Question: Working individually or in groups, develop several

> What are the principal methodologies for modeling and designing systems? Compare object-oriented and traditional structured approaches for modeling and designing systems.

> Why is building a system a form of organizational problem-solving?

> How do information systems help people working in a group make decisions more efficiently? Define a group decision-support system (GDSS) and explain how it works and how it supports organizational decision making.

> How much can business intelligence and business analytics help companies refine their business strategy? Explain your answer.

> What’s the best way to find out what your customers want? If you’re a large business with millions of customers, it’s impossible to ask each one face-to-face. But thanks to modern data management and data mining technology, you can “ask” each one by mini

> How has e-commerce transformed marketing? 1. Explain how social networking and the “wisdom of crowds” help companies improve their marketing. 2. Define behavioral targeting and explain how it works at individual Web sites and on advertising networks. 3.

> How have social technologies changed e-commerce?

> How do customer relationship management systems help firms achieve customer intimacy? 1. Define customer relationship management and explain why customer relationships are so important today. 2. Describe how partner relationship management (PRM) and empl

> Which enterprise application should a business install first: ERP, SCM, or CRM? Explain your answer.

> What are the components of an organizational framework for security and control? 1. Define general controls and describe each type of general control. 2. Define application controls and describe each type of application control. 3. Describe the function

> Suppose your business had an e-commerce Web site where it sold goods and accepted credit card payments. Discuss the major security threats to this Web site and their potential impact. What can be done to minimize these threats?

> How do the Internet and Internet technology work and how do they support communication and e-business? 1. Define the Internet, describe how it works, and explain how it provides business value. 2. Explain how the domain name and IP addressing system work

> Compare wi-fi and high-speed cellular systems for accessing the Internet. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

> What are the principal tools and technologies for accessing information from databases to improve business performance and decision making? 1. Define a data warehouse and describe how it works. 2. Define business intelligence and explain how it is relat

> What are the consequences of an organization not having an information policy?

> What are the components of IT infrastructure? 1. Define information technology (IT) infrastructure and describe each of its components.

> What are the major types of computer software used in business? 1. Distinguish between application software and system software and explain the role played by the operating system of a computer. 2. List and describe the major PC and server operating syst

> What are the advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing?

> How do information systems help businesses use synergies, core competencies, and network-based strategies to achieve competitive advantages? 1. Explain how information systems promote synergies and core competencies. 2. Describe how promoting synergies

> Starbucks is the world’s largest specialty coffee retailer, with more than 16,850 coffee shops in about 40 countries. For years, Starbucks has continued to grow throughout the United States and internationally, opening franchises at an impressive rate. F

> What specific principles for conduct can be used to guide ethical decisions? 1. List and describe the five steps in an ethical analysis. 2. Identify and describe six ethical principles.

> As the head of a small insurance company with six employees, you are concerned about how effectively your company is using its networking and human resources. Budgets are tight, and you are struggling to meet payrolls because employees are reporting many

> Do you like your smartphone? Living on the grid has its advantages. You can access the Internet, visit your Facebook page, get Twitter feeds, watch video, and listen to music all with the same “communication and media device.” Less well known is that liv

> What are the alternative methods for building information systems? 1. Define the traditional systems lifecycle and describe its advantages and disadvantages for systems building. 2. Define information system prototyping and describe its benefits and lim

> Caterpillar is the world’s leading maker of earth-moving machinery and supplier of agricultural equipment. The software for its Dealer Business System (DBS), which it licenses to its dealers to help them run their businesses, is becoming outdated. Senior

> It has been said that systems fail when systems builders ignore “people” problems. Why might this be so?

> The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) relies on information systems to operate 19 hospitals, a network of other care sites, and international and commercial ventures. Demand for additional servers and storage technology was growing by 20 per

> When we hear "snowboarding," we tend to think of snow-covered slopes, acrobatic jumps, and high-flying entertainment. We don’t usually think of improving business process efficiency. But snowboarding is business for Burton Snowboards, an industry pioneer

> Citicorp recently faced a billion dollar discrimination suit. Use Web sites such as http://www.allbusiness.com/legal/legal-services-litigation/5062526-1.html to discuss what happened with these suits.

> And finally, aside from the specific problems, what other human resource management matters (application forms, training, and so on) have to be reviewed given the need to bring them into compliance with equal rights laws?

> “The allegations against Madison Square Garden in this case raise ethical questions with regard to the employer’s actions.” Explain whether you agree or disagree with this statement, and why.

> Give examples of how the HR manager’s duties are different from 30 years ago?

> Working individually or in groups, evaluate the rating scale in Figure 8.4. Discuss ways to improve it.

> Give examples of five potential appraisal problems.

> One reason for implementing global training programs is the need to avoid business losses "due to cultural insensitivity." What sort of cultural insensitivity do you think is referred to, and how might that translate into lost business?

> Write a short essay discussing some of the ethical and legal considerations in testing.

> For what sorts of jobs do you think computerized interviews are most appropriate? Why?

> What are the main things you would do to recruit and retain a more diverse workforce?

> Briefly describe how you would apply talent management principles in improving your employer’s workforce planning processes.

> We discussed several methods for collecting job analysis data—questionnaires, the position analysis questionnaire, and so on. Compare and contrast these methods, explaining what each is useful for and listing the pros and cons of each.

