Questions and Answers of Human Resources Management

Define strategic compensation.
Are the three main elements of compensation systems—internal consistency, market competitiveness, and recognizing employee contributions—equally important, or do you believe that they differ in
Sportsman Shoes has been a leader in the shoe industry for more than 30 years. Sportsman manufactures and sells athletic shoes for all types of sports. The company has pursued a low-cost strategy in
Butcher Enterprises has experienced substantial employee turnover among its office workers. During exit interviews, more than 80 percent stated that low pay was the top reason for resigning. The
Go to mymanagementlab.com for Auto-graded writing questions as well as the following Assisted-graded writing questions:1. Explain the similarities and differences between merit pay, incentive pay,
Identify the contextual influence that you believe will pose the greatest challenge to companies’ competitiveness, and identify the contextual influence that will pose the least challenge to
Jane Swift is becoming frustrated with her job as a shift leader at Jones Department Store. She’s worked there for 6 months, and the full-time job has turned into more than full time. Several
The Fair Labor Standards Act requires employers to pay nonexempt status employees an overtime rate at least equal to 1.5 times the normal hourly wage for each hour worked beyond the 40-hour workweek
Go to mymanagementlab.com for Auto-graded writing questions as well as the following Assisted-graded writing questions:1. How would the compensation system change if the minimum wage provision of the
Select three distinct jobs of your choice. Go to the Occupational Information Network (O*NET), http://onetonline.org. Review the major tasks for each job. Then, for each job, identify what you
Precision Manufacturing produces machine parts and has nearly 200 production employees and 50 employees in its front office with responsibilities ranging from data entry to marketing. Jackson Smith
We learned that merit pay increases may create a cost burden to employers because these increases carry over in base pay. Refer to Table 3-9, in which Anne Brown’s annual salary is listed at the
1. A company of 15 employees has recently decided to overhaul its performance appraisal system. Which plan would be most appropriate for the company to adopt? Why?2. Using the principles of seniority
Table 4-3 illustrates the calculation of a piecework award for a garment worker who has completed two hours of service. Over the course of a six-hour shift, his productivity varies:First hour: 10
Go to mymanagementlab.com for Auto-graded writing questions as well as the following Assisted-graded writing questions:1. How can incentive pay systems, when properly applied, contribute to companies
The use of drones has been proposed by retailers like Amazon.com as a method for package delivery.If drones eventually become a widely adopted technology for this purpose, some workers who are
As person-focused pay programs are not suitable for all kinds of jobs.Based on your understanding of person-focused pay concepts, identify at least one job for which this basis for pay is
The technicians at Mitron Computers are integral to the company’s success. Mitron builds custom personal computers for several office supply chains. The company’s ability to build a quality
Training programs are at the heart of person-focused pay programs. The following is a sample training budget:A. Development costs (e.g., salaries and benefits of personnel, equipment): $30,000 B.
1. As manufacturing companies continue to use even more advanced robotics that have human-like traits, what are some of the skills that employees will have to learn?2. Compare and contrast
Write a draft job description (no longer than one page) for a job that you have had according to the principles.
Why must a job analysis be reliable and valid? What can a compensation professional do to ensure that a job analysis is reliable and valid?
After completing the job analysis, your boss has asked you to conduct a job evaluation of the various positions in the company. Detail the steps you would take in accomplishing this task.
Which do you believe is most important for a company’s competitive advantage: internal consistency or market competitiveness? Explain your answer.
Refer to Table 7-3. Cross out salaries for Company F and Company G. Calculate the mean and median for the set of Companies A through E.Table 7-3. TABLE 7-3 Raw Compensation Survey Data for
What are some strategic considerations in establishing a pay structure at Nutriment?
Should Jack suggest a pay policy to lead, lag, or match the market? Explain your recommendation.
By what percent did the cost of goods and services change between December 2013 and June 2014?
