Chapter 11 Business Dynamics Quiz

During her annual review, Rachel admitted to her supervisor that she is more productive in a quieter environment. The openness of her office setting and the recent increase in staff that came to her for training made it difficult for her to process as many driver application forms in one day as she had in the past. The supervisor agreed to move Rachel's desk to the back of the office and create a barrier with plants. The supervisor would take a more active role in training new employees, so they would not be coming to Rachel with questions. In HR, we refer to this action as creating A. accommodations. B. barriers to entry. C. job enlargement. D. consideration.

A. accommodations.

Which statement about how current HR law views disabilities is accurate? A. The law varies depending upon how the employee acquired the disability. B. Disabilities include diseases such as epilepsy, autism, and diabetes. C. Disabilities refer to physical but not mental disorders. D. Any disorder does not require the employee to adapt the work environment to accommodate the employee.

B. Disabilities include diseases such as epilepsy, autism, and diabetes.

What is a characteristic of employment testing? A. It was declared illegal by the EEOC in 1989, because it was often used to discriminate against women and minorities. B. It is legal, but is a very poor predictor of worker performance. C. It should be directly related to the job. D. It should focus on the most basic and general skills rather than on skills directly related to the job.

C. It should be directly related to the job.

What is a challenge facing human resource managers of today? A. too many unemployed scientists and computer engineers B. an increasing number of Gen Yers in the workforce C. a shift in employee attitudes toward work D. an increased demand for uniformity in benefits offered to employees

C. a shift in employee attitudes toward work

Kylee recently became a member of the Electricians Union. She has been told she will work with Jon, a skilled and experienced electrician, for at least three years in order to learn all of the skills and techniques of her craft. This type of training is referred to as A. skill replication. B. applied supervision. C. apprenticeship training. D. vestibule training.

C. apprenticeship training.

Casey's Holiday Store typically sells over two-thirds of all its merchandise in November and December. Management has found that it must hire __________ workers during this period of increased business to supplement its permanent employees. A. nontenured B. apprentice C. contingent D. journeymen

C. contingent

Affirmative action is a government response to what aspect of a business? A. environmental policies B. financial practices C. marketing and advertising policies D. employment practices

D. employment practices

When determining the human resources needs for a well-known engineering firm, the HR director realized that the company lacked engineers under the age of 30. The company could not afford to get caught short in this competitive business climate. An important recruitment strategy for the HR director's department was to start attending college fairs as well as considering hiring interns. We define his recruitment efforts as developing relationships with A. external sources. B. internal sources. C. median sources. D. civilian sources.

A. external sources.

Edwin is an HR manager at ComCore. Which task would he perform as a part of the human resource planning process? A. forecast future human resource requirements for his company B. appraise the performance of individual workers at his company C. establish the budget for the human resource department D. interview potential workers

A. forecast future human resource requirements for his company

A major purpose of employee orientation programs is to A. initiate new employees to the organization, their fellow employees, and their immediate supervisors. B. give experienced employees a chance to learn new skills by rotating them through various jobs in the company. C. test new employees to determine where they should be assigned. D. help workers who have been laid off to find new jobs.

A. initiate new employees to the organization, their fellow employees, and their immediate supervisors.

Darren is a project manager for a large construction company. Each day his job requires him to prepare detailed reports of the progress of current projects assigned to him. Since this responsibility is something that he does on a regular basis, the HR professional for his company would list it as part of the __________ for Darren's project management position. A. job description B. job specification C. human resource inventory D. job application

A. job description

A department manager evaluated the performance of her employees as part of a performance appraisal process. If she follows the six-step appraisal process, the next step is A. meet with employees to discuss the results. B. write up a performance review report and submit it to top management. C. adjust the standards based on how well the employees did. D. make decisions about training, promotions, and pay raises.

