Questions and Answers of Managing Human Resources

Describe how job analysis results can be used by managers.
As an employee, why is it useful to understand the competencies required in specific jobs?
How has technology enabled companies to improve the effectiveness of their planning and recruiting activities? What new and emerging technologies do you think could be used for managing talent
Jim Daniels was unprepared for the dilemma facing Defense Systems, Inc. (DSI). Jim, vice president of Human Resources, joined the company 1 year ago when he was pirated away from one of the
What changes do you predict regarding preferred external recruiting methods 5 years from now? Do you think any new methods will emerge in that time? Explain.
Job applicants typically want to find a job that is a “good fit.” For you personally, what is a good fit? Describe how you will decide whether a job you are offered is a good fit.
What does/will an employer need to do to keep you from looking for a job elsewhere?List the three most important considerations in their order of importance for you personally.
What do you think the most preferable alternative to layoffs is? Does your answer depend on any external or internal business environment factors?
City Hospital is located in the heart of a large Midwestern city. It is one of five major hospitals in the area and has recently built a small addition for treating well-known patients such as
How do you think technology will affect selection in the future?
Compare and contrast the validity, cost, and adverse impact of five different selection techniques. Which do you think is most important: validity, cost, or adverse impact?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using credit scores or criminal records as selection tools? Justify why you think companies should or should not use them.
As they surveyed an industry on its knees in the early 1980s, the leaders of the Forest Products Company (FPC) and its parent, the Weyerhaeuser Corporation, saw a far different face of domestic and
Discuss what you think will be the evolution of gamification in training? What new technologies will affect it?
In Durham, North Carolina, 170 GE employees work in nine teams to produce the GE90 jet engines that Boeing installs in its long-range 777 aircraft. Each team “owns” the engines they build—from
Would you prefer appraisals with or without ratings? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each?
Do you think employers should be allowed to use biometric technology to track the movement of all employees? Is such monitoring demeaning and unnecessary? Explain your opinion.
What are your views on pay secrecy? How much do you think employees should be told about how their pay is determined?
If you were considering a job offer, which elements of total compensation would be more important to you: base pay, incentives, or benefits? Why? What are the implications of your answer for
How involved do you think the government should be in compensation decisions? Should there be a minimum wage? Should there be maximum wage for executives?
Describe the strategic importance of performance-based pay. Why do employers use it?
As an employee, what type of stock-based incentive would you prefer and why? Would you participate in a stock purchase plan?
Do you know of any cases where employees conducted themselves unethically to earn bonuses? How do you think companies can design systems to minimize this effect?
Jack Parks is a benefits manager in the auto electronics division of USA Motors, a major manufacturer of audio systems and auto electronic ignition systems. After analyzing the impact of absenteeism
Most employers appreciate the rising costs of health care benefits, but not all employees understand this issue. As a manager how could you help educate your employees about health care benefits? As
The telecommunications field continues to change very rapidly. In perhaps no other field has technology had such a significant impact on the jobs of so many workers. Mitch Fields, for example, still
How do you think employers should treat employees who use marijuana? Should there be extenuating circumstances that affect employer actions, and what would they be?
Maria Dennis sits back and thoughtfully reads through the list of strategies that the union’s committee gave her this morning. If her union is to rebuild the power it has lost over the past few
How does managing human resources globally impact different aspects of firm performance?Which aspect do you think is most affected by going global?
Which environmental factors do you think are most changed when doing business globally?
Which internal factors do you think are most changed when doing business globally?
Describe the benefits and costs of globalization. Do you believe you have personally gained from globalization? Why or why not?
Which HR activities do you think differ the most across countries? Why?
What are the costs and benefits for the employee of being an expatriate?
Which safety issues do you think are of the greatest concern to employees on global assignments?
To live a healthier life, medical professionals say we need to identify those things we currently do that either impair or contribute to our health. Prepare a list of those activities you do that are
Joining Gratterpalm as HR manager five years ago was a challenging proposition— both for the company and for myself. An award-winning independent retail marketing agency based in Leeds, Gratterpalm
Andrea Herran of Focus HR Consulting reflects on some causes of employee turnover and performance problems and discusses some ways to address these problems. Retaining employees is addressed mainly
When the financial services industry tumbled into crisis in June 2007, Capital One chairman and CEO Richard Fairbank issued a mandate to strip $700 million out of the company’s operating costs by
Peter Lewiston was terminated on July 15, 2008, by the governing board of the Pine Circle Unified School District (PCUSD) for violation of the district’s sexual harassment policy. Prior to
What is the EEO-1 report? Who does it apply to, and how often must the report be filed? How does the EEOC use the data collected?
