Human resources management

04 Oct Human resources management

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.

1) Human resources management refers to:

A) the management of people in organizations.

B) concepts and techniques for organizing work activities.

C) all managerial activities.

D) concepts and techniques used in leading people at work.

E) management techniques for controlling people at work.

2) The knowledge, education, training, skills, and expertise of a firm’s workers is known as:

A) physical capital.

B) management’s philosophy.

C) human capital.

D) production capital.

E) cultural diversity.

3) Human resources practices t at support strategy include:

A) performance management.

B) production scheduling.

C) policies and procedures.

D) staffing practices.

E) rewards practices.

4) A company utilizes a system to measure the impact of Human Resources which balances measures relating to financial results, customers, internal business processes and human capital management. This system is knows as the:

A) HRIS.

B) balanced strategy.

C) Human Capital Index.

D) balanced scorecard.

E) none of the above.

5) You have been tasked with building employee ngag m nt at the firm you work for. Strategic human resources initiatives you would consider implementing inclu e:

A) employee recognition programs and management evelopment programs.

B) diversity programs.

C) employee recognition programs.

D) employee relations activity.

E) job design indicators.

6) HR department staff members are traditionally involved in key operational responsibilities. Which of the following is an operational responsibility?

A) setting goals and objectives

B) collecting metrics

C) analyzing metrics

D) interpreting human right laws

E) interpreting health and safety legislation

7) Being completely familiar with employment legislation, HR policies and procedures, collective agreements, and the outcome of recent arbitration hearings and court decisions is most closely related with which of the following HR activities?

A) serving as a consultant

B) formulating policies and procedures

C) offering advice

D) providing services

E) serving as a change agent

8) The practice of contracting with outside vendors to handle specified functions on a permanent basis is known as

A) hiring temporary employees.

B) payroll and benefits administration.

C) contract administration.

D) outsourcing.

E) labour-management relations.

9) The company’s plan for how it will balance its internal strengths and weaknesses with external opportunities and threats in order to maintain competitive advantage is known as

A) HR strategy.

B) strategy.

C) environmental scanning.

D) policies and procedures.

E) none of the above.

10) Rita is the HR Director of a manufacturing company. She recently undertook research to identify competitor compensation and incentive plans, information about pending legislative changes and availability of talent in the labour market for the upcoming strategic planning meeting. Rita was conducting:

A) environmental scanning.

B) an employee engagement survey.

C) an external market survey.

D) an envrionmental study.

E) an external opportunities/threats study.

11) The HR manager of Smith & Yu company was h avily involved in a downsizing exercise of the company’s sales force due to an economic downturn. He was also involved in arranging for outplacement services and employee retention programs as well as restructuring of the business following the downsizing. This is an example of HR’s role in:

A) formulating strategy.

B) operational activities.

C) environmental scanning.

D) environmental scanning and executing strategy.

E) executing strategy.

12) The core values, beliefs, and assumptions that are widely shared by members of an organization are known as:

A) organizational climate.

B) the strategic plan.

C) the mission statement.

D) organizational culture.

E) the pervading atmosphere.

13) As the HR consultant of a newly formed company, Arun has planned a presentation for the line managers on organizational culture and the purpose it serves. Which of the following points would Arun have included in his presentation?

A) creating a worldlier atmosphere

B) fostering employee loyalty and commitment

C) increasing training levels

D) succession planning

E) fostering employee loyalty and commitment and providing employees with a sense of direction

14) The prevailing atmosphere or ”internal weather” that exists in an organization and its impact on employees is

A) the importance of having a mission statement.

B) the need for a corporate culture.

C) a myth about organizations.

D) organizational climate.

E) the need for performance appraisals.

15) Revlex Inc. has decided to allow its front line workers to make decisions regarding the ordering of certain supplies that were formerly made by managers. This initiative is an example of:

A) workplace incentives.

B) a change in organizational climate.

C) management development.

D) job restructuring.

E) employee empowerment.

