mos 1021 exam 1

what are human resources?

people who make up the workforce of an organization

what is an organization?

a group of people who work together in pursuit of a common goal

what is human capital?

knowledge, education, training, skills and expertise of an organization's workforce

what are the two major functions of human resource management?

operational and strategic

who are operational workers in human resource management?

the people who oversee day to day operations

who are strategic workers in human resource management?

the people who align employee efforts with organization's strategic goals

what are strategic goals?

specific results an organization aims to achieve in order to maintain a competitive advantage

what are some examples of strategic goals?

increase revenue, improve customer satisfaction, improve employee retention

what is corporate/organizational culture?

the core values and beliefs shared by members

what is corporate/organizational climate?

the employee's perception of an organization's working environment

what are some benefits of effective human resource management?

reduced cost, greater engagement, better performance

what is evidence based human resources?

evaluating human resources practices against available research to ensure implemented practices will have desired outcomes

what is primary research?

generating new information regarding a research question through collecting, analyzing and drawing conclusions from data

what are some types of primary research?

true experiments, quasi-experiments, surveys

what is secondary research?

examining existing information from studies that used primary methods

what is an independent variable?

a grouping variable that is controlled

what is a dependent variable?

a response variable that is measured

what is a true experiment?

am experiment conducted in a controlled setting where participants are randomly assigned to groups and all measured on the same outcome variable

what is a pro of true experiments?

causal conclusions are possible

what is a con of true experiments?

the results may not apply well to the real world (less generalizable)

what is a quasi-experiment?

an experiment conducted in a natural setting where participants are randomly selected from existing groups and all participants are measured on the same outcome variable

what is a con of quasi-experiments?

causal conclusions are not recommended (too many other variables)

what is a pro of quasi-experiments?

results apply to real world more easily (more generalizable)

what is survey research

experiments conducted in controlled or natural settings where questionnaires are intended to measure each variable and analyses are carried out to determine whether a relationship exists between scores on surveys

what is the relationship between the two variables in a survey?

there is no distinction between the independent variable and dependent variable

what is correlation?

explains the direction of a relationship between two variables and the strength between them

what is a positive correlation?

variables are moving in the same direction

what is a negative correlation?

variables are moving in opposite directions

what is a spurious correlation?

two variables appear to be related but are not (coincidence, third variable involved)

what is the canadian charter of rights and freedoms?

the federal law that guarantees fundamental rights and freedoms to all canadians

which law is the supreme law (followed above all others)?

canadian charter of rights and freedoms

what section is the charter is about equality?

section 15

what is human rights legislation?

legislation that prohibits discrimination in the public and private sector

what is discrimination?

unequal or unfair treatment of a person based upon some personal characteristic (prohibited/protected grounds)

when does human rights legislation apply?

in the context of employment and in the provision of goods and services

what is the canadian human rights act?

federal law that impacts federally regulated organizations

what is direct discrimination?

deliberately refusing or mistreating an individual on the basis of a prohibited characteristic

what is indirect discrimination?

occurs when a seemingly neutral policy or practice has an unintended negative effect on members of a protected group

what is bona fide occupational requirement?

attribute on which hiring or promotion decisions can justifiably be made, which would otherwise be seen as discriminatory (necessary to fulfill job safely and effectively)

what are the three criteria for a bona fide occupational requirement to be enacted?

rational connection, good faith, reasonable necessity

what is duty to accomodate?

employers requirement to adjust policies/practices to ensure that individuals with protected characteristics are not prevented from working

what is undue hardship?

the point to which employers are expected to accommodate employees

what is a manager?

someone responsible for accomplishing goals and who does so by managing efforts of organization's people

what are the five functions of the management process?

planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling

what are the human resource management responsibilities?

attract, retain and engage diverse talent, develop talent and create a productive environment

what is a strategic plan?

company's plan for how it will match its internal strengths/weaknesses with external opportunities/threats to maintain a competitive advantage

what is a strategy?

a course of action the company can pursue to achieve its strategic aims

what is strategic managment?

process of identifying and executing a strategic plan by matching company capabilities with demands of its envrionment

what are metrics?

statistics used to measure activities and results

what are some external influences of human resource management?

labour market issues, economic conditions, technology, government, globalization, environmental concerns

what are some internal influences on human resource management?

