Human Resource Management
By law, what is the minimum percentage of assets that an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) must invest in its company's stock?
51%
Erika is a marketing manager at a local equipment manufacturer. She knows that saving for college for her 5-year-old twin boys is a challenge. Her employer recently implemented a college tuition plan that lets parents and other family members defer taxes on their contributions to the plan. What is the type of plan being implemented?
529 savings plan
Garin is an HR manager preparing a message to his company's employees, explaining the company's new policy of valuing diversity. Which statement should he use to express the best business case for valuing diversity?
A diverse workforce makes the company more competitive by providing insights into its diverse customers
Information from observers should be used as a supplement to information from incumbents. Identify the statement that is most likely to support this argument.
Incumbents provide accurate information, but they may have an incentive to exaggerate what they do to appear more valuable to the organization.
Which statement best expresses the reason why orientation programs for new employees are valuable to employers?
Employees starting a new job need to become familiar with job tasks and learn the organization's policies and procedures.
Which statement is true about standard hour plans?
Employees want the extra money more than they want to work at a pace that feels comfortable.
Dino Inc., a marketing firm, has employees who work in different cities in different time zones around the country. They coordinate their work efficiently with the help of technology, such as videoconferencing, mobile phones, and e-mail, for the production of marketing activities. Which statement is true of Dino Inc.?
It encourages virtual teams.
Which statement is true of the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)?
It is relatively complex, and an employee must have the reading level of a college graduate to be able to complete it.
Which of the following best describes needs assessment?
It is the process of evaluating the organization, individual employees, and employees' tasks to determine what kinds of training are necessary.
What is a characteristic of task analysis?
It is usually conducted along with person analysis.
Identify the correct statement about succession planning.
It provides a set of developmental experiences that managers must complete to be considered for top management positions.
Paytonics Inc., a microchip manufacturing company, is hiring for the position of marketing manager for its new division. Patrick, the HR manager, considers the requirements of the job, including the necessary knowledge, level of proficiency, enduring capabilities, and other personality traits, such as persistence or motivation to achieve. Which document includes these considerations to help Patrick in selecting a candidate?
Job Specification
Isabella has joined the HR department of PLT Inc. as an intern. The organization plans on giving all newly hired site engineers copies of their job descriptions to help them understand what the organization expects of them. Isabella has been given the task of conducting job analyses and creating job descriptions for the site engineers. What should Isabella consider while creating the job descriptions?
Job descriptions contain detailed specifications of the tasks involved in carrying out each duty.
What is the drawback of stock ownership as a form of incentive pay?
Financial benefit mostly come when the employee leaves the organization.
A feature of an effective incentive pay plan is that it should
Have performance measures linked to the organization's goals.
What should employees typically do to earn bonuses under the Scanlon plan?
They should keep labor costs to a minimum and produce as much as possible with the amount of labor.
An OSHA compliance officer visited the warehouse of CAM Worldwide to conduct an inspection. The inspector found several safety violations related to items that could tip over and fall. She discussed these violations with CAM Worldwide's facility supervisor and human resource manager. What is most likely to happen next?
OSHA gives the company a time frame within which to correct the violations.
Phineas Corp. has made a name for itself by following long-standing methods to manufacture wooden furniture. Recently, competitors using more modern technology have appeared in the furniture market, and Phineas has found its business suffering as a result. Using a TQM approach, what might help Phineas Corp. improve?
Phineas should create an atmosphere that promotes innovation.
Piecework rate plans are most suited for
Production Workers
Which incentive plan would enable its employees to think like owners, taking a broad view of what they need to do in order to make the organization more effective?
Profit Sharing
What is a challenge associated with an outsourcing strategy?
Quality-control problems
__________ influence the kinds of job applicants an organization reaches.
Recruitment sources
Prime Computing, an auditing firm, purchases a management information system called Gamma Dot. Most of Prime Computing's employees are unfamiliar with the functional aspects of Gamma Dot, and management decides to approach external trainers to train its employees. Melinda, the company's training coordinator, is tasked with finding suitable trainers. Melinda sends an e-mail, with a document outlining the company's training requirements, to multiple vendors and asks them to provide suitable trainer profiles and cost quotes. What is the document called that Melinda sends out to training vendors?
