HRM Midterm Questions & Answers
Correct!!
Define Human Resource Management - ANSWERSHuman Resource Management
(HRM) is defined as the policies, practices, and systems that influence employees'
behavior, attitudes and performance
Who is an HR manager? - ANSWERSCentralized (HR departments) vs decentralized
(front-line managers)
How does HRM contribute to an organization's performance? - ANSWERSStrategic
HRM deals with analysis and design of work, HR planning, recruiting, selection, training
and development, performance management, compensation, and employee relations
Why is Human Resource Management important? - ANSWERSPerformance,
Motivation, Retention/Turnover, Commitment, Satisfaction
Contrast HRM effectiveness and HRM efficiency - ANSWERSGreater efficiency -
means the HR department uses fewer and less-costly resources to perform its
functions.
Greater effectiveness - means that what the HR department does has a more beneficial
effect on employees and the organization's performance.
Identify the responsibilities and activities of human resource departments. -
ANSWERSJob analysis, job design, HR planning, recruiting, selection, training,
development, performance management, compensation, employee relations
Summarize the types of KSAs needed for human resource management. -
ANSWERSHR Expertise and practice, relationship management, consultation,
organizational leadership, communications, global and cultural effectiveness, ethical
practice, critical evaluation, business acumen.
Explain the role of supervisors in human resource management - ANSWERSHR
Manager: A person who is a line manager for HR Generalists and Specialists
Describe typical careers in human resource management. - ANSWERSHR Generalist,
HR Specialist, HR Manager
Strategic Management - ANSWERSA process to address the organization's competitive
challenges by integrating goals, policies and action sequences into a cohesive whole.
Strategy Formulation - ANSWERSStrategic planning groups decide on strategy
, Strategy Implementation - ANSWERSOrganization follows through on the strategy
HR helps with strategy formulation through - ANSWERSexternally analysis
opportunities and threats, internal analysis on strengths and weaknesses.
HR helps with strategy implementation through - ANSWERSHR helps with strategy
implementation through HRM practices (recruitment, training, performance
management, labor relations, employee relations, job analysis, job design, selection,
development, pay structure, incentives, benefits), Human resource capability (KSA),
and Human resource actions (behaviors, results[productivity, absenteeism, turnover])
1. Summarize the Resource-Based View of the Firm and understand how HR may give
an organization a competitive advantage. - ANSWERSThe Resource-Based View
(RBV) of the Firm purports an organization can succeed if it has a sustainable
competitive advantage --HR give organizations advantages because human resources
are valuable, cannot be imitated, have no good substitutes, and needed skills and
knowledge are sometimes rare
Core Competence - ANSWERSA strength, anything that an organization does well
Distinctive Competence - ANSWERSA unique core competence; something that the
organization does better than anyone else
Competitive Advantage - ANSWERSA distinctive competence that customers value and
that the organization has resources to exploit
Sustainable Competitive Advantage - ANSWERSA competitive advantage that the
organization can continue to exploit over time
Define High performance work system - ANSWERSAn organization in which
technology, organizational structure, people, and processes all work together to give an
organization a competitive advantage.
identify outcomes of a HPWS, and how HPWS impact employee performance? -
ANSWERSInteresting jobs, satisfied workers, low absenteeism, lower costs, low
turnover, high quality, satisfied customers, higher sales, higher profits, greater
productivity, innovation, knowledge sharing
Identify problems with Traditional HR Departments - ANSWERS-Does not contribute to
the company's bottom line (viewed as a cost center)
-Can be streamlined through technology (e.g., PeopleSoft)
-Activities can be outsourced
-Viewed negatively by managers
-Lacks power compared to other areas of business
Transactional - ANSWERSAdministrative, order-taking, benefits INDIVIDUALS
