Human Resource Management | 30+ MCQ | Part 3
Between 2012 and 2022, what ethnic group is projected to decrease as a percentage of the workforce?
A) Black
B) Hispanic
C) Asian
D) White
Answer: D
Explanation: The percentage of the workforce that is white is expected to fall from 79.8% in 2012 to 77.7% in 2022.
______ refers to the tendency of firms to extend their sales, ownership, and/or manufacturing to new markets abroad.
A) Expansion
B) Globalization
C) Export growth
D) Diversification
Answer: B
Explanation: Globalization is the tendency of firms to extend their sales, ownership, and/or manufacturing to new markets abroad. Firms usually expand globally to expand sales, cut labor
costs, or form partnerships with foreign firms.
All of the following are the most common reasons that firms decide to globalize EXCEPT ________.
A) Lower costs
B) Supervising quality control methods
C) Make employees more productive
D) To do things better
Answer: B
Explanation: Globalization compels employers to be more efficient. More globalization means more competition, and more competition means more pressure to be "world class"—to lower
costs, make employees more productive, and do things better and less expensively.
Which was NOT a change in the economic and political philosophies that drove the globalization boom causing U.S. imports and exports to rise from $47 billion in 1960, to $562 billion in 1980, to about $5.1 trillion recently?
A) Government dropped cross-border taxes or tariffs
B) Economic free trade areas were formed
C) Steps were taken to encourage free flow of trade among countries
D) Instability in the world labor market
Answer: D
Explanation: Globalization brings both benefits and threats to consumers. It means lower prices and higher quality on practically everything from computers to cars, but also the
prospect of working harder, and perhaps having less secure jobs.
Which of the following is NOT one of the five main types of digital technologies driving the transfer of functionality from HR professionals to automation?
A) Email
B) Social media
C) Mobile applications
D) Cloud computing
Answer: A
Explanation: While email is an important tool at work, it is not one of the primary types of digital technology that is transferring functionality to automation.
What term refers to the knowledge, skills, and abilities of a firm's workers?
A) Human resources
B) Human capital
C) Intangible assets
D) Contingent personnel
Answer: B
Explanation: Human capital is the knowledge, skills, and abilities of a firm's workers. In the modern workforce, employment is shifting from manual workers to knowledge workers.
Which of the following describes one of the most significant demographic trends facing the U.S. workforce?
A) Increased number of aging workers
B) Decreased number of contingent workers
C) Increased number of blue-collar workers
D) Decreased number of bilingual workers
Answer: A
Explanation: One of the most significant demographic trends facing the U.S. workforce is the increasing number of aging workers, who are those over age 55. There are not enough younger
workers to replace the projected number of baby boom era older-worker retirees. As a result, many retirees are returning to the workforce.
Over the next few years, employers may face a severe labor shortage because ________.
A) There are fewer people entering the workforce than there are retiring baby boomers
B) One-third of single mothers are not employed in the U.S. labor force
C) There are too many nontraditional workers holding multiple jobs
D) Older employees are more family-centric than younger employees
Answer: A
Explanation: Employers are faced with a possible labor shortage because baby boomers account for a large percentage of the workforce. As these workers reach retirement age, younger
workers will need to fill the open positions, except there are fewer younger workers available. The family-centric nature and poor work values of younger workers are problematic for employers, but neither one is the cause of a labor
shortage.
What is the term for workforces like those at the company Uber, where freelancers and independent contractors work when they can, on what they want to work on, and when the company needs them?
A) Tele-commuters
B) Human capital
C) Job-analysts
D) On-demand workers
Answer: D
Explanation: On-demand workers are freelancers and independent contractors who work when they can on what they want to work on, when the company needs them.
Which of the following best describes a nontraditional worker?
A) Workers near retirement age
B) Ethnically diverse workers
C) Workers with multiple jobs
D) Service-based workers
Answer: C
Explanation: Nontraditional workers include those who hold multiple jobs, or who are "temporary" or part-time workers, or who are working in alternative work arrangements. Today, almost
10% of American workers fit this nontraditional workforce category.
