Question 1

Identify the advantage of a relational database.

Accepted Answer

A)   It facilitates the storage of employee information in a single, large file.
B)   It replicates the traditional method of filing employee data by name, a system that is strongly preferred by organizations worldwide.
C)   It helps HR staff in retrieving information about specific applicants.
D)   It helps people arrive at decisions that reflect expert knowledge.
E)   It is designed to exclusively meet the needs of the HR department. C

Question 2

Discuss the various outcomes of a high-performance work system.

Accepted Answer

Outcomes of a high-performance work system include higher productivity and efficiency. These outcomes contribute to higher profits. A high-performance work system may have other outcomes, including high product quality, great customer satisfaction, and low employee turnover. Some of these outcomes meet intermediate goals that lead to higher profits. For example, high quality contributes to customer satisfaction, and customer satisfaction contributes to growth of the business. Likewise, improving productivity lets the organization do more with less, which satisfies price-conscious customers and may help the organization win over customers from its competitors. Other ways to lower cost and improve quality are to reduce absenteeism and turnover, providing the organization with a steady supply of experienced workers. In a high-performance work system, the outcomes of each employee and work group contribute to the system's overall high performance. The organization's individuals and groups work efficiently, provide high-quality goods and services, and so on, and in this way, they contribute to meeting the organization's goals. When the organization adds or changes goals, people are flexible and make changes as needed to meet the new goals.

Question 3

An HRM audit is a formal review of the outcomes of HRM functions.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  True

Question 4

A media company gives its employees monetary bonuses at the end of the company's fiscal year based on employees' contributions to the firm's financial success. This is a method of

Accepted Answer

A)   including employees in organizational planning.
B)   rewarding employees for advanced training.
C)   disseminating organizational learning.
D)   increasing employee participation in strategic decision making.
E)   linking compensation to performance measures.

Question 5

A manufacturing firm aims to become a high-performance work system. To do this, a survey team asks employees for comments and suggestions on how they can improve the firm. Some of the newest hires say they feel left out of decision-making processes, while some of the experienced employees say their objections towards the firm switching to cheaper manufacturing equipment went unheard. Which condition would help the firm strengthen the formation of its high-performance work system?

Accepted Answer

A)   The newest employees should be encouraged to focus on their tasks rather than being involved in improving work methods.
B)   The management should allow experienced employees to participate in planning changes in equipment, layout, and work methods.
C)   The new employees should be left out of planning changes because they are not accustomed to the firm's way of doing things yet.
D)   The firm should hire a third party to gain an outsider's assessment on what needs to be done.
E)   The survey team should ignore the employee comments and push for the changes they would like to see instead.

Question 6

In which way do modern information systems contribute most directly to the creation of a high-performance work system?

Accepted Answer

A)   by encouraging employees to strive for objectives that support the organization's goals
B)   by determining the details of the organization's necessary activities
C)   by enabling organizations to give many employees access to information
D)   by grouping people into useful divisions and departments
E)   by selecting people who can perform their jobs well

Question 7

To improve the performance of employees at Apple Orchard Inc., the company provides recognition and monetary benefits to those employees whose performance exceeds expectations. This strategy can motivate some employees to perform better. This is an example of a(n) ________ strategy.

Accepted Answer

A)   occupational intimacy
B)   brand alignment
C)   appraisal
D)   compensation
E)   job design

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT a measure of customer satisfaction that indicates the success of the benefits programs implemented by the HR department of an organization?

Accepted Answer

A)   promptness in handling claims
B)   the average unemployment compensation payment
C)   per capita (average)  merit increases
D)   the benefit cost per payroll dollar
E)   the percentage of sick leave to total pay

Question 9

How can HR departments improve their performance?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How can HR departments improve their performance?...

Question 10

Which statement is true about task design?

Accepted Answer

A)   It determines what type of information to gather to reduce errors in planning.
B)   It empowers people to perform better and create goals that match an organization's goals.
C)   It allows the recruitment of prospective candidates to occur in an easier manner.
D)   It involves dividing a task or assignment into smaller tasks or assignments so that short-term goals can be met.
E)   It involves the clustering of details pertaining to an organization's required activities.

Question 11

Which condition contributes to high performance?

Accepted Answer

A)   Teams perform work only if the employees are interested in a project.
B)   Work design gives employees the opportunity to utilize a variety of skills.
C)   Training is not ongoing, but it is implemented when necessary.
D)   Changes to layout and work methods are handled by management.
E)   Employees' rewards and compensation relate mainly to individual performance.

Question 12

People experience occupational intimacy when they love their work, when they and their co-workers care about one another, and when they find their work meaningful.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

The practices that do most to promote employee engagement are opportunities for career progress, recognition for accomplishments, and

Accepted Answer

A)   excellent benefits.
B)   strong leadership.
C)   a corporate learning culture.
D)   brand alignment.
E)   empowerment.

Question 14

The human resource department of Miller Memorial Hospital has played a leading role in helping the hospital become a high-performance work system. Recently, the team has been focusing on the organization's performance management. Which effort would most directly ensure that performance management supports the development of a high-performance work system?

Accepted Answer

A)   preventing organizational culture from influencing employees' behaviors
B)   making sure employees know how their work contributes to the hospital's mission
C)   ensuring the confidentiality of the organization's primary objectives
D)   developing the hospital's talent to move into positions of greater responsibility
E)   identifying and hiring people who are enthusiastic about and able to contribute to teamwork

Question 15

Identify the term that refers to the way in which an organization groups its people into useful divisions, departments, and reporting relationships.

Accepted Answer

A)   job structure
B)   organizational structure
C)   value chain
D)   corporate design
E)   relationship management

Question 16

Hadley, a human resource manager at Ion Consulting, believes that it is important for employees to feel a sense of satisfaction about their jobs, because a satisfied employee will contribute more to the organization than an employee who is dissatisfied with his or her job. Which action by Hadley's department would best contribute to employee satisfaction?

Accepted Answer

A)   rewarding employees for meeting goals
B)   paying all employees the same salary, regardless of performance
C)   giving out trophies instead of extra pay for accomplishments
D)   simplifying jobs to the most routine activities
E)   setting easy-to-reach goals

Question 17

In a high-performance work system, organizational structure promotes cooperation, learning, and

Accepted Answer

A)   traditional management practices.
B)   personal discipline.
C)   improved financial performance.
D)   continuous improvement.
E)   productivity in all levels of the organization.

Question 18

In general, HR departments should be able to improve their performance through some combination of greater efficiency and greater effectiveness. In this context, greater effectiveness means that

Accepted Answer

A)   the rate of employee turnover is considerably high.
B)   the HR personnel use fewer and less-costly resources to perform its functions.
C)   the average employee compensation in the organization is well above the prevailing market rate.
D)   what the HR department does has a more beneficial effect on employees' and the organization's performance.
E)   there is a relatively narrow gap between the highest and the lowest salaries paid in the organization.

Question 19

Which of the following is an HRM function in an HRM audit?

Accepted Answer

A)   production
B)   appraisal
C)   export
D)   import
E)   copyright protection

Question 20

In a high-performance work system, task design makes jobs

Accepted Answer

A)   narrow in scope.
B)   high in task significance, but low in autonomy.
C)   highly specialized.
D)   efficient while encouraging high quality.
E)   simple and repetitive.

Exam 9: Creating and Maintaining High-Performance Organizations