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HRMN 300 final
Question | Answer |
---|---|
When the human resources function creates a unique capability in a firm that creates high value and differentiates the organization from its competition, human resources is a/an ____ for the firm. | core competency |
The collective value of the capabilities, knowledge, skills, life experiences and motivation of an organizational workforce is called | human capital. |
Through the ____ function, HR management provides the organization with a sufficient supply of qualified individuals to fill the jobs in the organization. | staffing |
Compensation and benefits managers in almost all organizations face a major and growing concern regarding the cost of | health-care benefits. |
A large Japanese semiconductor manufacturer is building a manufacturing plant in rural Texas. As an HR consultant to the Japanese firm, what should your advice be? | The Japanese firm should study the local Texas culture and redesign its motivation system for the U.S. plant. |
Which of the following statements about organizational culture is FALSE? | Organizational cultures are static, and tend to remain almost identical to the culture established by the founder. |
The customer service department of the cell phone company has a reputation of being unhelpful to customers and representatives are considered surly and rude to customers. The cause of this behavior by the customer-relations is most likely to be | a lack of focus on the customer by managers and employees. |
Whether employees and managers of an organization behave ethically is fundamentally a function of | the organization’s culture. |
As Director of HR, you are designing an ethics program for your organization. You develop a written code of ethics, training for members, and means to obtain advice on ethical situations. What critical element is missing from your plan? | systems for confidential reporting of misconduct. |
The roles played by HR management in the firm are being affected by all of the following EXCEPT | the shift from a service economy to a manufacturing economy. |
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act has had all of the following effects on HR EXCEPT | health care |
A rumor has been circulating at the largest law firm in the city that the partners are considering outsourcing paralegals to a company in India. If you were a paralegal at this firm, what would be your most appropriate attitude or action? | Consider your options. The firm can generate huge labor cost savings by outsourcing your job. |
Flexible hours, job-sharing, child-care referral services, and flexible leave programs are all examples of | retention programs based on work/family concerns. |
A tweet would be most appropriate to send out | an alert about a policy change needing immediate implementation. |
Which of the following is NOT a major HR concern of small businesses? | potential unionization efforts |
Matt's firm employs 25 full time employees, plus about 20 seasonal employees. In the past, Matt’s father personally handled all HR issues. Matt plans to bring the company in line with typical HR staffing levels. Matt will most probably | add a clerical employee to help with HR tasks. |
Charlotte says that she handles most of the clerical duties involved in running the HR department, including such tasks as maintaining employee files and submitting governmental reports. Charlotte’s job would fall into the ____ HR role. | administrative |
Which of the following HR activities is MOST likely to be outsourced successfully? | 401k administration |
Recruiting and selecting employees for current openings are typical ____ HR activities. | operational |
Gloria recently earned her bachelor’s in HR. She has just started her first exempt-level HR job. What is the earliest time that Gloria can be certified as a PHR (assuming she has passed the PHR exam)? | after two years of exempt-level experience |
You are the director of HR for a medium-sized firm. You are looking to hire a benefits specialist. You would prefer the individual to be certified in this field. Consequently, you will check applicant resumés for these initials | CEBS. |
The most fundamental anti-discrimination employment law, the one that is considered the keystone for following legislation, is the | Civil Rights Act of 1964. |
Individuals who fall within a group identified for special treatment under equal employment laws and regulations, are members of a/an | protected class. |
A large commercial landscaping service in the Southwest requires all Hispanic applicants for crew boss positions to have a U.S. high school diploma. This is an example of | disparate treatment. |
Griggs v. Duke Power | placed the burden of proof on the employer to show that the practice in question is actually a business necessity. |
Borderline Cafeterias, Inc., has most wait staff white, while kitchen staff minority. The CEO says, “There has been no deliberate practice to staff the cafeterias in a discriminatory manner. It just happened to turn out this way.” This is an example of | disparate impact. |
In a legal determination of whether discrimination has occurred, the ____ is most important. | outcome of the practice on employees |
In Washington v. Davis | since the reading comprehension test contained actual material that the applicants would have to learn during a training program, the fact that fewer women and minorities passed the test did not result in illegal discrimination. |
