HRM Final Examination

HRM/300 Final Examination Instructions: Indicate your answers by highlighting them with the highlighter tool or using a different color (or something else that will show me your answers!). Remember to post the completed Final Examination as an MS Word attachment in your Individual Forum by 11:59pm MST Monday, Day 7 of Week 5. 1. Which of the following provides the best description of downsizing? a) An activity aimed at cutting jobs by incrementally improving the quality of products and services. b) An activity that involves linking staffing levels to organizational goals. c) An activity aimed at creating greater efficiency by eliminating certain jobs. d) An activity aimed at cutting jobs by sending work “outside” the firm to be done by individuals not employed with the firm. e) An activity aimed at cutting the greatest number of jobs. 2. Which of the following is not true regarding workforce diversity in the United States? a) Differences are increasingly recognized and celebrated in organizations. b) Minority and female applicants have become the fastest-growing segments of the workforce over the last 30 years. c) Firms increasingly establish policies that consider various work styles. d) As globalization becomes more pronounced, so does the importance of managing workforce diversity for U.S. organizations. e) Accommodating the needs of minority and female employees is less and less a major responsibility for managers. 3. Work process engineering is: a) another name for downsizing. b) another name for rightsizing. c) a continuous improvement method that radically increases an organization’s productivity. d) an organizational commitment to incrementally improving the quality of products and services. e) a radical change in an organization. 4. HRM typically provides which of these types of training to temporary employees? a) Retirement planning b) Benefits options c) Orientation d) Career planning and management e) Technology certification 5. Employee involvement requires extensive additional HRM activity in which of these areas? a) Training b) Benefits c) Labor negotiation d) Ergonomics e) Marketing 6. Ethics refers to: a) a set of rules or principles that defines what is legal and what is illegal. b) a set of rules or principles that defines right and wrong conduct. c) a situation in which decisions are made based on religious rules or principles. d) a situation in which individuals make decisions based primarily on their best interest. e) a situation in which individuals make decisions based primarily on the best interest of the most economically disadvantaged individuals. 7. Today, the percentage of minority managers in the United States is approximately: a) 8% b) 29% c) 5% d) 15% e) 35% 8. David conducts new employee orientation for a large organization. His work is within which basic HRM function? a) Management b) Motivation c) Career planning d) HRIS e) Training and development 9. HRM consists of the following four basic functions: a) staffing, compliance, motivation, and maintenance. b) staffing, training and development, motivation, and maintenance. c) staffing, training and development, motivation, and employee relations. d) staffing, training and development, employee benefits, and employee relations. e) staffing, training and development, career development, and employee benefits. 10. Which training and development activity focuses on system-wide changes? a) Employee development b) Employee training c) Career development d) System development e) Organization development 11. Which of the following is not an external influence that affects HRM? a) Labor unions b) Governmental legislation c) Job design d) Globalization e) Technology 12. Which of the following is not true regarding the maintenance function? a) Maintaining employees’ commitment to the organization. b) Maintaining employees’ loyalty to the organization. c) Ensuring a safe and healthy work environment. d) Ensuring that the employees have the appropriate skills and abilities to perform their jobs. e) Helping employees exert at high energy levels. 13. Which of the following is not true regarding Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964? a) It prohibits discrimination in hiring, compensation, terms, conditions, and privileges of employment based on race, religion, color, sex, or national origin. b) It protects employees 40-65 years of age from discrimination. c) It prohibits retaliation against an individual who files a charge of discrimination. d It prohibits retaliation against an individual who opposes any unlawful practice. e) It specifies compliance based on the number of employees in the organization. 14. Which of the following is not true regarding affirmative action plans? a) Affirmative action programs are instituted by a company to correct past injustices in an employment process. b) Affirmative action means that a firm must take certain steps to show that it is not discriminating. c) Affirmative action means that a firm must always hire members of minority groups and women before it hires white males. d) Over the past decade, there has been a backlash against affirmative action programs. e) It is unlikely that affirmative action programs disappear in the near future. 15. Dan, an HR recruiter, just returned from a trip to his alma mater, an exclusive east coast men’s school. He visits 12 schools a season. He just hired 75% of his new hires for this year. Dan’s firm is an EEO employer. Is there a problem? a) Yes. Disparate impact may result from this employment practice. b) No. EEO has no bearing on such hiring practices. c) Yes. This action violated comparable worth. d) No. This action is exactly what EEO encourages. e) Yes. Employment tests are required for all new employees. 