Questions for Review
17-1. What is the value of various recruitment methods?
Answer: Strategic recruiting has become a cornerstone for many companies.
Some of the most effective recruiting techniques include internal referrals,
Learning Objective: Describe the value of recruitment methods
Learning Outcome: Describe the components of human resource practices
AACSB: Reflective thinking
17-2. What are the methods of initial selection?
Answer: Initial selection devices are the first information applicants submit and
a. Application Forms. Application forms can be a good initial screen. They
b. Background Checks. More than 80 percent of employees check references;
Learning Objective: Specify initial selection methods
Learning Outcome: Describe the components of human resource practices
AACSB: Reflective thinking
17-3. What are the most useful methods of substantive selection?
Answer: Substantive selection is the heart of the selection process. This is used
Learning Objective: Identify the most useful substantive selection methods
Learning Outcome: Describe the components of human resource practices
AACSB: Reflective thinking
17-4. What are the similarities and differences among the main types of training?
Answer:
a. Basic Skills: one half of U.S. high school graduates do not have the basic
b. Technical Skills: focus of most training, especially given the pace of
c. Interpersonal Skills: skills like effective listening, communication, and
d. Problem-solving Skills: help sharpen logic and reasoning, and provide
e. Civility Training: deliberate interventions to improve the workplace
f. Ethics Training: ethics and values guidance incorporated in new-employee
Learning Objective: Compare the main types of training
Learning Outcome: Describe the components of human resource practices
AACSB: Reflective thinking
17-5. What are the methods of performance evaluations?
Answer:
Written Essays: probably the simplest method is to write a narrative describing
Critical Incidents: focus the evaluator’s attention on the difference
Graphic Rating Scales: the evaluator goes through a set of performance
Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales: combine major elements from the critical
Forced Comparisons: evaluate one individual’s performance against the
Group order ranking: requires the evaluator to place employees into a particular
Individual ranking approach: rank-orders employees from best to worst.
Learning Objective: List the methods of performance evaluation
Learning Outcome: Describe the components of human resource practices
AACSB: Reflective thinking
17-6. What are the various roles of HR in the leadership of organizations?
Answer: In addition to hiring the right people for the job, HR plays several other
important roles in organizations. HR is responsible for training and development,
Learning Objectives: Describe the leadership role of HR in organizations
Learning Outcome: Describe the components of human resource practices
AACSB: Reflective thinking
Experiential Exercise
Evaluating, Performing, and Providing Feedback
This exercise contributes to:
Learning Objectives: Specify initial selection methods; Identify the most useful substantive selection
methods
Learning Outcome: Describe the components of human resource practices
AACSB: Ethical understanding and reasoning; Reflective thinking
Break up into groups of two or three people each. Each group collaborates to write a
short interview questionnaire for evaluating a job candidate.
Step 1: Start by considering the core job tasks of a pharmaceutical sales representative
who markets medicines directly to care providers (doctors’ offices, nursing
homes, and hospitals). Together come up with a list of the three most important
things you think this person needs to do on the job. You can look up a job
description online for more detail. Don’t describe personal characteristics an
individual should have (“needs to be hardworking and friendly”). Instead, focus
on the three most important tasks the representative does on the job.
Step 2: Next, write down one core skill or ability that would help someone do each task.
Think about what a person could naturally be good at (an ability or personality
trait) and what the person would know through practice and instruction
(knowledge and skills).
Step 3: Now develop three questions you would ask a candidate (one for each task) to
assess whether he or she has the ability, personality, knowledge, or skills to do
the job. Remember to ask questions that get at the very specific core
skills/abilities you have described for that task. Try writing at least one question
about something the person has done in the past, and at least one about
something the person would do if faced with a situation on the job. For example,
you could start the question about the past with “Tell me about a time you had
to . . .,” and start the question about what the person would do with “Imagine
you’re in the following situation. Tell me what you’d do.”
Step 4: The last part of your structured job interview is developing a scoring key to help
the interviewer rate different responses. Don’t just rate answers from “1 = very
good” to “3 = very bad.” Instead, rate answers in a way that is as objective and
specific as possible.
To help you with this process, the following is a structured job interview questionnaire
that relates to keeping track of inventory in a retail sales job. It illustrates each step of the
process, but for just one task.
Example Step 1: Task: Greeting customers.
Example Step 2: Skill or ability required: Social skill in making others feel welcome.
Example Step 3: “Tell me about a time when you’ve had to get to meet a new person,”
or, “Imagine you’re just meeting a customer. What would you do to
help this person feel at ease?”
