Deck 5: Performance Pay Choices

Question 1

Profit-sharing plans can reduce the need for employee supervision.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Which of the following would NOT be an ideal scenario in which to consider using a piece rate plan?

A) Quality standards can be monitored effectively.
B) Significant teamwork is needed to complete a particular task.
C) Each unit of production can be easily measured.
D) Tasks tend to be fairly static over time.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following best explains why, despite their motivational potential, piece rate systems often do not motivate maximum effort?

A) Work group norms define acceptable rates of production.
B) Piece rates are used in conjunction with base pay.
C) Workers may be tempted to cut corners on quality.
D) Workers are more concerned with production than safety.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The concept of piece rates has its roots in the service industry as a way to compensate individual strong performance.

Question 5

John works for an aerospace company selling satellites to communication companies. He receives a set percentage of the overall sale price of the satellite in the form of compensation. He does not receive a fixed salary or benefits. Which term best describes John's compensation plan?

A) sales commission plan
B) leverage commission plan
C) percentage commission plan
D) straight commission plan

Question 6

Which of the following pay plans targets organizational-level performance?

A) goal-sharing plans
B) merit-pay plans
C) special-purpose incentive pay plans
D) profit-sharing plans

Question 7

Unions generally oppose profit-sharing plans on the basis of potential manipulation of profits by management and the uncertainty associated with profit sharing when compared with base pay.

Question 8

Employee stock plans are congruent and often used by companies using a classical management strategy

Question 9

In what way are piece rates and commissions similar to each other?

A) Employees don't have to worry about working themselves out of a job.
B) They reduce the need for external control of employees through supervision.
C) Both types are commonly used in conjunction with base pay.
D) Both are popular systems widely used in the service sector.

Question 10

To qualify as having an employee profit-sharing plan, a firm must have a formal program in which payments based on profits are made to a select group of employees, usually senior management.

Question 11

What is the most common form of performance pay used by medium to large Canadian firms?

A) merit raises
B) profit sharing
C) merit bonuses
D) commissions

Question 12

John's employer decides to provide him with regular advances against his future commissions as a way to smooth out John's income. Which term best describes the pay plan used by John's employer?

A) sales stipend system
B) draw system
C) pay advance system
D) security income

Question 13

The three main types of employee stock plans are: stock bonus plans, stock purchase plans, and stock option plans.

Question 14

There is strong congruency between classical management philosophies and piece rate pay schemes, particularly in industrial settings. What characteristic of this management philosophy do you believe hinders the expansion of piece rate schemes in such organizations?

A) It requires significant management follow-up.
B) It is very difficult to determine a "fair" piece rate.
C) There is lack of trust between management and employees.
D) Managers in classical organizations often do not want to compensate strong performers.

Question 15

When should the proportion of base pay relative to commission be higher?

A) the more that each salesperson works independently of others
B) the shorter the length of the sales cycle
C) the greater the concern for high turnover
D) the higher the degree of persuasive skills required

Question 16

All things being equal, goal-sharing programs are thought to be less motivational than gain-sharing programs.

Question 17

The key challenge associated with long-term incentive plans is the need to establish three- to five-year goals, particularly in fairly dynamic industries.

Question 18

The central issue associated with attendance incentives is the notion that these programs treat only the symptoms while ignoring the underlying issues that cause absenteeism in the first place.

Question 19

Sales commissions are usually appropriate in situations where individual sales people exercise significant independence.

Question 20

You work for a company that assembles plastic toys. Generally speaking, employees working at similar assembly plants receive $15.00 per hour. Internal corporate data indicates that the average worker should be able to assemble 20 toys per hour. Your organization has made a strategic decision to pay assembly line workers on the basis of their output. What is the piece rate you are contemplating paying your assembly line workers?

A) $300.00 per day
B) $1.33
C) $0.75
D) unable to determine given the data provided

Question 21

What differentiates merit pay from other types of performance pay, such as piece rates, sales commissions, and target incentives?

A) Merit pay can be used as a substitute for time-based pay.
B) Merit pay is based on specific aspects of performance.
C) Merit pay is rarely used in combination with base pay.
D) Merit pay is generally based on appraised performance.

Question 22

Which of the following is NOT a suitable condition for merit pay?

A) Individual performance varies.
B) Performance is not controllable by the individual.
C) Individual performance can be separated out.
D) Undesirable side effects are readily manageable.

Question 23

What do employees receive under an employee stock bonus plan?

A) shares at no cost to themselves
B) the cash value of phantom shares
C) a bonus equivalent to the increase in their share value
D) free financial advice on stocks

Question 24

Which of the following statements best describes how North American employees view merit raises?

A) They are viewed as not promoting employee-employer relationships.
B) They are viewed with significant scepticism by employees.
C) They are not viewed in a positive light because of the objective nature of performance reviews.
D) They are viewed in a positive light by unionized employees.

Question 25

As a human resources specialist, your job is to review the pattern of merit raises issued by managers last year. You found that the vast majority of managers did not differentiate between high and low performers, choosing to provide similar merit raises. What would you speculate is the driving force behind the managers' actions?

