HR MGMT CH 9 – Flashcards
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The reward systems of an organization include the performance measures by which employees are judged and the methods of measuring performance
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True
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A condition underpinning any high-performance organization is that employees be fully engaged with their work
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True
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People experience occupational intimacy when they love their work, when they and their co-workers care about one another, and when they find their work meaningful
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True
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Research suggests that it is more effective to improve HRM practices as a whole than to focus on one or two isolated practices.
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True
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To set up a performance management system that supports the organization's goals, managers need to understand the process of employee performance.
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True
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Measures of employees' performance should take the effects of situational constraints into account.
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True
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Transaction processing includes the activities required to meet government reporting requirements.
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True
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A standard feature of a modern Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) is the use of relational databases, which store data in separate files that can be linked by common elements
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True
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A benefit of e-HRM is that employees can help themselves to information they need when they need it, instead of contacting an HR staff person.
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True
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In the context of e-HRM, online appraisal or talent management systems provide data that can help managers spot high performers to reward or types of skills where additional training is a priority.
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True
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An HRM audit is a formal review of the outcomes of HRM functions.
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True
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Training dollars per employee is a business indicator of the success of an HR department's training programs.
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True
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One way to measure HRM effectiveness is to measure a program's success in terms of whether it achieved its objectives and whether it delivered value in an economic sense.
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True
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Identify the statement that best defines a high-performance work system:
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It refers to the right combination of people, technology, and organizational structure that makes full use of the organization's resources and opportunities in achieving its goals.
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Which of the following statements is true of high-performance work systems?
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To develop a high-performance work system, organizations need to determine what kinds of people fit their needs and then locate, train, and motivate those special people.
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Identify the term that refers to the way in which an organization groups its people into useful divisions, departments, and reporting relationships:
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Organizational structure
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Which of the following in an organization usually makes most of the decisions about organizational structure?
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Top management.
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Which of the following elements of a high-performance work system determines how the details of the organization's necessary activities will be grouped, whether into jobs or team responsibilities
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Task design
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Which of the following statements is true about task design?
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It involves the clustering of details pertaining to an organizations required activities.
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Gibson United is a new firm located in Chicago. The firm has to hire qualified individuals, compartmentalize them into different departments, and hire a set of managers who will be able to instruct, monitor, and guide these employees to ensure smooth functioning of the organization. In this scenario, Gibson United is engaging in creating a(n) _____.
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Organizational structure
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David believes that for a company to run smoothly, it must adopt an organizational structure in which the employees clearly know who their reporting managers are and which departments they belong to. David claims that this will give the employees clarity about their roles and functions and will help them contribute efficiently toward the organization's overall success. Which of the following statements strengthens David's claims?
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An organizational structure creates a positive environment without hindering the learning process.
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Isabel is a new hire at an IT firm. She experiences trouble performing the job assigned to her even though she has the necessary skill set to complete the job. She has little clarity about team responsibilities and details of her work activities and has a difficult time comprehending the work activities. In this case, which of the following elements of the high-performance work systems has been implemented ineffectively by the organization?
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Task design
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Which of the following elements in a high-performance work system contributes to high performance by encouraging people to strive for objectives that support the organization's overall goals and includes the performance measures by which employees are judged?
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Reward systems
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Ryan is an experienced employee at an organization. The latest policy implemented by the firm's management provides only new employees with bonuses and other perks for exemplary performance. Ryan has raised concerns regarding the revised policy, but management stands firm on its revised policy. Which of the following elements of a high-performance work system would most likely weaken the organization's performance?
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Award systems
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Which of the following is true of an information system?
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Managers must decide who has access to what type of information and its availability.
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Nicole is a new recruit at a leading IT firm. She keeps records of important client data and is given special access to certain confidential data, which is available only to her and not to others in the organization. Given the nature of her work, which of the following elements of a high-performance work system is illustrated in this scenario?
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Information systems
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In a high-performance work system, task design makes jobs _____.
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Efficient while encouraging high quality.
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High-performance work systems result in _____.
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High product quality
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Outcomes of a high-performance work system include higher productivity and _____.
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Efficiency
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Which of the following statements is true about the outcomes of high-performance work systems?
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The outcomes of each employee contribute to a system's overall high performance.
