Human Resource Management, 15e (Martocchio)
Chapter 4 Strategic Planning, Human Resource Planning, and Job Analysis
1) Which is the process by which top management determines overall organizational purposes
and objectives and how they are achieved?
A) human resource planning
B) strategic planning
C) creating a mission
D) objective setting
2) Two fundamental business strategies are ________.
A) lowest-cost and highest quality
B) differentiation and turnaround
C) lowest cost and differentiation
D) lowest cost and turnaround
3) Brand loyalty is most characteristic of which competitive strategy?
A) differentiation
B) turnaround
C) innovation
D) lowest cost
4) How have HR executives taken a greater strategic role in organizations?
A) They participate in the strategic planning process when time permits.
B) They rely on the CEO for direction.
C) They implement the organization’s strategic plan.
D) They are actively involved in the organization’s strategic planning process.
5) Which is a TRUE statement about price premiums for differentiated products?
A) Consumers are relatively insensitive to premium prices.
B) Consumers are highly sensitive to price premiums.
C) Consumers are ambivalent to price premiums.
D) none of the above
6) What is the human resources professional’s primary focus during the strategic process
discussion?
A) objective planning
B) environment
C) mission
D) talent
7) Which of the following is NOT a step in the strategic planning process?
A) assessing the organization
B) determining financial outlays
C) determining the organizational mission
D) setting specific objectives and direction
8) What is the first step in the strategic planning process?
A) setting specific objectives
B) implementing long–term goals
C) assessing the business environment
D) determining the organizational mission
9) The marketing department at ABC Widget Company has been assigned the task of developing
a strategic plan. The marketing team has completed the first three steps of strategic planning.
Which of the following steps does the marketing department need to take in order to complete
the strategic planning assignment?
A) determine the strategies needed to accomplish specific objectives
B) evaluate the organizational mission of the ABC Widget Company
C) establish short-term and long-term directions for the group
D) assess the primary competitors of the ABC Widget Company
10) Which of the following serves as the basis for the strategic planning process?
A) SWOT
B) O*NET
C) AAP
D) ATS
11) Which of the following terms refers to a unit’s continuing purpose, or reason for being?
A) mission
B) goal
C) objective
D) policy
12) The owners of a start-up company are in the process of developing a corporate mission
statement. Which of the following questions is LEAST likely to help them create an effective
mission statement?
A) Should we emphasize financial stability to employees?
B) What are the greatest threats to the success of the firm?
C) Should we maximize profit and shareholders’ dividends?
D) What is upper management attempting to accomplish?
13) In strategic planning, the purpose of a SWOT analysis is to assess the organization’s
________.
A) information technology
B) anticipated long–term goals
C) perceived value and structure
D) internal and external environment
14) What is the desired end result of any activity called?
A) policy
B) mission
C) objective
D) procedure
15) Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of an objective?
A) measurable
B) universal in nature
C) expressed in writing
D) challenging but attainable
16) Which of the following should most likely be accomplished before setting an objective?
A) cost benefit analysis of every alternative
B) SWOT analysis of all competitors
C) performance analysis of each employee
D) job analysis for each position
17) What primarily determines which type of organizational structure is best for a company?
A) age of the firm
B) needs of the firm
C) product or service
D) corporate competition
18) Compared with lowest-cost strategies, successful attainment of differentiation strategies
depends on ________.
A) employee creativity
B) openness to novel work approaches
C) willingness to take risks
D) all of the above
19) Strategic planning at all levels of the organization can be divided into four steps: (1)
determination of the organizational mission, (2) assessment of the organization and its
environment, (3) setting of specific objectives or direction, and (4) determination of strategies to
accomplish those objectives.
20) The mission of a firm involves determining the principles on which management decisions
will be based.
21) The systematic process of matching the internal and external supply of people with job
openings anticipated in the organization over a specified period of time is referred to as
________.
A) strategic planning
B) personnel forecasting
C) human resource planning
D) human capital supply analysis
22) ________ determines whether the firm will be able to secure employees with the necessary
skills.
A) Availability forecast
B) Employee recruiting
C) Succession planning
D) Work sampling
23) What activity precedes the human resource planning process?
A) HR forecasting
B) strategic planning
C) HR demand analysis
D) labor supply analysis
24) What are the two components of human resource planning?
