Deck 1: Strategic Human Resource Management: an Overview

Question 1

Which term refers to the process through which an organization ensures that it always has the proper number of employees with the appropriate skills in the right jobs, at the right time, to achieve organizational objectives?

A) staffing
B) recruitment
C) selection
D) HR planning

Answer 1

A
Explanation: A) Staffing is the process through which an organization ensures that it always has the proper number of employees with the appropriate skills in the right jobs, at the right time, to achieve organizational objectives. Staffing involves job analysis, human resource planning, recruitment, and selection.

Question 2

The staffing process involves all of the following functions EXCEPT ________.

A) job analysis
B) recruitment
C) product placement
D) selection

Answer 2

C
Explanation: C) Staffing involves job analysis, human resource planning, recruitment, and selection.

Question 3

The firm's corporate image or culture that attracts and retains ideal employees is best known as ________.

A) job branding
B) brand culture
C) HR branding
D) employer branding

Answer 3

D
Explanation: D) Employer branding is the firm's corporate image or culture created to attract and retain the type of employees the firm is seeking. Through employer branding, people get to know what the company stands for, the people it hires, the fit between jobs and people, and the results it recognizes and rewards.

Question 4

Being on which list of "100 best" is so desirable that some organizations try to change their culture and philosophies to get on the list?

A) Working Mother list of 100 best companies
B) Fortune magazine's 100 Best Companies to Work For
C) Business Ethics magazine list of 100 Best Corporate Citizens
D) Computerworld list of Best Places to Work

Question 5

From the point of view of human resources, employer branding has ________.

A) supplanted the profit motive in boardrooms around the world
B) little to do with attracting and retaining employees
C) evolved into the nexus of corporate culture and workplace interaction
D) become a driving force to engage and retain the firm's most valuable employees

Question 6

How many functional areas are associated with human resource management?

A) 3
B) 5
C) 7
D) 9

Question 7

What embodies the values and standards that guide people's behavior?

A) societal trends
B) employer brands
C) organizational policies
D) corporate mission statements

Question 8

As an HR manager in charge of staffing for a restaurant chain, John is most likely NOT responsible for ________.

A) training
B) job analysis
C) recruitment
D) selection

Question 9

Lyle, an HR specialist at a publishing company, is in the process of choosing from a group of applicants the individual best suited for an assistant editor position. Lyle is most likely involved in the function of ________.

A) recruitment
B) HR planning
C) job analysis
D) selection

Question 10

What is the systematic process of determining the skills, duties, and knowledge required for performing jobs in an organization?

A) strategic planning
B) job enlargement
C) recruitment
D) job analysis

Question 11

Which HRM function consists of training and development, individual career planning and development activities, organization development, and performance management and appraisal?

A) management by objectives
B) employee and labor relations
C) organizational development
D) human resource development

Question 12

Lauren is an HR manager at a marketing firm. Which of the following functions is LEAST likely to be an aspect of Lauren's job?

A) staffing
B) employee safety
C) product testing
D) employee and labor relations

Question 13

Which of the following involves learning that goes beyond today's job and has a more long-term focus?

A) training
B) career planning
C) development
D) organizational development

Question 14

The primary purpose of employer branding is to ________.

A) promote employee benefits
B) sell consumer products
C) attract quality employees
D) encourage media mentions

Question 15

The utilization of individuals to achieve organizational objectives is known as ________.

A) human resource leadership
B) human resource management
C) human resource staffing
D) human resource planning

Question 16

The systematic process of matching the internal and external supply of people with job openings anticipated in the organization over a specified period of time is referred to as ________.

A) HR planning
B) recruitment
C) job analysis
D) performance appraisal

Question 17

Avid Technology, Inc. was recently included on BusinessWeek's list of 100 best small companies. Which HR function will most significantly be affected by this achievement?

A) performance appraisal
B) safety and health
C) recruitment
D) research

Question 18

Which of the following provides learners with the knowledge and skills needed for their present jobs?

A) training
B) development
C) career planning
D) succession planning

Question 19

Connor works as an accountant at Price Waterhouse and is scheduled to meet with his manager for a formal review and evaluation of his strengths and weaknesses. In which of the following activities is Connor most likely participating?

A) performance appraisal
B) career development
C) succession planning
D) job analysis

Question 20

The process of attracting individuals on a timely basis, in sufficient numbers, and with appropriate qualifications, to apply for jobs with an organization is referred to as ________.

