Preparing to Manage Human Resources Coursera Quiz Answers

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Week 01: Preparing to Manage Human Resources Coursera Quiz Answers

Course Readiness and Personal Goals Quiz Answers

Q1. I feel well-prepared for this course.

Yes
No

Q2. How much experience do you have managing employees?

None
A little
A lot

Q3. What would you most like to get out of this course?

Self Write

Q4. When I think about needing to personally manage people, I feel the following…(check all that apply)

Burdened
Competent
Stressed
Responsible
Confident
Energized
Confused
Lacking confidence

Q5. Are there other feelings that the choices in the previous question did not capture? Please list all of them here.

Self Write

Lesson 2 Practice Quiz Answers

Q1. Which of the following are elements of Taylorism, also known as scientific management? (you must correctly check all that apply).

NOTE: this is an example of a question that has more than one correct response–you must check ALL of the correct responses in order to get the question correct.

To motivate workers, getting the human conditions of work is just as important as getting the technical conditions right.
Managers should drive workers through strict monitoring, discipline, and even threats.
Managers, not workers, are seen as having the knowledge and expertise to find the best way to do each job.
Jobs should be broken into small, standardized, repetitive tasks.

Q2. Which of the following are typical features of a high-road HR strategy? (you must correctly check all that apply).

NOTE: this is an example of a question that has more than one correct response–you must check ALL of the correct responses in order to get the question correct.

Labor or trade unions
Above-average pay and benefits
Employee autonomy and discretion
Unquestioned supervisor authority
Low levels of profitability
Employee training

Q3. True or false: There is one personal managerial style that is best in all situations.

False
True

Q4. True or false: All organizations in the same competitive space have to have the same type of HR strategy.

False
True

Lesson 3 Practice Quiz Answers

Q1. Which of the following is not an example of labor being a derived demand?

Offering flexible work schedules is what workers with family responsibilities want.
Offering flexible work schedules because customers with family responsibilities want extended hours of operation.
Offering flexible work schedules because customers do not expect immediate responses to their inquiries.

Q2. Which of the following are required for HR to be strategic? (check all that apply)

HR tasks are a line manager’s responsibility, with help from an HR partner.
HR is focused on organizational needs, not just on the administration of HR policies.
HR tasks are primarily the responsibility of an HR staff person, perhaps with input from line managers.
HR needs to be an expert in every business function.

Q3. True or false: No matter how one thinks the employment relationship works, high-road HR strategies are always seen as desirable.

False.
True

Q4. Though there are exceptions because organizations can choose their HR strategy, a low-road HR strategy typically tries to support a business strategy based on competing on _____?

A low-road HR strategy typically tries to support a business strategy based on competing on cost.

Different Approaches to Managing People Quiz Answers

Q1. True or false: managers cannot be leaders, and leaders cannot be managers.

True
False

Q2. Why is job analysis an important process?

Because it reveals the strengths and weaknesses of employees that serve as the basis for training employees and establishing developmental goals.
Because it puts work tasks together into sensible jobs and identifies job requirements that serve as the basis for hiring employees.
Because it provides a performance rating for each employee that serves as the basis for compensation and rewards.

Q3. Which best describes the foundational assumptions of Taylorism, also known as scientific management?

Workers want to earn income in the most efficient way possible, but it is managers who best know how to structure work tasks to fulfill this goal.
To manage workers effectively, managers need to pay attention to psychological and social conditions, not just technical conditions.
Business owners are industrious, ambitious, thrifty, and sober; workers are not.
Workers are diverse so they need to be managed in ways tailored to their own goals and values.

Q4. An HR strategy that emphasizes employee engagement and discretion can be summed up by which phrase?

“If you don’t like it, let’s talk about it.”
“If you don’t like it, quit.”

Q5. An organization’s strategy for managing people is determined…

Solely by organizational choices and values without paying any attention to external or internal factors.
Partly by a combination of external factors (such as competition), and internal factors (such as business strategy), but not completely because organizations have choices about how to manage people.
Solely by internal factors (such as business strategy).
Solely by various external factors (such as competition).

