Deck 13: Human Resource Management and Staff Training Issues

Question 1

Bob owns Brew Master,a store that specializes in providing its customers with everything they need to make beer at home.Bob has thirteen employees.What must he do first in order to establish an organization structure?

A) Inform his employees of the impending reorganization
B) Redesign his company culture
C) Rewrite the store's mission statement
D) Determine the tasks that must be performed
E) Determine the reporting relationships in the firm

Answer 1

D
Explanation: The first step is the determination of the tasks that must be performed.

Question 2

Once Alexandra identified the tasks of each employee in her pet shop,she moved to the second step in her organizational design and:

A) increased employee specialization
B) matched structure to strategy
C) grouped the tasks and assigned them to specific people
D) designed administrative relationships
E) offered specialized training for each position

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Human resource management in retailing is challenging because of:

A) the need to use part-time employees
B) the change in demographics in the workforce
C) the higher turnover of part-time employees
D) emphasis on expense control
E) all of these

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Syed worked 35 hours during the past week,and his net sales for the week were $5,480.His gross sales were $6,000.During the same week,the department's total gross sales were $60,000 and net sales were $55,000.A total of 6 employees worked 180 hours.Syed's sales per employee hour for the week would be:

A) $305.55
B) $171.43
C) $156.57
D) $333.33
E) There is insufficient information to complete this calculation.

Question 5

Bernice owns a small appliance store and has twelve employees.Although she has only a few associates,she wants to be able to identify the tasks performed by each of them.To summarize the information she could use a/an:

A) authority chart
B) organization culture
C) organization structure
D) reporting relationship
E) job description

Question 6

What identifies the activities to be performed by specific employees and determines the lines of authority and responsibility in the firm?

A) Organization structure
B) Reporting relationship
C) Organization culture
D) Position map
E) Authority chart

Question 7

________________________ is the activity of supporting people so they can reach their goals,with goal setting,training,advising,encouraging,and rewarding their successes:

A) Managing
B) Leading
C) Coaching
D) Planning
E) Supervising

Question 8

Howard thought he had his expense control problems resolved when he decided he would hire sales clerks from the local high school and pay them minimum wage.Which of the following statements is most likely to be true of Howard's decision?

A) Since high school students are inexperienced, it is justified to pay minimum wage
B) Young energetic enthusiasm will help Howard's sales
C) No one works for minimum wage
D) He will probably have higher turnover, absenteeism and poor labour productivity
E) It is a good move because of the decreasing workforce

Question 9

Another name for a retailer's sales or profits divided by its employee costs is:

A) human resource management
B) employee productivity
C) employee turnover
D) operations management
E) organizational management

Question 10

Peter worked at an Ace Hardware store after school.Each week,he is responsible for unloading the truck,shelving the merchandise,and offering customer assistance while on the floor.He never works the register or answers the phone.There are other employees for those tasks.Peter's assigned tasks demonstrate the productivity of:

A) empowerment
B) authority
C) organizational skills
D) partnering
E) specialization

Question 11

Often,when a retailer's sales and profits decline,it responds by:

A) laying off sales associates
B) reducing training provided to its sales associates
C) putting a freeze on hiring and promotions
D) employing more part-time workers
E) all of these

Question 12

A gift shop in the mall had weekly net sales of $64,000.Six part-time employees worked a total of 320 hours,and two full-time employees worked 37.5 hours each.Costs of goods sold were $28,000 and the average salary paid was $10/hr.Calculate the sales per full-time equivalent.

A) $12,800.00
B) $6,075.95
C) $3,418.80
D) $162.02
E) $1,620.25

Question 13

Sally works at a regional department store.Due to her artistic skills,she is responsible for creating floor and window displays.This is all she does at the store.This is an example of:

A) decentralization
B) specialization
C) authority
D) centralization
E) unity of tasks

Question 14

What is the first step in developing an organizational structure?