A) demand and objectives
B) strategy and requirements
C) requirements and availability
D) availability and objectives
25) Steve is an HR specialist at Cisco Systems. Steve needs to determine the number, skill, and
location of employees that Cisco will need in 12 months in order to achieve the firm’s strategic
plan. Which of the following would best meet Steve’s needs?
A) requirements forecast
B) labor supply analysis
C) availability forecast
D) sales forecasting
26) A firm becomes aware of having a surplus or shortage of employees as a result of comparing
________.
A) availability and tasks
B) tasks and performance
C) skills and requirements
D) requirements and availability
27) What is the primary reason for implementing human resource planning on a continuous
basis?
A) employing temporary workers
B) changing business environments
C) selling goods to overseas customers
D) recruiting workers on Internet job sites
28) What technique type is used for forecasting HR requirements?
A) budgetary
B) qualitative
C) bottom-up
D) conversion
29) Which of the following is a forecasting technique that uses the organization’s current level of
employment as the starting point for determining future staffing?
A) bottom-up approach
B) zero–base forecasting
C) the Delphi technique
D) simulation
30) What forecasting technique involves an analysis to determine whether the firm can justify
filling an open position?
A) bottom-up approach
B) simulation
C) Delphi technique
D) zero–base forecasting
31) In ________, each successive level in the organization, starting with the lowest, forecasts its
requirements, ultimately providing an aggregate forecast of employees needed.
A) simulation forecasting
B) zero–base forecasting
C) cycle forecasting
D) bottom-up forecasting
32) Wilson Marketing, Inc. uses the bottom-up forecasting method. Who is considered the most
knowledgeable about employment requirements at the firm?
A) HR managers
B) statisticians
C) unit managers
D) stockholders
33) What relationship tends to exist between demand (sales volume) and the number of
employees needed?
A) positive
B) highly negative
C) unrelated
D) somewhat negative
34) When a company advertised job opportunities to its customers with a “Careers Instructions”
sheet packed inside product boxes, what was this an example of?
A) planning forecast
B) innovative recruiting
C) strategic forecast
D) availability forecast
35) Which of the following is NOT an action firms take when a shortage of workers is
forecasted?
A) explore new recruiting methods
B) encourage early retirements
C) offer compensation incentives
D) provide training programs
36) Which of the following is NOT an alternative to laying off employees?
A) implementing a restricted hiring policy
B) lowering employment standards
C) mandating reduced hours
D) downsizing the workforce
37) According to your textbook, ________ of small business owners say they’re prepared for
succession planning.
A) 31%
B) 75%
C) 15%
D) 40%
38) The process of ensuring that a qualified person is available to assume a key managerial
position once the position is vacant is referred to as ________.
A) strategic planning
B) departure planning
C) succession planning
D) skill planning
39) Human resource planning is the process by which top management determines overall
organizational purposes and objectives and how they are to be achieved. It is an ongoing process
that is dynamic and ever changing.
40) Human resource planning is a minor concern for most organizations especially during
difficult economic periods.
41) When employee requirements and availability have been analyzed, the firm can determine
whether it will have a surplus or shortage of employees.
42) An availability forecast involves determining the number, skill, and location of employees
the organization will need at future dates in order to meet its goals.
43) The only source used to determine whether the needed employees are available is from
outside the organization.
44) Flexible work hours, telecommuting, child–care centers, and signing bonuses are
compensation incentives used by firms during high-demand situations.
45) Innovative recruiting, compensation incentives, and training programs are used by firms
when a surplus of employees is forecasted.
46) A hard freeze means that a firm is only hiring to fill critical positions.
47) ABC Manufacturing is financially struggling during an economic downturn. As a result, HR
and managers are evaluating every position at ABC to determine the ones that the firm cannot
survive without and continuing to hire only for those positions. ABC is most likely implementing
a smart freeze.
48) Encouraging workers to use their vacation time, offering early retirement packages, and
increasing the use of contingent workers are commonly used alternatives to layoffs.
49) In the zero-based forecasting method, each successive level in the organization, starting with
the lowest, forecasts its requirements, ultimately providing an aggregate forecast of employees
needed.
50) Succession planning is the process of ensuring that qualified persons are available to assume
key managerial positions once the positions are vacant.
51) According to experts, the tenure for CEOs is lengthening.
52) The current trend with succession planning is to focus exclusively on top executive positions.
53) Forecasting of the firm’s goods and services is required before HR requirements can be
determined.
54) Identify and discuss zero-base forecasting and bottom-up forecasting.