HRM701 Chapter 4 Practice Test
T/F Job analysis is an important step toward ensuring an organization's HR practices are valid and job-related.
T
What is the goal of ergonomics
to fit the job to the person
Which of the following can remedy discrepancies between the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the jobholder and the KSAs required for the job?
training
Human rights legislation requires that the specific performance requirements of a job be based on which of the following?
valid job-related criteria
"The IT specialist is responsible for the smooth running of all staff computers." The preceding is most likely an excerpt from which of the following?
a job description
Appropriate university degree, five years corporate experience, working knowledge of statistical analysis and software." The preceding is an example of which of the following?
a job specification
What is a job specification
a statement of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the job
Job design is concerned with changing, modifying, and enriching jobs in order to capture the talents of employees while improving performance. T/F
T
Job sharing is effective for employees who desire to phase in to retirement. T/F
T
Managers cite one of the reasons for implementing compressed workweek schedules is that it can improve employee job satisfaction and morale. T/F
T
T/F A statement of the different duties, tasks, and responsibilities of a job is known as a job description.
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T/F Job analysis is the process of obtaining information about jobs by determining what the duties, tasks, or activities of those jobs are.
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T/F Job design is concerned with changing, modifying, and enriching jobs in order to capture the talents of employees while improving performance.
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T/F Job design should facilitate the achievement of organizational goals while recognizing the capabilities and needs of those who are to perform it.
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T/F Job enrichment incorporates the behavioural needs of employees into their jobs.
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T/F Job enrichment is a way of increasing employee empowerment
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T/F Most job descriptions include a job title, a job identification section, and a job duties section.
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T/F The critical incident method focuses on employee behaviours critical to job success.
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T/F The job title is of psychological importance as well as descriptive.
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T/F When writing a job description, it is essential to use statements that are terse, direct, and simply worded.
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T/F: The job characteristics model suggests that the motivated, satisfied, and productive employee is one who (1) experiences meaningful work; (2) experiences responsibility for work outcomes; and (3) has a knowledge of the results of his or her work activities.
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Telecommuting is the use of personal computers, networks, and other communications technology to do work in the home that is traditionally done in the workplace. T/F
T
The critical incidents method of job analysis is based on interviewing the job incumbent/employee. T/F
T
Kirk is learning a new job by watching his co-workers and asking questions. He notices that some of his co-workers stress the importance of certain tasks, while others don't do these tasks at all. This has left Kirk somewhat stressed by what he should and should not be doing in his new role. What does Kirk need?
a job description
What is a job?
a group of related activities and duties
T/F Common methods of analyzing jobs include interviews, questionnaires, observation, and diaries.
T
What is the most important difference between competency-based analysis and all other forms of job analysis discussed in the text?
Competency-based analysis is better at keeping pace with the quickly changing nature of work.
T/F Discrepancies between knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) and job requirements provide clues to training needs.
T
Adjustments in work schedules are considered to be a part of job analysis and job design. T/F
F
All group-based work techniques have two things in common: enhancing communication and increasing synergy. T/F
F
At Eastman Kodak Company, teams are responsible for manufacturing entire product lines. This type of team is referred to as a "task force." T/F
F
Employee interviewing is the most accurate method of job analysis because the employee is least likely to exaggerate essential job functions. T/F
F
Employee involvement groups (EIs) are groups of highly trained individuals using consensus decision making to perform independent job tasks and solve problems. T/F
F
Employees participate in flextime when they do entirely different jobs on a rotating schedule. T/F
F
In the job characteristics model, skill variety refers to the amount of freedom held by the employee to schedule work and perform activities.T/F:
F
Industrial engineering is a technique of job design that is concerned with efficiency and behavioural considerations of a job. T/F
F
Job specifications describe the duties, tasks, and responsibilities performed on the job and therefore play a key role in performance appraisal. T/F
F
T/F A job consists of different duties and responsibilities performed by one person.
