Questions and Answers of Fundamentals Of Human Resource Management

In your mind, how critical is the concept of person-organization fit? Why do you think so?
Are there cases other than the two instances noted in the chapter when companies should be allowed to use polygraph tests on employees? When and why?
Do you feel that it’s OK to tell “little white lies” on résumés and applications? Why or why not?
Are companies overtesting applicants by using the processes that were discussed? Explain your answer.
Are background checks—including credit checks, criminal history checks, and looking at a candidate’s Facebook page—too invasive? Explain your answer.
Is the use of HRMS for narrowing down the list of candidates and sending form letters, including rejection letters, too impersonal? Why or why not?
Links of London is an iconic jewelry brand with an international presence that captures the wit, spirit, and heart of London. The design team strives to create exquisite jewelry and statement watches
Is the currently available workforce really not sufficiently trained to participate in knowledge-intensive jobs? Why or why not?
Think of and then list all of the items that you think should be included in a new employee onboarding. Briefly justify why each item should be included.
Briefly describe a job you have or had. If you were promoted, which training method(s) would you use to train the person to do your current job?
Which one of the primary delivery of training types would you use to teach basic accounting to a group of employees? Justify your answer.
Have you ever filled out an evaluation form for an employee training class? Which type of evaluation was it? What evidence led you to think it was this type?
What management tools or processes would you use in order to evaluate your employees for remediation training?
Do you agree with the definition of a career presented in the text? Why or why not? How would you change it?
Which method of development, formal education, experience, or assessment do you think is most valuable? Justify your choice.
Identify and discuss two or three ways in which poor application of HR strategies (Exhibit 7. 5) would create negative employee consequences.Exhibit 7. 5 Exhibit 7.5. Consequences of Career Planning
With instant coffee, baby food, and bottled water in the mix, Nestlé crunches more than just chocolate. The world’s number-one food and drinks company in terms of sales, Nestlé is also the world
Costco is known as a desirable employer. This is partly because it pays an average of $21 per hour to employees in retail environments where $10.50 is the average hourly pay. Costco also covers 90%
You have started work at a small company, Johnson Natural Shoes, which designs and produces children’s shoes. The company has an innovative approach and uses all-natural materials. Its product has
Making HRM decisions is often a group activity, as seldom does one person have all the required information, context, and expertise to tackle every HR issue. Working in a group, review the six trends
Ethics is critically important to the effective practice of HRM. Ethical decisions and actions lead to greater trust and engagement within organizations and allow for all types of information to
Many human resource departments use strategy when implementing initiatives or plans to achieve organizational objectives. As a major strategic initiative, in 2005, Procter & Gamble (P&G) reached a
HR analytics is an interdisciplinary field, and as a result, HR analytics teams are often composed of individuals from different disciplines, specializations, and degree programs. Critical areas of
The Body Shop is a global manufacturer and retailer of ethically made beauty and cosmetic products. When she founded The Body Shop in 1979, Anita Roddick believed that companies have the potential to
Since 1949, Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP) has developed a global reputation for payroll processing products and services. For a number of years, the company had the highest rating given (AAA
The Monday morning meeting is just starting. The room is full of individuals from the HR team. As the newest member and most well trained on statistics and HR analytics, you are looked to by staff to
You work on a team with four other members of the customer service team at C-Zone, an auto-parts wholesaler. Your company has around 2,000 employees nationally. The company has low job acceptance
Today, many organizations partner with vendors to address employee health and engagement. For example, with the goal of improving employee wellbeing for partnering organizations, Virgin Pulse
Even when companies realize the benefits of having a diverse and inclusive workplace, getting there often takes a deliberate, comprehensive, and multipronged approach. Marc Benioff, the CEO of
Imagine that you are working at a medium-sized business as an HR professional. You are faced with the following dilemmas. Decide how you would handle each issue in the short term and long term. What
Recently, your organization advertised openings for sales associates. The selection process includes gathering and evaluating information on a personality test and in-person interview.Here is a
Should an organization avoid hiring individuals with a criminal background? There is no federal law prohibiting discrimination against former inmates. Yet having blanket policies excluding those with
A clear definition of what workers do on the job, and which employee traits are needed to do them, is central for effective HRM. Defining job behaviors and the needed employee characteristics is a
The city of Jasper has conducted a job analysis of its firefighters. The job being analyzed is a fire apparatus operator/driver (FAOD). In addition to conducting regular firefighting activities,
Throughout this book, we show the importance of ethics and integrity to the practice of HR. A key factor is to make ethical behavior an explicit part of the job analysis, competency model, and job
You may not reflect on all the steps that the water you drink goes through before it comes out of your kitchen faucet. However, water treatment plant and system operators do. They monitor operating
You have been with your large high-tech organization for 3 years, having joined right after earning your college degree in business. You enjoy working in human resource management on the recruitment
Imagine that you and a small team of two to five colleagues are working with a medium-sized retail company that is expanding internationally. Although the headquarters will remain in Columbus, Ohio,
Job boards have become popular with organizations and job applicants. However, one major ethical concern has to do with information privacy. Two considerations seem especially important to consider.
