Human Resources Chapter 01 Homework Chobani has grown a great deal since its founding

Bauer, Human Resource Management

SAGE Publishing, 2020

Answers to In-Text Questions

Chapter 1: Introduction to Human Resource Management

HRM in Context: The Case of Chobani’s Evolving HR Culture

Case Discussion Questions;

1. Chobani has grown a great deal since its founding in 2005. How do you think growth has

influenced its HR practices beyond what is mentioned in this case? Please share specific

insights.

Chobani experienced tremendous growth within 2 years of opening. HR most likely did not

2. Craig Gomez, Chobani’s former Chief People Officer, makes a strong case for HR being in

the business of solving problems for the organization. Do you agree with this position? Why

or why not?

Gomez‘s position that HR is a partner in problem solving is one of the key elements in

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3. Why do you think that Chobani’s founder, Hamdi Ulukaya, gave away 10% of his company

to his current full-time employees? Do you think this is a wise idea or a foolish one? Why?

By giving employees shares of stock, Ulukaya potentially created a great deal of loyalty from

all employees. The original five employees, who really took the biggest chance on the success

4. Do you consider Chobani’s policy of offering 6 weeks of paid parental leave to all full-time

employees a waste of money or a wise investment? Be prepared to defend your response.

Chobani is continuously striving to be a people-centered company. By providing paid

Spotlight on Ethics: SHRM Code of Ethics

Ethics is critically important to the effective practice of HRM. Ethical decisions and actions lead to

greater trust and engagement within organizations and allow for all types of information to emerge,

which is important for effective decision making. Given the importance of ethics to HRM, the Society

Bauer, Human Resource Management

SAGE Publishing, 2020

for Human Resource Management (SHRM), which is the world’s largest professional society for human

resource management, developed a code of ethics. We encourage you to read this code of ethics

Questions

1. Describe a hypothetical scenario in which you as an HR professional would need to apply

certain principles from the SHRM Code of Ethics.

Responses will vary by students. There are many potential areas where ethics are an

2. Choose a business situation from the news or the HR literature where principles from the

SHRM Code of Ethics made a difference or could have made a difference. Specifically,

what did the decision makers do right, or what could they have done better?

There are many examples of ethical violations in the news on a regular basis. Students

may discuss whistleblower issues such as those at Enron and Arthur Anderson, or

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Mini-Case Analysis Exercise: Information Seeking as a New Employee

You have started work at a small company, Johnson Natural Shoes, which designs and produces

children’s shoes. The company has an innovative approach and uses all-natural materials. Its product has

You do not have a job description or formal job title. But you are the only person in the organization with

a degree in business, and Shannon mentioned to you that you were hired in the hopes you could help the

company manage its rapid growth. At this point, the company is on track to double in size this year

compared to last year when it only had 28 employees.

Now it is your turn to decide how to help:

1. Given that you are still new to the company, how would you approach learning

more about the company and its employees?

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There are many examples to be learned by referencing back to the Chobani case.

2. What are specific key questions you might want to ask employees about the

company?

While student responses will vary, it is important to try to determine what is being

3. Based on your knowledge of business, what would you advise Shannon to

consider as HR priorities as the organization experiences high growth?

Shannon needs to consider how to attract and retain employees with expertise

HR Decision Analysis Exercise: Unlimited Vacation?

In this chapter, we presented a lot of information regarding HRM and approaches to business in general.

Given how many different things you have considered, we would like you to take some time to focus in

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Your company is considering giving everyone in the organization unlimited vacation time

regardless of how long they have been with the company or how much they currently make. This

[Insert Figure 1.0 here]

Please generate questions and provide the rationale for them around each of the following

characteristics. In other words, what questions do you need to have answered to determine if this

is an effective HRM decision?

Legal, ethical, and fair

Answers will vary but might cite laws that indicate these policies are legal. In terms of being ethical and

fair, students may want to consider how many vacation days are actually used when unlimited vacation

policies exist. While on the surface, this sounds like a great benefit, it can be more difficult for employees

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SAGE Publishing, 2020

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Evidence based/evidence informed

Students should look at which firms are using a similar policy and consider the number of days actually

being taken and the cost to the organization. A comparative analysis might be done to look at retention,

Fosters healthy employee–employer relationships

This might be harder to measure. On the surface this has the potential to be a great policy, thereby

improving employee–employer relationships. However, consideration must also be given to the idea that

an employee may decide to take 6 weeks off work to travel or spend time with family, and the work

usually performed by that employee must still be completed. The students must also consider the attitudes

of those managers and supervisors who are responsible for ensuring work is accomplished in a timely

manner.

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vacation at the same time.

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Timely and cost-effective

Student discussion should consider why this is the right time for such a policy, and what does the

Takes a systematic stakeholder perspective

In addition to considering the effects of this policy on the employees and the organization (including the

recruitment and retention goals of the organization), students must consider all stakeholders. How will

this policy be perceived by suppliers, vendors, customers, and what effect will such a policy have on the

value of the organization if it is a publicly traded organization?

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of notice does an employee need to give to take vacation? What happens when an employee takes an

extended vacation then gives notice?

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Considering your analysis, overall, is this an effective decision? Why, or why not?

Answers will vary by student. On this surface, this is a great policy for the employee and might be viewed

What, if anything, do you think should be taken into consideration to help make this decision most

effective?

There are many things students will identify as part of the decision making process. Some will look at this

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HR Decision-Making Exercise: The Changing Context of HRM

Making HRM decisions is often a group activity as seldom does one person have all the required

information, context, and expertise to tackle every HR issue. Working in a group, review the six

1. Form your group.

2. Decide if there are additional trends your group believes might be as important or

more important than these six.

The trends identified as most important by the group will depend on who is in the group

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3. As a group, decide which trend your group collectively feels is the most important

factor that will influence HRM. It is as important to justify your answer in terms

of your selection of the most important factor as it is to defend why the others are

not seen as equally important.