Question 1

Olivia works in the human resource (HR)department at Hercules Corp.Her chief responsibilities include administering salaries,determining incentives,managing group insurance and employee vacation and leave.Identify the human resource management (HRM)function being performed by Olivia.

Accepted Answer

In this case, Olivia is executing the HRM function of compensation and benefits. The responsibilities of the HRM function of compensation and benefits include wage and salary administration; incentive pay; insurance; vacation and leave administration; retirement plans; profit sharing; and stock plans. Refer to Table 1.1.

Question 2

In the context of HRM functions,the activities of performance management include:

Accepted Answer

The activities of performance management include specifying the tasks and outcomes of a job that contribute to the organization's success. Then various measures are used to compare the employee's performance over some time period with the desired performance.

Question 3

Which of the following refers to the process of getting detailed information about jobs?

Accepted Answer

Job analysis is the process of getting detailed information about jobs.

Question 4

Craig,one of the senior managers at Clayton Inc.,insisted that company supervisors handle employee relations as part of their jobs.Which of the following statements strengthens Craig's argument?

Accepted Answer

In this case, Craig insisted that the supervisors of Clayton Inc. handle employee relations because they represent the company on a day-to-day basis. Supervisors play a key role in employee relations because they are most often the voice of management for their employees, representing a company on a day-to-day basis.

Question 5

Jacob is the human resource (HR)manager at Platinum Corp.He clearly understands the values,beliefs,convictions,vision,and mission of the company.He also enhances and modifies these aspects by understanding their significance.This scenario indicates that Jacob is a _____.

Accepted Answer

In this scenario, Jacob is a cultural and change steward. As such, he understands the organization's culture and helps to build and strengthen or change that culture by identifying and expressing its values through words and actions.

Question 6

Nicole,an employee at Neo Corp.,develops and distributes newsletters that announce upcoming events in the company.Which of the following human resource management (HRM)practices is being performed by Nicole?

Accepted Answer

In this scenario, Nicole's role in the organization is to maintain employee relations. Organizations often depend on human resource professionals to help them maintain positive relations with employees. This function includes preparing and distributing employee handbooks that detail company policies and, in large organizations, company publications such as a monthly newsletter or a website on the organization's intranet.

Question 7

Reese,the human resource (HR)manager at Axis Inc.,clearly understands how individuals join the firm,get used to its values,and reach various positions within the company.She is also aware of the organizational structure and suggests measures to modify the structure in order to attain the firm's goals.This indicates that Reese is a _____.

Accepted Answer

In this scenario, Reese is a talent manager/organizational designer. Members of an HR department who are talent managers or organizational designers know the ways that people join an organization and move to different positions within it. To do this effectively requires knowledge of how the organization is structured and how that structure might be adjusted to help it meet its goals for developing and using employees' talents.

Question 8

Kathleen is a member of the human resource (HR)department at Jade Corp.She had set a goal to enhance the firm's strategy.She worked to attain it by understanding the current resources and by attracting new resources according to requirements.However,her strategic ideas did not lead to effective results.Which of the following,if true,would imply the reason for Kathleen's failure in attaining her goal?

Accepted Answer

One way to define the responsibilities of HR departments is to think of HR as a business within the company with three product lines. One of them is being a strategic partner. It involves contributing to the company's strategy through an understanding of its existing and needed human resources and ways HR practices can give the company a competitive advantage. For strategic ideas to be effective, HR people must understand the business, its industry, and its competitors. In this case, Kathleen's strategic ideas were not effective because she did not make an attempt to understand Jade's business, its industry, and its competitors.

Question 9

Heather is an HR specialist at McCoy Manufacturing,where she is responsible for making sure HR policies and transactions deliver results on a companywide basis by acquiring,developing,motivating,and deploying human resources.This scenario illustrates Heather's skills as a(n)_____.

Accepted Answer

This scenario illustrates Heather's skills as an operational executor. This competency requires HR employees to carry out particular HR functions, such as handling the selection, training, or compensation of employees and communicating through a variety of media. All of the other HR skills require some ability as operational executor, because this is the level at which policies and transactions deliver results by legally, ethically, and efficiently acquiring, developing, motivating, and deploying human resources.

Question 10

How can an HR department that is considered its company's strategic partner help the company gain a competitive advantage?

Accepted Answer

Contributing to a company's strategy through an understanding of its existing and needed human resources and ways HR practices can give the company a competitive advantage. For strategic ideas to be effective, HR people must understand the business, its industry, and its competitors.

Question 11

Albright Corp.uses a set of quantitative tools to assess employee data such as performance,compensation,designations,and benefits.This is done to arrive at decisions based on accurate findings from analyses that can help the firm achieve its goals.Albright is engaging in the practice of _____.

Accepted Answer

Workforce analytics is the use of quantitative tools and scientific methods to analyze data from human resource databases and other sources to make evidence-based decisions that support business goals. In this scenario, Albright Corp. is using workforce analytics as it arrives at decisions based on accurate findings from analyses using quantitative tools that can help the firm achieve its goals.

Question 12

Blandings Corp.,an apparel manufacturer,has been profitable for a long time without depleting its resources-raw materials,employees,and the support of the local community.The company also caters to the needs of all its stakeholders.Which of the following characteristics is illustrated in this scenario?

Accepted Answer

Sustainability is broadly defined as an organization's ability to profit without depleting its resources, including employees, natural resources, and the support of the surrounding community. Success at sustainability comes from meeting the needs of the organization's stakeholders, all the parties who have an interest in the organization's success.

Question 13

Fiona,a manager at Norman Corp.,was responsible for workforce analytics in the organization.Her supervisor,Martin,argued that it was an unnecessary expense as he believed that collecting employee-related information was just an administrative responsibility.Which of the following statements,if true,would weaken Martin's argument?