Example Step 4: The scoring key for the “Tell me about a time . . .” question might be: 1
= describes meeting new people as uncomfortable, 2 = describes
situation where a new introduction went well after a while, 3 =
describes situation where meeting a new person went very well. The
scoring key for the “Imagine you’re just meeting . . . ” question might
be: 1 = isn’t sure what to do, 2 = would say hello and leave customer
alone, 3 = would say hello, ask what customer wants, and try to help
meet those needs.
Class Discussion
After all the groups have written their questions, get together and discuss your steps. Was
this an easy process? What might be the advantages of writing interview questions and
scoring keys in advance like this, compared to a more informal conversational approach?
Are there any disadvantages to the more structured approach? If so, what are they?
Ethical Dilemma
Are On-Demand Workers Really Employees?
This exercise contributes to:
Learning Objectives: Specify initial selection methods; Identify the most useful substantive selection
methods
Learning Outcome: Describe the components of human resource practices
AACSB: Ethical understanding and reasoning; Reflective thinking
The ascendancy of Uber and Lyft was both rapid and widespread. Over the course of a
few years, these rideshare companies leveraged the ready availability of mobile
technology to create a new type of service that was faster and more convenient for many
passengers than calling a taxi dispatch office.
Rideshare systems link people in search of rides with people who sign up to drive their
own cars. In fact, the drivers registered with rideshare firms not only use their own cars;
they also pay all maintenance and insurance costs. There are no time cards, supervisors,
career paths, or health insurance arrangements because the companies have not
considered the drivers as employees at all. Instead, they are independent contractors,
members of the “sharing economy” that links them to online work portals for one-off
interactions with customers. Other organizations, such as the delivery service Postmates,
Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, and Handy Cleaning Service, have adopted the same model.
A series of ongoing lawsuits asks whether these companies are actually treating
contractors like employees. Legally, an employer cannot formally evaluate the
performance or direct the work activities of an independent contractor. However, there
are some ways in which these companies do exercise control. Uber, for example, has
documented cases in which its drivers were “deactivated” because their online customer
reviews were too low. Hours are only somewhat flexible because drivers have been told
they will be suspended if they accept fewer than 90 percent of the rides sent to them.
Evaluating work quality and hours worked both fall on the side of employment rather
than independent contractor relationships.
What is at stake? Rules and regulations that cover employees go beyond protections
offered to independent contractors. For example, independent contractors do not receive
the workers’ compensation, overtime wage premiums, health care, paid time off, or
mandatory minimum wage coverage that extends to employees. Employers also bear
significant tax and legal liabilities for employees that don’t apply to their hiring of
independent contractors. Some advocates argue that drivers may have much to gain if
they can be classified as employees, because it will bring stability and predictability to
their work.
The social and ethical consequences of the sharing economy are only beginning to be
considered. Organizations that have been built on the sharing economy will all have to
face questions about how their policies affect the willingness of the workers they rely on.
Sources: A. Griswold, “Are Uber Drivers Employees?” Slate, March 12, 2015; R. Silverman, “Uber, Lyft Cases Focus on Drivers’
Legal Status,” Wall Street Journal, March 15, 2015; and R Weiner and L. DePillis, “How Congress Can Make Life Better for Uber
Drivers and Bike Messengers,” Washington Post, June 3, 2015,
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/how-congress-can-makelife-better-for-uber-drivers/2015/06/03/621d89f4-09f8-
11e5-9e39-0db921c47b93_story.html.
Questions
17-7. What would you advise HR departments to do about the ethical dilemma
organizations like Uber and Lyft face?
Answer: The answer to this question will depend greatly on the student’s opinion.
Many students will probably suggest that Uber and Lyft have an ethical
responsibility to provide consumers with the information they need to make an
17-8. How might changes in the legal employment status of drivers affect companies
like Uber and Lyft? Do you think these organizations would be able to survive in
relation to their competition of, say, traditional taxi companies?
Answer: Again, the student’s position on this question will reflect his or her
17-9. To what degree do you think employers have a responsibility to these independent
contractors? What changes might these organizations consider regardless of legal
requirements, if you feel there is an ethical obligation that remains unfulfilled?
Answer: Again, the student’s answer will depend on his or her opinion.
Case Incident 1
Getting a Foot in the Door?
This exercise contributes to:
Learning Objective: Specify initial selection methods; Identify the most useful substantive selection
methods
Learning Outcome: Describe the components of human resource practices
AACSB: Ethical understanding and reasoning; Reflective thinking
Many business students are familiar with the pressure to get internships or part-time jobs
in their career field while in school. The surest route to the career track for many is to
take on these limited-duration work assignments. Internships do give employers an easy
way to size up potential applicants in a setting identical to the one in which they would
perform. And unlike employees, interns are easily terminated if they don’t pan out. It’s
the same situation for part-time or summer workers, who are sometimes let go at a
moment’s notice.
