Q&A Hero

Q: Describe the criteria necessary for firms to achieve sustained competitive advantage through people.

Q: Describe the basics of SWOT analysis.

Q: As companies diversify into new businesses, managers are inevitably faced with a make or _____ decision. a. buy b. lease c. forego d. substitute

Q: In the telephone industry, mobile phones and VOIP (Voice-over-the Internet Protocol) are examples of _____ for traditional firms. a. companions b. rivals c. substitutes d. supplements

Q: Analysis of external opportunities and threats is _____ stepof the strategic management process. a. the second b. the last c. an optional d. the penultimate

Q: The first step in strategic planning involves: a. analyzing the competition. b. interviewing potential employees. c. reviewing failed plans from the past in order to improve employee turnover rate. d. establishing a mission, vision, and values for an organization.

Q: Which of the following is NOT a cell of the Balanced Scorecard model? a. Financial b. Turnover c. Customer d. Process

Q: Cross-training and job rotations are intended to improve the _____ of an organization. a. coordination flexibility b. turnover capability c. organizational capability d. resource flexibility

Q: _____ is the ability of an organization to rapidly reallocate resources to new or changing needs. a. Coordination flexibility b. Predicted flexibility c. Organizational capability d. Turnover capability

Q: The capacity of an organization to continuously act and change in pursuit of sustainable competitive advantage is known as: a. coordination flexibility. b. predicted capability. c. organizational capability. d. turnover flexibility.

Q: Staffing tables provide data on external labor supply sources. a. True b. False

Q: A vision statement clarifies the long-term direction of a company and its strategic intent. a. True b. False

Q: Trend analysis refers to the use of statistical techniques to plot a historical trend of a business factor. a. True b. False

Q: Trend analysis is a qualitative approach to labor demand forecasting. a. True b. False

Q: Qualitative HR forecasting techniques generally employ sophisticated analytical models. a. True b. False

Q: Forecasting is frequently more of an art than a science, providing inexact approximations rather than absolute results. a. True b. False

Q: Organizations tend to make long-term commitments to strategic knowledge employees, investing in their continuous training and development, and perhaps giving them an equity stake in the organization. a. True b. False

Q: An organization's core values are the strong enduring beliefs and principles that the company uses as a foundation for its decisions. a. True b. False

Q: Trend analysis relies on a single factor to predict employment needs. a. True b. False

Q: Strategic planning is the process of anticipating and providing for the movement of people into, within, and out of an organization. a. True b. False

Q: A cultural audit can be used to examine the attitudes and expectations of employees. a. True b. False

Q: Compare health benefits and paid time off benefits in India and People's Republic of China.

Q: In China, the minimum wage rates are set for each ________.

Q: In China, how much was the per capita expenditure on health in 2012? A) $480 based on purchasing power parity B) 480 yuan C) $970 based on purchasing power parity D) 970 yuan

Q: Which of the following is a consideration regarding higher minimum wages in China? A) positive impact on foreign companies' interest in relocating to China B) negative impact on companies because of slower economic growth C) positive impact on export activity D) negative impact on labor-management relations

Q: Hui has worked for one month in Guangxi province where the monthly minimum wage is 830 yuan. What is the minimum allowable wage that Hui can earn in that period? A) 830 yuan B) 664 yuan C) 415 yuan D) 500 yuan

Q: Xue has been working at an electronics manufacturing plant located in Beijing, China for the last 3 years. Her parents live in Shanghai. Which of the following is true regarding her paid time off benefits? A) Xue is entitled to "home leave" because her parents live in another city in China and she has met the minimum service requirement. B) Xue is not entitled to "home leave" because she has not met the five-year service requirement. C) Xue is not entitled to "home leave" because there is no such government policy in China. D) "Home leave" is granted at the discretion of the employer.

Q: The People's Republic of China Labor Law of 1995 resulted in which of the following? A) shift to state-owned enterprises B) collective contracts C) state controlled benefits D) break from "iron rice bowl" employment

Q: In India, the Minimum Wages Act of 1948 generally applies to which of the following? A) occupations that are largely nonunionized or have little bargaining power B) occupations that are largely unionized or have little bargaining power C) employees who work in the private sector D) employees who work in the public sector

Q: India's labor force has approximately how many million people? A) 350 B) 400 C) 450 D) 500

Q: Which of the following is NOT one of the top three largest economies in Asia as of 2015? A) Philippines B) China C) India D) Japan

Q: Discuss the employment context in the European Union.