A) Assigning jobs to individuals
B) Determining the reporting relationships
C) Determining the tasks that must be performed
D) Matching the organizational structure with that of competitors
E) Determining the degree of employee specialization

Question 15

The strategic objective of human resource management is to:

A) align the capabilities and behaviours of employees with the goals of the firm
B) decrease turnover
C) introduce new services in order to obtain customer loyalty
D) make sure the retailer abides by all provincial and federal laws
E) supervise operations in all departments throughout the store

Question 16

When a retailer responds to an economic downturn by putting a freeze on salaries,laying off sales associates,and hiring more part-time workers,the employees tend to respond with:

A) lower job turnover
B) poor customer service
C) higher levels of job satisfaction
D) increased motivation and effort
E) all of these

Question 17

What personnel in a retail chain organization would determine that the retailer should have employees who are generalists doing many tasks rather specialists doing specific tasks?

A) Corporate managers
B) Accounting staff
C) Real estate staff
D) Computer systems administrators
E) Line managers

Question 18

Which of the following is an advantage of having employees who are specialists rather than generalists?

A) Reduced labour costs
B) Reduced number of employees
C) Increased skill level of employees
D) Increased employee knowledge of HR activities
E) Increased employee satisfaction

Question 19

What is the result of hiring part-time inexperienced employees?

A) sales increase
B) better customer loyalty
C) more extensive employee feedback
D) high turnover
E) higher labour expenses

Question 20

The first step in developing an organization structure is to:

A) create job descriptions
B) recruit the right people
C) hire an effective and efficient human resource manager
D) inventory all legal restrictions on hiring and employment practices
E) determine the tasks that must be performed

Question 21

Large retail chains can coordinate their buying and selling activities by:

A) reducing turnover in sales associates
B) eliminating the information systems
C) decentralizing the buying decisions
D) assigning employees to coordinating roles
E) increasing loss prevention efforts

Question 22

When decision-making is centralized in corporate management,retailers:

A) have better committed employees
B) have reduced costs
C) hire fewer sales associates
D) better meet the needs of customers in specific stores
E) involve department managers in the buying process

Question 23

Which of the following statements about centralization is true?

A) Centralization typically increases costs
B) Retailer stores are required to hire more managers with centralization
C) Centralization allows management to better tailor its offering to the needs of the local market
D) Centralization provides the opportunity to have the best people with the greatest expertise make decisions for the entire corporation
E) All of these statements about centralization are true

Question 24

What does centralization mean for retailers?

A) All buying decisions are made regionally to best satisfy the customer
B) Cash wraps are to be located centrally throughout the store
C) The location of corporate headquarters is located in the central part of the country
D) The authority for decisions is made at the nearest central office
E) The authority for decisions is delegated to corporate managers

Question 25

Centralization results in:

A) increased overhead
B) a duplication of functions by managers
C) an emphasis on efficiency
D) a lack of coordinated effort
E) all of these

Question 26

How do buyers typically gain an appreciation for the store environment?

A) Buyers spend several days a week in the local stores
B) Managers do workshops in the buying office about the store
C) Most buyers speak to the department managers frequently
D) Most buyers start their careers in the store for several months
E) Managers call in orders to buyers on a casual basis

Question 27

Which of the following are categories for classifying tasks typically performed in a retail firm?

A) Strategic management tasks
B) Administrative management tasks
C) Merchandise management tasks
D) Store management tasks
E) All of these

Question 28

Customer needs and preferences for grocery products differ considerably across the country.What organization form would you suggest for a national supermarket chain?

A) Centralized
B) Mazur structure
C) Decentralized
D) Specialized
E) Generalized

Question 29

How do large retailers better coordinate buying and selling?

A) They work to improve buyers' appreciation for the store environment
B) Buyers make store visits
C) They assign employees to coordinating roles
D) They involve store managers in buying
E) All of these.

Question 30

What is the major disadvantage of centralization?

A) Different merchandise in each store
B) Increased overhead expenses
C) The need to have standardized operating policies
D) The inability to quickly respond to changes in local markets
E) The inability to use national advertising media

Question 31

Which one of the following methods can a retailer use to motivate and coordinate the activities of an employee?

A) Lay offs
B) Pay cuts
C) Write ups
D) Written policies
E) All of these

Question 32

What is the final step in designing the organizational structure?

A) Determine level and type of specialization
B) Recruit new employees
C) Write job descriptions and job specifications
D) Determine reporting relationships
E) None of these

Question 33

______________ is the degree to which the authority for making retailing decisions is delegated to corporate managers rather than to geographically dispersed regional and store managers.

