Q&A Hero

Q: What is the first step in the human resource planning process? A) forecasting B) goal setting C) program implementation D) program evaluation E) performance evaluation

Q: Organizations carry out human resource planning to A) reduce hiring of workers from colleges and universities. B) increase hiring costs to match industry standards. C) avoid taking risks. D) gain an advantage over competitors. E) replace technology with highly skilled workers.

Q: Research suggests that realistic job previews have a strong and consistent effect on employee turnover.

Q: In the context of recruitment sources, private employment agencies serve primarily blue-collar workers, while public employment agencies mostly serve white-collar workers.

Q: Many of the people reading classified ads are either over- or under-qualified for the position.

Q: In the context of recruitment sources, referrals are people who apply for a vacancy without prompting from the organization.

Q: An organization that uses only external recruitment can wind up with a workforce whose members all think alike and therefore may be poorly suited to innovation.

Q: In general, all companies have to make decisions in three areas of recruiting: personnel policies, recruitment sources, and the characteristics and behavior of the recruiter.

Q: The steps in a workforce utilization review are identical to the steps in the HR planning process.

Q: When implementing an HR strategy, the organization must hold some individual accountable for achieving the goals.

Q: To ensure success with an outsourcing strategy, companies should outsource work that requires tight security.

Q: Contracting with another organization to perform a broad set of services is called outsourcing.

Q: The use of temporary workers might provide an organization with additional administrative tasks and financial burdens.

Q: The most widespread methods for eliminating labor shortages are reducing work hours and endorsing early retirement programs.

Q: Downsizing disrupts the social networks through which people are creative and flexible.

Q: The negative effect of downsizing would be low among firms that use performance-related pay incentives.

Q: Downsizing can be used to reduce surplus labor because it yields fast results.

Q: The goals an organization sets in its human resource planning process should come directly from the analysis of its labor supply and demand.

Q: The second step in human resource planning is performance evaluation.

Q: A transitional matrix is a chart that lists job categories held in one period and shows the proportion of employees in each of those job categories in a future period.

Q: Statistical models are used for forecasting labor demand because they are good at capturing "once-in-a-lifetime" changes.

Q: In human resource planning, forecasting is an intermediary step.

Q: Suppose you are a human resource executive for a hospital. What characteristics would you look for in your recruiters to increase the positive impact they have on job candidates?

Q: In terms of external sources of recruitment, who are direct applicants and referrals?

Q: How can employers overcome the challenges of outsourcing?

Q: Describe two of the four ways companies can downsize.

Q: Explain the second step in human resource planning.

Q: What are internal sources of recruitment? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using these sources?

Q: List and discuss two personnel policies that are especially relevant to recruitment.

Q: Discuss the challenges associated with temporary workers and contract workers.

Q: What are early retirement programs? What is a phased-retirement program and what are its benefits?

Q: Define forecasting. Describe one method each for forecasting labor demand and supply.

Q: Antoine is proud of his team of warm, knowledgeable, and ethical recruiters at Luvia Insurance. They are sure to give realistic job previews, and they keep up to date on the company's policies so they can provide applicants with accurate answers to a host of questions. However, it sometimes takes a while to fill positions. And over the past year, Antoine has observed that the number of applicants who accept offers has fallen. He follows up with several who turned down offers and learns that they took jobs elsewhere because they developed an unfavorable opinion of Luvia Insurance. Which situation most likely explains this problem? A) The recruiters lack the characteristics associated with success. B) Candidates are not getting timely feedback about their applications. C) The job previews by the recruiters are not realistic. D) The recruiters are not the most appealing race and sex. E) The organization has begun recruiting with teams of recruiters.

Q: A start-up software company hires Kiera as its first human resource manager. Whenever a new position needs to be filled, Kiera sits down with the supervisor to gather facts that will be included in a realistic job preview. Kiera knows that the impact of job previews on candidates is limited, but she believes the effort is important anyway. Which statement best explains Kiera's decision to provide realistic job previews? A) The recruiter is less important than personnel policies for affecting a candidate's decision. B) Realism in the recruiter's message is the most researched aspect of recruiting. C) Kiera feels pressure to exaggerate the negative qualities of each job vacancy. D) Employees are highly sensitive to negative information. E) Giving realistic information is not expensive or difficult, so it is worth even a small benefit.

