Deck 9: Human Resources and Labor Relations

Question 1

James is a pizza delivery driver and earns just over eight dollars an hour. This compensation is known as a fixed salary.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Ester is reentering the workforce after spending several years at home caring for her children. Because many things have changed since Ester last worked in an office, it is nearly impossible for her to experience any problems with sexism or salary inequities.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Teresa just received a quarterly statement from the Vanguard Group, which shows earnings from investments using her pre-tax dollars. Teresa contributes a percentage of her salary to the plan and her company matches it. Teresa has a 401(k)plan.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Global Tech is a new company with a diverse workforce. To avoid potential conflicts or misunderstandings, Global Tech should provide an effective diversity training program for its employees so that they can all learn to view situations from a perspective that is different from their own.

Question 5

Yvette was recently hired as a restaurant manager for McDonald's and must attend classes at Hamburger University. This is an example of the programmed learning approach.

Question 6

Worldwide Technologies, Inc. has moved its customer service operations to India. In addition to lowering its labor costs, Worldwide also is diversifying its workforce.

Question 7

Ramona's company has taken a new approach to the appraisal system. They combine goal setting, performance appraisals, training, and feedback into an ongoing process. This approach is called performance management.

Question 8

Jonathan is confined to a wheelchair. He was just transferred to a new office location, which is in a very old building with many steps leading to the door, but no ramp. His boss refuses to accommodate his needs. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits this kind of discrimination.

Question 9

Archie is a new HR manager and knows that a diverse workforce can benefit his company. The best way for Archie to create a motivated, diversified staff is to follow an affirmative action plan that prescribes a certain number of minorities and women.

Question 10

Ricardo supervises a group of computer programmers. One of his employees, Natalia, frequently tells him about another employee's tardiness and penchant for two-hour lunches. After a few months, Ricardo fires this employee based on Natalia's information. Because Ricardo can back up his accusations with Natalia's statements, he would be protected in a wrongful discharge lawsuit.

Question 11

Julia is the HR manager. Before she can start hiring staff at her company, she first must assess the current supply of and demand for employees.

Question 12

Daniel is due for his regularly scheduled performance appraisal. This is the time when Daniel receives an official evaluation of his performance, feedback about his work, and areas where improvements should be made.

Question 13

Victor has no desire to supervise other employees, so his company has no way to offer him promotional opportunities.

Question 14

Alexander needs to determine the current supply of employees. He consults a computerized file that details information about each employee ages, educational backgrounds, training, specialized skills, etc. The file Alexander consults is the workforce profile.

Question 15

Patricia can resign from her job for any reason at any time because of the employment at will doctrine.

Question 16

Peter is 67 years old and works for a retail firm, which is looking to cut staff. The company decides to encourage Peter to retire by offering him financial incentives. This is known as a golden parachute.

Question 17

Sandy has worked as an office manager for many years and is planning to retire soon. She decides to ease out of the job by working only on Thursdays and Fridays. Amy is hired to fulfill the duties of office manager on the days Sandy does not work. Both work eight-hour days and are considered part-time employees. Sandy and Amy are both working a compressed workweek.

Question 18

Mary Beth is opening her own day care center. She plans to offer her employees flexible schedules, free child care, and free memberships to the local fitness center in hopes of keeping them motivated and relaxed. Mary Beth is offering work/life benefits to her employees.

Question 19

Sydney recently saw a notice in her company newsletter about a new job opening within her company. Since it was a promotion for her, she applied later that day. In this example, Sydney's company recruited externally.

Question 20

When Iris was trained for her new job, she was asked to respond to questions on a computerized multiple-choice test. Iris' company used the apprentice training approach.

Question 21

Labor unions originated during the U.S. Industrial Revolution.

Question 22

Elizabeth saw a posting for a new job on the company's intranet. She was interested in the new challenges this job could provide her, so she applied right away. Elizabeth's company was performing ________.

