The balanced scorecard should not be used to link the company's human resource management activities to the company's business strategy.. It emphasizes that HR is being transformed from
Trang 1Human Resource Management: Gaining a Competitive Advantage
True / False Questions
1 Companies have historically looked at HRM as a means to contribute to profitability, quality, and other business goals through enhancing and supporting business operations True False
2 The human resource department is most likely to collaborate with other company functions
on outplacement, labor law compliance, testing, and unemployment compensation
Trang 27 Evidence-based HR provides managers with data to make decisions, instead of just relying
on intuition
True False
8 Stakeholders of a company are shareholders, the community, customers, employees, and all
of the other parties that have an interest in seeing that the company succeeds
True False
9 Companies are now more and more interested in using intangible assets and human capital
as a way to gain an advantage over competitors
Trang 314 The balanced scorecard should not be used to link the company's human resource
management activities to the company's business strategy
True False
15 Corporate cultures within companies that successfully implement TQM typically
emphasize individualism, hierarchy, accountability, and profits
True False
18 Because the workforce is predicted to become more uniform in terms of age, ethnicity, and racial background, it is likely that one set of values will characterize all employees True False
19 Cultural diversity can provide a company competitive advantage regarding solving
problem-True False
20 The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 sets strict rules for corporate behavior and sets heavy fines and prison terms for noncompliance
True False
Trang 421 Every business must be prepared to deal with the global economy
Multiple Choice Questions
26 _ refers to a company's ability to maintain and gain market share in its industry
A Outsourcing
B Competitiveness
C Self-service
D Empowerment
Trang 527 _ refers to the policies, practices, and systems that influence employees' behavior, attitudes, and performance
A Total quality management
B Financial management
C Human resource management
D Production and operations management
28 Strategic HR management includes all but one of the following Name the exception
D Production and operations
30 Which of the following is NOT a product line of human resources?
A Administrative services and transactions
B Strategic partner
C Human capital partner
D Business partner services
31 Which of the following best describes a cultural steward?
A Shapes the organization
B Delivers results with integrity
C Facilitates change
D Recognizes business trends and their impact on the business
Trang 632 A strategic architect is one who:
A facilitates change
B recognizes business trends and their impact on the business
C implements workplace policies conducive to work environment
D develops talent and designs reward systems
33 Giving employees online access to information about HR issues such as training, benefits, and compensation is known as:
Trang 736 Which of the following statements about evidence-based HR is FALSE?
A It helps show that the money invested in HR programs is justified and that HR is
contributing to the company's goals and objectives
B It emphasizes that HR is being transformed from a broad corporate competency to a specialized, stand-alone function in which human resources and line managers build
partnerships to gain competitive advantage
C It requires collecting data on such metrics as productivity, turnover, accidents, employee attitudes and medical costs and showing their relationship with HR practices
D It refers to demonstrating that human resources practices have a positive influence on the company's bottom line or key stakeholders
37 Which one of the following statements about the HR profession is FALSE?
A A college degree is required of HR specialists, but not of generalists
B Generalists usually perform the full range of HRM activities, including recruiting, training,compensation, and employee relations
C Professional certification in HRM is less common than membership in professional
associations
D The primary professional organization for HRM is the Society for Human Resource Management
38 All of the following competitive challenges faced by companies will increase the
importance of human resource management EXCEPT:
A the global challenge
B the challenge of sustainability
C the political challenge
D the technology challenge
39 _ refers to the ability of a company to survive and succeed in a dynamic competitive environment
A Outsourcing
B Empowerment
C Sustainability
D Resource management
Trang 840 Sustainability includes all of the following EXCEPT:
