Question 1

An expert system can increase efficiency by enabling more highly skilled employees to do work that otherwise would require many less-skilled employees.

Accepted Answer

An expert system can increase efficiency by enabling fewer or less-skilled employees to do work that otherwise would require many highly skilled employees.

Question 2

High-performance work systems are characterized by high employee turnover.

Accepted Answer

Outcomes of a high-performance work system include higher productivity and efficiency. A high-performance work system may have other outcomes, including high product quality, great customer satisfaction, and low employee turnover.

Question 3

The reward systems of an organization include the performance measures by which employees are judged and the methods of measuring performance.

Accepted Answer

Reward systems contribute to high performance by encouraging people to strive for objectives that support the organization's overall goals. Reward systems include the performance measures by which employees are judged, the methods of measuring performance, and the incentive pay and other rewards linked to success.

Question 4

Measures of employees' performance should take the effects of situational constraints into account.

Accepted Answer

An organization should monitor economic conditions, the organization's culture, and other influences of situational constraints on performance. Measures of employees' performance should take these influences into account.

Question 5

A standard feature of a modern Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS)is the use of relational databases,which store data in separate files that can be linked by common elements.

Accepted Answer

A standard feature of a modern Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) is the use of relational databases, which store data in separate files that can be linked by common elements. These common elements are fields identifying the type of data.

Question 6

For an organization's human resource division,"customers" are the organization's top management.

Accepted Answer

In recent years, human resource management at some organizations has responded to the quest for total quality management by taking a customer-oriented approach. For an organization's human resource division, "customers" are the organization as a whole and its other divisions.

Question 7

A written code of ethics is usually ineffective if it is developed with input from employees about situations they encounter.

Accepted Answer

A number of organizational systems can promote ethical behavior. These include a written code of ethics that the organization distributes to employees and expects them to use in decision making. This type of guidance can be especially effective if developed with input from employees about situations they encounter.

Question 8

A condition underpinning any high-performance organization is that employees be fully engaged with their work.

Accepted Answer

A condition underpinning any high-performance organization is that employees be fully engaged with their work. Employee engagement is the degree to which employees are fully involved in their work and the strength of their commitment to their job and company. Being fully engaged tends to require that employees experience their jobs as fulfilling or allowing them to fulfill important values. Research supports the idea that employees' job satisfaction and job performance are related.

Question 9

Compensation usually discourages high-performance organizations when it is linked in part to performance measures.

Accepted Answer

Compensation supports high-performance organizations when it is linked in part to performance measures.

Question 10

Creating a high-performance work system is similar to traditional management practices because both treat decision making about technology,organization structure,and human resources as unrelated.

Accepted Answer

Creating a high-performance work system contrasts with traditional management practices. In the past, decisions about technology, organizational structure, and human resources were treated as if they were unrelated. More recently, managers have realized that success depends on how well all elements work together.

Question 11

Research suggests that it is more effective to improve HRM practices as a whole than to focus on one or two isolated practices.

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that it is more effective to improve HRM practices as a whole than to focus on one or two isolated practices, such as the organization's pay structure or selection system. Also, to have the intended influence on performance, the HRM practices must fit well with one another and the organization as a whole.

Question 12

A benefit of e-HRM is that employees can help themselves to information they need when they need it,instead of contacting an HR staff person.

Accepted Answer

A benefit of e-HRM is that employees can help themselves to the information they need when they need it, instead of contacting an HR staff person.

Question 13

To set up a performance management system that supports the organization's goals,managers need to understand the process of employee performance.

Accepted Answer

Performance management, ensures that employees' work contributes to achieving the organization's goals. To set up a performance management system that supports the organization's goals, managers need to understand the process of employee performance.

Question 14

To create a learning organization,one challenge is to shift the focus of training away from merely generating and sharing knowledge toward a stronger focus on teaching skills.

Accepted Answer

Knowledge is shared. Therefore, to create a learning organization, one challenge is to shift the focus of training away from merely teaching skills and toward a broader focus on generating and sharing knowledge.

Question 15

In the context of e-HRM,online appraisal or talent management systems provide data that can help managers spot high performers to reward or types of skills where additional training is a priority.

Accepted Answer

Most administrative and information-gathering activities in human resource management can be part of e-HRM.

Question 16

High-performance organizations do not need selection methods that identify more than technical skills.

Accepted Answer

High-performance organizations need selection methods that identify more than technical skills like ability to perform accounting and engineering tasks. Employers may use group interviews, open-ended questions, and psychological tests to find employees who innovate, share ideas, and take initiative.

Question 17

People experience occupational intimacy when they love their work,when they and their co-workers care about one another,and when they find their work meaningful.

Accepted Answer

People experience occupational intimacy when they love their work, when they and their co-workers care about one another, and when they find their work meaningful.

Question 18

An organization's HR department makes most decisions about organizational structure.

Accepted Answer

An organization's top management makes most decisions about structure, for instance, how many employees report to each supervisor and whether employees are grouped according to the functions they carry out or the customers they serve.

Question 19

Transaction processing includes the activities required to meet government reporting requirements.

Accepted Answer

Transaction processing refers to computations and calculations involved in reviewing and documenting HRM decisions and practices. It includes documenting decisions and actions associated with employee relocation, training expenses, and enrollment in courses and benefit plans. Transaction processing also includes the activities required to meet government reporting requirements, such as filling out EEO-1 reports, on which employers report information about employees' race and gender by job category.

Question 20

The most popular way to empower employees is to design work so that it can be performed by individuals.

Accepted Answer

One of the most popular ways to empower employees is to design work so that it is performed by teams. On a work team, employees bring together various skills and experiences to produce goods or provide services.

Quiz 9: Creating and Maintaining High-Performance Organizations