Question 1

Which of the following activities will impact human capital?

Accepted Answer

It is important to take responsibility for your own human capital. You may find this surprising, but a recent study showed that lack of sleep depletes your human capital and lowers performance. To perform at their best, people need their full ration of sleep.

Question 2

How is artificial intelligence changing the recruiting process?

Accepted Answer

Artificial intelligence (AI) may still be a relatively new technology, but it is already changing many aspects of the recruitment and selection processes. Some AI programs can help with tasks as routine but time-consuming as scheduling interviews, screening and ranking candidates, creating job postings, and administering some kinds of ability tests.

Question 3

Billy has received a mediocre evaluation for the second year in a row. He knows that he has made improvements, but his supervisor just does not seem to notice or, in Billy's opinion, care. Billy likes his job and wants to keep it. He listens to what his supervisor says and then his supervisor asks Billy to prepare a written response. Before Billy leaves the room to prepare the response, how should he respond to his supervisor?

Accepted Answer

Mindfulness is "the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment." Meditation is a great method for increasing your general level of mindfulness.

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT a principal reason to transfer an employee?

Accepted Answer

There are four principal reasons why employees might be transferred: (1) to solve organizational problems by using their skills at another location; (2) to broaden their experience in being assigned to a different position; (3) to retain their interest and motivation by being presented with a new challenge; or (4) to solve employee problems, such as personal differences with a boss.

Question 5

What is the process called that helps employees integrate and transition into their new job?

Accepted Answer

Today when a hire is made, companies often offer what is known as onboarding, programs that help employees to integrate and transition to new jobs by making them familiar with corporate policies, procedures, cultures, and politics by clarifying work-role expectations and responsibilities. This process also is referred to as employee socialization.

Question 6

What type of job interview is effective at reducing turnover within the first 30-90 days of employment?

Accepted Answer

A realistic job preview gives a candidate a picture of both positive and negative features of the job and the organization before he or she is hired. This recruiting technique is very effective at reducing turnover within 30-90 days of employment.

Question 7

Why would an ability test be given during an interview?

Accepted Answer

Ability tests measure physical abilities, strength and stamina, mechanical ability, mental abilities, and clerical abilities.

Question 8

At Haptic Manufacturing, all employees are required to take safety training every six months. The top executives understand the importance of the training but also know that putting all employees through the training every six months is down time for the plant. They have devised a way to have all employees take the training that will keep the plant fully operational and compliant with the training requirement. How do you think they solved the problem?

Accepted Answer

A relatively new approach is microlearning, or bite-size learning, which segments learning into bite-size content, enabling a student to master one piece of learning before advancing to anything else. Most microlearning mixes video and interactive lessons that take under five minutes to complete and include a quiz.

Question 9

How does an applicant tracking system aid an HR manager?

Accepted Answer

By entering a job description and specification with their attendant characteristics into a database, an organization can use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to match keywords (nouns) on incoming résumés with the keywords describing the job.

Question 10

Where will you find the great majority of union workers?

Accepted Answer

The great majority of union workers can be found in the public sector, which includes government agencies and public institutions such as schools and hospitals. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2020, 33.8% of public sector workers were union members, compared to only 6.3% of private sector workers. The industries with the highest unionization rates in the public sector are education (35.6%), protective services (33.8%), and public utilities (20.4%).

Question 11

Which of the following statements about background information is true?

Accepted Answer

A staggering 85 percent of job applicants lie on their résumés, a huge increase reported by a new study. One likely reason for the surge is that job seekers are trying to outsmart applicant tracking systems by doing whatever it takes to make sure key words in their résumés match the stated job requirements, whether they match the truth or not.

Question 12

When Jack was hired in 2011 at Ford Motor Company, he was offered $14 an hour. His best friend Sam started at the same plant doing the same job two years earlier making $28 an hour. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

In 2011, when automakers began to create new jobs, new union hires were offered about half the pay ($14 an hour) that autoworkers were getting before ($28). Such two-tier wage systems can be attractive to employers, who are able to hire new workers at reduced wages, but it also benefits veteran union members, who experience no wage reduction.

Question 13

What is the benefit of a manager being evaluated by his or her subordinates?

Accepted Answer

Coworkers, colleagues, and subordinates may well see different aspects of your performance. Such information can be useful for development, although it probably shouldn't be used for evaluation. (Many managers will resist soliciting such information about themselves, of course, fearing negative appraisals.)

Question 14

Tim has recently been laid off from his job. He was the one in his family who took care of health insurance. Which law will help him to continue to provide care for his family?

Accepted Answer

The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) requires an extension of health insurance benefits after termination.

Question 15

Shay is preparing to go into her meeting with her supervisor, Jill, to discuss her annual evaluation. She knows that there have been a few times this year where she could have performed better and she does not want to get angry in the meeting. Last night and on the ride in this morning, she rehearsed what she anticipated Jill would tell her and what her response would be. Shay was trying to

Accepted Answer

Defensiveness occurs when people perceive they are being attacked or threatened. Rather than trying to prove that the feedback giver is wrong about the feedback, it is essential to listen without preparing a reply. Let the person complete the message. Then it is helpful to ask questions such as, "I want to be sure I understand what you're saying. Do I have it right that you feel…?"

Question 16

Due to recent budget shortfalls, Muna is being forced to lay off 50 employees at her firm. She plans to offer a severance package that may be small, but it is still something. Muna also wants to be sure to protect the reputation of the company so that future layoffs will not be required. How will she be able to protect the reputation of the company while laying off so many employees?

Accepted Answer

A nondisparagement agreement is a contract between two parties that prohibits one party from criticizing the other; it is often used in severance agreements to prohibit former employees from criticizing their former employers. Employees who are laid off or whose jobs have been eliminated are often obliged to sign nondisparagement agreements in return for receiving severance pay.

Question 17

Dakota, a manager for a large trucking company, is beginning to evaluate his truck drivers but is unsure of which type of evaluation to use. He has data on the number of miles driven, customer complaints, number of traffic tickets, absences, and number of weight violations. How would you advise Dakota?

Accepted Answer

Objective appraisals, also called results appraisals, are based on facts and are often numerical, such as tracking numbers of products the employee sold in a month, customer complaints filed against an employee, or miles of freight hauled.

Question 18

Which law restricts mandatory retirement?

Accepted Answer

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, amended in 1978 and 1986, prohibits discrimination in employees over 40 years old and restricts mandatory retirement.

Question 19

In an interview you are asked, "What was the best idea you ever sold to a supervisor, teacher, peer, or subordinate?" What type of interview were you experiencing?

Accepted Answer

In the behavioral-description interview, the interviewer explores what applicants have actually done in the past. Example: "What was the best idea you ever sold to a supervisor, teacher, peer, or subordinate?"

Question 20

Dionne wants to post a vacancy as an internal only posting. Her manager, Ty, cautions her about only posting internally, as the benefits do not always outweigh the challenges. Which of the following might be a challenge that Ty is referring to?

Accepted Answer

Filling a position internally can create a new vacancy in the employee's previous role, which Dionne will then need to fill, potentially leading to a cycle of vacancies.

Quiz 9: Human Resource Management: Getting the Right People