One place where diversity has grown with little difficulty is in the aging of the
workforce, since managers do not hold negative assumptions about older workers as
they do with other protected classes.
Rational and political perspectives on performance appraisal differ in that the rational
approach seeks as clear a definition of worker performance as possible, while the
political perspective seeks ambiguity.
Corporate meetings are designed to allow managers to coordinate activities with
subordinates in their units.
The perceived fairness of an employee’s pay relative to what other employees are being
paid for the same labor describes the concept of internal equity.
With the shift from manufacturing to technology, communication is less important than
technical skills for organizational success.
Unions typically advocate merit pay plans over group pay incentives.
OSHA offers a free consultation service to help businesses identify workplace hazards
and improve safety management.
Liking is an emotional and conscious response on the part of employers and is
established over a long period of time.
A straight-salary sales compensation plan has a tendency to encourage salespeople to
emphasize sales volume over customer service.
An employer’s rights under employment-at-will are unlimited.
Union membership is increasing in the public sector while declining among private
employers.
Employee mentoring programs are effective during the settling-in stage of socialization.
Which term refers to positioning yourself to move ahead in an organization?
A) Training
B) Assessment
C) Advancement
D) Development
Your business is a government contractor. To begin your affirmative action plan, you
start with a utilization analysis. What is your first step in conducting this analysis?
A) Determining the percentage of protected classes in the available labor market
B) Dividing all of the jobs in your business into classifications
C) Assessing the percentage of persons from all protected classes working in your
business
D) Determining if your company is violating the four-fifths rule
Which of the following is the LEAST likely reason for the earnings differential between
women and men?
A) Male-dominated corporate culture
B) Federal employment laws
C) Biological constraints
D) Exclusionary networks
An ESOP-based incentive compensation plan:
A) is based entirely on productivity and quality gains.
B) resembles an Improshare plan that distributes corporate savings to workers.
C) is based on the entire company’s performance and rewards employees with stock.
D) combines the best features of an individual-based plan and a team-based incentive
plan.
To ensure accurate understanding of a message, the receiver should:
A) accurately encode the message.
B) compensate for noise.
C) choose the best channel.
D) provide feedback to the sender.
Which of the following best describes a multinational corporation?
A) ION Enterprises has assembly and production facilities in several countries and
regions of the world.
B) Avery Shoes exports its products to several countries and regions around the world.
C) Wilton Paper is a highly decentralized firm that has operations in many countries
and little allegiance to any country.
D) Formby Manufacturing is an international business consisting of a foreign branch
owned partly by the home office and partly by an entity in the host country.
The legal requirements that any performance appraisal system must meet are set forth
in:
A) Executive Order 110267.
B) the Civil Rights Act of 1991.
C) an addendum to the Americans with Disabilities Act.
D) Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The growth of benefits costs has pushed employers to:
A) diversify the workforce.
B) hire more part-time employees.
C) move from managed care to traditional health insurance.
D) ask for more government intervention in the health industry.
For companies in stage ________ of the internationalization process, HRM practices
must focus on the selection, training, and compensation of expatriate managers, as well
as the development of policies for employees of foreign facilities.
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 5
Additional Case 15.1
Billiards, Inc. makes collapsible pool cues and other billiard products. Tegau, the
general manager, has called a management team meeting with Tammy, the director of
HR; Gary, the VP of operations; Ramonia, the employee relations specialist; and Ryan,
a labor relations consultant.
Tegau wants ideas from her management team about what to do concerning the possible
unionization of their workers. Tammy suggests that they do nothing, let the union
conduct its vote, and if certified, treat it as a legitimate worker representative of the
workers. Gary says the firm should begin aggressively opposing union organization. He
thinks first-line supervisors should be brought in and told that if workers in their areas
vote for the union, the supervisors will lose their jobs and the company might sell off
the unionized part of the business. Ramonia suggests that Billiards, Inc. tell the
employees about their current plans to upgrade employee benefits and working
conditions’”a project she’s worked on for the last six months.