Internships are such a powerful tool for finding jobs that some students have begun to
take on low-paid or even unpaid work assignments. While such “early bird” internships
used to be primarily associated with large organizations, many startups have begun to
attract students. For example, Remy Agamy took an internship at a three-person design
company, knowing that it wasn’t likely to turn into a job. Still, in the job market she
found that other prospective employers were keen on learning what she’d done in this
internship. “I think we talked more about my eight-week internship than my four years of
consulting experience,” she said.
The value of internships for students, however, has long been questioned. While there
may be a promise of a chance to learn, many students complain of doing little more than
acting as unpaid, unskilled labor. Christina Isnardi is one student who felt exploited by
the system. She described working 16- or 17-hour days at Lions Gate Entertainment,
doing work like taking breakfast orders or working in locations far from the actual film
set. “We just feel as though our dreams are holding us hostage to this unfair, unethical
labor practice.” Isnardi’s experiences are not uncommon. Interns working for
organizations as diverse as MTV, Warner Music Group, and Madison Square Garden
describe similar experiences, which is why all these organizations have all faced lawsuits
from former interns.
In what might seem like a dream job, other students have negotiated great-sounding
internships at organizations that regularly hire interns and pay them, but then don’t know
what to do with these temporary employees. One student we know of was encouraged to
make the best use of his time during his summer internship in a major city, including
taking a paying job elsewhere and just staying in touch by phone when work hours
overlapped! Because of his ingenuity, he reported it was a very productive summer, but
the internship didn’t provide the learning opportunity he was seeking. Many major
organizations maintain internship programs as part of a broader corporate social
responsibility (CSR) value.
Whether internships have value remains an open question. Most of the controversy does
suggest that students need to know the details before agreeing to these arrangements,
because not all internships offer a fair living wage or a strong career experience. HR
departments are responsible for monitoring and designing internship programs.
Sources: R. Feintzeig and M. Korn, “Internships Go under the Microscope,” Wall Street Journal, April 23, 2014, B7; L. Gellman,
“Diving into the Intern Pool before Starting at B-School,” Wall Street Journal, February 5, 2014, B7; C. Zillman, “Unpaid Interns
Have Their Day in Court—Again,” Fortune, January 29, 2015, http://fortune.com/2015/01/29/unpaid-internships-legal-battle/.
Questions
17-10. If you were an HR professional at Lions Gate Entertainment, how might you
evaluate Isnardi’s claim of exploitation? What changes might you suggest to top
management, and managers?
Answer: This item can be assigned as a Discussion Question in
17-11. What specific characteristics would you look for in an internship?
Answer: Responses to this question will vary by student.
17-12. Do you think interns who feel they’ve had a negative or exploitive relationship
with a company should file lawsuits? Why or why not? What types of company
actions might make you think a lawsuit is justified?
Answer: Responses to this question will vary by student depending on individual
Case Incident 2
You May Be Supporting Slavery
This exercise contributes to:
Learning Objective: Identify the most useful substantive selection methods
Learning Outcome: Describe the components of human resource practices
AACSB: Ethical understanding and reasoning; Reflective thinking
It’s your birthday, and you’re going out for hors d’oeuvres at the club followed by a
celebration at your favorite restaurant. The club staff greets you warmly as always, and
your seafood dinner is predictably excellent. You’ve visited these places many times
before, own a stake in the club, and take clients to the restaurant. How did you not know
you and your company support slavery?
It may be a case of ignorance being bliss, according to experts. Alberto Pozzi, who
manages Miami Shores Country Club, claimed he was unaware the 39 Filipino workers
he employed through a staffing agency were slaves. The agency, Quality Staffing
Services, charged immigrants fees for food, housing, and utilities that depleted their
earnings to near zero and left them perpetually owing the initial $5,000 recruiting fee.
Living conditions were awful, medical care was refused, and abuse was common.
Workers’ visas were withheld, so they couldn’t leave. Yet, Pozzi said, “These people
never had a word or outward indication that they were unhappy.”
Consumers are equally unaware of the slaves used to bring P.F. Chang’s signature
calamari to our table. New Zealand fisherman with United Fisheries may voice the
indignities their enslavement through their staffing agency brings them—no net pay,
squalid conditions, debt, 16-hour work days, lack of safety equipment—but no one hears
them half a world away, where much of the company’s revenue is generated.
The cases of Miami Shores Country Club and United Fisheries are far from unique. There
are more than 27 million victims of human trafficking worldwide, and their number is
growing with the increasing demand for inexpensive labor, particularly in the United
States and other Western democracies. In response, U.S. law now holds companies
responsible for violations even when they are not the direct employers. According to the
federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act, employers are liable if they are aware of or
profit from human trafficking. Individual states are following suit, enacting laws such as
the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act, which requires large multinational
companies to proactively address slavery throughout their supply chains.
