Intro to HR
What are the ages of workers protected by the ADEA now?
40+
What is an affirmative action plan?
A plan for government contractors to make efforts to hire women and minorities
A small firm needs to dismiss one worker and wants to use a performance appraisal system to choose which worker should be laid-off.Which type of performance appraisal is appropriate in this context?
A straight ranking appraisal by a supervisor
Which of the following external recruitment methods often results in an oversupply of qualified employees?
Acquisitions and mergers
Affirmative action is defined as:
Action taken by an employer to overcome discriminatory effects of past or current practices
Which of the following are disadvantages that arise from recruiting skills from outside the organization instead of training and developing employees internally?
Additional costs from recruiting skilled talent; The promotional opportunities are reduced because employee enter at a higher pay-grade and higher position
When did benefits become much more popular?
After WWII
What is an effective way to gather relevant information about job applicants during the selection process?
An application blank where the most important information is weighted heavily
As part of their mission the EEOC enforces which of the following?
Anti-discrimination statutes
Which performance appraisal method can make managers more aware of their impact on employees without feeling threatened?
Appraisal by subordinates
There are eight separate HR functions and activities that were discussed at the beginning of this topic. How must an organization view these functions to make them more productive?
As a unit
There are many ways to gather data on an individual. In choosing the performace appraisal method, when should the relevance of each source be considered?
Before
Which form of indirect compensation can be integrated into the organization's strategic planning?
Benefits
Criteria for evaluating HRP need to balance what is forecasted vs. what is actual. Which of the following is NOT a criterion that could be used to evaluate HRP?
Budget vs. desired rates
Incentive pay plans are usually structured in a way to reflect all of the following about the organization except...
Building structure
Top management has a great influence on the HR manager and the department. How does top management influence the HR department the most?
By the roles they allow the department to play
A human resources department is working on increasing diversity within the organization.Which strategic role for a human resources department is being demonstrated?
Champion for change
Which of the following is a static change in an organization?
Changing paperwork to a different format
What does bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ) mean?
Characteristic that is necessary to successfully perform the job
Title VII is included in which piece of legislation?
Civil Rights
A computer software company wants to hire permanent employees who have the most up-to-date knowledge of software development tools, but previous work experience is not necessary.What should be a primary source of recruitment for this situation?
Colleges offering the relevant degree
A company needs to motivate employees to be engaged in their job responsibilities. They decide to reward attendance at training sessions.Which performance improvement approach is being used?
Compensation
Demonstrating that a relationship exists between a selection procedure and a psychological trait or measure is the definition of which measure of validity?
Construct
Which type of validity identifies the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to complete a job and needs no quantitative analysis?
Content
Which of the following forms of performance evaluation is the most widely used?
Conventional
Which of the following flexible compensation packages sometimes lets employees elect to receive cash amounts rather than benefits?
Core-plus-option plan
Which factor represents an organization's value system?
Corporate culture
What is the goal of the selection process when trying to staff an organization's needs?
Create a match between candidate's ability and the needs of the job
What was the Civil Rights Act of 1964 law intended to do?
Curb societal beliefs that people are different based on their physical appearance
In which phase of the business life cycle would an organization be in if they were very top-heavy (in administration)?
Decline
There are a few things that employers can do to help indirect compensation have a better impact on the gains of the company. Which of the following is not something that employers should do?
Decrease communication of the benefits packages so fewer employers use them and costs go down
What is the purpose of the Analysis stage of the ADDIE model?
Determine if the training program will meet a real need in the organization
Which of the following things is least effective for a company to do in order to help employees value the company's indirect compensation package?
Do nothing, since indirect compensation is valued as highly as direct compensation by all employees
The effect of the ADA was to standardize and nationalize employment protections for the qualified disabled employee in both the public and private sectors. What organization has the enforcement power to back up the protections written in the ADA?
EEOC
Which of the following types of validity reviewed in this topic use the correlation coefficient as its measure of validity?
Empirical
Which form of validity for making employment decisions (e.g., select, promote) is legally defensible if challenged in court?
Empirical Validity
What is recognized by courts in several states as an implied contract that can be legally binding?
Employee handbook
The leadership of an organization has decided to move forward with a formal training program. Successful implementation depends upon selecting the appropriate training media for the right workers under the right conditions.Which factor should be considered in selecting the appropriate training media?
Employee readiness for training
EAPs - along with everything else in HR - have evolved over time. What has the focus of EAPs shifted to?
Employee well-being
Legislation continues to put an emphasis on the rights of whom?
Employees
Which of the following is not an internal source of recruiting?
Employment center applicants
What is the function of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)?
Enforcing federal anti-discrimination statutes
Which of the following is not a parameter that needs to be considered when applying the selection process?