A expanding into foreign markets
B the ability to deal with economic and social changes
C engaging in responsible and ethical business practices
D providing high-quality products and services
41 Which of the following statements about intangible assets is FALSE?
A They include human capital
B They are less valuable than physical assets
C They are equally or even more valuable than financial assets
D They are difficult to duplicate or imitate
42 Tacit knowledge is an example of _ capital
A social
B customer
C human
D intellectual
43 Which of the following is NOT true of knowledge workers?
A They often contribute specialized knowledge that their managers may not have, such as information about customers
B They have many job opportunities
C They are in high demand because companies need their skills
D They contribute to the company through manual labor and intellectual labor
44 Empowering is defined as:
A the movement of women and minorities into managerial positions
B giving employees responsibility and authority to make decisions regarding all aspects of product development or customer service
C leading employees by the strength of one's charisma
D the act of continually learning and improving one's skills and abilities
Trang 945 A(n) _ contract describes what an employee expects to contribute and what the company will provide to the employee for these contributions
47 The balanced scorecard:
A is similar to most measures of company performance
B uses indicators important to the company's strategy
C is a standardized instrument of company performance
D should not be applied to HR practices
48 The balanced scorecard presents a view of company performance from the perspective of:
A its customers only
B its employees only
C its employees and customers only
D its employees, customers, and shareholders
49 According to the financial perspective of the balanced scorecard, which of the following questions should be answered?
A How do customers see us?
B Can we continue to improve and create value?
C What must we excel at?
D How do we look to shareholders?
Trang 1050 Increasingly, companies are trying to meet shareholder and general public demands that they be more socially, ethically, and environmentally responsible Thus, companies are recognizing the importance of:
A a balanced scorecard approach to business
B diversity
C total quality management
D social responsibility
51 TQM focuses on:
A designing processes to meet the needs of external customers only
B reducing variability in the product or service
C preventing errors rather than correcting errors
D tying pay to employees' total output less rejects
52 "How senior executives create and sustain corporate citizenship, customer focus, clear values, and expectations, and promote quality and performance excellence" is the definition for which Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criterion?
A Strategic planning
B Workforce focus
C Customer and market focus
D Leadership
53 Which one of the following is NOT true of the Six Sigma process?
A The objective of the process is to create a total business focus on serving the customer
B Training is an important component of the process
C The process is one of seven categories evaluated within the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award
D The process involves measuring, analyzing, improving, and controlling processes once they have been brought within six quality standards
Trang 1154 Which of following holds TRUE for lean thinking?
A It is a way to do more with less effort, time, equipment, and space
B It is a way to compete for quality awards and certification
C It includes offering no-frills goods and services to customers
D It is working for zero inventories
55 The skills and motivation of a company's _ labor force determine the need for
training and development practices and the effectiveness of the company's compensation and reward systems
A Labor force growth is greater than at any other time in U.S history
B The largest proportion of the labor force is expected to be in the 16-to-24-year age group
C There will be fewer white males than minorities or women in the labor force
D The number of "baby boom" workers will increase faster than any other age group
57 Which of the following statements about older workers is FALSE?
A Worker performance and learning are adversely affected by aging
B The aging labor force means companies are likely to employ a growing share of older workers
C An emerging trend is for qualified older workers to ask to work part-time or for only a few months at a time as a means to transition to retirement
D Older employees are willing and able to learn new technology
Trang 1258 Baby boomers:
A like the latest technology, are ambitious and goal-oriented, and seek meaningful work
B want to be noticed, respected, and involved
C tend to be uncomfortable challenging the status quo and authority
D value unexpected rewards for work accomplishments, opportunities to learn new things, praise, recognition, and time with the manager
59 Regardless of their background, most employees' value:
A the ability to challenge the status quo
B simplistic tasks requiring few skills
C managerial positions
D work that leads to self-fulfillment
60 To successfully manage a diverse workforce, managers need to develop all of the
following skills EXCEPT:
A providing performance feedback that is based on values rather than objective outcomes
B communicating effectively with employees from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds
C coaching employees of different ages, educational backgrounds, ethnicity, physical ability, and race
D recognizing and responding to generational issues
61 Managing cultural diversity involves:
A enforcing EEO rules
B creating separate career tracks for employees with families
C establishing a strong affirmative action policy
D creating a workplace that makes it comfortable for employees of all backgrounds to be creative and innovative
62 How diversity issues are managed in companies has implications for all the following EXCEPT:
A knowing how to learn
B creativity
C retaining good employees
D problem solving
Trang 1363 Managing cultural diversity can provide a competitive advantage by:
A decreasing the number of available women and minorities in the company's labor pool
B helping women and minorities understand they must conform to organizational norms and expectations
C helping companies produce better decisions by including all employees' perspectives and analysis
D identifying product markets on which the company should focus
64 In managing cultural diversity, which of the following would improve the level of
creativity thereby providing competitive advantage to an organization?
