Chapter 14—Managing and Enhancing Performance: The Big Picture
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Sharia laws
a.
forbid the charging of interest.
b.
specify the punishment for a number of crimes specifically mentioned in the Qur’an or in
the writing of Mohammed.
c.
allow men to become divorced at will by just saying it aloud.
d.
specify the dietary restrictions known as Halal.
e.
all of these.
2. An HR system, based on The Qur’an and Sharia would look ______ what we would expect in a
(progressive) Western company.
a.
nothing like
b.
nothing like the two-class benefit system
c.
similar to faith-based businesses
d.
similar (except for the stoning, clothing, and speaking divorce-seems that would affect
family member benefits) to
e.
similar to
3. Values based on the Qur’an result in an HR system with all of the following EXCEPT
a.
in hiring, priority should be given to qualified individuals.
b.
one can disagree with a supervisor, but it must be done politely.
c.
in management, nepotism is ok.
d.
employee layoffs and downsizing should be considered only as the last resort to maintain
business survival.
e.
it is important to maintain due process when dealing with employee grievances.
4. Michael works in Silicon Valley. Which benefit is he NOT likely to have access to
a.
computer privacy.
b.
gourmet food.
c.
concierge service.
d.
coffee bar.
e.
haircuts.
5. Lance’s faith is very important to him. He is considering working for a faith-based business. He is
MOST likely to be attracted to
a.
a day of rest.
b.
shared beliefs.
c.
generous benefits.
d.
generous compensation.
e.
none of these.
6. Human resource indicators include all of the following EXCEPT
a.
turnover rates.
b.
absenteeism.
c.
return on investment.
d.
accident rates.
e.
general labor costs.
7. Individual performance can be measured by
a.
stock price.
b.
market share.
c.
units produced.
d.
return on assets.
e.
return on investment.
8. When an organization is interested in measuring the effectiveness of a performance-enhancement
technique, it makes sense to examine
a.
multiple indicators.
b.
stock price.
c.
return on assets.
d.
labor costs.
e.
accident rates.
9. Any true measure of organizational success must tie back to the organization’s
a.
strategic goals.
b.
mission statement.
c.
tactical goals.
d.
strategic plans.
e.
tactical plans.
10. At Ernst & Young professional services firm, accountants undergo hundreds of hours of training. One
measure for evaluating performance-enhancement training is
a.
waste management.
b.
controllable cost management.
c.
change in billable hours.
d.
on-time service.
e.
productivity.
11. On Monday, Tonio reviews and files patient charts. On Tuesday, he collects lab specimens from
patients. On Wednesday, he enters lab results into the computer. On Thursday, he collects specimens
again. On Friday, he completes insurance paperwork. Tonio’s employer is using job
a.
enrichment.
b.
enlargement.
c.
analysis.
d.
specialization.
e.
rotation.
12. Eugenie used to sew pockets on shirts. Now, she sews an entire shirt. Eugenie’s employer is increasing
the ____ of her job.
a.
job analysis
b.
feedback
c.
productivity
d.
task identity
e.
autonomy
13. Atlas Paper of Miami, Florida, makes paper products from 100% recycled scrap. One set of workers at
Atlas has the full-time job of sorting scrap as it enters the facility. If the scrap is not sorted correctly,
workers find out right away, when the manufacturing process creates defective paper. The job of scrap
sorter apparently has high levels of
a.
skill variety.
b.
task identity.
c.
autonomy.
d.
task significance.
e.
feedback.
14. What is the work schedule plan that involves employees working a forty-hour, five-day week but with
some employee control over starting and ending times for work each day?
a.
Flexible work hour program
b.
Compressed workweek
c.
Home work program
d.
Telecommuting
e.
Cafeteria-style work plan
15. In a flexible work hour program, what is the term for the time of day when every employee must be at
work?
a.
Regular time
b.
Core time
c.
Full-time
d.
Flextime
e.
