Deck 2: Strategy and Human Resources Planning

Question 1

Trend analysis is a qualitative approach to labor demand forecasting.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Qualitative HR forecasting techniques generally employ sophisticated analytical models.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

A cultural audit may examine the attitudes and expectations of the employees.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Trend analysis relies on a single factor to predict employment needs.

Question 5

Organizational core values form the foundation of a firm's decisions.

Question 6

Strategic knowledge workers usually earn long-term commitments and investments in their training and development from their employers.

Question 7

Strategic planning is the process of anticipating and providing for the movement of people into,within,and out of an organization.

Question 8

Forecasting is frequently more an art than a science,providing inexact approximations rather than absolute results.

Question 9

A strategic vision provides the strong and enduring beliefs and principles that the company uses as a foundation for its decisions.

Question 10

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

Question 11

The first step in strategic planning is establishing a mission,vision,and values for the organization.

Question 12

Organizations set procedures for making decisions to achieve those objectives through strategic planning.

Question 13

The vision is the basic purpose of the organization.

Question 14

The vision statement clarifies the long-term direction of the company and its strategic intent.

Question 15

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

Question 16

Changes in labor supply can place limits on the strategies available to firms.

Question 17

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

Question 18

Internal analysis focuses on culture and conflicts with an organization.

Question 19

Trend analysis relies on a single business factor.

Question 20

Strategic HRM is a combination of strategic planning and HR planning.

Question 21

Dell has been very successful utilizing a low cost strategy.

Question 22

Markov analysis is used to track an organization's internal supply of labor.

Question 23

Benchmarking identifies the best practices in a given area and establishes them as performance standards.

Question 24

In international joint ventures,the issue of culture is paramount.

Question 25

Differentiation strategy is based on efficiency and productivity.

Question 26

In the long run,firms must approach outsourcing decisions based on cost alone.

Question 27

Markov analysis shows the percentage of employees who remain in each of the firm's jobs from one year to the next.

Question 28

Staffing tables provide data on external labor supply sources.

Question 29

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

Question 30

SWOT analysis helps executives summarize the major facts and forecasts derived from the external analysis.

Question 31

The target company for benchmarking does not need to be a competitor.

Question 32

Core values are the essence of a corporate culture and an expression of its personality.

Question 33

Corporate strategy focuses on domain selection.

Question 34

Organizational structure is the framework in which activities of the organization members are coordinated.

Question 35

In unionized firms,layoffs are typically based on performance.

Question 36

The order of employee layoffs is usually based on seniority and/or ability.

Question 37

Southwest Airlines has been very successful utilizing a differentiation strategy.

Question 38

Shared values act as a guiding parameter for strategic planning.

Question 39

While unemployment rates vary by sector,the shortage of talent in low-skill jobs continues to create a real challenge for firms.

Question 40

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

Question 41

Environmental factors that are frequently attended to by organizations include all of the following except:

A) economic factors.
B) demographic trends.
C) technological changes.
D) employee turnover and absenteeism rates

Question 42

A SWOT analysis helps executives summarize the major facts and forecasts derived from external and internal analysis.

Question 43

The strategic vision of a company:

A) is the systematic monitoring of external opportunities
B) is the basic purpose of the organization
C) are the strong enduring beliefs used by the company to make decisions
D) provides a perspective on where the company is headed

Question 44

Customers,suppliers and substitutes are part of the _____ environment.

A) political
B) technological
C) demographic
D) competitive

Question 45

The competitive environment includes all the following except:

A) new entrants
B) suppliers
C) rivals
D) subordinates

Question 46

Social concerns include:

A) new processes
B) innovations
C) demographic trends
D) elder care

Question 47

The ____ provide(s)the basic purpose of the organization as well as its scope of operations.

A) mission
B) vision statement
C) core values
D) core competencies

Question 48

This group of employees has skills that are quite valuable to a company,but not particularly unique or difficult to replace.

A) core employees
B) strategic knowledge workers
C) supporting workers
D) partners

Question 49

The process of setting procedures for making decisions about the organization's long-term goals and strategies is called:

A) strategic planning.
B) HR planning.
C) job analysis.
D) environmental scanning.

Question 50

The Balanced Scorecard is a tool for mapping a firm's strategy in order to ensure strategic alignment.

Question 51

The examination of the attitudes and activities of a company's workforce refers to:

A) environmental scanning.
B) a trend analysis.
C) a cultural audit.
D) behavioral modeling.

Question 52

Human resources planning is:

A) a technique that identifies the critical aspects of a job.
B) the process of anticipating and making provision for movement of people into,within,and out of an organization.
C) the process of setting major organizational objectives and developing comprehensive plans to achieve these objectives.
D) the process of determining the primary direction of the firm.

Question 53

Based upon U.S.Census Bureau projections,which of the following is NOT anticipated to happen between 2012 and 2018.