16. Larry, confined to a wheelchair since his accident, has been denied a job as a data clerk because the workstations are too small to accommodate his wheelchair. Can he sue under the ADA? a) Yes. This is a clear instance of adverse impact. b) No. Data clerks are expected to work in tight quarters. c) Yes. This is a clear violation of reasonable accommodation. d) No. The correct law in this case is the EEOC. e) Yes. Title VIII specifically addresses Larry’s situation. 17. A security company instituted a 5’10’’ height requirement as a condition of employment for security guards. Such a height requirement is likely to create: a) a disparate treatment. b) an adverse impact. c) a bona fide occupational impact. d) a reverse discrimination effect. e) a reverse treatment effect. 18. Which Supreme Court case made invalid any test or diploma requirements that disqualified African Americans at a substantially higher rate than whites if the differentiation could not be proved job related? a) Griggs v. Duke Power. b) Washington v. Davis. c) Wyant v. Jackson Board of Education. d) U.S. v. Paradise. e) Wards Cove Packing Company v. Antonio 19. Which of the following act allows employees to retain their employer-offered health insurance coverage while taking unpaid leave for family matters? a) Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. b) Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1991. c) Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. d) Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. e) Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978. 20. Ted, an HR executive, is attending a conference. Topics include specific mentoring assignments for potential executive candidates, job options that enhance promotion potential for traditionally underrepresented candidates, and the value of diversity at all levels of an organization. What is the conference focus? a) Comparable worth b) Glass ceiling c) Adverse impact d) Work equivalencies e) Disparate impact 21. Which of the following is not a law affecting employee rights? a) The Privacy Act b) The Drug-Free Workplace Act c) The Fair Credit Reporting Act d) The Fairness in Employment Act e) The Employee Polygraph Protection Act. 22. Dwayne worked for a 500-employee manufacturer in the rust belt. The company closed his plant with no advance notice to employees as it failed and applied for bankruptcy. He showed up for work one Monday and saw a sign on the fence announcing the plant closing and the bankruptcy. What protection is Dwayne given under W.A.R.N.? a) No protection. W.A.R.N. doesn’t apply in the case of bankruptcy. b) Dwayne will receive an amount of money equal to 60 days’ pay and benefits. c) No protection. The company was too small. d) Dwayne will receive a job and relocation expenses to another plant site. e) No protection. W.A.R.N. only applies to partial layoffs. 23. Research studies suggest that a) honesty tests are not reliable. b) honesty tests are very expensive to administer. c) a small number of companies in the United States are using honesty tests to screen applicants. d) honesty tests can be effective devices to screen applicants. e) honesty tests are not valid 24. Elizabeth works for a large appliances store in the Midwest. She has heard a that employees are filmed in the restroom. Can this rumor be true? rumor a) No, because it would violate the Privacy Act of 1974. b) No, because it would violate the Decent Workplace Act of 1985. c) No. It is unethical to film employees in the restroom. d) Yes, because the employer owns the company. e) Yes, if the employer included this type of employee monitoring in a written policy and explained the policy to the employees. 25. Serena was fired for refusing to sign her name to a time card that she knew was inaccurate. What type of wrongful discharge suit could she file? a) Employment-at-will doctrine b) Breach of good faith c) Public policy violation d) Implied contract e) Contractual relationship 26. The steps of the strategic planning process, in order, are: a) Strategy, structure, goals, mission. b) Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats. c) Mission, goals, people, strategy d) Goals, strategy, structure, people. e) Planning, organizing, leading, controlling 27. During a meeting Julandre, a top executive at XYZ, Inc. made a presentation about the organizational strengths that represent the firm’s unique skills and resources. Julandre insisted that these organizational strengths should give XYZ, Inc, a competitive edge in the future. What was Julandre referring to in this meeting? a) The mission statement of the company. b) The strategic statement of the company. c) The strategic planning process of the company. d) The core strategy of the company. e) The core competency of the company. 28. Which of the following is not true regarding recruiting? a) It is fairly easy to generate a pool of qualified candidates. People always need jobs. b) An effective recruiting process requires a significant pool of candidates to choose from. c) The greater the number of applicants, the better the chances of finding an individual who is best suited to the job requirements. d) A good recruiting program should attract the qualified and discourage the unqualified. e) Recruiting is the process of seeking sources for job candidates. 29. Paul has successfully completed the initial screening phase of the selection process. What is his next step? a) Screening inquiries b) Screening interviews c) Background check d) Complete the application form e) Screening personality test 30. Which of the following is not true regarding career development in today’s contemporary organizations? a) Employees are responsible for managing their careers. b) Organizations have an obligation to manage their employees’ careers. c) Organizations’ responsibility is to build employee self-reliance. d) Organizations’ responsibility is to help employees maintain their marketability through continual learning. e) Organizations should provide support so employees can continually add to their skills, abilities, and knowledge.