A practice necessary for safe and efficient organizational operations is called a/an | business necessity. |
A bona fide occupational qualification for the job of truck driver for a beer distributing company would include all of the following EXCEPT | a bachelor’s degree in any field. |
All of the following types of organizations fall under Title VII EXCEPT | agencies of the federal government. |
A government contractor operating in Iraq has been accused of discriminating against women its hiring and promotion practices. Which agency would investigate and enforce the relevant law in this case? | The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs |
Fernando's company provides small wind power for homes. Fernando has asked you to help him set up HR systems for his company. You tell Fernando that he will NOT have to develop an AAP plan as long as he does all the following EXCEPT | he keeps the company privately owned, e.g. the company stock does not trade on a stock exchange. |
Emily works for a small architecture firm that has a dozen employees. Emily has discovered that she is pregnant. Which of the following statements is true under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act? | Emily is not protected by the PDA. |
Which of the following has been a general ruling in cases filed under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act? | Employers must treat pregnant employers the same as non-pregnant employees with similar abilities or inabilities. |
For purposes of job similarity under the Equal Pay Act, jobs must have | a common core of tasks. |
The Equal Pay Act, enacted in 1963, requires employers to | pay similar wage rates for similar work without regard to gender. |
A noted economist’s wife is dean of the college of business administration, where the economics department is housed. The economist is prevented from applying for this job because of the university’s policy on | nepotism. Jillian would be her husband’s boss. |
_____________ occurs when an individual’s work performance or psychological well-being is unreasonably affected by intimidating or offensive working conditions. | Hostile environment harassment |
Quid pro quo harassment occurs when | employment outcomes are linked to the victim’s granting the harasser sexual favors. |
Kevin received blood transfusions. Rumors in the workplace are spreading that Kevin caught AIDS from the transfusions. Kevin was passed over for promotion because the supervisor did not want to work with a person with AIDS. Is Kevin covered by the ADA? | Yes, Kevin is covered by the ADA because some coworkers think he has AIDS, even though he may or may not actually have AIDS. |
If accommodating a disabled person imposes significant difficulty or expense on an employer, the employer | can claim undue hardship exists. |
John took early retirement last year at age 58. Now his former employer wants to rehire John as an independent consultant. Which of the following statements is FALSE? | The employer is violating the ADEA because it is hiring John to do the same work that he did as an employee, but without paying for his health benefits and other benefits provided to regular employees. |
Kevin has contracted cancer. He is undergoing chemo. He is taking his FMLA leave in one-day increments for his chemo. He has made all his deadlines. The senior architect, a partner in the firm, wants to replace Kevin. As the HR director you know | since the architecture firm has 21 employees, Kevin is protected under the ADA. |
The CEO of Ponchatoula Confections is conferring with the VP of HR about layoffs. Carl has had consistently below-average performance appraisals for the last five years. Carl is 66, has been with the firm 41 years.The vice-president of HR advises the CEO | “You can consider Carl for layoff because of his long-term poor performance.” |
The Older Workers Benefit Protection Act of 1990 was passed to ensure that | employees must be given complete and accurate information about the benefits of any severance package if they must sign liability waivers for age discrimination. |
The Immigration Reform and Control Act | requires employers to pay prevailing U.S. wages to immigrants holding the appropriate visas. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE with regard to sexual orientation and gay rights? | The U.S. Supreme Court has not decided whether gay men and lesbians have rights under the equal protection amendment to the U.S. Constitution. |
The most crucial component for diversity programs in organizations to succeed is | the support of top management. |
A legitimate concern with diversity programs is that | they may be perceived as benefiting only certain groups of people and not others. |
An analysis is being conducted at YourOneStop Pharmacy to track prescription orders. The analysis is considering all the inputs, activities, and outputs associated with the prescription drug business at the store. This is an example of | workflow analysis. |
A work flow analysis BEGINS with | an examination of the quantity and quality of the desired and actual outputs. |
Job ____ refers to organizing tasks, duties, and responsibilities into a productive unit of work. | design |
Job design can affect all of the following EXCEPT | organizational strategy. |
Joshua is a successful salesperson. Joshua’s administrative abilities are minimal. Joshua’s boss is frustrated as training expenditures have resulted in minimal improvement in performance. Which of the following would be the most useful solution? | This is probably a person-job fit issue, and Joshua’s job should be re-designed to take advantage of his skills and eliminate administrative tasks. |
