Chapter 11 – Human Resource Management: Finding and Keeping the Best Employees
67. Career Builder.com has posted a variety of sales management positions. Some require the
manager to have five to ten years of experience and preferably a Master’s Degree in a field
of science. These requirements are part of the job specification.
Feedback: The job specification provides details on the minimum educational requirements
and years of experience required for the position.
68. The Administrative Assistant II position at Idle Time Gaming, Inc. performs word
processing and spreadsheet development for two vice-presidents, and other secretarial
duties as needed. Other job responsibilities include maintaining the office operations
budget, receiving guests, and supervising two clerical positions. These tasks are part of the
job description for this position.
Feedback: A job description outlines the specific tasks and responsibilities of each job title. It
describes the objectives of the position and how it relates to other functions at the business.
69. Helen Caldwell is a human resource manager for a firm that is planning to switch to a
more sophisticated production method. As a human resource manager, one of Helen’s
duties will be to forecast the demand for the type of labor needed to implement the new
method.
Feedback: Assessing the future demand for various types of labor is one of the functions of a
human resource manager. A proactive human resource manager anticipates the future needs of
the organization and takes action to make sure that qualified workers are available when they
are needed.
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70. Recruitment is a set of activities undertaken for attracting qualified people, at the right
time.
71. Because of the continuous flow of potential employees into the labor market, recruiting
usually is the easiest task for a human resource manager to accomplish.
72. Union rules and company policies can make the recruitment process more difficult.
73. When recruiting, human resource managers must attract people who not only have the
right skills, but also fit in with the corporate culture, and work well under the company’s
leadership style.
74.
Chapter 11 – Human Resource Management: Finding and Keeping the Best Employees
Small businesses usually find recruitment easier than large firms.
75. An advantage of hiring from within is that it improves employee morale.
76. External recruitment sources are usually cheaper to use than internal sources.
77. Transfers and promotions are internal sources used by human resource managers to fill
recruiting needs.
78. According to the Spotlight on Small Business box in Chapter 11, one way that a small
business can attract qualified employees is to hire its customers.
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79. Public and private employment agencies and college placement offices are internal
sources used by human resource managers when they are recruiting employees.
80. When recruiting employees, human resource managers focus primarily on the skills and
training of the people they are recruiting, and work on determining “fit” after the hiring
process has occurred.
Feedback: With the current emphasis on teamwork, empowerment, and participative
management, it is important to find workers who not only have the desired skills, but who
also fit in with the culture and leadership style of the organization.
81. Advertisements in trade journals, private and public employment agencies, college
placement offices, and trade associations are internal sources for recruitment.
Feedback: According to Figure 11.4, posting advertisements, going through private and/or
public employment agencies, using college placement offices and trade associations are
external sources for recruitment.
82.
Chapter 11 – Human Resource Management: Finding and Keeping the Best Employees
Temporary help services, job fairs and the Internet are external sources for recruitment.
Feedback: According to Figure 11.4, temporary help services, job fairs, and the Internet serve
as external sources for recruitment.
83. According to the Spotlight on Small Business box in Chapter 11, small businesses have
an advantage over large businesses when it comes to recruiting good talent for two
reasons: they can afford to pay better; and they already have great employees who recruit
for them.
Feedback: Small Businesses are usually at a disadvantage because they usually cannot
compete with the salaries offered by larger companies. The box provides several strategies
that small businesses have used to recruit good talent, including hiring their customers, hiring
contingent workers, and asking their employees for assistance with recruiting.
84. Rob is the human resource manager for a medium-sized corporation. He understands the
value of hiring from within to fill positions whenever possible. This means that Rob relies
extensively on promotions, transfers, and recommendations from current employees to
find qualified employees.
Feedback: When a human resource manager uses internal sources, he or she relies on
transfers, promotions, and employee recommendations to fill positions.
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85. As the HR manager at a small business, John handles most of his firm’s recruiting efforts.
Because John recruits for a small business he has a distinct advantage over larger
competitor firms when it comes to finding the right people to fill his firm’s needs.
