209. Managers at a local bank are discussing the absentee problems they are experiencing at
their west-side location. Although the workers do a good job and serve customers well when they
are on the job, they tend to report to work late at least two days each week, and often want to
leave early. Job sharing might be a good staffing arrangement for the managers to consider.
210. The
Hottie Potatee
potato bar franchise chain does not permit employees at corporate
headquarters to work flextime schedules. The CEO communicated with employees and explained
that shift workers at the corporate-owned potato bars cannot reasonably work that way and in
order to keep things fair, he prefers that the corporate employees work regular hours from 8:00
a.m. until 5:00 p.m. or from 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., which is the other regular shift where they
need staff. Workers at fast food operations do not have the opportunity for flextime schedules
because they must be at work prior to the store’s serving hours and usually after the store closes.
They cannot plan their own schedule, but must comply with the hours that management needs
help.
211. Central Communications, a company that provides phone, Internet, and television
services for residential customers, experienced poor customer call care ratings with its overseas
call center service. As a recent business student, you would suggest that Central implement
home-based call agents. This will cost them a little more in office space and benefits, but it will
certainly increase its customers’ perception of their service.
212. Internal promotions are a cost-effective way of filling positions within a firm because the
employees filling the position are already familiar with the organization’s culture and procedures.
213. Transferring an experienced worker to a new position at the same level within an
organization can be an effective way to motivate the worker to remain with the company.
214. The
employment at will
doctrine maintained that a firm could only fire a worker if it could
demonstrate just cause.
215. In recent years, many companies have avoided hiring permanent workers during periods of
growth by using temporary employees and outsourcing some of their functions.
216. A golden handshake refers to the severance pay that is offered to a worker that is laid off
when the firm downsizes.
217. Exit interviews by a third party can be an effective way for a firm to prevent future losses
of valuable employees.
218. Recent court cases include drug-addicted employees who claim their addiction is an
illness, and therefore, they are protected from wrongful discharge under the American with
Disabilities Act.
219. The prevalence of flatter corporate structures in recent years has increased the number
of workers that firms promote.
220. Management is turning to a strategy of offering more lateral transfers due to the fact that
many companies are operating under a flatter organization structure.
221. The doctrine of
employment at will
means that employees must be allowed to keep their
jobs as long as they are willing and able to perform their required duties. Under this doctrine,
employers can only fire or lay off an employee if the firm is in serious financial difficulty or the
employee is grossly incompetent or has committed a felony.
222. The golden handshake is a popular method of firing or dismissing senior members of your
workforce.
223. Marketing manager Sam Woodall has worked for Family Care Pharmaceuticals for 36
years. He fondly remembers the “good old days” when he could fire a worker for just about any
reason. He feels that today’s laws and regulations limiting his ability to fire workers undermines
his authority and forces him to keep employees that don’t measure up to his standards. Sam’s
views suggest he would favor working in a state that implements the policy of
employment at
will
.
224. Top managers at Unifaze Corporation have decided that the company must downsize, but
are concerned about the effect the reduction in employment will have on the morale of the
remaining employees. One way top management could keep morale from suffering would be to
establish an early retirement program.
225. Liz hired Max Maxwell right out of college. Max had brought a lot to the plate at the
Brooklyn Sporting Goods firm where Liz served as Marketing Director over the baseball,
basketball, and hockey lines. Yesterday, Max submitted his resignation after only one year on the
job, and disclosed that he is leaving sporting goods and taking a job in Canada where he will be
marketing a hockey arena. Liz is beside herself and has decided to personally conduct an exit
interview. In evaluating this situation, you agree that Liz is probably the best person to conduct
this interview.
226. Barney’s company creates promotional campaigns for other businesses. He just learned
that the firm lost the Lisle Account, a long-standing customer. In the short term, this will
significantly reduce the need for several creative writers and web content developers the
company has on staff. As he prepares to call each employee in for dismissal, Barney reviews the
best way to approach this inevitable task. He decides that it is best not to tarnish the image of
the company so rather than tell each that they lost an important account, he will blame the need
to reduce the workforce on new technology the firm is implementing and his personal evaluation
of their work. He also plans to offer a two-month severance payment, as long as each signs a no–
compete agreement good for one year. In that way, he may be able to call them back if new
accounts emerge. All of these strategies are considered good procedures that would surely avoid
“wrongful discharge lawsuits.”
227. _____________ is the process of evaluating human resource needs and then recruiting,
selecting, developing, motivating, evaluating, compensating, and scheduling employees to
achieve organizational goals.
228. The ultimate resource of a firm is its:
229. One of the key functions of human resource management is:
230. Today, human resource management has become so important that in many firms it has
become:
231. __________ workers have a higher skill level than their current job requires.
232. The changes in the American business system that have had the most dramatic impact
on the workings of the free enterprise system are the changes in:
233. In coming years, high-tech growth areas such as computers, biotechnology, and robots
are likely to experience a:
234. Which of the following statements best describes the current view of the role of human
resource management within a firm?
235. Which of the following is a challenge that is facing the human resource managers of
today?
236. Which of the following statements about human resource management opportunities and
challenges is most accurate?
237. Which of the following statements about human resource management opportunities and
challenges is most accurate?
238. When John lost his job as a highly skilled craftsman at a metal working shop, he searched
for a good job for several months before finally accepting a position as a maintenance worker at
a local community college. He is happy to have a job, but frustrated by the fact that he had to
settle for a job that did not take full advantage of his skills. John is a(n):
239. Frank is a human resource manager at a major corporation. If Frank’s company is like
most firms today, which of the following statements about his job is likely to be the most
accurate?
240. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964:
241. The _______________ was created by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and has since become a
formidable regulatory force in the administration of human resource management.
242. Probably the most controversial program enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission concerns:
243. The Civil Rights Act of 1991:
244. The ____________ protects individuals over the age of 40 from discrimination based on
age with respect to issues such as hiring, promotions, job benefits, and assignments.
245. Employers must verify that employment candidates are eligible to work in the U.S. as
mandated by the:
246. The Family and Medical Leave Act:
247. An important U.S. government organization charged with setting human resource
management guidelines is: