Question 1

Reference information is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain as a result of several highly publicized lawsuits.

Accepted Answer

The statement suggests that obtaining reference information has become difficult due to lawsuits, which implies that there is a decrease in the availability of such information. Therefore, the statement is true.

Question 2

People are a source of competitive advantage when their skills, knowledge, and abilities are not equally available to all competitors.

Accepted Answer

A competitive advantage is something that gives a company an edge over its competitors. People can be a source of competitive advantage when their skills, knowledge, and abilities are unique and difficult to replicate. If everyone has access to the same pool of talent, then people are not a competitive advantage. However, if a company has access to a particular set of talented individuals or has invested in the development of its employees' skills, then it can use this as a competitive advantage to differentiate itself from its competitors.

Question 3

In the context of collective bargaining, workers are paid while they are on strike.

Accepted Answer

Workers are not paid while they are on strike, as they are not working during this time. Instead, they may receive support or compensation from their union or strike fund.

Question 4

The final stage in the human resources planning process involves
A) evaluating the activities conducted to ensure that they are producing the desired results.
B) discharging employees ineffective at realizing organizational goals.
C) restarting the entire process.
D) evaluating the decisions made for legal compliance.
E) distributing compensation adjustments.

Accepted Answer

The final stage in the human resources planning process involves evaluating the activities conducted to ensure that they are producing the desired results. This allows for any necessary adjustments to be made and ensures that the planning process is effective in achieving organizational goals.

Question 5

When a software company developed a new phone, it determined how many production and marketing employees would be required for the launch. The company was involved in
A) demand forecasting.
B) outplacement.
C) performance appraisal.
D) job analysis.
E) training and development.

Accepted Answer

The software company determined the number of production and marketing employees required for the launch based on estimated demand for the new phone, indicating that they were engaged in demand forecasting.

Question 6

In the context of designing reward systems, internal factors affecting the wage mix include collective bargaining and legal requirements.

Accepted Answer

Collective bargaining and legal requirements are external factors affecting the wage mix, while internal factors include company policies, job evaluations, and employee performance.

Question 7

The estimate an organization makes regarding the number and quality of its current employees and the available external source of workers is known as an)
A) demand forecast.
B) job analysis.
C) environmental scan.
D) availability analysis.
E) labor supply forecast.

Accepted Answer

A labor supply forecast involves estimating the number and quality of current employees and the availability of external workers.

Question 8

In the context of human resources management, the planning stage involves
A) ensuring the availability of the right number and types of people.
B) determining appropriate automation methods.
C) training of hired individuals.
D) determining the pay scales of employees.
E) evaluating the results of implemented programs.

Accepted Answer

Planning in human resource management involves determining the current and future staffing needs of the organization and ensuring that the right number and types of people are available to meet those needs. Option B pertains to technology management, option C pertains to training and development, option D pertains to compensation management, and option E pertains to evaluation and control.

Question 9

In the context of strategic human resources management, a group of well-chosen, motivated people is easy to imitate.

Accepted Answer

A group of well-chosen, motivated people is not easy to imitate as it involves a complex mix of factors like skills, knowledge, attitude, and organizational culture, which cannot be simply copied by competitors. Thus, strategic human resources management helps organizations gain a sustainable competitive advantage.

Question 10

Coaching-being trained by a superior-is usually the most effective and direct way to develop managers.

Accepted Answer

Coaching allows for personalized guidance and feedback from a more experienced manager, which can lead to quicker and more impactful growth and development.

Question 11

On a day-to-day basis, which of the following is a concern of human resources managers?
A) managing layoffs
B) assessing the financial transactions
C) deciding which products to market
D) funding increased salaries
E) analyzing product failure

Accepted Answer

Managing layoffs is a common concern for human resources managers as they are responsible for ensuring that the necessary steps are taken to manage the process fairly and effectively. The other options listed are typically not within the scope of responsibilities for human resources managers.

Question 12

Management by objectives involves a subordinate and a supervisor agreeing in advance on specific performance goals.

Accepted Answer

Management by objectives (MBO) is a process of setting mutually agreed-upon goals and using those goals to evaluate and reward employee performance. The process involves a subordinate and a supervisor working together to set realistic and achievable objectives.

Question 13

The most popular selection tools are applications and résumés.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The most popular selection tools are applications...

