Staffing Quizzes
(T/F) An internal talent focus requires a firm to invest in employee training and development.
True
(T/F) Complying with staffing laws enhances an organization's ability to appeal to a broader customer base
True
(T/F) Executive Order 11246 prohibits discrimination of protected groups and establishes affirmative action to promote diversity
True
(T/F) If a company has high turnover, it should focus on filling vacancies quickly and hiring people who can hit the ground running.
True
(T/F) Organizations prefer to hire internally to enhance employee motivation and retention levels.
True
________ helps a company tailor its recruiting message to appeal to the needs, values, and motivations of targeted potential applicants. -a task inventory -competency analysis -job rewards analysis -job elements analysis
job rewards analysis
The first step in conducting a job analysis is to _______
collect critical incidents
(T/F) A transition analysis can account for multiple moves
false
(T/F) Early retirement programs are a common way of dealing with temporary employee surpluses
false
If 33 percent of Hispanics are hires, 42 percent of whites are hired, and 50 percent of blacks are hired, disparate impact has occurred against ________
hispanics
If managers are asked to estimate their optimal headcount for the following year for staffing planning purposes, which of the following has been used? -ratio analysis -trend analysis -scatter plots -judgmental forecasting
judgmental forecasting
Which of the following recruitment strategies can help an organization reduce labor costs and improve customer service together with accessing top talent? -resume databases -offshoring -observation -trade fairs
offshoring
Which of the following is true of a "closed shop?" -employers encourage unions to form -employees need not remain union members after they are hired -only union workers are employeed -employees must give up union membership once employed
only union workers are employed
New salespeople at a retail store generate an average of $50,000 in profit their first year. In addition, the reduced workload on the rest of the sales staff improves their efficiency and ability to provide high-quality customer service by 10 percent. This is worth an additional $20,000 to the company. The cost of hiring and training a new salesperson is expected to be $3,000 and $8,000 respectively. The salary for this position is $35,000. What is the return on investment of hiring an additional salesperson?
152%
Which of the following events suggests that a home improvement store such as Home Depot or Lowe's will need fewer workers in the next 1-3 years? -increased housing purchases -a decrease in consumer disposable income -an increase in consumer spending -falling interest rates
a decrease in consumer disposable income
(T/F) It is legal to compare an applicant's scores only to members of his or her own racial subgroup and set separate passing or cutoff scores for each subgroup
false
A software company has a high turnover rate. What staffing strategy would be most appropriate?
filling vacancies quickly with people who are able to perform with minimal job training
Higher performers that are productive within a company can
generate a greater amount of business
Hiring people who are efficient, trainable, and willing to follow standardized procedures would support a(n) ________ competitive advantage.
operational excellence
A successful executive, who is happy with her current position, does not look for information about other jobs, but might be tempted by a great opportunity is a(n) ________.
passive job seeker
SteelMakers Inc. (SMI) is in urgent need of senior sales executives. Sales have declined in the last three quarters while the market share of their leading competitor, Steelworld, has steadily increased. SMI has realized that they are losing out not because of inferior products, but because they have not been able to pitch their products as well as Steelworld. After careful observation of the sales efforts of the latter, the SMI management has decided to offer extremely lucrative, hard to refuse, deals to one or two selected members of Steelworld's sales team. Which of the following modes of sourcing is SMI using in this case? -ambushing -employee referrals -poaching -pull-up hire
poaching
Jen is the Human Resources manager for Bailey's, a large department store. A competitor, ShopWell, is scheduled to open nearby in a few months and Jen is afraid that some of her staff may quit and join ShopWell. To prevent this, Jen introduces a performance incentive program that will reward Bailey's highest-performing employees at the end of the year. This is an example of ________.
proactive staffing
An engineering firm is looking for a civil engineer to head their new project to build a highway. Unable to find the right candidate for the job, the firm resorts to scouting for potential candidates among the employees of rival firms. It offers the assistant chief engineer of its rival firm an extremely lucrative package and the chance to assume greater responsibilities. This practice is known as ________.
