Pre-Assessment: Introduction to Human Resource Management
How does recruitment relate to other organizational functions or goals? Choose 2 answers -Effective recruitment of prospective employees leads to a successful job analysis. -Recruitment informs the organization about how stock prices are likely to change in the future. -Effective recruitment provides a good pool of applicants that helps the selection process be more successful. -Recruitment and human resources planning activities work together to determine current and future recruitment needs.
-Effective recruitment provides a good pool of applicants that helps the selection process be more successful. -Recruitment and human resources planning activities work together to determine current and future recruitment needs.
What are two societal trends that are influencing the world of work? Choose 2 answers -Increased competition -Changes in communication technology -Lower college graduation rates -Decreasing world trade
-Increased competition -Changes in communication technology
What are two statistical projection methods used to determine human resources demand? Choose 2 answers -Delphi technique -Succession planning -Stochastic technique -Multiple linear regression -Nominal group technique
-Stochastic technique -Multiple linear regression
At which age does the Age Discrimination in Employment Act begin to protect an individual from discrimination in the recruitment process? -35 -40 -50 -65
40
A firm needs to lay off employees and wants to develop a plan to minimize the effect on employees. The firm opts to try a combination of buyouts and outplacement counseling. Which type of plan is the firm engaging in? -A control plan -A retention plan -A redundancy plan -An organizational plan
A redundancy plan
A small firm needs to dismiss one worker and wants to use a performance appraisal system to choose which worker should be laid-off. Which type of performance appraisal is appropriate in this context? -A straight ranking appraisal by a supervisor -A forced-distribution appraisal by a supervisor -A straight ranking appraisal by firm customers -A forced-distribution appraisal by firm customers
A straight ranking appraisal by a supervisor
What is an effective way to gather relevant information about job applicants during the selection process? -An informal interview process in which the questions differ for all applicants -An application blank where the most important information is weighted heavily -A wide background check to see if any general negative information is revealed -A reference check asking for previous employers' opinions about job applicants
An application blank where the most important information is weighted heavily **
Which performance appraisal method can make managers more aware of their impact on employees without feeling threatened? -Self-appraisal -Peer-appraisal -Appraisal by supervisor -Appraisal by subordinates
Appraisal by subordinates **
Which form of indirect compensation can be integrated into the organization's strategic planning? -Salary -Benefits -Bonuses -Base wage
Benefits
What is the outcome of effective diversity management within organizations? -Fewer conflicts -Better sense of inclusion -Fewer communication challenges -Better defined organizational goals
Better sense of inclusion **
How should a human resources professional encourage a high ethical standard of conduct in the workplace? -By influencing others to make moral choices -By holding monthly training sessions on integrity -By maintaining equitable pay levels and alignment -By ensuring compliance with all legal regulations
By influencing others to make moral choices
A human resources department is working on increasing diversity within the organization. Which strategic role for a human resources department is being demonstrated? -Champion for change -Initiator of outsourcing -Administrator of policy -Agent for legal compliance
Champion for change **
A computer software company wants to hire permanent employees who have the most up-to-date knowledge of software development tools, but previous work experience is not necessary. What should be a primary source of recruitment for this situation? -Executive search firms -Temporary staffing agencies -Colleges offering the relevant degree -Independent contracting organizations
Colleges offering the relevant degree
A company needs to motivate employees to be engaged in their job responsibilities. They decide to reward attendance at training sessions. Which performance improvement approach is being used? -Job analysis -Compensation -Recruitment and selection -Career and management planning
Compensation
Which type of validity identifies the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to complete a job and needs no quantitative analysis? -Content -Empirical -Construct -Discriminant
Content
Which factor represents an organization's value system? -Corporate culture -Brand awareness -Core competencies -Company reputation
Corporate culture
Which form of validity for making employment decisions (e.g., select, promote) is legally defensible if challenged in court? -Empirical validity -Content validity -Convergent validity -Discriminant validity
