Deck 10: Managing Human Resources

Question 1

A selection device is valid if it measures the same thing consistently.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Job descriptions focus on the job, while job specifications focus on the person.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

One disadvantage to employee referrals as a source of job candidates is that candidates tend to be minimally skilled.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

There are three types of orientation: work unit orientation, organization orientation, and procedural orientation.

Question 5

Female economic activity is less than 50 percent of male economic activity in most Arab countries.

Question 6

High-performance work practices are those that lead to high individual and high organizational performance.

Question 7

A community fire department can categorically deny employment to a firefighter applicant who is confined to a wheelchair.

Question 8

In most Gulf Arab countries, over 85 percent of all workers are unionized.

Question 9

Job rotation is the implementation of lateral transfers allowing employees to work at different jobs within an organization.

Question 10

Studies find that downsizing is as stressful for the survivors as it is for the victims.

Question 11

A labor union is an organization that represents workers and seeks to protect their interests.

Question 12

Human resource planning can be condensed into two steps: assessing current human resources and assessing and meeting future resource needs.

Question 13

Types of performance appraisal methods include written essays, multiperson comparisons, and graphic rating scales.

Question 14

High-performance work practices involve a commitment by management to improve the knowledge skills and abilities of the organization's employees, increasing employee motivation, and enhancing the retention of quality employees.

Question 15

In a realistic job preview (RJP), an applicant might be told that there are limited opportunities to interact with peers during office hours and that the likelihood for advancement is slim.

Question 16

Sexual harassment is defined as any desired action or activity of a sexual nature that explicitly affects an individual's employment, performance, or work environment.

Question 17

Variable pay systems reward employees for the job skills and competencies they can demonstrate.

Question 18

"Saudization", "Emiratization", and "Omanization" refer to government initiatives towards increasing exports.

Question 19

Firing and early retirements are two decruitment options.

Question 20

The human resource management (HRM) process consists of 10 activities necessary for staffing the organization and sustaining high employee performance.

Question 21

Labor laws tend to be similar among different Arab countries.

Question 22

Work-family life conflicts are less relevant for male and single employees as they are for married and female employees.

Question 23

The final three activities of the HRM process ________.

A) ensure that the organization retains competent and high-performing employees
B) ensure that the organization selects and trains competent employees
C) provide employees with up-to-date knowledge and skills
D) identify for the organization the best compensation packages for the new hires

Question 24

Nationalization programs in the Gulf Arab countries have to be mainly understood within the ________ situation of those countries.

A) geographic
B) demographic
C) political
D) historic

Question 25

People who prefer integration are more likely to respond positively to options such as flextime and part-time hours.

Question 26

In Egypt, workers are required by law to join labor unions.

Question 27

Labor unions use ________ to protect the rights of their members.

A) functional operations
B) process
C) collective bargaining
D) new product development

Question 28

Various studies have concluded that an organization's human resources can be a significant source of ________.

A) frustration for employees
B) problems for management
C) competitive advantage
D) high-performance work practices

Question 29

High-performance work practices include such activities as ________.

A) centralized decision making
B) firm job assignments
C) self-managed teams
D) closed communication

Question 30

Today's progressive workplaces provide a wide range of scheduling options and benefits that allow employees more flexibility at work and allow them to better balance or integrate their work and personal lives.

Question 31

HR managers in Lebanon and Egypt face challenges that are very similar to those faced by HR managers in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Question 32

A firm can do little to protect itself from sexual harassment claims. It is usually one employee's word against another's.

Question 33

Labor unions tend to be relatively active in ________.

A) Saudi Arabia
B) Qatar
C) United Arab Emirates
D) Lebanon

Question 34

"Nationalization" programs pose significant challenges to HR managers in Arab gulf countries.

Question 35

In Lebanon, the 1964 Labour Law specifies a maximum working week of 48 hours.

Question 36

The beginning point for any human resource planning process is the examination of the current human resource status by making a ________.

A) analysis of customer demands
B) product evaluation
C) strategic plan
D) human resource inventory

Question 37

High-performance work practices are characterized by ________.