Environmental context
What is typically the second phase of human resource planning
Establishing HR objectives and policies
What is the type and number of competitors' openings considered when looking at supply and demand within HR?
External labor demand
While there have been amendments to this law that have influenced and updated the law, the basic premise hasn't changed. This law is the primary law governing wages and salaries. Which of the following is this law?
Fair Labor Standards Act
True or False: Because human resource management is about managing the human capital needs within the organization, when implementing HRP, the organization only needs to focus on the organization's internal factors. TrueFalse
False
True or False: Data collection is important only as a means of control for HR plans and programs.
False
True or False: Employees provide a non-replicable competitive advantage to the organization no matter what practices HR implements in the organization.
False
True or False: For recruiting to be effective, the focus needs to be on the needs of the organization only.
False
True or False: HR professionals have a job that is mostly static and does not require the HR professional to be innovative and ready for change.
False
True or False: Human resource planning is all about the programs and policies that an organization is going to implement and so it is about training, not about restructuring the company. TrueFalse
False
True or False: In the introduction to this topic there was a formula given for performance. It states that an employee's performance could be illustrated by the following formula: P (performance) = f (knowledge, skills, and abilities), where performance (P) is a function (f) of KSAs.
False
True or False: Internal recruitment methods tend to achieve affirmative action goals.
False
True or False: It is okay to start the recruitment process before there is a clear statement of the education, skills, etc., necessary for the job.
False
True or False: Job performance is only determined by the employee.
False
True or False: Organizational development helps organizations survive through changes, but it usually does not help the organization's strategic opportunities.
False
True or False: Organizations must monitor the performance of new employees, only for the benefit of the success of the organization.
False
True or False: Recruitment does not need to be concerned with equal employment opportunity.
False
True or False: Social Security only includes Medicaid.
False
True or False: The selection process begins even before an organization has created a group of applicants.
False
True or False: There are only two types of profit-sharing plans: the cash plan and the wage-dividend plan.
False
True or False: To maintain a competitive edge, companies realize they only need to attract the right employees and they will be competitive in today's market.
False
True or False: Unlike most HR activities, compensation has little relation to a wide range of other HR activities.
False
True or False: Validity is inherent in the test, while reliability depends on the use of it.
False
True or False: When designing organizational development interventions, HR professionals should design the interventions mainly at the individual and department levels.
False
The principle of employment-at-will states that employers can terminate
For any (non-discriminatory) reason.
What is not an exception established by common law for the employment at-will doctrine?
Formal contract exception
HR planning does which of the following for training and development?
Formalizes the process of developing talent from within the organization to fill needed roles
Which incentive leads to enhanced productivity and subsequently creates additional earnings?
Gain sharing plan
Which of the following is not a role that line managers play in the selection and orientation process?
Gathering information about the potential employee
Which human resource professional provides a broad range of support to the overall organization?
Generalist
Although HR generalists and specialists should possess many of the same qualities, which of the following is correct about the level of expertise they should have?
HR specialists must have a more in-depth level of expertise
Which of the following covers short-term absences because of sickness?
Health insurance programs
How do performance appraisals help the company be legally compliant?
Helps establish the validity of employment decisions.
Which of the following is how performance appraisals influence training and development?
Helps understand the reason behind undesirable performance
The assessment phase provides all of the following information about the training except:
How much the training will cost
What does strategic fit mean?
How well the company fits its internal capabilities with external opportunities
When management is working to identify and implement the actions the organization will take, which of the following questions are they answering?
How will we reach our goals?
An agreement created through the actions of the employer and employee is a(n) ________ contract.
Implied
What is an exception to the doctrine of employment at will?
Implied Contract
What are two societal trends that are influencing the world of work?
Increased competition, increase in technology
One of HR's main objectives is to improve productivity. Which of the following best describes what HR managers should strive for when improving productivity?
Increasing output with higher quality
Which of the following is not a goal of indirect compensation?
Increasing turnover
Which of the following employee costs is becoming much more of a concern for employers?
Indirect compensation
Which of the following is not one of the four principal determinants of wages?
Individual Teamwork Determination
Which of the following is not included in the Affordable Care Act?
Insurers may deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditions
Which selection instrument is used to obtain information on the applicant's motivation and details of previous experiences to get a more subjective feel for the candidate?
Interview
Why is human resource planning important?
It ensures the right people in the right jobs at the right times
Why is it important to know what an organization's learning curve is when forecasting demand?
It helps the company get a more accurate idea of how many employees will be needed in the future.
Which of the following is an advantage to grouping jobs into classes?
It is an efficient way to administer salaries
All of the following are advantages to on-the-job training except...
It minimizes distractions to other employees
Recently an employee received a performance appraisal that included several items with a poor performance rating. The employee was upset and felt the appraisal was unfair because the items listed were not part of his daily work requirements.Which human resources activity relates to the employee's concern?
