chapter_10

CHAPTER 10: HUMAN RESOURCES AND JOB DESIGN

TRUE/FALSE

1. Self-directed teams may mean having no supervision on the factory floor.

True (Job design, moderate)

2. The goal of a human resource strategy is to manage labor and design jobs so people are effectively and efficiently utilized.

True (Human resource strategy for competitive advantage, easy)

3. Equitable pay alone cannot achieve a reasonable quality of work life in an organization.

True (Human resource strategy for competitive advantage, moderate)

4. Mutual trust means that both management and employee strive to meet common objectives.

False (Human resource strategy for competitive advantage, moderate)

5. Technology, location, and layout decisions are all possible constraints on the human resource strategy.

True (Human resource strategy for competitive advantage, moderate)

6. Labor planning determines employment stability.

True (Labor planning, easy)

7. The two extremes of employment stability policy are "follow demand exactly" and "keep demand constant."

False (Labor planning, moderate)

8. Maintaining a stable workforce generally results in the firm paying higher wages than a firm that follows demand.

False (Labor planning, moderate)

9. Flextime is a system that allows employees, within limits, to determine their own work schedules.

True (Labor planning, moderate)

10. Labor specialization includes the development of specialized tools to reduce labor costs.

False (Job design, moderate)

11. An enlarged job has more responsibility than the same job enriched.

False (Job design, moderate)

12. Job rotation is an example of job enlargement.

True (Job design, moderate)

13. Fredrick W. Taylor is credited with introducing psychology into the workplace.

False (Job design, moderate)

14. Psychological factors have little relevance in the design of assembly line jobs since they involve physical products and production technology.

False (Job design, moderate)

15. Self-directed teams tend to be successful in work environments where there is little employee empowerment.

False (Job design, moderate)

16. The Hawthorne studies, which showed that there is a dynamic social system in the workplace, took place in the 1960s.

False (Job design, moderate)

17. Hackman and Oldham's five desirable characteristics of job design include job significance and autonomy.

True (Job design, moderate)

18. Job expansion can lead to increased labor cost because of the extra workers hired in the expansion.

False (Job design, moderate)

19. Profit-sharing is a motivation and incentive system where executives receive stock options.

False (Job design, moderate)

20. The physical environment in which employees work may affect the quality of work life, but it does not affect their performance and safety.

False (Job design, moderate)

21. Ergonomics is a branch of economics that deals with costs of scheduling workers.

False (Job design, moderate)

22. An operations chart, or right-hand/left-hand chart, points out wasted motion and idle time.

True (Job design, moderate)

23. Kanbans and andons are both elements of the visual workplace, because they are visual signals that replace printouts and paperwork.

True (The visual workplace, moderate) {AACSB: Communication}

24. "Visual workplace" is a term coined by Hawthorne, and refers to the need for proper lighting at employee workstations.

False (The visual workplace, moderate)

25. Because various employment laws now require it, "equal pay for equal work" is no longer an ethical concern in the work environment.

False (Ethics and the work environment, moderate) {AACSB: Ethical Reasoning}

26. Working around asbestos raised ethical concerns before its inherent dangers became known.

False (Ethics and the work environment, moderate) {AACSB: Ethical Reasoning}

27. The purpose of labor standards is to accurately define the skills required to complete a job.

False (Labor standards, moderate)

MULTIPLE CHOICE

28. Workers in which of the following countries probably experience the least amount of job expansion, on average?

a. United States

b. Sweden

c. Japan

d. Sweden and Japan experience about the same amount, and less than the U.S.

e. They all experience about the same amount.

a (Job design, difficult) {AACSB: Reflective thinking}

29. Which of the following best describes mutual commitment in an organization?

a. an instance in which management is committed to the employees and the employees are committed to management

b. both management and the employees are committed to the same objective

c. both management and the employees are committed, but to different objectives

d. management obtains the commitment of the employees to a stated objective

e. both management and the employees can rely on each other

b (Human resource strategy for competitive advantage, moderate)

30. Mutual trust is

a. when employees have gained the trust of management

b. reflected in reasonable, documented employment policies, honestly and equitably implemented to the satisfaction of both management and the employees

c. when management has gained the trust of the employees

d. when management recognizes that the employees are competent, motivated people both able and willing to perform at the level required to produce a quality product

e. when management and the employees both agree on the objectives

b (Human resource strategy for competitive advantage, moderate)

