Deck 1: Strategic Importance of Human Resource Management

Question 1

________ continues to be a technological force and opportunity that revolutionizes Canadian businesses and their HRM practices.

A)Automation
B)Diversity
C)The North American Free Trade Act
D)Email
E)The skilled workforce

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Productivity technology can be measured as a(n)________ by ________ ________ by ________.

A)ratio;dividing;outputs;inputs
B)efficiency quotient;dividing;inputs;outputs
C)ratio;multiplying;inputs;outputs
D)efficiency quotient;multiplying;outputs;inputs
E)ratio;dividing;inputs;outputs

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Outsourcing implications for human resource managers may include:

A)initiating or increasing outplacement activities.
B)more relaxed and amiable union negotiations.
C)increased employee morale.
D)the need for increased office space.
E)increasing the size of the internal workforce.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Contracting out organizational tasks to outside agencies to reduce costs is referred to as ______.

A)outplacing
B)task enrichment
C)task enlargement
D)outsourcing
E)process management

Question 5

A company that shows concern for the environment is responding to which type or organizational challenge?

A)Technological
B)Physical infrastructure
C)Demographic
D)Cultural
E)Social

Question 6

One major challenge facing Canadian managers is:

A)keeping wages down to developing world standards.
B)decreasing quality to save money without losing sales.
C)increasing advertising costs.
D)decreasing focus on employment legislation.
E)improving productivity while maintaining a high quality of work life.

Question 7

Canadian businesses currently face four critical economic forces:

A)global trade,productivity improvement,gross profit margins and technology.
B)productivity improvement,transportation issues,economic cycles and demographic changes.
C)government legislation,global trade,global competition and survival during a recessionary cycle.
D)gross profit margins,inventory control,international legislations and minimum wage requirements.
E)economic cycles,global trade,productivity improvements and global competitiveness.

Question 8

During a recessionary period,the following challenges face HR managers except:

A)planning and implementing of employee layoffs.
B)seeking wage concessions.
C)facilitating employee counseling.
D)formulating crisis management policies.
E)increase compensation packages.

Question 9

In order to capture the growing market opportunities abroad,Canadian firms must:

A)continuously increase wages at home.
B)increase the costs of production.
C)lobby government to remove minimum wage and social security benefits.
D)expand plants into countries closer to customers.
E)export all manufacturing overseas.

Question 10

The people in organizations are considered human resources who:

A)create objectives and accomplishments.
B)are inanimate resources.
C)are quantified on the balance sheet.
D)have limited value to a company.
E)are considered by all organizations as their most important assets.

Question 11

Productivity refers to:

A)ratio of an organization's inputs to its outputs.
B)ratio of an organization's outputs to its inputs.
C)ratio of an organization's labour costs to its outputs.
D)ratio of an organization's labour costs to its revenue.
E)ratio of an organization's outputs to its labour costs.

Question 12

The emergence of open borders has developed many opportunities for Canadian firms but one key drawback to Canadian firms and retaining talent is:

A)cross-cultural barriers.
B)immigration issues.
C)poaching.
D)high turnover rates.
E)extensive cultural accommodations (i.e.time off for different religious holidays).

Question 13

Canada is the biggest trader in the Group of Eight industrialized nations.Approximately 74 percent of Canadian exports go to

A)the UK
B)Japan
C)China
D)India
E)the United States

Question 14

Strategic human resource management refers specifically to:

A)linking human resource procedures to organizational goals,employee needs,and societal demands.
B)tactical methods and procedures to achieve specific strategies.
C)developing knowledge workers in order to enhance corporate profits.
D)human resource planning for corporate takeovers.
E)strategically placed advertising for recruiting top quality employees.

Question 15

Among the major challenges facing Canadian business today are all the following except:

A)economic challenges.
B)demographic challenges.
C)cultural challenges.
D)legal challenges.
E)transportation challenges.

Question 16

Increasingly top managers are recognizing that long-term organizational success depends upon an organization's _____.

A)infrastructure
B)human resources
C)investment strategy
D)environment
E)rules and policies

Question 17

When a human resource decision maker responds to personnel problems as they arise,this is an example of:

A)proactive management.
B)anticipated reaction management.
C)reactive management.
D)contextual management.
E)management by objectives.

Question 18

Technology enables organizations to manage their operations ________,often reducing ________ or capitalizing on new opportunities.

A)innovatively;cost
B)innovatively;waste
C)innovatively;workloads
D)efficiently;cost
E)efficiently;workloads

Question 19

Some of the most successful Canadian organizations are those that motivate their employees by:

A)paying above averages wages.
B)allowing them to use the executive washroom.
C)encouraging them to meet organizational challenges creatively.
D)having a first-name policy only at all levels.
E)providing flexible working hours.