A) Decentralization
B) Specialization
C) Formalization
D) Centralization
E) The span of control

Question 34

If employees have the proper amount of authority to effectively undertake the responsibilities assigned to them,which of the following should increase?

A) Centralization
B) Empowerment
C) Formalization
D) Productivity
E) Specialization

Question 35

Customer needs and preferences for consumer electronics are very similar across the country.What organization form would you suggest for a national consumer electronics retailer?

A) Centralized
B) Mazur structure
C) Decentralized
D) Specialized
E) Generalized

Question 36

A retailing chain in which most of the retailing decisions are made by local store managers rather than at the corporate headquarters can be described as:

A) decentralized
B) integrated
C) generalized
D) centralized
E) formalized

Question 37

Extreme specialization increases:

A) labour costs
B) sales and profits
C) customer loyalty
D) job satisfaction
E) customer satisfaction

Question 38

Under what conditions can a supervisor effectively manage many people?

A) Subordinates perform simple tasks
B) Subordinates perform standardized tasks
C) Subordinates are skilled
D) Subordinates work at the same location as the supervisor
E) All of these

Question 39

Which of the following methods do fashion retailers use to improve appreciation of the sellers by buyers?

A) Getting advertisement approvals from both groups
B) Requiring buyers to work as sales associates during their training period
C) Having buyers act as supervisors to sales associates
D) Stocking the same merchandise in all stores
E) Centralizing merchandise buying processes

Question 40

Which of the following could be a problem that a store in a centralized retail chain might experience?

A) The inability to respond quickly to a local competitor who is trying to gain a price advantage
B) Missed sales because the merchandise mix does not appeal to the local tastes
C) Inability to hire employees who will work for pay established by corporate offices
D) All of these
E) None of these

Question 41

Which of the following is a drawback of incentives?

A) Most employees dislike incentives
B) They cause employees to ignore customers
C) They may cause employees to ignore other work tasks and obligations
D) Incentives work when standard pay is low
E) Most employees don't participate as they believe incentives are mere tokens from the management, and not really an appreciation of their performance

Question 42

On payday,Lei received her weekly salary plus 2% of each sale she made during the pay period.This is an example of a:

A) benefit
B) bonus
C) commission
D) gratuity
E) perquisite

Question 43

Organization culture:

A) has a much stronger effect on employees' actions than compensation plans
B) is used to guide employee behaviour
C) represents the sum of the traditions passed from experienced employees to new ones
D) gives an employee a sense of what they ought to do on the job in order to be consistent with the firm's strategy
E) is accurately described by all of these statements

Question 44

Organization cultures are developed and maintained through:

A) employee specialization
B) stories and symbols
C) extensive advertising campaigns
D) centralized organization structures
E) interaction with customers

Question 45

What happens when retailers rely completely on written policies to obtain the coordination of employees?

A) Employee motivation decreases
B) Managers follow policies and set examples
C) Communicating to employees about what they should do occurs more often
D) Compensation becomes an issue
E) It becomes easier to develop and maintain a corporate culture

Question 46

Harry is concerned that the salespeople in his men's clothing store are not spending enough time selling merchandise to customers.What should he do?

A) Increase the sales commissions for his salespeople
B) Stock less merchandise
C) Change the incentives from commissions to salary
D) Fire the salespeople and hire new ones
E) None of these

Question 47

Which of the following is additional compensation that is periodically awarded to employees on the basis of their performance?

A) Benefit
B) Commission
C) Gratuity
D) Bonus
E) Perquisite

Question 48

Build-A-Bear is a unique specialty store that teaches its customers how to build a cuddly stuffed animal through a series of stations throughout the store.Each bear is unique.The core of the business is light-hearted and kid-oriented.Even the CEO calls herself Chief Executive Bear.The focus on fun,creativity,and humour can be considered a part of the:

A) corporate procedure
B) corporate structure
C) organization culture
D) compensation plan
E) human resource plan

Question 49

Which of the following would be a good question to consider in a job analysis for a salesperson?

A) When and how often will the buyer be involved in markdowns?
B) Are vendors involved in training?
C) Will customers know who is responsible for the assortments?
D) What compensation plan will the salesperson have?
E) All of these

Question 50

Which of the following has the strongest effect on employees' actions?

