An HMO is a health-care plan that establishes a network of doctors who provide a
broad range of services for a set fee, providing the advantages of managed care and the
flexibility of traditional insurance.
Surveys indicate that because of work-life conflicts, women are more likely than men to
turn down expatriate assignments.
Gainsharing can significantly improve productivity, but at the same time decrease
production quality, as employees strive to produce more at the expense of quality.
Residual rights are the same as employer rights.
E-mail systems in the workplace have increased productivity in all firms.
The results of position analysis questionnaires are used by the federal government in the
Dictionary of Occupational Titles.
The best way to recruit protected-class job applicants is to target those individuals with
a recruiting message designed specifically for them.
A KSA matrix is used to determine how well employees carry out the knowledge, skills,
and abilities necessary for their tasks.
Simulations replicate job demands at an off-the-job location and are commonly used
when actual equipment is costly or dangerous.
In the communications process, communication begins with a sender.
All developed countries have employment-at-will systems.
Which of the following is most likely a true statement?
A) Federal law mandates that firms provide domestic partner coverage.
B) Insurance companies require documentation for domestic partner coverage.
C) Most homosexual workers enroll their domestic partners for health care benefits.
D) Health-care costs for unmarried couples are usually lower than those for married
couples.
The practice of secret pay in a compensation system generally leads to:
A) managers being more careful in their compensation decisions because they have to
defend them.
B) an increase in the cost of mistakes in the pay-making decisions.
C) greater pay dissatisfaction among employees.
D) an egalitarian pay system.
After an extensive recruiting effort, your company has contacted 225 interested
individuals. At the application deadline, you have received 75 applications. What is
your contact-to-applicant ratio?
A) 1:2
B) 2:3
C) 1:3
D) 3:1
Additional Case 14.1
You are the HR director at Catalina Manufacturing. The firm is considering random
drug testing for employees at its California, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas
facilities. Management believes that the assembly of high explosive devices and a
recent rash of drug-related accidents make drug testing imperative.
Refer to Additional Case 14.1. You should most likely advise management that
initiating random drug testing in California is:
A) strongly supported by the court system.
B) not permitted under any circumstances.
C) only allowed if the employer is a government contractor.
D) not permitted unless the employer has a compelling interest.
In a study conducted by the U.S. Postal Service regarding drug testing, applicants who
had positive drug tests were fired nearly ________% more often than those who did
not.
A) 10
B) 25
C) 38
D) 55
Companies that emphasize monetary rewards are primarily associated with:
A) volatile markets.
B) high customer service demands.
C) high job security.
D) cross-functional teams.
Additional Case 11.2
Richland Manufacturing uses an individual-based pay-for-performance plan for
employees.
Manager input in the form of performance evaluations primarily determines individual
employee rewards. Performance appraisals at Richland are used for multiple purposes
including compensation, training, and work planning. Since implementing the plan,
many managers have noticed that employees tend to play it safe by setting modest
rather than challenging goals for themselves. Employees have also been avoiding
important tasks, such as satisfying the needs of customers and keeping work areas neat.
In addition, most employees express disbelief that pay and performance are actually
linked. As a result, Richland is considering making modifications to the system.
The HR Director wants a system that will reward all employees based on the entire
company’s performance because he wants to increase employee commitment. The VP
of Operations wants to reward specific productivity and quality improvements with a
simply structured system that considers labor costs as well as other production
expenses. The VP of Operations also believes that labor and management should work
together to allocate the rewards.
Refer to Additional Case 11.2. The VP of Operations would most likely favor a:
A) profit sharing plan.
B) team-based plan.
C) Scanlon plan.
D) Rucker plan.
Which type of training is easiest to measure in terms of dollar value?
A) Diversity
B) Team building
C) Machine operation
D) Sexual harassment
Countries with a future orientation, slow promotion, a focus on long-term rewards, and
strong company cultures, include:
A) the United States.
B) Indonesia.
C) China.
D) Greece.
Unlike training, career development:
A) has a short-term focus.
B) is initiated by employees.
C) has a broad scope.
D) benefits the organization.
Jen is examining the effectiveness and usefulness of a training program. She is in the
________ phase of training.
A) development
B) needs assessment
C) facilitation
D) evaluation
Raters who commit severity errors generally:
A) rate employees on the basis of liking.
B) restrict ratings to the high portion of the appraisal scale.
C) restrict ratings to the low portion of the appraisal scale.
D) rate employee performance similarly in all appraisal areas.
Which of the following is most likely true about employee separations?
A) Salary savings often outweigh other separation costs.
B) Innovation declines as people take their ideas with them.
C) The best workers tend to quit, so workforce quality declines over time.
D) Most separations are due to unfair employment practices by the employer.
A performance-contingent compensation system bases pay upon:
A) employee status.
B) specified hours.
C) required skills.
D) units produced.
The design of job-based compensation pay plans begins with:
A) writing job descriptions.
B) creating a job hierarchy.
C) conducting a job analysis.
D) writing job specifications.
Which of the following would most likely help employees know how to apply company
policies to their on-the-job behavior?
A) Crisis training
B) Ethics training
C) Diversity training
D) Skills training
Tuition assistance programs:
A) often have a fixed limit for reimbursement of tuition.
B) typically cover 100% of job-related educational expenses.
C) generally cover any graduate level education.
D) usually target undergraduate courses/programs.
Job title, location, and author are all part of the ________ of a job description.
A) job summary
B) identification information
C) job duties and responsibilities
D) minimum qualifications
A restaurant chain is forecasting next year’s labor needs. The firm employs 90 workers
as wait staff at ten restaurants. The firm experiences 100% turnover each year among
wait staff. The firm plans to open 4 more restaurants next year. The firm will need
________ wait staff next year. (Round your answer up to the next full position.)
A) 60
B) 90
C) 126
D) 252
Define the concepts of internal and external equity, describing two basic models a
company may use, and explain how the objectives of internal and external equity can
conflict.
Group performance appraisals are becoming more important in the U.S. business
community, since teams are increasingly common in the workplace. As a manager, how
would you appraise a team and its members in order to improve performance?
The process of providing employees with specific skills or helping them correct
deficiencies in their performance is referred to as ________.
A file maintained for each employee, containing the documentation of critical
HR-related information is referred to as a(n) ________.
How do factors such as the influence of liking, organizational politics, and employment
laws affect the performance appraisal process? What can firms do to address these
issues?
What are some reasons that workers join unions in both the U.S. and other countries?
How do labor unions and labor relations differ around the world?
The selection process may involve a significant amount of testing. Describe the various
tests HR professionals have to choose from, why they use each, and the importance of
the validity and reliability of the tests used.
A(n) ________ is a contract that spells out explicitly the terms of the employment
relationship for both employee and employer.