HRM Midterm 1

According to a study of the effects of rightsizing conducted in 1990s, ____ were firms where the decline in employment was less than 5 percent from 1980 to 1994, but the decline in plant and assets during the same period was at least 5 percent greater than the decline in employment. A. stable employers B. employment downsizers C. asset downsizers D. combination upsizers

B

A cost leadership strategy allows a firm to charger the highest possible prices for its products. A. True B. False

B. False

Interactional justice refers to perceptions that the process used to determine the outcomes that an employee faces was fair. A. True B. False

B. False

The Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 exempts federal contractors and government employees from the provisions of the act. A. True B. False

B. False

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the National Labor Relations Board are the two primary regulatory agencies for enforcing employment legislation. A. True B. False

B. False

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission passed Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 A. True B. False

B. False

Which of the following statements is true of sexual orientation discrimination? A. It is not prohibited by any federal law. B. It is prohibited by the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 C. The Fair Labor Standards Act prohibits this discrimination in both public- and private-sector jobs. D. Federal employees are not protected against this discrimination

A

An agency problem occurs when there is a conflict between the interests of managers and the interests of shareholders. A. True B. False

A. True

Both AIDS and HIV are not covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act. A. True B. False

A. True

Experts generally view ____ as characteristics of employees, or teams of employees, that lead to success on the job. A. obligations B. folkways C. competencies D. mores

C

In the context of the six sections of the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ), ____ represent the reasoning, decision-making, planning, and information-processing activities involved in performing a job. A. job contexts B. information inputs C. mental processes D. special codes

C

A cost leadership strategy is one that: A. allows a company to charge a higher prices for its products B. focuses on hiring experienced employees who would remain with the company for long C. has reward systems based on quality rather than the quantity of output D. focuses on minimizing the overall costs as much as possible

D

Forrest & Barnes, a pharmaceutical company in the United States, builds a research and development facility in Japan. This helps the company make the best use of the efficient labor and technology available in Japan. Which of the following international business strategies is Forrest & Barnes most likely using in the given scenario? A. Exporting B. A joint venture C. Licensing D. Direct foreign investment

D

Suave is an accessory and jewelry retailer based in France. The company wants to enter new markets to expand its business. As a result, it decides to sell its goods to retailers in other countries. Which of the following is the most likely advantage that Suave will have by using this approach? A. This approach will reduce the transportation coats incurred by Suave. B. This approach will allow Suave to purchase factory units in other countries C. This approach will allow Suave to realize its full profit potential D. This approach will involve relatively little risk for Suave.

D

The Federal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) frequently uses the ____ to issue new guidelines and opinions regarding employment practices that result from newly passed laws. A. federal register B. united states reports C. united states statutes at large D. official gazette

A

The ____ revealed that individual and group behavior played an important role in organizations and that human behavior at work was something managers really needed to understand more fully. A. Hawthorne studies B. scientific management approach C. systems approach to management D. Industrial Revolution

A

The definition of labor market is a major issue in resolving lawsuits brought under ____ suits. A. pattern discrimination B. retaliation C. disparate impact D. disparate treatment

A

Which of the following companies uses a strategic alliance to compete in the international business environment? A. Manolo, a large organic farming business that partners with a chain of retail supermarkets to sell its produce B. Frentech, a large consulting organization that holds several operating facilities in another country C. Mellissa, a clothing business that purchases subsidiaries in another country to expand its business D. Benedicts, a frozen food producer that permits other firms to manufacture and market its products using its logo.

A

Customer preference can never be the basis of a cone fide occupational qualification (BFOQ). A. True B. False

A. True

If an organization uses a differentiation strategy, performance management must be focused on recognizing and rewarding performance leading to improved quality. A. True B. False

A. True

Immigration patterns are important inputs for forecasting the supply of labor. A. True B. False

A. True

Interactional justice refers to the quality of the interpersonal treatment people receive when a decision is implemented. A. True B. False

A. True

Managing culture is important for the success of corporate mergers and acquisitions. A. True B. Flase

A. True

Which of the following factors could most likely be a reason for the failure of a merger or acquisition? A. The size of the workforce of the acquiring firm was bigger than that of the acquired firm. B. The new business was too far from the areas of expertise of the acquiring firm. C. The accounting systems of both firms were different. D. The parent firm incurred high levels of research-and-development expenditure.

