Strategic Human Resources Planning 7Th Edition Belcourt Test Bank Full Chapter PDF

Strategic Human Resources Planning
7th Edition Belcourt Test Bank

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Chapter 7 - Succession Management

1. In a succession/replacement chart, potential successors can be coded to indicate their availability. If an
employee is coded “RD,” what does this represent?
a. retention desired b. ready with development
c. return to division d. requires downsizing
ANSWER: b
2. Which employee characteristic is NOT typically associated with the process of succession management?
a. skilled b. trained
c. available d. reliable
ANSWER: d
3. What negative consequence might result if there is a delay in naming a successor when a key executive, such
as a CEO, suddenly quits?
a. decreased operating performance for up to two years
b. increased recruitment and selection of middle managers
c. decreased opportunities for management development
d. increased likelihood that the successor will be a family member
ANSWER: a
4. According to the CEO of Maritime Life Insurance, what is the best indicator of whether an employee is ready
for a top position?
a. education b. intelligence
c. rotation d. attitude
ANSWER: c
5. What are two motivational benefits of job rotation?

a. opportunity for advancement and training b. job satisfaction and job enlargement
c. feeling appreciated and valued d. reduction of boredom and fatigue
ANSWER: d
6. In flat organizations, where promotions are rare, what preferred developmental method is used?
a. job enlargement b. job enrichment
c. job rotation d. job sharing
ANSWER: c
7. Which of the following is NOT considered to be one of the most common development methods?
a. special assignments b. job rotations
c. mentoring d. active learning
ANSWER: d
8. Which technique is often used by organizations to test whether high-potential employees have management
potential?
a. give them a special assignment b. give them a greater workload
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c. give them a training opportunity d. give them a performance review
ANSWER: a
9. Which of the following would NOT be a risk that would be managed by HR professionals when considering
succession management?
a. transition risk b. vacancy risk
c. potential risk d. readiness risk
ANSWER: c
10. What can HR professionals do to manage the risks associated with succession management?
a. promote a culture of talent management
b. encourage development only for key positions
c. identify historic gaps in competencies
d. develop successors for all organizational positions
ANSWER: a
11. If an organization wishes to identify high-potential employees, which of the following is a typical approach
that might be used?
a. replacement tables b. replacement charts
c. permanent replacements d. supply replacements
ANSWER: b
12. According to the textbook, why do some CEOs develop a talent management culture?
a. to develop talent at the top where it is most needed
b. to develop talent at all levels of an organization
c. to develop talent branding more than company branding
d. to develop talent in-house before competitors do
ANSWER: b
13. According to MDS, a medical supply company, why does the company hire talent even when there are no
openings available?
a. Recruitment is strategic. b. The company can pay less.
c. The hiree can work two jobs. d. Someone is about to be fired.
ANSWER: a
14. There are many reasons why organizations have succession management. According to your text, what is
one of these reasons?
a. to ensure upward advancement opportunities for employees
b. to increase employee satisfaction and commitment
c. to help individuals realize their career plans within the organization
d. to increase job engagement and job enlargement opportunities
ANSWER: c

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15. If a board of directors brings in an outsider to lead the company, what message is it sending to the
shareholders and employees?
a. None of the internal candidates is proficient.
b. The old way of doing things is going to change.
c. The performance review process is inadequate.
d. The internal candidates are all new as well.
ANSWER: b
16. Which of the following is NOT considered to be a downside of employee rotations?

a. increased time spent learning new jobs b. cost of errors while learning new jobs
c. loss of efficiency while learning new jobs d. increased fatigue while learning new jobs
ANSWER: d
17. According to the textbook, why have many Canadian dynasties failed?
a. because their heirs were incapable of managing the business
b. because they did not monitor the external environment
c. because they expanded too quickly into global markets
d. because they were unaware of anticipated mergers and acquisitions
ANSWER: a
18. Which organization cited in the textbook has a six-hour replacement strategy if its CEO dies suddenly?
a. Target b. Walmart
c. Apple d. McDonald’s
ANSWER: d
19. What is one way that replacement planning has evolved into succession management?
a. improving the data collection b. improving the evaluation system
c. improving the HR supply d. improving the stability of jobs
ANSWER: b
20. What is the typical time period that succession management focuses on, beyond immediate replacements?
a. one year b. two years
c. three years d. ten years
ANSWER: b
21. What is the first step in the succession management process?

a. identify high-potential employees
b. identify the skills and competencies needed
c. align succession management plans with strategy
d. provide developmental opportunities and experiences
ANSWER: c

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22. Which of the following is NOT a competency identified by Catano and his colleagues?
a. knowledge competencies b. distinctive competencies
c. role competencies d. core competencies
ANSWER: a
23. What two approaches are used to identify the characteristics of successful managers?
a. task-based and knowledge-based b. job-based and competency-based
c. skill-based and curriculum-based d. market-based and value-based
ANSWER: b
24. If a job requires proficiency in Facebook, what is this proficiency called?

a. a competency b. an attribute
c. a skill d. an ability
ANSWER: c
25. What is the final step in the succession management process?

a. identify high-potential employees
b. identify the skills and competencies needed
c. monitor succession management
d. provide developmental opportunities and experiences
ANSWER: c
26. Which of the following is NOT a typical lag measure used in succession management?
a. decreased number of bosses as talent developers
b. increased ratio of internal to external hires in key positions
c. increased average number of candidates for key positions
d. decreased average number of positions with no successors
ANSWER: a
27. Why must high-potential employees be given a reason to stay within an organization?
a. because they have fragile egos and need positive affirmation
b. because jobs are scarce and they need to hang onto them
c. because career planning effectively eliminates job searches
d. because competition for leadership talent is so intense
ANSWER: d
28. According to the textbook, what are two emerging career management concepts?
a. organizational identity, and inward and political mindset
b. self-directed career responsibility and horizontal career progression
c. role of manager as coach and benefit of focusing on job security
d. loyalty to profession and family and implicit employment contract
ANSWER: b
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29. In the textbook, what reason is given why the majority of companies still use traditional and passive
instructional techniques for management development, although they are the least effective?
a. because these techniques are cheaper than external ones
b. because these techniques are fast and easy to use
c. because these techniques are controlled by the company
d. because these techniques are customized to the company
ANSWER: b
30. Which of the following is a benefit to the organization as a result of using external coaches?
a. collaborating with the individual and enhancing personal values
b. promoting greater focus and clarity to enhance goal achievement
c. reducing learning time in order to optimize skills and competencies
d. changing attitudes and skills for long-term sustainability
ANSWER: d
31. After an organization has identified high-potential employees, what would be the next step in the succession
management process?
a. evaluating and monitoring the high-potential employees
b. identifying the skills and competencies needed
c. aligning succession management plans with strategy
d. providing developmental opportunities and experiences
ANSWER: d
32. In succession planning, what would be the starting point for HR planning?
a. the job position b. the organization’s strategy
c. the employees’ competencies d. the role of the manager and employees
ANSWER: b
a. broadened the HRM systems
b. broadened the assessment process
c. broadened the HR role
d. broadened the focus to be more strategic
ANSWER: d
34. A replacement chart has potential management successors coded to indicate their future availability. If a
manager is coded “PN,” what does this represent?
a. preferred nominee b. professional development needed
c. promotable now d. practicum needed
ANSWER: c

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35. What does the succession management process link with replacement planning?
a. business continuity b. management retention
c. management development d. changing environmental demands
ANSWER: c
36. After an organization has identified the skills and competencies needed to meet its HR plans, what would be
the next step in the succession management process?
a. identifying high-potential employees
b. monitoring and evaluating the employees’ skills development
c. aligning succession management plans with strategy
ANSWER: a
37. Which of the following is a risk that would be managed by HR professionals when considering succession
management?
a. talent pool risk b. leadership risk
ANSWER: d
a. expanded the data collection b. expanded the time horizon
c. expanded the HR role d. expanded the jobs requirements
ANSWER: b
39. After an organization has aligned its succession management with the organization’s strategy, what would
be the next step in the succession management process?
a. identifying high-potential employees
b. identifying the skills and competencies needed
c. aligning the organization’s strategy with HR strategy
ANSWER: b
40. Which of the following development method tests high-potential employees by giving them an assignment
in addition to their regular duties?
a. formal experience b. job rotation
c. mentoring d. action learning
ANSWER: d
41. According to the textbook, what are two emerging career management concepts?
a. organizational identity and implicit employment contract
b. employer career responsibility and horizontal career progression
c. formal training and job security

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d. loyalty to profession and family, and meaningful contributions
ANSWER: d
42. Why is succession planning critical for effective HR planning?

a. It helps to develop employees by providing new job experiences.
b. It helps employees to stay motivated because it promotes them for their performance.
c. It helps an organization to stabilize its organizational structures .
d. It saves time and money and helps employees to in career transition.
ANSWER: b
43. What is the normal planning time horizon for succession planning?
a. one to two months b. one to two quarters
c. one to two years d. two years or more
ANSWER: d
44. Why are Canada’s family businesses facing a leadership crisis?

a. lack of business planning b. lack of environmental scanning
c. lack of organizational goals d. lack of succession planning
ANSWER: d
45. Which of the following is NOT a way in which succession planning is linked to effective HR planning?
a. It enables smooth internal employee movement and continuity.
b. It improves employee opportunities for management.
c. It supports new organizational structures and flexibility.
d. It motivates employees and promotes them for performance.
ANSWER: b
46. What is a traditional approach to succession analysis?

a. chain effect analysis b. replacement analysis
c. HR supply analysis d. movement analysis
ANSWER: b
47. Demographic trends predict even greater shortages in the market supply due to retiring baby boom
generation workers. What HR supply analysis method is therefore assuming much greater importance?
a. staffing inventories b. HRMS database
c. succession planning d. movement analysis
ANSWER: c
48. Why would an organization want to conduct succession planning?

a. It provides for business continuity and future direction during inevitable change.
b. It supports employee resiliency and career development.
c. It is costly and time-consuming but increases employee commitment and motivation.