pull-up hire
An HR manager trying to recruit for a number of key positions in a firm asks the best talent to recommend the best employees they've worked with in the past or employees they feel would be good performers. This is an example of ________.
referrals
Which of the following is a way in which companies usually deal with temporary employee surpluses? -offering early retirement options -stopping filling of vacated positions -announcing massive layoffs -removing contingent workers
removing contingent workers
Compstar Limited establishes a mutually beneficial relationship in which employees are recognized as investing their resources, such as time or energy, in exchange for pay and benefits and an opportunity to develop their skills. This is an example of ________.
viewing employees as investors
Which of the following types of workers would most value the reward of having different tasks to do every day? -workers who desire career advancement -workers who value being rewarded for individual contribution -workers who value making individual contributions -workers who are seeking skill development
workers who are seeking skill development
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 protects people ________
40 years of age or older
Which of the following, if true, would require a company to respectfully and honestly explain the hiring process to all applicants? -The company is committed to practicing ethical behavior. -The company views employees as investors. -The company is solely interested in profit-making. -The company views employees as assets.
The company is committed to practicing ethical behavior
Which of the following means of sourcing talent is sometimes considered unethical? -transitional talent deployment -data mining -raiding -acquisitions and mergers
raiding
(T/F) Contingent workers are part of a company's core workforce
false
(T/F) A company using a low-cost strategy is least likely to embrace an asset-based philosophy.
False
(T/F) Affirmative action plans give preferential treatment to the qualified applicant on a permanent basis
False
(T/F) An organization evaluating its staffing practices in as a result of a hiring discrimination lawsuit, is an example of proactive staffing.
False
(T/F) Employers are not liable for the behavior of their employees during the time of their employment
False
(T/F) Forecasting labor demand in small- and medium-size organizations is significantly easier compared to large organizations because there is a stronger correlation between employee count and productivity.
False
(T/F) Internet data mining involves searching the Internet to locate active job seekers with the characteristics and qualifications needed for a position.
False
(T/F) Someone who provides their services to a firm as an independent contractor is considered an employee of that firm
False
Skylark Corporation produces apparel for women. The firm experienced a boom in the introduction phase of its life cycle due to the high-quality talent of its middle and top- level executives. Which of the following would help Skylark retain its competitive advantage in the present economic downturn?
Keeping existing employees satisfied and recruiting top talent
Independent bookstore Signature Books has been struggling to survive as sales declined sharply in the past year. Its main competitors are the large chain stores that have a much wider range of books and can afford to sell books at a discount, but online retailers are also eating into Signature's market. Signature Books focuses on a specialization strategy, focusing on foreign-language books and learning materials. Which of the following, if true, will support Signature's decision?
Chain stores stock mainly books of general interest, such as books by popular authors and self-help books
Which of the following arguments about job analysis is most effective in order to gain the support of top managers? -Multiple approaches to job analysis can be combined to address the limitations of any single approach. -The process will help identify employee characteristics that will augment the firm's business strategy and increase the company's return on its staffing investment. -It is not uncommon for the job experts doing the analysis to try to color the job analyst's interpretation of the job to suit their personal goals and needs. -By adequately planning and preparing for the job analysis, the results are likely to be more accurate and useful, and the job analysis should take less time and effort.
The process will help identify employee characteristics that will augment the firm's business strategy and increase the company's return on its staffing investment.
Department store BigTen refused to hire Max because of his religion. The store is in violations of _______
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
(T/F) A staffing function is centralized when an organization that has multiple business units has one staffing unit that is responsible for meeting the critical needs of all of the company's business units.
True
(T/F) Persuasion is an important recruiter skill, and in order to persuade an individual to consider leaving a job she or he is happy with, the message must come from a trusted and credible individual.
True
(T/F) Succession management is the ongoing process of recruiting, evaluating, developing, and preparing employees to assume positions in other firms in the future.