One of the most common personnel selection tools is the interview. Most supervisors want to get to know job candidates and their skills prior to making a hiring decision, and most applicants expect
You are working for a regional coffee chain, Al Bar. Currently, the company has 900 employees, but it is expanding. The CEO would like to be more systematic in the approach to hiring new baristas. Al
A test vendor has approached the vice president of HR in your company with a new test of conscientiousness. The test vendor claims that the new conscientiousness test is at least as valid as the old
Applicant information privacy is a major ethical issue faced by employers.We mentioned the issue of keeping applicant information secure—something that is more easily said than done due to the
Research shows that organizational training improves performance of both employees and organizations. Analytics provides a good opportunity for companies to research the effectiveness of their
The Kehoe Company, which specializes in the sales of medical office software, has decided to provide training for its salespeople. The training includes live role-plays and online training about the
The following table shows the average knowledge of safety practices related to chemical leak emergencies at a chemical plant, based on a sample of 221 chemical plant employees.The employees were
We discussed the fact that ethics have been integrated into SHRM’s competency model as a key competency. It’s not surprising, then, that many organizations have integrated the training of ethics
With more than 400,000 employees worldwide, the global consulting and professional services company Accenture has a large number of employees receiving performance reviews every year. When Accenture
You are the HR manager of a professional services firm with 300 employees. Your company uses annual reviews along with frequent checkin meetings throughout the year as part of performance
Goal setting is one of the most effective and promising ways of motivating employees and aligning individual effort with department and organizational strategy. At the same time, goal setting can
Mars, Inc. is a private, global corporation, owning many familiar brands such as Wrigley’s, Dove, M&Ms, Mars, and Twix. Mars is more than 100 years old, is still a family-owned business, operates
You work for the HR department of a manufacturing firm. The company has 500 employees, a significant portion of whom have long tenure in the company.Eric Jenkins, a department manager who was hired 2
You are working at Shek, Inc., an organization providing private and group surfing and scuba diving lessons, adventure tours, and rental services to tourists in Hawaii. Your company has around 200
Even though not every layoff “victim” may feel like a victim, learning about one’s impending layoff may be met with anger, humiliation, and a feeling that one is disposable. In some companies,
In 2015, Dan Price—the CEO of a small company called Gravity Payments, which offers credit card processing—announced that all employees’ annual pay would be raised to a minimum of $70,000 per
Three years ago, a large clothing retailer called La Ropa de Moda developed and implemented a new pay-for-performance program targeted at sales associates. The relatively new program is a sales
Implementing merit pay for teachers has been a contentious issue, particularly in the United States. Supporters contend that merit pay motivates teachers to do a better job, leading to better
A gig refers to a single project or task that an individual completes for pay, and individuals who complete gigs are often referred to as gig workers.Examples of gigs range from driving for Uber and
Trident Health System has been experiencing difficulties attracting and retaining registered nurses (RNs) at its central hospital. Based on data from follow-up surveys with former applicants and from
Jembe Banks is a regional bank that is headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, and has branches throughout Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Illinois.The bank currently employs nearly 350 employees at
It is not unusual for employers to change health insurance plans. For example, an employer may switch to a plan with lower monthly premiums and a higher deductible or may switch from offering a
The Kaiser-Permanente/coalition agreement represents the largest, longestlasting labor–management partnership in the United States. The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, AFL-CIO, is a
You are a manager at a small firm with 85 employees. Not long ago, your firm had just 15 employees, and it felt like a big family more than a workplace. But as you’ve grown, the “family
You are in the business of developing training and development materials and programs for work organizations. Your company is currently in the process of developing new training products. As someone
The Guild has engaged in three major strikes, including one in 1959 that lasted nearly 6 months and one in 1988 that lasted 155 days. On May 1, 2017, members voted to strike, but an agreement was
Employee wellness programs have grown in popularity in recent years. One challenge is to determine which programs are most effective and most beneficial to specific employees.Johnson & Johnson takes
You are working for a construction company specializing in interior and exterior painting of newly built homes. You are the sole safety officer in this small company of 50 employees. The company is