HR departments are on the front lines of the unwitting use of slavery, whether slaves are
employees in our midst or employees of suppliers. “Just like you’ve got to know where
your raw materials come from, you’ve got to know where your people come from. I think
HR people are just awakening to this,” said ManpowerGroup executive vice president
Mara Swan. Experts urge human resource professionals to understand the laws that apply
to their organizations, build no-tolerance policies, train employees to identify infractions,
monitor contractors and suppliers, and join industry groups to share information.
While individuals can help end slavery by refusing to purchase items produced by
indentured workers, human resource professionals can play a pivotal role in eliminating
the economic feasibility of the violators.
Sources: B. DiPietro, “The Morning Risk Report: Coming to Grips with Thailand’s Slave Labor Seafood,” The Wall Street Journal,
June 11, 2014, http://blogs.wsj.com/riskandcompliance/tag/p-f-chang/; D. Meinert, “Modern-Day Slavery,” HR Magazine, May 2012,
22–27; and E. B. Skinner, “The Cruelest Catch,” Bloomberg Businessweek, February 27–March 4, 2012, 70–76.
Questions
17-13. What are two ways in which modern-day workers might become slaves? Who do
you hold ethically accountable for their indentured servitude?
Answer: The case points out that workers in the case were effectively enslaved
because their visas were taken away and also because they were ensnared in a
17-14. How might an employer seek to determine whether the individuals hired through
agencies are in indentured servitude?
Answer: This item can be assigned as a Discussion Question in
17-15. Once someone becomes an indentured worker, why might he or she stay?
Answer: Responses to this question will vary by student, but many will probably
My Management Lab
Go to mymanagementlab.com for Auto-graded writing questions as well as the
following Assisted-graded writing questions:
17-16. In regard to Case Incident 1, what responsibility do you think HR professionals
have in designing, supporting, and telling candidates about their organization’s
internships?
17-17. From your reading of Case Incident 2, what would you do if you were in an HR
department and discovered a group of your organization’s employees were slaves
to their placement agencies?
17-18. MyManagementLab Only – comprehensive writing assignment for this chapter.
Instructor’s Choice
Recruiting for the Registry
This exercise contributes to:
Learning Objective: Identify the most useful substantive selection methods
Learning Outcome: Describe the components of human resource practices
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments; Reflective thinking
Students are asked to assume the position of Director of Human Resources for a gift
registry website based in St. Paul, Minnesota. The company is expanding rapidly and
must hire 30 new employees. However, the company wants to increase its workforce
diversity, so the HR office is attempting to develop a recruitment strategy to increase
diversity.
Form groups of five to six students each. Each group will be assigned a particular
minority group for which to develop a recruitment strategy. (Minority groups that have
been assigned in the past include African Americans, Native Americans, Asians,
Hispanics, and physically challenged men over 40). In developing your recruitment
strategy, be as specific as possible (i.e., list specific organizations, journals/magazines,
newspapers, college campuses, radio and/or TV stations, etc. that you would use to target
your minority group).
Exploring OB Topics on the Web
This exercise contributes to:
Learning Objective: Identify the most useful substantive selection methods
Learning Outcome: Describe the components of human resource practices
AACSB: Reflective thinking
1. Do you have a job in mind once you graduate from college, or maybe a dream job
that you hope to land someday? Write a job description for the job. Include as much
detail as possible, including qualifications, nature, scope, etc. If you are not sure what to
include, do an Internet search for job descriptions. There are many free websites that will
give you the needed categories.
2. Rank and Yank. This is not an “official term” you will see in the textbooks, but it
is how employees often refer to forced rankings as a method of evaluation. Below is a
website (an Internet search will yield more) that discusses this topic. Write a short
two-page paper on your reaction to the term “rank and yank” after reading one or more
online articles. http://www.laweekly.com/ink/02/08/on-powers.php
3. Termination: it’s not a friendly term, but employees are fired every day. What
would you do if you were the person who is to deliver the bad news to the employee?
There are better ways than others to let an employee go, and they involve “due process.”
Learn more about how to conduct yourself in this situation at
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/203070. Write a short reaction paper on what you
learned. Include not only what you learned if you were the person delivering the bad
news, but also what you think you would do if you were the one being terminated.
4. Writing a job analysis is one of those duties that managers typically only do rarely
in their careers, but it is important when a new job is created or when making decisions
about what training should take place for new employees. Go to
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/56490 and read about how to conduct a job analysis.
Select a job and then write a job analysis for it based on the recommendations of the
article. Try to select a “public” job or one that everyone in the class would be familiar
with (e.g., bank teller, flight attendant, customer service representative, and travel agent,
even—college professor!) Bring your analysis to class for feedback.