSAOs b. describe physical demands c. describe environmental characteristics d. address pay scales

d (address pay scales)

Quality control circles are an example of a(n) ____________. a. production/service team b. project/development team c. action/negotiation team d. advice/involvement team

d (advice/involvement team)

It can be said of AA procedures that________. a. they may be voluntary b. they may be court-imposed c. they may establish specific hiring goals d. all of the above

d (all of the above)

Laws and regulations seek to provide special protections to employees including ___________. a. employment standards b. individual rights c. consistency of treatment d. all of the above

d (all of the above)

Merit principles and public sector staffing practices emphasize ________. a. open announcement of all vacancies b. limits on discretion in the final hiring process c. rights of applicants to appeal the hiring decision d. all of the above

d (all of the above)

Skills contained in O*Net include ______________. a. basic skills b. cross-functional skills c. sensory abilities d. all of the above

d (all of the above)

Which of the following is true regarding EEO laws? a. State (but not local) government employees are immune from lawsuits by employees who allege violation of ADA or ADEA. b. States must pursue age and disability discrimination claims under applicable state laws. c. A foreign company which is owned or controlled by an American employer and is doing business overseas generally also must comply with Title VII, the ADA, and the ADEA. d. All of the above

d (all of the above)

Deficiency error would not indicate a failure to __________. a. measure some portion of the attribute of interest b. adequately define the attribute of interest c. construct a proper measure of the totality of the attribute d. calculate the standard deviation

d (calculate the standard deviation)

"Stability" as applied to a job rewards matrix is relevant to __________. a. intrinsic rewards only b. extrinsic rewards only c. management rewards only d. changes in rewards

d (changes in rewards)

Which of the following could harm an organization's legal defense in an EEO/AA case? a. Written job descriptions b. Large sample sizes employed in job analysis c. Emphasis mostly on primary tasks d. Emphasis mostly on secondary tasks

d (emphasis mostly on secondary tasks)

Which of the following statements about measurement is not correct? a. It assigns numbers to objects. b. It is based on rules determined in advance. c. It measures the object not the attribute. d. It measures constructs. e. None of the above.

d (it measures constructs)

The smallest unit into which work can be divided without analyzing separate motions, movements and mental processes is the best description of a(n) _____________. a. job family b. position c. job task d. job element

d (job element)

Enforcement mechanisms used by the OFCCP _________. a. rarely involve employer site visits b. are identical to those used by the EEOC c. are unrelated to specific AA plans d. may involve conciliation agreements

d (may involve conciliation agreements)

The most appropriate measure of central tendency for nominal data is the______. a. mean b. median c. standard deviation d. mode

d (mode)

Regarding the person/job match model, ________. a. staffing is only concerned with the job requirements-KSAO portion of the match b. job requirements should be expressed in terms of only tasks involved and not KSAOs c. It applies only to tasks that have been identified and written down d. none of the above are correct

d (none of the above are correct)

Which of the following is true regarding H-1B visas? a. Employers may apply for permanent H-1B visas for foreign workers. b. There is a cap of 50,000 workers per year who can obtain such visas. c. H-1B visa holders may not change jobs as soon as their employer files an approval petition and they are restricted to their current geographic area. d. None of the above

d (none of the above)

Content validation is most appropriate when _____________. a. reliability is too high b. sample size is large c. criterion measures are readily available d. sample size is too small for criterion validity calculation

d (sample size is too small for criterion validity calculation)

Due process rights have their primary source in_________. a. EEOC guidelines b. federal statutes c. state statutes d. the U.S. Constitution Amendments

d (the US Constitution Amendments)

Where reasonable accommodations for disabled individuals are concerned, it can be said that ________. a. accommodation is always required for an otherwise qualified individual b. specific examples of accommodations are rarely indicated in laws and regulations c. the issue of "undue hardship" to the employer is not addressed by the law d. the need to accommodate often hinges on whether or not a given job function is necessary or essential

d (the need to accommodate often hinges on whether or not a given job function is necessary or essential)

The proper test to determine that a given sample correlation is statistically significant as an estimate of a correlation in a population is the__________. a. z score b. standard deviation c. squared correlation coefficient d. the t test

d (the t test)

Where adverse impact is concerned, the initial burden of proof lies______. a. with the defendant b. with the court c. equally with the court and the federal agency d. with the plaintiff

d (with the plaintiff)

A complete lack of correlation between two variables is expressed by a correlation coefficient of __________. a. .50 b. 1.00 c. -1.00 d. zero

d (zero)

age discrimination in employment act (1967)

private employers with 20 or more employees federal, state, and local governments, employment agencies labor unions (prohibited discrimination) age (40 and over)

