The Cola Corporation controls a bottle factory, a root beer brewery, and a bottling plant.
This mix of businesses on the part of Cola Corp. is referred to as the business unit
strategy.
Selection costs include relocation costs, training costs, orientation, and severance pay.
Too much of an emphasis on career development can be detrimental to an organization
by creating unrealistic expectations, leading to dissatisfaction and poor performance.
The first step in affirmative action planning is conducting a utilization analysis.
In skill-based compensation plans, employees acquire depth skills when they learn
self-management abilities, such as scheduling and organizing.
Membership-contingent compensation provides a similar wage to every employee in a
given group, so long as they perform their job satisfactorily.
U.S. laws fail to address the issue of American firms paying bribes to foreign officials
for preferential treatment, which is why the practice is common.
A significant technology issue for HR is the proper use of the data that its information
systems generate.
Blair and Jose always ask the professor in their American Government class exactly
what will be on the next exam. They ask this question so that they can study for no
more than they absolutely must. This is an example of the “do only what you get paid
for” syndrome.
A fully functioning and competent Human Resource Department can replace the need
for any legal advice on employment discrimination issues.
Profitable firms typically invest more in training than less profitable firms.
A firm with an extremely high turnover rate compared to other firms in the same
industry most likely needs to address HR issues.
When seeking to understand diversity, it is important to distinguish between diversity
and the sources of diversity because they are not the same thing.
Pay-for-performance has little effect on employees’ effort level and commitment to the
organization.
Small businesses benefit most from using e-mail to prescreen applicants because of the
cost savings and the high degree of information learned about an applicant’s
interpersonal skills.
Balancing equity ensures that employees with seniority will receive greater
compensation than more recent hires.
Hostile work environment sexual harassment occurs when sexual activity is required in
return for keeping a job.
The implementation of a ________ process offers a well-rounded picture of an
employee’s performance.
A) self-review
B) peer review
C) subordinate review
D) 360° feedback
Safe working conditions are categorized as:
A) residual employee rights.
B) contractual rights.
C) management rights.
D) statutory rights.
Apex Consulting wants to offer its employees a health insurance plan that gives the
employees the greatest amount of choice in hospital and physician selection. Which of
the following would be the best choice for Apex?
A) HMO
B) PPO
C) Traditional insurance plan
D) Flexible spending account
Sebastian is concerned about his most recent hires at Anderson Brothers Company. He
believed that by basing his selection on job-knowledge tests administered during the
interview, he would have few problems with inept hires and would find the best
employee for each position. He has found though, that the eight employees who were
hired during the last hiring period each have had complaints about lack of competence
and job knowledge. This most likely indicates that the tests lack:
A) reliability.
B) internal validity.
C) external validity.
D) predictive validity.
Which of the following was established by the Oncale case?
A) Women’s sexual harassment of men can be the basis for a sexual harassment lawsuit.
B) Men’s sexual harassment of women is not the basis for a sexual harassment lawsuit if
the woman doesn’t report the conduct until after she is no longer an employee at the
company in question.
C) Same-sex harassment can be the basis for a sexual harassment lawsuit.
D) Unlawful harassment consists of any verbal or physical conduct that shows hostility
towards an individual in the work environment.
Which of the following is an example of a direct performance test?
A) A general cognitive ability test
B) A work sample test
C) A physical ability test
D) The Meyers-Brigg Type Indicator
Additional Case 4.4
Xavier has just become the head of HR at Hot Rods, Inc. He notices that the company is
very homogenous, especially in light of the very diverse community in which it is
located. He is surprised to find that the number of women and other minorities is quite
low in all positions. As one of his first responsibilities, Xavier wants to implement a
diversity program at Hot Rods.
Refer to Additional Case 4.4. Xavier institutes a diversity program at Hot Rods and,
despite his best efforts, people make critical comments about it. Some men are
complaining that more women have been hired simply because of their gender and that
they lack the necessary skills to perform their jobs. This is most likely a manifestation
of:
A) inclusiveness.
B) high turnover.
C) resentment.
D) cultural determinism.
Rudy is writing a report about the challenges at the individual-level his firm is facing.
Which of the following topics would be LEAST relevant to the report?
