Human Resources Management: A Comprehensive Guide
Human Resources Management
Job Analysis and Descriptions
Staff managers are authorized. According to the Equal Pay Act, Title VII forbids testing or screening of job applicants. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act prohibits. A job description is a written statement of the knowledge, major duties, working conditions included in the job summary. The (ADA) job descriptions that list the essential functions of all jobs. Competencies Department of Labor. According to the EEOC, female employees to assess their goals for a program. Title VII discriminate against some protected classes. A vertical integration strategy adding new product lines. Securing the top team and key talent is assigned to most HR. A diversification corporate raw materials. According to the EEOC, job restructuring accommodation for ADA compliance. Succession planning involves analyzing the demand for managers.
In order for Hollis Construction to demonstrate EEO compliance, the company’s manager needs a job analysis. During a job analysis, a human resources specialist will most likely collect information about all of the following EXCEPT employee benefits options.
On-the-job training means having a person learn a job by actually doing it. The first step in the validation process is to analyze the job. The basic functions of management include all of the following EXCEPT outsourcing. A manager is best described as a person who is responsible for accomplishing the organization’s goals, and who does so by managing the efforts of the organization’s people. All of the following are a line manager’s responsibilities for effective HR management EXCEPT marketing new products and services. In today’s business environment, what is a firm’s main source of competitive advantage? Human Capital. Unlike HR managers of the past, modern HR managers must be able to explain HR activities in terms of a firm’s finances and productivity. Rollins and Associates is making an extra effort to promote and hire under-represented, protected individuals. Rollins and Associates is most likely participating in affirmative action. Workforce/personnel planning is the process of deciding what positions the firm will have to fill and how to fill them.
59) ________ means that an employer engages in an employment practice or policy that has a greater adverse effect on the members of a protected group under Title VII than on other employees, regardless of intent.
Disparate impact
60) ________ exists when an employer intentionally treats an individual differently because that individual is a member of a particular race, religion, gender, or ethnic group.
Disparate treatment
61) Ruben files a lawsuit against his employer for intentional discrimination based on the Civil Rights Act of 1991. Ruben may sue for all of the following EXCEPT ________.
Substantive consideration
62) According to the guidelines of the ADA, all of the following are examples of reasonable accommodations EXCEPT ________.
Changing job qualifications
63) T & N Enterprises wants to minimize sexual harassment claims. All of the following are ways that the firm can minimize its liability in sexual harassment claims EXCEPT by ________.
Informing all employees about sexual harassment complaints
64) Which of the following best explains why employers win the majority of ADA cases?
Employees failed to prove that a disability affected both daily living and job performance. Employees fail to prove that they are disabled yet qualified to perform a job.
65) ________ is the procedure for determining the duties and skill requirements for a specific job and the kind of person most suitable for a position.
Job analysis
66) During a job analysis, a human resources specialist will most likely collect information about all of the following EXCEPT ________.
Employee benefit options. Information collected about work activities, human behaviors, work aids, performance standards, job context, and human requirements.
67) Which of the following summarizes the personal qualities, traits, skills, and education needed for a particular job?
Job specifications
68) Which of the following questions is most likely answered by a job specification?
“What types of skills and experiences are required for this job?”
69) Which of the following is the primary disadvantage of using interviews to collect job analysis data?
Employees may exaggerate or minimize some information.
70) Purrfect Pets is a local pet supply store with a following of loyal customers who appreciate the personal service the store’s employees provide. After a very profitable year, Purrfect Pets is expanding by opening two more stores. Before hiring employees for the new stores, the manager is considering the idea of conducting a job analysis for each position.
Which of the following most likely undermines the argument that the Purrfect Pets manager should observe workers in order to gather job analysis information?
Numerous employees at Purrfect Pets perform similar tasks during the work day.
71) What type of information is contained in the job identification section of a job description?
Job title
72) O*NET is a resource for employers who need to write ________.
Job analyses or job descriptions
73) Which of the following describes a job in terms of measurable and observable behaviors that an employee doing the job must exhibit to perform the job well?
Competency-based job analysis
74) The process of determining how to fill top executive positions at a firm is known as ________.
Succession Planning
75) Which of the following terms refers to the end-to-end process of planning, recruiting, developing, managing, and compensating employees throughout an organization?