Q6. True or false: In selecting a personal managerial style, managers should only pay attention to their own strengths and weaknesses, not the situation or the needs of employees.

False
True

Q7. Which is the single best personal managerial style?

Coercive.
Authoritative
Affiliative
Democratic
Pacesetting
Coaching
None of the above because there is no single best style that fits with all situations.

Q8. Economists say that labor is a derived demand. Why is this concept important for managers to understand?

Because strategies, policies, and tactics for managing people are derived from a country’s legal regulations.
Because what employees demand can affect strategies, policies, and tactics for managing people.
Because whatever affects demand for an organization’s product or service can affect strategies, policies, and tactics for managing people.

Q9. Which of the following statements are true? (you must correctly check all that apply)

An organizational strategy based on low-cost leadership is typically supported by an HR strategy that tries to contain labor expenses and drive workers.
An organizational strategy does not completely determine an organization’s HR strategy. In other words, organizations with any type of business strategy can choose an HR strategy that develops, rewards and engages employees.
An organizational strategy based on unique goods or services is typically supported by an HR strategy that tries to develop, reward, and engage workers.
An organization’s business strategy and its HR strategy should be unrelated to each other.

Q10. Which of the following beliefs underlies high-road human resources strategies?

Labor markets work reasonably well in allocating and rewarding workers.
The interests of an organization and its employees can be aligned.
The employment relationship is characterized by some important conflicts of interest between an organization and its employees.

Q11. Which of the following beliefs typically underlies low-road human resources strategies?

Corporations are a part of society and should serve not just shareholders and customers, but other stakeholders, too.
A business serves society best by satisfying market demand for its goods and services and providing high financial returns for shareholders.

Week 02: Preparing to Manage Human Resources Coursera Quiz Answers

Q1. When determining the best way to motivate employees, why shouldn’t managers rely solely on HR staff for directions? (Check all that apply)

People are unique so there are various drivers of motivation.
HR is just a pencil-pushing function.
It’s not a manager’s job to motivate workers, they should be self-motivated.
Managers know their employees best.
Work can mean different things to different people, so there are various drivers of motivation.

Q2. In the video lesson “The Many Meanings of Work,” how many different ways of thinking about work were presented?

One
Two
Five
More than five

Q3. True or false: Work is what it is. Some jobs are lousy, but we can’t do anything to change that.

True.
False

Q4. Mainstream economic theorizing sees work as a lousy activity that workers tolerate in order to earn income. One way that work is seen as lousy is as a pain cost (e.g., hot, dangerous, boring, stressful). A second way is as an _________ cost.

Comment Answers Below

Lesson 2 Practice Quiz Answers

Q1. One of the key concerns that emerges from the economic analysis of workers is a concern with opportunism. Which is the best definition of opportunism?

Not giving full work effort in one’s job.
The cost that comes from missing an opportunity to do something.
Pursuing one’s own self-interests even when they run counter to others’ interests.

Q2. If workers behave in ways consistent with standard economic models, solution(s) to principal-agent problems include… (check all that apply)

Financial incentives
Peer pressure
Monitoring
Autonomy

Q3. True or false: Setting compensation incentives involves finding the right balance between risk and insurance.

True
False

Q4. True or false: To overcome problems of private information, organizations can only use screening strategies, not signaling strategies.

True
False

Lesson 3 Practice Quiz Answers

Q1. The amount of work an individual wants to sell to an employer is called labor _____.

Supply

Q2. Labor is a special commodity because… (check all that apply)

It has productive value.
It involves people.
It is traded in economic markets.

Q3. True or false: For individuals who believe that labor markets are perfectly or ideally competitive, the best protection against worker exploitation is competition for workers among employers, not a labor union or government law.

True
False

Q4. True or false: Efficiency, equity, and voice can be useful for managers to think about because it’s one way of summarizing workers’ interests.

True.
False

Monetary Aspects of Work Coursera Quiz Answers

Q1. Most individuals in modern societies need to work for pay in order to survive. So this means that which of the following are important for managers? (you must check all that apply)

Work can seem like a curse (the way it’s always been, the way it will always be).
People only work for money (that is, money is the sole motivator for all workers).
Financial stress can take on extra meaning in the workplace.

