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Chapter 3: Data Management and Human Resource
Information Systems
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. Data associated with various groups of individuals, such as employees and other
stakeholders, who might be integral for an organization’s success is called ______.
A. people data
B. anonymous data
C. confidential data
D. personally identifiable data
2. Casey makes human resource management data-driven decisions at his company by
leveraging data about people who are important to the success of the company. He
works closely with data analysts, who help him understand the people data collected.
What is this approach called?
A. human resource analytics
B. human resource analysis
C. human resource technology
D. human resource data gathering
3. Human resource information systems and electronic human resource management
systems are usually integrated into a larger cross-functional data management system
called ______.
A. an organizational data management system
B. an enterprise resource planning system
C. a big data system
D. a human information system
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4. Lynn is asked to provide payroll information for several departments to the top
management team of her company. Where can Lynn get this information?
A. the payroll department
B. the employee service data system
C. the enterprise resource planning system
D. the human information system
5. The primary advantage of a well-designed enterprise resource planning system is
______.
A. improved decision-making
B. better technology
C. its affordability
D. improved opportunities for training
6. An ______ refers to a system used to acquire, store, manipulate, analyze, retrieve,
and distribute pertinent information about an organization’s human resources, and the
concept of HRIS can be nested within the broader concept of e-HRM.
A. enterprise resource planning (ERP) system
B. database management system (DBMS)
C. relational database management system (relational DBMS)
D. human resource information system (HRIS)
7. The concept of a human resource information system can be nested within the
broader concept of ______, which refers to Internet-based information systems and
technology that span across organizational levels.
A. e-HRM
B. e-forms
C. e-records
D. e-queries
8. Dawna is a new employee at ABC Company. She wants to enroll in her benefits.
Which system is she accessing?
A. human resource information
B. enterprise resource planning
C. database management system
D. relational database management system
9. Which of these is an example of how good data management can be helpful to a
human resource professional?
A. determining the best vendors for training
B. projecting retirement statistics for the workforce
C. finding the best health-care plans
D. projecting unpredictable workforce events
10. A ______ stores a vast amount of raw data in its native format.
A. data lake
B. query
C. data record
D. database
11. Once a company has a human resource information system in place, when is a
good time to fix problems?
A. during the next update or upgrade
B. when the next system is purchased
C. at the end of the fiscal year
D. once metrics are collected
12. GIGO stands for ______.
A. gigabytes in, gigabytes out
B. getting in, getting out
C. garbage in, garbage out
D. good input, good output
13. A large, all-purpose law firm collects a lot of unstructured data in many different
formats. Some of the data include photos, videos, and e-mails. Where could a user opt
to store these data?
A. database
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B. data warehouse
C. data platform
D. data lake
14. What does color and shading do when creating data visualizations?
A. provides an understanding of the context
B. focuses attention where you want it
C. creates a balance between images and text
D. simplifies data and reduces visual clutter
15. ______ starts by introducing the plot and building the context for the reader or
audience.
A. A story
B. Data
C. Research
D. Communication
16. Thomas creates a data visualization to convey a compelling story about diversity to
a top management team. He uses images to create a frame around his data in an
attempt to make his presentation visually appealing. The result is clutter. Consequently,
what is an engaged audience member likely to experience?
A. effective emphasis
B. boredom
C. increased cognitive load
D. disinterest
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17. Asking questions like “What do you want your audience to know after you are
done?” “How do you want them to feel?” and “What, exactly, do you want them to do
based on exposure to your presentation or report?” applies to the ______ point about
creating data visualizations.
A. understand the context
B. chose an appropriate visual display
C. keep things simple
D. focus attention where you want it
18. When creating data visualizations, selecting from choices of simple text, tables, bar
graphs, line graphs, scatterplots, heat maps, and geographic charts applies to ______.
A. understand the context
B. think like a designer
C. keep things simple
D. chose an appropriate visual display
19. When creating data visualizations, removing clutter and focusing on your main
points in the most efficient and succinct manner makes it easier for your audience to
focus because you are minimizing the energy they need to process the new information.
