Question 1

James is a pizza delivery driver and earns just over eight dollars an hour. This compensation is known as a fixed salary.

Accepted Answer

A fixed salary implies a set amount of pay regardless of the number of hours worked. James earns an hourly wage, meaning his pay is based on the number of hours he works.

Question 2

Ester is reentering the workforce after spending several years at home caring for her children. Because many things have changed since Ester last worked in an office, it is nearly impossible for her to experience any problems with sexism or salary inequities.

Accepted Answer

Despite changes in the workforce, sexism and salary inequities still exist and can affect women reentering the workforce after a long absence. Ester may still face these issues and should be aware of them.

Question 3

Teresa just received a quarterly statement from the Vanguard Group, which shows earnings from investments using her pre-tax dollars. Teresa contributes a percentage of her salary to the plan and her company matches it. Teresa has a 401(k)plan.

Accepted Answer

The Vanguard Group is a provider of retirement savings plans, including 401(k) plans, which are funded with pre-tax dollars and often include a company match. Therefore, it is likely that Teresa's statement is related to her 401(k) plan.

Question 4

Global Tech is a new company with a diverse workforce. To avoid potential conflicts or misunderstandings, Global Tech should provide an effective diversity training program for its employees so that they can all learn to view situations from a perspective that is different from their own.

Accepted Answer

Providing diversity training can help employees understand and appreciate different perspectives and cultures, leading to better communication and collaboration in the workplace. It can also help prevent potential conflicts or misunderstandings due to lack of understanding or cultural differences.

Question 5

Yvette was recently hired as a restaurant manager for McDonald's and must attend classes at Hamburger University. This is an example of the programmed learning approach.

Accepted Answer

Hamburger University is a training facility for McDonald's leadership and is not an example of programmed learning, which is a self-paced instructional method that presents information in small amounts with immediate feedback.

Question 6

Worldwide Technologies, Inc. has moved its customer service operations to India. In addition to lowering its labor costs, Worldwide also is diversifying its workforce.

Accepted Answer

The statement mentions that Worldwide Technologies, Inc. has moved its customer service operations to India to lower its labor costs and diversify its workforce.

Question 7

Ramona's company has taken a new approach to the appraisal system. They combine goal setting, performance appraisals, training, and feedback into an ongoing process. This approach is called performance management.

Accepted Answer

The statement accurately describes the concept of performance management, which combines various elements into an ongoing process aimed at improving employee performance and achieving organizational goals.

Question 8

Jonathan is confined to a wheelchair. He was just transferred to a new office location, which is in a very old building with many steps leading to the door, but no ramp. His boss refuses to accommodate his needs. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits this kind of discrimination.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Jonathan is confined to a wheelchair. He...

Question 9

Archie is a new HR manager and knows that a diverse workforce can benefit his company. The best way for Archie to create a motivated, diversified staff is to follow an affirmative action plan that prescribes a certain number of minorities and women.

Accepted Answer

While an affirmative action plan can help increase diversity in the workforce, it is not recommended to prescribe specific numbers of minorities or women. Instead, the focus should be on creating a fair and unbiased hiring process that encourages diversity and equal opportunity. The goal should be to attract and retain the most qualified candidates, regardless of their gender or ethnicity.

Question 10

Ricardo supervises a group of computer programmers. One of his employees, Natalia, frequently tells him about another employee's tardiness and penchant for two-hour lunches. After a few months, Ricardo fires this employee based on Natalia's information. Because Ricardo can back up his accusations with Natalia's statements, he would be protected in a wrongful discharge lawsuit.

Accepted Answer

While Ricardo may have used information provided by Natalia in his decision to terminate the employee, he could still potentially face a wrongful discharge lawsuit if the fired employee can prove that the termination was based on discriminatory or retaliatory motives. Simply having a coworker's statements to back up the decision does not guarantee protection from legal action.

Question 11

Julia is the HR manager. Before she can start hiring staff at her company, she first must assess the current supply of and demand for employees.

Accepted Answer

It is important for HR managers to assess the current supply of and demand for employees before they start hiring staff at their company. This helps them to understand the current job market and to determine the best hiring strategy for their organization.

Question 12

Daniel is due for his regularly scheduled performance appraisal. This is the time when Daniel receives an official evaluation of his performance, feedback about his work, and areas where improvements should be made.

Accepted Answer

A performance appraisal is a scheduled evaluation and review of an employee's performance, which includes feedback and recommendations for improvement.

Question 13

Victor has no desire to supervise other employees, so his company has no way to offer him promotional opportunities.

Accepted Answer

Many companies offer career advancement paths that do not require supervising others, such as becoming a subject matter expert or advancing in technical, creative, or professional skills.

Question 14

Alexander needs to determine the current supply of employees. He consults a computerized file that details information about each employee ages, educational backgrounds, training, specialized skills, etc. The file Alexander consults is the workforce profile.

Accepted Answer

The given statement correctly describes the workforce profile, which is a computerized file containing information about each employee's skills, educational background, training, and other relevant details. This profile helps employers determine the current supply of employees and identify any gaps in the workforce that need to be addressed.

Question 15

Patricia can resign from her job for any reason at any time because of the employment at will doctrine.

Accepted Answer

The employment at will doctrine allows either the employer or the employee to terminate the employment relationship at any time and for any reason, unless there is a contract or law that provides otherwise. Therefore, Patricia can resign from her job for any reason at any time.

Question 16

Peter is 67 years old and works for a retail firm, which is looking to cut staff. The company decides to encourage Peter to retire by offering him financial incentives. This is known as a golden parachute.

Accepted Answer

A golden parachute is a financial incentive offered to executives or other high-level employees to encourage them to retire or leave a company in the event of a merger, acquisition, or other significant corporate event. These incentives can include cash payments, stock options, and other benefits that make leaving the company more financially advantageous for the employee.

Question 17

Sandy has worked as an office manager for many years and is planning to retire soon. She decides to ease out of the job by working only on Thursdays and Fridays. Amy is hired to fulfill the duties of office manager on the days Sandy does not work. Both work eight-hour days and are considered part-time employees. Sandy and Amy are both working a compressed workweek.

Accepted Answer

A compressed workweek typically involves working longer hours on fewer days to complete a full-time job's hours, whereas Sandy and Amy are sharing a role, each working part-time without extending their daily hours.

Question 18

Mary Beth is opening her own day care center. She plans to offer her employees flexible schedules, free child care, and free memberships to the local fitness center in hopes of keeping them motivated and relaxed. Mary Beth is offering work/life benefits to her employees.

Accepted Answer

Mary Beth is offering work/life benefits to her employees, such as flexible schedules, free child care, and free memberships to the local fitness center.

Question 19

Sydney recently saw a notice in her company newsletter about a new job opening within her company. Since it was a promotion for her, she applied later that day. In this example, Sydney's company recruited externally.

Accepted Answer

Sydney applied for the job opening within her company, which means that the company did not recruit externally but internally.

Question 20

When Iris was trained for her new job, she was asked to respond to questions on a computerized multiple-choice test. Iris' company used the apprentice training approach.

Accepted Answer

The apprentice training approach typically involves learning on the job under the guidance of a skilled worker, rather than taking computerized multiple-choice tests.

Quiz 9: Human Resources and Labor Relations