Accepted Answer

Employee-related information is not just an administrative responsibility, thanks to computer tools. It also can be the basis for knowledge that gives organizations an edge over their competitors. They may engage in workforce analytics, which is the use of quantitative tools and scientific methods to analyze data from human resource databases and other sources to make evidence-based decisions that support business goals. In this case, as Fiona enforced workforce analytics at Norman Corp., it helped her spot subordinates who could be made leaders in the future with the data.

Question 14

Nikita heads the human resource (HR)team at Strait Corp.,a marketing firm.She has knowledge about how the firm earns revenues,about its clients and their requirements,and why the clients rely on the firm's services.This scenario illustrates Nikita's skills as a(n)_____.

Accepted Answer

This scenario illustrates Nikita's skills as a business ally. Members of an HR department who are business allies know how the business makes money, who its customers are, and why customers buy what the company sells.

Question 15

Julie works at Matrix Inc.Her primary role in the company is to create self-rating,job-related questionnaires for the employees.Which of the following human resource management (HRM)practices is being performed by Julie?

Accepted Answer

In this scenario, Julie is involved in performance management. The process of ensuring that employees' activities and outputs match an organization's goals is called performance management. The activities of performance management include specifying the tasks and outcomes of a job that contribute to the organization's success. The human resource department may be responsible for developing or obtaining questionnaires and other devices for measuring performance.

Question 16

Ellie is a human resource (HR)manager at Harris Corp.She has the greatest impact on the firm's success.She is highly admired and respected by others in the organization because she is extremely reliable.This scenario indicates that Ellie is a _____.

Accepted Answer

In this case, Ellie is a credible activist. Credible activists are so well respected in an organization that they can influence the positions taken by managers. HR professionals who are competent in this area have the most influence over the organization's success, but to build this competency, they have to gain credibility by mastering all the others.

Question 17

Which of the following best describes job design?

Accepted Answer

Job design is the process of defining the way work will be performed and the tasks that a given job requires.

Question 18

In the context of HRM functions,the activities of training and development include:

Accepted Answer

Decisions related to training and development include whether an organization will emphasize enabling employees to perform their current jobs, preparing them for future jobs, or both. The organization may offer programs to a few employees in whom the organization wants to invest, or it may have a philosophy of investing in the training of all its workers. Some organizations, especially large ones, may have extensive formal training programs, including classroom sessions and training programs online.

Question 19

Charles heads the human resource (HR)department at Schultz Inc.He is always aware of the various trends in the business environment and how they may have an impact on the operations of the company.In addition,he knows how to grab opportunities and deal with threats that can arise from the changing business environment.This scenario illustrates Charles's skills as a(n)_____.

Accepted Answer

This scenario illustrates Charles's skills as a strategic architect. Members of an HR department who are strategic architects require awareness of business trends and an understanding of how they might affect the business, as well as opportunities and threats they might present. A person with this capability spots ways effective management of human resources can help the company seize opportunities and confront threats to the business.

Question 20

Joanna,a local farmer,is affected by the operations of Wooster Inc.because she buys the products manufactured by the company.This indicates that Joanna is a _____.

Accepted Answer

Stakeholders are all the parties who have an interest in the company's success (typically, shareholders, the community, customers, and employees). In this case, Joanna is a stakeholder because she has an interest in the success of Wooster Inc. because she purchases products from the company.

Quiz 1: Managing Human Resources

Olivia works in the human resource (HR) department at Hercules Corp.Her chief responsibilities include administering salaries,determining incentives,managing group insurance and employee vacation and leave.Identify the human resource management (HRM) function being performed by Olivia.

In the context of HRM functions,the activities of performance management include:

Which of the following refers to the process of getting detailed information about jobs?

Craig,one of the senior managers at Clayton Inc.,insisted that company supervisors handle employee relations as part of their jobs.Which of the following statements strengthens Craig's argument?

Jacob is the human resource (HR) manager at Platinum Corp.He clearly understands the values,beliefs,convictions,vision,and mission of the company.He also enhances and modifies these aspects by understanding their significance.This scenario indicates that Jacob is a _____.

Nicole,an employee at Neo Corp.,develops and distributes newsletters that announce upcoming events in the company.Which of the following human resource management (HRM) practices is being performed by Nicole?

Heather is an HR specialist at McCoy Manufacturing,where she is responsible for making sure HR policies and transactions deliver results on a companywide basis by acquiring,developing,motivating,and deploying human resources.This scenario illustrates Heather's skills as a(n) _____.

How can an HR department that is considered its company's strategic partner help the company gain a competitive advantage?

Albright Corp.uses a set of quantitative tools to assess employee data such as performance,compensation,designations,and benefits.This is done to arrive at decisions based on accurate findings from analyses that can help the firm achieve its goals.Albright is engaging in the practice of _____.

Nikita heads the human resource (HR) team at Strait Corp.,a marketing firm.She has knowledge about how the firm earns revenues,about its clients and their requirements,and why the clients rely on the firm's services.This scenario illustrates Nikita's skills as a(n) _____.

Julie works at Matrix Inc.Her primary role in the company is to create self-rating,job-related questionnaires for the employees.Which of the following human resource management (HRM) practices is being performed by Julie?

Ellie is a human resource (HR) manager at Harris Corp.She has the greatest impact on the firm's success.She is highly admired and respected by others in the organization because she is extremely reliable.This scenario indicates that Ellie is a _____.

Which of the following best describes job design?

In the context of HRM functions,the activities of training and development include:

Joanna,a local farmer,is affected by the operations of Wooster Inc.because she buys the products manufactured by the company.This indicates that Joanna is a _____.