Exam 8: Managing Human Resources and Labour Relations

The ranking method which consists of a statement or question about some aspect of an individual's job performance is called a graphic rating scale. the critical incident method. the forced distribution method. a simple ranking system. the degree of agreement method.

Mark, a manager in production, needs to determine the supply and demand of employees in order to develop specific strategies. This is known as job specification. job description. performance appraisal. job analysis. forecasting.

Which of the following statements about mediation is correct? The mediator's decision is legally binding. The mediator has the task of preventing outsiders from making the conflict worse. The mediator is appointed by management. The mediator is a neutral third party whose task is to suggest a compromise that will get the negotiations moving ahead. All of these

When an older, more experienced manager sponsors and teaches a younger, less experienced manager, this is known as mentoring. off-the-job training. on-the-job training. group therapy. networking.

Dexterity Business School provides short-term training workshops to a variety of corporations, out of a chain of small centers across the country. The instructors leading the workshops are hired on a contingent basis, and paid a set lump sum for each program. A supervisor at each location is responsible for recruiting instructors and providing them with Dexterity's prepared teaching materials. At the Canal City location, Andy Ashe has been leading these workshops for several years, and has been asked back several times by local businesses who find his workshops especially popular because of his verbal skills and keen sense of humor. The supervisor, Charlotte Monahan, has found that while her location contracts with several other instructors, businesses often ask for Ashe by name, even agreeing to postpone their contracted sessions until he is available. Dexterity's policies state that all contingent instructors are paid the same rate per workshop. Nevertheless, Ashe is aware of his popularity, and requests that Monahan start giving him a higher rate for his workshops. Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen Ashe's case? Ashe has led more different training workshops than any other contingent worker. Losing Ashe as an employee would mean that companies who prefer his workshops would consider no longer contracting with Dexterity. Ashe has worked for Dexterity for fifteen years, longer than any other contract employee. A local teacher in the high school, Ashe has repeatedly received awards for his classroom performance. The businesses that contract with Dexterity consider the workshops essential to their operation.

Sammy is looking at his pay cheque. He received $900 for producing 75 units. This pay is called merit pay. a stock option. knowledge-based pay. piece-rate incentive plan. skill-based pay.

At Maremount Corp., ten percent of each salesperson's yearly bonus is based on whether the company as a whole reaches its yearly financial goals. The company's compensation structure is based on which fundamental principle? People will work to accomplish a goal if they have a real stake in reaching the goal. Incentive structures should be as simple as possible. An incentive scheme will be more effective if it encourages individuals to act in ways that benefit both society and the individual. Compensation policies must be legal. People are more likely to adhere to a policy if they have had some input into the development of the policy.

All of the following are weapons that labour can use to pressure management throughout contract negotiations except a slowdown. picket. boycott. strike. lockout.

Describe the major legislation that impacts labour management relations.

Wages and salary are interchangeable terms that refer to an employee's pay.

How are mentoring and networking different? How are they similar?

What are the key activities of human resource management?

In an effort to reduce costs, many companies are hiring contingent workers. But these companies may not actually achieve lower costs. Explain why that might occur.

How can diversity create competitive advantage?

External recruiting methods include advertising, union hiring halls, referrals by present employees and campus interviews.

Florabunda, a national wholesale plant supply company that caters to home gardeners, maintains greenhouses in several locations. These provide flower and vegetable seedlings for nurseries and garden centers nationwide and also pots of flowering plants, such as tulips and poinsettias, for other holidays. Relations with employees seemed smooth for some years, but over time the firm has come to rely on short-term contingent labor, especially in the spring when Florabunda fulfills large standing orders for bedding plants. At one of its largest greenhouse locations, employees invite the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) to represent them as a union. The Florabunda greenhouse engages in collective bargaining with the UFCW. A key issue involves workplace safety, as the greenhouses are often fumigated with pesticides to kill insects. Management claims that it takes customary and effective precautions to protect the health of its workers, whereas the union expresses concerns that the pesticides might cause long-term health problems. The two sides reach an impasse, with the union demanding more expensive safety measures than management feels are necessary. If the two sides opt for arbitration as the next step, which of the following should both sides take care to do? Gain popular support for their position through carefully chosen media exposure. Hide from the other side any information that weakens their position. Stick to their positions as strongly as possible, hoping that the arbitrator will favor that side. Do everything possible to draw out the arbitration process as long as possible. Prepare to present the case for their solution as if they were about to argue the case before a judge and jury.

Currently, less than 20 percent of the total Canadian workforce is unionized.

What is the objective of the Canadian Human Rights Act? To ensure that everyone who wants a job can have one To protect immigrants from being mistreated while on the job To ensure that everyone who wants a job has an equal opportunity to compete for it To prevent employers from discriminating among job applicants on the basis of past experience All of these are objectives

One of the factors which helps to explain the stagnation in union membership is more aggressive anti-unionization activity on the part of employers.

In recent years, the number of contingent workers has increased dramatically.