After Bangalore-based Chitra Iyengar decided to adopt a child, she became serious about a adopting a flexible work schedule after an encounter with her manager at IBM India who said: “I do not care
Working with a group of three or four students, collect at least five different job descriptions from organizations in your area. Compare the descriptions, highlighting similarities and differences.
What economic, social, and political forces have made employee training even more important today than it was in the past?
More than 3,000 people work for the Zoological Society of San Diego, a nonprofit organization that operates the San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, and San Diego Zoo’s Institute
During the financial crisis, many executives’ pay was stifled, reduced, or even withheld. Among the hardest hit—the U.S. auto industry. Shareholder groups, union leaders, political officials, and
a. What are some of the actions being taken by unions to cope with the contemporary challenges they face? b. How can companies respond to the labor changes that result from increased technology and
High turnover and so-so customer service characterizes much of the hospitality industry, but not at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Hotel. The property has one of the lowest turnover rates in Las Vegas and
Shopify and Tim Hortons are both Canadian success stories. From websites and news articles, try to articulate and compare their corporate strategies.
First, complete the survey below. Then discuss your answers with members of a study group. Try to determine which statement is a myth and which represents reality. To what extent do you agree
When Jason Traynor was a junior HR administrator at Peregrine Incorporated, he faced serious challenges with a workforce of different ages. The reason for many of the issues was that GM had recently
When Navjot Singh joined Royal Dutch Shell in 2003, the company was facing an extraordinary challenge: the rate at which Shell’s engineers were retiring meant that the global firm needed to double
Have each member of your group complete the survey below. Discuss the findings. Activity Employees post cartoons on bulletin boards containing sexually related material A male employee says to a
After more than 300 years in business, a few years ago, the global insurer Lloyd’s of London finally set out to establish its first true HR strategy, starting with the hiring of HR Director Suzy
In groups, debate the proposition: Employees are an expense, and their numbers should be reduced.
Nike, the world’s most famous athletic company, didn’t start out by making Air Jordans. In fact, it didn’t make shoes at all. It distributed them. Nike actually began as company called Blue
Find a male class job (i.e., a job in which the majority of workers are male) and a female class job that seem to require similar educational background and technical skills. (For example, compare
Here are some myths about employment equity:• It leads to hiring unqualified workers.• It causes an overnight change in the workforce makeup.• It is a plan that would make Calgary’s workforce
List as many jobs as you can in which you could hire only male applicants, based on a BFOQ.
Employment and Social Development Canada (formerly Human Resources Development Canada) awarded Manitoba Hydro its Vision award for creativity and innovation in its employment equity programs.
Although the process for filing a complaint of discrimination appears clear, many would choose not to do so. List the reasons alleged “victims” of discrimination in employment might not file a
As you have learned, substitutes can be an opportunity or a threat. The smartphone is a great example of a new product that eliminated the need for many other products. In groups, develop a list of
Have you ever encountered questions such as the following:• “Do you really think you could handle this job? You know it takes a lot of energy and enthusiasm. Besides, we are looking for someone
Describe how an organization can make best use of a multicultural workforce.
