MHC Chapter 10 Practice

Which of the following terms refers to educating, instructing, and training subordinates?
A) mentoring
B) coaching
C) appraising
D) grading
E) recruiting

Answer: B Explanation: Coaching means educating, instructing, and training subordinates. Mentoring means advising, counseling, and guiding. Recruiting refers to searching for job candidates.

The process of advising, counseling, and guiding employees is known as ________.
A) coaching
B) appraising
C) assessing
D) mentoring
E) training

Answer: D Explanation: Mentoring means advising, counseling, and guiding. Coaching means educating, instructing, and training subordinates. Both coaching and mentoring skills are needed for appraising employees, but appraising and assessing refer to rating an employee.

________ focuses on helping an employee make long-term career plans, while ________ addresses an employee’s short-term job skills.
A) Mentoring, coaching
B) Coaching, mentoring
C) Recruiting, coaching
D) Recruiting, mentoring
E) Mentoring, recruiting

Answer: A Explanation: Mentoring means advising, counseling, and guiding an employee towards long-term career goals. Coaching means educating, instructing, and training subordinates in performing short-term job-related skills. Recruiting refers to searching for job candidates.

You have been assigned to coach an employee who is struggling with work assignments. Which of the following steps should you complete first?
A) reach agreement with the employee on a plan
B) ask the employee open-ended questions
C) offer ideas and advice to the employee
D) observe the employee on the job
E) assess your own coaching skills

Answer: D Explanation: Preparation means understanding the problem, the employee, and the employee’s skills, and it is the first step in the coaching process Your aim here is to formulate a hypothesis about what the problem is, which requires observing the employee to see what he or she is doing, and observe the workflow and how coworkers interact with the employee.

In the first stage of coaching, it is recommended that coaches use the ABC approach, which refers to ________.
A) actions, behavior, and consequences
B) appraisals, benefits, and competencies
C) antecedents, behavior, and consequences
D) antecedents, bias, and competencies
E) actions, benefits, and criteria

Answer: C Explanation: During the preparation step, a coach needs to develop a hypothesis, and it can help to apply the ABC (antecedents, behavior, consequences) approach. The basic idea of ABC is that poor skills and motivation don’t always explain poor performance.

Dick’s Sporting Goods is a sports and fitness retailer with over 300 stores in 34 states. After beginning as a
small bait and tackle shop in 1948, Dick’s has grown to become a leader in the sports and fitness retail industry. Many career opportunities are available Dick’s in areas as diverse as IT, product development, merchandising, and store management. Top management at Dick’s realizes the importance of hiring and retaining quality employees. As a result, the firm has decided to implement policies, practices, and programs that support employees’ career needs.

Which of the following, if true, would best support the argument that Dick’s should assign a coach to each new employee?
A) The turnover rate of newly hired hourly employees at Dick’s Sporting Goods is higher than the industry average.
B) Many new employees at Dick’s Sporting Goods have expressed interest in the firm’s tuition reimbursement program.
C) Dick’s Sporting Goods has integrated preretirement counseling and succession planning into its career management practices.
D) Dick’s Sporting Goods uses talent management software to place new employees in the most appropriate positions.
E) Dick’s Sporting Goods provides two weeks of on-the-job training to all new employees.

Answer: A Explanation: A high turnover rate of newly hired hourly employees suggests that employees are quitting because they do not know how to perform their jobs. Coaching involves educating, instructing, and training subordinates on short-term job-related skills, and it would most likely help reduce the turnover rate. Choice E undermines the need for assigned coaches.

Employment coaches and mentors can improve their interpersonal communication skills with all of the following techniques EXCEPT ________.
A) listening for total meaning
B) encouraging the speaker to talk
C) finishing the speaker’s sentences
D) considering potential distractions
E) being consistent both verbally and nonverbally

Answer: C Explanation: Effective interpersonal communication skills involve listening for total meaning, encouraging others to talk, considering distractions like background noise, and being consistent with speech and expression. Mentors are advised against finishing sentences for the speaker.

________ is a process for enabling employees to better understand and develop their career skills and interests and to use these skills and interests most effectively within the company and afterwards.
A) Organizational development
B) Career management
C) Career development
D) Career planning
E) Performance management

Answer: B Explanation: Career management is a process for enabling employees to better understand and develop their career skills and interests and to use these skills and interests most effectively within the company and after they leave the firm. Specific career management activities might include providing realistic career oriented appraisals, posting open jobs, and offering formal career development activities.

