,
,
,
, d. autonomous
e. uniform
c; Easy
34. _____ allows employees to work from home or a remote location for a specified period
of time.
a. Offshoring
b. Telecommuting
c. Multitasking
d. Hotdesking
e. Cyberloafing
b; Easy
Section Two
35. Which of the following is true with regard to the Professional in Human Resources
certification exam?
a. To take this exam, an HR professional must have at least five years’ experience.
b. This exam is designed for HR professionals who focus on designing and planning,
rather than actual implementation.
c. In this test, the greater focus is on the strategic aspect of HRM.
d. This test has an international perspective.
e. Workforce planning, human resource development, risk management, and labor
relations are some of its components.
e; Easy
36. The Senior Professional in Human Resources primarily focuses on:
a. designing and planning HR functions.
b. implementing the strategic plans.
c. developing competencies that are most suited to a global HR professional.
d. understanding labor relations and workforce planning.
e. studying the administrative aspect of HR functions.
a; Easy
37. Global Professional in Human Resources is a certification test that:
a. can be taken by a HR professional with at least six to eight years of experience.
b. would be best suited to someone whose company works across borders.
c. can help only those who prefer the administrative HR functions.
d. helps HR professionals specialize directly in labor relations.
e. would enable mastery only in niche areas like rewards or risk management.
b; Easy
38. _____ is a concept that examines the moral rights and wrongs of a certain situation.
a. Ethics
b. Goals
c. Beliefs
d. Biases
e. Ideas
a; Easy
Section Three
© 2015 Laura Portolese Dias, published by Flat World Knowledge 5
, 39. A _____ plan gives all employees a minimum level of benefits and a set amount to spend
on flexible benefits, such as additional healthcare or vacation time.
a. fixed
b. cafeteria
c. 401(k)
d. golden parachute
e. profit-sharing
b; Easy
40. _____ refers to the number of employees who leave a company in a particular period of
time.
a. Turnover
b. Retention rate
c. Yield ratio
d. Staffing plan
e. Capital
a; Easy
41. _____ refers to the concept of moving jobs overseas in order to contain costs.
a. Greenfield venturing
b. Licensing
c. Franchising
d. Offshoring
e. Insourcing
d; Easy
42. _____ organizations are characterized by their lack of physical locations such that all
employees work from home or a location of their choice to help in cost containment.
a. Formal
b. Traditional
c. Centralized
d. Hierarchical
e. Virtual
e; Easy
43. _____, a term used to describe lost productivity as a result of an employee using a work
computer for personal reasons, is certainly another concern technology can create.
a. Hotdesking
b. Telecommuting
c. Cyberloafing
d. Coworking
e. Offshoring
c; Easy
44. Gina Rogers, CEO of Atwood Academic Publishing Inc., has asked Malcolm Mendez,
her HR manager, to conduct a discreet and careful study of how much time of the work
day her employees use the Internet for personal use. After this study, she and her HR
department prepared and implemented an Internet usage policy that has caused much
resentment among her employees. The Internet usage policy was necessitated because of
_____ on the part of the employees.
© 2015 Laura Portolese Dias, published by Flat World Knowledge 6
, a. coworking
b. telecommuting
c. cyberloafing
d. absenteeism
e. safety violations
c; Moderate
45. Which of the following is an implication of the retirement of baby boomers?
a. The current workforce will adequately compensate the manpower shortage left
behind by baby boomers.
b. The baby boomers’ knowledge and expertise will be transferred to the current
workforce because it is formalized.
c. Baby boomers will live longer, resulting in higher health-care costs for the current
workforce.
d. Baby boomers will survive in sufficient comfort owing to the abundant savings they
collected over decades.
e. The current workforce will pay less toward the Social Security needs than those of
the baby boomer generation.
c; Easy
46. A _____ is an outline that explains the expected ethical behavior of employees.
a. Code of Ethics
b. Mission Statement
c. Statement of Interest
d. Statement of regulations
e. Guiding Principle
a; Easy
Short Answer/ Essay Questions
Section One
47. What are the four steps in the staffing function of the HR department?
Staffing involves the entire hiring process from posting a job to negotiating a salary
package. Within the staffing function, there are four main steps:
Development of a staffing plan
Multiculturalism in the workplace
Recruitment
Selection
Easy
48. What is the role of HR in increasing retention?
Retention involves keeping and motivating employees to stay within the organization.