Request for proposal
Executive pay at Ashcroft Inc., a manufacturing company, includes bonuses based on the year's profits or other measures related to the organization's goals. Sometimes, to gain tax advantages, the bonus is made part of executives' retirement plans. What is being exemplified in this scenario?
Short-term incentive
At All County Auto, managers encourage employees to receive training and praise them when they demonstrate new skills. Employees are excited about how learning helps them succeed at work and take on more responsibility. Which aspect of readiness for training does this example describe?
Social support.
Matthew, a human resource manager at a manufacturing company, recommends that the company use the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) for conducting job analysis. Which statement best supports Matthew's recommendation?
The PAQ considers the whole work process, from inputs through outputs.
StrongSkills Consulting tests its salespeople on listening skills and then implements a training program to teach all of them to be better listeners. At the conclusion of the last training session, it conducts a posttest to measure listening skills again. Based on the results, the training manager reports that the training program increased listening skills by a significant amount. Which statement represents the main weakness in the manager's conclusion?
The actual impact of the training can only be evaluated by comparing the performance of employees who underwent training and those who did not.
DJ is a new father. His company helps DJ by collecting information about the cost and quality of available child care. What is true of the child care benefits provided by DJ's company?
The child care benefits provided by the company is at the lowest level of involvement.
Motorama, an automobile manufacturing company, had the largest number of its employees in the manufacturing sector last year. Instead of hiring more employees, the company decided to invest heavily in training its employees on automotive maintenance and design. Which belief has most likely led the company to make this decision?
The employees are the source of the company's success or failure.
An organization employs Roger, a bilateral amputee, to work as a research analyst. When Lauren, the organization's chief advisor, becomes aware of this, she argues that the organization is going to experience legal challenges. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, which statement will strengthen Lauren's argument?
The organization switches to a risk-based policy after hiring Rick.
The employees at Foster Center acknowledge that their supervisor is excellent at his work and that he has received many accolades during his 40-year career. However, they claim he is a dysfunctional manager. When confronted, the supervisor argues that his work should speak for itself and the employees' opinions of his behavior are irrelevant. Which statement, if true, would support the employees' claim?
The supervisor often discourages employees from challenging tasks, saying that they are incapable of accomplishing them.
Phono Inc. has a benefits package that includes paid vacations and sick leave. The human resource manager proposes shifting this time into a bank of paid time off. What would be an advantage of this change?
employees have more flexibility and privacy for their personal matters
Job enrichment differs from job rotation in that job enrichment
empowers workers by adding more decision-making authority to their jobs.
Instabin Inc., a company in the recycling business, has revamped its management and business criteria. It has also added new objectives that would require recruitment of new and skilled labor. The responsibility of identifying the numbers and the kinds of employees lies with the HR department of the firm. This responsibility of the HR department is known as
human resource planning
In the feedback step of the career management process, the employee is primarily responsible for
identifying what skills he/she could realistically develop in light of the opportunities available.
Sabrina, a production manager at Orrin Co., needs to measure the performance of 12 of her subordinates. She divides the number of employees into categories like exceptional, above average, average, and below average. She assigns a certain percentage of employees to each category to determine the quality of their performances. In the context of methods for measuring performance, Sabrina is using the _____ method.
forced-distribution
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
According to the SHRM competency model, which competency is part of the interpersonal cluster?
global and cultural effectiveness
Besides a discussion of the employee's past behavior, what other topic(s) are most important to include in a performance feedback meeting?
goal setting and a decision about when to follow up
Team awards differ from group bonuses in that they
are more likely to use a broad range of performance measures.