A) HR planning
B) selection
C) appraisal
D) recruitment

Question 21

Raj, a software engineer, recently met with his manager for a review and evaluation of Raj's performance over the last six months. In which of the following did Raj most likely participate?

A) performance management
B) performance appraisal
C) organizational appraisal
D) succession planning

Question 22

Which of the following terms refers to a goal-oriented process that is directed toward ensuring that organizational processes are in place to maximize the productivity of employees, teams, and the organization?

A) team strategic management
B) performance management
C) organization development
D) career development

Question 23

Jenny works in the HR department of Southwest Airlines, and she specializes in industrial relations. In which of the following activities would Jenny most likely participate?

A) outsourcing tasks
B) testing job candidates
C) handling collective bargaining
D) monitoring employee safety issues

Question 24

According to surveys, today's employees will work for approximately ________ companies and will change careers ________ times in their working lives.

A) 3; 3
B) 5; 7
C) 9; 3
D) 11; 5

Question 25

Wages, salaries, and commissions are most likely examples of ________.

A) direct financial compensation
B) indirect financial compensation
C) employment incentives
D) employment benefits

Question 26

Approximately half of all employees at ABC Manufacturing are union members. Which of the following is ABC Manufacturing required by law to do with the labor unions?

A) bargain with them in good faith
B) make concessions to them
C) help them organize activities
D) pay dues for their new members

Question 27

Which term refers to factors outside an organization's boundaries that affect a firm's human resources?

A) corporate environment
B) external environment
C) social environment
D) corporate culture

Question 28

What human resource task pervades all functional areas of human resource management?

A) health and safety
B) development
C) training
D) research

Question 29

What HR tool gives employees the opportunity to capitalize on their strengths and overcome identified deficiencies?

A) manager self-service
B) employee orientation
C) performance appraisal
D) selection tests

Question 30

Healthy and safe employees are more likely to ________.

A) earn managerial promotions
B) request salary increases
C) remain productive
D) join labor unions

Question 31

What human resource management task involves protecting employees from injuries caused by work-related accidents?

A) accident prevention
B) injury analysis
C) job analysis
D) safety

Question 32

Compensation, as described in your text, refers to the ________.

A) total of all rewards provided to employees in return for their services
B) wages individuals receive each pay period
C) wage schedules and wage rates listed in the union contract
D) internal alignment of intrinsic awards

Question 33

A formal approach used by the organization to ensure that people with the proper qualifications and experiences are available when needed is referred to as ________.

A) career development
B) succession planning
C) career planning
D) performance management

Question 34

An ongoing process whereby an individual sets career goals and identifies the means to achieve them is called ________.

A) succession planning
B) career development
C) career planning
D) training

Question 35

Ellen enjoys working at Starbucks because of her interactions with customers and co-workers. The satisfaction that Ellen feels would best be categorized as ________.

A) emotional health
B) nonfinancial compensation
C) performance satisfaction
D) indirect financial compensation

Question 36

Ben works at a small advertising agency as a graphic artist. Ben enjoys his job because the company allows employees to have flexible schedules and to telecommute when necessary. Which of the following best describes this type of employee compensation?

A) indirect financial compensation
B) direct financial compensation
C) nonfinancial compensation
D) required compensation

Question 37

What is the primary reason that firms are more attentive to employee safety and health than they were in the past?

A) federal legislation
B) health care costs
C) labor unions
D) tax benefits

Question 38

All of the following are categories of employment compensation EXCEPT ________.

A) direct financial
B) nonfinancial
C) indirect financial
D) psychological

Question 39

As a public school teacher, Molly has accrued 14 days of sick leave, which is a type of ________ compensation.

A) direct financial
B) indirect financial
C) nonfinancial
D) mandatory

Question 40

Which term refers to the planned and systematic attempt to change an organization and improve its performance?

A) organization development
B) corporate development
C) performance management
D) organization training

Question 41

Management's perception of the degree to which the prospective employee will fit in with the firm's culture and value system is known as ________.

A) discrimination
B) stereotyping
C) employer branding
D) organizational fit

Question 42

In most cases, when the economy is booming, recruiting qualified workers is ________.

A) easier
B) dynamic
C) more difficult
D) more systematic

Question 43

According to your textbook, cloud computing ________.