Q: Amber wants to apply for a job vacancy. She calls the recruiter who advertised this vacancy to learn more about the job. The recruiter gives some background information about the positive and negative qualities of the job to Amber. Which term refers to the job information given by the recruiter? A) vacancy analysis B) substantive job criticism C) pragmatic job survey D) realistic job preview E) role examination

Q: Jill is a recruiter for Kinnack Inc. When she interviews job candidates, she works hard to provide background information about the job's positive and negative qualities. She aims to be sure every detail is accurate, so that any employees hired will feel they got what they expected and will want to stay on with the company. Jill's behavior is an example of providing a A) yield ratio. B) realistic job preview. C) core competency. D) due-process policy. E) job posting.

Q: Maxim is an HR manager at a large accounting firm. He hires and trains the firm's staff of recruiters. Maxim hires people with education in human resource management and a warm attitude that displays a positive interest in people. How else should he equip the recruiters so that they have success in this kind of work? A) Maxim should give them a realistic job preview about the recruiters' position. B) Maxim should select recruiters in an ideal age range. C) Maxim should train the recruiters in how to perform candidates' jobs. D) Maxim should equip recruiters with the kinds of information job applicants are seeking. E) Maxim should tell recruiters to downplay any negative information about the firm.

Q: Maria is a recruiter with a bachelor's degree in business administration. She is well respected among her peers for her professional standards and understanding of the HR field. However, she has noticed that when she recruits engineers for her company, they sometimes seem unresponsive to her. The most likely reason for this is because Maria A) is not warm enough to the applicants. B) is perceived as less credible because she is an HR specialist. C) does not give applicants enough information, leaving them with more questions than answers. D) comes off as being too professional for someone in the HR field. E) is not approaching the candidate with enough skepticism.

Q: Janine, a trainer at Keller Inc., wants to find out how many candidates moved from the initial interview stage to the training selection stage in the past month. To find out, she needs to compare the A) yield ratios. B) cost per hire. C) prospective costs. D) returns on investment. E) liquidity ratios.

Q: Milo determines that his company spent $15,000 to hire three new programmers through employee referrals and another $75,000 to hire five new programmers through a private employment agency. Which statement is correct about these recruiting efforts? A) The cost per hire for the employment agency was lower, at $9,375 per hire. B) The cost per hire for the employment agency was lower, at $15,000 per hire. C) The cost per hire for referrals was lower, at $15,000. D) The cost per hire for referrals was lower, at $45,000. E) The cost per hire for referrals was lower, at $5,000 per hire.

Q: Herbert, an HR manager at Maxtier Inc., hires 50 employees in five months. He used different sources of recruitment to recruit these employees. He wants to know which kind of source delivered the most new hires for the money. To answer that question, Herbert should determine the A) hiring conversion rate. B) prospective cost. C) return on investment. D) yield ratio. E) cost per hire.

Q: Alice helped a sales manager place an ad on job boards and hire five new salespeople. She calculates that the total cost to recruit and select these employees was $200,000. What was the cost per hire for this recruiting effort? A) $40,000 B) $5,000 C) $1,000,000 D) $10,000 E) $200,000

Q: In the context of evaluating the quality of a recruitment source, yield ratios express the A) output yielded by a new hire in relation to the cost of recruiting the new hire. B) dollar costs incurred per hire in relation to the number of applicants interviewed. C) percentage of applicants who successfully move from one stage of the recruitment and selection process to the next. D) quality of new hires by comparing the cost of training the new recruits to the cost of hiring them. E) percentage of applicants who complete one year in the organization after recruitment.

Q: The most important source of recruits for entry-level professional and managerial vacancies is A) on-campus interviewing. B) public employment agencies. C) advertisements in newspapers and magazines. D) private employment agencies. E) employee referrals.

Q: Fernando, a human resource executive, is meeting with the executive team to discuss the need to fill a soon-to-be-vacant position for vice president of the company's Medical Devices Division. Normally, he posts vacancies on the company's website, but he encourages the team to allocate funds to hire an executive search firm (ESF) for filling this position. Which statement best supports Fernando's recommendation? A) ESFs can more efficiently advertise the vacant position to a wide audience. B) ESFs are government-run agencies, so they offer low-cost services. C) ESFs provide confidentiality for employer and recruit, giving access to better candidates. D) ESFs specialize in writing effective print ads that give readers enough information. E) ESFs specialize in finding jobs for candidates who are currently unemployed.