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d. It is costly and time-consuming but increases organizational efficiency and productivity.
ANSWER: a
49. In replacement planning, what would be the starting point for HR planning?
a. the job b. the strategy of the organization
c. employees’ competencies d. position replacements
ANSWER: a
50. Succession management used to focus mainly on the CEO. However, there must be a pipeline of talent for
the most critical roles. Which of the following is one of these pipeline positions?
a. senior management team b. managers
c. front line supervisors d. administrators
ANSWER: a
51. What are two motivational benefits of job rotation for employees?
a. upward advancement and development opportunities
b. employee satisfaction and commitment
c. feelings of equity and justice
d. job engagement and job enlargement
ANSWER: b
52. An organization wants to ensure it develops future leaders. The organization has begun the succession
management process by aligning its succession management plans with strategy. What is the next (second) step
the organization would take to ensure it develops its own future leaders?
a. Identify high-potential leaders.
b. Identify the leadership skills and competencies needed.
c. Develop an employee value proposition to retain leaders.
d. Provide leadership developmental opportunities and experiences.
ANSWER: b
53. According to your textbook, what is one reason organizations have succession management programs?
a. to improve employees’ ability to respond to changing environmental demands
b. to assist employees set realistic and attainable career plans
c. to improve performance management systems
d. to improve organizational development
ANSWER: a
54. With demographic trends predicting even greater shortages in the market supply due to retiring baby boom
generation workers, what HR supply analysis method is now assuming much greater importance?
a. staffing inventories b. HRMS database
ANSWER: c

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55. An organization wants to ensure it develops future leaders. It has begun the succession management process
by aligning its succession management plans with strategy and identifying the leadership knowledge skills and
abilities needed. What is the next (third) step the organization would take to ensure it develops its own future
leaders?
a. Identify high-potential leaders.
b. Develop a talent management culture.
c. Ensure organizational commitment to succession management plans.
d. Provide leadership developmental opportunities and experiences.
ANSWER: a
56. Companies that have implemented effective succession management have experienced three outcomes.
According to your textbook, which of the following is one of these outcomes?
a. improved organizational development b. an increase in leadership development
c. an increase in shareholder value d. reduced absenteeism and turnover
ANSWER: c
57. What HR concept refers to the systematic process of determining critical roles within the organization,
identifying and evaluating possible successors, and developing them for these roles?
a. HR planning b. organizational development
c. leadership development d. succession management
ANSWER: d
58. What HR concept might be viewed as part of the talent management process of an organization that focuses
on the flow of employees, starting from selection to career management to exit, through the organization?
a. leadership development b. mentorship and coaching
c. succession management d. management development
ANSWER: c
59. Succession management used to focus mainly on the CEO. However, there must be a pipeline of talent for
the most critical roles that provide long-term value to the organization. Which of the following might be
considered as one of these critical roles?
a. scientists or customer relationship specialists
b. managers or front-line supervisors
c. administrators or marketing specialists
d. employees and managers
ANSWER: a
60. The effective implementation of succession management has been linked to three outcomes. According to
your textbook, which of the following is one of these outcomes?
a. improved performance management b. the retention of key talent
c. an increase in training and development d. improved career development
ANSWER: b

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61. The effective implementation of succession management has been linked to three outcomes. According to
your textbook, which of the following is one of these outcomes?
a. improved performance management
b. reduced senior executive turnover after succession
c. an increase in leadership development
d. increased career opportunities
ANSWER: b
62. Which of the following is the goal of succession management programs?

a. to improve the performance management of leaders and to ensure business continuity
b. to identify leadership positions and develop future leaders
c. to identify and prepare future leaders and to ensure business continuity
d. to identify leadership behaviours that will improve the performance of leaders
ANSWER: c
63. Most internal candidates succeed in their new organization. What is the percentage of success of internal job
candidates?
a. 50 percent b. 67 percent
c. 75 percent d. 80 percent
ANSWER: b
64. There are many reasons organizations have succession management. According to your textbook, what is
one of these reasons?
a. to improve internal and external candidate pools
b. to balance employee and employer needs
c. to recognize labour gaps
d. to retain employees
ANSWER: d
65. Research shows that when a company is doing well, internal candidates are favoured to sustain high
performance. What is the reason for this preferring of internal candidates?
a. They have high-potential leader skills.
b. They fit into a talent management culture.
c. They possess valuable firm-specific knowledge.
d. They are more committed to the organization.
ANSWER: c
66. An organization identifies the employees who are critical to the success of the organization. What is this HR
process called?
a. talent segmentation b. talent pooling
c. talent development d. talent management
ANSWER: a
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67. Succession management depends on internal and external candidates. Which of the following is an
advantage of internal candidates?
a. Internal candidates may have better skills to lead the organization through a major transformation.
b. Internal candidates bring new knowledge acquired through training and development.
c. Internal candidates prevent the organization from becoming stagnant.
d. Internal candidates can preserve the corporate culture.
ANSWER: d
68. A succession management approach not only depends on internal candidates but also tracks external
candidates. Which of the following is an advantage of external candidates?
a. External candidates bring new knowledge and skills to the organization.
b. External recruitment and selection costs are lower.
c. There is less internal disruption waiting to see who the new leader is with external candidates.
d. Organizations have more and better information about external candidates.
ANSWER: a
69. What is one reason organizations have succession management programs?

a. to assist employees in their employment transitions in and out of the organization
b. to encourage the advancement of diverse groups
c. to reduce employee absenteeism and turnover
d. to develop leaders slowly and with caution
ANSWER: b
70. What is the most common and most effective leader development activity as rated by HR managers?
a. computer-based learning
b. tests, assessments, or other measures of skills
c. special projects within one’s own job responsibilities
d. coaching with external coaches or mentors
ANSWER: c
71. Why is succession planning critical for effective HR planning?

a. It helps to develop employees with new experiences and jobs in case they are laid off.
b. It helps employees to stay motivated because it promotes them for their performance.
c. It helps an organization to stabilize its organizational structures and flexibility.
d. It saves time and money and helps employees to smooth their movement for external hiring.
ANSWER: b
72. Which of the following is NOT a reason that links succession planning to effective HR planning?
a. It enables smooth internal employee movement and continuity.
b. It improves employee opportunities for management.
c. It supports new organizational structures and flexibility.

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d. It motivates employees and promotes them for performance.
ANSWER: b
73. What is another term for succession analysis?

a. chain effect analysis b. replacement analysis
c. HR supply analysis d. movement analysis
ANSWER: b
74. With demographic trends predicting shortages resulting from older retiring workers, what organizational HR
supply planning method is now assuming much greater importance?
a. expanding HRMSs in implementing effective supply forecasting procedures
b. expanding staffing inventories
c. long-term succession planning
d. short-term emergency succession planning
ANSWER: c
75. Why would an organization want to conduct succession planning?

a. Succession planning provides for business continuity and future direction during inevitable change.
b. Succession planning supports employee resiliency and career development.
c. Although succession planning is costly and time consuming, it increases employee commitment and
motivation.
d. Although succession planning is costly and time consuming, it increases organizational efficiency
and productivity.
ANSWER: a
76. An individual worker’s skill and knowledge requirements are matched to the specific jobs within an
organization. What is this process called?
a. Markov analysis b. job specification and job matching
c. succession and replacement planning d. HRM systems
ANSWER: c
77. HR planning revealed that planning that dealt with determining which internal candidates were best suited
for promotion within an organization was a weakness. What is this weakness called?
a. job design b. succession planning
c. HR supply planning d. specification planning
ANSWER: b
78. Which of the following is NOT a risk that would be managed by HR professionals when considering
c. assumed risk d. readiness risk
ANSWER: c

