Exam 13: Managing Human Resources

________ is a method of setting work standards and measuring employee accomplishments.

Written tests can be weak predictors of job performance because ________.

An organization that wants to have high-performance work practices should discourage self-managed teams and decentralized decision-making.

In order to manage downsizing well to lessen trauma for employees,managers should ________.

Which of the following performance appraisal methods is often used to evaluate managers and professional employees based on the accomplishment of specific goals that were jointly established with their superiors?

________ has become such an enormous cost burden for organizations that they can no longer afford them.

Carly has just returned from a conference on performance appraisal methods. It was an interesting conference and it generally confirmed what Carly had suspected about her company's performance management system—it required some drastic revision! The company's current method is to have the immediate supervisor write out an evaluation of each individual employee. This method is time-consuming for the supervisors, and is as much a test of their writing skills as it is an evaluation of actual employee performance. Carly considered three alternative methods to replace the current system. The first method was one of the oldest and most popular performance appraisals. It involved listing a set of performance factors such as quantity of work, quality of work, level of cooperation, etc., and then rating each factor on an incremental scale. The second alternative method involved a system that focused on specific and measurable job behaviours. It required appraisers to rate employees according to numbered items which each represented actual job behaviours, rather than general descriptions or traits. The third alternative method was very results-oriented and was often used to evaluate managers and professional employees based on their accomplishment of specific goals that had been jointly established with their superiors. -The primary advantage of using the first alternative method is that it ________.

Carly has just returned from a conference on performance appraisal methods. It was an interesting conference and it generally confirmed what Carly had suspected about her company's performance management system—it required some drastic revision! The company's current method is to have the immediate supervisor write out an evaluation of each individual employee. This method is time-consuming for the supervisors, and is as much a test of their writing skills as it is an evaluation of actual employee performance. Carly considered three alternative methods to replace the current system. The first method was one of the oldest and most popular performance appraisals. It involved listing a set of performance factors such as quantity of work, quality of work, level of cooperation, etc., and then rating each factor on an incremental scale. The second alternative method involved a system that focused on specific and measurable job behaviours. It required appraisers to rate employees according to numbered items which each represented actual job behaviours, rather than general descriptions or traits. The third alternative method was very results-oriented and was often used to evaluate managers and professional employees based on their accomplishment of specific goals that had been jointly established with their superiors. -Which type of performance appraisal method is currently being used at Carly's company?

Which of the following is an example of a high-performance work practice?

Wade McKenzie is a new sales manager for The Medi-Mac Group, a medical supply company based in Ontario. Wade was hired from within the firm and he is now supervising many of the people he formerly worked with, including two friends with whom he competed for his new job. As a result, Wade is concerned about potential problems stemming from the performance evaluation process, and is conducting research on the advantages and disadvantages of various methods. -Upon starting his new job,Wade met with each of his new subordinates individually.Prior to this meeting,Wade took the time to write out a subjective description of what he perceived to be the strengths and weaknesses of each employee.Wade is utilizing which of the following performance appraisal methods?

A written statement of what a job holder does,how it is done,and why it is done is known as a ________.

A number of companies are adopting a new measure of recruitment effectiveness which looks at the contributions of good hires versus those of hires who have failed to live up to their potential.This measure is called ________.

Which of the following is a type of general training provided by organizations?

A labour union is an organization that represents workers and seeks to protect their interests.

Steven is hired to manage the human resources department of a local manufacturing company. Unfortunately, the company has a reputation among workers of being the firm "where you work until you find your next job." Employee turnover is high and morale is low. Steven is determined to change the situation by turning the organization's human resources into a competitive advantage and a source of pride for the firm. -As part of restructuring the organization's human resources,Steven decides that a new job ________ must be written for each position that states the minimum job qualifications that a person must possess to successfully perform the job.

An example of a high-performance work practice is seniority-based compensation.

A performance appraisal method that combines elements from the critical incident and graphic rating scale approaches is the ________.

Which of the following selection devices is the most valid predictor for complex nonmanagerial positions?