Question 1

Daniel,the director of operations,strongly believes that human resource management (HRM)is critical to the success of organizations.Melissa,the CFO of the organization,opposes Daniel's view because she thinks HRM is an unnecessary expense for the company.Which of the following statements weakens Melissa's belief?

Accepted Answer

In terms of business strategy, an organization can succeed if it has a sustainable competitive advantage (is better than competitors at something and can hold that advantage over a sustained period of time). Human resources that are valuable, rare, inimitable, and hard to replace will give a company such an advantage.

Question 2

Joshua,the human resource (HR)manager at Potter Inc.,has a clear understanding of the firm's business.This enables him to comprehend the various needs of the business and help the company meet its goals for attracting,keeping,and developing employees with the required skills.This scenario indicates Joshua's responsibility of:

Accepted Answer

In this case, Joshua executes his responsibility of providing business partner services. It involves developing effective HR systems that help the organization meet its goals for attracting, keeping, and developing people with the skills it needs. For the systems to be effective, HR people must understand the business so it can understand what the business needs.

Question 3

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)is the primary professional organization for HRM and the world's largest human resource management association.

Accepted Answer

The primary professional organization for HRM is the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). SHRM is the world's largest human resource management association, with more than 250,000 professional and student members throughout the world.

Question 4

Which of the following describes the employees of an organization in terms of their training,experience,judgment,intelligence,relationships,and insight?

Accepted Answer

As a type of resource, human capital means the organization's employees, described in terms of their training, experience, judgment, intelligence, relationships, and insight-the employee characteristics that can add economic value to the organization.

Question 5

For human resource practices to be considered ethical,they must result in the greatest good for the largest number of people.

Accepted Answer

For human resource practices to be considered ethical, they must satisfy the three basic standards. First, HRM practices must result in the greatest good for the largest number of people. Second, employment practices must respect basic human rights of privacy, due process, consent, and free speech. Third, managers must treat employees and customers equitably and fairly.

Question 6

Which of the following responsibilities is specifically associated with the HR function of support for strategy?

Accepted Answer

Human resource planning and forecasting, talent management, and change management help provide support for an organization's overall strategy.

Question 7

The vast majority of HRM professionals have a college degree.

Accepted Answer

The vast majority of HRM professionals have a college degree, and many also have completed postgraduate work. The typical filed of study is business (especially human resources or industrial relations), but some HRM professionals have degrees in social sciences, the humanities, and law programs.

Question 8

How do human resources professionals provide an organization with a valuable advantage?

Accepted Answer

Human resource professionals provide companies with a sustainable competitive advantage because they are valuable, rare, inimitable, and irreplaceable. Human resources are valuable because high-quality employees provide a needed service as they perform many critical functions.

Question 9

Edgar works at Alpha Inc.He is responsible for identifying individuals with skills required for the various roles in the organization.Which of the following human resource management (HRM)practices is being performed by Edgar?

Accepted Answer

In this scenario, Edgar is involved in selecting potential employees for his organization. Selection refers to the process by which an organization attempts to identify applicants with the necessary knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics that will help the organization achieve its goals. An organization makes selection decisions in order to add employees to its workforce, as well as to transfer existing employees to new positions.

Question 10

The role of an HR generalist is essentially limited to recruitment and selection.

Accepted Answer

HR generalists usually perform the full range of HRM activities, including recruiting, training, compensation, and employee relations.

Question 11

Identify the correct statement regarding human resources.

Accepted Answer

Human resources have no good substitutes. When people are well trained and highly motivated, they learn, develop their abilities, and care about customers. It is difficult to imagine another resource that can match committed and talented employees.

Question 12

Ryan filed a lawsuit against his previous employer because he was fired without warning.Which of the following events most likely compelled Ryan to file the lawsuit?

Accepted Answer

As companies are forced to close facilities and lay off employees because of economic or competitive conditions, cases dealing with the illegal discharge of employees have increased. The issue of "employment at will"-that is, the principle that an employer may terminate employment at any time without notice-will be debated. In this case, Ryan was fired from the company without prior notice.

Question 13

In a recent trend,some companies are doing away with their human resource (HR)departments altogether because they:

Accepted Answer

No two human resource departments have precisely the same roles because of differences in organization sizes and characteristics of the workforce, the industry, and management's values. And, in a recent trend, some companies are doing away with their HR departments altogether, preferring to flatten their organizational structure and to encourage department managers and other employees to handle HR issues as they arise.

Question 14

In the context of today's organizations,which of the following statements is true of employees?

Accepted Answer

Human capital means the organization's employees, described in terms of their training, experience, judgment, intelligence, relationships, and insight-the employee characteristics that can add economic value to the organization. In other words, for an organization to succeed at what it does, it needs employees with certain qualities, such as particular kinds of training and experience. This view means employees in today's organizations are not interchangeable, easily replaced parts of a system but the source of the company's success or failure.

Question 15

Identify the responsibility that is specifically associated with the HR function of employee relations.

Accepted Answer

The HR function of employee relations involves taking attitude surveys, managing labor relations, developing employee handbooks and company publications, ensuring labor law compliance, and relocation and outplacement services.

Question 16

Montero Inc.,an automobile manufacturing company,had the largest number of employees in the manufacturing sector last year.Instead of hiring more employees,the company decided to invest heavily in training its employees on automotive maintenance and design.Which of the following beliefs has led the company to take this decision?

Accepted Answer

Human capital means the organization's employees, described in terms of their training, experience, judgment, intelligence, relationships, and insight-the employee characteristics that can add economic value to the organization. In other words, for an organization to succeed at what it does, it needs employees with certain qualities, such as particular kinds of training and experience. This view means employees in today's organizations are not interchangeable, easily replaced parts of a system but the source of the company's success or failure. In this case, Montero Inc. decided to invest heavily in training its employees on automotive maintenance and design instead of hiring more employees because employees are the source of the company's success or failure.

Question 17

In the context of human resource management,human capital refers to the:

Accepted Answer

As a type of resource, human capital means the organization's employees, described in terms of their training, experience, judgment, intelligence, relationships, and insight-the employee characteristics that can add economic value to the organization.

Question 18

The policies,practices,and systems that influence employees' behavior,attitudes,and performance are important dimensions of:

Accepted Answer

Human resource management (HRM) comprises the policies, practices, and systems that influence employees' behavior, attitudes, and performance. Many companies refer to HRM as involving "people practices."

Question 19

In companies that are ethical and successful,senior executives are the only stakeholders who are responsible for the actions of the company.

Accepted Answer

In ethical, successful companies, all employees assume responsibility for the actions of the company.

Question 20

Jonathan is a part of the HR department in an advertising firm.During a performance review,Jonathan realized he does not know the details of the job performed by a certain group of employees.However,he proceeds with the review and evaluates their performance.Which of the following is most likely to have occurred after the performance review?

Accepted Answer

Performance measures may emphasize observable behaviors (for example, answering the phone by the second ring), outcomes (number of customer complaints and compliments), or both. When the person evaluating performance is not familiar with the details of the job, outcomes tend to be easier to evaluate than specific behaviors. In this case, Jonathan completed the review and evaluated the performance of a certain group of employees though he did not know the details of the jobs performed by them. He would have found it easier to evaluate the outcome than the specific behaviors of the employees.

Quiz 1: Managing Human Resources