Deck 4: Planning for and Recruiting Human Resources

Question 1

An organization's recruitment efforts are rarely focused on passive job seekers because by definition they are individuals who are not actively seeking a job.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

A transitional matrix is a judgmental procedure used to forecast labour supply.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Decisions about internal versus external recruiting affect the nature of jobs.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The primary reason organizations engage in downsizing is to enhance competitiveness.

Question 5

Much of the evidence suggests that downsizing improves long-term organizational performance.

Question 6

Very few strategies are available for handling expected shortages and surpluses of labour.

Question 7

The steps in a workforce utilization review are identical to the steps in the workforce planning process.

Question 8

HR planners need to focus primarily on the internal labour supply within organizations.

Question 9

The first step in the workforce planning process is goal setting and strategic planning.

Question 10

Trend analysis is the most basic forecasting method used by organizations.

Question 11

Statistical planning models are useful for workforce planning when there is a long,stable history that can be used to reliably detect relationships among variables.

Question 12

Temporary workers may offer benefits not available from permanent employees.

Question 13

Employer branding uses marketing techniques to attract,engage,and retain employees in the effort to become an employer of choice.

Question 14

Succession planning focuses on employees who have been identified as lower-performers and identifies specific plans to enhance their performance.

Question 15

Organizations are most likely to benefit from hiring and retaining employees who have competencies that are part of the organization's competency framework.

Question 16

In order to attract a more diverse workforce,organizations often recruit through external sources.

Question 17

Succession planning is a particular type of workforce planning.

Question 18

Workforce planning compares the present state of the organization with its goals for the future,then identifies what changes it must make in its human resources to meet those goals.

Question 19

The most widespread methods for eliminating labour shortages are hiring temporary and contract workers and outsourcing work.

Question 20

As an option for avoiding an expected labour shortage,the use of new external hires is relatively fast,but low in terms of ability to change later.

Question 21

The first step in the workforce planning process is:

A) forecasting.
B) goal setting.
C) program implementation.
D) program evaluation.
E) strategic planning.

Question 22

Which of the following options for avoiding a labour shortage is slow in achieving results and provides a low ability to change later?

A) Overtime
B) Temporary employees
C) Outsourcing
D) New external hires
E) Downsizing

Question 23

Which one of the following is NOT true of transitional matrices?

A) They show the proportion (or number)of employees in different job categories at different times.
B) They are useful for charting historical trends in the company's supply of labour.
C) Under stable conditions,they are useful for developing future strategies to address labour shortages or surpluses.
D) They are useful in predicting external labour market trends.
E) They answer the questions: "Where did people who were in each job category go?" and "Where did people now in each job category come from?"

Question 24

Research demonstrates that realistic job previews significantly reduce employee turnover.

Question 25

Which of the following is an external labour market trend that planners should examine?

A) Measures of the economy
B) Actions of competitors
C) Changes in technology
D) Measures of the economy,"Actions of competitors," and "changes in technology"
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 26

Downsizing has an immediate effect on costs,and much of the evidence suggests that it:

A) improves communication.
B) strengthens social networks.
C) hurts long-term organizational effectiveness.
D) increases the motivation of remaining employees.
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 27

To ensure success with an outsourcing strategy,companies should follow which of the following guidelines?

A) Make sure the provider has the necessary skills,including an environment that can meet standards for clear communication,on-time shipping,fair labour practices,and environmental protection.
B) Do not offshore any work that is proprietary or requires tight security.
C) Start small and monitor the work closely,especially in the beginning.
D) Look for opportunities to outsource work in areas that promote growth e.g.by partnering with experts who can help the organization tap new markets.
E) All of the choices are correct.

Question 28

The goals that are set in the workforce planning process should come directly from:

A) supervisors who tend to be most in touch with the organization's needs.
B) the analysis of labour supply and demand.
C) consultants' advice.
D) the feedback provided by the organization's customers.
E) the opinions of HR professionals.

Question 29

Companies are turning to the use of social media including Facebook,Twitter,and LinkedIn to seek out job candidates.

