Question 1

A management information system helps managers make effective decisions by ________.

Accepted Answer

C) Management information systems (MIS) are a level up; they help managers make better decisions by producing standardized,summarized reports on a regular basis.Transaction-processing systems provide the company's managers and accountants with detailed information about short-term,daily activities,such as accounts payables,tax liabilities,and order status.

Question 2

Online employee testing and training programs are frequently used by small businesses because such tools save both time and money.

Accepted Answer

Online testing saves small business owners the time it takes to administer tests and are not very expensive.Similarly,online training programs allow small firms to offer employee training much like large firms do but at very low costs.

Question 3

All of the following are reasons that firms install human resource information systems EXCEPT ________.

Accepted Answer

A) HRIS enables firms to improve transaction processing,offer self-processing options,integrate HR functions,and generate reports.An HRIS is not used to monitor the performance of employees.

Question 4

A(n)________ system provides a firm's managers and accountants with detailed information about short-term,daily activities,like accounts payables and order status.

Accepted Answer

A) Transaction-processing systems provide the company's managers and accountants with detailed information about short-term,daily activities,such as accounts payables,tax liabilities,and order status.Management information systems (MIS) are a level up; they help managers make better decisions by producing standardized,summarized reports on a regular basis.One more level up,executive support systems provide top managers with information for making decisions on matters such as 5-year plans.

Question 5

In most cases,when a company has at least 100 employees,it can afford to hire an HR specialist to handle recruiting,training,and compensating employees.

Accepted Answer

It would be very unusual to find a really small business-say,fewer than 90 or so employees- with a dedicated human resource management professional.The rule of thumb is that it's not until a company reaches the 100-employee milestone that it can afford an HR specialist.

Question 6

A small business employer who is unsure what to do when faced with a discrimination charge would most likely find useful information on the EEOC Web site.

Accepted Answer

The EEOC Web site contains important and practical information regarding EEOC matters.

Question 7

An HRIS increases the reporting capabilities of managers because an HRIS ________.

Accepted Answer

B) Because the HRIS integrates numerous individual HR tasks (training records,appraisals,employee personal data) ,installing an HRIS boosts HR's reporting capabilities.

Question 8

Approximately one-third of people working in the U.S.are employed by small firms.

Accepted Answer

More than half the people working in the United States-about 68 million out of 118 million- work for small firms.

Question 9

Rob,the owner of A-Tech,a small software firm,plans to use the streamlined interview process to interview candidates for a programming position at the company.Rob should first ________.

Accepted Answer

D) The first step in the streamlined interview process involves preparing for the interview by considering the skills and traits required for the job.

Question 10

Managers who prepare for an interview using the streamlined interview process should focus on all of the following factors about a candidate EXCEPT ________.

Accepted Answer

B) Personality,motivation,intellectual capacity,and personality are factors that should be considered.It is illegal to discriminate for or against an applicant because of age.

Question 11

The Wonderlic Personnel Test measures personality traits and behaviors,while the Predictive Index measures general mental ability.

Accepted Answer

The Wonderlic Personnel Test measures general mental ability,and the Predictive Index measures personality traits,drives,and behaviors.

Question 12

Since Internet job boards are limited to large firms,small business owners are forced to recruit through local newspapers.

Accepted Answer

Small business owners can post positions on Internet job boards such as Careerbuilder.com and Monster.com,on the sites of professional associations,or on the sites of local newspapers.

Question 13

All of the following are common functions of a firm's human resource intranet EXCEPT ________.

Accepted Answer

B) A firm's HR intranet is used by employees to attain pay stubs and electronic handbooks.Employees can also register for training.Filing taxes is not likely to occur on the firm's intranet.

Question 14

Which of the following makes it possible for employees to self-enroll in a firm's benefits program through a secure Internet site?

Accepted Answer

C) HR information systems make it possible to make the company's employees part of the HRIS.Employees can self-enroll in all their desired benefits programs over the Internet at a secure site with firms that have HRISs.

Question 15

Which of the following provides upper management with information for making long-term decisions and developing strategies?

Accepted Answer

D) Executive support systems provide top managers with information for making decisions on matters such as 5-year plans.Management information systems help managers make better decisions by producing standardized,summarized reports on a regular basis.Transaction-processing systems provide the company's managers and accountants with detailed information about short-term,daily activities,such as accounts payables,tax liabilities,and order status.

Question 16

Research indicates that entrepreneurs tend to crave control.

Accepted Answer

Entrepreneurs tend to be somewhat controlling: "Owners tend to want to impose their stamp and personal management style on internal matters,including the primary goal and orientation of the firm,its working conditions and policies,and the style of internal and external communication and how this is communicated to the staff."

Question 17

Without tools like Web-based recruiting and computerized testing,small businesses are at a competitive disadvantage against large firms.

Accepted Answer

Small business owners run the risk that their relatively rudimentary human resource practices will put them at a competitive disadvantage.Big firms use practices such as Web-based recruiting,computerized testing,and intranet-based employee benefits enrollments to reduce the resources they must spend on them.A small business owner not using tools like these is probably deriving inferior results than (larger) competitors.

Question 18

Which of the following terms refers to interrelated components working together to collect,process,store,and disseminate information to support a firm's human resource management activities?

Accepted Answer

C) As companies grow,they also often turn to integrated human resource information systems (HRIS) .We can define an HRIS as interrelated components working together to collect,process,store,and disseminate information to support decision making,coordination,control,analysis,and visualization of an organization's HRM activities.

Question 19

While most small firms are affected by the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act,only large firms need to be familiar with the Consumer Credit Protection Act.

Accepted Answer

For a typical small firm,laws that affect them include the Consumer Credit Protection Act,Employee Polygraph Protection Act,Fair Labor Standards Act,Immigration and Nationality Act,Occupational Safety and Health Act,Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act,and Whistleblower Acts.

Question 20

Human resource management activities,such as training,appraisals,and hiring,are typically formal at small firms but informal at large firms.

Accepted Answer

Human resource management activities tend to be more informal in smaller firms.Training,for example,tends to involve coworker and supervisory on-the-job training rather than the formal training programs used by large firms.

Quiz 18: Managing Human Resources in Entrepreneurial Firms