Chapters 10, 11 & 12 Test Prep

What are the six steps in a performance appraisal?

1. Establishing performance standards. 2. Communicating those standards. 3. Evaluating the performance. 4. Discussing results with employees. 5. Taking corrective action. 6. Using the results to make decisions.

What are the six steps in the selection process?

1. Obtaining complete application forms. 2. Conducting initial and follow-up interviews. 3. Giving employment tests. 4. Conducting background investigations. 5. Obtaining results from physical exams. 6. Establishing trial (probationary) periods.

What are the five steps in human resource planning?

1. Preparing a human resource inventory of the organization's employees - ages, names, education, capabilities, training, specialized skills and other relevant info. 2. Preparing a job analysis - What employees do who hold various job titles (this includes a job description and specification.) 3. Assessing future human resource demand. 4. Assessing future labor supply. 5. Establishing a strategic plan - addresses recruiting, selecting, training, developing, appraising, compensating, and scheduling.

Who is considered a contingent worker, and why do companies hire such workers?

Contingent workers - employees that include part time workers, temporary workers, seasonal workers, independent contractors, interns, and co-op students.

What are several steps firms can take to increase internal communications and thus motivation?

Create an organizational culture that rewards listening - providing feedback, adopting employee suggestions, etc. Train supervisors and managers to listen. Use effective questioning techniques. Remove barriers to open communication - do not have separate areas for managers, dress code, etc. Avoid vague and ambiguous communication - using general phrases that leave people wondering if they did something wrong (ex. "mistake were made") Make it easy to communicate - encouraging employees to do lunches together and hold meetings/discussion groups. Ask employees what is important to them - holding "stay interviews" rather than asking what they could have done better during an exit interview.

Evaluate expectancy theory. When could expectancy theory apply to your efforts or lack of effort?

During a review - if you didn't meet the standards that were previously set for you there could be consequences. If you exceeded them you could be rewarded.

Why is it important to adjust motivational styles to individual employees? Are there any general principles of motivation that today's managers should follow?

It is important to tailor motivational styles to specific generations because different generations communicate differently and are looking to get different things out of their career/place of employment. General principles of motivation that can be used all around generation to generation is giving people the right tools to complete the job properly and recognizing those who are putting in effort and doing a good job. Not punishment or rewards.

How did Mayo's findings influence scientific management?

Mayo's findings influenced scientific management because he originally was going to study the employee's production based on the lighting in the work space. Once he realized that the worker's production did not changed based on the dimming /brightening of the lights he realized that they may remain constant because they were being watched regardless of the conditions.

What is the primary purpose of a performance appraisal?

Measuring that employees performance against established standards in order to make decisions about promotions, compensation, training, or termination.

Can you name and describe five alternative compensation techniques?

Salary - Fixed compensation computed on weekly, biweekly, or monthly pay periods. Salary employees do not receive additional pay for any extra hours worked. Hourly - Pay is based on the number of hours per day worked, using things such as punch cards or a time clock keep track of the time worked per employee. This does not include benefits such as retirement systems which may add 30 percent or more to the total package. Commission Plans - Pay is based on some percentage of sales. Often used to compensate salespeople, commission plans resemble piecework systems. Profit-sharing plans - Annual bonuses paid to employees based on the company's profits. Based on a predetermined percentage. One of the most common forms of performance-based pay. Stock options - Right to purchase stock in the company at a specific price over a specific period.

Draw a diagram of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Label & describe the parts.

Self-actualization esteem needs social needs safety needs physiological needs

What did Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 achieve?

Title VII prohibits the discrimination in hiring, firing, compensation, apprenticeships, training, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment based on race, religion, creed, sex, or national origin.

How does top-executive pay in the United States compare with top-executive pay in other countries?

Top executive pay in the U.S. is much higher than that in other countries.

What factors make it difficult to recruit qualified employees?

- Some organizations have policies that demand promotions from within. - Emphasis on corporate culture, teamwork, and participative management make it hard to find people who fit. - People with the necessary skills are just not available.

Explain the principles of equity theory?

Employees try to maintain equity between inputs and outputs compared to others in similar positions. So basically they compare themselves to other employees in their same or similar positions. When people think they are not being treated equally they will change their productivity habits in a negative way.

What is the EEOC, and what was the intention of affirmative action?

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission - the intention of affirmative action was to "right past wrongs" by increasing opportunities for women and minorities.

What are the benefits and challenges of flextime? Telecommuting? Job sharing?

Flextime plans allow employees to choose which hours to work as long as they work a certain number of hours - it doesn't really work for fast food employees or manufacturing plants where people need to be on specific shifts - it can also be easily abused if workers are not supervised carefully. Telecommuting (working from home) can reduce the number of paid sick days and absences, it can save money on office space and broadens available talent - it can also make it more difficult to appraise job performance, hard to promote team work, and complicates the distribution of tasks (taking files home, etc.) Job sharing - Two or more part-time employees share one full time job - you will need to hire, train, motivate and supervise twice the amount of employees.

Explain the distinction between what Herzberg called motivators and hygiene factors.

Hygiene factors (policy and administration, supervision, working conditions, interpersonal relations, salary/status/job security) can cause dissatisfaction but changing them will have a motivational effect. Motivators (work itself, recognition, achievement, responsibility, growth & advancement) used to motivate workers.

Briefly describe the managerial attitudes behind Theories X, Y and Z.

X - 1. Employees dislike work and will try to avoid it. 2. Employees prefer to be controlled and directed. 3.Employees seek security and responsibility. 4. Must be intimidated by managers to perform. 5. Motivated by financial rewards. Y - 1. Employees view work as a natural part of life. 2. Prefer limited control and direction. 3. Will seek responsibility under proper work conditions. 4. Perform better in work environments that aren't intimidating. 5. Employees are motivated by many different needs. Z - 1. Employee involvement is the key to increased productivity. 2. Employee control is implied and informal. 3. Employees prefer to share responsibility and decision making. 4. Employees perform better in environments that foster trust and cooperation. 5. Employees need guaranteed employment and will accept slow evaluations and promotions.

What are the major laws that affected union growth, and what does each one cover?

Norris-LaGuardia Act, 1932 - Prohibited courts from issuing injunctions against nonviolent union activities; outlawed the use of yellow-dog contracts (contracts where employees promised employers they would NOT join a union.) National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act), 1935 - Gave employees the right to form or join labor organizations (or refuse to join); the right to collectively bargain with employees through elected union representatives; and the right to engage in activities such as strikes, picketing, and boycotts. Prohibited certain unfair labor practices, established the National Labor Relations Board to oversee union election campaigns and investigate labor practices. Fair Labor Standards Act, 1938 - Set a minimum wage and maximum basic hours for workers in interstate commerce industries. The first minimum wage was 25 cents an hour, except for farm and retail workers. Labor-Management Relations Act (Taft-Hartley Act), 1947 - Amended the Wagner Act; permitted states to pass laws prohibiting compulsory union membership (right-to-work laws) set up ways to deal with strikes that effect national health and safety; prohibited secondary boycotts, closed shop agreements, and featherbedding (the requiring of wage payments for work not performed) by unions. Gave more power to management. Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (Landrum-Griffin Act), 1959 - Amended the Taft-Hartley Act and the Wagner Act; guaranteed individual rights of union members in dealing with their union, such as the right to nominate candidates for union office, vote in union elections, attend and participate in union meetings, vote on union business, and examine union records and accounts; required annual financial reports to be filed with the U.S. Dept. of Labor. One goal of this act was to clean up union corruption.

Name and describe four training techniques.

Orientation - The activity that introduces new employees to the organization; to fellow employees; to their immediate supervisors; and to the policies, practices, and objectives of the firm. Apprentice programs - Training programs during which a learner works alongside an experienced employee to maser the skills or procedures of a craft. Online training - Training programs in which employees complete classes via the internet. On-the-job training - Training at the workplace that lets the employee learn by doing or by watching other for a while and then imitating them.

Explain goal-setting theory.

Setting ambitious but attainable goals that can motivate workers and improve performance if the goals are accepted, accompanied by feedback.

How is the term "sexual harassment" defined, and when does sexual behavior become illegal?

Sexual harassment - Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other conduct (verbal or physical) of a sexual nature that creates a hostile work environment. 1991?

What are the major tactics used by unions and by management to assert their power in contract negotiations?

Strikes - workers collectively refuse to work. primary boycott - When a union encourages both it's members and the general public not to buy the products of a firm involved in a labor dispute. secondary boycott - An attempt by labor to convince others to stop doing business with a firm that is the subject of a primary boycott.; prohibited by the Taft-Hardley Act.

What are the differences and similarities between Taylor's time-motion studies and Mayo's Hawthorne studies?

Taylor is trying to minimize waste and make the job more efficient. He wanted to increase worker's productivity which would benefit both the firm and the worker. Taylor's time motion studies were the studies of how long the tasks performed at a specific job should take to do so. They would be motivated by receiving pay increases. Mayo was trying to make the workplace a better place for the employee. Rather than treating employees as machines he was more concerned with their well being - mentally, physically, etc. Pay was not the only motivator. Both studied the way employees were treated in regards to the productivity of them.

What is human resource management?

The process of determining human resource needs and then recruiting, selecting, developing, motivating, evaluating, compensating, and scheduling employees to achieve organizational goals.

What does "accommodations" mean in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990?

The term accommodations means providing people resources and treating people according to their specific needs - disabilities.