Talent management
76) What is the purpose of recruiting?
To find the right person for the job, to attract a wide selection of candidates or developing an applicant pool.
77) Which of the following is NOT information that should be requested on application forms?
Cannot contain questions pertaining to applicant’s disabilities, worker’s compensation history, age, arrest record, marital status, or US citizenship.
78) Mandatory alternative dispute resolution agreements require ________.
Applicants to agree to arbitrate certain legal disputes related to employment or dismissal.
79) Hiring workers who have criminal backgrounds without proper safeguards is considered ________.
Negligent hiring
80) What is the first step in conducting an effective interview?
Structure the interview/studying the job description
81) A reliable employment test will most likely yield ________.
A reliable test is one that yields consistent scores when a person takes two alternate forms of the test or when he or she takes the same test on two or more different occasions.
82) Which of the following terms refers to the accuracy with which a test fulfills the function for which it was designed?
Validity
83) Demonstrating the content validity of a test can be accomplished by showing that ________.
Conditions under which the test is administered resemble the work situation.
84) Which of the following is the primary advantage of using management assessment centers in the selection process?
Peers are effectively able to predict the success of applicants.
85) What type of interview would most likely include the following statement?”Imagine that you have just been assigned the task of winning the business of our competition’s biggest client. How would you proceed”
Situational
86) Which question below is an example of a background question?
87) Which question below is an example of a behavioral question?
88) Which of the following is the most likely outcome of using the same questions with all candidates being interviewed?
Reduction of bias
89) A manager who gives a former employee a bad reference may be accused of ________ if the information is both false and harmful.
Defamation
90) Which assessment method has the lowest validity?
Job knowledge tests
91) E-Verify is used by employers to ________.
Determine if an applicant is eligible to work in the U.S.
92) Roberta Whitman has recently been hired by Jackson Pharmaceuticals as the senior vice president of human resources. Jackson Pharmaceuticals has a history of problems within its HR department including high employee turnover, EEO violations, inadequate training programs, and benefit enrollment difficulties. With years of experience transforming HR departments in other firms, Whitman believes she can correct the problems at Jackson Pharmaceuticals.
Which of the following best supports Whitman’s idea to develop a transactional HR group to handle benefits administration?
Outside vendors specializing in all aspects of benefits administration would provide improved support to the firm’s employees.
93) Nicole works as a job analyst at a computer firm. Which of the following most likely describes Nicole’s duties in her current position?
Collecting information about job duties
94) Larry is a line manager at a large sporting goods store. Which of the following is LEAST likely to be one of Larry’s HR responsibilities?
Sharing financial advice
95) Judy was up for a promotion at Swensen Consulting when her supervisor, Will, encouraged her to develop a sexual relationship with him. He suggested that her promotion would be a sure thing if they were involved. When Judy declined his advances, Will fired her. Which of the following would Judy most likely be able to prove in court if she decided to sue Swensen Consulting?
Quid pro quo
96) Sanders Sporting Goods, an international sporting goods chain, is being sued for sexual harassment by a former Sanders employee. The plaintiff asserts that she was the victim of numerous unwanted sexual advances from a male co-worker. The woman claims that Sanders’ management condoned a hostile work environment and that the company is liable for the actions of the male employee.
All of the following are most likely relevant questions to address in this court case EXCEPT:
Does Sanders have a record of employees who claim disparate treatment in the workplace?
97) Sanders Sporting Goods, an international sporting goods chain, is being sued for sexual harassment by a former Sanders employee. The plaintiff asserts that she was the victim of numerous unwanted sexual advances from a male co-worker. The woman claims that Sanders’ management condoned a hostile work environment and that the company is liable for the actions of the male employee.
Which of the following, if true, would most likely undermine the plaintiff’s claim that Sanders is liable for the male employee’s conduct?
The male employee was required by HR to participate in a sexual harassment awareness course.
98) ________ refers to the total employment process that result in a significantly higher percentage of a protected group in the candidate population being rejected for employment, placement, or promotion.
Adverse impact
99) Which of the following is most likely an example of a discriminatory selection standard?
Requiring engineer applicants to meet specific height standards
100) The defense of ________ requires showing that there is an overriding business purpose for the discriminatory practice and that the practice is therefore acceptable.
