41) Which was NOT a change in the economic and political philosophies that drove the
globalization boom causing U.S. imports and exports to rise from $47 billion in 1960, to $562
billion in 1980, to about $4.7 trillion recently?
A) government dropped cross-border taxes or tariffs
B) economic free trades areas were formed
C) steps were taken to encourage free flow of trade among countries
D) instability in the world labor market
42) ________ has affected how people work, and therefore on the skills and training today’s
workers need.
A) Technology
B) Factory jobs
C) Global environmental concerns and legislation
D) Manufacturing
43) What term refers to the knowledge, skills, and abilities of a firm’s workers?
A) human resources
B) human capital
C) intangible assets
D) contingent personnel
44) Which of the following describes the most significant demographic trend facing the U.S.
work force?
A) increased number of aging workers
B) decreased number of contingent workers
C) increased number of blue-collar workers
D) decreased number of bilingual workers
45) Over the next few years, employers may face a severe labor shortage because ________.
A) there are fewer people entering the workforce than there are retiring baby boomers
B) one-third of single mothers are not employed in the U.S. labor force
C) there are too many nontraditional workers holding multiple jobs
D) older employees are more family-centric than younger employees
46) According to employer surveys, one of the primary challenges of Generation Y employees is
their ________.
A) inability to use information technology
B) inadequate multi-tasking skills
C) inability to balance work and family
D) need for constant praise and recognition
47) Which of the following best describes a nontraditional worker?
A) workers near retirement age
B) ethnically diverse workers
C) workers with multiple jobs
D) service-based workers
48) Globalization, competition, and technology have led to which of the following trends in
human resource management?
A) HR managers primarily focus on providing transactional services like recruiting and hiring.
B) Metrics used to measure employee potential have been replaced by standardized testing.
C) HR managers assist top management with developing and implementing new strategies.
D) Employee contracts are frequently used by HR managers to protect the interests of the firm.
49) All of the following are ways in which employers use technology to support their human
resource management activities EXCEPT ________.
A) paying employees and suppliers electronically
B) offshoring and outsourcing benefits administration services
C) offering online employee training through streaming desktop videos
D) developing data warehouses to compare employees’ skills with the firm’s needs
50) Which term refers to using external vendors to perform HR jobs that were once handled by a
firm internally?
A) freelancing
B) outsourcing
C) rightsizing
D) warehousing
51) When focusing on improving performance, which is NOT a top challenge the HR manager
faces?
A) competition for market share
B) skill development
C) government regulations
D) need to increase productivity
52) Which of the following would provide the best solution for a global firm’s HR department
that needs to immediately provide employees with corporate information?
A) streaming desktop video
B) electronic outsourcing
C) productivity software
D) network monitoring
53) An HR manager who wants to analyze the costs associated with each new hire will most
likely use which of the following?
A) podcasts
B) Web portal
C) data warehouse
D) public domain software
54) Unlike HR managers of the past, modern HR managers must be able to ________.
A) assist with employee training in various departments within a firm
B) explain HR activities in terms of a firm’s performance and profitability
C) determine the most appropriate compensation for employees
D) hire workers who are well-matched to a firm’s HR needs
55) Tara Robles earned an MBA degree and is now an HR manager for a Fortune 500 company.
In which of the following tasks does Tara’s advanced degree benefit her the most?
A) using application service providers to expedite employee services
B) assisting upper management in formulating business strategies
C) distributing pension payments to retiring employees
D) recruiting college graduates for entry-level positions
56) Which of the following best explains why top HR executives are being paid increasingly
high salaries?
A) A firm’s vision is only effective when HR managers play a strategic role in its development.
B) Effective HR managers increase corporate profitability and organizational performance.
C) Transactional activities are more cost-effective when outsourced by HR.
D) Business strategies developed by HR managers are quantifiable.
57) Strategic human resource management refers to ________.
A) formulating and executing human resource policies and practices that produce the employee
competencies and behaviors the company needs to achieve strategic aims
B) planning the balance of internal strengths and weaknesses with external opportunities and
threats to maintain competitive advantage
C) emphasizing the knowledge, education, training, skills, and expertise of a firm’s workers
D) extending a firm’s sales, ownership, and manufacturing to new markets
58) ________ refers to ensuring that the human resources management function is delivering its
services efficiently.
A) Strategic planning
B) Strategic human resource management
C) HR department lever
D) Human resource scorecard approach
59) Evidence-based human resource management relies on all of the following types of evidence
EXCEPT ________.
A) scientific rigor
B) existing data
C) research studies
D) qualitative opinions
60) Which term refers to the HR manager putting into place the policies and practices that
produce the employee competencies and skills the company needs to achieve its strategic goals?
A) HR department lever
B) strategic results lever
C) practices
D) employee cost lever
61) All of the following are ethical issues that must be considered by human resource managers
EXCEPT ________.
A) comparable work
B) workplace safety
C) affirmative action
D) FCC regulations
62) Which of the following refers to the standards someone uses to decide what his or her
conduct should be?
A) ethics
B) strategies
C) preferences
D) competencies
63) Which organization provides professional certification for human resource managers?
A) Association of Certified HR Managers
B) Society for Human Resource Management
C) Academy of Human Resource Executives
D) Association of Business Administration
64) HR managers who take SHRM certification exams are tested on all of the following areas
EXCEPT ________.
A) strategic business management
B) workforce planning
C) information technology
D) occupational health and safety
65) The vice president of marketing tells a marketing manager to prepare a presentation by the
end of the week. The vice president is most likely exercising which of the following?
A) staff authority
B) procedural authority
C) line authority
D) functional authority
66) Shelly, an HR manager, recently had a meeting with the production manager to determine if
the firm’s vacation policy was being strictly followed in the production department. Shelly was
most likely performing a ________ function.
A) coordinative
B) procedural
C) staff
D) line
67) Administering health benefits programs, helping line managers comply with EEO laws, and
assisting with labor relations are all elements of the ________ function.
A) coordinative
B) procedural
C) staff
D) line
68) Which HR specialty involves preparing job descriptions?
A) compensation manager
B) EEO coordinator
C) job analyst
D) recruiter
69) Which of the following would most likely provide assistance to executives about long-term
strategic plans?
A) centers of expertise
B) embedded HR teams
C) corporate HR teams
D) professional employee organizations
70) ________ refers to companies extending their sales, ownership, and/or manufacturing to new
markets abroad.
A) Free trade areas
B) Globalization
C) Off-shoring
D) Regulations
71) Setting standards such as sales quotas, quality standards, or production levels is part of the
leading function of human resource management.
72) The planning function of management includes establishing goals and standards and
developing forecasts.