978-1119032748 Chapter 2 Solution Manual

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Chapter 2: Functions and Strategy

Reviewing Important Concepts

1. Explain which of the advances in management seem most and least important in the

evolution of HRM. (LO 1)

Students may have difficulty choosing between the advancements explained in the

chapter listed here. Encourage them to explain their choices.

Scientific management advanced by Frederick Taylor improved worker productivity

and income by creating scientific principles for the best way to do any specific job.

Hugo Munsterberg advocated matching jobs to personalities and improved testing,

training and performance management. Recognizing the value of a worker’s

Mary Parker Follet emphasized creating a community within the workplace to

The Hawthorne studies illuminated the relationship between motivation, productivity

Frederick Herzberg and Abraham Maslow introduced additional theories about

2. How is the role of HR demonstrated in each of the four management functions? (LO

2, 3)

The four functions of management are planning, organizing, leading and controlling.

Planning deals with establishing goals. HR follows Federal legislation which requires

Organizing deals with accomplishing those goals by structuring the working

Leading ensures that the right people are on the job with appropriate skills and

Controlling deals with monitoring activities to ensure that goals are met. HR must

3. Explain the purpose of HRM in an organization.(LO 3, 4, 5, 6)

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Human resource management is the people component of management. As a staff

function, HR helps line managers with staffing (getting people); training and

4. What role does HRM play in the strategic management process? (LO 3)

HR assists the organization in evaluating the current status, gives input into future

opportunities, develops plans to align human resources practices such as hiring, training,

compensation and benefits all support organizational goals. Different corporate level

5. Explain ways that a talent management strategy improves an organization’s ability

to attract and keep talented employees (LO 6)

Talent management focuses HR strategy and efforts on identifying, assessing, developing

and retaining talent that can meet the organization’s needs and objectives. It also

involved heavy use of HR technology and quantitative measures called metrics to allow

6. Which of the HR functions seem to be most important and why? (LO 4)

The functions of staffing, training and development, motivation and maintenance are all

quite important and interdependent. Students may make effective arguments that any one

Evaluating Alternatives

7. Aiden, founder of a growing company that creates software to help small businesses

manage their money sees no reason to create a mission statement or undergo a

strategic planning process. He states “It’s my company. The mission is whatever I

say it is. We work hard, play hard and don’t have time to sit around answering a lot

of questions about where we want to be in five years. We want to be the “go-to” for

startups that want to grow. Period!” Evaluate Aiden’s point of view. What should a

strategic plan for his company include? (LO 3)

At some point, the organization will outgrow Aiden’s ability to communicate his vision to

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all stakeholders. His approach is similar to many entrepreneurs, but the reality is that

putting the guiding principles into a more accessible and permanent form such as a

8. You have been offered two positions in HRM. One is a generalist position in a

smaller business, and one is a recruiting position in a large corporation. Explain

which of the two jobs you would prefer and why. Which will provide a better

foundation for an HR career? Opportunities for advancement? Defend your

answers. (LO 4, 5)

Generalists have great opportunities to gain experience in a variety of HR function areas

such as hiring, training, evaluating, communication and administering benefits.

Research and Communication Skills

9. Students will visit and HRM department and interview an HR professional about his or

10. After explaining the influence of the Hawthorne Studies on HRM, students provide three

11. Students research the SHRM website for student membership options and services.

12. Research HRCI and ATD professional certifications and report back to class with

Making a Difference: Service Learning Projects

Overview: Service Learning Projects provide students with opportunities to develop and

demonstrate HR skills and build a professional network that will assist in getting a job in HR.

The activities that relate to this chapter involve helping non-profit organizations create an event

tailored to its mission or strategy. A sample assignment with requirements and grading materials

is available at the front of the Instructor’s Manual and as a download from the text website.

Case Application 2-A: Seeds of Change at Grower’s Choice

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Grower’s Choice is a regional food store chain that plans rapid growth and was recently advised

to begin a strategic planning process to guide HR policies and practices and prepare for growth.