A) has done little to enhance HR mobility
B) requires expensive, time-consuming upgrades for HR staff
C) allows HR professionals to access applications from virtually anywhere
D) has largely been ignored by HR professionals

Question 44

Which of the following is NOT an external environment factor?

A) competition
B) customers
C) mission
D) shareholders

Question 45

What are the people who actually use a firm's goods and services called?

A) managers
B) shareholders
C) customers
D) employers

Question 46

Which of the following is the discipline most closely related to corporate social responsibility?

A) sociology
B) psychology
C) ethics
D) philosophy

Question 47

The ________ signifies the system of shared values, beliefs, and habits within an organization that interacts with the formal structure to produce behavioral norms.

A) motivation model
B) network system
C) corporate culture
D) behavioral paradigm

Question 48

Which of the following terms refers to any organized approach for obtaining relevant and timely information on which to base HR decisions?

A) HR strategic planning system
B) HR information system
C) HR core function
D) HR development

Question 49

Global companies face ________ in their labor markets.

A) moderate competition
B) intense competition
C) little competition
D) laissez-faire competition

Question 50

Which term refers to potential employees located within a specific geographic area?

A) forecasted allocation
B) labor market
C) labor union
D) employee relations

Question 51

A human resource information system (HRIS) is essential to all of the following HR responsibilities EXCEPT ________.

A) recruitment and selection
B) creation of mobile HR applications
C) oversight of legal and regulatory compliance
D) benefits administration

Question 52

Which term refers to employees who have joined together for the purpose of dealing with an employer?

A) political party
B) organization
C) union
D) PEO

Question 53

Which term refers to the owners of a corporation?

A) managers
B) executives
C) presidents
D) shareholders

Question 54

Customers are considered an external environmental factor because they ________.

A) use the Internet to research products
B) generate employer branding
C) expect quality products and after-purchase service
D) invest in corporations

Question 55

________ is the field of study that aims to identify and stop the use of technology to steal corporate information and harass workers.

A) Digital forensics
B) Corporate espionage
C) Cyber transposition
D) Stealth administration

Question 56

The implied obligation of managers, acting in their official capacities, to serve or protect the interests of groups other than themselves is referred to as ________.

A) ethics
B) managerial values
C) political activism
D) corporate social responsibility

Question 57

Unions are treated as an environmental factor because they act as a ________ when dealing with a firm.

A) supervisor
B) political party
C) third party
D) shareholder

Question 58

The pilots of various U.S. airlines are threatening to strike unless they receive wage increases. The pilots belong to a union. Which of the following would most likely negotiate an agreement with airline management?

A) union representatives
B) employee supervisors
C) government agencies
D) individual employees

Question 59

Which of the following is a FALSE statement about external environmental factors?

A) Stockholders influence managerial decisions in a corporation.
B) Customer satisfaction plays a role in human resource decisions.
C) Unions negotiate with management on behalf of individual employees.
D) The labor market rarely changes because population remains relatively stable.

Question 60

Which of the following is the discipline of dealing with what is right and wrong?

A) corporate social responsibility
B) sociology
C) cultural norms
D) ethics

Question 61

Which term refers to a company that leases employees to other businesses?

A) shared service center
B) human resource provider
C) external employer organization
D) professional employer organization

Question 62

Shared service centers provide an alternative to HR ________ and can often provide the same cost savings and customer service.

A) outsourcing
B) onboarding
C) broadbanding
D) downsizing

Question 63

A firm that outsources only benefits administration to a third party is most likely using ________.

A) discrete services
B) multiprocess services
C) business process outsourcing
D) single service outsourcing

Question 64

Which of the following takes routine, transaction-based activities that are dispersed throughout the organization and consolidates them in one place?

A) outsourcing centers
B) shared service centers
C) consolidation centers
D) human resource centers

Question 65

Which of the following is a True statement about professional employer organizations?

A) PEOs have the right to hire and fire the client company's employees.
B) PEOs are less popular than in the past due to technology improvements.
C) PEOs run day-to-day operations for client companies.
D) PEOs lease employees from other businesses.

Question 66

The human resource manager normally operates in what capacity?

A) line
B) production
C) matrix
D) staff

Question 67

Lee Shultz, the operations manager for Acme Bolts, has just learned that an experienced arc welder has resigned. He contacts the manager of human resources, Reba Cole, asking her to send him some qualified welders for him to interview. In this case, ________.

