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Additional Case 8.3 The HR department at McBain Associates is putting together a multi-step training program to help managers appraise employee performance. The firm has experienced previous legal problems associated with improper performance appraisals, so HR needs to ensure that […]

For a company to have good employee relations, it should most likely: A) choose an above-the-market compensation strategy. B) practice empowerment in conjunction with TQM. C) treat all employees fairly and consistently. D) maximize stockholder wealth. The purpose of career […]

When setting up a compensation plan for salespeople to encourage them to service accounts, a ________ plan is the best choice. A) straight commission B) combination C) straight salary D) merit The first step to create general guidelines for conducting […]

You have just been hired at Corpus Entertainment, Inc. (CEI) and as part of your contract, you sign an oath that you will not divulge information about your compensation to your co-workers or any other employee of CEI. You realize […]

Labor demand is the number of employees who are seeking employment. An employee cannot be terminated for refusing to participate in an EAP, even if the employee’s problem negatively affects job performance. Answer: FALSE Sun Electronics is a South Korean […]

Which of the following is NOT a criticism of skill-based compensation systems? A) Too much labor specialization B) Unspecific job qualifications C) Higher labor costs D) Workplace chaos Additional Case 5.3 You are a middle manager looking for a first-line […]

Triple bottom-line reports inform both stakeholders and shareholders about a firm’s social, environmental, and financial performance goals. Wards Cove Packing vs. Antonio placed the burden of proof of discrimination on the plaintiff, but the Civil Rights Act of 1991 returned […]

Which of the following is an inappropriate question to ask during a job interview? A) “What is your maiden name?” B) “Have you ever been convicted of a crime?” C) “Are you willing to take a physical exam as a […]

The doctrine of contributory negligence holds employers responsible for employee injuries. The most effective and useful feedback that managers can provide employees is highly personal and focused on specific behaviors. Answer: FALSE A human resource tactic refers to a firm’s […]

Base compensation refers to: A) health insurance and time off. B) fixed pay received on a regular basis. C) perks determined by status within the company. D) bonuses that underpin the employee’s total compensation. Workforce diversity can most likely enhance […]

Cross-functional training involves training employees to perform operations in areas other than their assigned jobs. Over the last 30 years, employee rights have narrowed as federal and state governments enact more laws that favor employers. Answer: FALSE Frame-of-reference training helps […]

There are at least ________ Latinos in the United States. A) 22 million B) 31 million C) 50 million D) 63 million Which of the following involves hardball tactics to prevent a union from organizing workers or to get rid […]

Once an employee leaves an employer, that employee: A) loses all health insurance coverage. B) is immediately eligible for health insurance under Social Security. C) may pay for and keep their health insurance for 18-36 months. D) gains coverage under […]

In-basket exercises and business games are elements of assessment centers used to select managers at a firm. Self-managed teams are synonymous with work groups. Answer: FALSE Brito vs. Zia established that performance appraisals must meet all the legal requirements regarding […]

Which of the following is an aspect of an organization’s “personality”? A) Empowerment strategies B) Outsourcing policies C) Litigation actions D) Market posture Individual career counseling is typically conducted by all of the following EXCEPT: A) managers. B) HR staff […]

What type of team would work best in a situation where you expect only a part-time commitment from each member, where each member will work in a different city or state, and where rapid communication is important? A) A virtual […]

If career development is over-emphasized, the organization may suffer when employees become more concerned about their image than their actual performance. Most managers consider career development counseling with their employees a top priority. Answer: FALSE Performance diaries typically improve the […]

The advantage of outcome-based appraisal systems is that they eliminate subjectivity and the potential for rater error. In general, African-Americans and Asian-Americans have less educational preparation for the workplace than members of other ethnic groups. Answer: FALSE Tommy is examining […]

Employees’ free speech rights are more explicit than their rights to privacy. The Railway Labor Act allows Congress and the President to intervene in a labor dispute if interstate commerce is disrupted. Answer: TRUE The ADAAA broadened the definition of […]

One of the most expensive cities in the world for expatriates to live in is currently: A) New York. B) London. C) Seoul. D) Paris. ________ is a type of electronic communication that allows the sender to leave a detailed […]