31. The objective of a human resource strategy is to

a. produce the demand forecast at lowest labor cost

b. match employment levels with demand

c. achieve a reasonable quality of work life at low cost

d. manage labor and design jobs so people are effectively and efficiently utilized

e. all of the above

d (Human resource strategy for competitive advantage, moderate)

32. The two most basic policies associated with employment stability are

a. job enrichment and job enlargement

b. employment for life and guaranteed minimum wage

c. follow demand exactly and hold employment constant

d. incentive plans and piece-rate plans

e. none of the above

c (Labor planning, moderate)

33. Four of the components of job design are

a. employment stability, work schedules, work sampling, motivation, and incentive systems

b. job specialization, job expansion, psychological components, and self-directed teams

c. labor specialization and enrichment, motivation and incentive systems, employment stability, and work sampling

d. ergonomics and work methods, method time measurement, work schedules, and incentive systems

e. labor specialization, time studies, work sampling, and pre-determined time standards

b (Job design, moderate)

34. Job rotation is an example of

a. job enrichment

b. job scheduling

c. job training

d. job enlargement

e. job incentive

d (Job design, moderate)

35. The behavioral approach to job design that involves giving the worker a larger portion of the total task is

a. job enlargement

b. job enrichment

c. job enhancement

d. job rotation

e. job involvement

a (Job design, moderate)

36. When a worker has a say in the work methods that he/she wishes to utilize, his/her job is characterized by

a. skill variety

b. job identity

c. job significance

d. feedback

e. autonomy

e (Job design, moderate)

37. Which of the following terms implies an increase in responsibility and control?

a. job rotation

b. job enrichment

c. job re-design

d. job enlargement

e. job satisfaction

b (Job design, moderate)

38. Which of the following statements describes job rotation?

a. The job contains a larger number of similar tasks.

b. The job includes some planning and control necessary for job accomplishment.

c. The operator works on different shifts on a regular basis.

d. The operator's schedule is flexible.

e. The operator is allowed to move, for example, from one type of CNC machine to the other.

e (Job design, moderate)

39. The difference between job enrichment and job enlargement is that

a. enlarged jobs involve vertical expansion, while enriched jobs involve horizontal expansion

b. enriched jobs enable an employee to do a number of boring jobs instead of just one

c. job enlargement is more psychologically satisfying than job enrichment

d. job enrichment is suitable for all employees, whereas job enlargement is not

e. enriched jobs involve vertical expansion, while enlarged jobs involve horizontal expansion

e (Job design, moderate)

40. A job characterized by _______ allows a worker to use his/her dexterity, physical strength, and skills to do his/her work.

a. feedback

b. skill variety

c. job identity

d. job significance

e. autonomy

b (Job design, difficult)

41. When a worker obtains clear and timely information about his/her performance, his/her job is characterized by

a. feedback

b. skill variety

c. job identity

d. job significance

e. autonomy

a (Job design, moderate)

42. Which of the following is not a limitation of job expansion?

a. higher capital cost

b. higher wage rates

c. smaller labor pool

d. higher training costs

e. All of the above are limitations of job expansion.

e (Job design, moderate)

43. Management and labor share the labor cost reductions in which of these compensation schemes?

a. bonus system

b. quota system

c. Scantron plan

d. Scanlon plan

e. measured day work plan

d (Job design, moderate)

44. Which of the following statements regarding incentive systems is false?

a. Bonuses are often used at the executive levels.

b. About half of all American manufacturing firms use productivity incentives.

c. Knowledge-based pay systems are increasing in use.

d. The Scanlon plan is based on team productivity.

e. Increasing use of cross-training has led to increasing use of knowledge-based pay systems.

d (Job design, moderate)

45. Ergonomics is not concerned with

a. levels of illumination, noise, temperature, and humidity

b. adjusting and providing input to the machine

c. feedback (providing information to the operator)

d. adequate compensation schemes

e. the design of functional and comfortable office furniture

d (Job design, moderate)

46. One of the elements of ergonomics is

a. allocating work time based on economic studies

b. the cost justification of technology

c. designing tools and machines that facilitate human work

d. the use of automation in a manufacturing organization

e. the establishment of time standards

c (Job design, moderate)

47. Managers should seek to control such work environment factors as

a. illumination

b. noise and vibration

c. temperature

d. air quality

e. all of the above

e (Job design, moderate)

48. Which of the following is not an analytical target of methods analysis?

a. movement of capital

b. body movement

c. movement of individuals

d. movement of materials

e. crew activity

a (Job design, moderate)

