Deck 5: Information for Making Human Resource Decisions

Question 1

John, a job analyst, was asked to prepare an analysis of the KSAs necessary to be a waiter at a local restaurant. Which of the following would NOT appear in his analysis?

A) The waiter must be able to lift and carry trays.
B) The waiter will have a comprehensive health coverage plan.
C) The waiter must communicate effectively with customers.
D) The waiter will have to stand for most of the workday.
E) The waiter needs to have a good short-term memory.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

What is involved in the task analysis inventory method?

A) A taxonomy of fifty-two abilities rated on a seven-point scale
B) SMEs generating a list of tasks, and job incumbents evaluating each task on several dimensions
C) Analyzing the job in terms of involvement with people, data, and things
D) Completing a 194-item instrument reflecting work behavior, working conditions, and job characteristics
E) Generating examples of effective and ineffective performance

Answer 2

B

Question 3

A ____ provides an overview of the duties and tasks required to effectively perform a particular job or line of work.

A) job specification
B) job description
C) benchmark
D) personnel file
E) work permit

Answer 3

B

Question 4

A national hotel chain established a plan that describes how top managers will be promoted throughout the organization over time. This is called

A) demand forecasting.
B) the social context.
C) empowerment.
D) executive succession.
E) human resource control.

Question 5

Which of the following would be a competency, as described in the text?

A) Decisiveness
B) Keyboarding speed
C) IQ of 100
D) Clean driving record
E) Degree in computer science

Question 6

Which of the following would be included in a job description for a computer programmer?

A) Bachelor's degree in computer science
B) Knowledge of COBOL
C) Writing programs to run network processes on the mainframe
D) Proficiency in computer languages
E) Keyboarding skills

Question 7

A ____ can often facilitate the forecasting of the supply of human resources.

A) human resource information system
B) focus group
C) quality circle
D) think tank
E) quality team

Question 8

Which job analysis technique consists of requiring subject matter experts to develop a comprehensive description of work?

A) Narrative job analysis
B) The PAQ
C) Functional job analysis
D) Fleishman job analysis system
E) Task analysis inventory

Question 9

When an individual seeks additional training and education to improve her or his ability to find work, this is called:

A) human capital investment.
B) market waging.
C) functional job analysis.
D) rate of unemployment.
E) task analysis inventory.

Question 10

When being interviewed during the gathering of job analysis data, which type of individual may provide exaggerated information about a job's complexity or importance?

A) The job incumbent
B) The immediate supervisor
C) A higher-level supervisor
D) An industrial engineer
E) A human resource manager

Question 11

Who generally share responsibility for conducting a job analysis?

A) The line manager, the job incumbent, and the top management team
B) The top management team, the operations manager, and the human resource manager
C) The line manager, the human resource department, and the job analyst
D) The job analyst, the immediate supervisor, and the job incumbent
E) The human resource department, the job incumbent, and the job analyst

Question 12

When Hank needed to write a job analysis for a court reporter, he used the O*NET online database. One section of the information stated, "Court reporters ask speakers to clarify statements, file a legible transcript of records, verify accurate transcripts, and record depositions." This information is part of the job's

A) KSAs.
B) tasks.
C) working conditions.
D) critical incidents.
E) SMEs.

Question 13

Anuj looks at a job analysis that reports scores on various items, organized into areas called "Information inputs," "Mental processes," "Relationships with other people," and so on. The scales tell how frequently those areas are used in the job, how important they are to the job, and other measures. Anuj is looking at a job analysis that was based on

A) a narrative.
B) critical incidents.
C) a position analysis questionnaire.
D) the Fleishman job analysis system.
E) the O*NET.

Question 14

What is involved in the Fleischman job analysis system of conducting work assessments?

A) A taxonomy of fifty-two abilities that effectively captures variations in job performance, which are rated by job incumbents
B) SMEs generating a list of tasks, and job incumbents evaluating each task on several dimensions
C) Analyzing the job in terms of involvement with people, data, and things
D) Completing a 194-item instrument reflecting work behavior, working conditions, and job characteristics
E) Generating examples of effective and ineffective performance

Question 15

When an organization attempts to forecast the supply of and demand for human resources, this is called

A) empowerment.
B) job enrichment.
C) outsourcing.
D) human resource planning.
E) telemarketing.

Question 16

On the FBI's employment Page, you read: "To qualify as an FBI Special Agent, you must be a U.S. citizen, at least 23 and not more than 37 years old, have vision not worse than 20/40, pass a color vision and hearing test, have a valid driver's license, be in excellent physical condition, and possess a four-year college degree." What are you reading?

A) A job description
B) A job specification
C) A job SME
D) A job analysis
E) A job family

Question 17

Which of the following statements BEST describes the link between job analysis and human resource planning?