Q: Tuition reimbursement and day care assistance fall under which of the following categories? A) boosted enhancements B) protection programs C) paid time off D) service practices

Q: Stephan will receive a mobility premium for undertaking an assignment in Saudi Arabia. How will he receive it? A) upon return to his home country B) over the length of his assignment C) in 3 installments D) a lump-sum payment

Q: Which of the following would be considered a hardship location (due to dangerous conditions)? A) Baghdad, Iraq B) Basel, Switzerland C) Oslo, Norway D) Brisbane, Australia

Q: About how many countries are deemed as hardship locations by the U.S. State Department? A) 300 B) 150 C) 750 D) 25

Q: Benjamin is going on his first expatriate assignment to a country considered a hardship location. About how much will he have his base pay increased? A) 50% - 70% B) 5% - 35% C) 20% - 40% D) 40% - 50%

Q: About how often do companies pay hardship allowances to expatriates? A) paid over a two year period B) added to monthly salary amount C) added in several small payments D) paid in a single lump sum

Q: U.S. citizen John is an employee of GE, which is headquartered in the United States. His job responsibilities require him to work in Belgium for at least three years. Which method of pay is most appropriate? A) expatriate-based B) host-country-based C) home-country-based D) headquarters-based

Q: Since U.S. citizen David became an employee of American Eyeful Pictures, Inc., headquartered in Los Angeles, he has worked in Japan, China, and Thailand. The company has probably based his base pay using which method? A) host country B) home country C) headquarters D) third countr

Q: U.S. citizens employed in U.S. companies with work assignments outside the United States are better known as ________.

Q: ________ nationals are foreign national citizens who work in U.S. companies' branch offices or manufacturing plants in countries other than the United States or their own home countries.

Q: ________ nationals are foreign citizens that work in U.S. companies' branch offices or manufacturing plants in their home countries.

Q: What is the main objective of Scanlon plans? A) to standardize the workforce B) to encourage unionization C) to increase workforce competitiveness D) to increase employee involvement

Q: Gunther Rohn was rewarded for making a suggestion that saved Ewe and Eye Electronics thousands of dollars. Which type of incentive compensation approach might have worked best? A) group incentive programs B) gain sharing plan C) management incentive plans D) employee stock ownership plan

Q: John is a design engineer in an auto manufacturer's research and development department. In addition to his normal duties, he is assigned to a team of other engineers developing a highly automated assembly line for the new model of a passenger car. To which type of team is John assigned? A) incentive B) project C) work (process) D) parallel

Q: Which of the following teams consists of a group of people who are assembled to complete a one-time assignment? A) project teams B) innovation teams C) process teams D) work teams

Q: Under which three conditions are individual incentive plans most appropriate?

Q: The ________ effect refers to a worker's willingness to work diligently to produce more quality output rather than simply attending work without putting in the effort.

Q: Individual incentive plans help to promote the relationship between pay and ________.

Q: This type of individual incentive plan rewards employees who recruit new customers or new employees. A) behavior encouragement B) referral C) management incentive D) piecework

Q: To have better safety records, the XYZ Company gives monetary incentive awards to its workers for lower accident rates due to improper use of heavy equipment. Which of the following incentive plans describes this example? A) management incentive B) referral C) piecework D) behavioral encouragement

Q: Which individual incentive plans require the achievement of multiple, complex objectives without compromising the quality and quantity of output? A) piecework B) referral C) management incentive D) behavior encouragement

Q: Which of the following effects describe the concept that a hard working employee is likely to stay at an incentive pay position? A) representative B) structural C) sorting D) output

Q: This agreement describes the terms of employment that are set between management and union bargaining representatives. A) employee relationship agreement B) collective bargaining agreement C) joint employment agreement D) workplace requisite agreement

Q: What are the three goals of compensation professionals?