organizational culture, organizational climate, management practices

what is occupational segregation?

the existence of certain jobs that have been traditionally limited to employees of a certain characteristic

what are contingent/non-standard workers?

workers who do not fit traditional definition of permanent, full-time employment

what is productivity?

the ratio of an organization's outputs to its inputs

what is the primary sector?

jobs in agriculture, fishing, forestry and mining

what is the secondary sector?

jobs in manufacturing and construction

what is the tertiary/service sector

jobs in business, finance, trade, transportation and communications

what is globalization?

the emergence of a single global market for most products and services

what is the primary objective of most employment legislations?

to prevent employers from exploiting paid workers

what is precedent?

interpretation by a court of a similar case can act as persuasive authority regarding how legislation is to be interpreted and applied in other cases

what is harassment?

unwelcome behaviour that demeans, humiliates or embarasses a person and that a reasonable person should have known would be unwanted

what is sexual harassment?

harassment related to a person's sex and sexual behaviour that creates a hostile or offensive work environment or that could be thought to put sexual conditions on a person's job

what is sexual coercion?

harassment of a sexual nature that results in some direct consequence to the worker's employment status

what is sexual annoyance?

sexually related conduct that is hostile or offensive but has no direct link to tangible job benefits or losses

what is the employment equity program?

a plan designed to identify and correct existing discriminated, redress past, and achieve balanced representation for 4 groups

what is employment (labour) standards legislation?

laws present in every canadian jurisdiction that establish minimum employee entitlements and limit hours worked

what is employment law in ontario called?

employment standards act

what is a job?

collection of related tasks, duties and responsibilities that are grouped together for the purpose of accomplishing work within an organization

what is a position?

specific instance of a job held by a single person

what is job analysis?

the systematic process of collecting detailed information pertaining to a job that is carried out on a continuous basis

why is job analysis important?

impacts training, performance management, compensation and benefits, recruitment and selection

what are the steps of job analysis?

1. review background info
2. choose sources of job info
3. collect job info
4. develop key documents

what is national occupational classification (noc)?

digital database created by the federal government that provides standardized language to describe jobs

what information does the noc include?

main duties, employment requirements, additional information

what is an organizational chart?

a visual diagram depicting structures of an organization that provides information about jobs, ranks and relationships

what is a bureaucratic organizational chart?

numerous levels of management, narrowly defined jobs, top-down management style

what is a flat organizational chart?

few levels of management, more broadly defined jobs, decentralized management style

what is a matrix organizational chart?

two lines of management that are organized and communicative

what is a subject matter expert (sme)?

individual knowledgable about the task, duties, responsibilities and human attributes necessary for holding a job

what is an incumbent?

an individual that is currently holding a position

what is an advantage of using an incumbent?

knowledgeable about the job

what is a disadvantage of using an incumbent?

misinformation is possible (biased)

what is an advantage of talking to a supervisor?

knowledgeable about job importance

what is a disadvantage of talking to a supervisor?

less knowledgeable and about day to day events

what is an advantage of talking to a job analyst?

can provide objective assessment (no skin in the game)

what is a disadvantage of talking to a job analyst?

limited inside knowledge of the organization

what is closed-ended questionnaire?

set questions and pre-defined answers that are comparable and efficient but can miss key detail

what is an open-ended questionnaire?

set questions but subject matter experts can respond as desired; rich in detail but difficult to compare and slow to analyze

what is a position analysis questionnaire?

questionnaire used to collect quantifiable data concerning the duties and responsibilities of various jobs

what are advantages of position analysis questionnaire?

standardized, easy to administer, personal factors have little impact

what are disadvantages of position analysis questionnaire?

reading level high, more suited to assess manual labour, poor differentiation between jobs

how should an incumbent interview be conducted?

without a supervisor present

what is a disadvantage of direct observation of incumbents?

incumbents may change behaviour when observed

when is direct observation helpful?

when jobs involve observable activities

what is knowledge?

factual or procedural information needed to perform a task

what are skills?

developed capacities (task specific) for a job

what are abilities?

general enduring capabilities (not task specific) for a job

what is competency modelling?

alternative to traditional job analysis that focuses on capabilities of people doing the work rather than on the work itself

what are core competencies?

characteristics that apply to all members of an organization

what are cross-functional competencies?

characteristics that apply to all members of a given job group