Deck 5: Human Resources Planning

Question 1

Like ________, ratio analysis assumes that productivity remains much the same and is therefore not appropriate in changing environments.

A)regression analysis
B)trend analysis
C)the nominal group technique
D)time-series analysis
E)a scatterplot

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A forecasting technique for determining future staff needs by using ratios between sales volume and the number of employees needed is

A)a scatterplot.
B)time-series analysis.
C)trend analysis.
D)regression analysis.
E)ratio analysis.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Failure to integrate HRP and strategic planning

A)primarily affects the workload of HR staff who must work without a plan for their activities.
B)results in an oversupply of labour which in turn causes layoffs.
C)is the source of complaints to the HRP bureau and may result in substantial fines or penalties for the organization.
D)puts the achievement of the organization's strategy at risk.
E)is only a problem for for-profit businesses.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following is the first step in human resource planning?

A)forecasting future HR needs
B)forecasting the availability of internal candidates
C)forecasting the availability of external candidates
D)analyzing the HR implications of the organization's strategic plans
E)balancing supply and demand

Question 5

Computing the number of employees in the firm at the end of the last five years is associated with which of the following forecasting techniques?

A)time-series analysis
B)a scatterplot
C)regression analysis
D)ratio analysis
E)trend analysis

Question 6

Which of the following is a quantitative approach to forecasting?

A)the Delphi technique
B)trend analysis and the nominal group technique
C)the nominal group technique
D)trend analysis
E)managerial judgment

Question 7

Factors that should be considered when forecasting the number and type of people needed to meet organizational objectives include all of the following except

A)projected turnover.
B)the financial resources available to each department.
C)projected recruitment figures.
D)quality and nature of employees.
E)decisions to upgrade the quality of products or services or enter into new markets.

Question 8

Each of the following statements about HRP is true except that

A)it is also known as employment planning.
B)a fundamental HRP decision when demand exceeds supply is whether projected positions will be filled externally or internally.
C)it is a reactive process.
D)a critical HRP issue is what to do when the labour supply exceeds the anticipated demand.
E)it can lead to significant costs if done poorly.

Question 9

Quantitative techniques of forecasting include all of the following except

A)regression analysis.
B)the nominal group technique.
C)a scatterplot.
D)trend analysis.
E)ratio analysis.

Question 10

Effective HRP helps an organization to do all of the following except

A)achieve its goals and objectives.
B)make major labour market demands more successfully.
C)anticipate and avoid shortages and surpluses of human resources.
D)plan and coordinate recruitment, selection, training, and career planning more effectively.
E)comply with privacy laws.

Question 11

A statistical technique involving the use of a mathematical formula to project future demands, based on an established relationship between an organization's employment level and some measurable factor of output, is known as

A)regression analysis.
B)a scatterplot.
C)a computerized forecast.
D)trend analysis.
E)ratio analysis.

Question 12

A ________ illustrates the relationship between two factors: a measure of business activity and staffing levels.

A)trend analysis
B)time-series analysis
C)regression analysis
D)scatterplot
E)ratio analysis

Question 13

Potential solutions, when labour supply exceeds labour demand, include all of the following except

A)downsizing through attrition.
B)employee layoffs.
C)termination of employment.
D)instituting a hiring freeze.
E)subcontracting.

Question 14

External environmental factors that are most frequently monitored in HR and strategic planning include all of the following except

A)demographic trends.
B)new or revised laws.
C)market and competitive trends.
D)economic conditions.
E)international trade patterns.

Question 15

The first step in the HRP process, after the HR implications of the firm's strategic plans have been analyzed, is

A)forecasting future human resources needs.
B)monitoring and evaluating the results.
C)job analysis and design.
D)forecasting availability of internal and external candidates.
E)planning and implementing HR programs to balance supply and demand.

Question 16

The process of reviewing human resources requirements to ensure that the organization has the required number of employees with the necessary skills to meet its goals is known as

A)selection.
B)training and development.
C)strategic planning.
D)recruitment.
E)human resources planning.

Question 17

Inadequate human resources planning within an organization can result in direct costs when labour demand decreases significantly for an extended period of time.Which of the following provides an accurate reason for this?

A)there is a link to privacy laws
B)it would cause hiring more HR staff
C)it would cause costs associated with hiring part-time workers
D)there are project management costs
E)severance pay is required for a large number of staff

Question 18

A potential solution when labour demand exceeds labour supply is

A)finding employees alternative jobs within the organization.
B)job sharing.
C)hiring temporary workers.
D)work sharing.
E)any of the above

Question 19

When labour demand equals labour supply

A)occupational health and safety is critical in achieving balance.
B)performance management is critical in achieving balance.
C)project management skills are critical for achieving balance.
D)HR personnel must hire more recruiters.
E)compensation and benefits are most important.

