Course Syllabus: HRM6603 Human Resource Management Term 2, 2006 (October 9 - December 17, 2006)

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Course Syllabus

HRM6603 Human Resource Management


Term 2, 2006
(October 9 – December 17, 2006)
LOCATION/TIMES:
Orlando: Orlando Training Facility
Weekend Schedule: Friday, 5:00-10:00 PM
Saturday, 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Sunday, 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM
- Weekend One: October 20, 21, and 22, 2006
- Weekend Two: November 10, 11, and 12, 2006

PROFESSOR:
Todd Grubb, Ph.D., SPHR, IPMA-CP REGIONAL DEPARTMENT CHAIR
Phones: Home (813) 926-0044 College of Business, Undergraduate Programs
Tampa TROY office (813) 835-6220; Dr. Fred Westfall
E-Mail: [email protected] or 81 SE Beal Parkway
[email protected] (please enter “HRM6603” first in Ft. Walton Beach, FL 32548
the subject line of your email). I am available for [email protected]
student consultation during office hours and by PH: (850) 301-2128
appointment, by email, and before and after FAX: (850) 244-2384
class. For information about me, go to:
http://spectrum.troy.edu/~grubb/index.html/.

TROY EMAIL
All Troy students will be required to access and utilize their troy.edu email account for all communication
with the university. All official correspondence (including bills, statements, emails from distance learning
instructors through Blackboard, assignments and grades from distance learning instructors, etc.) will be
sent only to the troy.edu address. Your troy.edu email address is the same as your web express user ID
followed by “@troy.edu.” You can get to your email account through our web page www.troy.edu/fwr or
you can go to the email link found there and learn how to add this address to your other email services that
support POP accounts (i.e. Outlook, Outlook Express, Yahoo, AOL, etc.).

CATALOG DESCRIPTION: The study of the management of people at work with emphasis on recruiting,
selecting, training and evaluating personnel

OBJECTIVES: On completion of the course, you should be able to:

1. Describe the external and global environments relevant to human-resource management.


2. Describe and define the current field of human-resource management, including the roles played by
members of the HRM function in organizational-strategy formulation.
3. List and describe equal-employment opportunity laws and other regulations affecting the field of
human-resource management.
4. Describe the functions of job design and job analysis.
5. Explain work rules, policies, and procedures within a functioning organization, including grievance
and progressive-discipline procedures and common union contract provisions.
6. Apply basic HR planning, staffing, training and development, performance management, compen-
sation, health and safety, and employee and labor relations strategies to business objectives in an
apt scenario.

PURPOSE: To establish basic knowledge and practical familiarity with the major functional areas of hu-
man-resource management, oriented toward strategic application. This is the initiating course in the field
of human-resource management. For students pursuing the MSHRM degree, this course will provide an
overview of the field and introduce the functional areas that must be mastered during the program. For all
students, the course will provide familiarity with the principles and theories relevant to good human-
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resource practices in any job or career. It is recommended that this course precede all other HRM courses.
MSHRM core requirement, adheres to MSHRM Capstone Examination Preparation Guidelines content pro-
visions (Appendix A). MSM Human Resource Management or Applied Management concentration re-
quirements. MBA unspecified elective (non-Accounting). Strongly recommended for MBA General Man-
agement option.

TEXTBOOK AND OTHER MATERIALS NEEDED


Students should order textbooks as soon as possible to insure receipt prior to the beginning of the term.
Troy University’s official bookstore is MBS Direct at http://direct.mbsbooks.com/Troy.htm. MBS is the of-
ficial provider of the approved textbooks for each term. Orders may be placed online with a credit/debit
card or by phone (1-800-325-3252). Students purchasing textbooks from other sources do so at their own
risk in relation to order accuracy, timely receipt, or completeness of materials.

TEXTBOOK: Mathis, R.L. & Jackson, J.H. (2006). Human Resource Management (11th ed.). Mason, Oh:
Thompson/South-Western ISBN 0324289588.

REQUIRED/RECOMMENDED ADDITIONAL READING: As necessary to prepare (a) an organizational prac-


tice, (b) scholarly article or book reviews, (c) cases, and (d) term research paper or Research Application
Project (RAP). Also note bibliographies and references in the text, including Internet sites.

INTERNET USE: You may be required to use the internet to complete the requirements of this course.

RESEARCH COMPONENT: This course requires extensive library and Internet research to prepare work
products, including a comprehensive term research paper or Research Application Project (RAP).

