Hospitality HR Test 2

Performance appraisals are an effective way to link rewards and punishment to performance when they are used as which of the following? a. a tool for evaluating training, policies, or programs b. the basis for compensation and promotion decisions c. a tool for validating the selection process d. the basis for short-term recruiting strategies

b. the basis for compensation and promotion decisions

Which of the following analyses aims to identify employees' knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs)? a. Individual analysis b. Training analysis c. Task and behavior analysis d. Organizational analysis

c. Task and behavior analysis

A dining room supervisor has just learned that one of his employees has a drug problem. He is thinking through the resources the company can offer this employee. If an employee has a drug problem, he or she might benefit most from: a. a dependent care program. b. a deferred payment plan. c. an employee assistance program. d. a flexible spending account.

c. an employee assistance program

One type of compensation is called "indirect compensation." Indirect compensation generally includes: a. base pay. b. merit pay. c. benefits. d. sales commissions.

c. benefits

Katrine, the HR director of a nationwide restaurant chain, is considering individual incentive programs the company might offer its employees. Which of the following is not an individual incentive program? a. standard hour program b. merit pay c. cost-savings plan d. bonus plan

c. cost-savings plan

McClelland's N-Achievement Theory is one of the content theories of motivation. According to this theory, the desire to assume leadership is portrayed by the: a. need for affiliation. b. need for achievement. c. need for power. d. need for safety.

c. need for power

The Scanlon plan is a type of group incentive program. Hospitality operations find the Scanlon plan useful because: a. it effectively distributes profits among employees. b. individual performance is more important than team performance in hospitality. c. person-to-person contact is most important in hospitality, and the plan rewards labor savings. d. it allows employees to purchase company stock.

c. person-to-person contact is most important in hospitality, and the plan rewards labor savings

Two weeks before his performance appraisal, John successfully resolved a service complaint involving one of the company's most important clients. Although John's job performance is usually average and sometimes poor, his manager gave him a glowing performance appraisal. Which of the following best describes the type of error that the manager made in appraising John's performance? a. past-record anchoring error b. leniency error c. recency error d. central tendency error

c. recency error

Managers of a hotel that is slated to open in two weeks are determining whether to establish ranges of pay within the pay grades they recently created. If they do establish ranges of pay, they also need to figure out how large the ranges should be for each grade. With regard to this situation, which of the following statements is false? a. None of the first group of employees that are hired should receive a promotion or pay raise in the first few months of operation. b. Normally, jobs on the lower end of the pay scale have narrower pay ranges than those at the top of the scale. c. Ranges within pay grades allow employees to receive raises without management having to change their grades of pay. d. Employees are likely to expect raises as they gain experience and skills.

A. None of the first group of employees that are hired should receive a promotion or pay raise in the first few months of operation

Which of the following is not typically a result of linking pay to performance? a. The company loses money to increased labor costs. b. Employees produce more/better goods and services. c. Employees work toward common goals. d. Employees feel encouraged to remain with the company.

A. The company loses money to increased labor costs

a training method that involves moving trainees from one job to another is called a. job rotation. b. cyclical training. c. work sampling. d. programmed instruction.

a. job rotation

At the Worthington Country Club, performance appraisals are used primarily to assess what employees need to do to improve their performance. This is an example of using performance appraisals for: a. assessing training and development needs. b. validating the selection process. c. providing performance feedback. d. linking rewards and discipline to performance.

a. assessing training and development needs

An outside consultant has been hired to evaluate a hotel's jobs to help its managers design a pay scale. Managers have determined that the consultant should use internal equity analysis. They want a systematic comparison of jobs that are often very dissimilar. To keep bias in comparison to a minimum, the consultant is likely to: a. compare the common elements of the jobs. b. compare pairs of the most dissimilar jobs. c. compare jobs only to other jobs in the same department. d. suggest that the hotel use an external equity analysis instead.