A) Lee is only concerned about accomplishing operations goals
B) Reba is only concerned about accomplishing human resource goals
C) Lee and Reba see organizational goals from the same perspective
D) both are concerned with accomplishing organizational goals, but from different perspectives

Question 68

Shelby Organic Foods is a fast growing firm that produces organic frozen food entrees. The firm employs 700 people and expects to hire more in the next few years. Currently, all of the firm's HR tasks are handled internally by Shelby's HR department. However, top executives at Shelby are considering the idea of outsourcing benefits administration. Which of the following questions is LEAST relevant to the decision to outsource Shelby's benefits administration tasks?

A) What is the cost difference for Shelby between handling benefits internally and externally?
B) How much time is spent by Shelby's HR department handling benefits administration tasks?
C) Which Shelby HR professional should oversee benefits administration at the shared service center?
D) How knowledgeable is Shelby's HR staff about benefits administration and federal health care laws?

Question 69

When using ________, an employer uses an external service provider to perform all or part of its recruitment activities.

A) recruitment process outsourcing
B) employee-search outsourcing
C) hiring-function outsourcing
D) business process outsourcing

Question 70

Which HR task is most likely to be outsourced?

A) training and development
B) benefits administration
C) payroll and compensation
D) recruitment

Question 71

The process of hiring an external provider to do the work that was previously done internally is referred to as ________.

A) broadbanding
B) job enlarging
C) outsourcing
D) onboarding

Question 72

According to the text, which of the following would most likely be categorized as an unanticipated event in the HRM external environment?

A) recessions
B) hurricanes
C) employee retirements
D) stock and bondmarket losses

Question 73

Whirlpool Corporation has an agreement with IBM for the HR outsourcer to handle Whirlpool's workforce administration, compensation, recruitment, training, and performance reporting. This type of outsourcing is known as ________.

A) process control outsourcing
B) discrete services outsourcing
C) business process outsourcing
D) single task outsourcing

Question 74

All of the following are advantages of professional employer organizations EXCEPT ________.

A) providing workers for many firms
B) developing employee loyalty and morale
C) offering a wide selection of benefits at lower costs
D) providing job mobility opportunities for employees

Question 75

Shelby Organic Foods is a fast growing firm that produces organic frozen food entrees. The firm employs 700 people and expects to hire more in the next few years. Currently, all of the firm's HR tasks are handled internally by Shelby's HR department. However, top executives at Shelby are considering the idea of outsourcing benefits administration. Which of the following best supports the idea of outsourcing benefits administration?

A) Shelby employees enroll for health benefits through the firm's intranet.
B) Shelby's HR manager recently participated in a strategic planning session.
C) The benefits specialist at HR is knowledgeable about changing healthcare laws.
D) Benefits administration is highly time consuming for the Shelby HR department.

Question 76

According to your text, what is a potential disadvantage of using a professional employer organization?

A) excessive paperwork
B) erosion of employee loyalty
C) EEOC regulations
D) higher health benefit costs

Question 77

Shelby Organic Foods is a fast growing firm that produces organic frozen food entrees. The firm employs 700 people and expects to hire more in the next few years. Currently, all of the firm's HR tasks are handled internally by Shelby's HR department. However, top executives at Shelby are considering the idea of outsourcing benefits administration. Which of the following most likely undermines the idea of outsourcing benefits administration?

A) Employees use Shelby's intranet to self-manage their own benefits.
B) Staff managers at Shelby discuss benefits packages with new employees.
C) Shelby's HR manager regularly meets with the firm's insurance provider.
D) Shelby recently began offering employees a flexible spending plan for benefits.

Question 78

Jennifer works in an advisory or staff capacity, working with other managers to help them deal with human resource matters. Jennifer is most likely employed as a(n) ________.

A) account executive
B) line manager
C) HR manager
D) project manager

Question 79

Today HR outsourcing can be done in three ways. Which of the following is NOT one of those ways?

A) discrete services outsourcing
B) project management outsourcing
C) recruitment process outsourcing
D) business process outsourcing

Question 80

Many HR departments are most likely becoming smaller because ________.

A) federal agencies monitor HR functions
B) HR telecommuting is gaining popularity
C) external groups are performing HR functions
D) technology eliminates the need for HR specialists