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MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS – TUTORS

A good way of using multiple choice questions is to divide students into groups of four or
five and ask them to discuss amongst themselves which of the alternatives they prefer
and why. They can then report back their findings (one question at a time) to the whole
group, explaining not only their reasons for their choice but also why they rejected the
other alternatives. A general discussion can then take place. No more than 10 minutes
need be allowed for the discussion on each question.

Human resource management


1. Human resource management is:
(a) an entirely new approach to managing people
(b) another name for personnel management
(c) the same as human capital management
(d) a perspective on personnel management

2. The matching model of HRM:


(a) links HRM with personnel management
(b) emphasizes that HRM systems should be integrated with organizational strategy
(c) suggests that HR policies should be matched with the interests of both
management and employees
(d) focuses on the need to gain the commitment of employees

3. The most common criticism of HRM is that:


(a) it is manipulative
(b) it is more concerned with business performance than people
(c) it treats people as mere factors of production
(d) it promises more than it delivers

4. Which of the following comments about HRM is the most perceptive?


(a) ‘A wide and contradictory variety of regenerative initiatives have been introduced
under the name of HRM and force-fed to a battered, bewildered and defensive
workforce and a newly confident management.’ (Keenoy and Anthony, 1992)
Multiple Choice Questions –Tutors 2

(b) ‘The heralded outcomes (of HRM) are almost always unrealistically high.’ (Mabey
et al, 1998)
(c) ‘At the heart of the (HRM) concept is the complete identification of employees
with the aims of the business – employee involvement but on the company’s
terms.’ (Fowler, 1987)
(d) ‘HRM is too important to be left to personnel managers.’ (Guest, 1991)

5. The purpose of HR policy is to:


(a) provide guidelines on how things relating to people should be done
(b) provide the basis for HR strategy
(c) set out the procedures to be used in dealing with HR
(d) keep people informed about what the organization is doing about HRM

Strategic human resource management


6. Best practice strategic HRM:
(a) means basing HR practices on those adopted successfully by other organizations
(b) is based on the fallacy that there is such a thing as best practice
(c) involves benchmarking what other organizations do
(d) means constantly seeking to improve HR performance

7. Best fit strategic HRM:


(a) is preferable to best practice
(b) involves matching HR strategies to the firm’s business strategy
(c) means ensuring that HR practices fit and support one another
(d) leads to an inflexible approach to HRM

8. The most important aim of integrated HRM is to:


(a) seek both vertical and horizontal fit
(b) bundle HR practices together
(c) ensure that HR strategy is aligned to the business strategy
(d) ensure that HR practices are mutually supporting

This resource is part of a range offered free to academics and/or students using
Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice , 11th edition, as
part of their course. For more academic resources and other FREE material, please
visit www.koganpage.com/resources and then click on Academic Resources.
Multiple Choice Questions –Tutors 3

Human capital management


9. Intellectual capital is:
(a) a component of knowledge management
(b) created by people working together in an organization
(c) composed of human, social and organizational capital
(d) an element of human capital

10. Human capital management is:


(a) another term for human resource management
(b) mainly concerned with measuring the impact of HR practices
(c) mainly concerned with reporting on the use of human capital
(d) an approach to managing people that treats them as assets rather than costs

11. Human capital advantage is best achieved when:


(a) an organization has more skilled people than its competitors
(b) an organization has people with unique talents that are not available to its
competitors
(c) an organization has more effective recruitment and selection techniques than its
competitors
(d) an organization has more committed people than its competitors

12. To be effective, human capital metrics must:


(a) provide the basis for action
(b) be based on factual information
(c) be trusted by users
(d) be accurate

13. Human resources are most likely to make a major contribution to achieving human
capital advantage if they are:
(a) scarce
(b) unique
(c) irreplaceable
(d) all of the above

This resource is part of a range offered free to academics and/or students using
Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice , 11th edition, as
part of their course. For more academic resources and other FREE material, please
visit www.koganpage.com/resources and then click on Academic Resources.
Multiple Choice Questions –Tutors 4