Compensation is a major factor to employee retention, but other factors include:
Issues around the job they are performing
Challenges with their manager
Poor fit with organizational culture
Poor workplace environment
© 2015 Laura Portolese Dias, published by Flat World Knowledge 7
, HR creates some strategies to retain the best employees based on these four factors.
Additionally, HR takes other measures like conducting training programs so employees
feel that they are developing new skills and stay motivated in their present job.
Easy
49. How does the external environment impact the human resources of an organization?
An HR manager also needs to consider the outside forces at play that may affect the
organization. Outside forces, or external factors, are those things the company has no
direct control over; however, they may be things that could positively or negatively
impact human resources. Some factors of the external environment that the HR
department needs to be aware of are:
Globalization and offshoring
Changes to employment law
Health-care costs
Employee expectations
Diversity of the workforce
Changing workforce demographics
A more highly educated workforce
Layoffs, downsizing
Technology used, such as HR databases
Increased use of social networking to assimilate information to employees
Moderate
Section Two
50. Describe the various skills required to be a successful HR manager.
An HR manager requires an array of skills to deal with a variety of situations. They need
good skills at being organized as they handle a lot of data and paperwork. This would
help them manage time well. Multitasking, the ability to work on more than one task at a
time, is important for an HR manager who has to shift between multiple duties and tasks
on any given day. They also need sound people skills to manage a variety of
personalities, work with conflict management, and coach others. Apart from their
knowledge of HR, an understanding of specific job areas—such as managing the
employee database or understanding employment laws—is imperative. Lastly, a sense of
ethics and fairness is important as they deal with information that is often personal for
employees and critical for the organization.
Moderate
51. What are the three certification exams that an HR professional may take?
There are a number of certification exams that can be taken to make you more marketable
in the field of HRM. These certifications are offered by the HR Certification Institute
(HRCI). These exams are:
PHR: Professional in Human Resources for a HR professional with at least two
years’ experience.
SPHR: Senior Professional in Human Resources for HR professionals who would
like to focus on designing and planning, rather than actual implementation.
© 2015 Laura Portolese Dias, published by Flat World Knowledge 8
, GPHR: Global Professional in Human Resources for HR professionals who
perform much of their tasks on a global level and whose companies often work
across borders.
Easy
52. Define ethics. How does it relate to HRM?
Ethics is a concept that examines the moral rights and wrongs of situations. Not only does
the HR manager need to be ethical, but often he or she is responsible for development of
policies related to ethics within the organization.
Easy
Section Three
53. What are the various cost-containment strategies used in organizations?
Costs are a major factor in the success or failure of a business, and the people part of the
business is the most likely place for cuts when the economy is not doing well. Cost-
containment strategies could involve reducing the amount spent on healthcare for
employees, offering relevant training so employees function within the realm of
legalities, and hiring the right candidate for the job to reduce the costs associated with
turnovers. Additionally, companies may move jobs overseas in order to contain costs.
Easy
54. What is a cafeteria plan?
Cafeteria plans represent one possible strategy for containment of health-care costs.
Cafeteria plans started becoming popular in the 1980s and have become standard in many
organizations. This type of plan gives all employees a minimum level of benefits and a
set amount to spend on flexible benefits, such as additional healthcare or vacation time. It
creates more flexible benefits where the employee, based on his or her family situation,
can choose which benefits are right for them.
Easy
55. Does technology create additional stress on workers?
Technology creates additional stress because tools like e-mail and cell phones make
employees more readily available. The fact that the employee is reachable beyond office
hours or while he/she is at some remote location can no longer hinder an employee from
completing work. Working for long hours using computers and the excessive use of other
gadgets is known to have adverse health consequences. Technology helps employees too;
with the advent of computers, many jobs can be executed much easier and quicker than
when executed manually. Technology has provided us with the means to engage in
clearer, quicker, and cheaper communication as well.
