Deck 12: Managing Human Resources

Question 1

A job description states the minimum qualifications that a person must possess to perform a given job successfully.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

There are only two ways of controlling labour supply through decruitment: firing and early retirements.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

An example of a high-performance work practice is seniority-based compensation.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

A labour union is an organization that represents workers and seeks to protect their interests.

Question 5

Job descriptions focus on the job, while job specifications focus on the person.

Question 6

Human resource planning can be condensed into two steps: assessing current human resources and assessing and meeting future resource needs.

Question 7

An organization that wants to have high-performance work practices should discourage self-managed teams and decentralized decision-making.

Question 8

A job specification typically specifies what a jobholder does, how the job is done, and why it is done.

Question 9

Human resource management is part of every manager's job in the organizing function.

Question 10

An example of a high-performance work practice is self-managed teams.

Question 11

The first activity in the human resource management process is recruitment.

Question 12

High-performance work practices involve a commitment by management to improve the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the organization's employees, increasing employee motivation and enhancing the retention of quality employees.

Question 13

Recruitment is defined as the process of screening job applicants to determine who is best qualified for the job.

Question 14

The Employment Equity Act creates four "protected categories": Aboriginal peoples, visible minorities, people with disabilities, and the elderly.

Question 15

Economic downturn has led to more permanent, full-time jobs in most countries.

Question 16

Every Canadian province and territory has human rights laws that prohibit employment discrimination based on race, sex, religion, age, political belief, national origin, language, or prior conviction.

Question 17

A labour union is an organization that represents workers and seeks to protect their interests through collective bargaining.

Question 18

High-performance work practices are those that lead to high individual and high organizational performance.

Question 19

global economic downturn has profound implications for human resources management in organizations.

Question 20

Downturn in the economy of one country has negligible effect on the human resources markets globally.

Question 21

Which of the following is an example of a high-performance work practice?

A) closed communication
B) centralized decision making
C) skill-based compensation
D) self-managed teams
E) seniority-based compensation

Question 22

A layoff is a temporary voluntary termination.

Question 23

To make interviews valid and reliable, interviewers should structure a fixed set of questions for all job applicants.

Question 24

In a realistic job preview (RJP), an applicant might be told that there are limited opportunities to interact with peers during office hours and that the likelihood of promotional advancement is slim.

Question 25

Sexual harassment can occur between members of the opposite sex or of the same sex.

Question 26

In skill-based pay systems, an employee's job title defines his or her pay category.

Question 27

According to our textbook, there are three types of orientation: work unit orientation, organization orientation, and procedural orientation.

Question 28

Variable pay systems reward employees for the job skills and competencies they can demonstrate.

Question 29

Written essay and critical incident are performance appraisal methods.

Question 30

Written essays, BARS, MBO, and multi-person comparisons are all types of performance appraisal methods.

Question 31

Downsizing disrupts workplace operations and may cause trauma for employees.

Question 32

In times of organizational crisis, one option for improving profits is to downsize.

Question 33

One way to manage downsizing is to tell surviving employees the new goals and expectations.

Question 34

Despite the legal framework in Canada, there continues to be disagreement as to what specifically constitutes sexual harassment.

Question 35

People who prefer integration are more likely to respond positively to options such as flextime and part-time hours.

Question 36

One disadvantage of employee referrals as a source of job candidates is that the candidates are often poorly qualified.

Question 37

The majority of studies have found that professional recruiting organizations generally produce the best candidates.

Question 38

Work sampling involves presenting applicants with a miniature model of a job and having them perform a task or set of tasks that are central to it.

Question 39

Performance-simulation tests are inexpensive to create and administer.

Question 40

A new employee goes through two types of orientation: work unit orientation and procedural orientation.

Question 41

Labour unions seek to protect the interests of employees through __________.

A) orientation and skill development
B) human rights legislation
C) collective bargaining
D) team work promotion
E) employment standards legislation

Question 42

What is one advantage of using professional recruiting organizations as a source of potential job candidates?

A) low cost
B) good knowledge of industry challenges and requirements
C) large centralized body of candidates
D) builds employee morale
E) can get immediate feedback from large numbers of people

Question 43

The first activity in the human resource management process is __________.