Which action during the selection process would be illegal under the equal employment opportunity laws?
asking candidates how close they are to retirement age
The controversial practice that treats a range of scores as being similar and thus allows employers to give preference to underrepresented groups within these similar scores is known as
banding
Beyond Space Aeronautics is developing a profit-sharing plan. Ben, the human resource manager, assumes the employees are excited to participate in this start-up company's success. However, a supervisor tells Ben about anxiety surrounding a rumor that employees will lose money if the company has a bad year. How should Ben address this problem with employee morale?
by conducting meetings to teach about profit sharing and how employees will benefit
Miller Inc. is a large corporation preparing to acquire GrowIt, a start-up business. Miller has many policies and procedures based on years of experience. Employees at GrowIt are used to figuring out the best practices as they go along. How can Miller's HR professionals help the company prepare for the acquisition to succeed in spite of these differences?
by identifying the differences and developing employees' skills in conflict resolution
Payton was recently dismissed from her job in a hardware store. She had often been late for work, and she was so unresponsive to customers' needs that the store had received several complaints about her. Furthermore, she frequently complained about policies and procedures. A week after Payton's dismissal, the store's manager learned that Payton intended to sue the company for wrongful dismissal. She was saying she had complained of management's misdeeds, so the company retaliated. How should the human resource department have prepared the company for this situation?
by setting up a performance management system that documents employee performance problems
Which term refers to a detailed description of a situation that trainees analyze and discuss and is designed to develop higher-order thinking skills?
case study
QFV International has a goal to lower the cost of employee benefits. Its human resource department compares the costs of its benefits with averages published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and other sources. The investigation shows that its cost for workers' compensation insurance is high relative to other companies. Which action could best help QFV International accomplish its goal?
improve safety to lower the company's experience rating
Managers are most likely to support training if
it will solve a significant problem.
The specific ways in which human resource professionals support an organization's strategy vary according to
their level of involvement and the nature of the strategy.
Janine, a trainer at Keller Inc., wants to find out how many candidates moved from the initial interview stage to the training selection stage in the past month. To find out, she needs to compare the
yield ratios
Angor, a manager at Primely Co., is asked by his manager to rate his subordinates' performances. He needs to rate 30 employees on a scale that ranges from 1 to 10. He rates 25 employees with a score of 8. In doing so, Angor commits a rating error. In the context of types of rating errors, Angor's mistake is called
leniency
Xeon Inc., a maker of chocolate products, assigns its packaging and labeling to First Choice U.S.A., a firm that specializes in packaging and labeling other companies' products. Which HRM practice is Xeon Inc. using in this scenario?
outsourcing
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act protects only those workers who are over the age of
over 40
Jordan is the human resource manager at a poultry-processing facility with 75 employees. He just received a call saying that an OSHA inspector has arrived at the facility. What can Jordan expect the company will need to do first?
provide the inspector with records of any deaths, injuries, and illnesses
For assessment to work efficiently, an employee must be
provided suggestions to improve his or her weak skills.
Which term refers to a combination of employee characteristics and positive work environment that permit training?
readiness for training
Jill is a recruiter for Kinnack Inc. When she interviews job candidates, she works hard to provide background information about the job's positive and negative qualities. She aims to be sure every detail is accurate, so that any employees hired will feel they got what they expected and will want to stay on with the company. Jill's behavior is an example of providing a
realistic job preview
Ken, an HR manager at Colonial Corp., wishes to design jobs that do not exceed the mental capabilities and limitations of employees. To do so, Ken would most likely have to
reduce the information-processing requirements of a job.
The CEO of Workforce asked the human resource manager, May, to propose an approach to incentive pay. May proposes that the company create a gainsharing plan. What action(s) by the company will best increase the likelihood that gainsharing will succeed?
sharing data about costs and setting up time for employees to interact
In the context of HRM functions, the activities of performance management include
specifying the tasks and outcomes of a job that contribute to an organization's success.
April, a production manager at Alton Corp., needs to evaluate the performance of her employees. She asks her subordinate, Tiff, to carry out this job. Tiff uses a rating scale, which ranges from 1 to 10, to rate 50 employees. She gives a score of 3 to 39 employees. In doing so, Tiff commits a _____ error.
strictness
Which action related to benefits can best give employers an advantage in the labor market?
teaching employees about the value of their benefits
Select the method that promotes safety by determining which specific element of a job led to a past accident.
technic of operations review
The _____ approach to performance feedback is used by most managers.
tell-and-sell
Review of résumés is most valid when the content of the résumés is evaluated in
terms of the elements of a job description.