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79. Refer to Scenario: Pacific Health Care. With demographic trends predicting even greater shortages in the
market supply of health care workers, what organizational HR supply planning method is now assuming much
greater importance?
a. HRMS database b. staffing inventories
ANSWER: c
80. Refer to Scenario: Pacific Health Care. Why would PHC want to conduct succession planning for effective
HR planning?
a. It enables PHC to respond appropriately when unpredictable changes occur.
b. It supports the PHC’s organizational dependency on skilled and knowledgeable employees.
c. Although succession planning is costly and time consuming, it increases employee commitment and
motivation.
d. Although succession planning is costly and time consuming, it increases organizational efficiency
and productivity.
ANSWER: a
81. Refer to Scenario: Pacific Health Care. Which of the following would NOT be a risk that would be managed
by PHC’s HR professionals when considering succession management?
ANSWER: c
82. Refer to Scenario: Pacific Health Care. PHC obtained information about its RN and LPN jobs to determine
the duties, tasks, knowledge, skills, abilities, equipment used, working conditions, effort, job context, and
performance standards necessary to perform the work successfully. What is this HR process called?
a. job specification b. human resource planning
c. job evaluation d. job analysis
ANSWER: d
83. Refer to Scenario: Pacific Health Care. The administrators in PHC’s facilities need to prepare job
information that will list the tasks, duties, and responsibilities of the RN and LPN jobs along with the
knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for LPNs and RNs to successfully perform their jobs. What is this job
information called?
a. job performance standards b. job summary
c. job description d. job design
ANSWER: c
84. Refer to Scenario: Pacific Health Care. An LPN at PHC must be a current full practising licensure with the
College of Licensed Practical Nurses of British Columbia (CLPNBC). An individual worker’s LPN licence and
other skill and knowledge requirements are matched to specific jobs at PHC. What is this process called?
a. succession and replacement planning b. Markov analysis
c. job specification and job matching d. HRM systems
ANSWER: a
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85. Refer to Scenario 1: Pacific Health Care. An analysis by PHC revealed that planning that dealt with
determining which internal candidates were best suited for promotion within an organization was a weakness.
What is this weakness called?
a. job design b. succession planning
c. HR supply planning d. specification planning
ANSWER: b
86. In succession management, there must be a pipeline for talent only for critical roles such as the CEO and
senior management.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
87. Replacement planning is the process of finding replacement employees for key managerial positions.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
88. According to Peter Drucker, only one quarter of organizations know who would take charge if their CEO
resigned today.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
89. If a contract is transactional in nature, it will list the responsibilities of each party in the employer–employee
relationship.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
90. According to the textbook, about one half of the HR managers surveyed didn’t consider grooming potential
leaders a high priority.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
91. Once high-potential or star employees are discovered, it is important for an organization to communicate to
them that they are valued and have leadership potential, while at the same time making commitments to their
promised career progression.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
92. Job rotation includes both lateral and vertical moves within an organization.
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a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
93. Traditional approaches to management development included a senior leadership course and one
developmental assignment.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
94. One way of quickly orienting a new employee is to place him or her in a new department every few weeks.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
95. Counselling and friendship are two benefits derived from mentorship.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
96. HR should own the talent management process in order to mitigate three types of risk to the organization:
vacancy risk, readiness risk, and performance risk.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
97. HR planning has evolved into succession planning by creating a talent pool of replacements and improving
the evaluation system.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
98. Before considering developmental opportunities and experiences to develop managers, two main questions
should be asked: “Are leaders born or made?” and “Should leaders be bought or made?”
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
99. Mentors are executives who coach, advise, and encourage junior employees.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
100. Mentors are almost always more senior people who volunteer within an organization, while coaches are
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volunteers from outside the organization
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
101. An acceleration pool is a group of candidates whose development an organization wishes to accelerate.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
102. A common use of job rotation is to take a functional generalist, such as an accountant, and rotate this
individual through specialist areas, such as HR and production, in preparation for management.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
103. Key job candidates seem to be attracted to companies that are characterized by growth and development.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
104. Peter Drucker said that “most managers are born, not made!”
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
105. There are two approaches to identifying the characteristics of a successful manager: experience-based and
competency-based.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
106. Core competencies are characteristics, such as business knowledge, shared by different positions within an
organization
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
107. The goals of succession management programs are to identify and prepare future leaders and to ensure
business growth.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

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108. Role competencies are characteristics, such as thinking skills, that every member of the organization is
expected to possess.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
109. Succession management is needed even when retirements and company sellouts are predictable.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
110. The succession management process links replacement planning and management development.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
111. Succession readiness codes state what the employee’s level of performance will be in the future.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
112. The effective implementation of succession management has been linked to several outcomes. One of these
outcomes is the increase in shareholder value.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
113. In both replacement planning and succession management the starting point is the strategy of the
organization.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
114. As employees cannot trust organizations to provide lifetime job security, so too organizations cannot rely
on single individuals or a small group of employees for their succession plans.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
115. The first type of document used in succession planning is referred to as a succession/ replacement table.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

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116. Replacement planning refers to the systematic process of determining critical roles within the organization,
identifying and evaluating possible successors, and developing them for these roles.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
117. In reference to succession plans, organizations can rely on single individuals or a small group of
employees.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
118. Key job candidates seem to be attracted to companies where employees have flexibility and good
relationships with the boss.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
119. Succession management consists of a process of identifying employees who have the potential to assume
key positions in the organization and preparing them for these positions.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
120. Succession management might be viewed as part of the talent management process of an organization that
focuses on the flow of employees, starting from selection to career management to exit, through the
organization.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
121. Mentoring is the systematic process of determining critical roles with the organization, identifying and
evaluating possible successors, and developing them for these roles.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
outcomes is the retention of key talent.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
123. Organizations that have developed a reputation for developing key talent have a significant value
proposition to attract new employees and retain key ones.
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a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
124. The goal of succession management programs are to identify and prepare future leaders and to ensure
business continuity.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
125. The first priority of any succession management program is to have a plan to replace its leaders.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
126. HR planning is the process of identifying short-term and long-term emergency backups to fill critical
positions.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
outcomes is the reduced senior executive turnover after succession.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
128. Research in HR has indicated that the best predictor of future performance is current performance.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
129. Replacement planning has evolved into succession management by broadening the focus and reducing the
time horizon.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
130. In replacement planning, the starting point is the job, whereas in succession management, the starting point
is the strategy of the organization.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

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131. In reference to succession plans, employees can trust organizations to provide lifetime job security.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
132. In a succession management approach, few senior leaders give current evaluations on an employee’s
performance.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
133. An employee value proposition is a brand positioning aimed at employees so that the company will be seen
as an employer worth working for.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
134. What is the difference between succession management and replacement planning?
ANSWER: Succession management is the process of ensuring that pools of skilled employees are trained and
available to meet the strategic objectives of the organization.
Replacement planning is the process of finding replacement employees for key managerial positions.
∙ focus of replacement planning is the job and having someone to fill that job
∙ development of succession or replacement charts to fill key positions in the organization
∙ consists of periodically updating the table of employees who might be selected for promotions if the
need arises
∙ depends on a stable future, including unchanging organizational structures
135. Why is succession management so important in today’s workplace?