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T/F A problem with job descriptions is that they tend to broaden the scope of activities performed by a jobholder.
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T/F Human resource information systems have limited potential to impact the job analysis process.
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T/F Job analysis is now considered outdated because it can't keep up with the current state of change in today's fast-paced work world.
F
Which of the following best captures the main difference between job analysis and job design?
Job analysis is the study of jobs as currently performed; job design is concerned with changing job structures to improve efficiency.
What factors should be considered in designing a job
Job design is concerned with structuring jobs to improve organizational efficiency and employee job satisfaction. Considerations should include (1) the organizational objectives the job was created to fulfill; (2) industrial engineering considerations, including ways to make the job technologically efficient; (3) ergonomic concerns, including workers' physical and mental capabilities; and (4) employee contributions reflected in the participation of employees in making job improvements or enhanced operational decisions.
T/F An example of a job-related specification might be to require three to five years experience for a job as senior compensation analyst.
T
In employee involvement groups, which of the following is crucial?
Managers must evaluate group recommendations before implementation.
In which of the following situations would a job design be recommended?
New technology has drastically changed the way that work is done in a manufacturing plant shop floor and employees are finding there is a lot more spare time.
Adding more meaningful tasks to an employee's job in an effort to make it more rewarding is an example of job enrichment. T/F
T
As a manager, if you designed a job so that an employee could perform the job from beginning to end according to the job characteristics model, you would be creating task identity.T/F:
T
Employee empowerment grows in an organizational culture that promotes satisfaction, support, and recognition. T/F
T
Empowerment encourages employees to become innovators and managers of their own workT/F:
T
Inherent in the concept of work teams is that employees, not managers, are in the best position to contribute to work performance. T/F
T
Which of the following is an important limitation of relying on job descriptions?
They tend to narrow the scope of activities of the jobholder
Which of the following is an example of a job specification?
To be a grocery store cashier, you need to know how to work a cash register, know the rules of the store, and know basic math.
What do you call the type of work schedule in which employees can adjust their daily starting and quitting times, provided that they work a certain number of hours per day or week?
a flextime arrangement
Which of the following is an example of an employee involvement group?
a group of employees who meet weekly to brainstorm a sequel to a popular product line
What is a position?
the different duties and responsibilities performed by one employee
What is the job analysis technique that is worker-oriented and covers 194 different tasks?
the position analysis questionnaire
T/F Job design considers organizational objectives, industrial engineering considerations, ergonomic concerns, and job descriptions.
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T/F Job enrichment can improve employee performance in cases of dissatisfaction with pay and benefits.
F
T/F Job specifications usually cover two areas: (1) the skill required to perform the job and (2) the level of autonomy inherent in the position
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T/F Relying on generic job descriptions tends to reduce role ambiguity.
F
T/F The competency-based approach to job analysis focuses on standard job duties, tasks, and the like.
F
T/F There are many methods of job analysis and many different ways of compiling the data, but all of the methods rely on some form of employee/job incumbent interview.
F
T/F To promote uniformity across organizations, the National Occupational Classification should be used as the sole source for classifying jobs.
F
T/F Ultimately, the purpose of job analysis is to value a job and establish its pay rate.
F
T/F: The real advantage of job enrichment is that it applies to all employees.
F
The standard format for job descriptions is contained in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles. T/F
F
What is the role of job analysis in HRM, and how does it relate to other HRM functions?
Job analysis involves a systematic process of obtaining information about jobs to determine the duties, tasks, and activities involved in the job. This information is useful in a variety of HRM functions including recruitment, selection, training, development, performance appraisal, compensation, and labour relations. Job analysis permits HR managers to identify job specifications or qualifications required by the job. This information enables recruiters to target sources that are most likely to generate qualified candidates. It also allows HR managers to design appropriate selection programs. Information provided by job analysis may identify discrepancies between the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the jobholder and the requirements contained in the specifications for the job. This can provide clues about training and development needs. Job analysis reveals the requirements of a job and can serve as a basis for developing criteria to be used in performance evaluation and determining the relative worth of a job. Job descriptions generated by job analysis also allow the organization to identify those jobs subject to union jurisdiction.