Ground rules—or team norms—are agreed-on formal that guide the behaviour of a team’s members, including how they want to be treated and agree to treat others. Ground rules help teams maintain
There are many different ways in which firms can organize themselves: There are flat organizations and there are tall organizations. There are organizations structured by products, divisions, and
We often think that successful people plan their careers in advance and then work toward their goals in a very logical, sequential manner. Although some successes are designed and implemented this
Imprimax is a family business, specializing in commercial printing, that has been operating for more than 45 years. The founder’s son, who now heads the company, has maintained the authoritative
The Ottawa Police Services recognized that traditional recruiting practices may not work in a multicultural society. New immigrants may not view policing as an honourable profession, based on their
At Accenture, Inc. based in Toronto, an employee was given a $6,000 bonus for referring a candidate for a senior-level job. The candidate was his long-time friend, and the employee felt that the real
LoyaltyOne is one of the world’s leading loyalty marketing organizations and the creator and operator of Canada’s premier coalition loyalty program, the AIR MILES® Rewards Program. As of early
A growing number of preemployment tests simulate a job’s functions and are being conducted with software. You can liken them to video games but within a work setting. Toyota, Starbucks, and the
HR and hiring managers often find themselves swamped by résumés because they are so easy to send with a click of a button. Some large retailers can get a million or more résumés a year. Even
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) is a civilian-run agency, formerly the Security Services of the RCMP. Its role is defensive: to protect Canada from terrorists and foreign spies. It
Making hiring decisions is one of the most important—and difficult—decisions a manager makes. Without good information, managers have almost no chance of making the right choice. The process
Even though it is not difficult to do so, a surprising number of training programs do not explicitly incorporate the principles of learning (goal setting, modelling, individual differences, and
There are 128 credit unions in Saskatchewan, with assets ranging from less than $1 million to more than $1 billion. All of these are affiliated with Credit Union Central of Saskatchewan, which
Capital Power is an independent power producer, based in Edmonton, Alberta, but with operations across North America. It has an aggressive growth strategy with the goal of tripling its generating
Using the section on training methods, list all of those that you have experienced. Prepare a grid, with the methods on one column and the four levels of evaluation on another. Rate each method as to
Team up with a classmate and design an orientation program for a new student to your school.
As we explained in this chapter, an increasing number of companies are no longer conducting formal performance reviews. However, most still do. In a recent survey of 1,500 U.S. office workers, 88
Develop a list of the characteristics of effective service for fast-food servers at places such as Tim Hortons. Over your next five visits, rate the servers against the criteria that you have
Develop a 10-item checklist to be used to rate student behaviour (e.g., Always submits assignments on time). Rate your own behaviour against this list. Then ask friends and family members to rate
Take two of the items from question 3 and develop a BARS for each of these items. Then rate yourself and ask others to rate you using the BARS. Did the ratings change? If so, why?Data from in
Think of a friend or a family member whose behaviour you wish to change (e.g., your friend is usually late for events that you have organized). Using the problem-solving interview and the suggestions
During her first year at university, Amelia Santos became quickly aware that there were not many healthy food and drinks on her campus. After taking a few business courses, she learned how to start a
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster with a special focus on “all things Canadian”; it broadcasts in English, French, and various Indigenous languages from coast to coast.
Laws governing compensation raise important issues for both employers and employees. Discuss the following: a. The effects of mandatory overtime b. The effects of raising the minimum
Ontario hospital executives are being criticized for their relatively high pay and lucrative perks. The perks include car allowances, free parking spots, and up to six weeks of paid vacation; they
Done-Deal Paper Inc. operates throughout Western Canada with offices in Calgary, Saskatoon, and Vancouver. Providing paper and paper needs to most of Western Canada, Done Deal is one of the top two
Because pay for performance is an important factor governing salary increases, managers must be able to defend the compensation recommendations they make for their employees. Merit raises granted
Maple Leafs Computing Services (MLCS), a provider of HR software application systems, prides itself on the variety of benefits it offers employees. In addition to healthcare, pension, and vacation
What is the quality of the work–life environment in your company? The following survey provided by the Work and Family Connection will help provide a “case analysis” of the climate in your
Do you agree with the argument that the benefits for time not worked are the ones most readily available to reduce employer costs? Explain.
Given the costs of employee benefits, should cash-strapped organizations provide discretionary benefits? Why or why not? Support your answer with reference to examples.
Assume that your team has been hired as a benefits consultant by a small business with 50–60 employees. What benefits do you believe this employer should offer given its limited resources? Explain
Every year, about 50 young Canadians are killed on the job and about 60,000 more suffer injuries serious enough to be reported to safety officials. Young workers are six times more likely to be
Many students, balancing school, work, and family demands, experience stress. Consult the Canadian Mental Health Association website (https://www.cmha.ca/) to determine your level of stress. What are
Both unions and management express concern for the well-being of their employees. However, union reaction to the proposed introduction of wellness initiatives is not always positive. Unions fear that
In the constantly changing field of HR, it is imperative that both HR managers and supervisors be aware of changes that affect the organization and the process of managing employees. Nowhere is this

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