True
(T/F) When business slows down, flexible workers are dismissed before core workers.
True
(T/F) When labor markets are tight and good recruits are hard to find, organizations must pursue talent-oriented staffing.
True
Which of the following would be most useful for a firm needing to quickly reassign employees to an important new project? -job analysis -transition analysis -a talent inventory -trend analysis
a talent inventory
Employment-at-will is an employment relationship which ________
allows either the employee or employer to terminate the employment at any time
Which of the following is true for employment contracts? -to be enforceable, an employment contract must be in writing -an oral contract is implicit, while a written contract is explicit -an implicit contract is not specified in a written or verbal contract
an oral contract is implicit, while a written contract is explicit
A job analysis that produces a valid selection system identifies characteristics in candidates that ________.
are not easily learned on the job
Why is it usually best to supplement the ratio, scatter plot, and trend forecasting methods with managerial judgment?
because historical trends and relationships can change
Typically, when interest rates rise, -businesses are willing to borrow more money. -consumers are willing to borrow more. -businesses are less likely to expand. -businesses make bigger capital investments
businesses are less likely to expand
Which of the following was declared illegal by the Taft-Hartley Labor Act? -open shop -union shop -agency shop -closed shop
closed shop
_______ are more broadly defined components of a successful worker's repertoire of behavior needed to do the job well
competencies
In analyzing a job of a stenographer that is to be advertised as a vacancy, an employer found that the _____ for the job was rapid typing skills
essential function
(T/F) A persistent problem that prevents most firms from hiring people with disabilities is the lack of affordable technologies that could enable firms to accommodate them at a low cost.
false
ROM Corporation had kept all its hiring plans on hold during the last four quarters because the economy was in a state of recession. ROM manufactures data cards, memory chips, and LCD monitors. The company is analyzing market trends in order to reassess its hiring strategy for the coming year. Which of the following, if true, would best support the argument for restarting hiring? -The previous recessionary had only lasted a year. -Though there was a decline in profits compared to the previous year, the company recently reported the best numbers in its industry. -Computer manufacturers have aggressively started hiring more staff. -One of ROM's fiercest rivals has started laying off its employees.
computer manufacturers have aggressively started hiring more staff
Anna is the manager of human resources at Alcatec Inc. She is comparing the number of employees required over the next six months versus the capabilities of her existing workforce adjusted for attrition. She is trying to identify any gaps between the two. Which step of the workforce planning process is discussed here?
conduct a workforce analysis
The job analysis technique that identifies behaviors that lead to extremely effective or extremely ineffective job performance is ________.
critical incidents method
Which of the following is more likely to warrant changes in an organization's compensation policy and induce it to offer above-market wages? -decreasing unemployment rates -decrease in the number of employees quitting jobs -reduction in the number of companies in its industry -restructuring of jobs to make them more process oriented
decreasing unemployment rates
Phoebe Johnson is a senior HR executive at CarMakers Corp. She has been informed that the company needs to hire five line workers for their Kingston plant. Phoebe decides to go down to the plant to get a better idea of the work. She speaks to the line workers there and gets firsthand information about the important aspects of the job involved. Phoebe is using the ________ method to collect information.
desk audit
Cybernetic Incorporated is well known for the ________ of the rewards it presents to its employees. For example: employees are allowed to dress casually on all days of the workweek, have the option of flexible work schedules, and can bring their dogs to work with them.
distinctiveness
An organization that is currently composed of primarily white males may discriminate against minorities and women if it uses which recruiting source?
employee referrals
Why is it more likely that employee referral programs are effective and successful?
employees generally provide accurate information about referrals
Ed Waters is a former CEO who was responsible for the dramatic turnaround of a food company. When Ed retired, Phil, the CEO of a travel agency, invited him to be a business consultant for the travel company, hoping that Ed's unusual strategies could work the same magic twice. Phil created a new designation and position in the company especially for Ed. This is an example of ________.