a. compare the common elements of the jobs

Given the following paired comparison rankings, which employee would receive the highest appraisal in relation to guest service? Guest Service Skills Ellen is better than Jerome. Jerome is better than Lori. Bart is better than Jerome. Ellen is better than Lori. Ellen is better than Bart. Bart is better than Lori. a. Ellen b. Bart c. Jerome d. Lori

a. ellen

Despite popular thinking, comparable worth is not the same as equal pay. The major difference is that: a. equal pay deals with the issue of pay in the same job; comparable worth deals with pay in similar jobs. b. equal pay deals with the issue of pay in similar jobs; comparable worth deals with pay in the same job. c. comparable worth relates to how to determine job worth, while equal pay relates to pay discrimination within the same job. d. comparable worth relates to how to determine job worth, while equal pay relates to pay structure design.

a. equal pay deals with the issue of pay in the same job and comparable worth deals with pay in similar jobs

Kerri hands a guest a room key, smiles, and says, "If we can do anything to help make your stay more pleasant, don't hesitate to call us." A trainer in the background makes some marks on a paper on a clipboard. A training program that emphasizes the degree of sincerity or friendliness with which guest service is delivered is likely based on which of the following types of training objectives? a. on-the-job behavior b. learning-acquired c. critical-incident d. reaction-based

a. on-the-job behavior

In which managerial developmental career stage should the emphasis be on new challenges and objectives? a. organizational entry stage b. mid-life/mid-career stage c. pre-retirement stage d. retirement stage

a. organizational entry stage

Which of the following training methods allows employees to learn at their own pace? a. programmed instruction b. coaching/mentoring c. on-the-job training d. job instruction training

a. programmed instruction

Which of the following is the most common type of training objective? a. results-oriented b. learning-acquired c. knowledge generation d. reaction-based

a. results-oriented

Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory classifies human needs into only two types. Which of the following is an example of one of Herzberg's hygiene factors? a. salary b. achievement c. recognition d. opportunity to advance

a. salary

Which of the following is generally the best overall indicator of the real value of wages/salaries? a. total reward program b. direct compensation program c. consumer price index d. labor market index

a. total reward program

A hotel's managers have been inspired by a conference speaker to institute a company-wide group incentive program. They have high hopes for their plan. But they should keep in mind the following disadvantage of such plans: a. unless properly managed, group incentive plans can unfairly reward employees who perform worse than the group as a whole. b. under a group incentive plan, employees profit even when the company has a bad year. c. group incentive plans result in a distinct connection between pay and the individual efforts of each group member. d. group incentive plans cost the company the most in years of low sales.

a. unless properly managed, group incentive plans can unfairly reward employees who perform worse than the group as a whole

Louis, the HR director of a nationwide hotel chain, is considering what type of profit-sharing plan the company might offer its employees. All of the following are profit-sharing plans except: a. a cash plan. b. a commission plan. c. a deferred plan. d. a combination plan.

b. a commission plan

A pension plan in which contributions are made at a fixed rate for each employee is called: a. a defined contribution plan. b. a defined benefit plan. c. an individual retirement account. d. an individual benefit plan.

b. a defined benefit plan

George, a hotel manager, is considering his options for establishing pay structures for the hotel. All of the following are among his options except: a. a skill-based pay system. b. a factor comparison pay system. c. a two-tier wage system. d. a knowledge-based pay system.

b. a factor comparison pay system

One-on-one discussions between the trainer and the trainee are a form of a. modeling. b. conference training. c. sensitivity training. d. programmed instruction.

b. conference training

A dishwasher in a certain small restaurant can typically run six loads through the machine each hour. The restaurant manager offers dishwashers a double wage for each hour in which they run ten loads of dishes or more through the machine. Three months after this incentive program is begun, the restaurant's dishwashers have never earned this incentive, and employee productivity is the same as ever. Which of the following is probably the incentive program's most serious problem? a. The incentive is based on subjective measures. b. Employees may think the goal is not attainable. c. The rewards are not substantial enough to encourage effort. d. The rewards are linked to time invested, not output.

b. employees may think the goal is not attainable

Which of the following criteria is not likely to help a hospitality organization meet minimum legal requirements in relation to appraising employee performance? a. Performance standards should be based on an analysis of job requirements. b. Final rankings of employees should conform statistically to a bell-shaped curve. c. Ratings should be documented. d. Performance standards should be objective and observable.

b. final rankings of employees should conform statistically to a bell-shaped curve

