Question: How would you change or adapt each

> What criteria do you think should be used to measure team performance? What sources should be used for the appraisal? Should individual performance still be measured? Why or why not?

> Do you think performance appraisals should be done? Is it worth the cost?

> "Occasionally an employee comes along who needs to be reminded who the boss is, and the appraisal is an appropriate place for such a reminder." Would the manager quoted here be likely to use a rational or a political approach to appraisal? Contrast the r

> What is comparability? How can it be maximized in performance appraisal?

> How important are rating formats to the quality of performance ratings? What is the most important influence on rating quality?

> Your company is considering using relative ratings for its performance appraisal system. Are there potential problems with a relative system? What type of rating system, relative or absolute, would you recommend and why?

> One of the performance dimensions used in a certain organization is “communication”—specifically, “listens and observes attentively, allowing an exchange of information” and “speaks and writes clearly and concisely, with an appropriate awareness of the i

> As a manager, would you prefer to rely on an absolute performance rating system or a relative system, such as forced ranking? Why?

> Managing survivors in a layoff is important. As a manager, what concerns would you have about the surviving workforce after a layoff? How can the HR management staff be of assistance in providing support for the survivors of a layoff?

> Carrying out terminations usually is the responsibility of the manager. However, the manager may not always be involved in determining who should be let go. Do you think direct managers should have input into which of their workers should be laid off? Wh

> Under what set of conditions should a company lay off employees without giving them advance notice?

> Under what circumstances might a company's managers prefer to use layoffs instead of early retirements or voluntary severance plans as a way to downsize the workforce?

> In an age when more and more companies are downsizing, an increasingly trendy concept is the “virtual corporation." The idea is that a company should have a core of owners and managers, but that, to the greatest degree possible, workers should be conting

> Would an employer ever want to increase the rate of employee turnover in a company? Why or why not?

> The Manager’s Notebook “Volunteer Turnover in China” addressed the high rate at which workers in China have been choosing to quit their jobs. Do you think voluntary turnover is becoming more of an issue in the United States? If you are a manager, do you

> You have noticed that the overall turnover rate for your company is about average for your industry. Does this average rate mean their turnover isn’t a problem? Considering the sources and types of turnover discussed in Exhibit 6.1, describe how this ave

> The departure of senior workers through retirement can mean that years of experience and knowledge are walking out an organization’s doors. This “brain drain” can cripple an organization’s ability to remain competitive, particularly if it is difficult to

> After eight years as marketing assistant for the New York office of a large French bank, Sarah Schiffler was told that her job, in a non-revenue-producing department, was being eliminated. Her choices: She could either be laid off (with eight months of s

> How could these social media–driven issues be prevented? Are there steps that you, as a manager, could take that would prevent these issues from happening in the first place?

> You work for a medium-sized, high-tech firm that faces intense competition on a daily basis. Change seems to be the only constant in your workplace, and each worker's responsibilities shift from project to project. Suppose you have the major responsibili

> Interviewing unqualified applicants can be a frustrating experience and a waste of time for managers, peers, or whoever is responsible for interviewing. How can the HR department minimize or eliminate this problem?

> A company has come up with a new selection test and decides to try it out on some of its current workers before giving it to job applicants. A group of its current workers volunteered to take the test and 84 percent were male and 7 percent were over the

> Recent economic difficulties, restructuring, and plant closings have left many people without jobs and looking for new career paths. A hiring employer can now enjoy being able to select from among far more applicants than was typical. Unfortunately, many

> Doug Dokolosky, a former IBM executive who specializes in coaching women, argues that "to reach the top requires sacrifice and long hours. If that is your ambition, forget things like balancing work and family...." Do you think most U.S. firms just pay l

> Many U.S. computer companies fear that if they do not hire foreign talent, then competitors in other countries will. What is your position on this? Explain.

> Consider the Manager’s Notebook “The Rise of the Older Worker.” Do you think that young employees are now appreciating the wisdom of older workers more than at earlier times? Why do you think the United States has traditionally held older workers at a di

> Consider the Manager’s Notebook “Religious Differences Moving to the Forefront of Inclusiveness.” Do you think that the owners of a company, major shareholders, or top management have a right to use their religious beliefs as a basis for establishing HR

> The European Parliament recently voted 504 to 110 to scold companies for “sexual stereotyping” in marketing their products. One reporter noted that “The lawmakers’ ire has many targets, from a print ad for Dolce & Gabbana (which has a woman in spike heel

> Recently, the movie The Class was shown at the New York Film Festival, to the displeasure of many French. The actors were young Parisians. According to one movie critic: With their cell phones and pouts, these bored, restless junior high school students

> Assume that the employees or managers in each of the scenarios perform at an above-average level. Should that matter in the decision to terminate or not terminate? Why or why not?

