Which human resource function helps the organization understand the number and type of employees the organization will need in the future?
Planning
What are two societal trends that are influencing the world of work?
Increased competition, changes in communication technology
Which factor represents an organization's value system?
Corporate culture
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
Which human resource professional provides a broad range of support to the overall organization?
Generalist
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
How should a human resources professional encourage a high ethical standard of conduct in the workplace?
By influencing others to make moral choices
A technology company is reviewing the potentially questionable behavior of four employees and is trying to determine if an ethical violation has occurred. The behavior of the four employees consisted of the following:
• Individual 1: Sold trade secrets to a competitor
• Individual 2: Requested that the company pay for continuing education
• Individual 3: Recommended hiring a sibling based on the sibling's work experience
• Individual 4: Applied for other jobs while still employed with the company
Which individual committed an ethical violation?
Individual 1
What is an exception to the doctrine of employment at will?
Implied contract
What is recognized by courts in several states as an implied contract that can be legally binding?
Employee handbook
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 is the function of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)?
Enforcing federal antidiscrimination statutes
What is the outcome of effective diversity management within organizations?
Better sense of inclusion
What is a benefit to promoting an organization's efforts to increase diversity on the company website?
It draws attention to diversity commitment.
A woman is turned down for a higher-paying position because the hiring manager believes men perform the duties better than women.
Which term is used to indicate this form of discrimination?
Gender discrimination
The plaintiff in a case, a black firefighter, brings action against the fire department. He is alleging that each time he is transferred from one fire station to another, he must take his bed with him. The fire chief reports that no white firefighter would want to sleep in the same bed as a black firefighter.
Race
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 is human resource planning important?
It ensures the right people in the right jobs at the right times.
Which step in the human resource planning process ensures that the organization will have the needed supply of employees in the future?
Programming
Which technique addresses labor forecasting to project future human resource needs based on past staffing levels?
Time-series
What are two statistical projection methods used to determine human resources demand?
Stochastic technique, multiple linear regression
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
How does recruitment relate to other organizational functions or goals?
Effective recruitment provides a good pool of applicants that helps the selection process be more successful.
Recruitment and human resources planning activities work together to determine current and future recruitment needs.
At which age does the Age Discrimination in Employment Act begin to protect an individual from discrimination in the recruitment process?
40
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 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
An engineering firm wants to attract applicants for full-time employment. They decide to develop potential job candidates before offering them permanent positions.
Which activity should the organization implement?
Internships
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
How does recruiting that creates an excessively large applicant pool affect employee selection?
The cost of selection will likely increase due to the need to review and assess a high volume of applicants.
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
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
What is an outcome of poor reliability in a selection procedure?
Employees who are not a good fit for the organization
Which type of validity identifies the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to complete a job and needs no quantitative analysis?
Content
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
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.
A firm is hiring several new employees. The new employees are largely inexperienced and unfamiliar with the company and its methods of conducting business. Given this, the firm plans to have an orientation period for all new hires and hopes the orientation will reduce the stress associated with the new job for the new employees.
How will the orientation reduce employee stress?
It will help the new employees understand what is expected of them.
At which level of analysis are annual performance reviews?
Person
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
What is a characteristic of a learning organization?
It is focused on knowledge development across the firm.
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
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
Which form of compensation is an example of fixed pay?
Yearly salary
A firm offers an individual a job paying $40,000 per year plus health insurance for selling widgets. The employee counter-offers that she be paid $52,000 per year with no insurance.
Which pay structures are being discussed?
The firm is offering fixed compensation and the employee is requesting fixed compensation.
Which incentive leads to enhanced productivity and subsequently creates additional earnings?
Gain-sharing plan
Which form of indirect compensation can be integrated into the organization's strategic planning?
Benefits
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
Which form of validity for making employment decisions (e.g., select, promote) is legally defensible if challenged in court?
Empirical validity
Which performance appraisal method can make managers more aware of their impact on employees without feeling threatened?
Appraisal by subordinates
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
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
