Deck 13: Managing Human Resources

Question 1

The global economic downturn has profound implications for human resources management in organizations.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

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

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The Employment Equity Act creates four "protected categories": Aboriginal peoples,visible minorities,people with disabilities,and the elderly.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

An example of a high-performance work practice is seniority-based compensation.

Question 5

HR management is important for organizations because ________.

A)it is one of the main functional areas of any firm
B)it reduces line management stress by assuming the hiring responsibilities
C)it can provide a competitive advantage in the industry
D)it provides frontline workers to deal with customers

Question 6

An example of a high-performance work practice is self-managed teams.

Question 7

Human resource management is part of every manager's job in the organizing function.

Question 8

One of the final activities of the human resource management process ensures ________.

A)that the organization retains competent and high-performing employees
B)the best compensation packages for the new hires
C)that employees are continuously provided with up-to-date knowledge and skills
D)that a detail job analysis and skills inventory is in place

Question 9

The ________ creates four protected groups that must not be discriminated against by federally regulated employers.

A)Canada Labour Code
B)Charter of Rights and Freedoms
C)Canadian Human Rights Act
D)Employment Equity Act

Question 10

The "great recession" has impacted human resources management in which way?

A)no impact as organizations are prepared for such events
B)introduction of anti-discrimination laws
C)increase in temporary or part-time work
D)increase in better benefits to retain employees

Question 11

An organization that wants to have high-performance work practices should discourage self-managed teams and decentralized decision-making.

Question 12

Which of the following is an example of a high-performance work practice?

A)closed communication
B)centralized decision making
C)skill-based compensation
D)self-managed teams
E)seniority-based compensation

Question 13

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 14

A(n)________ represents employees and seeks to protect their interests.

A)labour union
B)human resources department
C)employee counsellor
D)human rights commissioner

Question 15

Every Canadian province and territory has human rights laws that prohibit employment discrimination based on race,sex,religion,age,political belief,national origin,language,or prior conviction.

Question 16

Downturn in the economy of one country has negligible effect on the human resources markets globally.

Question 17

Economic downturn has led to more permanent,full-time jobs in most countries.

Question 18

Line managers who are involved in interviewing job candidates ________.

A)perform better at their jobs
B)increase success of their organizations
C)reduce hiring costs substantially
D)feel they are doing work that is the HR department's responsibility

Question 19

A labour union is an organization that represents workers and seeks to protect their interests through collective bargaining.

Question 20

One of the first activities of the human resource management process involves ________.

A)providing employees with flexible job assignments
B)identifying and selecting competent employees
C)providing employees with up-to-date knowledge and skills
D)preparing detailed job descriptions

Question 21

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

A)deciding how well someone is performing his or her job
B)determining what behaviours are necessary to perform a job
C)estimating pay based on job level in an organization
D)tracking the number of jobs in an organization

Question 22

Kwon has been promoted as the HR manager.He is now in charge of recruiting at Eowin Systems and is expected to enhance the diversity of the workforce.Which of the following recruiting sources should Kwon avoid if he is to achieve the stated aim of a more diverse workforce?

A)college recruiting
B)professional recruiting organizations
C)employee referrals
D)the Internet

Question 23

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

Question 24

A written statement of what a job holder does,how it is done,and why it is done is known as a ________.

A)job specification
B)job analysis
C)job description
D)job identification

Question 25

In a short essay,explain why human resource management (HRM)is important to organizational success.

Question 26

Which of the following is a disadvantage of college recruiting?

A)generates many unqualified candidates
B)may not increase workforce diversity
C)limited to entry-level positions
D)small body of potential candidates

Question 27

While ________ reaches a tremendous number of people,it also generates many unqualified job candidates.

A)an advertisement
B)the Internet
C)a public employment agency
D)college recruiting

Question 28

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

A)Layoffs
B)Transfers
C)Retirements
D)Job sharing strategies

Question 29

An assessment that defines the jobs and behaviours necessary to perform the job is known as a ________.

A)job description
B)job specification
C)job identification
D)job analysis

Question 30

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

A)job specification
B)job preview
C)job description
D)job responsibility

Question 31

In a short essay,describe high-performance work practices and give specific examples of such practices.

Question 32

The majority of studies show that the best source of superior job candidates is ________.

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

Question 33

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

A)developing new training programs
B)reviewing past human resource requirements
C)establishing the human resources budget
D)developing a plan to meet future human resource needs

Question 34

Steve,a human resource manager,wants to let potential candidates know about the minimum qualifications that they should possess in order to successfully perform the jobs they have applied for.What should he do?