ENTRANCE COMPETENCIES: I expect you to have varying degrees of prior knowledge about your major
field obtained from undergraduate courses in management, public administration, psychology, and sociol-
ogy. I expect you to be able to write clear, error free, grammatically and syntactically correct papers fol-
lowing the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA “style Guide”); and to pre-
sent your ideas orally.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA):

Any student whose disabilities fall within ADA must inform the instructor at the beginning of the term of
any special needs or equipment necessary to accomplish the requirements for this course. To arrange
special accommodations for individuals with disabilities, contact your local Troy University site director or
go to the Troy University web page: www.troy.edu/fwr.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS: I expect you to:

1. Learn a Body of Knowledge.


a. Read all text assignments, and prepare and participate in assigned case studies and class dia-
logues.

b. Individually analyze and prepare a 1-3 page brief on all assigned cases and the Graduate Student
job description (using the information in the text, write a job description for yourself as a graduate
student). You may be assigned to a team for oral presentation of some cases. I also encourage
you to read related periodicals and professional journals, and develop an awareness of person-
nel/HRM (P/HRM) practices in your own and other organizations.

c. Complete comprehensive final examination.

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2. Become Aware of Current Developments. Identify, summarize, and present (a) one P/HRM organiza-
tional practice OR (b) two P/HRM articles from scholarly journals or the current literature--viz.:

a. Organizational Practice. Apply the concepts discussed in this course to your current (or a former)
employing organization and prepare a 1-4-page synopsis of a unique/unusual/special personnel
practice, dilemma, or event. Please reproduce a copy of your synopsis for each course participant,
to pass out when you present your "practice" orally (5-10 minutes, plus discussion). OR,

b. Scholarly Article Reviews (SAR). Write 1-3-page reviews of TWO (2) P/HRM scholarly articles and
present them orally to the class (5 minutes each, plus discussion). Please reproduce copies of
your reviews for each course participant to pass out during oral presentation (and one copy of each
article for me).

3. Conduct significant scholarly P/HRM research and prepare either (a) a term research paper OR (b) a
Research Application Project (RAP)--viz.:

a. Term Research Paper. Research the professional literature and prepare a research paper (20-34
pages) plus an executive summary (1-page with a copy for each participant, to be passed out when
you present your term paper orally). Present the term paper orally (5-10 minutes) to the class. The
term paper may be on any P/HRM issue identified in the text, or with my special permission. You
may co-author a more substantive term research paper with one or two other course participants.
(If you co-author, each will receive the same grade regardless of individual contribution.) OR,

b. Research Application Project (RAP). Apply the concepts of this course to your employing organiza-
tion (it must have more than 20 members). Prepare a formal "Consultant's Report" (20-34 pages)
plus an executive summary (1-page with a copy for each participant, to be passed out when you pre-
sent your Report orally (5-10 minutes) to the class. Please see the Research Application Project Sug-
gested Format later in this syllabus. Note that this report will also require extensive library and inter-
net scholarly research to identify/document practices/benchmarks used in the P/HRM field.

All assignments (except case study responses and in-class examinations) must be typewritten. While case
studies and examinations may be handwritten, they must be legible and easily readable. Please see the
Scholarship Guidelines supplementing this syllabus (handed out in class during the first meeting).

METHOD OF INSTRUCTION: The course will follow a highly participative seminar approach with individual
and group dialogue on selected cases and concepts with occasional lecture-dialogue; participant reports
and dialogue are the major learning methods used. Audio-visual aids will be used as appropriate and
available. Emphasis is on both theory and practice to better understand the issues and models in P/HRM,
and how they may be applied in operational situations. It is NOT the role of the professor in a graduate
course to "feed" the course material to you. Rather, it is characterized by self-directed inquiry and subject-
ing your opinions to the test of dialogue with peers and professors. Your willingness to participate con-
structively in the seminar (both in small group work and open class dialogue) with thoughtful, relevant ob-
servations (i.e., opinions substantiated with an analysis of relevant facts and evidence) will be reflected in
your course grade.

METHOD OF EVALUATION: Grading is criterion-referenced, not norm-referenced. That means that your
work (evidence of your scholarship) will be compared to a standard expected of graduate students; you are
not competing against one another. In fact, you will learn most from one another. I encourage you to co-
operate and help one another so everyone can meet/exceed graduate standards on the course require-
ments and receive a high grade. Grading will be based on the scale presented below. Note that if you
wish, you may do a "special project" to earn extra credit toward your final grade by presenting an oral and
written report (e.g., 1-4 typewritten pages) on an additional organizational practice or a book review, or a
movie/video review relating to a P/HRM issue.

