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.
Brito vs. Zia established that performance appraisals must meet all the legal
requirements regarding tests in organizations.
If an employer does not thoroughly check information provided by a potential
employee who later commits a crime while an employee, the company can be held
liable for a negligent hiring.
Union contracts provide greater job security than non-union contracts.
Generally, the first alternative to layoffs that companies use to reduce their labor costs
is to redesign existing jobs.
Insubordination is allowable according to the courts when illegal activities or worker
safety are a concern.
Barriers to the advancement of women and minorities are clearly visible and can be
eliminated through career development strategies.
A common problem associated with gainsharing is that such plans exacerbate normal
labor and management tensions.
A task inventory analysis is preferred by most HR managers because it is a prepared
stock questionnaire that is easily administered and analyzed.
WARN requires employers with 200 or more employees to give 100 days’ warning of
layoffs of more than 10% of its employees.
Job rotation and apprenticeships are forms of on-the-job training.
Diversity, the human characteristics that make people different from one another,
consists solely of characteristics that cannot be controlled by the individual.
The most common form of behavioral appraisal instrument tends to measure the value
rather than the frequency of rated behaviors.
Before 1943, no laws protected labor unions and their members.
Effective management of telecommuters involves requiring telecommuters to attend
office meetings regularly.
Research indicates that during the 2008-2011 recession, the percentage of unemployed
disabled people actively seeking work was equal to the percentage of unemployed
non-disabled people seeking work.
Trait ratings evaluate worker characteristics that tend to be consistent and enduring.
Consequently, like absolute systems, they eliminate all ambiguity from appraisals.
It is appropriate for an employer to ask, “Does your religion keep you from working on
weekends?” if weekend shift work is a normal part of the job.
Training effectiveness can be measured in either monetary or nonmonetary terms.
Martin is reviewing HR’s costs for interviewing, testing, and checking references for
new hires. Martin is most likely reviewing the ________ costs of employee
replacement.
A) training
B) selection
C) separation
D) recruitment
A diversity audit can most likely help managers to:
A) analyze a firm’s internal competencies and external competition.
B) review the effectiveness of a diversity management program.
C) maintain minority and female employee retention rates.
D) develop new diversity-oriented recruiting strategies.
Samantha is working through an instrument that will help her identify her occupational
interests. She is using a(n):
A) psychological profile.
B) interests inventory.
C) skills proficiency test.
D) values clarification instrument.
Men tend to emerge in leadership positions in U.S. culture because they are more likely
than women to have a(n) ________ orientation.
A) social
B) non-verbal
C) task
D) entrepreneurial
In Germany, labor unions:
A) have union representatives on the boards of businesses.
B) are involved in national wage setting.
C) are affiliated with the Labor party.
D) are enterprise unions.
Determining the characteristics necessary for good job performance is most likely
difficult because of the:
A) changing business environment.
B) lack of accurate job descriptions.
C) lack of managerial involvement.
D) changing nature of most jobs.
Which term refers to employing an individual with a history of violent or illegal
behavior without conducting a background check or taking proper precautions?
A) Negligent hiring
B) Employee-at-will
C) Abatement
D) Sabotage
In most cases, plantwide incentive programs:
A) exclude salaried workers.
B) exclude low performers.
C) reward only the best performing teams.
D) improve labor-management relationships.
Tortes and Cakes Corporation (TCC) is redesigning its work processes and wants to tap
into the new work technology. Most of the computer programs the firm needs are quite
complex, but TCC wants to computerize the entire business within 18 months. Which
of the following would be most appropriate for TCC?
A) Diversity development
B) Team training
C) Development
D) Training
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 employment. You are an HR consultant brought in to assist with the layoff. The
firm has also hired a PR specialist to handle the press releases and public
communications about the layoff. Although MedEquip is a large company, the firm has
built a family atmosphere. Corporate headquarters is located in a small community of
about 10,000 people.
The firm is planning to implement a layoff of 20% of its hourly and managerial
employees. Because of time demands and financial pressures, the layoff will occur in
30 days. The firm plans to use work performance as the layoff criterion. Three areas of
the business will be affected: MIS, facilities, and accounting. Management is concerned
about security in these areas.