A manufacturing company is preparing to implement a company wellness program within its East Coast, Southeastern, and West Coast locations.These locations employ about 1,800 workers in total.The
The large amount of highly personal data available to employers provides an opportunity to better understand employee behavior. These safety and health data can help uncover ways to support
Based in France and operating in 140 countries, L’Oréal is a global corporate giant. It employs more than 89,000 workers and owns brands such as Maybelline, Ralph Lauren, and Lancôme among its
You are the HR director of Moore Markets, a grocery retailer that is in the process of overseas expansion. The company is U.S. based and just opened up several stores and branch offices in Mexico,
What do Rolls-Royce, Walmart, Royal Dutch Shell, and SAP have in common? These companies and others have faced investigations of corruption and bribing government officials to facilitate winning
Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO of Chobani, LLC, left his family dairy business in Turkey to learn English in the United States. Soon after he arrived, he noticed that the strained yogurt popular in
Chevron is a large energy company based in San Ramon, California. In 2014, the company launched a centralized human resource analytics team, which it refers to as a talent analytics team. Human
In 1999, the Japanese carmaker Nissan was in trouble. The company had not been profitable for 8 years, its margins were low, and it was estimated that the car company gave away $1,000 for every car
The San Francisco–based visual social media firm Pinterest is one of the first Silicon Valley companies that recognized the dismal state of diversity in the technology industry. In fact, a former
HR systems are designed to give employers a competitive advantage by focusing on how to attract and hire the best talent, as well as how to develop, train, and retain employees. This includes
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is one of the Big 4 accounting firms that, along with Deloitte, EY, and KPMG, handles 80% of auditing for all U.S.public companies. PwC provides tax, assurance, and
Acquiring the best talent provides organizations with an important competitive advantage, particularly when selection systems are aligned with strategic objectives. Chapter 6 pointed out one key
Igloo, a Texas-based manufacturer of ice chests for more than 70 years, has undertaken a number of initiatives to train and develop its employees to promote its company culture of commitment.
Among companies that have made major changes in their approach to performance management, the multinational consulting firm Deloitte provides an interesting example. In 2013, Deloitte conducted an
Long-haul trucking often conjures images of open roads and beautiful scenery. Drivers are admired for the freedom and independence that are often associated with this lifestyle. The reality, however,
Avoiding pay discrimination is an important consideration when designing and implementing a compensation system, and it is a focal point of several U.S. employment and labor laws. Perhaps most well
A gig refers to a single project or task that an individual completes for pay, and individuals who complete gigs are often referred to as gig workers.Examples of gigs range from driving for Uber and
New Seasons Market is an Oregon-based grocery store chain founded in 2000 by three families who set the goal of “rethinking what a grocery store could be.” The store is known for offering local
Supporting the safety of employees and customers is a stated goal for most organizations. Besides its importance for individual employees and for society more broadly, safety is linked to
Consider the following job attributes: good pay and benefits and meaningful work where you are able to make a difference in people’s lives, save them from danger, help them get jobs, and bring aid
Explain the term ‘strategic human resource management’.
Explain how the seven practices identified by Pfeffer in the best practice approach to HRM can positively impact on organizational performance.
Explain how devolving HRM practices to line managers has an impact on the role of the HR function.
Identify five key HRM practices in the employee lifecycle. Describe how each of these would operate in an organization in the manufacturing sector.
Do you believe that there is one set of HR practices that can be used by an organization, regardless of the context the organization operates in?
Identify the key characteristics of HRM.
Legge (1995) has identified HRM as effectively being ‘old wine in a new bottle’. Do you agree with this perspective?
Explain how HRM can contribute to improved organizational performance.
What is the advantage of predictive data over descriptive data?
You have been asked to address your organization’s executive board about the possibility of introducing a new performance management system. Decide what your performance management system would
Search the internet for examples of MNCs that have been criticized by NGOs or other pressure groups about the employment practices in their supply chains. Now look at the CSR pages of the websites of
Which do you think will be more effective at aligning corporate behaviour with the interests of society, the ‘carrot’ of the business case or the ‘stick’ of regulation?
To what extent do you think CSR is a real attempt on the part of companies to grapple with important social, ethical and environmental issues, as opposed to window dressing designed to appeal to

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