(A) By what percent might you expect the average cost of goods and services to change over the second 6-month period of 2014? First, calculate the percentage cost change for the period July through
(A) By what percent might you expect the average cost of goods and services to change between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015? First, calculate the percent cost change for the period January
Is it appropriate to utilize the same pay mix arrangement for clerical employees and sales professionals? Explain your answer and how the pay mix arrangements might differ.
Explain what the market pay line is. How is it used in the context of pay level policies such as market lead, market lag, and market match?
What are the sales objectives for the new sales representative?
What role will the compensation design play in motivating the new sales representative?
What kind of sales incentive plan do you recommend? Why?
Pay Range A: For a pay range midpoint equal to $47,500, calculate the minimum and maximum pay values for a 15 percent range spread.
What is the overlap between pay range A and pay range B?
Assume that you are an HRM professional whose responsibility is to develop a brochure for the purpose of conveying the value of your company’s benefits program to potential employees.Your company
Conduct some research in order to identify examples of innovative benefit practices.A useful starting point is an Internet search using phrases such as “best companies to work for.”
Do you think changing Superior’s time off policies will decrease unscheduled time off?
Beyond reducing occurrences of unscheduled time off, are there any other benefits to offering PTO?
Are there any disadvantages to offering PTO?
How much more money would you need to contribute to meet the allowable maximum contribution?
In 2015, the company offers a $0.75 match for each dollar that you contribute between 3 percent and 6 percent of your annual salary. How much is the company match based on your 10 percent
Based on the sum of your answers to questions 9-9 and 9-10, what is the difference between the IRS maximum annual addition for 2015 and the total contribution to your 401(k) plan?Question 9-9How much
Except for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the remaining legally required benefits were conceived more than a decade ago. What changes in the business environment and society might
In what ways may legally required benefits have contributed to an employee entitlement mentality regarding discretionary benefit offerings? Explain your rationale.
Conduct some research on the future of the Social Security programs (see the Web site www.ssa.gov). Based on your research, prepare a statement, not to exceed 250 words, that describes your view of
What are some advantages of implementing the HSA option?
What are some potential disadvantages of the HSA option?
The company chooses not to provide health insurance. How much will the penalty be based on the formula presented in this chapter?
The company prices health insurance for its workforce, and determines that the annual cost is$2,500,000. Based on your answer to question 10-9, how much money would it save by not offering health
The company is considering the purchase of a high-priced health insurance option. The cost is equal to $16,000 per employee for individual coverage and $30,000 per employee for family coverage.Half
How does a state determine if an individual is eligible for unemployment insurance benefits?
Define health insurance concepts such as insurance policy and premium, and explain the different types of health insurance programs. What are the main differences among these programs?
MyManagementLab Only—comprehensive writing assignment for this chapter.
Consult a recent news article about a company’s executive pay. Summarize the main issues detailed within the article.
What additional information about the CEO’s pay package should Don identify to potentially share with the employees?
How can Don explain the pay disparity to the employees to ease their concerns about the fairness of the CEO’s pay?
By what percent does annual median pay differ between the oil and gas extraction industry and the retail trade industry for (a) chief executives, (b) human resources managers, (c) accountants and
In the oil and gas extraction industry relative to the retail trade industry, what are the pay ratios between (a) chief executives, (b) human resources managers, (c) accountants and auditors, and(d)
In the oil and gas extraction industry, what are the pay ratios for the chief executives job to(a) human resources managers, (b) accountants and auditors, and (c) file clerks? In the retail trade
Discuss whether you believe that telecommuting arrangements should apply to certain job groups rather than all job groups in a company. Provide rationale.
Would offering telecommuting as an option benefit MedEx? How?
Are there any disadvantages or challenges in offering telecommuting?
Based exclusively on employing full-time workers, (a) How many are needed to complete the project? (b) What is the estimated total cost of wages and benefits?
Explain leased employee arrangements. Discuss employee benefits for leased workers.