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Cell-O World Inc. has increased doubled its profits since last year just by reducing employee absenteeism. Increased productivity is the reason for the surge in the company's profits. The employees have also improved customer satisfaction due to their increased productivity. In this scenario, which of the following aspects of a high-performance work system is contributing to the high productivity and efficiency?
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Outcomes
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Which of the following statements is true of an organizational structure in a high-performance work system?
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It promotes cooperation and learning.
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Which of the following is a condition that contributes to high performance?
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Work design gives employees the opportunity to utilize a variety of skills.
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_____ is a necessary condition of high performance because it contributes to good long-term relationships with employees, customers, and the public.
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Ethical behavior.
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An automobile manufacturing firm hires employees with different backgrounds and varying years of experience. The new employees and the experienced employees struggle to cope with each other as they share different views about the bonus system and the work activities. The new employees feel left out of critical decision-making processes; whereas the experienced employees feel they are undertrained. Which of the following conditions, if true, would strengthen the formation of a high- performance work system?
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The management should allow new employees to participate in changes made to the work systems, equipment, and layout.
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Which of the following would most likely aid in the formation of a high-performance work system??
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Employee's rewards and compensation that relate to the company's financial performance.
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The most popular way of empowering employees is by:
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Designing work so that it is performed by teams.
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A work team can be empowered by:
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Authorizing the team to make decisions traditionally made by managers.
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Teamwork and empowerment contribute to high performance when they improve _____.
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Job satisfaction
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For empowerment to succeed, managers should:
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Help their teams ensure that communication flows in both directions.
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Which of the following statements is true about a learning organization?
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It supports lifelong learning by enabling all employees to continually acquire and share knowledge.
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For a learning organization to function well, employees ought to:
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Share the information that was acquired during the learning process.
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Each employee's and each group's ongoing efforts to gather information and apply the information to their decisions in a learning organization is referred to as:
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Continuous learning
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Which of the following is true about continuous learning?
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Employees should continuously learn about their work systems to improve performance.
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What is the perception about training in a learning organization?
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It is viewed as an investment in the organization's human resources.
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Which of the following occurs when organizations encourage employees to see relationships among ideas and to test assumptions and observe the results of their actions
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Critical, systematic thinking
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A learning culture creates the conditions in which managers:
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Encourage experimentation
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Which of the following is a valid reason for ethical behavior to be a necessary condition for high performance?
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It contributes to good long-term relationships with employees, customers, and the public.
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Which of the following is a way in which organizations can promote job satisfaction?
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They can make jobs more interesting.
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Zoom Motors pays a lot of attention to improving employee skills on the job. Its training centers and mentors are open to one-on-one sessions, group discussions, and workshops. The organization boasts a world-class resource center that offers the latest editions of many books and journals related to the automotive industry. All employees have free access to the knowledge pool in the organization and are welcome to initiate discussions on topics of interest. In this scenario, Zoom Motors has created a _____.
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Learning organization
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The employees at Waycliff Foundation are continuously conducting research on ways to improve facilities and benefits for the impoverished children they care for. They then implement the ideas resulting from their research. This is an example of _____.
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.Continuous Learning
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Calvin, the CEO of Incal Inc., a digital media startup, holds a meeting with his employees, telling them he wants them to put 100% effort into their daily work. To motivate them, he announces that the employee with the best performance will be named Employee of the Month and provided with additional perks. In this scenario, Calvin is trying to increase _____ at Incal Inc..
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Employee engagement
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Tamara McKay, a manager at Ionic Consulting, believes that it is important for employees to feel a sense of satisfaction about their jobs. She feels that a satisfied employee will contribute more to the organization than an employee who is dissatisfied with his or her job. Harry, Tamara's coworker, argues that job satisfaction should not have an impact on the quality of work or productivity. Which of the following statements supports Tamara's belief
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Rewarding an employee for a job well done helps motivate the person to perform better in his or her job.
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At Wakame Beauty Solutions, Sheila created an award-winning line of lip balm, lip gloss, and lipstick after many hours of research and discussions with experts. Now, with her manager's encouragement, she frequently conducts workshops for other employees about lip color and other beauty products. In this scenario, which of the following features of Wakame Beauty Solutions is exemplified
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Learning culture
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Georgia, the learning and development manager at StudyWell Inc., believes that in addition to providing superior benefits to employees, it is important to create an environment in which they also have access to the firm's large learning database. She suggests that employees take time out of their workday to research relevant topics and conduct seminars to share knowledge with their colleagues. However, Georgia's manager, Vincent, argues that encouraging employees to do so will cause a downturn in productivity. Which of the following statements supports Georgia's suggestion
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Learning a task and knowing how to perform it in an efficient manner is a highly rewarding experience.