Which of the following terms refers to the lifelong series of activities that contribute to a person’s career exploration, establishment, success, and fulfillment?
A) organizational development
B) performance management
C) career development
D) career management
E) career planning

Answer: C Explanation: Career development is the lifelong series of activities that contribute to a person’s career exploration, establishment, success, and fulfillment. Career planning is the formal process through which someone becomes aware of his or her personal skills, interests, knowledge, motivations, and other characteristics. Career management is a process for enabling employees to better understand and develop their career skills and interests.

Which of the following is a specific example of a career development activity?
A) job evaluation
B) training workshop
C) college recruitment
D) performance appraisal
E) employee coaching

Answer: B Explanation: Career development is the lifelong series of activities that contribute to a person’s career exploration, establishment, success, and fulfillment. Job evaluation, recruitment, appraisals, and coaching only indirectly contribute to a person’s career development, while a training workshop is a specific method for career development.

Which of the following best describes career planning?
A) a deliberate process through which someone becomes aware of personal skills, interests, knowledge, and motivations and establishes action plans to attain specific career goals.
B) the lifelong series of activities that contribute to a person’s career exploration, establishment, success, and fulfillment
C) a process of helping employees to better understand and develop their career skills and interests and to use these skills and interests most effectively.
D) the process of educating, instructing, and training subordinates as they develop their career interests and job skills.
E) the process of advising, counseling, and guiding subordinates as they maneuver through their long-term career plans.

Answer: A Explanation: Career planning is the deliberate process through which someone becomes aware of his or her personal skills, interests, knowledge, motivations, and other characteristics. Choice B describes career development, and Choice C describes career management. Choice D refers to coaching, and Choice E refers to mentoring.

Jackie is working with a coach to identify her personal skills and interests. Afterwards, she will investigate opportunities that fit her skills and interests and set specific career goals. In which of the following activities is Jackie most likely participating?
A) organizational development
B) career management
C) career development
D) career planning
E) job training

Answer: D Explanation: Career planning is the deliberate process through which someone becomes aware of his or her personal skills, interests, knowledge, motivations, and other characteristics and establishes action plans to attain specific goals.

Employers benefit from offering career development programs to employees in all of the following ways EXCEPT ________.
A) supporting recruitment efforts
B) boosting employee commitment
C) improving employee retention rates
D) enhancing employee strengths
E) facilitating performance analysis

Answer: E Explanation: Performance analysis refers to verifying and correcting an employee’s performance deficiency, but it is not a benefit of career development programs. Firms that offer career development programs boost employee commitment, support recruitment and retention efforts, and equip employees with useful skills.

Unlike human resource planning with a traditional focus, human resource planning with a career development focus takes into consideration ________.
A) current job analyses
B) future skills and tasks
C) specific project requirements
D) statistical data about employees
E) employee interests and preferences

Answer: E Explanation: The primary difference between HR planning with a traditional focus and HR planning with a career development focus is that consideration is given to individual interests and preferences. Both consider job analysis, project requirements, skills, and statistical data.

Unlike training and development with a traditional focus, training and development with a career development focus provides employees with ________.
A) opportunities for learning job skills
B) monetary training compensation
C) career path information
D) performance appraisals
E) specific job descriptions

Answer: C Explanation: Training and development with a traditional focus provides opportunities for learning skills, information, and attitudes related to the job. The career development focus adds career path information and individual career development plans.

Firms that adhere to a traditional rather than a career development focus will most likely NOT provide employees with compensation for their ________.
A) volunteer work
B) productivity
C) performance
D) talent
E) time

Answer: A Explanation: Employees are rewarded for time, talent, performance, and productivity under both the traditional and career development methods of HR. However, a career development focused organization will compensate employees for tuition and non-job related activities, such as volunteer work.

Dick’s Sporting Goods is a sports and fitness retailer with over 300 stores in 34 states. After beginning as a
small bait and tackle shop in 1948, Dick’s has grown to become a leader in the sports and fitness retail industry. Many career opportunities are available Dick’s in areas as diverse as IT, product development, merchandising, and store management. Top management at Dick’s realizes the importance of hiring and retaining quality employees. As a result, the firm has decided to implement policies, practices, and programs that support employees’ career needs.

Which of the following, if true, would best support the argument that Dick’s should add a career aspect to its human resource activities?
A) Dick’s Sporting Goods’ current policies and practices categorize the firm as a high-performance work system.
B) Dick’s Sporting Goods’ performance appraisals will include development plans and individual goal setting.
C) Dick’s Sporting Goods’ sales volume and hourly employee needs typically fluctuate throughout the year.
D) Dick’s Sporting Goods’ competitors in sports and fitness retail base hiring decisions on statistical data.
E) Dick’s Sporting Goods’ will screen potential candidates using structured situational interviews.