Question 30

Forecasting indicates your company needs to reduce its white-collar workforce in order to avoid a labour surplus in the next three to five years.Consistent with the corporate culture it wants to maintain,your company places a higher priority on minimizing human suffering than on achieving the labour reduction quickly.The options that are most consistent with these priorities are:

A) demotions and transfers.
B) transfers and reducing hours.
C) early retirement and retraining.
D) natural attrition and transfers.
E) pay reductions and transfers.

Question 31

Organizations engage in downsizing to meet which of the following objectives?

A) Reducing costs.
B) Replacing labour with technology.
C) Moving to more economical locations.
D) Reducing costs,"replacing labour with technology," and "moving to more economical locations."
E) Reducing costs and "moving to more economical locations" only.

Question 32

Which of the following options for reducing an expected labour surplus is a relatively slow solution,but has the benefit of being low in suffering caused?

A) Natural attrition
B) Downsizing
C) Pay reductions
D) Transfers
E) Demotions

Question 33

A small company that manufactures special-order wood furniture has kept its employees busy on a 40-hour-a-week schedule for the past two years.The company just received the largest contract in its history from a European company opening offices in the area.There is no expectation of repeat business from the European company.In order to complete the contract in the required three months,additional skilled woodworking employees are needed.Under these circumstances,to avoid an expected labour shortage,the best option would be:

A) overtime.
B) the use of temporary employees.
C) turnover reduction.
D) new external hires.
E) technological innovation.

Question 34

Recruiter characteristics and behaviours have very little effect on recruitment outcomes.

Question 35

Which of the following options for avoiding an expected labour shortage has the benefit of being a relatively fast solution while maintaining the ability to change later?

A) Overtime
B) Technological innovation
C) Turnover reductions
D) New external hires
E) All of the choices are correct.

Question 36

Which of the following options for reducing an expected labour surplus has the benefit of being a relatively fast solution and is NOT high in human suffering?

A) Downsizing
B) Transfers
C) Retraining
D) Demotions
E) Pay reductions

Question 37

Workforce planning may result in:

A) downsizing.
B) training existing employees in new skills.
C) hiring new employees.
D) downsizing,"training existing employees in new skills," and "hiring new employees."
E) downsizing and "hiring new employees" only.

Question 38

Leading indicators may include any of the following,EXCEPT:

A) sales or inventory levels.
B) transitional matrix analysis.
C) changes in technology.
D) trends in the composition of the workforce.
E) actions of competitors.

Question 39

An organization seeking to reduce a projected labour surplus must select from a number of possible options aimed at obtaining that objective (e.g. ,retirements,layoffs,job sharing,etc. ).This occurs at what step in the workforce planning process?

A) Goal setting and strategic planning
B) Program evaluation
C) Forecasting labour demand
D) Forecasting labour supply
E) Program implementation

Question 40

Your company's primary concern is to reduce an expected labour surplus fast;its secondary concern is to minimize human suffering.The options that would best address the company's concerns (in the priority indicated)are:

A) downsizing and pay reductions.
B) transfers and reducing hours.
C) early retirement and retraining.
D) natural attrition and transfers.
E) overtime and outsourcing.

Question 41

Which of the following is an advantage of relying on internal recruitment sources?

A) They are likely to promote diversity.
B) Using internal recruitment helps ensure employees all think alike.
C) They are generally cheaper and faster than looking outside the organization.
D) For entry-level positions,there will always be many recruits from which to select.
E) All of the choices are advantages of relying on internal recruitment sources.

Question 42

In human resource management,any practice or activity carried out by the organization with the primary purpose of identifying and attracting potential employees is known as:

A) recruiting.
B) selection.
C) placement.
D) passive job seeking.
E) forecasting.

Question 43

All but one of the following enhances recruiter effectiveness.Name the exception.

A) Recruiters should provide timely feedback.
B) Recruiters should avoid offensive behaviour that might convey the wrong impression about the organization.
C) Use individual recruiters rather than recruitment teams.
D) Recruit with teams rather than individual recruiters.
E) All of the choices enhance recruiter effectiveness.

Question 44

Succession planning focuses on:

A) prospective employees.
B) young employees.
C) high-potential employees.
D) former employees.
E) engineering and accounting professionals.