Q2. Economic theorizing sees work as both a pain cost and an opportunity cost. This is useful for managers because…

…this means that there are never any psychological rewards from working.
…this means that managers have to compensate workers for these costs in order to get them to work hard.
…this means workers will never want to work hard.

Q3. Marginal analysis from economics teaches managers… (you must check all that apply)

…that it’s particularly challenging to motivate someone when the last extra hour that you want someone to work is right on the edge of whether they want to work more or not.
…to think about the additional benefit compared to the additional cost of a possible managerial decision.
Work is a lousy activity tolerated to earn income.
…that what it takes to hire or retain the last needed worker strongly influences compensation and other elements of the job for everyone in that position.

Q4. Economic theory predicts that if an employer pays a fixed wage or salary rather than performance-based pay, workers will…

work hard
complain
shirk
quit

Q5. Which of the following is needed for an economic contest or tournament to be an effective incentive mechanism that motivates high work effort?

A known prize that is large enough to compensate for extra effort.
A clear pay-for-performance program that rewards each worker’s effort.
Insurance against excessive income loss.

Q6. Which of the following are possible unintended consequences of using financial incentives to motivate workers? (you must check all that apply)

Poor teamwork
“If you don’t like it, quit”
Reduced non-monetary (Intrinsic) motivation
Employees work harder than without incentives
“What gets measured gets done”
Overstimulation

Q7. True or false: Principal-agent problems can always be solved by additional monitoring.

False
True

Q8. True or false: When evaluating a signal of private information, it’s important to consider whether the signal is easy for others to imitate.

True
False

Q9. Economics highlights worker self-interest. This is important for raising managerial awareness of… (you must check all that apply)

Principal-agent problems
Shirking and loafing
Strategic use of private information
Shareholder value

Q10. It is useful for managers to understand what affects labor supply because…

…this helps managers understand workers’ decision-making processes about where and when to work, and under what conditions.
…this helps managers understand what might happen if the organization needs to add more employees to supply more goods to its customers.

Q11. The question of whether employers and employees really are economic and legal equals is… (you must check all that apply)

…an issue that is largely ignored in high-road HR strategies.
…the subject of intense debates going back more than 100 years.
…an issue that is largely ignored in pluralist, Marxist, radical, and critical critiques of approaches that favor labor market competition for setting wages and other terms and conditions of employment.
…important because it determines whether or not employees need the protection of laws and labor unions.

Q12. Perfect competition is an important issue to consider because…

…if labor markets truly are perfectly competitive, then the invisible hand of free market competition is the best way to (a) allocate labor to its best uses, and (b) reward employees with pay equal to the value they produce.
…employers need to recruit and retain employees and this happens in labor markets with labor traded like a commodity.
…if labor markets truly are perfectly competitive, then interventions like labor unions or government regulation will not distort (a) the allocation of labor to its best uses, and (b) the rewarding of employees with pay equal to the value they produce.

Week 03: Preparing to Manage Human Resources Coursera Quiz Answers

Lesson 1 Practice Quiz Answers

Q1. True or false: Even for individuals who are well-off and claim they are not working for money, money can be important as a sign of self-worth and the value or respect given to them by the organization.

False
True

Q2. An economic or monetary focus on work highlights the importance of extrinsic motivation. A psychological, non-monetary focus highlights the importance of _______ motivation.

Intrinsic

Q3. What job characteristics tend to promote positive job attitudes among employees? (check all that apply)

Task identity
Skill variety
Financial incentives
Task significance
Autonomy

Q4. True or false: When workers use their work to shape their identity, they do so solely by labeling themselves with various identifiers (e.g., “I am a ____ working for _____.”).

True
False

Lesson 2 Practice Quiz Answers

Q1. Sociology usefully draws our attention to the influence of ______ institutions in the workplace, such as norms and culture.

Social

Q2. Employees are believed to conform with norms and other social pressures in order to… (check all that apply)

…avoid being harassed and ostracized.
…earn a high income.
…achieve a sense of belonging.

Q3. True or false: Treating work as a commodity results in society placing value on work that is seen as a precious commodity, which then devalues women’s caring activities that are traditionally done in the household for no pay.