Name the agency that is responsible for tracking changes in the composition of the U.S. labor force and forecasting employment trends.
the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Titan Info Group is a software consulting firm based in Redmond. The firm uses a standardized job analysis questionnaire containing 194 questions about work behaviors, work conditions, and job characteristics that apply to a wide variety of jobs. In this scenario, Titan Info Group is using
the Position Analysis Questionnaire
Which agency is primarily responsible for enforcing the laws passed by Congress?
the executive branch of the government
How can an HR department that is considered its company's strategic partner help the company gain a competitive advantage?
By providing the needed human resources to the company and understanding the existing ones
What is the first step in performance management process?
Defining performance outcomes for company division and department
Which job analysis method requires subject-matter experts to evaluate a job in terms of abilities required to perform the job?
Fleishman Job Analysis System
What is a basic difference between job specifications and job descriptions?
Job descriptions look at a job's activities, and job specifications look at the qualities needed to do the job
What is an advantage of a qualified plan in retirement benefits?
Tax deductible contributions.
Which activity is most appropriate for the first step of the career management process?
self-assessment
Which of the following is enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission?
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
At ICS Inc., a company that deals in software products, employees regularly complain about the lack of clarity regarding the tasks they are required to perform. Often there are two employees working on overlapping tasks, while some tasks are not designated to any employee. Though employees are satisfied with the pay and work culture, this aspect of their work environment has led to a lot of conflict in the workplace. From the information provided, this complaint of the employees can be closely linked to which HR function?
Analysis and Design of work
In a company's merit pay program, an individual's compa-ratio represents
pay relative to average pay.
Most companies use _____ moves as an option for employee development.
upward, downward, and lateral
What is legally required by an organization while offering early-retirement incentives?
Ensuring there is no coercion used to force employees to retire.
Edgar, a production worker, complains to a human resource professional at his company that when he asked his supervisor for a week off to care for his son after surgery, the supervisor replied, "Can't your wife do that instead?" Which statement best summarizes what the HR professional should explain to the supervisor?
Equal employment opportunity requires that access to benefits not be limited by sex.
Rapp's Parts is a small machine shop that makes custom parts for manufacturers in the metropolitan area where it is located. For 20 years, Erin was the office assistant. She was hired to fill a position that involved keeping track of customers' orders and purchasing supplies. After Erin retired, the company hired another office assistant to perform the same tasks. Soon afterward, however, the company's owner began hearing from frustrated customers complaining that when they called the company with questions and problems, no one was taking responsibility and helping them as Erin had. What problem with job analysis is most likely to have occurred when Erin retired?
Erin took on customer service duties, but the job description didn't reflect the change.
Dylan, a vice president of human resources, recommends adding self-appraisals to the company's performance management system. The other executives wonder why, since people would certainly want to inflate scores of their own performance. Which statement best supports Dylan's idea of using self-appraisals?
Evaluating one's contributions gets employees thinking about their performance.
If two firms in one industry join to hold a greater share of the industry, it will be referred to as
Consolidation
Which statement is true about an assessment center?
At an assessment center, multiple raters or evaluators evaluate employees' performance on anumber of exercises
Russell, the new human resource manager at RTL Inc., proposes using automated systems for screening résumés of applicants. Russell claims that automated systems are better than humans at picking the right profiles. Which statement weakens Russell's claim?
Automated systems might reject qualified people who didn't use the same keywords as the job description.
Hayden is the human resource manager at Silver Corp. He clearly understands the company's strategy. He has a solid understanding of business principles, and he applies these to help the HR department contribute to Silver's success. This scenario indicates that Hayden has competency in the area of
Business acumen
Management at an IT firm is thinking of promoting Tad, a customer service representative, to the position of senior customer relationship manager. Which scenario would make the promotion less likely to happen?
Barbara has little experience in handling such a position, which would require greater responsibility.
What is a similarity between unemployment insurance benefits and workers' compensation benefits?