A)external recruiting
B)internal recruiting
C)simulation recruiting
D)virtual recruiting

Question 23

Nolan is applying for a promotion within his company. The formal statement about the job says that he must have a four-year college business degree, have five years of experience with the sales force, have the ability to work under pressure, and have excellent communication and organizational skills. These statements, or ________, were made to ensure Nolan was the right person to fulfill the job's requirements.

A)job descriptions
B)job analyses
C)job shares
D)job specifications

Question 24

Roseanne is in the process of hiring a new administrative assistant. What is the last step in this hiring process?

A)conduct background checks
B)monitor through probationary period
C)test candidate for specific job skills
D)conduct follow-up interviews

Question 25

On Michaela's first day at work, she was introduced to her co-workers, was given a tour of the facilities, and was given the opportunity to ask questions. Michaela experienced a(n)________.

A)on-the-job training program
B)orientation program
C)programmed learning program
D)apprentice program

Question 26

Steve has a new job as a data warehouse specialist. He has attended formal classes at the local university and informal classes provided by his employer in order to learn the skills required by his new job. Steve also has learned job skills by performing them during the workday. Steve has experienced a(n)________.

A)programmed learning approach
B)orientation program
C)on-the-job training program
D)apprentice training program

Question 27

Yoshiko owns a greeting card store and recently hired a new daytime clerk. The new clerk is learning job skills by performing them under Yoshiko's informal direction. Yoshiko is conducting a(n)________.

A)apprentice training program
B)programmed learning program
C)orientation program
D)on-the-job training program

Question 28

Janet is the human resource manager for a large consumer products company. She has a great many job responsibilities. Which of the following is NOT a part of her job?

A)writing training guides
B)evaluating existing employees
C)managing fixed assets
D)compensating all workers

Question 29

An insurance company was posting a job notice about a new position within the company. The notice stated that a younger employee was desirable because they thought he/she would stay with the company for a longer period of time. This kind of behavior is considered illegal under the ________.

A)Civil Rights Act of 1964
B)Americans with Disabilities Act
C)Age Discrimination in Employment Act
D)Discrimination Act of 1999

Question 30

A labor union seeks to protect members from unfair labor practices and poor working conditions.

Question 31

Both the automobile workers union and the construction trade unions have experienced dramatic reductions in membership.

Question 32

Carlos needs to assess the current supply of employees in his company. He consults a document detailing the ages, educational backgrounds, training, experiences, specialized skills, and current and previous office positions for each employee. In HR, this document is called the ________.

A)workforce profile
B)workforce forecast
C)job description
D)development program

Question 33

Benito is an HR manager who is responsible for online recruitment of new employees. Technology has created many challenges for recruiters like him. Which of the following is FALSE?

A)Benito should make his company stand out from his competitors when posting job descriptions..
B)Benito must stay up to date on how to use social networking techniques and Web 2.0 techniques.
C)Benito can quickly sift through the responses to online postings to find qualified candidates.
D)Benito must create online job postings that appeal to the most qualified candidates.

Question 34

Union representatives for the employees of a regional grocery store chain decide to negotiate with management for better hourly wages and better medical benefits. After a few meetings, they come to an agreement, which is called an arbitration.

Question 35

Kyle has just accepted a job as an accountant for a large firm. He is deaf, so his employer is expected to accommodate Kyle's needs with some modified telephone equipment. These reasonable accommodations are legislated under the ________.

A)Civil Rights Act of 1964
B)Americans with Disabilities Act
C)Age Discrimination in Employment Act
D)Discrimination Act of 1999

Question 36

Tyrone is an African American and, during a recent job interview, was told that he would not be hired because the interviewer had issues with the color of his skin. Which federal law was created to combat this kind of discrimination?

A)Civil Rights Act of 1964
B)American with Disabilities Act
C)Age Discrimination in Employment Act
D)Race Discrimination in Employment Act

Question 37

Lance works in HR for an accounting firm and needs to hire a few new auditors. First, Lance performs a ________ to determine the tasks the auditors need to perform and their duties. Then, Lance creates a ________ to describe each task requirement for the auditor position.