Management decides to mildly oppose the union but the union is certified anyway.
Tegau is now in her first contract negotiation. Ryan explains to the union that if they
will accept flexible work rules, the employees can have more fulfilling jobs, the
company will save money which it can spend on benefits, and the union will start with a
positive relationship with the company. The union representative says “No way. We go
on strike in ten days.”
Refer to Additional Case 15.1. Which manager has general responsibility for day-to-day
management-labor relations at Billiards, Inc?
A) Tammy
B) Ramonia
C) Ryan
D) Tegau
Which of the following is LEAST important when determining which HR strategies
will positively impact a firm’s performance?
A) Organizational capabilities
B) Organizational strategies
C) Organizational characteristics
D) Overall cost leadership strategy
Additional Case 7.3
In a training session for managers, you state that performance improvement is the most
important part of the performance appraisal process. During the session, you explain
how the group of supervisors can manage employee performance more effectively.
During the ensuing discussion, Chris, a middle manager with 20 subordinates, explains
that he has a finely tuned ability to discover the causes of performance problems.
According to Chris, employees either lack motivation for the job or lack the skills and
knowledge to perform the job.
Another supervisor, Gena, says that after she determines the cause of a performance
problem, she creates a supportive environment and works in partnership with the
employee to solve the problem. While Gena strives to show acceptance, she also finds it
effective to point out to subordinates how their negative personality traits affect their
work performance. Gena states that by giving employees all the time needed and
offering suggestions, performance improvements typically occur.
Refer to Additional Case 7.3. Chris’s analysis most likely suggests which of the
following plays a role in performance management?
A) Organizational politics
B) Nonverbal attending
C) Cultural insensitivity
D) Observer bias
What is the most common type of pay for performance used by firms?
A) Perks
B) Bonuses
C) Stock options
D) Nonmonetary rewards
Mona is interested in buying a new computer. She has heard that Shell processors are
on the low end of the cost spectrum and that the company offers an excellent warranty.
Mona is focused on the firm’s:
A) multiple appraisal inputs.
B) distinctive competencies.
C) entrepreneurial climate.
D) moral commitment.
Perez, a citizen and resident of Mexico, works in an international subsidiary of a U.S.
company. Perez:
A) is not considered an employee of the company, as he does not have U.S. citizenship.
B) may apply for U.S. citizenship after three years of working for the company.
C) is protected under U.S. employment law.
D) is not protected under U.S. employment law.
Kay is working with Charity to help Charity identify the type of career she wants and
what steps to take to realize her goals. Kay and Charity are:
A) in the direction phase of career planning.
B) in the development phase of career planning.
C) conducting a self assessment of Charity.
D) working through an organizational assessment.
When developing performance appraisals, a firm needs to make strategic HR choices
concerning:
A) how appraisal data will be used in job descriptions.
B) training programs for employees with substandard job performance.
C) which kind of appraisal system (customized or general) will work best for the
organization.
D) how to maintain the privacy of managers and employees while collecting data
regarding their job performance.
Tanglewood Enterprises wants a sales compensation plan that is simple to administer,
controls sales costs, and encourages salespeople to be entrepreneurial. Which of the
following would be the best compensation plan for Tanglewood?
A) Straight commission plan
B) Combination plan
C) Straight salary plan
D) Merit plan
What is the difference between labor supply and labor demand? When labor demand
exceeds labor supply, what employee recruitment sources are available? What are the
advantages and disadvantages of each source?
________ is the perceived fairness of the pay structure within a firm.
How have technology advancements changed HRM? Discuss how these advancements
allow HR managers to support line managers more effectively.
How do human resources influence a firm’s performance? How does strategic HR
planning benefit a firm?
________ is bargaining that focuses on convincing the other party that the benefits of
agreeing with the proposed terms would be very high.