74) In order to ensure that performance goals are challenging and relevant, Matthew, a marketing
manager, should independently set goals for his subordinates because participatively set goals
usually produce lower job performance.
75) Formal performance appraisals have been eliminated by almost all major firms and replaced
by daily assessments by peers in addition to extensive training opportunities.
76) The HR department monitors the performance appraisal system, but it is typically not
involved in rating employees.
77) In order to ensure that performance appraisals are effective, Felicia, a line supervisor, should
make sure to schedule a feedback session to address each subordinate’s performance, progress,
and future development plans.
78) The forced distribution method is the simplest and most popular technique for appraising
performance.
79) When actual job duties are appraised, the idea is to focus on the extent to which the
employee exhibits the competencies that the employer values and that are essential for the job.
80) Supervisors at Sun Microsystems use the forced distribution method to evaluate
performance, so they must ensure that the proportions in each category are symmetrical.
81) The basic problem with using a ranking method for performance appraisals is not identifying
the extreme good and bad performers but differentiating meaningfully between the others.
82) Top employees often outperform the average or poor employees by as much as 100%.
83) Paired comparison is a rating approach that involves keeping a record of uncommonly good
or undesirable examples of an employee’s work-related behavior and reviewing it with the
employee at predetermined times.
84) The advantages of using BARS as a performance appraisal tool is the method’s accuracy,
clear standards, and consistency.
85) Management by objectives cannot be used as a primary performance appraisal tool, but it is
useful as a supplement to the graphic rating method.
86) Sam supervises a team of data entry clerks at Geico. The firm’s electronic performance
monitoring system enables Sam to electronically monitor the amount of computerized data an
employee processes each day.
87) Unclear standards on a performance appraisal tool will most likely lead to unfair appraisals
because performance traits are too open for interpretation.
88) Central tendency is a problem that occurs when a supervisor’s rating of a subordinate on one
trait biases the rating of that person on other traits.
89) The alternation ranking method of performance appraisals can be problematic and unfair if
all employees have excellent job performance.
90) In order to ensure that a performance appraisal is legally defensible, a supervisor should use
only one performance appraisal tool.
91) Peer appraisals have been shown to have a negative effect on task motivation, cohesion, and
job satisfaction, so most organizations no longer use them.
92) Studies suggest that managers who receive upward feedback from identified subordinates
view the upward appraisal process more negatively than do managers who receive anonymous
upward feedback.
93) Three hundred and sixty-degree feedback is generally used for development purposes rather
than for pay increases.
94) During an exit interview, a supervisor and a subordinate review the appraisal and make plans
to correct deficiencies and reinforce strengths.
95) The goal for a supervisor conducting a satisfactory-not promotable appraisal interview is to
maintain satisfactory performance by finding incentives that are important to the person.
96) Tyler, an accounting manager at Firestone, is preparing for an appraisal interview with an
employee whose performance is unsatisfactory but correctable. Tyler’s primary objective during
the interview should be to encourage the employee with positive reinforcements like job
enlargement and compliments.
97) While formal written warnings are provided too late to salvage an employee’s performance
and position at the company, they are useful in court proceedings.
98) Performance appraisals are a link between corporate strategy, departmental goals, employee
goals and employee performance in the overall performance management process.
99) Ongoing performance monitoring is an element of performance management that involves
the use of computer-based systems that measure an employee’s progress and send out reports
regarding an employee’s performance.
100) A talent management philosophy involves segmenting employees based on their value to
the firm’s success and providing those employees with special coaching, feedback, and
development opportunities.
101) As a manager, how can you set effective performance appraisal standards for your
employees? Explain your answer in a brief essay.
102) Why is it important for a manager to appraise a subordinate’s performance? How can a
manager handle a subordinate who is defensive when told that his or her performance is poor?
103) What are the essential steps of the performance appraisal process?
104) What are the four job-relevant dimensions that can be measured by the graphic-rating scale
method of performance appraisal? What problems are associated with graphic-rating scales?
105) In a brief essay, describe the forced distribution method. What are the advantages and
disadvantages of the forced distribution method?
106) What is a behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS)? How would a manager develop a
BARS?
107) Describe the four basic types of appraisal interviews.
108) What are the guidelines that supervisors should follow to hold effective appraisals and
minimize problems like bias and halo effects? How can rating committees improve the fairness
of the appraisal process?
109) In a brief essay, discuss how a supervisor can develop and conduct a performance appraisal
that is legally defensible.
110) In a brief essay, discuss the components necessary for an effective performance
management process.