Question 1

What are two techniques used to assess the internal supply of labour?
A) staffing tables and vacancy analysis
B) vacancy analysis and Markov analysis
C) Markov analysis and job analysis
D) staffing tables and Markov analysis

Accepted Answer

Staffing tables provide information about the current workforce, including the number of employees in each job category, their age, their years of service, and their performance levels. Markov analysis is a technique used to track the pattern of employee movements through various jobs. By analyzing past patterns of employee movement, Markov analysis can provide estimates of the number of employees that will be available to fill each job category in the future. Together, these two techniques can provide a comprehensive picture of the internal supply of labor.

Question 2

Several years ago, ThinkFast Marketing Solutions was rapidly expanding and had just over 120 permanent employees. Since then, the organization has shifted its market focus. Senior management has determined that it has 12 percent more employees than it needs to operate efficiently and effectively. What is this an example of?
A) surplus of employees
B) oversupply of labour
C) natural attrition
D) high turnover

Accepted Answer

An oversupply of labour occurs when an organization has more employees than it needs to operate efficiently and effectively. This is the situation that ThinkFast Marketing Solutions is currently facing, as senior management has determined they have 12 percent more employees than necessary. It is not a surplus of employees, as surplus implies that there are more employees than the organization needs in total, not just in terms of efficiency. It is also not natural attrition or high turnover, as these would involve a decrease in the number of employees rather than an excess.

Question 3

Which of the following do HR staff use to locate qualified internal candidates for job openings?
A) succession planning and internal job postings
B) recruitment and selection
C) internal job postings and employment branding
D) attrition and computerized record systems

Accepted Answer

HR staff typically use succession planning and internal job postings to locate qualified internal candidates for job openings. Succession planning involves identifying employees within the organization who have the potential to fill future job openings and developing their skills and knowledge to prepare them for those roles. Internal job postings allow current employees to apply for open positions before they are advertised externally. Both of these methods prioritize internal talent development and can help retain top performers within the company.

Question 4

Several years ago Jeremy Sanchez launched a specialized environmental services company. The demand for his services has been three times greater than he expected. He estimates that he requires at least six more employees to run his business successfully. What is Jeremy experiencing?
A) shortage of labour
B) lack of skills inventory
C) natural attrition
D) labour force shift

Accepted Answer

Jeremy's business is experiencing a demand that is three times greater than his expectations, indicating that there is a high demand for his specialized environmental services. Thus, he requires at least six more employees to meet demand, which suggests that he is experiencing a shortage of labor.

Question 5

What is one major consequence of inadequate HR planning?
A) Managers spend more time performing employee selection tasks.
B) Key employees leave the organization to seek better career opportunities.
C) Turnover of poor performers is reduced.
D) Changes in the demographics of the workforce go unnoticed.

Accepted Answer

Inadequate HR planning can lead to key employees leaving the organization to seek better career opportunities, resulting in a potential loss of talent and knowledge. This can also lead to increased recruitment and training costs for the organization.

Question 6

What can employee transfers within an organization achieve?
A) increase the motivation of poor performers
B) reward employees who were unsuccessful in obtaining a promotion
C) encourage employee empowerment
D) protect employees from layoffs

Accepted Answer

The answer of What can employee transfers within an organization...

Question 7

What is employment branding?
A) a recruitment technique
B) an organization's reputation as an employer
C) how an organization begins the recruitment process
D) a critical task

Accepted Answer

Employment branding refers to an organization's reputation as an employer - how it is perceived by current employees, job seekers, and the general public. It includes factors such as the company culture, values, benefits, and work environment, and is important for attracting and retaining top talent. While it is related to recruitment, it is not the same as the recruitment process itself. It is also considered a critical task for organizations looking to build a strong workforce.

Question 8

Which term refers to the process of locating and encouraging people to apply for existing or anticipated job openings?
A) hiring
B) human resource planning
C) recruitment
D) job design

Accepted Answer

Recruitment refers to the process of locating and encouraging people to apply for existing or anticipated job openings. Hiring refers to the process of selecting and appointing suitable candidates for jobs, while human resource planning is the process of forecasting future workforce needs and planning accordingly. Job design refers to the process of outlining the duties and responsibilities of a job and the qualifications needed by a job holder.

Question 9

What is a key purpose of human resource planning?
A) to provide greater job security in uncertain times
B) to remove the responsibility for effective employee selection from line managers
C) to anticipate labour shortages and surpluses
D) to deploy human resources in a manner that conforms to employment legislation

Accepted Answer

Anticipating labour shortages and surpluses is a key purpose of human resource planning. This involves forecasting the future workforce needs of the organization and developing strategies to address any potential imbalances between the demand for and supply of labour.

Question 10

What is one risk faced by organizations that rely heavily on internal candidates to fill job openings?
A) employment branding
B) employee cloning
C) labour shortages
D) low turnover

Accepted Answer

Relying heavily on internal candidates can lead to employee cloning, where a lack of diversity and fresh perspectives can hinder innovation and growth within the organization. It can also limit the organization's ability to attract new talent and can create employee dissatisfaction if opportunities for advancement are not available.

Question 11

What does employee promotion within an organization achieve?
A) It protects the organization from discrimination suits.
B) It removes some pressure from HR to fill outstanding job vacancies.
C) It reduces compensation budgets.
D) It rewards employees for past performance.

Accepted Answer

Employee promotion within an organization achieves the reward for past performance. It motivates employees to work harder and strive to achieve their goals within the organization. It also helps in retaining talent within the organization and reducing the cost of hiring and training new employees. However, it may also lead to some pressure on HR to fill the vacated position and increase compensation budgets.

