47) Teamwork and empowerment contribute to high performance when they improve
A) job satisfaction.
B) organizational goals.
C) organizational ethics.
D) job rotation.
E) job enlargement.
48) For empowerment to succeed, managers should
A) micromanage their teams and delegate as much work as possible.
B) ensure that communication flows top down from senior management.
C) help their teams ensure that communication flows in both directions.
D) hold frequent meetings to constantly supervise the progress of the team.
E) ensure that a team shares information only after it receives approval.
49) Which statement is true about a learning organization?
A) It actively resists organizational change.
B) It usually considers organizational learning a barrier to the dissemination of corporate culture.
C) It supports lifelong learning by enabling all employees to continually acquire and share
knowledge.
D) It places a relatively low importance on innovation.
E) It considers training a superfluous corporate ritual.
50) Good Motors pays a lot of attention to improving employee skills on the job. Its training
centers and mentors are open to one-on-one sessions, group discussions, and workshops. The
organization boasts a world-class resource center that offers the latest editions of many books
and journals related to the automotive industry. All employees have free access to the knowledge
pool in the organization and are welcome to initiate discussions on topics of interest. In this
scenario, Good Motors has created a
A) learning organization.
B) cultural organization.
C) static organization.
D) smart organization.
E) technology-based organization.
51) For a learning organization to function well, employees ought to
A) create short-term learning goals rather than long-term learning goals.
B) identify their own training needs.
C) take part in seminars and conferences at least once every week.
D) share the information that was acquired during the learning process.
E) distribute highly classified information.
52) Each employee’s and each group’s ongoing efforts to gather information and apply the
information to their decisions in a learning organization is referred to as
A) continuous learning.
B) critical thinking.
C) innovation.
D) cognition.
E) groupthink.
53) The employees at the Seacliff Foundation are continuously conducting research on ways to
improve facilities and benefits for the impoverished children they care for. They then implement
the ideas resulting from their research. This is an example of
A) brand alignment.
B) continuous learning.
C) employee engagement.
D) performance management.
E) expert systems.
54) What is the perception about training in a learning organization?
A) It is treated as a superfluous corporate ritual.
B) It is viewed as an investment in the organization’s human resources.
C) It is considered as the only driver of continued growth and sustainability.
D) It is deemed as the primary means of retaining good employees.
E) It is regarded as a tool to minimize organizational anarchy.
55) A learning culture creates the conditions in which managers
A) encourage experimentation.
B) ensure rigidity.
C) help sustain the status quo.
D) encourage groupthink.
E) demonstrate a high degree of risk aversion.
56) At Healthy Beauty Solutions, Carly created an award-winning line of lip balm, lip gloss, and
lipstick after many hours of research and discussions with experts. Now, with her manager’s
encouragement, she frequently conducts workshops for other employees about lip color and
other beauty products. In this scenario, which feature of Healthy Beauty Solutions is
exemplified?
A) flexible environment
B) critical thinking
C) learning culture
D) job rotation
E) functional organization
57) Delany, the learning and development manager at StudyHelpers Inc., believes that in
addition to providing superior benefits to employees, it is important to create an environment in
which employees are able to develop. She suggests a new program that encourages employees
take time out of their workday to research relevant topics and share knowledge with their
colleagues. Which statement best supports the value of this program to StudyHelpers?
A) Any increase in learning activities in an organization increases workload and decreases the
time available to handle the workload.
B) Conversing with co-workers should occur during employees’ free time, not as part of their
daily work activities.
C) The time that employees spend in research may interfere with projects that must be
accomplished under tight deadlines.
D) Shared knowledge can lead to new innovations for StudyHelpers, as well as the development
of internal talent.
E) Employees will use the knowledge they’ve acquired to assert their intellectual superiority over
management.
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58) Lee, the CEO of Opal Inc., a digital media startup, holds a meeting with his employees,
telling them he wants them to put 100 percent effort into their daily work. He adds that in every
quarter the company meets its sales targets, employees will receive a $500 bonus. In this
scenario, Lee’s actions are most likely to improve
A) critical thinking.
B) continuous learning.
C) ethical behavior.
D) employee engagement.
E) information systems.
59) Hadley, a human resource manager at Ion Consulting, believes that it is important for
employees to feel a sense of satisfaction about their jobs, because a satisfied employee will
contribute more to the organization than an employee who is dissatisfied with his or her job.
Which action by Hadley’s department would best contribute to employee satisfaction?
