Deck 2: Strategy and Human Resources Planning

Question 1

Severance pay is a lump-sum payment given to terminated employees.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

External supply of labour is central to strategic planning.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Environmental scanning involves the systematic monitoring of internal factors influencing the organization.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Replacement charts are listings of current jobholders who are potential replacements if an opening occurs.

Question 5

A cultural audit asks questions such as "How do employees spend their time?"

Question 6

The use of part-time employees creates a problem of labour costs at fast-food restaurants.

Question 7

Nearly one-fifth of the workforce is made up of part-time,temporary,and self-employed workers.

Question 8

Staffing tables provide data on external labour supply sources.

Question 9

Succession planning is the process of identifying,developing,and tracking key individuals so that they may eventually assume top-level positions.

Question 10

The mission statement of an organization is a description of the organization's vision and values.

Question 11

HR planning is the process of setting major organizational objectives and developing comprehensive plans to achieve those objectives.

Question 12

Attrition and early retirement are means for organizations to reduce excess labour.

Question 13

In unionized firms,layoffs are typically based on performance.

Question 14

SWOT analysis includes the strengths only for strategy formulation purposes.

Question 15

Benchmarking is the process of comparing the organization's processes and practices with those of other companies.

Question 16

Over time,organizations may try to reduce their workforce by relying on attrition.

Question 17

Core capabilities are integrated skills and knowledge sets within an organization that distinguish it from its competitors and deliver value to customers.

Question 18

Markov analysis focuses on the number of employees in particular jobs and their skill levels,compensation,and job tenure.

Question 19

Attrition is the fastest way to achieve workforce reduction.

Question 20

Trend analysis is a qualitative approach to labour demand forecasting.

Question 21

National and regional unemployment rates are often considered a general barometer of labour supply.

Question 22

Strategic plans have a strong external orientation that covers major portions of the organization,focusing mainly on how the organization will position itself globally.

Question 23

Under the umbrella of layoff strategies are several work reduction options: reduced workweek,reduced shifts,transfers to related companies,and so on.

Question 24

A cultural audit may examine how people are empowered.

Question 25

Human resources planning (HRP)is the conducting of recruitment and selection methods according to a strategic plan.

Question 26

Organizational core values are the strong enduring beliefs and principles that a company uses as a foundation for its decisions.

Question 27

Decisions about employee layoffs are usually based on seniority and/or performance.

Question 28

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC)analyzes labour markets to determine the supply and demand for labour.

Question 29

Forecasting may be as informal as having one person familiar with the organization anticipate HR needs.

Question 30

There are two approaches to HR forecasting: quantitative and qualitative.

Question 31

The number of hours that Canadians work per week has been trending downward and now hovers around 33 hours a week.

Question 32

Increased emphasis on HR issues becomes especially critical when organizations consider global strategies,relocation of plants,product innovation plans,and so forth.

Question 33

The stages of HR activity associated with a merger are (1)precombination,(2)combination,and (3)solidification and assessment.

Question 34

Trend analysis relies on a single business factor.

Question 35

A cultural audit asks questions such as "What is the ethnic make-up of my workforce?"

Question 36

Management forecasts are quantitative measurements of future employment needs.

Question 37

Markov analysis is a systematic monitoring of the major external forces influencing an organization.

Question 38

Core capabilities provide a long-term basis for technological innovation,product development,and service delivery.

Question 39

The Delphi technique works best in organizations where dynamic technological changes affect staffing levels.

Question 40

In general,contract labour possesses skills and knowledge of less strategic value to the organization than core knowledge workers.

Question 41

In what way can HR best help ensure that a strategic alliance or joint venture goes smoothly in the beginning?

A)plan labour supply needs for both organizations
B)systematically monitor employee morale for both organizations
C)teach employees about the other organization
D)assess the compatibility of the two organizational cultures

Question 42

Internal analysis provides strategic decision makers with an inventory of organizational skills and resources.