> How can an individual show prima facie evidence for adverse impact discrimination? How would an employer defend itself from this evidence?

> What is adverse impact? How does it differ from adverse treatment?

> You own a small construction business. One of your workers is 55 years old and had heart bypass surgery about six months ago. He wants to come back to work, but you are concerned that he will not be able to handle the job's physical tasks. What should yo

> Explain why HR decisions are heavily regulated. Based on your analysis of current social forces, what new laws or regulations do you think will be passed or issued in the next few years?

> Are job descriptions really necessary? Provide several of the advantages (at least three) to a company that decides to avoid using job descriptions. Next, briefly describe some situations that would be most favorable for a company that decides to avoid u

> A recent trend is that more and more companies are embracing is to outsource all or most of their human resource management activities. Do you agree or disagree with this trend? What risks is a company taking when it decides to outsource its entire set o

> Some management experts do not agree that a virtual team is really a team at all. Based on the definition of a team, what properties of a virtual team satisfy the definition of a team? Do any aspects of a virtual team give rise to doubts over whether it

> What are the drawbacks to using flexible work hours from the organization's perspective? Compressed workweeks? Telecommuting? How should the HR department deal with these challenges?

> Are managers likely to question the work commitment of their contingent workers? What might be the consequences for management when the majority of a company's workforce consists of temporary employees and contract workers?

> Large U.S. companies such as Accenture, AOL, and Dell have outsourced customer service call centers to India. Customers use these call centers for help when they are having difficulty using the services provided by these companies. Many of the outsourced

> Do you think terminations for the type of incidents presented here are fair? Why or why not?

> Companies are currently attempting to develop policies that offer more flexible work arrangements that allow employees to achieve better work–life balance. Briefly describe several popular approaches that could be considered for helping employees achieve

> Is it possible to use quantitative assessments of the organization’s human resources to better link human resource management to firm strategy? Explain.

> What do you think are the main reasons for the trend toward “managing by the numbers,” as discussed in the case? Do you believe that this is happening in many organizations, or is it an isolated phenomenon? Will this trend grow in the future, or is it an

> Do you think that it is feasible to boil down human behavior to numbers? What are the potential advantages and disadvantages of doing so? Explain.

> Do you agree that normally it is in the best interest of the company to make early interventions when there is an alleged instance of sexual harassment so that more costly and disruptive outcomes are avoided? Is it possible that the situation that Carlso

> Does the university have a responsibility to ensure that a student’s unpaid internship will be a legitimate learning experience that earns college credits toward graduation? How can the university ensure that a company provides the unpaid intern a legiti

> Although it is illegal for profit-based companies to create unpaid internships that require college interns to perform primarily menial tasks, unfortunately this is happening with increasing regularity. What can students do to avoid the experience of hav

> What set of management recommendations would you provide for keeping, changing, or adapting East Computer Company’s HR policies for the United States, Australia, Mexico, England, and Norway? In your recommendations, be sure to mention any risks associate

> Given East Computer Company’s present personnel policies, what problems is the company likely to face in each facility if it transports its domestic policies abroad?

> If you had a choice, would you rather be employed as an at-will employee or have some employment protection? Why?

> Shortly after Titan pleaded guilty to the bribery charges, it hired Daniel W. Danjczek under a new position title of “vice president for compliance and ethics.” Danjczek’s job is to “install ethical behavior at the company.” Do you think this is a wise a

> If you were hired as a consultant by Pressman Company, what steps would you recommend that Stevens take?

> Should multinational firms utilize different safety standards overseas than they do in domestic locations? Explain.

> How much responsibility do multinationals have in ensuring that their locations overseas comply with safety regulations? Explain.

> Based on the materials discussed in this chapter, which personal traits or characteristics would multinationals be looking for in a young candidate searching for an expatriate post? Explain.

> How could you develop a workplace culture that doesn’t tolerate bullying?

> Do you think legislation would be an effective tool for managing workplace bullying? Why or why not?

> How does the Freelancers Union differ from the unions described in this chapter?

> What are some alternative methods that teachers could use to obtain improvements in pay and working conditions without resorting to strikes and protest marches?

> How could an employer use the “employment-at-will” doctrine to defend against an allegation of retaliation from an employee who has been discharged after blowing the whistle on the company?

> Do you agree with the concept of employment-at-will? Why or why not?

> Why might an employee decide to blow the whistle on another person or practice in a company? What does an employee have to gain from blowing the whistle? What are the potential risks an employee could face by blowing the whistle on the employer?

> Under what conditions could it be considered acceptable to hire a relative of an employee or executive in a public organization, such as in federal government, or a publicly owned business, such as General Motors?