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Colin Bleuze, the new CEO of Silver Star, claims that work equals life for him. He believes that when one learns to love his or her job, it will result in job satisfaction. He provides employees with the best amenities the firm can afford, such as a sports center, a health clinic, and other facilities. The results are clear: reduced absenteeism, increased productivity, and an interactive social culture. Which of the following is most likely to cause conflict and dissatisfaction in the work that the employees engage in at Silver Star?
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The employees are given tasks that vary significantly from their job descriptions.
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People experience _____ when they love their work, when they and their co-workers care about one another, and when they find their work meaningful.
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Occupational intimacy
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James works at a publishing house. He is fond of his work and is a passionate team member. His colleagues show concern for him and his work, and he experiences a positive feeling about his work. In the context of job satisfaction, this feeling experienced by Vincent is known as _____.
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Occupational intimacy
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Which of the following practices is most likely to enhance occupational intimacy?
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Establishing policies that show concern for employees' needs.
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Which of the following processes involves ensuring that HR policies, practices, and programs support or are congruent with an organization's overall culture or brand, including its products and services?
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Brand alignment
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A firm's marketing department plans to introduce a new product into the market. The department invites suggestions from employees about the new product. New employees at the firm are also given an exhaustive orientation by the HR department about the company's vision and goals, and how the firm's products have traditionally formed an integral part of their daily work life. This orientation activity organized by the HR department is an example of _____.
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Brand alignment
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Unity Inc. sells novelty products to a niche market. With support from the human resources team, the customer services team handles the firm's unique brand and reaches out to specific audiences. To ensure that its product line remains strong, the company's CEO emphasizes team adherence to the ethics and policies of the organization. In this scenario, which of the following methods of employee engagement is the CEO of Unity Inc. encouraging?
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Brand alignment
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Numerous cases of unethical behavior have been reported in a leading beverage company. Which of the following, if true, would strengthen the reason for the increase in these cases?
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The firm excludes ethical behavior in its performance measures.
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Which of the following is an HRM practice that helps organizations achieve high performance?
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Performance management system measures customer satisfaction and quality.
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Job design aimed at empowerment:
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Includes access to resources
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ThinkBig Inc. has been known for its excellent customer service since its start more than 40 years ago. The founder of the company believes that it is because of the dedicated efforts of his employees. The company boasts of carefully selected employees who, through various tests, are hired based on their skills and their ability to contribute to the organization. The organization has benefited greatly because of its process of selecting employees, which, in turn, has resulted in customer loyalty to the services it provides. Rival companies have envied the type of selection methods the company has used to hire candidates. Which of the following would undermine the recruitment efforts of this company?
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ThinkBig Inc. begins hiring employees without thoroughly assessing their skills and knowledge.
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TI Inc., a software company, is currently looking for employees to fill vacant positions. It is looking for prospective candidates who are enthusiastic about work and willing to share their knowledge with their colleagues on various topics related to their field. The HR department is responsible for finding the right type of candidate to fit the roles in the organization. In this scenario, the HR department at ITI Inc. is engaged in _____.
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Recruitment and selection
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Identify the right HRM practice that can assist firms in becoming a high-performance organization.
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Selection system is job related and legal.
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Which of the following selection methods is used by organizations to identify employees who innovate, share ideas, and take initiative?
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Psychological testing
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At a high-performance organization, recruitment and selection aim at obtaining the kinds of employees who can thrive in this type of setting. These employees are _____.
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Enthusiastic about knowledge sharing
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One way performance management systems can support organizational goals is by:
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Linking performance measures to meeting internal and external customers' needs.
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Winston Memorial Hospital has a well-disciplined and focused staff. Doctors and other health care professionals are taught to follow the organization's policies and guidelines and strictly conduct themselves and their jobs in a manner that reflects the hospital's goals. These policies have helped the hospital gain recognition as one of the best hospitals in the region. This is an example of _____.