Question 43

Human resources planning plays a key role in organizational strategy implementation because organizational leaders must make decisions regarding resource allocations to human capital,among other things.

Question 44

An organization states that teamwork and working together are important in its strategy but gives bonuses to individuals who excel independently.What is this an example of?

A)a misalignment of internal fit
B)a misalignment of external fit
C)a misalignment of internal and external strategy
D)a misalignment of strategy and HR

Question 45

Through human resources planning,organizations strive for a proper balance between demand considerations and supply considerations.

Question 46

Kappa Technology is a firm in the high-technology sector.It needs to hire individuals with very specific knowledge and abilities,and it needs to do so quickly.Which aspect of employee forecasting will be most important for this company?

A)skills inventories
B)staffing tables
C)Markov analysis
D)succession planning

Question 47

What is an HR "dashboard"?

A)a strategic tool developed by the Boston Consulting Group
B)a SWOT analysis at the HR level
C)a balanced scorecard
D)a software that tracks and graphically displays HR statistics so they can be viewed by managers at a glance

Question 48

An organizations' core capabilities consist of three components.Which of the following is NOT one of them?

A)processes
B)systems
C)people
D)cultural audit

Question 49

Which term refers to an enthusiastically adopted tool for mapping a firm's strategy in order to ensure strategic alignment?

A)target forecasting
B)predicted focus
C)balanced scorecard
D)replacement selection

Question 50

Smith Frozen Foods performs a yearly employee survey to assess how its employees feel about safety on the job,the comfort of the working conditions,and their general level of satisfaction with their work,managers,and coworkers.What is Smith Frozen Foods most likely performing?

A)a job satisfaction survey
B)an environmental analysis
C)a cultural audit
D)an engagement measure

Question 51

HR planning requires HR managers to focus more on an alignment between HR plans and which of the following?

A)the organization's financial strategy
B)the organization's marketing position
C)the organization's strategic plan
D)the competitive environment

Question 52

Value creation is what the firm adds to a product or service by virtue of making it; it's the amount of benefits provided by the product or service once the costs of making it are subtracted.

Question 53

As part of the strategic planning process,XYZ Inc.recently examined the attitudes and activities of the company's workforce.What was XYZ doing?

A)an environmental scan
B)a cultural audit
C)a trend analysis
D)a demand forecast

Question 54

Economic factors in environmental scanning include general and global conditions.

Question 55

A disadvantage of overemphasizing seniority is that less competent employees receive the same rewards and security as more competent employees.

Question 56

Organizations such as Canadian Tire and CIBC conduct cultural audits to examine the attitudes and activities of the external workforce.

Question 57

Which of the following best captures the strategic intent of the organization?

A)its mission
B)its vision
C)its core values
D)its strategic human resource plan

Question 58

Severance pay is usually calculated based on which of the following?

A)the employee's years of service and salary
B)complex formulas administered by the federal government
C)the employee's skills and abilities
D)the employee's education and performance

Question 59

Which of the following is a method for measuring a firm's strategic alignment?

A)Markov analysis
B)a balanced scorecard
C)benchmarking
D)an HR "dashboard"

Question 60

Internal fit (or alignment)means that HR practices are aligned with one another in a mutually reinforcing configuration.

Question 61

Which statement best describes the skills of core employees?

A)Their skills are not directly related to company strategy.
B)They have firm-specific skills directly related to company strategy.
C)They have skills that are valuable but not unique.
D)Their skills are available to all firms.

Question 62

ATM Company has experienced a recent growth in its business.Which of the following is NOT a likely response to its new HR demands?

A)Hire full-time employees
B)Ask employees to work over-time
C)Allow for attrition
D)Use contract workers

Question 63

As part of the SWOT analysis,the internal analyses of the firm would include an analysis of which of the following?

A)opportunities
B)strategy
C)threats
D)weaknesses

Question 64

Which of the following is a graphical representation of all organizational jobs along with the numbers of employees currently occupying those jobs and future employment requirements?