A. meet with employees to discuss the results.

Simone recently began working in an entry-level management position. She has already shown great promise, so the company has decided to groom her for an upper-level position. Trish, one of the more senior female managers in the company, has agreed to help Simone by introducing her to the right people, and providing her with the guidance and advice she needs to be successful within the firm. Trish is acting as Simone's A. mentor. B. assimilation assistant. C. transfer agent. D. network captain.

A. mentor.

The most likely reason a firm would pay its sales representatives a commission rather than a salary is that it wants to A. provide sales representatives with a strong incentive to generate more sales for the company. B. keep the pay system as simple as possible. C. be able to deduct the cost of compensating the sales representatives from its taxable income. D. give the sales representatives a stronger incentive to collaborate with each other and act as a team.

A. provide sales representatives with a strong incentive to generate more sales for the company.

Which statement about early retirement is most accurate? A. Traditional early retirement plans are no longer legal because they represent age discrimination. B. An advantage of early retirement as a method of downsizing is that early retirement provides opportunities for younger employees to be promoted. C. Federal law requires firms to offer early retirement benefits to any worker who voluntarily offers to retire before the age of 60. D. Workers who receive an offer for early retirement are likely to gain by refusing the firm's first offer and holding out for a better deal.

B. An advantage of early retirement as a method of downsizing is that early retirement provides opportunities for younger employees to be promoted.

Which situation makes the recruiting job more challenging? A. The current emphasis on scientific management requires very specific job specification. B. Some organizations have policies that demand promotions from within that limit the pool of candidates. C. Reverse discrimination is essential to be sure that the workforce is balanced. D. There are far too many qualified candidates for each position, increasing the required paperwork.

B. Some organizations have policies that demand promotions from within that limit the pool of candidates.

Which statement describes the relationship between employee training and employee development? A. They are just two names for the same thing. B. Training is short-term skills oriented while development is long-term career oriented. C. Development is provided by the company and is designed to meet the specific needs of the organization, whereas training focuses on more general skills and normally is provided by schools, colleges, and institutions other than the employer. D. Training focuses on conceptual skills while development seeks to improve technical skills.

B. Training is short-term skills oriented while development is long-term career oriented.

Which of these workers would be the best example of a contingent worker? A. an assembly-line worker who belongs to a union and has 17 years of seniority B. an accountant hired to help during the busy tax season C. an elementary school teacher who just received tenure D. an electrical engineer who frequently travels out of the country to the various manufacturing facilities owned and operated by his firm

B. an accountant hired to help during the busy tax season

This year, Core Accountants Inc. implemented a new benefits system that gives employees the flexibility to choose among different benefit options, as long as the total cost of the benefits does not exceed a certain dollar amount. The type of benefits package offered to Core Accountants employees is a(n) A. flexiplan. B. cafeteria-style fringe benefits plan. C. democratic benefits package. D. open options benefits plan.

B. cafeteria-style fringe benefits plan.

Fresh Start Enterprises conducts thorough background investigations of its prospective employees. The purpose of such investigations is to A. meet federal reporting guidelines that require up-to-date work history for each candidate. B. identify those applicants that are most likely to succeed C. implement the "employment at will" doctrine. D. discover whether the employee has ever worked for a competitor.

B. identify those applicants that are most likely to succeed

The Equal Employment Opportunity Act gave the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission the authority to A. prevent firms from firing workers based on union affiliation. B. issue guidelines for employer conduct in administering equal employment opportunity programs. C. set salary schedules for protected groups. D. require firms to pay women and minority workers more than white males for the same work.

B. issue guidelines for employer conduct in administering equal employment opportunity programs.

At Prestige Dental Group, Marta works daily as an administrative assistant from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., when she is replaced by Sonja who works from 1:00 until 5:00 p.m. The arrangement Marta and Sonja have at the dental practice is known as A. job enlargement. B. job sharing. C. job rotation. D. job allocation.