B

Which of the following is a major cause for involuntary turnover in an organization? A. Lack of job complexity B. Poor performance of an individual C. High job embeddedness D. Poor rapport of an individual with co-workers

B

Which of the following is a similarity between the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Civil Service Commission? A. Both were created by the Equal Pay Act of 1963 B. Both developed the uniform guidelines on employee-selection procedures. C. Both enforce and oversee all the regulations specific to federal agencies. D. Both have the power to enforce the provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.

B

_____ refers to the decisions about how many employees should be on the payroll at any time. A. Distributive justice B. The headcount C. The job-enlargement process D. Procedural justice

B

Forecasting the future supply of human resources does not require an analysis of internal company records. A. True B. False

B. False

The ____ of 1974 guarantees a basic minimum benefit that employees could expect to be paid at retirement. A. Retirement Equality Act B. National Labor Relations Act C. Employee Retirement Income Security Act D. Fair Labor Standards Act

C

The rationale for the ____ was to ensure that everyone who works would receive an income sufficient to meet basic needs. A. Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973 B. National Labor Relations Act of 1935 C. Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 D. Equal Pay Act of 1963

C

Which of the following is a difference between leased employees and part-time employees? A. unlike leased employees, part-time employees are usually covered by benefits from the organization B. unlike part-time employees, leased employees provide considerate scheduling flexibility to the organization that hires them. C. Unlike leased employees, part-time employees reduce the labor costs of an organization D. Unlike part-time employees, leased employees are regularly expected to work less than 40 hours a week.

C

Which of the following strategies is frequently used by organizations after a period of retrenchment? A. Related diversification B. Unrelated diversification C. A stability strategy D. A turnaround strategy

C

Who among the following individuals is most likely to receive a hardship premium? A. An intern who puts in extra hours of work on a daily basis B. A business development manager on a foreign client visit C. An expatriate manager posted in a war-torn country D. A physician volunteering to serve the poor in his locality

C

____ is the result of behaviors or actions by an organization or managers within an organization that cause members of a protected class to be unfairly differentiated from others A. Victorious learning B. Avoidance learning C. Negative reinforcement D. Illegal discrimination

D

____ states that a condition like race, sec, or other personal characteristic legitimately affects a person's ability to perform the job, and therefore can be used as a legal requirement for selection. A. The exclusionary rule B. A quid pro quo approach C. The four-fifths rule D. A bona fide occupational qualification

D

Labor relations is the process of dealing with employees who are represented by ____. A. a task force B. the board of directors of the firm C. the government

B

The human resource department (HR) of Asterix, a large organization, recommends setting up fitness centers and conducting career planning sessions to enhance the overall progress of its employees. The management of the company believes that the employees should be happy and personally fulfilled on the job. In the given scenario, the recommendation of the HR department, if executed, will most likely help Asterix achieve the human resource management goal of _____. A. complying with social obligations B. promoting individual growth and development C. promoting ethnocentric practices in the workplace D. adhering to legal business guidelines

B

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 was amended in 2009 with the passage of the _____, which mandates emergency leave for all covered active-duty members. A. Small Necessities Leave Act B. Uniting American Families Act C. Military Commissions Act D. Supporting Military Families Act

D

The _____ has the power to apply the standards of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) and enforce its provisions. A. Department of Justice B. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission C. Office of Federal Contract Compliance Procedures D. Department of Labor

D

_____ is a dimension of interactional justice that deals with the extent to which an individual is treated with respect and dignity when he or she is told about the decision of layoff. A. Interpersonal justice B. Procedural justice C. Informational justice D. Distributive justice

A

_____ is one popular approach to business strategy where a business seeks ways to become accustomed to its environment. A. The adaptation model B. Retrenchment C. Related diversification D. The identity model

A

_____ is the set of forces that causes people to behave in certain ways. A. Motivation B. Attitude C. Altruism D. Personality

A

_____ refers to the cultural composition of a group or organization. A. Ethnicity B. Xenocentrism C. Ethnocentricity D. Pluralism

A

An organization engages in job enrichment by making employees' work more challenging and by granting them more autonomy. These most likely reduce: A. the turnover rates of the company. B. the organizational citizenship behaviors of the employees. C. the affective commitment of the employees toward the organization. D. the contextual performance of the employees.