ANSWER: Succession management is important because:
∙ It ensures continuity in leadership by developing the “next generation of players.”
∙ Organizations must prepare for expected and unexpected turnover.
∙ It plans for replacement of retiring staff.
∙ It provides opportunities for high-potential workers.
136. What are the five steps in the succession management process?
ANSWER: ∙ aligning succession management plans with strategy
∙ identifying the skills and competencies needed to meet strategic objectives
∙ identifying high-potential employees
∙ providing developmental opportunities and experiences
∙ monitoring succession management
137. What are three of the key characteristics that are critical to the perceptions of the effectiveness of
ANSWER: ∙ a timeframe for achieving planned action
∙ flexible adjustments to changes in strategic plans
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∙ the sharing of information about the nomination process performance and rankings with identified
candidates
∙ visible support from top management
∙ the involvement of line management in the identification and development of candidates
138. A succession management approach should track not only on internal candidates but also external
candidates. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of internal and external candidates? Which method is
preferred?
ANSWER:
Advantages of Internal Candidates:
∙ Organizations have more and better information about internal candidates.
∙ Organizations that offer career development and opportunities to internal candidates increase
commitment and retention among their employees.
∙ Internally developed leaders preserve corporate culture.
∙ Internal candidates can hit the road running because they know the organization, its people, and its
processes. Other employees know the internal candidate, and there is less internal disruption as a
result of waiting to see who the new executive is and what changes he or she will make. Internally
chosen executives do not replace those who report to them as often as external candidates do;
externally chosen candidates often get rid of the “old guard.”
∙ Recruitment and selection costs are lower. For example, the replacement cost of a CEO is estimated
to be $750 000, including the use of a search firm and lost opportunities while getting the external
candidate up to speed. Additionally, internal candidates do not have to be compensated at the higher
levels demanded by external candidates (who face the risk of starting in a new organization).
Advantages of External Candidates:
∙ The external candidate may have better skills to lead the organization through a major
transformation or change in strategy.
∙ The external candidate brings new knowledge and skills to the organization and prevents the
organization from becoming inbred and stale.
The list of advantages of internal candidates is more robust than that of external candidates, and the
reality is that about two-thirds of internal candidates do succeed. Moreover, it appears that when a
company is doing well, internal candidates are favoured to sustain high performance because they
possess valuable firm-specific knowledge. But overall, it appears that companies that are performing
well do better by hiring from within, and companies that are struggling show better returns by hiring
outsiders.
139. Define replacement planning. Describe how replacement planning has evolved into succession
management.
ANSWER: Replacement planning is the process of identifying short-term and long-term emergency backups to
fill critical positions.
Replacement planning has evolved into succession management by broadening the focus, expanding
the time horizon, creating a talent pool of replacements, and improving the evaluation system.
140. Identify an organization you are familiar with (such as from your work experience or from the course
textbook). Discuss the reasons why the organization would implement succession planning.
ANSWER: ∙ To improve internal candidate pools
∙ To assure business continuity
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∙ To reduce skill gaps
∙ To retain employees
∙ To help individuals realize their career plans within the organization
∙ To develop leaders more quickly
∙ To encourage the advancement of diverse groups
∙ To improve employees’ ability to respond to changing environmental demands
141. Discuss the following two questions as they relate to succession management and management
development.
1. Are leaders born or made?
2. Should organizations produce their own managerial talent or buy it on the open market?
ANSWER: Born or made?
Peter Drucker, considered by many to be the founder of management as a discipline, is credited with
saying, “Most managers are made, not born. There has to be systematic work on the supply, the
development, and the skills of tomorrow’s management. It cannot be left to chance.”
Buy or make?
One survey found than more than half of companies need to hire an outsider because no insider has
been developed to assume the CEO role. By bringing in an outsider, the company sends a strong
message to employees and shareholders that the old way of doing things will change. Other
organizations feel strongly that they want to indoctrinate and train their own leaders, who then have a
deep commitment to the organizational vision.
Management Development
There are no easy answers to these questions. Organizations may find outstanding leaders by chance,
or they may commit to the development process. Some may choose to hire from the outside to obtain
fresh approaches; others will commit significant time and money to train their own managers.
However, most large organizations have a policy of promotion from within. There are many
advantages to this: the organization has accurate records of employees’ past performance, and
employees understand and are committed to organizational objectives, know the ropes, and know
how to get things done. Some estimate that one-third to one-half of new CEOs fail within the first 18
months. Newcomers apparently fail at understanding the political situation or overestimate an
organization’s willingness to change (often the core reason that they were hired). Another reason to
recruit internally is that CEOs recruited from the outside delivered annual returns 3.7 percent lower
than insiders. Plus, external hires are paid about 18 percent more than internals, with little evidence
that they produce better results. Most large organizations have formal management development
programs to ensure a ready supply of “promotables.” Some of the methods organizations use for
management development include promotions, job rotations, special assignments and action learning,
formal training and development, and mentoring and coaching.
142. Define job rotation, providing an example. Job rotation has several motivational benefits for employees.
Describe two benefits.
ANSWER: Job rotations are lateral (and vertical) transfers of employees between jobs in an organization.
Rotations involve a change in job assignments but not necessarily more responsibility or money. For
example, one way of orienting a new employee quickly is to place him or her in a new department
every few weeks, providing an overview of the organization. Another example is Maritime Life
Insurance, which placed staff with potential in a variety of roles across the organization to avoid
costly placement decisions.
Rotations have several motivational benefits for employees, including the reduction of boredom and
Name: Class: Date:

fatigue. Trying out new jobs also benefits employees who have reached a career plateau. The
development of additional skills may increase an employee’s job and career prospects. Almost all the
research suggests that job rotation makes employees more satisfied, motivated, involved, and
committed.
143. Describe two advantages and two disadvantages of using job rotation as a development opportunity for
potential future leaders.
ANSWER: From the organization’s standpoint, rotations are useful for orientation and career development.
Rotations allow an employee to increase his or her experience, knowledge, and skills. A common use
of job rotation is to take a functional specialist, such as an accountant, and rotate this specialist
through both HR and operations in preparation for management positions. Besides the additional
knowledge of the functional areas, such as sales, and management areas, such as business knowledge,
the rotated employee is making contacts and establishing a network that might prove useful in the
future. Learning new ways of doing things, with different co-workers and bosses, also might make
employees more adaptable in their managerial jobs. The research shows that rotation improves an
employee’s knowledge of the organization (e.g., of business, strategy, and contacts) and improves his
or her ability to cope with uncertainty. Furthermore, employees who have tried out several jobs gain
a better insight into their own strengths and weaknesses. However, job rotation produces generalists
and should be supplemented by training for any specific skills needed.
Of course, the downside of employee rotations includes the increased time needed to learn the new
jobs, the cost of errors while learning, and the loss of efficiency that otherwise is gained through
repetition and specialization. In other words, workload may increase for the employee while
productivity decreases, and other employees absorb additional work and stress in efforts to socialize,
orient, and train the newcomer.
144. What is succession planning, and what are three of its benefits to organizations?
ANSWER: Succession planning is the process of training and work experience that enables individuals to
assume higher-level job appointments in the future. Some of its benefits include:
∙ Enabling the organization to respond appropriately and stay on track when inevitable changes
occur;
∙ Providing for continuity and future direction in the midst of significant change;
∙ Helping prepare people for new experiences and jobs (this preparation can also help improve their
performance in current positions);
∙ Positively motivating employees when succession planning takes into account employees’
performance;
∙ Supporting new organizational structures and flexibility by explicitly providing backup for various
positions, thereby reducing organizational dependency on one employee;
∙ Saving time and money by having plans in place to enable the smooth transition of employees.
145. Within your organization 30 percent of top management positions and 40 percent of middle management
positions will become vacant in the near future. A growing number of the workforce began retiring in 2011 and
these retirements of baby boomers are accelerating the loss of critical positions. Discuss how you would
implement a formal succession plan for an organization.
ANSWER: There are five steps in the succession management process.
∙ Aligning succession management plans with strategy
∙ Identifying the skills and competencies needed to meet strategic objectives
Name: Class: Date:

∙ Identifying high-potential employees
∙ Providing developmental opportunities and experiences
∙ Monitoring succession management
146. Twenty percent of top management positions and 25 percent of middle management positions will become
vacant in the near future, and retirements of baby boomers will accelerate this trend. Yet, about one-half of the
HR managers consider developing potential leaders as a high priority. What reasons would you give to these
HR managers to have them better understand the importance of succession management?
ANSWER: Some reasons for succession management are listed in HR Planning Notebook 7.2.
∙ Improve internal candidate pools
∙ Assure business continuity
∙ Reduce skill gaps
∙ Retain employees
∙ Help individuals realize their career plans within the organization
∙ Develop leaders more quickly
∙ Encourage the advancement of diverse groups
∙ Improve employees’ ability to respond to changing environmental demands
147. There are internal ways to judge whether a succession management program is successful. List three lag
measures. Describe one providing an example.
ANSWER: • Increased average number of candidates for key positions
• Reduced average number of positions having no identified successors
• Increased percentage of managers with replacement plans
• Increased percentage of key positions filled according to plans
• Increased ratio of internal hires to external hires in key positions
• Increased retention rates of key talent
• Increased percentage of positive job evaluations after promotion
• More positive assessment of the quality of preparedness for new roles
• Increased number of bosses skilled as talent developers
148. Analyze Case Incident: Pacific Health Care. Throughout your case incident analysis, assume the role of a
human resources consultant. Your task is to advise the organization on how it should align its strategic human
resource planning with its organizational strategy. Begin by clearly and succinctly stating the problem and/or
opportunity, its impact, and why it is important that these problems/opportunities are addressed. Analyze the
causes of the problem/opportunity, identify solutions, and recommend a plan for implementation and
justification. Please be specific about the approaches and methods you would recommend to facilitate the
workforce forecasting process and, in particular, how the organization will ascertain HR supply for nurse
administrators and managers.
ANSWER: Refer to various sections in Chapter 7, “Succession Management”
NARR: Pacific
149. Analyze Case Incident: Pacific Health Care. Discuss how succession management could mitigate the
seriousness of this situation.
ANSWER: Refer to various sections in Chapter 7, “Succession Management”
NARR: Pacific

Name: Class: Date:

150. Analyze Case Incident: Pacific Health Care. Discuss the steps you would take to ensure there are
successors for future senior nursing administration and management positions.
ANSWER: Refer to various sections in Chapter 7, “Succession Management.” There are five steps in the
succession management process.
1. Aligning succession management plans with strategy
2. Identifying the skills and competencies needed to meet strategic objectives
3. Identifying high-potential employees
4. Providing developmental opportunities and experiences
5. Monitoring succession management
NARR: Pacific

