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Exam 2007 questions + answers

Human Resources Management (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

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Examination-HRM Fall 2007

1. Which one of the following is true of employee characteristics associated with a

willingness to accept transfers?
A) Married, rather than single, employees are generally most willing to accept
transfers
B) Among married employees, the spouse's willingness to move is the most
important influence on whether an employee will accept a transfer
C) Regardless of marital status, the most important factors in accepting a transfer
is compensation
D) Two-career families are more likely to accept a transfer than are single-career
families

Answer: B

2. Pay structure decisions are difficult, that is if an organization pays more than the
more than the market rate it puts the organization in a competitive disadvantage,
the same is also true for when an organization pays less than the market rate.
Therefore, the most important issue in determining pay level is _______ the
decision is made.

A) when
B) how
C) frequency
D) where
Answer. B taken from ppt. sheets

3. _____ refers to a company's ability to maintain and gain market share in its industry.
A) Outsourcing
B) Competitiveness
C) Self-service
D) Empowerment

Answer: B Page: 4

4. The value of a product is determined by its

A) purchase price.
B) wholesale (or book) price less production expenses.
C) quality and fit to customer needs.
D) quality and price relative to competitor's quality and price.

Answer: C Page: 5

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5. Job analysis is the building block of all personnel activities; it ensures a match
between ______ of the job and an individuals ability.

A) salary
B) promotion
C) bonus
D) requirements

Answer is D taken from ppt. sheets.

6. Strategy formulation involves all but one of the following. Name the exception.
A) Defining the firm's mission and goals
B) Assessing the firm's external opportunities and threats
C) Defining the firm's organizational structure
D) Generating various strategic alternatives

Answer: C Page: 59
7. The first step in the human resource planning process is
A) forecasting labor demand and supply.
B) goal setting.
C) program implementation.
D) program evaluation.

Answer: A Page: 177

8. Which of the following is an advantage of relying on internal recruitment sources?

A) They are likely to promote diversity in terms of race and sex
B) They minimize the impact of political considerations in the hiring decision
C) They are generally cheaper and faster than other means
D) For entry-level positions, there will always be many recruits from which to
select

Answer: C Page: 197

9. ______ is performed by demonstrating that the items, questions, or problems posed by

a test are a representative sample of the kinds of situations or problems that occur
on the job.
A) Flexible validation
B) Predictive validation
C) Content validation
D) Concurrent validation

Answer: C Page: 227

10. When conducting a needs assessment, which type of analysis is generally performed

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first?
A) Task analysis
B) Organizational analysis
C) Person analysis
D) High-leverage analysis

Answer: B Page: 262

11. All of the following are trends that have led to global market expansion, except
A) the current geo-political climate fosters tourism and foreign investment.
B) expansion opens up new markets and larger numbers of potential customers.
C) many companies are building production facilities in other countries as a
means of capitalizing on lower labor costs.
D) there has been a rapid increase in telecommunications and information
technology

Answer: A Page: 628

12. .Mary was recently told by upper management that they expected her to exercise
more authority and leadership in her work group. Just two days prior to that, her
team told her that while they appreciated the initiative she demonstrated, they
expected her to be less authoritative and more democratic in the future. The term
that best describes what Mary is experiencing is
A) role ambiguity.
B) role distance.
C) role conflict.
D) role overload.

Answer: C Page: 440

13. The most likely activities to be outsourced include:

A) transformational activities.
B) transactional activities.
C) traditional activities.
D) training activities.

Answer: B Page: 685

14. Self-efficacy is
A) the employee's belief that he or she can successfully learn the content of the
training program.
B) the desire of the trainee to learn the content of the training program.
C) the willingness of managers and peers to provide feedback and reinforcement.
D) a statement of an employee's work activity in a specific job.

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Answer: A Page: 270

15. _____ and ________systems meet the needs of both line managers and
employees by ensuring that employees are constantly increasing their human
capital and thus providing increased value to the company.
A) Compensation and benefits
B) Training and development
C) Recruiting and assessment
D) Screening and selection

Answer: B Page: 671

16. To ensure that the work environment enhances trainees' motivation to learn,
managers need to do any of the following except
A) discourage members of work group members to involve each other.
B) speak positively about the company's training programs.
C) give employees time and opportunities to practice and apply new skills or
behaviors.
D) let employees know they are doing a good job when they use training content
in their work.