This applies to ______ point about creating data visualizations.
A. understand the context
B. keep things simple
C. tell a persuasive story
D. focus attention where you want it
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20. ______ involve(s) an extra layer of security that is only known by the user.
A. Security guidelines
B. Multifactor authentication
C. Protective gates
D. Double security
21. Some organizations may not have the skill set to select and implement a human
resource information system. Without the internal talent to lead this type project, what is
their best option?
A. stick with a paper system
B. hire a consultant
C. perform an Internet search
D. conduct a needs assessment
22. Infrastructure includes ______.
A. software and hardware
B. the hierarchy culture
C. organizational data
D. internal data-driven decisions
23. It is critical to safeguard information in the human resource information system
because the system is ______.
A. an organizational weakness
B. a tool for scraping and crawling
C. a repository for personal data
D. a logical design
24. ______ refers to individuals’ control over the collection, storage, access, and
reporting of their personal data.
A. Data privacy
B. Anonymous data
C. Data security
D. Confidential data
25. ______ tools include programs designed to scour and pull data from websites and
other electronic sources in a systematic manner.
A. Scraping and crawling
B. Physical design
C. Variable
D. Logical design
26. ______ refers to those pieces of information that cannot be linked to any information
that might link those responses to an individual, thereby disclosing the individual’s
identity.
A. People data
B. Anonymous data
C. Confidential data
D. Personally identifiable data
27. ______ refers to data for which individuals’ identities are known by the researchers
due to the linking of a name or code but are not generally disclosed or reported.
A. People data
B. Anonymous data
C. Confidential data
D. Personally identifiable data
28. ______ refers to data that are readily linked to specific individuals.
A. People data
B. Anonymous data
C. Confidential data
D. Personally identifiable data
29. Scraping and crawling tools are programs designed to scour and pull data from
websites. What do many companies use these tools for?
A. data privacy
B. training
C. benefits
D. recruiting
30. When data are collected in a way that cannot be linked to an individual’s identity, it
is called ______.
A. private
B. anonymous
C. confidential
D. specific
31. What kind of data are collected linking a name or code to it so that an individual’s
identity is known to researchers, but not generally disclosed?
A. anonymous
B. private
C. confidential
D. linked
32. Who are the only people in a company who should have access to employee social
security numbers?
A. those interested
B. those with a legitimate business need
C. those who think they might need it
D. those concerned with data security
33. Data security applied to information accessible through the Internet is called
______.
A. cybersecurity
B. scraping security
C. online security
D. Internet security
34. ______ includes the protective efforts to prevent unauthorized access to employee
data.
A. Data privacy
B. Cybersecurity
C. Data security
D. Confidential data
35. Michelle is in charge of deciding if her company should implement a human
resource information system. She begins analyzing what currently exists, what should
change, and what factors might hinder success. What is Michelle doing?
A. organizational discovery
B. organizing needs
C. needs assessment
D. designing the system
36. Which is a key question during the initial assessment for selecting and implementing
a human resource information system?
A. Who is best equipped to lead the system selection and implementation?
B. How much will the system cost to install, train, and implement?
C. How long will installation and implementation take to complete?
D. Who will facilitate training for the new system, and how long will it take?
37. When designing a human resource information system, budgets and time frames
are examples of ______.
A. project parameters
B. resources
C. physical design
D. organizational needs
38. Michelle works with the human resource information system vendor to identify and
explain business processes. She notices this results in improved processes as they
work through data flow diagrams. This design factor is called ______
A. physical design
B. architectural design
C. instructional design
D. logical design
39. Choosing the right software and hardware solutions to implement the business
processes in the human resource information system is called ______.
A. architectural design
B. instructional design
C. physical design
D. logical design
40. One way to decide on a vendor is to ask for references. When talking to a vendor’s
customer, one way to gauge customer satisfaction is asking if the system provided the
expected return-on-investment. How would the answer be helpful in deciding whether to
hire the vendor?
A. Return-on-investment is money returned for over payment to the vendor if the project
is completed before the deadline.
B. Return-on-investment indicates that the expense of the project yielded at least a
satisfactory performance measure.