Question 20

International trade has always been critical to Canada's prosperity and in fact,Canada exports,on a per capita basis.It is:

A)a great deal,though less than the United States.
B)more than the United States but less than Japan.
C)more than both Japan and the United States.
D)a great deal,though less than Japan.
E)more than the United States and Japan combined.

Question 21

The third step in strategic human resource planning is:

A)analysis of organizational character and culture.
B)review and evaluation of human resource strategies.
C)analysis of organizational mission and goals.
D)environmental analysis.
E)analysis of organizational strategies.

Question 22

Technology enables organizations to:

A)reduce their operational efficiency,regardless of other factors.
B)make information available with great speed.
C)get constantly accurate information.
D)receive less information.
E)no longer rely on people.

Question 23

The province with the highest proportion of the labour force aged 55 and over is ________.

A)Saskatchewan
B)Manitoba
C)Ontario
D)Quebec
E)Newfoundland

Question 24

Knowledge workers:

A)transmit knowledge.
B)manipulate knowledge.
C)produce knowledge.
D)run automated assembly lines.
E)are another name for knowledgeable service workers.

Question 25

The fastest growing type of worker in Canada over the last twenty-five years has been:

A)service workers.
B)factory workers.
C)knowledge workers.
D)data workers.
E)health care workers.

Question 26

In formulating strategy,the human resource department must focus on all the following except:

A)planning for physical office space.
B)attracting human resources.
C)employee placement,development and evaluation.
D)employee motivation and rewards.
E)maintaining high performance.

Question 27

Organizations face many demographic challenges,including all the following except:

A)automation.
B)increasing number of knowledge workers.
C)older workers.
D)better educated workers.
E)more women employees.

Question 28

The pressures of retaining older workers present the following challenges to HR managers except:

A)expanded retirement benefits.
B)variable work schedules.
C)coordination of government benefits with company benefits.
D)retraining programs.
E)ensuring a balance of male and female workers.

Question 29

All the below are common to most human resource departments except:

A)developing job descriptions.
B)establishing disciplinary systems.
C)administering compensation systems.
D)ensuring compliance with relevant legal requirements.
E)develop all managerial reports within an organization.

Question 30

Cultural challenges facing Canadian human resource managers include:

A)social values at a societal level.
B)a decreasingly diverse workforce.
C)an increase in reliance on government regulations.
D)global competition.
E)unionization.

Question 31

Organizational culture refers to:

A)an organization's history and culture only.
B)an organization's history,culture,philosophy,and unique way of doing things.
C)the personal character of an organization's CEO.
D)the internal layout and design of space.
E)an organization's logo and its product and promotional literature.

Question 32

The reason(s)that organizations automate is (are)______.

A)speed
B)better customer service
C)operational flexibility
D)higher quality standards
E)all are reasons for automation

Question 33

The following is (are)true in regards to the education of Canadians:

A)over 45% have a college or university degree.
B)over 50% (age 16 or over)are functionally illiterate.
C)approximately 19% of Canadian men and approximately 17% of Canadian women aged 25 or above hold a university degree or better.
D)a little less than 10% drop out of school before they graduate.
E)over 65% of all Canadians go to private schools.

Question 34

Over the last few decades the educational attainment of Canadians has:

A)remained stable.
B)decreased slightly.
C)increased dramatically.
D)is not measurable by human resource managers.
E)lead to an increased dropout rate.

Question 35

The effects of technology on companies varies but in general it results in:

A)non-traditional marketing strategies.
B)reduced inventory controls.
C)fewer communication tools.
D)less streamlining of data.
E)fewer human resource practices and procedures.

Question 36

The second step in strategic human resource planning is:

A)implementation of human resource strategies.
B)review and evaluation of human resource strategies.
C)analysis of organizational mission and goals.
D)environmental analysis.
E)analysis of organizational strategies.

Question 37

Technology has facilitated the following key developments in organizations except:

A)flexibility in work design.
B)more effective knowledge management.
C)reduction in need for concrete policies and procedures.
D)large amounts of data can be processed for managers.
E)innovation in operations resulting in cost reduction.

Question 38

The ________ has become a platform for ________ and interaction,which has profound impact on HRM activities

A)Internet;distraction
B)Intranet;communication
C)Internet;communication
D)Intranet;productivity
E)Internet;productivity

Question 39

All of the following are steps in strategic human resource management planning except:

A)environmental analysis.
B)analysis of organizational strengths and culture.
C)examination of organizational mission and goals.
D)union-management negotiations.
E)awareness of organizational strategies.

Question 40

Demographic challenges facing organizations in the twenty-first century currently include all the following except:

A)gender balance in the workplace.
B)a shift towards knowledge workers.
C)aging workforce.
D)generational shift.
E)technology.

