According to the SBA, a wholesale company with 85 employees and a manufacturing
firm with 1,200 employees are both small businesses.
Gathering job information by personal interviews is the most effective and efficient
method of performing job analysis.
The future rewards theory maintains that people tend to do those things that are
rewarded.
A contract interpretation grievance is based on union members’ rights under the labor
contract.
The landmark civil rights case that placed the burden of proof on employers in
employment discrimination cases was Griggs vs. Duke Power.
Pay-for-performance or incentive compensation systems are built on the assumption
that individual employees and work teams differ in how much they contribute to the
firm.
Task analysis examines department hierarchies, organizational culture, and job
requirements.
Pay, work breaks, vacations, and work assignments are elements of work rules in the
collective bargaining system.
Organizations that emphasize nonmonetary rewards are often trying to encourage and
reinforce individual achievement and responsibility among employees.
Federal laws prevent firms from monitoring employees’ use of the Internet.
A manager is meeting with her subordinate and discussing career development.
Together they are clarifying the employee’s goals and his strengths and weaknesses as
related to his job. This manager and employee are in the assessment stage of career
development.
Emergent strategies provide organizations with a sense of purpose and a guide for
allocating resources.
Family business provides its own unique set of challenges to human resource
management, especially in dealing with nepotism. The best way to lessen non-family
employees’ concerns over nepotism is to have the family member:
A) earn a broad general education that would make them eligible for any job.
B) start in a high level position with minimal contact with employees.
C) begin in a job made especially for him or her.
D) work outside of the family business first.
Managers who rely on their personal views and experiences to solve problems are more
likely to run the risk of:
A) alienating employees who want to contribute to the decision-making process.
B) undermining the long-term goals of the company by becoming too independent.
C) taking on more responsibility than is necessary in any given business venture.
D) making false assumptions about the business and threatening corporate profitability.
Which of the following is most likely NOT a characteristic of an organization that
effectively manages diversity?
A) Diversity audits
B) Senior mentoring programs
C) Accommodations for family needs
D) Segmented communication systems
Sacrifice for others, team effort, and a belief in the hand of fate are dominant cultural
values for employees in the countries of Singapore, South Korea, and Indonesia.
Additional Case 16.2
John is the newly hired director of HR at Richmond Manufacturing, and he is in the
process of learning about the firm’s HR policies and procedures and determining what
areas need improvement. John learns from his staff that the firm’s workers’
compensation rates have risen dramatically in recent years due to rising claims. The
firm has not received any OSHA citations, and most claims have been related to
employee mistakes. Many HR staff members suspect that burnout, substance abuse, and
depression are the primary causes of worksite accidents at Richmond. Although
Richmond established a safety program two years ago, workplace accidents continue to
occur at a significant rate. John is considering the idea of establishing an EAP at
Richmond.
Refer to Additional Case 16.2. Which of the following actions should most likely be
taken by Richmond’s safety committee?
A) Reviewing accidents and making safety suggestions
B) Enforcing safety policies in all departments
C) Serving as OSHA inspectors and arbitrators
D) Auditing workers’ compensation cases
Team training efforts will most likely:
A) focus on job processes.
B) emphasize communication skills.
C) highlight the independence of team members.
D) recognize that team goals and individual goals must align.
American companies spend an average of nearly ________ per year per employee on
benefits.
A) $9,000
B) $12,000
C) $20,000
D) $25,000
Ed, the operations manager at Ballston Flooring, has scheduled a meeting with an
employee who is habitually late for work. During the meeting, which of the following
would be most effective for Ed to do?
A) Ensuring that all communication is downward
B) Establishing a flexible date for behavior changes
C) Starting the meeting with open-ended questions
D) Ending the meeting with positive comments
Which of the following is an upward performance appraisal process?
A) Peer reviews
B) Self reviews
C) Team reviews
D) Subordinate reviews
Additional Case 7.2
As an HR manager at a publishing firm, you are reviewing performance appraisals for a
report to the CEO regarding manager performance. The CEO wants to know not only
how employees are doing, but also how well managers are evaluating their employees.
Matt, Madeline, and Edward are the firm’s key managers.
Reading through Matt’s evaluations, you note that he tends to rate all of his subordinates
in the middle of the scale. You recall a conversation during which Matt commented that
his subordinates were overall satisfactory but not excellent. Matt would like to get them
more training and institute an incentive program for motivational purposes.
Madeline’s employee evaluations of her team range from excellent to poor. You are
startled to see that Madeline has rated Juan rather low. Pulling Juan’s file, you note that
he has always had very high ratings until this time. You remember a meeting two
months ago when Juan vehemently disagreed with Madeline in front of the CEO, who
agreed with Juan’s opinion to Madeline’s embarrassment.
Edward’s employee evaluations have very little justification. Gary, the CEO’s
son-in-law, is typically an average performer, but Edward gave him a very high rating.
Jenny, another average performer, has a very low rating. You recall a comment from
Edward that Jenny needed motivation to work harder.
Refer to Additional Case 7.2. You could most likely draw the conclusion that Matt’s
evaluations exemplify:
A) a halo effect error.
B) the influence of liking.
C) a problem with organizational politics.
D) a frame-of-reference error.
Andrew, the plant manager, is talking with the OSHA representative about compliance
with a new OSHA regulation. Andrew explains that his plant cannot meet the
compliance deadline due to financial and contractual considerations, so he asks for a
one-year delay. Andrew is most likely requesting a(n) ________ from OSHA.
A) inspection
B) variance
C) citation
D) injunction
Anastasia is supervising a number of travel agents in a large travel agency. She spends
time casually visiting with travel agents at their desks or in the break room discussing
issues related to the business. Anastasia’s form of supervision is called:
A) the “grapevine.”
B) management by walking around.
C) an employee feedback program.
D) business counsel.
Which of the following best describes affirmative action in countries other than the
United States?
A) Affirmative action is virtually non-existent outside of the United States.
B) France is one of the few countries that has an affirmative action policy to include all
disadvantaged groups.
C) A number of countries have created affirmative action programs that are designed to
meet the needs of their respective populations.
D) Affirmative action laws are common in Western Europe, but very uncommon in
eastern and south-eastern countries.
Which of the following is the most common selection tool?
A) Work sample tests
B) Personal interviews
C) Personality tests
D) Assessment centers
Cora’s new fabric and textiles business is looking for its first employees. She hopes to
open within the next two weeks and needs an inexpensive, timely recruitment method
that will reach a large pool of applicants for long-term work. Her best option is to:
A) create a radio ad.
B) use online career sites.
C) use print advertisements.
D) contact a local headhunter.
________ are workers hired to deal with temporary increases in an organization’s
workload or to do work that is not part of its core set of capabilities.
As the director of HR, you have the responsibility of implementing a layoff for a
medium-sized company. List the key issues that must be settled in the implementation.
________ is a work arrangement that allows employees to work in their homes
full-time, maintaining their connection to the office through phone, fax, and computer.
A(n) ________ is a performance appraisal system in which workers rate themselves.
A technique in which managers walk around and talk to employees informally to
monitor informal communications, listen to employee grievances and suggestions, and
build rapport and morale is referred to as ________.
A program in which companies help their departing employees find jobs more rapidly
by providing them with training in job-search skills is called ________.