Research indicates that fast-growth firms benefit from having managers with marketing
and sales backgrounds.
Title VII prohibits disparate treatment and disparate impact.
Special-purpose teams typically consist of managers from one department who gather
to examine a complex issue.
Corporatewide pay-for-performance compensation plans place employees at
considerable financial risk.
Reasonable accommodations provided for disabled employees may include modifying
work schedules or reassigning job duties.
The introduction of automation into the workplace often results in improved skills
required to perform a job.
A quit and a retirement are similar types of employee separations since both are
initiated by the employee.
The percentage of minorities in the workforce has declined 20% over the last ten years
because of immigration laws, while the number of women in the workforce has
doubled.
Vesting of a retirement plan means that the employee can take the retirement plan with
them if they leave the employer.
Recent surveys of employer practices showed that more than 21% of employers engage
in searches of employees’ electronic communication.
Firms with evolutionary business strategies are less likely to acquire businesses in
different industries.
OSHA inspectors may not enter any business without legal warnings or search warrants
in order to conduct an unscheduled inspection.
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. In order to determine where biases are coming from,
Xavier should consider which of the following?
A) Having all new employees attend a diversity seminar
B) Developing an affirmative action strategy
C) Instituting an old boys’ network
D) Performing a diversity audit
Latinos are expected to account for about ________% of the growth of the U.S. labor
force between now and 2030.
A) 65
B) 50
C) 35
D) 20
Decentralizing pay decisions most likely enables a company to:
A) more effectively face legal challenges to compensation decisions.
B) better utilize the expertise of their compensation specialist.
C) build a stronger link between pay and performance.
D) better manage fixed pay-based compensation.
Which of the following is a characteristic of most intended strategies?
A) They mobilize responses from top management.
B) They involve everyone in an organization.
C) They develop gradually from experiences.
D) They lack strong leadership.
Executive Order 11246:
A) was incorporated into Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
B) laid the groundwork for the eventual passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
C) required organizations with at least 50 employees to set up affirmative action
programs.
D) required all firms with at least 50 employees to establish EEOC policies and
procedures.
What is the best job analysis tool for developing task-oriented job descriptions and
performance appraisal forms?
A) Task inventory analysis
B) Methods analysis
C) Critical incident technique
D) MPDQ
________ involves familiarizing new employees with company policies and procedures
and orienting them to the company in general.
A) Recruiting
B) Selection
C) Socialization
D) Interviewing
Employees are most likely to accept electronic monitoring as legitimate when
employers use it to:
A) improve productivity.
B) control employee theft.
C) identify regular drug users.
D) review employee e-mails.
A “rings of defense” strategy in terms of employment security and workforce reductions
is when a firm:
A) freezes employee wages to avoid laying off workers.
B) uses contingency workers for a flexible workforce.
C) implements job sharing in order to keep workers.
D) provides job security for its core employees.
Which of the following is a strategic HR issue related to staffing?
A) Imposing a hiring freeze to avoid laying off workers
B) Developing an appraisal system for work teams
C) Empowering supervisors to make hiring decisions
D) Providing continuing support to terminated workers
The use of performance as a layoff criterion:
A) usually protects firms from discrimination suits.
B) disproportionately affects women and minorities.
C) tends to eliminate older workers rather than younger workers.
D) can be problematic due to inconsistent management documentation.
One of the most popular alternatives to layoffs is:
A) inducing quits.
B) offering early retirement.
C) providing outplacement services.
D) transferring workers to other plants.
The repatriation of managers can be as complex as their initial overseas assignment.
Repatriated managers are more likely to experience:
A) poor planning about what to do with them when they return to the home country.
B) an exaggerated respect for their expertise due to the overseas assignment.
C) a significant increase in responsibilities that leads to failure.
D) intense competition for their assignments.
Initially, companies viewed career development as a program to meet organizational
needs. Now, it is also looked upon as a way to meet employees’ needs. This shift in
perspective is most likely due to all of the following EXCEPT:
A) the pressures of downsizing.
B) the pressures of technological change.
C) employee demands for career advancement opportunities.
D) the need for global firms to meet short-term strategic goals.
Brantley Services deliberately downplays the fact that it is a U.S. firm and actively
searches internationally to fill key positions with the best people. Brantley is most
likely using a(n) ________ approach to management.
A) ethnocentric
B) polycentric
C) geocentric
D) multinational
The stockholders are concerned about the cost of perquisites. Management wants
maximum flexibility to move people among jobs without having to adjust their
compensation. Management also wants more joint-task accomplishment and better
cooperation among employees. A(n) ________ compensation system will reinforce all
these goals.
A) elitist
B) variable
C) egalitarian
D) job-centered
Disability income is provided to employees who are:
A) totally and continuously disabled for 2 months.
B) disabled and cannot work for at least 12 months.
C) disabled and the primary breadwinners of the family.
D) earning less than $20,000/year prior to their disability.
Which of the following is a long-term pay policy that can protect jobs and control labor
costs by linking compensation to production?
A) Internships
B) Overtime pay
C) Profit sharing
D) Early retirement
________ is an effort to provide employees with the abilities the organization will need
in the future.
What changes did the Civil Rights Act of 1991 bring to the EEO environment?
A firm with assembly and production facilities in several countries and regions of the
world is referred to as a(n) ________.
The law forbidding employment discrimination against people with disabilities who are
able to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable
accommodation is the ________.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of team-based pay-for-performance plan?
Under what conditions are such compensation plans most effective? Why are
team-based incentives less appropriate tools for rewarding high performers at small
firms?
The independent federal agency created by the Wagner Act to administer U.S. labor law
is the ________.
A union arrangement that requires new employees to join the union 30 to 60 days after
their date of hire is referred to as a(n) ________.
________ is a form of biological testing that identifies employees who are genetically
susceptible to specific occupational substances.
What problems are frequently associated with early retirement programs? How can HR
minimize such problems? What benefits might a firm experience from such employee
separations?