Question: Do you think that OSHA standards for

> Many organizations have policies requiring that members of certain demographic groups (such as women and African Americans) sit on certain (or all) committees. Are there any dangers to such a policy? Could the potential benefits outweigh the potential co

> Why should managers be concerned with understanding human resource law instead of leaving it to the experts?

> Is it ethical for top managers to receive cash bonuses while at the same time asking lower-level employees to accept a pay freeze?

> Working individually or in groups, describe the advantages and disadvantages of using the forced distribution appraisal method for college professors.

> What three steps are involved in developing an affirmative action program? How much flexibility does an employer have in developing the specific points in such a program?

> Suppose you are a plant manager and one of your employees has trouble controlling his anger and experiences wide swings in emotions due to bipolar disorder (a medical condition). You are aware that he has been under the treatment of a psychiatrist. This

> Is it ethical for a U.S. employer to require all employees speak only English at the workplace?

> Some businesses thrive on a sexual theme. For example, "Hooters" attracts customers by marketing a sexual environment. Many ad campaigns have explicit sexual themes. Are such marketing efforts ethical? What effect might these public images have on the wo

> Is it ethical to refuse to give preferential treatment to minorities and women, who have been widely discriminated against in the past?

> Assume you are the manager in a small restaurant; you are responsible for hiring employees, supervising them, and recommending them for promotion. Working individually or in groups, compile a list of potentially discriminatory management practices you sh

> Explain the difference between affirmative action and equal employment opportunity.

> Working individually or in groups, write a paper entitled “What the manager should know about how the EEOC handles a person’s discrimination charge.”

> Compare and contrast the issues presented in Bakke with more recent court rulings on affirmative action.Working individually or in groups, discuss the current direction of affirmative action.

> Working individually or in groups, discuss how you would set up an affirmative action program.

> Use a library source to determine the relative cost of living in five countries as of this year, and explain the implications of such differences for drafting a pay plan for managers being sent to each country.

> “Sexual harassment is a problem that occurs between two employees. The company should not be held liable for the actions of misbehaving employees.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Explain your answer.

> Using the Internet or library sources, analyze the annual reports of at least five companies. Bring to class examples of how those companies say they are using their HR processes to help the company achieve its strategic goals.

> When American Greetings Corporation, the Cleveland greeting card and licensing company, redesigned about 100 jobs in its creative division, it asked workers and managers to reapply for the new jobs. Everyone was guaranteed a position and no one took a pa

> Many employees and union representatives complain bitterly about the practice of outsourcing work, particularly to foreign countries. Part of the complaint is that companies do this to avoid paying fair wages and providing employee benefits that U.S. wor

> Working in groups, list 10 examples showing how you did use (or could have used) human resource management techniques at work or school.

> Working individually or in groups, contact the publisher of a standardized test such as the Scholastic Assessment Test and obtain from the publisher written information regarding the test's validity and reliability. Present a short report in class discus

> Working individually or in groups, develop a list of selection techniques that you would suggest your dean use to hire the next HR professor at your school. Also, explain why you chose each selection technique.

> Working individually or in groups, find at least five employment ads either on the Internet or in a local newspaper that suggest that the company is family-friendly and should appeal to women, minorities, older workers, and single parents. Discuss what t

> Working individually or in groups, respond to these three scenarios based on what you learned in Chapter 2. Under what conditions (if any) do you think the following constitute sexual harassment? (a) A female manager fires a male employee because he refu

> Working individually or in groups, obtain copies of job descriptions for clerical positions at the college or university where you study, or the firm where you work. What types of information do they contain? Do they give you enough information to explai

> In some areas of the world, business practices that are contrary to Western values—such as child labor, payment of bribes to government officials, and sex or race discrimination in hiring and promotion—are common. Should U.S. corporations and their expat

> Working individually or in groups, develop a forecast for the next five years of occupational market conditions for various occupations such as accountant, nurse, and engineer.

> Contact the HR manager of a local business. Ask that person how he or she is working as a strategic partner to manage human resources given the firm’s strategic goals and objectives.

> In a group, develop several lists showing how trends like workforce diversity, technological trends, globalization, and changes in the nature of work have affected the college or university you are now attending.

> What role should HR specialists play in ensuring that employees follow a company’s code of ethics?

> Working individually or in groups, determine the nature of the academic discipline process in your college. Do you think it is effective? Based on what you read in this chapter, would you recommend any modifications?

> Working individually or in groups, obtain copies of the student handbook for your college and determine to what extent there is a formal process through which students can air grievances. Based on your contacts with other students, has it been an effecti

> Working individually or in groups, interview managers or administrators at your employer or college in order to determine the extent to which the employer or college endeavors to build two-way communication, and the specific types of programs used. Do th

> If you were the judge called on to make a decision on this case, what would your decision be, and why?

