人力资源管理英文版选择题题库1.doc

Chapter 1: Human Resource Management
and Competitive Advantage, 5
Chapter1
Exam Questions
1. The human resource management function (56)
A. is concerned with ensuring that a firm's human resources have the land, capital, and equipment needed to perform their jobs effectively.
B. helps an organization deal effectively with its people during the various phases of the employment cycle--pre-selection, selection, and post-selection.
C. is necessary only in those organizations where labor-management relations are strained.
D. is irrelevant in an age of rapidly changing work processes.
Answer: B
2. The dominant activity in the pre-selection phase of the employment cycle is
A. planning.
B. performance management.
C. selection.
D. assessment.
Answer: A
3. Developing human resource practices for effectively managing people is most closely associated with which phase of the employment cycle? (38)
A. pre-selection
B. selection
C. post-selection
D. management phase
Answer: C
4. Human resource planning has as its primary goal (39)
A. gathering, analyzing, and documenting information about jobs.
B. locating and attracting job applicants.
C. helping managers anticipate and meet the changing need for human resources.
D. measuring the adequacy of an employee's job performance.
Answer: C
5. The decision to use a personality inventory in the employee selection process would be made based on (43)
A. job analysis information.
B. human resource planning information.
C. performance appraisal information.
D. recruitment information.
Answer: A
6. Which of the following is not among the external factors influencing human resource management?
A. rapid advances in technology
B. a high rate of illiteracy among the work force
C. company policy regarding flexible work arrangements
D. emphasis on quality improvement
Answer: C
7. Unions are most likely to influence company policies regarding (59)
A. human resource planning, job analysis, and recruitment.
B. discipline, promotions, and grievances.
C. international human resource management.
D. strategic planning and resource allocation.
Answer: B
8. Which of the following is not one of the issues that needs to be addressed when establishing operations in other countries?
A. setting performance standards
B. use of expatriates
C. cultural differences
D. compensation
Answer: A
9. Which statement below best describes the relationship between line management and HR professionals? (58)
A. HR professionals focus more on developing human resource programs, while line managers are more involved in implementing those programs.
B. HR professionals are solely responsible for evaluating programs designed to manage human resources.
C. Line management requires the services of the HR professional only infrequently.
D. Line management focuses more on developing human resource programs, while the HR professional is more involved in implementing programs.
Answer: A
10 Which of the following activities is most consistent with the HR professional’s role of developing/choosing HRM methods? (31)
A. determining the order in which job applicants should complete selection measures.
B. determining that a test of cognitive ability should be used as part of a selection process.
C. determining that a personality test has been ineffective in screening job applicants.
D. offering a manager instruction on how to appraise employee performance.
Answer: B
11. Which of the following activities is not part of the line manager's role in the HRM process? (32)
A. interview job applicants
B. settle grievance issues
C. provide and communicate job performance ratings
D. develop an evaluation strategy for training programs
Answer: D
12. A competitive advantage is defined in the text as (33)
A. a demonstrated willingness to take on all competitors in the marketplace.
B. hiring a workforce that has a high need for achievement.
C. achieving a superior marketplace position relative to one’s competition.
D. organizational self-confidence.
Answer: C
13. A cost leadership strategy for gaining competitive advantage can be produced by(34)
A. reducing the cost of production, regardless of the number of units produced.
B. increasing the number of units produced, regardless of the cost per unit.
C. cutting overhead costs while maintaining or increasing the number of units produced.
D. performing regularly scheduled maintenance on production equipment.
Answer: C
14. Product differentiation can offer a firm a competitive advantage because (35)
A. it allows a firm to offer a unique product not being offered by competitors.
B. it can reduce a product’s cost per unit.
C. it reduces a firm’s dependence on one supplier for raw materials.
D. imitating a competitor’s strategy is the surest way to be competitive.
Answer: A
15. Which of the following statements best characterizes the relationship between a firm’s HRM practices and important outcome measures such as productivity, profits, and overall organizational performance? (36)
A. HRM practices have little impact on such “hard measures” of organizational performance.
B. Firms with progressive HRM practices tend to perform better on such hard measures of organizational performance than those using less sound practices.
C. Those firms that use sophisticated HRM practices tend to be only slightly less successful than other firms.
D. The more money a firms spends on salaries for HRM personnel, the more successful it will be.
Answer: B
16. According to Jeffrey Pfeffer, a firm that adopts a program of employee participation and empowerment is most likely to generate (37)
A. uncertainty among the workforce regarding job responsibilities.
B. support from union leadership.
C. a decline in short-term profits until the organization adapts to the change.
D. a competitive advantage by increasing employee satisfaction and productivity.
Answer: D
17. According to the model linking HRM practices to competitive advantage discussed in chapter 1, which of the following HRM practices can have a direct effect on achieving competitive advantage?
A. performance appraisal
B. HR planning
C. unions
D. workplace justice programs
Answer: A
18. According to the model linking HRM practices to competitive advantage discussed in chapter 1, which of the following employee-centered outcomes is a direct result of implementing progressive HRM practices?
A. employee retention
B. legal compliance
C. employee competence
D. company image
Answer: C
19. Organizational citizenship concerns(40)
A. an employee’s willingness to engage in work behaviors that are not usually specified in a job description.
B. the relative strength of an employee’s identification with and involvement in a particular organization.
C. the favorableness of an employee’s attitude toward his or her job.
D. the tendency of an organization to be involved in the civic affairs of the community in which it resides.
Answer: A
20. An employee is overheard saying “I think the company is doing the right thing by introducing this new product line. I hope I get the chance to work on it.” This statement most likely reflects the employee’s (41)
A. organizational commitment.
B. organizational citizenship.
C. job satisfaction.
D. self-efficacy.
Answer: A
21. Which of the following pairs of HRM practices is most likely to influence employee motivation?(42)
A. job analysis and HR planning
B. selection and productivity improvement programs
C. training and safety and health programs
D. motivation is one of the few variables that cannot be improved using HR practices.
Answer: B
22. According to the model linking HRM practices to competitive advantage discussed in Chapter 1, how can one describe the relationship between organization-centered outcomes and employee-centered outcomes?
A. organization-centered outcomes are believed to “cause” employee-centered outcomes.
B. employee-centered outcomes are believed to “cause” organization-centered outcomes.
C. both employee-centered and organization-centered outcomes are believed to have direct paths to competitive advantage but no effect on each other.
D. organization-centered outcomes are directly influenced by certain HRM practices, while employee-centered outcomes are not.
Answer: B
23. Which of the following strategies is not used by HR professionals to achieve cost leadership? (44)
A. motivating workers to be more productive by introducing a productivity improvement program.
B. developing a performance appraisal system that provides workers with the feedback necessary to be more productive.
C. introducing a new piece of equipment to improve worker efficiency.
D. using a more efficient recruitment strategy to reduce the cost of hiring new workers.
Answer: C
24. The use of HRM practices can promote a sustained competitive advantage because(45)
A. being the first to institute an innovative HR practice discourages a firm's competition.
B. HR practices cannot be imitated.
C. people are a firm’s most valuable resource.
D. the organizational environment in which innovative HR practices are implemented can rarely be duplicated.
Answer: D
25. Which of the following HR practices is likely to have the greatest and most direct impact on achieving competitive advantage through product differentiation?
A. compensation
B. selection
C. job analysis
D. performance appraisal
Answer: B