Answer: B Explanation: Performance appraisals with a traditional focus include ratings and rewards, but firms that have a career development focus add development plans and individual goal setting. Such additions can better equip employees and support their career development needs more effectively than traditional appraisals.

Dick’s Sporting Goods is a sports and fitness retailer with over 300 stores in 34 states. After beginning as a
small bait and tackle shop in 1948, Dick’s has grown to become a leader in the sports and fitness retail industry. Many career opportunities are available Dick’s in areas as diverse as IT, product development, merchandising, and store management. Top management at Dick’s realizes the importance of hiring and retaining quality employees. As a result, the firm has decided to implement policies, practices, and programs that support employees’ career needs.

All of the following questions are relevant to Dick’s Sporting Goods’ decision to implement a career development program EXCEPT ________.
A) What is the average length of time that an employee works for Dick’s Sporting Goods?
B) How would the profits of Dick’s Sporting Goods be affected by a change in hiring practices?
C) How will the promotion process currently used at Dick’s Sporting Goods need to be modified?
D) What are the career needs and opportunities available to minorities and women employed by Dick’s Sporting Goods?
E) What will be the effect on recruiting and placement if employees’ interests and attitudes are taken into consideration by the HR department at Dick’s Sporting Goods?

Answer: B Explanation: Issues such as recruiting, employee commitment, career development needs, and promotion processes are all relevant to a decision to implement a career development program. Profits and hiring practices are less relevant to the decision.

In regards to an employee’s career development, it is the responsibility of the ________ to make career plans, set goals, and utilize development opportunities.
A) employer
B) employee
C) recruiter
D) HR manager
E) immediate supervisor

Answer: B Explanation: Employees are responsible for making career plans, setting goals, and utilizing development opportunities in respect to their own career development. Managers are responsible for providing feedback and developmental assignments, and the employer should provide training opportunities.

All of the following are the role of the employer in an employee’s career development EXCEPT ________.
A) communicating policies and procedures
B) providing training opportunities
C) analyzing interests, values, and skills
D) providing performance feedback
E) offering a variety of career paths

Answer: C Explanation: It is the role of the employee to analyze his or her interests, values, and skills. Employers are responsible for communicating the firm’s policies, providing training and feedback, and offering various career paths.

Which of the following is primarily the role of the manager in an employee’s career development?
A) establishing career plans
B) providing career information
C) seeking development opportunities
D) providing academic assistance programs
E) providing accurate performance feedback

Answer: E Explanation: It is the role of the manager to provide timely and accurate performance feedback to subordinates. Choices A and C are the duties of the employee. Choices B and D are the responsibilities of the employer.

Which of the following is directly responsible for providing employees with timely performance feedback and developmental assignments for the purpose of career development?
A) firm
B) manager
C) employee
D) recruiter
E) HR specialist

Answer: B Explanation: Managers are responsible for providing employees with timely and accurate performance feedback as well as developmental assignments and support.

Oracle has established a ________ to serve as an employee resource for Web-based career development materials, individual career coaches, and career workshops.
A) career organization
B) vocational training
C) work sampling
D) career center
E) career cycle

Answer: D Explanation: Career centers may include a Web-based or offline library of career development materials, career workshops, workshops on related topics (such as time management), and individual career coaches for career guidance.

Which of the following is the organization’s role in an employee’s career development?
A) providing mentoring opportunities to support growth
B) participating in career development discussions
C) providing timely performance feedback
D) establishing goals and career plans
E) seeking out career information

Answer: A Explanation: It is the responsibility of an organization to provide mentoring opportunities to support an employee’s growth. Choices D and E are the roles of the employee, while Choices B and C are the manager’s responsibilities.

Which of the following is primarily the responsibility of an employee in his or her own career development?
A) communicating the firm’s policies and procedures
B) providing timely performance feedback
C) providing support with assignments
D) establishing goals and career plans
E) offering a variety of career options

Answer: D Explanation: Employees are responsible for establishing career goals and making career plans. The firm is responsible for communicating its mission and policies and for offering a variety of career options. Choices B and C are roles of the manager in an employee’s career development.

Which of the following refers to an organized learning event in which participants conduct self-assessments, set goals, and develop action plans?
A) competency-based job analysis
B) career planning workshop
C) job instruction training
D) management retreat
E) team building event

Answer: B Explanation: A career planning workshop is "a planned learning event in which participants are expected to be actively involved, completing career planning exercises and inventories and participating in career skills practice sessions." A typical workshop includes a self-assessment, an environmental assessment, goal-setting, and action-planning.