A Diversity of perspectives and less emphasis on conformity to norms of the past
B Those with the best reputations for managing diversity will win the competition for the best personnel
C An implication of the multicultural model for managing diversity is that the system will become less determinate, less standardized, and therefore more fluid
D Heterogeneity in decisions and problem-solving groups potentially produces better
Trang 1467 What areas of the legal environment have influenced HRM practices over the past 25 years?
A Equal employment opportunity, safety and health, pay and benefits, privacy, and job security
B Executive compensation, pay and benefits, workers' compensation, safety and health, and job security
C Product liability, workers' compensation, equal employment opportunity, safety and health,and labor relations
D Equal employment opportunity, patent infringement, workers' compensation, safety and health, and job security
68 There will likely be continued discussion, debate, and possible legislation in all but one of the following areas in companies Name the exception
A Genetic testing
B Glass ceiling
C Employment-at-will
D Design of physical work environment
69 Litigation involving job security will have a major influence on human resource
management practices because:
A work rules, recruitment practices, and performance evaluation systems might falsely communicate lifetime employment agreements that the company does not intend to honor during layoffs
B adjustments of test scores to meet affirmative action requirements are now illegal
C employees now bear the burden of proof in discrimination cases
D compensation awards for discrimination claims have increased
70 Which of the following is one of the four ethical principles of a successful company?
A Managers assume all responsibility for the actions of the company
B It has a strong profit orientation
C Customer, client, and vendor relationships emphasize mutual benefits
D It does not produce products that can be used for violent purposes
Trang 1571 Which legislation act sets new strict rules for business especially as regards accounting practices?
A Human Rights Act of 1994
B Reverse Discrimination Act of 1990
C Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
D Corruption and Practices Act of 2000
72 Which of the following is NOT a standard that human resource managers must satisfy for practices to be ethical?
A Managers must treat employees as family
B Human resource practices must result in the greatest good for the largest number of people
C Employment practices must respect basic human rights of privacy, due process, and free speech
D Managers must treat employees and customers equitably and fairly
73 Exporting jobs from developed to less developed countries is known as:
75 Which of the following statements about technology is FALSE?
A The Internet allows employees to locate and gather resources, including software, reports, photos, and videos
B Technology does not allow older workers to postpone retirement
C The Internet gives employees instant access to experts whom they can communicate with
D Technology has made equipment easier to operate, helping companies cope with skill shortages
Trang 1676 Which of the following is NOT typically true of work teams?
A They are used to increase employee responsibility and control
B They use cross-training to give employees knowledge on a wide range of skills
C They frequently select new team members and plan work schedules
D They assume all of the activities reserved for managers such as controlling, planning, and coordinating activities
77 Which of the following is NOT recommended for supporting work teams?
A Reducing flexibility and interaction between employees to maintain high productivity
B Giving employees formal performance feedback
C Linking compensation and rewards with performance
D Allowing employees to participate in planning changes in equipment, layout, and work methods
78 All of the following statements about cross training are true EXCEPT:
A it provides teams' maximum flexibility
B it helps in measuring employees' performance
C it trains employees in a wide range of skills
D employees can fill any of the roles needed to be performed on the team
79 Company X has offices around the globe Its teams are separated by time, geographic distance, culture and/or organizational boundaries, and almost rely exclusively on technology for interaction between team members Its teams are:
A virtual teams
B geographically-concentrated teams
C lean teams
D teleworker teams
Trang 1780 Adaptive organizational structures emphasize:
A efficiency, decision making by managers, and the flow of information from top to bottom
D internal linking, external linking, diversification, and a core set of values
81 Which of the following is FALSE about high-involvement, adaptive organizational structures?
A Employees are in a constant state of learning and performance improvement
B Employees are free to move wherever they are needed in a company
C Line employees are trained to specialize in one job in order to maximize efficiency
D Previously established boundaries between managers, employees, customers, and vendors are abandoned
82 Employees in geographically dispersed locations can work together in virtual teams using video, e-mail, and the Internet This e-HRM implication refers to which aspect of HR?
