Question 1

To use a physical exam as a selection device,a company must ________.

Accepted Answer

A) be sure the physical requirements are valid for the job and that they do not discriminate 
B) have an insurance carrier that requires the testing 
C) first conduct an interview with the applicant and administer a written test 
D) first verify the applicant's background information

Question 2

The Internal Hire (Scenario)
Wade McKenzie is a new sales manager for The Medi-Mac Group, a medical supply company based in Ontario. Wade was hired from within the firm and he is now supervising many of the people he formerly worked with, including two friends with whom he competed for his new job. As a result, Wade is concerned about potential problems stemming from the performance evaluation process, and is conducting research on the advantages and disadvantages of various methods.
-Wade is concerned about reports that his sales representatives are unreasonably demanding on sales administration staff and customer service personnel.Although Wade knows that one salesperson in particular can be very difficult to deal with,he believes that the rest are being unfairly portrayed.With management's approval Wade administers a survey to sales administration and customer service staff,asking them to respond to items that reflect the actual job behaviours of sales employees from all four regions.The surveys are randomized to eliminate potential biases.He then compares his region's evaluation against that of the others.This is most similar to which performance appraisal method?

Accepted Answer

A) critical incidents 
B) 360-degree feedback 
C) behaviourally anchored rating scales 
D) graphic rating scales

Question 3

________ is a pay system that rewards employees for the proficiencies and competencies they can demonstrate.

Accepted Answer

A) Incentive pay 
B) Merit-based pay 
C) Job evaluation pay 
D) Skill-based pay

Question 4

Written tests can be weak predictors of job performance because ________.

Accepted Answer

A) supervisors do not need to prove in writing their abilities to do their jobs 
B) semi-skilled workers do not need linguistic ability to do their jobs 
C) intelligence and other tested characteristics can be somewhat removed from actual job performance 
D) supervisors do not need intellectual ability to do their jobs

Question 5

Human Resource Planning (Scenario)
Steven is hired to manage the human resources department of a local manufacturing company. Unfortunately, the company has a reputation among workers of being the firm "where you work until you find your next job." Employee turnover is high and morale is low. Steven is determined to change the situation by turning the organization's human resources into a competitive advantage and a source of pride for the firm.
-As one of his first tasks,Steven's boss asks him to develop a database of the education,special capabilities,and specialized skills of all the employees.This is known as a ________.

Accepted Answer

A) human resource plan 
B) human resource inventory 
C) job analysis 
D) job specification

Question 6

Human Resources Selection (Scenario)
Denise has been asked by her boss, Stephen, the vice-president of human resources, to review the selection methods their firm has been using and to recommend improvements for future recruiting. It seems that recent hires have not been working out, and this has caused friction between the human resources department and the front-line managers who have to utilize the talent sent to them. In addition, there was currently a need to hire some top executives in the company, and due to the responsibility these positions carry, Stephen wanted to ensure they selected the best possible candidates.
-Since ________ are essentially worthless as a selection tool,Denise will recommend that they stop using them.

Accepted Answer

A) work samples 
B) written tests 
C) application forms 
D) reference checks

Question 7

Performance Appraisal Methods (Scenario)
Carly has just returned from a conference on performance appraisal methods. It was an interesting conference and it generally confirmed what Carly had suspected about her company's performance management system—it required some drastic revision! The company's current method is to have the immediate supervisor write out an evaluation of each individual employee. This method is time-consuming for the supervisors, and is as much a test of their writing skills as it is an evaluation of actual employee performance. Carly considered three alternative methods to replace the current system. The first method was one of the oldest and most popular performance appraisals. It involved listing a set of performance factors such as quantity of work, quality of work, level of cooperation, etc., and then rating each factor on an incremental scale. The second alternative method involved a system that focused on specific and measurable job behaviours. It required appraisers to rate employees according to numbered items which each represented actual job behaviours, rather than general descriptions or traits. The third alternative method was very results-oriented and was often used to evaluate managers and professional employees based on their accomplishment of specific goals that had been jointly established with their superiors.
-What is Carly's first alternative method?

