Question 1

Carson is gathering information for an HR audit.With which of the following areas should he be concerned?

Accepted Answer

A)  Work teams 
B)  Turnover rate 
C)  Available technology 
D)  Employee interdependence 
A)  Work teams 
B)  Turnover rate 
C)  Available technology 
D)  Employee interdependence

Question 2

One of your best MIS people quit to work for a competitor in a neighboring city.When she left,she took with her a partially completed proposal for an enhanced MIS system that would reduce costs and increase the speed of handling information.You've just experienced a:

Accepted Answer

A)  productivity shift. 
B)  reverse brain drain. 
C)  brain drain. 
D)  glass ceiling. 
A)  productivity shift. 
B)  reverse brain drain. 
C)  brain drain. 
D)  glass ceiling.

Question 3

Which term refers to an organization-wide approach to improving the quality of all the processes that lead to a final product or service?

Accepted Answer

A)  Decentralization strategy 
B)  Total Quality Management 
C)  Human Resource Scorecard 
D)  Organizational restructuring 
A)  Decentralization strategy 
B)  Total Quality Management 
C)  Human Resource Scorecard 
D)  Organizational restructuring

Question 4

Wilton Carpet and Flooring supports local children's sports teams by providing uniforms and practice gear.Which of the following terms best describes the activities of the firm?

Accepted Answer

A)  Outsourcing 
B)  Egalitarianism 
C)  Empowerment 
D)  Social responsibility 
A)  Outsourcing 
B)  Egalitarianism 
C)  Empowerment 
D)  Social responsibility

Question 5

Self-managed work teams are:

Accepted Answer

A)  an uncommon method of managing a small business. 
B)  very costly to the companies that must pay benefits to team members. 
C)  groups of peers in a company setting who take responsibility for a particular area or task. 
D)  a positive contribution to large corporations who are worried about being too "top heavy." 
A)  an uncommon method of managing a small business. 
B)  very costly to the companies that must pay benefits to team members. 
C)  groups of peers in a company setting who take responsibility for a particular area or task. 
D)  a positive contribution to large corporations who are worried about being too "top heavy."

Question 6

Firms that display a defender strategy will most likely:

Accepted Answer

A)  involve co-workers in the selection process. 
B)  provide customized performance appraisals. 
C)  encourage individual training. 
D)  recruit externally. 
A)  involve co-workers in the selection process. 
B)  provide customized performance appraisals. 
C)  encourage individual training. 
D)  recruit externally.

Question 7

What types of environmental and organizational challenges face corporations today? What HR strategies help firms handle some of these challenges to achieve and sustain competitive advantages?

Accepted Answer

Environmental challenges include workfor

Question 8

Work flow refers to how a specific task is organized to meet the production or service goals of a firm.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Additional Case 1.3
Your company sells high-tech products throughout the world and is following a differentiation business strategy. The business environment for the company is volatile, rapidly changing, and highly complex. The company is highly entrepreneurial and has a strong moral commitment to quality products, employee job satisfaction, and corporate social responsibility. The management team has decided to create a common company culture among the various national and international subsidiaries.
-Refer to Additional Case 1.3.The company's differentiation strategy is a type of:

Accepted Answer

A)  corporate strategy. 
B)  defender strategy. 
C)  emergent strategy. 
D)  business unit strategy. 
A)  corporate strategy. 
B)  defender strategy. 
C)  emergent strategy. 
D)  business unit strategy.

Question 10

Strategic human resource planning provides a number of benefits to a company,such as:

Accepted Answer

A)  relieving middle managers of their HRM responsibilities. 
B)  blurring the difference between line and staff management. 
C)  reducing costs by diversifying the company's goals and objectives. 
D)  helping to identify the gap between a company's current situation and vision. 
A)  relieving middle managers of their HRM responsibilities. 
B)  blurring the difference between line and staff management. 
C)  reducing costs by diversifying the company's goals and objectives. 
D)  helping to identify the gap between a company's current situation and vision.

Question 11

HR strategies need to fit a firm's overall management philosophy but may largely ignore the company's market posture and production processes,since those are line management responsibilities and HR has little impact on them.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

According to research,the contributions that self-managed work teams offer a large firm are typically:

Accepted Answer

A)  minimal. 
B)  very positive. 
C)  apt to decline as firms become more decentralized. 
D)  never significant enough to warrant a change in most businesses. 
A)  minimal. 
B)  very positive. 
C)  apt to decline as firms become more decentralized. 
D)  never significant enough to warrant a change in most businesses.