For a country of your choice, conduct research into the cultural characteristics and summarize these characteristics. Discuss whether you feel that pay-for-performance programs are compatible and
Discuss your reaction to the following statement:“U.S. companies should increase base pay (beyond the level that would be paid in the United States) to motivate employees to accept foreign
How should Dale approach the determination of the consultant’s salaries as expatriates?
Should Jenkins offer any incentive compensation or additional benefits to the expatriates? Why or why not?
Calculate the (a) foreign service premium, (b) hardship allowance, and (c) quarters allowance.
Discuss the main differences between health care systems in the United States and one other country. Does it appear that the costs of health care programs are creating burdens for competitive
Describe the purchasing power exchange rate and indicate how it is helpful to compensation professionals whose work spans multiple countries.
What are some labor-related factors that Threads should consider when comparing Mexico and Canada?
What are some labor-related factors that would favor Canada as the location of the new facility?Or Mexico, for that matter?
What is the 5-year change in GDP per capita (2002–2006) for (a) the United States, (b) Australia,(c) Singapore, (d) Denmark, and (e) Italy?
What is the 5-year change in GDP per capita (2007–2011) for (a) the United States, (b) Australia,(c) Singapore, (d) Denmark, and (e) Italy?
State whether the rate of change for the more recent 5-year period (2007–2011) was lower than or higher than the rate of change for the earlier 5-year period (2002–2006) in each country: (a) the
Which factor do you think is most important when deciding whether to establish business operations in another country? Explain your rationale.
Explain why wages are increasing in China, and discuss how this trend will influence a company’s choice to conduct business there.
Discuss how companies stand to benefit from offering flexible benefit plans.
What are some factors that Alan should consider when determining whether to offer benefits to part-time workers?
Do you think the firm should offer benefits to part-time workers? If yes, should it offer paid time off, the 401(k) plan, and health insurance? Or only one or two of the benefits? Explain your
Calculate the average annual pay for each region: (a) Beijing, (b) Tianjin, (c) Shanghai, and(d) Henan.
Calculate the average annual pay for each industry: (a) agriculture, (b) manufacturing, (c) scientific, research, and technical services, and (d) health and social service.
Which industry displays the (a) lowest average annual salary, and (b) highest average annual salary?Which region displays the (a) lowest average annual salary, and (b) highest average annual salary?
Distinguish among corporate, business, and functional strategies. How does each strategy relate to human resources management? Why?
How may an organization’s human resources be viewed as either a strength or a weakness when doing a SWOT analysis? What could be done to strengthen human resources in the event that it is seen as a
List factors under the control of healthcare managers that contribute to the decrease in the number of people applying to health professions schools.Describe the steps that healthcare organizations
What are the organizational advantages of integrating strategic management and human resources management? What are the steps involved in such an integration?
One healthcare organization is pursuing a business strategy of differentiating its service product through providing excellent customer service. What HR metrics do you recommend to reinforce this
In what sense are all healthcare executives human resources managers?How can executives best prepare to perform well in this HR function?
Before class, obtain the annual report of any healthcare organization of your choice. Review the material presented and the language used. Write a one-page memo that assesses that organization’s
Before class, review the seven HR practices developed by Jeffrey Pfeffer and shown in Figure 1.1. Consider how your current/most recent employer follows any three of these seven practices. Write a
Each year, Fortune magazine publishes a list of “The Best Companies to Work for in America.” Editors of the magazine base their selection on an extensive review of the HR practices of many
What are the major types of healthcare workforce planning? Provide examples of situations where each strategy would be more appropriate than the others.
Healthcare workforce planning is often done after a shortage in a particular profession is recognized. How could planning help avert those shortages?
Counting healthcare professionals as part of healthcare workforce planning is not always straightforward. For a specific profession—nursing, dentistry, or medicine—describe how the practice
In 1999, California became the first state to pass a law that requires minimum staffing ratios for nurses in general acute care hospitals (Coffman, Seago, and Spetz 2002). California Assembly Bill

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