JUNE 2011 EXAMINATION
eHR01
Human Resource Management
Time : Three Hours Maximum Marks : 100
Note :
1. The paper is divided in three sections: Section A, Section B and Section C.
2. Section A consists of 30 Multiple Choice Questions, each of 2 Marks. Examinees are required to attempt all of them.
3. Section B has 10 Short Answer Type Questions, each of 5 Marks. Attempt any six.
4. Section C consists of a Case Study, followed by two case based questions, each of 5 Marks. Attempt both the questions.
Section A
1. Murray, Inc. emphasizes a desire for detail-oriented, motivated employees with strong social skills as indicated in the firm's job ______.
A) specifications
B) analysis
C) descriptions
D) context
2. For which of the following jobs is direct observation NOT a recommended method for collecting job analysis data?
A) assembly-line worker
B) accounting clerk
C) attorney
D) nurse
3. Which of the following describes a job in terms of measurable and observable behaviors that an employee doing the job must exhibit to do the job well?
A) competency-based job analysis
B) Department of Labor procedure
C) functional job analysis
D) Standard Occupational Classification system
4. Employment planning requires making forecasts of three elements: the supply of inside candidates, the likely supply of outside candidates, and ______.
A) personnel needs
B) job specifications
C) supervisor salaries
D) global trends
5. The ongoing process of systematically identifying, assessing, and developing organizational leadership to enhance performance is known as ______.
A) action learning
B) employee mentoring
C) succession planning
D) employee recruiting
6. An employer will most likely use a private employment agency in order to ______.
A) reach unemployed individuals
B) receive assistance writing job ads
C) adhere to federal hiring practices
D) fill a specific job opening quickly
7. A reliable employment test will most likely yield ______.
A) consistent scores when a person takes two alternate forms of the test
B) high scores when a person takes two alternate forms of the test on different occasions
C) similar scores when two different people are administered the test at different times
D) similar scores when two different people are administered the test at the same time
8. When repetitive questions appear on a questionnaire, which of the following is most likely being measured?
A) test validity
B) retest estimate
C) equivalent form
D) internal consistency
9. ______tests include assessments of general reasoning ability and of specific mental abilities like memory and inductive reasoning.
A) Motor ability
B) Personality
C) Achievement
D) Cognitive
10. All of the following are measured by aptitude tests EXCEPT ______.
A) deductive reasoning
B) verbal comprehension
C) numerical ability
D) temperament
11. Which of the following methods for gathering background information about a job applicant is NOT recommended because of potential legal violations?
A) searching social networking sites for posted information about the applicant
B) using a database to access information about the applicant's credit history
C) asking former employers open-ended questions about the applicant
D) locating references other than the ones provided by the applicant
12. What type of interview would most likely include the statement, "Tell me about a time when you worked successfully in a team environment"?
A) situational
B) behavioral
C) subjective
D) puzzle
13. Which of the following statements is representative of what might be asked in a situational interview?
A) "Tell me about a time you showed leadership in a difficult situation."
B) "How have you handled ethical dilemmas in the past?"
C) "Suppose you were confronted with an angry customer who threatened to sue the company. What would you do?"
D) "Can you think of a time when you were especially proud of your management skills? Tell me about that."
14. In a stress interview, the interviewer ______.
A) provides an applicant with a task to complete in a set amount of time
B) tries to make the applicant uncomfortable in order to spot sensitivity
C) gives a word problem to see how the candidate thinks under pressure
D) describes a hypothetical situation to assess how the applicant responds
15. All of the following are types of on-the-job training EXCEPT ______.
A) coaching method
B) programmed learning
C) understudy method
D) job rotation
16. A structured process by which people become skilled workers through a combination of classroom instruction and on-the-job training is called ______.
A) job instruction training
B) understudy training
C) programmed learning
D) apprenticeship training
17. ______training is a method in which trainees learn on actual or simulated equipment but are trained away from the job.
A) Vestibule
B) Apprenticeship
C) Virtual-reality
D) Programmed
18. Which appraisal method combines the benefits of narrative critical incidents and quantified scales by assigning scale points with specific examples of good or poor performance?
