Assume that you’re the staffing manager in a company that informally, but strongly, discourages you and managers from hiring people with disabilities. The company’s rationale is that people with disabilities are unlike to be high performers or long term employees, and are costly to train, insure, and integrate into the work unit. What is your ethical assessment of the company’s stance; do you have an ethical obligation to try to change the stance, and if so, how might you go about that?
> Is information obtained on the Web as reliable as information obtained from journals, newspapers, and magazines?
> How are direct-mail and e-mail sales messages similar, and how are they different?
> What are some of the underlying motivations that prompt individuals to agree to requests that do not directly benefit themselves or their organizations?
> The word persuasion turns some people off. What negative connotations can it have?
> Many consumers rely on product reviews posted online, presumably by ordinary citizens describing their authentic experiences. Unfortunately, though, Amazon and Yelp, the most prominent of the many Internet review sites, have been called out for fake and
> General Motors CEO Mary Barra inherited a mess when she ascended to the top post in her beleaguered company. Several GM car models had exhibited problems with their ignition switches, which turned off engines at highway speeds, causing 124 deaths and 275
> How can you prevent multimedia presentation software from stealing your thunder?
> Why do many communication consultants encourage businesspeople to move beyond bullet points? What do they recommend instead and why?
> Communication expert Dianna Booher claims that enthusiasm is infectious and “boredom is contagious.” What does this mean for you as a presenter? How can you avoid being a boring speaker?
> Why should even practice speakers plan their presentations when addressing a business audience instead of just “winging it”?
> Conciseness is valued in business. However, can messages be too short?
> How can report writers decide what type of graphic to use in a report?
> Because business writing should have high “skim value,” why not write everything in bulleted lists?
> It’s easy to use clichés because they just roll off the tongue. What’s wrong with tried-and-true expressions such as it is what it is and at the end of the day?
> You have just submitted a beautifully researched report. But your supervisor focused on the two or three little errors that you missed and gave none of the praise you expected. Was this fair of your supervisor?
> A blogger recently asserted that “the pervasive use of email for business has made the work of writing well even more difficult because it invites—relentlessly—hitting Send before you have thought through, organized, reviewed, and even rewritten your mes
> Is it fair for creditors to continue reporting late payments after the payments have been made? What do you think about experts’ suggestion that people with credit blemishes write a sincere “goodwill” letter to creditors asking for compassion and request
> Why should you respond when you receive a congratulatory Note or some other written pat on the back and how?
> Why is it important to regain the trust of a customer in an adjustment message? How can it be done?
> Why is it smart to remain cool when making a claim, and how should one go about it?
> As you have seen in this chapter, some businesses seek to protect themselves from negative online reviews by slipping non-disparagement clauses into their terms of service. Then, in some cases, they sue the authors of negative posts. Lawmakers have tak
> Millennials are frequently criticized for job hopping, but some career experts believe that changing one’s job every few years is now common and might even benefit a young worker’s career. Are millennials getting a bad rap? How is changing jobs good or b
> Why must researchers document their sources meticulously?
> Why might it be more effective to apply for unsolicited jobs than for advertised jobs? Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of letters that prospect for jobs.
> Some employment authors claim that the paper résumé is dead or dying. What's behind this assertion, and how should current job candidates respond?
> Why do you think some businesses avoid advertising job openings? If jobs are unlisted, how can candidates locate them?
> The way candidates search for jobs and the way they are hired has changed dramatically in the digital age. Name some of the changes that have taken place. In your opinion, have the changes had a positive or a negative effect? Why?
> What are the purposes of headings? Describe three heading types discussed in this chapter.
> How can report writers ensure that they present their topics objectively and credibly?
> How might technology shape business report formats and their delivery in the future?
> Why would you want to start your research with secondary data rather than gathering primary data right away?
> How would you determine whether to use the direct strategy or the indirect strategy for any company report you are writing?
