Deck 3: Job Analysis

Question 1

Which of the following requires that a job analysis be done before its elements can be developed?

A) Organizational objectives
B) Long range planning goals
C) Job descriptions
D) The creation of new positions

Answer 1

Job descriptions

Question 2

The job elements method analyzes jobs in terms of

A) data, people, things.
B) information input, mental processes, work output.
C) knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics.
D) occupations, fields, and vocations.

Answer 2

knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics.

Question 3

In functional job analysis, the category of "things" refers to

A) the data used in performing a job.
B) the basic job elements in a particular job category.
C) the tangible skills a worker brings to the job.
D) the worker's interaction with tools, machines, and equipment.

Answer 3

the worker's interaction with tools, machines, and equipment.

Question 4

One advantage of using surveys rather than interviews is

A) workers generally dislike being interviewed.
B) workers may remain anonymous through the use of survey methods.
C) surveys are more statistically reliable.
D) surveys provide more detailed, in-depth information than interviews.

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT a common element found in job descriptions described by Cascio (1987)?

A) Job title
B) Supervisor and coworker relationships
C) Working conditions and the physical environment
D) Conditions of employment

Question 6

According to functional job analysis, all jobs require workers to interact with

A) subordinates, superiors, and peers.
B) data, people, and things.
C) people, places, and things.
D) none of the above

Question 7

The use of O*NET is associated with which of the following job analysis techniques?

A) Functional Job Analysis
B) the Critical Incidents Technique
C) Position Analysis Questionnaire
D) Dictionary of Occupational Titles

Question 8

Observational techniques of job analysis usually work best with

A) high-level management or leadership positions.
B) jobs for which there is a lot of existing data.
C) jobs involving manual operations or repetitive tasks.
D) creative or decision-making positions.

Question 9

Which of the following is most closely associated with determining how much a particular job should pay?

A) Job description
B) Job specification
C) Job evaluation
D) Performance criteria

Question 10

A job specification provides information about the

A) tasks to be performed by the employee.
B) relative importance of tasks to be performed by the employee.
C) amount of salary to be earned.
D) human characteristics, work experience, and education required for a job.

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT a job analysis method?

A) Field experiment method
B) Existing data method
C) Interview method
D) Survey method

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT a "people" work function in functional job analysis?

A) Mentoring
B) Supervising
C) Analyzing
D) Persuading

Question 13

A job description is

A) a detailed accounting of the tasks and responsibilities associated with a job.
B) a step-by-step "procedure manual" for performing a job.
C) a systematic study of the tasks, duties, and knowledge needed to perform a job.
D) the assessment of the relative value or worth of a job.

Question 14

An advantage of job diaries is __________, while a disadvantage is __________.

A) they can be administered quickly...they provide little information.
B) they can be administered quickly...they are not cost-effective.
C) they provide rich day-to-day information...they can only be collected from motivated workers.
D) they provide rich day-to-day information...they are time-consuming.

Question 15

One important consideration in using observational methods to conduct job analyses is

A) only technical and professional employees can be observed accurately.
B) trained observers must know what they are looking for.
C) observation time should be limited to only a few minutes.
D) the observer only tries to get a general idea of what the employee actually does.

Question 16

When using interview job analysis techniques, more reliable representations of jobs are established when

A) only one worker in the position is interviewed.
B) open-ended questions are used.
C) several job incumbents within a single organization are interviewed.
D) only the supervisor of the particular job position is interviewed.

Question 17

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that employers

A) hire a disabled worker over a more qualified non-disabled worker.
B) hire any disabled worker for any type of job.
C) hire a certain percentage of disabled workers into their workforce.
D) make reasonable accommodations so that disabled workers can perform their jobs.

Question 18

DOT denotes

A) Delivery on Time.
B) Data on Tangibility.
C) Directory of Occupational Transitions.
D) Dictionary of Occupational Titles.

Question 19

"Job applicants must have a high school diploma, type 55 words per minute, possess exceptional computer skills, and have a valid driver's license." This is an example of a

A) job description.
B) job specification.
C) job evaluation.
D) performance criteria.

Question 20

An advantage of interview methods of job analysis is

A) the job analyst can ask open-ended, detailed questions.
B) interviews are less costly than pencil-and-paper surveys.
C) interviews are less prone to bias or distortion than survey methods.
D) interviews are essentially free from all forms of bias.

Question 21

Why has the Americans with Disabilities Act presented a new challenge to job analysts?

A) ADA requires employers to conduct formal job analyses.
B) ADA requires all companies to immediately hire disabled workers.
C) ADA requires that a disabled worker be allowed to perform any job in a company.
D) ADA requires employers to understand the essential elements of jobs.

Question 22

One clear advantage of the critical incidents technique of job analysis is

A) it provides detailed information about the requirements for success in a particular job.
B) it is quick and easy to use.
C) it provides for clear comparisons among a wide range of different jobs.
D) there is little potential for bias or distortion in using the method.

Question 23

Which of the following products of a job analysis is most important in determining comparable worth?

A) job description
B) job specification
C) job evaluation
D) performance criteria

Question 24

An example of a compensable factor is

A) the physical demands of the job.
B) the amount of training a job requires.
C) the amount of responsibility the job carries.
D) All of the above

Question 25

The most researched method of job analysis is

A) Functional Job Analysis.
B) the Position Analysis Questionnaire.
C) the Critical Incidents Technique.
D) the Job Elements Method.

