Chapter 8: Managing Human Resources
Workers' compensation
Provides financial support to employees suffering a work-related injury or condition
Social Security
Provides financial support to retirees
Unemployment insurance
Provides financial support to terminated employees
Samar is conducting an interview with a job candidate. He asks some questions based on information provided in the cover letter. He also asks the interviewee to tell him about a difficult work situation and how the candidate resolved it to compare the response with other interviewees' responses. Which of the following best describes the type of interview Samar is conducting?
Structured and unstructured
Which of the following statements about personality tests is true?
They are difficult to defend in court.
The function of selection is to ______.
determine which candidates to hire
Jorge works for a large insurance company. He recently found out that the company is restructuring and laying off nearly 1,000 employees from all levels of the organization. Jorge's company is ______.
downsizing
______ refers to laying off large numbers of managerial and other employees.
downsizing
A(n) ______ strike occurs when workers go on strike to compel management to agree with their terms
economic
Recruiting may be ______.
either internal or external
True or false: Reward systems can serve the strategic purposes of planning, selecting, and recruiting people.
false
It is important to conduct reference checks on potential employees because ______.
it can be unwise to rely solely on the words of the candidates
Chandranae is interested in a job at the hospital. She wants to know the tasks she would be performing on a daily basis and what her responsibilities would be. Chandranae is looking for a(n) ______
job description
Which of the following is the traditional source of performance appraisal information?
managers
When giving performance feedback, the manager must be ______ and able to make tough decisions.
objective
______ training is designed to introduce new employees to the company and familiarize them with policies, procedure, and culture.
orientation
Lashawn is a manager. He meets with one of his employees, Garrett, to talk about how Garrett has been doing in his job. Lashawn is conducting a ______.
performance appraisal
The first stage of the human resource planning process is ______.
planning
Traits
positive attitude
In situational interviews, job candidates are ______.
presented with possible job scenarios and asked how they would handle them
An organization might engage in ______ to increase the pool of candidates for a job.
recruitment
Subordinates can be a good source of information about managerial performance, but this information should not be used to determine managers' ______.
salaries
results
sales volumes
Choosing a hire from among qualified applicants is known as ______.
selection
A ______ interview focuses on hypothetical situations, whereas a behavioral description interview explores what candidates have actually done.
situational
Jehlani is at a job interview for a teaching position. She is asked how she would respond if a student misbehaves in class by throwing objects at other students then overturning his desk. Which type of interview is this?
situational
Appraisal feedback works best when it is ______.
specific and constructive
Once human resources planning is completed, human resources managers are able to focus on _____ the organization.
staffing
A benefit given to managers to align their interests with those of the company's owners is called ______.
stock options
The fastest-growing part of executive compensation comes from ______.
stock options
When managers ask all of the job applicants the same set of standard questions in an interview, this is an example of a(n) ______ interview.
structured
If a hiring manager wished to compare how different job candidates respond to the same question, the manager should use a(n) ______.
structured interview
During the HR planning stage, HR must forecast demand and also ______.
supply of labor
How many and what types of employees the organization has available to do the work is known as its ______.
supply of labor
"Get me the right kind and the right number of people at the right time." This statement refers to ______.
the human resources planning process
In a structured interview, managers ask each applicant ______.
the same standard questions
In contrast to development, which occurs at higher levels in an organization, ______ involves teaching employees how to perform their jobs and helping them acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to be effective.
training
Which of the following refers to teaching lower level employees how to perform their jobs?
training
The effort to form a union begins when a(n) ______ describes to workers the benefits they may receive by joining.
union representative
In a(n) ______ interview, the interviewer asks different interviewees different questions.
unstructured
______ interviews help the interviewer establish rapport, but they may not give insight into the candidate's qualifications.
unstructured
Akbar is being interviewed for a job. The interviewer asks Akbar for additional details regarding the skills and experiences he mentioned in his cover letter. This type of interview is likely a(n) ______.
unstructured interview
What are the two types of structured interviews?
-Behavioral description -Situational
In the United States, management and unions engage in the negotiation of an agreement for which of the following?
-Benefits -Wages -Working hours -Working conditions
Which are traits commonly measured by personality tests?
-Conscientiousness -Extraversion
The Labor-Management Relations Act, also known as the Taft-Hartley Act, accomplished several things, including which of the following?