A) recruitment
B) orientation
C) performance management
D) selection
E) human resource planning

Question 44

Job analysis is concerned with which of the following aspects of human resource planning?

A) deciding how well someone is performing his or her job
B) determining what behaviours are necessary to perform a job
C) hiring someone to do a job
D) estimating pay based on job level in an organization
E) tracking the number of jobs in an organization

Question 45

Which of the following focuses on the qualifications a person must possess to perform a given job successfully?

A) job analysis
B) job description
C) job specification
D) job identification
E) job appraisal

Question 46

One of the final activities of the human resource management process ensures ________.

A) that the organization retains competent and high-performing employees
B) that the organization selects and trains competent employees
C) the best compensation packages for the new hires
D) that employees are continuously provided with up-to-date knowledge and skills
E) that a detail job analysis and skills inventory is in place

Question 47

A written statement of what a job holder does, how it is done, and why it is done is known as a __________.

A) job specification
B) job analysis
C) goal-oriented job definition
D) job description
E) job identification

Question 48

An assessment that defines the jobs and behaviours necessary to perform the job is known as a __________.

A) job description
B) job specification
C) job identification
D) job analysis
E) job appraisal

Question 49

A written statement that explains the job content, environment, and conditions of employment is called a ________.

A) job specification
B) job preview
C) job manual
D) job description
E) job responsibility

Question 50

A list of the minimum qualifications or requirements needed by an employee to perform a job is known as a __________.

A) job analysis
B) job specification
C) job responsibility index
D) job description
E) job identification

Question 51

While __________ reaches a tremendous number of people, it also generates many unqualified job candidates.

A) an advertisement
B) the Internet
C) a public employment agency
D) a private employment agency
E) college recruiting

Question 52

One of the first activities of the human resource management process involves ________.

A) providing employees with flexible job assignments
B) identifying and selecting competent employees
C) providing employees with up-to-date knowledge and skills
D) retaining competent and high-performing employees
E) preparing detailed job descriptions

Question 53

Steve, a human resource manager, wants to let potential candidates know about the minimum qualifications that they should possess in order to successfully perform the jobs they have applied for. What should he do?

A) He should prepare a job description.
B) He should prepare a job specification.
C) He should do a job analysis.
D) He should do a job satisfaction survey.
E) He should conduct a job appraisal.

Question 54

The majority of studies show that the best source of superior job candidates is __________.

A) college recruiting
B) the company website
C) professional recruiting organizations
D) employee referrals
E) the Internet

Question 55

The global economic downturn has impacted human resources management in which way?

A) No impact as organizations are prepared for such events
B) Introduction of anti-discrimination laws
C) Increase in temporary or part-time work
D) Increase in better benefits to retain employees
E) Minimal impact as labour unions protect workers

Question 56

The process by which managers ensure that they have the right number and kinds of capable people in the right places and at the right times is known as ________.

A) recruitment
B) performance management
C) job specification
D) human resource planning
E) job appraisal

Question 57

Human resource planning can be condensed into two steps: assessing current human resources and __________.

A) developing new training programs
B) negotiating collective agreements
C) reviewing past human resource requirements
D) establishing the human resources budget
E) developing a plan to meet future human resource needs

Question 58

The __________ creates four protected groups that must not be discriminated against by federally regulated employers.

A) Canada Labour Code
B) WHMIS
C) Charter of Rights and Freedoms
D) Canadian Human Rights Act
E) Employment Equity Act

Question 59

Kwon has been promoted as the HR manager. He is now in charge of recruiting at Eowin Systems and is expected to enhance the diversity of the workforce. Which of the following recruiting sources should Kwon avoid if he is to achieve the stated aim of a more diverse workforce?

A) college recruiting
B) the company website
C) professional recruiting organizations
D) employee referrals
E) the Internet

Question 60

A disadvantage of using professional recruiting organizations is ________.

A) that they generate many unqualified candidates
B) their limited commitment to specific companies
C) that they can only be used for entry-level positions
D) that they do not increase the diversity and mix of employees
E) a lack of internal company knowledge and expertise.

Question 61

__________ involves presenting applicants with a miniature model of a job and has them perform a task that is central to that job.

A) integrated interview
B) written test
C) realistic job preview
D) work sampling
E) background investigation

Question 62

A weakness of using a performance-simulation test is that it is __________.