Easy
56. What are the implications of the baby boomer generation for HRM?
The implications of the baby boomer generation for Human Resource professionals are
significant. First, the retirement of baby boomers results in a loss of a major part of the
working population, and there are not enough people to fill those jobs which are left
© 2015 Laura Portolese Dias, published by Flat World Knowledge 9
, vacant. Second, the baby boomers’ knowledge upon retirement is lost. Much of this
knowledge is not formalized or written down but contributes to the success of the
business. Third, elderly people are living longer and this results in higher health-care
costs for all currently in the workforce.
Easy
Fill in the Blanks
Section One
57. _____ is the process of employing people, training them, compensating, developing
policies relating to the workplace, and developing strategies to retain employees.
Human resource management; Easy
58. _____ refers to the entire hiring process from the first step of posting a job to the actual
hiring of an employee.
Staffing; Easy
59. _____ involves the process and strategies of keeping and motivating employees to stay
with the organization.
Retention; Easy
60. _____ represent a policy which allows employees to set their own work schedules to
work around family and personal needs.
Flexible work schedules; Easy
Section Two
61. _____ is a concept that examines the moral rights and wrongs of a certain situation.
Ethics; Easy
62. HR professionals who perform much of their tasks on a global level and whose
companies often work across borders require the certification of _____.
Global Professional in Human Resources; Easy
63. A person with a _____ mindset can plan far in advance and look at trends which could
affect the environment in which the business is operating.
strategic; Easy
Section Three
64. _____ refers to the number of employees who leave a company in a particular period of
time.
Turnover; Easy
65. The term _____ is used to describe lost productivity as a result of an employee using a
work computer for personal reasons.
cyberloafing; Easy
66. A _____ outlines the expected ethical behavior of employees.
Code of Ethics; Easy
© 2015 Laura Portolese Dias, published by Flat World Knowledge 10
,
,
, d. autonomous
e. uniform
c; Easy
34. _____ allows employees to work from home or a remote location for a specified period
of time.
a. Offshoring
b. Telecommuting
c. Multitasking
d. Hotdesking
e. Cyberloafing
b; Easy
Section Two
35. Which of the following is true with regard to the Professional in Human Resources
certification exam?
a. To take this exam, an HR professional must have at least five years’ experience.
b. This exam is designed for HR professionals who focus on designing and planning,
rather than actual implementation.
c. In this test, the greater focus is on the strategic aspect of HRM.
d. This test has an international perspective.
e. Workforce planning, human resource development, risk management, and labor
relations are some of its components.
e; Easy
36. The Senior Professional in Human Resources primarily focuses on:
a. designing and planning HR functions.
b. implementing the strategic plans.
c. developing competencies that are most suited to a global HR professional.
d. understanding labor relations and workforce planning.
e. studying the administrative aspect of HR functions.
a; Easy
37. Global Professional in Human Resources is a certification test that:
a. can be taken by a HR professional with at least six to eight years of experience.
b. would be best suited to someone whose company works across borders.
c. can help only those who prefer the administrative HR functions.
d. helps HR professionals specialize directly in labor relations.
e. would enable mastery only in niche areas like rewards or risk management.
b; Easy
38. _____ is a concept that examines the moral rights and wrongs of a certain situation.
a. Ethics
b. Goals
c. Beliefs
d. Biases
e. Ideas
a; Easy
Section Three
© 2015 Laura Portolese Dias, published by Flat World Knowledge 5
, 39. A _____ plan gives all employees a minimum level of benefits and a set amount to spend
on flexible benefits, such as additional healthcare or vacation time.
a. fixed
b. cafeteria
c. 401(k)
d. golden parachute
e. profit-sharing
b; Easy
40. _____ refers to the number of employees who leave a company in a particular period of
time.
a. Turnover
b. Retention rate
c. Yield ratio
d. Staffing plan
e. Capital
a; Easy
41. _____ refers to the concept of moving jobs overseas in order to contain costs.
