Chapter 1 Discussion Questions 100% correct answers guarantee grade A

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1.How does managing employees contribute to achieving a competitive advantage? When employees are mismanaged, they may not be able or willing to work toward organizational goals. If employees do not h... ave the necessary skills for their jobs and are not provided the training to succeed, they may not know how to work effectively or efficiently, resulting in lower performance and greater costs to the company. In contrast, effectively managing employees can lead to improved firm performance. When employees have the skills they need, they are able to contribute to meeting company goals. And when employees feel valued by their company they are likely to display greater levels of commitment, loyalty, and morale. Armed with the skills they need and greater motivation, employees may be more productive. Greater productivity may more than offset the costs associated with managing employees. 2. Given the importance of employees for a company to sustain a competitive advantage, why do you think so many companies have engaged in layoffs, outsourcing, and offshoring of work to other countries? Companies must decide how to allocate employees to areas where they can contribute most significantly. Changes in strategic emphasis, a reorganization of operations, or the introduction of new products or services also influences the demand for different jobs in different parts of a company. At any point in time, some parts of a company may be facing a shortage of employee talent, while others may have a surplus. 3. What does it mean to strategically manage employees?The framework for the strategic management of employees shows the relationship between the organization’s context, both internal and external, and the HR activities that the organization needs to use to manage employees to achieve its ultimate goal of competitive advantage. The strategic management of employees centers around three categories of HR activities; Work design and workforce planning, managing employee competencies, and managing employee attitudes and behaviors. 4. Identify and explain the three primary HR activities. The primary HR activities are: Workforce design and planning-designing jobs and planning for the workforce needed to achieve organizational goals, managing employee competencies- identifying, acquiring, and developing employee talent and skill, and managing employee attitudes and behaviors- encouraging and motivating employees to perform in appropriate ways to contribute to company goals. 5. Which of the three primary HR activities is most challenging? Why? Managing employee competencies is critical. These competencies directly influence the types of jobs employees are able to perform. Managing competencies means recruiting and selecting the right people and training them to succeed in their jobs. Management has to create an employee value proposition that will attract the right individuals to apply for the open positions. 6. Discuss the management practices associated with each primary HR activity.Workforce Design and workforce planning- Managers must design jobs in a way that ensures that employees perform tasks and responsibilities that have the most potential to add value to the company. Managers must also engage in workforce planning to make sure that the right people are in the right place in the company, at the right time, to meet company goals. Managing employee competencies- this activity for managers is ensuring that employees have the necessary competencies to effectively perform their tasks. These competencies directly influence the types of jobs employees are able to perform. Managing competencies means recruiting and selecting the right people and training them to succeed in their jobs. Managing employee attitudes and behaviors- Encouraging the right employee attitudes and behaviors requires motivating workers to continually improve their performance. Some of the major tools that managers use to guide employee efforts on the job are compensation, incentives, performance management programs, and employee benefits, health, and wellness programs. 7. Some people think that there are certain practices for managing employees that are always beneficial for companies, while others maintain that the best practices depend on the circumstance of each company. Which approach do you think is right? Why? The best practices depend on the circumstances at each company. Every company has a unique situation. Certain management practices may not fit well into one company but work wonders for another. Companies are like people, not one is exactly the same, so why try to manage each company the same? Each company is unique and has different needs. 8. Which of the environmental influences identified in this chapter is most important for managing employees in a company pursuing innovation? What about a company with a strategy emphasizing low costs or customer service? How does a company’s strategy influence the importance of different environmental influences? The most important environmental influence for managing employees in a company pursuing innovation would be technology. For a company with a strategy emphasizing low costs or customer service globalization would be the most important environmental influence. The changing composition of the labor force influences the primary HR activities in several ways. A diverse workforce requires that managers reevaluate how they recruit and select individuals to make sure that any potential for direct or indirect discrimination is eliminated. Technology also continues to shape the nature of the competition. 9. Discuss how regulatory issues influence the management of employees. Regulatory issue is the one challenge that has probably the most direct influence on the management of employees. The challenge with regulatory issues is that the influence of legislation on employment is very broad, and the interpretation of the laws continues to evolve. Moreover, legislation is continually introduced that broadens existing statutes and creates new ones. When a company fails to comply with legal requirements it is at risk for considerable costs. [Show More]

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