A Recruiting
B Analysis and design of work
C Selection
D Compensation and benefits
83 From the manager's perspective, an HRIS can be used to perform primarily all but one of the following Name the exception
A Support strategic decision making
B Avoid litigation
C Evaluate programs and policies
D Motivate employees
Trang 1884 A(n) _ is a series of indicators or metrics that managers and employees have access
to on the company intranet or human resource information system
A HR dashboard
B balanced scorecard
C web portal
D Intranet
85 All of the following HR practices support high-performance work systems EXCEPT:
A employees participate in selection process
B jobs are designed to use a variety of skills
C employee rewards are related to company performance
D individuals tend to work separately
86 Which one of the following is NOT associated with managing the human resource environment?
A Linking HRM practices to the company's business objectives
B Identifying human resource requirements through human resource planning, recruitment, and selection
C Ensuring that HRM practices comply with federal, state, and local laws
D Designing work that motivates and satisfies the employee as well as maximizes customer service, quality, and productivity
87 Economic value is traditionally associated with all of the following EXCEPT:
B customer demands for products and services
C motivation and satisfaction of employees
D promotions
Trang 1989 Managing the assessment and development of human resources involves all of the
following EXCEPT:
A measuring employees' performance
B creating an employment relationship and work environment that benefits both the companyand the employee
C recruiting employees and placing them in jobs that best use their skills
D identifying employees' work interests, goals, and values, and other career issues
90 Besides interesting work, _ are the most important incentives that companies can offer to its employees
A training for future work roles
B beneficial work environments
C support for nonwork activities
D pay and benefits
Essay Questions
91 Name and discuss the competencies that HR professionals need
92 How has the role of HRM changed in recent years? Discuss three trends that are changing the HRM function Why have these roles changed?
Trang 2093 What is meant by empowering and what type of training must be conducted to make it effective?
94 Discuss the balanced scorecard approach of measuring stakeholder performance
95 Discuss the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award including its purpose, the
application process, the criteria used for evaluation, and the advantages associated with the award
96 What sorts of activities does managing cultural diversity involve? Discuss four of the six ways (arguments) that managing cultural diversity can provide a competitive advantage
Trang 2197 What five main areas of the legal environment have influenced human resource
management over the past 25 years?
98 Define electronic human resource management (e-HRM) and indicate its implications for five HRM practices
99 Discuss how HR practices support the use of new technology and work designs
100 Outline the four dimensions of human resource management practices, including specificexamples of human resource practices within each area
Trang 22Chapter 01 Human Resource Management: Gaining a Competitive Advantage Answer Key
True / False Questions
quality, and other business goals through enhancing and supporting business operations
Topic: What Responsibilities and Roles do HR Departments Perform?
functions on outplacement, labor law compliance, testing, and unemployment compensation
Topic: What Responsibilities and Roles do HR Departments Perform?
financial services, and c) strategic partners
Trang 234. (p 9) The amount of time that the HRM function devotes to administrative tasks is
decreasing, and its roles as a strategic business partner, change agent, and employee advocate are increasing
Topic: How is the HRM Function Changing?
basis than in the past
Topic: How is the HRM Function Changing?
management, and organizational development are outsourced most frequently
Topic: How is the HRM Function Changing?