A

Antony, a content analyst, is dissatisfied with the salary he is paid in his present firm. Although he finds other jobs with better compensation packages, he does not take up any of them. This is because taking up a new job would require him to move to a new neighborhood, which would mean that he would have to move away from his friends. The given scenario exemplifies _____. A. job embeddedness B. affective commitment C. organizational alienation D. functional turnover

A

Which of the following statements is true of the Civil Rights Act of 1991? A. It provides the potential payment of compensatory and punitive damages in cases of discrimination under Title VII. B. It allows federal judges rather than juries to hear cases of discrimination under Title VII. C. It gives the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Procedures the power to enforce the provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1991. D. It shifts the burden of proof to the victims of discrimination.

A

Which of the following statements is true of the Privacy Act of 1974? A. It applies directly to federal employees only, but it has served as the impetus for several state laws. B. It prohibits employers from using urinalysis, which is the most invasive method of drug testing on the job. C. It applies solely to federal contractors and subcontractors receiving $2,500 or more as loans from the federal government. D. It allows employers to monitor the behavior of employees outside of work.

A

Disparate treatment occurs when two groups of people are treated in differently in different situations bases on a protected characteristic. A. True B. False

A. True

Scientific management helped augment the concept of assembly-line production. A. True B. False

A. True

The Equal Pay Act defines equality in terms of skill, responsibility, effort, and working conditions. A. True B. False

A. True

The top management team of a company includes the chief operating officer of the company. A. True B. False

A. True

Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) Act requires that employees give at least 60 days' notice for a mass layoff. A. True B. False

A. True

Pierre, the human resource manager at a firm, has been asked by the top management to come up with a strategy to increase the performance effectiveness of the firm's employees. In this context, which of the following actions should Pierre take? A. He should seldom conduct formal performance appraisals because employees get upset by criticism. B. He should pay high-performing employees more than inconsistent performers in order to increase motivation. C. He should use attitude surveys only when there is a noticeable drop in the performance of employees. D. He should carefully control the behavior of teams and should not let them make their own decisions.

B

Straps Inc. is a leading manufacturer of high-end watches. It is renowned for its reliability and quality and enjoys a monopoly in its home market. It has now adopted a strategy to expand its business into neighboring countries. Which of the following human resource strategies should Straps Inc. follow to maintain the same momentum in the new markets? A. It should keep the size of its workforce small to increase efficiency. B. It should hire workers who can provide exemplary customer service. C. It should exclusively focus on marketing to people from the business industry. D. It should hire employees who would not remain with the company for long.

B

The problem-solving argument for diversity suggests that more diverse organizations will be more competitive because they tend to: A. easily understand different markets. B. have a larger pool of unique information. C. become known among women and minorities as good places to work. D. have lower rates of employee turnover and absenteeism.

B

Which of the following is a step in the task-analysis inventory method of job analysis? A. job analysts evaluates a taxonomy of fifty-two abilities that account for differences in employee performance B. subject matter experts generate a list of tasks, and job incumbents evaluate each task on several dimensions C. Employees complete a questionnaire reflecting work behavior, working conditions, and job characteristics D. supervisors generate examples of effective and ineffective performance of employees when they were assigned particular tasks.

B

Which of the following statements is true of human capital investments? A. They do not include on-the-job training B. The availability of people who have made human capital investments can affect a firm's location strategies. C. The decision of a person to enter the labor market is not affected by the human capital investments that he or she has made. D. They lead to a decrease in the wages of individuals.

B

_____ mirrors the Civil Rights Act in terms of outlawing discrimination, but also requires federal contractors and subcontractors, with contracts greater than $50,000, to file written affirmative action plans. A. Executive Order 11478 B. Executive Order 11246 C. The Fair Labor Standards Act D. The Wagner Act

B

The second step in the regulation process of human resource management in the United States is the: A. modification of national regulations B. enforcement of regulations C. implementation of regulations D. creation of new regulations

B The first step is the actual creation of new regulation. The second step is the enforcement of regulations. The third step is the actual practice and implementation of those regulations in organizations.

