Deck 9: Strategic Human Resource Management

Question 1

Demand forecasting involves determining what human resources will be available both inside and outside the organization.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Supply forecasting involves determining what human resources will be available both inside and outside the organization.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Recruitment is the process of evaluating and choosing the best-qualified candidates from the pool of applicants available for the position.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Many U.S. companies have developed a strategy of recruiting skilled workers from other countries, claiming that the labor pool of workers in the United States is not adequate.

Question 5

Selection is the process of evaluating and choosing the best-qualified candidate from the pool of applicants recruited for a position.

Question 6

Any instrument, device, or information used to make an employment decision is considered a test by the EEOC's Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection.

Question 7

Employment interviews are used in less than 50 percent of job hires for industrial positions.

Question 8

A loose, unstructured interview format usually works best.

Question 9

The job interview is usually the first source of information about a potential employee.

Question 10

One of the criticisms of interviews is that they permit only one-way exchange of information: from job applicants to the organization.

Question 11

Using a web site to advertise open positions is an example of external recruitment.

Question 12

Internal recruitment involves advertising for and soliciting applicants from outside the company.

Question 13

Recruitment is the process of finding and attracting job candidates who are qualified to fill job vacancies.

Question 14

Internal recruitment involves identifying internal candidates and encouraging them to apply for and be willing to accept organizational jobs that are vacant.

Question 15

Validity means that a test will give the same results in a test/retest situation over time.

Question 16

Validity is the relationship between what a test proposes to measure and what is actually measures.

Question 17

Interviews, overall, tend to have low validity.

Question 18

An interview must be conducted in such a way that the person selected for the job as a result of the interview must be able to perform better than the person not selected.

Question 19

An organization's training needs can be identified through three types of analysis: (1) organizational, (2) task, and (3) industry.

Question 20

Recency errors result from evaluations made over a long period of time.

Question 21

Performance appraisal is a systematic process of evaluating each employee's job-related achievements, strengths, and weaknesses as well as determining ways to improve performance.

Question 22

Behavior-oriented approaches to performance appraisal focus on assessing employee behavior. Two commonly used methods are graphic rating scales and behavioral-anchored rating scales.

Question 23

The more clearly and specifically the scales and performance dimensions are defined, the more effective the evaluation system.

Question 24

A contrast error is the tendency to rate employees relative to each other rather than relative to performance standards.

Question 25

Central tendency occurs when the rater judges all employees as average, even though their performance varies.

Question 26

A halo effect is also described as a manager rating an employee low on all items because of one characteristic.

Question 27

Compensation consists of wages paid directly for time worked, incentives for better performance, and indirect benefits that employees receive as part of their employment relationship with the organization.

Question 28

Bonuses and profit sharing are examples of the part of compensation called benefits.

Question 29

Internal fairness refers to expectations that pay for a job in one organization is fair relative to pay for the same job in other organizations.

Question 30

External fairness refers to expectations that the pay for a job is fair relative to the pay of similar jobs in other organizations.

Question 31

Internal fairness reflects the expectation that individuals in a given job are paid about the same as coworkers in the same job.

Question 32

Quid pro quo harassment is when the victim does not suffer any tangible economic injury, but workplace conduct is sufficiently severe to create an abusive working environment.

Question 33

Sexual harassment refers to actions that are sexually directed, are unwanted, and subject the worker to adverse employment conditions.

Question 34

The Supreme Court and the EEOC recognize two major forms of sexual harassment: quid pro quo harassment and hostile environment harassment.

Question 35

Sexual harassment can only occur between a manager and a subordinate.

Question 36

One factor that has contributed to the increased importance of human resource managers is the number and complexity of legal issues faced by organizations.

Question 37

In general, the purpose of EEO legislation is to ensure that employment decisions are based on personal criteria only.

Question 38

The Fair Labor Standards Act allows individuals to take up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave per year for the birth or adoption of a baby or the illness of a family member.

Question 39

Affirmative action refers to the legal stipulation that employers must actively recruit, hire, and promote members of minority groups and other protected classes if such individuals are underrepresented in the organization.

Question 40

The purpose of EEO legislation is to ensure that employment decisions are based on job-related criteria only.

Question 41

Affirmative action is synonymous with a quota system in the eyes of the legal system.

Question 42

Individuals who fall within a group identified for protection under equal employment laws and regulations are referred to as an exceptions class.

Question 43

Union membership has increased in the United States since 1983.

Question 44

The Federal Labor Relations Authority is the government agency that oversees labor-management relations in the private sector.

Question 45

Unions have political power and use their lobbying efforts to support legislation that is in their own interests and the interests of all employees.

