Deck 9: Managing Human Resources

Question 1

Human resource management involves training, motivating, and retaining competent employees.

Answer 1

True
Explanation: HRM is defined as the function that identifies, selects, trains, motivates, and retains employees who are competent and productive.

Question 2

Human resource management is about hiring and firing only.

Answer 2

False
Explanation: HRM is not just about hiring and firing. In addition to hiring and firing, HR managers must train employees to become productive workers, assess and compensate employees appropriately, and handle overall employment planning goals for an organization, including assessing current needs and estimating future human resource needs.

Question 3

A selection device is valid if it can be proven to accurately measure the abilities of job applicants.

Answer 3

False
Explanation: Merely measuring abilities is not enough. To be valid, a selection device must be able to predict successful performance of the job the person is applying for.

Question 4

Performance-simulation tests are thought to be one of the best methods for evaluating job applicants in use today.

Question 5

Employment planning includes two steps: assessing current human resources needs and developing a plan to meet those needs.

Question 6

In a realistic job preview (RJP), an applicant might be told that the likelihood for promotion for the job he is applying for is slim.

Question 7

Behavioral interviews involve placing an applicant in stressful circumstances and seeing how he or she deals with the situation.

Question 8

Firing, layoffs, furloughs, and early retirements are the only three downsizing options.

Question 9

Human resource management activities such as hiring and downsizing are the sole responsibility of the human resource department.

Question 10

Employees in Mexico are less likely to belong to a union than employees in the United States.

Question 11

The most important environmental force that affects HRM is the legal environment.

Question 12

Employee referrals are usually reliable.

Question 13

A job description states the minimum qualifications a person needs to perform a job successfully.

Question 14

Increased demand for employees typically is associated with increased demand for the products or services offered by an organization.

Question 15

Employers cannot legally discriminate with regard to race, sex, or religion, but there are no laws against denying employment because of age.

Question 16

Advertisements have been shown to be the most effective method for identifying the best applicants for jobs.

Question 17

Western European countries differ from U.S. companies in that they have work councils that must be consulted on personnel decisions.

Question 18

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

Question 19

Written tests fell into disfavor in the late 1960s and are now rarely used in the selection process.

Question 20

An accept error involves not hiring an employee who could have performed well in a job.

Question 21

The 360-degree appraisal includes an evaluation from the person who is being evaluated.

Question 22

The only goal of a performance management system is to assess training needs.

Question 23

Using individual ranking as an employee appraisal device, two employees might be named "best" in the group.

Question 24

Job referrals generally are not a good method for improving workplace diversity.

Question 25

Neil Huffman Auto group claims that every dollar it spends on training ultimately results in $230 in productivity gains.

Question 26

Most organizations are not legally required to provide benefits of any type for employees.

Question 27

Sexual harassment is defined as any unwanted activity of a sexual nature that affects an individual's employment.

Question 28

Downsizing can be as stressful for the survivors as it is for the victims.

Question 29

Although most sexual harassment complaints are filed by women, a significant number of complaints are filed by men.

Question 30

Most U.S. jobs use a variable pay system in which employee compensation is based on status and seniority.

Question 31

Job training never addresses trainee attitudes toward the job or the organization.

Question 32

The most popular and effective employee appraisal device is the graphic rating scale approach.

Question 33

Important goals of job orientation are to reduce anxiety and to familiarize the recruit with the job and the organization.

Question 34

Workplace spirituality exclusively involves religion in the workplace.

Question 35

The primary determinant of an individual's pay is the type of job he or she performs.

Question 36

One major way that an organization can protect itself against sexual harassment cases is to make sure that all employees are well educated on the topic.

Question 37

Most job training does not take place on the job.

Question 38

The best way to measure the effectiveness of job training is to find out how stressful the process was for trainees.

Question 39

A key goal of compensation administration is to create a fair system that will provide incentive for employees.

Question 40

A strength of a written essay as an employee appraisal device is that it allows the writing skill of the evaluator to be a determining factor in the appraisal of performance.

Question 41

Human resource management is concerned with ________ competent employees.

A) obtaining
B) obtaining, training, motivating, and retaining
C) obtaining, training, and motivating
D) training and keeping

Question 42

The ________ prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, or sex.

A) Privacy Act
B) Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
C) Equal Pay Act
D) Sarbanes-Oxley Act

Question 43

The last steps of the HRM process deal with ________.

A) performance and compensation
B) training and compensation
C) compensation only
D) skills

Question 44

Separate HRM specialists are least common in these types of organizations.

A) small
B) large
C) multinational corporations
D) non-profit

Question 45

A wheelchair-bound applicant may be denied a job ________.

A) under no circumstances
B) if the job is strenuous or physically tiring in some way
C) if the job requires complete physical mobility
D) in some states

Question 46

The lengthy process by which a job is examined in detail in order to identify the skills, knowledge and behaviors necessary to perform the job is known as a ________.

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

Question 47

Which of the following countries' laws pertaining to HRM practices most closely parallel those in the United States?

A) Canada
B) Mexico
C) Australia
D) Germany

Question 48

It is against the law to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation ________.