Knowledge management
14. Knowledge management is primarily concerned with:
(a) storing information or data
(b) collecting and disseminating data
(c) classifying information
(d) ensuring that knowledge is shared

15. Communities of interest are:


(a) a network of researchers
(b) an improvement group
(c) a group of people sharing information
(d) a project team

16. Data are:


(a) the building blocks for information and knowledge
(b) what is stored in computers
(c) the elements of knowledge
(d) pieces of information

Characteristics of people
17. The most important factor in developing positive self-efficacy is:
(a) past experience
(b) intelligence
(c) attitude
(d) self-concept

18. ______ is a learnt talent that an employee has acquired to complete and perform a
task:
(a) ability
(b) skill
(c) personality
(d) mental trait

This resource is part of a range offered free to academics and/or students using
Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice , 11th edition, as
part of their course. For more academic resources and other FREE material, please
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Multiple Choice Questions –Tutors 5

19. Perception is based on:


(a) current events
(b) attitudes
(c) prior experience
(d) archival data

Motivation
20. Which step in the motivational process follows after identification of a need and a
means of satisfying a need:
(a) performance
(b) goal-directed behaviour
(c) rewards or punishments
(d) reassessment of needs

21. Maslow’s needs hierarchy, Alderfer’s ERG theory and McClelland’s needs theory are
classified as:
(a) process theories
(b) content theories
(c) learning theories
(d) both (a) and (b) are correct

22. Herzberg referred to such components as pay, job security and working conditions
as ____________ and reasoned that these conditions were needed to keep
employees from becoming dissatisfied:
(a) satisfiers
(b) motivating factors
(c) hygiene factors
(d) core benefits

This resource is part of a range offered free to academics and/or students using
Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice , 11th edition, as
part of their course. For more academic resources and other FREE material, please
visit www.koganpage.com/resources and then click on Academic Resources.
Multiple Choice Questions –Tutors 6

Organizational culture
23. Organization culture is:
(a) another term for organizational climate
(b) the ‘way things are done around here’
(c) mainly about the values in use in organizations
(d) mainly about the behavioural norms accepted in an organization

24. Organization climate is:


(a) another term for organizational culture
(b) the pervading atmosphere in an organization
(c) the perceptions of people about the organization
(d) the approach to leadership adopted by the management of the organization

25. Organizational culture:


(a) can be changed significantly through organizational development programmes
(b) is embedded in organizations and is therefore unchangeable in the short term
(c) is manageable by the concerted effort of everyone in the organization
(d) cannot be managed in the short or even longer term

Human resource planning


26. A formal approach to human resource planning does not take place in many
organizations because:
(a) it is not considered necessary
(b) it is already being done informally
(c) it takes too much time and effort
(d) it is difficult to forecast future demands for people

27. A human resource planning scenario is:


(a) a detailed picture of future people requirements
(b) a method of forecasting possible changes in the labour market
(c) a plan for satisfying the forecast demand for people
(d) an imagined sequence of future events affecting people requirements

This resource is part of a range offered free to academics and/or students using
Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice , 11th edition, as
part of their course. For more academic resources and other FREE material, please
visit www.koganpage.com/resources and then click on Academic Resources.
Multiple Choice Questions –Tutors 7

28. The labour turnover index:


(a) is the most accurate method of measuring labour wastage
(b) is the most commonly used method of measuring labour wastage
(c) can produce misleading results
(d) is the key human resource planning tool

Recruitment and selection


29. Interviewing panels or selection boards:
(a) are a cost-effective method of processing candidates
(b) ensure that a wide range of probing questions are put to candidates
(c) combine the views of a number of interviewers to produce better assessments
(d) favour the confident and articulate candidate

30. A structured interview is one:


(a) that is biographical
(b) that has a clearly defined beginning, middle and end
(c) that requires the candidate to answer a set of questions issued in advance
(d) built around a set of predetermined questions

31. A person specification


(a) sets out the personal qualities required by a candidate
(b) sets out the abilities, qualifications and experience required to carry out a role
(c) specifies the skills required to carry out a role
(d) specifies the competencies required to carry out a role