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DIMANCHE CORSE
Nous revenons de Scudo, le Scudo, l’Écu, le Bouclier, la villa que

les Pozzo di Borgo possèdent au bord de la mer, sur la route des
Sanguinaires.
Cette route des Sanguinaires est la promenade adoptée par la
population d’Ajaccio ; elle commence au Diamant, la grande place
en esplanade sur la baie, le forum de la ville, et longe toute la rive
nord du golfe jusqu’à la Pointe de la Parata et sa tour génoise en
sentinelle on dirait sur le large : le granit rouge des Sanguinaires
émerge, ensanglanté et fantasque, à quelques centaines de mètres
plus loin.
Cette route des Sanguinaires, c’est à la fois la promenade des
Anglais et la corniche d’Ajaccio ; de sa chaussée bordée d’agaves,
on découvre avec tout le bleu du golfe et les toits de la ville, les
cimes neigeuses du Monte d’Oro ; en semaine, les voitures de place
y promènent les touristes anglais et les continentaux de passage ; le
dimanche, les Ajacciens y musent lentement et gravement au soleil ;
quelques guinguettes y retiennent les matelots attablés devant une
fiasque de Porticcio ou d’autre vin du pays et tous les jours de
l’année on y rencontre des corbillards : tassés debout dans la
légendaire charrette des enterrements corses, des indigènes en
deuil suivent, amis et parents du mort ; car cette route des
Sanguinaires est aussi la route du cimetière. Ajaccio ensevelit ses
morts au soleil, et les fait bénir par la vague, dans la verdure
éternelle des lauriers roses et des genévriers : cette espèce de voie
Appienne, que j’apercevais de la rade, le matin de mon arrivée, toute
bordée de mausolées, de chapelles et de monuments funéraires, est
justement cette route des Sanguinaires où nous roulons aujourd’hui.
Mais nous ne venons que du Scudo, espèce de villa Pamphili au
jardin à l’abandon ouvert le dimanche au public, jardin d’Italie à la
végétation d’Afrique, d’une mélancolie si particulière sous les ciels
lumineusement froids des janviers d’ici ; des aloès monstrueux y
dardent leurs yatagans d’un vert glauque et marbré à côté de
fusains, de pâles lentisques, et de myrtes bleutés ; voici aussi des
lièges, des cyprès, des érables et de blancs peupliers de Florence et
sur le bleu du golfe, enfermé comme un lac dans son cercle de
montagnes, toutes ces verdures éternelles, à peine émues d’une
saute de vent, sont d’une dureté sévère et triste, oh ! si triste !
La plainte des
palombes
Dans les micocouliers !
Ne faudrait-il venir ici qu’en avril ? Ce jardin de cyprès et

d’arbustes bleuâtres est figé de silence : derrière nous le manteau
mouvant du maquis ondulé à l’infini au versant des collines, le large
s’ouvre à l’horizon.
Ces Pozzo di Borgo, dont nous venons de parcourir la villa, sont
la grande famille corse ennemie des Bonaparte, la gens Corsica
depuis des siècles en rivalité avec la race de Napoléon. Par haine
du petit lieutenant ajaccien, devenu le grand empereur, un Pozzo di
Borgo se fit l’ambassadeur à Pétersbourg d’Alexandre Ier et de
connivence avec Metternich, traqua l’aigle harassé de tant de
victoires et démolit l’œuvre impériale au fameux traité de Vérone ;
celui-là, le diplomate, et le tortueux briseur d’aigles de l’épopée, c’est
la gloire de la famille.
Le château de la Punta di Borgo, qui domine Ajaccio et qu’on cite
comme une des merveilles de l’île, a été construit en partie avec des
débris entiers des Tuileries reconstituées ; le portrait en pied du
grand ancêtre, de l’ambassadeur du tsar, y trône en pleine salle
d’honneur, écrasant de son importance et du faste de son cadre un
tout petit portrait du premier Consul, mis à côté comme par hasard,
et ne le diminue pas dans l’histoire.
Sur la route, au retour, nous croisons des Corses vêtus de
velours de chasse et des femmes enlinceulées de noir, le deuil
éternel que portent ici toutes les femmes du peuple… Peuple fier où
le deuil des morts se prolonge durant dix années, à quelque degré
de parenté que l’on soit, peuple qui se souvient du bienfait comme
de l’injure, peuple qui n’oublie pas, peuple qui ne mendie pas ! Et à
notre gauche s’échelonnent des mausolées et sur notre droite défile,
silhouettée en noir sur le bleu du golfe, toute une procession
d’ombres, tombes et deuil ! Et cette route s’appelle la route des
Sanguinaires ; au loin les montagnes s’estompent violettes,
éclaboussées çà et là d’un reflet de neige ; une cime plus haute
apparue tout à coup d’acier pâle, en coup de dague, dans l’air calme
et c’est, nous dit-on, qu’il a neigé la nuit dernière ou à Focé ou à
Bastelica.
Quelle mélancolie et qu’on est loin ici de Paris et de France !
D’ailleurs, l’air fraîchit, c’est le crépuscule : le paysage en décor,
miraculeusement éclairé, prend des tons lumineusement doux de
peinture sur soie ; la lumière, c’est toute la magie de la Corse.
Des rumeurs d’enfants annoncent la ville. Un peu avant les
premières villas, tout un séminaire en promenade s’est abattu sur les
récifs à fleur d’eau du rivage, la route et le granit sont tout noirs de
soutanes ; tassées, par groupes, ces faces glabres, ces robes de
deuil font autant de taches d’encre sur la montagne et sur la vague
et sur l’écueil : ce sont les cent quatre apprentis curés de
Monseigneur, les cent quatre, comme on les appelle ici.
Comme un vol de « corbeaux » hors du charnier

natal !
Et c’est un vers de Jose-Maria de Heredia qui me situe le détail
sinistre du paysage.
LES QUAIS
Les quais de Marseille, cosmopolites, commerçants, laborieux et