ASSIGNMENT OF GRADES: Grades will be based on demonstrated understanding and application of the
course concepts and materials as evidenced by class participation, oral and written assignments, special
projects, and examination. Points will be deducted for errors in grammar, spelling, syntax, etc. All work,
including make-up, must be completed before a grade will be assigned. The syllabus attempts to describe
requirements at the graduate level, comparable to the “above average” or “B” grade level; it describes
work that “meets” graduate standards. “B” grades reflect “very good” work; they show effort exceeding
average and work that is of high quality, but short of excellence. “A” work then “exceeds” graduate expec-
tations, and is in some way exceptional or exemplary; it represents “excellence” and reflects the “wow”
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factor. “C” grades reflect average work and satisfactory results. All work, including make-up, must be
completed before a grade will be assigned. Taking an "Incomplete" may impact the final course grade. All
requests for an “Incomplete” grade must be submitted in writing, using the approved TROY form, prior to
the end of the last class meeting. Scholarship Guidelines, which explain in detail how each work product
is evaluated, will be handed out at the first class meeting. If you would like an advance copy, please email
me requesting a copy at [email protected].

GRADING SCALE

1. Class participation, Cases, JD, and Quiz 50% 90-100 = A


2. Organizational Practice or 2 Article Reviews 10% 80 - 89 = B
3. Term research paper or RAP 25% 70 - 79 = C
4. Final Examination 15% 60 - 69 = D
5. Optional "special project(s)" up to 10% Under 60 = F

STANDARDS OF CONDUCT:

The commission of or the attempt to commit any cheating and/or plagiarism are in violation of the Standard
of Conduct stated in the Troy University – Florida Region Student Handbook, and may be disciplined up to
and including suspension and expulsion.

Plagiarism is the passing off of the thoughts or works of another as one’s own. Plagiarism involves giving
the impression that a person has thought, written, or produced something that has, in fact, been borrowed
from another. Plagiarism may result from poor technique of citation or more serious cases as: copying the
work of another person; submitting the work of another person; or closely paraphrasing a piece of work
without due acknowledgement.

Questions about plagiarism? Go to http://fwrlibrary.troy.edu/5/writing/plagiarism.htm

ALLEGATIONS OF PLAGIARISM:

Depending on the circumstances, the penalty imposed for plagiarism may include warning, resubmission,
loss of marks, failure on a particular assignment or course, or a charge of misconduct to be dealt with by
Troy University.

INTEGRITY AND PROFESSIONALISM: You are responsible for maintaining the highest standards of aca-
demic integrity and to refrain from cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty, includ-
ing representing another’s work as your own, active complicity in such falsification, or violating test condi-
tions. Plagiarism and cheating are unprofessional and violations of TROY's Standards of Conduct and may
result in disciplinary action (see the Troy University Graduate Bulletin). Depending on the circumstances,
the penalty imposed for cheating or plagiarism may include warning, resubmission, loss of marks, failure
on a particular assignment or course, a charge of misconduct to be dealt with by Troy University; and may
be disciplined up to and including suspension and expulsion.

ATTENDANCE POLICY. Attendance is mandatory. No automatic cuts are authorized. Excessive absences
will be reported to appropriate VA and military officials. You should inform me in advance if you expect to
be unable to attend a class. I expect you to be punctual.

MAKE-UP WORK POLICY: All sessions missed must be made up, regardless of whether the absences were
excused or not. If you miss any session, please contract the make-up assignment with me. Typically, this
will be a written (3-5 page) review of a professional book in the field, with an oral report to the seminar
group (time permitting), an additional Organizational Practice report, or a comparable assignment--in addi-
tion to other work due for the session missed. Also see incomplete grade policy below.

INCOMPLETE GRADE POLICY:


An incomplete grade indicates that the student has not completed all of the assigned class work or has not
taken all class examinations, but is otherwise passing the course. Only the instructor can determine
whether an incomplete grade is justified. It cannot be automatically assigned, but rather must be re-
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quested by the student by submitting to the instructor the Petition for and Work to Remove an Incomplete
Grade form. If the Petitions are approved, a signed copy will be mailed to the student. An "I" can never be
used in lieu of an "F" nor can an "I" be assigned because of excessive absences.

