Question 1

At Sears, which of the following will NOT be an impact on customers if employees are trained to change their behaviours?
A) customer satisfaction
B) customer retention
C) customer sales
D) customer appreciation

Accepted Answer

Customer appreciation is not directly impacted by employee behavior. While it may indirectly affect customer appreciation if the overall experience is improved, it is not a direct impact like customer satisfaction, retention, and sales.

Question 2

What is the purpose of strategic HRM?
A) to ensure the effective functioning and survival of the organization and its members
B) to implement the planning, timing, and delivery of an effective organizational strategy
C) to motivate and attract employees who will internalize the organization's culture
D) to emerge as an industry leader with numerous distinct competencies and a competitive advantage

Accepted Answer

The purpose of strategic HRM is to ensure the effective functioning and survival of the organization and its members. This involves aligning HR strategies with the overall organizational goals and ensuring that the organization has the necessary talent and culture to succeed. Strategic HRM also involves anticipating and responding to changes in the internal and external environments that may impact the organization's ability to achieve its goals. Choices B, C, and D may be outcomes or benefits of effective strategic HRM, but they are not the primary purpose.

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a risk associated with strategic HR planning?
A) losses in productivity
B) over-concern with employees' reactions
C) impossible commitments to employees
D) information overload

Accepted Answer

A

Question 4

According to the textbook, which company did NOT modify its strategy when external environment conditions changed and went bankrupt?
A) Marks and Spencer
B) Consumers Distributing
C) Eaton's
D) Woolco

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to the textbook, which company did...

Question 5

What two items does an organization match together in the human capital perspective of HRM?
A) Values of employees and the organization's budget
B) capacity of employees and the organization's motivation
C) capabilities of employees and the organization's strategy
D) creativity of the employees and the organization's goals

Accepted Answer

The human capital perspective of HRM matches the capabilities of employees with the organization's strategy. This involves identifying the knowledge, skills, and abilities of each employee and aligning them with the goals and objectives of the organization to ensure that its human resources contribute to achieving its strategic goals.

Question 6

According to the textbook, which company does NOT support a low-cost provider strategy?
A) Chapters
B) McDonalds
C) Zellers
D) Timex

Accepted Answer

The textbook does not mention Chapters as supporting a low-cost provider strategy, while the other three (McDonald's, Zellers, and Timex) are listed as following this strategy.

Question 7

To the HR practitioner, what does human capital incorporate?
A) knowledge, commitment, values
B) commitment, experience, culture
C) experience, knowledge, skills
D) skills, values, culture

Accepted Answer

Human capital refers to the set of knowledge, experience, and skills possessed by an individual or a workforce, which can be used to achieve business objectives. Therefore, the best choice would be C as it includes experience, knowledge, and skills. Option A and D are partially correct, but they miss some important components of human capital - experience in A and skills in D. Option B is incorrect as it includes only commitment, experience, and culture, which are not enough to represent the entire human capital.

Question 8

Payroll represents a routine activity which must be done for the organization to operate on a daily basis. What term best describes this type of activity?
A) transitional
B) transactional
C) temporal
D) transformational

Accepted Answer

Payroll is a transactional activity, meaning it involves simple transactions such as transferring money from an organization to employees in exchange for work performed.

Question 9

In many ways, HR strategy generates the business strategy, and business strategy determines the HR strategy. What is the concept that describes this relationship?
A) reciprocal strategy
B) reciprocal partnerships
C) reciprocal dependence
D) reciprocal interdependence

Accepted Answer

Reciprocal interdependence describes the relationship between HR strategy and business strategy where they both influence and are influenced by each other. Business strategy determines the direction and goals of the organization which then influence the HR strategy in terms of the type of workforce, skills and competencies required. On the other hand, HR strategy plays a crucial role in implementing the business strategy by attracting, developing and retaining the right talent to achieve organizational goals. This interdependence between the two strategies highlights the need for coordination and alignment between HR and business leaders.

Question 10

Which of the following does NOT align human resources strategy with business strategy?
A) Start with organizational strategy and create HR strategy.
B) Start with HR competencies and create corporate strategy.
C) Start with HR strategy and create HR competencies.
D) Start with business strategy and create HR strategy.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following does NOT align...

Question 11

What does McDonald's "no unique response" system mean?
A) that employees are not expected to contribute ideas
B) that employees are not expected to communicate formally
C) that employees are not expected to accommodate customer inquiries
D) that employees are not expected to respond beyond a basic standard

Accepted Answer

The answer of What does McDonald's "no unique response" system...

Question 12

According to concurrent strategy formulation, when does strategy development occur?
A) prior to when HRM issues are considered
B) simultaneously when HRM issues are considered
C) subsequent to when HRM issues are considered
D) mutually exclusive of when HR issues are considered

Accepted Answer

According to concurrent strategy formulation, strategy development occurs simultaneously with consideration of HRM issues. This means that HRM issues are taken into account throughout the strategy development process, rather than being addressed separately or after the strategy has been developed.

Question 13

According to Google, which of the following does NOT produce innovative behaviours from employees?
A) selecting people with high creativity
B) providing employees with time and freedom to innovate
C) motivating innovation through incentive programs
D) stimulating opportunities for job enlargement

Accepted Answer

According to the information provided, stimulating opportunities for job enlargement does not produce innovative behaviours from employees. The other options (selecting people with high creativity, providing time and freedom to innovate, and motivating innovation through incentive programs) all have been shown to positively impact employees' innovative behaviours.