flâneurs, remuent dans du bruit, du mouvement et du soleil ; ils
odorent la force, l’absinthe et la limonade, la sueur et le goudron,
l’olive et le musc ; ils bercent du rêve, charrient de l’aventure, du rire
et des larmes, invitent à partir, et dans du drame et de la gaieté et de
la couleur poudroient, flamboient et tapagent : Marseille, porte de
l’Orient et de l’Ailleurs.
Les quais d’Alger, bastionnés en haute terrasse au-dessus du va-
et-vient des paquebots, arrivées et départs, déroulent de
somptueuses façades de Compagnies financières et maritimes et de
grands hôtels : l’indolence hallucinée des indigènes s’y accoude,
indifférente au shopping des Lubin et des Cooks en excursion par la
ville, le songe opiacé des burnous y somnole entre la hâte des
colons espagnols et la mollesse étalée sur leur siège, une fleur à la
bouche, des voituriers maltais et siciliens. Les quais d’Alger, du
square Bresson à la place du Gouvernement, c’est l’élégance d’une
ville arabe haussmanisée et devenue station d’hiver : les monts de
Kabylie forment le décor et les uniformes de la garnison la
figuration ; les Transatlantiques, trois fois par semaine, animent la
rade et la lumière éblouissante, invraisemblable, est, elle-même, de
théâtre… Alger sent la jonquille, le narcisse et le suint.
Les quais de Naples sordides, éclatants, grouillants de loques et
de vermine, criblés de poux, de lumière, et splendides, chantent la
crasse et la douceur de vivre ; ils chantent dans le bleu de la baie et
dans le bleu du ciel, et, déjà brûlants de toutes les ardeurs de
l’ancienne Campanie, ils se chauffent au Vésuve et se chauffent au
soleil : ils embaument la paresse et la prostitution ; l’écorce d’orange
et les amours faciles ; c’est le bouge en plein air qui lézarde et fleurit
entre l’embrun du large et les affreux relents des fritterias du port.
Le château de l’Œuf y fleure le coquillage, les femmes, la marée
et les bouquets de fraisier offerts par les ruffians, le parmezan et la
semence humaine, les arabesques mauves posées à l’horizon
incantent l’atmosphère avec des noms magiques : Castellamare,
Sorrente, Capri, la chanson des Sirènes est demeurée en écho dans
tous les creux des roches, ce faubourg populeux s’appelle Portici et
cette colline en face, de l’autre côté du golfe, a nom le Pausilippe.
Mais l’enchantement, ce sont les quais de Palerme : dans le
grandiose d’un Versailles sicilien, flanqués d’arcs de triomphe, de
palais et de statues, étagés en terrasses, en escaliers princiers,
arrosés de jets d’eau, ombragés de jardins, ils se composent comme
une toile de Vernet, en fastueux décor de roches et d’architectures
héroïques. Le mont Pellegrino avance sur l’horizon l’éperon fabuleux
de son promontoire, le golfe tout de clarté limpide s’appelle la
Concha d’Oro ; le jour, des gamins demi-nus s’y poursuivent à coups
de mandarines, la nuit, sous des lunes si intenses qu’on les dirait
électriques, des pêcheurs, un fanal à l’avant de leur barque, y
pêchent au trident : les quais de Palerme sont une apothéose, une
apothéose mythologique conçue dans le goût du Grand Siècle. Les
quais d’Ajaccio, ensoleillés et tristes, rêvent dans l’abandon d’un
petit port italien, sans mouvement et sans transit ; gardés à l’Ouest
par la jetée de la citadelle, dont les hauts contreforts protègent les
mouillages de la ville et des Capucins, bornés à l’Est par le môle de
Margonajo, qui abrite le mouillage de Cannes, où remisent les
torpilleurs, ils s’étendent, ces quais déserts et vides, devant l’azur
uni d’une baie fermée comme un lac ; les cimes neigeuses debout
sur l’autre rive, complètent l’illusion : c’est l’horizon des moraines et
des glaciers d’un lac de la Haute-Italie, Côme ou Lugano : la
Méditerranée en a le bleu profond et délicat. Pas un bâtiment de
commerce, le port est vide… ni vergues, ni mâtures ; absent, le
fourmillement de drisses et de cordages qui, vu de terre, invite l’âme
des nostalgiques à l’embarquement pour ailleurs. Parfois, au loin,
très loin, une voile de bateau de pêche ou, rapide et fin comme un
trait de plume sur la vague, un torpilleur en exercice, manœuvrant
dans la rade ; à l’abri des jetées, dorment des barques de pêcheurs.
Les maisons, très hautes, très italiennes, blanchâtres, à persiennes
vertes, font face à la mer ; d’autres s’étagent au-dessus, déjà
lézardées et lépreuses, maisons de la vieille ville, dénonçant leur
misère par les loques pendues aux fenêtres : au rez-de-chaussée, ni
bars, ni boutiques, ni guinguettes. Ici, tout commerce est mort : le
Corse, son fusil sur l’épaule, regarde et attend.
Contre la Douane, accagnardés au soleil, des indigènes tressent
des nasses, contemplés en silence par des gamins pensifs ; assis,
pieds nus, sur les dalles tièdes, des pêcheurs raccommodent des
filets : leur orteil et leur second doigt de pied, souples comme des
doigts de main, en retiennent les mailles ; la faction indolente des
douaniers arpente le quai, sans conviction, inconsciemment.
Passé les bains, édifiés par Napoléon, des femmes, accroupies
au bord du rivage, battent la lessive dans l’eau du golfe et rincent un
linge qui fleurera le sel ; çà et là, des groupes de flâneurs, l’air de
nervi de Marseille, font cercle autour du jeu des trois cartes du
bonneteur. La race, ici, est bien latine : le Corse est né joueur, il joue
au café le long des journées, il y joue le soir, il joue au cercle, à la
buvette, il joue sur l’esplanade de la citadelle et sur les quais du port,
dedans et dehors, à la chandelle et en plein air.
Et la nuit, dans la limpidité de vastes ciels lunaires, devant la
solitude des neiges immobiles et des nuées vagabondes, chimérique
horizon de nacres et de givres, les quais d’Ajaccio sont plus déserts
encore : leur somnolence ensoleillée, le jour, s’aggrave alors du froid
et du silence de la montagne.
Vivre dans la montagne, c’est vivre dans la mort ! Personne !… A
peine si quelque lamento grince et se plaint, gratté sur une guitare,
dans quelque bar aux volets clos ; aucune lumière ne dénonce
l’endroit où l’on chante ; dans la vieille ville, on ne sait d’où, à quel
étage de quelle maison, des jeunes gens indigènes valsent entre
eux, aux sons aigres de l’accordéon.
Et je songe à la détresse du héros d’Alphonse Daudet, du mari
divorcé de Rose et Ninette, rôdant, la nuit, sous la pluie et la neige
d’un Ajaccio d’hiver… Oh ! sa fuite éperdue devant les paquets de
mer inondant la chaussée du quai Napoléon, et le gouffre d’écume
du golfe démonté, que bat la tramontane !
O longues soirées d’exil, nuits d’Ajaccio l’hiver !
LES PÈLERINAGES
Napoleonis civitas ! Et, comme une épitaphe funéraire,

l’inscription s’étale gravée en lettres d’or sur une plaque de marbre
rouge, dans cette salle à manger d’hôtel monumental, assourdie de
gazouillis anglais et de baragouin allemand.
Rien que des Outre-Manche et des Outre-Rhin dans ce vaste hall
qui se recommande de la gloire et des lauriers de Napoléon !
Ajaccio, le berceau du géant d’Austerlitz et de Wagram, est envahi
par ses bourreaux !
Ah ! cet odieux hôtel, bondé de Deutschs et d’Anglo-Saxons et
tenu par un Suisse ! Ce n’est pas là que nous retrouverons les
mânes de l’Empereur ! mais dans la vieille ville génoise, dans les
rues étroites et, disons-le, malpropres qui se croisent et se groupent
autour de la citadelle, rues dallées comme celles de Vintimille, aux
hautes maisons, aux fenêtres pavoisées de lessives, à la chaussée
parfois enjambée par une arche, voûte pittoresque et sombre où
s’encadrent ici le bleu du golfe, plus loin le poudroiement lumineux
de quelque place ensoleillée ; assises au coin des portes, les portes
cintrées et basses des échoppes arabes, des femmes aux yeux
sauvages y cherchent les poux d’une marmaille grouillante ; des
pêcheurs, aux mollets ronds et bruns, passent, une rame sur
l’épaule, appuyant fièrement leurs pieds nus sur les dalles ; des
châtaignes cuisent sur un poêle en plein air, des coques velues
d’oursins s’entassent dans un angle, et des jeunes gens déchargent
d’une charrette des fagots odorants de myrte, de lentisques et de
genévriers, toute l’âme du maquis cueillie dans la montagne, et ce
sont, baignées de soleil et coupées de grands pans d’ombre, les
rues du Centre, du Cardinal-Fesch, la rue Sébastiani et la rue du
Roi-de-Rome et la rue Létizia.
La rue Létizia est la plus étroite : c’est dans son ombre moisie
que s’élève la maison Bonaparte, un grand corps de logis à trois
étages, façade blanchie à la chaux, petites fenêtres à persiennes
vertes ; de l’autre côté de la rue, un petit jardin bordé d’une grille et
qui fut celui de Lætitia Ramolino complète la demeure familiale ; une
plaque de marbre à inscription dorée complète la gloire de la ruelle :
Napoléon est né dans cette maison le 15 août 1769.
Le premier étage est seul ouvert aux visiteurs ; un escalier de

granit à rampe de bronze y conduit. C’est, dans la pénombre des
persiennes mi-closes, une succession de vastes pièces encore
meublées dans le style raide du temps ; leur carrelage rouge, leurs
murs blanchis à la chaux et la misère des sièges, aux étoffes
déchirées et déteintes, racontent encore la gêne de Mme Lætitia,
demeurée veuve avec ses huit enfants ; la puissance et l’importance
de la famille, alliée aux Bonaparte de Florence et à toute la noblesse
corse, s’affirme cependant à la grandeur des salles de réception ; le
salon des fêtes, en galerie sur un patio, double les vingt-six
appliques de ses petits miroirs italiens dans un parquet uni comme
une glace ; si les meubles du salon de Mme Lætitia étonnent comme
un anachronisme par la pureté de leur style Empire, ceux de la
chambre à coucher, d’un joli XVIIIe, nous semblent bien authentiques.
Voici le bois de lit de la mère de Napoléon, Nabulione Buonaparte, le
fauteuil dans lequel on la ramena de l’église où, pendant la messe
de l’Assomption, elle fut prise des douleurs de l’enfantement. Puis,
partout, d’autres meubles où s’accrochent les souvenirs : divans
poussiéreux, chaise à porteurs de Mme Bonaparte Ramolino, et la
seule épinette qui existait à Ajaccio à l’époque. Le cabinet de travail,
la salle à manger, les salons se succèdent en enfilade, vastes pièces
silencieuses, comme embaumées dans leur ombre ; et les chaises,
du style austère d’alors, ont l’air d’attendre en rang, contre les murs,
ceux qui ne reviendront plus : les pas feutrés de la vieille Ajaccienne
qui nous sert de cicerone troublent seuls la paix figée des salles
obscures et muettes. Et pourtant que d’ambitions s’agitèrent entre
ces murailles, que de rêves y battirent de l’aile, et les destinées du
monde entier y furent contenues !
Dans l’angle d’une chambre, qu’on dit être celle du sous-
lieutenant de Brienne, une trappe, celle par laquelle, en 1793,
Bonaparte, la maison étant cernée, échappa aux poursuites de
Paoli, et, sur la cheminée de la chambre de Madame mère, à côté
de la couronne en lauriers d’or du premier Consul, une ravissante
crèche en ivoire, que Bonaparte rapporta d’Égypte en 1790,
souvenirs résumant presque la carrière sentimentale du héros, sa
haine tenace et violente de l’Anglais, ses premières victoires et son
grand, son inaltérable amour des siens, symbolisés par la crèche
d’ivoire et les lauriers consulaires rapportés à la maison natale et
offerts à la mère !
Que d’opprimants et mélancoliques souvenirs !
C’est peut-être cette grande ombre planante sur Ajaccio qui tisse
comme un voile de tristesse atténuée sur la neige de ses montagnes
et le bleu lumineux de son golfe !
La Corse, reconnaissante à Napoléon, lui a dressé partout des
statues, emplissant ses places et ses promenades d’effigies en
marbre du César : Cours Grandval, sur cette place des Palmiers,
ombreuse et fraîche, ensoleillée et verte selon le jour et l’heure, et
dont les Ajacciens sont si fiers, la statue en toge du premier consul
domine quatre lions de granit, dont la gueule vomit l’eau d’une
fontaine ; sur l’esplanade du Diamant, la place de la Concorde de la
ville, et dont toute la longueur commande la mer, Napoléon s’érige
encore, cette fois César équestre, escorté de ses quatre frères,
Joseph, Lucien, Louis et Jérôme, qui, de leurs silhouettes de bronze,
lui font une garde d’honneur. C’est le grand monument
commémoratif d’Ajaccio, et, sculptés dans la lumière, profilés en noir
sur l’azur méditerranéen, les cinq Buonaparte regardent l’horizon et
semblent veiller en sentinelles sur la patrie corse ; l’œil darde vers
l’Anglais qui viendra par la mer. Tout cela est bien de l’immortalité et
de la gloire, mais nulle part pourtant je n’ai senti frémir la grande
ombre envolée comme dans la petite maison et les pièces obscures
de la rue Létizia.
FLEUR D’EXIL
Tous les jours, en revenant du Cazone, par les allées en lacet du