The recent trend where in some occupations (such as high-tech) unemployment rates are low, while in others unemployment rates are still very high and recruiters in many companies can't find candidates, while in others there's a wealth
of candidates is called:
A) Talent analytics
B) Globalization
C) The unbalanced labor force
D) Human capital
Answer: C
Explanation: The unbalanced labor force is shown in that in some occupations, unemployment rates are low, while in others, unemployment rates are still very high. In some industries,
recruiters in many companies can't find candidates, while in others there's a wealth of candidates.
Approximately how many people now use information technology to work from remote locations at least once per month?
A) 1 million
B) 5 million
C) 17 million
D) 50 million
Answer: B
Explanation: About 17 million people now use information technology to work from remote locations at least once per month.
Which term refers to exporting jobs to lower-cost locations abroad?
A) Freelancing
B) Offshoring
C) Rightsizing
D) Warehousing
Answer: B
Explanation: Many organizations are moving jobs offshore, exporting jobs to lower-cost locations abroad.
Tools such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn that can be used to recruit new employees are known as:
A) Data analytics
B) Social media
C) Mobile applications
D) Cloud computing
Answer: B
Explanation: Employers increasingly use social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn (rather than, say, as many employment agencies) to recruit new employees.
______ involves using statistical techniques, algorithms, and problem-solving to identify relationships among data for the purpose of solving particular problems.
A) Data analytics
B) Social media
C) Cloud computing
D) Gaming
Answer: A
Explanation: Data analytics is using statistical techniques, algorithms, and problem-solving to identify relationships among data for the purpose of solving particular problems.
In the next few years, almost all the new jobs added in the United States will be in goods-producing industries.
Answer: FALSE
Explanation: In the US, the next few years, almost all the new jobs added will be in services, not in goods-producing industries.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, between now and 2022 the number of workers classified as "white, non-Hispanic" will decrease, and the number of workers classified as Asian will increase.
Answer: TRUE
Explanation: The number of workers classified as "white, non-Hispanic" is expected to decrease by 2022. The workforce will see an increase in the number of Asian, Hispanic, and
African-American workers according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
As baby boomers retire from the workforce, there will be more people entering the labor pool than leaving it.
Answer: FALSE
Explanation: Many human resource professionals call "the aging workforce" the biggest demographic trend affecting employers. The basic problem is that there aren't enough younger
workers to replace the projected number of baby boom era older-worker retirees.
On-demand workers are freelancers and independent contractors who work when they can, on what they want to work on, and when the company needs them.
Answer: TRUE
Explanation: On-demand workers, like those at Uber, are freelancers and independent contractors who work when they can on what they want to work on, when the company needs them.
Cloud computing basically means using statistical techniques, algorithms, and problem-solving to identify relationships among data for the purpose of solving particular problems.
Answer: FALSE
Explanation: Data analytics means using statistical techniques, algorithms, and problem-solving to identify relationships among data for the purpose of solving particular problems.
In what way has technology changed human resources management? Discuss at least 3 technologies that have had an impact.
Answer: Five main types of digital technologies are driving this transfer of functionality from HR professionals to automation. Employers increasingly use social media tools such as
Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn (rather than, say, as many employment agencies) to recruit new employees. Employers use new mobile applications, for instance, to monitor employee location and to provide digital photos at the facility
clock-in location to identify workers. The feedback, fun, and objectives inherent in gaming support many new training applications, and websites such as Knack, Gild, and True Office enable employers to inject gaming features into
training, performance appraisal, and recruiting. Cloud computing and more intuitive user interfaces enable employers to monitor and report on things like a team's goal attainment and to provide real-time evaluative feedback. Finally,
data analytics basically means using statistical techniques, algorithms, and problem-solving to identify relationships among data for the purpose of solving particular problems (such as what are the ideal candidate's traits, or how can
I tell in advance which of my best employees is likely to quit?) When applied to human resource management, data analytics is called talent analytics.
On-demand workers are a developing part of the workforce. In a brief essay, explain what on-demand workers are and how they impact organizations.