A) Employment growth will continue to be concentrated in the service-providing sector of the economy.
B) The number of workers in the 55 and older group is projected to grow by nearly 30 percent.
C) Approximately 62 percent of all new jobs created in the U.S.economy will be in the health care and social assistance industry.
D) Minorities and immigrants will constitute a larger share of the population and labor force.

Question 54

The mission of a company:

A) is the systematic monitoring of external opportunities
B) is the basic purpose of the organization
C) are the strong enduring beliefs used by the company to make decisions
D) provides a perspective on where the company is headed

Question 55

At the fundamental level,strategy focuses on creating ____ value.

A) buyers
B) suppliers
C) customer
D) subordinates

Question 56

The systematic,regular monitoring of major external forces influencing the organization is called:

A) demand forecasting.
B) environmental scanning.
C) exception reporting.
D) influence analysis.

Question 57

The quality of fill metric attempts to measure how well new hires that fill positions are performing on the job.

Question 58

Which of the following is NOT a component of corporate culture?

A) Values
B) Assumptions
C) Experience
D) Beliefs

Question 59

Calculating separation costs and training investment factors are components measures of human capital.

Question 60

The core values of a company:

A) is the systematic monitoring of external opportunities
B) is the basic purpose of the organization
C) are the strong enduring beliefs and principles used by the company to make decisions
D) provides a perspective on where the company is headed

Question 61

The process of identifying,developing,and tracking key individuals so that they may eventually assume top-level positions is:

A) target forecasting.
B) predicted change.
C) succession planning.
D) replacement selection.

Question 62

____ is the process of identifying,developing,and tracking key individuals for executive positions.

A) Succession planning
B) Creating skill inventories
C) Developing replacement charts
D) Quality of fill

Question 63

Which of the following is NOT an element of organizational growth?

A) Increased employee productivity.
B) A greater number of employees.
C) Employees developing or acquiring new skills.
D) An increase in profitability.

Question 64

Strategic knowledge workers:

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

Question 65

Multiple predictive techniques used to predict employment needs could include all of the following factors except:

A) interest rates
B) gross national product
C) disposable income
D) hiring costs

Question 66

A qualitative approach to demand forecasting can include any of the following except:

A) trend analysis.
B) the Delphi technique.
C) soliciting expert opinions.
D) management forecasts.

Question 67

Questions that might typically be found on a cultural audit include all of the following except:

A) Age,race,and gender
B) Pay and benefits
C) Diversity efforts
D) Hiring practices

Question 68

When a firm's resources improve the efficiency or effectiveness of the company,these are known as:

A) difficult to imitate.
B) valuable.
C) organized.
D) rare.

Question 69

Integrated knowledge sets within an organization that distinguish it from its competitors and deliver value to customers are known as:

A) individual competencies.
B) core capabilities.
C) human capital.
D) organizational competencies.

Question 70

The Delphi technique

A) attempts to decrease subjectivity of forecasts
B) is a quantitative methods
C) uses sophisticated statistical tools for forecasting
D) is a method of reducing hiring costs

Question 71

____ helps executives summarize the major facts and forecasts derived from external and internal analyses.

A) target forecasting.
B) predicted change.
C) SWOT analysis.
D) replacement selection.

Question 72

A graphical representation of all organizational jobs along with the numbers of employees currently occupying those jobs and future employment requirements is called:

A) a staffing table.
B) an organization chart.
C) a skills inventory.
D) career planning.

Question 73

Core capabilities are limited,but provide a long-term basis for:

A) delivering customer satisfaction.
B) HR expenditures.
C) human capital development.
D) technology innovation,product development,and service delivery.

Question 74

An analysis of the number and percentage of employees in each job from year to year,with proportions of those who are promoted,demoted,transferred,or exit the organization is called:

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

Question 75

Which of the following is NOT a component of SWOT analysis?

A) Weakness
B) Threat
C) Strategy
D) Opportunity

Question 76

Talent inventories can be used to develop ____,which list current jobholders and identify possible replacements.

A) staffing tables
B) replacement charts
C) trend models
D) Markov analysis

Question 77

With respect to forecasting,which of the following is NOT a critical element of planning?

A) capabilities
B) composition
C) culture
D) coordination

Question 78

Elements in an effective HR planning process must include all of the following except:

A) making forecasts of labor demand.
B) benchmarking best practices.
C) performing supply analyses.
D) balancing supply and demand considerations.

Question 79

Trend analysis includes all of the following steps except:

A) selecting a business factor.
B) soliciting expert opinions.
C) computing a productivity ratio.
D) plotting historical trends.

Question 80

When the knowledge,skills,and abilities of a firm's human resources are not equally available to competitors,these resources are known as:

A) difficult to imitate.
B) valuable.
C) organized.
D) rare.