Question 20

Each of the following statements about the relationship between HRP and strategic planning is true except

A)environmental scanning is a critical component of both HRP and strategic planning.
B)HRP and strategic planning become effective when there is a reciprocal and interdependent relationship between them.
C)HRP has long been part of the strategic planning process.
D)determining whether or not people will be available is a critical element of strategic planning.
E)failure to integrate HRP and strategic planning can have very serious consequences.

Question 21

Projected openings are filled by using which of the following sources of supply?

A)individuals employed at other firms
B)unemployed individuals
C)external and internal sources
D)promoted employees
E)employees who are transferred

Question 22

You have been hired as the director of HR at Targus Inc., a clothing retailer.To project the supply of outside candidates in the HRP process for the firm, you will need to assess

A)national labour market conditions.
B)staffing tables.
C)succession plans.
D)skills inventories.
E)management inventories.

Question 23

Management inventories

A)are visual representations of who will replace whom in the event of a job opening.
B)record information about managerial responsibilities and management training used to identify internal candidates eligible for promotion.
C)are used to keep track of employees' qualifications.
D)are a method used to arrive at a group decision involving outside experts.
E)are a method of forecasting labour supply that involves tracking the pattern of employee movements.

Question 24

You have just been hired as the director of human resources at a mid-sized engineering company.The CEO has asked you to assist her in forecasting future human resources needs and to use a forecasting technique which will generate an exchange of ideas among the directors of all division.She would like you to use a technique that will lead to greater acceptance of results among the directors.Which technique do you use?

A)the nominal group technique
B)trend analysis
C)regression analysis
D)an informal expert forecast
E)a formal expert forecast

Question 25

In contrast to quantitative approaches, qualitative techniques rely solely on

A)a scatterplot.
B)regression analysis.
C)trend analysis.
D)multiple regression analysis.
E)expert judgments.

Question 26

Short-term and long-range HR demand forecasts provide

A)half of the staffing equation.
B)external supply forecasts.
C)present employees who can be transferred or promoted to meet anticipated needs.
D)internal supply forecasts.
E)the full staffing equation.

Question 27

Alice is the HR consultant advising Nexus Inc., a small but successful software development firm, on how to conduct human resource planning.In forecasting future demand for human resources, what step should she advise management to take first?

A)project turnover
B)project the sales for each of the firm's products and estimate quality and nature of employees needed
C)create a replacement chart
D)project the sales for each of the firm's products and calculate the volume of production needed to meet sales requirements
E)develop a staffing table

Question 28

A decision-making technique that involves a group of experts meeting face to face and can be used for HR forecasting is known as

A)an informal expert forecast.
B)managerial judgment.
C)the nominal group technique.
D)a formal expert forecast.
E)the Delphi technique.

Question 29

A method of forecasting internal labour supply that involves tracking the pattern of employee movements through various jobs and developing a transitional probability matrix is known as

A)trend analysis.
B)ratio analysis.
C)multiple regression analysis.
D)Markov analysis.
E)computerized forecasting.

Question 30

You have just been hired as the director of human resources at a mid-sized engineering company.The CEO has asked you to assist her in forecasting future human resources needs and would like you to first use a qualitative technique which is useful for long-range forecasting.Which technique do you choose?

A)a formal expert forecast
B)the nominal group technique
C)an informal expert forecast
D)the Delphi technique
E)managerial judgment

Question 31

Manual or computerized records summarizing employees' education, experience, interests, skills, etc., which are used to identify internal candidates eligible for transfer and/or promotion, are known as

A)staffing tables.
B)job descriptions.
C)skills inventories.
D)replacement charts.
E)Markov analyses.

Question 32

Alice is the HR consultant advising Nexus Inc., a small but successful software development firm, on how to conduct human resource planning.She is currently explaining the "forecasting supply"step in the planning process to the CEO and confirms that projected openings are to be filled by using two sources.Those sources are

A)contracting-out and outsourcing.
B)recruitment and promotion.
C)internal and external supply.
D)transferring and promotion.
E)overtime and temporary workers.

Question 33

Two approaches used to gather qualitative data in order to forecast HR demand (or supply)are

A)trend analysis and scatterplot.
B)nominal group and Delphi technique.
C)regression analysis and nominal group technique.
D)ratio analysis and nominal group technique.
E)scatterplot and Delphi technique.

