PLEASE HELP, for my HR MANAGEMENT class

Chapters 3, 4 & 5 Minnies Family Bakery

Ken Court, age fifty-five, was president and chief operating officer of Minnies Family Bakery, Inc. Minnies Family Bakery, which was named after his mother, was started about 25 years ago by Ken who built the operation from one employee to 75 employees. Court learned the bakery business when, for financial reasons, he was forced to leave high school and go to work in a local bakery to support his family. Even though he wanted to finish high school, providing for his family was more important, due to the unexpected death of his father. Court helped his mother make ends meet for the family which included four younger brothers and sisters. Courts philosophy is that Close family ties are all that really matter.

Minnies Family Bakery is one of the finest bakeries in the small city. It has an excellent reputation for quality baked goods and outstanding customer service. The bakery provides products to retail and wholesale customers and is very profitable. The employees are a happy and cohesive team, and they interact socially both on and off the job. The employees have a softball team and a bowling team and often meet after work for drinks. Much of this cohesion is attributable to Courts human resources policy of internal recruiting. As the organization grew, new employees were primarily hired from employee referrals. Court often says, we (employees) are just a big happy family.

However, a problem has recently developed. Court just received notice from the regional Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that an investigation will begin immediately on charges filed of employment discrimination. Tasha Wilson, a 23-year-old African American (Black) female, who had applied for a supervisory position at the bakery about six weeks ago, charges that she was denied a job because of her race and gender.

Ken Court thought about the events leading to this charge. Tasha Wilson had seen an ad in the local newspaper that indicated that the bakery was seeking to fill a supervisory position (see Exhibit 1).

Exhibit 1 Help wanted ad in local newspaper

Supervisor Wanted

Minnies Bakery is looking for an energetic and highly motivated person to assume a front-line supervisory position. Recent college graduates are preferred. Ability to get along with others is essential. Past supervisory experience or technical training is required. Contact Ken Court, Minnies Bakery, 555-525-4532

Tasha had recently graduated from a local community college with a two-year degree in business management. For the past four years, she worked in a womens apparel shop, and for the past two years, she was the assistant store manager. Tasha had excellent performance reviews. She provided Mr. Court with letters of recommendation that indicated she was a highly motivated and productive employee in her current position. Over her four years at the retail store, she was praised for her ability to deal effectively with customers. As the assistant manager, she was praised for her skills in supervising sales associates.

After reading the charges, Ken commented to Jon Wright, his production manager: Yep, I remember her interview. I just didnt think that she would fit in here. Ken filled the position with Alex Lindsay, a nephew of a supervisor at the bakery. Alex had worked in the bakery during the summer months throughout high school and college. Although Alex didnt have supervisory experience, he did have knowledge of the business, and Ken had been able to assess Alexs abilities during the six summers he worked at the bakery.

Tasha Wilson called the phone number in the ad and scheduled an interview with Mr. Court. When she arrived at the bakery, she was asked to complete the companys application form (see Exhibit 2). After completing the application, she was scheduled for an interview with Mr. Court. During the interview Ken asked her about her work experience at the dress shop. The interview was interrupted several times by phone calls and other employees who needed Mr. Courts advice on important issues. During the interview, Mr. Court asked Tasha if she or her boyfriend would mind if she had to work the late shift. Tasha responded the late shift would not be a problem because she often worked the closing shift at the store, which closed at 10 pm. A concern Mr. Court expressed during the interview was Tashas ability to supervise men, especially older men. He told her she would have to supervise the work of eight men, most of whom were older than Tasha and who have worked in the bakery on average 8 to 10 years. Ken said he was concerned that Tasha did not have previous experience supervising men. Tasha told him that she had supervised the work of six part-time women in the apparel shop and three of the women were middle-aged. Tasha also pointed out that she had completed a number of supervision courses at college which had prepared her to deal with any problems she would encounter at the bakery. Tasha explained that even though she had no experience supervising men or in the bakery industry, she was willing to work very hard to learn the business and to get along with everyone.

Ken Court ended the interview by stating he would let her know of his decision in about a week or so. After two weeks had passed, Tasha called Mr. Court to ask about his decision. He told her that the position had been filled by someone else. When pressed about the decision, Ken responded that a young man was hired because of his experience and education. He continued, he will probably fit in here better since he has a four-year degree and has worked here before. He thanked Tasha for her application and wish her well in finding a new position. As he ended the call, he felt that he would never see Tasha again.

Ken Court realizes that he must respond to the EEOCs charges of employment discrimination.

Exhibit 2 Employment Application
Minnies Bakery, Inc.
Application for Employment
Full Name:			Date:
Address:		City:	Zip:
Telephone:		Date of Birth:
Social Security Number?		Age:
Education
School name:		Dates:	Grade School
School name:		Dates:	High School
School name:		Dates:	Other School
School name:		Dates:	Other School
Work Experiences
Employer:		Position:	Dates:
Employer:		Position:	Dates:
Employer:		Position:	Dates:
Employer:		Position:	Dates:
Do you smoke?		Yes:	No:
Do you owe money?		Yes:	No:
Have you ever been arrested?		Yes:	No:
Who do you know that works at Minnies Bakery? List all
1.		3.
2.		4.
I hereby affirm that my answers are true and correct to the best of my knowledge.
Signed:			Date:

Based on information in Chapters 3, 4 & 5, answer the following questions:

1. After examining the companys employment application, list items that should be removed and explain why. Also suggest content to be added to the application and explain why. (10 points)
2. Discuss the advantages of employee referrals and the potential legal problems that may result from this recruiting approach. (5 points)
3. Offer suggestions for improving the companys advertisement to recruit supervisors. (5 points)
4. Offer suggestions for improving Kens employment interview process. (10 points)
5. Who is the better qualified candidate, Tasha Wilson or Alex Lindsay? Explain. (5 points)
6. According to the guidelines for a disparate treatment case, is Tasha Wilson the victim of race and/or gender discrimination? Explain. How should Ken respond to the charge, what evidence should he provide? (10 points)
7. Advise Ken regarding how he responded to her call after he filled position. What should he had said? (5 point)