-Defining unfair labor practices by unions -Protecting employers' free-speech rights -Permitting workers to reject a union as their representative
Which of the following are types of background checks?
-Education verification -Social security verification -Motor vehicle record check -Credit check
Which of the following people or institutions would a hiring organization contact as part of a reference check?
-Educational institutions -Former employers
Under the Equal Pay Act of 1963, "equal work" is defined as jobs that require which of the following?
-Equal skill -Equal effort -Equal responsibility
Which of the following statements about human resources management are true?
-It focuses on motivating employees. -It involves developing personnel.
A performance appraisal focuses on which of the following basic categories?
-Results -Behaviors -Traits
The staffing function consists of which of the following activities?
-Selection -Outplacement -Recruitment
Which of the following are reasons today's employees are less interested in joining unions?
-The benefits of unionization are less clear to many workers. -Workers are less likely to stay with one company all their lives. -Global competition has made managers less willing to give in to union demands.
Which of the following statements are true about job applications and résumés?
-Their appearance and the accuracy of their information are important. -They typically include educational background and work experience. -Spelling mistakes can lead to immediate disqualification.
Which of the following are reasons that structured interviews may be a better predictor of job reliance than unstructured interviews?
-They are more likely to be free of bias and stereotypes. -They are based on job analysis for the position.
What are the three basic employee benefits offered to every employee as required by law?
-Unemployment insurance -Social Security -Workers' compensation
Which are two critical issues related to the testing methods used in the selection of employees?
-Validity -Reliability
The three stages in the HR planning process include which of the following?
-planning -programming -evaluating
The 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on which categories?
-race -sex -religion
What types of resources are required for an organization to achieve a competitive advantage?
-rare -inimitable -organized -valuable
The formal assessment of an employee's job performance is known as a performance ______.
appraisal
Reward systems can serve the strategic purpose of ______, motivating, and retaining people.
attracting
A union representative distributes ______ that permit workers to indicate whether they want an election to certify the union.
authorization cards
Alessia works in human resources. She and her team are looking over organizational plans and determining the number of labor-hours it will take to run the company's new factory. Alessia and her team are working on a ______.
demand forecast
One difficult part of human resources planning is trying to determine how many and what type of people are needed in an organization. This is known as a ______.
demand forecast
The essential tasks, duties, and responsibilities involved in performing a job are known as the job ______.
description
Planning
Ensuring that the right number and types of people are available
Which law prohibits unequal pay for men and women who perform equal work?
Equal Pay Act of 1963
A ______ check might be included as part of a background check for jobs involving driving.
vehicle record
Which mandatory benefit provides financial support for employees suffering a work-related injury?
workers compensation
OSHA requires employers to pursue ______.
workplace safety
Evaluating
Determining whether human resources activities are producing the results needed to contribute to the organization's plans
Which type of training focuses on identifying and reducing hidden biases against people with differences?
Diversity training
Which selection instruments provide basic information that helps prospective employers make a first cut through candidates?
Applications and résumés
Validity
Assesses the accuracy of the selection test
Reliability
Assesses the consistency of test scores over time
Which employment law prohibits discrimination based on race, sex, color, national origin, and religion?
Civil Rights Act
Which of the following was NOT an accomplishment of the Labor-Management Relations Act?
Creating the National Labor Relations Board
______ is a strategic activity that includes meeting an organization's staffing needs.
Human resource planning
Which of the following is essential when a company tries to compete through its people?
Human resources management
______ focuses on activities that attract, develop, and motivate people at work.
Human resources management
What is the most common type of incentive system that consists of an objective standard against which a work performance is compared?
Individual incentive plans
Which of the following compares an employee's job performance against an objective standard and makes the employee's pay contingent upon performance?
Individual incentive plans
Programming
Initiating specific human resources activities such as recruitment or training
Which type of organization is seeing the balance of power in the workplace shift away from management toward employees?
Knowledge-based companies
Which of the following is a system of relations between workers and management?
Labor relations
Which of the following requires employers to maintain records of injuries and deaths caused by workplace accidents and submit to on-site inspections?
OSHA
Labor relations describes interactions between which two groups?
Workers and management
Behaviors
always meet deadlines