A)He should prepare a job description.
B)He should prepare a job specification.
C)He should do a job analysis.
D)He should conduct a job appraisal.

Question 35

What is one advantage of using professional recruiting organizations as a source of potential job candidates?

A)low cost
B)good knowledge of industry challenges and requirements
C)large centralized body of candidates
D)can get immediate feedback from large numbers of people

Question 36

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 specification
C)job description
D)job identification

Question 37

The process by which managers ensure that they have the right number and kinds of capable people in the right places and at the right times is known as ________.

A)recruitment
B)performance management
C)job specification
D)human resource planning

Question 38

A disadvantage of using professional recruiting organizations is ________.

A)that they generate many unqualified candidates
B)their limited commitment to specific companies
C)that they can only be used for entry-level positions
D)that they do not increase the diversity and mix of employees

Question 39

Which of the following focuses on the qualifications a person must possess to perform a given job successfully?

A)job analysis
B)job description
C)job specification
D)job identification

Question 40

Which of the following is a disadvantage of employee referrals?

A)lack of prescreening by employees
B)general tendency of employees to refer unqualified candidates
C)may not increase workforce diversity
D)may lead to competitive behaviour among employees

Question 41

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

A)be sure the physical requirements are valid for the job and that they do not discriminate
B)have an insurance carrier that requires the testing
C)first conduct an interview with the applicant and administer a written test
D)first verify the applicant's background information

Question 42

Screening job applicants to ensure that the most appropriate candidates are hired is called the ________ process.

A)recruitment
B)identification
C)orientation
D)selection

Question 43

Which of the following is an accurate statement about selection criteria validity?

A)Validity is when there is an expected relationship between the selection device and job performance criteria.
B)The law is currently unclear about the use of invalid selection devices.
C)A valid selection device would show a positive relationship between the predictor and criterion.
D)A valid selection device would measure the same thing consistently.

Question 44

Which type of selection device is used when a candidate for an automotive mechanic position is asked to deconstruct and reconstruct part of a car's engine?

A)aptitude assessment
B)work sampling
C)intelligence test
D)assessment observation

Question 45

Written tests can be weak predictors of job performance because ________.

A)supervisors do not need to prove in writing their abilities to do their jobs
B)semi-skilled workers do not need linguistic ability to do their jobs
C)intelligence and other tested characteristics can be somewhat removed from actual job performance
D)supervisors do not need intellectual ability to do their jobs

Question 46

According to our textbook,intelligence tests are reasonably good predictors for ________ positions.

A)top management
B)professional
C)supervisory
D)middle management

Question 47

A weakness of using a performance-simulation test is that it is ________.

A)typically expensive to create and administer
B)based on job analysis data
C)is not a proven predictor of job performance
D)valid only for certain jobs with physical requirements

Question 48

Terri has taken the same typing test four times on four different days.She has scored approximately the same score each time.This test has high ________.

A)acceptability
B)probability
C)validity
D)reliability

Question 49

A temporary involuntary termination is called ________.

A)a layoff
B)attrition
C)a transfer
D)termination

Question 50

In the selection process,a reject error occurs when ________.

A)a qualified candidate rejects the job offer
B)a candidate who would have performed successfully is not selected
C)a candidate accepts the job offer and is later rejected for poor job performance
D)a qualified candidate is rejected because of errors in their application information

Question 51

Tests of intellectual ability,spatial and mechanical ability,perceptual accuracy,and motor ability are moderately valid predictors for which jobs?

A)highly skilled professional positions
B)supervisory positions
C)middle management positions
D)unskilled lower-level jobs in industrial organizations

Question 52

The proven relationship that exists between the selection strategy and some relevant job selection criterion is called ________.

A)acceptability
B)reliability
C)consistency
D)validity

Question 53

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

A)job redesign
B)decruitment
C)job rotation
D)employee referrals

Question 54

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

A)firing
B)layoffs
C)attrition
D)early retirements

Question 55

A number of companies are adopting a new measure of recruitment effectiveness which looks at the contributions of good hires versus those of hires who have failed to live up to their potential.This measure is called ________.

A)job validity measure
B)job performance measure
C)performance quality assessment
D)quality of fill assessment

Question 56

The ability of a selection device to measure the same thing consistently is called ________.

A)reliability
B)validity
C)probability
D)consistency

Question 57

Quality of fill measure considers five key factors in hiring.One of these factors is ________.

