A firm with too many management layers and bureaucratic work processes would most
likely benefit from:
A) rightsizing.
B) discharges.
C) downsizing.
D) early retirements.
Which of the following is intended to keep employees up-to-date on important events
and provide inspirational stories about employee and team contributions to the firm?
A) Employee handbook
B) Managerial memo
C) Company financial report
D) Company newsletter
Which of the following suggests that employee motivation depends on the fit between
personal abilities and job requirements?
A) Work adjustment theory
B) Goal-setting theory
C) Two-factor theory
D) Job characteristics theory
Goodwin, Inc. has recently proposed a plan to base 15% of employees’ salaries upon
their accomplishment of specific performance goals. Goodwin, Inc. is most likely
proposing what type of pay policy?
A) Profit sharing
B) Variable pay
C) Pay freezing
D) Bumping
According to your text, as employees’ base pay increases, their:
A) variable pay decreases.
B) overall compensation stabilizes.
C) nonmonetary compensation decreases.
D) overall compensation is more subject to risk.
Additional Case 1.3
Your company sells high-tech products throughout the world and is following a
differentiation business strategy. The business environment for the company is volatile,
rapidly changing, and highly complex. The company is highly entrepreneurial and has a
strong moral commitment to quality products, employee job satisfaction, and corporate
social responsibility. The management team has decided to create a common company
culture among the various national and international subsidiaries.
Refer to Additional Case 1.3. The company’s differentiation strategy is a type of:
A) corporate strategy.
B) defender strategy.
C) emergent strategy.
D) business unit strategy.
Additional Case 4.2
MGN, Inc. is a Fortune 500 company that wants to manage its diverse workforce more
effectively. HR is facilitating meetings among middle managers to communicate this
idea and to gather input from the managers about the best way to accomplish this goal.
Mercedes, a Latina manager, suggests that the company does not need to do more than
what is already being done. She cites the company’s previous affirmative action plan.
“Also,” she argues, “we’ve given African-Americans and Asian-Americans more than
enough opportunity. I tried to promote a Latino to supervisor position, and you guys
(HR dept.) told me I really needed to give Kym, an African-American, the opportunity.”
Paul, a white supervisor, feels that management is management. Managing diversity is
just a gimmick or a passing fad. “I’ve been a supervisor for 20 years, and I’ve found that
if I treat people fairly and listen to them, things work out just fine.”
Ana, a relatively new middle-manager, is a bit more positive about the idea but has
significant reservations. She feels, however, that the company really needs to give
women and minorities access to the “old boys’ network.” If all the company does is
conduct training and devise slogans, nothing will happen.
Finally, Rahkim, an African-American supervisor, says he doesn’t care what they do.
He’s giving notice because he’s joining some other African-Americans in starting their
own company. He’s been a supervisor for five years and has been passed over for
promotion twice. He feels that he has experienced discrimination because he’s
African-American.
Refer to Additional Case 4.2. As you review the comments and thoughts of these
various managers, what challenge to managing diversity seems to be expressed by all?
A) Valuing diversity
B) Individual vs. group fairness
C) Resistance to change
D) Segmented communication networks
Generally speaking, in many organizations, Asian-Americans are:
A) underrepresented in technical fields.
B) over-represented in academic institutions.
C) considered an advantaged group and therefore not eligible for special consideration.
D) the only minority group appropriately represented numerically in top corporate
positions.
Additional Case 11.1
The HR department at Sussex Enterprises has been asked to evaluate the effectiveness
of the firm’s team-based incentive plan. Managers at the firm report a decline in worker
performance, an increase in interpersonal conflicts, and an increase in complaints about
free riding team members. In addition, the manufacturing group has been accused of
producing more units than the marketing group can sell. HR at Sussex needs to
determine if the current incentive plan is appropriate or should be replaced.
Refer to Additional Case 11.1. In addition to rewarding high performers, Sussex
executives want to gain the maximum tax advantage, increase employee commitment,
and maximize financial flexibility. Which pay-for-performance plan would be most
appropriate for Sussex?
A) Individual-based
B) Corporate-wide
C) Plantwide
D) Team-based
Alyssa finds a job description for an interesting retail position. The job description
indicates exactly what department of the store she would be responsible for and what
her duties would be. The ad describes good opportunities for advancement within the
retail area, so she could become the managing retail director for her department.
However, she would not be able to move into finance or production. This is an example
of which organizational strategy?
A) Top-down management
B) Work specialization
C) Prospector strategy
D) Pyramid-building
The rate of workers’ compensation tax for employers is based on all of the following
factors EXCEPT the:
A) workers’ compensation guidelines in the employer’s state.
B) employer’s injury experience rating.
C) risk of injury for an occupation.
D) number of employees at the firm.
Which of the following is NOT an example of employee theft?
A) Accumulating overtime
B) Taking extra-long lunches
C) Misusing sick leave for extra vacation time
D) Working for another employer on company time
When considering the legal consequences of a job analysis, HR managers must
remember that:
A) the critical incident technique is the most legally defensible.
B) the more subjective and specialized the analysis, the better.
C) job analysis should focus on the job characteristic, not the worker.
D) job analysis is a dynamic process that focuses on the future use of the job.
Dixon Enterprises has a high turnover rate among its female employees. Which of the
following would most likely help the firm retain more female employees?
A) Creating work teams
B) Establishing support groups
C) Offering flexible work hours
D) Conducting regular HR audits
Managers can most likely eliminate a substantial amount of employee discipline by:
A) using headhunters to find new employees.
B) implementing online orientation programs.
C) designing challenging jobs for employees.
D) requiring regular drug and alcohol tests.
Companies spend around ________ billion dollars each year on employee training
programs.
A) 20
B) 35
C) 55
D) 70
In most cases involving employee discipline:
A) managers have difficulty confronting employees.
B) managers lack sufficient evidence about employee conduct.
C) only a few companies provide managers training on the process.
D) the majority of organizations adhere to a positive discipline process.