Accepted Answer

A) MBO 
B) graphic rating scales 
C) BARS 
D) multiperson comparisons

Question 8

Performance Appraisal Methods (Scenario)
Carly has just returned from a conference on performance appraisal methods. It was an interesting conference and it generally confirmed what Carly had suspected about her company's performance management system—it required some drastic revision! The company's current method is to have the immediate supervisor write out an evaluation of each individual employee. This method is time-consuming for the supervisors, and is as much a test of their writing skills as it is an evaluation of actual employee performance. Carly considered three alternative methods to replace the current system. The first method was one of the oldest and most popular performance appraisals. It involved listing a set of performance factors such as quantity of work, quality of work, level of cooperation, etc., and then rating each factor on an incremental scale. The second alternative method involved a system that focused on specific and measurable job behaviours. It required appraisers to rate employees according to numbered items which each represented actual job behaviours, rather than general descriptions or traits. The third alternative method was very results-oriented and was often used to evaluate managers and professional employees based on their accomplishment of specific goals that had been jointly established with their superiors.
-The primary disadvantage of using the second alternative method is that it ________.

Accepted Answer

A) is time-consuming and difficult to develop job behaviours 
B) focuses on end goals rather than job behaviours 
C) is unwieldy with large numbers of employees 
D) raises legal and ethical concerns by comparing employees with one another

Question 9

The ________ creates four protected groups that must not be discriminated against by federally regulated employers.

Accepted Answer

A) Canada Labour Code 
B) Charter of Rights and Freedoms 
C) Canadian Human Rights Act 
D) Employment Equity Act

Question 10

An assessment that defines the jobs and behaviours necessary to perform the job is known as a ________.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 11

Variable pay systems reward employees for the job skills and competencies they can demonstrate.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Terri has taken a skills inventory assessment test six different times and has received six different evaluations of where her job strengths are greatest.This test has low ________.

Accepted Answer

A) acceptability 
B) probability 
C) validity 
D) reliability

Question 13

Which of the following selection devices is the best predictor for routine work positions?

Accepted Answer

A) work samples 
B) application forms 
C) assessment centres 
D) interviews

Question 14

________ is a method of setting work standards and measuring employee accomplishments.

Accepted Answer

A) A time and motion study 
B) A human resource inventory system 
C) A performance management system 
D) A career development system

Question 15

What is one advantage of using professional recruiting organizations as a source of potential job candidates?

Accepted Answer

A) low cost 
B) good knowledge of industry challenges and requirements 
C) large centralized body of candidates 
D) can get immediate feedback from large numbers of people

Question 16

Which of the following training methods uses lateral transfers between jobs in a particular area to give workers exposure to a variety of tasks?

Accepted Answer

A) job simulation 
B) on-the-job training 
C) experiential exercises 
D) job rotation

Question 17

A labour union is an organization that represents workers and seeks to protect their interests.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

A number of companies are adopting a new measure of recruitment effectiveness which looks at the contributions of good hires versus those of hires who have failed to live up to their potential.This measure is called ________.

Accepted Answer

A) job validity measure 
B) job performance measure 
C) performance quality assessment 
D) quality of fill assessment

Question 19

Despite the legal framework in Canada,there continues to be disagreement as to what specifically constitutes sexual harassment.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

Job descriptions focus on the job,while job specifications focus on the person.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 13: Managing Human Resources

To use a physical exam as a selection device,a company must ________.

________ is a pay system that rewards employees for the proficiencies and competencies they can demonstrate.

Written tests can be weak predictors of job performance because ________.

The ________ creates four protected groups that must not be discriminated against by federally regulated employers.

An assessment that defines the jobs and behaviours necessary to perform the job is known as a ________.

Variable pay systems reward employees for the job skills and competencies they can demonstrate.

Terri has taken a skills inventory assessment test six different times and has received six different evaluations of where her job strengths are greatest.This test has low ________.

Which of the following selection devices is the best predictor for routine work positions?

________ is a method of setting work standards and measuring employee accomplishments.

What is one advantage of using professional recruiting organizations as a source of potential job candidates?

Which of the following training methods uses lateral transfers between jobs in a particular area to give workers exposure to a variety of tasks?

A labour union is an organization that represents workers and seeks to protect their interests.

A number of companies are adopting a new measure of recruitment effectiveness which looks at the contributions of good hires versus those of hires who have failed to live up to their potential.This measure is called ________.

Despite the legal framework in Canada,there continues to be disagreement as to what specifically constitutes sexual harassment.

Job descriptions focus on the job,while job specifications focus on the person.