A)the number of first-year hires who make it into high-potential training programs
B)gender equality in hiring for executive positions
C)the dropout rate after orientation programs
D)performance in realistic job preview

Question 58

Nikhil was required to take a dictation test and to receive a score of 75 words per minute on the test.The job he is applying for no longer requires the use of dictation.This test has low ________.

A)acceptability
B)validity
C)reliability
D)consistency

Question 59

Terri has taken a skills inventory assessment test six different times and has received six different evaluations of where her job strengths are greatest.This test has low ________.

A)acceptability
B)probability
C)validity
D)reliability

Question 60

A(n)________ involves presenting applicants with a miniature model of a job and has them perform a task that is central to that job.

A)integrated interview
B)written test
C)realistic job preview
D)work sampling

Question 61

Steven believes that part of the reason for the high turnover is that individual jobs are very poorly defined.Employees are not sure of what is expected of them,and performance standards are unequal between regions and functions.Steven conducts a job ________ for each position,defining all the activities and behaviours necessary to perform them.

A)description
B)specification
C)analysis
D)identification

Question 62

As one of his first tasks,Steven's boss asks him to develop a database of the education,special capabilities,and specialized skills of all the employees.This is known as a ________.

A)human resource plan
B)human resource inventory
C)job analysis
D)job specification

Question 63

As a selection device,the interview would be most valid in predicting which of the following occupations?

A)bookkeeper
B)bank vice president
C)crane operator
D)engineer

Question 64

Tim is a candidate for an automotive mechanic's position.He is asked to deconstruct and reconstruct part of an engine motor to demonstrate his skill.This is an example of a(n)________.

A)spatial test
B)performance-simulation test
C)intelligence test
D)skill demonstration test

Question 65

As part of restructuring the organization's human resources,Steven decides that a new job ________ must be written for each position that states the minimum job qualifications that a person must possess to successfully perform the job.

A)description
B)specification
C)analysis
D)definition

Question 66

Mike is considering the decruitment option of ________ for those employees whose terminations should be classified as temporary.

A)firing
B)layoffs
C)reduced workweeks
D)attrition

Question 67

Mike is considering the decruitment option of ________ for those employees who choose to accept part-time work.

A)transfers
B)layoffs
C)reduced workweeks
D)attrition

Question 68

As a selection device,the interview is most valid in predicting which of the following positions?

A)senior management
B)middle management
C)lower management
D)complex nonmanagerial

Question 69

Another source,________,reaches large numbers of people who can produce immediate feedback.However,it also tends to generate many unqualified candidates.

A)the Internet
B)employee referrals
C)the company's website
D)college/university recruiting

Question 70

PASA has a good corporate culture and many hardworking employees.Ken ponders,"perhaps the best way to get more of the same is through ________.We may not increase diversity,but we will probably attract the best candidates!"

A)the Internet
B)employee referrals
C)the company's website
D)professional recruiting organizations

Question 71

Which of the following selection devices is the best predictor for routine work positions?

A)work samples
B)application forms
C)assessment centres
D)interviews

Question 72

Which of the following selection devices is the most valid predictor for complex nonmanagerial positions?

A)application forms
B)written tests
C)work samples
D)interviews

Question 73

Which of the following selection devices is the least valid predictor for routine work?

A)physical exams
B)work samples
C)reference checks
D)written tests

Question 74

Mike is considering the decruitment option of ________ for the older workers.

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

Question 75

A(n)________ provides both positive and negative information about the job and the company.

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

Question 76

Mike is considering the decruitment option of ________ in the case of those employees who voluntarily resign to pursue other opportunities.

A)termination
B)layoffs
C)early retirements
D)attrition

Question 77

Which of the following selection devices is the least valid predictor for senior management positions?

A)written tests
B)application forms
C)assessment centres
D)interviews

Question 78

In the past,Ken has used ________ because of their knowledge of industry challenges and requirements.Unfortunately,he found that they had little commitment to PASA or any other specific organization for that matter.

A)employee referrals
B)the company's website
C)college/university recruiting
D)professional recruiting organizations

Question 79

Mike is considering the decruitment option of ________ for those employees who are qualified for job openings in other divisions.

A)transfers
B)layoffs
C)reduced workweeks
D)attrition

Question 80

One source of candidates,________,has a large body of candidates but tends to be limited to entry-level positions.

A)the Internet
B)employee referrals
C)the company's website
D)college/university recruiting