Which of the following is the best advice for "virtual teams" to be successful?
Team members should be selected based on certain personal characteristics such as a collaborative mindset
Which of the following organizational situations is most likely to result in employees who feel empowered?
The employees have access to sensitive information so they can make more informed decisions about their work.
What is most important reason that job analysis is considered the cornerstone of HRM?
The information it collects serves so many HRM functions
If the criteria used to evaluate employee performance are vague and not job related, which of the following is the most likely result?
The organization can suffer productivity losses.
Which of the following is most likely to result in a successful telecommuting situation?
The telecommuters are expected to attend regular on-site meetings and are trained in technical aspects of telecommuting
What kind of team uses advanced computer and telecommunications technology to link team members who are geographically dispersed?
a virtual team
Which of the following factors does Herzberg describe as key to enriching jobs?
achievement, recognition, growth, responsibility, and performance of the whole job
According to the work of Herzberg, managers can enrich the jobs of employees through which of the following?
adding more responsibility to jobs
Which of the following terms refers to the degree to which a job has substantial freedom, independence, and discretion for an individual in determining work schedules and procedures?
autonomy
Which of the following terms refers to an analysis in which the emphasis is placed on characteristics of successful performers rather than standard duties?
competency-based analysis
Which of the following job analysis methods utilize "interviews"?
critical incidents and competency based analysis
Which of the following is most correct when it comes to job analysis?
more information about the job is always better
Team synergy is heightened when team members engage in behaviours such as support, active listening, consensus decision making, and which of the following?
disagreement
What two characteristics do group/team techniques have in common?
enhancing collaboration and increasing synergy
Vertical job enrichment can be best accomplished through which of the following?
forming teams that have greater authority for self-management
Employee empowerment is a technique of involving employees in their work through which of the following processes?
inclusion
In addition to creating synergy within an organization, group techniques can also do which of the following?
increase employee commitment to the organization's goals
Which of the following terms refers to systematically investigating jobs by following a number of predetermined steps specified in advance?
job analysis
An owner of a mall-based retail shop chain has asked front-line sales associates to attend a twice-yearly all-day meeting where they share ideas about possible new products, innovations, and ideas about improving work flow. Which of the following is the owner most likely attempting to implement?
job enrichment
Which of the following terms refers to any effort that makes work more rewarding or satisfying by adding more meaningful tasks to an employee's job?
job enrichment
Which of the following is an organizational benefit of job sharing?
less absenteeism
Which of the following is an important drawback of allowing employees to telecommute?
less creativity due to loss of workplace synergies
According to the job characteristics model, what three psychological states of a jobholder result in motivated, satisfied, and productive employees?
meaningfulness of work, responsibility for outcomes, and knowledge of work results
Which of the following is an organizational benefit of job sharing?
reduced turnover
Which of the following can result from generically written job descriptions?
role ambiguity
Which of the following is an accurate description of the five core job dimensions of Hackman and Oldham's job characteristics model?
skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback
What is the core job dimension that describes the degree to which a job has a substantial impact on the lives or work of other people?
task significance
Which of the following refers to a volume compiled by the Canadian federal government that contains standardized and comprehensive descriptions of approximately 25,000 occupational titles?
the National Occupational Classification
Sally is interviewing an employee, asking him to describe his job, how it is performed, what work is done, and what tools and equipment are used. What style of job analysis is Sally performing?
the critical incidents style of job analysis
What is the main reason for organizing employee involvement groups?
to have employees use their knowledge to identify and solve organizational problems
What is the objective of the critical incident method of job analysis?
to identify critical job tasks
What is the ultimate purpose of job analysis?
to increase performance and productivity of the organization