An organization that implements a reduction strategy will provide training programs to upgrade the skills of current employees to make them more valuable to the organization. A. True B. False

B. False

As part of a progressive disciplinary program, a verbal warning given to an employee is documented by the supervisor and added to the employee's permanent record. A. True B. False

B. False

Employees involved in mergers and acquisitions must retain their existing self-identity instead of developing a new one. A. True B. False

B. False

A progressive disciplinary plan is an organizational disciplinary program where: A. verbal warnings are directly followed by employee suspension. B. the primary goal is to terminate employees. C. the severity of punishment increases across the seriousness of the problem. D. employees are given incentives to engage in desired behavior.

C

Anyx Inc., an electronics firm, manufactures home appliances as well as automobile engines. It also owns and operates an insurance firm and a software development firm. Which of the following strategies is Anyx Inc. using in the given scenario? A. The turnaround strategy B. The stability strategy C. The diversification strategy D. The retrenchment strategy

C

Douglas McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y framework grew from____. A. the Industrial Revolution B scientific management C. the human relations movement D. operations management

C

In the context of the dimensions of national culture as identified by Robert House's GLOBE project (Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness), who among the following individuals is most likely to belong to a culture with high performance orientation? A. Martin, who is very proud of his company and the team that he manages B.Carlos, who plans projects and allocates resources for them well in advance C. Belinda, who makes sure her employees are rewarded for their excellence at work D. Frieda, who believes in offering equal job opportunities to both men and women

C

One form of organization design used by many smaller or newer organizations is the _____. A. M-form design B. divisional design C. functional design D. H-form design

C

The _____ is a computerized database system that contains continually updated information regarding the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for virtually every job in the U.S. economy. A. task-analysis inventory system B. Society for Human Resource Management C. Occupational Information Network D. Fleishman job-analysis system

C

The knowledge workers of an organization: A. require little or no specialized training. B. include blue-collar workers. C. often believe they have the right to work autonomously. D. add value to the organization simply because of their experience.

C

Voice, a critical dimension of procedural justice, refers to the perception that: A. the person applying the rules to make a decision had no vested interest in the outcome of the decision. B. the rules used to make a decision were applied the same way to everyone involved. C. the person affected by a decision had some control over the outcome in the decision. D. the rules used to make a decision conform to prevailing standards of ethics and morality.

C

Which of the following statements is an argument against drug-testing programs? A. They are applicable only in organizations regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. B. They are not widespread despite the hard evidence addressing their effectiveness. C. They test employees for alcohol use, which is not illegal. D. They are inappropriate in cases without a reasonable basis for suspected drug use.

D

Which of the following statements is true of stock options? A. The stock-option price for employees is higher than the selling price of the stock when the option is issued. B. Employees who are given stock options are legally bound to sign a non-compete clause. C. They give employees the opportunity to be part of the company's inventory management. D. They give employees the right to purchase a certain number of shares of stock at a given price.

D

Which of the following statements is true of the Civil Rights Act of 1991? A. It gives the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Procedures the power to enforce the provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1991. B. It allows federal judges rather than juries to hear cases of discrimination under Title VII. C. It shifts the burden of proof to the victims of discrimination. D. It provides the potential payment of compensatory and punitive damages in cases of discrimination under Title VII.

D

Which of the following statements is true of the corporate strategy of an organization? A. It addresses how the organization will manage its basic functional activities, such as marketing, finance, operations, research and development, and human resources. B. It deals with how the organization will compete in each market where it conducts business. C. It can be pursued using the adaptation model, which allows managers to match the organization's strategy with the basic conditions of the environment. D. It should be closely tied to the human resource management practices within the organization.

D

Which of the following statements is true of the strategies for dealing with diversity? A. Understanding individual differences involves accommodating all types of behaviors. B. Adopting a hierarchical approach to organizational control is the solution to effective diversity management. C. Tolerance should include accepting and enjoying the behavior of others. D. Offensive behavior by a person should be pointed out in a friendly, low-key manner.