Trang 248. (p 14) Stakeholders of a company are shareholders, the community, customers, employees, and all of the other parties that have an interest in seeing that the company succeeds
capital as a way to gain an advantage over competitors
Topic: The Sustainability Challenge
Topic: The Sustainability Challenge
what the company will provide to the employee in return for these contributions
Trang 2512. (p 25) The use of alternative work arrangements, which include independent contractors, on-call workers, temporary workers, and contract company workers, is shrinking
Topic: The Sustainability Challenge
market situations, products, and competitive environments
Topic: Meeting the Needs of Stakeholders, Shareholders, Customers, Employees, and Community
management activities to the company's business strategy
Topic: Meeting the Needs of Stakeholders, Shareholders, Customers, Employees, and Community
emphasize individualism, hierarchy, accountability, and profits
Trang 2616. (p 31) ISO 9000 certification is an integral component of W Edwards Deming's quality control process
Topic: Customer Service and Quality Emphasis
training and development practices and the effectiveness of the company's compensation and reward systems
Topic: Changing Demographics and Diversity of the Workforce
ethnicity, and racial background, it is likely that one set of values will characterize all
Topic: Changing Demographics and Diversity of the Workforce
Trang 2720. (p 42) The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 sets strict rules for corporate behavior and sets heavy fines and prison terms for noncompliance
Topic: Legal and Ethical Issues
Topic: The Global Challenge
Topic: The Technology Challenge
those associated with analysis and design work, selection, and compensation and benefits
Trang 2824. (p 54) An HR dashboard is a series of indicators that managers and employees have access
to on the company intranet or human resource information system
Topic: High-Performance Work Systems
Topic: Meeting Competitive Challenges Through HRM Practices
Multiple Choice Questions
Trang 2927. (p 4) _ refers to the policies, practices, and systems that influence employees' behavior,attitudes, and performance
A Total quality management
B Financial management
C Human resource management
D Production and operations management
Many companies refer to HRM as involving "people practices."
AACSB: Business Knowledge and Analytic Skills
Trang 3029. (p 6) Which of the following is NOT a responsibility of HR departments?
A Recruiting
B Benefits
C Community relations
D Production and operations
The Responsibilities of HR departments include Employment and Recruiting, Training and Development, Compensation, Benefits, Employee services, Employee and community relations, Personnel records, Health and safety and Strategic planning
AACSB: Business Knowledge and Analytic Skills
BT: Knowledge
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 1-1
Topic: What Responsibilities and Roles do HR Departments Perform?
A Administrative services and transactions
B Strategic partner
C Human capital partner
D Business partner services
The product lines of human resources include Administrative services and transactions, Strategic partner and Business partner services
AACSB: Business Knowledge and Analytic Skills
Trang 3131. (p 8) Which of the following best describes a cultural steward?
A Shapes the organization
B Delivers results with integrity
C Facilitates change.
D Recognizes business trends and their impact on the business
Cultural steward facilitates change, develops and values the culture and helps employees navigate the culture
AACSB: Business Knowledge and Analytic Skills
BT: Knowledge
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 1-1
Topic: What Competencies Do HR Professionals Need?
32. (p 8) A strategic architect is one who:
A facilitates change
B recognizes business trends and their impact on the business.
C implements workplace policies conducive to work environment
D develops talent and designs reward systems
A strategic architect is one who recognizes business trends and their impact on the business and develops people strategies that contribute to the business strategy
AACSB: Business Knowledge and Analytic Skills
Trang 3233. (p 9) Giving employees online access to information about HR issues such as training, benefits, and compensation is known as:
AACSB: Business Knowledge and Analytic Skills, Information Technologies
BT: Knowledge
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: 1-1
Topic: How is the HRM Function Changing?
provide services traditionally associated with the administrative role of HR is known as:
Trang 3335. (p 10) Traditionally, the HRM department was primarily a(n):
Topic: How is the HRM Function Changing?
A It helps show that the money invested in HR programs is justified and that HR is
contributing to the company's goals and objectives
B It emphasizes that HR is being transformed from a broad corporate competency to a
specialized, stand-alone function in which human resources and line managers build
partnerships to gain competitive advantage
C It requires collecting data on such metrics as productivity, turnover, accidents, employee attitudes and medical costs and showing their relationship with HR practices
D It refers to demonstrating that human resources practices have a positive influence on the company's bottom line or key stakeholders
A study concludes that human resources is being transformed from a specialized, stand-alone function to a broad corporate competency in which human resources and line managers build partnerships to gain competitive advantage
AACSB: Reflective Thinking Skills