True
False

Q4. True or false: Thinking about work as serving others is irrelevant for managers.

False
True

Lesson 3 Practice Quiz Answers

Q1. The component of justice that focuses on the fairness of outcomes is called _______ justice.

distributive

Q2. The component of justice that focuses on the fairness of policies and rules is called _______ justice.

procedural

Q3. When managing a workgroup, before applying insights from economics, psychology, sociology, or other academic disciplines, managers should first make sure that…

…the assumptions of that perspective fit with my own values.
…the assumptions of that perspective fit with the values of the workgroup.
…there isn’t more practical advice available because blogs, business magazines, and other non-academic sources don’t rely on any assumptions.

Q4. The vast complexity of work means that…

…each employee you manage might have a different motivational factor, but each person will only have one.
…each employee you manage might have different combinations of multiple motivational factors.

Non-Monetary Aspects of Work Quiz Answers

Q1. Managers should be trying to create conditions that result in…

…employees who are satisfied with their job.
…employees who are committed to their organization.
…employees who are engaged in their job.

Q2. To promote intrinsic motivation among workers they manage, managers should promote which needs? (you must check all that apply)

Autonomy
Competence
Financial security
Social belonging

Q3. True or false: To promote positive job attitudes, managers should only be concerned with the characteristics of each job.

True
False

Q4. To help feel good about ourselves, we identify with certain groups and in doing so, we emphasize the positive nature of their own group (“in-group”) compared to others (“out-groups”). Which of the following does not result from this?

Discrimination against out-group members by in-group members.
Inter-group conflict.
Differences between those groups we identify with and those we do not are magnified.
Free-rider problems in groups such that some group members do not fully contribute.

Q5. To derive personal identity from belonging to an occupation, employees will…

…behave in ways that conform to societal or peer expectations for that occupation, unless the organization wishes them to behave differently.
…behave in ways that conform to societal or peer expectations for that occupation, even if the organization wishes them to behave differently.
…not worry about conforming to societal or peer expectations for that occupation.

Q6. Consider an employee who (a) is only concerned with distributive justice, but not other aspects, and (b) believes she is working harder than her co-workers but getting paid the same. The employee’s manager should expect her to… (you must check all that apply)

…complain about the fairness of the policies for determining pay.
..reduce her effort to match that of her co-workers.
…do nothing.
…ask for a raise.

Q7. Some questions that can help managers think about employee perceptions of procedural justice include: (you must check all that apply)

Has an employee been able to express his/her views and feelings during the procedure?
During the procedure, did the manager treat the employee with respect?
Has the procedure been free of bias?
Has the procedure been applied consistently?
Did the procedure result in fair outcomes?

Q8. Managers should only apply insights from psychology after they examine their workers and see…

…self-interested individuals working for money.
…individuals focused on obtaining intrinsic rewards and avoiding frustration.
…conscious-status individuals who are also concerned with norms or peer pressure.

Q9. Norms or peer pressure can come from many sources, including… (you must check all that apply)

…the worker as an individual.
…work group.
…organization.
…country.

Q10. True or false: Various forms of social norms will always support managers in eliciting desired work behaviors.

False.
True.

Q11. True or false: Because of biological differences, women are naturally suited to care for others, and this justifies an enduring, unequal sexual division of labor.

False
True

Q12. For managers, what is the relevance of seeing work as caring for and serving others? (you must check all that apply)

Caring for and serving others isn’t real work so it has little to do with managers.
Workers who value caring or serving might be demotivated if they feel that these meanings of work are devalued by an organization or a society.
Workers who value caring or serving might be motivated if a manager provides opportunities for fulfilling these goals, either directly or indirectly.

Week 04: Preparing to Manage Human Resources Coursera Quiz Answers

Lesson 1 Practice Quiz Answers

Q1. Managers should… (check all that apply)

Determine the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) required of their team.
Micro-manage their team and assume they know best.
Set appropriate performance objectives and help them achieve these objectives.
Take all the credit.

Q2. True or false: A manager should use employee engagement scores for his/her work group over time and in comparison with other work groups to watch for warning signs of problems in the workgroup.