Job Analysis
An organization has recently added 50 new clients, and their production must increase as rapidly as possible. To increase production levels, a manager urges an existing employee to accept a newly created position responsible for hiring new employees.What should the company use to determine the appropriate compensation level for this new position?
Job Evaluation
Two tangible products of job analysis are
Job description and job specifications
All employees in a company receive an e-mail message from human resources with information that a job is available in the marketing department. The message includes the job description and specifies that current employees are encouraged to submit an application.Which method is the company using to obtain job applicants?
Job posting
A fast-growing U.S. company is seeking a human resources generalist. This job entails recruiting and hiring a large number of employees, monitoring performance measures, determining training needs, and ensuring compliance with federal laws as the company continues to grow.Which criterion aligns with the job as outlined above?
Knowledge of legal regulations in employment
HR salaries exhibit a wide disparity of pay levels. Generally, are human resource managers paid more in large companies or small companies?
Large
Which of the following work designs can HR help implement that will serve to increase productivity and value?
Less structured work, where employees can be more creative
Which activity does the strategic human resources manager need to be engaged in, given the fact that organizational survival is increasingly dependent on adaptation?
Managing succession by creating contingency plans for key employees within the organization
What does an effective selection process not do for the organization?
Maximizes potential for litigation with people who claim to be rejected on a discriminatory basis
Within the HRM literature, there are two types of criteria often mentioned. Which of the following defines what an actual criterion is?
Measurable factors that also constitute a successful person
Which of the following methods of performance appraisals use qualitative instead of quantitative data?
Narrative essay
Job duties for a marketing coordinator position include the following: planning international trade shows by identifying, assembling, and coordinating requirements; establishing contacts; developing schedules and assignments; coordinating mailing lists. Which item should be included in the required skills section of this job posting?
Operates Microsoft database software
Peter Senge stated that learning organizations are all of the following except...
Organizations that focus on managerial aspiration
All of the following are dynamics of change except...
People will continue the changes once the initial pressure is off
All of the following are personal factors that may affect pay differentials among individuals with similar jobs, except for...
Performance
What is the formal structural system of measuring, evaluating, and influencing an employee's job-related attributes, behaviors, and outcomes?
Performance appraisal
Which of the following is a type of direct compensation?
Performance-based pay
At which level of analysis are annual performance reviews?
Person
What are millennials, who are just now entering the workforce, concerned about?
Personal Growth
Which of the following individual incentive plans guarantees a standard pay rate for each unit of output?
Piecework plan
What is usually the best way to implement a new program?
Pilot Program
Which human resource function helps the organization understand the number and type of employees the organization will need in the future?
Planning
Which of the following is not an HR policy that an organization would implement if they were looking at adopting an entrepreneurial strategy?
Policies that focus on highly repetitive behavior
What is the next step in the OD process after the HR professional has gathered and analyzed the data?
Prepare a report about the climate for change
HR tactics can help organizations in many ways. Which of the following is not something HR helps with?
Preparing the organization to stay the same in spite of surrounding changes
Which of the following is not a characteristic of the new organizational model that is shifting from the traditional model as reviewed in this topic?
Primary focus on productivity
Which step in the human resource planning process ensures that the organization will have the needed supply of employees in the future?
Programming
There are six purposes of human resource planning talked about in this topic. Which of the following is not one of those purposes?
Provide more opportunities for women and majority groups in future growth
The 403(b) plan is a tax-advantage retirement savings plan available to whom?
Public education employers
Which of the following is NOT a step in an organization's affirmative action plan?
Reasonable quotas
Title VII protects individuals against employment discrimination on the basis of:
Religion, sex, race, color, national origin
Which of the following is a strategy to forecast supply, but not demand?
Replacement planning
HR's function traditionally was limited to attracting and hiring employees, but today, HR has many more functions. Which of the following is not a new function that HR plays in today's organizations?
Retention Competencies
Which of the following is not a mandatory benefit that employers must provide for their employees?
Short- and long-term disability
Why do some organizations prefer to use simulations instead of training in the actual job environment?
Simulations are less hectic and safer than the actual environment
Which of the following effects occurs when past performance appraisal ratings, whether good or bad, are allowed to unjustly influence current/correct ratings?
Spillover
What are two statistical projection methods used to determine human resources demand?
Stochastic technique, Multiple linear regression
How an organization is going to reach its goals is considered which of the following?
Strategy
Which of the following will not help ensure effective performance evaluations?
Subjective Criteria
Which of the following is an advantage to using appraisal by subordinates?
Subordinates may help the superiors understand what they can do to improve
What does HR organizational development (OD) not do?
Take a quick approach to implementing the change
What is Pay Equity?
