Q&A Hero

Human Resource

Q: If the work of a secretary is judged by the number of words per minute and errors per page, the measure is:A.very reliable.B.a fair and valid performance measure.C.well accepted by employees and supervisors.D.likely deficient.
Q: The major complaint of both managers and employees regarding the appraisal process is that:A.appraisals were not helpful in guiding improvement.B.reviews don't differentiate between poor, average and good performance.C.appraisals are too subjective.D.rating forms are too complex and time consuming.
Q: What is the difference between success-sharing plans and risk-sharing plans?
Q: Discuss SVOP.
Q: What are the key elements in designing a gainsharing plan?
Q: What are the advantages of using the productivity/gainsharing methods of group incentives?
Q: What is the trend in team incentive plans?
Q: Discuss the plans that provide for variable incentives linked to a standard expressed as a time period per unit of production.
Q: What are the basic dimensions on which individual incentive plans vary?
Q: Why do companies prefer lump-sum pay over merit pay increases?
Q: How can merit pay systems be better managed?
Q: Discuss the trends that are leading to the increased interest in variable pay.
Q: Broad-based option plans are usually limited to managerial and professional employees.
Q: A combination plan often favored by CEOs who don't like to make payouts when the company loses money is a completely self-funding plan.
Q: Performance plans typically feature corporate performance objectives for a time three years in the future.
Q: Most variable-pay plans have some form of profit "trigger" linked to revenue growth or profit margins.
Q: An advantage of group incentives is turnover may be higher among poorer performers because they hurt group performance.
Q: A good solution to the problem of production variability is to set gain sharing goals based upon industry norms.
Q: A major problem of group incentive plans is performance targets are not correctly set.
Q: Gain sharing plans tend not to use a historical standard to set productivity standards since environmental conditions can change quickly.
Q: A group performance based pay plan is superior to an individual plan when individual production standards and production methods must change to meet changing events.
Q: Unions prefer individual to group incentive pay plans since members can earn more money.
Q: The free-rider problem is common in firms using individual incentive plans.
Q: Individual incentives yield higher productivity gains.
Q: Advantages of the balanced scorecard are that it is easily understood by employees and has low administrative costs.
Q: Firms high on business risk and those with uncertain outcomes, have higher corporate performance without incentive plans than with them.
Q: The level problem in team compensation is an example of the line of sight problem.
Q: The focus of team incentive plans is work groups or teams and does not include divisions or an entire company.
Q: While interest in teams and team compensation has grown significantly, most companies are not happy with their team compensation systems.
Q: Many of the disadvantages of individual incentives are due to both a fear production standards may be changed and workers' focus on maximizing output.
Q: Costing and budgetary control are more difficult using individual incentives than under time-based pay.
Q: Employees working under individual incentive plans tend to resist the introduction of new technology.
Q: Individual incentive systems are growing in popularity.
Q: A common problem with incentive systems is workers focus primarily on behaviors and results that are rewarded.
Q: The Rowan plan uses a standard that is purposefully set high requiring high performance levels.
Q: A fast and efficient worker would earn more money under a Rowan plan than under a Halsey 50-50.
Q: Standard hour plans are better for non-repetitive jobs requiring numerous skills for completion.
Q: The standard hour plan is likely to be an effective incentive plan for plumbers employed by a plumbing company.
Q: A job involving production of many parts each hour would have a rate based upon a time period per unit of production.
Q: Jobs with short cycle tasks normally have a rate based upon a time period per unit of production.
Q: Individual incentives never include financial penalties for poor performance.
Q: The method of rate determination for incentives for short cycle jobs is typically the time it takes to complete one unit.
Q: One common feature an established standard against which worker performance is compared to determine the magnitude of the incentivepay.
Q: Individual spot awards are an example of an incentive plan.
Q: Over time, lump-sum bonuses cost employers less than merit pay.
Q: Recently, the private sector has shown more interest and innovation using merit pay than the public sector.
Q: High performance ratings are nearly always statistically related to high merit increases.
Q: Merit pay differs from other forms of incentive pay in that it must be "earned" every year.
Q: Pay-for-performance plans are used for more than three-quarters of all exempt, clerical, and administrative employees.
Q: The percent of companies using some form of variable pay is declining because many employees prefer base wages.
Q: Which of the following is not an advantage of group incentive pay plans?A.Performance measures are easier to develop than for individual plansB.Cooperation within and across groups is encouragedC.Compensation risk to income stability is reducedD.Employee participation in decision-making increases
Q: The trend in recent variable-pay design is to combine the best of _____ and _____ plans.A.individual, groupB.gain-sharing, profit-sharingC.short-term, long-termD.long-term, short-term
Q: Which of the following is not a long-term incentive plan?A.ESOPsB.Broad-based option plans (BBOPs)C.ImprosharesD.Performance plans
Q: All of the following factors except _____ have been associated with success of Scanlon/Rucker plans.A.the presence of a unionB.managers open to criticismC.competent supervisionD.cooperative union-management attitudes
Q: Which gain sharing plan is most similar to the standard hour plan?A.ScanlonB.ImproshareC.RuckerD.Cash profit sharing
Q: Components identified as vital to the success of both Scanlon and Rucker plans are:A.top management support and employee acceptance.B.a flexible and accepted pay out formula.C.union and top management support.D.a productivity norm and effective worker committees.