> Present a summary of what employers can and cannot do legally with respect to recruitment, selection, and promotion and layoff practices.

> Explain why strategic planning is important to all managers.

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

> What is Title VII? What does it state?

> Given the fact that each of its stores has only a handful of employees, is her company in fact covered by equal rights legislation?

> Aside from the appeal, what would you do now if you were the Garden’s top management?

> Give at least three examples of how current EEOC policy reflects public policy decisions.

> Based on your personal experiences, list 10 examples showing how you used (or could have used) human resource management techniques at work or school.

> Identify the required HR system policies and activities.

> President Obama’s “pay czar” tried to reduce the pay of executives at AIG. According to sites such as www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/08/pay-czar-caveson-aig-pay_n_383973.html, how successful was he, and why?

> Explain how to conduct an appraisal feedback interview.

> Is it true, as Jack Carter claims, that “we can’t be accused of being discriminatory because we hire mostly women and minorities anyway?”

> What performance appraisal system would you develop for the secretaries if you were Rob Winchester? Defend your answer.

> According to http://careercompass.berkeley.edu/perfmgmt resources/evalforms.html, how does Berkeley appraise supervisors? What do you think of the form it uses?

> What are some typical on-the-job training (OJT) techniques? What do you think are some of the main drawbacks of relying on informal on-the-job training for breaking new employees into their jobs?

> Give a short presentation entitled “How to Be Effective as an Interviewer.”

> Explain the shortcomings of background investigations, reference checks, and pre-employment information services, and how to overcome them.

> How should her company terminate employees caught stealing, and what kind of procedure should be set up for handling reference calls about these employees when they go to other companies looking for jobs?

> Would you take the job offer if you were Maria? If you’re not sure, is there any additional information that would help you make your decision, and if so, what is it?

> Explain how you would use the alternation ranking method, the paired comparison method, and the forced distribution method.

> Could an employer actually use a typing test like that in www.iphonetypingtest.com/ to help select employees? If so, how exactly?

> What are the five main things you would do to recruit and retain a more diverse workforce?

> Provide a brief illustrative outline of a strategy map for Siemens.

> Do you think Ms. Browne Sanders had the basis for a sexual harassment suit? Why or why not?

> What conclusions can you draw from sites such as http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2008-05-20-overweight-bias_N.htm about handling and avoiding discrimination against obese people?

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

> List five strategies for successfully increasing diversity in the workforce.

> How should she and her company address the possible problems of age discrimination?

> Based on the few facts that you have, what steps could Garden management have taken to protect itself from liability in this matter?

> Explain with examples how the evolution of equal employment law in the 1960s helps illustrate how public policy considerations drove the original EEO legislation.

> Choose two tools HR managers use for employment forecasting and explain how to use them.

> Working individually or in groups, bring several business publications such as Business Week and the Wall Street Journal to class. Based on their content, compile a list entitled, “What HR Managers and Departments Do Today.”

> Explain with examples what we mean by the “the changing environment of human resource management.”

> What specific functions should an HR unit carry out? What HR functions would be carried out by the bank’s supervisors and other line managers?

> Illustrate the HR responsibilities of line and staff managers.

> What is sexual harassment? How can an employee prove sexual harassment?

> Judging from what you can find at www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?identifier=CATEGORY_533&catalogId=10002&storeId=10052&langId=-1, what sorts of pay policies does Wegmans seem to have, and why do you think they follow such poli

> Do you think that Vice President Winchester would be better off dropping graphic rating forms, substituting instead one of the other techniques we discussed in this chapter such as a ranking method? Why?

> John Santos is an undergraduate business student majoring in accounting. He has just failed the first accounting course, Accounting 101, and is understandably upset. Explain how you would use performance analysis to identify what, if any, are John's trai

> What role do job descriptions play in training?

> Discuss at least four basic types of personnel tests.

> Define and give several examples of strategic human resource management.

> Specifically, what other screening techniques could the company use to screen out theft-prone employees, and how exactly could these be used?

> What does www.siop.org/workplace/employment%20testing/ information to consider when purchasing a selection test?

> What are the main types of information that application forms provide?

> Working individually or in groups, use O*NET to develop a job description for a position of your choosing—perhaps an accounting clerk, or your professor in this class. Based on that, use your judgment to develop a job specification. Compare your conclusi

> What items are typically included in a job description? What items are not shown?

> Several years ago, Stanford’s restaurant in Lake Oswego was written up for how well it used HR to keep good employees. What do customers at sites such as http://www.yelp.com/biz/stanfords-restaurant-and-bar-lake-oswego say about Stanford’s and what impl

> How would you have conducted the job analysis? What should Phil do now?

> What are five things employers should keep in mind when using Internet sites to find job candidates?

> Define and give at least two examples of the cost leadership competitive strategy and the differentiation competitive strategy.

> Identify at least four of the strategically relevant HR system policies and activities that Siemens has instituted in order to help human resource management contribute to achieving Siemens’ strategic goals.

> How, specifically, do equal employment laws apply to personnel planning and recruiting activities?

> Using sites such as http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,517334,00.html, discuss the details of the discrimination suit against Hooters.

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

> Explain the Equal Opportunity Commission enforcement process.

> How should Jennifer and her company address the sexual harassment charges and problems?

> From what you know of this case, do you think the jury arrived at the correct decision? If not, why not? If so, why?

> What is the difference between disparate treatment and disparate impact?

> What is human resource management?