Question 14

What does it mean if an organization's human capital ROI is $3?
A) For every dollar an organization invests in human capital, the employees will generate $3 in return.
B) For every dollar an organization invests in human capital, the employees will generate $3 in revenue.
C) For every dollar an organization invests in human capital, the employees will generate $3 in capital assets.
D) For every dollar an organization invests in human capital, the employees will generate $3 in productivity.

Accepted Answer

Human capital ROI (Return on Investment) measures the financial benefit an organization gains from investing in its employees, indicating how much return a company sees per dollar invested. An organization with a human capital ROI of $3 means that for every dollar it invests in its employees, it earns $3 in return. It shows the efficiency and productivity of the organization's employees, which leads to better profits.

Question 15

In the text, Sears demonstrates that there is a link between employee behaviour and the company's performance. What two employee attitudes had the greatest significance on employee retention and behaviour toward the company?
A) perceptions about their value and about their compensation
B) perceptions about their jobs and about the company
C) perceptions about their performance and about their training
D) perceptions about their retention and about their career plans

Accepted Answer

In the text, Sears states that "perceptions about their jobs and about the company" had the greatest significance on employee retention and behaviour toward the company. Specifically, employees who had a positive perception of their job and the company were more likely to stay with the company and act in ways that supported its success.

Question 16

Costs incurred in training, motivating, compensating, and monitoring employees can be viewed as investments in human capital which result in gains to productivity per worker. How does this type of investment yield such gains?
A) by matching the business strategy to the external environment
B) by matching the capabilities of employees with the corporate strategy
C) by matching the needs of the employees to their desires for empowerment
D) by matching the HR strategy to the potential employee competencies

Accepted Answer

By providing employees with training, motivation, compensation, and monitoring, they become better equipped to carry out their roles effectively and efficiently. This means they can make better decisions, work more productively, and contribute more to the organization's overall success. By matching the capabilities of employees with the corporate strategy, human capital investment can yield gains in productivity that translate into better business outcomes.

Question 17

When the HR training department teaches individuals a new customer service computer program, the HR recruiting department must work together with the HR training department to hire individuals with comparable computer skills. What is this collaborative approach called?
A) cross-functional HR practices
B) industry-consistent HR practices
C) exemplary HR practices
D) bundling HR practices

Accepted Answer

The answer of When the HR training department teaches individuals...

Question 18

If you accept the emerging view of HRM, into how many areas should HR be divided?
A) Two
B) Three
C) Four
D) Five

Accepted Answer

The answer of If you accept the emerging view of...

Question 19

If IBM introduces a new software package in January, Microsoft can probably imitate or duplicate this package by February of the same year. However, if IBM technical support people are trained and motivated to provide "knock your socks off service", Microsoft will have a difficult time imitating this service within a month. This is an example of how employees can provide a competitive advantage. What theory is being applied here?
A) behavioural perspective
B) resource-based view
C) human capital
D) strategic management

Accepted Answer

The theory being applied here is the resource-based view, which emphasizes that a firm's resources (including its employees) can provide a sustainable competitive advantage that is difficult for competitors to imitate. Technical support people who are trained and motivated to provide exceptional service are a valuable resource that can be difficult for competitors to replicate quickly.

Question 20

What is the primary reason that strategic HRM aligns HR policies, practices, and philosophies with organizational strategy?
A) to develop new methods to deliver training and orientation
B) to constrain undesirable behaviours within an organization
C) to ensure that the institutional memory remains current
D) to facilitate the attainment of organizational strategy

Accepted Answer

Strategic HRM aligns HR policies, practices, and philosophies with organizational strategy to facilitate the attainment of organizational strategy. By ensuring that HR practices and policies are in line with the overall organizational goals and objectives, strategic HRM helps to ensure that the organization has the talent, skills, and abilities it needs to achieve its strategic objectives. This can include aligning recruitment and selection processes, training and development programs, performance management and reward systems, and other HR activities with the organization's strategic priorities. Ultimately, the goal of strategic HRM is to ensure that the organization has the workforce it needs to achieve its strategic goals and remain competitive in its industry.

Quiz 2: Aligning HR With Strategy

At Sears, which of the following will NOT be an impact on customers if employees are trained to change their behaviours?

What is the purpose of strategic HRM?

Which of the following is NOT a risk associated with strategic HR planning?

According to the textbook, which company did NOT modify its strategy when external environment conditions changed and went bankrupt?

What two items does an organization match together in the human capital perspective of HRM?

According to the textbook, which company does NOT support a low-cost provider strategy?

To the HR practitioner, what does human capital incorporate?

Payroll represents a routine activity which must be done for the organization to operate on a daily basis. What term best describes this type of activity?

In many ways, HR strategy generates the business strategy, and business strategy determines the HR strategy. What is the concept that describes this relationship?

Which of the following does NOT align human resources strategy with business strategy?

What does McDonald's "no unique response" system mean?

According to concurrent strategy formulation, when does strategy development occur?

According to Google, which of the following does NOT produce innovative behaviours from employees?

What does it mean if an organization's human capital ROI is $3?

In the text, Sears demonstrates that there is a link between employee behaviour and the company's performance. What two employee attitudes had the greatest significance on employee retention and behaviour toward the company?

Costs incurred in training, motivating, compensating, and monitoring employees can be viewed as investments in human capital which result in gains to productivity per worker. How does this type of investment yield such gains?

When the HR training department teaches individuals a new customer service computer program, the HR recruiting department must work together with the HR training department to hire individuals with comparable computer skills. What is this collaborative approach called?

If you accept the emerging view of HRM, into how many areas should HR be divided?

What is the primary reason that strategic HRM aligns HR policies, practices, and philosophies with organizational strategy?