Question 1

Human resource management is concerned with ________ competent employees.
A) obtaining
B) obtaining, training, motivating, and retaining
C) obtaining, training, and motivating
D) training and keeping

Accepted Answer

B) The correct choice identifies all four functions of HRM. HRM is concerned not only with getting employees, but also training and motivating them after they are hired so they are likely to be high performers and stay with the organization. The other choices leave out at least one primary function of HRM so they are incorrect choices.

Question 2

The ________ prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, or sex.
A) Privacy Act
B) Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
C) Equal Pay Act
D) Sarbanes-Oxley Act

Accepted Answer

B) Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act is probably the most important anti-discrimination law ever passed, prohibiting unfair treatment based on race, color, religion, national origin, or sex. This makes the "Title VII of the Civil Rights Act" the correct response. The Equal Pay Act prohibits pay discrimination based on sex. The Privacy Act gives employees a right to see their reference letters. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act establishes financial recordkeeping standards.

Question 3

The last steps of the HRM process deal with ________.
A) performance and compensation
B) training and compensation
C) compensation only
D) skills

Accepted Answer

A) The last steps in the HRM process identify performance goals, performance problems, and compensation. This makes "performance and compensation" the correct response and eliminates the choices indicating training and compensation and skills because training and skills come earlier in the HRM process. "Compensation only" is not a correct response because the last two steps not only deal with compensation, they also deal with performance.

Question 4

Separate HRM specialists are least common in these types of organizations.
A) small
B) large
C) multinational corporations
D) non-profit

Accepted Answer

A) Having no HRM staff support is most common in small organizations that don't have the resources for individuals or departments to devote time exclusively to HRM, making "small" the correct response. In these organizations, managers themselves typically take on HR tasks. Large organizations and multinational corporations typically possess the size and manpower to have HRM specialists, so "large" and "multinational corporations" are incorrect. Non-profit organizations may be large or small, so "non-profit" cannot be the best answer for this question.

Question 5

A wheelchair-bound applicant may be denied a job ________.
A) under no circumstances
B) if the job is strenuous or physically tiring in some way
C) if the job requires complete physical mobility
D) in some states

Accepted Answer

C) A person in a wheelchair may be denied a job only if the job requires running, walking, or some other action that the person cannot perform. This makes the choice indicating "complete physical mobility" the correct response and eliminates "under no circumstances." The choice regarding a strenuous job is incorrect because a person in a wheelchair could cope with a strenuous or tiring job just as well as a person without a disability. The remaining choice is incorrect because discrimination based on a disability is prohibited by federal, not state, law.

Question 6

The lengthy process by which a job is examined in detail in order to identify the skills, knowledge and behaviors necessary to perform the job is known as a ________.
A) job description
B) job specification
C) job definition
D) job analysis

Accepted Answer

D) A job analysis identifies the knowledge, skills, and abilities that are required to perform any given job. A job analysis for a firefighter, for example, might determine that the applicant be physically fit, know emergency medical procedures, and be able to haul heavy firefighting equipment a specific distance. "Job description" (a written description of a job) and "job specification" (a list of qualifications required for the job) are incorrect because neither is an analysis or a lengthy process. In fact, a job analysis is used to create job descriptions and job specifications. "Job definition" is incorrect because it is not a recognized term for employment planning.

Question 7

Which of the following countries' laws pertaining to HRM practices most closely parallel those in the United States?
A) Canada
B) Mexico
C) Australia
D) Germany

Accepted Answer

A) Of the countries listed, Canada's HRM practices are most similar to those in the United States. Canada's HRM laws are less federalized than those in the United States, meaning that individual Canadian provinces may have their own interpretation of basic anti-discrimination laws. Taken together, these factors make "Canada" the correct response.

Question 8

It is against the law to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation ________.
A) in all 50 states
B) only in California
C) nowhere in the United States
D) in many states

Accepted Answer

D) Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is not a federal law, but it is illegal in many states, making that the correct response and eliminating the other choices.

Question 9

The first step in any employment planning process involves making a ________.
A) job description
B) human resource inventory
C) product evaluation
D) job specification

Accepted Answer

B) Before an HR manager can decide whether to hire or fire, he or she must first take stock of who currently works for the organization in what is termed a human resource inventory. The inventory identifies all company employees and lists any characteristics that the manager deems relevant. A job description and job specification are steps that come later in the process, so they are incorrect choices. A product evaluation is not part of the employment planning process, so it is an incorrect response.

Question 10

A job description is ________.
A) not a written document
B) a written document used to describe a job to job candidates
C) something that employers keep secret from job candidates
D) the official title for the job

Accepted Answer

B) A job description identifies what the person who has the job does, where and how he or she does it, and why he or she does it. A job description is a written document (which rules out the choice indicating that it is not a written document) that employers use to describe the job to applicants, making that the correct response. The choice indicating secrecy is ruled out because a job description is a public document that is never concealed from job candidates. A job description is an actual description, not simply a title, so "the official title for the job" is an incorrect response.

Question 11

Historically, spirituality has always had a place in management theory.

Accepted Answer

Until recently, workplace spirituality has been almost completely ignored by management theorists.