A)job description; job analysis
B)job analysis; job description
C)job analysis; job specification
D)job description; job specification

Question 38

Gabrielle is in charge of hiring new employees for her company. She decides she needs to assess the future demand for employees through forecasting and sets out to learn more about it. Which of the following statements about forecasting does Gabrielle discover is FALSE?

A)Forecasting considers predicted sales of a company's products.
B)Forecasting considers the effect of technology changes on staff needs.
C)Forecasting considers the role of antidiscrimination policies at present.
D)Forecasting considers normal turnover rates and their likely effect on business.

Question 39

The managers of a roofing company start hearing their employees talk about approaching their local union representatives with concerns about working hours. Management legally can use a lockout to keep these employees from entering the premises.

Question 40

Midori was searching for a new job. An employment agency contacted her about a job that was perfect for skill set. Midori was hired. Midori's new company was performing ________.

A)external recruiting
B)internal recruiting
C)simulation recruiting
D)virtual recruiting

Question 41

Felix is concerned about saving money for retirement. His company offers him a plan that requires him to contribute a specific amount of money each year through payroll deductions. At retirement, Felix will receive the monies he contributed as well as the fund's investment earnings. Felix is contributing to a(n)________.

A)profit sharing plan
B)pension plan
C)401(k)plan
D)ESOP

Question 42

Benjamin has a full-time job and has decided to work toward earning his master's degree at a local university. Some days he works from 7:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. so he can leave in time to attend his 4:00 p.m. classes. The rest of the week, Benjamin works from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. From this example, we know Benjamin's company allows ________.

A)flextime schedules
B)permanent part-time schedules
C)compressed workweeks
D)telecommuting

Question 43

Oscar works in pharmaceutical sales. His base compensation is fairly low, but it is enhanced with compensation directly tied to his sales results. The incentive-based payments Oscar receives are called ________.

A)commissions
B)bonuses
C)wages
D)salaries

Question 44

Which of the following is NOT a part of a typical management development program?

A)job rotation
B)coaching/understudy program
C)workforce profiles
D)action learning

Question 45

What is the difference between performance management and performance appraisals?

A)Performance management is an ongoing process while a typical performance appraisal happens once per year.
B)Performance management provides one-time feedback, whereas performance appraisals give employees constant feedback.
C)Performance management requires employees to be extrinsically motivated, whereas performance appraisals require employees to be intrinsically motivated.
D)Performance management often results in employee criticisms, but performance appraisals are more defensible.

Question 46

Which of the following is also known as a "cafeteria plan"?

A)employee stock purchase plan
B)employee stock ownership plan
C)flexible benefit plan
D)personal life benefit plan

Question 47

Bella has two young children and a full-time job. Her day care provider cannot work on Fridays. Bella's employer allows her to work Mondays through Thursdays, as long as she puts in ten hours each day. From this example, we know Bella's employer allows (a)________.

A)telecommuting
B)compressed workweek
C)permanent part time
D)flextime

Question 48

The local library system offers some employees the opportunity to work five days per week for four hours each day. These employees also receive the same health insurance and paid time off plans that the employees working 40 hours per week receive. From this example, we know the library system is offering (a)________.

A)flextime
B)job sharing
C)permanent part time
D)compressed workweek

Question 49

Kent and his wife recently adopted a baby from India. Kent's company allowed him to take six weeks of paid time off to care for the baby at home. Kent's company is part of a new trend in offering him ________.

A)domestic-partner benefits
B)medical benefits
C)cafeteria benefits
D)paternity benefits

Question 50

Teresa just received a quarterly statement from the Vanguard Group, which shows earnings from investments using her pre-tax dollars. Teresa contributes a percentage of her salary to the plan and her company matches it. Teresa is participating in a(n)________.

A)pension plan
B)401(k)
C)profit sharing plan
D)ESOP

Question 51

Simulation training is most suitable to all of the following jobs EXCEPT ________.