Which of the following is NOT a form of feedback as a job characteristic? | an information technology specialist sees that his employer’s stock price went down over the last quarter |
The ____ is composed of individuals who are assigned a cluster of tasks, duties, and responsibilities to be accomplished. This is the regular entity for the internal decision making process of the firm. | self-directed work teams |
Chuck’s office has moved to a ____ arrangement where Monday through Thursday the employees work from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. with an hour off for lunch, and everyone takes Friday off. | compressed workweek |
Individual capabilities that can be linked to enhanced performance by individuals or teams, are called | competencies. |
Ideally, in order to keep job descriptions and job specifications updated, the organization should | review and revise job descriptions and specifications during each performance appraisal interview. |
The work sampling type of observation | determines the content and pace of a typical workday through statistical sampling of current actions. |
Because job analysis information is often used for compensation purposes, employees and managers have a tendency to | inflate the importance and significance of their jobs. |
Job analysis can be stressful for managers and employees because | it may pinpoint that current job incumbents are not doing all the job tasks that should be done |
____ are the fundamental duties of a job. | Essential job functions |
At Ochre Automobile Insurance, the job of appraiser involves spending 40 percent of the time conducing “drive-by” assessments of the damage to policy-holders’ vehicles. This task would be considered a/an | essential job function. |
The main considerations in determining whether a task is an essential function or a marginal function of the job include all of the following EXCEPT | the number of employees performing the task. |
Archie is developing performance standards for the job of pediatric nurse practitioner for a pediatrics medical practice. Archie should base these standards directly on | the pediatric nurse practitioner job description. |
The ____ section of the job description gives the job title, reporting relationships, department, location, and date of analysis. | identification |
You are scanning dozens of job descriptions in a large organization where you hope to find a job. The quickest place to look in the job description to find the general responsibilities and main distinctive components of the job is in the | general summary. |
Clear, precise statements on the major tasks, duties, and responsibilities performed are contained in the ____ section of the job description. | essential functions and duties |
One of the top challenges faced by family-owned firms is | attracting “outsiders” with key capabilities into the firm. |
The HR planning process begins with | reviewing the organizational strategic planning objectives. |
As the unemployment rate rises | people available for work tend to have high qualifications. |
Which of the following organizational events would NOT affect HR planning? | changing the IT software used by the company. |
Clement, the director of HR for a large advertising firm, is facing all of the following situations. All of these situations will decrease the accuracy of his estimate of the internal supply of labor for various jobs at the firm EXCEPT | more female college graduates are being hired. |
The extent to which an employee feels linked to organizational success is called | employee engagement. |
The simplified turnover costing model for a particular job requires the following data: the typical annual pay, percentage of pay for benefits multiplied by the annual pay, the number of voluntary quits in the last year and ____. | the number of months it takes for one employee to become fully productive |
The high school principal examines the list of resignations for the year. She says, “I guess there’s no way we can keep good people from leaving if we can’t pay top salaries.” As director of HR for the school district, you tell the principal | “No. When pay is competitive, other job factors have more impact on turnover.” |
Tuition aid programs do not improve retention of employees in the organization unless | employers allow employees to use their new capabilities within the organization. |
In a/an ____ interview, individuals are asked to identify their reasons for leaving the organization. | exit |
Organizations have found that high voluntary employee turnover rates in the first few months of employment is often linked to | mismatch of employee expectations and organizational reality. |
A major economic factor in favor of an organization’s deciding NOT to outsource U.S. jobs overseas is the | high levels of American productivity. |
The use of temporary workers would be most appropriate in which of the following situations? | A tax preparation company handles mostly individuals and has few business clients. |
Angela is a self-employed graphic artist. Typically she is hired by companies for special projects that may last anywhere from a week to six months. Angela is a/an | independent contractor. |
If an employer lists the designation EEO/M-F/AA/ADA in its employment advertisements it indicates | the employer has a policy of complying with equal employment regulations. |
Which of the following is an ADVANTAGE of external recruiting? | The new hire is not politically networked into the organization. |