Both of the programs' costs depend on the organization's experience ratings.
To test the validity of a selection test for advanced widget designers, Apptastic administers the test to its current widget designers. The test results are then compared with existing measures of job performance. In this instance, what type of validation is being used by Apptastic?
Concurrent validation
Jerry loses his job during a layoff at his company. He's worried about not having access to his health insurance benefits anymore. However, his company is required to offer him the same health insurance coverage for up to 36 months following the layoff. Which federal law applies in this scenario?
Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act
Brick-n-Go, a construction firm, is in need of a construction superintendent whose primary responsibilities involve organizing, supervising, and inspecting the work of several subcontractors. Brick-n-Go administers a construction-error recognition test, where an applicant has to enter a shed that has 25 construction errors and has to record as many of these errors as can be detected. What type of validity is being established in this case?
Content validity
Evan is the human resource manager of a one-year-old technology company. The founder wants him to set up a retirement plan. Evan thinks the best approach during the company's early years would be a defined-contribution plan funded with profit-sharing dollars. Which statement best supports Evan's idea?
Contributing a share of profits gives the company more flexibility as it establishes itself
The human resource department of a consumer electronics manufacturer wants to set up a learning management system for its global sales force. This way, sales personnel can get training in new models and product lines even while on the road, and managers can ensure their employees are keeping up to date. The HR manager looks into "training systems" and identifies five top results. Which system describes a learning management system?
Crimson: a system that automates the process of administering and delivering training
All Natural Grocer hired Tim to maintain inventory records and Jenny to place orders for new inventory when stocks run low. To ensure that the warehouse can continue to function when either is on vacation, the company also trained Tim to place orders and trained Jenny to maintain inventory records. Which training method does this situation illustrate?
Cross-training
David was part of a formal mentoring program and was mentored by Angela. The mentoring sessions were conducted over a period of six weeks to improve David's communication and interpersonal skills in the workplace. The sessions, however, were unsuccessful. Which scenario, if true, would most likely have caused the failure of the mentoring sessions?
David's participation was involuntary, and he had little understanding of the details of the program.
People who apply for a vacancy without prompting from an organization are referred to as
Direct applicants
John, a senior editor at TSS News, asks Ronda, the editor-in-chief, for a sabbatical. Which statement best explains why TSS News would pay John during the sabbatical, if Ronda approves it?
During the sabbatical, John can develop new skills and refresh his existing ones.
As Monty Corp., a shoe manufacturer, grows more profitable, it wants to become more competitive as an employer in the labor market. Juliet, the human resource manager, urges the company to develop a more attractive package of benefits, rather than simply raising salaries. Which statement best supports Juliet's argument?
Employees do not pay income taxes on most benefits they receive.
Jerome is the CEO of a magazine publishing company. He wants to provide benefits for his employees but would still like to control his company's costs. Ashley, the head of the HR department, suggests implementing a cafeteria-style plan. What would be the most likely benefit of Jerome doing so?
He will avoid the cost of providing employees with benefits they don't value.
When Keenan joined Rod Riders as its human resource manager, he was surprised to hear some of the executives repeatedly laughing over stories about how the company's founder ensured that his fraternity brothers moved into management positions. According to the stories, the executives embellished the performance appraisals of these employees, which also influenced later staffing decisions. Keenan talked to some employees about performance management at Rod Riders and learned that the system was widely viewed as corrupt. What can Keenan do, besides discouraging the storytelling, to decrease the political behavior related to performance management?
He should persuade executives not to tolerate or ignore distorted ratings.
Under the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act of 1990, which guideline must employers follow when asking employees to sign early-retirement waivers?
Inform employees that they may consult with a lawyer before signing.
Jayden, a manager, is rigid with his employees and does not allow them to voice their opinions or criticisms about their superiors. On the other hand, Tonya, another manager at the same firm, encourages her subordinates to communicate with her openly. Which statement uses basic rights to argue in favor of Tonya's practice over that of Jayden's?
It engages the employees in expressing constructive criticisms and opinions.
In which condition is it an advantage when group incentives encourage competition between groups of employees?