> Based on what you read in this chapter, on what legal basis could the 61-year-old California attorney claim he was a victim of discrimination?

> A recent report suggests that pay disparities by gender remain essentially the same whether or not the most senior executive is a man or a woman. Why do you think this is the case? Explain.

> Some people believe that the Internet is rewriting the rules of how to attract, motivate, and retain talent internationally. Consider Planet-Intra.com Ltd., a year-old software company that is nominally based in Mountain View, California. Alan J. McMilla

> Many believe that top managers care little about human resources compared to such areas as marketing, finance, production, and engineering. What might account for the perception, and what would you do to change it?

> 3M’s competitive business strategy is based on innovation. 3M requires that at least 25 percent of its annual sales come from products introduced over the previous five years, a goal it often exceeds. Specific HR programs adopted to implement this strate

> Many companies in the United States have recently put an end to the practice of giving an annual employee Christmas party due to complaints by employees with non-Christian religious backgrounds or spiritual values who claimed the Christmas party was a di

> In your opinion, which of the environmental, organizational, and individual challenges identified in this chapter will be most important for human resource management in the twenty-first century? Which will be least important? Use your own experiences in

> According to Laura D’Andrea Tyson, Dean of the College of Business at London Business School, in both the United States and Europe, women often choose to opt out of high-powered jobs. In her words: “The opt-out hypothesis could explain why, according to

> Some people believe that cross-cultural training often reinforces stereotypes by discussing aspects of a culture (i.e., “Punctuality is not as important to Southern Italians. It is acceptable to arrive a half hour late for an appointment.”) that may be a

> Assume you are the owner of a small business with 35 employees that produce shoes for the domestic market. Would you consider operating overseas to reduce labor costs and expand your market? What particular human resource issues are you likely to encount

> Today's organizations are flatter and offer fewer opportunities for advancement. How do you think careers should be developed in this type of organizational environment?

> How might an international firm trying to adapt HRM practices to the local culture produce worse results than it would produce by “exporting” HRM practices from the home office?

> One of your colleagues argues that domestic violence isn’t a concern of the business. Do you agree or disagree? Explain.

> In February 2004, a 315-foot tall, 2-million pound erection crane collapsed on a construction site in East Toledo, Ohio, killing four ironworkers. Do you think catastrophic failures like this are avoidable? If so, what steps would you suggest the general

> Do you think that wellness programs are worth their cost to a company? Explain.

> Some benefits experts claim that unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation benefits create a disincentive to work. Why do you think they say this? Do you agree or disagree with this position?

> How might the increasing diversity of the workforce affect the design of employee benefits packages in large companies?

> A customer survey for Landmark Company reports that people do not trust what sales representatives say about their firms’ products. How might you use the compensation system to help change this negative image?

> Some companies offer “healthy living incentives” based on measurable criteria of current and future health (such as fat mass body index, blood pressure, and cholesterol). Do you believe that most employees value these incentives over cash? Do you think t

> Based on your experiences working in a group task (for instance, completing a course project), what major problems have you observed when the team is rewarded as a group (for instance, a grade for the entire team based on the quality of a completed class

> Some people argue that is it is wrong for CEOs to earn multimillion-dollar salaries while some of their employees are earning the minimum wage or even being laid off. Some suggest that a firm’s top earner should earn no more than 20 times what the lowest

> It seems preferable to use objective performance data (such as productivity figures) when available, rather than subjective supervisory ratings, to assess employees. Why might objective data be less effective performance measures than subjective ratings?

> According to a recent report by the Society for Human Resource Management, “many job evaluation methods are subjective. Evaluators’ decisions about which jobs are worth more can be personal and emotional. If the evaluation team knows the job incumbents,

> Working individually or in groups, compile a list of the factors at work or in school that create dysfunctional stress for you. What methods do you use for dealing with the stress?

> In a recent article by professors Hannah Riley Bowless from Harvard and Linda Babcock from Carnegie Mellon, the authors argue that “policy makers, academics, and media reports suggest that women could shrink the gender pay gap by negotiating more effecti

> People have different comfort zones and aspirations that can affect their careers. How does the career anchor system (see Manager’s Notebook, “Anchor Yourself,”) take these individual differences into account? Do you think if people are guided by their “

> What would you suggest about the use of social media as a career development tool? Is it a good option? How could it be better used in career development?

> As a manager, what could you do to offer career development for your workers? Do you think it would be worth it? Why or why not?

> How would you go about retaining and developing older employees who are part of a dual-career couple?

> According to one survey, trainees list the following as some of the traits of a successful trainer: knowledge of the subject, adaptability, sincerity, and sense of humor. What other traits do you think trainers need to be successful in the training situa

> Training provides workers with skills needed in the workplace. However, many organizations have dynamic environments in which change is the norm. How can training requirements be identified when job duties are a moving target?