A) Motivating employees
B) Encouraging ethical behavior
C) Outsourcing low-paying jobs
D) Retaining high-performing employees
________ is an effort by businesses to address serious deficiencies in basic skills
among new employees.
A) Computer training
B) Skills training
C) Retraining
D) Literacy training
What is the main requirement for the successful implementation of a piece-rate plan?
A) Training managers on the employee’s work process.
B) Limiting labor union influences and regulations.
C) Giving employees control of work pace and quality.
D) Outsourcing most tasks to overseas organizations.
Which of the following is a core job characteristic that activates the three psychological
states, according to job characteristics theory?
A) Interdependence
B) Skill variety
C) Responsibility
D) Task difficulty
The failure rate for American expatriates in their overseas assignments is:
A) highest in European assignments.
B) lowest in Asian assignments.
C) half of what it is for Asian companies.
D) three to four times higher than for European companies.
Firms that display a defender strategy will most likely:
A) involve co-workers in the selection process.
B) provide customized performance appraisals.
C) encourage individual training.
D) recruit externally.
A firm implementing a relative judgment performance appraisal system would most
likely experience which of the following?
A) Employees comparing themselves to other employees
B) Managers making judgments based completely on performance standards
C) Managers grouping employees into two categories when evaluating performance
D) Employees receiving clear and useful information about improving their
performance
Social Security does NOT include which of the following?
A) Retirement income
B) Disability income
C) Workers’ compensation
D) Survivors’ benefits
Riya will soon repatriate to the United States after spending two years on assignment in
Japan. Which of the following problems will Riya LEAST likely experience?
A) Status reversal
B) Reverse culture shock
C) Lack of respect for acquired skills
D) Inability to earn similar compensation
Currently, the influence of unions in the United States is:
A) decreasing in the public and private sectors.
B) decreasing among government workers.
C) increasing in the private sector.
D) increasing in the public sector.
Which of the following would LEAST likely improve a firm’s workers’ compensation
costs?
A) Emphasizing safe work procedures to all employees
B) Providing health insurance to high-risk employees
C) Designing jobs to reduce risk of injury
D) Auditing workers’ compensation claims
Most experts agree that in a team environment:
A) individual assessment is unnecessary and ineffective.
B) behavioral-based assessments are the best in most cases.
C) outcome-based tools are the most effective appraisal methods.
D) both individual and team performance should be evaluated.
The average age of American workers is:
A) 26.
B) 30.
C) 39.
D) 42.
Variable compensation takes a variety of forms, including:
A) base salary.
B) hourly wages.
C) profit sharing.
D) disability insurance.
Norstrand Enterprises wants the most cost effective cross-cultural training for its
expatriate managers. Which of the following would be most appropriate?
A) Affective approach
B) Information-giving approach
C) Fictional-cultural approach
D) Impression approach
Additional Case 1.3
Your company sells high-tech products throughout the world and is following a
differentiation business strategy. The business environment for the company is volatile,
rapidly changing, and highly complex. The company is highly entrepreneurial and has a
strong moral commitment to quality products, employee job satisfaction, and corporate
social responsibility. The management team has decided to create a common company
culture among the various national and international subsidiaries.
Refer to Additional Case 1.3. Which of the following HR strategies would most likely
support the company’s business strategy?
A) Implementing highly structured procedures
B) Using piece rate pay plans and bonuses
C) Closely monitoring workers
D) Encouraging creativity
If a woman has been subjected to undesirable and offensive sexual behavior by
customers in the workplace, she has most likely been a victim of:
A) quid pro quo sexual harassment.
B) harassment.
C) discrimination.
D) hostile work environment sexual harassment.
________ is time during which employees can choose not to be at work.
Pay rates, usually made across the board, that are tied to such inflation indicators as the
consumer price index, are referred to as ________.
________ is an appraisal format that asks supervisors to make judgments about an
employee’s performance based solely on performance standards.
A team or task force consisting of workers who span functional or organizational
boundaries and whose purpose is to examine complex issues is called a(n) ________.
What tools are available to OSHA for ensuring worker safety? What are some modern
health and safety concerns facing both OSHA and employers?
The package of quantifiable rewards an employee receives for his/her labors is called
________.