Answer: A Page: 271

17. .John, who works for a U.S.-based company, is on assignment for his company in
Japan. He is known as
A) an expatriate.
B) a parent-country national.
C) a host-country national.
D) a third-country national.

Answer: A Page: 641

18.Performance planning and evaluation systems seek to tie the formal performance
appraisal process to the company's
A) organizational structure.
B) stakeholders' needs.
C) goals.
D) size.

Answer: C Page: 329

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19. Hands-on training techniques are most effective for

A) developing specific skills or dealing with interpersonal issues on the job.
B) teaching new facts or alternative problem-solving solutions.
C) continuously attempting to learn new things to apply for quality
improvements.
D) sharing ideas and experiences and getting to know one's strengths and
weaknesses.

Answer: A Page: 284

20. Which of the following is/are true regarding behavioral approaches to performance
measurement?
A) They link strategy to specific behavior needed to implement strategy
B) They provide specific guidance to employees regarding expected performance
C) They result in techniques that have a high degree of validity
D) All of the above

Answer: D Page: 351

21. .Which one of the following HR categories is lowest in its strategic value to the firm?
A) Transactional
B) Transnational
C) Transformational
D) Traditional

Answer: A Page: 667

22.The acquisition of knowledge, skills, and behaviors that improve an employee's ability
to meet changes in job requirements and in client and customer demands is called
A) development.
B) training.
C) evaluating.
D) career planning.

Answer: A Page: 383

23.______ refers to on-the-job use of knowledge, skills, and behaviors learned in
training.
A) Information absorption
B) Transfer of learning
C) Cognitive adoption
D) Rationalizing

Answer: B Page: 277

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24.The _____ approach focuses on either: (1) determining whether the introduction of a
program or practice has the intended effect, or (2) estimating the financial costs
and benefits resulting from an HRM practice.
A) wellness
B) audit
C) cost-benefit
D) analytic

Answer: D Page: 679

25. The four general approaches that companies use to develop employees include
A) formal education, assessment, job experiences, interpersonal relationships.
B) job rotation, promotion, transfer, job sharing.
C) psychological tests, assessment centers, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator,
performance feedback.
D) business games, formal courses, team building, assessment.

Answer: A Page: 385

26. Which one of the following statements about acceptability is incorrect?

A) Acceptability refers to the extent to which the performance measure assesses
all of the relevantand only the relevantaspects of performance
B) Acceptability is affected by the extent to which employees believe the
performance management system is fair
C) The three categories of perceived fairness include procedural fairness,
interpersonal fairness, and outcome fairness
D) Research suggests that performance management systems that are perceived
as unfair are likely to be legally challenged, used incorrectly, and decrease
employee motivation to improve

Answer: A Page: 339

27. Assessment is most frequently used to

A) identify employees who have skills needed for managerial positions.
B) identify the strengths and weaknesses of team members.
C) identify decision processes or communication styles that inhibit production.
D) identify employees' personality types or job interests.

Answer: A Page: 389

28..A country that serves as the home for a corporation's headquarters is referred to as the
A) host country.
B) parent country.
C) first country.
D) third country.

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Answer: B Page: 641

29. Job rotation involves

A) adding challenges or new responsibilities to the employee's current job.
B) giving employees job assignments in various functional areas of the company.
C) advancement into a position with greater challenge, more responsibility, and a
pay increase.
D) moving employees into a position at the same level, but with less authority
and responsibility.

Answer: B Page: 398

30. Which HR strategy begins by identifying the major business needs and issues,
considers how people fit in and what people outcomes are necessary, and builds
HR systems focused on meeting those needs?
A) HR-focused
B) People-linked
C) Business-linked
D) Business-driven

Answer: D Page: 673

31._____ turnover is turnover initiated by the organization.

A) Involuntary
B) Voluntary
C) Accidental
D) Incidental

Answer: A Page: 427

32. Subordinates, as a source of performance information, are generally most appropriate

when the performance results are to be used for
A) administrative purposes.
B) investigative purposes.
C) strategic purposes.
D) developmental purposes.

Answer: D Page: 362

33.The three components of job satisfaction are

A) compensation, working conditions, and peer support.
B) values, perceptions, and importance of individual views.
C) job involvement, organizational commitment, and job withdrawal.
D) physical environment, social environment, and the person.