Exclusive use of the Internet for recruiting may reduce the diversity of an employer’s applicant population because | economically-disadvantaged individuals have limited Internet access. |
In the building trades, unions can benefit employers by providing | competitive wage scales for jobs. |
There are two kinds of executive search firms. ____ firms charge a fee regardless of the success of the search. | Retainer |
When considering recent college graduates, a moderately-high GPA is used by recruiters | as an initial screening tool. |
All of the following are drawbacks of promoting from within EXCEPT | internal recruiting costs tend to be higher than external recruiting costs because of the extensive databases and employee skills inventories required.. |
All of the following are advantages of employee databases EXCEPT | it is easy to detect gaps in the organization’s succession plans for critical jobs. |
Data on job performance, absenteeism, cost of training and turnover of employees compared with their recruiting source helps organizations | identify which recruiting sources could be dropped. |
A ____ is a comparison of the number of applicants at one stage of the recruiting process to the number at the next stage. | yield ratio |
Some organizations are using virtual online communities to screen possible hires. All of the following are potential aspects of using avatars and a virtual setting that are different from traditional recruiting methods EXCEPT | virtual reality interviewing could replace traditional selection methods in coming years. |
The process of choosing individuals who have needed qualifications to fill jobs in an organization is called | selection. |
Lack of a fit between the person and the job is most likely to result from | mistakes in evaluating the person’s KSAs. |
____ involves fitting a person to the right job. | Placement |
In a selection test, validity refers to the | correlation between a predictor and job performance. |
Germaine applied for an opening at RPS in May and took the aptitude test. RPS called her in Sept, she took the test again. Germaine’s scores on the test were significantly different in May than in September. This is an indication that the test may not be | reliable |
The purpose of a/an ____ is to give applicants an accurate idea of the positive and negative aspects of the job so that they can more accurately evaluate the employment situation. | realistic job preview |
What is the purpose of pre-employment screening? | to determine if applicants meet the minimum qualifications for open jobs |
For a job of firefighter, the physical is rigorous and selection involves ability tests. Mark is hearing-impaired. This impairment disqualified him even though Mark passed all the other physical tests and pencil-and-paper tests. This is an example of | the multiple hurdles approach to selection. |
____ means that the employer or applicant has the right to terminate an employee at any time with or without notice or cause (except where prevented by law). | Employment-at-will |
Greta is determined to clear out all the unnecessary “junk” left over from her predecessor. Greta knows she should keep all applications and hiring related documents and records for ____ before they can be discarded. | three years |
The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, requires employers to | determine whether the job applicant is a U.S. citizen, registered alien, or illegal alien, within 72 hours of hiring. |
The recruiter for Asphodel Photo Supply is scanning a résumé. The applicant's résumé has a section headed “Hobbies and Activities" where she lists membership in a club called “Parents of Multiples”. | Legally, the recruiter cannot use this information in making a selection decision. |
When applying for a job as a history instructor at local college, Catherine was required to teach a class of sophomores on a history topic of her choosing. This is an example of a | work sample |
Each of the following is one of the Big Five personality characteristics EXCEPT | leadership |
The Employee Polygraph Protection Act | prohibits polygraph use for pre-employment screening purposes by most employers. |
The purpose of a/an ____ is to obtain additional information on a candidate and to clarify information gathered throughout the selection process. | selection interview |
Kent and Julie are both recruiters for Sunspree Products. The two recruiters often find they have different opinions about the applicant’s potential as a future high performer for Sunspree. Kent and Julie demonstrate | low inter-rater reliability. |
The great advantage of structured selection interviews over unstructured interviews is their | consistency in evaluation of candidates. |
Research on interviews has consistently found that the ____ interview is more reliable and valid than the others types of interviews. | structured |
The selection process for hiring the assistant to the mayor of a large city includes hypothetical crisis scenarios. Each candidate must describe his/her approach to the crisis, which will be recorded and evaluated by a panel. This is an example of a | situational interview. |
Gisela emerged from her interview upset because the editor was insulting her background, pressured to answer confusing questions, and asked her how she could deal with politicians. Gisela has experienced a ____ interview. | stress |