That people get paid what they feel they deserve in relation to others
When recruiting with colleges, when is a good time to begin recruiting?
The earlier the better—some companies actively recruit by the students' junior year
How does fraud usually occur, with regard to unemployment insurance?
The employee collects money from unemployment while he/she is working another job
Which of the following correctly describes a PPO (preferred provider organization) plan?
The employee must go to a doctor on the preferred provider list
Who pays for defined benefit retirement plans?
The employer
Who usually pays the insurance premiums for workers compensation in most states?
The employer
How are jobs grouped together in job families?
The jobs can be different but need to be similar in value
Organizational size is an important factor in determining HR activities. With some exceptions, the larger the organization, the more developed its internal labor market is, and the less reliant it is on the external labor market. Based on this assumption, with some exceptions, what does the organization's size have to do with how the external market affects the organization?
The larger the organization, the less the external market affects it
What is test-retest reliability?
The measuring of a test at two points in time and comparison of the results
What is a contract plan when it comes to the evaluation phase of a training or development program?
The plan written up near the end of the training by the participants that shows the parts of the training they feel were most beneficial and that they agree to apply after the training
An internal job posting has many advantages for an organization. Which of the following is not an advantage of an internal job posting?
The process of filling vacancies may be lengthened
What is perhaps the most important financial relationship for individuals within the organization?
The relationship between compensation and performance appraisal
How do performance appraisals affect the selection process?
They are a form of feedback
Why can appraisals by supervisors be effective?
They are most familiar with the job of the subordinate
Which of the following is a correct statement about an employee that is exempt from FLSA requirements?
They must be a salaried employee
Which technique addresses labor forecasting to project future human resource needs based on past staffing levels?
Time series
What do organizations use utilization reviews for?
To assess the cost of benefits
Which of the following is the main purpose of HR planning when it comes to recruiting programs?
To determine what types of jobs the organization needs to fill
An effective performance appraisal system generally serves which purposes?
To inform incumbents where they stand; To future develop and guide individuals to perform better
What was the goal of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
To make it illegal to discriminate against individuals based on their protected classes
What was the purpose of the Executive Order 10925 that established affirmative action?
To mandate that managers of federally funded projects work to eliminate bias in employment practices.
Why do companies engage in training and development?
To remove performance deficiencies; To help incorporate new technologies; To reduce turnover
When unplanned and haphazard training occurs, what is most likely to happen?
Training and learning may take place, but may not be in the best interests of the organization
What is the distinction between training and development?
Training is directed at the employees' current job whereas development helps the employee prepare for future jobs.
True or False: Evaluating the organization's characteristics and finding which phase of the business life cycle the organization is in may help the organization avoid the recline and decline phases.
True
True or False: Forecasting creates certainties about the future of the company.
True
True or False: HR managers must have a propensity for action.
True
True or False: HR staff should be in close proximity to the line managers so they can keep up on their needs.
True
True or False: HRM is the responsibility of all managers in the organization.
True
True or False: It is important for an HR manager to have the ability to be accepted by different groups.
True
True or False: Ranking approaches used as the performance appraisal method may be used efficiently by the subordinates as well as supervisors for ranking themselves.
True
True or False: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act makes it unlawful for an employer to pay someone less based on his/her religion.
True
True or False: Workable structures serve the objective in planning and programming.
True
Organizational leaders are acknowledging many things about HR. Which of the following are corporate executives concluding about human resources?
Unqualified human resources is as serious a production bottleneck as scarcity of capital
What does corporate culture represent?
Value System
Which of the following concerns faced by employers is not a current concern regarding employee benefits?
Wage rates
What is a form of direct compensation?
Wages
What is a type of direct compensation that plays a strategic role in attracting and retaining qualified applicants?
Wages
For the most part, training and development help an organization, but there is a drawback. Which of the following are a downside to training and development?
Well-trained individuals can decide to move to better-paying jobs in other organizations
Which of the following is the definition of what a central tendency bias error is when evaluating the performance of employees?
When managers rate the majority of incumbents in the middle of the pack
Values about work are changing, which means that HR planning activities need to also change. Which of the following is something that the majority of today's workers are NOT valuing more?
Work that does not change - job security
In the changing world, what terms are now being used to describe the traditional work environment?
Worker Alienation
Which form of compensation is an example of fixed pay?
Yearly Salary
Performance deficiencies can be attributed to individual deficiencies as well as situation factors that affect performance. All of the following are situational factors that affect performance except...
employee knowledge
In an interview, which cues are often seen as more important?
non-verbal
A firm needs to lay off employees and wants to develop a plan to minimize the effect on employees. The firm opts to try a combination of buyouts and outplacement counseling.Which type of plan is the firm engaging in?
redundancy plan
