Q&A Hero

Q: The process of selecting employees remains constant for all organizations and for all jobs.

Q: "I should extend the delivery date for this project, because training the new team members will be tedious." According to the Leadership Grid, which of the following leadership styles is portrayed by this attitude? A. The country club manager B. The sweatshop manager C. The team manager D. The impoverished manager

Q: Why is temporary employment popular with employers? A. It gives them flexibility in operations. B. It allows them to comply with the requirement of affirmative action imposed by the government. C. The quality of work is usually far superior. D. It is most effective for key customer service jobs. E. Temporary workers are more committed to the organization.

Q: According to the Leadership Grid, supervisors who show moderate efforts to get the job done while meeting employee needs use the _____ style of leadership. A. sweatshop manager B. organized-person manager C. team manager D. country club manager

Q: Which of the following is true of temporary workers? A. Temporary employment involves higher costs. B. Using temporary workers frees an employer from many administrative tasks. C. Use of temporary workers is not suitable for small companies because extensive testing of the employees needs to be done before these companies get employees from an agency. D. Most temporary workers need to be trained by the employers every time they join a new organization. E. Temporary employment is not suitable for those employers who need to operate efficiently even when demand for their products changes rapidly.

Q: The supervisors at Proviso Inc. push for high production and do not care about the employees. According to the Leadership Grid, which leadership style do they use? A. The sweatshop manager style B. The organized-person manager style C. The team manager style D. The country club manager style

Q: Identify a disadvantage of using temporary and contract workers. A. Revocability of this method is more difficult than other methods of avoiding labor shortage. B. These kinds of workers cannot be hired through an agency. C. These methods are a relatively slow solution to labor shortage. D. These workers tend to be relatively less committed to the organization. E. These workers work well in key jobs but not in those jobs that supplement permanent employees.

Q: The _____, Blake and Mouton's model, identifies the ideal leadership style as having a high concern for both production and people. A. Big Five Model of Personality B. Leadership Grid C. servant leadership theory D. two-dimensional leadership style

Q: Which of the following are the most widespread methods for eliminating labor shortages? A. Downsizing and merging with other organizations B. Hiring temporary workers and outsourcing work C. Retrained transfers and turnover reduction D. Overtime and new external hires E. Overtime and retrained transfers

Q: According to the Leadership Grid, the _____ has a high concern for both production and people. A. team manager B. sweatshop manager C. country club manager D. organized-person manager

Q: Nicole, a manager at an electronics firm, believes that the firm has to create many early-retirement programs with incentives to minimize a labor surplus, as the employees who are reaching the traditional retirement age are not interested in leaving the organization. Which of the following statements explains the reason for this trend among older employees? A. There are many laws against gender discrimination. B. There is a rise in the value of older workers' retirement assets. C. Jobs are becoming less physically demanding. D. Phased-retirement programs fail to allow employees to work a reduced number of hours. E. Retirement programs tend to offer benefits only to older female employees and fail to cover older male employees.

Q: According to the Leadership Grid, the _____ has balanced, medium concern for both production and people. A. impoverished manager B. sweatshop manager C. country club manager D. organized-person manager

Q: Which of the following best describes a phased-retirement program? A. It refers to laying off older employees in small batches. B. It refers to giving lucrative incentives to a large number of older employees to voluntarily retire. C. It refers to reducing the number of hours older employees work, as well as the cost of these employees. D. It refers to giving older employees a certain time limit to voluntarily retire. E. It refers to offering alternative work locations and work responsibilities to older employees.

Q: Gary, the CEO of El Eram Inc., is dealing with an aging labor force problem, which is reducing productivity across the organization. The most effective way of dealing with this situation is to _____. A. downsize by firing older employees with compensation B. encourage older employees to work more productively by retraining them C. provide performance-based incentives to increase production output and delay their retirement D. enhance their work by employing innovative technological processes E. encourage lower-performing older workers to leave voluntarily by offering early-retirement incentives

Q: According to the Leadership Grid, the _____ has low concern for both production and people. A. impoverished manager B. sweatshop manager C. country club manager D. organized-person manager

Q: A manufacturing company hit by a slump in demand is experiencing a labor surplus. The company expects the market to improve in six months, and it does not want to lay off any of its employees. Which of the following strategies is an equitable way to handle this issue that results in spreading the burden more fairly? A. Demotions B. Outsourcing C. Reduced work hours D. Overtime E. Employing temporary workers

Q: "I have outlined a plan for the event. We'll have to discuss all major considerations before you can start executing the plan. I'll check the progress daily thereon." Which quadrant of the two-dimensional leadership styles does this behavior reflect? A. High structure and low consideration B. High structure and high consideration C. Low structure and high consideration D. Low structure and low consideration