Question 13

RCA is creating a corporate identity to smooth over cultural differences between its domestic and international employees.RCA is most likely addressing the HRM challenge of:

Accepted Answer

A)  outsourcing. 
B)  globalization. 
C)  employee stress. 
D)  competitive markets. 
A)  outsourcing. 
B)  globalization. 
C)  employee stress. 
D)  competitive markets.

Question 14

Forces external to a firm that affect the firm's performance but are beyond the control of management are called ________.

Accepted Answer

environmen

Question 15

Additional Case 1.3
Your company sells high-tech products throughout the world and is following a differentiation business strategy. The business environment for the company is volatile, rapidly changing, and highly complex. The company is highly entrepreneurial and has a strong moral commitment to quality products, employee job satisfaction, and corporate social responsibility. The management team has decided to create a common company culture among the various national and international subsidiaries.
-Refer to Additional Case 1.4.Crowe could be best described as a:

Accepted Answer

A)  defender. 
B)  prospector. 
C)  reactive corporation. 
D)  company with distinctive competencies. 
A)  defender. 
B)  prospector. 
C)  reactive corporation. 
D)  company with distinctive competencies.

Question 16

Additional Case 1.1
Managers at Caplin Company are having a strategic planning session with the director of HR. They are discussing the fit between the company's overall management philosophy, organizational structure, organizational culture, and the firm's current HR strategies. During the meeting, the management team asks the HR Director for a profile of the current workforce. The HR Director reports that the workforce used to be 85% white, 50% male. Now it is 50% white, 50% minority with twice as many women as men. Supervisors still tend to be white males.
The management team discusses how to control costs, improve quality, and create distinctive capabilities. Several ideas are raised, discussed, and tabled; some topics are assigned to an individual for further exploration. Managers comment that some workers arrive at start time, take 30 minutes before initiating any work, and begin to pack up for the day 30 minutes before quitting time. Managers also indicate that employees do not seem concerned about working hard or about building quality products.
As the meeting draws to a close, the team briefly discusses the firm's commitment to the surrounding community. As a cost-cutting measure, the firm eliminated its support of an adult literacy program last year. Company facilities were used for conducting reading classes. The management team decides that the firm should reinstate the program and appoints the HR Director to notify the local literacy council.
-Refer to Additional Case 1.3.What is the most likely benefit of creating a common culture at the firm?

Accepted Answer

A)  Lowering overall production costs 
B)  Minimizing the need for additional employee training 
C)  Enhancing international and domestic recruiting efforts 
D)  Increasing cooperation among domestic and international employees 
A)  Lowering overall production costs 
B)  Minimizing the need for additional employee training 
C)  Enhancing international and domestic recruiting efforts 
D)  Increasing cooperation among domestic and international employees

Question 17

Norms,rules of the game,and organizational climate are elements of an organization's structure.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

Research indicates that fast-growth firms benefit from having managers with marketing and sales backgrounds.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Additional Case 1.1
Managers at Caplin Company are having a strategic planning session with the director of HR. They are discussing the fit between the company's overall management philosophy, organizational structure, organizational culture, and the firm's current HR strategies. During the meeting, the management team asks the HR Director for a profile of the current workforce. The HR Director reports that the workforce used to be 85% white, 50% male. Now it is 50% white, 50% minority with twice as many women as men. Supervisors still tend to be white males.
The management team discusses how to control costs, improve quality, and create distinctive capabilities. Several ideas are raised, discussed, and tabled; some topics are assigned to an individual for further exploration. Managers comment that some workers arrive at start time, take 30 minutes before initiating any work, and begin to pack up for the day 30 minutes before quitting time. Managers also indicate that employees do not seem concerned about working hard or about building quality products.
As the meeting draws to a close, the team briefly discusses the firm's commitment to the surrounding community. As a cost-cutting measure, the firm eliminated its support of an adult literacy program last year. Company facilities were used for conducting reading classes. The management team decides that the firm should reinstate the program and appoints the HR Director to notify the local literacy council.
-Refer to Additional Case 1.1.Caplin's discussion of costs,quality,and capabilities shows that the firm is trying to address the:

Accepted Answer

A)  organizational challenge of competitive position. 
B)  environmental challenge of rapid change. 
C)  individual challenge of matching workers with jobs. 
D)  market challenge of changing customer needs. 
A)  organizational challenge of competitive position. 
B)  environmental challenge of rapid change. 
C)  individual challenge of matching workers with jobs. 
D)  market challenge of changing customer needs.