A)airline pilots
B)astronauts
C)movie directors
D)surgeons

Question 52

Chelsea is a marketing manager and receives a lump sum payment from her company based on the company's higher-than-normal profits from last year. Chelsea's compensation is called a ________.

A)salary
B)wage
C)commission
D)bonus

Question 53

Julia works in the HR department for a large firm. She works at her desk in the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. She works from home on Mondays and Fridays so that she can help care for her elderly mother. From this example, we know Julia's company allows ________.

A)flextime schedules
B)job sharing
C)permanent part-time schedules
D)telecommuting

Question 54

While training for a new job, Vincenzo was given a computerized, multiple-choice test, which provided him immediate feedback regarding his answers. Vincenzo experienced a(n)________.

A)programmed learning approach
B)on-the-job training program
C)apprentice training program
D)off-the-job training approach

Question 55

Carson is involved in a defined contribution plan where he actually owns part of his company without his having to purchase stock. Instead his company contributes its stock to his plan. Because of this, Carson feels more connected to the business and is motivated to ensure its success. Carson is participating in a(n)________.

A)profit sharing plan
B)employee stock purchase plan
C)ESOP
D)401(k)

Question 56

Joshua is paid the minimum hourly rate for his work as a lifeguard. Joshua's compensation is called a ________.

A)salary
B)wage
C)commission
D)bonus

Question 57

Kathleen wants to be a nurse manager at a local children's hospital. She is studying for this position through a distance learning program and is taking a class offered by a university in another state. The type of training Kathleen is experiencing is ________.

A)simulation
B)off-the-job
C)on-the-job
D)online

Question 58

Suki earns $52,000 per year for her work as an associate marketing manager. Suki's compensation is called a ________.

A)salary
B)wage
C)commission
D)bonus

Question 59

Which of the following is NOT a problem typically encountered with performance appraisals?

A)There can be discomfort when it is necessary to make harsh comments during this review process.
B)There are often difficulties quantifying performance, so it can be difficult to defend ratings when challenged.
C)There is much administrative pressure due to the high frequency of an individual's performance appraisals in one year.
D)There is often no built-in mechanism for following up on suggestions for change or development.

Question 60

Yvette was recently hired as a restaurant manager for McDonald's and must attend classes at Hamburger University. This is an example of ________.

A)off-the-job training
B)on-the-job training
C)programmed learning
D)online training

Question 61

Raheem works in the IT department of a large investment firm. His employer is very conscious of Raheem's religious needs and has been most accommodating. Which of the following is something Raheem's employer likely does NOT provide?

A)allowance for differences in dress
B)financial assistance for religious pilgrimages
C)time off to observe religious holidays
D)cafeteria selections meeting dietary requirements

Question 62

Aneal is a very successful employee in the IT department. His supervisor wishes to recognize him with a promotion to give him more responsibilities, but knows Aneal does not want to manage other employees. What option does Aneal's supervisor have?

A)She does not have any options other than allowing Aneal to remain in his current job until he changes his mind about supervising.
B)She can force Aneal to take on a supervisory role and see if he changes his mind.
C)She can offer Aneal a position on an individual contributor career track and the title of senior IT specialist.
D)She can lower Aneal's level of responsibility in his current job until Aneal is so miserable he'll do anything for a change.

Question 63

Veronica is reentering the workforce after years away caring for her elderly parents. She is making many assumptions about today's workplace. Which of Veronica's assumptions is FALSE?

A)Women may face sexual harassment in the workplace.
B)Women receive fewer promotions than their male counterparts.
C)Women battle sexism in the workplace.
D)Women receive pay equal to their male counterparts.

Question 64

Orson works with a group of employees who would like to form a union. Orson and a majority of his co-workers band together to form a group responsible for negotiating better working conditions or pay. Orson and his co-workers formed ________.

A)a strikebreakers unit
B)a mediation unit
C)a bargaining unit
D)an arbitration unit

Question 65

When union and management come to an impasse, sometimes the dispute is sent to a third party for a decision. This process is known as ________.

