Exam 8: Managing Human Resources and Labour Relations

Experience has shown that promoting staff from within is generally the best approach.

In spite of the abolishment of a mandatory age for retirement in most provinces, workers in Canada are actually retiring earlier than they used to.

Computers B Us is thinking about evaluating the performance of its software programmers based on the market success of the products that they produce. This idea is vulnerable to what criticism? Software programming is only one of many things that are required for a product to be successful in the market. The idea is not attainable. The idea does not give enough weight to the fact that good software programming enhances the customer's experience. The idea would require that the company change the way it evaluates software programmers. The idea means that software programmers do not have to put forth any significant effort to achieve success.

Jerry, a marketing manager, has just conducted screening interviews with several job candidates. What should he do next? Consider applications and resumes Give a polygraph test Give an ability/aptitude test Give medical/drug/polygraph tests Conduct an interview with the manager

_______ generally refer to hourly compensation paid to operating employees, while _______ generally refers to a yearly amount that is to be paid to an employee. Workers' compensation; salary Salary; bonus Bonus pay; salary Salary; wages Wages; salary

Why would a business firm wish to select employees for promotion from within the organization?

A survey by the Conference Board of Canada found that _____percent of the companies that have an incentive programs don't measure the effectiveness of the programs. 23 36 44 51 69

List seven external recruitment methods.

Which of the following is correct with respect to behaviour-based interviewing? It assesses how well an applicant is likely to get along with other workers if the applicant is hired. A question like "Do you often take the initiative?" is a good example of the kind of question that would be asked in a behaviour-based interview. It focuses on finding out how an applicant has reacted to important or difficult job situations in the past and assumes that these are a good indicator of how the person will react in the future. The interviewer asks the applicant a highly structured series of questions. All of these are correct.

Six automotive companies have been getting together to plan strategies and to exchange information about how to manage relations with unions. This group is known as an industrial leaders group. an employers' association. a management council. a trading block. an anti-union trade association.

What is the first step in obtaining applicants who are both interested in and qualified for available jobs? Interviews Selection Recruiting Enlistment Resume differentiation

Employers must consider competitors' compensation plans and the pay levels for different jobs in their own firm when setting wage and salary levels.

The replacement chart identifies those managers who are performing poorly and need to be replaced.

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 incentive plan is based on which assumption? Salespeople are less interested in the company's success than other employees are. Salespeople think that they can have a significant effect on the overall performance of the company. In recent years, management has been concerned that salespeople have not consistently acted in the best interests of the company. Financial incentives are the only effective way to motivate employees. Employees at Maremount are not much different than salespeople at other companies in the industry.

Domino Grace is a financial services firm. Currently, it offers competitive salaries and very generous benefit packages. The cost of those packages is very high, but the company believes that these benefits have helped it attract and keep top talent. Domino Grace is completing a merger with Kryptos, Inc. Salaries at Kryptos are slightly below industry averages, and the benefit packages it offers are considerably worse than those offered by Domino Grace. Domino Grace believes that the merger would be in the best interest of the company, but employees at Domino Grace are resisting this change in part because they are worried that they will lose their outstanding benefits after a merger is complete. The CEO of Domino Grace believes that the best way to overcome the employees' resistance to change is through education and communication. The Kryptos CEO believes that it will be necessary to force the employees to accept the changes. Which of the following, if true, would most strongly support the Domino Grace CEO's argument? The current proposal calls for all Kryptos employees with outstanding benefit packages to keep them in the merged company. Shareholders of Domino Grace tend to support the merger. According to the charters of both companies, any savings from reducing benefits would be recorded in a post-merger report. A recent economic downturn has reduced the ability of many in the financial services industry to find new jobs. Kryptos provides paths to advancement that are faster than those offered by most companies in the industry.

In surveying workplace demographics across locations, Latisha Gibbons, the Swish HR manager, observes that new female and minority hires are much more likely to be hired away by Swish's rivals than nonminority hires. She is concerned and suspects that minority employees are reacting to a chilly climate for them in the workplace. Charles Clarke, Swish's CEO, is less concerned, attributing the attrition to Swish's rivals' stronger visibility among markets serving women and minorities. Which of the following, if true, would support Clarke's position that the firm does not have a diversity problem? The corporation's code of ethics specifically prohibits any form of employment discrimination. Statistical analysis of middle- and top-management levels reveals no evidence of gender or ethnic bias. The firm's vice president for operations, the CEO's most powerful associate, is a Latino female. The firm recently instituted a system-wide voluntary training program in diversity sensitivity. The newest advertising campaign creates catchy versions of brand slogans in Spanish as well as English.

When university and college teachers grade on the normal curve, they are essentially using which method for appraising the performance of students? Forced distribution method Simple ranking method Graphic rating scale 360-degree feedback None of these

The federal government requires that employers provide incentive programs such as retirement benefits.

It is the responsibility of the manager and the organization to control sexual harassment.

John Roarke, a manager, makes the following statement: "To measure the effects of our educational programs designed to stop sexual harassment at our workplace, we recently conducted a survey asking employees about their attitudes and the behavior of the people around them. The survey, conducted after the programs, showed no improvement in either attitudes or behavior. Obviously, then, the survey was conducted improperly." Which of the following is assumed by Roarke's argument? Every employee would benefit from some training in stopping sexual harassment. The attitudes and behavior of the organization's employees were worse than those of most employees in the industry. The educational programs were the most effective programs that could have been offered. The effects of the educational programs in changing attitudes were greater than they were in changing behavior. The educational programs had a significant effect on either attitudes, behavior, or both.