Mandatory time
16. Under which circumstances would flexible work hour programs be less feasible for an organization?
a.
When the organization has limited administrative support
b.
When job satisfaction is an issue
c.
When the organization relies heavily on the use of teams
d.
When on-the-job accidents are an issue
e.
When operating managers designate work schedules
17. Which of the following is NOT an issue surrounding the use of telecommuting?
a.
Communication among employees is easier to facilitate.
b.
It becomes more difficult for unions to organize workers.
c.
It is difficult for new employees to become socialized into the organization.
d.
Some individuals may lack the self-discipline to conduct work in an unconstrained
environment.
e.
Organizational loyalty and commitment seem to suffer.
18. What is the MOST general form of a merit-pay plan?
a.
Bonuses
b.
Incentives
c.
Annual salary increases
d.
Gainsharing
e.
Skill-based pay
19. For a merit-pay plan to be effective, which of the following is necessary?
a.
Employees must be involved in its development.
b.
The organization must have valid and reliable measures of what merit entails.
c.
The performance measurement system must not differentiate too greatly among employees.
d.
It must focus on pay for knowledge.
e.
It must result in relatively equal merit raises among employees.
20. Under which type of incentive compensation system does the organization pay an employee a certain
amount of money for each unit of output he or she produces?
a.
Piece rate
b.
Merit
c.
Bonus
d.
Commission
e.
Individual
21. Which of the following is NOT an incentive pay system?
a.
BIC Corp. rewards employees who make a useful suggestion with free food at the company
cafeteria.
b.
Experian offers a cash prize to the worker who develops the best solution to an
organizational problem.
c.
A national jewelry chain offers annual bonuses to its repair workers who are especially
productive.
d.
An airline pays pilots a base salary plus a bonus based on the number of “on-time” flights
they flew.
e.
Lucent pays engineers with Master’s degrees more than engineers with Bachelor’s degrees.
22. Under a commission incentive system, which is the basis for individuals’ compensation?
a.
Merit
b.
Sales volume
c.
Units of output
d.
Performance
e.
Seniority
23. Under her employer’s incentive pay system, Vicky’s team sells the most real estate and wins a trip to
Hawaii. Which is one negative consequence for Vicky and her team?
a.
The incentive does not become part of their base compensation.
b.
There is a letdown in morale following the trip.
c.
Employees do not value nonfinancial compensation.
d.
It is difficult for team members to decide each individual’s contribution to the outcomes.
e.
Vicky and her team know it is unlikely they will win a second time, reducing motivation.
24. Which type of incentive reward system gives all employees across the organization a percentage of cost
savings resulting from a work team’s suggestions?
a.
Gainsharing
b.
Scanlon plan
c.
Merit pay
d.
Commissions
e.
Piece work
25. Which of the following would NOT be a method of improving the performance feedback process?
a.
Have the ratee appraise his or her performance in advance of an appraisal interview.
b.
Have the manager provide ongoing feedback to the ratee.
c.
Have the manager avoid talking about the future in formal feedback sessions.
d.
Have the manager focus on developmental aspects of performance.
e.
Have the manager balance positive and negative feedback.
26. The ____ approach is an alternative to job specialization that considers the work conditions and
employee desires.
a.
job enlargement
b.
job rotation
c.
job characteristics
d.
job enrichment
e.
job factor
27. ____ provide(s) an employee more control over his or her work situation.
a.
Job enlargement
b.
Job rotation
c.
Job characteristics
d.
Job enrichment
e.
Job factors
28. How many core dimensions does the job characteristics model contain?
a.
3
b.
4
c.
5
d.
6
e.
It depends on the type of work being examined.
29. Managers at a computer parts store decide to have their employees report to work four days a week for
longer hours so that full-time persons have three days off a week instead of two. This situation is called:
a.
gainsharing
b.
compressed workweek
c.
merit pay
d.
commissions
e.
piece work
30. The owner of a hardware store decides to pay his employees partly based on their ability to sell parts to
industrial buyers who patronize the business. This situation is called
a.
gainsharing.
b.
