BU354 -F22 -Study Guide Questions
and Actual Detailed Answers
2026/2027 Elaborated.
What is HRM? - Answer process of managing human talent to achieve organization's
objectives
What is human capital? - Answer knowledge, skills and capabilities
What are the 3 components of the overall framework for HRM - Answer 1. Competitive
challenges
2. Human Resources
3. Employee Concerns and Issues
What are the 7 HR strategies to respond to crisis, changes and disruptions, list and define them -
Answer 1. Six Sigma
2. Reengineering:
3. Downsizing
4. outsourcing
5. change management
6. reactive change
7. proactive change
What is a knowledge worker? - Answer someone whose occupation is principally concerned
with generating or interpreting information, as opposed to manual labor
What are the 3 impacts of HRIS, list and define - Answer 1. Operational: automation of
routine tasks
2. Relational: recruiting/screening
3. Transformational: training, tracking
What are the 5 main approaches to lowering labour related costs? - Answer 1. downsizing
2. furloughing
3. outsourcing
4. offshoring
5. employee leasing
,What is a HPWS? - Answer High-perofrmance work system: group of HR practices that have
been proven to increase org ability to attract, hire,retain,develop high-performers
What are the 6 steps to linking strategic planning and HR? - Answer 1. Mission/vision/values
2. External analysis
3. internal analysis
4. strategy formulation
5. strategy implementation
6. evaluation
What's the difference between mission, vision and values? - Answer mission: basic purpose
and scope of operations
strategic vision: where the company is headed, where they wish to be in the future
core values: strong enduring beliefs and principles that company uses
How can HR managers help embody firm's mission/vision/values - Answer 1. communicate
them frequently
2. only hire people consistent with that
3. translate them to specific on-job behaviours
What are the 3 tools we can use in internal analysis? - Answer 1. skill inventories
2. replacement charts
3. human capital readiness
What 4 steps need to be met for a company to sustain a competitive advantage through
people? - Answer 1. resources must be valuable
2. resources must be rare
3. difficult to imitate
4. organized
What are the 2 dimensions of mapping human capital - Answer value and uniqueness
Explain the 4 quadrants of the human capital map - Answer 1. strategic (high value, unique):
skills directly linked to company's strategy and are difficult to find (e.g. CS kids in soft dev
companies)
, 2. core employees (high value, not unique): e.g. salespeople in department store, can replace
them
3. support worker(low value, not unique): clerical, maintenance, payables, HR people lmao)
4. complementary(low value, high unique): lawyers, consultants
What are the 4 distinct types of corporate cultures? - Answer 1. clan culture
2. adhocracy culture: entrepreneurial type
3. market culture: competitive, result oriented, e.g. IB
4. hierarchical: formal strcuctures and procedures: railroads, utilities
What are the 3 components of HR forecasting? - Answer 1. forecasting demand
2. forecasting supply
3. balancing supply and demand
What are three techniques to forecasting demand for employees? - Answer 1. trend analysis:
based on org index such as sales
2. advanced quant modelling (multiple factors rather than just an index)
3. management forecasts: managers saying just trust me bro
List some techniques to forecast the supply of labour - Answer 1. staffing tables: all org jobs,
who has them, future employment requirements
2. markov analysis: tracking employee movements through jobs
3. succession planning+replacement charts
4. skill inventories
What are the two ways that ur HR has to align with your business strategy? - Answer 1.
vertical fit/alignment: connection between business objectives
2. horizontal alignment: internal alignment with other HR practices
List the components of the 7-S model for strategy implementation - Answer 1. structure
2. shared values
3. systems
4. strategy
5. style
6. staff
7. skills
and Actual Detailed Answers
2026/2027 Elaborated.
What is HRM? - Answer process of managing human talent to achieve organization's
objectives
What is human capital? - Answer knowledge, skills and capabilities
What are the 3 components of the overall framework for HRM - Answer 1. Competitive
challenges
2. Human Resources
3. Employee Concerns and Issues
What are the 7 HR strategies to respond to crisis, changes and disruptions, list and define them -
Answer 1. Six Sigma
2. Reengineering:
3. Downsizing
4. outsourcing
5. change management
6. reactive change
7. proactive change
What is a knowledge worker? - Answer someone whose occupation is principally concerned
with generating or interpreting information, as opposed to manual labor
What are the 3 impacts of HRIS, list and define - Answer 1. Operational: automation of
routine tasks
2. Relational: recruiting/screening
3. Transformational: training, tracking
What are the 5 main approaches to lowering labour related costs? - Answer 1. downsizing
2. furloughing
3. outsourcing
4. offshoring
5. employee leasing
,What is a HPWS? - Answer High-perofrmance work system: group of HR practices that have
been proven to increase org ability to attract, hire,retain,develop high-performers
What are the 6 steps to linking strategic planning and HR? - Answer 1. Mission/vision/values
2. External analysis
3. internal analysis
4. strategy formulation
5. strategy implementation
6. evaluation
What's the difference between mission, vision and values? - Answer mission: basic purpose
and scope of operations
strategic vision: where the company is headed, where they wish to be in the future
core values: strong enduring beliefs and principles that company uses
How can HR managers help embody firm's mission/vision/values - Answer 1. communicate
them frequently
2. only hire people consistent with that
3. translate them to specific on-job behaviours
What are the 3 tools we can use in internal analysis? - Answer 1. skill inventories
2. replacement charts
3. human capital readiness
What 4 steps need to be met for a company to sustain a competitive advantage through
people? - Answer 1. resources must be valuable
2. resources must be rare
3. difficult to imitate
4. organized
What are the 2 dimensions of mapping human capital - Answer value and uniqueness
Explain the 4 quadrants of the human capital map - Answer 1. strategic (high value, unique):
skills directly linked to company's strategy and are difficult to find (e.g. CS kids in soft dev
companies)
, 2. core employees (high value, not unique): e.g. salespeople in department store, can replace
them
3. support worker(low value, not unique): clerical, maintenance, payables, HR people lmao)
4. complementary(low value, high unique): lawyers, consultants
What are the 4 distinct types of corporate cultures? - Answer 1. clan culture
2. adhocracy culture: entrepreneurial type
3. market culture: competitive, result oriented, e.g. IB
4. hierarchical: formal strcuctures and procedures: railroads, utilities
What are the 3 components of HR forecasting? - Answer 1. forecasting demand
2. forecasting supply
3. balancing supply and demand
What are three techniques to forecasting demand for employees? - Answer 1. trend analysis:
based on org index such as sales
2. advanced quant modelling (multiple factors rather than just an index)
3. management forecasts: managers saying just trust me bro
List some techniques to forecast the supply of labour - Answer 1. staffing tables: all org jobs,
who has them, future employment requirements
2. markov analysis: tracking employee movements through jobs
3. succession planning+replacement charts
4. skill inventories
What are the two ways that ur HR has to align with your business strategy? - Answer 1.
vertical fit/alignment: connection between business objectives
2. horizontal alignment: internal alignment with other HR practices
List the components of the 7-S model for strategy implementation - Answer 1. structure
2. shared values
3. systems
4. strategy
5. style
6. staff
7. skills