Feedback: Recruiting qualified workers may be very difficult for small businesses because
they don’t have the staff to recruit internally, and often offer wages and benefits that are less
attractive than those offered by larger firms.
86. The What’s Hapnin’ Corporation is about to diversify into an entirely new market. This
move will create the need for several new positions in the production and marketing
departments. However, the production technologies and the marketing environment in this
new market are very different than in What’s Hapnin’s traditional market. The company is
likely to rely on external sources to fill many of the positions created by its
diversification.
Feedback: Given the differences in technologies and marketing environments, it is unlikely
that What’s Hapnin’ will be able to find enough qualified applicants within the organization to
fill the new positions. Thus, it will have to look outside the organization. This is known as
external recruitment.
87.
Chapter 11 – Human Resource Management: Finding and Keeping the Best Employees
Charlie plans to hire three outside sales professionals for his small non-profit organization
that operates out of a suburb of Chicago. The new recruits know that after a three-month
period, only one will remain. He is using a method of recruitment called part-time,
temporary employment.
Feedback: The nonprofit is test-driving employees, which is similar to hiring contingent
workers. In this case, the contingent workers are competing for one permanent position.
88. Selection is the process of gathering information and deciding who should be hired, under
legal guidelines, for the best interests of the individual and the organization.
89. The cost of recruiting, processing, and training a new entry-level employee is significant,
and sometimes exceeds the annual salary earned by the employee.
90. The amount most businesses spend on selecting and training workers is relatively low.
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91. Because current legal guidelines limit the types of questions that can be asked, completed
job application forms contain very little useful information about job candidates.
92. Job applications can ask about educational background and past job experience.
93. Staff members from the human resource department seldom take part in initial screening
interviews, but often participate in the follow-up interviews of top job candidates.
94. Artificial intelligence software already exists that will review information provided by an
applicant and e-mail a report to a manager with a recommendation as to whether the
applicant should be interviewed.
95.
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During an interview, a manager should be careful not to ask the applicant about his or her
family or other non-job related questions.
96. Trial periods are an effective method of reducing the firm’s turnover costs.
97. Most firms today are checking the backgrounds of job applicants more carefully than they
did in the past.
98. Services now exist that allow firms to perform quick background checks of potential
employees.
99.
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Employment tests should focus on general job skills rather than skills that are related
directly to the job.
100. It is not uncommon for companies today to test their employees and job applicants for
drug use.
101. Part-time workers, seasonal workers and independent contractors are all examples of
contingent workers.
102. The most common reason for hiring contingent workers is that they improve worker
morale.
103.
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Though temporary workers are employed in most sectors of the economy, almost none
have been hired to fill manufacturing jobs.
104. An increasing number of contingent workers are highly trained professionals.
105. It is not unusual to find persons with a variety of skills and skill levels serving as
contingent workers. Contingent workers in the U.S. are usually under 25 years of age and
may include independent contractors, middle management positions, and even college
students who only want to work during the summer months.
Feedback: Contingent workers span a number of occupations from unskilled laborers to
skilled managers and seasonal employees. Most contingent workers in the U.S. are currently
under 25 years of age.
106.
Chapter 11 – Human Resource Management: Finding and Keeping the Best Employees
All states in the U.S. require pre-employment physical exams for select groups of
applicants.
Feedback: While some states require pre-employment physical exams, the law requires that
any firm requiring pre-employment exams will request the same of all applicants. Pre-
employment exams should not be used as a screening mechanism.
107. Garrett works in his firm’s human resources department. He is responsible for
designing a new job application form for his firm. The questions Garrett includes on the
new form should avoid broad questions about the applicant’s beliefs, culture and family
background, and should focus instead on factors such as the applicant’s work experience,
education, and career objectives.
Feedback: Legal requirements severely limit the types of questions firms are allowed to ask
on application forms. To avoid legal complications, the form should focus on education, work
experience, career objectives and other qualifications directly related to job requirements not
personal family issues.
108. HR manger Rob Spears is very concerned about the high cost of labor turnover at his
firm. A good way for Rob’s firm to eliminate high turnover costs at the company is to
establish a policy of hiring workers for trial periods.