> Now that you have studied the active and passive voice, what do you think when someone in government or business says, “Mistakes were made”? Is it unethical to use the passive voice to avoid specifics?
> What is the difference between conclusions and recommendations in a report?
> Why is audience analysis so important in the selection of the direct or indirect organization strategy for a business message?
> Ashley, a twenty-one-year-old college graduate with a 3.5 GPA, was hired for her first job. She was a fast learner on all the software, but her supervisor had to help her with punctuation. On the ninth day of her job, she resigned, saying: “I just don’t
> How can bad writing waste a businessperson’s time? A researcher asked that question of workers who read business material an average of 25 hours per week (about half of which was e-mail). What writing flaws do you think they named? Should new employees
> A recent PayScale survey revealed a significant gap in perception between managers and new grads. “Overall, the majority of workers (87 percent) feel well prepared (immediately or within 3 months) for their job upon graduation from college. In contrast,
> As businesses increasingly emphasize workplace ethics, you may be asked in an interview to tell about a time when you were challenged ethically. One workplace compliance officer advised candidates not to respond that you have never faced an ethical chall
> If you are asked an illegal interview question, why is it important to first assess the intentions of the interviewer?
> Why is it a smart strategy to thank an interviewer, to follow up, and even to send a rejection follow-up message? Are any risks associated with this strategy?
> Like criminal background checks and drug tests, social media background checks have become commonplace in today’s recruiting. What are the pros and cons of conducting such checks as a primary or sole means of screening applicants?
> Online psychometric and skills tests with multiple-choice questions have become a hot trend in recruiting today. Employers may ask not only how applicants would handle tricky situations, but also how happy they are or how much they have stolen from their
> To focus on the “you” view, should writers scrub all uses of I and we from their writing? Why or why not?
> What category of proposal, solicited or unsolicited, is more likely to succeed, and why?
> It has been suggested that “ethical conduct” be formally incorporated as a general competency requirement for any job within the organization. Discuss the pros and cons of this suggestion.
> Identify examples of ethical dilemmas an organization might confront when developing an affirmative action plan (AAP).
> Does an organization have any ethical responsibility to share with all of its employees the results of its forecasting of HR requirements and availabilities? Does it have any ethical responsibility not to do this?
> Assume the company you work for practices strict adherence to the law in its relationships with employees and job applicants. The company calls it “staffing by the book.” But beyond that, it seems that anything goes in terms of tolerated staffing practi
> One of the strategic staffing choices is whether to pursue workforce diversity actively or passively. First suggest some ethical reasons for the active pursuit of diversity, and then suggest some ethical reasons for a more passive approach. Assume the
> Assume that you are either the staffing professional in the department or the hiring manager of a work unit. Explain why it is so important to represent the organization’s interests (see Exhibit 1.8). What are some possible consequences of not doing so?
> Firing an employee has numerous potential negative organizational consequences, including the discomfort of the supervisor who delivers the termination information, conflict or sabotage from the departing employee, and the potential for a lawsuit. In res
> Imagine your organization is doing exit interviews and has promised confidentiality to all who respond. Your supervisor has asked you to give the name of each respondent so she can assess the information in conjunction with the person’s supervisor. What
> What factors would lead an organization to enter into a consent agreement rather than continue to pursue a suit in court?
> 1. Drawing from concepts presented in the measurement chapter, how could Mandy more formally evaluate SSI's assessment process, as well as the alternative presented to her by Vin? 2. Construct a scenario in which you think Mandy should continue her busin
> Why is each of the four situational factors necessary to establishing a claim of disparate impact?
> What are the limitations of disparate impact statistics as indicators of potential staffing discrimination?
> Do you agree that “the employer usually has the upper hand” when it comes to establishing the employment relationship? When might the employee have maximum power over the employer?
> Are some of the thirteen strategic staffing decisions more important than others? If so, which ones? Why?
> What are examples of how staffing activities influenced by training or compensation activities?
> Would it be desirable to hire people only according to the person/organization match, ignoring the person/job match?
