Question 1

Computers B Us is thinking about evaluating the performance of its software programmers based on the number of errors they make. A decision to use this strategy is based on which of the following assumptions?

Accepted Answer

The assumption that must hold true for evaluating the performance of its software programmers based on the number of errors they make is that it is possible to determine which programmer made the software error that is discovered. Therefore, only option E supports this assumption. Options A, B, C, and D are either irrelevant or do not support this assumption.

Question 2

Forecasting demand may result in plans to hire additional employees or plans to reduce the size of the workforce.

Accepted Answer

Forecasting demand enables organizations to plan their workforce needs accordingly, whether it be to hire more employees or reduce staff size, in order to meet the expected levels of demand.

Question 3

At Maremount Corp., ten percent of each salesperson's yearly bonus is based on whether the company as a whole reaches its yearly financial goals. The company's compensation structure is based on which fundamental principle?

Accepted Answer

Maremount Corp.'s compensation structure is based on the fundamental principle that people will work to accomplish a goal if they have a real stake in reaching the goal. By tying a portion of each salesperson's bonus to the company's overall financial performance, Maremount Corp. is giving salespeople a real stake in the company's success, which should motivate them to work harder to help the company achieve its financial goals.

Question 4

The replacement chart identifies those managers who are performing poorly and need to be replaced.

Accepted Answer

The replacement chart is not meant to identify poor-performing managers only. It is a tool used to plan for and ensure the continuity of leadership in case a manager leaves the organization due to retirement, resignation, or any other reason. It lists the potential candidates who could replace the current manager and their qualifications, skills, and other relevant information.

Question 5

Santora: The steps this organization has taken to remedy years of discriminatory practices are clearly insufficient. Granted, there has been some progress in hiring entry-level personnel. The organization's first minority employees were hired one year ago. Still, there is not one minority anywhere in upper management. This failure clearly demonstrates the organization's lack of commitment to diversity. Which of the following, if true, would weaken Santora's argument?

Accepted Answer

The requirement for candidates to have at least three years of experience with the organization before they can be considered for upper-level management positions weakens Santora's argument by providing a reasonable explanation for why there might not yet be any minority employees in upper management, given that the organization's first minority employees were hired only one year ago.

Question 6

Job analysis is a detailed study of a job to determine the specific duties and the human qualities required to perform that job.

Accepted Answer

Job analysis does involve a detailed study of a job to identify its specific duties and the necessary human qualities needed to perform it.

Question 7

External recruiting methods include advertising, union hiring halls, referrals by present employees and campus interviews.

Accepted Answer

These are all examples of external recruiting methods.

Question 8

In surveying workplace demographics across locations, Latisha Gibbons, the Swish HR manager, observes that new female and minority hires are much more likely to be hired away by Swish's rivals than nonminority hires. She is concerned and suspects that minority employees are reacting to a chilly climate for them in the workplace. Charles Clarke, Swish's CEO, is less concerned, attributing the attrition to Swish's rivals' stronger visibility among markets serving women and minorities. Which of the following, if true, would support Clarke's position that the firm does not have a diversity problem?

Accepted Answer

Statistical analysis of middle- and top-management levels revealing no evidence of gender or ethnic bias would indicate that the firm is not biased in its hiring and promotion practices, and that the attrition may be due to external market factors as Charles Clarke suggests. The other choices do not directly address whether the firm has a diversity problem or not.

Question 9

Computers B Us is thinking about evaluating the performance of its software programmers based on the number of lines of code they produce. If the following facts were known, which one would suggest that this idea is unwise?

Accepted Answer

The fact that software programmers can decide to increase the number of lines required to perform a function suggests that evaluating their performance based on the number of lines of code they produce would be unwise. This could incentivize programmers to write more code than necessary, which could lead to bloated and inefficient software.

Question 10

The purpose of recruitment is to select the very best applicant available for the position.

Accepted Answer

The purpose of recruitment is to attract a large pool of candidates to ensure a wide selection choice, not necessarily to select the very best applicant available for the position. Selection is the next step where the best candidate is chosen from those who applied.

Question 11

Florabunda, a national wholesale plant supply company that caters to home gardeners, maintains greenhouses in several locations. These provide flower and vegetable seedlings for nurseries and garden centres nationwide and also pots of flowering plants, such as tulips and poinsettias, for other holidays. Relations with employees seemed smooth for some years, but over time the firm has come to rely on short-term contingent labour, especially in the spring when Florabunda fulfills large standing orders for bedding plants. At one of its largest greenhouse locations, employees invite the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) to represent them as a union. The Florabunda greenhouse engages in collective bargaining with the UFCW. A key issue involves workplace safety, as the greenhouses are often fumigated with pesticides to kill insects. Management claims that it takes customary and effective precautions to protect the health of its workers, whereas the union expresses concerns that the pesticides might cause long-term health problems. It quickly becomes apparent that there is no medical consensus over whether a disputed pesticide causes long-term medical effects, when used according to directions. Management therefore does not want to discontinue use of the pesticide, as replacing it would be costly. However, it proposes to provide more detailed instructions to avoid misuse of the compound, and to train all workers thoroughly. If the union reps are not satisfied, which of the following would be their most productive next step?

Accepted Answer

Forming a joint subcommittee made up of both management and union members to study the issue more thoroughly would be the most productive next step. This would allow both parties to gather more information about the potential health hazards of the pesticide and come up with a mutually agreeable solution. Threatening a strike or organizing a boycott would be confrontational and likely to harm relations between the union and management. Conceding the point to management and refusing to meet with negotiators would be counterproductive for the union's goals.