Once a month, Tom meets with a group of employees from various departments at his firm. They gather for breakfast in one of the firm’s conference rooms to discuss their individual career goals. Which of the following terms most likely describes Tom’s group?
A) labor union
B) career success team
C) corporate fraternity
D) career anchor team
E) management planning group

Answer: B Explanation: A career success team is a small group of employees that meets periodically to support one another in achieving their career goals.

All of the following are types of career development initiatives implemented by employers EXCEPT ________.
A) 401(k) plans
B) success teams
C) career coaches
D) role reversal exercises
E) online training analysis

Answer: A Explanation: Several employers provide 401(k)-type lifelong learning accounts for their employees to use for career-related education, but 401(k) plans are not oriented towards career development. Career coaches, success teams, role reversal exercises, and online programs that analyze training needs are career development initiatives.

Which of the following terms refers to having employees temporarily work in different jobs so that they develop a better appreciation of their occupational strengths and weaknesses?
A) job sharing
B) career cycle
C) role reversal
D) job enrichment
E) job enlargement

Answer: C Explanation: Role reversal involves having employees temporarily work in different jobs in order to develop a better appreciation of their occupational strengths and weaknesses.

Small groups of employees from the same or different departments who meet periodically to network and support one another in achieving career goals are called ________.
A) managerial leadership groups
B) work sampling teams
C) career management groups
D) career success teams
E) executive coaching groups

Answer: D Explanation: A career success team is a small group of employees that meets periodically to support one another in achieving their career goals

All of the following are typical activities of career coaches EXCEPT helping employees to ________.
A) make 1-5 year career plans
B) identify development needs
C) gain professional development
D) obtain networking opportunities
E) negotiate with firms for higher salaries

Answer: E Explanation: Career coaches helped individual employees identify their development needs and obtain the training, professional development, and networking opportunities that they need to satisfy those needs. Career coaches generally help employees create 1- to 5-year plans showing where their careers with the firm may lead. Career coaches are not likely to be involved with salary negotiations.

Employee commitment has suffered in recent years for all of the following reasons EXCEPT ________.
A) globalization
B) downsizing
C) efficiency programs
D) workforce dislocations
E) career development programs

Answer: E Explanation: Career development programs have been shown to encourage employee commitment. Globalization has forced firms to downsize and become cost-efficient, which has led to many workforce dislocations.

Which of the following is recommended to firms that want to earn employee commitment?
A) document the psychological contract
B) explain the importance of efficiency programs
C) establish a career planning and development process
D) promise lifetime employment
E) offer seniority bonuses

Answer: C Explanation: The employer’s career development efforts, taken as a whole, should send the signal that the employer cares about the employee’s career success, and thus deserves the employee’s commitment. Efficiency programs often lead to layoffs.

What is the most important tool an employer can use to support employees’ career development needs?
A) employee orientation
B) performance appraisal
C) interest inventory
D) human resource metric
E) graphic-rating scale

34) What is the most important tool an employer can use to support employees’ career development needs? A) employee orientation B) performance appraisal C) interest inventory D) human resource metric E) graphic-rating scale Answer: B Explanation: Of all the opportunities an employer and supervisor have for supporting employees’ career development needs, probably none is as important as a career-oriented appraisal. Performance appraisals can be used to support an employee’s career development by linking the employee’s performance, career interests, and developmental needs into a coherent career plan.

Which demographic group has grown significantly in the past few years yet experiences the most difficulty with career progress in organizations?
A) elderly men
B) young men
C) minority men
D) minority women
E) elderly women

Answer: D Explanation: Over the past few years, the percent of African American, Asian American, and Hispanic women in the U.S. workforce grew by 35%, 78%, and 25%, respectively. Yet women of color hold only a small percentage of professional and managerial private-sector positions.

Miranda wants to make partner at her law firm. However, she is worried because 70-hour work weeks are the norm for someone striving to make partner. Miranda wants to be fair to her family as well as excel at work. The best way for the law firm to address this problem is by ________.
A) providing Miranda with a career coach
B) encouraging Miranda to join a career success team
C) persuading Miranda to temporarily work in a less competitive law firm
D) offering a flexible career track that allows Miranda to periodically reduce her work load
E) providing a career planning workshop to help Miranda determine a more appropriate occupation

Answer: D Explanation: Inflexible promotional ladders can put women—who often have more responsibility for child-raising chores—at a disadvantage. One solution is to institute career tracks (including reduced hours and more flexible year-round work schedules) that enable women to periodically reduce their time at work, but remain on a partner track. Career coaches, career success teams, and career planning workshops are more appropriate for people who are not sure about the direction of their careers, which is not Miranda’s problem.

