Deck 1: The Rewards and Challenges of Human Resources Management

Question 1

A job candidate who has experience working abroad or knows more than one language may have an advantage in the hiring process because the strategies companies are pursuing today increasingly involve one or more elements of globalization.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Juan, who does not work in HR but supervises the work of other employees, is a line manager.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Nearshoring occurs when a firm relocates jobs abroad to nations closer to its domestic market.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

To proactively manage change, organizations should wait to see how external forces impact an organization's performance, and then develop a plan to address those changes.

Question 5

Knowledge base is a buzzword that describes the massive amounts of data available online and offline today that can be "crunched" to make decisions.

Question 6

Technology-and automation in particular-has reduced the number of jobs that require routine tasks and little skill and has increased the number of jobs that require considerable skill.

Question 7

Downsizing is often used by organizations for the planned elimination of jobs.

Question 8

Older workers are generally undependable and prefer to operate like free agents.

Question 9

The United States is the world's most productive nation in terms of the total value of all goods and services it produces, even when it comes to manufacturing.

Question 10

A firm's ability to compete through people depends on its ability to manage human capital.

Question 11

Because it is a service-intensive firm, Spago's Spa should expect labor costs to be among the smallest expenditures the company makes.

Question 12

Human capital is intangible, but can still be managed the way organizations manage jobs, products, and technologies.

Question 13

Corporate social responsibility is the responsibility of an organization to act in the best interests of the people and communities affected by its activities.

Question 14

A company saw a drop in sales after negative publicity around a scandal involving safety reports. The strategic changes the company makes to deal with this situation are reactive changes.

Question 15

Knowledge workers are employees whose responsibilities include only problem-solving.

Question 16

XLT Corp. wants to employ workers who work out of their homes rather than in the traditional office environment. XLT Corp. is considering outsourcing.

Question 17

One way that XLT Corp. could accomplish its goal of giving all managers exposure to different areas of the organization is by rotating non-human resource (HR) managers into HR positions and vice versa.

Question 18

In order to get the current and accurate HR-related data that she needs for control and decision making, Steph uses a human resources information system (HRIS).

Question 19

A firm has required some of its employees to take time off but is still providing them with full pay and benefits. In this situation, those employees have been furloughed.

Question 20

Human capital is owned by an organization and is part of its core competencies.

Question 21

A manager who initiates change to take advantage of targeted opportunities, such as expanding into a new geographic region, is making a __________ change.

A)proactive
B)turnover
C)reactive
D)reflective

Question 22

HR managers can establish personal credibility by developing good relationships with people both internal and external to the firm.

Question 23

A firm that has an agreement with a professional employer organization that takes over the firm's HR-related activities and becomes a coemployer of the employees is using employee leasing.

Question 24

Malcom is enthusiastic about his work and is very committed to it. Malcom has a high level of employee engagement.

Question 25

Pat is in a demographic group that currently accounts for slightly more than half of the American workforce. Pat is most likely female.

Question 26

__________ is closely related to corporate social responsibility.

A)Downsizing
B)Furloughing
C)Sustainability
D)Offshoring

Question 27

By 2050, Hispanics are projected to make up about one-half of the U.S. labor force.

Question 28

When external forces have already affected an organization's performance, the strategic changes made by the organization to combat those forces are said to be

A)proactive.
B)intentional.
C)reactive.
D)negative.

Question 29

Which of the following is NOT a competitive challenge within the human resources management framework?

A)Changes in the marketplace
B)Globalization
C)Technology
D)Employee rights

Question 30

Offshoring is also referred to as

A)global staffing.
B)strategic staffing.
C)global sourcing.
D)employees leasing.

Question 31

Organizational culture refers to the shared values, beliefs, and assumptions people in an organization have.

Question 32

A firm monitored its employees' emails and Internet use while on the job. That firm is in violation of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986.

Question 33

Employees today are less likely to define their personal success only in terms of financial gain.

Question 34

HR policies are generally proposed by the senior executives of an organization and then submitted to the HR managers, who actually issue them.
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Question 35

The U.S. Department of Education has found that less than half of all high school seniors in the U.S. are able to handle basic math involving fractions, decimals, and simple algebra.

Question 36

The __________ was the first major trade agreement of the twentieth century to establish rules and guidelines for global commerce.

