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HR Midterm Flashcards

1
Q

What is the current U.S. unemployment rate?

A

~3.9%

December 2019 was 3.5%

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2
Q

How has U.S. union membership changed over the past 35 years?

A

Declined

Americans still hold positive views of unions.

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3
Q

What are some environmental challenges faced by HR?

A
  • Rapid change
  • Reliance on the internet
  • Workforce diversity
  • Globalization
  • Legislation
  • Skill shortages
  • Evolving work & family roles
  • Rise of the service sector
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4
Q

What are the 10 important organizational challenges today?

A
  • Decentralization
  • Downsizing
  • Organizational restructuring
  • Self-managed work teams
  • Growth of small business
  • Organizational culture
  • Technology
  • Internal & data security
  • Outsourcing
  • Product integrity
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5
Q

What are the 6 individual challenges relevant to specific employees?

A
  • Matching people & organizations
  • Ethics & social responsibility
  • Productivity
  • Empowerment
  • Brain drain
  • Job insecurity
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6
Q

What is the focus of an evolutionary business strategy?

A

Management of change

Encourages entrepreneurship and decentralization.

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7
Q

What characterizes a steady-state business strategy?

A

Choosy about growth, emphasizes efficiency and direct control

Avoids acquiring firms outside their industry.

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8
Q

What is overall cost leadership?

A

Gaining a competitive advantage through lower costs

Examples: Black & Decker, DuPont.

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9
Q

What is differentiation business strategy?

A

Attaining an advantage by creating a unique service or product

Examples: Mercedes-Benz, IBM.

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10
Q

What is the focus strategy?

A

Relies on low-cost and differentiation to serve a narrow target market

Examples: Geymboree, Porter Paint.

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11
Q

What are the characteristics of defenders in Miles & Snow’s Business Strategies?

A
  • Conservative
  • Prefer stable product/service areas
  • Structured training programs
  • Emphasis on job security
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12
Q

What defines prospectors in Miles & Snow’s Business Strategies?

A
  • Emphasize growth & innovation
  • Development of new products
  • Flexible & decentralized structures
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13
Q

What are distinctive competencies?

A

Characteristics that give a firm a competitive edge

Example: use of compensation policy.

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14
Q

What do employees want from their managers? List at least 5 items.

A
  • Honesty
  • Fairness
  • Trust
  • Respect
  • Dependability
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15
Q

What are the 6 components of corporate ethics programs?

A
  • Formal ethics code
  • Ethics committee
  • Ethics communication system
  • Ethics officer
  • Ethics training programs
  • Disciplinary process
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16
Q

What are the three models of ethical workplace culture?

A
  • Compliant ethical workplace cultures
  • Positive ethical workplace cultures
  • Virtuous ethical workplace cultures
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17
Q

What is motivation?

A

That which energizes, directs, and sustains human behavior.

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18
Q

What is the Two Factor theory of motivation?

A

Identifies factors leading to job satisfaction and dissatisfaction

Motivators vs. Hygiene factors.

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19
Q

What does the work adjustment theory of motivation suggest?

A

Motivation levels depend on the fit between individual needs and job characteristics.

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20
Q

What is the goal-setting theory of motivation?

A

Clear and challenging goals motivate employees more than easy and ambiguous goals.

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21
Q

What are the core characteristics in job characteristic theory?

A
  • Skill variety
  • Task identity
  • Task significance
  • Autonomy
  • Feedback
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22
Q

What is a defender strategy?

A

Used in stable markets with centralized management.

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23
Q

What is a prospector strategy?

A

Used in uncertain environments requiring flexibility.

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24
Q

What are the three types of organizational structures?

