HRTM 344 Final Exam
culture shock
disillusionment and discomfort that occur during the process of adjusting to a new culture
associated union membership
alternative form of union membership in which members receive discounts on insurance and credit cards rather than representation in collective bargaining
employee stock ownership plan (ESOP)
an arrangement in which the organization distributes shares of stock to all its employees by placing it in a trust
union steward
an employee elected by union members to represent them in ensuring that the terms of the labor contract are enforced
family and medical leave act (FMLA)
federal law requiring organizations with 50 or more employees to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave after childbirth or adoption; to care for a seriously ill family member or for an employee's own serious illness; or to take care of urgent needs that arise when a spouse, child, or parent in the National Guard or Reserve is called to active duty
employee retirement income security act (ERISA)
federal law that increased the responsibility a pension plan trustees to protect retirees, established certain rights related to vesting and portability, and created the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation
consolidated omnibus budget reconciliation act (COBRA)
federal law that requires employers to permit employees or their dependents to extend their health insurance coverage at group rates for up to 36 months following a qualifying event, such as a layoff, reduction in hours, or the employee's death
national labor relations act (NLRA)
federal law that supports collective bargaining and sets out the rights of employees to form unions
labor relations
field that emphasizes skills that managers and union leaders can use to minimize costly forms of conflict and seek win-win solutions to disagreements
balance sheet approach
for determining expatriate compensation adjusts the manager's compensation so that it gives the manager the same standard of living in the home country plus extra pay for the inconvenience of locating overseas
incentive pay
forms of pay linked to an employee's performance as an individual, group member, or organization member
scanlon plan
gainsharing program in which employees receive a bonus if the ratio of labor costs to the sales value of production is below a set standard
validation
giving expatriate recognition for the overseas service when this person returns home
gainsharing
group incentive program that measures improvements in productivity and effectiveness and distributes a portion of each gain to employees
vesting rights
guarantee that when employees become participants in a pension plan and work a specified number of years, they will receive a pension at retirement age, regardless of whether they remained with the employer
patient protection and affordable care act
health care reform law passed in 2010 that includes incentives and penalties for employers providing health insurance as a benefit
length of service
in the US, the amount of sick leave given to employees is often based on...
commissions
incentive pay calculated as a percentage of sales
profit sharing
incentive pay in which payments are a percentage of the organizations profits and do not become part of the employees base salary
straight piecework plan
incentive pay in which the employer pays the same rate per piece, no matter how much the worker produces
differential piece rates
incentive pay in which the piece rate is higher when a greater amount is produced
short-term incentives
include bonuses based on the year's profits, return on investment, or other measures related to the organization's goals
long-term incentives
include stock options and stock purchase plans
right-to-work laws
state laws that make union shops, maintenance of membership, and agency shops illegal
workers' compensation
state programs that provide benefits to workers who suffer work-related injuries or illnesses, or their survivors
long-term disability insurance
insurance that pays a percentage of a disabled employee's salary after an initial period and potentially for the rest of the employee's life
short-term disability insurance
insurance that pays a percentage of a disabled employee's salary as benefits to the employee for six months or less
unions
organizations formed for the purpose of representing their members' interests in dealing with employers
defined benefit plan
pension plan that guarantees a specified level of retirement income
low uncertainty avoidance
people tend to take each day as it comes
individualism
people tend to think and act as individuals rather than as members of a group; expected to stand on their own two feet rather than be protected by a group
collectivism
people think of themselves mainly as group members; expected to devote themselves to the interests of the community, and the community is expected to protect them when they are in trouble
small power distance
people try to eliminate inequalities
short-term orientation
promote respect for past tradition and for fulfilling social obligations in the present
preparation for the return home
providing information about the employee's community and home-country workplace
craft union
labor union whose members all have a particular skill or occupation
industrial union
labor union whose members are linked by their work in a particular industry
preparation for departure
language instruction and an orientation to the foreign country's culture
high uncertainty avoidance
refers to a strong cultural preference for structured situations; rely heavily on religion, law, and technology to give them a degree of security and clear rules about how to behave; trainees expect a formal instructional environment
summary plan description
report that describes a pension plan's funding, eligible requirements, risks, and other details
contributory plan
retirement plan funded by contributions from the employer and employee
noncontributory plan
retirement plan funded entirely by contributions from the employer
cash balance plan
retirement plan in which the employer sets up an individual account for each employee and contributes a percentage of the employee's salary; the account earns interest at a predefined rate
defined contribution plan
retirement plan in which the employer sets up an individual account for each employee and specifies the size of the investment into that account
stock options
rights to buy a certain number of shares of stock at a specified price
national labor relations board (NLRB)
federal government agency that enforces the NLRA by conducting and certifying representation elections and investigating unfair labor practices
collective bargaining
negotiation between union representatives and management representatives to arrive at a contract defining conditions of employment for the term of the contract and to administer that contract
pension benefit guarantee corporation (PBGC)
federal agency that insures retirement benefits and guarantees retirees a basic benefit if the employer experiences financial difficulties
gainsharing example
Brenden, the HR manager at Baretta & Co, is trying to implement an effective group incentive plan which measures increases in productivity and effectiveness and distributes a portion of its earnings to all employees. In this case, Brenden should apply the incentive scheme of...