A) behaviorally anchored rating scale
B) constant sums rating scale
C) graphic rating scale
D) alternation ranking
19. When conducting an appraisal interview, supervisors should do all of the following EXCEPT ______.
A) ask open-ended questions
B) talk in terms of objective work data
C) give specific examples of poor performance
D) compare the person's performance to that of other employees
20. Based on corporate surveys, which of the following is a true statement?
A) Very few employers require any type of performance appraisal.
B) Very few employers conduct performance appraisals on an annual basis.
C) Most employers require a review and feedback session during the appraisal process.
D) Most employers use behaviorally anchored rating scales for performance appraisals.
21. John is a sales representative in a jewelry store. He typically works 40 hours per week and his pay is completely based on his sales. He earns a 5% commission for every sale he makes. Which of the following terms best describes John's situation?
A) performance-based compensation
B) indirect financial compensation
C) time-based compensation
D) salaried plus incentives
22. Which of the following has historically been the primary issue in collective bargaining?
A) safety
B) wage rates
C) income security
D) health care benefits
23. Jennifer has worked at Bank of America for six years as a loan officer. Tina was recently hired by Bank of America as a loan officer, and Tina's salary is higher than Jennifer's salary. Which of the following terms best describes this situation?
A) wage curve
B) salary compression
C) age discrimination
D) market expansion
24. Which form of equity refers to the fairness of a job's pay rate in comparison to other jobs within the same company?
A) external
B) internal
C) distributive
D) individual
25. A company using competency-based pay compensates employees for all of the following EXCEPT ______.
A) behaviors
B) job title
C) knowledge
D) skills
26. Which of the following is a statutory process in India?
A) collective bargaining
B) employee’s grievance handling
C) recognition of trade unions
D) registration of trade unions
27. Which of the following best describes the point method of job evaluation?
A) comparing the importance of each compensable factor
B) ranking each job relative to all other jobs based on pay grade
C) categorizing jobs into grades and classes based on specific rules
D) identifying and quantifying the compensable factors present in a job
28. Which one of the following is not a worker’s participative forum in India?
A) local council
B) work committees
C) JMC
D) worker’s director
29. Jason is a British freelance journalist working in Paris, so he is most likely classified as a(n) ______.
A) local
B) expatriate
C) third-country national
D) home-country national
30. Under which of the following approach, a firm can hire people from any place around the globe______.
A) Ethnocentric
B) Geocentric
C) Regiocentric
D) Poliocentric
Section B
1. What do you mean by the “Systems approach to HRM”? What are the important subsystems of HRM?
2. Briefly describe any two statistical methods for forecasting HR demand in an organization.
3. Why is competency –based job analysis more difficult to conduct than task-based approach?
4. What specific factors will restraint managers’ freedom to recruit and select a candidate of their choice?
5. Which method or methods would you recommend for appraising the performance of the following:
a. Medical Representative
b. Nurse
c. Police Officer
6. Differentiate between Minimum Wage, Fair Wage and Living Wage.
7. What do you mean by ‘training’? Distinguish between training, development and education.
8. Define Succession Planning. Enumerate the steps involved in Succession planning.
9. Distinguish between conciliation, arbitration and adjudication. Give reasons for failure of arbitration in India.
10. What is quality circle? How it has been used as a tool for employee empowerment in India.
Section C
Vishal ltd. is a large FMCG company with more than 3,000 employees working in its different units in the various metros in India. The employees are unionized and belong to different trade unions, which are also affiliated to different political parties. The company has been following a policy of entering into negotiated settlement with unions with varying degrees of success. Recently, the company has been trying to introduce various changes in technology, work processes and the work organization. However, it is proving to be difficult to arrive at settlement, which is acceptable to the various unions and the entire work force.
1. Why employer and employee fail to arrive at negotiated settlements?
2. What steps, in your view, if implemented, may help the management to arrive at a settlement, which will achieve management’s objectives and satisfy the workforce?
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