Deck 6: Determining HR Demand

Question 1

According to the textbook, what is one disadvantage of the Delphi technique?

A) Groupthink
B) Shyness
C) time and costs
D) Communication

Answer 1

C

Question 2

What stage in the nominal group technique would typically ask a question like, "What will ABC Corporation's demand for production workers be in the year 2015?"

A) select the experts
B) meet face to face
C) define the question
D) discuss demand estimates

Answer 2

C

Question 3

According to the textbook, what method of estimating HR demand was used in Ireland?

A) trend analysis
B) ratio analysis
C) cohort analysis
D) impact analysis

Answer 3

C

Question 4

What is the most common operational index used by organizations in a trend analysis?

A) sales level
B) units produced
C) clients served
D) production hours

Question 5

If you want to determine the total HR demand requirement for operational or short-run time periods, what type of information should you gather?

A) staffing table
B) HR budget
C) impact analysis
D) envelope/scenario forecasts

Question 6

In a simple regression prediction model, what does B represent?

A) dependent variable
B) constant or intercept
C) slope of the linear relationship between X and Y
D) independent variable

Question 7

According to the textbook, when the Delphi technique was used to identify competencies for research chef, which of the following was NOT a topic for consideration?

A) factors that differentiate successful from unsuccessful research chefs
B) years of experience for successful and unsuccessful research chefs
C) skills and knowledge needed to be a successful research chef
D) tasks that differentiate a successful research chef from an ordinary chef

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT typically considered to be an expert for HR forecasting?

A) union staff members
B) line employees
C) university researchers
D) business consultants

Question 9

Which of the following demand forecasting methods is NOT a quantitative method?

A) trend analysis
B) Delphi technique
C) regression analysis
D) staffing table

Question 10

Typically, how is most of the expert information gathered using the Delphi technique?

A) Interviews
B) discussion groups
C) Teleconferencing
D) Questionnaires

Question 11

If HR specialists use multiple predictor estimates of the future demand for personnel based on a variety of differing assumptions about how future events will unfold, what type of forecasting technique or analysis are they using?

A) Delphi technique
B) nominal technique
C) impact analysis
D) scenario forecast

Question 12

Why are assumptions necessary when implementing the steps of the nominal group technique?

A) to minimize the chance that expert estimates will be misinterpreted
B) to make sure that the group is not dominated by one expert estimate
C) to eliminate the necessity for experts to defend their estimates
D) to ensure the validity and confidentiality of the expert estimates

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT considered a benefit of the nominal group technique?

A) supports brainstorming
B) lower costs and time
C) equal participation
D) reliable and valid

Question 14

In the Delphi technique, why does the project coordinator continue to issue questionnaires to the experts?

A) Current information has not been optimal and so further information is required.
B) Additional information still needs to be gathered regarding the predetermined questions.
C) Information gathered to date has not lea the group to make a consensual decision.
D) Current information is insufficient in some way that is required to make future supply estimates.

Question 15

In the Delphi technique, why do the experts not meet face-to-face?

A) They do not have the time.
B) They want to lower costs.
C) They worry about groupthink.
D) They lack communication expertise.

Question 16

What type of analysis reveals the historical relationship between the operational index and the demand for labour?

A) correlation
B) multivariate
C) trend
D) regression

Question 17

What technique should be used if you want all the participants to have equal participation in the sessions and to minimize dominance, personal attacks, and defensive behaviour?

A) Delphi technique
B) critical incident technique
C) repatriation technique
D) nominal group technique

Question 18

Which forecasting technique provides a long-run qualitative forecast where experts meet and give their assessments about the future?

A) Delphi technique
B) critical incident technique
C) repatriation technique
D) nominal group technique

Question 19

What federal government agency provides expert information for labour demand forecasting?

A) National Occupational Classification
B) Citizenship and Immigration Canada
C) Conference Board of Canada
D) Statistics Canada

Question 20

How do the experts finally agree on a solution in the nominal group technique?

A) by defending their perspectives
B) by voting for the best estimate
C) by lobbying the other group members
D) by ranking the solutions with a secret vote

Question 21

Use the following information to answer questions 24-30 that follow.


What is the value for the slope of the line?

A)9.87
B)11.32
C)13.47
D)16.03

Question 22

In the Delphi method experts do not meet, but they do in the nominal group technique.