idiosyncratic staffing
Publicizing open jobs to employees is known as ________.
internal job posting
Which of the following external recruiting sources is useful for finding semi-passive and passive job seekers? -walk-ins -military transition services -online job boards -internet data mining
internet data mining
Which of the following is true of transition analysis? -it can account for multiple moves -it assumes that all employees in a job have an equal probability of movement -it is a qualitative technique -it does not rely on historical patterns and activity levels
it assumes that all employees in a job have an equal probability of movement
The use of social media for recruiting and sourcing will continue to increase due to:
its targeted search capability
When Mary's Macaroons conducted a ________ on its customer service positions, it found that 35% of the customer service employee's time was being spent on administrative duties, not focusing on customer service.
job analysis
Alex and Jane are the best economists that FlexMoney Inc., a consulting firm, has. However, FlexMoney is in urgent need to hire more economists and Alex and Jane are told to come up with all the criteria that they think will influence the ability to succeed in this field. This should give the higher management a good idea of the nature of the job and the kind of people they should be looking to hire. Which job analysis method is being used by FlexMoney?
job elements method
The degree to which the composition of a reward package matches the needs and the preferences of applicants or employees is the package's _______ -amount -differential -stability -mix
mix
Dana works as a financial consultant at a start-up company called MoneyCare. While some of her friends earn more than she does working for similar positions in other companies, Dana finds her work far more interesting and challenging than what her friends do. As MoneyCare is a small organization, Dana has a lot of responsibilities and believes that she is actually learning far more on the job than she thought she would. Which of the following statements is true about Dana? -She thinks total rewards from her job are low. -She finds the intrinsic rewards from this job very satisfying. -She thinks the extrinsic rewards from this job are very high. -The extrinsic rewards account for the bulk of the total rewards she gets from this job.
she finds the intrinsic rewards from this job very satisfying
Tracy has an interview with a disorganized, unprepared recruiter and concludes that the company does not have a very professional culture. This is an example of ________.
signaling
Which of the following are advantages of using structured questionnaires for job analysis? -speed and low reading level -standardization and low reading level -standardization and the ability to capture unique aspects of the job -speed and low cost
speed and low cost
Which term refers to the proportion of applicants moving from one stage of the hiring process to the next? -staffing yields -hiring yields -attrition -retention
staffing yields
Which of the following, if true, would uphold a company's sustainable competitive advantage in front of rival firms? -Workforce attributes encouraged by staffing practices are commonplace. -Strategic staffing practices are difficult to imitate. -Staffing practices have maximum substitutability -The firm should take care not to exploit staffing practices.
strategic staffing practices are difficult to imitate
The ongoing process of recruiting, evaluating, developing, and preparing employees to assume other positions in the firm in the future is ________.
succession management
A company is successful at recruiting engineers by handing out flyers during community events near a university which is highly rated for its engineering program. The company's competitor effectively reaches the same audience by hanging banners at a similar event. This is an example of ________.
sustitutability
The management at Ajax Corporation believes that internal recruiting sources are the best, especially when it comes to filling vacant positions higher up in the hierarchy. Team leaders and managers at Ajax regularly update the internal records of all employees and their performances, promotability, career interests, etc. This allows the company to quickly and cheaply source qualified internal candidates who can be contacted whenever a position needs to be filled. Most of Ajax's managers were promoted to their respective positions with the help of this internal database. Which of the following methods of internal sourcing does Ajax use? -succession management -employee referrals -internal job posting system -talent inventories
talent inventories
(T/F) Valuing the ideas and contributions of people with diverse ideas and perspectives is a possible component of a company's talent philosophy.