It makes the reward more valuable by relating it to economic conditions.
Which statement best describes outsourcing?
It refers to contracting with another organization to perform a broad set of services.
Moose Tech, a software start-up, is putting together a new team to work on the marketing strategies for their expansion project. In the context of using the "Big Five" personality traits for effective team building, which employees would be good additions to a team that encourages a strong and harmonious culture and is most likely to give the best results?
Kelly is very organized; Allison is very cooperative.
Lillian is the purchasing manager at Ceramic Central, a maker of housewares. She has evaluated the first year's performance of Jason, a purchasing agent. In the evaluation, she noted that he places orders accurately, but when employees in the company ask about the status of their orders, he has difficulty finding the information for them in a timely manner. What should be the next step in performance management in this situation?
Lillian should arrange for training so Jason can learn how to look up the status of orders.
The human resource, accounting, and legal departments of Glorious Software, a company with locations in seven states plus Europe, are working together on developing a profit-sharing plan. Which option for communicating with employees about the plan would be the most practical and effective?
Post descriptions and videos on the company's intranet.
How can an organization protect itself against discrimination and unjust dismissal lawsuits?
Requirements for job success should be clearly communicated to employees.
Warm 'n Go, a leading brand in microwavable food items, prides itself on helping its employees with their career paths. The employees are highly efficient and are motivated to define areas of weakness in their job performances and work to eliminate them. The employees take various tests to help them assess their career interests and behavioral tendencies, thus helping them work on becoming successful. In this scenario, which system for career management is being employed at Warm 'n Go?
Self-assessment
The _____ is a self-assessment tool that helps employees identify their occupational and job interests.
Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory
Dina, the human resource manager at K-Pack Inc., wants to use subordinates as sources of performance appraisal information. Which statement best supports that idea?
Subordinates often have reliable information about a manager's behavior toward employees.
Lennon, the branch manager of a local bank, wants to initiate a teamwork system because he believes it will improve the performance of the branch. Which statement provides valid support for Lennon's idea?
Teamwork makes work motivating for employees and helps reduce labor costs.
Karen is a human resource specialist. To gain competency in her field, she keeps up with business news related to human resource management. One area of the news she pays attention to is coverage of the cases the Supreme Court hears each year. Why would stories about the Supreme Court be relevant for Karen's career?
The Supreme Court may issue rulings that interpret employment law.
Henry works in the HR department of an advertising firm that has recently brought in employees specializing in analysis of large volumes of data about consumer behavior. The manager to whom these analysts report does not share their knowledge of quantitative methods but wants them to develop recommendations for better decision making. Henry is supporting the department by developing a form the manager will follow in measuring the analysts' performance. What kinds of performance measures should Henry focus on?
The form should measure outcomes, such as timely and useful recommendations, because the manager will not be able to evaluate specific technical behaviors.
Spencer & Solomon, CPAs, brought in an HR consulting firm to evaluate the firm's performance management system. The firm has offices in six locations, and the manager of each location rates the office's staff members using a 5-point rating scale. After studying the appraisal results from the past three years, the consultants reported that they cannot make comparisons among the offices. What is the most likely problem?
The managers are making distributional errors, each using only part of the rating scale.
A strategic approach to selection requires ways to measure the effectiveness of selection tools. What is a basic standard for this?
The method offers practical value.
What is true of a cash balance plan?
The money earns interest at a predetermined rate, such as the rate paid on U.S. Treasury bills.
Maddie, an HR manager, is coaching a supervisor who needs to develop her leadership skills. Maddie suggests that the supervisor use performance feedback as a tool for the development of her employees. Which action would be an example of this purpose of performance feedback?
The supervisor uses performance measures to identify assignments that will help employees build on their strengths.
_____ requires that employees actually learn the content of the training program and that the necessary conditions are in place for employees to apply what they learned.
Transfer of training
Bill, an employee with the U.S. Postal Service, was deployed to Iraq to serve in the U.S. Army for two years. After the completion of his military duties, he resumed work at the post office. He was reemployed with an increase in pay. Which law protected Bill by requiring that his employer reemploy him with the seniority, status, and pay rate he would have earned if he had stayed on the job during the time of his deployment?
Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)
Which of the following is a computer-based technology that provides an interactive, three-dimensional learning experience?
Virtual reality
When BBG Inc. was preparing to roll out a new performance management system, Kayla, the human resource executive, insisted that for the new system to succeed, they must first explain it to employees. Kayla said employees need to perceive the system as fair. Why would this effort make the performance management system more effective?
When employees see performance measures as fair, they are likelier to apply the feedback.
What does a summary plan description describe?
a pension plan's funding, eligibility requirements, and risks
According to the affirmative-action plan required by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, __________ refer(s) to a plan identifying the ways in which an organization will meet its diversity goals.
action steps
Hutch Inc., a software company, uses an approach in which software developers and programmers interact directly with customers. The team asks the customers for their requirements, develops a sample, and sends it to them for feedback. The team continues production based on the feedback given by their clients. The firm spends less time on negotiating contracts and documenting processes. This scenario implies that Hutch is using which approach?
agile
The decision-making dimension of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator relates to the
amount of consideration given to others' feelings when making a decision.
The differential piece rate system refers to
an incentive pay in which the piece rate is higher when a greater amount is produced.
A human resource professional of a company exhibits the competency of business acumen when he or she
applies knowledge of how the functions of HR contribute to business success.
Organizations must communicate benefits information to employees so that they will
appreciate the value of their benefits.
The consistency between test items or problems and the kinds of situations or problems that occur in a job is known as
content validity
Luke heads the human resource department at a technology development company. There, he monitors trends of the labor markets within the industry. Studying the trends, Luke realizes the company is likely going to need more sources of employees skilled in robotics. He gathers information about the best robotics training programs in the regions where the company operates. Then he applies that information to build connections with selected schools, thereby resolving a recruitment problem before it becomes serious. This scenario illustrates Luke's competency in
critical evaluation.
Which statement is true of the Occupational Information Network (O*NET)?
designed to help job seekers to improve themselves
Tucked Inc. is an envelope manufacturer based in Fort Worth. The employees of the organization receive pay based on the amount of work produced. If the output of an employee is more than the average production volume, then the organization pays more for the work performed. In this case, which incentive is offered by Tucked Inc.?
differential piecework rate
Paul is the HR manager at FloGlow Inc., which is preparing for the launch of a new product line. The company needs to know how many new customer service representatives to add to help customers with questions and concerns about the existing and new products. To guide the company, Paul needs information about the number of employees currently providing customer service, the number likely to be in those jobs next year, and the number expected to move to other positions in the organization. The information will be easier to organize and interpret if Paul uses a(n)
electronic recruiting process
Antonio, a manager at the Colonial Inn, is training a new group of employees. After each training session, the employees complete various exercises to test their knowledge. After evaluating the results, Antonio speaks one-on-one with the employees to help them define their areas of weakness and encourage them to keep fine-tuning their strengths. In this scenario, Antonio is providing his employees with
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
Plankton Inc. determines that it needs to train 200 employees on using a new software application. Jason, the training administrator, is investigating options to find the one that will meet the company's needs within the budget available. He determines that no one at Plankton knows enough about the software to provide the training. Which plan would be most likely to achieve training objectives at the lowest cost?
having employees participate in a general outside training course for the software
According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Extroverted types (E) gain energy through
interpersonal relationships.
Which term refers to organizations that have the best possible fit between their social system and their technical system?
high-performance work systems
Taryn, an HR manager at NetHint Inc., hires employees who provide a specific set of knowledge and skills that will give her company advantage over its competitors. In the context of strategic planning, Taryn is
hiring individuals with a core competency.