A) Commission
B) Compensation plans
C) Direct supervision
D) Organization culture
E) Written policies

Question 51

The day begins in each Walmart store with the manager leading the famous Walmart cheer.The cheer is a fun and energetic way to remind employees that the customer is always number one.For years,it has been the one way that the company has shared its enthusiasm and can be considered part of the:

A) organization structure
B) incentive compensation
C) empowerment
D) organization culture
E) sales promotion

Question 52

The Home Depot employees are one of the biggest supporters of Habitat for Humanity.Many associates go to the building sites on weekends and voluntarily share their knowledge,expertise,and muscle.Volunteering is not a requirement for store associates,yet many participate in the exercise.The spirit of volunteering is an example of The Home Depot's:

A) organizational development
B) organizational culture
C) corporate procedures
D) empowerment
E) none of these

Question 53

The pink Cadillac given to the best Mary Kay cosmetics salesperson annually is an example of a(n):

A) symbol used to reinforce organization culture
B) benefit for salespeople that work for the company
C) method to increase coordination between merchandise buying and selling personnel
D) reward given for outsourcing
E) symbol used to exemplify the interconnections within the company's organization structure

Question 54

Sally is concerned that the salespeople in her dress shop are not keeping the store clean,and merchandise is not displayed properly.What should She do?

A) Decrease the sales commissions for her salespeople
B) Stock less merchandise
C) Change the incentives from commissions to bonuses
D) Fire the salespeople and hire new ones
E) None of these

Question 55

When motivating and coordinating the activities of retail employees,which of the following methods can be used?

A) Written policies
B) Supervision
C) Providing incentives
D) Having a motivating organizational culture
E) All of these motivate employees in some way

Question 56

Nigel works as a sales associate in the appliances department at a local retail store.He looks forward to a periodic ___________,which he receives on the basis of his performance.

A) fringe benefit
B) commission
C) gratuity
D) bonus
E) perquisite

Question 57

The most fundamental method of coordinating the work activities of retail employees is:

A) by not having close supervision
B) by weak organization culture
C) by paying them
D) through written policies
E) through trade promotions

Question 58

How do managers obtain the information needed for a job analysis?

A) Observing employees in other retail firms and see how they do their job
B) Reading books with typical job analyses in them
C) Conducting exit interviews which offer insight into the job
D) Using their experience to write the job analysis
E) Observing successful employees

Question 59

As the manager of the infant department at a large retail store,Maria looks forward to a periodic _________,which she receives on the basis of her department's performance relative to its budgeted sales and profits.

A) fringe benefit
B) commission
C) gratuity
D) bonus
E) perquisite

Question 60

Which of the following is a good technique for conducting a job analysis?

A) Hold a focus group containing employees with little seniority
B) Follow the federal government guidelines
C) Observe efficient employees performing the tasks that need to be analyzed
D) Gather secondary competitive data on job analyses at similar positions
E) Ask people who do not normally perform the tasks being analyzed how they would perform them

Question 61

What is the first step in building a committed workforce?

A) Developing a job description
B) Organizing the tasks in a position
C) Recruiting the right people
D) Training and development
E) None of these

Question 62

The turnover for a security position at the local department store was high,and the department managers were beginning to complain to Gina,the store manager.There was no lack of applications,and the pay was comparable to other stores,yet those who took the position stayed no longer than a week.Exit interviews revealed that employees felt the job's responsibilities were not what they expected.Which of the following would you suggest Gina do to reduce the turnover?

A) Accept more applications by reducing the standards
B) Insist that each applicant takes a drug test within 48 hours of applying
C) Show a video about the responsibilities of the job
D) Check references
E) Ask if they have plans to stay at the job during the interview

Question 63

Which of the following would be inappropriate to ask at an interview?

A) Why do you want to leave your present job?
B) What is your date of birth?
C) How did you spend summers during college?
D) What kind of people do you find it difficult to work with?
E) What would you do with someone on your job made a racial slur?

Question 64

A typical application form would be least likely to provide information about the applicant's:

A) character
B) employment history
C) references
D) education and training
E) previous compensation

Question 65

A retailer can reduce turnover by:

A) increasing its dollar sales
B) reducing its fixed costs
C) treating employees all the same
D) building an atmosphere of mutual commitment
E) doing all of these

Question 66

Constance is the store manager for Fins,a pet store specializing in tropical fish.She needs to hire a full-time salesperson.What should she do first?