B. job sharing.

What is a valid statement about contingent workers? A. Contingent workers are seldom skilled professionals. B. By law, employers must provide contingent workers the same salary and benefits as permanent employees. C. An increasing number of companies are hiring skilled professionals, such as accountants, as part of their contingent workforce. D. By law, companies cannot hire contingent workers as part of the management team.

C. An increasing number of companies are hiring skilled professionals, such as accountants, as part of their contingent workforce.

Which statement best describes the current view of the role of human resource management within a firm? A. Human resource management is largely a clerical function that involves keeping records, processing payroll, and making sure that federal regulations are met. B. Human resource management has become so complex that only highly trained specialists should make human resource decisions. C. Human resource management functions have become so important that in many firms all managers now perform them. D. Changes in technology have largely done away with the need for a separate human resource department.

C. Human resource management functions have become so important that in many firms all managers now perform them.

Once the job description and job specifications were written for a new marketing assistant position in his department, Roger called his HR specialist to proceed with the next step in the process of making a successful hire. After providing a timeframe for qualified persons to apply for the job, the next step in the selection process is best described as A. conducting background investigations. B. obtaining results from physical exams. C. conducting initial and follow-up interviews D. establishing trial and probationary periods.

C. conducting initial and follow-up interviews

A characteristic of a compressed workweek is that A. workers receive the same pay for fewer hours of work. B. the pace of work is increased so that workers perform the same amount of work in fewer hours. C. employees work fewer days each week, but work more hours each workday. D. two or more part-time workers are hired to fill each full-time position.

C. employees work fewer days each week, but work more hours each workday.

During the seminar, Nan took the opportunity to interact with production staff in other companies to build relationships that could benefit her own work in the future. What process did Nan use at the seminar? A. mentoring B. contingency planning C. networking D. apprenticeship

C. networking

Benjamin dislikes conducting performance appraisals with his employees because he always finds it to be a struggle. In order to make the actual performance evaluations a better experience for all, Benjamin should A. base his evaluation on a written test. B. use a democratic approach and let the employees evaluate each other. C. set performance standards that are reasonable, understandable, and measurable, then clearly communicate these standards to his team. D. use the principle of motion economy to break down each employee's job into a series of steps that can be easily evaluated and compared to ideal performance standards.

C. set performance standards that are reasonable, understandable, and measurable, then clearly communicate these standards to his team.

Brenda is coming up on her thirtieth year as a bus driver. Recently her company told her that she would be required to retire within the next two years because she had reached the age limit for mandatory retirement. Brenda wants to fight this ruling based on a claim of age discrimination. Which statement about this case is most accurate? A. According to the Employment Rights and Responsibilities Act, Brenda has every right to keep her job as long as she has not been convicted of a moving traffic violation while performing her job. B. According to the Affirmative Action Enforcement Act, Brenda has no right to keep her job, because she is not one of the groups that qualify for special protection. C. According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, Brenda may be able to keep her job, but the company can require her to pass an annual vision and hearing exam as a condition of continued employment. D. According to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Brenda can be required to retire at a certain age, because she is in an occupation where evidence exists that ability to perform the job diminishes significantly with age.

D. According to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Brenda can be required to retire at a certain age, because she is in an occupation where evidence exists that ability to perform the job diminishes significantly with age.

As a project manager for a large construction company, Kyle decided to make the performance appraisal process as painless as possible for his crew. He spent a considerable amount of time creating performance standards he felt were reasonable, and after six months' time, he scheduled individual appointments with each worker to discuss strengths and weaknesses and areas that needed improvement according to the standards he privately set. Some employees were sent to vestibule training, and one even got a promotion with additional compensation. What did he fail to do correctly? A. Provide a pleasant environment for the appraisal such as a restaurant setting. B. Dismiss at least 10 percent of the work crew. C. Copy the HR department on all the results, within 24 hours of each appraisal. D. Communicate the performance standards to the employees so they know what is expected.

