Oakland University

ORG 330

Chapter 1

Human Resource Management’s Role and Strategic Nature

Multiple Choice

1)Human resource management is                                                                      .

1. 1. supervision, monitoring, controlling, and disciplining employees in order to achieve organizational goals
   2. having management systems to ensure that human talent is used effectively and efficiently to accomplish organizational goals
   3. the use and coordination of human skills to ensure the profitability and survival of the organization
   4. the design of the organization and its systems in order to achieve the goals of the organization

,

2. The aim of                         is to provide a sufficient supply of qualified individuals to fill jobs in an organization.
   1. diversity assessment and training
   2. staffing
   3. HR planning and analysis
   4. human resource development ,
3. Employee rights must be addressed in                                             .
   1. both unionized and non-unionized organizations
   2. primarily unionized organizations
   3. union-free workplaces to inhibit organizing attempt
   4. government rather than non-government workplaces ,
4. An activity of HR management that is important to facilitating good employee relations is

                                        .

1. 1. a voluntary workplace suggestion system
   2. the distribution of a company newsletter
   3. the development and communication of HR policies and procedures
   4. an employee assistance program ,

5. Henry, the production manager for a chemical plant, resents what he feels are unwarranted intrusions into his territory by HR managers. Henry feels that his relationships with his employees are strong and supportive, and that HR initiatives generally cause unnecessary trouble and complications. Which of the following statements is true?
   1. Henry is correct because the HR function is a support function and should not intrude on day-to-day management functions.
   2. HR managers have the sole responsibility for the proper implementation of company policy regarding employees. Henry is subverting this process.
   3. Henry is probably committing major violations of company policy and wants to keep this secret from HR personnel.
   4. Henry would be surprised to learn that every manager, including him, is an HR manager.

6. What are the three HR management roles?
   1. personnel, human relations, labor relations
   2. administrative, operational and employee advocate, strategic
   3. operational, labor relations, strategic
   4. short term, intermediate term, longer term 
7. Two major shifts driving the transformation of the administrative role of HR management are      and                                                 .
   1. economics; job changes
   2. technology; training
   3. advanced level degree programs for HR professionals; enhanced HR systems
   4. technology; outsourcing 
8. The                         role of HR management emphasizes human capital and its contribution to organizational results.
   1. employee advocate
   2. administrative
   3. strategic
   4. operational 

9. One of the two main purposes of HR technology is strategic in nature, whereby the organization benefits from                                            .
   1. greater administrative efficiency
   2. better managerial decision making
   3. employee self-service functionality
   4. less paperwork
10. World wide, small businesses employ more than                       percent of private-sector employees?
    1. 60
    2. 50
    3. 40
    4. 30
11. Which of the following is not one of the four elements identified by the text as critical to increasing ethical behavior?
    1. a written code of ethics and standards of conduct
    2. systems for confidential reporting of ethical misconduct
    3. training on ethical behavior for all employees
    4. roundtable discussions involving management and employees to discuss ethical issues facing the business

12. The primary determinant of ethical behavior in an organization is                                          
    1. size of the organization
    2. nature of the industry
    3. availability of audit staff
    4. organizational culture
13. Which of the following is NOT a necessary competency for HR professionals?
    1. training in psychology
    2. operational capabilities
    3. technology usage capabilities
    4. strategic knowledge

14. Beyond the basics, HR leaders may need additional competency in which area?

14. 1. business and organizational knowledge
    2. certification as employee benefits specialists
    3. employee orientation skills
    4. event planning 
15. Which of the following activities is NOT a focus for HR after an acquisition deal has been closed?
    1. due diligence
    2. payroll migration
    3. frequent communications
    4. guidance for managers 
16. Temporary workers, independent contractors, leased employees, and part-timers are collectively referred to as                                                                     , and make up about                                            of the U.S. workforce.
    1. contingent workers; 30%
    2. non-organizational employees; 25%
    3. contingent workers; 25%
    4. non-organizational employees; 20% 
17.                                          provides input to organizational strategic planning.
    1. Human resource development
    2. Organizational scanning
    3. Strategic HR management
    4. Human resource strategy 
18. HR management plays a significant strategic role in organizations where there are identifiable core competencies that relate to people. All of the following are prominent areas in which strategic HR management can have impact, except                                                                                                        .
    1. ethics
    2. customer service and quality
    3. organizational productivity
    4. branding and marketing 

