As you likely knew before you read this chapter, arbitration is an alternative form of dispute resolution. In theory and in practice it often is intended to save time and money and achieve better outcomes than going to court. If you haven't actually been involved in arbitration, you might be surprised to know you have likely agreed to it many times without knowing it. Most cell phone, cable, Internet, online shopping, and credit card agreements now contain arbitration clauses. In the fine print of their service agreements are buried the words, "The company may elect to resolve any claim by individual arbitration." This means the company reserves the right to settle any dispute you raise as an individual, or as a group via class-action, using arbitration. You essentially forfeit your constitutional rights to sue, and agree to be bound by the decision of a third party, often hired by the company against which you have a complaint. A 2015 investigation by The New York Times revealed that such clauses are increasingly inserted in consumer and employment contracts as a way to work around the courts, limiting consumers' recourse both as individuals and collectively in class-action suits. Proponents of the bans say arbitration clauses work just as intended: They save time and money by protecting companies from frivolous lawsuits, while at the same time providing a less costly, faster, and less resource-intensive route to potential satisfaction for customers. Opponents also have much to say. They often refer to such clauses as "get out of jail free cards" for large corporations. Moreover, many critics claim that rules of arbitration favor companies, which have skill and experience in arbitrating as well as financial resources that the vast majority of consumers lack. The deck seems stacked in the big companies' favor. The purpose of class-action suits is to allow individuals with relatively small claims to band together and achieve some sort of recourse against an offending company. But courts have thrown out numerous class-action claims because of arbitration clauses, including a complaint against a travel-booking website for conspiring to fix hotel prices, another against Goldman Sachs claiming sex discrimination, and still another against Taco Bell for discriminating against African-American employees. William Young, a federal judge in Boston, said of arbitration clauses, "Ominously, business has a good chance of opting out of the legal system altogether and misbehaving without reproach." There is no official tracking system for arbitration that tallies the number of cases, success rates, or amount of money awarded. But the Times' investigation revealed that between 2010 and 2014 a total of 1,179 class-action suits were filed against companies. Eighty percent were pushed to arbitration by judges. In a single year, 2014, judges ruled against 134 of 162 class-action filings, moving them to arbitration or causing the plaintiffs to drop the cases altogether. The story of individual consumer plaintiffs is even more telling. Between 2010 and 2014, Verizon faced only 65 consumer arbitrations, despite having 125 million subscribers. Time Warner Cable had only seven from among its 15 million customers. It thus seems that while arbitration is a contractual possibility, relatively few individual consumers utilize it, and groups of consumers have no choice but to do so. 1. Nothing. Allow companies to include arbitration clauses in consumer agreements and contracts as they choose. Explain your reasoning. 2. Modify the clauses to better protect consumers. Explain your recommended modifications. 3. Do away with arbitration clauses. Justify.
> How can I use transformational leadership when working with others?
> How do I know when to use a specific leader behavior?
> Do effective leaders behave in similar ways?
> How can I use trait theories to improve my ability to lead?
> How does having an integrated model of leadership help me become an effective leader?
> A national media communications company acquires a regional communications company. As a result of the merger, the regional marketing department is re-organized, combining the staff of the two organizations. Our manager is overseeing the restructuring pr
> This OB in Action allows students to reflect on how firms can successfully implement a horizontal structure. 1. What are the pros of Gore’s structure? 2. What are the drawbacks? 3. Do you think this type of structure would work in most organizations? Ex
> This Problem-Solving Application encourages students to reflect on how big data can be used to improve a company’s processes, resulting in better customer service and profits. 1. What problem was Kroger trying to solve by installing QueVision? Based on
> Bryan Dobbs, director of marketing at Sarga Inc., has received multiple complaints about Davy Siegler over the past two months. Apparently, he spends his day surfing the net, passes all his own work on to subordinates, and disrupts those around him by dr
> This Problem-Solving Application discusses some eye-popping statistics on the productivity loss of employees playing fantasy sports. For example, the price tag for productivity lost to fantasy football was $16 billion in 2015. That's $1 billion a week du
> How can knowing about the basic communication process help me communicate more effectively?
> How can I increase my effectiveness using presentation skills, crucial conversations, and managing up?
