Exam (elaborations) Test Bank For Basics of Human Resource Management

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1) Human resources management refers to: A) the management of people in organizations. B) concepts and techniques for organizing work activities. C) all managerial activities. D) concepts and techniques used in leading people at work. E) management techniques for controlling people at work. 2) The knowledge, education, training, skills, and expertise of a firm's workers is known as: A) physical capital. B) management's philosophy. C) human capital. D) production capital. E) cultural diversity. 3) Human resources practices that support strategy include: A) performance management. B) production scheduling. C) policies and procedures. D) staffing practices. E) rewards practices. 4) A company utilizes a system to measure the impact of Human Resources which balances measures relating to financial results, customers, internal business processes and human capital management. This system is knows as the: A) HRIS. B) balanced strategy. C) Human Capital Index. D) balanced scorecard. E) none of the above. 5) You have been tasked with building employee engagement at the firm you work for. Strategic human resources initiatives you would consider implementing include: A) employee recognition programs and management development programs. B) diversity programs. C) employee recognition programs. D) employee relations activity. E) job design indicators. 6) HR department staff members are traditionally involved in key operational responsibilities. Which of the following is an operational responsibility? A) setting goals and objectives B) collecting metrics C) analyzing metrics D) interpreting human right laws E) interpreting health and safety legislation 7) Being completely familiar with employment legislation, HR policies and procedures, collective agreements, and the outcome of recent arbitration hearings and court decisions is most closely related with which of the following HR activities? hzzled A) serving as a consultant B) formulating policies and procedures C) offering advice D) providing services E) serving as a change agent 8) The practice of contracting with outside vendors to handle specified functions on a permanent basis is known as A) hiring temporary employees. B) payroll and benefits administration. C) contract administration. D) outsourcing. E) labour-management relations. 9) The company's plan for how it will balance its internal strengths and weaknesses with external opportunities and threats in order to maintain competitive advantage is known as A) HR strategy. B) strategy. C) environmental scanning. D) policies and procedures. E) none of the above. 10) Rita is the HR Director of a manufacturing company. She recently undertook research to identify competitor compensation and incentive plans, information about pending legislative changes and availability of talent in the labour market for the upcoming strategic planning meeting. Rita was conducting: A) environmental scanning. B) an employee engagement survey. C) an external market survey. D) an envrionmental study. E) an external opportunities/threats study. 11) The HR manager of Smith & Yu company was heavily involved in a downsizing exercise of the company's sales force due to an economic downturn. He was also involved in arranging for outplacement services and employee retention programs as well as restructuring of the business following the downsizing. This is an example of HR's role in: A) formulating strategy. B) operational activities. C) environmental scanning. D) environmental scanning and executing strategy. E) executing strategy. 12) The core values, beliefs, and assumptions that are widely shared by members of an organization are known as: A) organizational climate. B) the strategic plan. C) the mission statement. D) organizational culture. E) the pervading atmosphere. 13) As the HR consultant of a newly formed company, Arun has planned a presentation for the line managers on organizational culture and the purpose it serves. Which of the following points would Arun have included in his presentation? hzzled A) creating a worldlier atmosphere B) fostering employee loyalty and commitment C) increasing training levels D) succession planning E) fostering employee loyalty and commitment and providing employees with a sense of direction 14) The prevailing atmosphere or ''internal weather" that exists in an organization and its impact on employees is A) the importance of having a mission statement. B) the need for a corporate culture. C) a myth about organizations. D) organizational climate. E) the need for performance appraisals. 15) Revlex Inc. has decided to allow its front line workers to make decisions regarding the ordering of certain supplies that were formerly made by managers. This initiative is an example of: A) workplace incentives. B) a change in organizational climate. C) management development. D) job restructuring. E) employee empowerment. 16) Joe Brown was hired by a manufacturing firm as a supervisor. During his first few weeks as a supervisor he realised that employees who report to him expect a lot of direction from him and expect all of the decision making to be done by him. Joe Brown decided to train his employees to take on additional responsibilities and make decisions within a specific scope. Joe Brown is: A) embracing his staff. B) outsourcing his staff. C) empowering his staff. D) reducing his staff. E) none of the above. 17) Economic downturns are generally associated with: A) high turnover. B) more competition for qualified employees. C) skills shortages. D) an overwhelming number of job applicants for vacancies. E) lower unemployment rates. 18) The ratio of an organization's outputs to its inputs is known as: A) the labour market. B) productivity. C) the supply and demand equation. D) competitive ability. E) the equity ratio.