Q: Bob, an HR manager at Delair Inc., is expecting a labor surplus in the company in the month of December. Bob has nearly eight months to deal with this problem. In order to reduce labor surplus, Bob must use a _____ strategy, which causes less suffering for employees. A. downsizing B. demotion C. hiring freeze D. pay reduction E. transfer

Q: "Compile the reports and put it on my desk by lunch time." Which quadrant of the two-dimensional leadership styles does this behavior reflect? A. High structure and low consideration B. High structure and high consideration C. Low structure and high consideration D. Low structure and low consideration

Q: Joe, the CEO of TexTel Inc., studies the structure of his organization and finds that many of its processes are inefficient. His company has a team-oriented culture in which people perform as groups and complete short-term projects to earn revenue. He decides to downsize the organization to increase profits and use the profits to enhance the organization's efficiency. Emily, the company's HR manager, thinks downsizing is detrimental to the organization's growth. Which one of them is right? A. Joe is right because downsizing yields slow but long-term profits. B. Joe is right because downsizing is the simplest way to ensure current and future competitiveness. C. Emily is right because downsizing will affect the organization's team culture and result in poor productivity. D. Emily is right because downsizing often results in acquisition of companies by other organizations. E. Emily is right because downsizing requires moving to relatively expensive locations.

Q: "I'd like you to process a copy of this memo right away. It's a progress report for Carmen. You know the details and status of the project, so write it up and I'll cosign it." Which quadrant of the two-dimensional leadership styles does this behavior reflect? A. High structure and low consideration B. High structure and high consideration C. Low structure and high consideration D. Low structure and low consideration

Q: Wilma heads the production department at Riden Inc., a firm that stresses the importance of maintaining regular contact with customers. Wilma is expecting a labor surplus in the future. John, a supervisor, recommends downsizing as an option to deal with this labor surplus. However, Wilma rejects this option. Which of the following statements will validate that Wilma made the right decision? A. Downsizing cannot be used to reduce the number of managers. B. Downsizing would result in increased operational costs. C. Downsizing cannot provide an immediate solution to labor surplus. D. Downsizing would hurt long-term organizational effectiveness. E. Downsizing would harm the hierarchy of top management.

Q: "I want you to process a copy of this memo right now and then send it to the accountant." Which quadrant of the two-dimensional leadership styles does this behavior reflect? A. High structure and low consideration B. High structure and high consideration C. Low structure and high consideration D. Low structure and low consideration

Q: Solenz Inc. is a relatively new company that employs 23 workers. The company is facing a labor surplus problem with approximately 3 more employees than it needs. Which of the following is the best strategy to deal with this labor surplus? A. The company must use an early retirement strategy because it helps old employees retire sooner, thereby solving the labor surplus issue. B. The company must focus on natural attrition whereby employees leave the company on their own, as this will reduce the burden of firing surplus employees. C. The company must freeze their hiring practices, which will result in balancing the number of employees and the demand for work over a period of time. D. The company must implement pay reductions as this will help the company get rid of less motivated employees. E. The company must implement work sharing, which will take up the time of extra workers and help complete projects faster.

Q: "I have complete confidence in you. I know you can complete this project by yourself and if you have any doubts, you can always consult me." Which quadrant of the two-dimensional leadership styles does this behavior reflect? A. High structure and low consideration B. High structure and high consideration C. Low structure and high consideration D. Low structure and low consideration

Q: Identify the correct statement regarding downsizing. A. Downsizing improves long-term organizational effectiveness. B. The negative effect of downsizing is especially low among firms that engage in high-involvement work practices. C. Downsizing often disrupts the social networks through which people are creative and flexible. D. The negative impact of downsizing is especially low for those organizations that emphasize research and development. E. Downsizing campaigns only eliminate people who are replaceable.

Q: Which of the following did Edwin Ghiselli identify as the most important trait for effective leadership? A. Initiative B. Need for occupational achievement C. Decisiveness D. Supervisory ability

Q: _____ assumes that there are distinctive physical and psychological characteristics accounting for leadership effectiveness. A. The Big Five Model of Personality B. The Ghiselli Study C. Leadership trait theory D. Normative leadership theory

Q: Yienze Inc., a manufacturer of electronic goods, is experiencing financial losses, and company management is trying to less the fiscal losses. The company is also facing the problem of labor surplus due to low demand for its products. In this context, which of the following is the best way to deal with this labor surplus? A. The company must consider work sharing because it causes relatively less suffering to the employees. B. The company must choose an early retirement option because it gives an option to employees to voluntarily leave the organization with suitable monetary compensation. C. The company must freeze employee hiring and focus on natural attrition because it is a relatively fast way to reduce a labor surplus. D. The company must consider downsizing because it is the quickest way to deal with a labor surplus that results in financial losses. E. The company must consider retraining employees because it helps improve their interpersonal skills.