D

Both AIDS and HIV are not covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act. A. Ture B. False

False

A company that uses a _____ attempts to develop an image or reputation for its product or service that sets the company apart from its competitors. A. differentiation strategy B. defender strategy C. diversification strategy D. stability strategy

A

The _____ was passed in 1935 in an effort to control and legislate collective bargaining between organizations and labor unions. A. Fair Labor Standards Act B. Wagner Act C. Employee Free Choice Act D. Taft-Hartley Act

B

In the context of court decisions in the late 1990s, charges of _____ stem from the belief by white males that they have suffered because of preferential treatment given to other groups. A. disparate treatment B. pattern discrimination C. reverse discrimination D. disparate impact

C

_____ is most appropriate in relatively stable conditions with a moderate degree of uncertainty and risk. A. The prospector strategy B. A defender strategy C. The analyzer strategy D. A turnaround strategy

C

Employees who contribute to the organization by the nature of what they know and how well they can apply what they know are known as _____. A. ancillary workers B. blue-collar workers C. free riders D. knowledge workers

D

_____ refers to treating social outcomes and financial outcomes as complementary, rather than competing outcomes. A. Shareholder primacy B. Personnel management C. Corporate governance D. Conscious capitalism

D

A defender strategy is assumed to work best when a business operates in an environment with relatively little uncertainty and risk and a high degree of stability. A. True B. False

A. True

Flaherty Steel Company, based in Japan, decides to open a big manufacturing and distribution center in China. It does this by acquiring operating facilities from another company in China. The management at Flaherty believes that adopting this approach will provide the company with instant access to new markets. In this context, the HR function at Flaherty Steel Company will: A. need to extend and expand its scope and operations to provide the appropriate contributions to firm performance B. need to be extended to include another set of employees but will not changed in any other meaningful way. C. become complicated because of the disparate relationship between the staff in Flaherty's home-country and the staff of the acquired company D. need to be extended to include employees of the Chinese company involved in the acquisition.

A

In the context of progressive discipline, _____ refers to following unacceptable behavior with some type of negative consequences. A. punishment B. procedural justice C. interpersonal justice D. extinction

A

Customer preference can never be the basis of a bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ). A. True B. False

True

In the context of layoffs, _____ refers to the quality of the interpersonal treatment people receive when a decision is implemented. A. restorative justice B. interactional justice C. procedural justice D. distributive justice

B

Jared has been working in his company's foreign subsidiary as a plant manager for five years. He decides to move back to his home country for personal reasons and his company starts the process of bringing him and his family back home. The company also provides Jared with career counseling in case he decides to look for a new job on his return. In this context, Jared is involved in the _____ step of managing the human resources of global business. A. compensation B. repatriation C. training D. selection

B

Which of the following companies engages in reverse discrimination? A. A music production company that does not promote employees who are overweight B. An investment firm that discontinues its paternity leave policy and increases the number of maternity leaves C. A parcel service company that hires more white males than African Americans D. A construction company that employs only male civil engineers because of the hazardous nature of the job

B

_____ is a dimension of interactional justice that refers to the extent to which the decision maker of a layoff decision provides details about the rules used to make the decision and how they were applied. A. Interpersonal justice B. Informational justice C. Procedural justice D. Distributive justice

B

TechUp Inc., a computer manufacturing firm, hires an external specialist agency to perform background checks on its new employees. By doing this, TechUp Inc. ensures quality service and saves both time and labor costs. In the given scenario, TechUp Inc. is using _____. A. crowdsourcing B. importing C. outsourcing D. foreign direct investment

C

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993: A. was passed in part to remedy weaknesses in the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. B. was passed to ensure that employees receive at least some pension benefits at the time of retirement or even termination. C. does not apply to employees who have not worked an average of 25 hours a week in the previous 12 months. D. does not apply to government employees and federal contractors.

C

Which of the following is most likely to happen as a small firm grows into a large business? A. The owner or general manager of the firm starts handing human resource duties. B. The firm becomes exempt from many legal regulations. C. A separate human resource unit becomes a necessity. D. A standard approach to deal with most human resource problems is designed.

C

Which of the following statements is true of a mission statement? A. It is created by the junior employees of an organization. B. It specifies the basic reason for the existence of an organization. C. It provides subtle cues about the importance that an organization places on its human resources. D. It attempts to identify the weaknesses of an organization and the threats that it is likely to face.

C

Which of the following statements is true of the union in an organization? A. It cannot facilitate strategic changes in the organization. B. Unionized firms have lesser formal procedures than nonunionized firms. C. It can play an important role in formulating and implementing the human resource strategy of the organization. D. Unionized firms tend to have lesser rules than nonunionized firms.

