Q&A Hero

Q: For human resource practices to be considered ethical, they must result in the greatest good for the largest number of people.

Q: In companies that are ethical and successful, senior executives are the only stakeholders who are responsible for the actions of the company.

Q: Gia feels that being denied a promotion has more to do with her being a woman than with her overall performance. However, her supervisors and the HR department are refusing to hear her case. This suggests that Gia has been denied her right to due process.

Q: The right of free consent states that employers can conceal the nature of a job while hiring an employee for a particular position.

Q: The supervisors in an organization play a key role in employee relations because they are most often the voice of management for the employees.

Q: The clusters of competencies needed by human resource professionals include technical, interpersonal, business, and leadership competencies.

Q: HR competencies are the sets of knowledge and skills associated with successful human resource management.

Q: In organizations with sustainable strategies, the HR departments focus on employee development and empowerment rather than short-term costs.

Q: Evidence-based HR refers to the practice of initiating disciplinary action against employees only in the presence of clear and demonstrable proof of undesirable behavior.

Q: Human resource management is increasingly becoming a purely administrative function.

Q: Human resource management requires the ability to communicate through a variety of channels.

Q: When a person evaluating performance is not familiar with the details of a job, outcomes tend to be easier to evaluate than specific behaviors.

Q: Establishing and administering personnel policies allows a company to handle problematic situations more fairly and objectively than if it addressed such incidents on a case-by-case basis.

Q: An organization makes selection decisions in order to add employees to its workforce, as well as to transfer existing employees to new positions.

Q: No two human resource departments have precisely the same roles and responsibilities.

Q: High-performance work systems have been essential in making organizations strong enough to weather the storm of a recession and remain profitable when the economy begins to expand after the recession.

Q: Human resources cannot be imitated.

Q: Managers and economists traditionally have seen human resource management as a source of value to their organizations.

Q: Succession planning for top executives is very time consuming and expensive to initiate, so many organizations do not have one in place. Also, it is suggested that all the time preparing excellent candidates only results in them leaving the organization if they are not selected for the promotion, which means you helped groom an executive for your competition. Explain why, even given the above, it is a good idea to have such a program in place.

Q: Describe some advantages of 360-DF for managers.

Q: Provide a list and a short explanation of the four interpersonal skills in which management styles are often addressed in training.

Q: A successful manager at one company will be successful at any company. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Q: Discuss the differences in developing employees for their current job versus for a future job and include an explanation of how the needs analysis differs.

Q: What are the specific problems that are associated with development of executives and why does coaching seem to deal with these problems?

Q: Explain both technical knowledge and skills, and interpersonal knowledge and skills.

Q: Explain employee"‘oriented styles. Make sure to include an explanation of the two employee"‘oriented styles explained in the text.

Q: List the three reasons, and a short explanation of each, why management development is an important focus.

Q: Indicate the parties who have responsibility for employee development and summarize what their responsibilities are.

Q: List four reasons why a company should be concerned about developing its employees.

Q: ____Succession planning involves recruiting effective managers from competing organizations.

Q: ____When an executive is given a coach, it is a sign that the executive's job is in jeopardy.

Q: ____A mentoring relationship is usually a longer term relationship than a coach.

Q: ____Corporate universities are on the decline as they have become too expensive to run effectively.

Q: ____One of the appropriate methods of doing a managerial person analysis is 360-degree feedback.

Q: ____The managerial role of "liaison" needs both conceptual and interpersonal knowledge and skills.

Q: ____Those high in nAch are characterized by a strong desire to assume personal responsibility, receive concrete feedback on task performance, and a single"‘minded preoccupation with task and task accomplishment.

Q: ____High nPow (institutional) is a focus on personal goals.

Q: ____The achievement style of management emphasizes goal setting and providing high performance expectations for subordinates.

Q: ____A participative style of management is characterized by friendliness, empathy, and concern for meeting employees' needs.

Q: ____Managerial context refers to the alignment of an organization's environment, strategy, structure, and technology.

Q: ____The reason management development gets so much emphasis is that managers don"t get much training.

Q: ____The employee must wait for the supervisor or the HR department to provide developmental opportunities.

Q: ____When using job rotation for employee development, it isn"t necessary to use the Training Process Model in the text.

Q: ____By developing employees, the organization increases its flexibility.

Q: ____The main advantage to an employee for developing her KSAs is that she is likely to be promoted.

Q: For the executive, job rotation could meanA) Working in different divisions of the organization.B) Going to a subsidiary supplier for a while.C) Being coached.D) Job rotation is only for managers and below.E) Both A & B

Q: Action learning is A) Where a person higher in the hierarchy acts as both a coach and a mentor. B) Very similar to on-the-job training, but for executives. C) Where trainees are given real and important company problems to solve. D) None of the above.

Q: Which of the following is a strategy for developing mid- to upper-level managers and executives that isn"t used for other employees? A) Coaching B) Being a mentor C) Action learning D) Job rotation E) They are all special strategies

Q: Management development programs focus on developing all of the following EXCEPT A) Conceptual knowledge and skills. B) Technical knowledge and skills. C) Interpersonal knowledge and skills. D) Personal traits conducive to effective leadership. E) General intelligence.