Question 34

A pictorial representation of all jobs within the organization, along with the number of current incumbents and future employment requirements, is known as

A)a scatterplot.
B)an organization chart.
C)a replacement chart.
D)a skills inventory.
E)a staffing table.

Question 35

Highly educated immigrants are the predominant drivers of

A)local labour market conditions.
B)national labour market conditions.
C)competitors' strategies.
D)growth.
E)organizational training and development.

Question 36

Which forecasting technique has drawbacks that include subjectivity and the potential for group pressure to lead to less accurate assessments than could be obtained through other means?

A)a formal expert forecast
B)an informal expert forecast
C)managerial judgment
D)the Delphi technique
E)the nominal group technique

Question 37

In general terms, the lower the rate of unemployment,

A)the smaller the labour supply.
B)the easier it will be to recruit.
C)the larger the labour supply.
D)the smaller the labour demand.
E)the larger the labour demand.

Question 38

The drawbacks of which forecasting technique include the fact that judgments may not efficiently use objective data?

A)a formal expert forecast
B)the Delphi technique
C)the nominal group technique
D)an informal expert forecast
E)managerial judgment

Question 39

Permitting a group to critically evaluate a wide range of views is an advantage of which forecasting technique?

A)an informal expert forecast
B)the nominal group technique
C)the Delphi technique
D)a formal expert forecast
E)managerial judgment

Question 40

Regardless of the forecasting method utilized, modifications are made based on

A)management control systems.
B)HRIS data.
C)managerial judgment.
D)changing market conditions.
E)changing economic conditions.

Question 41

Each of the following statements about occupational market conditions is true except that

A)HRDC forecasts are useful for determining whether any projected imbalances will be self-correcting.
B)in recent years, there has been an undersupply of nurses.
C)HRDC is a good source of information on occupational demand and supply.
D)organizations generally want to forecast the availability of potential candidates in specific occupations.
E)in recent years, there has been an oversupply of IT specialists.

Question 42

Survivor sickness is

A)a physical illness caused by a toxic building.
B)a sickness found among production workers.
C)a sickness found among white-collar workers.
D)a range of emotions that can include feelings of betrayal or violation, guilt, and detachment.
E)an illness causing errors in work and reduced performance.

Question 43

Drawbacks of attrition include that

A)it is hard to implement.
B)it costs large sums of money.
C)employees do not accept this strategy.
D)the organization has no control over who goes and who stays.
E)it takes a short period of time.

Question 44

Specific strategies must be formulated to balance supply and demand.Possible scenarios are

A)supply matches expected demand.
B)labour supply exceeds demand.
C)there is a shortage of labour.
D)expected demand matches supply.
E)all of the above.

Question 45

The guarantee by the employer to pay specified compensation and benefits in the case of termination due to downsizing or restructuring is known as

A)a severance package.
B)supplemental unemployment benefits.
C)a guaranteed annual wage.
D)a golden parachute clause.
E)wage protection insurance.

Question 46

To project the supply of outside candidates, employers generally assess all of the following except

A)competitors' strategies.
B)national labour market conditions.
C)general economic conditions.
D)occupational market conditions.
E)local labour market conditions.

Question 47

The layoff-avoidance strategy introduced by the federal government is known as

A)work sharing.
B)supplemental unemployment benefits.
C)the reduced work week.
D)job sharing.
E)the early leave package.

Question 48

You have been asked by the CEO to advise on how to reduce the workforce by 10% over the next 2 years.There is little in the budget for payment of up-front money.Which of the following would you not recommend?

A)work sharing
B)layoffs based on reverse seniority
C)buyouts and early retirement packages
D)reduced work weeks
E)job sharing

Question 49

The shortage of available workers in which occupational market is projected to cost the Canadian economy $10 billion per year until it is resolved?

A)Teachers/professors
B)Information technology workers
C)Industrial chemists
D)Accountants
E)Geologists

Question 50

Demographic trends have a significant impact on

A)unemployment rates.
B)local labour market conditions.
C)general economic conditions.
D)occupational market conditions.
E)national labour market conditions.

Question 51

SUBS

A)top up employment insurance.
B)are benefits that are paid indefinitely.
C)are usually provided to non-union employees.
D)increase income levels when on the job.
E)decrease income levels when on the job.

Question 52

With which of the following strategies for handling a labour surplus is the potential for a human rights violation most closely associated?

A)early retirement packages
B)termination of employment
C)work sharing
D)reduced work weeks
E)job sharing

Question 53

A hiring freeze is all of the following except

A)when openings are filled by reassigning current employees.
B)a common response to an employee surplus.
C)a strategy that most employers use initially to balance demand and supply.
D)no outsiders are hired.
E)a solution when demand exceeds supply.