49. Methods analysis focuses on

a. the design of the machines used to perform a task

b. establishing time standards

c. reducing the number of skills needed for the completion of a task

d. issues such as the movement of individuals or materials

e. evaluating training programs to see if they are efficient

d (Job design, moderate)

50. Which of the following is used by methods analysis in analyzing body movement at the workstation level?

a. MTM chart

b. flow diagram

c. operations chart

d. process chart

e. improvement chart

c (Job design, moderate)

51. "Designed to show economy of motion by pointing out waste motion and idle time" describes

a. flow diagrams

b. an activity chart

c. an operations chart

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

c (Job design, moderate)

52. In a large aerospace company, it has been discovered that some insulators have been damaged. A methods specialist is sent out to follow the insulators through the production and storage processes and to try to find out where in the process they are damaged. The specialist should use

a. left- and right-hand charts

b. man-machine charts

c. job analysis charts

d. flow diagrams

e. activity charts

d (Job design, difficult)

53. Methods analysis employs which of the following charts in its analysis of the movement of workers and materials?

a. micro-motion chart

b. flow diagram

c. activity chart

d. man-machine chart

e. movement chart

b (Job design, moderate)

54. Flow diagrams are used to analyze

a. movement of people and materials

b. utilization of an operator and machine

c. body movements

d. time taken by various activities

e. unnecessary micro-motions

a (Job design, moderate)

55. Activity charts help analyze

a. movement of people and materials

b. utilization of an operator and machine

c. body movements

d. activities that can cause injuries

e. unnecessary micro-motions

b (Job design, moderate)

56. "Schematic used to investigate movement of people or material" describes a(n)

a. flow diagram

b. activity chart

c. operations chart

d. right-hand / left-hand chart

e. none of the above

a (Job design, moderate)

57. The visual workplace includes

a. painted symbols to indicate the proper place for tools and equipment

b. labeling of parts, bins, and tools to reduce waste

c. kanbans, andons, and statistical process control (SPC) charts

d. color-coded lights and signs to indicate that there is a problem

e. all of the above

e (The visual workplace, moderate) {AACSB: Communication}

58. Shadow boards and foot printing are elements of

a. the Hawthorne studies

b. workplace noise reduction

c. project management in service firms

d. the visual workplace

e. specialization of labor

d (The visual workplace, moderate) {AACSB: Communication}

59. The visual workplace

a. uses low-cost visual devices to share information

b. is an effective means of rapid communication in a dynamic workplace

c. helps with both "big picture" and "housekeeping" issues in the workplace

d. eliminates non-value added activities by making problems and standards visual

e. all of the above

e (The visual workplace, moderate) {AACSB: Communication}

60. Ethical work environment decisions by managers may be guided by

a. state agencies

b. trade associations

c. insurers

d. employees

e. all of the above

e (Ethics and the work environment, moderate) {AACSB: Ethical Reasoning}

61. Which of the following is an ergonomics issue with ethical implications?

a. job enrichment

b. equal opportunity

c. equal pay for equal work

d. a noisy workplace

e. foot printing

d (Ethics and the work environment, moderate) {AACSB: Ethical Reasoning}

62. Which of the following is not a work environment issue with ethical implications?

a. hazardous materials in the workplace

b. equal opportunity

c. equal pay for equal work

d. danger on the job

e. All of the above have ethical implications.

e (Ethics and the work environment, moderate) {AACSB: Ethical Reasoning}

63. Labor standards are defined as the

a. preset activities required to perform a job

b. amount of space required by a specific crew to perform the job

c. standard set of procedures to perform the job

d. standard labor agreements

e. amount of time required to perform a job or part of a job

e (Labor standards, moderate)

FILL-IN-THE-BLANK

64. _______________ means a job that is not only reasonably safe and for which the pay is equitable, but which also achieves an appropriate level of both physical and psychological requirements.

Quality of work life (Human resource strategy for competitive advantage, moderate)

65. ___________ is a means of determining staffing policies dealing with employment stability and work schedules.

Labor planning (Labor planning, moderate)

66. ___________ refers to a work schedule that deviates from the normal or standard five 8-hour days.

Flexible workweek (Labor planning, moderate)

67. __________ is an approach that specifies the tasks that constitute a job for an individual or a group.

Job design (Job design, easy)

68. ___________ is the grouping of a variety of tasks using the same approximate skill level.

Job enlargement (Job design, moderate)

69. ___________ is a method of giving an employee more responsibility that includes some of the planning and control necessary for job accomplishment.