A) Job analysis helps human resource planners understand exactly what kinds of work must be performed within the organization in the future.
B) Job analysis provides information to help design training and development programs.
C) Job analysis clarifies the essential elements of each job.
D) Human resource planning forecasts the supply and demand for human resources.
E) Mathematical models of historic trends can help in forecasting labor supply and demand.

Question 18

A small management-consulting firm experiences a tremendous boost in business in one year and must hire many new professional employees to provide services to its new customers. This business is likely following a ____ strategy.

A) growth
B) stability
C) reduction
D) multinational
E) none of these

Question 19

Which of the following would be included in a job specification for an administrative assistant?

A) Keeping minutes of meetings
B) Answering phones
C) Typing correspondence
D) Maintaining the boss's calendar
E) Ability to take dictation in shorthand

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT correct regarding job analysis?

A) It is the process of gathering and organizing detailed information about jobs.
B) It helps managers understand the processes through which jobs are most effectively performed.
C) It is a fundamental input to the human resource planning process.
D) It results from the design of recruitment and selection procedures for new employees.
E) It helps managers understand the kinds of skills and abilities necessary for employees to perform their jobs.

Question 21

Scenario 5.1
CyberRocket is a high-tech manufacturer with an exciting new product, the Astro-Cruiser, a virtual Ethernet connector for shuttles orbiting the Earth. This product will allow astronauts to cruise the Web while cruising in space. The product depends on vastly new technology requiring a technical knowledge of astrophysics. CyberRocket is planning to rapidly expand this business, but it first must analyze the jobs needed to produce the Astro-Cruiser. The job analysis should contain information about what the workers will do, rather than what is involved in the job. The company would like to identify only the essential functions of the jobs, leaving them more flexibility. Two top executives, the head of research and development and the head of production, are the only two individuals within the company who really understand the new product and what new knowledge, skills, and abilities of employees will be necessary to produce it.
Refer to Scenario 5.1. In this situation, who will be the BEST source of information for job analysis?

A) Current job incumbents
B) Line managers
C) The top management team
D) The SMEs
E) Online sources such as O*NET

Question 22

Job analysis affects the selection process, but it only indirectly influences performance appraisal and compensation.

Question 23

An organization should considered its strategic plan when forecasting the demand for human resources.

Question 24

Scenario 5.1
CyberRocket is a high-tech manufacturer with an exciting new product, the Astro-Cruiser, a virtual Ethernet connector for shuttles orbiting the Earth. This product will allow astronauts to cruise the Web while cruising in space. The product depends on vastly new technology requiring a technical knowledge of astrophysics. CyberRocket is planning to rapidly expand this business, but it first must analyze the jobs needed to produce the Astro-Cruiser. The job analysis should contain information about what the workers will do, rather than what is involved in the job. The company would like to identify only the essential functions of the jobs, leaving them more flexibility. Two top executives, the head of research and development and the head of production, are the only two individuals within the company who really understand the new product and what new knowledge, skills, and abilities of employees will be necessary to produce it.
Refer to Scenario 5.1. The job analysis information about what the new workers must be able to do, rather than about what the job entails, is likely to provide more information for job

A) descriptions.
B) specifications.
C) evaluations.
D) analyses.
E) duties.

Question 25

Scenario 5.1
CyberRocket is a high-tech manufacturer with an exciting new product, the Astro-Cruiser, a virtual Ethernet connector for shuttles orbiting the Earth. This product will allow astronauts to cruise the Web while cruising in space. The product depends on vastly new technology requiring a technical knowledge of astrophysics. CyberRocket is planning to rapidly expand this business, but it first must analyze the jobs needed to produce the Astro-Cruiser. The job analysis should contain information about what the workers will do, rather than what is involved in the job. The company would like to identify only the essential functions of the jobs, leaving them more flexibility. Two top executives, the head of research and development and the head of production, are the only two individuals within the company who really understand the new product and what new knowledge, skills, and abilities of employees will be necessary to produce it.
Refer to Scenario 5.1. The two top executives feel that newly hired astrophysicists will work independently, with little oversight or control by top management. The information would likely appear in the

A) job description.
B) job specification.
C) job request.
D) personnel file.
E) none of these.

Question 26

Which of the following is an accurate statement?

A) Job descriptions focus on succession planning
B) Job specifications indicate the knowledge and skills needed to perform work
C) Job descriptions focus on the individual
D) Job specifications focus on the work
E) None of these.

Question 27

The first step in job analysis involves

A) determining who is responsible for collecting data.
B) determining information needs.
C) determining data collection methods.
D) identifying the work to be assessed.
E) defining the work itself.

