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 to best perform the job. To what extent do you think an applicant’s fit with the social responsibility commitments of the organization should be considered? If, for example, person/organization fit is to be considered in the selection process, should this fit assessment be given weight equal to that of expected job performance? Or should fit be given less weight or somehow taken into account in another way in the selection process?
> 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.
> Do you think that OSHA standards for combustible dust are needed? Why or why not?
> 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
> 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?
> If a corporation restricts its employees from displaying visible tattoos in the workplace and faces a court challenge of employment discrimination under EEOC regulations, on what basis can the corporation defend its employment practice? Refer to the info
> What alternatives to electronic monitoring could an employer use to effectively control employee theft?
> When trying to re-enter the workforce, women often find that they have to take a lower pay rate to “get back in the game.” Do you think this is fair? Why or why not?
> Why is the departure of women an issue for organizations?
> A company has a speak-up feedback program but unfortunately few employees use it. Managers learn about employee problems only during the exit interview when the employees are leaving to work for a different employer. Provide some ways that a feedback pro
> When a company operates in many different countries with widely diverse legal systems and ethical standards, how can it develop and enforce a global set of criteria as to what is right and wrong? Explain.
> Do you think that Titan is an isolated example or that many companies engage in similar behaviors overseas but are never caught? Do you think it is acceptable for a firm to take the risk and pay a bribe if the firm believes that the chances of getting ca
> How would you account for the sharp differences in the perceptions of the Polish locals and U.S. expatriates?
> Based on what you have learned in this chapter, what do you think are the underlying problems in the Polish subsidiary of Pressman Company?
> Do you think it is appropriate for a company to transfer jobs overseas that may be perceived as too hazardous at home? Explain.
> Would you be willing to follow Dan’s desired career path? Why or why not?
> Based on the materials discussed in this chapter, what courses, experiences, or training programs do you think are most likely to help Dan achieve his dream of a foreign assignment? Explain.
> Assume you run a small business. Working individually or in groups, visit the Web site www.dol.gov/elaws. Write a two-page summary explaining: (1) the various retirement savings programs available to small-business employers, and (2) which retirement sav
> Prepare and give a short presentation titled “How to Be Effective as an Interviewer.”
> Most American businesses are small, but most of the output is produced by large businesses. That sounds paradoxical. How can it be true?
> If the U.S. government wants to pursue a “trade war” against Country X, what weapons does it have? Would using those weapons hurt the United States as well? What if Country X retaliates in kind?
> What are some policies the U.S. government could pursue to ease the burden on the losers from globalization?
> President Trump has said that he doesn’t see why the U.S. economy cannot grow at 3 or 4 percent per annum (or maybe higher) indefinitely. Do you see why?
> The Affordable Care Act (known as “Obamacare”) tried to solve the adverse selection problem by getting everyone into the insurance pool. How? How well did it succeed? President Trump opposes Obamacare. Why? (You may want to do some Internet searching on
> Budget projections show the debt-to-GDP ratio of the U.S. government topping its World War II high before too long. What problems does that pose?
> In 2010 and 2011, the international value of the dollar fell. This development was viewed with alarm in Japan. Why?
> Given what you now know, do you think it was a good idea for the United States to adopt a policy mix of tight money and large government budget deficits in the early 1980s? Why or why not? What were the benefits and costs of reversing that policy mix in
> Explain why American fiscal policy is less powerful and American monetary policy is more powerful than indicated in the closed-economy model described earlier in this book.
> For years, the U.S. government has been trying to get Japan and the European Union to expand their economies faster. Explain how more rapid growth in Japan would affect the U.S. economy.
> In the economy considered in Test Yourself Question 3, suppose the government, seeing that it has not wiped out the deficit, keeps cutting G until it succeeds in balancing the budget. What level of GDP will then prevail?