Job enrichment (Job design, moderate)

70. _______________ showed that there is a dynamic social system in the workplace.

The Hawthorne studies (Job design, moderate)

71. _______________ involves enlarging employee jobs so that the added responsibility and authority is moved to the lowest possible level in the organization.

Employee empowerment (Job design, moderate)

72. A(n) _____________ is a group of empowered individuals working together to reach a common goal.

self-directed team (Job design, moderate)

73. ___________ is a system providing some portion of any profit for distribution to employees.

Profit sharing (Job design, moderate)

74. The study of work, often called human factors, is called __________.

ergonomics (Job design, moderate)

75. __________ are drawings used to analyze movement of people or material.

Flow diagrams (Job design, moderate)

76. Painted symbols that indicate the proper place for tools and machinery are called __________ and _________.

shadow boards and foot prints (The visual workplace, moderate) {AACSB: Communication}

77. Keyboard design, noisy work environment, and dangerous materials or operations in the workplace are all __________ issues with ethical implications.

ergonomic (Ethics and the work environment, moderate) {AACSB: Ethical Reasoning}

SHORT ANSWER

78. Provide examples of non-monetary incentives.

Awards, recognitions, certain preferences such as a preferred work schedule, promotion and achievement. (Job design, moderate)

79. What is quality of work life? What is its relation to a firm's human resource strategy?

Quality of work life means a reasonably safe job with equitable pay that adheres to an appropriate level of both physical and psychological requirements. Quality of work life is one of the two primary goals of a human resource strategy, the other of which is efficient utilization of people. (Human resource strategy for competitive advantage, moderate)

80. Describe some impacts of noise in the workplace.

Specific answers will vary, but should include some of the following. High levels of sound will damage hearing. Extended periods of exposure to decibel levels above 85 dB are permanently damaging. (Private business offices average about 50 dB.) OSHA requires ear protection if exposure to 85dB equals or exceeds 8 hours. Even at low levels, noise and vibration can be distracting and can raise a person’s blood pressure, so most managers make substantial effort to reduce noise and vibration through good machine design, enclosures, or insulation. Finally, recent research shows that noise in the work environment can increase the risk of heart attack by 50% or more. (Ergonomics and the work environment, moderate)

81. What is mutual trust? What is its link to a firm's human resource strategy?

Mutual trust is intended to mean reasonable, documented employment policies that are honestly and equitably implemented to the satisfaction of both management and employee. This is the atmosphere that nurtures reasonable quality of life. (Human resource strategy for competitive advantage, moderate)

82. What are the advantages and the disadvantages of the employment-stability policy "holding employment constant?"

Holding employment levels constant maintains a trained workforce and keeps hiring, termination, and unemployment costs to a minimum. But when demand is low, people may be underutilized, and when demand is high, the firm may be unable to respond. (Labor planning, moderate)

83. How does labor specialization assist in reducing labor costs (list three ways)?

Labor specialization assists in reducing labor costs by development of dexterity and faster learning by the employee because of repetition; less loss of time because the employee will not be changing jobs so frequently; development of specialized tools and a reduction in investment because each employee will require only a few tools for a particular task. (Job design, moderate)

84. Identify the limitations to job expansion.

Limitations of job expansion include higher capital cost; many individuals prefer simpler jobs; higher wage rates are required; smaller labor pools exist; and higher training costs. (Job design, moderate)

85. Explain how job expansion can lead to higher pay rates.

As expansion leads to workers having greater skills, they tend to be paid according to their highest skill. (Job design, moderate)

86. It is said that job expansion has both a vertical component and a horizontal component. Explain, with reference to such terms as job enrichment, job rotation, job enlargement, and employee empowerment.

Vertical expansion gives employees more planning and/or control over their work, which is job enrichment. Horizontal expansion adds tasks, through job rotation or job enlargement. Job enrichment relates primarily to increasing the cognitive or intellectual requirements for the job. Job enlargement relates primarily to an increase in the number of tasks to be performed. Job rotation implies a formal arrangement for job switching among a particular group of workers within a specific set of jobs. Employee empowerment is the practice of enriching jobs so that employees accept responsibility for a variety of decisions normally associated with staff specialists. (Job design, moderate)

87. What impact did the Hawthorne studies have on human resource strategy?

The Hawthorne studies introduced psychology into the workplace. They proved that there is a dynamic social system in the workplace, and that this social system can be more important than physical working conditions. (Job design, easy)

88. Identify the five components of job design.

The five components of job design include job specialization, job expansion, psychological components, self-directed teams, and motivation & incentive systems. (Job design, moderate)

89. List Hackman and Oldham's five desirable characteristics of job design.

According to Hackman and Oldham, the desirable characteristics of job design include skill variety, job identity, job significance, autonomy, and feedback. (Job design, moderate)

90. To maximize team effectiveness, managers need to do more then just form teams. What should managers do to maximize team effectiveness?

