Chapter 2: Task Analysis & Learning Objectives

Question 1

True or false: There are no direct links between training and business strategy and goals.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Is this true about a learning organization?
It emphasizes that learning occurs at both the group and organizational levels.

Answer 2

Yes

Question 3

What are implications of the emphasis on learning for companies?

Answer 3

• Companies need to support informal learning that develops through mentoring, social networks, and job experiences.
• The work environment of companies needs to promote learning and help employees find ways to obtain learning on the job.

Question 4

What capabilities are needed for companies as they recognize the value of training and development and view them as part of a broader learning strategy?

Answer 4

• Movement of learning outside the company to include customers, suppliers, and vendors
• Delivery and design of leadership development courses

Question 5

What is the correct order in the strategic training and development process?

Answer 5

1. Identify a business strategy
2. Choose strategic training and development initiatives that support a business strategy
3. Translate strategic training and development initiatives into concrete training and development activities
4. Identify measures or metrics

Question 6

True or False. It is a plan that assimilates a company’s goals, policies, and actions.

Answer 6

True

Question 7

Identify the key features of a learning organization

Answer 7

• Knowledge creation, distribution, sharing, and implementation are practiced.
• Innovation, risk-taking, and exploration by employees are encouraged.

Question 8

Is this an implication of the emphasis on learning for human capital development in an organization?
Learning has to be related to aiding the employee improve performance.

Answer 8

Yes

Question 9

Identify the key capabilities that are needed when a company views the value of training and development as part of its learning strategy.

Answer 9

• Measurement of the overall business impact of the learning function
• Alignment of learning goals to business goals

Question 10

The second component in developing or changing a business strategy is the _____, which are what a company hopes to accomplish in the medium to long term

Answer 10

company goals

Question 11

The first component in creating a new business strategy or changing an existing one is the _____, which is a statement of a company’s purpose of existence

Answer 11

company mission

Question 12

True or false: Training can contribute to achieving different business goals.

Answer 12

True

Question 13

The third and fourth components in developing or changing a business strategy, external and internal analysis, together form what is called a(n) _____ _____

Answer 13

SWOT analysis

Question 14

The last component in developing or changing a business strategy is _____ _____

Answer 14

strategic choice

Question 15

Is this a true statement about strategic training and development initiatives?
They differ by company depending on a company’s industry, objectives, resources, and capabilities.

Answer 15

Yes

Question 16

How does a company determine whether training and development activities actually contribute to the business strategy and goals?

Answer 16

By identifying and collecting metrics

Question 17

The _____ represents the strategy considered the best alternative to accomplish company goals

Answer 17

strategic choice

Question 18

Strategic training and development initiatives are _____

Answer 18

learning-related actions that a company should follow to ensure it accomplishes its business strategy

Question 19

What is used to measure training success?

Answer 19

• Employee retention
• Customer service

Question 20

A(n) _____ is a way of performance evaluation that provides managers a choice to look at the overall company performance or the performance of departments or functions (such as training) from the view of internal and external customers, employees, and shareholders

Answer 20

balanced scorecard

Question 21

As firms grow in size there is a greater need to _____

Answer 21

provide current employees with more formalized training and development

Question 22

In today’s world, employees’ work include _____

Answer 22

performing many roles once limited to management

Question 23

_____ are business-level results selected to measure the overall value of training or learning initiatives.

Answer 23

Metrics

Question 24

Unlike training in large firms, most training in small firms is usually _____

Answer 24

informal and on-the-job rather than formal and structured

Question 25

True or false: The roles that employees have in a company do not influence the focus of training, development, and learning activity.

Answer 25

False

Question 26

Identify the roles today's managers are expected to perform.

Answer 26

- Planning and allocating resources - Developing employees and promoting continuous learning

Question 27

What are the roles of the CEO of a company?

Answer 27

- Participating actively in government of learning - Establishing a clear direction for learning

Question 28

Global Vision Inc., a retail chain, plans to expand to locations in foreign countries. It plans to train its employees based in different locations. Which of the following strategies would be helpful in achieving this goal?

Answer 28

Developing a standard global learning approach that is locally appropriate

Question 29

One of the most important roles for mid-level managers and executives is to _____

Answer 29

manage group performance

Question 30

When unemployment is low and/or businesses are growing at a high rate and require more employees, companies often find it difficult to _____

Answer 30

attract new employees

Question 31

The CEO, the top manager in a company, and other members of the executive team, play a key role in:

Answer 31

determining the importance of training and learning in the company.

Question 32

For companies with global operations, training is utilized to prepare employees for _____

Answer 32

temporary or long-term overseas assignments

Question 33

_____ _____ _____ practices include management activities dealing with investments in staffing, performance management, training, and compensation and benefits.

Answer 33

Human resource management

Question 34

Identify a true statement about companies in an unstable or recessionary business environment—one characterized by mergers, acquisitions, or disinvestment of businesses.

Answer 34

Training may be abandoned or restricted to the decision of the manager.