A
  • Bureaucratic organization structure
  • Flat organization structure
  • Boundaryless organization structure
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25
What is business process reengineering (BPR)?
Fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes.
26
What is work simplification?
Breaking work into simple, repetitive tasks for maximum efficiency.
27
What is job enlargement?
Expanding a job’s duties to reduce fatigue and boredom.
28
What is job rotation?
Rotating workers among different tasks.
29
What is job enrichment?
Putting specialized tasks back together for greater responsibility.
30
What are the benefits of job descriptions?
* Define jobs * Provide written definitions * Reliable for salary surveys * Assist in systematic analyses
31
What are core workers?
Full-time workers enjoying benefits and job security.
32
What are contingent workers?
Temporary workers hired for specific tasks or workload increases.
33
What is outsourcing?
Transferring routine work to another organization.
34
Define disparate treatment.
Discrimination based on protected class membership.
35
Define adverse (disparate) impact.
Discrimination due to unequal effects of an employment standard.
36
What is a prima facie case?
Proof of discrimination that shifts the burden of proof to the employer.
37
What is the four-fifths rule?
An HR practice is discriminatory if hiring rates for a protected class are less than 80% of the majority class.
38
What are the four basic defenses an employer can use to overcome the burden of proof?
* Job relatedness * Bona fide occupational qualification * Seniority * Business necessity
39
What are the steps in the hiring process?
* Recruitment * Selection * Socialization
40
What are the two important concepts for selection tools?
* Reliability * Validity
41
What is interviewer bias?
Unintentional creation of EEO problems due to misinterpretation during interviews.
42
What is stereotyping in the context of interviews?
Forming generalized opinions based on gender, race, etc.
43
What is inconsistency in questioning?
Asking different questions to different candidates.
44
What does scores on a test or interview correspond to?
Actual job performance
45
What is interviewer bias?
Inadvertent creation of EEO problems or inappropriate selection choices by misinterpreting information from selection interviews
46
Define stereotyping in the context of interviewing.
Forming generalized opinions about how people of a given gender, religion, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, etc. appear, think, act, feel or respond.
47
What is inconsistency in questioning?
Involves different questions asked of different candidates.
48
What is first-impression error?
Making snap judgments that cloud the entire interview.
49
What does negative emphasis refer to in interviews?
Rejecting a candidate based on a small amount of negative information.
50
What is the halo effect?
Allowing one strong point to overshadow all other information from the interviewee.
51
What is the horn effect?
Judging a potential employee unfavorably in all areas based on one negative trait.
52
Define nonverbal bias.
Placing undue influence on nonverbal cues unrelated to job performance.
53
What is the contrast effect?
A strong candidate appearing more qualified after weak candidates due to contrast.
54
What is the similar-to-me error?
Picking candidates based on personal characteristics shared with the interviewer rather than job-related criteria.
55
What does cultural noise refer to in interviews?
Failure to recognize socially acceptable responses that are not factual.
56
What can background checks include?
* Criminal background checks * Verifications of academic achievements * Driving histories * Immigration status checks * Social Security checks * Work reference checks * Credit history checks
57
What is the WARN Act?
A federal law requiring U.S. employers with 100 or more employees to give 60 days’ advance notice to employees who will be laid off.
58
What is performance appraisal?
The process that provides an opportunity for employee and performance manager to discuss development goals.
59
What is Management by Objectives (MBO)?
A goal-directed approach to performance appraisal where workers and supervisors set goals together.
60
What does the outcome approach in appraisal instruments assess?
Results achieved by workers, such as total sales or number of products produced.
61
What is a 360-degree performance appraisal?
Confidential and anonymous assessments from subordinates, peers, managers, customers, and team members.
62
What is the critical incident method?
Identifying specific incidents where employees did something well or needed improvement.
63
What is the rational perspective in organizational politics?
Assumes the value of each worker’s performance can be estimated with the goal of accuracy.
64
What is the political perspective in organizational politics?
Assumes the value of a worker’s performance depends on the supervisor's agenda with the goal of utility.
65
What are the five basic human needs in Maslow's Hierarchy?
* Basic physical needs * Safety and security * Belonging and love * Esteem * Self-actualization
66
What are hygiene factors in Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory?
Factors that surround the job and affect an employee’s willingness, such as job security and working conditions.
67
What are motivation factors in Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory?
Factors present in the job itself that affect an employee’s ability, such as opportunities for recognition and personal growth.
68
What characterizes high achievers according to McClelland’s Theory?
Set moderately difficult but achievable goals and seek concrete feedback.
69
What does Theory X assume about employees?
Employees inherently do not like to work and must be strictly controlled.
70
What does Theory Y assume about employees?
Employees dislike rigid controls and inherently want to accomplish something.
71
What is Vroom’s Expectancy Theory?
Assumes behavior results from conscious choices among alternatives linked to effort, performance, and motivation.
72
What does Equity Theory state?
People want to be treated fairly, with inputs and outcomes perceived as important for obtaining benefits.
73
What is Skinner’s Behavioral Reinforcement Theory?
Behavior is determined by its consequences, with management controlling behavior through reinforcement.
74
What are the three phases of managing the training process?
* Needs assessment * Development and conduct of training * Evaluation
75
What are the three phases of employee orientation and socialization?
* Anticipatory * Encounter * Settling-in phase
76
What are the four roles a manager should perform for employee career development?
* Coach * Appraiser * Advisor * Referral agent
77
What five personal characteristics are related to effective leadership?
* Intelligence * Dominance * Self-confidence * High levels of energy and activity * Task-relevant knowledge
78
What defines transactional leadership?
Offers rewards or threats based on employee performance of measurable tasks.
79
What are characteristics of transformational leadership?
* Charisma * Inspiration * Stimulation * Individualism

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