Question 46

Studies have shown that workers who belong to a union perceive that they are treated with greater dignity and respect on the job than if they didn't belong to a union.

Question 47

Effective strategic human resource management practices in organizations have reduced the need for union protection.

Question 48

With a conflict orientation, management refuses to give in to labor and recognizes the union only because it is required to do so by law.

Question 49

Coordinating and managing all of the things that are necessary to find the right people and guide them toward achieving the overall strategy is called

A) personnel planning.
B) strategic human resource management.
C) employee empowerment.
D) total quality management.
E) employee-employer enhancement.

Question 50

The process of determining future human resource needs relative to an organization's strategic plan and taking the actions necessary to meet those needs in a timely manner is referred to as

A) critical needs planning.
B) personnel specifications planning.
C) strategic human resource planning.
D) personnel projection.
E) personnel analysis.

Question 51

William Turban, the CEO of Bay Biotech, spends a considerable amount of his time determining his company's human resource needs relative to its strategic plan and then doing what it takes to meet those needs in a timely manner. In this illustration, Mr. Turban is engaged in

A) personnel projection.
B) personnel analysis.
C) strategic human resource planning.
D) critical needs planning.
E) personnel specifications planning.

Question 52

__________ refers to studying a job in order to understand what knowledge, skills, and abilities are needed as a foundation for the behaviors that would help the job holder perform that job successfully.

A) Job analysis
B) Job planning
C) Job breakdown
D) Job differentiation
E) Job theorization

Question 53

At its last meeting, the board of directors of Imagination Software decided to hire a Director of Information Systems. Before the company starts recruiting, however, the Human Resource Management Department needs to conduct a __________, which involves gathering and studying all of the information about a particular job.

A) job breakdown
B) job analysis
C) job conjecture
D) job forecast
E) job scope

Question 54

A __________ details the responsibilities and tasks associated with a given position.

A) position description
B) career-track description
C) position assessment
D) employment report
E) job description

Question 55

The process of determining the number of employees that the organization will need at some point in the future as well as the knowledge, skills, and abilities that these employees must possess is referred to as

A) job analysis.
B) strategic forecasting.
C) personnel forecasting.
D) demand forecasting.
E) supply forecasting.

Question 56

Betty Smith's manager has asked her to attempt to determine the number of software developers that the organization will need in the next twelve months, as well as the knowledge, skills, and abilities these individuals must possess. This activity is referred to as

A) demand forecasting.
B) strategic forecasting.
C) personnel forecasting.
D) demand analysis.
E) supply forecasting.

Question 57

Adams Hardware is planning to open seven new hardware stores in Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota during the next three years. Currently, the firm is trying to determine how many employees it will need to staff its new stores. This activity is referred to as

A) supply forecasting.
B) personnel planning.
C) demand forecasting.
D) strategic forecasting.
E) demand analysis.

Question 58

Dills Grocery operates two grocery stores in Joplin, Missouri. Recently, Ford Motor Co. announced that it plans to build an auto factory near Joplin, that will bring 2,500 new jobs to the area. Dills Grocery knows that the new jobs will bring new residents and increase its business. Therefore, Dills Grocery plans to build another store and extend the hours of its current stores. Currently, the firm is trying to determine how many employees it will need when the new store is built and the factory is on-line. This activity is referred to as

A) demand analysis.
B) personnel analysis.
C) strategic forecasting.
D) demand forecasting.
E) supply forecasting.

Question 59

The process of determining what human resources will be available both inside and outside an organization is referred to as

A) demand forecasting.
B) strategic forecasting.
C) personnel forecasting.
D) demand analysis.
E) supply forecasting.

Question 60

James Coal employs nine hundred people, but has lost approximately 10 percent of its workforce in the last six months to competing industries. In an effort to keep its workers, the company is thinking about increasing hourly wages by 10 percent and extending dental benefits to all full-time employees. To determine the effect these changes will have on its internal labor supply, the company should complete an

A) external supply forecast.
B) internal personnel review.
C) internal supply forecast.
D) internal strategic review.
E) external operational review.

Question 61

Kim Andrews is currently engaged in the process of finding and attracting job candidates who are qualified to fill certain job vacancies in her company. This activity is referred to as

A) selection.
B) recruitment.
C) demand forecasting.
D) supply forecasting.
E) personnel needs fulfillment.

Question 62

__________ is the process of finding and attracting job candidates who are qualified to fill job vacancies.

A) Recruitment
B) Staffing
C) Option
D) Selection
E) Preference

Question 63

The process of identifying candidates from within an organization and encouraging them to apply for jobs that are vacant is referred to as

A) internal recruitment.
B) inside search.
C) internal solicitation.
D) internal career enhancement.
E) internal selection.