Concerning adverse impact cases related to the Civil Rights Acts (1964, 1991), _____________. a. the plaintiff must show disparate impact for each specific staffing practice b. the plaintiff need only show adverse impact for the combined effect of two or more staffing practices c. staffing practices that do not cause disparate impact are considered to be illegal d. failure on the part of the employer to rebut alleged adverse impact of a practice does not mean the practice is illegal

a (the plaintiff must show disparate impact for each specific staffing practice)

Regarding the use of tests in staffing, it can be said that _______. a. they are permitted by law b. they are illegal c. they should be adjusted by protected characteristics to be fair d. they should be "race normed" for fairness

a (they are permitted by law)

The type of jobs in which "there are clear lines of demarcation between jobs in terms of both tasks and KSAOs and there is little overlap between jobs on either basis" is called a(n) ________________. a. traditional job b. evolving job c. flexible job d. team-based job

a (traditional job)

Which of the following is an advantage of using job task questionnaires? a. Use with large numbers of people b. Highly diverse job content and formats c. Working with top management positions d. Working with newly created jobs

a (use with large numbers of people)

Which of the following levels of statistical significance would provide the most confidence that a sample correlation coefficient would not be interpreted as having a relationship in the population, when, in fact, there is no such relationship? a. .10 b. .50 c. .01 d. .05

c (.01)

Which of the following is(are) NOT true regarding employment contracts? a. They may consist of a written agreement. b. They may consist of an oral agreement. c. They are always extensive regarding terms and conditions of employment. d. An example of an employment contract is a collective bargaining agreement.

c (They are always extensive regarding terms and conditions of employment)

If tasks/dimensions are not weighted formally, then _________. a. the job description has no value b. AA non-compliance will result c. all tasks/dimensions are assessed as equally important by default d. pay scales cannot be developed

c (all tasks/dimensions are assessed as equally important by default)

Which of the following is not an example of an extrinsic reward? a. Pay b. Promotion c. Autonomy d. Fringe benefits

c (autonomy)

Applicant stock statistics for groups under analysis require calculation of percentages for __________. a. unemployed workers b. measures of content validity c. availability in the population d. the reliability of a measure

c (availability in the population)

The legal status of seniority and merit systems is that ________. a. seniority is legal b. merit systems are legal. c. both are legal d. both are illegal

c (both are legal)

A nominal scale of measurement has _________. a. rank order b. an absolute true zero point c. classification by categories d. equal differences between points on a scale of measurement

c (classification by categories)

Which of the following is a type of validity? a. test-retest b. coefficient alpha c. criterion d. parallel forms

c (criterion)

The case for validity generalization across situations becomes stronger if ____. a. correlation coefficients are negative b. the standard error of measurement is large c. differences in method and statistical differences are controlled d. reliability is low

c (differences in method and statistical differences are controlled)

Sentence analysis technique is an aid to ___________. a. writing the job summary b. describing the KSAOs c. drafting precise task statements d. describing the job context

c (drafting precise task statements)

The type of job which changes due to technological and workload changes is called a(n) ____________. a. traditional job b. flexible job c. evolving job d. idiosyncratic job

c (evolving job)

Executive Order 11246 covers __________. a. local government employers b. private employers with under 15 employees c. federal contractors with contracts in excess of $10,000 d. private employers with 20 or more employees

c (federal contractors with contracts in excess of $10,000)

The ___________ is composed of more peripheral workers who are used on an as-needed, just-in-time basis. a. core workforce b. high performance workforce c. flexible workforce d. none of the above

c (flexible workforce)

According to the overall staffing organizations model, an example of a(n) HR functional activity is _______. a. HR strategy and planning b. job analysis c. internal recruitment d. none of the above

c (internal recruitment)

The essence of a BFOQ is that __________. a. it is always illegal b. it reduces discrimination c. it justifies discrimination based on reasonable necessity of the job d. it prohibits selection through use of a protected characteristic (e.g., gender)

c (it justifies discrimination based on reasonable necessity of the job)

Which of the following is a component of a job requirements matrix? a. Job tenure b. Job pay c. Job context d. Job appraisal

c (job context)

focuses on the effect of employment practices, rather tan on the motive or intent underlying them

disparate impact (adverse impact)

allegations of intentional discrimination in which the employer knowingly and deliberately discriminated against people on the basis of specific characteristics such as race or sex

disparate treatment (evidence must be direct, the situation may not involve such blatant action but may consist of what is referred to as a mixed motive, the discrimination may be such that evidence of a failure to hire or promote because of a protected characteristic must be inferred from several situational factors

types of disparate impact statistics

flow statistics (significant differences in selection rates between groups) stock statistics (under utilization of women or minorities relative to their availability in the relevant population) concentration statistics (concentration of women or minorities in certain job categories)