CHAPTER 13
1. The term “gold–collar” worker has been directed to
(a) top performers
(b) knowledge-based workers
(c) highly-paid executives
(d) managers of financial institutions
2. Knowledge-based workers receive their titles because they
(a) have at least a master’s degree
(b) work in an educational setting
(c) must use their brains to solve problems
(d) work in high-tech industries
3. Which one of the following is not a barrier to pay for performance in a knowledge-based work
setting?
(a) work activities are readily definable
(b) work varies from day to day
(c) time required to perform an assignment may not be a good indicator of task importance
or complexity
(d) work performed depends on next input which can vary significantly
4. The motivational approach to human behavior focuses on individual
(a) perception
(b) commitment to objectives
(c) valuing of rewards
(d) drives activated to satisfy some current deficiency
5. In Herzberg’s “Two–Factor Theory of Motivation,” a hygiene factor is
(a) salary
(b) achievement
(c) recognition
(d) responsibility
6. In the attempt to understand why things happen when they do or the way they do, researchers first
develop
(a) assumptions
(b) hypotheses
(c) investigations
(d) experiments
7. All but which one of the following theories are included within content theories of motivation?
(a) Maslow’s hierarchical needs
(b) Herzberg’s two-factor theory
(c) McClelland’s four modes of success
(d) Adams’ equity theory
8.
The instrumentality theory and analyses of expectancy are attributed to
(a) Locke
(b) Vroom
(c) Porter
(d) Lawler
9. When should pay increases be considered if, according to expectancy theory, a pay system is to
be motivational?
(a) immediately preceding the annual performance review
(b) on the employee’s anniversary date
(c) at the start of the budget year
(d) when the consequence of an action has the strongest positive force
10. A major problem with any motivational theory based on the satisfaction of needs is
(a) bears no relationship to hiring and training practices
(b) almost impossible to identify what need(s) an employee is attempting to satisfy
(c) money is a demotivator
(d) money can be used as a consequence
11. Which one of the following is not one of the reinforcement schedules used to encourage desired
behaviors?
(a) positive reinforcement
(b) goal-directed support
(c) negative reinforcement
(d) punishment
12. Which theory of motivation is being enacted when an employee reduces her contribution because
she feels her co-worker is being better rewarded for equal contributions?
(a) hierarchy of needs
(b) reinforcement theory
(c) equity theory
(d) expectancy theory
13. In designing a reward program, one attempts to
(a) design specific rewards for specific positions
(b) provide extrinsic rewards as opposed to intrinsic rewards
(c) design a reward program to satisfy a significant number of human demands made by
almost all people
(d) provide rewards for stimulating the highest levels of performance
14. Which of the following is the ultimate purpose of performance appraisal?
(a) to document a reason for dismissal
(b) to give an increase in pay
(c) to comply with laws
(d) to direct the employees’ efforts toward achieving organizational objectives and goals
15.
All but which one of the following reasons underlie the continuing use of traits for performance
appraisal purposes?
(a) court rulings have approved their use
(b) they relate to all kinds of human qualities
(c) they relate to all kinds of work
(d) they can be used in different kinds of organizations
16. Who is most likely to be involved in the rating of an employee’s performance?
(a) immediate supervisor’s supervisor
(b) immediate supervisor
(c) the ratee
(d) the CEO
17. Which one of the following is least likely to be a characteristic of a useful and valuable
performance standard?
(a) relates to all jobs
(b) presents a challenge to the jobholder
(c) must be realistic
(d) must be observable
18. When the rater rates the ratee higher than would the normal or average rater, it is called
(a) strict rating
(b) lenient rating
(c) halo effect
(d) bias about recent behavior
19. ____________ is a measure of consistency or stability of a test or other measure over time.
(a) Validity
(b) Variance
(c) Replicability
(d) Reliability
20. A performance appraisal approach that best meets affirmative action guidelines is one that is
oriented to
(a) job content
(b) general job traits
(c) the traits of the person in the job
(d) using the same criteria for all positions
21. Which of the following descriptors is not generally considered to be a part of the Simple
Adjective Rating Scale?
(a) most positive
(b) marginal
(c) superior
(d) satisfactory
22.
A measure of the relationship of test items and actual properties the test instrument is designed to
test is
(a) reliability
(b) criterion-related validity
(c) construct validity
(d) content validity
23. A weakness of an odd number of intervals in a rating scale is that it
(a) does not allow differentiation of performance
(b) forces raters to inflate ratings
(c) forces raters to be too strict
(d) allows raters to escape making a valid rating decision
24. How often should an employee’s performance be appraised?
(a) once a year
(b) quarterly
(c) every six months
(d) continuously
25. Who typically initiates MBO objectives?
(a) supervisors
(b) each employee
(c) supervisor’s supervisors
(d) a conference between employees and their supervisor
26. Merit pay can best be defined as
(a) an annual increase in pay
(b) an adjustment to base pay relating directly to an employee’s performance
(c) an increase in pay to top performers
(d) an annual adjustment to the pay plan
27. Some experts state that pay for performance programs have had little effect because all but which
one of the following reasons?
(a) employees have little trust in them
(b) plans do too good a job of measuring actual performance
(c) poor relationships between levels of performance and rewards received
(d) performance ratings are frequently biased
28. The critical incident technique is extremely useful for
(a) setting goals
(b) documenting observed behaviors
(c) measuring results achieved
(d) establishing job rates of pay
29. Using two completely comparable or equivalent test instruments for determining reliability is the
(a) test-retest method
(b) subdivided method
(c) parallel test method
(d) split-half method
Match the results of the court case described in the right-hand column with the appropriate title of the
court case listed in the left-hand column:
Court Case Results
30. Wade v Mississippi Cooperative (a) All-white supervisors using
Extension Service subjective and vague standards to rate
black employees is discriminatory
31. Mistretta v Sandia Corp. (b) There is an assumption that of workers
in the later years their work life are in a
decline stage
32. Moody v Albermarle Paper Co. (c) Trait ratings can be subjective and
biased and are not usually based on job
content
33. Rowe v General Motors Corp. (d) Irrespective of the work they were
doing, employees were rated against
each other without establishing any
criteria for job-related performance
Chapter 13