C. Return on investment indicates cost savings due to savings passed on from the
provider as a result of his business connections.
D. Return on investment is money provided back to the company if the vendor takes
longer to implement the system than agreed upon.
41. A(n) ______ for a human resource information system should include pricing,
technical and maintenance support, and upgrades.
A. logical design
B. contract
C. vendor
D. physical design
42. When do most challenges that affect the benefits of an HRIS occur?
A. during the needs assessment
B. during design
C. during implementation
D. during updates
43. When an HRIS is implemented, many things change that impact employees. These
may include changes in procedures, job descriptions, and ______.
A. access to information
B. schedules
C. benefits
D. leadership
44. Some employees are likely to actively resist implementation a human resource
information system. For implementation to be successful, resistance must be ______.
A. managed
B. ignored
C. extinguished
D. controlled
45. During the implementation of a major change, such as introduction of an HRIS, you
may need to reassess and alter plans for successful outcomes. This is part of effective
______.
A. physical design
B. failure management
C. change management
D. design logic
46. Change is more likely to be successful in a clan culture after ______.
A. all internal stakeholders have been included
B. the top management team approves a go live date
C. addressing concerns about time
D. aggressive time lines have been established
47. A salient concern about change in a market culture is ______.
Bauer, Human Resource Management, 1e
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A. competition
B. aggression
C. time urgency
D. customer service
48. In a hierarchical culture, what is likely to offset concerns about short-term
challenges when change is implemented?
A. strategies that emphasize the associated benefits
B. unwavering commitment from leadership
C. demands for compliance from the frontlines
D. clear expectations about compliance and follow through
49. When implementing HRIS change and setting time lines in a ______, aggressive
time lines may be feasible and even encouraged.
A. clan culture
B. adhocracy culture
C. market culture
D. hierarchy culture
50. When implementing HRIS change and setting time lines in a ______, changes in the
ways things are done can be challenging if they take more time.
A. clan culture
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B. adhocracy culture
C. market culture
D. hierarchy culture
51. When implementing HRIS change and setting time lines in a ______, consistent
strategies that emphasize the efficiency of HRIS changes may offset concerns
regarding the short-term challenges during the transition and training period.
A. clan culture
B. adhocracy culture
C. market culture
D. hierarchy culture
52. In the 1940s, Kurt Lewin developed a model for implementing new systems that
involves what three steps?
A. assessing, planning, implementing
B. assessing, implementing, evaluating
C. unfreezing, change, refreezing
D. unfreezing, refreezing, thawing
53. The change model designed by Kurt Lewin has three steps: unfreezing the current
system, enacting the change, and ______ the new system.
A. refreezing
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B. recording
C. forming
D. tabling
54. In the ______ step of Kurt Lewin’s model of change, the organization checks on
whether individuals are ready for change.
A. prechange
B. change
C. unfreezing
D. check in
55. In the ______ step of Kurt Lewin’s model of change, the organization enacts the
change.
A. enactment
B. change
C. unfreezing
D. freezing
56. In the ______ step of Kurt Lewin’s model of change, the new system becomes the
permanent replacement for the way things used to be done.
A. enactment
B. freezing
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C. unfreezing
D. refreezing
57. ______ refers to a collection of organized data, its structure designed to facilitate
the realization of business processes.
A. A database
B. Software as a service (SaaS)
C. A data flow diagram
D. A scraping tool
58. ______ refers to the software used to manage and maintain a database or multiple
databases.
A. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) system
B. Database management system (DBMS)
C. Relational database management system (relational DBMS)
D. Human resource information system (HRIS)
59. ______ database is a specific type of database in which different subsets or
collections of data are integrated through pieces of information residing within the data
themselves.
A. A relational
B. A privacy
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C. An authentication
D. A variable
60. Tammi manages employee training recordings, which include information such as
the name of the training, completion date, and test scores. As part of the human
resource data management plan, this information is stored in a ______.