Empirical validity**
What is recognized by courts in several states as an implied contract that can be legally binding? -Formal pact -Union agreement -Employee handbook -Public policy documents
Employee handbook **
he leadership of an organization has decided to move forward with a formal training program. Successful implementation depends upon selecting the appropriate training media for the right workers under the right conditions. Which factor should be considered in selecting the appropriate training media? -The location of the training -Employee attitude for learning -Employee readiness for training -The level of performance management
Employee readiness for training
What is an outcome of poor reliability in a selection procedure? -An insufficient pool of qualified applicants -The inability to fire an employee who is performing poorly -Employees who are not a good fit for the organization -High correlations between test outcomes and future performance metrics
Employees who are not a good fit for the organization
What is the function of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)? -Enforcing federal antidiscrimination statutes -Conducting mediation when union contracts have expired -Providing guidance to employers on classifying employees -Creating guidelines for developing affirmative action programs
Enforcing federal antidiscrimination statutes
Which incentive leads to enhanced productivity and subsequently creates additional earnings? -Gain-sharing plan -Profit-sharing plan -Bonus-sharing plan -Wage-dividend plan
Gain-sharing plan**
A woman is turned down for a higher-paying position because the hiring manager believes men perform the duties better than women. Which term is used to indicate this form of discrimination? -Gender discrimination -Gender identity discrimination -Sexual harassment discrimination -Women's equal rights discrimination
Gender discrimination
Which human resource professional provides a broad range of support to the overall organization? -Specialist -Generalist -Supervisor -Coordinator
Generalist
What is an exception to the doctrine of employment at will? -Implied contract -Probationary period -Termination for cause -Mandatory waiting period
Implied contract
A technology company is reviewing the potentially questionable behavior of four employees and is trying to determine if an ethical violation has occurred. The behavior of the four employees consisted of the following: • Individual 1: Sold trade secrets to a competitor • Individual 2: Requested that the company pay for continuing education • Individual 3: Recommended hiring a sibling based on the sibling's work experience • Individual 4: Applied for other jobs while still employed with the company Which individual committed an ethical violation? -Individual 1 -Individual 2 -Individual 3 -Individual 4
Individual 1
An engineering firm wants to attract applicants for full-time employment. They decide to develop potential job candidates before offering them permanent positions. Which activity should the organization implement? -Internships -Diversity planning -An assessment center -Flexible work schedules
Internships
Which selection instrument is used to obtain information on the applicant's motivation and details of previous experiences to get a more subjective feel for the candidate? -Resume -Interview -Personality test -Background check
Interview
What is a benefit to promoting an organization's efforts to increase diversity on the company website? -It draws attention to diversity commitment. -It meets the legal obligation to advertise diversity. -It provides equal opportunity to diverse employees. -It defines corporate culture with diversity strategies.
It draws attention to diversity commitment. **
Why is human resource planning important? -It ensures compliance with labor laws. -It makes employee benefits more attractive. -It makes it easier to recruit employees from out of state. -It ensures the right people in the right jobs at the right times.
It ensures the right people in the right jobs at the right times.
What is a characteristic of a learning organization? -It has a full time training department. -It provides tuition assistance to all employees. -It is affiliated with one or more local universities. -It is focused on knowledge development across the firm.
It is focused on knowledge development across the firm.
A firm is hiring several new employees. The new employees are largely inexperienced and unfamiliar with the company and its methods of conducting business. Given this, the firm plans to have an orientation period for all new hires and hopes the orientation will reduce the stress associated with the new job for the new employees. How will the orientation reduce employee stress? -It will increase the productivity of the new employees. -It will help the new employees understand what is expected of them. -It will better enable the new employees to change the corporate culture. -It will decrease the amount of time the new employees spend in training.
It will help the new employees understand what is expected of them.