true
(T/F) an independent contractor performs services and the employer control or directs only the result of the work
true
Which of the following recruitment strategies can reduce the possibility of overlooking qualified internal talent? -employee development -talent inventories -internal job posting systems -employee referrals
talent inventories
______ generates a list of 50 to 200 tasks grouped in categories reflecting major functions of the job as the functions relate to selection purposes
task inventory
General Stores Inc., a chain of retail stores short-listed four candidates for the two vacant positions of store manager. They were particularly keen on Mark Evans, who had an excellent background and impressive interpersonal skills. To lure Mark in, they offered him an extremely lucrative package that he was unlikely to get anywhere else. They also hired Doug Pyers for the other vacancy, although Mark got a better deal than Doug. In spite of this, General Stores was unable to retain Mark for more than a few months. Which of the following, if true, could explain this apparent discrepancy? -Mark is more concerned with the extrinsic aspects of a job than anything else -the company did not accurately gauge Mark's need for intrinsic rewards -average salaries in the industry matched the remuneration Doug received -Doug was unhappy about the inequity in pay that existed between him and his colleague, Mark
the company did not accurately gauge Mark's need for intrinsic rewards
Which of the following, if true, would require a company to make adjustments to its historical employee-productivity ratios? -The company is able to recruit more easily because of higher unemployment in the market. -The company's cost of borrowing is going down. -The company is expecting higher volumes of work in the next two years. -The company is adopting a more efficient manufacturing system.
the company is adopting a more efficient manufacturing system
A Japanese company that makes electronic watches exports 90 percent of its products to the United States. Which of the following will happen if the dollar strengthens against the Japanese Yen? -The company's watches will become less expensive in the US. -The purchasing power of US consumers will decline. -The company will have to reduce its number of employees. -The company will export lesser number of watches to the US.
the company's watches will become less expensive in the US
Angstrom is a company that produces electronic goods. In the past, Angstrom used newspaper advertisements as the only method to recruit engineers. Recently it used college hiring, career sites, and employee referrals in addition to its usual method. Which of the following would be the most likely result of this? -The company will spend less on recruitment. -The heterogeneity of the workforce will increase. -The effectiveness of newspaper adverts will decrease. -The turnover rate of employees will decrease.
the heterogeneity of the workforce will increase
hiring yield refers to -the proportion of hires coming through a particular recruiter. -the return on investment from one additional hire. -the percent of applicants ultimately hired. -the proportion of applicants moving from one stage of the hiring process to the next.
the percent of applicants ultimately hired
Which of the following is contained in a task statement? -the type of people required for the job -how to recruit for the given job specifications -the physical working conditions of the job -identifying the changes anticipated for the position
the physical working conditions
Which of the following seems to be most important with regard to recruiter demographics? -The recruiter should be of the opposite sex as the recruit. -The recruiter should be the same ethnicity as the recruit. -The recruiter should be at the same job level as the position being recruited for. -The recruiter needs to be able to relate to a recruit's value system and drive.
the recruiter needs to be able to relate to a recruit's value system and drive
A hotel chain that is recruiting front desk receptionists receives 200 applications from males and 100 applications from females. 100 out of 200 men are hired and 25 out of 100 women are hired. Which of the following statements is true of the hotel chain's hiring policy? -there is evidence of a disparate impact of the hiring process on males as a group -there is evidence of a disparate impact of the hiring process on females as a group -there is no evidence of any disparate impact -there is evidence of disparate impact against both males and females
there is evidence of a disparate impact of the hiring process on females as a group
Which of the following is a characteristic of independent contractors? -they have a continuous relationship with the employer -they do not receive benefits from the employer -they control the processes and results of their work -they do not pay their employment taxes, the employer does
they do not receive benefits from the employer
Identify the primary limitation of all forecasting techniques.
they rely on historical patterns and activity levels
(T/F) A transition matrix can be used to model the flow internally of human resources
true
(T/F) Diverse employees help organizations to succeed through global ideas, diverse customers, and better strategic decisions
true
(T/F) Employee profiling identifies the firm's successful high performing employees and how similar candidates can be recruited.
true
(T/F) Innovative mobile recruiting strategies are necessary to meet future staffing needs and to attract the younger workforce.
true
(T/F) The ADA has been expanded to include broad coverage of the definition of a disability
true