consent election
House Factory Inc. agrees to allow a union to conduct an organizing campaign. Both parties decide that they will come to a settlement on the time and place of the campaign. In this scenario, which of the following types of elections best describes this type of settlement?
femininity example
Sarah works at an organization that places high emphasis on relationships, service, care for the weak, and preserving the environment. Sarah's workplace would be viewed as one that places emphasis on the qualities that are considered high in...
merit pay example
Songreen Inc, a firm that manufactures ready-to-eat soups, offers incentives based on an employee's performance rating and the employee's compa-ratio. Which of the following payment plans if exemplified in this scenario?
health maintenance organization
a health care plan that requires patients to receive their medical care from the HMO's health care professionals, who are often paid a flat salary, and provides all services on a prepaid basis; covers all the patient's visits and procedures, without an additional payment from the patient
cafeteria style plans
a benefits plan that offers employees a set of alternatives from which they can choose the types and amounts of benefits they want
strike
a collective decision by union members not to work until certain demands or conditions are met
balanced scorecard
a combination of performance measures directed toward the company's long and short term goals and used as the basis for awarding incentive pay
host country
a country (other than the parent country) in which an organization operates a facility
third country
a country that is neither the parent country nor the host country of an employer
femininity
a culture that places a high value on relationships, service, care for the weak, and preserving the environment
masculinity
a culture that values achievement, money making, assertiveness, and competition
employment insurance
a federally mandated program to minimize the hardships of unemployment through payments to unemployed workers, help in finding new jobs, and incentives to stabilize employment
preferred provider organization
a health care plan that contracts with health care professionals to provide services at a reduced fee and gives patients financial incentives to use network providers
employee wellness program
a set of communications, activities, and facilities designed to change health-related behaviors in ways that reduce health risks
third-country national
an employee that is a citizen of one country, working in another country for a company headquartered in a third country; Adrienna works with Arnold and Gunther in Berlin. She's a citizen of Italy
host-country national
an employee who is a citizen of a country in which an organization's branch or plant is located; Arnold works with Gunther in the Berlin office. Gunther is a citizen of Germany
lockout
an employer's exclusion of workers from a workplace until they meet certain conditions
standard hour plan
an incentive plan that pays workers extra for work done in less than a preset "standard time"
multinational company
an organization that builds facilities in a number of different countries in an effort to minimize production and distribution costs
international organization
an organization that sets up one or a few facilities in one or a few foreign countries
corporate campaigns
bringing public, financial, or political pressure on employers during union organization and contract negotiation
employee benefits
compensation in forms other than cash
power distance
concerns the way the culture deals with unequal distribution of power and defines the amount of inequality that is normal
mediation
conflict resolution procedure in which a mediator hears the views of both sides and facilitates the negotiation process but has no formal authority to dictate a resolution
arbitration
conflict resolution procedure in which an arbitrator or arbitration board determines a binding settlement
checkoff provision
contract provision under which the employer, on behalf of the union, automatically deducts union dues from employees' paychecks
uncertainty avoidance
describes how cultures handle the fact that the future is unpredictable
parent-country national
employee is born and raised in the country of the headquarters; Denise works with Arnold. While Arnold is a citizen of the United States, he has taken an assignment with the company at its foreign subsidiary in Berlin, Germany
flexible spending account
employee-controlled pretax earnings set aside to pay for certain eligible expenses, such as health care expenses, during the same year
expatriates
employees assigned to work in another country
merit pay
system of linking pay increases to ratings on performance appraisals
parent country
the country in which an organization's headquarters is located
large power distance
the culture defines it as normal to maintain large differences in power
international labor relations
the day-to-day decisions about these relations are usually handled by each foreign subsidiary in companies that operate across borders; on an international scale, involve differences in laws, attitudes, and economic systems, as well as differences in negotiation styles
social security
the federal old age, survivors, disability, and health insurance program, which combines old age insurance, survivor's insurance, disability insurance, hospital insurance, and supplementary medical insurance for the elderly
experience rating
the number of employees a company has laid off in the past and the cost of providing them with unemployment benefits
stipulation election
the parties cannot agree on all of these terms, so the NLRB dictates the time and place, ballot choices, and method of determining eligibility
grievance procedure
the process for resolving union-management conflicts over interpretation or violation of a collective bargaining agreement
repatriation
the process of preparing expatriates to return home from a forgein assignment
fact finder
third party collective bargaining who reports the reasons for a dispute, the views and arguments of both sides, and possibly a recommended settlement, which the parties may decline
cross-cultural preparation
training to prepare employees and their family members for an assignment in a foreign country
transnational HRM system
type of HRM system that makes decisions from a global perspective, includes managers from many countries, and is based on ideas contributed by people representing a variety of cultures
union shop
union security arrangement that requires employees to join the union within a certain amount of time after beginning employment
agency shop
union security arrangement that requires the payment of union dues but not union membership
closed shop
union security arrangement under which a person must be a union member before being hired; illegal for those covered by the national labor relations act
maintenance of membership
union security rules not requiring union membership but requiring that employees who join the union remain members for a certain period of time
long-term orientation
value saving and persistence, which tend to pay off in the future
piecework rate
wage based on the amount workers produce
individual's performance rating and their compa-ratio
what two factors are merit pay system decisions are based on?