False
True

Q3. When managing in a unionized environment, managers need to remember two words. Bilateral and _______.

Multilateral

Q4. True or false: When you are dealing with someone else, it’s their problem, not yours, if they have an audience that is watching.

False
True

Lesson 2 Practice Quiz Answers

Q1. Does the law see the employment relationship like any other economic transaction?

Yes
No
Sort of

Q2. Employment-at-will requires… (check all that apply)

That workers have the legal right to work for whoever they want, when they want, for whatever compensation they can obtain, and quit whenever they please.
Organizations have the legal right to hire whoever they want, at whatever compensation workers will agree to, and fire workers at any time for any reason.
That everyone who is willing to work is guaranteed a job.

Q3. True or false: True employment-at-will rarely exists.

False
True

Q4. Unjust dismissal laws typically restrict the discipline and discharge of employees unless this is related to… (check all that apply)

…job performance.
…a desire to lower labor costs.
…a lack of work.
…faulty information.

Lesson 3 Practice Quiz Answers

Q1. Employment law pertains to the rights of workers as ________.

employees

Q2. Labor law pertains to the rights of workers as ________.

laborers

Q3. True or false: In the United States, labor law only applies to workplaces where there are labor unions or formal labor union activity such as an organizing drive.

False
True

Q4. True or false: Managers should manage defensively such that they primarily try to avoid legal action.

False
True

Managing in a Complex System Quiz Answers

Q1. Managers should… (you must check all that apply)

Do everyone else’s job.
Hire and/or develop staff with the needed knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs).
Recognize and reward performance.
Overlook the importance of humility, civility, and integrity.

Q2. When managing in a unionized workplace, managers should… (you must check all that apply)

Follow any required bargaining or consultation procedures.
Respect employee voice and the bilateral nature of the relationship with unions.
Blame the union if the relationship is adversarial or uncooperative.

Q3. What does it mean to be a good front-stage, backstage manager? (you must check all that apply)

Get caught up in the emotions of front-stage performances.
When you are dealing with someone else, think about whether you have an audience and what the audience expects.
Use the privacy of the backstage to exchange information, talk frankly, explore options, and problem-solve.
Shut people out and make backroom deals.
When you are dealing with someone else, engage in perspective-taking by considering whether they have an audience and what that audience expects.

Q4. True or false: When thinking about protections against unjust or unfair “adverse employment actions,” this only applies to employee terminations.

False
True

Q5. True or false: Employment-at-will is useful as a functional benchmark for managers to think about what they can and cannot legally do as a manager.

True
False

Q6. There’s an asymmetry in the extent to which employment-at-will exists in most countries because…

…employees can quit for any reason but organizations cannot fire someone for any reason.
…employees cannot quit for any reason but organizations can fire someone for any reason.

Q7. From a pluralist industrial relations perspective, laws are needed to balance efficiency, equity, and voice because… (you must check all that apply)

… The interests of employees are more important than the interests of employers.
…conflicts of interest in the employment relationship mean that managers cannot be relied on to look out for the welfare of employees.
…employers typically have greater bargaining power than individual employees.

Q8. Which one(s) of these are associated with the free market perspective on workplace law and regulation? (you must check all that apply)

The role of the law should be limited to the smooth functioning of the employment relationship by providing orderly rules that facilitate economic transactions such as enforceable contracts and protections for property rights.
Employment and labor laws are largely unnecessary because labor markets fairly reward employees.
Some employment laws are useful to push companies toward win-win, high-road HR practices, and prevent the worst abuses that undermine good employers.

Q9. True or false: In the United States, there are no federal requirements for sick leave, paid holidays or vacations, or breaks, but some states require breaks based on time at work.

True
False

Q10. U.S. labor law… (you must check all that apply)

…requires organizations to bargain in good faith with labor unions that represent a majority of workers.
…protects the right of employees to strike in all occupations, including in the entire public sector.
…protects workers joining together to increase their bargaining power and exercise voice, even without the presence of an actual labor union.

Q11. True or false: Many countries outside of the United States have greater protections against unjust dismissal, require employment contracts, and mandate a variety of leave benefits.