Question 28

Organization try to develop job ____ when planning for human resources, which are groups of jobs that are similar.

A) components
B) indicators
C) vectors
D) industries
E) families

Question 29

Which of the following is NOT a common legal issue in job analysis and design?

A) The failure to perform a job analysis
B) Using job analysis to discriminate by gender
C) Discrimination against disabled applicants because of an inaccurate job analysis
D) The use the job characteristics model of job design
E) Job analysis that includes factors that are not job related

Question 30

The third step in job analysis involves

A) determining who is responsible for collecting data.
B) getting feedback from customers.
C) tracking productivity.
D) identifying the work to be assessed.
E) defining the work itself.

Question 31

The percentage of individuals looking for and available for work who are not currently employed is called the:

A) job description
B) rate of unemployment
C) advanced rate of employment
D) job specification
E) None of these.

Question 32

The ____ approach to job analysis requires the specification of effective and ineffective performance.

A) skill variety
B) Fleischman
C) PAQ
D) MPDQ
E) critical incidents

Question 33

The reduction strategy essentially maintains the status quo with regard to the number of individuals employed by a company.

Question 34

Forecasting the future supply of human resources does not require an analysis of internal company records.

Question 35

A computerized job classification system that is a major source of job information is called the:

A) WORKS Dataset
B) Fleischman Inventory
C) PAQ Job Base
D) MPDQ Info Set
E) O*NET

Question 36

Scenario 5.1
CyberRocket is a high-tech manufacturer with an exciting new product, the Astro-Cruiser, a virtual Ethernet connector for shuttles orbiting the Earth. This product will allow astronauts to cruise the Web while cruising in space. The product depends on vastly new technology requiring a technical knowledge of astrophysics. CyberRocket is planning to rapidly expand this business, but it first must analyze the jobs needed to produce the Astro-Cruiser. The job analysis should contain information about what the workers will do, rather than what is involved in the job. The company would like to identify only the essential functions of the jobs, leaving them more flexibility. Two top executives, the head of research and development and the head of production, are the only two individuals within the company who really understand the new product and what new knowledge, skills, and abilities of employees will be necessary to produce it.
Refer to Scenario 5.1. The definition of the essential functions of the new jobs will be particularly helpful with which other aspect of human resource management?

A) The turnover reduction program
B) Compliance with the ADA
C) Early retirement incentives
D) Increased productivity
E) Motivation of existing employees

Question 37

This particular job analysis technique focuses primarily on managerial jobs.

A) MPDQ
B) PAQ
C) O*NET
D) MBO
E) None of these

Question 38

Scenario 5.1
CyberRocket is a high-tech manufacturer with an exciting new product, the Astro-Cruiser, a virtual Ethernet connector for shuttles orbiting the Earth. This product will allow astronauts to cruise the Web while cruising in space. The product depends on vastly new technology requiring a technical knowledge of astrophysics. CyberRocket is planning to rapidly expand this business, but it first must analyze the jobs needed to produce the Astro-Cruiser. The job analysis should contain information about what the workers will do, rather than what is involved in the job. The company would like to identify only the essential functions of the jobs, leaving them more flexibility. Two top executives, the head of research and development and the head of production, are the only two individuals within the company who really understand the new product and what new knowledge, skills, and abilities of employees will be necessary to produce it.
Refer to Scenario 5.1. Which job analysis method BEST suits CyberRocket's needs?

A) Fleishman job analysis system
B) Critical incidents approach
C) Task analysis inventory
D) Position Analysis Questionnaire
E) Narrative job analysis

Question 39

The average age of the U.S. workforce is gradually decreasing.

Question 40

The prevailing wage rate for a given job in a given labor market is called the:

A) component wage rate
B) indicator wage rate
C) vector wage rate
D) industry wage rate
E) market wage rate

Question 41

Describe some of the actions that a firm might take to implement a human resource plan when it has a strategy of growth, stability, and reduction.

Question 42

Discuss the specific job analysis techniques in terms of the types of information generated, the degree of specificity to the job being analyzed, and relationship to the characteristics of the job or of the worker.

Question 43

The critical incidents method relies on important behaviors that distinguish effectives from ineffective performers.

Question 44

How does job analysis relate to the various human resource management processes in the organization?

Question 45

Evidence suggests that jobs occupied by men are rated as more complex than are similar jobs occupied by women.

Question 46

Summarize legal issues in job analysis.

Question 47

The functional job analysis relies on a taxonomy of abilities that represents all the key work dimensions.

Question 48

The most common approach to job analysis is the narrative job analysis.

Question 49

Describe knowledge, skills, and abilities and provide some examples for a job in which you have worked.

Question 50

The second step in job analysis involves determining methods for obtaining information.