Question 35

Which of the following aspects of a company's staffing strategy influence training?

Answer 35

- The places from where the company prefers to recruit human resources to fill vacant positions - The criteria utilized to make promotion and assignment decisions

Question 36

The extent to which employees are rare and specialized and not highly available in the labor market is referred to as _____

Answer 36

uniqueness

Question 37

Identify the human resource management practices that influence the type of training and the resources devoted to training.

Answer 37

- Staffing strategy - The strategic value of jobs and employee uniqueness

Question 38

_____ _____ _____ involves the identification, analysis, forecasting, and planning of changes required in the human resource area to ensure that a company meets changing business conditions.

Answer 38

Human resource planning

Question 39

Unions' interest in training has resulted in _____

Answer 39

joint union-management programs developed to facilitate preparation of employees for new jobs

Question 40

A company's decisions regarding where to find employees, how to select them, and the desired mix of employee skills and statuses (temporary, full-time, etc.) are referred to as _____ _____

Answer 40

staffing strategy

Question 41

VW Heights Inc., a real estate developer, acquired the financially troubled airline Luminous Airways. Due to the airline's poor performance across quarters, VW Heights sold Luminous Airways to Krane Air, a well-performing airline. Identify a training implication that VW Heights Inc. is most likely to face as a result of this disinvestment.

Answer 41

Outplacement assistance

Question 42

The employee potential to improve company effectiveness and efficiency is referred to as _____

Answer 42

strategic value

Question 43

Identify an advantage of human resource planning for a company.

Answer 43

It allows the company to anticipate the movement of human resources in the company.

Question 44

When companies begin retraining and productivity-improvement efforts without involving unions, _____

Answer 44

the efforts are likely to fail

Question 45

Speedo Auto, an automobile manufacturer, acquires Eleclite Inc., a manufacturer of consumer electronics, to expand into new markets by using the external growth business strategy. Which of the following training implications would Speedo Auto most likely face as a result of this strategy?

Answer 45

Integration of training systems

Question 46

_____ means that training and development programs, resources, and professionals are primarily housed in a single location and that decisions about training investment, programs, and delivery methods are made from that department.

Answer 46

Centralized training

Question 47

Corporate universities can provide significant advantages for a company's learning efforts by _____

Answer 47

limiting costs and maximizing the benefits of learning

Question 48

Which of the following is the last step in the creation of a corporate university?

Answer 48

Learning that occurs as a result of a corporate university is linked to performance improvement.

Question 49

A(n) _____ learning function is characterized on the basis of five competencies: strategic direction, product design, structural versatility, product delivery, and accountability for results.

Answer 49

business-embedded

Question 50

An advantage of a centralized training function is that it _____

Answer 50

gives the company a cost advantage in purchasing training from vendors and consultants

Question 51

The business-embedded model with centralized training allows a company to _____

Answer 51

ensure that training can facilitate delivery methods that meet the needs of specific businesses

Question 52

A _____ comprises employees, managers, and stakeholders outside the company, including community colleges, universities, high schools, and grade schools.

Answer 52

corporate university

Question 53

Identify a feature of a learning function that is business-embedded.

Answer 53

It decides when and how to deliver training based on customer requirements.

Question 54

Identify the conditions necessary for changes to occur in a company.

Answer 54

- Organizational structures, such as compensation and performance management systems, must facilitate the change. - Employees must recognize the reasons for change and agree with those reasons.

Question 55

There is an increasing trend for the training function, especially in companies that have separate business units, to be _____

Answer 55

organized by a combination of the business-embedded model and centralized training that often includes a corporate university

Question 56

Before implementation of a new training or development practice, trainers should consider _____

Answer 56

how they can increase the chances of its acceptance

Question 57

Which of the following is a step in a change process in an organization?

Answer 57

Communicate and market for buy-in.

Question 58

TechLite IT, an IT consulting firm, outlines its business strategy and creates a new mission statement. It plans to ensure that its business strategy is supported by training. Identify a feature of the business-embedded learning function started by TechLite IT.

Answer 58

It provides customized training solutions based on customer needs.

Question 59

_____ involves generating employees' and managers' interest about training and learning.

Answer 59

Internal marketing

Question 60

Identify the change-related problems that need to be addressed before implementation of any new training practice.

Answer 60

- Task redefinition - Power imbalance - Loss of control - Resistance to change

Question 61

Identify a suggestion that can be used to build a training brand.

Answer 61

Identify factors that influence customers' views of the training function.

Question 62

The outsourcing of any business process, such as human resources management, production, or training, is referred to as _____ _____ _____

Answer 62

business process outsourcing

Question 63

Which of the following is a successful internal marketing tactic for creating a brand?

Answer 63

Demonstrating how a training and development program can solve specific business needs

Question 64

An accurate statement about a training brand in a training function is that it is _____

Answer 64

used to bring in and retain customers

Question 65

Identify a reason why companies outsource training.

Answer 65

time savings that allow a company to focus on business strategy