Feedback: Trial periods of employment make it easier for a firm to dismiss inefficient
employees, but do not eliminate high turnover costs.
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109. An HR manager at a large company interviewed several candidates for a position
opening at her firm. Based on her interviews, she assesses that one candidate looks
particularly promising. She will recommend a second interview between this candidate
and the manager who will supervise the new employee.
Feedback: A human resource specialist often conducts the initial screening interview for a job
applicant, but, if the initial interview goes well, the manager who will supervise the new
employee is often involved in a follow-up interview.
110. Tri Cities Professional Printing wants to expand its services into new markets, but to
remain competitive it needs to keep its costs low. If it is like most firms, one way Tri
Cities can save a lot of money is by reducing the time and effort it devotes to the selection
of employees.
Feedback: The selection process is often long and costly. However, this process is worth the
effort, because of the high cost of replacing workers. A firm that has an effective selection
process is more likely to hire workers who meet all requirements and are a good fit for the
company.
111.
Chapter 11 – Human Resource Management: Finding and Keeping the Best Employees
Sun Valley Produce finds it needs more workers during harvest times than at other times
of the year. Hiring contingent workers could be an efficient way for Sun Valley to meet its
temporary employment needs.
Feedback: Seasonal workers are one type of contingent worker. These workers can give firms
more flexibility to meet a varying need for employees, and their use is often more cost-
effective than hiring permanent employees. Contingent workers typically receive few benefits
and are paid less than permanent workers.
112. Employee training focuses on short-term skills, while employee development focuses
on long-term abilities.
113. Besides increasing productivity, a good training program can increase a firm’s
retention rates.
114. A recent study has shown that the most effective way for most firms to improve
worker productivity is to increase expenditures on machinery and equipment.
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115. One purpose of employee orientation programs is to initiate new workers to the
organization’s policies, practices and objectives.
116. Vestibule training is the most fundamental type of training available.
117. New technologies are assisting off-the-job training and creating more cost-effective
methods for on-the-job training, when the job requires learning more intricate skills.
118. On-the-job training is best suited for jobs that are easily learned or require the
employee to perform repetitive physical tasks.
119.
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Over the next ten to fifteen years, most firms will discontinue apprenticeship programs as
changes in technology make this type of training obsolete.
120. In recent years, firms have expanded off-the-job training to include personal
development subjects such as time management, health and nutrition, and language.
121. Online training gives employers the ability to provide consistent content that is
tailored to specific employee training needs.
122. Vestibule training attempts to precisely duplicate both the methods and conditions of a
real world job.
123.
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Job simulation is used to train astronauts, airline pilots, and ship captains.
124. The strategy of giving managers assignments in a variety of departments in order to
expose them to different functions is called apprenticeship training.
125. The process of training and educating employees to become good managers, and then
monitoring the progress of their managerial skills over time is called management
simulation.
126. Most management training programs include methods such as on-the-job coaching,
understudy positions, and off-the-job courses and training.
127.
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Networking is the process of establishing and maintaining contacts and using those
contacts to develop strong relationships that serve as informal development systems.
128. A mentor is a manager who supervises, coaches, and guides selected lower-level
employees, and generally acting as their organizational sponsor.
129. Students can benefit from networking in college even before they take their first full-
time job.
130. Women usually find it easier than men to obtain mentors and engage in networking.
131.
Chapter 11 – Human Resource Management: Finding and Keeping the Best Employees
Minority groups have made great strides in creating networking associations. For
example, Black Enterprise Magazine sponsors networking forums.
132. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that women cannot be barred from “men only”
clubs where, in the past, business contacts are often made and business activity occurs.
133. Grooming women and minorities for management positions creates fewer hiring
opportunities for white men.
134. Firms spend time and money to train new employees so that they will work
productively over the short-term. Development type activities such as assigning mentors
and creating networks have long-term implications for employees and firms.
Feedback: While training programs focus on improving the short-term skills of employees,
development programs focus on long-term abilities.
