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.
A human resource tactic refers to a firm’s deliberate use of human resources to gain and
maintain a competitive edge in the marketplace.
The “glass ceiling” is an intangible barrier within an organization that prevents
members of non-protected classes from filling positions above a certain level.
Marissa quit her current employer for a new job. She is talking with the director of HR
about why she left. Marissa is most likely receiving outplacement assistance.
Prospector strategies are characterized by broad job classes, variable pay, and informal
hiring processes.
Defined benefits plans promise a fixed dollar amount to employees upon their
retirement.
Adverse impact occurs when an employer treats an employee differently because of his
or her protected-class status.
Early retirement programs are simple ways to make small reductions in a firm’s
workforce.
Policies that have an adverse effect on protected persons may be defended if the
policies mandate a regulation that is essential for good job performance.
Early retirement programs generally are offered by a business for only a short period of
time and consist of financial incentives to encourage senior employees to retire earlier
than they had planned.
The union grievance procedure begins with the submission of a formal letter by the
employee to the union steward.
Stock options provide the executive with “free” company stock, normally with no
strings attached.
Which of the following does BMW South Africa NOT include in its HIV/AIDS
program?
A) Peer educators
B) Training and workshops
C) Free condoms
D) Financial benefits
According to the ADA, the estimated costs of accommodating disabled employees:
A) are usually between $200 and $500.
B) are usually between $750 and $1,000.
C) have been grossly underestimated.
D) increase the cost of doing business by 15%.
Which issue primarily led to the breakdown in negotiations between the UAW and
General Motors in 2007?
A) layoffs
B) salaries
C) union power
D) health-care costs
Catina is designing an assessment and performance managing program for her
company’s HR department. To manage employee performance most effectively, Catina
should:
A) mandate that performance appraisals and assessment interviews be performed once
every three years.
B) prohibit managers from discussing performance evaluations and compensation
during the same meeting.
C) stress that day-to-day interactions need to occur between manager and employee in
addition to face-to-face interviews.
D) create a program that measures employee performance in terms of annual
productivity.
Transferring and relocating employees are both ways to reduce employee costs through
which function?
A) Employment policies
B) Pay and benefits policies
C) Job design methods
D) Outsourcing methods
According to goal-setting theory, employees are most motivated when goals are:
A) broad and flexible.
B) relatively easy to attain.
C) specific and challenging.
D) closely linked to compensation.
Once job specifications and descriptions are created, the next step in developing a
compensation system is:
A) conducting a job analysis.
B) creating a job hierarchy.
C) rating the worth of jobs.
D) assigning individual pay.
In most U.S. organizations, an employee’s performance appraisal interview and salary
review are conducted in the same meeting. Research shows that tying these two events
together results in:
A) employees receiving lower raises than if the two events were separated.
B) managers focusing on the salary issue and overlooking the performance appraisal.
C) employees ignoring performance feedback and focusing only on the salary increase.
D) managers taking the appraisal more seriously and providing more detailed feedback.
In order to be successful, the goals of a training program should most likely be:
A) subjective and motivational.
B) profitable and challenging.
C) clear and realistic.
D) flexible and broad.
According to the text, what is the most challenging task for expatriates dealing with
global issues?
A) Modifying technology
B) Anticipating political risks
C) Monitoring foreign currencies
D) Negotiating with local governments
Management can most likely minimize problems with the remaining workforce after a
layoff by:
A) explaining the financial reasons for the layoff.
B) minimizing communication to eliminate rumors.
C) initiating close supervision of the remaining workers.
D) preparing for litigation with former and current employees.
The Supreme Court case, Albemarle Paper Company vs. Moody, ruled that:
A) the four-fifths rule must be applied in only selective cases of clear discrimination.
B) employment tests must be valid predictors of job performance.
C) disparate treatment is illegal.
D) age discrimination is illegal.
According to surveys, which of the following is true about FMLA?
A) Leave causes significant staffing problems for small employers.
B) Leave is primarily taken to care for sick family members.
C) Nearly 50% of eligible workers take leave each year.
D) Leave is primarily taken for overseas adoptions.
Which term refers to the compatibility between HR strategies and other key aspects of
an organization?
A) Fit
B) Unity
C) Focus
D) Centralization
A key assumption behind pay-for-performance compensation is that:
A) the importance of the job needs to be weighed in figuring the incentive.
B) the organization’s performance depends on individuals’ performance.
C) teams are not suitable “vehicles” for most corporate incentive programs.
D) accurate job evaluations and market surveys are critical to calculate incentives.
Which of the following is the LEAST likely reason for the distance between executive
performance and long-term incentives?
A) Executives rarely know how much their equity in the firm is worth.
B) Executives are unlikely to have control over the value of the company’s stock.
C) Incentive plans are not always consistent with the firm’s long-term strategic
objectives.
D) Golden parachutes fail to address what to pay executives when they are terminated
from a firm.
A promotability forecast:
A) projects the advancement potential of employees.
B) analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of employees.
C) predicts the need for managers over a specified period.
D) reviews key employees’ underlying skills and interests.
All of the following would most likely lower repatriation failure rates EXCEPT:
A) assigning mentors to expatriates.
B) requiring repatriates to take sabbaticals upon return.
C) recognizing the contributions of the repatriated employees when they return.
D) helping the expatriates with advance career planning before they leave on
assignment.
If managers increase employee involvement in the design of an incentive compensation
system, which of the following will most likely occur?
A) Employees will be more committed to the plan.
B) Managers will spend more time in conflict resolution.
C) Employees’ intrinsic drives will be sharply reduced.
D) Managers will be better able to evaluate performance.
A company designs its compensation system around the philosophy that employees
exchange their skills and contributions for pay. As a consequence, employees feel fairly
compensated when the ratio of their inputs and outputs is equivalent to those of other
employees whose job demands are similar to their own. This company’s compensation
system is based on a ________ compensation model.
A) balanced equity
B) labor market
C) free market
D) distributive justice
HR strategies that fit a company’s focus strategy are best described as being:
A) between those of a prospector and a defender strategy.
B) identical to those of a company using a defender strategy.
C) identical to those of a company using a low-cost strategy.
D) between those of a differentiation and a low-cost strategy.
Additional Case 9.2
Martin, the director of HR at Austin Designs, is meeting with the career development
team. The firm’s CEO has decided that the company needs to invest the time and effort
into improving the direction and development phases of the current career development
program; however, development funds are limited. The CEO and most of the executive
management team are self-made professionals who believe strongly in individual
responsibility. The organizational structure of Austin Designs is very flat. The company
has a wide variety of jobs but few levels of high responsibility. Feedback from
employees suggests that they don’t know when promotional opportunities are available.
Refer to Additional Case 9.2. Which of the following would be the best development
tool for Austin Designs?
A) Creating a coaching program
B) Establishing a mentoring program
C) Revising the performance appraisal system
D) Establish a career resource center in the HR department
Why are employee benefits significant to both employers and employees? What should
an employer consider when developing a benefits mix?
________ is a career development activity that focuses on preparing people to fill
executive positions.
________ is the process of organizing work into the tasks required to perform a specific
job.
People who work in an organization are called ________.
What is the impact of the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Equal Pay Act on employee
compensation?
Hernando is working with management to calculate the costs of employee turnover.
What issues or costs should Hernando raise to management?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of traditional interviews and structured
interviews when making staffing decisions? What topics should be avoided to ensure
that interviews are legal?
A federal law that protects an employee’s ability to transfer between health insurance
plans without a gap in coverage due to a preexisting condition is ________.