Question 12

Florabunda, a national wholesale plant supply company that caters to home gardeners, maintains greenhouses in several locations. These provide flower and vegetable seedlings for nurseries and garden centres nationwide and also pots of flowering plants, such as tulips and poinsettias, for other holidays. Relations with employees seemed smooth for some years, but over time the firm has come to rely on short-term contingent labour, especially in the spring when Florabunda fulfills large standing orders for bedding plants. At one of its largest greenhouse locations, employees invite the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) to represent them as a union. The Florabunda greenhouse engages in collective bargaining with the UFCW. A key issue involves workplace safety, as the greenhouses are often fumigated with pesticides to kill insects. Management claims that it takes customary and effective precautions to protect the health of its workers, whereas the union expresses concerns that the pesticides might cause long-term health problems. The impasse continues, and the UFCW threatens to call a strike during the high-demand period of spring. What would be the most prudent response that management could use to try to overcome the breakdown in negotiations?

Accepted Answer

Running the greenhouse with management personnel and nonunion contract employees is the most prudent response because it allows the company to continue operations and fulfill the large standing orders for bedding plants without risking the safety of striking employees or compromising the health of the plants due to a lack of staffing. Instituting proceedings to decertify the union, halting operations, and organizing a picket line could all escalate the conflict and harm the company's reputation and profitability. Conceding to the union's demands would have a serious impact on Florabunda's finances and may not be sustainable in the long run.

Question 13

At Maremount Corp., ten percent of each salesperson's yearly bonus is based on whether the company as a whole reaches its yearly financial goals. The incentive plan is based on which assumption?

Accepted Answer

The incentive plan at Maremount Corp. is based on the assumption that salespeople think they can have a significant effect on the overall performance of the company. By tying a portion of their bonus to the company's financial goals, the plan motivates salespeople to work towards achieving these goals and thereby contribute to the company's success. The other options are not relevant to the assumption underlying the incentive plan.

Question 14

Human resources management involves the attraction, development, and maintenance of an effective workforce.

Accepted Answer

Human resources management encompasses all activities related to hiring, training, developing, and retaining employees to achieve organizational goals.

Question 15

Santora: The steps this organization has taken to remedy years of discriminatory practices are clearly insufficient. Granted, there has been some progress in hiring entry-level personnel. The organization's first minority employees were hired one year ago. Still, there is not one minority anywhere in upper management. This failure clearly demonstrates the organization's lack of commitment to diversity. Which of the following, if true, would strengthen Santora's argument?

Accepted Answer

This information supports Santora's argument that the organization's steps to increase diversity have been insufficient because even promising minority entry-level employees have not been given equal opportunities to advance through leadership training.

Question 16

At higher levels of the organization, managers plan for specific people and positions. The technique most commonly used is the replacement chart.

Accepted Answer

The statement is true. At higher levels of the organization, managers plan for specific people and positions using techniques like the replacement chart.

Question 17

Generally speaking, external recruitment is more effective than internal recruiting.

Accepted Answer

This statement is not universally true as both internal and external recruitment can be effective depending on the situation. Internal recruitment can be beneficial for promoting employee loyalty and retention, and may already have knowledge of the company culture and operations. On the other hand, external recruitment can bring fresh perspectives, ideas and skill sets to the company. Ultimately, the most effective recruiting strategy depends on the specific needs and goals of the organization.

Question 18

Computers B Us is thinking about evaluating the performance of its software programmers based on the market success of the products that they produce. This idea is vulnerable to what criticism?

Accepted Answer

There are many factors that can impact the market success of a product, and software programming is just one of them. Other factors such as marketing, design, and pricing also play a significant role in a product's success. Therefore, evaluating software programmers solely based on the market success of their products is not a fair or accurate measure of their performance.

Question 19

A job description describes the skills, education, and experience required by a job.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A job description describes the skills, education,...

Question 20

Florabunda, a national wholesale plant supply company that caters to home gardeners, maintains greenhouses in several locations. These provide flower and vegetable seedlings for nurseries and garden centres nationwide and also pots of flowering plants, such as tulips and poinsettias, for other holidays. Relations with employees seemed smooth for some years, but over time the firm has come to rely on short-term contingent labour, especially in the spring when Florabunda fulfills large standing orders for bedding plants. At one of its largest greenhouse locations, employees invite the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) to represent them as a union. The Florabunda greenhouse engages in collective bargaining with the UFCW. A key issue involves workplace safety, as the greenhouses are often fumigated with pesticides to kill insects. Management claims that it takes customary and effective precautions to protect the health of its workers, whereas the union expresses concerns that the pesticides might cause long-term health problems. The two sides reach an impasse, with the union demanding more expensive safety measures than management feels are necessary. If the two sides opt for arbitration as the next step, which of the following should both sides take care to do?

Accepted Answer

Both sides should prepare to present their case as if they were about to argue it before a judge and jury. This means that they should gather all pertinent information, evidence, and documentation to support their position, and craft strong and persuasive arguments to present to the arbitrator. They should also be prepared to respond to any counterarguments or challenges that the other side may present. By doing this, they can present a convincing case that will be more likely to win the support of the arbitrator. None of the other choices are appropriate or advisable. Gaining popular support through media exposure may be helpful in some contexts, but in this case, it is unlikely to sway the arbitrator. Hiding information weakens the credibility of both sides and is unethical. Sticking rigidly to positions will not help resolve the impasse and move the parties closer to a settlement. Drawing out the arbitration process will only increase costs and prolong the dispute without resolving it.

Quiz 8: Managing Human Resources and Labour Relations