Clarence is selecting questions for a structured interview he is designing. He wants to ask each candidate a question or two that will tap the applicant’s motivation. All of the following would be good “motivation” questions EXCEPT | Describe a difficult problem you faced and solved. |
Which of the following interview questions is MOST useful? | Describe your management style. |
The main legal reason for performing a thorough background check of all applicants is | protection against charges of negligent hiring. |
Angus is a bus driver with an excellent driving record. He has a back injury with chronic pain. If Angus has an accident because of the effects of his pain medication and passengers are injured, the company might be liable for | negligent retention. |
Which of the following is TRUE about the Fair Credit Reporting Act? | An employer must disclose that a credit check is being made and obtain written consent from the person being checked. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE? | A company may require applicants to take a drug test even before a conditional job offer has been made. |
The best candidate for the position of director of marketing has had a positive test for the presence of illegal drugs in a hair sample. As HR manager, you should | ask the candidate to submit to a second type of drug test at another laboratory. |
WeStorIt, Inc., requires all candidates to take a physical ability test that requires them to be able to lift 50 pounds for 30 minutes. This test is required for workers, supervisors and managers. Which of the following statements about this test is TRUE? | This test is not clearly linked to job requirements. |
Carrie has phoned an applicant’s former supervisor for a reference. The supervisor refuses to give any information about the former employee. What mistake may Carrie have made? | She did not get a signed consent form from the applicant releasing the former supervisor from liability. |
Which of the following is NOT a personal characteristic associated with success in an overseas assignment? | low tolerance of ambiguity |
____ is the process of determining how well employees do their jobs relative to a standard and communicating that information to the employee. | Performance appraisal |
Ultimately, performance management links organizational strategy to organizational | results |
In comparison to some Asian countries such as China and Japan, U.S. | managers are brutally honest in communicating negative information to employees in performance appraisals. |
Essentially, ____ identify what the organization is paying an employee to do. | job duties |
Not all of an employee’s job duties are equally important. Performance appraisal systems can best take this into account by | weighting the more important duties more highly than the less important duties. |
Which of the following is true about using behavior-based information for evaluating job performance? | In effect, behavior-based performance appraisal systems penalize employees who use unusual approaches to gain successful results. |
____ define the level of performance that is expected by an employee. | performance standards |
The two general uses of performance appraisal, which are often in conflict, are | administrative and development. |
What is the purpose of developmental feedback? | to plan for the employee’s future opportunities inside the organization |
The main responsibility for conducting performance appraisals lies with | managers |
In the typical division of appraisal responsibilities, the HR unit is responsible for | designing and maintaining the formal system. |
All of the following are requirements for performance appraisal supported by the courts and the EEOC EXCEPT | performance criteria must be numerical and objective. |
In order to lessen the conflict between the administrative and the developmental roles of performance appraisal, the recommended practice is to | separate the administrative feedback and the developmental feedback into different interviews. |
Traditional ratings of employees by supervisors is based on the assumption that | the supervisor is the person most qualified to evaluate the employee's performance realistically and fairly. |
“Multisource” rating, also called ____, recognizes that employee performance crosses departmental, organizational and, in some cases, global boundaries. | 360° feedback |
If an organization’s competitive strategy relies on long-term relationships with the clients who purchase the organization’s goods and services, the organization should reward its employees from its executives to its sales staff with incentives based on | a rolling five-year measure of financial performance. |
Compensation is one of the organization’s largest expenditures. Compensation philosophies and systems vary from one organization to the next. Why is that? | Different organizations have different organizational objectives and strategies. |
Which of the following would be an example of an intrinsic reward? | satisfaction with meeting a tight deadline. |
Employee medical insurance paid for by the employer is classified as ____ compensation. | indirect |
A compensation philosophy in which each employee who has gained another year of seniority should have an increase in pay is called the ____ philosophy. | entitlement |
____ are payments directly calculated on the amount of time worked. | wages |
The two basic compensation philosophies, which should be seen as opposite ends of a continuum, are the ____ and the ____ orientations. | entitlement; performance |
Amber is the manager of a popular clothing store. salary basis. Amber’s paycheck is the same regardless of the number of hours she has worked. Amber is paid on a/an | salary basis. |