Q: Labor costs are to value added as pay roll costs are to:A.total standard value hoursB.production costs minus scrapC.SVOPD.customer satisfaction
Q: More complex gain sharing plans create needs for:A.higher levels of trust among participants and more effective communication.B.greater variety of incentives and more effective communication.C.revisions in the management worker split and revisions to the scope of the formula.D.more effective communication and greater variety of incentives.
Q: In gain sharing plan formulas, _____ is/are the numerator and _____ the denominator.A.productivity measures, inputsB.productivity measures, labor inputsC.costs and scrap rate, revenuesD.labor inputs, productivity measures
Q: A team leader with a free rider problem could maximize performance by:A.instructing them to do their best.B.specifying performance levels and due dates.C.assigning another team member to monitor their performance.D.punishing free riders who fail to meet standards.
Q: All of the following are conditions supporting use of individual incentives except:A.task accomplishment is independent of others.B.the worker has a strong commitment to their profession.C.production methods and labor mix are stable.D.presence of a union.
Q: Which of the following is not an advantage of team incentives?A.Stimulates problem solvingB.May better reflect how work is performedC.Encourages competition between teamsD.Minimizes distinctions between team members
Q: The variable pay plan with the highest instrumentality is _____.A.gain sharingB.team incentivesC.a balanced scorecardD.stock ownership
Q: The best variable pay plan for employees when company financial performance is poor is _____.A.profit sharingB.a balanced scorecardC.stock ownershipD.gain sharing
Q: The purpose of this variable pay plan is to foster a "one for all" culture and to educate employees about business.A.Team incentivesB.Cash profit sharingC.Balanced score cardD.Stock options
Q: _____ has the disadvantage that employees may be required to spend money to obtain the incentive.A.Cash profit sharingB.A balanced scorecardC.Stock optionsD.Deferred profit sharing
Q: _____ offer(s) a reward pool based upon achieving performance targets and communicates organizational priorities.A.The balanced scorecardB.Stock optionsC.Deferred profit sharingD.Cash profit sharing
Q: _____ have (has) advantages of having minimal impact on the company's financial statements.A.Cash profit sharingB.A balanced scorecardC.Stock optionsD.Deferred profit sharing
Q: All of the following are human resource capabilities performance indicators used for group incentive plans except:A.employee satisfaction.B.total recruitment costs.C.promotability index.D.accuracy/error rates.
Q: When a firm is _____ on business risk and outcomes are _____, corporate performance is higher without any incentive plans.A.high, well definedB.high, uncertainC.low, well definedD.low, uncertain
Q: The two most commonly used team incentive performance standards are:A.productivity and quality.B.productivity and customer satisfaction.C.financial performance and quality.D.customer satisfaction and financial performance.
Q: A team works on a project with specific performance level goals and time deadlines, but weather problems cause the team to miss the deadline. What is the key factor affecting how the team feels about their incentive?A.The incentive was as promisedB.The incentive was less than promisedC.The team's perception of reward fairnessD.The timing of the incentive
Q: Hoarding star performers, reluctance to accept new team members and resistance to transferring team members are examples of which team-related compensation problem?A.LevelB.Large variety of teamsC.Pay plan complexityD.Control
Q: Which of the following is not a problem with team compensation?A.ComplexityB.ControlC.ConsistencyD. Communications
Q: Advantages of individual incentive plans include all of the following except:A.lowered production costs.B.less direct supervision.C.greater trust between workers and management.D.higher productivity.
Q: Compensation security is highest for workers who fail to complete tasks within the standard time under the _____ plan?A.Halsey 50-50B.GanttC.TaylorD.Rowan
Q: If you had repair work done on your car, the compensation system the shop uses to pay the mechanics is most likely the ________ plan.A. BedeauxB. standard hourC. Halsey 50-50D. straight piece-work
Q: An incentive system with three piecework rates is the _____ plan.A.TaylorB.GanttC.Halsey 50-50D.Merrick
Q: Standard hour plan is to Rowan plan as straight piecework is to ______________ plan.A. Halsey 50-50B. GanttC. BedeauxD. Taylor or Merrick plan
Q: A _____ plan divides a task into simple actions and determines the time an average worker takes to complete each action.A.standard hourB.RowanC.BedeauxD.Merrick
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