Answer: Today, in more and more companies like Uber, Elance, and Airbnb, employees aren't employees at all. They are what are called on-demand workers, or freelancers and independent
contractors who work when they can on what they want to work on when the company needs them. So, for example, Airbnb can run, in essence, a vast lodging company with only a fraction of the "regular" employees Hilton Worldwide or another
hotel chain would need, as the lodgings are managed by the homeowners themselves. Other sites tapping on-demand workers include Amazon's Mechanical Turk, Elance-oDesk, TaskRabbit, and Handybook (which lets users tap Handy's thousands of
freelance cleaners and furniture assemblers when they need jobs done). These short-term professionals can be viewed as "mobile, independent bundles of skills." Employers' increasing reliance on such Uber-like "extended workforces" has
implications for HR. Companies that rely on freelancers, consultants, and other such nontraditional employees will need to create personnel policies on matters like compensation for these "nonemployees" and become more expert as talent
brokers in matching specific workers with specific tasks that need to be done.
How has increasing globalization affected business?
Answer: Globalization has impacted how and where companies do business. Free trade areas—agreements that reduce tariffs and barriers among trading partners—encourage international
trade. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the European Union (EU) are examples. Globalization has boomed for the past 50 or so years. For example, the total sum of U.S. imports and exports rose from $47 billion in 1960,
to $562 billion in 1980, to about $5.1 trillion recently. Changing economic and political philosophies drove this boom. Governments dropped cross-border taxes or tariffs, formed economic free trade areas, and took other steps to
encourage the free flow of trade among countries. The fundamental economic rationale was that by doing so, all countries would gain, and indeed, economies around the world did grow quickly until recently. At the same time, globalization
vastly increased international competition. More globalization meant more competition, and more competition meant more pressure to be "world class"—to lower costs, to make employees more productive, and to do things better and less
expensively. As multinational companies jockey for position, many transfer operations abroad, not just to seek cheaper labor but to tap into new markets. For example, Toyota has thousands of sales employees based in America, while GE
has over 10,000 employees in France. The search for greater efficiencies prompts some employers to offshore (export jobs to lower-cost locations abroad, as when Dell offshored some call-center jobs to India). Some employers offshore
even highly skilled jobs such as lawyer. Managing the "people" aspects of globalization is a big task for any company that expands abroad—and for its HR managers.
______ involves formulating and executing human resource policies and practices that produce the employee competencies and behaviors the company needs to achieve its strategic aims.
A) Employee engagement
B) Data analytics
C) Strategic human resource management
D) Sustainability
Answer: C
Explanation: Strategic human resource management involves formulating and executing human resource policies and practices that produce the employee competencies and behaviors the
company needs to achieve its strategic aims.
About what percentage of all job openings are now posted online?
A) 15%
B) 35%
C) 50%
D) 70%
Answer: D
Explanation: Approximately 70% of all job openings are now posted online.
Which of the following is an aspect of "distributed" HR?
A) More centralized HRM decisions
B) HRM tasks redistributed to the company's employees and line managers
C) More paperwork
D) HR professional embedded in all departments
Answer: B
Explanation: Distributed HR involves more and more human resource management tasks being redistributed from a central HR department to the company's employees and line managers,
thanks to digital technologies like mobile phones and social media.
According to the textbook, approximately what percentage of job seekers used Glassdoor during their job search to learn about a company they might apply for?
A) 11%
B) 32%
C) 48%
D) 70%
Answer: C
Explanation: According to one report, 48% of job seekers surveyed said they've used Glassdoor during their job search, including checking before applying for employment at a company.
Strategic human resource management refers to ________.
A) Formulating and executing human resource policies and practices that produce the employee competencies and behaviors the company needs to achieve strategic aims
B) Planning the balance of internal strengths and weaknesses with external opportunities and threats to maintain competitive advantage
C) Emphasizing the knowledge, education, training, skills, and expertise of a firm's workers
D) Extending a firm's sales, ownership, and manufacturing to new markets
Answer: A
Explanation: Strategic human resource management involves formulating and executing human resource policies and practices that produce the employee competencies and behaviors the
company needs to achieve strategic aims. Strategic human resource plans enable a company to hire the employees who will exhibit the behaviors the company needs to accomplish its goals.