C

Organizations fulfill the human resource management goal of complying with legal and social obligations by designing jobs that are challenging and provide personal satisfaction to employees. A. True B. False

False (doesn't comply with legal and social obligations)

Which of the following is a benefit of outsourcing? A. It eliminates jobs that tend to be repetitious. B. It makes employees self-reliant. C. It helps a firm meet its expansion needs. D. It reduces a firm's risk of facing intellectual property theft.

A

Which of the following is a benefit of outsourcing? A. It eliminates jobs that to be repetitious. B. It reduces a firm's risk of facing intellectual property theft. C. It makes employees self-reliant. D. It helps a firm meet its expansion needs.

A

Which of the following is a critical component that affects how strategies are formulated and how they are implemented? A. Unionization B. Salary structure C. Performance management D. Staffing

A

Immigration patterns are important inputs for forecasting the supply of labor. A. True B False

A. True

Which of the following supplanted scientific management as the dominant approach to management during the 1930s? A. The open-book management approach B. The personnel management approach C. The human relations era D. The systems-orientated view to human resource management

C

Which of the following companies is an example of an international business that uses the geocentric staffing model? A. Hydracore, a web development company that hires employees from a pool of qualified candidates from across the world B. Infinite Sports, a sports shoes manufacturing company that only hires local workers to staff its foreign subsidiaries C. Cielo Vista, a commercial airline that hires parent-country nationals to staff all positions in its foreign offices D. Franelli, an international convenience store chain that hires employees from its parent country to staff higher-level positions in its foreign offices

A

Which of the following companies uses a strategic alliance to compete in the international business environment? A. Manolo, a large organic farming business that partners with a chain of retail supermarkets to sell its produce B. Mellissa, a clothing business that purchases subsidiaries in another country to expand its business C. Frentech, a large consulting organization that holds several operating facilities in another country D. Benedicts, a frozen food producer that permits other firms to manufacture and market its products using its logo

A

Which of the following indicators can be used to assess the success or failure of a merger or acquisition? A. Research-and-development expenditures B. Ethics and values of the newly formed organization C. Previous acquisitions of the acquiring firm D. HR policies of the newly formed organization

A

Growing birthrates among the post-baby boom generations, which account for larger percentages of new entrants into the labor force, have changed the average age of U.S. workers. A. True B. False

B. False

In the context of downsizing, employees with survivor syndrome feel extremely proud of keeping their jobs, and their morale and commitment to the organization increase dramatically. A. True B. False

B. False

Outsourcing has resulted in an increase in the size of human resource (HR) departments within companies. A. True B. False

B. False

The use of new technologies by an organization for manufacturing, communication, and human resource management reduces the organization's need for knowledge workers. A. True B. False

B. False

Which of the following individuals would a company that uses a defender strategy prefer to retain the most? A. Marlene, a senior accountant, who seldom adheres to company policies but is good at her work B. Tyler, a creative writer, who is very passionate about his work and prefers taking calculated artistic risks C. Ron, a sales manager, who is one of the oldest employees of the company and is highly dedicated to his work D. Lena, a receptionist, who is friendly and approachable but keeps changing jobs

C

Which of the following statements is true of the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)? A. It is a standardized job-analysis instrument consisting of 197 items. B. It is the most common form of job analysis used in the U.S. military. C. It is relatively complex, and an employee must have the reading level of a college graduate to be able to complete it. D. It represents the first attempt to develop a single instrument that can describe all jobs in common terms.

C

In the context of the competitive advantage of diversity, the _____ suggests that organizations that manage diversity effectively are in a better position to attract the right talent from minority groups. A. systems flexibility argument B. marketing argument C. cost argument D. resource acquisition argument

D

The _____ is a standardized job-analysis instrument whose focus is on administrative jobs, and the analysis is done in terms of 13 essential components of all administrative jobs. A. critical incidents approach B. Position Analysis Questionnaire C. Fleishman job-analysis system D. Management Position Description Questionnaire

D

Which of the following is a benefit of outsourcing? A. It helps a firm meet its expansion needs. B. It makes employees self-reliant. C. It reduces a firm's risk of facing intellectual property theft. D. It eliminates jobs that tend to be repetitious.

