HR Exam 2 Review

Which of the following is true of management by objectives?

Managers and their employees work together to set the goals.

_____ involves training sessions in which participants observe other people demonstrating the desired behavior, then have opportunities to practice the behavior themselves.

Behavior modeling

Why is hiring new employees for every labor shortage not preferable?

If the shortage becomes a surplus, the organization may have to lay off employees

Which of the following is true about predictive validation?

It uses the test scores of all applicants and looks for a relationship between the scores and future performance

Team training in which team members understand and practice each other's skills so that they are prepared to step in and take another member's place is referred to as

cross-training

With regard to a performance measure, ____ describes the consistency of the results that the performance measure will deliver.

reliability

For most companies, the first step in the personnel selection process is

screening the applications to see who meet the basic requirements for the job

Organizational recruitment materials that emphasize due-process policies, rights of appeal, and grievance mechanisms send a message that

the organization has many problems

Which of the following is a permissible question for job applications and interviews?

"Will you need any reasonable accommodation for this hiring process?"

Which of the following statements is true of apprenticeship?

Apprentices can earn an income while learning a trade.

Which of the following is an example of an on-the-job training method?

Apprenticeship

Which of the following is a difference between apprenticeship and internship?

Apprenticeship is sponsored by employee unions, whereas internship is sponsored by educational institutions.

How does an organization specify the aspects of performance that are relevant to the organization?

Based on the job analysis

Which of the following is one of the ways by which individuals acting as references for job applicants can minimize the risk of being sued for defamation or misrepresentation?

By only giving information about observable, job-related behaviors

Which rater error makes it difficult to distinguish among employees rated by the same rater because the rater tends to use only one part of the rating scale?

Distributional error

Which of the following types of professions would typically have an internship?

Doctor

Which of the following is true of downsizing?

Downsizing often disrupts the social networks through which people are creative and flexible

Which of the following is true according to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991?

Employers are required to make "reasonable accommodation" to disabled individuals

Which of the following holds good under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986?

Employers must verify and maintain records on the legal records on the legal rights of applicants to work in the United States

Which of the following is the most widely used method for rating attributes?

Graphic rating scales

Which of the following is true about the forced-distribution method of measuring employee performance?

It assigns a certain percentage of employees to each category in a set of categories

Which of the following best describes multiple-hurdle model of personnel selection?

It is a process of arriving at a selection decision by eliminating some candidates at each stage of the selection process

Which of the following best describes content validity?

It is the consistency between the test items or problems and the kinds of situations or problems that occur on the job

Which of the following terms refers to objective measures that accurately predict future labor demand?

Leading indicators

Which of the following is true about medical examinations of job candidates?

Medical examinations are conducted after the candidate has been given a job offer

Which type of interview allows the interviewer discretion in choosing the questions to be asked and generally includes open-ended questions about the candidate's strengths, weaknesses, career goals, and work experience?

Nondirective

Which of the following considers an organization's strategy and the resources available for training important before starting any training program?

Organization analysis

Which of the following options for avoiding an expected labor shortage has the benefit of being a relatively fast solution with high revocability?

Overtime

Which of the following training methods is used for conveying facts or comparing alternatives?

Presentation methods

Sharon wants to apply for a job vacancy. She calls the recruiter who had advertised this vacancy to know more about the job. The recruiter gives some background information to Sharon about the positive and negative qualities of the job. Which of the following terms refers to the job information given by the recruiter?

Realistic job preview

A manufacturing company hit by a slump in demand is experiencing a labor surplus. The company expects the market to improve in six months and it does not want to layoff any of its employees. Which of the following strategies is an equitable way to handle this issue that results in spreading the burden more fairly?

Reduced work hours

Identify the evaluation approach to performance measurement that meets the following criteria: very high fit with strategy, usually high validity, high reliability, high acceptability, and high specificity regarding results but low specificity regarding behaviors necessary to achieve them.

Results

Which of the following is a comparative performance appraisal technique?

Simple ranking

Which of the following processes identifies the knowledge, skills, and behaviors that training should emphasize?

Task analysis

Which of the following observations is true of taking the services of independent contractors?

The company is not supposed to directly supervise the contractors

Which of the following is a disadvantage of using resumes as a source of information about job applicants?

The content of the information is controlled by applicants

Which of the following primary variables in a person analysis can be affected by training?

The employee's ability and skills

Which of the following is a reason why many of the downsizing efforts fail?