A)North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
B)General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
C)Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)
D)Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)

Question 37

A firm that offers employees options such as flexible hours, job sharing, and telecommuting is engaging in family-friendly practices.

Question 38

Which of the following is a human resource issue that firms have to balance because of globalization?

A)Training foreign managers abroad
B)Gauging the knowledge and skill base of workers
C)Figuring out how to best hire and train workers
D)All of these are correct.

Question 39

One of the responsibilities of HR managers is to provide strategic advice and counsel to supervisors.

Question 40

One of the first steps in choosing an HRIS is for the HR personnel to

A)evaluate the most time-consuming tasks.
B)examine the user-friendliness of the software.
C)calculate the cost savings in using an HRIS.
D)calculate the time required to train the HR staff.

Question 41

As part of its initiative to streamline operations, XLT Corp. is planning to eliminate a number of jobs. Which strategy is XLT Corp. using?

A)Downsizing
B)Outsourcing
C)Nearshoring
D)Reengineering

Question 42

The national identities of products are blurring due to the effects of

A)globalization.
B)nearshoring.
C)downsizing.
D)furloughing.

Question 43

Nikolas is currently in an age group whose labor force participation rate is projected to increase between now and 2050 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Given the following choices, how old is Nikolas?

A)15
B)27
C)38
D)58

Question 44

When planning their budget, the managers of a knowledge-intensive firm should realize that their largest expenditures will most likely be in what area?

A)Production costs
B)Marketing costs
C)Labor costs
D)Distribution costs

Question 45

A method of containing costs that allows a professional employer organization (PEO), typically a larger company, to take over the management of a smaller company's HR tasks and become a coemployer to its employees is known as

A)outsourcing.
B)employee leasing.
C)furloughing.
D)nearshoring.

Question 46

A firm that is able to make quick changes in order to gain a competitive advantage is demonstrating its

A)leverage.
B)analytics.
C)sustainability.
D)agility.

Question 47

Oftentimes, knowledge goes unshared and unused in organizations because

A)employees lack motivation.
B)of an ineffective human resources information system.
C)of the organizational culture.
D)employees lack proper training.

Question 48

Millennials are also known as

A)baby boomers.
B)Generation X.
C)Generation Y.
D)screenagers.

Question 49

Firms are increasingly trying to expand their exports to what country because it has the world's second-largest population and a growing middle class?

A)China
B)Japan
C)India
D)South Korea

Question 50

One workplace diversity challenge is that Blacks and Hispanics have been

A)fairly well represented in fast-growing occupations.
B)heavily concentrated in slow-growth occupations.
C)underrepresented in declining occupations.
D)overrepresented in fast-growing occupations.

Question 51

The knowledge, skills, and capabilities of individuals that have a tremendous impact on an organization's performance but do not show up directly on its balance sheet are known as __________ capital.

A)intellectual
B)human
C)core
D)employee

Question 52

The business practice of sending jobs to other countries is referred to as

A)nearshoring.
B)offshoring.
C)outsourcing.
D)employee leasing.

Question 53

Women who are employed full-time today make about __________ percent of what men employed full-time make.

A)58
B)70
C)83
D)91

Question 54

It is anticipated that in the future, the U.S. workforce will exhibit

A)about the same demographic mix as it does today.
B)an increase in ethnic diversity.
C)a decrease in ethnic diversity.
D)a decrease in the number of older workers.

Question 55

XLT Corp. used __________ when it moved jobs from India to Mexico, which is closer to its domestic market in the United States.

A)nearshoring
B)outsourcing
C)homeshoring
D)furloughing

Question 56

Hiring someone outside the company to perform tasks that were formerly done internally is known as

A)outplacement.
B)contracting.
C)outsourcing.
D)employee leasing.

Question 57

What is one way that organizations can increase their productivity?

A)Increase inputs
B)Reduce human capital
C)Reduce outputs
D)Increase physical capital

Question 58

XLT Corp. needs to take some steps to manage the size of its workforce. All of the following options could help achieve that goal EXCEPT

A)furloughing.
B)homeshoring.
C)employee leasing.
D)outsourcing.

Question 59

In which of the following ways are the labor force and its demographics expected to change?

A)Minorities will make up a smaller share of the U.S.labor force than they did in the past.
B)The number of women joining the labor force is expected to increase.
C)By 2050, the labor force participation rate will be only about 60 percent.
D)The demand for temporary workers will triple by 2050.