Question 23

Use the following information to answer questions 24-30 that follow.


What is the value for the sum of XY?

A) 3794
B) 4903
C) 5245
D) 6182

Question 24

Use the following information to answer questions 24-30 that follow.


What are the values for average X and average Y?

A)3.6 and 68.5
B)3.9 and 109.2
C)4.3 and 124.9
D)4.7 and 82.8

Question 25

A regression analysis is a linear equation between a single causal variable and multiple dependent variables.

Question 26

Use the following information to answer questions 24-30 that follow.


What is the regression prediction equation?

A) Y = 65.05 + 11.32X
B) Y = 68.25 + 13.47X
C) Y = 70.99 + 16.03X
D) Y = 73.41 + 9.87X

Question 27

In a trend analysis, it is necessary to extrapolate data related to historical changes.

Question 28

A staffing table forecasts the total HR demand required for operational or short-run time periods.

Question 29

There are six steps associated with the Delphi technique for HR demand forecasting. What is the first step?

A) identify the experts, terms and time horizon
B) issue the first-round of questionnaires
C) select the experts
D) define and refine the issue or question

Question 30

What do you call the observed relationship between the independent and dependent variables?

A) causal
B) direct
C) linear
D) indirect

Question 31

Use the following information to answer questions 24-30 that follow.


What is the value for the sum of X²?

A) 189
B) 199
C) 209
D) 219

Question 32

In an impact analysis, current trends are analyzed by a panel of experts to predict future HR demand.

Question 33

A ratio analysis is a quantitative method of projecting HR demand by analyzing the relationship between an operational index and the number of employees required.

Question 34

Another name for the scenario forecast method is the projection forecast method.

Question 35

Trend analyses are complex, since they require the analysis of multiple variables.

Question 36

According to the article entitled "Projecting Labour Demand in Canada," management occupations will feel the most intense pressure from immigration.

Question 37

Use the following information to answer questions 24-30 that follow.


What is the value for the y intercept?

A)65.05
B)68.25
C)70.99
D)73.41

Question 38

What is another name for the dependent variable in the simple regression prediction model?

A) causal variable
B) target variable
C) linear variable
D) random variable

Question 39

In a simple regression Y is the independent variable.

Question 40

Use the following information to answer questions 24-30 that follow.


Using your equation from question 29, what is the expected demand for Ph.D. students if you have $200,000 available in HR costs? Round to nearest whole number.

A) 10
B) 11
C) 12
D) 13

Question 41

In a simple regression equation, there is an assumption of linearity between the independent and dependent variables.

Question 42

Describe what an "expert" demand forecast is, and list five different types of experts who could be involved. Identify and describe two different types of expert forecasting methods.

Question 43

The Delphi technique is a quantitative method for deriving detailed assumptions of long-run HR demand.

Question 44

Unlike trend analysis, impact analysis relies on subjective, but expert, judgements.

Question 45

According to the textbook, typical estimates for scenario forecasting are organized into optimistic, realistic, and pessimistic scenarios.

Question 46

The last stage in the nominal group technique is a secret vote that determines the highest ranking for the group's HR demand solution.

Question 47

Scenario forecasting is based on the premise that because the future course of events is not known with certainty, it is necessary to develop several plausible sets of outcomes.

Question 48

What are some the advantages and disadvantages of the Delphi Technique, where experts do NOT meet face-to-face?

Question 49

The first step in the nominal group technique is to select the experts.

Question 50

HR budgets are a qualitative method of HR demand forecasting that estimates the number and types of personnel required by the organization.

Question 51

What is envelope/scenario forecasting? Describe some of its features.

Question 52

Describe trend analysis and outline the steps involved in conducting this forecasting method. What are the most common operational indices used by organizations?

Question 53

If there are several dependent variables, then the regression is referred to as multivariate regression analysis.

Question 54

Perceived status differences may influence how experts express their views when forecasting in face-to-face groups.

Question 55

A deficiency of the Delphi technique is that the results cannot be verified statistically.

Question 56

Describe how HR Budgets and Staffing tables are applied in HR demand forecasting.

Question 57

In the simple regression prediction model, X represents the independent variable.

Question 58

Regression analysis is a very effective quantitative forecasting technique for all time horizons.