D. Communicate the performance standards to the employees so they know what is expected.

Which statement about home-based work is most accurate? A. Although home-based work may become very popular in the future, only a small percentage of workers currently work at home on a regular basis. B. Home-based work offers big advantages for many workers, but is likely to increase costs for employers significantly. C. Home-based work tends to increase the productivity of almost all workers, since people tend to be more productive when they are comfortable and can work flexible hours. D. Home-based work allows workers to choose their own hours and interrupt work for childcare and other tasks, but this freedom and flexibility can create problems for some workers.

D. Home-based work allows workers to choose their own hours and interrupt work for childcare and other tasks, but this freedom and flexibility can create problems for some workers.

Which statement about networking is the most accurate? A. White males are much more aware of the importance of networking than women and minorities. B. Although African American and Hispanic managers are becoming aware of the importance of networking, there are no organizations available to help them make networking connections. C. Women have more difficulty forming networks than men because they can be barred from male-only clubs and social organizations where much of the networking occurs. D. Students can begin building network connections in college, even before they take on their first, full-time professional job.

D. Students can begin building network connections in college, even before they take on their first, full-time professional job.

in a gig economy, a gig is defined as A. any type of work involving clerical duties. B. the number of contingent workers required to complete a task. C.the ability for workers to complete a task outside of an office setting. D. a single project or task for which a worker is hired.

D. a single project or task for which a worker is hired.

When workers are a part of a team their compensation should be A. based strictly on their individual performance in order to encourage each worker to exert his or her maximum effort. B. based strictly on the achievements of their team in order to encourage teamwork and cooperation. C. a stated wage or salary that is not based on either team or individual performance, because it is very difficult to measure individual performance in a team environment. D. based on team performance, with additional rewards for those workers who make outstanding individual contributions.

D. based on team performance, with additional rewards for those workers who make outstanding individual contributions.

William has 30 years of service as a manager for his company. He remembers when managers had almost complete freedom to fire workers. William thinks this is only fair. "After all," William points out, "workers quit whenever they get a better offer. Shouldn't managers have as much freedom to fire workers as the workers have to quit?" William's comments suggest that he believes in the doctrine of A. bonded employment. B. reciprocated employment. C. employment by mutual consent. D. employment at will.

D. employment at will.

One of the reasons many firms have chosen to use temporary employees rather than rehire full-time employees is that A. the government provides strong tax incentives to hire temporary workers. B. such workers usually are more loyal to the firm. C. most labor laws only apply to full-time workers, so there are fewer legal hassles associated with hiring temporary workers. D. it enables them to avoid the prohibitively high costs associated with terminating employees.

D. it enables them to avoid the prohibitively high costs associated with terminating employees.

Annette and Nathan teach the kindergarten class at Wood Grove Elementary. Annette teaches on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday while Nathan teaches on Tuesday and Thursday. They both like this arrangement as it allows them time to help out with elderly parents when they are not teaching. What type of work arrangement does this represent? A. flextime B. job rotation C. networking D. job sharing

D. job sharing

When Greta began her Ph.D. program, she was immediately assigned to a female __________ who would serve as a coach and guide and help Greta meet the right people who could enhance her career. Her program also required __________, where she would spend four to six weeks in different labs, gaining experience and exposure to a variety of research in her field of study. A. mentor; off-the-job training B. understudy; shadowing C. understudy; vestibule training D. mentor; job rotation

D. mentor; job rotation

Flair Electronics requires all employees who work as research specialists in its electrical engineering department to have a minimum of a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering (BSEE). This educational requirement would most likely be stated in the job __________ for this position. A. analysis B. description C. designation D. specification

D. specification

Karen works for Target Electronics, a sophisticated electronic equipment company. Karen is happy to see that the value of company stock has reached $53 per share, because certain employees (including herself) have the opportunity to buy a given number of shares of its stock for $25 per share for the next year regardless of how high the market price goes. Target Electronics is offering some employees a A. stock annuity plan. B. stock reinvestment plan. C. stock dividend. D. stock option plan.

D. stock option plan.