Question 26

Research on the "glass ceiling" has found that

A) there are only 65 women executives for every 100 males.
B) only very small percentages of women and ethnic minorities hold top-level executive positions.
C) the glass ceiling exists only in US. organizations.
D) the glass ceiling, like the "old boys' network," is largely a myth.

Question 27

A job analyst studies surgery nurses noting the "information input," "mental processes," and "job context" involved in performing their jobs. The job analyst is using

A) Functional Job Analysis.
B) the Position Analysis Questionnaire.
C) the Critical Incidents Technique.
D) the Job Elements Method.

Question 28

Comparable worth opponents argue that

A) research shows that women do not have the mental capabilities of men.
B) women must take time off to raise families.
C) compared to men, women prefer safer jobs with pleasant working conditions.
D) comparable worth can never be achieved.

Question 29

Research on job analysis techniques has shown that

A) functional job analysis, the critical incidents technique, and the PAQ are all reasonably effective.
B) the PAQ is more limited in the amount of information it provides.
C) the PAQ is more cost-effective and easier to use than functional job analysis or critical incidents.
D) All of the above

Question 30

The practice of ignoring pay discrepancies between particular jobs possessing equivalent duties and responsibilities is known as

A) discrimination.
B) exceptioning.
C) the gender gap.
D) comparable worth.

Question 31

A job analyst asks department store supervisors to provide behavioral examples of the best and worst salespersons they supervised. The job analyst is using

A) Functional Job Analysis.
B) the Position Analysis Questionnaire.
C) the Critical Incidents Technique.
D) the Job Elements Method.

Question 32

Which of the following is one of the categories of job elements in the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)?

A) Information input
B) Data
C) Knowledge
D) Compensable factors

Question 33

The Position Analysis Questionnaire analyzes various jobs in terms of

A) entries in the DOT.
B) interviews with employers.
C) nearly two hundred job elements.
D) surveys of employees in the field.

Question 34

Which of the following employees would likely receive a higher number of points on a weighted compensable factors analysis?

A) A subway train operator/driver
B) A typist
C) A mail room worker
D) A grocery store bagger

Question 35

A strength of functional job analysis is that

A) it analyzes jobs in terms of dozens of different categories.
B) it is a cost-effective technique for analyzing a large number of jobs.
C) it analyzes jobs in terms of knowledge, skills, and abilities of workers.
D) it provides detailed, open-ended descriptions of jobs based on performance criteria.

Question 36

Because of recent court decisions, job analyses are no longer important in employee planning, selection, and performance evaluation programs.

Question 37

"Comparable worth" has to do with the idea that

A) women are just as smart as men.
B) women should be paid the same amount of money as men.
C) equal work should receive equal pay.
D) men are sometimes underpaid.

Question 38

The term "glass ceiling" refers to

A) limitations preventing women and minorities from achieving top management positions.
B) artificial salary "caps" placed on top-level women executives.
C) ongoing discrimination that keeps women and minorities from being hired.
D) a government plan to ensure that companies do not become administratively "top- heavy."

Question 39

Research on the gender gap in wages shows that

A) women are paid less than half of what men are paid for comparable work.
B) the differences in pay for men and women for comparable work have almost disappeared.
C) women are paid less than three-fourths of what men are paid for comparable work.
D) the supposed "gender gap" in wages was only a myth.

Question 40

Of a job description, job specification, and job evaluation, the one that is most closely tied to the wages paid for a job is the job evaluation.

Question 41

Describe the use of job analyses in determining compensable factors.

Question 42

Jobs in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles are categorized by how the worker interacts with data, people, and things.

Question 43

The ADA has increased the importance of job analysis for human resources departments.

Question 44

Compare and contrast use of the PAQ and the critical incidents technique. In what type of situation would a job analyst use each?

Question 45

The most recent research evidence indicates that the gender gap between male and female workers in the US is rapidly disappearing.

Question 46

Exceptioning refers to the practice of eliminating the lowest rating in a group of ratings to arrive at the overall performance evaluation.

Question 47

One category of job elements around which the Position Analysis Questionnaire is structured is "relationships with other people."

Question 48

Open-ended questions should be avoided when interviewing for a job analysis, because answers to open-ended questions are too difficult to compile.

Question 49

Summarize the research findings of comparisons of different job analysis techniques.

Question 50

Using a combination of different job analysis methods should lead to a more detailed, more reliable job analysis than using any one method by itself.

Question 51

There is considerable evidence that women receive lower wages than men performing the same, or equivalent, work.

Question 52

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 mandates that men and women performing equal work receive equal pay.

Question 53

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 includes provisions related to sex discrimination in hiring.

Question 54

List and describe two job analysis methods.

Question 55

In developing a job analysis, one very good source of information is the job incumbent.

Question 56

Define job analysis and describe why an organization would want to provide job analyses for
different job positions.

Question 57

Describe the various products of job analysis.

Question 58

In developing a job analysis, existing information like a previous job analysis should be avoided because it may bias the employee specialist.

Question 59

The critical incidents technique of job analysis uses the same series of closed-ended, standardized questions asked of job incumbents about all jobs.

Question 60

Discuss two issues related to the "gender-gap" in wages.