Strategic Compensation Ch. 5

Which of the following is a reason many European and Pacific Rim employees are better skilled and able to work more productively than American workers? A) Both European and Pacific Rim economies provide a higher quality of academic preparation and workplace learning for the non-college portions of their workforces. B) Partnerships between public educators and employers are much stronger in the United States. C) Learning is accorded a higher standing in the operations of the U.S. economy than in the European and Pacific Rim economies. D) Americans do not have equal access to educational opportunities.

A) Both European and Pacific Rim economies provide a higher quality of academic preparation and workplace learning for the non-college portions of their workforces.

Which compensation approach refers to three types of person-focused pay programs? A) competency-based B) innovation-based C) service-based D) stair-step

A) competency-based

A company that designs, manufactures, and sells only Halloween costumes would probably benefit most from this model. A) cross-departmental B) skill blocks C) job-point accrual D) stair-step

A) cross-departmental

When a filing clerk is trained to maintain employee attendance records, it is an example of acquiring which type of skills? A) horizontal B) vertical C) depth D) breadth

A) horizontal

This type of pay system rewards employees for successfully acquiring new job-related knowledge. A) person-focused pay B) competency-based pay C) merit pay D) incentive pay

A) person-focused pay

In this team, members learn scheduling, coordinating, training, leadership. Which of the following describes this type of work team? A) self-regulating B) supervisory C) management D) non-supervised

A) self-regulating

Jamie earned a raise in pay when he finished the training for the Technician 2 position. He will receive another raise when he finishes the training for the Technician 3 position. The company is probably using which type of model? A) stair-step B) skill blocks C) job-point accrual D) cross-departmental

A) stair-step

Which one of the following would be correct regarding person-focused pay programs? A) The skill blocks model only emphasizes horizontal skills. B) The stair-step model addresses depth, while the skill blocks model emphasizes both horizontal and vertical skills. C) Employees do not progress to more complex jobs in the stair-step model. D) Competency models do not apply to jobs within the same family.

B) The stair-step model addresses depth, while the skill blocks model emphasizes both horizontal and vertical skills.

This type of person-focused pay plan can result in lending an employee from one area in the company to other areas. A) stair-step B) cross-departmental C) job-point accrual D) skill blocks

B) cross-departmental

This term refers to the level of specialization or expertise an employee possesses in a particular job. A) vertical skills B) depth of skills C) breadth of skills D) horizontal skills

B) depth of skills

Person-focused pay programs that emphasize vertical skills work well at manufacturing companies that organize work flow around which type of organization? A) departments B) high-performance work teams C) task forces D) business units

B) high-performance work teams

This term reflects an approach to job design that results in the development of more intrinsically motivating and interesting work. A) job security B) job enrichment C) job variety D) job identity

B) job enrichment

Which pay model promotes learning and skills development for a wide variety of jobs from different job families? A) cross-departmental B) job-point accrual C) stair-step D) skill blocks

B) job-point accrual

Which person-focused model links pay levels to increased knowledge and skills within the same general job category? A) cross-departmental B) skill blocks C) job-point accrual D) stair-step

B) skill blocks

In the garment factory of the XYZ Co., line workers are trained to work at different manufacturing steps such as grading, cutting, sewing and assembling, pressing, etc. XYZ Co.'s strategy of training is an example of which of the following? A) task identity B) skill variety C) autonomy D) feedback

B) skill variety

Employees would need to learn these types of skills in order to develop self-managed work teams. A) horizontal B) vertical C) depth D) breadth

B) vertical

Which of the following is a characteristic of job-based pay? A) It compensates employees for the number of jobs in which they possess the skills to perform. B) It rewards employees on their promise to make positive contributions to the work place. C) It compensates employees for the jobs they currently perform. D) A reward is based on the successful acquisition of work-related skills or knowledge.

C) It compensates employees for the jobs they currently perform.

Manufacturing companies that use assembly lines where one employee's job depends on the work of at least one other employee can be described as which of the following settings? A) ad hoc work team B) semi-autonomous work team C) continuous process D) bureaucratized

C) continuous process

Employees who take advantage of person-focused pay program opportunities may experience which of the following? A) difficulty in finding employment elsewhere because person-focused pay programs are always firm specific B) higher likelihood of being laid off during periods of business slowdown C) higher likelihood of remaining employed during periods of business slowdown D) feelings of inequity

C) higher likelihood of remaining employed during periods of business slowdown

Evidence suggests that person-focused pay programs lead to which of the following? A) diminished employee commitment B) no significant change in employee satisfaction C) increased employee commitment D) higher competitive advantage

C) increased employee commitment

This type of pay program rewards employees for successfully learning specific curricula. A) skill-based B) person-based C) pay-for-knowledge D) incentive

C) pay-for-knowledge

Which of the following pay systems is used by unions and contractors to reward their carpenters for increasing carpentry abilities? A) knowledge-based B) incentive C) skill-based D) merit-based

C) skill-based

Which of the following are the two main reasons given for adopting person-focused programs? A) smaller labor markets and strategic outlines B) market monopolies and lower labor costs C) technological innovations and increased global competition D) market monopolies and company turnover

C) technological innovations and increased global competition

This is considered "at the heart" of person-focused pay programs. A) innovation B) management C) training D) data

C) training

James, who is a clerical employee of a university, has been trained to perform several kinds of record-keeping tasks. He maintains employee attendance records, schedules salespeople's work shifts, and monitors the use of office supplies for reordering. Which type of knowledge is necessary to perform all three of these tasks? A) work-team B) horizontal C) breadth D) depth

D) depth

Which pay plan generally rewards employees for meeting work objectives? A) knowledge-based B) seniority C) longevity D) job performance-based

D) job performance-based

Which type of pay program applies to an organization-wide context because employees earn base pay rates for the jobs they perform? A) person-focused B) competency-based C) company-based D) job-based

D) job-based

Which of the following costs is NOT associated with the use of person-focused pay programs? A) payroll B) overhead C) training D) recruitment

D) recruitment

Wei is the HR manager of a manufacturing facility that has used the cross-departmental system and has noticed that absenteeism rates have been significantly lower since implementing this system. As a result, Wei may tell the managers that the company is able to do which of the following? A) award pay increases to those whose absenteeism is low B) increase the size of the workforce C) increase the size of the training budget D) reduce the size of the workforce

D) reduce the size of the workforce

This model is geared to promoting staffing flexibility in a company by training employees in one area of the company with some of the critical skills that are needed to perform effectively in another area of the company. A) the skill blocks B) the stair-step C) the job-point accrual D) the cross-departmental

D) the cross-departmental