The overall costs incurred by the company may increase

Which of the following steps should be taken to protect employees when they provide evaluations of managers' performance?

The process should be anonymous

Which of the following statements is true of simulators used in training?

They must have elements identical to those found in the work environment

Which of the following is true of electronic performance support systems?

They provide expert advice when a problem occurs on the job

Which of the following is true about job performance tests?

They provide fair evaluations for applicants

What is the objective of diversity training programs that focus on attitudes?

To increase participants' awareness of cultural, ethnic, personal, and physical differences in the workforce

How does an organization promote fairness and reduce political behavior in the appraisal system?

Train managers to use the appraisal process

_____ requires that employees actually learn the content of the training program and that the necessary conditions are in place for employees to apply what they learned.

Transfer of training

Which of the following terms is a chart that lists job categories held in one period and shows the proportion of employees in each of those job categories in a future period?

Transitional matrix

Which of the following is an advantage of statistical forecasting methods?

Under the right conditions, they provide predictions that are much more precise than judgmental methods

Which of the following is true of temporary workers?

Using temporary workers frees the employer from many administrative tasks.

The performance measurement system that combines information from most or all of the possible sources, is known as

a 360-degree performance appraisal

Core competency refers to

a set of knowledge and skills that make the org superior to competitors and create value for customers

One form of experiential training, called ______, is a teamwork and leadership training program based on the use of challenging, structured outdoor activities.

adventure learning

Generally, the organization checks references

after it has determined that the applicant is a finalist for the job

The performance management method that requires managers to rate the frequency with which an employee has exhibited a behavior during a rating period is the

behavioral observation scale

A(n) _____ is a detailed description of a situation that trainees analyze and discuss and is designed to develop higher-order thinking skills.

case study

The most accurate way to evaluate the training program is to

conduct pretests and train only part of the employees

The first step in the instructional design process is

conducting a needs assessment

Information that is gathered for measuring the effectiveness of a performance management system but is irrelevant represents "____" of the performance measure.

contamination

Performance management has a(n) _____ purpose, meaning that it serves as a basis for improving employees' knowledge and skills.

developmental

Subordinate evaluations of performance are most appropriate when the performance results are to be used for

developmental purposes

Which of the following options for reducing an expected labor surplus has the benefit of being a relatively fast solution, but has the disadvantage of being high in human suffering?

downsizing

Sean Mathers, a recruiter for a retail firm, is looking for candidates to fill a sales position. Since the job requires the salesperson to interact with customers, Sean is looking for candidates who are expressive and convincing with customers.. He also wants the candidates to be friendly and social. Which one of the "Big Five" traits is Sean looking for in particular?

extroversion

Evan Smith is the HR manager of a publishing company. He wants to know if a certain test of cognitive ability, used in the advertising industry, can be successfully used in this organization. In other words, he wants to know if this test is a(n) _____ method of personnel selection

generalizable

Managers can improve employee satisfaction with the feedback process by

letting employees voice their opinions and discuss performance goals during the feedback process

Planners need to combine statistical forecasts of labor supply with expert judgments because

historical data may not always reliably indicate future trends

Determining the internal labor supply calls for a detailed analysis of

how many people are currently in various job categories

Temporary employment is popular with employers because

it gives them flexibility in operations

Interviewing effectiveness may be enhanced by

keeping the interviews narrow, structured, and standardized

The use of a neutral-appearing selection method that damages a protected group is

legal if the employer can show that there is a business necessity for using that method

The distributional error that occurs when the reviewer rates everyone near the top of a rating scale is known as

leniency

Training designed to prepare employees to perform their jobs effectively, learn about the organization, and establish work relationships is known as

orientation

The process through which managers ensure that employees' activities and outputs contribute to the organization's goals is known as

performance management

Which approach to performance feedback is generally most effective?

problem-solving

The difficulty level of written materials is known as

readability

____ refers to telling employees exactly what is expected of them ad how they can meet those expectations.

specific feedback

_____ means effective performance management helps the organization achieve its business objectives.

strategic purpose

Most managers rely on the ______ aproach to performance feedback

tell-and-sell

The administrative purpose of a performance management system refers to

the ways in which organizations use the system to provide information for day-to-day decisions about salary, benefits, and recognition programs

An assessment center

uses multiple selection methods to rate applicants to test their technical potential

The _____ of an employment test is indicated by the extent to which the test scores relate to the actual job performance

validity

Which of the following criteria for determining the effectiveness of a performance management system is concerned with maximizing the overlap between actual job performance and job performance measure?

validity