Business necessity
101) Harley-Davidson sells a line of boots, helmets, and leather jackets indicating that the firm is most likely pursuing which of the following strategies?
Related diversification
102) SMART goals are best described as ________.
Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely
103) Upward feedback primarily helps top-level managers to ________.
Diagnose management styles
104) The assessing and acting through public and private partnerships to improve energy systems that promote a strong economy and a healthy environment is an example of a(n):
Mission statement
105) Which of the following illustrates a focus strategy?
Comfy Rent-a-car targets referrals through a car dealership and insurance agents.
106) A selection interview would most likely be considered unfair if a manager ________.
Focused on personality issues
107) Sweet Leaf Tea, a Texas-based maker of bottled iced tea, is a small but fast-growing firm that has gained a loyal following for its use of fresh, organic ingredients in its beverages. Although beverage industry experts recommended that Sweet Leaf replace the organic cane sugar and honey it uses with less costly high-fructose corn syrup, Sweet Leaf refused because of the company’s mission to provide a high-quality, organic beverage to consumers. The 11-year-old company has 50 employees, and its products are available in 30% of the U.S. market. Sweet Leaf Tea recently received multi-million dollar investments which will enable the business to expand its national presence.
Which of the following, if true, would most likely undermine the argument that Sweet Leaf Tea should implement a corporate-level strategy of vertical integration?
Sweet Leaf Tea lacks the facilities or knowledge to produce the raw ingredients for its beverages.
108) Anita, an HR manager, is in the process of conducting a job analysis. She has just finished selecting a sample of representative positions. What should Anita do next?
Actually analyze the job
109) What is the underlying theory behind job enrichment?
To empower the worker by making them experience feelings of responsibility, achievement, growth, and recognition.
110) Keith, an HR manager at a manufacturing facility, needs to hire three workers to work on the assembly line. Keith will be basing job specifications on statistical analysis. Keith has already analyzed the job and decided how to measure job performance. What is the next step that Keith must take in the process?
He would continue to step 2 and select personal traits that he believes would predict successful performance.
111) Carla, an HR manager at a carpet manufacturing firm, needs to write a number of job descriptions and plans to use O*NET. Carla already knows which positions are needed and has modified the firm’s organization chart. What should Carla do next?
She would continue to step 3 and use a job analysis questionnaire.
112) Job analysis is most important because managers use it to:
Identify the tasks needed to perform the job.
113) Which of the following involves assigning workers additional same-level activities?
Job enlargement
114) According to research, what job-related behavior is important to all jobs?
Job-related interview. A series of job-related questions.
115) In most job descriptions, which of the following would LEAST likely be included in the job identification section?
Most job descriptions include a job title, a job identification sections, and a job duties section.
116) What is the purpose of recruiting?
Building a pool of candidates for said jobs.
117) Steve, an HR manager for IBM, must decide what positions the firm should fill in the next 6 months, which means Steve is currently working on ________.
Personnel planning
118) Which of the following generates the highest quality of job applicants for most firms?
Employee referral
119) If a person scores a 70 on an intelligence test on one day and scores 110 when retested on another day, you might conclude that this test is ________.
Unreliable
120) Marion Franklin is the CEO of a local real estate company, Action Realty. The community has seen an increase in population over the last 2 years, and new neighborhoods are being built as a result. Marion’s staff of realtors is very busy, and Marion needs to hire a new agent. Although Marion has hired agents in the past, they have not always turned out to be as successful as she had hoped.
Which of the following questions would be relevant for Marion to ask if she wants an employee with extensive knowledge in real estate?
“How do you handle the stress and pressure associated with real estate?”
121) All of the following are guidelines for conducting an effective interview EXCEPT ________.
Asking a candidate yes or no questions.
122) According to experts, most people are hired for their qualifications and fired for their ________.
Nonperformance
123) Which of the following is a true statement regarding ethical behavior in the workplace?
Offering rewards for ethical choices strengthen the intrinsic value of the behavior.
124) Organizational culture refers to the ________.
Characteristic, values, traditions, and behavior’s a company’s employees share.
125) The CEO of Southwest Airlines can sometimes be seen helping out at a gate, handling luggage, and assisting cabin attendants while in flight. This is an example of ________ to create and sustain the company’s culture.