A. table
B. database
C. form format
D. report
61. An applicant tracking system is an example of a ______.
A. database
B. database management system
C. relational database
D. query
62. In which kind of database are different subsets of data able to be integrated?
A. an object-oriented database
B. a hierarchical database
C. a relational database
D. an informational database
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63. Using a relational database to merge information from two tables will work as long
as there ______.
A. is no common field between the tables
B. is one common field on both tables
C. are more than three common fields on both tables
D. are fewer than five common fields on both tables
64. The software used to manage and maintain a relational database is referred to as a
______.
A. hierarchical database management system
B. object-oriented database management system
C. relational database management system
D. network database management system
65. A ______ is a database object used to store data about cases (i.e., entities) and to
add structure to the data.
A. data
B. table
C. query
D. report
66. Sue is interviewing applicants. She creates a table for their information. Each row is
designated for an applicant record. Each record contains information such phone
numbers and addresses, which are placed in ______.
A. columns
B. fields
C. spaces
D. boxes
67. Each column in a table that represents a unique characteristic is referred to as a
______, and each case in a table is a record.
A. table
B. query
C. variable
D. record
68. A ______ variable—sometimes referred to as a linking variable—provides the
information necessary to construct the relationships between tables.
A. table
B. key
C. report
D. record
69. An employee identification number is a unique identifier sometimes called a ______.
A. linking variable
B. field variable
C. record variable
D. query variable
70. A ______ is a database object that provides a user interface with which to enter,
edit, and/or display data contained within a database.
A. table
B. query
C. report
D. form
71. A database object used for data entry is a ______.
A. query
B. form
C. report
D. table
72. A ______ is a question that is posed to a database.
A. table
B. query
C. report
D. record
73. To obtain a specific subset of data from a table, the user runs a ______.
A. form
B. report
C. variable
D. query
74. A ______ is used to organize, summarize, format, and present data residing in a
database.
A. table
B. variable
C. field
D. report
75. A common application of cloud-based architectures is ______, arrangements
through which software and hardware associated with databases and applications are
maintained and controlled by a third-party entity.
A. software as a service (SaaS)
B. enterprise resource planning (ERP) system
C. database management system (DBMS)
D. relational database management system (relational DBMS)
76. Internet-based databases are also known as ______.
A. cloud-based architectures
B. traditional tiered architectures
C. general system architectures
D. hierarchical architectures
True/False
1. Human resource professionals find strategic data management optional, and many
still use data stored on paper.
2. Due to large amounts of people data collected, it is essential to think critically,
ethically, and legally about how large volumes of data about individuals are stored.
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3. Enterprise resource planning systems are expensive and intended for larger
companies.
4. Realizing the full potential of data management helps organizations to plan for their
state.
5. Today human resource management is more focused on strategic work than on
transitional activities.
6. Research shows companies that have an easy and useful HRIS report higher
employee job satisfaction.
7. Quality data analysis relies on data that are collected using sound measurement.
8. Employee start dates are an example of structured data that are stored in a
database.
9. A data lake stores a vast amount of raw data in its native format.
10. Before a company implements a human resource information system, it should
conduct a return-on-investments analysis.
11. Human error is the number one cause of data breaches.
12. After listing the minimum requirements, the next thing to consider when designing a
human resource information system is constraints such as time and money.
13. When managing change, understanding the reasons for resistance may help you
lead your team to a positive outcome.
14. Linking data sources in a relational database management system makes it more
difficult to share data cross-functionally.
1. Outline the benefits of an automated employee-centered human resource
functionality showing the value to both the organization and the employee.
2. Provide an overview of common things that make employees concerned about data
privacy as it relates to the company’s human resource information system. How might
these concerns be addressed?
3. Produce a written step-by-step plan that an organization could use for conducting a
needs assessment for a human resource information system.
4. Imagine you are in charge of selecting a vendor for a human resource information
system for your organization. Sketch out a request for proposal for a human resource
information system and describe the steps you would take from request for proposal
through contracting with a vendor.
5. Once you select a vendor and have a signed contract for a human resource
information system, you will need to inform the impacted employees which may lead to
resistance. As a human resource professional, how will you prepare to manage
changes associated with the implementation?