A) rewarding employees for meeting goals
B) paying all employees the same salary, regardless of performance
C) giving out trophies instead of extra pay for accomplishments
D) simplifying jobs to the most routine activities
E) setting easy-to-reach goals
60) The practices that do most to promote employee engagement are opportunities for career
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progress, recognition for accomplishments, and
A) excellent benefits.
B) strong leadership.
C) a corporate learning culture.
D) brand alignment.
E) empowerment.
61) The slogan of Nature’s Source Products is “Loving the Planet.” This is more than just an
advertising message. The company hires people who not only have job-related skills but also a
commitment to sustainability and enjoyment of nature. The employees regularly have
opportunities to sign up for service projects such as river cleanups and recycling drives.
Employees are enthusiastic about developing and marketing products made with all-natural
ingredients sustainably sourced. The HR department uses its communication tools to remind
employees about how everyone contributes to realizing this eco-friendly vision for the company.
Together, these efforts at Nature’s Source Products create
A) brand alignment.
B) a learning culture.
C) critical systemic thinking.
D) knowledge sharing.
E) continuous learning.
62) People experience ________ when they love their work, when they and their co-workers care
about one another, and when they find their work meaningful.
A) burnout
B) cognitive job satisfaction
C) occupational intimacy
D) diminished personal accomplishment
E) emotional dissonance
63) Fred works at a publishing house. He is fond of his work and is a passionate team member.
His colleagues show concern for him and his work, and he experiences a positive feeling about
his work. In the context of job satisfaction, the feeling experienced by Fred is known as
A) job altruism.
B) occupational intimacy.
C) work loyalty.
D) task obedience.
E) job compliance.
64) Which practice is most likely to enhance occupational intimacy?
A) lowering emphasis on organizational learning
B) narrowing the scope of work
C) setting highly abstract goals
D) establishing rigid and enduring pay structures
E) establishing policies that show concern for employees’ needs
65) A year ago, a production facility of a beverage company became the subject of negative
news coverage following complaints that it had been slow to alert the community to some
contamination of the water supply. During the reporters’ investigation, several employees came
forward to blame a supervisor who they claimed ignored their suspicions about the
contamination. After the stories spread, the human resource department noticed that the number
of workers applying for jobs at the facility had rapidly declined and so had the quality of
applicants who did apply. The troublesome manager was dismissed, and now the human resource
department is investigating how to improve the ethical climate at the facility. Which measure
would contribute most to the effort?
A) recognizing that, for a business, ethical issues are mainly relevant in the short term
B) sending executives to an off-site private retreat to write a code of ethics together
C) shutting down channels through which unethical acts might become known
D) keeping quiet until the incidents are forgotten
E) including measures of ethical behavior in performance management
66) Identify the HRM practice that can assist firms in becoming a high-performance
organization.
A) a conservative discipline system
B) avoiding monitoring employees’ satisfaction
C) a job-related and legal selection system
D) a work design encouraging rigidity
E) using technology sparingly
67) Which HRM practice helps organizations achieve high performance?
A) work performed by individuals
B) an organization discouraging continuous learning
C) a performance management system measuring customer satisfaction and quality
D) pay systems primarily rewarding loyalty to the company
E) technology which increases costs
68) Job design aimed at empowerment
A) is complex.
B) limits flexibility.
C) includes access to resources.
D) increases employee turnover.
E) includes a rigid pay structure.
69) BigFive Inc. has been known for its excellent customer service since its start more than 40
years ago. The company carefully selects employees based on their combination of skills and
commitment to the company’s values of service and quality. How does BigFive’s selection
process contribute to the company’s high performance?
A) BigFive focuses on outcomes that can be defined in specific terms.
B) BigFive can benefit from the use of teamwork and employee empowerment.
C) BigFive’s selection process avoids the use of psychological testing.
D) BigFive’s employees have more technical skills than competitors’ employees have.
E) BigFive’s employees not only know how to do their work but also are enthusiastic and
committed.
70) TTI Inc., a software company, is currently looking for new candidates to fill vacant
positions. It is looking for prospective candidates who are enthusiastic about their work and
willing to share their knowledge on various topics related to their field. The HR department is
responsible for finding the right type of candidate to fit the open roles in the organization. In this
scenario, the HR department contributes to high performance through
A) job design.
B) training.
C) performance management.
D) recruitment and selection.
E) job search.