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Performance management
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A media company gives its employees monetary bonuses at the end of the company's fiscal year based on employees' contribution to the firm's financial success. This is a method of:
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Linking compensation to performance measures.
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Ronaldo, the general manager of RipnRoll Furniture, believes that each employee must thoroughly understand the goals of the organization. He understands that adhering to the vision and mission of the organization will help increase employee satisfaction and will also result in improved employee performance. Which of the following strengthens Ronaldo's belief?
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Understanding the organization's goals helps employees improve their performance.
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Compensation systems can help create the conditions that contribute to high performance. Consequently, organizations can increase empowerment and job satisfaction by:
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Communication the basis for decisions about pay
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To improve the performance of employees at RowYourBoat Inc., the company provides recognition and monetary benefits to those employees whose performance exceeds expectations. This strategy can motivate some employees to perform better. This is an example of a(n) _____ strategy
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Compensation
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New technology usually involves _____—that is, using equipment and information processing to perform activities that had been performed by people.
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Automation
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Which of the following refers to the computations and calculations involved in reviewing and documenting HRM decisions and practices?
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Transaction processing
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The HR department at AYM Resources is having a tough time documenting its strategies. In addition, irregularities were uncovered when reviewing the training expenses for a new group of employees. As a solution to these issues, the general manager proposes that all policies, decisions, expenses, and other plans be documented thoroughly with the help of computers that would store pertinent data and organizational information. In this scenario, the general manager proposes using _____.
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Transaction processing
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Which of the following best defines decision support systems?
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It refers to computer software systems that allow managers to see how outcomes vary when assumptions or data are altered.
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93. A manager wishes to test a range of assumptions on the availability of a certain skill in the labor market. He plans to enter different assumptions or data to check how the likely outcomes alter in accordance with the corresponding change in data. Which of the following is the most suitable system for such a purpose?
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A decision support system
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The senior management of a firm is undecided about the number of employees needed for its new project. Management uses a network of computer software systems that enables it to know the various possible outcomes required for the formation of the new project team. The type of system most likely to have been used in this case is a(n) _____.
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Decision support system
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_____ are computer systems that incorporate the decision rules used by people who are considered to have proficiency in a certain area.
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Expert systems
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A firm's HR department uses a computer system that assists in the selection of candidates to be interviewed for a job opening. The computer system enables the interviewer to act as both an interviewee and interviewer in a simulation, thus providing the HR specialist with comprehensive knowledge about the overall interview and selection process. This computer system is likely to be a(n) _____.
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Expert system
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Which of the following statements is true of expert systems?
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They aid in reducing errors that result from fatigue.
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A standard feature of a modern HRIS (Human Resource Information Systems) is the use of _____, which store data in separate files that can be linked by common elements.
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Relational databases
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Identify the advantage of a relational database.
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It helps HR staff in retrieving information about specific applicants.
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Which of the following refers to a display of a series of HR measures, showing human resource goals and objectives and the progress toward meeting them?
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An HR dashboard
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The HR department at TIP Consulting uses a human resource information system (HRIS). The employees of the department can view and track their individual progress as well as the progress that the department has made using HRIS. The component of the HRIS that enables this is called a(n)
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HR dashboard
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Roger, an HR specialist at Maestro Inc., claims that the department is running exceptionally well because of the HR dashboard. Progress and developments of various tasks are accessed easily using HRIS technology. Which of the following validates Roger's claim?
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The dashboard provides an easy-to-scan review of HR performance on a companywide basis.
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A leading IT firm experiences a major exodus of production employees department to a rival firm. The firm uses a tool that tracks such movements, which is part of the human resource information system (HRIS). Which of the following tools will help the firm track such data?
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HR dashboard
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Which of the following is a vital tool in making confidential HR-related information widely accessible to authorized users within an organization?
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An intranet
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Which of the following exemplifies one of the most creative developments in human resource information systems technology?
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HR dashboard
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Most human resource information is confidential, so organizations engaging in e-HRM:
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Increasingly place company-specified information on a secure intranet with links to resources on the broader Internet.
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107. Identify the correct statement regarding e-HRM:
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Most administrate and information-gathering HRM activities can be part of e-HRM.
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Which of the following statements accurately characterizes e-HRM?
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It poses new challenges to employees and new issues for HR managers to address.