Question 12

This is the goal of employment planning.
A) selecting competent employees
B) obtaining competent employees with up-to-date skills
C) obtaining competent and high-performing employees
D) selecting high-performing employees only

Accepted Answer

A) The goal of employment planning is modest: to identify and select competent employees only. Providing the employees who are selected with up-to-date skills or the ability to perform at a high level are goals of the orientation and training process, so they are not correct responses for this question.

Question 13

For the most part, ________ are involved in HR decisions within their own department or unit.
A) very few managers
B) some managers
C) most managers
D) all managers

Accepted Answer

D) To some degree, all managers participate in hiring, firing, and other HR decisions at least within their own units or departments, making "all managers" the correct response. Managers tend to participate in the hiring process, for example, because they have a lot at stake-they are the ones who are going to deal directly with the employees who get hired. The other choices all refer to quantities that are fewer than "all managers," so they are incorrect answers.

Question 14

The most important environmental factor in the HRM process is ________.
A) the business environment
B) the natural environment
C) the legal environment
D) the scientific community

Accepted Answer

C) Though the business environment may affect the HRM process, a far more important factor for influencing the activities of HRM is the legal environment. The laws, for the most part, largely determine how HR managers do their job, making "the legal environment" the correct response. Both "the natural environment" and "the scientific community" can be ruled out because neither has a direct effect on hiring, firing, or any other HR activity.

Question 15

As one of his first tasks in a new job, Steve's boss asks him to develop a database that lists the educational level, special capabilities, and specialized skills of all the employees in his firm. This is known as a ________.
A) job description
B) human resource inventory
C) lengthy process
D) job analysis

Accepted Answer

B) Employment planning requires HRM to first determine who actually works for the organization. This is accomplished in a human resource inventory. Both "job analysis" and "job description" can be eliminated for consideration as correct answers because they address an individual job rather than a survey of all jobs in a firm. "Lengthy process" can be ruled out because the human resource inventory usually is not a lengthy process-data can be collected quickly and easily using employee questionnaires.

Question 16

Which U.S. law gives you the legal right to see your professor's letter of recommendation?
A) Civil Rights Act of 1991
B) Privacy Act of 1974
C) Polygraph Protection Act of 1988
D) Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

Accepted Answer

B) The Privacy Act of 1974 gives employees the right to check up on reference letters. None of the other choices is concerned with reference letters, so they are incorrect responses for this question.

Question 17

________ in Germany give(s) employees the right to participate in personnel decisions.
A) Collective bargaining
B) Unionization
C) Board representatives
D) Work councils

Accepted Answer

D) In most of Western Europe, work councils by law must be consulted when decisions involving personnel changes are made, including hiring and firing. This makes "work councils" the correct answer and eliminates the other three responses. Note that work councils are part of a larger practice called representative participation, which empowers workers and gives them a say in how companies are run.

Question 18

Employment planning involves ________.
A) addition of staff only
B) addition of staff and reduction of staff only
C) addition of staff, reduction of staff, and selection only
D) addition of staff, reduction of staff, motivation of staff, and selection

Accepted Answer

C) The correct choice correctly identifies all of the activities involved in employment planning. The choices indicating "addition of staff only" and "addition of staff and reduction of staff only" leave out one or more of the activities, so they are incorrect. The remaining choice adds motivation of staff, an activity that is not included in employment planning, so it is an incorrect choice.

Question 19

The first three activities of the human resource management (HRM) process are about ________.
A) recruiting
B) planning
C) training
D) downsizing

Accepted Answer

B) The first three steps of the HRM process are about planning, making that the correct response for this question. Managers first determine needs for workers. Then, depending on the situation, they either recruit or downsize. Training comes after selection and hiring, so that is an incorrect response for this question.

Question 20

Affirmative action programs seek to make sure that employers ________ minority groups.
A) pay equal wages to
B) enhance employment opportunities for
C) provide unemployment benefits for
D) establish training programs for

Accepted Answer

B) Affirmative action programs seek to make sure that minorities and other protected groups get a fair chance at opportunity, making "enhance employment opportunities for" the correct response. Affirmative action is not an equal wage program, a benefits program, or a training program, making all of these choices incorrect.

Quiz 9: Managing Human Resources

Human resource management is concerned with ________ competent employees.

The ________ prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, or sex.

The last steps of the HRM process deal with ________.

Separate HRM specialists are least common in these types of organizations.

A wheelchair-bound applicant may be denied a job ________.

The lengthy process by which a job is examined in detail in order to identify the skills, knowledge and behaviors necessary to perform the job is known as a ________.

Which of the following countries' laws pertaining to HRM practices most closely parallel those in the United States?

It is against the law to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation ________.

The first step in any employment planning process involves making a ________.

A job description is ________.

Historically, spirituality has always had a place in management theory.

This is the goal of employment planning.

For the most part, ________ are involved in HR decisions within their own department or unit.

The most important environmental factor in the HRM process is ________.

As one of his first tasks in a new job, Steve's boss asks him to develop a database that lists the educational level, special capabilities, and specialized skills of all the employees in his firm. This is known as a ________.

Which U.S. law gives you the legal right to see your professor's letter of recommendation?

________ in Germany give(s) employees the right to participate in personnel decisions.

Employment planning involves ________.

The first three activities of the human resource management (HRM) process are about ________.

Affirmative action programs seek to make sure that employers ________ minority groups.