16) Joe Brown was hired by a manufacturing firm as a supervisor. During his first few weeks as a supervisor he realised that employees w o report to him expect a lot of direction from him and expect all of the decision making to be done by him. Joe Brown decided to train his employees to take on additional responsibilities and make decisions within a specific scope. Joe Brown is:

A) embracing his staff.

B) outsourcing his staff.

C) empowering his staff.

D) reducing his staff.

E) none of the above.

17) Economic downturns are generally associated with:

A) high turnover.

B) more competition for qualified employees.

C) skills shortages.

D) an overwhelming number of job applicants for vacancies.

E) lower unemployment rates.

18) The ratio of an organization’s outputs to its inputs is known as:

A) the labour market.

B) productivity.

C) the supply and demand equation.

D) competitive ability.

E) the equity ratio.

19) External environmental influences having a direct or indirect influence on HRM include which of the following:

A) labour market conditions.

B) organizational culture.

C) organizational climate.

D) decreasing work force diversity.

E) increasing empowerment.

20) The ratio of an organization’s outputs such as goods and its inputs such as capital is which of the following:

A) productivity.

B) workforce diversity.

C) outsourcing.

D) an internal environmental influence.

E) the labour market.

21) When unemployment rates fall:

A) training and retention strategies increase in importance.

B) there is always a greater demand for services and training strategies increase.

C) unions are more likely to organize workers.

D) there is always a greater demand for services.

E) retention strategies increase in importance.

22) Mortgage Financial needs to recruit 10 employees for a period of three months to assist its team of underwriters during t e busy season. The company does not want to provide these 10 employees regular full-time or part-time status. As t e HR manager, what would you suggest the company do in this situation?

A) increase the workload of staff

B) use contingent employees

C) outsource the underwriting function

D) do nothing about t e situation

E) develop a retention plan

23) The characteristics of the work force are known as:

A) unionization.

B) organizational climate.

C) diversity.

D) demographics.

E) population trends.

24) The single most important factor governing the size and composition of the labour force is:

A) population growth.

B) the death rate.

C) the birth rate.

D) immigration patterns.

E) diversity.

25) Any attribute that humans are likely to use to tell them, “that person is different from me,” and thus includes such factors such as race, gender, age, values and cultural norms, is known as

A) characteristics.

B) diversity.

C) minorities.

D) differences.

E) perceptions.

26) Baby boomers:

A) are currently causing a great deal of competition for advancement.

B) will be increasing rapidly in numbers over the next few decades.

C) were born between 1946 and 1965.

D) have had very high fertility rates.

E) resulted in a focus on recruitment and selection in organizations in the past.

27) Characteristics of Generation X employees include:

A) action-orientedness.

B) eagerness to make a contribution.

C) a desire for work/life balance.

D) mastering of technology.

E) sense of security linked to corporate loyalty.

28) The Sandwich Generation refers to:

A) individuals who are caught in the generation gap.

B) individuals with responsibilities for young dependents and elderly relatives.

C) Generation Y.

D) employees who have to bring their lunch to work because they can’t afford to eat out.

E) employees with older and younger coworkers.

29) If you were the HR advisor of a company where the majority of the workforce consisted of employees born after 1980, what initiatives would you recommend providing to keep the group challenged?

A) job security

B) empowerment and c allenging work

C) continuous skill development

D) flexible work arrangements

E) eldercare benefits

30) If you were the HR advisor of a company where the majority of the workforce consisted of employees born before 1965 what initiatives would you recommend providing to keep the group challenged?

A) job security

B) flexible work arrangements

C) onsite gym facilities

D) independent work

E) eldercare and pension benefits

31) Canadians who are functionally illiterate are:

A) involved in academic upgrading through th ir place of employment.

B) older Canadians who did not have the opportunity to attend school.

C) exacting a toll on organizations’ productivity levels.

D) able to perform routine technical tasks without assistance.

E) no longer in the work force.

32) Approximately ________ percent of the Canadian population could be members of visible minorities by 2017.