A) in all 50 states
B) only in California
C) nowhere in the United States
D) in many states

Question 49

The first step in any employment planning process involves making a ________.

A) job description
B) human resource inventory
C) product evaluation
D) job specification

Question 50

A job description is ________.

A) not a written document
B) a written document used to describe a job to job candidates
C) something that employers keep secret from job candidates
D) the official title for the job

Question 51

Historically, spirituality has always had a place in management theory.

Question 52

This is the goal of employment planning.

A) selecting competent employees
B) obtaining competent employees with up-to-date skills
C) obtaining competent and high-performing employees
D) selecting high-performing employees only

Question 53

For the most part, ________ are involved in HR decisions within their own department or unit.

A) very few managers
B) some managers
C) most managers
D) all managers

Question 54

The most important environmental factor in the HRM process is ________.

A) the business environment
B) the natural environment
C) the legal environment
D) the scientific community

Question 55

As one of his first tasks in a new job, Steve's boss asks him to develop a database that lists the educational level, special capabilities, and specialized skills of all the employees in his firm. This is known as a ________.

A) job description
B) human resource inventory
C) lengthy process
D) job analysis

Question 56

Which U.S. law gives you the legal right to see your professor's letter of recommendation?

A) Civil Rights Act of 1991
B) Privacy Act of 1974
C) Polygraph Protection Act of 1988
D) Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

Question 57

________ in Germany give(s) employees the right to participate in personnel decisions.

A) Collective bargaining
B) Unionization
C) Board representatives
D) Work councils

Question 58

Employment planning involves ________.

A) addition of staff only
B) addition of staff and reduction of staff only
C) addition of staff, reduction of staff, and selection only
D) addition of staff, reduction of staff, motivation of staff, and selection

Question 59

The first three activities of the human resource management (HRM) process are about ________.

A) recruiting
B) planning
C) training
D) downsizing

Question 60

Affirmative action programs seek to make sure that employers ________ minority groups.

A) pay equal wages to
B) enhance employment opportunities for
C) provide unemployment benefits for
D) establish training programs for

Question 61

While ________ can reach the greatest number of applicants for a job, many of those candidates may be unqualified for the job itself.

A) an internal search
B) advertising
C) a temporary help service
D) school placement

Question 62

Which of the following downsizing methods can "happen on its own" if management suspends hiring practices?

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

Question 63

This is a key disadvantage to recruiting through employee referrals.

A) limited to entry-level positions
B) high cost
C) no diversity increase
D) lower-skilled candidates

Question 64

A job specification is ________

A) a list of job qualifications only
B) a detailed description of the job
C) the description of a job that is used by an employment agency
D) usually several pages in length

Question 65

In the selection process, there are ________ possible outcomes.

A) two
B) three
C) four
D) dozens of

Question 66

A reject error occurs when an applicant ________.

A) who is hired performs poorly on the job
B) who is not hired would have performed well on the job
C) who is hired performs the job at a high level
D) who is not hired would have performed poorly on the job

Question 67

A(n) ________ selection device shows a clear link between test performance and job performance.

A) reliable
B) invalid
C) unreliable
D) valid

Question 68

Which of the following is an advantage of using private employment agencies for recruiting?

A) low cost
B) candidates who are familiar with the organization
C) improves employee morale
D) careful screening of applicants

Question 69

Recruitment is the process of ________.

A) hiring from outside the organization
B) locating, identifying, and attracting potential employees
C) assessing the national, international, and local labor market
D) hiring from inside the organization

Question 70

An accept error occurs when an applicant ________.

A) who is hired performs poorly on the job
B) who is not hired would have performed well on the job
C) who is not hired is hired by another firm
D) who is hired performs adequately on the job

Question 71

To find out more about a job with a title of "assistant media buyer," you would find this to be most helpful.

A) job title
B) job specification
C) job listing
D) job description

Question 72

The difference between firing and layoffs is that ________.

A) layoffs are not permanent
B) layoffs are permanent
C) firing is not permanent
D) firing is not voluntary

Question 73

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

A) An applicant was given very different interview scores by five independent interviewers.
B) An applicant was given the same interview score by all five independent interviewers.
C) An applicant took a test a second time and her score improved markedly.
D) An applicant took a test once and scored higher than any other applicant.

Question 74

To use a physical test as a selection device, a company must demonstrate that ________.

A) physical ability is related to job performance
B) the test is fair
C) the test is reliable
D) the test does not discriminate against people with physical disabilities

Question 75

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

A) job specification
B) job qualifications
C) job definition
D) job description

Question 76

HR managers can estimate human resource needs by evaluating which of the following?

A) employment and unemployment statistics
B) the general state of the economy
C) demand for the organization's product
D) how competitors are performing

Question 77

Which of the following is NOT a voluntary form of downsizing?

A) attrition
B) early retirement
C) job sharing
D) layoff

Question 78

Today, selection techniques that result in reject errors can open the organization to ________.

A) decreased productivity and efficiency
B) charges of employee discrimination
C) reduced morale
D) a weakened workforce

Question 79

If employment planning shows a large surplus of employees, management may want to ________.

A) recruit
B) downsize
C) expand
D) continue with current employment levels

Question 80

________ indicates how consistently a selection device measures a criterion.

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