a. Greenfield venturing
b. Licensing
c. Franchising
d. Offshoring
e. Insourcing
d; Easy
42. _____ organizations are characterized by their lack of physical locations such that all
employees work from home or a location of their choice to help in cost containment.
a. Formal
b. Traditional
c. Centralized
d. Hierarchical
e. Virtual
e; Easy
43. _____, a term used to describe lost productivity as a result of an employee using a work
computer for personal reasons, is certainly another concern technology can create.
a. Hotdesking
b. Telecommuting
c. Cyberloafing
d. Coworking
e. Offshoring
c; Easy
44. Gina Rogers, CEO of Atwood Academic Publishing Inc., has asked Malcolm Mendez,
her HR manager, to conduct a discreet and careful study of how much time of the work
day her employees use the Internet for personal use. After this study, she and her HR
department prepared and implemented an Internet usage policy that has caused much
resentment among her employees. The Internet usage policy was necessitated because of
_____ on the part of the employees.
© 2015 Laura Portolese Dias, published by Flat World Knowledge 6
, a. coworking
b. telecommuting
c. cyberloafing
d. absenteeism
e. safety violations
c; Moderate
45. Which of the following is an implication of the retirement of baby boomers?
a. The current workforce will adequately compensate the manpower shortage left
behind by baby boomers.
b. The baby boomers’ knowledge and expertise will be transferred to the current
workforce because it is formalized.
c. Baby boomers will live longer, resulting in higher health-care costs for the current
workforce.
d. Baby boomers will survive in sufficient comfort owing to the abundant savings they
collected over decades.
e. The current workforce will pay less toward the Social Security needs than those of
the baby boomer generation.
c; Easy
46. A _____ is an outline that explains the expected ethical behavior of employees.
a. Code of Ethics
b. Mission Statement
c. Statement of Interest
d. Statement of regulations
e. Guiding Principle
a; Easy
Short Answer/ Essay Questions
Section One
47. What are the four steps in the staffing function of the HR department?
Staffing involves the entire hiring process from posting a job to negotiating a salary
package. Within the staffing function, there are four main steps:
Development of a staffing plan
Multiculturalism in the workplace
Recruitment
Selection
Easy
48. What is the role of HR in increasing retention?
Retention involves keeping and motivating employees to stay within the organization.
Compensation is a major factor to employee retention, but other factors include:
Issues around the job they are performing
Challenges with their manager
Poor fit with organizational culture
Poor workplace environment
© 2015 Laura Portolese Dias, published by Flat World Knowledge 7
, HR creates some strategies to retain the best employees based on these four factors.
Additionally, HR takes other measures like conducting training programs so employees
feel that they are developing new skills and stay motivated in their present job.
Easy
49. How does the external environment impact the human resources of an organization?
An HR manager also needs to consider the outside forces at play that may affect the
organization. Outside forces, or external factors, are those things the company has no
direct control over; however, they may be things that could positively or negatively
impact human resources. Some factors of the external environment that the HR
department needs to be aware of are:
Globalization and offshoring
Changes to employment law
Health-care costs
Employee expectations
Diversity of the workforce
Changing workforce demographics
A more highly educated workforce
Layoffs, downsizing
Technology used, such as HR databases
Increased use of social networking to assimilate information to employees
Moderate
Section Two
50. Describe the various skills required to be a successful HR manager.
An HR manager requires an array of skills to deal with a variety of situations. They need
good skills at being organized as they handle a lot of data and paperwork. This would
help them manage time well. Multitasking, the ability to work on more than one task at a
time, is important for an HR manager who has to shift between multiple duties and tasks
on any given day. They also need sound people skills to manage a variety of
personalities, work with conflict management, and coach others. Apart from their
knowledge of HR, an understanding of specific job areas—such as managing the
employee database or understanding employment laws—is imperative. Lastly, a sense of
ethics and fairness is important as they deal with information that is often personal for
employees and critical for the organization.