It is the student's responsibility to contact the instructor regarding the deadline for completing all course
requirements. Any student who receives a grade of Incomplete must adhere to the work completion dead-
line set by the instructor, not to exceed the end of the following term. This deadline applies whether or not
the student re-enrolls for the semester following the assignment of the incomplete grade (s). Failure to
clear the incomplete within the specified time period will result in the assignment of a grade of F for the
course.

OTHER INFORMATION: Information regarding deadlines for adding or dropping a course, holidays, com-
prehensive examination dates, cheating policy, and other pertinent information is available in the Troy Uni-
versity Graduate Catalog (also available on-line).

COURSE AND SCHEDULE CHANGES. I reserve the right to make changes to the program content and
schedule to accommodate unforeseen circumstances and embrace opportunities that may arise.

LIBRARY SUPPORT:

The Troy University Florida Region Library, located at 326 Green Acres Road, Fort Walton Beach, FL, offers
library services to support its students and faculty at all sites and in all programs. Important parts of these
services are the range of online periodical databases and the Troy University catalog. The Regional Li-
brary adds a wide variety of curriculum-related resources via its Web pages, along with assistance from
the staff of two professional librarians, via toll-free telephone, e-mail access, or in person in the library.
The library also provides interlibrary loan services. For additional information, visit the Library Web pages
at www.Troy.edu/fwr, (select “Library Services,” then, “Troy FR Library”); e-mail us at [email protected],
or call us at 850-863-8971

LIBRARY HOURS, CENTRAL TIME ZONE:

PLEASE NOTE NEW HOURS DUE TO STAFFING CHANGES


Sunday: 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Monday – Thursday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday, Saturday, holidays: Closed

COMMENTS & QUESTIONS: At Troy University, students are our most valuable commodity. If you have
any comments or questions about this course, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Preparation
To maximize our learning, we must all come to the very first session fully prepared for the course. I urge
you to do the following BEFORE we meet:

1. Carefully review this syllabus;

2. Skim through the entire text to get a feel for its coverage and organization;

3. Complete the Pre-Course Quiz (at the end of the syllabus) and bring it to our first meeting;

4. Read Text chapters for Weekend One.

5. Go online to the text’s website: http://mathis.swlearning.com and explore what is available.


For example, click on the 11th edition of the Textbook; then under Chapter 1, click on “supple-
mental cases”; then click on “download now” and view the Phillips Furniture Case. There are
supplemental cases for each text chapter in addition to the cases that are included in the text.

6. Analyze, and prepare 1-3 page brief on each assigned case associated with the chapters as-
signed for Weekend #1 (see course schedule). (NOTE: In preparing your briefs, you should style
your analysis in any manner appropriate to each individual case, responding to any questions
posed; also, please reflect on the content of the associated text chapters and the broader appli-
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cation of the concepts. You may also wish to research related material on the Internet. Schol-
arship Guidelines which explain in detail how each work product is evaluated will be handed
out at our first class meeting. If you would like an advanced copy, please email me requesting
one at [email protected].

7. Prepare EITHER: (1) one Organizational Practice (OP) OR (2) two Scholarly Articles Reviews
(SARs) to present in class (and turn in) during weekend one.

8. Select a topic and commence research on your Term Research Paper or Research Application
Project.

HRM Class & Assignment Schedule


Weekend One
Meeting 1 Orientation and course requirements. Review of answers to Pre-Course Quiz
Friday PM Section 1: Nature of HRM
Text: Chapter 1. Changing Nature of HRM
Text: Chapter 2. Strategic HR Management and Planning
Case: You Select and Brief ONE (1) case or Supplemental Case from either Chapter
(I.e., Choose one from: (a) HR Contributes at SYSCO, (b) Phillips Furniture, (c) Xerox
Focuses on HR, or (d) Where Do You Find The Bodies?)