Question 20

Due to the increasing work pace and burnout in the United States,more workers are dealing with stress.According to your text,an increasing number of firms are choosing to:

Accepted Answer

A)  provide employees with stress-control programs. 
B)  require employees to take longer breaks during the work day. 
C)  encourage telecommuting, job sharing, and employment sabbaticals. 
D)  inform potential employees of this challenge during the interviewing process. 
A)  provide employees with stress-control programs. 
B)  require employees to take longer breaks during the work day. 
C)  encourage telecommuting, job sharing, and employment sabbaticals. 
D)  inform potential employees of this challenge during the interviewing process.

Carson is gathering information for an HR audit.With which of the following areas should he be concerned?

One of your best MIS people quit to work for a competitor in a neighboring city.When she left,she took with her a partially completed proposal for an enhanced MIS system that would reduce costs and increase the speed of handling information.You've just experienced a:

Which term refers to an organization-wide approach to improving the quality of all the processes that lead to a final product or service?

Wilton Carpet and Flooring supports local children's sports teams by providing uniforms and practice gear.Which of the following terms best describes the activities of the firm?

Self-managed work teams are:

Firms that display a defender strategy will most likely:

What types of environmental and organizational challenges face corporations today? What HR strategies help firms handle some of these challenges to achieve and sustain competitive advantages?

Work flow refers to how a specific task is organized to meet the production or service goals of a firm.

Strategic human resource planning provides a number of benefits to a company,such as:

HR strategies need to fit a firm's overall management philosophy but may largely ignore the company's market posture and production processes,since those are line management responsibilities and HR has little impact on them.

According to research,the contributions that self-managed work teams offer a large firm are typically:

RCA is creating a corporate identity to smooth over cultural differences between its domestic and international employees.RCA is most likely addressing the HRM challenge of:

Forces external to a firm that affect the firm's performance but are beyond the control of management are called ________.

Norms,rules of the game,and organizational climate are elements of an organization's structure.

Research indicates that fast-growth firms benefit from having managers with marketing and sales backgrounds.

Due to the increasing work pace and burnout in the United States,more workers are dealing with stress.According to your text,an increasing number of firms are choosing to:

Managing Work Flows and Conducting Job Analysis

Understanding Equal Opportunity and the Legal Environment

Managing Diversity

Recruiting and Selecting Employees

Managing Employee Separations, Downsizing, and Outplacement

Appraising and Managing Performance

Training the Workforce

Developing Careers

Managing Compensation

Rewarding Performance

Designing and Administering Benefits

Developing Employee Relations

Respecting Employee Rights and Managing Discipline

Working With Organized Labor

Managing Workplace Safety and Health

International HRM Challenge

Filters

Exam 1: Meeting Present and Emerging Strategic Human Resource Challenges

Carson is gathering information for an HR audit.With which of the following areas should he be concerned?

One of your best MIS people quit to work for a competitor in a neighboring city.When she left,she took with her a partially completed proposal for an enhanced MIS system that would reduce costs and increase the speed of handling information.You've just experienced a:

Which term refers to an organization-wide approach to improving the quality of all the processes that lead to a final product or service?

Wilton Carpet and Flooring supports local children's sports teams by providing uniforms and practice gear.Which of the following terms best describes the activities of the firm?

Self-managed work teams are:

Firms that display a defender strategy will most likely:

What types of environmental and organizational challenges face corporations today? What HR strategies help firms handle some of these challenges to achieve and sustain competitive advantages?

Work flow refers to how a specific task is organized to meet the production or service goals of a firm.

Strategic human resource planning provides a number of benefits to a company,such as:

HR strategies need to fit a firm's overall management philosophy but may largely ignore the company's market posture and production processes,since those are line management responsibilities and HR has little impact on them.

According to research,the contributions that self-managed work teams offer a large firm are typically:

RCA is creating a corporate identity to smooth over cultural differences between its domestic and international employees.RCA is most likely addressing the HRM challenge of:

Forces external to a firm that affect the firm's performance but are beyond the control of management are called ________.

Norms,rules of the game,and organizational climate are elements of an organization's structure.

Research indicates that fast-growth firms benefit from having managers with marketing and sales backgrounds.

Due to the increasing work pace and burnout in the United States,more workers are dealing with stress.According to your text,an increasing number of firms are choosing to:

Managing Work Flows and Conducting Job Analysis

Understanding Equal Opportunity and the Legal Environment

Managing Diversity

Recruiting and Selecting Employees

Managing Employee Separations, Downsizing, and Outplacement

Appraising and Managing Performance

Training the Workforce

Developing Careers

Managing Compensation

Rewarding Performance

Designing and Administering Benefits

Developing Employee Relations

Respecting Employee Rights and Managing Discipline

Working With Organized Labor

Managing Workplace Safety and Health

International HRM Challenge

Filters