A) improving knowledge, skills, and abilities of employees
B) allowing employees to loaf on the job as long as they can produce average daily production levels
C) allowing managers to lead in their own best style
D) decreasing employees' motivation

Question 38

Women's work in Arab countries has remained much the same over the last few decades.

Question 39

The first ________ activities of the human resource management (HRM) process ensure that competent employees are identified and selected.

A) three
B) five
C) two
D) four

Question 40

In Jordan, the law prohibits non-citizens from joining labour unions.

Question 41

While ________ reach(es) a tremendous number of people, it also generates many unqualified candidates for jobs.

A) the company website
B) employee referrals
C) the internet
D) college recruiting

Question 42

Job analysis is concerned with which of the following human resource planning aspects?

A) What behaviors are necessary to perform a job.
B) Estimating pay on job level in an organization.
C) Deciding how well someone is performing in his or her job.
D) Hiring someone to do a job.

Question 43

A list of the minimum qualifications or requirements needed by an employee to perform a job is known as a ________.

A) job analysis
B) job description
C) job specification
D) responsibility factor list

Question 44

If human resource planning shows a surplus of employees, management may want to reduce the organization's workforce through ________.

A) jobbing
B) recruitment
C) expansion
D) decruitment

Question 45

A written statement that describes a job and includes job content, environment, and conditions of employment is called a ________.

A) process departmentalization
B) job specification
C) goal-oriented job definition
D) job description

Question 46

Which of the following decruitment methods is accomplished by not filling openings created by normal retirements?

A) Firing
B) Attrition
C) Reduced workweeks
D) Layoffs

Question 47

Assessment centers are best if they are used to select ________.

A) semiskilled workers
B) unskilled workers
C) routine operatives in the firm
D) senior management

Question 48

Which of the following is an example of selection device reliability?

A) The intelligence test significantly predicted the job performance of 250 job applicants.
B) An applicant's score on an intelligence test predicted his or her job performance.
C) A superior job performer was given a low interview score by all five independent interviewers.
D) A protected group individual was given a low selection score and was a poor job performer.

Question 49

Which of the following is a disadvantage of recruiting at colleges?

A) Limited to entry-level positions
B) Generates many unqualified candidates
C) Limited supply
D) May not increase workforce diversity

Question 50

Which of the following is not an option for decruitment?

A) Early retirements
B) Reduced workweeks
C) Internet hiring
D) Attrition

Question 51

By 2020, the 15 to 24 age group in the Arab world is projected to increase to around ________.

A) 58 million
B) 118 million
C) 138 million
D) 78 million

Question 52

A strength of using an application form as a selection device is that ________.

A) they are reasonably good predictors for supervisory positions
B) relevant biographical facts that can be verified have been shown to be valid performance measures for some jobs
C) many items on most forms are valid in selecting good employees
D) they are moderately valid predictors for many semiskilled and unskilled lower-level jobs in industrial organizations

Question 53

________ is the proven relationship between the selection device and some relevant job selection criterion.

A) Responsibility
B) Validity
C) Reliability
D) Unreliability

Question 54

________ indicates how consistently a selection device measures a criterion.

A) Operational scoring
B) Reliability
C) Validity
D) Qualification

Question 55

To use a physical exam as a selection device, a company must ________.

A) have an insurance carrier that does not require the testing
B) prove that supervisors do not need physical abilities to perform their jobs
C) be sure the physical requirements are valid and that they do not discriminate
D) prove that the test has nothing to do with insurance

Question 56

Recruitment is the process of ________.

A) hiring from outside the organization
B) locating, identifying, and attracting potential employees
C) hiring employees from competitors
D) measuring the pressure in the local labor market

Question 57

Asking a candidate for an automotive mechanic's position to deconstruct and reconstruct part of an engine motor would be an example of what kind of selection device?

A) Interview
B) Performance-simulation test
C) Intelligence test
D) Spatial test

Question 58

As a source of potential job candidates, ________ generate(s) the best referrals, because a good referral reflects on the source of the recommendation.

A) the company website
B) professional recruiting organizations
C) employee referrals
D) the internet

Question 59

As a decruitment option, ________ are a temporary involuntary termination that can last from a few weeks to several years.