Q: Britt, a production manager at Frelix Inc., is expecting a labor shortage for a short period of time. He needs to avoid it with a strategy that can be easily eliminated in the future when there is optimal labor available for work. Which of the following options for avoiding a labor shortage would be the right solution for Britt? A. Hiring new employees. B. Employing technological innovation. C. Using retrained transfers. D. Hiring temporary employees. E. Reducing managerial staff.

Q: _____ is the process of influencing employees to work toward the achievement of objectives. A. Craftsmanship B. Leadership C. Internship D. Dealership

Q: Trust is earned and builds over time.

Q: Gordon, a supervisor at AutoMate Inc., realizes that a couple of months from now he might experience a labor shortage for approximately two weeks due to increased demand for the company's products. Which of the following is the ideal option for dealing with this labor shortage? A. He should hire new employees because it is a simple process. B. He should depend on technological innovation because it helps replace human labor with machines. C. He should use outsourcing because it reduces internal costs. D. He should encourage employees to stay with the company. E. He should encourage employee overtime because it helps to increase productivity for a short period of time.

Q: Integrity holds the other four dimensions of trust together, because without integrity, trust breaks apart.

Q: Jackson, a production manager at Crenzel Inc., is expecting a labor shortage in the next six months due to increased demand for the company's products during the holiday season. He thinks the best way to deal with this labor shortage is to hire new employees. However, Pamela, the HR manager, thinks this idea would prove expensive and would lead to a labor surplus in the future. Which of the following statements, if true, supports Pamela's argument? A. Hiring new employees requires more effort than other strategies to deal with labor shortages. B. The demand for products will fall after the holiday season. C. Hiring new employees is a tedious process compared to hiring temporary employees. D. The labor shortage will remain constant after the holiday season is over. E. The process of hiring new permanent employees tends to be quick.

Q: The laissez-faire style entails low-directive-low-supportive behavior and is appropriate when interacting with outstanding employees.

Q: Carmella, an HR manager at Crexion Inc., is dealing with labor shortage problems due to a sudden increase in production levels at the company. Among the following options, the fastest way to fix this problem is to _____. A. use retrained transfers B. focus on turnover reductions C. hire new employees D. hire temporary employees E. focus on technological innovation

Q: Jonathan, the CEO of Maxofan Inc., finds that the company needs to eliminate a labor surplus to avoid financial difficulties. To deal with this problem, he chooses a strategy that gives him fast results. However, the amount of suffering caused to employees is high. Jonathan is most likely using the _____ strategy to reduce the labor surplus. A. early retirement B. downsizing C. natural attrition D. retraining E. hiring freeze

Q: The participative style involves high-directive-high-supportive behavior and is appropriate when interacting with moderate-capability employees.

Q: Betty, a production manager at Renton Inc., needs to avoid a labor surplus in the company in a fast and effective way. She wishes to do so with minimal suffering to the employees in terms of lay-offs and salary. Which of the following strategies will help Betty accomplish her goal? A. Pay reductions B. Transfers C. Demotions D. Early retirement E. Retraining

Q: When interacting with employees, the supervisor using the autocratic style gives very detailed instructions, describing exactly what the task is and when, where, and how to perform it.

Q: According to situational leadership, if the maturity level of the followers is moderate to low, the leader uses a selling style.

Q: Errol, a manager at a large toy store, is expecting increased sales during the holiday season. He knows that he will experience a labor shortage during this time. Which of the following options is most suitable for Errol's situation to avoid a labor shortage? A. Errol must hire new employees because he will most likely need additional workers after the holiday season to deal with the increased sales trend. B. Errol must consider increasing workers' pay during the holiday season so that his employees work harder to achieve sales targets. C. Errol must keep his store closed during non-peak hours to compensate for labor shortages. This will ensure his employees work harder during peak hours. D. Errol must hire temporary employees because he can let them go once the holiday season is over. E. Errol must consider increasing the prices of toys so that he can make higher profits with fewer sales, thereby reducing the number of customers and consequently solving the labor shortage issue.

Q: Brendan and Angela are HR managers at Seattle Investments. They are expecting a labor surplus over the next two years when the organization will have 24 more than the required number of employees. Typically, two employees leave the organization each month. In this scenario, which of the following is the best way to deal with the predicted labor surplus? A. They must consider downsizing because it is the fastest way to fix a labor surplus. B. They must consider natural attrition because the company has enough time to deal with the labor surplus without causing suffering to the employees. C. They must reduce employees' pay as this will lead to demotivated employees quitting the organization; consequently, the labor surplus problem will be solved. D. They must choose a hiring freeze strategy because it slows down the attrition rate. E. They must consider demoting low-performing employees, which will eventually solve labor surplus problem.

