Chapter 10 Interactive Presentations

Janeen's elderly mother had a minor stroke and now lives with Janeen and her husband. Janeen has approached the HR manager at her company, asking to be able to work from home two days per week so that she can care for her mother. This is an example of which of the following challenges facing HRM?

A growing need for job flexibility to accommodate health care, elder care and child care issues

As Director of Human Resources, Carlos needs to know the "language" of human resources. Which of the following statements best describes the differences between a job description and a job specification?

A job description outlines the job's objectives and the worker's daily responsibilities, while a job specification outlines the characteristics and requirements a person must have in order to qualify for the position.

The process of establishing and maintaining contacts with key managers in your own and other organizations, and using those contacts to weave strong relationships that serve as informal development systems is called

networking.

When employees are hired at Hamilton University, they are required to complete a _______ period of 90 days. During this period, both the employer and the employee have the opportunity to decide if the new hire is a good "fit."

probationary

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

prohibits discrimination in hiring, firing, compensation, apprenticeships, training, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment based on race, religion, creed, age, sex, or national origin.

Formulated by Dr. Laurence J. Peter, the Peter Principle states that

"in a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence."

When it comes to hiring, promotions, benefits and so on, older workers are protected from discrimination based on their age by the

Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA).

Which of the following is NOT a step in the selection process?

Conducting an employment analysis

Quincy has just been hired as the HR manager at a network engineering firm. He needs to hire 15 new engineers within the next 90 days. Which of the following recruiting methods would be the logical first place for him to look?

Current employee pool

Which of the following actions would best describe the first step in the performance appraisal process?

Effective parameters for judging employee performance are established in accordance with all laws and regulations

Human resource management (HRM) has evolved over the past few decades. Which of the following statements best describes the new role HRM has taken?

Human resource managers work together with departmental supervisors and top management in dealing with one of a business's most important assets—its people.

Which of the following statements about the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the most accurate?

It prohibits discrimination based on race, religion, creed, sex or national origin when it comes to issues such as hiring, firing and compensation.

_______ is the process of gathering information and deciding who should be hired, under legal guidelines, for the best interests of the individual and the organization.

Selection

HRM will face serious challenges in the future. Which of the following statements about human resource management challenges is the most accurate?

Younger workers are often less loyal to their employers than those in previous generations, so employee retention is an increasing challenge for HRM.

At Methodist Hospital, nurses work four 10-hour shifts each week instead of five 8-hour shifts. This is an example of

a compressed workweek.

An evaluation in which the performance level of employees is measured against established standards to make decisions about promotions, compensation, additional training, or termination is called

a performance appraisal.

A policy or program that seeks to counter past discrimination against minorities through active measures to ensure equal opportunity is known as

affirmative action.

A firm that wants to reduce its office costs and have employees call in sick less often could

allow telecommuting where possible.

The job _______ results in two written statements: one that specifies the responsibilities, duties and working conditions of the job, and the other setting forth the minimal education and skills required to do the job.

analysis

Most union electricians launch their careers by enrolling in a(n) _______ program, which combines on-the-job training with classes taught by experienced electricians.

apprentice

Instead of offering the same benefit package to every employee, Cassandra's company allows her to choose whether she wants day care or health care, a gym membership, or an extra week of vacation. Cassandra's employee benefits package is part of a(n) _______ plan.

cafeteria

Workers who do not have the expectation of steady, full-time employment are called ________ workers

contingent

The first step in human resource planning is to

create an inventory of the organization's employees.

As production manager at Hill Manufacturing, Jackson's job requires him to track production scheduling and costs, make any necessary adjustments to the process, and coordinate the receiving of raw materials and the shipping of final goods. Since Jackson accomplishes these tasks on a daily basis, they would be listed as part of his job

description.

One important reason for a firm to implement a policy of holding exit interviews is to

determine the reasons for voluntary termination.

When new employees start work at Nickles Manufacturing, the HR manager introduces them to the organization, their fellow workers, and supervisors and goes over the policies, practices and mission of the firm. This process is called

employee orientation.

One of the most difficult steps in effective performance appraisal is

establishing performance standards that are reasonable, understandable and measurable.

Advertisements, employment agencies, college placement offices, online resume-posting services and industry referrals are good ________ sources that can be used in the recruiting efforts of a firm.

external

The plan that gives employees some ability to adjust when they work, along with a predetermined core work time to meet high demand times is called

flextime

Sick-leave pay, vacation pay, pension plans, and health plans are a part of a company's

fringe benefits.

Janet and Jacinda teach a second-grade class at Randolph Elementary School. Janet teaches the class on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Jacinda teaches the class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This is an example of

job rotation.

As a NASA pilot, Serena regularly practices piloting the space shuttle in a computerized setting that duplicates the sights, sounds and experiences of the real control rooms under space flight conditions. To train for her future space flights, Serena uses

job simulation.

All of the following are functions of human resource management EXCEPT

material resource planning

An experienced employee who supervises, coaches, and guides lower-level employees by introducing them to the right people and generally being their organizational sponsor is referred to as a(n)

mentor.

One of the advantages that a small business may have in recruiting top talent is that it can offer employees

more responsibility and authority in a shorter time period.

The set of activities used to obtain a sufficient number of the right people at the right time in order to select those who best meet the needs of the organization is called

recruitment.

All of the following are reasons to use contingent workers EXCEPT

reducing training needs.

The exclusion of a member of a majority class not commonly discriminated against, to compensate for the traditional discrimination against a minority member is known as

reverse discrimination

All of the following are important reasons for developing an effective compensation and benefits program EXCEPT

rewarding all employees equally regardless of their contribution.

A common method of compensating teams is

skill-based pay.

Most four-year universities require a full-time tenure-track faculty member to possess a Ph.D. This educational requirement would be stated in the job _______ for the position.

specification

With the flatter corporate structure of today's organizations, the trend is for workers to

transfer to a new position within the company, rather than move up.

The last step in the performance appraisal process is to

use the results to make decisions about promotion, compensation, additional training, or termination.

In the coming years, human resource management (HRM) will encounter challenges due to the many changes the economy will face such as globalization and the shift from a manufacturing-based economy to a service-based one. One such challenge that will be faced by HRM is

a shortage of skilled labor in certain industries.