When an employee evaluates his or her manager low on all performance criteria due to dissatisfaction with the manager's disposition, the employee has most likely committed a(n)
horns error
In order to cultivate a favorable picture of the organization, Shubert Group, a financial services corporation, advertises itself to potential applicants by using the slogan, "Investing in you no matter what road you take." This scenario is an example of __________ advertising.
image
Ryan, a regional manager for a leading automobile company in the United States, decides to design a manufacturing job based on the principles of industrial engineering. Following its successful implementation, which outcome should he expect?
increased efficiency
John and Nina, managers at Aderton Enterprises, want to the check the consistency of results for a performance measure that uses ratings by a supervisor. They want to know if different supervisors would rate the same behavior the same way. In the context of criteria for effective performance management, John and Nina are interested in the measure's
inerater reliability
Rebecca, a supervisor, is meeting with an employee whose performance has deteriorated since the previous year. The employee used to do the same work well, so Rebecca believes the problem is not likely to be related to ability. Which response would be most likely to help in this situation?
investigating whether the employee feels she has been treated fairly
Which statement is true of an assessment center?
it uses multiple selection methods to rate applicants on their management potential
A list of the tasks, duties, and responsibilities that a job entails is called a
job description
Deborah is an HR executive looking for a new job. She comes across an advertisement in a newspaper seeking applications for the position of an HR manager. The advertisement exclusively highlights requirements such as strong communications skills, excellent teamwork abilities, and leadership skills. These requirements constitute a
job specification
In the U.S., the amount of sick leave given to employees is often based on
length of service
Kokan Inc., a marketing company, includes stock options and stock purchase plans in executive pay. Executives at the company will want to do what is best for Kokan because that will cause the value of the stock to grow. What is being exemplified in this scenario?
long-term incentives
Bernard, the CEO of RTT Co., believes the goals of the company must be divided into smaller departmental and individual goals. The accomplishment of these smaller goals will allow employees at all levels to contribute to accomplishment of the bigger goals of the company. In the context of measuring performance results, Bernard's belief can be best justified using
management by objectives
Dino Corp. is a start-up located in Orlando. It offers highly beneficial pension plans to its employees. Which category of employees is the company most likely to attract through its pension benefits?
older people
In the context of human resource management, human capital refers to the
organization's employees, which add economic value to the company.
Samuel's Security Inc. specializes in providing round-the-clock building security services to multinational companies. Samuel's Security selects security guards, conducts background checks, provides them with uniforms and training, and schedules guards to patrol and monitor security at clients' facilities. In the work flow analysis for Samuel's, which term best describes the security services?
outputs
Trinkets Inc., a manufacturer of widgets, has entered into a contract with a third party to perform services related to processing orders, managing inventory levels, and shipping products to customers. The company is engaged in
outsourcing
Kate is the HR manager of Gunther Corp., a software company located in Chicago. She wants to establish the validity of a test designed for computer technicians using a predictive validation strategy. Accordingly, Kate must administer the test to
people applying for computer technician jobs in Gunther Corp.
As an incentive to work efficiently, some organizations pay production workers _____, a wage based on the amount they produce.
piecework rate
Jewels & Co., a watch manufacturing company, provides wages to its employees based on the number of watches the workers assemble. The more the employees assemble, the more they earn. This type of plan is called a
piecework rate plan.
Ralph works at Delta Corporation. He is responsible for identifying individuals with skills required for the various roles in the organization. Which human resource management practice is being performed by Ralph?
selection
Kapcom Telecom wants to implement an on-the-job training program for the sales staff who are unaware of the technical aspects of the firm's products. The lack of technical knowledge among its sales staff is harming the company's prospects of securing lucrative contracts. Although Kapcom's IT team is well versed in various technologies, it is not well suited to handle a training program. However, the best IT trainers in the industry cost more than Kapcom can afford to spend on the training program. This scenario illustrates
situational constraints
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
Ross is being interviewed for an entry-level financial analyst position at a well-known asset management company. Ross is asked questions about the current state of the U.S. stock market, the current net worth of certain financial firms, and concepts such as IPOs and mergers from a set of predetermined questions that the interviewer has prepared. This is an example of a(n) _____ interview.
structured
A major problem with ESOPs is that
they carry a significant risk for employees.
Damien, an HR manager at Guidelines Inc., is preparing for a 5 percent increase in the production labor force next year. To do this, he needs to determine what the current number of production employees is and how the number is likely to change by the end of the year. To help with this analysis, Damien should use a
transitional matrix