A) typically expensive to create and administer
B) based on job analysis data
C) is not a proven predictor of job performance
D) subject to interviewer bias
E) valid only for certain jobs with physical requirements

Question 63

Which of the following is an accurate statement about selection criteria validity?

A) The burden of criteria support is on the applicant.
B) Validity is when there is an expected relationship between the selection device and job performance criteria.
C) The law is currently unclear about the use of invalid selection devices.
D) A valid selection device would show a positive relationship between the predictor and criterion.
E) A valid selection device would measure the same thing consistently.

Question 64

A number of companies are adopting a new measure of recruitment effectiveness which looks at the contributions of hires versus those of hires who have failed to live up to their potential. This measure is called ____________.

A) job validity measure
B) job performance measure
C) performance quality assessment
D) quality of fill assessment
E) quality selection process

Question 65

Which of the following is a disadvantage of employee referrals?

A) lack of prescreening by employees
B) general tendency of employees to refer unqualified candidates
C) may not increase workforce diversity
D) may lead to competitive behaviour among employees
E) little commitment by job candidates to the organization

Question 66

In the selection process, a reject error occurs when __________.

A) a qualified candidate rejects the job offer
B) an unqualified candidate is rejected by the employer
C) a candidate who would have performed successfully is not selected
D) a candidate accepts the job offer and is later rejected for poor job performance
E) a qualified candidate is rejected because of errors in their application information

Question 67

A temporary involuntary termination is called __________.

A) a layoff
B) attrition
C) a transfer
D) a reduced workweek
E) a firing

Question 68

The ability of a selection device to measure the same thing consistently is called __________.

A) reliability
B) validity
C) acceptability
D) probability
E) consistency

Question 69

Which of the following is a disadvantage of college recruiting?

A) limited supply
B) generates many unqualified candidates
C) may not increase workforce diversity
D) limited to entry-level positions
E) small body of potential candidates

Question 70

________ are temporary involuntary termination that can last from a few weeks to several years.

A) Layoffs
B) Attritions
C) Transfers
D) Retirements
E) Job sharing strategies

Question 71

Tests of intellectual ability, spatial and mechanical ability, perceptual accuracy, and motor ability are moderately valid predictors for which jobs?

A) top management positions
B) highly skilled professional positions
C) supervisory positions
D) middle management positions
E) unskilled lower-level jobs in industrial organizations

Question 72

According to our textbook, intelligence tests are reasonably good predictors for __________ positions.

A) top management
B) professional
C) supervisory
D) middle management
E) complex nonmanagerial

Question 73

Terri has taken a skills inventory assessment test six different times and has received six differing evaluations of where her job strengths are greatest. This test has low __________.

A) acceptability
B) probability
C) validity
D) accessibility
E) reliability

Question 74

Terri has taken the same typing test four times on four different days. She has scored approximately the same score each time. This test has high __________.

A) acceptability
B) probability
C) validity
D) accessibility
E) reliability

Question 75

Which of the following decruitment methods is accomplished by not filling openings created by normal retirements?

A) firing
B) layoffs
C) attrition
D) reduced workweeks
E) early retirements

Question 76

Quality of fill measure considers five key factors in hiring. One of these factors is _____________.

A) Number of first-year hires who make it into high-potential training programs
B) Gender equality in hiring for executive positions
C) Dropout rate after orientation programs
D) Acceptance of job sharing programs in face of layoffs
E) Performance in realistic job preview

Question 77

Nikhil was required to take a dictation test and to receive a score of 75 words per minute on the test. The job he is applying for no longer requires the use of dictation. This test has low __________.

A) acceptability
B) validity
C) reliability
D) consistency
E) probability

Question 78

The proven relationship that exists between the selection device and some relevant job selection criterion is called __________.

A) acceptability
B) reliability
C) consistency
D) validity
E) probability

Question 79

If human resource planning shows a surplus of employees, management may want to reduce the organization's workforce through __________.

A) job redesign
B) decruitment
C) selection
D) job rotation
E) employee referrals

Question 80

Screening job applicants to ensure that the most appropriate candidates are hired is called the __________ process.

A) recruitment
B) identification
C) orientation
D) selection
E) specification