Using signs and symbols
126) Which of the following is NOT considered sexual harassment?
Mutually consensual physical conduct of a sexual nature between coworkers.
127) When addressing EEOC claims, it is recommended that employers ________.
Must meet with the employee who made the complaint to clarify relevant issues.
128) Pictures and Promotions Modeling Studio seeks to hire male models for an upcoming fashion show featuring men’s wear. The studio is using ____ as a justification for not considering women for the jobs.
BFOQ
129) Maria, an HR manager at ATX Manufacturing, needs to know what sorts of people to recruit for a process engineering job at the firm. Which of the following would be most useful for Maria’s task?
Job analysis
130) Vijay, a manager at a manufacturing facility, needs to hire three workers to work on the assembly line. The position requires employees who have finger dexterity. Finger dexterity would most likely be characterized as a ________.
Predictor
131) Which of the following questions would LEAST likely be asked during a job analysis interview?
Avoid questions that might eliminate applicants based on age, race, gender, national origin, handicap, or other prohibited criteria.
132) MAX Computers manufactures affordable laptops and desktops at its factory in Arizona. MAX has experienced a moderate amount of financial success, but upper management wants the firm to grow at a faster rate and become a bigger player in the highly competitive computer market. The firm’s greatest problems relate to its employees. Employee turnover is high—most employees at MAX leave within two years or less of being hired. In addition, the rate of productivity among employees is not as high as executives would like. The vice president of human resources is considering moving MAX towards a high-performance work system.
Which of the following questions is most relevant to MAX’s decision to move toward a high-performance work system?
Using advanced recruitment and hiring practices will allow MAX to improve employee productivity.
133) A diversification corporate strategy implies that a firm will ____.
Expand by adding new product lines.
134) Last year, General Motors began a strategy to improve product quality and customer satisfaction. Recent reports show that GM’s product recalls for the first half of the year are higher than for the entire previous year. GM explains that the figures support the corporate commitment to quality and satisfaction. In which step of the strategic management process is GM currently focusing?
Evaluate performance
135) In which of the following settings would mobile learning be most appropriate?
Corporate training (any type of training)
136) Tyrone, an HR manager, is conducting a task analysis. Tyrone is most likely ________.
Analyzing and training new employees.
137) Which of the following is most likely characteristic of a firm effectively implementing a diversity management program?
Female and minority employees have access to international job assignments.
138) Which of the following will be the most likely result of the ADA Amendments Act of 2008?
Employees will find it easier to prove that their disabilities are limiting.
139) One of Kara’s male co-workers has been making sexually suggestive comments to Kara about her clothing and her appearance, which makes Kara feel uncomfortable at work. What is the first step Kara should take to address the problem?
Filing a verbal complaint with the harasser’s boss.
140) Julian, an assembly line worker at a furniture assembly facility, attaches headrests to office chairs. Now, Julian’s manager wants Julian to attach arm rests to the chairs as well. Which term best describes the change in Julian’s job?
Reasonable accommodation
141) Vijay, a manager at a manufacturing facility, needs to hire three workers to work on the assembly line. The position requires employees who have finger dexterity. Finger dexterity would most likely be characterized as a ________.
Predictor
142) An HR manager who is basing a job specification on statistical analysis has completed the first four steps of the process. What is the last step required?
Statistically analyze the relationship between the human trait (finger dexterity) and job performance.
143) Wilson Consulting is a management consulting firm with seventy employees. As associate vice president of marketing, Suzanne Boyle is responsible for conducting performance appraisals of the twelve employees under her direct supervision. Suzanne plans to use a graphic rating scale to evaluate the performance of her subordinates.
Which of the following, if true, best supports the argument that a graphic rating scale is the most appropriate performance appraisal tool for Suzanne to use?
Suzanne wants a quantitative rating of each employee based on competencies important to the firm, such as problem-solving skills.
144) Which of the following is LEAST likely to protect employers against bias claims stemming from the use of the forced distribution method?
145) Suppose you have five employees to rate. You make a chart of all possible pairs of employees for each trait being evaluated. Then, you indicate the better employee of the pair for each pair. Finally, you add up the number of positives for each employee. In this case, you have used the ________ method of performance appraisal. Paired comparison