Question 12

Which term refers to the process of setting overall organization objectives and developing plans to achieve them?
A) strategic planning
B) job analysis
C) environmental scanning
D) HR planning

Accepted Answer

Strategic planning refers to the process of setting overall organization objectives and developing plans to achieve them. Job analysis involves determining the duties and skill requirements of a position, environmental scanning involves monitoring and analyzing external factors that could impact the organization, and HR planning involves forecasting HR needs and developing strategies to meet those needs.

Question 13

How does effective HR planning assist an organization that has made a strategic decision to move into a new market?
A) It provides information about the objectives the organization is attempting to achieve.
B) It helps the organization to understand the relevance of the skill sets of existing employees.
C) It removes the need for managers to evaluate their current labour costs.
D) It outlines information about the compensation levels of competitors in the new market.

Accepted Answer

Effective HR planning helps the organization understand the relevance of the skill sets of existing employees, ensuring they align with the new market's demands.

Question 14

In the past, the traditional retirement age was usually 65. Today, many people postpone retirement and continue to work past 65. Which HR function does this trend have the greatest impact on?
A) selecting recruitment sources
B) planning training and development
C) determining the natural attrition rate
D) calculating salaries and benefits

Accepted Answer

The trend of postponing retirement affects the natural attrition rate, as employees are staying longer in the workforce, altering predictions of when positions will become vacant.

Question 15

What does recruiting from within enable an organization to do?
A) locate and encourage all potential job applicants
B) simplify the application of its HR practices and policies
C) capitalize on the investment it has made in recruiting, training, and development
D) broaden the pool of qualified applicants

Accepted Answer

Recruiting from within enables an organization to capitalize on the investment it has made in recruiting, training, and development by promoting existing employees who have already undergone these processes. This can lead to higher employee morale and loyalty, as well as potentially saving the organization time and money on external recruitment processes.

Question 16

What is the purpose of recruitment?
A) to create a sufficient pool of qualified applicants
B) to ensure that the organization is adequately staffed
C) to forecast demand for labour
D) to fill job vacancies

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the purpose of recruitment?
A) to...

Question 17

Margot's gourmet bakery is growing in popularity. She needs to hire two new employees, a baker and a server. Where should she focus her recruitment efforts?
A) among her current staff
B) within the city
C) across the province
D) on national job boards

Accepted Answer

Since Margot's bakery is growing in popularity, it is likely that she will find suitable candidates within the city as they may already be familiar with her brand or have heard about it through word-of-mouth. This would also make it easier for the new hires to integrate into the bakery's culture and potentially attract new customers through their social connections. Additionally, recruiting locally could be more cost-effective than searching for candidates across the province or advertising on national job boards. Focusing on the current staff may limit the pool of candidates and may not be feasible if the bakery is experiencing significant growth.

Question 18

In what type of organization does HR planning happen more systematically?
A) small organizations
B) entrepreneurial organizations
C) organizations with rapidly changing environments
D) large organizations

Accepted Answer

HR planning tends to happen more systematically in large organizations because they generally have more resources, structures, and procedures in place to support the HR function. Additionally, the scale of HR planning in a large organization can be more complex and require greater attention to detail, making systematic planning essential.

Question 19

What is human resources planning?
A) setting major organizational objectives and developing comprehensive plans to achieve these objectives
B) determining the primary direction of the firm
C) ensuring that the organization has qualified people to accomplish the strategic and operational goals of the organization
D) identifying the critical aspects of a job

Accepted Answer

Human resources planning involves ensuring that the organization has the necessary pool of qualified individuals to achieve its strategic and operational goals. This includes analyzing current and future staffing needs, identifying potential staffing shortages, and developing strategies to address these shortages through recruitment, training, and retention efforts. A and B refer to broader organizational planning, while D specifically pertains to job analysis.

Question 20

What is the first step of an effective HR process?
A) developing a strategic action plan
B) forecasting the demand for labour
C) determining the internal and external supply of labour
D) identifying the gap between demand and supply

Accepted Answer

Forecasting the demand for labour is the first step in an effective HR process. This involves analyzing past trends and future projections to estimate the number and types of employees needed to meet organizational goals. Once the demand for labour is forecasted, the HR team can move on to the next steps of determining the internal and external supply of labour, identifying the gap between demand and supply, and developing a strategic action plan.

Quiz 5: Planning For, Recruiting, and Selecting the Workforce

What are two techniques used to assess the internal supply of labour?

Which of the following do HR staff use to locate qualified internal candidates for job openings?

Several years ago Jeremy Sanchez launched a specialized environmental services company. The demand for his services has been three times greater than he expected. He estimates that he requires at least six more employees to run his business successfully. What is Jeremy experiencing?

What is one major consequence of inadequate HR planning?

What can employee transfers within an organization achieve?

What is employment branding?

Which term refers to the process of locating and encouraging people to apply for existing or anticipated job openings?

What is a key purpose of human resource planning?

What is one risk faced by organizations that rely heavily on internal candidates to fill job openings?

What does employee promotion within an organization achieve?

Which term refers to the process of setting overall organization objectives and developing plans to achieve them?

How does effective HR planning assist an organization that has made a strategic decision to move into a new market?

In the past, the traditional retirement age was usually 65. Today, many people postpone retirement and continue to work past 65. Which HR function does this trend have the greatest impact on?

What does recruiting from within enable an organization to do?

What is the purpose of recruitment?

Margot's gourmet bakery is growing in popularity. She needs to hire two new employees, a baker and a server. Where should she focus her recruitment efforts?

In what type of organization does HR planning happen more systematically?

What is human resources planning?

What is the first step of an effective HR process?