A) Set up the guidelines she will use to recruit, select, train, and evaluate the new salesperson
B) Visit other stores and look at how their employees treat customers
C) Look at the worst employees and determine what characteristics make them ineffectual workers
D) Ask the opinions of the store's long-time customers
E) Identify essential activities that need to be performed and the qualifications used to perform them effectively

Question 67

Mandy has been a manager for 3 years in a variety of departments throughout the store.Recently,the floor manager position became available and Mandy inquired about it,only to learn a college recruit was awarded the position.This would be an example of what type of discrimination?

A) Desperate measures
B) Disparate treatment
C) Disparate impact
D) Minority impact
E) Random discrimination

Question 68

Retail managers use realistic job previews when screening job applicants in order to:

A) increase investment in new employee training
B) decrease employee turnover
C) monitor the validity of testing tools
D) socialize new employees
E) provide meaningful orientations for newly hired employees

Question 69

Roger applied for a position as a butcher's assistant at a nearby supermarket.After he completed his application,the manager showed him a video reviewing the responsibilities of an assistant to the butcher.After viewing that,Roger told the manager he didn't want the job.This screening technique is called:

A) an application
B) a reference
C) testing
D) a job preview
E) an interview

Question 70

The principal objective of employee socialization is to:

A) make on-the-job training unnecessary
B) increase turnover
C) make the screening process faster
D) develop a long-term relationship with new employees to increase productivity
E) prevent the creation of employee bonds

Question 71

Raven is a store manager for a discount chain.She decided to hire a new salesperson for the infants' department and has already developed a job description.What should Raven do next to secure an employee?

A) Conduct a behavioural interview
B) Organize an adequate training program focusing on infants' assortments
C) Select a qualified applicant
D) Develop a pool of applicants and screen them
E) Test applicants

Question 72

Autumn is the sales manager at a store that sells musical instruments.She has developed a job description for each of her employees.These job descriptions can be used for:

A) recruiting new sales help
B) training both experienced and inexperienced retail salespeople
C) selecting the person most suited to the retailing job that needs to be filled
D) evaluating the sales performances of her employees
E) doing all of these

Question 73

Which of the following statements about the job interview is true?

A) The most commonly used job interview is the benefit interview
B) Interviews should be conducted in a busy area with lots of distractions
C) The interviewer should be prepared to be a good listener
D) The interviewer should ask leading questions to determine how well the applicant responds to trick questions
E) Interviewers should not plan interviews because they are only effective when they are spontaneous

Question 74

Which of the following statements about the use of testing in the screening process is true?

A) Labour laws require that everyone be given an honesty test
B) Most companies use lie detector tests to assess applicants' honest
C) Testing can only be used as a part of the screening process when it can be proved the test scores are directly related to job performance
D) Testing programs are good ways to encourage socialization
E) Testing programs are typically part of new employee orientation

Question 75

Which of the following contains information about the applicant's employment history,previous compensation,reasons for leaving previous employment,education and training,personal health,and references?

A) References
B) Testing form
C) Job application form
D) Job preview
E) Interview form

Question 76

Which of the following is true about references?

A) References are a good way to verify information given on an application form
B) References are used to provide insight about how hard potential employees will work
C) References provide information about the employee's history and personal health
D) References can screen up to 15% of applicants
E) References involve interviews with the applicant

Question 77

________________ is a set of steps taken to transform new employees into effective,committed members of the firm.

A) Job application
B) Socialization
C) Employee retention
D) Training
E) Job previewing

Question 78

A __________ includes the activities an employee needs to perform and the firm's performance expectations expressed in quantitative terms.

A) job application
B) job description
C) job reference
D) job analysis
E) job specification

Question 79

What can retailers do to build an atmosphere of mutual commitment and increase the financial performance of their firms?

A) They can develop skills through selection
B) They can empower employees
C) They can create a partnering relationship with employees
D) They can develop skills through training
E) They can do all of these

Question 80

A company that carefully selects its recruits,develops employee skills through training,shares information about company shares,encourages employees to take additional classes on customer service is trying to:

A) reduce turnover
B) decrease its fixed costs
C) centralize its organization structure
D) maintain its current organization culture
E) develop a new mission statement