A) They want to be fair to all employees.
B) They want to keep labour costs down.
C) They are not comfortable with the performance management process.
D) They want to maintain a high degree of team spirit.

Question 26

Which of the following managerial practices, combined with an employee stock plan, will increase the performance effects of employee ownership?

A) sharing financial information about the company
B) the use of work teams
C) training and development
D) employee participation in decision making

Question 27

An automotive shop wants to reward employees for demonstrating creative customer service that leads to repeat business. A particular employee received a 10 percent bonus for suggesting that the company contact customers 24 hours after repairs to ensure customers are satisfied. What type of incentive would be the most appropriate in this scenario?

A) merit-raise plans
B) goal-sharing plans
C) gain-sharing plans
D) special-purpose plans

Question 28

Which of the following is normally seen as an advantage associated with long-term incentives plans?

A) They may encourage a better understanding of the business.
B) They tie rewards to the company's ability to pay.
C) They usually dilute shareholder equity for existing shareholders.
D) Goals are easy to determine, particularly in dynamic industries.

Question 29

As a human resource specialist, you have been asked by your organization to lead a discussion on the merits of using internal promotions as a main reward mechanism. Which of the following point(s) would you most likely NOT raise?

A) They are an expensive process, as promotions are typically associated with pay increases.
B) They often carry both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards.
C) They recognize contributions made by strong performers.
D) They are often seen as a key motivation tool for employees.

Question 30

Which are the main types of profit sharing plans?

A) current assessment plan, deferred plan, and blended plan
B) deferred plan, cash plan, and group plan
C) combination plan, deferred plan, and current distribution plan
D) current distribution plan, combination plan, and employee plan

Question 31

Which of the following management strategies is likely to benefit from a suggestion bonus system set on a group basis?

A) innovator management strategy
B) classical management strategy
C) human relations management strategy
D) high-involvement management strategy

Question 32

From an employer's point of view, what is the most attractive feature of gain-sharing plans?

A) The plans are self-funding.
B) Positive work group norms develop.
C) The need for supervisory control is reduced.
D) Employees monitor each other's performance.

Question 33

Which of the following management strategies is likely to benefit the most from using a gain-sharing plan as part of their compensation strategy?

A) human relations management strategy
B) classical management strategy
C) any management strategy operating in a dynamic environment
D) high-involvement management strategy

Question 34

A publically traded Canadian corporation provides employees with one year of continuous service and the opportunity to place 6% of their pre-tax income in a plan that may be invested in the company's stock. Furthermore, the company matches the shares by 50% up to a limit of 4% of the employees' pre-tax income. From the perspective of the employee, what are the potential drawbacks of participating in this program?

A) Administrative costs associated with these plans are normally very high.
B) It is extremely difficult for an employee to determine the performance of their stock.
C) They pose too much of a tax burden.
D) If the company does poorly, your job and savings may be at risk.

Question 35

Your employer is considering tying the bonus pool to the firm's profitability and then allocating this amount to employees based on individual merit. With reference to expectancy theory, which component of the merit system will be weakened and thus make it less motivational for you as an employee?

A) valence
B) expectancy
C) instrumentality
D) effort

Question 36

Which of the following characteristics of profit-sharing plans may be viewed as negative from the perspective of an employer?

A) They align employee and employer interests.
B) They eliminate the "free rider" principle by holding everyone accountable.
C) They are more complex than gain-sharing plans.
D) They require the sharing of potentially confidential information with employees.

Question 37

According to the textbook, what is the main drawback associated with attendance plans?

A) There are costs associated with administering the program.
B) Both intended and unintended behaviours are not easy to observe.
C) It is difficult to deal with the so-called "legitimate" absences.
D) They do not deal with the underlying cause of the issue.

Question 38

Your CEO is concerned that employees are not saving enough for their retirement. At the same, the CEO wants to have some of the company's profits shared with all employees. To address these issues, your CEO asks you, a human resource compensation specialist, to recommend the most appropriate profit-sharing plan to address this retirement issue. Which of the following profit-sharing plans would you recommend?

A) deferred profit sharing
B) combination profit sharing
C) current distribution
D) cash plan

Question 39

Which plans are set up so that a payout is contingent on the achievement of three- to five-year performance goals?

A) pension plans
B) long-term incentives
C) deferred profit-sharing plans
D) goal-sharing plans

Question 40

As the owner of a real estate firm with multi-office operations, you provide a bonus to all sales personnel in the highest-producing office each month. What type of performance pay plan are you using?

A) goal-sharing
B) competitive bonus
C) pooled performance
D) group commissions

Question 41

There are three types of profit-sharing plans discussed in the text. Identify and briefly explain each of them.

Question 42

Identify and briefly explain the nature of individual performance pay plans.

Question 43

Explain the difference between goal-sharing and gain-sharing plans.

Question 44

What is the rationale that makes employee stock plans such a "natural fit" with organizations using a high-involvement management strategy?

Question 45

Identify and briefly define each of the three types of employee stock plans.

Question 46

Discuss the nature of suggestion systems and some of the problems you need to be aware of.