> How can social media increase my effectiveness at work and in my career?
> How do gender and age affect the communication process?
> What key aspects of interpersonal communication can help me improve my communication competence?
> The video focuses on Zappos.com, an online shoe and merchandise company. The video discusses its thriving employee culture, and CEO Tony Hsieh. Mr. Hsieh believes that it is possible to keep customers, employees, and investors happy by allowing his emplo
> This Problem-Solving Application profiles the Dabbawalas in Mumbai, India. Dabbawalas deliver 200,000 or more lunch boxes every day. The Dabbawalas first pick up meals customers have prepared for themselves at home, then deliver them to offices in late m
> This OB in Action describes how the largest manufacturers of iPhones, Foxconn and Pegatron, have faced numerous challenges in managing employee work hours, wages, and the overall organizational climate. 1. What are three potential benefits of these prac
> The video begins with a statement that many people avoid conversations due to fear. Bernardo Carducci states that most of that fear comes from a fear of saying something stupid. However, this is an unfounded fear. If you are simply nice, and follow the f
> 1. How does this exercise foster open-system thinking? Give examples. 2. Why do managers need clear priorities when it comes to dealing with strategic constituents?
> What are organizations doing to effectively manage diversity, and what works best?
> What are the most common barriers to implementing successful diversity programs?
> What is the business rationale for managing diversity?
> How does awareness about the layers of diversity help organizations effectively manage diversity?
> How do I tend to interpret employee performance?
> How can I use awareness of stereotypes to make better decisions and manage more effectively?
> How do I form perceptions of others?
> Dilbert creator, Scott Adams, who receives over 150 messages a day from people complaining about their cubicles, decided to reach out to world-renowned industrial designer, IDEO, and asked them to design a cubicle even Dilbert would enjoy. IDEO is known
> 1. Based on the case, it is evident that Volkswagen’s reputation has suffered as a consequence of the crisis. Based on the organizing framework, what are other organizational level problems for Volkswagen after the scandal? Justify your answer using conc
> Jeff Lebesch, Founder of New Belgium Brewers, started making beer as simply a hobby. After visiting Belgium, he discovered how to brew beer the “Belgium” way and began brewing beer in his basement. This endeavor eventually transformed into the New Belgiu
> This challenge involves the behavior of Bernadine Pearce. Pearce was the supervisor of Michelle Ruppert, a clerk in the Office of the Tax Collector in the Borough of Point Pleasant, N.J. Pearce worked at the local government for about 40 years. Ruppert f
> This OB in Action profiles how the hospitality industry is using surveys to identify the causes of employee dissatisfaction and turnover and perhaps discover why there is a shortage of good cooks. Do you think the changes described above will reduce emp
> This OB in Action allows students to learn about a variety of methods used for onboarding. What are the drawbacks of Apple’s approach of hiring employees into dummy positions (for reasons of secrecy)? What are the trade-offs?
> A well-entrenched and ever-growing trend in companies today is employer-sponsored wellness programs. Healthy employees provide many benefits for employers, such as increased productivity and morale, reduced absences and accidents, and lower stress and he
> This OB in Action profiles Activision, one of the leading developers and publishers of video games that has created blockbuster hits such as Call of Duty, World of War craft, and Guitar Hero. Activision’s culture appears to be a combination of all four c
> This Take-Away Application encourages students to consider their important needs in the context of the content theories of motivation. 1. Which ones have your highest levels of need satisfaction? 2. Given that flourishing is related to satisfying higher
> This Take-Away Application encourages students to consider ways to increase their mindfulness. 1. What can you do in class to stay focused on what is being discussed? 2. How can you remain mindful in one-on-one conversations?
