After Several Years of Sound but Unimpressive Performance, Foothill Federal

question 123

Multiple Choice

After several years of sound but unimpressive performance, Foothill Federal was bought out by Cashcorp, a much larger financial organization. Hoping to turn the new network into a stronger asset to the corporation, Cashcorp's managers begin by examining Foothill's existing performance appraisal process. Cashcorp managers quickly determine that employee evaluations have been handled very superficially in the past, typically by division managers at the central location. As a result, seniority, rather than productivity, has been the primary rationale for promotions and rewards. The HR manager assigned to integrating Foothill into the Cashcorp family immediately sees that changes will need to be made in the performance appraisal process. However, he does not want to move too rashly, as the merger has already made the Foothill workforce worried that extensive terminations and layoffs are imminent. Which of the following, if true, would most strongly support changing who is responsible for performance appraisals at Foothill?

• A) The supervisors carrying out appraisals were all assigned to Foothill's central location, even though most of the employees they evaluated were at branches.
• B) The web-based performance appraisal software already used by Cashcorp allows employees to do self-evaluations.
• C) Cashcorp has a more detailed and clearer set of corporate objectives than Foothill used in appraisals.
• D) Industry-wide research shows that peer appraisal has a more direct impact on employees than supervisor appraisal.
• E) A regional news report claimed that Cashcorp was prepared to trim the Foothill workforce by up to 30 percent.

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Definitions:

Autonomic

Pertaining to the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary body functions like heartbeat, digestion, and breathing.

Peripheral Nervous System

The part of the nervous system that consists of the nerves and ganglia outside of the brain and spinal cord.

Spinal Cord

A long, thin, tubular bundle of nervous tissue and support cells that extends from the brainstem to the lower back, conducting nerve impulses between the brain and the rest of the body.

Corpus Callosum

The thick band of nerve fibers that connects the two cerebral hemispheres and makes possible the transfer of information and the synchronization of activity between the hemispheres.