D

Which of the following statements is true of traditional line managers? A. They include human resource managers. B. They are responsible for a support functions. C. They make indirect bottom-line contributions to the organization. D. They are directly responsible for creating goods and services.

D

Glenda, a line manager, is asked to perform a job analysis of the new jobs that have emerged as part of her company's expansion process. She decides to pick the most common approach to job analysis and prepares a text description of all the new jobs. She writes detailed explanations of the jobs and the effort involved in completing them. In the given scenario, Glenda is using _____. A. a narrative job analysis B. functional job analysis C. the Fleishman job-analysis system D. the task-analysis inventory

A

In the context of court decisions in the late 1990s, charges of _____ stem from the belief by white males that they have suffered because of preferential treatment given to other groups. A. reverse discrimination B. pattern discrimination C. disparate treatment D. disparate impact

A

Jeffrey Inc., an animation company, asks job applicants to fill out a form requesting information about any hereditary illness or health conditions experienced by the applicants or their family members. In this context, Jeffrey Inc. is violating the _____. A. Americans with Disabilities Act B. Confidentiality of Medical Information Act C. Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act D. Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act

D

Mirage Inc., a management consulting firm, plans to increase its profits by expanding its services to target new customers. It wants to hire more employees to maintain the quality of its services and hence launches an intense recruitment drive. It also collaborates with colleges to tap potential employees. In the given scenario, Mirage Inc. is implementing a _____. A. stability strategy B. reduction strategy C. retrenchment strategy D. growth strategy

D

Which of the following statements is true of selecting expatriates for international assignments? A. Success in foreign assignments is based more on technical skills than on cultural skills. B. More firms are increasingly hiring global managers due to their abundance in the international market. C. The first step in selecting expatriates is to employ a headhunter to identify a pool of qualified applicants. D. People with foreign-language skills and international travel experience are attractive expatriate candidates.

D

Which of the following statements is true of traditional line managers? A. They make indirect bottom-line contributions to the organization. B. They are responsible for a support functions. C. They include human resource managers. D. They are directly responsible for creating goods and services.

D

Wrapp Kitchen wants to increase worker productivity and efficiency. To achieve this, the management of the restaurant restructures the kitchen space and the jobs of waiters and chefs to maximize output and service delivery. The aim is to focus each and every employee activity toward maximizing productivity. This scenario illustrates the concept of ____. A. personnel management B. outsourcing C. licensing D. scientific management

D

In the context of human resource management, companies can establish a competitive advantage by: A. hiring the right people and training them to be effective. B. adopting a centralized approach to organizational control. C. focusing solely on their external environment. D. implementing a hierarchical management scheme.

A

In the context of job-analysis techniques, _____ is a family of job-analysis methods, each with unique characteristics, and each focusing on analyzing all the work performed in the focal job. A. the task-analysis inventory B. functional job analysis C. the critical incidents approach D. a narrative job analysis

A

Jenna is part of the human resource department of her company. She gathers a panel of subject matter experts (SMEs) to perform a job analysis. She asks the SMEs to analyze the jobs in the company based on a taxonomy of fifty-two abilities that represent all the dimensions of the jobs. The SMEs are required to indicate the importance of various abilities for each job. In the context of job-analysis techniques, the given scenario illustrates the use of the _____. A. Fleishman job-analysis system B. functional job-analysis technique C. critical incidents approach D. Position Analysis Questionnaire

A

An important element in the human resource planning (HR) process for most organizations is the effective use of the organization's human resource information system. A. True B. False

A. True

Labor contracts in England are not really legal contracts but are merely understandings that can be broken at any time by either party with no penalty. A. True B. False

A. True

In the context of the strategies that organizations use for competing in the international environment, a direct foreign investment occurs when a firm owns physical assets in another country. A. true B. false

A. true

John, an executive at a top investment firm, often gets into heated arguments with his boss over differences in work ethics. In this scenario, John is most likely to be dissatisfied with his job because of: A. job enrichment. B. his relationship with his supervisor. C. the challenging nature of his job. D. his affective commitment to the firm.

