Question 1

Jackson and Schuler's (1995) model of HRM outlines the internal and external contexts of organisations.Elements within the external context of the organisation are:

Accepted Answer

The external context of the organization according to Jackson and Schuler's (1995) model of HRM includes laws and regulations, culture, politics and industry characteristics. While options A and B include some correct factors, they are not a complete representation of the external context as outlined by the model. Option D includes some relevant factors but misses out on culture and politics. Therefore, option C is the best choice.

Question 2

HRM and SHRM each have a different focus and connection to the organisation's overall strategy.These are:

Accepted Answer

HRM (Human Resource Management) is traditionally more reactive, focusing on staffing and day-to-day operations in alignment with the existing organizational strategy. In contrast, SHRM (Strategic Human Resource Management) is proactive, playing a key role in shaping and guiding the organizational strategy through long-term planning and alignment of HR practices with strategic goals.

Question 3

The internal environment of a firm includes organisational ownership, size, strategy, structure, culture, history and resources.

Accepted Answer

The internal environment of a firm includes all of the factors listed, including organisational ownership, size, strategy, structure, culture, history and resources.

Question 4

Tsui's multiple constituency model recognises that strategies adopted by an organisation may not satisfy all of its stakeholders.

Accepted Answer

Tsui's multiple constituency model suggests that an organisation has multiple stakeholders with different interests and demands, therefore strategies adopted by the organisation may not satisfy all of them.

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT a limitation of the resource-based view of the firm?

Accepted Answer

The resource-based view (RBV) of the firm does recognize the value of subcontracts, temporary workers, and consultants as part of a firm's resources and capabilities. This is not a limitation of RBV; rather, it's an aspect that highlights the importance of various types of resources, including human resources, in gaining competitive advantage.

Question 6

The three types of capital that are associated with organisations having a competitive advantage are:

Accepted Answer

The three types of capital that are associated with organisations having a competitive advantage are social capital, cultural capital, and human capital. Social capital refers to the relationship and networks within a company and with external stakeholders. Cultural capital involves the shared values, beliefs, and norms that shape the organization's identity and behavior. Human capital relates to the knowledge, skills, and experience of the workforce. Together, these forms of capital can help an organization to develop a competitive advantage by enhancing collaboration, innovation, and productivity.

Question 7

Klatt, Murdick, and Schuster's (1978) model represents:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Klatt, Murdick, and Schuster's (1978) model represents:
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Question 8

Strategy formulation involves:

Accepted Answer

Strategy formulation involves both establishing the organisation's mission, vision, strategy, goals and values, as well as conducting a SWOT analysis of the organisation's external and internal environments. Additionally, developing three levels of strategy - corporate, business, and functional - is also part of strategy formulation. Therefore, both options A and B are correct.

Question 9

In which of the following philosophies would the manager concentrate on closely monitoring and controlling employees?

Accepted Answer

The traditional or transactional philosophy emphasizes closely monitoring and controlling employees to ensure that they meet specific performance standards and objectives. This approach is commonly associated with the use of rewards and punishments to motivate employees and maintain their focus on achieving organizational goals.

Question 10

The co-adaptive human resource decision making (CHRM) framework does not consider environment factors beyond the organisation's control.

Accepted Answer

The co-adaptive human resource decision making (CHRM) framework considers both internal and external environmental factors, including those beyond the organization's control, to adapt and make informed HR decisions.

Question 11

HRM involves the activities needed to:

Accepted Answer

HRM stands for Human Resource Management, which involves managing human resources within an organization. This includes monitoring, motivating, planning, and evaluating people to achieve organizational goals. A is incorrect because HRM is not concerned with creating knowledge about why people work in a certain way, rather it is concerned with managing those people. C and D are incorrect because financial management and organizational structure management are separate areas of management and not related to HRM.

Question 12

Klatt, Murdick and Schuster's (1978) HRM model does not advocate taking a systems approach to human resource planning and development.

Accepted Answer

Klatt, Murdick, and Schuster's (1978) HRM model does advocate taking a systems approach to human resource planning and development, emphasizing the interconnectedness of HR activities and organizational strategy.

Question 13

Organisational strategy is the result of organisational decisions about the goals, purpose, objectives and directions of the company and the way to realise these.

Accepted Answer

Organisational strategy is the outcome of the decisions made by a company regarding their goals, purpose, objectives, and direction, as well as the methods used to accomplish them.

Question 14

Jackson and Schuler (1995) suggest that a variety of macro-level environmental characteristics influence the adoption of particular organisational HRM practices, policies and philosophies.

Accepted Answer

Jackson and Schuler (1995) indeed suggest that macro-level environmental characteristics have an impact on the adoption of HRM practices in organizations.

Question 15

When an organisation has a competitive advantage it finds it difficult to maintain customers, it should increase its market share and achieve its strategic goals.

Accepted Answer

If an organisation has a competitive advantage, it should find it easier to maintain customers as it offers something unique or better than its competitors. Increasing market share and achieving strategic goals may still be important, but it is not directly related to maintaining customers.

Question 16

HRM practices tend to become more formal as organisation size increases.

Accepted Answer

As the organisation size increases, the complexity of HRM practices also increases. This leads to the need for more formalisation of HRM practices to ensure consistency, fairness and compliance with laws and regulations. Large organisations have more employees, departments, locations and regulations to comply with, making formalisation of HRM practices inevitable.

Question 17

Effective HRM requires all of the following processes: environmental scanning, problem and opportunity identification, implementation and evaluation in relation to core activities.

Accepted Answer

Effective HRM (Human Resource Management) involves several processes which include environmental scanning, problem and opportunity identification, implementation and evaluation in relation to core activities. Therefore, the statement is true.

Question 18

Gap analysis in HR involves looking at what the organisation is currently doing but not what it needs to be.

Accepted Answer

Gap analysis in HR involves looking at the current state of the organization as well as identifying the areas where improvement is needed in order to align with the organization's goals and objectives.

Question 19

Which paradigms or assumptions changed the emphasis from production and efficiency to focus on the importance of both people and production concerns in the organisation?

Accepted Answer

The human relations movement and the behavioural sciences approach shifted focus towards considering the importance of human factors and organizational behavior in addition to production efficiency, emphasizing the role of people in the organization's success.

Question 20

The resource-based view (RBV) of HRM proposes that:

Accepted Answer

The resource-based view (RBV) of HRM emphasizes the importance of people as a unique and valuable resource that can provide a competitive advantage to organizations. This perspective posits that individuals' knowledge, skills, and abilities are difficult to replicate and can contribute significantly to an organization's success. The RBV also holds that other resources, such as raw materials, may be important, but they are not as critical to achieving sustainable competitive advantage as a company's people are. Thus, choice A is the correct answer. Choices B and C are incorrect because they imply that the routines and learning mechanisms within an organization, as well as the knowledge and behavior of people, do not contribute to competitive advantage, which is false according to the RBV. Finally, choice D is incorrect because although raw materials may be important in some industries, they are not as critical to achieving sustainable competitive advantage as a company's people are.

Quiz 1: Effective Strategic Human Resource Management: Principles and Processes