Q: Which statement is true of executive search firms? A) They find new jobs almost exclusively for high-level, unemployed executives. B) They help organizations in on-campus recruiting. C) They help only entry-level and inexperienced employees to find jobs. D) They are agencies administered by the federal government or governmental organizations. E) They serve as a buffer, providing confidentiality between an employer and a recruit.

Q: Sean works in the human resource department of a well-known and highly respected maker of athletic equipment. He suggests that the company expand its recruiting by placing job advertisements on popular websites for job seekers. However, his supervisor says this has become a poor use of the company's recruiting dollars. Which is the most likely reason for the supervisor's objection? A) These types of websites are too difficult for most job hunters to use. B) The company will be flooded with applications from individuals who are barely qualified. C) Employers can't search these sites; only job seekers can conduct searches. D) The company will get very few applications, because job hunters read the ads slowly. E) Finding a match between job seekers and job vacancies is inefficient on these sites.

Q: Evelyn, the HR manager at Freton Inc., recruits her cousin Gia as production manager in the company. This move results in resentment among several of the company's employees. By hiring her cousin, Evelyn has engaged in the practice of hiring relatives, or A) localism. B) nepotism. C) structuralism. D) voluntarism. E) abstractionism.

Q: Which statement is true about referrals? A) Referrals fall under the category of internal sources of recruitment. B) The use of referrals tends to increase the likelihood of exposing an organization to different viewpoints. C) The use of referrals can contribute to nepotism. D) Referrals cost much more than other formal recruiting efforts. E) Referrals are the least preferred sources of new hires.

Q: Most direct applicants to an organization have done some research and concluded there is enough fit between themselves and the vacant position to warrant submitting an application. This process is termed A) nepotism. B) employee referral. C) self-selection. D) internal recruitment. E) employment at will.

Q: Jim applies for a job at Texture Inc. because his friend Chris, who is a manager there, prompts him to do so. In this scenario, Jim is a(n) A) direct applicant. B) natural applicant. C) neutral applicant. D) referral. E) executive search professional.

Q: People who apply for a vacancy without prompting from an organization are referred to as A) direct applicants. B) natural applicants. C) internal applicants. D) neutral applicants. E) referred applicants.

Q: Which statement is correct regarding internal recruitment sources? A) Research indicates that most organizational positions are filled internally. B) Internal recruitment sources expose an organization to new ideas or new ways of doing business. C) Internal recruiting minimizes the possibility of unrealistic employee expectations. D) Employee referrals are the most common source of job applicants for internal recruitment. E) Internal sources are the most appropriate for specialized upper-level positions.

Q: Identify the benefit of relying on internal recruitment sources. A) Internal candidates are likely to promote diversity in terms of race and sex. B) Internal applicants minimize the impact of political considerations in the hiring decision. C) Internal sources are generally cheaper and faster than other means. D) Internal sources expose an organization to new ideas or new ways of doing business. E) Current employees are well suited to recruit people for specialized upper-level positions.

Q: Leo is a human resource specialist at a company with a promote-from-within policy. Based on that policy, what method should he include in his recruiting efforts to fill an open position for an accounting supervisor? A) using the services of a private employment agency B) inviting employees to refer a friend C) sending recruiters to colleges D) posting the job on the company's intranet E) posting the job on the company's careers website

Q: The process of communicating information about a job vacancy on company bulletin boards, in employee publications, on corporate intranets, and anywhere else an organization communicates with employees is referred to as A) job posting. B) external hiring. C) employment referral. D) a workforce utilization review. E) direct sourcing.

Q: Which of the following is an internal source of recruitment? A) employee referrals B) direct applicants C) employment agencies D) job postings E) personal interviews

Q: Cory, a physicist at HealthAir, recently received an award for several patents he earned that enabled the company to help slow climate change by reducing carbon emissions. Jamie, HealthAir's vice president of human resources, is eager to get news coverage of the Cory's award. She knows that, in addition to drawing positive attention to the company, the publicity will support recruitment. Which statement best supports Jamie's thinking? A) Publicity about HealthAir will create more opportunities for advancement within the company. B) A lead-the-market pay strategy requires that people be familiar with the company's track record. C) Creating the impression of HealthAir as a place where talented people make a difference can attract talented job candidates. D) People who learn about Cory's award will be less likely to expect that HealthAir has an employment-at-will policy. E) This kind of image advertising will give more people the impression that HealthAir is a fun place to work.