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WingDing Inc. is a popular retailer with outlets in more than 30 cities in the United States. After a recent expansion during which it opened an additional 15 outlets, it was looking to expand its IT infrastructure to accommodate growing data needs. The IT department decided against increasing the capacity of the company's servers. Instead, the team used a third-party hosting service for its data storage needs and for running its applications. The employees at the megastore were allowed access to this information through a web interface. In this scenario, WingDing is employing _____.
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Cloud computing
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Alamos Inc. has extensively made use of the technology called cloud computing for several functions of its HR department. This technology has helped manage department functions, store necessary data, and also has given employees access to the required databases to resolve customer queries and complaints. Which of the following, if true, would disrupt the services provided by this arrangement?
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Internet access in the facility is intermittent for three hours every day.
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In the context of an organization's human resource division, which of the following statements is true of customers?
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They refer to the organization as a whole and its other divisions.
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The HR department meets the needs of line managers by:
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Providing qualified staffing
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Which of the following is a way in which the HR department meets the needs of strategic planners?
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They aid in performance management.
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The HR department of an organization can meet the needs of employees by:
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Providing training and development
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A formal review of the outcomes of HRM functions, based on identifying key HRM functions and measures of business performance, is referred to as a(n) _____.
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HRM audit
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The primary focus of an HRM audit is based on:
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Reviewing the various outcomes of HRM functions.
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Identify a HRM function from the following functions.
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Appraisal
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In the context of an HRM audit, ratio of acceptance to offers made primarily serves as a business indicator for _____ activities.
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Staffing
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The HR department of a firm identifies the per capita requirement costs in its annual audit. It also calculates the average number of days taken to fill open positions at the firm. The data gathered were used as business indicators in the audit. The business indicators are most likely to measure the performance of the _____ activity of the firm.
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Staffing
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Which of the following is a measure of customer satisfaction that indicates the success of the staffing efforts of an HR department?
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Treatment of applicants
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Which of the following is a business indicator of the success of the compensation system designed by the HR department of an organization?
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Ratio of average salary offers to average salary in community
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Which of the following is a customer satisfaction measure that indicates the success of the compensation system designed by the HR department of an organization?
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Competitiveness in local labor market
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Which of the following is a business indicator of the success of the training programs implemented by the HR department of an organization?
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Training dollars per employee
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While conducting an HRM audit, which of the following will serve as an important customer satisfaction measure in assessing the success of training programs conducted by HR?
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Quality of introduction or orientation programs.
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To determine the outcomes of the HR functions at Vesco International, several top-level managers suggest conducting a formal review of the HR department to evaluate its functions. The CEO approves the implementation of this suggestion. In this scenario, which of the following ways to measure the effectiveness of human resource management is Vesco practicing?
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HRM audit
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Which of the following is a measure of customer satisfaction that indicates the success of the benefits programs implemented by the HR department of an organization?
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Promptness in handling claims
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In the context of an HRM audit, average unemployment compensation payment primarily serves as a vital business indicator for activities related to _____.
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Benefits
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128. Which of the following is a business indicator of the success of the employee appraisal and development programs implemented by the HR department of an organization?
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Distribution of performance appraisal ratings
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Which of the following is a customer satisfaction measure of the overall effectiveness of HR activities?
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Working relationship between organizations and HRM department
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A business indicator of the overall effectiveness of HR activities includes:
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Ratio of personnel staff to employee population.
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The use of HR analytics involves measuring a program's success in terms of whether it:
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Delivered value in an economic sense
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Maridings Inc., an apparel manufacturer, employed a large-scale recruitment drive to hire some of the country's best fashion designers. The company's HR team was responsible for measuring the success of this recruitment drive to quantify its returns. This process is referred to as _____
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HR analytics
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In general, HR departments should be able to improve their performance through some combination of greater efficiency and greater effectiveness. In this context, greater efficiency means the HR department:
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Uses fewer and less-costly resources to perform its functions
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In general, HR departments should be able to improve their performance through some combination of greater efficiency and greater effectiveness. In this context, greater effectiveness means that:
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What the HR department does has more beneficial effect on employees' and the organization's performance.
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In the context of an HRM audit, average unemployment compensation payment primarily serves as a vital business indicator for activities related to _____.
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Benefits
