46) Which statement is true of the Occupational Information Network (O*NET)?
A) It provides listings of fixed job titles and narrow task descriptions.
B) It uses a common language that generalizes across jobs to describe the abilities, work styles,
work activities, and work context required for various occupations.
C) It represents the first attempt made by the U.S. Department of Labor to match the demand and
supply of labor.
D) It uses an online platform to provide information about available federal jobs.
E) It was created by the U.S. Department of Labor in the 1930s as a vehicle for helping the new
public employment system link the demand and supply of skills in the U.S. workforce.
47) Titan Info Group is a software consulting firm based in Redmond. The firm uses a
standardized job analysis questionnaire containing 194 questions about work behaviors, work
conditions, and job characteristics that apply to a wide variety of jobs. In this scenario, Titan Info
Group is using
A) a utilization analysis.
B) the Fleishman Job Analysis System.
C) a work flow design.
D) a conjoint analysis.
E) the Position Analysis Questionnaire.
48) Which statement is true of the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)?
A) It considers only the inputs of a work process, ignoring the outputs.
B) PAQ reports are very useful for writing job descriptions or redesigning jobs.
C) PAQ ratings cannot be used to compare dissimilar jobs.
D) The descriptions in the PAQ reports are very clear and specific.
E) The PAQ is meant to be completed only by job analysts trained in this method.
49) Matthew, a human resource manager at a manufacturing company, recommends that the
company use the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) for conducting job analysis. Which
statement best supports Matthew’s recommendation?
A) The PAQ considers the whole work process, from inputs through outputs.
B) The PAQ can be easily scored without a computer.
C) The PAQ is based on 52 categories of abilities.
D) The PAQ can be completed by untrained personnel.
E) A person who fills out the PAQ does not need college-level reading skills.
50) Identify the disadvantage of using the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ).
A) It applies exclusively to similar job profiles.
B) It measures only the inputs of a work process.
C) It fails to provide computerized reports.
D) It deals only with the mental processes involved in performing a job.
E) It results in abstract reports that are of limited use.
51) Which job analysis method requires subject-matter experts to evaluate a job in terms of
abilities required to perform the job?
A) Work Sampling Technique
B) Participant Observation Technique
C) Fleishman Job Analysis System
D) Position Analysis Questionnaire
E) Conjoint Analysis Technique
52) To gather information about worker requirements, the Fleishman Job Analysis System
typically asks ________ to evaluate a job in terms of the abilities required to perform the job.
A) subject-matter experts
B) supervisors
C) HR specialists
D) external analysts
E) CEOs
53) Which HR activity is similar to analyzing a job that does not yet exist?
A) human resource planning
B) performance appraisal
C) job evaluation
D) work redesign
E) selection
54) Cory, an HR manager, observes that the number of employees quitting their jobs has been
steadily increasing over the last six months. On closer inspection, he finds that a majority of the
employees who quit were unhappy with the pay structures. Cory assesses the significance of
each job to the organization, which helps him set up fair pay structures. This in turn helps the
organization retain valuable employees. What most likely relates to the task undertaken by Cory?
A) job evaluation
B) career planning
C) job training
D) performance appraisal
E) selection
55) Which statement best defines a competency?
A) It is the set of duties performed by a particular team.
B) It is the list of tasks, duties, and responsibilities (TDRs) that a particular job entails.
C) It is a set of related duties for accomplishing work.
D) It is the activity that a work unit’s members engage in to produce a given output.
E) It is an area of personal capability that enables employees to perform successfully.
56) Which statement is true of competency models?
A) They help HR professionals ensure that all aspects of talent management are aligned with an
organization’s strategy.
B) They identify and describe a few competencies required for success in a particular occupation
or set of jobs.
C) They are only applicable to middle managers of an organization.
D) They focus more on tasks and outcomes and not on how people work.
E) They are only created for different occupational groups in an organization.