Salario, la forêt d’oliviers dont le moutonnement argenté domine la
ville, je les rencontrais, invariablement échouées sur un banc,
prenant frileusement l’air du large et le soleil, les deux frêles
Parisiennes, la mère et la fille, venues là, dans cet Ajaccio d’exil,
pour la santé de l’une ou de l’autre, et s’ennuyant, oh combien ! dans
ce monumental hôtel pour Anglais et Allemands.
Elles étaient débarquées ici, joyeuses, avec un entrain affairé de
jolies femmes arrivant à Cannes ou à Nice, toutes ravies des cactus
en fleurs, du panorama de la baie, du jardin et du luxe de l’hôtel,
heureuses du climat et de la douceur atténuée des ciels ; mais elles
en avaient décousu vite, dans le morne et pesant ennui de ce
cosmopolite hôtel.
En pure perte, les robes du bon faiseur, arborées à chaque
repas ! En pure perte, les batistes brodées de la fille et les manteaux
de soirée de la mère, et la dorure de cheveux oxygénés de celle-ci,
et les bandeaux aile de corbeau de celle-là ; pas un homme en
smoking à table ; et tous ces braves Allemands, en costume de
cheviote, tous ces rogues Anglais, en chemise de flanelle, n’avaient
cure de ces deux poupées françaises, qui n’avaient ni appétit ni
souliers plats ; car si les deux nouvelles venues découvraient, sous
l’écume de dentelles des jupes, les plus fines chaussures et les plus
capiteux bas de soie, elles ne faisaient guère honneur au menu de
l’hôtel.
Réfugiées, comme nous, à une petite table, elles chipotaient tout
du bout de la fourchette, disputant sans entrain quelque bouchée de
viande au brouet roux des sauces, réduites à se rabattre sur les
mandarines du dessert, sans avoir comme nous la ressource d’aller
prendre un repas sur deux dans quelque hôtel de voyageurs de la
ville ou quelque bar de matelots du port ; et j’avais fini par les
prendre en pitié, ces deux Parisiennes d’exil, qui ne parlaient à
personne, et qui, malades, et très atteintes peut-être, une fois
retirées dans leur chambre, devaient tromper leur fringale avec des
cédrats confits et des crottes de chocolat.
Elles avaient bien tenté quelques promenades en voiture, mais,
elles aussi, avaient dû renoncer à toute excursion, cruellement
averties par le froid ; impossible de s’aventurer en montagne sans
sentir le manteau de glace tomber sur ses épaules ; et quand on
tousse toutes ses matinées !… Elles en étaient donc réduites au
Cazone, à la lente et classique promenade au soleil à la grotte de
Napoléon, la caverne, presque de Lourdes, où Bonaparte
adolescent allait s’isoler, à l’entrée du maquis, et rêver à sa
destinée ; cette grotte où, pensif et mélancolique, attentif aux voix de
la solitude, comme une autre Bernadette, il eut peut-être la vision de
son avenir, cette grotte où en tout cas, il s’éprit et se passionna, en
véritable insulaire, pour ce beau pays de Corse, dont le souvenir
hanta toute sa vie, et dont le regret le poursuivra en exil, quand,
dans le Mémorial de Sainte-Hélène, il écrira : « La Corse avait mille
charmes ; j’en détaillais les grands traits, la coupe hardie de sa
structure physique… Tout y était meilleur ; il n’était pas jusqu’à
l’odeur du sol même ; elle m’eût suffi pour la deviner les yeux
fermés ; je ne l’ai retrouvée nulle part. »
Mais, nous autres continentaux, les pinçoute, les pointus, comme
nous appellent les Corses, non sans une légère nuance de mépris,
l’odeur aromatique de l’île parfumée ne nous suffit pas ; l’ombre de
Napoléon, si elle nous fait rêver, nous attriste, car l’Empire, c’était
hier, et l’hier du commencement du siècle à côté d’aujourd’hui !!!
Donc, après leur promenade quotidienne au Cazone, la mère et
la fille gagnaient, à petits pas, les allées du Salario, et une fois
parvenues pas bien haut, à mi-côte, s’asseyaient sur un banc, et là,
tristement, s’absorbaient en silence devant le golfe ensoleillé et
l’horizon des montagnes du golfe… décor italien d’un grand lac
entouré de glaciers !
Fleurs d’exil oubliées devant un paysage nostalgique.
Si j’avais osé les aborder, leur parler, certes je les aurais
engagées à me suivre un peu plus loin, dans le verger d’oliviers
séculaires dont les feuilles luisantes frémissent dans la brise au-
dessus des massifs trop soignés de l’hôtel ; là, dans un chaos
d’énormes roches grises, parmi les lentisques et les fleurs
d’arbousiers, chante entre les troncs contournés et rugueux tout un
coin de Sicile… avec l’azur du golfe apparu dans les feuilles toutes
criblées de lumière et pareilles à des minces, ah ! si minces
médailles d’argent, c’est un décor de Théocrite, toute une page
d’idylle évoquée :
Viens, une flûte invisible

Soupire au fond des
vergers,
La chanson le plus paisible,
Est la chanson des
bergers !
Mais comment persuader à ces inconnues de me suivre à travers

les broussailles et les pierres du maquis ! J’y ai pourtant passé les
meilleures heures de mon séjour en Corse, couché à l’ombre grise
d’un olivier géant, dans la chaleur des herbes et l’odeur allégée des
térébinthes ; mais ces deux Parisiennes étaient aussi trop
délicatement chaussées, je leur eusse au moins fait massacrer là
cinq ou six louis de bottines !
Et pourtant, parmi les roches grimaçantes du Salario, dans
l’ombre argentée de ce vrai bois sacré, Ajaccio n’était plus l’exil ; j’y
lisais, il est vrai, et avec délices, l’Aventureuse, de Mathilde Sérao,
et de Léon Daudet les Deux étreintes, deux œuvres chaudes,
vibrantes et passionnées, toutes frémissantes du soleil du Midi dans
des cadres d’Italie et de Provence. Mais quel charme familier et
quelle grâce antique avait aussi ce verger d’oliviers !
De vieilles aïeules, l’air de stregga vecchia sous leur faldetta
noire, y ramassaient des olives tombées, tandis que, à mes pieds, la
ville bourdonnait tout à coup d’une immense rumeur, les cris joyeux
de la sortie des écoles, et que les neiges du Monte d’Oro, soudain
allumées dans un merveilleux jeu de lumière, m’annonçaient avec le
crépuscule qu’il était l’heure de rentrer.
LES VOCERI
O mon large d’épaules, toi qui avais la taille dégagée, nul ne