Bertha wishes to discharge one of her poorly performing employees. She has tried progressive discipline with no effect. She asks you, the HR manager, what she must do to discharge the employee. You should most likely tell her the policy […]

A firm with too many management layers and bureaucratic work processes would most likely benefit from: A) rightsizing. B) discharges. C) downsizing. D) early retirements. Which of the following is intended to keep employees up-to-date on important events and provide […]

Payroll, benefits administration, and applicant tracking are common uses for a firm’s HRIS. The primary purpose of the ADA was to implement a national workers’ compensation law. Answer: FALSE Coaching and mentoring are different terms for the same type of […]

In some states, vocational training is included in workers’ compensation rehabilitation benefits. In team environments, experts recommend eliminating individual performance evaluation to avoid creating rivalries within teams. Answer: FALSE Profit sharing is best used in small to medium-sized firms, while […]

Shirley’s husband has recently died. She is eligible for survivor benefits if she: A) is at least 55 years old. B) is at least 55 years old and has an unmarried child younger than 19 years of age. C) cares […]

Garden of the Gods’ (GOTG) employees are compensated according to their organizational level, with upper-level managers receiving more compensation than lower-level managers. GOTG uses a(n) ________ pay system. A) elitist B) egalitarian C) internally equitable D) knowledge-based Division or corporate […]

Letters of recommendation are among the best predictors of future job performance. Workers who make up nontraditional labor pools typically lack the experience, education, and social experience found in traditional labor pools. Answer: TRUE The labor supply for an organization […]

The National Labor Relations Board: A) was created by the Taft-Hartley Act. B) is a federal agency within the Department of Labor. C) is an independent federal agency created to administer U.S. labor law. D) is a federal board of […]

If a team is paid based on meeting its production goals, and each member of the team must contribute a minimal percentage toward that goal to share in the team award, then the pay-for-performance system is: A) promoting increased employee […]

Skill-based pay assumes that workers should be paid according to how flexible or capable they are at performing multiple tasks. One of the most commonly used layoff criterion is job seniority. Answer: TRUE When both members of a couple have […]

COBRA requires employers to permit departing employees to continue their health insurance for up to 3 years at the employees’ expense. While most expatriates experience some form of culture shock, few have difficulty readjusting to their home culture when they […]

The distributive justice model of pay equity holds that the wage rate for a given occupation is set at a point where the labor supply and labor demand are equally distributed. The Federal Register publishes proposed new occupational standards. Answer: […]

African-Americans, as a group, tend to face two major problems in organizations. The first is intentional racism. The second is: A) resentment due to preferential treatment. B) inadequate educational preparation for the workplace. C) failure of civil rights laws to […]

Employers concerned with employee exposure to workplace substances have implemented a number of strategies over the years to protect employees. ________ is one type of effort to identify employees susceptible to specific occupational substances. A) Genetic testing B) Fetal testing […]

Companies should communicate the reasons for a layoff and provide some emotional support to the survivors of a layoff in order to help them manage their layoff stress. Diversity training programs are intended to raise diversity awareness and help managers […]

Cecilia is observing assembly line workers performing their tasks. She’s watching to see who they interact with, what machines they use, and how much they are supervised. Cecilia is most likely conducting a: A) work flow analysis. B) performance appraisal. […]

A modular benefits plan allows employees to select different bundles of benefits or different levels of benefits. The most important information dissemination tool for HR is the employee handbook. Answer: TRUE It is not an uncommon problem for individual-based pay-for-performance […]

A firm has poor employee relations because of its highly charged, fast-paced work environment. The CEO wants to get people working together and thinking creatively as they prepare for the new year. Which of the following would be the CEO’s […]

The variability of quality and content of OJT between businesses: A) is beneficial because of the increased diversity of abilities. B) makes it difficult for managers to judge the skill level of workers from other firms. C) makes OJT undesirable […]

ROWE policies are primarily implemented to: A) provide firms with a flexible workforce. B) improve employees’ work-life balance. C) attract recent college graduates. D) minimize compensation costs. In ________, one party focuses on convincing its counterpart that the cost of […]