A)collective bargaining
B)mediation
C)arbitration
D)strikebreaking

Question 66

Johanna decides she is bored with her current job and is ready to quit. She wants to take some time off and then look for a new job in a different city. Her co-worker tells Johanna to check the company handbook to make sure her reasons for quitting are acceptable. Johanna knows this is not necessary because of the legal doctrine, ________.

A)human resources
B)employment at will
C)affirmative action
D)termination at will

Question 67

Nicholas works for a marketing firm, which is looking to cut staff due to financial hardships. Since Nicholas is nearing 70 years old, the company decides to encourage him to retire by offering him various financial incentives. This worker buyout is also known as a(n)________.

A)bonus
B)golden parachute
C)incentive-payment structure
D)commission

Question 68

Greg is 57 years old and is looking for a new job even though he knows many companies prefer not to hire older workers. Which of the following is likely a disadvantage of hiring Greg?

A)higher absenteeism
B)expectation of a fairly high salary
C)unwillingness to learn new skills
D)lower training costs

Question 69

Which of the following is NOT a legally defensible reason for terminating an employee?

A)downsizing and/or restructuring of company
B)increased use of technologies replacing workers
C)testifying against the company in a legal proceeding
D)repeated documentation of poor performance

Question 70

Which of the following is NOT a reason for greater diversity in the workplace?

A)advancements in technology throughout the world
B)increased numbers of employees immigrating from other countries
C)increased numbers of U.S. citizens emigrating to other countries
D)increased offshoring of work to other countries

Question 71

Marvin has worked for his company for five years and feels it is time to increase his level of responsibility and stature in the company. Marvin is seeking a ________.

A)promotion
B)retirement
C)termination
D)relocation

Question 72

When union and management come to an impasse, Sarah works as a neutral third party who assists them privately and collectively to identify issues and to develop proposals for resolution. This process is known as ________.

A)collective bargaining
B)mediation
C)arbitration
D)strikebreaking

Question 73

The California Nurses Association was formed to negotiate the unique salary needs and working hour structures of direct-care nurses with the hospitals in which they work. The CNA is an example of a ________.

A)special interest group
B)labor union
C)workforce profile
D)strikebreaker

Question 74

Doreen is a marketing instructor at the branch office of a local college. When she cannot teach one of her evening classes, she hires her friend Patrick to fill in for her. In this case, Patrick is a(n)________.

A)contingent worker
B)independent contractor
C)consultant
D)flextime worker

Question 75

When Firefighters Local 48 negotiates directly and only with its employers for better work conditions and terms of employment, it is called ________.

A)united mediation
B)collaborative arbitration
C)common striking
D)collective bargaining

Question 76

Barney is an HR manager and would like to see a more diversified workforce at his company. He decides the best way to do this is to follow a plan that requires the company to employ a certain number of minorities and women. This plan is otherwise known as ________.

A)affirmative action
B)diverse affirmation
C)employment at will
D)workforce profiling

Question 77

What is the retirement age in the United States?

A)60 years old
B)62 years old
C)65 years old
D)whenever the employee stops participating full-time in his/her career

Question 78

Linda owns a bakery and wants to hire Bill, a Web-page developer, to create a new site for her company. Linda does not need Bill on staff permanently. Bill would be considered a(n)________.

A)contingent worker
B)independent contractor
C)consultant
D)flextime worker

Question 79

Which of the following is NOT a reason to seek out temporary work?

A)to experience different types of work and to meet many people
B)to gain real-world experience in a field in which you may be interested
C)to join retirement and pension plans at various companies
D)to earn income while maintaining a flexible schedule

Question 80

Jamie is a school nurse and prefers to work on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Her friend Cindy works as the school nurse on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They both work eight-hour days and are considered part-time employees. From this example, we know the school is offering (a)________.

A)flextime
B)job sharing
C)telecommuting
D)compressed workweek