32. Which of the following selection techniques are most effective, as indicated by the
research conducted by people such as Schmidt and Hunter (1998):
(a) assessment centres
(b) structured interviews and intelligence tests
(c) a combination of intelligence and personality tests
(d) structured interviews and personality tests

This resource is part of a range offered free to academics and/or students using
Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice , 11th edition, as
part of their course. For more academic resources and other FREE material, please
visit www.koganpage.com/resources and then click on Academic Resources.
Multiple Choice Questions –Tutors 8

33. What is the most important thing to do when choosing recruitment consultants:
(a) meet the consultant who will carry out the assignment to check on his or her
quality
(b) assess the quality of their advertisements
(c) compare fees with other consultancies
(d) give them a trial run on a relatively unimportant vacancy

Performance management
34. Performance is:
(a) about the achievement of objectives
(b) how a person achieves results
(c) concerned with both inputs (behaviour) and outputs (results)
(d) what someone delivers

35. The most important characteristic of performance management is that:


(a) it involves the use of feedback
(b) it identifies poor performers so that action is taken
(c) it involves a continuous dialogue between managers and individuals on matters
concerning performance
(d) it enables performance to be measured

36. The difference between performance management and performance appraisal is


that:
(a) performance management does not involve ratings; appraisal does
(b) performance management is forward looking; appraisal looks backwards to past
performance
(c) performance management is a joint process; appraisal is top-down
(d) performance management is a continuous process; appraisal is an annual or
periodical event

This resource is part of a range offered free to academics and/or students using
Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice , 11th edition, as
part of their course. For more academic resources and other FREE material, please
visit www.koganpage.com/resources and then click on Academic Resources.
Multiple Choice Questions –Tutors 9

Learning and development


37. e-learning:
(a) is superior to other forms of learning because it can take place at any time and in
any place
(b) is best used in combination with other learning approaches
(c) is the best way of facilitating self-directed learning
(d) can never be as effective as learning directly from or with other people

38. Coaching is most effective when:


(a) the coach sets improvement goals and provides guidance on how they should
be achieved
(b) it is conducted by independent professional coaches rather than line managers
(c) it is based on information obtained from performance review or 360-degree
feedback
(d) the coach understands that his or her role is to help people to learn

39. Blended learning:


(a) consists of an appropriate mix of on- and off-the-job learning activities
(b) takes place when e-learning is used to reinforce or supplement other forms of
learning activity
(c) is the provision of a suitable mix of coaching and mentoring activities
(d) is an approach to the design of learning programmes and events that uses a
combination of delivery methods

40. Systematic training is a term used to describe an approach to training that is based
on:
(a) the design and evaluation of training events to ensure that identified needs are
met
(b) the thorough identification of training needs
(c) the careful planning of training events
(d) the use of experienced trainers to implement training

This resource is part of a range offered free to academics and/or students using
Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice , 11th edition, as
part of their course. For more academic resources and other FREE material, please
visit www.koganpage.com/resources and then click on Academic Resources.
Multiple Choice Questions –Tutors 10

41. The most important requirement when planning a learning programme or event for a
group of people is:
(a) to take account of the principles of learning as explained by learning theory
(b) to understand the individual learning needs of participants
(c) to understand the learning styles of participants
(d) to consider how an appropriate blend of training techniques can be deployed

42. A learning organization is one in which:


(a) extensive and well-planned training programmes are in place
(b) continuous improvement is achieved by providing a healthy environment for
learning
(c) continuous attention is paid to the satisfaction of individual learning needs
(d) relevant knowledge is captured and disseminated systematically

43. The notion of the learning organization:


(a) has been implemented effectively in many companies
(b) is fundamentally aspirational
(c) suggests that organizations have a life of their own and are in themselves
capable of learning
(d) provides an essential guide to the formulation and implementation of learning
and development strategies

Employee reward
44. The concept of total reward is:
(a) about issuing statements to employees setting out the total value of the pay and
benefits they receive
(b) synonymous with the concept of total remuneration
(c) about ensuring that the provision of rewards takes account of both financial and
non-financial rewards
(d) about ensuring that individuals are rewarded for their total contribution