Question 14

In the context of strategic human resources management, people can increase _____ by helping lower costs, providing something unique to customers, or both.
A) buffering
B) value
C) motivation
D) turnover
E) benchmarking

Accepted Answer

The term "value" refers to the benefits that an organization provides to its customers compared to the cost of obtaining those benefits. By helping to lower costs, providing something unique to customers, or both, people can increase the value that an organization provides and thus its competitiveness. Therefore, option B is the correct answer.

Question 15

One of the criteria for creating a competitive advantage through human resources is that they should be
A) expensive.
B) easily available.
C) difficult to imitate.
D) spontaneous.
E) commonplace

Accepted Answer

In order to create a sustainable competitive advantage, the human resources of an organization must be difficult to imitate. This means that competitors cannot easily replicate or copy the skills, knowledge, and abilities of the organization's employees, making it a unique resource that sets the organization apart from its competitors. Expensive or commonplace human resources do not necessarily create a competitive advantage, and spontaneous human resources may not be sustainable or reliable. Easily available human resources can also be accessed by competitors, making them less valuable for creating a competitive advantage.

Question 16

A company has developed a new cell phone that will be targeted at developing countries. It is estimated that the demand for the new product will initially be slow but would accelerate gradually as the product becomes increasingly familiar to worldwide consumers. In order to determine the number of workers necessary to staff the new production facilities, the company needs to conduct an)
A) market search.
B) utilization survey.
C) demand forecast.
D) inventory calculation.
E) recruitment drive.

Accepted Answer

To determine the number of workers necessary to staff the new production facilities, the company needs to conduct demand forecasting which involves analyzing market trends, consumer behavior, and other factors in order to estimate future demand for the product. This will inform the company on how much production it will need to meet demand and the number of workers needed in production facilities.

Question 17

In the context of human resources management, the programming stage involves
A) hiring and firing employees.
B) evaluating employee performance levels.
C) determining appropriate automation methods.
D) implementing specific activities like recruitment.
E) calculating legally justifiable compensation levels.

Accepted Answer

The programming stage in human resources management involves implementing specific activities like recruitment, training, and development programs. This stage focuses on planning and organizing specific HR activities to meet the organization's goals and objectives. Hence, option D is the correct answer. The other options are either part of different HR functions or not directly associated with the programming stage.

Question 18

Recruitment refers exclusively to external applicants.

Accepted Answer

Recruitment can refer to both external and internal applicants. Internal recruitment refers to hiring employees from within the organization, while external recruitment refers to hiring employees from outside the organization.

Question 19

Which of the following is an activity that is conducted during the human resources planning process?
A) demand forecast
B) internal recruiting
C) environmental scanning
D) training and development
E) outplacement

Accepted Answer

Demand forecast is an activity conducted during the human resources planning process. It involves predicting the organization's future workforce requirements based on factors such as business growth, industry trends, and technological changes.

Question 20

Recent surveys suggest that employers place the greatest emphasis on responses to newspaper advertisements.

Accepted Answer

Recent surveys actually suggest that employers place the greatest emphasis on online job search websites, followed by referrals from current employees, direct company applications, and then newspaper advertisements.

Quiz 8: Managing Human Resources

Reference information is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain as a result of several highly publicized lawsuits.

People are a source of competitive advantage when their skills, knowledge, and abilities are not equally available to all competitors.

In the context of collective bargaining, workers are paid while they are on strike.

The final stage in the human resources planning process involves

When a software company developed a new phone, it determined how many production and marketing employees would be required for the launch. The company was involved in

In the context of designing reward systems, internal factors affecting the wage mix include collective bargaining and legal requirements.

The estimate an organization makes regarding the number and quality of its current employees and the available external source of workers is known as an)

In the context of human resources management, the planning stage involves

In the context of strategic human resources management, a group of well-chosen, motivated people is easy to imitate.

Coaching-being trained by a superior-is usually the most effective and direct way to develop managers.

On a day-to-day basis, which of the following is a concern of human resources managers?

Management by objectives involves a subordinate and a supervisor agreeing in advance on specific performance goals.

The most popular selection tools are applications and résumés.

In the context of strategic human resources management, people can increase _____ by helping lower costs, providing something unique to customers, or both.

One of the criteria for creating a competitive advantage through human resources is that they should be

In the context of human resources management, the programming stage involves

Recruitment refers exclusively to external applicants.

Which of the following is an activity that is conducted during the human resources planning process?

Recent surveys suggest that employers place the greatest emphasis on responses to newspaper advertisements.