> This Take-Away Application encourages students to develop an action plan for improving their PO fit. 1. Now use the 12 embedding mechanisms just discussed and suggest at least two things you can do and two things your manager might do to improve your le
> This Take-Away Application encourages students to consider how task and maintenance roles are fulfilled in groups of which they are members. 1. Describe how at least three task roles are fulfilled. Explain how the roles are fulfilled using examples of s
> Three months ago, Patrick was given the goal of implementing a computerized tracking system on the factory floor with the expectations that it would raise quality control and workflow by a significant percentage. The team spends an enormous amount of tim
> This Take-Away Application encourages students to consider what can foster defensiveness and how they can facilitate nondefensive communication. 1. Were the potential causes of the defensive communication pattern? 2. Identify three things you could have
> This OB in Action discusses the stress that junior Wall Street players face. Historically, it has been common for junior employees to work without a day off for weeks on end, including pulling regular all-nighters and the occasional 72-hour stretch. Extr
> This Problem-Solving Application profiles how Whole Foods is moving from an organic to mechanistic structure. Historically, the company was more organic and relied on decentralized decision making. The company is now moving more of the responsibility for
> This Problem-Solving Application demonstrates to students the impact of biases in the decision-making process and how they can have deadly consequences. 1. What was the problem in this example? 2. How did the confirmation bias and overconfidence bias co
> This OB in Action profiles a situation between a flight attendant and passenger that quickly escalated to air marshals intervening. 1. Why do you think the situation escalated? 2. What could the passenger have done differently to avoid escalation?
> Glenn Lamar, managing director of PaperKlip Office Supplies, is conducting a grievance meeting with Gloria Westfield, a senior executive who has reported feeling physically threatened by a male subordinate. During the meeting various things occur: the ma
> Has the Internet impacted your memory? Researchers Betsy Sparrow, Daniel Wegner, and Jenny Liu sought to answer that question in a series of studies with some surprising results. Their findings indicate that when people think that information will be ava
> Scenarios 1. Sean, a high school ballplayer, buoys the spirits of Dahir, a teammate who struck out at a key moment, by emphasizing Dahir's game-winning hit last week and noting that even the greatest big-league hitters fail about 7 times out of 10. Sean
> The video discusses the strategic plans for Starbucks from 2008 forward while discussing the errors of the company from 2000-2008. According to Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, the company is now striving to be a company based on humanity, rather than s
> This OB in Action allows students to consider the importance of building an effective team. 1. What are the benefits to Kevin Ryan’s approach to team building? 2. What are the potential shortcomings?
> In this Problem-Solving Application, students are asked to analyze the pros and cons of the increasing use of technology in the workplace. 1. What problem is described in this example? 2. Identify two potential causes (be sure to link the causes to the
> This OB in Action allows students to consider the difficulties of managing teams. Challenges discussed include dynamic composition, technology and distance, and the ultimate telecommuters. 1. What team challenges do you think would be most enjoyable for
> This Problem-Solving Application profiles Whole Foods Market’s decision to launch the Responsibly Grown program. This program requires suppliers to address water usage, migrant worker treatment, etc. Current suppliers are quite worried about this program
> 1. How did your personal top 10 list compare with your group’s top 10 list? If there is a serious mismatch, how would it affect your motivation? (To promote discussion, the instructor may have several volunteers read their personal top 10 lists to the cl
> This Take-Away Application encourages students to prepare a goal-setting plan for improving their performance on the exams for the course. 1. Identify how you will assess your progress in completing the tasks or activities in your action plan. 2. Now wo
> This OB in Action profiles Pirch, an organization that reinvents the way people shop for home appliances (i.e., shoppers can test products). Also, “customers being first” is integral to the company’s strategy. 1. What do you think about the concept of t
> This OB in Action profiles United Shore Financial, which requires that employees only work 40 hours a week. There is no after-hours e-mailing or coming in on weekends. 1. What do you think are the benefits of United Shore's "firm 40" practice for the fi
> This Problem-Solving Application describes the troubling increased rate of turnover at the Arizona Department of Child Safety. 1. What is the problem in this case? 2. What are the key causes of this problem?
> 1. Identify one aspect of personal competence from Table 3.6 and describe how you can improve it. Be specific. 2. Identify one aspect of social competence from Table 3.6 and describe how you can improve it. Be specific.