57) Rapp’s Parts is a small machine shop that makes custom parts for manufacturers in the
metropolitan area where it is located. For 20 years, Erin was the office assistant. She was hired to
fill a position that involved keeping track of customers’ orders and purchasing supplies. After
Erin retired, the company hired another office assistant to perform the same tasks. Soon
afterward, however, the company’s owner began hearing from frustrated customers complaining
that when they called the company with questions and problems, no one was taking
responsibility and helping them as Erin had. What problem with job analysis is most likely to
have occurred when Erin retired?
A) Rapp’s Parts should have engaged in downsizing so fewer employees could get the work
done.
B) When hiring the new employee, Rapp’s Parts failed to use the fixed job description found on
O*Net.
C) Rapp’s Parts wasn’t adaptable, although its environment was subject to change.
D) Erin took on customer service duties, but the job description didn’t reflect the change.
E) The company didn’t prevent Erin from changing her job based on personal preferences.
58) What is likely to contribute to errors in a job analysis?
A) use of multiple analysis methods to obtain a detailed job analysis
B) inputs from multiple sources such as incumbents and supervisors
C) fixed and unchanging job descriptions for various jobs
D) a combination of internal and external sources of information for job analysis
E) the creation of comprehensive and detailed job descriptions
59) Which statement is true regarding trends in job analysis?
A) Errors in job analysis have multiple sources, but most result from outdated job descriptions.
B) Today’s workplace is more or less inflexible and is not constantly subject to change.
C) People imagine jobs to be unstable, whereas jobs actually do not change or evolve over time.
D) Changes in jobs occur only when there is a change in the descriptions of jobs.
E) Steve’s argument is incorrect because new jobs do not have job descriptions.
60) Padwick Logic, a nationwide logistics company, has announced the opening of a new unit
for the manufacturing division. Ashley, the HR manager, has been asked to help plan for the
creation of the new unit. What relates to the task undertaken by Ashley, if she is involved in the
process of explaining how an employee will execute his or her tasks?
A) job rotation
B) job evaluation
C) job design
D) job enrichment
E) job extension
61) Green Gusts is a two-year-old company that makes wind turbines. The business owner,
Mike, is struggling to compete. Finding enough employees who know how to do the work has
been difficult, and Mike believes that his labor costs are too high because he cannot afford to
match the prices of his nearest competitors. To help with these problems, Mike hires a new HR
manager, Jake. Jake recommends they start by bringing in an industrial engineer. How is this
approach to job design most likely to help Green Gusts?
A) by reducing injuries among workers
B) by giving employees feedback about performance effectiveness
C) by simplifying work and increasing output per worker
D) by motivating workers to do their best
E) by enlarging employees’ jobs
62) Ryan, a regional manager for a leading automobile company in the United States, decides to
design a manufacturing job based on the principles of industrial engineering. Following its
successful implementation, which outcome should he expect?
A) increased efficiency
B) increased complexity
C) decreased repetitiveness
D) increased skill requirements
E) decreased specialization
63) Jamie, a manager at a construction company, contends that applying industrial engineering is
the simplest way to structure work and maximize efficiency. Which statement supports Jamie’s
argument?
A) Applying industrial engineering reduces the complexity of work.
B) Applying industrial engineering makes jobs more dynamic.
C) Organizations cannot combine industrial engineering with other approaches to job design.
D) Applying industrial engineering makes training people extremely difficult and time
consuming.
E) Applying industrial engineering to a job increases its complexity.
64) The industrial engineering approach is most likely to emphasize
A) defining work arrangements and reporting requirements.
B) streamlining jobs to make them simpler and more efficient.
C) designing jobs in such a way that they require minimal specialization.
D) exploring new and diverse ways of doing the same job.
E) creating complex and challenging jobs that require innovative employees.
65) What would be a benefit to the company if it plans on applying industrial engineering to
existing jobs?
A) Industrial engineering will increase the complexity of the work.
B) Industrial engineering will eliminate the need for specialization in the job.
C) Industrial engineering will make jobs less specialized and less repetitive.
