Alexander was being interviewed for the position of an entry-level financial analyst at a
well-known asset management company. Alexander was asked questions about the
current state of the U.S. stock market, the current net worth of certain financial firms,
and concepts such as IPO, mergers, and leverage from a set of pre-determined questions
that the interviewer had prepared. This is an example of a(n) _____.
A. structured interview
B. in-basket interview
C. work-sample interview
D. exit interview
E. nondirective interview
Which of the following is true of ethics in human resource management (HRM)?
A. Evidence shows that HRM practices are invariably ethical.
B. The general public has a positive perception of the ethical conduct of U.S.
businesses.
C. HR managers must view employees as having basic rights.
D. Most managers have a positive perception of the ethical conduct of U.S. businesses.
E. Most people believe that individuals apply values they hold in their personal lives to
their professional activities.
Christopher Maine, an employee, understands that he has great potential after taking a
self-assessment test at his company. He decides to create a checklist of short-term
objectives to be achieved to help him hone his skills. In this scenario, Christopher is
employing _____ as a mechanism of career management.
A. feedback
B. self-assessment
C. goal setting
D. assessment
E. appraisal
WingDing Inc. is a popular retailer with outlets in more than 30 cities in the United
States. After a recent expansion during which it opened an additional 15 outlets, it was
looking to expand its IT infrastructure to accommodate growing data needs. The IT
department decided against increasing the capacity of the company’s servers. Instead,
the team used a third-party hosting service for its data storage needs and for running its
applications. The employees at the megastore were allowed access to this information
through a web interface. In this scenario, WingDing is employing _____.
A. management information systems
B. relational database management
C. cloud computing
D. analytical processing
E. decision support systems
Lily, a manager at Pyramid Inc., uses a rating tool to evaluate the performance of her
subordinates. However, she finds that the scale she used did not yield consistent results
and could not determine if a change had taken place in the performance of the
employees. Which of the following was lacking in the rating scale?
A. Validity
B. Acceptability
C. Reliability
D. Transparency
E. Specificity
A small company that manufactures special-order wood furniture has kept its
employees busy on a 40-hours-a-week schedule for the past two years. The company
just received a large contract from a Japanese company that is opening offices in the
area. The Japanese company has given a month’s time for completion of its order. To
complete the contract in the required one month, the furniture company needs
additional skilled labor on short notice. Which of the following strategies is best suited
to avoid this short-term labor shortage if the company desires to find a simple and
cost-effective solution?
A. Retrained transfers
B. Overtime
C. Technological innovation
D. New external hires
E. Turnover reductions
New employees at a pesticide manufacturing company have been producing excessive
or inadequate quantities of pesticides, which are toxic in nature. Robin, the firm’s HR
manager, conducts a person analysis to assess the needs for training these new
employees. Which of the following reasons may have prompted Robin to conduct a
person analysis?
A. Machinery and other production equipment in the firm’s plant pose a hazard to
employees operating them.
B. Goals of the firm are more focused on the specific needs of a narrow market
segment.
C. Employees of the firm’s production department lack clarity in decisions regarding
minimum quality levels for manufacturing pesticides.
D. Employees of the firm find it difficult to cope with day-to-day deadlines imposed by
the firm.
E. Training programs offered by the firm lack specific goals and methods for measuring
their success.
Under the Family and Medical Leave Act, which of the following criteria makes
employees eligible to take unpaid family leave?
A. They should be working for an organization with 50 or more employees within a
75-mile radius.
B. They should have worked at least 15 hours per week.
C. They should have worked for the employer for more than 5 years.
D. They should belong to the top 10 percent of highest paid executives.
E. They should be working for an organization with at least 100 employees.
Which of the following would most likely aid in the formation of a high-performance
work system?
A. Employees’ rewards and compensation that relate to the company’s financial
performance
B. Work design that allows employees to use a single skill
C. Technology that is used to discourage flexibility
D. Employees that receive little formal performance feedback
E. Training that is discouraged because of increasing costs
In the process of designing incentives, managers should make sure that:
A. all the employees are paid the same amount.
B. even the lowest performing employees are rewarded.
C. employees focus only on completing the task quickly.
D. employees believe that the pay plan is fair.
E. they hire employees who consider earning money as the sole reason to perform well.
Ottercut Tech, a software start-up, is putting together a new team to work on the
marketing strategies for their expansion project. In the context of using the “Big Five”
personality traits for effective team building, which of the following employees would
be a good addition to a team that encourages a strong and harmonious culture and is
most likely to give the best results?
A. Jamie is very organized; Stella is very cooperative.
B. Mary is not achievement-oriented; Issac is laid-back.
C. Both John and Adam are domineering.
D. Both Miriam and Ann are aggressive and unforgiving.
E. George is emotionally unstable; Bianca is constantly depressed.
How does linking executive pay to stock performance lead to unethical behavior?
A. Executives can use the advantage of knowing the company’s inside information to
buy or sell stock and create huge personal gains.
B. Executives can roll in the stock price into their base pay to avoid paying a huge tax.
C. Executives will lower the stock prices in order to enjoy bonuses.
D. Executives can use the employee stock ownership plan to buy their company if it is
experiencing financial problems.
E. The executives can obtain as many shares as they need at a price that is much lower
than the market rate.
Merit pay system decisions are based on two factors: an individual’s performance rating
and their:
A. compa-ratio.
B. seniority.
C. pay grade.
D. educational qualification.
E. experience.
Select the correct statement about HR responsibilities of supervisors.
A. Supervisors do not interview job candidates.
B. In large organizations, all HR activities are carried out by supervisors.
C. Supervisors do not need to be familiar with the basics of HRM.
D. Job analysis and job design are techniques that lie outside the purview of
supervisors.
E. Supervisors typically have responsibilities related to all the HR functions.
Blyrie Pharma is a pharmaceutical company based in Alabama. Blyrie Pharma expects
its employees to work long hours and achieve increased production rates. Employees
earn one and a half times the usual hourly rate for working more than 40 hours in one
week. Which of the following laws is Blyrie Pharma abiding by in this scenario?
A. Laws governing equal employment opportunity
B. Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of minimum wage
C. Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of overtime
D. Laws governing prevailing wages
E. Product market laws
Adam, a team leader at a business process firm, believes that new employees should
have a training session on time management to help them plan their time more
efficiently. This scenario indicates that Adam has conducted a(n) _____.
A. institutional analysis
B. task analysis
C. person analysis
D. organization analysis
E. instructional analysis
Which of the following is a challenge associated with an outsourcing strategy?
A. Labor shortage
B. Increased cost
C. Quality-control problems
D. Lack of necessary technology
E. Diseconomies of scale
Which of the following is an advantage of a qualified plan in retirement benefits?
A. Immediate tax deductions for the funds employees contribute to the plan
B. Taxable earnings on the money in the retirement fund
C. Tax-free withdrawals for highly compensated employees
D. Exemption of contribution from employees
E. A retirement plan that provides benefits exclusively to its owners and top managers