Q: High relationshiplow task is a characteristic of the participating style of leadership.

Q: Ron, an HR manager at Franton Inc., needs to determine how the number of administrative staff increased in the last two years. He observed that there was a decrease in the accounting department by the same number of staff. In the context of determining labor supply in the accounting department, Ron must use a(n) _____. A. transitional matrix B. propensity analysis C. trend analysis D. multiple regression E. leading indicators

Q: Situational leadership, developed by Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard, is a model for selecting from four leadership styles the one that matches the employees' maturity level in a given situation.

Q: James, a new HR manager at Flenzel Inc., aims to understand the proportion of employees in the public relations department to decide if the company needs to hire new employees. James most likely needs to use a(n) _____ to achieve his objective. A. electronic recruiting process B. transitional matrix C. propensity analysis D. due-process policy E. multiple regression analysis

Q: Situational leadership theory, developed by Vroom and Yetton, is a decision-tree model that enables the user to select from five leadership styles the one that is appropriate for the situation.

Q: Steve, a production manager at Winsfeld Inc., finds that productivity in the organization is low compared to the cost of labor. He plans to reduce labor costs by hiring highly skilled labor that results in greater productivity at lower costs. In the context of determining labor surplus and shortage, which of the following should Steve focus on to accomplish his goal? A. Conducting trend analysis B. Implementing propensity measures C. Employing workers with a core competency D. Implementing training methods E. Using leading indicators

Q: The leadership continuum, developed by Tannenbaum and Schmidt, focuses on who makes the decisions.

Q: Janet, an HR manager at SensNet Inc., hires employees who have a specific set of skills that will give her company advantage over its competitors. In the context of strategic planning, Janet is: A. outsourcing a broad set of services. B. using propensity analysis. C. seeking leading indicators. D. hiring individuals with a core competency. E. using trend analysis.

Q: Fiedler believed that one's leadership style needed to be changed according to the situation.

Q: Sasha, a production manager at ZestCorp Inc., must predict future labor demand using information about inventory levels from the past three years. Sasha is most likely using _____ to predict the demand. A. yield ratio B. workforce utilization review C. trend analysis D. cost per hire E. capacity utilization analysis

Q: Contingency leadership theory developed by Fiedler, is used to determine if a person's leadership style is task-or relationship-oriented and if the situation matches the leader's style.

Q: In the context of forecasting the demand for labor, using trend analysis, inventory levels, changes in technology, and actions of competitors are examples of _____. A. leading indicators B. performance indicators C. coincident pointers D. transitional matrices E. functional pointers

Q: The organized-person manager has a high concern for both production and people.

Q: In the context of human resource planning, the primary goal of forecasting is to: A. predict labor shortages or surpluses in specific areas of an organization. B. determine labor supply. C. set goals for hiring employees. D. focus attention on a problem and provide a basis for measuring an organization's success. E. eliminate large numbers of personnel with the goal of enhancing an organization's competitiveness.

Q: According to the Leadership Grid, the country club manager has a high concern for people and a low concern for production.

Q: According to the Leadership Grid, the sweatshop manager has low concern for both production and people.

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: The Leadership Grid identifies the ideal leadership style as having a high concern for both production and people.

Q: Identify a benefit of applying statistical forecasting methods. A. They are particularly useful in dynamic environments. B. Under the right conditions, they provide predictions that are much more precise than judgmental methods. C. They are particularly useful in predicting important events that have no historical precedent. D. They are invariably better than the "best guesses" of experts. E. They can be used by organizations as a substitute for relying on the subjective judgments of experts.

Q: Contingency leadership theory assumes that there are distinctive physical and psychological characteristics accounting for leadership effectiveness.

Q: Which of the following 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: All managers are not leaders.

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

Q: Managerial control is defined as the process of influencing employees to work toward the achievement of objectives.

Q: In the context of recruiter traits and behavior, the recruiter affects the nature of both the job vacancy and the applicants generated.

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: The _____ describes a problem in terms of behavior, consequences, and feelings.

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

Q: A(n) _____ is a person who confronts another person (or other people) about a conflict.

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

Q: The _____ style of conflict management is appropriate to use when all parties have a strong interest in different solutions and time is short.

Q: Recruitment sources affect both the characteristics of vacancies and potential job applicants.

Q: All human relations rely on unwritten, implicit expectations by each party, called the _____.

Q: Personnel policies influence the kinds of job applicants an organization attracts.

Q: A(n) _____ exists whenever two or more parties are in disagreement.

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.