t’était comparable ; tu ressemblais à un rameau fleuri, ô Canino,
cœur de ta sœur, ils l’ont privé de la vie.
A rien ne te servit l’arquebuse, à rien ne te servit le fusil, à rien ne
te servit le poignard, ni le pistolet, ni l’oraison bénite.
Loups contre un agneau, ils se sont tous réunis et, quand ils
arrivèrent dans la montagne, ils te coupèrent la gorge.
Au pays de Nazza je veux planter une épine noire, pour que de
notre race nul ne passe désormais ; car ce ne furent ni un, ni trois, ni
quatre, mais sept hommes contre un.
Au pied de ce châtaignier je veux établir mon lit, puisque ce fut
là, mon frère qu’ils te tirèrent en pleine poitrine.
Je veux quitter la jupe, je veux m’armer du fusil, prendre le stylet,
ceindre la cartouchière, je veux porter le pistolet. O Canino, cœur de
la sœur, je veux faire la vendetta.
Et les guitares, sous l’effleurement des doigts, grincent et se
plaignent ; les voix se lamentent, gutturales et profondes, déjà
entendues, on dirait dans les cafés arabes du Sahel ou dans les
cabarets de la Triana. Il y a de la mélopée du muezzin dans la
monotonie attristée de cet appel qui se traîne, s’élève tout à coup et
retombe ; il y a de la passion espagnole dans cette note sourde et
toujours tenue de l’accompagnement de la guitare ; mais il y a aussi
quelque chose en plus, comme une sauvagerie ardente et sombre,
une sauvagerie aux yeux de braise, à la pâleur de cire, telles ces
étranges femmes en deuil journellement rencontrées au creux des
sentes ombragées de chênes verts des routes de Bastia et du
Salario.
Ce soir, une famille de pinçouti, de continentaux, m’a invité à
venir entendre des lamento et des voceri corses chantés par des
insulaires dans la langue du pays ; j’ai trouvé, en entrant chez les
X…, trois guitaristes, dont l’un, dans la journée, est coiffeur de son
état, et l’autre menuisier. Tous les trois sont assis sur des chaises au
fond de la pièce, et c’est le vocero de Canino, un des plus célèbres
de la littérature corse, dont se gargarisent en ce moment les
chanteurs. Les râles et les plaintes étouffées des guitares les
soutiennent ; ils chantent dans une espèce d’italien patoisé
d’espagnol et d’arabe dont je ne saisis pas un traître mot, mais les
voix sont graves et chaudes. Mme X…, mon hôtesse de ce soir, veut
bien me traduire à mesure les paroles improvisées il y a quarante
ans par la sœur du bandit Canino sur le cadavre même de
l’assassiné.
Au vocero de Canino succède celui de Fior di Spina, Fleur
d’Épine, vocero improvisé par une femme, en 1850, à l’occasion
d’un instituteur tué par une jeune fille d’Ota, nommée Fleur d’Épine,
qu’il avait séduite et refusé d’épouser.
Ce matin, sur la place d’Ota, ils t’ont mis la couronne tissée d’or
et d’argent, une couronne selon ta personne après ce coup de
pistolet qui dans la Corse résonne.
Tu avais le cœur d’un lion et le courage d’une tigresse quand elle
allaite ses petits ; tu as étendu le bras avec le pistolet et sur sa tête
tu l’as déchargé en disant : « Ainsi, infidèle, tu as préparé ta mort. »
Car l’amour n’est pas une plaisanterie en Corse : parole donnée,
parole tenue. Ou le frère, le père et les cousins s’en mêlent, quand
ce n’est pas la fiancée elle-même qui se fait justice ; ces voceri ne
parlent que de meurtre et de mort ; ils exaltent le courage, l’énergie
de l’être qui tue et, comme de l’huile sur le brasier, attisent la flamme
et fomentent la vengeance.
Le vocero est l’âme même de la vendetta ; c’est la voix des
voceratrices qui souffle la passion du sang dans le cœur des
hommes, leur met le stylet à la main et déchaîne la haine et la
guerre entre les familles et les villages, les villages parfois partagés
en deux camps et s’observant d’un côté de la rue à l’autre, les
hommes embusqués aux fenêtres, le fusil dans une main, le pistolet
dans l’autre, ce fusil et ce pistolet qu’on trouve tous les matins
exposés en vente sur les quais d’Ajaccio, en plein air, avec un bois
de lit et une chaise ! le propriétaire du tout attendant acheteur ; le
fusil, le pistolet, le bois de lit et la chaise, tout le mobilier corse, le
foyer et le meurtre, la vengeance et l’amour !
Poussières de maquis ! il me semble en humer l’âpre et
ranimante odeur de genièvre et de lentisques.
Allons, menez-moi à Tallago, où sont les bandits les plus fiers,
Giaccomini et Saon Lucia ; eux, ce sont des guerriers et, avec eux
en compagnie, je parcourrai les sentiers et les bois.
Je suis bien décidément dans le pays de Colomba. Mme X…,
dont la patience est inlassable, veut bien éclairer mon ignorance de
précieux renseignements sur les voceratrices… La femme corse est
naturellement poète, il y a comme une sybille et une prophétesse
dans chaque paysanne ; la douleur et la vue de la mort réveillent en
elles le génie sybillin ; le vocero s’improvise sur le cadavre de
l’homme mort de mort violente, c’est l’appel à la vengeance. Pour la
mort naturelle, l’improvisatione s’appelle lamento.
Pour les voceri comme pour les lamenti, la famille et les amis se
rassemblent au logis du défunt et se tiennent debout dans la plus
grande pièce de la maison : le mort est étendu habillé sur un lit, la
face découverte, des chandelles sont allumées tout autour. Sa veuve
se tient à la tête et derrière elle toutes les femmes entourées des
hommes. Chaque visiteur vient, embrasse le défunt, salue et prend
place parmi l’assemblée, sans dire une parole. Silence et deuil.
Parents et amis une fois au grand complet, l’un d’eux s’avance
et, s’adressant au mort, vante sa vie, son caractère et déplore sa
fin ; c’est l’oraison funèbre antique dans toute sa grandeur naïve et
touchante.
Pourquoi nous as-tu quittés ? Pourquoi ne veux-tu plus demeurer
avec nous ?
L’adieu terminé, la voceratrice s’avance. En grand deuil,
encapuchonnée de la faldette noire, elle se penche au-dessus du
cadavre et tout à coup, éclatant en sanglots, improvise avec de
grands gestes une sorte de complainte, empreinte à la fois de
douceur et de violence, de tristesse et de fureur : c’est un appel à la
haine et c’est un cri de désespoir. Toutes les femmes reprennent les
dernières strophes en chœur en poussant des ululements lugubres,
ce sont les « hou hou » de l’orfraie et du vent dans le maquis. Parfois
la voceratrice s’arrête ; subitement inspirée, une autre femme la
remplace et continue le vocero. Le vocero passe ainsi de bouche en
bouche, rythmé par les gémissements sinistres des voceratrices à
bout d’inspiration, et dans l’élan de leur douleur, vraiment ivres et
possédées, elles s’arrachent les cheveux, déchirent leurs vêtements,
se déchirent les joues avec leurs ongles et mêlent leur imprécation
farouche et de larmes et de sang.
Au fond du salon des X…, les guitares se plaignent toujours ;
c’est une Serenata que chantent maintenant les artistes corses, une
ballade d’amour.
Si tu veux savoir combien je t’aime, tu es autant que ma poitrine,
mon cœur et mon âme et, si j’entrais dans le paradis où sont les
bienheureux et que tu n’y fusses pas, je m’en irais.

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7th Edition Belcourt Test Bank

Chapter 7 - Succession Management

5. What are two motivational benefits of job rotation?

Chapter 7 - Succession Management

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Chapter 7 - Succession Management

16. Which of the following is NOT considered to be a downside of employee rotations?

21. What is the first step in the succession management process?

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Chapter 7 - Succession Management

24. If a job requires proficiency in Facebook, what is this proficiency called?

25. What is the final step in the succession management process?

Chapter 7 - Succession Management

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Chapter 7 - Succession Management

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Chapter 7 - Succession Management

42. Why is succession planning critical for effective HR planning?

44. Why are Canada’s family businesses facing a leadership crisis?

46. What is a traditional approach to succession analysis?

48. Why would an organization want to conduct succession planning?

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Chapter 7 - Succession Management

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Chapter 7 - Succession Management

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Chapter 7 - Succession Management

62. Which of the following is the goal of succession management programs?

Chapter 7 - Succession Management

69. What is one reason organizations have succession management programs?

71. Why is succession planning critical for effective HR planning?

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Chapter 7 - Succession Management

73. What is another term for succession analysis?

75. Why would an organization want to conduct succession planning?

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Chapter 7 - Succession Management

Chapter 7 - Succession Management

Chapter 7 - Succession Management

Chapter 7 - Succession Management

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Chapter 7 - Succession Management

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Chapter 7 - Succession Management

Chapter 7 - Succession Management

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Chapter 7 - Succession Management

135. Why is succession management so important in today’s workplace?

Chapter 7 - Succession Management

Chapter 7 - Succession Management

Chapter 7 - Succession Management

Chapter 7 - Succession Management

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Chapter 7 - Succession Management

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Nous revenons de Scudo, le Scudo, l’Écu, le Bouclier, la villa que

Ne faudrait-il venir ici qu’en avril ? Ce jardin de cyprès et

Comme un vol de « corbeaux » hors du charnier

Les quais de Marseille, cosmopolites, commerçants, laborieux et

Napoleonis civitas ! Et, comme une épitaphe funéraire,

Napoléon est né dans cette maison le 15 août 1769.

Le premier étage est seul ouvert aux visiteurs ; un escalier de