Recently an employee received a performance appraisal that included several items with a poor performance rating. The employee was upset and felt the appraisal was unfair because the items listed were not part of his daily work requirements. Which human resources activity relates to the employee's concern? -Job analysis -Appraisal training -Goal development -Selection standards
Job analysis
An organization has recently added 50 new clients, and their production must increase as rapidly as possible. To increase production levels, a manager urges an existing employee to accept a newly created position responsible for hiring new employees. What should the company use to determine the appropriate compensation level for this new position? -Job rotation -Job transfer -Job recruiting -Job evaluation
Job evaluation
All employees in a company receive an e-mail message from human resources with information that a job is available in the marketing department. The message includes the job description and specifies that current employees are encouraged to submit an application. Which method is the company using to obtain job applicants? -Job offer -Job posting -Employee referral -Incentive program
Job posting
A fast-growing U.S. company is seeking a human resources generalist. This job entails recruiting and hiring a large number of employees, monitoring performance measures, determining training needs, and ensuring compliance with federal laws as the company continues to grow. Which criterion aligns with the job as outlined above? -Demonstrated customer service experience -Ability to work with technology in the legal field -Knowledge of legal regulations in employment -A high level of familiarity with past lawsuit outcomes
Knowledge of legal regulations in employment
Which activity does the strategic human resources manager need to be engaged in, given the fact that organizational survival is increasingly dependent on adaptation? -Managing succession by creating contingency plans for key employees within the organization -Taking on fewer roles to maintain a focused approach to organizational productivity improvements -Focusing on acquiring human resources skills while leaving marketing and production techniques to those managers -Maintaining priority on the requisition of services from the management and employees without external considerations
Managing succession by creating contingency plans for key employees within the organization **
Job duties for a marketing coordinator position include the following: planning international trade shows by identifying, assembling, and coordinating requirements; establishing contacts; developing schedules and assignments; coordinating mailing lists. Which item should be included in the required skills section of this job posting? -Operates Microsoft database software -Runs weekly and monthly team meetings -Builds relationships with clientele at events -Establishes and maintains accurate budgets
Operates Microsoft database software **
At which level of analysis are annual performance reviews? -Organization -Task -Person -Project
Person
Which human resource function helps the organization understand the number and type of employees the organization will need in the future? -Recruiting -Planning -Appraising -Compensating
Planning
Which step in the human resource planning process ensures that the organization will have the needed supply of employees in the future? -Controlling -Programming -Developing Data -Establishing objectives
Programming
The plaintiff in a case, a black firefighter, brings action against the fire department. He is alleging that each time he is transferred from one fire station to another, he must take his bed with him. The fire chief reports that no white firefighter would want to sleep in the same bed as a black firefighter. Which type of discrimination under Title VII should the plaintiff file? -Race -Unintentional -Intentional -National origin
Race
How does recruiting that creates an excessively large applicant pool affect employee selection? -The large applicant pool will simplify the process of job analysis and employee selection. -The organization can reduce the applicant pool by dismissing applicants that are close to retirement. -The cost of selection will likely increase due to the need to review and assess a high volume of applicants. -The large applicant pool reduces the significance of employee selection as most of the applicants will meet the job qualifications.
The cost of selection will likely increase due to the need to review and assess a high volume of applicants.
A firm offers an individual a job paying $40,000 per year plus health insurance for selling widgets. The employee counter-offers that she be paid $52,000 per year with no insurance. Which pay structures are being discussed? -The firm is offering fixed compensation and the employee is requesting fixed compensation. -The firm is offering fixed compensation, while the employee is requesting variable compensation. -The firm is offering variable compensation, while the employee is requesting fixed compensation. -The firm is offering variable compensation and the employee is requesting variable compensation
The firm is offering fixed compensation and the employee is requesting fixed compensation. **
Which technique addresses labor forecasting to project future human resource needs based on past staffing levels? -Time-series -Focus group -Nominal group -Delphi technique
Time-series**
What was the goal of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964? -To create a legal structure that deals with contractual issues between employers and employees -To allow employees greater ability to move between employers and job positions -To give employers more flexibility in dealing with employees and their employment -To make it illegal to discriminate against individuals based on their protected classes
To make it illegal to discriminate against individuals based on their protected classes
What was the purpose of the Executive Order 10925 that established affirmative action? -To require businesses with 50 or more employees to avoid segregation -To provide employees with protection from age discrimination in the workplace -To strengthen sanctions related to discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 -To mandate that managers of federally funded projects work to eliminate bias in employment practices.
To mandate that managers of federally funded projects work to eliminate bias in employment practices.
What is the distinction between training and development? -Training requires short-term preparation and development requires long-term preparation. -Training enhances individual knowledge and skills while development is focused on team knowledge and skills. -Training is job related while development is the process of developing, presenting, evaluating, and facilitating training. -Training is directed at the employees' current job whereas development helps the employee prepare for future jobs.
Training is directed at the employees' current job whereas development helps the employee prepare for future jobs. **
What is a form of direct compensation? -Wages -Training -Benefits -Services
Wages
What is a type of direct compensation that plays a strategic role in attracting and retaining qualified applicants? -Wages -Vacation -Health benefits -Onsite childcare
Wages
Which form of compensation is an example of fixed pay? -Merit pay -Yearly salary -Profit sharing -Sales incentive
Yearly salary