Meeting 2 Text: Chapter 3. Organization/Individual Relations and Retention


Saturday AM Section 2: Staffing the Organization
Text: Chapter 4. Legal Framework of Equal Employment
Case: You Select and Brief ONE (1) case or Supplemental Case from either Chapter
Give: Organizational Practice and Scholarly Article Reviews

Meeting 3 Text: Chapter 5. Managing Equal Employment and Diversity


Saturday PM Text: Chapter 6. Job and Job Analysis
Do: Graduate Student Job Description
Case: You Select and Brief ONE (1) case or Supplemental Case from either Chapter
Give: Organizational Practice and Scholarly Article Reviews

Meeting 4 Text: Chapter 7. Recruiting in Labor Markets


Sunday AM Text: Chapter 8. Selecting Human Resources
Case: You Select and Brief ONE (1) case or Supplemental Case from either Chapter
Give: Organizational Practice and Scholarly Article Reviews

Meeting 5 Section 3: Training and Developing Human Resources


Sunday PM Text: Chapter 9. Training Human Resources
Text: Chapter 10. Careers and HR Development
Case: You Select and Brief ONE (1) case or Supplemental Case from either Chapter
Give: Organizational Practice and Scholarly Article Reviews

Weekend Two
Meeting 6 Section 3 (Continued): Training & Developing Human Resources
Friday PM Text: Chapter 11. Performance Management and Appraisal
Section 4: Compensating Human Resources
Text: Chapter 12. Compensating Strategies and Practices
Case: You Select and Brief ONE (1) case or Supplemental Case from either Chapter

Meeting 7 Text: Chapter 13. Variable Pay and Executive Compensation


Saturday AM Text: Chapter 14. Managing Employee Benefits
Case: You Select and Brief ONE (1) case or Supplemental Case from either Chapter
Give: Term Paper and Research Application Project Presentations

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Meeting 8 Section 5: Employee Relations
Saturday PM Text: Chapter 15. Health, Safety, and Security
Text: Chapter 16. Employee Rights and Discipline
Case: You Select and Brief ONE (1) case or Supplemental Case from either Chapter
Give: Term Paper and Research Application Project Presentations

Meeting 9 Text: Chapter 17. Union/Management Relations


Sunday Term Paper and Research Application Project Presentations (Papers Due)
Case: You Select and Brief ONE (1) case or Supplemental Case from the Chapter
Give: Term Paper and Research Application Project Presentations
Exam: Final Examination

Internet Sites (Also See Text)


General Sites & Statistics http://www.laborconsultants.com/index.htm
1. Society for Human Resources
http://www.shrm.org 17. National Center for the Workforce
http://socs.berkeley.edu/~iir/ncw/execsum.html
2. Bureau of Labor Statistics
http://stats.bls.gov:80/ 18. Recruitment Training/Coaching
http://www.mediapub.com/block/coach.htm
3. Economic Statistics Briefing Room
http://www.whitehouse.gov/fsbr/esbr.html Creating a Productive Work Environment
19. Caring for the Survivors
4. Human Resource Professional's Gateway to the http://www.navran.com/Articles/Downsizing/CareSurvi
Internet ve.html
http://www.teleport.com/~erwilson/
20. Employee Incentives and Career Development
5. HVL HR Internet Resources http://www.snc.edu/socsci/chair/336/group1.htm
http://www.hvl.net/hr_res.htm
21. Empowerment, Employee Ownership, and Em-
6. In the Workplace ployee Motivation
http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/workplace.html http://www.ualberta.ca/~slis/guides/humanres/EEE.htm

7. Labor Force, Employment, and Unemployment 22. The Future of Worker-Management Relations
http://www.cris.com/%7Enetlink/bci/2Bclist.html http://www.ualberta.ca/~slis/guides/humanres/FWM.htm

8. NBER Home Page Developing Effective Human Resources


http://www.nber.org/
23. Employment Interviews
9. Voice of the Shuttle: Postindustrial Business The- http://www.snc.edu/socsci/chair/336/group3.htm
ory Page
http://humanitas.ucsb.edu/shuttle/commerce.html 24. Feminist Majority Foundation
http://www.feminist.org/
10. Wages, Labor Costs, and Productivity
http://www.globalexposure.com/09bcilist.html 25. How to Do an Employee Appraisal
http://www.visitorinfo.com/gallery/howapp.htm
HRM in Perspective
11. Counsel Quest: Employment and Labor Law 26. Human Resource Management
http://www.counselquest.com/z-employ.htm http://www.ozemail.com.au/~cyberwlf/3UB/main2.html

12. Entrants to the Labor Force Implementing Compensation, Benefits, and


http://stats.bls.gov/emptab3.htm Workplace Safety
27. BenefitsLink: The National Employee Benefits
13. Law at Work Web Site
http://www.lawatwork.com/ http://www.benefitslink.com/index.html

