Question Details

BUS 414 HRM Human Resource Management
Take home exam due Tuesday, September 28 2010 by 8 am
Answer all questions - make sure your responses are on point, checked for grammar, and generally at the level that is expected for a 400-level course. Each question is worth 20 points.
Return to me by e-mail: [email protected] anytime before it is due.

1.	Discuss why ethical issues permeate HR management. Beyond the value of ethics for its own sake, what “practical” value does ethical behavior have for an organization? What are the four elements of ethics programs?  Relate the lack of ethical behavior with the current downturn in the US economy and give specific examples of how better HR management could have helped.

2.	 a.  Why is strategic HR management essential for organizational success? Give an				  example of how strategic HR management helped a company succeed or lack of it led		      to a company- failure.
b.	What is environmental scanning? Why is it important? What information does it convey to the HR manager? Give an example of the use of environmental scanning in any organization of which you have been a part.

3.	a.  Why are some forms of “discrimination” among applicants or employees legal and productive for the organization and why are some forms of discrimination illegal? Give an example of each to support your argument.
b. What are the legal and practical issues surrounding employing older workers?
c. Discuss the following statement with reference to EEO laws and regulations:
"This is my business ... I founded it ... I ought to be able to hire and fire whomever I choose without interference from the government."


4.	a. Why do people generally stay in their jobs?  Discuss four of the main reasons.  If you were an HR manager, what could you do to ensure that the best workers are retained while you reduce the number of less desirable employees? 
b. Discuss the statement: “Job analysis is the most basic function of human resource management.” Be sure to include the process of job analysis in your answer. 





5.	 Read and respond to the case below:
Case:  The Reluctant Receptionist

Superior Products Company has recently hired a new HR assistant, Virginia Fisher, who just received a college degree.  Frederick Mills, the HR Director, was extremely pleased to find someone who had some familiarity with basic management concepts because he was the entire HR department except for a clerk-typist.  During the interview Frederick emphasized that he planned to have Virginia function as his assistant and that she would be doing some interviewing and be responsible for maintaining employee records.  Because Superior has over 300 employees, Frederick had been too busy to prepare anything resembling a job description except for some scrawled notes on the back of an envelope.
	Everything went fine for the first week for Virginia.  On Monday of the second week, Frederick called Virginia into his office and explained that there was another minor duty that he had not mentioned to her.  Frederick said, “In order to get approval to hire you from the president. I had to agree that whoever was hired would be the relief receptionist from 11:30 to 12:30 every day.  The switchboard is usually quite busy and we wanted to be sure someone who is capable would be the backup.”  Virginia was not very happy about this assignment being sprung on her, but she agreed to try it for a while.
	Within two weeks she was beginning to dread having to work the switchboard an hour everyday.  Also, she discovered that she was expected to be the relief if the receptionist was sick or unable to work.  On Wednesday and Thursday of the third week the regular receptionist was sick and Virginia filled in for her.  On Friday, Virginia told Frederick she was quitting in two weeks.  When asked why, Virginia replied, “You misrepresented the job to me.  You never said anything about my receptionist duties.  If you had, I probably would not have taken the job.”

Questions

1.	Why did the absence of accurate job information create a problem?

2.	To prevent future problems, what content should be in a job description     
for the HR assistant



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