> This Problem-Solving Application encourages students to think creatively about how to motivate high school students to excel academically. 1. What problem is Tim Richard trying to address? 2. What OB concepts or theories are consistent with Mr. Richard’
> This case considers the long-term implications of Apple’s decision to deny local and federal requests to unlock data on iPhones. It all started with the terrorist attack perpetrated by Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife. The couple killed 14 people in San B
> Samantha Peters, Technical Director at Quantum Gaming, a video-game company, is conducting a scheduling meeting where she must ask employees to put in a serious amount of extra hours to meet a valued customer’s request. In addition to various challenges
> This OB in Action describes Cameron Mitchell, a successful restaurateur who currently runs 48 upscale restaurants. Mitchell believes in “people first” and makes sure his company is committed to employees and also creates a climate that fosters trust, aut
> This Problem-Solving Application outlines the first ever informational picket by Southwest Airlines pilots in 2012. Pilots believe there has been an erosion of Southwest's company culture of shared sacrifice and shared success. Southwest’s record profits
> What work-related outcomes are associated with job satisfaction?
> How can changes in the workplace improve job satisfaction?
> Why should management pay attention to workplace attitudes?
> How do personal attitudes affect workplace behavior and work-related outcomes?
> What role do values play in influencing my behavior?
> 1. What is the problem in the case? 2. Identify the OB concepts and theories that may point to the cause of the problem. 3. Assuming Conrad were still CEO, what would you do to correct the situation?
> How does understanding the relative stability of individual differences benefit me?
> How can understanding emotions make me more effective at work?
> What is emotional intelligence and how does it help me?
> How do self-evaluations affect my performance at work?
> How does my personality affect my performance at school and work?
> How do multiple intelligences affect my performance?
> This OB in Action profiles the Priceline Group, an $8.44 billion online travel company. Priceline focuses on eliminating noise by allowing customers to speak with agents around the world, as needed, and trains employees in cross-cultural communication. P
> This Take-Away Application encourages students to consider the levels of culture at their current, past, or possible future employer. 1. What artifacts can you see at work? What do these artifacts tell you about your employer? 2. What are the company’s
> Abbe Willsby and Randall Keene are co-leaders of a 15-employee team in a retail/fashion company. Soon after Randall separated from his wife, the two began an affair. Six months later Abbe breaks off the relationship after hearing rumors that Randall stil
> Malcolm Price has recently transitioned from an IT coordinator with low-level managerial responsibility to a leadership role, heading up the technical side at Schumacker’s Company Formations, a web-based business start-up and support company. Unfortunate
> Three months ago, Ralph Ramos assigned a number of employees to work as telecommuters to alleviate the lack of space in their office building. Among them was Angela Zanoni, an employee and friend for over four years, who was delighted to work from home s
> This Problem-Solving Application encourages students to consider how the Internet is changing how organizations or people can hire people for short-term projects. 1. What is the problem that led to the creation of companies like TaskRabbit and Elance? 2
> What are the common forces or drivers of change at work, and how can this knowledge improve my personal effectiveness?
> How can OB knowledge and tools help me effectively manage change and stress?
> How does stress increase or reduce my effectiveness?
> Why do people resist change and what can I do about it?
> How can my organization and I use different approaches to more effectively manage change?
> This OB in Action allows students to reflect on actions companies can take to reduce their employees’ stress. What effect do you think it had on employee stress? Employee engagement?
> This Take-Away Application encourages students to consider the type of organizational structure they prefer. How would you assess whether or not a future employer had your preferred organizational structure?
> This Take-Away Application encourages students to reflect how they could use empowering leadership and servant-leadership. 1. Think about the group projects you are currently working on. How might you use both empowering leadership and servant-leadershi
> This Take-Away Application encourages students to develop an action plan for making a good first impression. Describe how you can appear interested. What questions might you ask?
> This OB in Action allows students to reflect on how self-promotion has become more important for venture capital firms. What ethical standards would you apply to impression management?
> How can I integrate rational and nonrational models of decision making?
> How can I increase my own creative behavior and that of my employees?
> What are the pros and cons of group decision making and the various problem-solving tools?
> How can I assess the ethics of my decisions?
> How do I decide to decide?
> How can I more effectively use evidence-based decision making?
> It’s hard to be rational. What biases get in the way?
> Martin Shkreli was CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals when it purchased the 62-year-old drug called Daraprim and quickly raised the price of one pill from $13.50 to $750. As a result, the average cost of treatment with the drug rose from about $1,130 to $63,0