> Why do you think people are more accepting of the application of nepotism in the workplace in a privately owned business than in one that is publicly owned by many shareholders? Why is there little tolerance for nepotism in the government, such as when t

> Costco’s “good jobs strategy” allows it to have very high rates of employee retention in its stores compared with the retail industry average, which is much lower. Can you think of other factors besides better pay and benefits that influence Costco emplo

> Do you expect that Walmart’s new policy that extends paid parental leave to all full-time employees will have a positive effect on its ability to attract and retain employees in its retail stores and warehouses across the nation? Explain the reasons for

> By offering its employees one of the best 401(k) plans available, how does IBM benefit from this investment in its employees? How might employee behavior and performance be affected by the IBM 401(k) plan in its current form? What changes in employee beh

> The opt-out feature of the 401(k) plan is designed to increase the enrollment of employees in the plan because, without this feature, an average of 25 percent of employees are likely not to enroll in it. What do you think would happen if the IBM 401(k) p

> The enforcement of the wellness policies described in this case often falls into the domain of the HR staff, and they may be viewed by employees as the “wellness police.” How might this enforcer role undermine the credibility of HR staff in their work in

> Why are employers implementing policies that require employees to adopt healthier lifestyles? Do you think it is ethical when an employer decides to penalize employees who eat their favorite junk foods, gain weight, or smoke cigarettes, which are a legal

> Will women benefit more than men from Walmart’s paid parental leave policy? What evidence would lead you to believe that women are likely to receive greater benefits from a paid parental leave policy?

> If your company is opening up an operation in another country in which voluntary turnover is high, how could this problem be reduced? Specifically, rather than hiring local talent, talent could be shifted from the home operation of the business. What are

> Assuming you are a top executive at Green Giant and the software developer, would you punish the employees who engaged in those unethical acts, the managers who devised the incentive system, or both?

> How would you prevent the problems that arose at Green Giant, the software developer, and Sunbeam and still reward good performance? Explain.

> What do you see as the main advantages and disadvantages of this proposal? Explain.

> What are some of the challenges of managing a pay-for-performance system as described here? Explain.

> What do you think accounts for the recent shortening of the pay-for-performance cycle? Do you see this as a positive trend? Explain.

> How would you suggest the dean deal with disgruntled senior faculty who feel underpaid?

> Is the dean's explanation for decreased pay differences by rank and/or seniority justifiable?

> Do you think employers nationwide should be banned from asking applicants about their compensation history? Do you think the introduction of such a law at the federal level would serve to reduce disparity in pay between men and women? Explain.

> Workers can learn about policies, procedures, and so on by reading electronic or hard-copy documents. What else does mentoring bring to the situation that apparently makes this form of employee development so effective?

> In some work environments, career aspirations are ignored and immediate performance is the focus. Do you think this lack of attention to career anchors is an ethical issue? Explain why or why not.

> Millions of people use social networking Web sites, such as Facebook and MySpace, to share personal information, including photos and videos, with their friends. Should companies use social networking Web sites as a communications tool to build employee

> Which should drive action planning more, strengths or weaknesses? That is, is it more important to build on your strengths or to reduce your weaknesses? Explain.

> Might challenging someone who is engaging in unethical behavior have some risk? How could this risk be minimized?

> If you have a clear code of ethics, do you think training to challenge unethical behavior would still be needed? Why or why not?

> Are there disadvantages to a focus on ethics in performance appraisal? Describe.

> Place yourself in the position of the manager of a small business. Describe situations when ethical performance appraisals for your employees are useful.

> Given your answers to the previous questions, would you recommend the use of electronic performance reviews? Justify your position.

> From the perspective of a manager, what advantages might be associated with taking an electronic approach to reviewing the workers’ performance levels? List these advantages into two categories: rational and political. The rational category is for advant

> Place yourself in the position of an employee receiving a performance review. Would it matter to you whether your performance review, the narrative description of your performance levels, and suggestions for improvement were generated by computer or by y

> Part of the forced raking label reflects the intent to force distinctions among the performance level of workers. In an absolute rating system, everyone could be rated “above average,” not so with forced ranking. Does the difference between the absolute

> Do you think forced ranking is a good performance management system? Why or why not?

> The United States mandates only four benefits, yet U.S. employers provide many other benefits—such as health insurance, retirement benefits, and paid vacations—voluntarily. Why do so many employers provide these benefits even though they are not legally

> What specific recommendations would you offer Wagner to improve the management of diversity at the Chicago plant?

> Why do you think some of these critical jobs are becoming so undesirable? From an HR perspective, is there anything that can be done to make these jobs more attractive? Are these changes you are proposing realistic in the near and long-term future? Expla

> How should a manager go about developing an appraisal system that measures ethical performance? Identify the steps.

> What consequences are likely to result from the problems at the Northern Sigma plant? Explain your answer.

> Most workers are not covered by explicit or implicit contracts and are at-will employees. Thus, an employer should be able to terminate these workers at any time and for any reason. A practical reality, however, is that a charge of discrimination as a ba