Question: What do you think accounts for the

> 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

> How would you change or adapt each of the company’s current personnel policies to better fit the cultural environment of each international facility?

> 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.

> 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

> Do you think fraud on résumés and job applications is an important issue for organizations? Why or why not?

> Do you believe that managers should be given more autonomy to make personnel decisions such as hiring, appraising, and compensating subordinates? If so, what are some potential drawbacks to granting them this authority? Explain.

> What do you think is the main reason for the large disparity in the enrollment of women in full-time MBA programs versus medical and law school? Explain.

> How would you go about deciding if a real or perceived romantic relationship at work is consensual or potentially forced on one of the parties?

> Do you think companies can realistically design office-romance policies that are effectively implemented? Why or why not?

> List three ways the HR department can contribute to positive employee relations in a company.

> In groups, discuss and compile examples of “the worst interview I ever had.” What was it about these interviews that made them so bad? If time permits, discuss as a class.

> Some male senior executives avoid becoming mentors to younger women because of their fear of the possible sexual harassment claims against them (as retribution for a romantic relationship that ends badly) or office gossip suggesting that the mentoring pa

> What role, if any, should HR professionals play in helping a company become a leader in sustainability efforts? What specific HR challenges is a company likely to face as it tries to become socially responsible? Explain.

> Go to the Web sites of IBM (www.ibm.com), PepsiCo (www.pepsico.com), and Xerox (www.xerox.com), and explore the sites to learn more about the women who are either the CEO or chairman at these companies. Several of the Web sites have a “biography of execu

> Suppose several people are employed in the same job as the one for which you are writing a job description. Would it be necessary to write a different job description for each person who works in the same job?

> What do you see as the main differences between a specific job description and a general description?

> Do you agree with Carlson who claims that HR personnel are always likely to side with management’s position when an employee files a formal complaint to HR that alleges sexual harassment? Explain the reason for your position.

> Which type of jobs are less likely to be impacted by being replaced by automation? Explain.

> Several companies are moving in the direction of compensating employees with nonmonetary rewards in lieu of higher wages (see the Manager’s Notebook “Rewarding Employees with Nonmonetary Compensation”). Why do you think this is happening? Do you think th

> Cost containment is an important issue in employee benefit programs? Provide at least three employee benefits where cost containment is a high priority and explain how it works for each benefit.

> Do you think it is a good idea for a company and its managers to keep in touch with employees who have quit and taken jobs elsewhere? What are the advantages and disadvantages of staying in touch with former employees who have moved on with their careers

> A group of scholars has argued that use of extrinsic rewards tends to reduce intrinsic motivation. Why do the scholars reach that conclusion? Do you agree? Explain.

> How do managed-care health insurance plans (HMOs and PPOs) differ from traditional fee-for-service health insurance plans? What are the costs and benefits of each to the employer? To the employee?

> Some experts believe that one way for a multinational firm to avoid political risks in a foreign country is to use local executives for key positions. Why do they reach that conclusion? Do you agree? Explain.

> In recent years many companies sent managers overseas on short-term assignments (for a couple of weeks or less) rather than on a long-term basis. What factors do you think explain this trend? What are the advantages and disadvantages of relying on short-

> Outline a set of features that you would put in place if you were asked to design a selection and training program for expatriates. Based on the materials learned in this chapter, explain why you have suggested each of the specific features.

> Describe why management should address violence in the workplace. Identify a couple of steps that management might take to reduce the threat of workplace violence.

> Describe how social media can be used in employee wellness programs.

> Some jobs involve hazards. Some employers pay a higher wage for those jobs, but safety and health regulations suggest that may not be enough. What other basic steps should an employer take to assure worker safety?

> What, in your opinion, are the three the most significant impacts of a union on the management of human resources? Explain and indicate whether the impact for each one is positive or negative.

> Suppose a goal of management is to reduce the number of grievances filed by union employees each year. Provide three ways that the HRM staff can contribute to this goal?

> What are two of the advantages and two of the disadvantages of a strike from management's perspective? From the union's perspective?

> In recent years most companies have relied heavily on the use of stock-based compensation programs to reward senior executives. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using these incentive programs for executives? A smaller portion of firms have al