Q: In order to cultivate a favorable picture of the organization, Shubert Group, a financial services corporation, advertises itself to potential applicants by using the slogan, "Investing in you no matter what road you take." This scenario is an example of ________ advertising. A) viral B) image C) proactive D) saturation E) signature

Q: Excel Software is having difficulty filling all its positions for systems analysts. The company's human resource manager suggests introducing a kind of personnel policy known as a due-process policy. How is that most likely to help with recruitment? A) This policy implies greater job security and concern for employees. B) Due-process implies that employees won't be bound to a contract. C) Implementing a due-process policy suggests that the organization is innovative and fun. D) Applicants know a due-process policy always leads to a lead-the-market pay strategy. E) The due-process policy supports a "promote from within" practice, which will encourage current employees to apply.

Q: ________ formally lay out the steps an employee may take to appeal an employer's decision to terminate that employee. A) Leading indicators B) Trend analyses C) Transitional matrices D) Due-process policies E) Employment-at-will contracts

Q: Berns Inc. hires Allen as a supervisor in the company. They have an implied understanding that both the employer and the employee have the right to end their relationship at any time they desire. In the context of personnel policies, the relationship between the company and Allen is based on the A) promote-from-within policy. B) lead-the-market strategy. C) employment-at-will policy. D) nepotistic agreement. E) benevolent agreement.

Q: ________ states that if there is no specific employment contract saying otherwise, the employer or employee may end an employment relationship at any time, regardless of cause. A) Due-process policy B) Employment flexibility C) Rule of fair treatment D) Rule of law E) Employment at will

Q: What is true of companies that use a "lead-the-market" pay strategy? A) They pay more than the current market wages for a job. B) They have a recruiting disadvantage. C) They recruit fewer employees than needed and depend on overtime. D) They provide relatively better working conditions to employees compared to competitors. E) They usually have low pay, coupled with overtime and flex-time.

Q: Which aspect of recruitment is most likely to affect the nature of the positions that are vacant? A) recruitment sources B) personnel policies C) recruiter traits D) recruiter behavior E) applicant characteristics

Q: ________ influence the kinds of job applicants an organization reaches. A) Personnel policies B) Recruitment sources C) Characteristics of the recruiter D) Financial sources E) Industry competitors

Q: In the context of managing human resources, the process of ________ creates a buffer between planning and the actual selection of new employees. A) recruiting B) evaluating C) inducting D) outsourcing E) training

Q: Vino, an HR manager at Jacoby Beverages, identifies and attracts potential job seekers to his organization. In the context of HRM functions, Vino is carrying out the ________ process. A) promoting B) appraising C) recruiting D) forecasting E) disbanding

Q: In the context of HR planning, implementation that ties planning and recruiting to an organization's strategy and to its efforts to develop employees becomes a complete program of A) reengineering. B) total quality management. C) benchmarking. D) talent management. E) workforce utilization.

Q: Provide an example of how an employer can design jobs that empower workers to manager their time.

Q: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has a "four-pronged" strategy for encouraging ergonomic job design. Explain each of the four prongs.

Q: How is right job design associated with effective teamwork?

Q: What is the purpose of industrial engineering?

Q: Explain why organizations utilize competency models.

Q: Job analysis is so important to HR managers that it has been called the building block of everything that personnel do. List and describe the instances that demonstrate the advantages of using job analysis in various HR activities.

Q: Briefly describe the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ). What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the PAQ as the source of job information?

Q: Compare and contrast tasks, duties, and responsibilities (TDRs) and knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) as they relate to different processes of job analysis.

Q: Describe the relationship between work flow design and an organization's structure.

Q: Discuss the steps in a work flow analysis.

Q: In which use of information technology is the technology reducing mental demands and the likelihood of errors? A) email notifications popping up on a clerk's screen while he is entering data B) software that creates a graph of daily production levels for a supervisor C) text messages arriving on a salesperson's phone while she is meeting with a client D) searches for office supplies that generate 12,000 results to compare E) instant messages from a supervisor who expects responses within a few minutes