Q: Which of the following represents the pay rate differences for jobs and employee contributions of unequal worth to a company? A) merit pay B) incentive pay C) retention pay D) pay structures

Q: These compensation systems go a long way in attracting and retaining the most qualified employees and are based upon market and compensation surveys. A) internally consistent compensation systems B) market-competitive pay systems C) job evaluation compensation systems D) externally consistent compensation systems

Q: What do compensation managers use to recognize differences in the relative worth of jobs and to establish pay differentials based upon management priorities? A) job evaluation B) internal consistency C) job analysis D) strategic analysis

Q: Sandra's position changed from supervisor at the planning department to supervisor at the new projects department. In terms of career development, which of the following describes Sandra's situation? A) maintaining focus with less responsibilities B) making a lateral move across the company's hierarchy C) moving upward through a company's hierarchy D) maintaining the focus and assuming greater responsibilities

Q: Jason works at a call center for an insurance company, and he has been answering calls regarding auto insurance. Recently, he started to attend a training program about home insurance. Upon successful completion of this training program, Jason will be able to handle home insurance questions and queries as well. If this insurance company has a compensation policy that rewards Jason's completion of this training, then what type of pay system does it employ? A) incentive pay B) merit pay C) seniority pay D) pay-for-knowledge

Q: What type of pay system rewards employees for partially or completely attaining a predetermined work objective? A) seniority pay B) merit pay C) incentive pay D) skill-based pay

Q: Cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) are typically based on which index? A) Producer Price Index B) Consumer Price Index C) Employment Cost Index D) Employee Benefit Index

Q: This law made it illegal to pay women less for performing equal work as men. A) Equal Pay Act of 1963 B) Civil Rights Act of 1964 C) Davis - Bacon Act of 1931 D) Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938

Q: What are the three questions that compensation professionals should answer to help determine whether they are making a strategic contribution to the company?

Q: Explain the strategy of a lockout.

Q: After a strike is underway, a form of protest referred to as picketing usually begins in an attempt to prevent dissident members of the union, members of other unions, and nonunionized workers from crossing the picket line to work.

Q: In the public sector, a particular form of arbitration, called ________, is common. A) interest arbitration B) public conciliation C) first-offer arbitration D) public arbitration E) final-offer arbitration

Q: Under ________ the role of the third party is to keep the negotiations ongoing. A) arbitration B) fact finding C) mediation D) conciliation E) reconciliation

Q: When ________ is employed to resolve an impasse, generally a panel of three individuals, one neutral and one each from the union and management, hears testimony from both sides. A) interest arbitration B) fact finding C) interest mediation D) conciliation E) negotiation

Q: A technique whereby a neutral third party conducts a hearing to gather evidence from both labor and management is called ________. A) arbitration B) negotiation C) fact finding D) mediation E) conciliation

Q: A(n) ________ in an impasse resolution situation attempts to pull together the common ground that exists and make settlement recommendations for overcoming the barriers that exist between the two sides. A) arbitrator B) fact finder C) conciliator D) mediator E) negotiator

Q: Under ________ the role of a neutral third party is to keep the negotiations ongoing. A) mediation B) conciliation C) arbitration D) fact finding E) negotiation

Q: Procedures designed to resolve disputes as quickly as possible and at the lowest level possible in the organization are known as ________ procedures. A) arbitration B) mediation C) contract administration D) conciliation E) grievance

Q: Explain the source and the importance of information used during the collective bargaining process.

Q: Negotiation is a form of compromise, and even though an oral agreement is achieved, it is not converted into a written contract.

Q: Negotiation customarily begins with the union delivering to company officials a list of points they are willing to concede.

Q: An illegal strike where employees refuse to work during the term of a binding contract is called ________. A) boycott B) strike C) wildcat strike D) lockout E) labor dispute

Q: Although the goal of contract negotiations is to achieve an agreement that is acceptable to all concerned parties, sometimes that goal is not achieved, negotiations break down, and a(n) ________ is said to have occurred. A) lockout B) grievance C) strike D) impasse E) protest

Q: The concept that management is guaranteed the right to allocate organizational resources in the most efficient manner; to create reasonable rules; to hire, promote, transfer, and discharge employees; to determine work methods and assign work; to create, eliminate, and classify jobs; to lay off employees when necessary; to close or relocate facilities with a sixty-day notice; and to institute technological changes is referred to as ________. A) steward responsibility B) management rights C) council responsibility D) management responsibility E) rights and responsibility