Dorothy discovers that her employer is paying female managers about 15% less than male managers with the same responsibilities. Dorothy’s employer is violating: A) Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. B) the Civil Rights Act of 1991. C) Executive […]

Additional Case 5.1 About a year ago, Powley Publishing began looking for a new managing editor for its home and garden magazine. The previous editor retired after 25 years on the job. The editors and the HR department debated about […]

To minimize problems, a pay-for-performance plan should: A) appropriately link pay and performance. B) use pay-for-performance as a stand-alone program. C) downplay the rewards to avoid an over-focus on productivity. D) use a single-layer, simple program. Additional Case 7.1 Shannon […]

HR strategies that work for one company in an industry will work just as well for another company in the same industry, since business environments tend to be similar within industries. Downsizing is a type of organizational restructuring. Answer: FALSE […]

Mark lost his job at a large manufacturing company during downsizing. Which of the following ensures that Mark may continue his health insurance coverage? A) Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act B) Social Security Act C) Family and Medical Leave Act […]

One place where diversity has grown with little difficulty is in the aging of the workforce, since managers do not hold negative assumptions about older workers as they do with other protected classes. Rational and political perspectives on performance appraisal […]

Wallace Consulting is a small firm with 60 employees. In the past, Wallace Consulting has experienced a high level of employee theft. Which of the following would be the LEAST effective method of preventing employee theft at Wallace Consulting? A) […]

Additional Case 6.3 MedEquip, a medical services company with 500 employees, has experienced an extensive business downturn, and a layoff is necessary. MedEquip managers expect a layoff to be problematic because the firm made verbal commitments to workers for lifetime […]

Additional Case 12.2 Tri-State Shipping employs 45 workers. They ship commodities across the country. Until recently, they had only legally required benefits, but business has become very profitable and they can now offer their employees more benefits. The average age […]

Owen, a manager at Metro Manufacturing, has an employee who is currently taking workers’ compensation leave. It is Owen’s responsibility to ensure that his employee’s claim is legitimate. Which of the following actions would be LEAST effective for Owen’s task? […]

An employee refuses to lobby for his boss’ favorite political candidate and is fired as a result. The courts would most likely: A) rule this to be a just cause termination. B) call this insubordination and uphold the termination. C) […]

Which of the following is NOT one of the methods Marriott uses to handle employee grievances? A) Assigning a mediator to handle disputes B) Creating an employee hotline for complaints C) Developing a legal team to administer decisions D) Establishing […]

Discrimination in the training process occurs frequently because EEO regulations and anti-discrimination laws do not apply to employee training and development. Senior mentoring and apprenticeships are two tools used by corporations to improve diversity and the understanding of diversity. Answer: […]

Additional Case 17.2 Golden Rod is an electronics firm based in Detroit with subsidiaries in several countries including Indonesia, Egypt, Argentina, and Thailand. The top management positions in these subsidiaries are filled by U.S. citizens. Golden Rod is planning on […]

One key to managing workers who telecommute is to: A) make telecommuting a term of employment. B) use productivity-based compensation. C) maintain schedules and deadlines. D) visit their office site once a year. When setting up a job-based pay plan, […]

An HMO is a health-care plan that establishes a network of doctors who provide a broad range of services for a set fee, providing the advantages of managed care and the flexibility of traditional insurance. Surveys indicate that because of […]

A significant part of any pay-for-performance system is using nonfinancial incentives as well as financial incentives. Customer service rewards for salespeople are typically individual-based, team-based, or plant-based. Answer: TRUE Generally speaking, whistleblowers suffer some form of punishment for their actions […]

When conducting exit interviews, the interviewer should be one of the employee’s former supervisors. Federal employment laws prevent employers from viewing applicants’ Facebook pages. Answer: FALSE The performance appraisal system should praise and criticize past behavior and focus on the […]

Employers may receive up to a one-year variance regarding compliance with new OSHA standards. A diversity audit is similar to a utilization analysis conducted by the EEOC. Answer: FALSE Employers can force an employee to retire if the employee is […]

Which of the following is LEAST likely a negative aspect of career development programs that foster unrealistic advancement expectations? A) Employee dissatisfaction B) Poor performance C) Increased turnover D) Discrimination Companies most likely attempt to manage their turnover rates because […]