Question 41

In the last thirty years,despite its enormous growth,what has been slow to evolve into a full-fledged profession?

A)Human relations management
B)Human resource management
C)Human relations officers
D)Human resources officers
E)Human relations maintenance

Question 42

Human resource strategies should only be formed after a careful look at organizational strengths and weaknesses.

Question 43

An employee's desire to achieve personal goals is outside of the scope of effective human resource strategies.

Question 44

Some of the challenges that Canadian businesses currently face are legal,economic and demographic in nature.

Question 45

Managing proactively means anticipating and correcting problems before a problem arises.

Question 46

When decision-makers respond to human resource problems,this is referred to as proactive management.

Question 47

Human resource strategies must always be careful that they remain independent of the organizational strategy and mission.

Question 48

People are the common element in all social organizations.

Question 49

Capitalist economies go through growth and boom cycles.

Question 50

Human Resource departments are focused exclusively on helping organizations achieve their goals.

Question 51

Normally,under most decision making situations,human resource departments have __________ within the organization.

A)line authority
B)functional authority
C)empowered authority
D)staff authority
E)transit authority

Question 52

Proactive human resource strategies refers to:

A)strategies that anticipate human resource challenges.
B)strategies that respond to human resource problems.
C)strategies that encouraging employees to handle their own problems.
D)strategies that predict future market share of the company.
E)strategies that help the company adopt technological changes.

Question 53

One difference between the job responsibilities of a line manager and a human resource manager is that a line manager would likely not:

A)discipline employees.
B)coach employees.
C)decide on pay raises or bonuses (where contractually permitted).
D)negotiate with unions.
E)implement organizational change.

Question 54

Generally,the size of a human resource department depends largely on:

A)whether or not an organization is unionized.
B)the diversity of the employee population.
C)the nature of the business.
D)government regulations and legal requirements.
E)the size of the organization.

Question 55

To deal effectively with ever-increasing challenges,successful human resources managers must display the following competencies except:

A)a mastery of their organization's business.
B)a mastery of human resource management tools.
C)an intimate knowledge of their organization's financial procedures.
D)a superior ability to direct and manage change.
E)high personal credibility.

Question 56

Strategies are typically formulated at three levels: business,corporate,and functional.

Question 57

The human resource strategy formulation and implementation process consists of 8 steps.

Question 58

The daily responsibility for most human resource management activities lies with:

A)each and every manager.
B)the human resource department.
C)the CEO or company president.
D)the employee him/her-self.
E)the company security officer.

Question 59

A human resource audit uncovers better ways for the department to contribute to:

A)organizational and management objectives.
B)societal objectives and organizational objectives .
C)employee and management objectives
D)employee objectives and societal objectives .
E)societal objectives,organizational objectives,and employee objectives.

Question 60

Today Canadian business faces five major forces that are critical economic challenges;legal,economic,demographics,technological,and cultural.

Question 61

Negotiations with unions may prove to be more challenging because of the pace of technology and automation.

Question 62

The abolition of mandatory retirement has eliminated the challenges of an aging workforce.

Question 63

Human resource managers face special challenges during a recessionary period,such as planning,communicating,and implementing employee layoffs.

Question 64

The ratio of an organization's inputs to its outputs is referred to as its productivity.

Question 65

The demand for knowledge workers is likely to stabilize over the next decade.

Question 66

One means of improving productivity is to produce more with fewer workers.

Question 67

Human resource managers must be prepared to compromise the employees' quality of working life in order to improve productivity.

Question 68

Today's workforce can be divided into two main categories: service workers and knowledge workers.

Question 69

In the last decade,Canadian productivity is consistently outpacing that of the US.

Question 70

Reasons for organizations automating activities include speed,better customer service,and increased quality.

Question 71

Technology has reduced the need for concrete policies and procedures relating to performance expectations.

Question 72

Roughly one million Canadians fall into the lowest literacy level.

Question 73

Automation continues to be a technological force and opportunity that has affected Canadian organizations and their human resource management practices.

Question 74

Productivity refers to the ratio of an organization's outputs to its inputs.

Question 75

Technological challenges to Canadian business include both technological force and the shift towards knowledge workers.

Question 76

Current demographic trends include the increasing number of women and older workers in the workforce.

Question 77

Cultural challenges facing Canadian business today include ethnic diversity,demographics,and technology.

Question 78

According to a study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,Canada is steadily gaining its ability to innovate and create wealth compared with other rich countries.

Question 79

The participation rate of Canadian women in the workforce is lower than several other industrial nations.

Question 80

Generation Y-ers fear boredom while X-ers mistrust business practices.