Meeting HR Requirements 28. Executive Pay Watch


14. America's Job Bank http://www.paywatch.org/paywatch/front.htm
http://www.ajb.dni.us/
29. Social Security Administration
15. American Recruitment http://www.ssa.gov/
http://www.americanrecruitment.com/
30. Workplace Injury and Illness Statistics
16. Labor Consultants of America http://www.osha.gov/oshstats/bls/index1.html
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Fostering Employee/Management Relation- International HRM
ships 33. Globalization and HRM
31. Eastman on Defending Your Employee Rights Go-
http://www.users.nac.net/thelaw/rights/employ.htm pher://hoshi.cic.sfu.ca:70/00/dlam/business/forum/asia/a
dler/
32. How to Reduce Your Risk When Terminating an
Employee 34. Labor Relations and the NLRB
http://www.tahc.org/online_library/labor/9512qa4.htm http://www.snc.edu/socsci/chair/336/group2.htm

HRM6603, Human Resource Management


Pre-course Quiz
Instructions: Please select the best response to each question or statement.

1. Which of the following statements is TRUE?


a. Despite the many layoffs occurring in the last decade, the average age of the
workforce is older.
b. Because of the many early retirement programs instituted in the last decade, the
average age of the workforce is younger.
c. Variation of ages in the workplace is not considered "diversity" in the same sense
that variation by race and gender is considered "diversity."
d. As the workforce ages, the need for diversity management is decreasing due to the
psychological maturity of the workforce.

2. In the minds of corporate executives, the major deficiency of HR management in its strategic role is
a. that HR is viewed as a "soft" people-oriented area.
b. HR's traditional role as an opponent of corporate management.
c. the lack of respect for HR managers' professional and educational credentials.
d. the lack of specific quantifiable measures of HR activities.

3. The high school principal sighs as she examines the list of resignations for the upcoming school year.
She says, "I guess there is no way we can keep good people from leaving for other schools if we can't
pay top salaries. We have competitive pay, but that is just not enough." As director of HR, you tell the
principal
a. "You're right. Money is the main reason people stay in a job."
b. "No. I disagree. People, especially dedicated teachers, are not much affected by pay
levels."
c. "I don't entirely agree. There are other factors that have more impact than money."
d. "Actually, most of our teachers are women, and they usually leave jobs for
involuntary reasons connected with their families, so pay is not a big factor in their
retention."

4. Ingrid is a recent immigrant from Denmark with a valid U.S. work permit. She has applied for work on
the wait staff at a Chinese restaurant near her home. Ingrid doesn't have a car, and this restaurant is
one of the few employers she can walk to. Ingrid was turned down for an opening at the restaurant,
although she has relevant job experience. Later, Ingrid noticed a Chinese man was hired for the job.
Ingrid should
a. sue because this is sex discrimination.
b. sue because this is national origin discrimination and violates the IRCA.
c. not sue because this is an English-only workplace and Ingrid's English language
skills are minimal.
d. not sue because Chinese origin is a bona fide occupational qualification in this
case.

5. In order to minimize "backlash" in diversity efforts, the key is for trainers and managers
a. to emphasize that "mind change" has to come before behavior change.
b. to stress that employees behaving with respect toward others is the desired
outcome of diversity training.
c. to realize that there may be a certain core of "bad actors" who will not accept
diversity goals and that these employees must be terminated before organizational
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culture can change.
d. to cut back on traditional diversity training such as sensitivity training and instead
to emphasize team spirit and performance goals.

6. A distinctive, identifiable work activity composed of motions is a ____, while a ____ is a larger segment
of work comprised of multiple work activities that is performed by an individual.
a. duty, responsibility.
b. task, job.
c. task, duty.
d. duty, job.

7. All of the following are drawbacks of promoting from within EXCEPT


a. vacancies created by internal promotions must be filled.
b. creativity and new approaches to problems may increase because of the sense of
security that promotion from within generates.
c. it may not be an effective way to speed the movement of protected-class individuals
up through the organization.
d. an employee's good performance on one job may not be a good predictor of his/her
performance on another job.

8. Germaine applied for an opening at Rotary Propulsion Systems (RPS) in May and took the company's
aptitude test for entry-level management jobs. RPS did not call Germaine back for a second interview
until September, and at that time, Germaine took the aptitude test again. Germaine's scores on the test
were significantly different in May than in September. This is an indication that the test may not be
a. valid.
b. functional.
c. reliable.
d. statistical.