According to the SBA, a wholesale company with 85 employees and a manufacturing firm with 1,200 employees are both small businesses. Gathering job information by personal interviews is the most effective and efficient method of performing job analysis. Answer: FALSE […]

Workers who are hired to deal with short-term increases in a business’ workload are known as: A) flextime workers. B) short-term workers. C) specialized workers. D) contingent workers. All of the following are key concerns about global outsourcing EXCEPT: A) […]

A legitimate use of employee attitude survey data is to: A) identify employees that should be terminated. B) decide what employee privileges to reduce. C) monitor the state of certain employee subgroups. D) evaluate the firm’s performance appraisal system. Sam […]

Firms that are high on uncertainty or that operate in volatile environments would benefit most from HR strategies that involve: A) variable pay and flexibility. B) control emphasis and fixed pay. C) centralized pay decisions and explicit job descriptions. D) […]

Businesses are more frequently trying to control sexual harassment through: A) diversity seminars. B) employee training. C) job descriptions. D) performance evaluations. According to your text, which mechanism determines the overall quality of a firm’s human resources? A) Socialization B) […]

Selection tools should be reliable and valid. By reliable, we mean that the tool measures consistently across time and evaluators. By valid, we mean that scores from the tools correspond to actual job performance. Effective mentoring can improve promotional rates, […]

Fatal occupational injury rates are highest in the logging industry according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The HR department should take sole responsibility to recruit, select, and socialize new employees. Answer: FALSE About half of multinational companies provide cross-cultural […]

Based on Supreme Court rulings, it is best to say that employers may: A) make employment decisions based solely on affirmative action criteria. B) never use affirmative action criteria for making employment decisions. C) base employment decisions partially on affirmative […]

Odette is talking with one of her employees about his inappropriate behavior on the job. She explains the negative consequences the employee faces unless he changes his behavior. Odette is most likely involved in: A) an implied contract. B) employee […]

If a message is misunderstood by a receiver due to a misinterpretation of the sender’s motives, this misunderstanding stems from “noise.” A firm’s overall HR strategy influences its employee workforce reduction strategy. Answer: TRUE Many companies view career development as […]

In order to achieve external equity, a company must first benchmark key jobs. Frederick Herzberg’s two-factor motivation theory focuses on the fit between the employee’s needs and abilities and the characteristics of the job and the organization. Answer: FALSE Career […]

The benefits mix for a company should be governed by its compensation strategy, its objectives, and the makeup of its workforce. Retreats are an important tool for improving employee relations at large, public firms, but they are less valuable for […]

Distributive bargaining and integrative bargaining are tactics used to increase bargaining power. Maximizing benefits over costs is the primary goal of rational performance appraisal. Answer: FALSE GINA allows employers to test the genetics of employees for the purpose of lowering […]

The concept of diversity management is simply a new label for affirmative action. John is subjectively evaluating all applicant information prior to making a hiring decision. He is using a clinical approach in the selection process. Answer: TRUE French labor […]

The Cola Corporation controls a bottle factory, a root beer brewery, and a bottling plant. This mix of businesses on the part of Cola Corp. is referred to as the business unit strategy. Selection costs include relocation costs, training costs, […]

Additional Case 6.2 Terra Alta employs nearly 15,000 workers worldwide. The firm wants to reduce its workforce through an early retirement program. The firm has hired you to organize and implement the program. Employees over age 58 are eligible, but […]

Above-market compensation policies are more likely to: A) create an impression of innovation and success. B) improve employee morale and reduce employee turnover. C) affect employee cooperation more than any other business policy. D) reduce barriers between people who need […]

How can managers minimize the influence of “liking” on performance evaluations? A) Participating in frame-of-reference training B) Keeping a performance diary on each employee C) Developing a sensitivity to organizational politics D) Conducting group, rather than individual, performance evaluations Additional […]

Research indicates that fast-growth firms benefit from having managers with marketing and sales backgrounds. Title VII prohibits disparate treatment and disparate impact. Answer: TRUE Special-purpose teams typically consist of managers from one department who gather to examine a complex issue. […]