Chase Bank employs a diverse group of employees, and the firm wants all of its workers to have equal career advancement opportunities. Which of the following most likely undermines Chase Bank’s attempt to meet the career development needs of its diverse workforce?
A) scheduling meetings at flexible times such as in the early morning or late evening
B) offering career advancement seminars for women and minorities
C) identifying mentors for women and minorities
D) adopting flexible year-round work schedules
E) creating multiple career advancement paths

Answer: A Explanation: Early morning and late night meetings disproportionately affect women and minorities often because of childcare issues. Choices B, C, D, and E are methods for meeting the various career development needs of a diverse workforce.

Research indicates that all of the following are considered significant barriers to career advancement for minority women EXCEPT the lack of ________.
A) high-visibility assignments
B) educational opportunities
C) influential mentors
D) minority role models
E) networking opportunities

Answer: B Explanation: Minority women reported that the main barriers to advancement included not having an influential mentor (47%), lack of informal networking with influential colleagues (40%), lack of company role models for members of the same racial or ethnic group (29%), and a lack of high-visibility assignments (28%).

Smith Industries has established a career development program for its employees that offers career coaching and workshops. However, a recent employee survey indicates that many women still feel dissatisfied about their career opportunities at the firm. Which of the following would most likely improve the attitudes of female employees at Smith Industries?
A) Smith installs an electronic performance support system for telecommuters.
B) Smith offers early retirement packages to its most senior employees.
C) Smith provides hardship allowances to all minority employees.
D) Smith increases the number of performance appraisals.
E) Smith implements a flexible career track system.

Answer: E Explanation: Inflexible promotional ladders can put women—who often have more responsibility for child-raising chores—at a disadvantage. One solution is to institute flexible career tracks that enable women to periodically reduce their time at work, but remain on a partner track. Although performance appraisals can be used to discuss career needs, merely increasing the number of appraisals will not likely improve the attitudes of women.

Which of the following best explains the meaning of the term "glass ceiling"?
A) the lack of desire among women to pursue jobs with extreme levels of responsibility and authority
B) formal corporate policies that prevent women from receiving the training needed to advance their careers
C) spoken opinions by corporate leaders that women lack the knowledge and skills required for career advancement
D) structural yet subtle barriers in corporate environments that inhibit the rise of talented women to leadership positions
E) inadequate educational opportunities which ultimately limit the network opportunities available to women in the workforce

Answer: D Explanation: Many refer to the subtle and not-so-subtle barriers to womens’ career progress as the glass ceiling. Several types of career development programs—fast-track programs, individual career counseling, and career planning workshops—are less available to women than to men.

Frank is a manager at a firm that does not have a career development program, but he wants to support the career development needs of his subordinates. All of the following are ways that Frank can support the career needs of his employees EXCEPT ________.
A) offering employees training opportunities
B) providing employee orientation to new hires
C) using high-performance work system methods
D) learning how to provide appropriate mentoring assistance
E) discussing career goals during regular performance appraisals

Answer: C Explanation: Whether or not the employer has a career development program, the manager can do several things to support his or her subordinates’ career development needs. For example, when the subordinate first begins his or her job, make sure through orientation and training that he or she gets off to a good start. Managers should schedule regular performance appraisals to discuss subordinates’ career goals and should know how to provide mentoring assistance.

Dick’s Sporting Goods is a sports and fitness retailer with over 300 stores in 34 states. After beginning as a
small bait and tackle shop in 1948, Dick’s has grown to become a leader in the sports and fitness retail industry. Many career opportunities are available Dick’s in areas as diverse as IT, product development, merchandising, and store management. Top management at Dick’s realizes the importance of hiring and retaining quality employees. As a result, the firm has decided to implement policies, practices, and programs that support employees’ career needs.

Which of the following, if true, would best support the argument that the firm should institute a flexible career track program?
A) Dick’s Sporting Goods frequently asks experienced managers to transfer to new cities in order to open new retail stores.
B) Executive positions at Dick’s Sporting Goods are rewarded for a combination of seniority and competence.
C) Situational interviews are used at Dick’s Sporting Goods to screen potential store managers.
D) Executive positions at Dick’s Sporting Goods are predominantly held by men.
E) Over half of all Dick’s Sporting Goods stores are run by female managers.