When asked, owners and managers of small hospitality businesses might say they know that their employees need training whenever they hear guests complain. The principal advantage of soliciting guest feedback as a means of training needs assessment is that: a. research shows that guests complain often, thereby providing a steady source of feedback. b. it demonstrates a property's commitment to training. c. it demonstrates a property's commitment to service. d. guests often go into great detail about their dislikes when they complain.

b. it demonstrates a property's commitment to service

Among forms of compensation, Section 401(k) plans are examples of: a. defined contribution plans. b. salary reduction plans. c. educational benefits. d. defined benefit plans.

b. salary reduction plans

The federal government has an important function related to compensation administration. Which of the following federal agencies conducts wage and hour audits to check a company's compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act? a. the Department of the Interior b. the Department of Labor c. the Civil Rights Commission d. the General Accounting Office

b. the Department of Labor

Which of the following statements about criteria for performance appraisals is true? a. Experienced managers are objective and unbiased when appraising employee performance. b. Subjective performance appraisals are preferred over objective performance appraisals. c. No valid criteria exist by which to judge the effectiveness of performance appraisals. d. Managers can become better appraisers of performance by understanding the factors that increase the likelihood of error.

d. Managers can become better appraisers of performance by understanding the factors that increase the likelihood of error

The Catch Up Hotel has a standard hour incentive program in place. It pays its room attendants $3.75 per room cleaned, and room attendants typically clean two rooms an hour. A competing hotel has just opened that offers room attendants benefits that are comparable to those the Catch Up Hotel offers. Managers at the Catch Up want to meet their competitors' pay. Under which of the following circumstances might the Catch Up Hotel have to alter its incentive program? a. Room attendants at the new hotel clean three rooms an hour and get $8.00 an hour. b. Room attendants at the new hotel clean two rooms an hour and get $6.50 an hour. c. Some room attendants at the new hotel clean three rooms an hour and get $3.75 per room. d. Room attendants at the new hotel clean two rooms an hour and get $8.00 an hour.

d. Room attendants at the new hotel clean two rooms an hour and get $8 an hour

Which of the following statements about training expenditures is true? a. Return on investment (ROI) is the primary indicator used to evaluate training programs. b. Cutting training budgets is one of the last measures an organization will take to cut costs during difficult economic times. c. Training budgets have been steadily increasing since 2000. d. Training budgets have been steadily declining since 2000.

d. Training budgets have been steadily declining since 2000.

The performance rating system used by the executive housekeeper at a 450-room hotel assesses room attendant performance on the basis of a room inspection report on the rooms they have cleaned. This is an example of: a. a trait-based rating system. b. a behavior-based rating system. c. a 360-degree rating system. d. a results-based rating system.

d. a results-oriented rating system

Which of the following performance appraisal methods can be undermined by managers and employees setting easy-to-achieve goals? a. narrative essay method b. behaviorally anchored method c. critical incidents method d. management-by-objectives method

d. management-by-objectives method

The most significant problem with conducting performance appraisals annually or semi-annually is that: a. appraisers cannot maintain employee files for as long as six months. b. too much activity takes place in six to twelve months to consider in one appraisal session. c. most hospitality employees don't stay on that job that long. d. many appraisers cannot remember events and behaviors that occurred as long as six or twelve months ago.

d. many appraisers cannot remember events and behaviors that occurred as long as six or twelve months ago

External equity is a way of determining job worth. External equity relates to: a. pay variations among various industries. b. pay variations within a company. c. pay variations among dissimilar properties in a particular market. d. pay variations among similar properties in a particular market.

d. pay variations among similar properties in a particular market

A manager considered her training program unsuccessful due to the fact that a majority of the trainees said they did not like it. This manner was using a/an _____ training objective. a. on-the-job behavior b. learning-acquired c. critical-incident d. reaction-based

d. reaction-based

Which of the following statements about the performance appraisal process is false? a. Self-appraisals tend to be more critical than appraisals by others. b. Guest appraisals tend to stress extremes. c. Immediate supervisors generally make better assessments than second-level supervisors. d. Some researchers contend that peer evaluation is the best appraisal method.

d. some researchers contend that peer evaluation is the best appraisal method