Q: Which of the following statements about corporate universities is NOT true? A) Their numbers are increasing. B) They are able to control training content to match company needs. C) They are a much less expensive approach than external programs. D) They are only viable for large organizations.

Q: Which of the following is NOT an advantage to using externally based training programs for managers? A) Exposes managers to current thinking and theory in the management area B) Quality of instruction is superior C) Allows an interchange of ideas among managers from different organizations D) Costs less per person for the training

Q: Which of the following is an effective way of determining a manager's style, traits, and ability to interact effectively with others? A) Task analysis B) Worker-oriented analysis C) 360-degree feedback D) Cognitive tests

Q: Integrating strategy and managerial characteristics suggests that when comparing market leaders and cost leaders in terms of supportive style A) Cost leaders should be higher. B) Market leaders should be higher. C) There is no difference. D) Supportive style is not a managerial characteristic.

Q: Generally, the most effective managers are A) High in nPow (personal), high in nAch, and low in nAut. B) Moderately high in nPow (institutional), moderately high in nAch, and moderately low in nAut. C) High in nPow (institutional), moderately high in nAch, and moderately low in nAut. D) High in nPow (personal), moderately high in nAch, and moderately low in nAut. E) High in nPow (institutional), high in nAch, and moderately low in nAut.

Q: _____ are qualities of the manager as a person. A) Technical knowledge and skills B) KSAs C) Personal traits D) Value creation skills E) Interpersonal knowledge and skills

Q: _____ knowledge and skills are also called human skills. A) Communication B) Motivation C) Team building D) Interpersonal

Q: Conceptual knowledge is related to A) Understanding technology. B) Problem solving. C) Carrying out operations in a functional area. D) Conflict resolution.

Q: _____ refer to the mental abilities required to analyze and diagnose complex situations and make appropriate decisions. A) Technical knowledge and skills B) KSAs C) Conceptual knowledge and skills D) Personal traits

Q: What management style emphasizes involving subordinates in decision making, particularly in how they go about achieving their task? A) Supportive B) Participative C) Directive D) Achievement

Q: In the _______ management style, subordinates are given instructions about what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. A) Supportive B) Participative C) Directive D) Achievement

Q: What management style is characterized by friendliness, as well as empathy and concern for meeting employees' needs? A) Supportive B) Participative C) Directive D) Achievement

Q: What management style emphasizes goal setting and high-performance expectations for subordinates? A) Supportive B) Participative C) Directive D) Achievement

Q: Management style is related to two dimensions of leader behavior " _____ and _____. A) Employee"‘related; job"‘related B) Employee"‘oriented; job"‘oriented C) Task"‘oriented; organizationally"‘oriented D) Employee"‘oriented; task-oriented

Q: For a cost leader, decision making tends to be _____ and the design _____. A) Organic; centralized B) Decentralized; mechanistic C) Centralized; mechanistic D) Routine; structured

Q: For a market leader the technology tends to be _____and the design _____. A) Non routine; organic B) Decentralized; non routine C) Routine; mechanistic D) High tech; unstructured

Q: To understand a manager's development needs, you must first understand _____. A) The strategic direction of the organization B) The technology of the manager's unit C) The structure of the manager's unit in relation to the rest of the organization D) Both B & C E) All of the above

Q: Mintzberg identified three types of managerial roles that managers took on. They were A) Informational, interpersonal, and decisional. B) Authority, assignment, and monitor. C) Rewarder, discipliner, and monitor. D) None of the above.

Q: Entrepreneur & Disturbance Handler are under which of Mintzberg's Managerial Roles? A) Interpersonal B) Informational C) Decisional D) Negotiator

Q: Which of the following is NOT a managerial interpersonal role? A) Spokesperson B) Leader C) Liaison D) Figurehead E) All of the above

Q: Management development requires careful attention because A) The manager's job is complex. B) Managers are accountable for success. C) Companies that align management development with strategic planning are generally more competitive. D) All of the above.

Q: Ultimately, the responsibility for an employee's development is _____. A) the organizations B) the HR department C) the supervisors D) the employees

Q: Assisting in the creation of the development plan and identifying programs where development objectives can be met is the responsibility of______. A) the organization B) the HR department C) the supervisor D) All of the above

Q: Developing systems and practices that support employee development is the responsibility of______. A) the organization B) the HR department C) the supervisor D) All of the above

Q: Creating a culture that supports employee development is the responsibility of______. A) the organization B) the HR department C) the supervisor D) All of the above

Q: The reason(s) companies are willing to invest more in employee development today compared to the past include which of the following? A) Employees are willing to change employers to advance their careers. B) There is a shortage of skilled workers in the labor pool. C) Companies are becoming more complex. D) Both A & B. E) All of the above.

Q: Identify and describe the 5 dimensions of culture according to Hofstede.

Q: Lawsuits can be expensive, but what are some of the other reasons for making sure you have diversity training?

Q: What is the value of orientation training? How can you make sure it is effective?

Q: ____You always must accommodate someone with a disability, no matter what the cost.

Q: ____ In order to not be charged with unfair discrimination when promoting someone, you need to be sure you provided the opportunity for all qualified to get relevant training