A) transfers
B) early retirements
C) layoffs
D) attritions

Question 60

An assessment that defines a job and behaviors necessary to perform it is known as a ________.

A) goal-oriented job definition
B) job specification
C) job description
D) job analysis

Question 61

A performance appraisal method that allows the evaluator to rate employees on an incremental scale is called a ________.

A) graphic rating scale
B) multiperson comparison
C) critical incident
D) written essay

Question 62

What is not a factor that can influence compensation and benefits?

A) Labor intensive
B) Geographical location
C) Unionization
D) Appearance and sex

Question 63

________ is the term used to define planned elimination of jobs in an organization.

A) Recruitment
B) Decruitment
C) Downsizing
D) Planned firing

Question 64

________ is a process of setting standards and measuring employee performance to arrive at performance standards.

A) A performance management system
B) Benchmarking
C) A legal influence arrangement
D) Time and motion study

Question 65

Skill-based pay systems rely on the employee's job ________ to define his or her pay category.

A) skills
B) title
C) performance
D) description

Question 66

What traditional training method involves employees working with an experienced worker who provides information, support, and encouragement?

A) Mentoring and coaching
B) On-the-job training
C) Experiential exercises
D) E-learning

Question 67

What is considered a technology-based training method?

A) Videoconferencing/teleconferencing/satellite TV
B) Workbooks/manuals
C) Experiential exercises
D) Classroom lectures

Question 68

________ familiarizes the employee with the goals of the work unit, clarifies how his or her job contributes to the unit goals, and includes an introduction to his or her new co-workers.

A) An assessment center
B) Organizational orientation
C) Procedural orientation
D) Work unit orientation

Question 69

The use of ________ focuses the evaluator's attention on key behaviors that distinguish effective from ineffective work performance.

A) critical incidents
B) job analysis
C) graphic rating scales
D) simple analysis

Question 70

In providing assistance to employees being downsized, many organizations offer some form of ________.

A) family-friendly benefits
B) employee training
C) severance pay
D) orientation

Question 71

When an organization ________, it may need to eliminate jobs.

A) is faced with increasing market share
B) has been poorly managed
C) has grown too slowly
D) is confronted with new management

Question 72

A performance appraisal system that combines a graphic rating scale and a critical incident system into one process is a(n) ________.

A) behaviorally anchored rating scale
B) objective
C) 360-degree feedback
D) written essay

Question 73

What training method involves employees participating in role playing, simulations, or other face-to-face types of training?

A) Mentoring and coaching
B) On-the-job training
C) Job rotation
D) Experiential exercises

Question 74

What training method is Internet-based learning where employees participate in multimedia simulations or other interactive modules?

A) CD-ROM/DVD/videotapes/audiotapes
B) Videoconferencing/teleconferencing/satellite TV
C) Experiential exercises
D) E-learning

Question 75

What pay systems seem to be more successful in manufacturing organizations than in service organizations and organizations pursuing technical innovations?

A) Skill-based pay systems
B) Traditional pay systems
C) Incentive pay systems
D) Variable pay systems

Question 76

The most thorough performance appraisal method, ________, utilizes feedback from supervisors, employees, and coworkers.

A) graphic rating scales
B) critical incidents
C) 360-degree feedback
D) management by objectives

Question 77

An organization's compensation system has been shown to have an impact on its ________.

A) profits
B) turnover
C) strategic performance
D) productivity

Question 78

A(n) ________ that includes both positive and negative aspects about the job and the company provides higher job satisfaction and lower turnover.

A) realistic job preview
B) assessment center
C) unstructured interview
D) structured interview

Question 79

Successful orientation, whether formal or informal, results in an outsider-insider transition that ________.

A) lowers the likelihood of high work performance
B) helps the new member feel fairly well adjusted
C) increases the probability of a surprise resignation
D) makes the new member feel uncomfortable

Question 80

________ is a process used to compare one's performance with that of others.

A) A graphic rating scale
B) Multiperson comparison
C) Job analysis
D) A critical incident