> Why do you think HR professionals were not able to very accurately predict the importance of many rewards to employees? What are the implications for creating the employee value proposition?
> What guidelines do the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures offer to organizations when it comes to setting cutoff scores?
> Discuss some potential problems with downsizing as an organization's first response to a need to cut labor costs.
> Why should an organization seek to retain employees with performance or discipline problems - why not just fire them?
> A. For each finalist, you are to decide whether or not you would be willing to hire the person and why.
> If a person says to you - "It's easy to reduce turnover, just pay people more money" - what is your response?
> Which of the costs and benefits of voluntary turnover are most likely to vary according to type of job? Give examples.
> For the three primary causes of voluntary turnover (desirability of leaving, ease of leaving, alternatives), might their relative importance depend on the type of employee or type of job? Explain.
> How would you try to get individual managers to be more aware of the legal requirements of staffing systems and to take steps to ensure that they themselves engage in legal staffing actions?
> In developing a report on the effectiveness of the staffing process being conducted for entry-level jobs, what factors would you address in such a report and why?
> What would be the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing the entire staffing system to a vendor?
> What are examples of staffing tasks and activities that cannot or should not be simply delegated to a staffing information system for their conduct?
> What are the advantages of having a centralized staffing function, as opposed to letting each manager be totally responsible for all staffing activities in his or her unit?
> What are the steps an employer should take to develop and implement its policy regarding employment-at-will?
> What are examples of orientation experiences you have had as a new hire that have been particularly effective (or ineffective) in helping to make the person/job match happen?
> 1. What sort of background testing should BSS conduct on its applicants? 2. Is there any information BSS should avoid obtaining for legal or EEO reasons? 3. How can BSS know that its background testing programs are effective? 4. In the past, BSS has used
> What are the advantages and disadvantages to the sales approach in the presentation of the job offer?
> If the same job offer content is to be given to all offer receivers for a job, is there any need to use the strategic approach to job offers?
> If you were the HR staffing manager for an organization, what guidelines might you recommend regarding oral and written communication with the job applicants by members of the organization?
> What roles should human resource professionals play in staffing decisions? Why?
> What are the advantages of ranking as a method of final choices over random selection?
> Under what circumstances should a compensatory model be used? What should a multiple hurdles model be used?
> What are the positive consequences associated with a high predictor cutoff score? What are the negative consequences?
> Your boss is considering the use of a new predictor. The base rate is high, the selection ratio is low, and the validity coefficient is high for the current predictor. What would you advise your boss and why?
> What steps should be taken by an organization that is committed to shattering the glass ceiling?
> Evaluate the effectiveness of seniority, assessment centers, and job knowledge as substantive internal selection procedures.
> 1. Is the PS assessment a valid predictor of performance as a store manager? Would you recommend the PS be used in the future to select sales people for promotion to store manager? 2. With a cut score of 7 on the PS, would its use lead to adverse impact
> Describe the three different types of interview simulations.
> Explain the theory behind assessment centers.
> What are the differences between peer ratings, peer nominations, and peer rankings?
> Explain how internal selection decisions differ from external selection decisions.
> Describe how organizations should apply the general principles of the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures to practical selection decisions.
> What is the best way to collect and use drug-testing data in selection decisions?
> What are the most common discretionary and contingent assessment methods? What are the similarities and differences between the use of these two methods?
> Describe the structured interview, noting characteristics that improve upon the shortcomings of unstructured interviews.
> How would you advise an organization considering adopting a cognitive ability test in selection?
> Describe the similarities and differences between personality tests and integrity tests. When are each warranted in selection?
> 1. How should Lone Star go about finding a successor to Ritter? Should Bowers be recruited to be the next CEO? 2. How should other internal candidates be identified and recruited? 3. Does Lone Star need a succession plan for the CEO position? If so, how
> What information does a selection decision-maker need to collect in making staffing decisions? What are the ways in which this information can be collected?