B

A prospector strategy works best when a business operates in an environment with relatively little uncertainty and risk and high stability. A. True B. False

B. False

Which of the following statements is true of the narrative job-analysis technique? A. It focuses on the critical behaviors that distinguish effective from ineffective performers. B. A panel of job incumbents is required to complete a narrative job analysis. C. The narratives are typically individualistic, making it difficult to compare the tasks of one job with another. D. Job analysts who use narrative job analysis require extensive training to write accurate job descriptions.

C

Which of the following was true of human resource (HR) managers in the 1980s and 1990s when firms sought mergers and acquisitions in order to compete effectively in the global marketplace? A. They helped create strategies that promoted ethnocentrism in the workplace. B. They developed strategies that ensured that any knowledge acquired was kept confidential among top executives. C. They helped identify the critical human resources that firms would need in the future. D. They were involved solely in scheduling working hours and disciplining problem employees.

C

Saint Mary City Hospital is facing a severe shortage of nurses in some of its departments. Many nurses quit their jobs the last month as they were asked to do tasks that were not mentioned in their job profile. The administration is now hiring new nursing staff. Which of the following would be the most effective in retaining the new nurses that are hired? A. Conducting realistic job previews B. Increasing normative commitment of the nurses C. Reducing job enrichment D. Increasing job embeddedness

A

The _____ is used when an organization tries to target a specific segment of the marketplace for its products or services. A. focus strategy B. stability strategy C. analyzer strategy D. defender strategy

A

Which of the following companies engages in reverse discrimination? A. An investment firm that discontinues its paternity leave policy and increases the number of maternity leaves B. A construction company that employs only male civil engineers because of the hazardous nature of the job C. A parcel service company that hires more white males than African Americans D. A music production company that does not promote employees who are overweight

A

Which of the following is a similarity between functional job analysis and the Position Analysis Questionnaire? A. The dimensions measured by both these methods are believed to underlie all jobs. B. The items that make up both these methods are organized into ten sections. C.Both instruments are relatively simple and easy to use. D. Both provide information on 187 separate job-related items.

A

Which of the following statements is an argument against drug-testing programs? A. They are inappropriate in cases without a reasonable basis for suspected drug use. B. They test employees for alcohol use, which is not illegal. C. They are not widespread despite the hard evidence addressing their effectiveness. D. They are applicable only in organizations regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

A

Which of the following statements is true of the critical incidents approach? A. It is most widely used in connection with the development of appraisal instruments. B. It is a standardized job-analysis instrument consisting of 194 items. C. It represents the first attempt to develop a single instrument that can describe all jobs in common terms. D. It proposes that all jobs be described in terms of the level of involvement with people, data, and things.

A

Which of the following statements is true of the human resource (HR) department of large organizations? A. HR functions are likely to have specialized subunits in large organizations. B. Relatively little HR training is provided in large organizations. C. Line managers are required to handle basic HR functions in large organizations. D. The general manager handles the HR duties in large organizations.

A

Who among the following is a knowledge worker? A. An employee who develops software applications for a phone company B. A businessman who owns a group of educational institutions C. A shareholder in a firm that is involved in knowledge processing operations D. An employee who assembles products in a factory

A

Who among the following is a knowledge worker? A. An employee who develops software applications for a phone company B. An employee who assembles products in a factory C. A shareholder in a firm that is involved in knowledge processing operations D. A businessman who owns a group of educational institutions

A

_____ prohibits discrimination on the basis of an individual's race, color, religious beliefs, sex, or national origin. A. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 B. Section 5 of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988 C. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 D. The Labor Management Relations Act of 1947

A

_____ is one that has achieved high levels of diversity, can capitalize fully on the advantages of the diversity, and has few diversity-related problems. A. A xenophobic firm B. Social entrepreneurship C. The multicultural organization D. An ethnocentric organization

C

Which of the following statements is true of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? A. It focuses solely on those disabilities that are permanent in nature. B. It specifies different criteria for dealing with disabilities in men and women. C. It presents a challenge to managers who try to balance treating everyone the same with treating everyone equitably. D. It mandates that organizations provide all the accommodations requested by employees with disabilities.

C

Who among the following is subject to the regulations of the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988? A. Allen, who works as a bartender in a famous pub B. Holly, who is a fashion designer and runs her own line of garments C. Brett, who is a truck driver and transports armaments to military bases D. Carla, who works as a senior accountant at a private law firm

C