Answer: D Explanation: A firm with few female executives may have inflexible promotional ladders that put women with child-raising duties at a disadvantage. If Dick’s implemented a flexible career track with reduced hours and flexible work schedules, women would most likely stay at the firm and rise to high-level positions.

ABC Consulting has a formal mentoring program in which senior-level managers are paired with less-experienced employees. Which of the following employees most likely needs a mentor?
A) Raj, who is uncertain how to navigate office politics
B) Jason, who does not perform tasks as quickly as required
C) Michele, who is experiencing personal problems at home
D) Justin, who is striving to become a partner within the next two years
E) Haley, who is working and attending graduate school simultaneously

Answer: A Explanation: Mentoring traditionally means having experienced senior people advising, counseling, and guiding employees’ longer-term career development. An employee who agonizes over which career to pursue or how to navigate office politics might need mentoring. Jason would benefit from coaching rather than mentoring, and Justin already has a career plan. Mentors should not discuss personal problems, so Choice C is incorrect.

All of the following are characteristics of effective mentors EXCEPT ________.
A) developing a trustworthy relationship
B) guiding proteges into important projects
C) investing time into the relationship
D) focusing on the protege’s daily tasks
E) setting high standards for proteges

Answer: D Explanation: Choice D describes coaching rather than mentoring, which focuses on long-term plans. Effective mentors set high standards, are willing to invest the time and effort the mentoring relationship requires, and actively steer protégés into important projects, teams, and jobs. Effective mentoring requires trust, and the level of trust reflects the mentor’s professional competence, consistency, ability to communicate, and readiness to share control.

Based on research studies, which of the following is a true statement about mentoring programs?
A) Additional mentor training hours leads to less effective mentoring relationships.
B) When the mentor and protege work in different departments, mentoring is more effective.
C) Long-distance mentoring relationships are ineffective due to the inability to form close ties.
D) Proteges have more respect for mentors who work at least two levels above their own rank.
E) Required mentoring relationships are more effective than informal mentoring relationships.

Answer: A Explanation: The more hours spent on mentor training, the more mentors reported poorer mentoring relationships. It made little difference in the extent or quality of mentoring whether the protégés volunteered to take part, or were assigned formally to mentors.The long-distance mentoring participants may even have worked harder at their relationship to compensate for the distance. Mentoring was more useful when mentors and protégés were in the same department. Protégés prefer mentors closer to their own

Michele’s firm does not have a formal mentoring program. However, entry-level employees, such as Michele, are encouraged to form relationships with experienced workers. Michele wants to make sure that she has an effective mentor relationship. Which of the following mentor relationship guidelines would NOT be recommended to Michele?
A) Respect the mentor’s time by focusing on work issues.
B) Clarify in advance how often you want to meet.
C) Use an agenda to guide discussion topics.
D) Clarify what you expect in terms of advice.
E) Select a direct supervisor as a mentor.

Answer: E Explanation: Proteges should not choose a direct supervisor because the situation could be awkward. It is better to choose someone who is one or two levels above your boss. Focusing on work rather than personal issues and making it clear the topics, time, and advice you expect are also useful.

How are firms using technology for career development programs?
A) using online testing systems to screen applicants
B) providing mentors and coaches with online training systems
C) monitoring employees’ performance with electronic performance support systems
D) using software systems to integrate employees’ appraisal and training information
E) developing performance appraisals and job descriptions with specialized software

Answer: D Explanation: Software systems enable employers to integrate appraisal, career development, training, and succession planning, which helps firms optimize workforce productivity. EPSS’s automate training and phone support, while electronic performance monitoring systems (EPMs) are used to monitor employees’ performance.

Which of the following is most likely to occur when a new employee’s high expectations and enthusiasm confront the reality of a boring job?
A) impasse
B) halo effect
C) reality shock
D) disparate rejection
E) cognitive dissonance

Answer: C Explanation: Reality shock refers to what occurs when a new employee’s expectations and enthusiasm confront the reality of a boring or otherwise unattractive work situation.

Reality shock can most likely be prevented by providing new employees with ________.
A) flexible schedules
B) performance appraisals
C) reassignments
D) accurate job previews
E) easy first jobs

Answer: D Explanation: Realistic job previews, challenging first jobs, and an experienced mentor to help the new employee learn the ropes are important methods for avoiding reality shock.

Which of the following terms refers to advancements to positions of increased responsibility?
A) transfers
B) appraisals
C) retirements
D) promotions
E) recruitments

Answer: D Explanation: Promotions traditionally refer to advancements to positions of increased responsibility. Transfers are reassignments to similar positions within a firm.