71) Which selection method is used by organizations to identify employees who innovate, share
ideas, and take initiative?
A) technical proficiency
B) psychological testing
C) structured interview
D) ambition research
E) physical ability
72) At a high-performance organization, recruitment and selection aim at obtaining the kinds of
employees who can thrive in this type of setting. These employees are
A) primarily individual contributors.
B) enthusiastic about knowledge sharing.
C) averse to risk taking.
D) averse to experimentation.
E) averse to taking initiative.
73) Ronald, the general manager of Bennett Furniture, believes that each employee must
thoroughly understand the goals of the organization. He understands that adhering to the vision
and mission of the organization will help increase employee satisfaction and clarity. What
strengthens Ronald’s belief?
A) The vision and mission of the organization are ethical.
B) Understanding the organization’s goals helps employees improve their performance.
C) Employee performance can be enhanced by keeping costs under control.
D) Ronald has too many expectations of his employees.
E) The organization’s goals constantly change.
74) The human resource department of Miller Memorial Hospital has played a leading role in
helping the hospital become a high-performance work system. Recently, the team has been
focusing on the organization’s performance management. Which effort would most directly
ensure that performance management supports the development of a high-performance work
system?
A) preventing organizational culture from influencing employees’ behaviors
B) making sure employees know how their work contributes to the hospital’s mission
C) ensuring the confidentiality of the organization’s primary objectives
D) developing the hospital’s talent to move into positions of greater responsibility
E) identifying and hiring people who are enthusiastic about and able to contribute to teamwork
75) One way performance management systems can support organizational goals is by
A) defining and measuring performance in broad behavioral terms.
B) linking performance measures to meeting internal and external customers’ needs.
C) ignoring situational constraints.
D) outsourcing those goals to professional behavior management firms.
E) choosing business goals based on employees’ skills and abilities.
76) To improve the performance of employees at Apple Orchard Inc., the company provides
recognition and monetary benefits to those employees whose performance exceeds expectations.
This strategy can motivate some employees to perform better. This is an example of a(n)
________ strategy.
A) occupational intimacy
B) brand alignment
C) appraisal
D) compensation
E) job design
77) A media company gives its employees monetary bonuses at the end of the company’s fiscal
year based on employees’ contributions to the firm’s financial success. This is a method of
A) including employees in organizational planning.
B) rewarding employees for advanced training.
C) disseminating organizational learning.
D) increasing employee participation in strategic decision making.
E) linking compensation to performance measures.
78) Compensation systems can help create the conditions that contribute to high performance.
Consequently, organizations can increase empowerment and job satisfaction by
A) communicating the basis for decisions about pay.
B) disassociating compensation from performance measures.
C) discouraging negotiations regarding pay.
D) limiting employee participation in management.
E) limiting the use of gainsharing and profit sharing.
79) New technology usually involves ________, which is using equipment and information
processing to perform activities that had been performed by people.
A) downsizing
B) outsourcing
C) offshoring
D) automation
E) diversification
80) Which of the following refers to the computations and calculations involved in reviewing
and documenting HRM decisions and practices?
A) e-HRM
B) transaction processing
C) automation
D) expert systems
E) decision support systems
81) The HR department at ZET Resources is having a tough time documenting its hiring
decisions. In addition, irregularities were uncovered when reviewing the offers made to job
candidates during the previous year. As a solution to these issues, the human resource manager
proposes that all activities related to employee selection be documented thoroughly with the help
of computers. In this scenario, the manager proposes using
A) transformational processing.
B) expert systems.
C) decision support systems.
D) micro processing.
E) transaction processing.
82) Christine, a human resource manager, is developing a plan for ensuring the company has
enough engineers. She has already gathered forecasts for the number of mechanical engineering
graduates from nearby colleges. Now she wants to test various salaries and determine the
corresponding percentages of graduates who would accept a job offer with her company. This
will allow the HR manager to advise the best salary range to offer, given the supply of labor.
Which information system is intended for this kind of analysis?
A) a decision support system
B) an expert system
C) an HR dashboard
D) a transaction-processing system
E) a transitional matrix
83) The senior management of a firm is undecided about the number of employees needed for its
new project. To advise the executives, a human resource specialist uses a computer system to
estimate how long teams of three different sizes will take to complete the project, assuming the
project is of either low, average, or high difficulty. The type of system appropriate for this case is
a(n)
A) expert system.
B) HR dashboard.
C) decision support system.
D) transaction-processing system.
E) document management system.