Instructor Resource
Kavanagh and Johnson, Human Resource Information Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
Chapter 14: HR Metrics and Workforce Analytics
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. A method of creating useful comparisons is called ______.
a. organizational enhancement
b. baseline functionality
c. benchmarking
d. risk avoidance
2. The primary purpose for the use of HR metrics and workforce analytics is to
a. measure the effectiveness of HR programs
b. help managers make different and better decisions
c. compare the differences among operational departments (e.g., finance and marketing)
d. provide qualitative information about the functioning of the organization
3. The most important factor that has led to increased emphasis on HR metrics and
analytics is
a. the costs involved in employee transactions
b. the quality revolution in the U.S.
c. the increased use and implementation of integrated HRIS
d. the growing interest in evidence-based management
4. The metrics that focus on how well the HR department accomplishes its critical
processes to support organizational effectiveness are ______.
a. strategic realignment
b. predictive analysis
c. computing infrastructures
d. administrative process efficiency
5. ______ allows users to maintain a current snapshot of key HR metrics.
a. A dashboard
b. Data mining
c. Workforce modeling
d. An operational experiment
6. “Big Data” refers to
a. many dashboards on one topic
b. large datasets that can be many terabytes or more
c. a program to build more effective benchmarks within an organization
d. all of these
7. Actively sharing HR metrics and workforce analytics information with managers via e-
mail is called ______.
a. putting HR metrics and analytics data in context
b. push systems of reporting
Instructor Resource
Kavanagh and Johnson, Human Resource Information Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
c. bottom line reports
d. benchmarking
8. The Saratoga Institute/SHRM human resources metrics are
a. a highly valued overview of many HR metrics and the formulas used to calculate them
b. metrics that began to be used to measure HR effectiveness
c. used to measure or audit HR programs and activities
d. all of these
9. The technique used to identify a causal mechanism within data and identify patterns of
relationships is called ______.
a. data mining
b. computing infrastructures
c. operational experiments
d. strategic realignment
10. Workforce analytics are
a. used to calculate costs and benefits analyses
b. used to predict the future strategy of an organization
c. strategies for combining metrics and examining changes in metrics
d. efforts to align real-time analysis of organizational and HR processes
11. A common concern among individuals who construct metrics and analytics reports is
a. they can lead to erroneous managerial actions
b. whether anyone pays any attention to their reports
c. poor reporting of data elements to form metrics by the HR department
d. that the computer software is capable of handling the magnitude of data
12. An example of a push communications channel is
a. memos from top management
b. posting metrics and analytics on company websites
c. offering access to searchable information repositories
d. e-mails to managers on metrics and analytics
13. One of the useful things to remember about HR metrics and analytics is “Don’t Do
Metrics.” This advice means
a. that organizations without an integrated computing infrastructure should not do metrics
b. not to focus on small, narrowly targeted metrics
c. developing HR metrics should be focused on increased organizational effectiveness
d. both push and pull communications should be used
14. Attempts to understand how an organization’s human capital needs would change as
a function of some expected change in the organization’s environment is called ______.
Instructor Resource
Kavanagh and Johnson, Human Resource Information Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
a. strategic alignment
b. workforce modeling
c. operational experiments
d. data mining
15. Strategic realignment involves the set of activities most commonly known as ______.
a. predictive analysis
b. benchmarking
c. Total Quality Management
d. human resource planning
True/False
1. HR process efficiency focuses on how well HR departments accomplish critical HRM
processes that support organizational effectiveness.
2. An important test of the appropriateness of outcome metrics is the “why” test.
3. The balanced scorecard approach focuses on what will happen in the organization.
4. Many managers perceive the increased interest in metrics and analytics as simply a
mandate to compute and report more metrics.
5. Assessing and reporting HR metrics will result in better organizational performance.
6. No information system generates any return on the investment unless managers
change their decision behavior for the better.
7. Trying to identifying what metrics should be reported without considering an
organization’s problems and opportunities misses the reasons for the metrics.
8. Dashboards are an enriched component of reporting.
9. “Big Data” is often seen as valuable because it offers volume, variety, and velocity.
10. Understanding what opportunities and problems managers face does not suggest
relevant analyses that can support better decisions.
11. If managers do not use HR metrics and analytics to make different and better
decision, the first question is the cost.
12. Personal theories used to identify choices for outcome measures are an accurate
reflection of reality.
1. What is the most important use of HR metrics and analytics?
2. What are some of the limitations of early attempts of HR metrics?
3. What metric of HR effectiveness is calculated by “the sum of external costs (recruiting)
and internal costs (training new employees) divided by the total number of new
employees in a specific time period”?
4. What is the difference between “push” and “pull” methods of communicating HR
metrics and analytics?
5. What is workforce modeling, and what is its use in an organization?
6. What is the primary determinant of the success of a metrics and analytics project?
7. Why is it important to put HR metrics and analytics in context?
8. What is the value of an HR dashboard?
9. What is the difference between data mining and predictive analyses?