> Would you design a performance appraisal system based on behaviors, outcomes, or both? Why would you design it this way?

> Why should management be concerned with helping employees retire from their organization successfully?

> According to a 2010 study by economists Angus Deaton and Nobel Prize–winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman, “high income doesn’t bring you happiness…[T]he further a person’s household income falls below $75,000, the unhappier he or she is. But no matter h

> Some feel that wellness and employee assistance programs should be evaluated on a cost–benefit basis and discontinued if these programs’ benefits do not exceed their costs. Others feel that because companies create many of the stressful conditions that c

> Assume that you are working in a company and you believe that your supervisor gave you a pay raise that is unfair and less than you deserve based on your performance. This is not the first time this has happened with the current supervisor and you believ

> Do you think the voluntary turnover rate should be considered before opening a business operation there? Why?

> What steps do most companies take to reduce voluntary turnover? Are they effective?

> Social responsibility can be helpful in recruiting job applicants. However, the better the fit between individuals and the organization’s social responsibility commitments, the more this should result in more motivated, loyal, and higher-performing worke

> Traditionally, hiring decisions were primarily based on the extent to which an applicant’s qualifications fit the job. In other words, the focus has been on hiring the person who, based on information collected through the selection process, was expected

> There are potential costs to the use of social media for screening job applicants. For example, checking public profiles could easily reveal to the religion, age, race, and so on of the job candidates. This information could be used by the manager to scr

> The characteristics needed by individual team members depend on the team and the strengths and weaknesses of others who are on the team. In other words, the situation is much more dynamic than assuming that there is one static job with a single set of qu

> If there are distinct roles to be played on a team, how would you go about recruiting and hiring for them?

> Using social media to recruit for job openings may disproportionately tap into younger applicants. Older workers could be unintentionally precluded from the applicant pool to the extent they are less present and active on social networking sites. Why wou

> As a manager looking to hire additional workers, what steps would you take to maximize the effectiveness of your recruitment efforts using social media?

> Working individually or in groups, use Internet resources to find situations where company management and the union reached an impasse at some point during their negotiation process, but eventually resolved the impasse. Describe the issues of both sides

> Protest marches by teachers have become a common occurrence in many cities. Do you think these protests will affect teacher shortages? Explain.

> Assuming that only 10 percent of applicants are potentially qualified for police work, what challenge does it pose from a HR perspective? What criteria would you use to disqualify potential applicants? Explain.

> What steps would you take to make sure that potential applicants are aware of the social responsibility commitments of your organization? That is, what would you recommend be done to make social responsibility part of the employer brand for the organizat

> Should Wagner be held responsible for these problems? Explain.

> Do you think that the use of social media for recruitment is an effective approach to recruit workers?

> If a fraudulent imposter can perform the job, what’s the harm?

> How should Sands’ top executives deal with the complaints expressed by supervisors? How should the director of the HR department deal with the situation? Explain.

> Apart from the potential legal outcomes of the lawsuits discussed, are any larger ethical issues involved? Explain.

> What seems to be the main source of conflict between supervisors and the HR department at Sands Corporation? Explain.

> While the cases discussed above are all very different, what do they have in common? Explain.

> Is it ethical to require all employees to sign an employment-at-will statement acknowledging that they understand that the employer can terminate their employment at any time for any reason?

> Why would employers want to fire employees whose dependents are having serious health problems? Should this be illegal? What do you think would be the reaction of employees with healthy dependents who suspect this might be happening? Explain.

> Sometimes qualifications and credentials are important. For example, do you think it is important that your professors actually have the required qualifications (e.g., Ph.D.) to teach university-level classes? Is it important that your doctor have the qu

> Should business schools actively promote the enrollment of women into their full-time MBA programs? If so, how should they do it? Explain.

> Some skeptics argue that most sustainability programs (such as the ones discussed above) represent an insincere attempt to create a positive company image at a low cost. Do you agree or disagree? Do you think these types of programs help or hurt the comp

> Would you like to work for a company that offers the sorts of programs that are described in the case? Would this be an important enticement for you to accept a job in such a company and remain employed there? Explain.

> If a lower wage discourages the re-entry of women, what, if anything, can be done about it?

> Do you think employees are more likely to react positively or negatively to office romance policies?

> A company’s sales representative obtained a highly visible tattoo on her neck after being employed at that company. The company has a dress code policy that restricts the display of visible tattoos for work that has close contact with customers. What wou

> Assume that you have chosen to work in a field that is highly vulnerable to future job loss due to automation. What are a few strategies you can use to keep yourself employed in this field as long as possible?