A)a Markov analysis
B)a trend analysis
C)a skills inventory
D)a staffing table

Question 65

During its strategic retreat,the top management team at IAMME Gold Corporation pondered on the question "What's the organization reason for being?" What was the team most likely focusing on?

A)the firm's strategic vision
B)the firm's core values
C)the firm's mission
D)the firm's competitive position

Question 66

Which of the following is NOT a qualitative approach to demand forecasting?

A)trend analysis
B)Delphi technique
C)soliciting expert opinion
D)management forecast

Question 67

Which of the following deliberations on the competitive environment generally involves an active role by HR managers?

A)an analysis of new entrants
B)an analysis of the supply and demand for labour
C)coordination with suppliers
D)minimizing the technical advantages of rival firms

Question 68

What is the difference between trend analysis and management forecasts?

A)Trend analysis is used to analyze the business environment and management forecasts predict labour needs.
B)Trend analysis uses organizational indexes and management forecasts utilize statistical techniques.
C)Trend analysis is quantitative and management forecasts are qualitative.
D)Trend analysis has proven success and management forecasts have major shortcomings.

Question 69

Which of the following should you take into account when forecasting demand?

A)absenteeism
B)turnover
C)business cycles
D)labour mobility

Question 70

What is the most important information obtained from a Markov analysis?

A)human capital readiness
B)what types of attitudes employees have
C)what positions are going to be coming open and will require a new hire
D)how many individuals are ready for promotion

Question 71

Which of the following is an important use of the balanced scorecard?

A)to help balance internal and external fit
B)to help managers translate their firms' strategic goals into operational objectives
C)to help managers balance the costs and benefits of HR strategies
D)to help with the SWOY analysis

Question 72

Kramer Athletic Equipment is planning the future of the organization.In this process,the firm is making decisions such as whether to maintain its current path as industry leader in the running shoe business,or branch out to include casual footwear.In addition,the company is also discussing the various needs it will have for new staff if it does choose to go in a new direction.What is Kramer Athletic Equipment doing?

A)strategic planning
B)human resources planning
C)applying principles of strategic human resources management
D)planning both its business needs and its HR needs

Question 73

Which of the following best describes forecasting human resources needs?

A)It is scientific and relatively error-free.
B)It is difficult and should only be done on rare occasions.
C)It should rely strictly on quantitative approaches,which utilize sophisticated analytical models.
D)It estimates the number and type of people that are needed to meet organizational objectives.

Question 74

Which of the following best describes the core values of a company?

A)They represent the alignment of the strategic plan with the human resource plan.
B)They are strong enduring beliefs and principles of the company.
C)They are the basic purpose of the organization.
D)They provide a perspective on where the company is headed.

Question 75

Which of the following is NOT generally considered a component of a firm's competitive environment?

A)rival firms
B)new entrants
C)labour laws
D)suppliers

Question 76

What do we call the internal alignment of HR practices to establish a configuration that is mutually enforcing?

A)vertical fit
B)horizontal fit
C)HR alignment
D)enforcing fit

Question 77

Organization Z is planning its future.In the process,the firm is making decisions such as what type of market it wants to be the leader in and what path to take to achieve this goal.What is Organization Z doing?

A)strategic planning
B)human resources planning
C)performing a Markov analysis
D)applying principles of strategic human resources management

Question 78

What is the first step in the strategic planning process?

A)putting together the human resource management team
B)executing the human resource plan
C)establishing the mission,vision,and values of the organization
D)aligning the human resource plan and the strategic plan

Question 79

Manning Logistics laid off nine employees from data-entry positions in its finance division.Two weeks later,it hired 15 employees into data-entry positions in the inventory division.What mistake has the company committed?

A)faulty cultural audit
B)not forecasting properly
C)faulty goal alignment
D)not analyzing the internal labour force

Question 80

On the entrance to Mac Pencils' factory are the words "to provide the world with high-quality and dependable pencils." What is this an example of?

A)strategic vision
B)mission
C)core values
D)core resources