Question 60

The __________ paved the way for the formation of many major trade agreements and institutions.

A)General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
B)International Monetary Fund (IMF)
C)North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
D)European Union (EU)

Question 61

Gene uses HR data such as employee demographic information, performance ratings, and employee surveys to try to predict which employees are most likely to quit. Gene is making use of

A)big (HR) data.
B)workforce (HR) analytics.
C)HR data crunching.
D)HRIS analysis.

Question 62

Approximately __________ percent of mothers with school-age children are employed.

A)10
B)30
C)50
D)70

Question 63

Human capital is _____ and _____ be managed the way organizations manage jobs, products, and technologies.

A)tangible; cannot
B)tangible; can
C)intangible; cannot
D)intangible; can

Question 64

Today about __________ percent of women aged 16 years and older participate in the workforce in the U.S.

A)40
B)80
C)30
D)60

Question 65

Older workers

A)operate more like free agents.
B)prefer having younger supervisors.
C)are often willing to work flexible hours.
D)learn new behaviors more quickly because of their experience.

Question 66

The use and disclosure of personal medical information is protected by the

A)Privacy Act of 1974.
B)Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.
C)Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986.
D)Public Health Service Act of 1944.

Question 67

Renata is the go-to person at her company for issues related to staffing, development, appraisals, rewards, and team building. She has good interpersonal skills and has expert knowledge in the areas of performance measurement and communication. In the context of the competencies required of HR managers, Renata has developed

A)personal credibility.
B)HR mastery.
C)business mastery.
D)change mastery.

Question 68

Fuller Foods sets rigorous standards for its suppliers that minimize the negative impact of fish farming, deforestation, and antibiotic use while promoting practices such as maintaining water quality and limited the spread of disease. This represents an emphasis on

A)agility.
B)offshoring.
C)furloughing.
D)sustainability.

Question 69

Globalization has led to

A)a new focus on corporate social responsibility.
B)older workers behaving more like free agents.
C)a reduction in the number of offshoring options.
D)a reduction in the number of nearshoring options.

Question 70

Which of the following statements regarding employees today is accurate?

A)The majority of employees have children under 18.
B)Most people still enjoy work and want to excel at it.
C)Remaining with a single employer is a top priority.
D)Personal success is defined only in terms of financial gains.

Question 71

Which of the following is NOT a general responsibility of the HR manager?

A)Employee supervision
B)Strategic advice and counsel
C)Policy formulation and implementation
D)Employee advocacy

Question 72

Globalization stirs fierce debate, especially when it comes to

A)equal pay for women.
B)jobs.
C)proprietary technology.
D)information exchange.

Question 73

XLT Corp. does not want to change the size of its workforce, but it does need a better way to manage benefits. Which of the following might XLT Corp. want to consider?

A)Furloughing
B)Homeshoring
C)Employee leasing
D)Outsourcing

Question 74

A company that wants to offer family-friendly work options to its employees might adopt any of the following EXCEPT

A)day care.
B)spousal benefits.
C)parental leave.
D)job sharing.

Question 75

Steve demonstrates understanding of his organization's customers and economic and financial capabilities. He uses this understanding to help his firm achieve its strategic direction. Steve has __________ mastery.

A)change
B)HR
C)business
D)personal

Question 76

Over the years, the educational attainment of the U.S. labor force has

A)risen dramatically.
B)fallen dramatically.
C)remained at about the same level.
D)had little influence on HRM.

Question 77

Employee rights include all of the following EXCEPT

A)company funded pension plans.
B)equal employment opportunities.
C)union representation if desired.
D)equal pay for equal work.

Question 78

Ella, an HR manager, has developed personal relationships with people both internal and external to the firm. She demonstrates the values of the firm while standing up for her own beliefs and dealing with all parties equitably. Which competency is Ella demonstrating?

A)Change mastery
B)HR mastery
C)Business mastery
D)Personal credibility

Question 79

As an employee advocate, HR managers

A)formulate and issue policy revisions for employees.
B)listen to employees and represent their needs to management.
C)provide individual orientation and training to every employee.
D)assist employees with labor negotiations.

Question 80

Which of the following does NOT represent a cultural change emerging in organizations?

A)An increased concern for privacy
B)Changing attitudes toward work
C)Balancing work and family demands
D)Accommodating unemployed workers