Question 45

The most important source of recruits for entry-level professional and managerial vacancies is:

A) yield ratios.
B) advertisements in newspapers and magazines.
C) staffing services companies.
D) on-campus interviewing.
E) executive search firms.

Question 46

What is downsizing and what is the primary reason that organizations engage in downsizing? What are the four objectives organizations pursue in their downsizing efforts?

Question 47

What is employer branding? What does it mean to have an effective employment brand?

Question 48

Which of the following statements about online recruiting is FALSE?

A) Employers have shifted using their spending on job ads away from print media to online job advertising or a combination of both.
B) Companies are turning to the use of social media including Facebook,Twitter,and LinkedIn to seek out job candidates.
C) Smaller and less well-known organizations are likely to be more successful that large well-known organizations in using their websites for recruiting.
D) QR (Quick Response)codes are becoming powerful recruitment tools because they can take applicants directly to customized information such as a website,video,or to the company's social media.
E) Most large companies and many smaller ones make career information available on their websites.

Question 49

Decisions about internal versus external recruiting affect:

A) the nature of jobs.
B) recruitment sources.
C) the nature of applicants.
D) the nature of jobs,"recruitment sources," and "the nature of applicants."
E) only "the nature of jobs" and "recruitment sources."

Question 50

What is succession planning? What are the benefits of succession planning?

Question 51

A strategic approach of attaching a visual,emotional,or cultural brand to an organization is called:

A) image advertising.
B) brand advertising.
C) lead-the-market pay strategy.
D) employer branding.
E) All of the choices are correct.

Question 52

What is the first step in the process for developing a succession plan?

A) Identify positions to plan for.
B) Measure employee potential.
C) Provide feedback to employees.
D) Define job requirements.
E) Both "provide feedback to employees" and "define job requirements."

Question 53

Which of the following recruiter characteristics do applicants tend to respond to most positively?

A) Warm and informative
B) Height and weight (approximately the same as the applicant)
C) Age (approximately the same as the applicant)
D) Personal grooming and dress
E) Taking on the role of an HR specialist

Question 54

Which of the following is a metaphor to describe an effective recruiter?

A) Warm and fuzzy blanket
B) Seasonal bridge
C) Hot stove
D) Talent magnet
E) Step ladder

Question 55

A comparison of the proportion of employees in protected groups with the proportion that each group represents in the relevant labour market is:

A) adverse treatment analysis.
B) workforce utilization review.
C) subgroup reconciliation.
D) discrimination analyses.
E) workforce planning.

Question 56

Cost per hire is:

A) useful in assessing the efficiency of a recruiting source.
B) lower for executive search firms than for newspaper ads.
C) lower for executive recruits than for clerical recruits.
D) a measure of applicant quality.
E) a measure of recruiter quality.

Question 57

Discuss the relative merits of internal versus external recruiting.

Question 58

Yield ratios express the:

A) output yielded by a new hire in relation to the cost of recruiting the new hire.
B) percentage of applicants who successfully move from one stage of the recruitment and selection process to the next.
C) cost per hire.
D) quality of new hires based on manager feedback.
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 59

Which of the following statements about pay strategies is FALSE?

A) Pay is an important job characteristic for almost all applicants.
B) Organizations have a recruiting advantage if their policy is to pay more than the current market wages for a job.
C) Higher pay cannot make up for a job's less desirable features.
D) Organizations that compete for applicants based on pay may use bonuses,stock options,and other forms of pay besides wages and salaries.
E) All the statements about pay strategies are true.

Question 60

What is a "downside" of referrals as a source of recruits?

A) They limit the likelihood of exposing the organization to fresh viewpoints.
B) Referrals may contribute to hiring practices that appear unfair e.g.nepotism.
C) Using referrals is much more expensive than any other recruiting source.
D) The recruitment process becomes more complex.
E) Both "they limit the likelihood of exposing the organization to fresh viewpoints" and "referrals may contribute to hiring practices that appear unfair e.g.nepotism."

Question 61

What recruiter characteristics and behaviours would you look for in a recruiter?

Question 62

Describe the measures used to evaluate various recruiting sources used by organizations.