Which type of compensation is linked directly to individual, team, or organizational performance? | variable pay |
A/an ____ is an indirect reward given to an employee or group of employees because they are members of the organization. | benefit |
In order to show how the rate of compensation changes compares with the rate of changes in the organization’s revenues overall | compensation metrics should be calculated each year and compared with previous years’ metrics. |
The HR unit is typically responsible for all of the following EXCEPT | recommending pay increases for employees. |
A company that structures its compensation system so that half of its competitors pay their employees more than it does and half of its competitors pay less than it does is using a ____ the market strategy. | meet |
A third-quartile approach is a compensation strategy | in which the company pays higher wages than its competitors do. |
In a competency-based pay system employees are paid | on the skills and knowledge they have, whether they use these or not. |
As HR director, you are discussing the implementation of a competency-based compensation system with the company’s CEO. You point out that in order for the competency system to be effective | the company must invest heavily in employee training programs. |
Which of the following is the typical structure of team-based compensation? | team-based variable pay on top of individual base pay |
If the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Labor Department investigates an employer’s files looking for violations of the FLSA, it will focus on | employee time records. |
The major federal law that regulates compensation in the U.S. is the | Fair Labor Standards Act. |
Which of the following are NOT paid overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act? | exempt employees |
Compensatory time-off can be given to non-exempt employees in the private sector | if it is given to employees at the rate of one and one-half times the hours worked over a 40-hour week. |
The Equal Pay Act prohibits wage differentials based on | gender |
____ is a court action in which a portion of an employee's wages is set aside to pay a debt the employee owes to someone. | garnishment |
Organizations use pay grades to | group individual jobs having approximately the same job worth. |
The goal in giving pay increases to average performers should be | to keep their pay competitive with the labor market.. |
Which of the following employees will be qualified for the LARGEST pay raise according to a typical pay adjustment matrix? An employee with | a compa-ratio of 85 who exceeds performance expectations. |
____ refers to a condition in which the physical well-being of people is protected. ____ refers to protecting employees and organizational facilities. | safety, security |
The main purpose of effective ____ programs in organizations is to prevent work-related injuries and accidents. | safety |
According to the data presented in the textbook, which of the following workers’ compensation covered injuries results in the MOST average days away from work? | carpal tunnel syndrome |
The major contributor(s) to the increase in workers' compensation costs is/are | higher medical costs and litigation expenses. |
What does the ADA require regarding medical-related information? | It should be maintained separately from all other confidential files, with restricted access and security provisions. |
____ was passed to "assure as far as possible every working man or woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions and to preserve our human resources." | The Occupational Safety and Health Act |
With a few high-risk industry and agriculture exceptions, every employer engaged in commerce with ____ employees is covered by OSHA. | one or more |
An OSHA inspector has arrived at the reception desk of Poultry Land Processors and has presented her credentials. The CEO refuses to allow the inspector into the plant. Which of the following statements is TRUE? | The OSHA inspector must leave, but she may return with a search warrant. |
Typically, once an OSHA inspector’s credentials have been examined and an opening conference has been held with an HR representative, the OSHA inspector’s first step will be to | examine the organization’s safety records. |
Typically, HR takes on all the following responsibilities for health, safety and security EXCEPT | investigating accidents. |
The recommended written policy on substance abuse | should prohibit employees coming to work under the influence of alcohol or drugs. |
Most fitness-for-duty test failures are due to | fatigue, illness and personal problems. |
Which employee would NOT be classified as disabled under the ADA? | an employee with anger-management issues. |
____ provide(s) counseling and other help in a non-work setting to employees having emotional, physical, or other personal problems. | Employee assistance programs |
The main determinant of whether employees will use an EAP is | if employees believe their use of the EAP will be confidential. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE? | Fewer than half of companies with disaster plans have tested them. |
When a tax-protesting engineer flew his airplane in to the IRS building, one of the reasons for low loss of life was employees’ calm and rapid evacuation of the burning building. This showed the effectiveness of the IRS regional administration’s | disaster training |