Question 54

A major Canadian automaker has laid off 20% of its workforce over the course of 2 years.You are the HR professional responsible for surveying the employees remaining with the company to determine their level of engagement and job satisfaction.The survey responses indicate that many employees are experiencing feelings of guilt and detachment.These employees are likely experiencing

A)a negative work ethic.
B)employee apathy.
C)survivor sickness.
D)survivor-guilt syndrome.
E)reality shock.

Question 55

Outplacement is

A)a service within a company facilitated by HR professionals.
B)a service offered by an outside agency that is provided to executives only.
C)a service within a company that provides resume-writing and interview-skill workshops.
D)a service offered by an outside agency that can assist terminated employees in finding employment elsewhere.
E)a service offered by an outside agency that provides job opportunities.

Question 56

In general terms, the lower the rate of unemployment,

A)the more difficult it is to recruit employees.
B)the easier it is to fill positions.
C)the harder it is to fill skills-shortage positions.
D)the larger the labour supply.
E)the less competition there is for employees.

Question 57

To successfully fill positions internally, organizations must manage performance and careers.Performance is managed through

A)effective recruitment policies and systems.
B)career tracking.
C)implementing a suitable reward structure.
D)effective selection and placement strategies.
E)training and development.

Question 58

You have been hired as the director of HR at Targus Inc., a clothing retailer.Due to a reduction in consumer demand, you have been asked to advise management on how to reduce the amount of staff by 5% over the next 2 years.Although slow, a method for reducing numbers which generally presents the least amount of problems is

A)introducing a reduced work week.
B)laying off employees.
C)offering attractive buyout packages.
D)downsizing through attrition.
E)offering attractive early-retirement packages.

Question 59

When the internal supply of employees exceeds the organization's demand, strategies used by employers include all of the following except

A)making early retirement mandatory.
B)downsizing through attrition.
C)offering attractive buyout packages.
D)initiating job-share positions.
E)laying off employees.

Question 60

Factors that should be taken into account when determining an appropriate severance package include all of the following except

A)years of service.
B)the individual's likelihood of obtaining alternative employment.
C)salary.
D)age.
E)ethnic origin.

Question 61

The first step to project the supply of outside candidates is to forecast local market conditions.

Question 62

Failure to update skills and management inventories can lead to present employees being overlooked for job openings.

Question 63

The initial response to a labour shortage is often

A)promotion.
B)transfer.
C)retraining.
D)layoffs.
E)scheduling overtime.

Question 64

External supply is one source of human resources supply.

Question 65

Ratio analysis involves making forecasts based on the ratio between two causal factors.

Question 66

Trend analysis is valuable as an initial estimate of HR demand only.

Question 67

HRP is a process of reviewing human resources requirements to ensure that an organization has the required number of employees, with the necessary skills, to meet its goals.

Question 68

Human resources planning is a reactive process which both anticipates and influences an organization's future.

Question 69

Advantages associated with a transfer include

A)the fact that skills and perspectives may be broadened.
B)the fact that new challenges are the inevitable result.
C)more employee autonomy.
D)an increase in task significance.
E)a pay increase for the employee involved.

Question 70

Short-term and long-range HR demand forecasts only provide half of the staffing equation by answering the question "How many employees will we need?"

Question 71

To deal with a labour shortage, firms often use all of the following strategies except

A)subcontracting work.
B)offering generous early retirement and buyout packages.
C)scheduling overtime.
D)transferring and promoting employees.
E)recruiting.

Question 72

To project the supply of outside candidates, employers assess general economic conditions.

Question 73

Highly educated immigrants are the predominant drivers of growth in the Canadian labour pool.

Question 74

A Markov analysis can be used to forecast internal labour supply.

Question 75

In the next decade, labour force growth in Canada will be entirely dependent on new immigrants.

Question 76

Exchanging ideas without face-to-face interaction is a characteristic of the nominal group forecasting technique.

Question 77

Which of the following statements about merit-based promotions is true?

A)A promotion is sometimes based on an assessment of future potential.
B)Unions often prefer that merit be the deciding factor.
C)When promotions are based on seniority, objectivity is a problem.
D)Using seniority, the employee who is promoted is always the most competent.
E)Promotions involve the movement of an employee from one job to another that is the same level in responsibility.

Question 78

Specific strategies must be formulated to balance supply and demand considerations.

Question 79

Regression analysis determines the line of best fit.

Question 80

Managerial judgment is central to qualitative forecasting, but plays only a small role in quantitative forecasting techniques.