19. "The shared values and beliefs in an organization" is a definition of                                                   .
    1. organizational norms
    2. organizational culture
    3. organizational ethics
    4. organizational commitment 
20. By restructuring the organization, HR can contribute to the improvement of organizational productivity. Which of the following approaches to improving productivity is not considered to be an organizational restructure?
    1. eliminating layers of management
    2. reducing staff
    3. changing reporting relationships
    4. re-shaping jobs due to technology changes
21.                              begins with the process of defining an organizational strategy and making decisions on allocating resources.
    1. Human resource planning
    2. Environmental scanning
    3. Labor market analysis
    4. Strategic planning 
22. The HR planning process begins with                                                .
    1. an environmental scan
    2. a review of the organizational needs
    3. an assessment of the internal workforce
    4. a review of the organization’s objectives and strategies
23. In HR planning, which variable is NOT assessed as an HR-related factor that can add value from the organization’s internal environment?
    1. quantity of human resources
    2. quality of human resources
    3. the federal tax code
    4. organizational culture 
24. A citizen of one country working in another country and employed by an organization headquartered in the first country is called a(an)                                              .

24. 1. expatriate
    2. host-country national
    3. third-country national
    4. detached duty employee 
25. Compensation costs for hourly production workers is greatest in                           
    1. U.S
    2. Japan
    3. Germany
    4. France 
26. The process of identifying a longer-term plan for the orderly replacement of key employees is called                                                                       .
    1. succession planning
    2. HR planning
    3. recruiting campaign
    4. workforce planning 
27. Specific measures tied to HR performance indicators are called:
    1. HR deliverables
    2. HR targets
    3. HR metrics
    4. HR evaluations 

28. Organizations who are using overtime, hiring contingent workers, and outsourcing work are likely addressing a                                                                .
    1. surplus of employees
    2. workforce realignment
    3. shortage of employees
    4. succession plan

29. Which of the following is NOT an HR metric for employee retention and quality?
    1. average employee tenure
    2. employee age distribution

29. 3. percent of new hires retrained for 90 days
    4. employee performance in first year
30. A widely used financial measure that can be applied to measure HR is                                                   , which is the net operating profit of a firm after the cost of capital is deducted.
    1. full-time equivalents (FTE)
    2. return on investment (ROI)
    3. HR scorecard
    4. wealth 
31. One approach to assessing HR effectiveness is                                     , which compares specific measures of performance against data on those measures in other organizations.
    1. benchmarking
    2. compa-valuation
    3. HR appraisal
    4. HR scorecard

32. A (an)                        is a formal research effort to assess the current state of HR practices in an organization
    1. Follow up study
    2. HR audit
    3. HR Intervention
    4. Metric assessment 
33. Monitoring employee actions and performance is much easier and less expensive today due to:

1. 1. technological advances
   2. new legal rulings
   3. decline in union strength
   4. employee demographics

34. A measure that calculates the value of expenditures for HR activities, and how long it will take for them to pay for themselves, is called:
    1. balanced scorecard
    2. ROI

34. 3. discounted cash flow
    4. value added
35. HR metrics are used as:

35. 1. headcount parameters
    2. financial statement supplements
    3. salary determinants
    4. performance indicators
36. Succession planning and                                                    ensure that high-quality talent will be available to carry out strategy.

1. forecasting technology
2. regulatory relief
3. leadership development
4. union avoidance

37. Expansion of HR technology serves what two major purposes in administration and operations?

37. 1. efficiency and effectiveness
    2. security and audit trails
    3. Sarbanes-Oxley compliance and data recovery
    4. secrecy and standardization
38. The final step in strategic planning is:
    1. Perform SWOT analysis
    2. Formulate supporting functional strategies
    3. Evaluate and re-assess
    4. Set of goals and objectives
39.                       in the labor market set(s) the price for high-quality talent and determines the availability of workers.

1. 1. competition

39. 2. turmoil
    3. union restrictions
    4. immigration trends
40. An ideal international approach to HR is:

1. 1. Relies entirely on home-country practices
   2. Is weighted toward home-country practices
   3. Is weighted toward host-country practices
   4. employs the best of both home- and host-country practices

True and False

41. Paying relatively high wages will make any organization uncompetitive.

42. The operational role of HR management requires managing HR activities and serving as employee advocate.

43. The biggest increase in jobs over the next several years is expected to be in the manufacturing industry.

44. One reason for the decline in contingent workers is that they increase costs for the employer.

45. The focus of HR planning is to have the right capabilities, at the right times, and in the right places.