Question 64

The authors identified which of the following claims made by employee organizations that oppose U.S. companies recruiting overseas?

A) As evidenced by the events of September 11, 2001, national security is being compromised by importing skilled workers from other countries.
B) Workers from other countries are less likely to join U.S. employee organizations and thus weaken the influence of organized labor in the nation.
C) High-tech industries can pay lower salaries to temporary workers from other countries than they can to older and more experienced domestic workers.
D) Workers from other countries are in reality less skilled and are thus responsible for the worrisome decline in quality of American products.
E) Workers hired from other countries usually remain in the U.S. after the original job for which they were recruited has disappeared.

Question 65

Monster.com and Bestjobs.com are examples of web sites that list job descriptions for various employers that can best be described as __________ devices.

A) external recruitment
B) nonspecific recruitment
C) general recruitment
D) cross-functional recruitment
E) internal recruitment

Question 66

Which of the following is NOT a typical method of external recruitment?

A) Labor unions
B) Advertisements in company newsletters
C) Postings on the Internet
D) Referrals from current and past employees
E) Recruiting from competitors

Question 67

Evaluating and then choosing the best qualified candidate for a job is known as

A) forecasting.
B) selection.
C) appointment.
D) grouping.
E) mentoring.

Question 68

Which of the following tools and techniques is not normally used in the selection process?

A) application forms
B) employment tests
C) interviews
D) surveys
E) assessment centers

Question 69

Of the following, which is the best example of a bona fide occupational qualification (business necessity)?

A) Hiring only people who are tall and weigh between 200 and 230 pounds to be police officers.
B) Hiring only former college athletes to sell new cars at a car dealership
C) Hiring only women as supervisors at a child care center
D) Hiring former very successful football players (Troy Aikman, Deion Sanders) to analyze (not be the lead broadcaster or narrator) the plays during a football game on television.
E) Hiring only men to be pilots for a commercial airline.

Question 70

__________ is the process of evaluating and choosing the best-qualified candidate from the pool of applicants recruited for a position.

A) Recruitment
B) Selection
C) Forecasting
D) Testing
E) Assessing

Question 71

The first source of information about a potential employee is normally the

A) application form.
B) employment test.
C) interview.
D) survey.
E) assessment center.

Question 72

Which of the following selection devices serves as a prescreening device to help determine whether an application meets the minimum requirements of a position?

A) interview
B) assessment center
C) employment test
D) application form
E) plant tour

Question 73

An __________ is a means of assessing a job applicant's knowledge, skills, and abilities through paper-and-pencil responses or simulated exercises.

A) application exercise
B) employment critical needs evaluation
C) application form
D) interview
E) employment test

Question 74

Suppose you are the director of human resources management for a manufacturing facility. You are currently working on plans to recruit two technicians for jobs that require basic and advanced motor skills. Which selection device should be used to determine whether a particular applicant has sufficient motor skills to do the job?

A) application form
B) assessment center
C) interview
D) plant tour
E) employment test

Question 75

Suppose you are the director of human resource management at Intuit Manufacturing and need to hire two statisticians to work on a new manufacturing process. Which selection device should be used to determine whether a particular applicant has sufficient math skills to do the job?

A) employment test
B) interview
C) plant tour
D) assessment center
E) application form

Question 76

Which of the following is not an effective interview technique?

A) using multiple interviewers
B) keeping written records of the interview
C) probing for details and being a careful listener
D) being careful to avoid prohibited discriminatory questions
E) asking vague, nonspecific questions

Question 77

A test used to hire people for a job accurately predicted how a person would perform on the job once hired. Considering this alone,

A) The test is valid.
B) The test is reliable.
C) The test is the same as an assessment center.
D) The test is not valid.
E) This is the same as 360 degree feedback.

Question 78

Relatively formal, in-depth conversations conducted for the purpose of assessing a job candidate's knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as providing information to the candidate about the organization and potential jobs are called

A) interviews.
B) assessment centers.
C) evaluation forums.
D) assessment forums.
E) selection panels.

Question 79

Interviews are used with more than __________ of all people hired for industrial positions.

A) 15 percent
B) 25 percent
C) 50 percent
D) 75 percent
E) 90 percent

Question 80

Sarah Washington is currently holding a relatively formal, in-depth conversation with a potential job candidate for the purpose of assessing the candidate's knowledge, skills, and abilities. This conversation is known as a/an

A) application form.
B) employment test.
C) interview.
D) survey.
E) assessment center.