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Answer: B Page: 436

34. Which of the following is not a purpose of performance management systems?
A) Administrative
B) Developmental
C) Investigative
D) Strategic

Answer: C Page: 332

35._____ pay comparisons focus on what employees within the same organization, but in
different jobs, are paid.
A) External equity
B) Interior incentive
C) Internal equity
D) Exterior incentive

Answer: C Page: 464

36.Which of the following is an example of an indirect payment?
A) Wages
B) Health insurance
C) Bonuses
D) Salaries

Answer: B Page: 465

37. Product market competition, labor market conditions and _______ _______ are
essential elements to include in decisions about pay structures.

A) employee perceptions
B) competitors products
C) shareholders plans
D) product development

Answer. A taken from ppt. sheets

38. The _____ gap in pay in often not detectable by market pay ____.

A) gender; surveys
B) gender; evaluations
C) evaluation; scales
D) evaluation; factors

Answer. A taken from ppt. sheets

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39._____ capital refers to the productive capabilities of individualsthat is, the

knowledge, skills, and experiences that have economic value.
A) Resource
B) Labor
C) Human
D) Technical

Answer: C Page: 636

40.Job withdrawal is
A) the loss of jobs within an organization due to adverse economic forces.
B) a set of behaviors that dissatisfied individuals enact to avoid the work
situation.
C) the retracting of a job offer following the results of the pre-employment
physical.
D) a change in employee attitude, causing the employee to be less committed to
his or her job.

Answer: B Page: 434

41.Which of the following options for reducing an expected labor surplus has the benefit
of being a relatively fast solution, but the disadvantage of being high in human
suffering?
A) Downsizing
B) Retirement
C) Retraining
D) Work sharing
Answer: A Page: 182

42. Integrative linkage is

A) dynamic, multifaceted, and based on continuing rather than sequential
interaction.
B) dynamic, multifaceted, and based on sequential rather than continuing
interaction.
C) simple, based on a single rather than continuing interaction.
D) simple, based on a continuing rather than single interaction.

Answer: A Page: 63

43.Which one of the following HR roles has a future/strategic focus and a people
orientation?
A) Management of strategic human resources
B) Management of firm infrastructure
C) Management of employee contribution
D) Management of transformation and changes

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Answer: D Page: 7

44. What is the name of the process that manages the pattern or plan that integrates an
organization's major goals, policies, and action sequences into a cohesive
whole?
A) Long-range planning
B) Strategy implementation
C) Management by objectives
D) Strategic management

Answer: D Page: 59

45.Companies that engage in human resource planning tend to use

A) statistical forecasting methods.
B) judgmental forecasting methods.
C) a balanced approach of statistical and judgmental components.
D) a balanced approach of statistical and quantitative components.

Answer: C Page: 178

46. A small company that manufactures special-order wood furniture has kept its
employees busy on a 40-hour-a-week schedule for the past two years. The company
just received the largest contract in its history from a Saudi company opening offices in
the area. There is no expectation of repeat business from the Saudi company. In order to
complete the contract in the required six months, additional skilled woodworking
manpower is needed. Under these circumstances, to avoid an expected labor shortage,
the best option would be
A) overtime.
B) the use of temporary employees.
C) turnover reduction.
D) new external hires.

Answer: A Page: 183

47.The extent to which performance on the selection measure (i.e., the predictor) is
associated with performance on the job is called
A) reliability.
B) validity.
C) generalizability.
D) utility.
Answer: B Page: 223

48.Which one of the following factors affecting HRM in global markets represents the set

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of important assumptions (often unstated) that members of a community share in

common about the world, how it works, and what things are important?
A) Human capital
B) Culture
C) Foreign competition
D) Codetermination

Answer: B Page: 631

49.The level of uncertainty about what the organization expects from the employee in
terms of what to do and how to do it is called
A) role ambiguity.
B) role distance.
C) role conflict.
D) role overload.

Answer: A Page: 439-440

50. Organizations have to create a fit between the environment, human capital______
_____, and organizational goals. All of these elements should be considered
in designing jobs.
A) competitive strategy
B) consumer needs
C) market trends
D) shareholders goals

Answer A taken from ppt. sheets

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