Scanlon plan.
c.
piece rate.
d.
commissions.
e.
Tucker-Davison plan.
Scenario 14.1
John Welk is the human resource manager for Ergo-Tot, a manufacturer of ergonomically designed baby
strollers. Ergo-Tot is considered a small company, employing just fifty people. Located in California,
Ergo-Tot is rapidly expanding, due to an increased demand by new parents for ergonomically correct
strollers for their babies. Ergo-Tot’s manufacturing process involves the use of very new, very complex
patented machinery that is exclusive to the company. The training of manufacturing employees to
effectively operate this machinery is very important to Ergo-Tot.
The company has just invested a large amount of capital in several new machines to support this demand
growth. Therefore, Mr. Welk has a limited training budget available to train machine operators on the
new machinery. He is in the process of assessing the capabilities of Ergo-Tot’s existing employees as
well as the changes in job-related needs resulting from the implementation of the new machinery. Mr.
Welk needs his machine operators to be up to speed as quickly as possible. He also wants to build
employee motivation with the work environment by moving his employees through several different
jobs over time and by giving them more control over the work being performed.
31. Refer to Scenario 14.1. The employees have received training on the new machines. Mr. Welk is
comparing the productivity per worker per hour of the old machines and the new machines. What is
Mr. Welk doing?
a.
Transfer of training
b.
Setting training goals
c.
Determining training content
d.
Needs analysis
e.
Evaluating performance-enhancement programs.
32. Refer to Scenario 14.1. Given that Ergo-Tot’s operations are not in Silicon Valley, which benefit is an
employee MOST likely to receive?
a.
Back rubs
b.
Concierge
c.
Coffee bar
d.
Haircuts
e.
Vacation days
33. Refer to Scenario 14.1. Mr. Welk is evaluating human resource indicators. He is looking at
a.
turnover rates.
b.
absenteeism.
c.
accident rates.
d.
general labor costs.
e.
all of these.
34. Refer to Scenario 14.1. When Mr. Welk moves his employees around into different jobs, this is called:
a.
general training.
b.
specific training.
c.
job rotation
d.
job enrichment
e.
job enlargement
35. Refer to Scenario 14.1. When Mr. Welk affords his staff more control over their work, this is called:
a.
general training.
b.
specific training.
c.
job rotation
d.
job enrichment
e.
job enlargement
TRUE/FALSE
36. It appears that Western ideas about effective HR practices are quite consistent with Muslim values and
law.
37. Complaints about pregnancy-related work discrimination have decreased since 2000.
38. Human resource professionals know that when evaluating performance-enhancement program
indicators, many of these indicators can be affected by a wide variety of factors so that changes in any
one index may not be a good measure of how effective the intervention has really been.
39. When evaluating performance-enhancement, there is no clear rationale for why one index should be
favored over the others, and each provides useful information for a firm trying to measure its success.
40. Job rotation involves moving employees from one position to another in an effort to enhance learning
and flexibility.
41. Flexible work hour plans allow employees to plan when they report to and leave work.
42. Incentive compensation is one of the oldest forms of performance-based rewards.
43. A Scanlon plan is based on the notion that cost savings will be passed on to employees in the form of
bonuses.
44. Group reward systems can be difficult to manage when group members do not contribute equally at
work.
45. One method for improving performance feedback is to provide more of it during regular feedback
interviews.
SHORT ANSWER
46. Would you rather work for a Christian, faith-based organization or a Muslim, Sharia-based
organization? Why?
47. Consider the job of cashier in a supermarket. How could a supermarket manager use the job
characteristics approach to improve the design of the cashier position?
48. Describe the two most common alternate work schedules.
49. How should an organization evaluate performance-enhancement techniques?
50. What common team and group incentive rewards may be used by organizations?