Which of the following terms refers to reassignments to similar positions in other parts of a firm?
A) transfers
B) layoffs
C) dismissals
D) lockouts
E) promotions

Answer: A Explanation: Transfers are reassignments to similar positions within a firm. Promotions traditionally refer to advancements to positions of increased responsibility.

Competence rather than seniority is most likely the basis for promotion when ________.
A) team cohesiveness is most important
B) corporate competitiveness is necessary
C) union agreements are involved
D) civil service regulations apply
E) compensation packages are limited

Answer: B Explanation: Today’s focus on competitiveness favors competence. However, union agreements sometimes contain clauses that emphasize seniority, and civil service regulations that stress seniority rather than competence often govern promotions in many public-sector organizations.

Which of the following best summarizes the Peter Principle?
A) Most executives fear changing the status quo, so they promote based on seniority not competence.
B) A person’s level of competence determines how high he or she rises in a firm’s hierarchy.
C) The glass ceiling prevents competent women from being promoted to positions of power.
D) People are eventually promoted to positions that are beyond their levels of competence.
E) A person’s competency is too difficult to determine, so promotions are based on seniority.

Answer: D Explanation: The Peter Principle asserts that companies often promote competent employees up to their "level of incompetence," where they then sit, sometimes underperforming for years.

Which of the following is the simplest and most often used method for predicting the future performance of a candidate for promotion?
A) prior performance
B) aptitude tests
C) assessment centers
D) psychological exams
E) seniority

Answer: A Explanation: Most employers use prior performance as a guide, and assume that (based on exemplary prior performance) the person will do well on the new job. This is the simplest method. Many others use tests or assessment centers to evaluate promotable employees and to identify those with executive potential.

All of the following are characteristic of a formal promotion process EXCEPT ________.
A) Open positions are posted
B) Promotion procedures are published
C) Promotion criteria are made available
D) Job postings are circulated to all employees
E) Promotions are based on unpublished requirements

Answer: E Explanation: Informal promotion processes are based on unpublished criteria. With formal promotion processes, employers set formal, published promotion policies and procedures, and employees receive a formal promotion policy describing the criteria by which the firm awards promotions. A job posting policy states the firm will post open positions and their requirements, and circulate these to all employees.

A female employee accused a superior of sexual harassment. Later that employee was turned down for a promotion because the superior she had accused persuaded her current supervisor not to promote her. This is most likely an example of ________.
A) demotion
B) retaliation
C) dissonance
D) defensive behavior
E) aggressiveness

Answer: B Explanation: The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals case allowed a claim of retaliation to proceed when a female employee provided evidence that her employer turned her down for promotion because a supervisor she had previously accused of sexual harassment made comments that persuaded her current supervisor not to promote her.

According to the court system, promotions based on subjective assessments ________.
A) support employers in adverse impact claims
B) violate the Americans with Disabilities Act
C) must be supported by objective evidence
D) are valid under the Civil Rights Act of 1991
E) usually lead to employee retaliation claims

Answer: C Explanation: Courts have indicated that while subjective reasons can justify "adverse employment decisions, an employer must articulate any clear and reasonably specific factual bases upon which it based its decision." In other words, you should be able to provide objective evidence supporting your subjective assessment for promotion.

A(n) ________ is a move from one job to another with no change in salary or grade.
A) promotion
B) advancement
C) vertical move
D) transfer
E) leave

Answer: D Explanation: A transfer is a move from one job to another, usually with no change in salary or grade. Employers may transfer a worker to vacate a position where he or she is no longer needed, to fill one where he or she is needed, or more generally to find a better fit for the employee within the firm.

Routinely transferring employees to different cities is most likely no longer a common corporate practice because ________.
A) relocation expenses are no longer tax deductible
B) baby boomer employees are nearing retirement
C) most firms allow top executives to telecommute
D) firms realize that such moves disrupt family stability
E) employees between the ages of 25 and 34 are decreasing

Answer: D Explanation: Many firms have had policies of routinely transferring employees from locale to locale, but such easy-transfer policies have fallen into some disfavor. This is partly because of the high cost of relocating employees (moving expenses and buying the employee’s current home, for instance), and partly because firms assume that frequent transfers adversely affect transferees’ family lives. Most relocation expenses are tax-deductible.

Why are an increasing number of firms focusing on retirement planning?
A) changes in ADA requirements
B) concerns about future labor shortages
C) surveys of current employee attitudes
D) modifications to the promotion process
E) increases in health insurance premiums

Answer: B Explanation: Retirement planning is a significant long-term issue for employers. In the United States, the number of 25- to 34-year-olds is growing relatively slowly, and the number of 35- to 44-year olds is declining. So, with many employees in their 50s and 60s moving toward traditional retirement age, employers face a longer-term labor shortage.

