Deck 9: Managing Human Capital

Question 1

A-Recruitz is an organization that allows its employees to work from home.Most of the interaction between the employees and the organization takes place through email.Moreover,the organization is able to maintain increased employee performance and satisfaction.Identify the work option offered by A-Recruitz to its employees.

A) Variable work schedules
B) Flexible work schedules
C) Telecommuting
D) Job sharing

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following requirements should be met for human resources to become a competitive advantage?

A) They must be easily imitable by other companies
B) They need to be substitutable by another resource
C) They must add value to the organization
D) They should exist outside of the company

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The final stage in the selection process often tends to be:

A) reference checks.
B) situational interviews.
C) personality tests.
D) cognitive ability tests.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

John,an organization's HR manager,is making plans to offer training to his employees.To effectively proceed with the training process John should first:

A) determine target audience.
B) design the training curriculum.
C) assess the effectiveness of training.
D) understand the goals of training.

Question 5

Of the five stages of organizational growth,strategic integration involves:

A) technical specialization and increased formality.
B) concentrating on controlled growth and developing more formal procedures and increasing focus on professional management.
C) developing multiple product groups and integrating various functional aspects like accounting to provide more autonomy to divisions.
D) focusing on flexibility,adaptability,and incorporation across business functions.

Question 6

Which of the following provides a more precise job description and defines the characteristics of the ideal candidate for the position?

A) Mission statement
B) Job analysis
C) Job evaluation
D) Balanced scorecard

Question 7

Which of the following statements is a disadvantage of group-based pay systems?

A) Group-based systems cannot be fully customized to a particular department.
B) They do not allow managers to modify their targets and formulas.
C) Group-based pay systems tend to result in a diffusion of responsibility.
D) All group-based pay programs are generally difficult to calculate and monitor.

Question 8

_____ refers to a long-term ongoing process of training that improves an employee's personal abilities over time.

A) Development
B) Offshoring
C) Participation
D) On-the-job training

Question 9

Which of the following stages of organizational growth is characterized as being highly entrepreneurial and informal?

A) Functional growth
B) Initiation phase
C) Controlled growth
D) Strategic integration

Question 10

_____ is the process of managing employees by outlining a series of specific milestones that they are expected to meet in a defined time period.

A) Off-the-job training
B) Management by objectives
C) Total Quality Management
D) 360-degree feedback

Question 11

_____ allows employees to make their own choices about a wide array of benefit options.

A) Profit-sharing
B) Cafeteria plan
C) Flexible work option
D) Gain-sharing

Question 12

The process of matching a firm's structure,systems,human resources,and management practices to the competitive landscape is called _____.

A) external fit
B) customization
C) offshoring
D) vertical integration

Question 13

Which of the following statements is an advantage of external recruiting?

A) External candidates often make a quicker impact in the new role.
B) Companies know better about the skills of external candidates.
C) Many employers find new talent through external recruiting.
D) External candidates tend to perform better than existing candidates.

Question 14

Which of the following statements about 360-degree feedback is true?

A) 360-degree feedback is often effectively used to determine pay raises.
B) Employees receive feedback from their superiors,peers,and subordinates.
C) It often provides employees with an unrealistic view of their skills.
D) 360-degree feedback is not effective for the leadership development process.

Question 15

Which of the following is an advantage of realistic job previews?

A) Large number of applicants to choose from
B) All candidates tend to be highly skilled
C) Communicate only positive jobs aspects
D) Decrease turnover in many organizations

Question 16

Which of the following statements is true about the different types of training?

A) Informal training programs,in particular,are easy to measure.
B) Formal training is seldom valuable to an employee's learning.
C) Informal training of employees includes coaching or mentorship.
D) Formal training often tend to be much more effective than informal training.

Question 17

Which of the following is a disadvantage of realistic job previews?

A) Communicate only positive job aspects
B) Result in smaller pool of applicants
C) Provide poor job description
D) Cause increase in turnover

Question 18

_____ is a process of building and aligning human resource practices in support of the company's strategy.

A) Scenario building
B) Downsizing
C) Internal fit
D) Strategic positioning

Question 19

_____ is a process designed to reduce inefficiency and waste that builds up in an organization over time in an effort to be more competitive.

A) Offshoring
B) Outsourcing
C) Downsizing
D) Customizing

Question 20

The factor that distinguishes job-based pay from skill-based pay is that job-based pay policies:

A) are often used in organizations with lower hierarchical structures.
B) are often used in organizations where tasks are narrowly defined.
C) require individuals to use their personal judgment to make decisions.
D) tend to be best suited for organizations with more decentralized authority.

Question 21

_____ analysis is the process of tracking the results of one's own key actions and decisions.

A) Feedback
B) Strategic
C) Trend
D) SWOT

Question 22

What are the benefits of internal recruitment?

Question 23

External fit is a process of building and aligning human resource practices in support of the company's strategy.

Question 24

The only way to increase pay in skill-based pay systems is to switch jobs.

Question 25

A crucial part of employee development is providing feedback.

Question 26

What is management by objectives? Identify its components.

Question 27

Analyze the common mistakes firms make with respect to their offshoring activities.

Question 28

Job analysis can be conducted in a number of ways including self-administered questionnaires.

Question 29

The success of outsourcing is driven by a firm's ability to effectively manage people in different locations.

Question 30

The most important provision of the Civil Rights Act,Title VII is that it:

A) established minimum conditions for health,safety,and general well-being of workplaces.
B) established a federal minimum wage,set maximum hours for a workweek,and officially banned child labor.
C) allows employees to take unpaid leave of absence for family and medical reasons without losing their job.
D) prohibits employment discrimination based on race,sex,color,religion,and national origin.

Question 31

What are the guidelines to be followed by managers while downsizing?

Question 32

When a company outsources a business activity to a contractor in a foreign country,it is called _____.

A) gain-sharing
B) customizing
C) offshoring
D) downsizing

Question 33

Realistic job preview provides information to job candidates highlighting the most important conditions of a job including its positive and negative aspects.

Question 34

In switching jobs,individuals should always be going "from" rather than "to".

Question 35

The main components of MBO are derived from goal setting and participation in decision making.

Question 36

Progressive organizations view human resources as a valuable resource that can be optimized to create competitive advantage.

Question 37

Outline the different methods of training.

Question 38

Which of the following questions should individuals address while making decisions about their career?

A) What are my strengths and values?
B) Who is my role model?
C) With whom will I work effectively?
D) From whom should I learn?

Question 39

The functional integration stage of organizational growth is characterized by informal management.

Question 40

Which of the following statements about outsourcing and offshoring is true?

A) Offshoring guarantees higher profits for a business.
B) Managers always account for the risks in offshoring a process.
C) Outsourcing is not a complicated issue.
D) Offshoring is used to lower costs in a firm's value chain.