They should ensure that those who have a legitimate contribution are on the team, provide management support, ensure the necessary training, and endorse clear objectives. (Job design, moderate)

91. Describe how supervisors might need to change their roles after organizing self-directed teams.

Supervisors must release some control and learn to accept different job responsibilities. Self-directed teams may mean having no supervisors on the factory floor. (Job design, moderate)

92. Identify three forms of monetary rewards.

Pick three of the following: bonuses, profit sharing, gain sharing, incentive systems, and knowledge-based pay systems. (Job design, moderate)

93. What is methods analysis?

Methods analysis focuses on how a task is accomplished. It involves developing work procedures that are safe and produce quality products efficiently. (Job design, easy)

94. What are operations charts used for?

Operations charts are used to analyze body movement. They are designed to show economy of motion by pointing out wasted motion and idle time. (Job design, moderate)

95. How might ergonomics be used to help design an employee workstation?

Ergonomics deals with the human factors of work. Ergonomic studies take into account the height, weight, range of motion, and other physical attributes typical of employees, along with variations from those norms. Ergonomic influences should result in workstations that are the proper height for employees, comfortable for the range of motions of that job, and free from unnecessary danger, noise, or other environmental detriments to work. (Job design, moderate) {AACSB: Reflective Thinking}

96. Describe how the "visual workplace" can increase information flow, improve efficiency, and eliminate non-value-adding activities. Support your argument with a few examples.

Visuals reduce the time spent sharing information, especially in signaling hazards, low-stock conditions, poor quality, etc. Time spent reading instructions or taking measurements are non-value-adding if a simple visual can replace them. Examples include graphs of stock conditions, painted warnings, markers, kanbans, andons, shadow boards, foot prints, and others. (The visual workplace, moderate) {AACSB: Communication}

97. What is meant by the visual workplace? Provide two examples.

The visual workplace brings low-cost visual systems to the workplace so information that is vital in the workplace can be shared. Good visual systems are designed to increase the possibility that what is supposed to happen does happen. One example is the timing clock that is increasingly found in fast-food restaurants, which indicates the length of time that a customer has waited. Another example is a painted shadow board which indicates the proper place for tools to be stored when not in use. Other examples include andon lights which signal a problem, containers of the optimum size or with indentations for each part or type of part, color coding and symbols for parts containers. (The visual workplace, moderate) {AACSB: Communication}

98. The visual workplace improves communications at three levels: big picture, performance, and housekeeping. Cite an example of each type; explain your examples in a sentence each.

Big picture is illustrated by a posting of a company's stock price, reminding employees of their role in company efficiency and profitability. Performance is illustrated by kanbans—visuals that signal the need for additional production (SPC charts and production quotas are other examples). Housekeeping is illustrated by foot prints and shadow boards, which indicate the proper place for tools and equipment (other examples include andons and labels). (The visual workplace, moderate) {AACSB: Communication}

99. List two ethical concerns that arise from work environment issues that are ergonomic in nature; list two more that are not ergonomic in nature.

Ethical concerns arise in ergonomic work environment issues such as (students may name any two of the following): danger in performing the job, exposure to dangerous ingredients on the job, unnecessary noise, vibration, heat, humidity, and incorrect lighting. Ethical issues which are not based in ergonomics arise with respect to fairness and equity. These include equal opportunity and equal pay for equal work. (Ethics and the work environment, easy) {AACSB: Ethical Reasoning}

100. A female employee in a male-dominated workplace comes to you and says "I'm having difficulty with a certain task because the workstation was designed for the men, who are generally taller and have greater arm's length than I." What are the basic ethical issues here (if any), and what are the various guidelines and sources that could help you? (You are not asked to SOLVE her problem.)

The basic ethical issue is equal opportunity, even though the problem arises because of ergonomics. There may be OSHA or state law to assist your deliberations; you may also consult with your firm's legal or human resource department. (Ethics and the work environment, moderate) {AACSB: Ethical Reasoning}

266