All of the following are true statements about retirement EXCEPT ________.
A) employers face future labor shortages because older workers outnumber younger workers
B) most employees who plan to work after 65 must do so for financial reasons
C) most employees expect to continue working after normal retirement age
D) most employees who plan to work after 65 want a part-time position
E) many retirement age workers want to stay active through working

Answer: B Explanation: With many employees in their 50s and 60s moving toward traditional retirement age, employers face a longer-term labor shortage. 78% of employees in one survey said they expect to continue working in some capacity after normal retirement age (64% said they want to do so part-time). Only about a third said they plan to continue work for financial reasons; about 43% said they just wanted to remain active.

All of the following methods are used by firms to recruit and retain retirement-age workers EXCEPT ________.
A) implementing phased retirement programs
B) allowing workers to telecommute
C) using psychometric selection tests
D) reducing work responsibilities
E) offering part-time positions

Answer: C Explanation: Firms trying to recruit or retain older workers are implementing phased retirement programs, allowing workers to telecommute, reducing work responsibilities, and offering part-time or freelance positions. Firms are replacing psychometric selection tests with role-playing exercises.

Which of the following is the most common topic addressed in preretirement counseling?
A) leisure time options
B) investment planning
C) psychological concerns
D) second career options
E) Social Security benefits

Answer: E Explanation: The explanation of Social Security benefits is the most common topic covered in preretirement counseling. Leisure time, investments, and health are also popular topics. Approximately 30% of retirees receive counseling on psychological matters and second career options.

The primary goal of preretirement educational programs is to ________.
A) improve job satisfaction
B) increase employee commitment
C) help retirees transition into retirement
D) minimize company benefits related costs
E) minimize medical claims from retirees

Answer: C Explanation: Pretirement educational programs are intended to help current employees slip easily into retirement. Counseling covers benefits advice, second careers, and leisure time.

Which of the following terms refers to the automated end-to-end process of planning, recruiting, developing, managing, and compensating employees throughout the organization?
A) strategic management
B) performance management
C) human resource management
D) management by objectives
E) talent management

Answer: E Explanation: Talent management is the automated end-to-end process of planning, recruiting, developing, managing, and compensating employees throughout the organization. Because talent management involves recruiting, hiring, and developing high potential employees, it requires coordinating several human resource activities, in particular workforce acquisition, assessment, development, and retention.

Which of the following has been the driving force behind the increasing interest in talent management?
A) increasing retiree rates
B) corporate globalization
C) limited employee skills
D) specialized software programs
E) falling employee retention rates

Answer: D Explanation: The main thing driving the talent management movement is the availability of new talent management information systems. These integrate succession planning, recruitment, learning, and employee pay, enabling the employer to maintain a more integrated system and set of decisions.

Which stage of the career cycle refers to the heart of most people’s work lives and usually spans the ages 24 to 44?
A) decline stage
B) growth stage
C) maintenance stage
D) establishment stage
E) exploration stage

Answer: D Explanation: The establishment stage spans roughly ages 24 to 44 and is the heart of most people’s work lives. During this period, a suitable occupation is found and the person engages in those activities that help him or her earn a permanent place in it. Choices A, B, C, and E are other stages in the career cycle.

During the ________, firm occupational goals are set and an individual conducts more explicit career planning.
A) trial substage
B) growth stage
C) exploration stage
D) stabilization substage
E) midcareer crisis substage

Answer: D Explanation: The stabilization substage usually occurs when people are between 30 and 40 years of age. At this time, people make specific career goals and plans. During this stage, people determine the sequence of promotions, job changes, and educational activities that are required to accomplish their career goals.

According to career-counseling expert John Holland, which of the following orientations characterizes individuals who are successful managers, lawyers, and public relations executives?
A) investigative orientation
B) realistic orientation
C) enterprising orientation
D) social orientation
E) conventional orientation

Answer: C Explanation: According to Holland’s six basic personality types or orientations, the enterprising orientation is characterized by verbal activities aimed at influencing others and includes managers, lawyers, and public relations executives.

Which of the following terms refers to a concern or value that a person will not give up if a career choice is necessary?
A) golden parachute
B) career anchor
C) career cycle
D) career plan
E) job aid

Answer: B Explanation: A career anchor is a concern or value that a person will not give up if a [career] choice has to be made. Career anchors are the pivots around which a person’s career swings, and they require self-awareness of talents and abilities, motives and needs, and attitudes and values.