Moderate
51. What are the three certification exams that an HR professional may take?
There are a number of certification exams that can be taken to make you more marketable
in the field of HRM. These certifications are offered by the HR Certification Institute
(HRCI). These exams are:
PHR: Professional in Human Resources for a HR professional with at least two
years’ experience.
SPHR: Senior Professional in Human Resources for HR professionals who would
like to focus on designing and planning, rather than actual implementation.
© 2015 Laura Portolese Dias, published by Flat World Knowledge 8
, GPHR: Global Professional in Human Resources for HR professionals who
perform much of their tasks on a global level and whose companies often work
across borders.
Easy
52. Define ethics. How does it relate to HRM?
Ethics is a concept that examines the moral rights and wrongs of situations. Not only does
the HR manager need to be ethical, but often he or she is responsible for development of
policies related to ethics within the organization.
Easy
Section Three
53. What are the various cost-containment strategies used in organizations?
Costs are a major factor in the success or failure of a business, and the people part of the
business is the most likely place for cuts when the economy is not doing well. Cost-
containment strategies could involve reducing the amount spent on healthcare for
employees, offering relevant training so employees function within the realm of
legalities, and hiring the right candidate for the job to reduce the costs associated with
turnovers. Additionally, companies may move jobs overseas in order to contain costs.
Easy
54. What is a cafeteria plan?
Cafeteria plans represent one possible strategy for containment of health-care costs.
Cafeteria plans started becoming popular in the 1980s and have become standard in many
organizations. This type of plan gives all employees a minimum level of benefits and a
set amount to spend on flexible benefits, such as additional healthcare or vacation time. It
creates more flexible benefits where the employee, based on his or her family situation,
can choose which benefits are right for them.
Easy
55. Does technology create additional stress on workers?
Technology creates additional stress because tools like e-mail and cell phones make
employees more readily available. The fact that the employee is reachable beyond office
hours or while he/she is at some remote location can no longer hinder an employee from
completing work. Working for long hours using computers and the excessive use of other
gadgets is known to have adverse health consequences. Technology helps employees too;
with the advent of computers, many jobs can be executed much easier and quicker than
when executed manually. Technology has provided us with the means to engage in
clearer, quicker, and cheaper communication as well.
Easy
56. What are the implications of the baby boomer generation for HRM?
The implications of the baby boomer generation for Human Resource professionals are
significant. First, the retirement of baby boomers results in a loss of a major part of the
working population, and there are not enough people to fill those jobs which are left
© 2015 Laura Portolese Dias, published by Flat World Knowledge 9
, vacant. Second, the baby boomers’ knowledge upon retirement is lost. Much of this
knowledge is not formalized or written down but contributes to the success of the
business. Third, elderly people are living longer and this results in higher health-care
costs for all currently in the workforce.
Easy
Fill in the Blanks
Section One
57. _____ is the process of employing people, training them, compensating, developing
policies relating to the workplace, and developing strategies to retain employees.
Human resource management; Easy
58. _____ refers to the entire hiring process from the first step of posting a job to the actual
hiring of an employee.
Staffing; Easy
59. _____ involves the process and strategies of keeping and motivating employees to stay
with the organization.
Retention; Easy
60. _____ represent a policy which allows employees to set their own work schedules to
work around family and personal needs.
Flexible work schedules; Easy
Section Two
61. _____ is a concept that examines the moral rights and wrongs of a certain situation.
Ethics; Easy
62. HR professionals who perform much of their tasks on a global level and whose
companies often work across borders require the certification of _____.
Global Professional in Human Resources; Easy
63. A person with a _____ mindset can plan far in advance and look at trends which could
affect the environment in which the business is operating.
strategic; Easy
Section Three
64. _____ refers to the number of employees who leave a company in a particular period of
time.
Turnover; Easy
65. The term _____ is used to describe lost productivity as a result of an employee using a
work computer for personal reasons.
cyberloafing; Easy
66. A _____ outlines the expected ethical behavior of employees.
Code of Ethics; Easy
© 2015 Laura Portolese Dias, published by Flat World Knowledge 10