This resource is part of a range offered free to academics and/or students using
Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice , 11th edition, as
part of their course. For more academic resources and other FREE material, please
visit www.koganpage.com/resources and then click on Academic Resources.
Multiple Choice Questions –Tutors 11

45. Analytical job evaluation:


(a) provides a scientific basis for grading jobs
(b) breaks down jobs into factors as a basis for comparing levels of responsibility
(c) guarantees that equal pay is achieved
(d) uses job analysis to determine internal relativities

46. A broad-banded grade and pay structure:


(a) obviates the need for job evaluation
(b) guarantees that equal pay is achieved
(c) relies on market pricing to grade jobs
(d) provides for greater flexibility in rewarding people

47. The main argument in favour of performance-related pay is that:


(a) it is an effective motivator
(b) it ensures that pay levels are competitive
(c) it focuses attention on key result areas
(d) it is right and proper to recognize good performance

Employee relations
48. Which of the following best describes collective bargaining:
(a) it aims to reach an agreement between employers and trade unions on issues
concerning terms and conditions of employment
(b) it involves a power relationship between employers and employees
(c) it involves a partnership approach to industrial relations
(d) it aims to achieve a win–win solution to issues concerning employers and
employees

49. Distributive bargaining takes place when:


(a) in collective bargaining, the goals of one party are in basic conflict with those of
the other party
(b) joint meetings with union representatives take place
(c) the bargaining process converges on an agreement
(d) a friendly approach to collective bargaining exists

This resource is part of a range offered free to academics and/or students using
Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice , 11th edition, as
part of their course. For more academic resources and other FREE material, please
visit www.koganpage.com/resources and then click on Academic Resources.
Multiple Choice Questions –Tutors 12

50. Pluralism is:


(a) an approach to collective bargaining that involves all stakeholders
(b) the belief that the interests of employees will not necessarily coincide with those
of their employers
(c) an alternative way of describing joint regulation
(d) the situation in which a number of trade unions are recognized

51. The concept of mutuality:


(a) expresses the aim of management to ensure the complete identification of
employees with the aims and values of the business
(b) expresses the view that ‘we are all in this together’
(c) is another way of expressing the unitary point of view
(d) is the basis upon which high levels of commitment to the organization on the part
of employees can be achieved

52. Partnership agreements:


(a) are about ending strikes or lock-outs
(b) have successfully brought about a new-style approach to industrial relations
(c) will never succeed because the interests of employers and unions are
irreconcilable
(d) are worthy but difficult attempts to improve industrial relations

53. Participation is likely to be most successful when:


(a) it is based on formal joint consultation arrangements
(b) a climate of mutual trust exists in the organization
(c) an effective process of two-way communication exists
(d) it is backed by the trade union(s)

This resource is part of a range offered free to academics and/or students using
Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice , 11th edition, as
part of their course. For more academic resources and other FREE material, please
visit www.koganpage.com/resources and then click on Academic Resources.
Multiple Choice Questions –Tutors 13

Answers
1. (d) 2. (b) 3. (b) 4. (d) 5. (a)
6. (b) 7. (b) 8. (a) 9. (c) 10. (d)
11. (b) 12. (a) 13. (d) 14. (d) 15. (c)
16. (a) 17. (a) 18. (b) 19. (c) 20. (b)
21. (d) 22. (c) 23. (b) 24. (c) 25. (b)
26. (a) 27. (d) 28. (c) 29. (d) 30. (d)
31. (b) 32. (b) 33. (a) 34. (c) 35. (c)
36. (d) 37. (b) 38. (d) 39. (d) 40. (a)
41. (a) 42. (b) 43. (c) 44. (c) 45. (b)
46. (d) 47. (d) 48. (a) 49. (c) 50. (b)
51. (b) 52. (d) 53. (b)

This resource is part of a range offered free to academics and/or students using
Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice , 11th edition, as
part of their course. For more academic resources and other FREE material, please
visit www.koganpage.com/resources and then click on Academic Resources.

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