Olivia, a middle manager who will not be laid off, has decided to hold group meetings
with the units affected by the layoff. Employees will not receive information in writing
regarding the layoff to avoid litigation issues. Instead, affected employees will receive
verbal communications from Olivia about the layoff. Employees at the firm who are not
losing their jobs will receive e-mails that summarize the current situation at MedEquip.
Refer to Additional Case 6.3. As an HR consultant, you should most likely recommend:
A) escorting affected employees off-site as soon as they are notified.
B) holding the large group termination session at the end of the week.
C) requiring surviving employees to start working overtime and weekends.
D) informing employees that they will be laid off through a corporate memo.
________ is(are) an easy way to provide employees information about job
opportunities.
A) Skill inventories
B) A job-posting system
C) An HRIS system
D) Career paths
According to the text, what percentage of new businesses fail in their first year of
operation?
A) 30%
B) 40%
C) 50%
D) 60%
Firms are most likely hesitant to perform official diversity audits because they:
A) worry about offending minority employees.
B) develop HR policies based on EEOC guidelines.
C) fear the information could be used in a lawsuit.
D) doubt the soundness and relevancy of any data.
The “do only what you get paid for” syndrome is a potential problem tied to which of
the following conditions?
A) Companies do not use a pay-for-performance strategy.
B) Employees help develop a pay-for-performance strategy.
C) Pay is closely tied to specific performance indicators.
D) Employee intrinsic drives are reinforced.
Which of the following is an advantage of union contract grievance procedures?
A) Grievance procedures are managed by the HR labor relations specialist.
B) Grievance procedures are quick and simple to implement.
C) Employees who dislike an arbitrator’s decision may strike.
D) Employees are provided with a union steward.
Which of the following is NOT a common criticism of trait appraisal instruments?
A) Lack of legal defensibility
B) Too much rater bias
C) Costly and time consuming
D) Ambiguous ratings
Additional Case 1.4
Crowe, Inc. has been a powerful steel producer for the last 15 years and predicts a
profitable future. Crowe has a very secure position within the steel industry and does
not plan to expand into different industries. Top managers exercise significant control
over the firm. Crowe strives to develop new products and technologies. The company
offers employees long-term career development and grooms employees for promotions
through a highly structured HR system. In the past, the company’s atmosphere has been
very congenial and cohesive at all levels of the organization.
Recently, there has been a noticeable shift in employee attitudes. Lower-level
employees have expressed discontent about schedules, compensation, and training
opportunities. Several employees have been fired, and many others have threatened to
quit.
Refer to Additional Case 1.4. Crowe could be best described as a:
A) defender.
B) prospector.
C) reactive corporation.
D) company with distinctive competencies.
Raj has personal investment plans for retirement. He also is involved with his
company’s retirement plan; his company contributes to his retirement each month. His
personal contributions are ________, and his company’s contributions are ________.
A) tax-free / tax-deferred
B) tax-deferred / tax-deferred
C) tax-deferred / tax-free
D) tax-free / tax-free
Most of the measures used in hiring decisions focus on an applicant’s:
A) ability.
B) motivation.
C) ethics.
D) personality.
A court would most likely find a discipline decision as arbitrary or unwarranted in
which of the following situations?
A) Management provided substantial evidence of guilt.
B) An employee’s absolute right to privacy was violated.
C) Circumstances fit within guidelines of employment-at-will.
D) Management failed to notify the employee of a rule violation.
What is the purpose of the assessment phase of career development? How can
self-assessment help individuals develop their own careers? What self-assessment tools
are available?
The code of tax laws that affects how much of their earnings employees can keep and
how benefits are treated for tax purposes, is called the ________.
A right protected by specific laws is referred to as a(n) ________.
How are employee disputes with management handled in both unionized and
nonunionized firms? Discuss grievance procedures and open-door policies in your
response.
You are developing a training program and trying to choose between OJT,
off-site-training, and computer-based training. What are the strengths and weaknesses
of each type?
A(n) ________ is a company-sponsored program that helps employees cope with
personal problems that are interfering with their job performance.
What is human resource planning? How can effective selection procedures improve the
HR planning process?
A one-time reward usually given in the form of a tangible prize is called a(n) ________.