Armed with a new mission statement and list of core values, students are asked to apply strategic

HR and talent management concepts to support the mission and values of the growing company.

1. If Growers’ Choice strategic mission includes rapidly increasing the number of

stores, explain the implications this has for the human resource department.(LO 3)

HR has primary responsibility for recruiting, screening, hiring and training new

employees. If Grower’s Choice plans to grow quickly, a strategic plan for the positions that

need to be filled, the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary for those positions and the

2. How should Grower’s Choice mission and values statements influence Alonzo as he

restructures the HR department? (LO 3, 4, 5)

The mission or values reflect the core values of the organization. HR should use them as

guiding principles as they help develop a culture that establishes how organizational

3. Explain ways each of the four HRM functions can contribute to supporting the

mission and values. (LO 4)

Staffing: Employment planning, branding, job analysis, screening and selection should

Training and development: Training, employee development, career development and

Motivation: Intrinsic rewards should provide motivation because jobs have been

designed to provide personal satisfaction from work accomplishments, responsibility

Maintenance: Benefits, work-life balance and effective communication with

4. Describe the ways that a talent management strategy can benefit Grower’s Choice. (LO 6)

Talent Management will promote workforce planning that makes sure that Grower’s Choice

creates an effective recruiting program, tracks applicants through the hiring process, establishes

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5. Evaluate the option of outsourcing the HR function for Grower’s Choice. (LO 7)

Advantages: Organizations can outsource one or all HR functions, outsourcing may allow

organizations to provide more generous benefits, attract better job candidates and more

6. Research: Compare the mission and values of Grower’s Choice with another food store

chain such as Wegman’s, Publix, Meijer, Albertsons or your favorite local supermarket.

What evidence do you see on the website that HR practices reflect the organizational

strategy? (LO 3, 4, 5)

Encourage students to first look at the organization’s mission or values, then go to the

career section to find examples of policies or activities that support the mission.

Examples may include testimonials or videos of employees describing the culture and

Case Application 2-B: Hungry For Productivity: Frito-Lay Links Strategy

With Job Design

1. How are recruiting, job design and organizational strategy at Frito-Lay linked?

How does one influence the other? (LO 3, 4, 5)

Recruiting and job design should focus on the people, skills and tasks necessary to

accomplish Frito-Lay’s organizational strategy. Redesigning the RSR jobs so they were

better able to keep stores stocked and negotiate for additional shelf space made the

products more available, benefitting customers, RSRs and the company.

Prior sales experience became a priority in recruiting and screening applicants.

2. If you were an RSR at Frito-Lay, which of the changes would you find most

beneficial? Least? How would the changes affect your motivation? (LO 6)

Additional sales training, as well as making hourly workers available to help in the high

volume areas with stocking duties would be most beneficial. In addition, the tight driving

and delivery schedules would be stressful and would require driving techniques that may

reduce lag time but are dangerous – so additional training in driving under stressful

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3. Can all productivity problems be cured by better aligning job design with

organizational mission? Why or why not? (LO 3, 4, 5)

Analyzing any job and redesigning it to become more in tune with an organizational

mission may not always solve productivity problems, especially in the long term. For the

short term, organizations can redesign jobs and hire the appropriate individuals who

might be motivate to complete the requirements of those jobs and aid the organizational

mission. Long term however, these employees will need an organizational infrastructure

4. Research: How does Frito Lay recruit for RSRs? What online sources do they use?

Explore sites like Indeed.com and Glassdoor.com and read the reviews of applicants

and employees. What evidence do you see that hiring is linked to strategy? (LO 3, 4,

Encourage students to go beyond Frito Lay’s career site to explore any social media

Online Case Application 2 – C: TEAM FUN

Questions:

1. What role should Tony play aligning HR practices with TEAM FUN business strategy? (LO

2. Which of the HR functions can be identified in Tony’s activities? (LO 4)

3. How should Tony structure the HR department if Kenny and Norton plan to continue the

company’s rapid growth?(LO 3, 5)

4. How can a talent management strategy help TEAM FUN? (LO 6)

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