9. Conrad, the director of training, must establish for top management the amount of financial benefit the
company has realized for the amount of money that has been put into the mechanics' training
program. Conrad needs to prepare a
a. return on investment analysis.
b. net gain calculation.
c. actual versus proposed budget comparison.
d. results evaluation.

10. Two firms are competing to hire Alicia, a highly-competent optics engineer who is early in her career.
Both firms are offering similar salaries, benefits, and financial packages. Both are in desirable parts of
the country. The job duties are almost identical, and both firms are very prestigious employers. Given
that Alicia is ambitious, she is likely to make her decision based on
a. the development potential of the position.
b. whether she will have international assignments.
c. the ability to balance work/life needs.
d. how rapidly she will receive salary increases.

11. Which of the following statements is TRUE?


a. A well-designed performance management system will work in any cultural setting.
b. Every culture includes some type of formal performance feedback for employees.
c. U.S.-style performance management systems are becoming more widely used
overseas because of their effectiveness in increasing employee performance.
d. Performance management systems may not be suitable for use in some cultures.

12. Compensation is one of the organization's largest expenditures. Compensation philosophies and
systems vary from one organization to the next. Why is that?
a. There is no "one right way" to compensate employees. Many systems will work
equally well in any organization.
b. Different organizations have different organizational objectives and strategies.
c. Legal requirements mandate different types of compensation systems depending
on the organization's industry and whether it is in the public or private sector.
d. Organizations depend heavily on consultants to design their compensation
systems, and each consulting firm has its own system. These systems are relatively
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interchangeable.

13. Caroline works on a design team that develops costumes for historically-based and fantasy-based
movies. The teams designs are executed by professional seamstresses and tailors. Caroline's
a. job would be suited for individual pay for performance because one can objectively
judge the artistic merits of the costumes.
b. individual performance can be isolated and measured separately from her team
members' contributions.
c. job would not be suited for pay for performance because the work product of the
team is mostly based on subjective judgment.
d. individual performance can be measured by the number of design drawings she
produces, and her pay could effectively be tied to this number.

14. How is workers' compensation usually funded?


a. by a tax levied on employers by state governments based on the employer's size of
payroll
b. by contributions from a pool of organizations in the same industry
c. through the Social Security Administration
d. by insurance purchased by employers from a private carrier or state insurance fund

15. The ____ approach to safety management focuses on designing jobs, developing and implementing
safety policies, and using safety committees.
a. engineering
b. systems
c. organizational
d. individual

16. Many complaints have reached the director of HR at Clarion Services regarding employees using the
company computers for personal e-mail and web-surfing. The problem even extends to managers and
professional staff accessing the web for personal use. Since the managers often work 10 to 12 hours a
day, and eat lunch at their desks, they have little time away from work to handle personal business.
The HR director should
a. ban all personal use of computers for any reason. Computers are the business's
property and should only be used for business purposes.
b. develop a policy to track personal use of computers and have the employees sign
off on it.
c. allow unrestricted computer use as long as the employee's performance is
satisfactory.
d. not restrict use of email because of employee free speech rights. But the director
can install software to make it difficult for employees to access unsuitable
websites.

17. The Screen Actors Guild, where all the members work as actors in movies, TV, and videos is a ____
whose members do one type of work, often using specialized skills and training.
a. craft union
b. apprenticeship guild
c. industrial union
d. membership guild

18. Top management of Merrywood Medical Center has been concerned about union organizing attempts
among its nursing staff. Now it has learned that some of its staff physicians are discussing the
benefits of joining a union. This is a serious issue facing the hospital's management because the
typical reason for medical staff to consider unionization is
a. the shortage of qualified medical staff and consequent over-work.
b. medical staff's loss of control over patient-care decisions.
c. the declining income for medical workers over the last decade.
d. the eroding sense of professionalism among physicians.

19. The Chief Financial Officer of McGill Tubing wants to learn the contribution of McGill's workforce
toward creating value for shareholders. An analysis which would provide this information is the
calculation of
a. the human capital revenue stream.
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b. marginal revenue generated per employee.
c. return on human capital investments.
d. profit per employee.

20. The improvement in communication technology has resulted in


a. increasing the number of hours worked per employee.
b. reduction of stress for workers.
c. better work-life balance for employees in professional occupations.
d. ease of management of temporary employees.

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