D) Industrial engineering will provide measurable and practical benefits.
E) Industrial engineering will represent the best way to make jobs more meaningful.
66) Name the model that was developed by Richard Hackman and Greg Oldham to describe
ways to make jobs more motivating.
A) the Cognitive Dissonance Model
B) the Situational Leadership Model
C) the Job Characteristics Model
D) the Fleishman Job Analysis Model
E) the Motivation-Hygiene Model
67) According to the Job Characteristics Model, what best describes task identity?
A) the extent to which a job requires a variety of skills to carry out the tasks involved
B) the degree to which a job allows an individual to make decisions about the way the work will
be carried out
C) the extent to which a person receives clear information about performance effectiveness from
the work itself
D) the degree to which a job requires completing a “whole” piece of work from beginning to end
E) the extent to which a job has an important impact on the lives of other people
68) Which scenario reflects a job lacking the characteristic of task significance?
A) a job requiring a variety of skills to be performed
B) a job requiring completion of the whole piece of work from beginning to end
C) a job that has minimal impact on the lives of other people
D) a job allowing individuals to make autonomous decisions about the job
E) a job where a person receives clear information about performance effectiveness from the
work itself
69) According to the Job Characteristics Model, ________ refers to the job characteristic that
reflects the degree to which a job allows an individual to make decisions about the way the work
is carried out.
A) task knowledge
B) task ability
C) skill variety
D) autonomy
E) feedback
70) In terms of the Job Characteristics Model, feedback refers to the extent to which
A) a job requiring completing a “whole” piece of work from beginning to end.
B) employees are given the authority to make decisions.
C) performance appraisals are perceived as transparent and fair by employees.
D) a job requires a variety of skills to carry out the tasks involved.
E) a person receives clear information about performance effectiveness from the work itself.
71) What is the objective of job enlargement?
A) to make jobs less repetitive and more interesting
B) to increase efficiency by identifying the best way to perform a job
C) to decrease the burden of decision-making responsibilities for employees
D) to assess the relative dollar value of each job to an organization
E) to decrease the impact a job has on the lives of other people
72) Printer Press Prestige, a publishing company, conducted an internal survey on employee
satisfaction. The results indicated that a majority of its support staff considered their jobs to be
monotonous. In order to change this, management decided to combine the job duties of
assistants, typists, and file clerks into a single job that requires all three kinds of work. Which
technique of job design did this move constitute?
A) job analysis
B) job review
C) job identification
D) job evaluation
E) job extension
73) Which arrangement would qualify as job rotation?
A) a receptionist hired to perform the jobs of file clerk and typist
B) support staff being trained in front-office functions through periods of alternating work
arrangements
C) members of the production team making decisions regarding how to resolve problems with
customers
D) a manager participating in a meeting while on vacation with his family
E) a manager directing employees to stop production when quality standards are not met
74) Job enrichment differs from job rotation in that job enrichment
A) empowers workers by adding more decision-making authority to their jobs.
B) transfers employees among several different jobs at the same hierarchical level.
C) combines several relatively simple jobs to form a job with a wider range of tasks.
D) allows employees to mutually exchange work roles at the same organizational level.
E) assesses the relative dollar value of each job to an organization.
75) Which job design technique involving the addition of decision-making authorities to a job is
credited to Frederick Herzberg?
A) job extension
B) job rotation
C) job enrichment
D) job enlargement
E) job sharing
76) According to Herzberg’s two-factor theory, which factor would motivate individuals the
most?
A) meaningfulness of a job
B) fringe benefits of a job
C) shares of company stock
D) salary and allowances
E) periodic bonuses
77) Identify the step that can be taken by an organization to enrich manufacturing jobs for its
employees.
A) Divide tasks among employees in greater detail.
B) Carry out time-and-motion studies to identify the best way to perform a job.
C) Make the tasks repetitive and simple to avoid errors.
D) Give employees more authority to manage the production process.
E) Establish a centralized decision-making process.