Introduction To Human Resources Midterm Study Guide PDF

Preview

Summary

Detailed Chapters 1 - 7 Study Guide...

Description

HRMT 2226 Introduction to Human Resources Mid-Term Examination Study Guide: Winter, 2015

1.

Chapter 1: The World of Human Resources Management What is HRM? Illustrate with an example. Human Resource Management - The process of managing human talent to achieve an organization’s objectives

2.

What is meant by human capital? Give an example. Human capital - The knowledge, skills, and capabilities of individuals that have economic value to an organization -Human capital is intangible and cannot be managed the way organizations manage jobs, products, and technologies.

3.

Your text provides 6 competitive issues that the HR field faces. Be able to list the issues, explain what is meant by each, and illustrate with an example. The rest of these questions for Chapter 1 deal with the specifics of these challenges. 1.Responding Strategically to Changes in the Local and Global Marketplace 2.Setting and Achieving Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Goals 3.Advancing HRM with Technology 4.Containing Costs While Retaining Top Talent and Maximizing Productivity 5.Responding to the Demographic and Diversity Challenges of the Workforce 6.Adapting to Educational and Cultural Shifts Affecting the Workforce

4.

What is each of the terms and how are they related: Six Sigma, reengineering, downsizing, and outsourcing? Six Sigma - A set of principles and practices whose core ideas include understanding customer needs, doing things right the first time, and striving for continuous improvement. Reengineering - The fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in cost, quality, service, and speed. Downsizing - Planned elimination of jobs (“head count”), layoffs Outsourcing - Contracting outside the organization to have work done that formerly was done by internal employees Offshoring (Global Sourcing) - The business practice of sending jobs to other countries

5.

What is change management? Be able to illustrate with an example. Change management is a systematic way of bringing about and managing both organizational changes and changes on the individual level. - EX: Engage key employees, customers, and their suppliers early when making a change

6.

What is the difference between reactive change and proactive change? Reactive change: change that occurs after external forces have already affected performance. Proactive change: change initiated to take advantage of targeted opportunities.

7.

What is globalization and how is this trend affecting HRM? Globalization: the trend to opening up foreign markets to international trade and investment.

8.

What is corporate social responsibility and sustainability? Corporate Responsibility - The responsibility of the firm to act in the best interests of the people and communities affected by its activities.

10. What use does HRM make use of HRIS and how has technology impacted the HRM practice? Human Resources Information System (HRIS) - A computerized system that provides current and accurate data for purposes of control and decision making. HRIS has become a potent weapon for lowering administrative costs, increasing productivity, speeding up response times, improving decision making, and tracking a company’s talent.

•

• •

Impact of Technology on HRM Operational: Automation of routine tasks, lower administrative costs, increased productivity and faster response times; self-service access to information and training for managers and employees Relational: Online recruiting, screening, and pretesting of applicants Transformational: Training, tracking, and selecting employees based on their record of skills and abilities; organization-wide alignment of “cascading” goals

11. What is meant by Furloughing? Employee leasing? Illustrate with examples. Furloughing: a situation in which an organization asks or requires employees to take time off for either no pay or reduces pay. Employee leasing: the process of dismissing employees who are then hired by a leasing company and contracting with that company to lease back the employees 13. What specific demographic and diversity challenges do business face in Canada? What implications does this have for HRM?  Demographic Changes  More diverse workforce  Aging workforce  More educated workforce  Managing Diversity 15. What is meant by a line manager? A line manager – are non-HR managers who are responsible for overseeing the work of other employees. 16. Be able to list at least 5 responsibilities of an HR manager. · Advice and counsel - Employee Advocacy · Service · Policy formulation and implementation 17. Be able to list at least 5 competencies of an HR manager. · Business mastery · HR mastery · Change mastery · Personal credibility

Chapter 2: Strategy and Human Resources Planning Strategic Planning 2.What is meant by mission, vision, and values? Be able to give examples. Mission - The basic purpose of the organization as well as its scope of operations Strategic Vision - A statement about where the company is headed and what it can become in the future; clarifies the long-term direction of the company and its strategic intent Core Values - The strong and enduring beliefs and principles that the company uses as a foundation for its decisions Step 1: Mission, Vision, and Values: The strategic process begins with describing the purpose of the organization and the scope of its operations, the future direction regarding where the company is headed and what the organization can become in the future, and the way of behaving as an organization (defining believes and principles that the company uses as a foundation for its decisions). The HR strategy will be aligned with these. 2.

This chapter provides the 6-step strategic planning process. Be sure you can list and describe these six steps. Step 1: mission. vision and values Step 4: formulating strategy Step 2: environmental analysis Step 5: strategy implementation Step 3: internal analysis Step 6: evaluation and assessment

3.

What is environmental scanning and why is this completed as part of strategic planning (step 2)? Environmental Scanning - The systematic monitoring of the major external forces influencing the organization i. Economic and ecological changes: general, regional, and global conditions ii. Technological changes: information technology and automation iii. Demographic changes and labour market trends: education, age, composition, literacy, immigration iv. Social changes: priorities toward work, childcare, eldercare v. Legal and regulatory changes: laws and rulings

4.

What three C’s are in the internal analysis (step 3)? Culture, composition and capabilities

5.

What is meant by forecasting? What is forecasting demand? Forecasting supply? Forecasting: a critical element of planning, it involves: forecasting the demand for labour; forecasting the supply of labour; balancing supply and demand considerations

9.

What is meant by gap analysis (required versus available) and what implications for action for HRM does this have? Gap Analysis - A method of assessing the differences in performance between a business' information systems or software applications to determine whether business requirements are being met and, if not, what steps should be taken to ensure they are met successfully.

10. What is benchmarking and what place does it have in strategic planning? Benchmarking: The process of comparing the organization’s processes and practices to those of other companies 11. What is a Balanced Scorecard and what place does it have in strategic planning? Balanced Scorecard (BSC): A measurement framework that helps managers translate strategic goals into operational objectives • financial • customer • processes • learning Chapter 3: Equity and Diversity in Human Resources Management 1.

What is employment equity? Employment equity is the treatment of employed individuals in a fair and nonbiased manner.

2.

What is meant by designated groups? Women, visible minorities, Aboriginal people, and persons with disabilities who have been disadvantaged in employment

3.

What are the benefits of employment equity? Employment equity enhances an organization’s ability to attract and keep the best-qualified employees, which results in greater access to a broader base of skills.

4.

What are the specific pieces of legislation that make up the legal framework of equity legislation? The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the federal Canadian Human Rights Act(CHRA), and pay equity and employment equity acts are the governing pieces of legislation dealing with employment equity.

5.

What is meant by pay equity? Be able to give an example. Pay Equity means equal pay for work of equal value. It is based on two principles. The first is equal pay for equal work—pay equality Example: Male and female workers must be paid the same wage rate for doing identical work. The second is equal pay for similar or substantially similar work (equal pay for work of comparable worth, or equal pay for work of comparable value). This means that male and female workers must be paid the same wage rate for jobs of a similar nature that may have different titles (e.g., “nurse’s aide” and “orderly”).

6.

What is meant by pay equality? Be able to give an example. Pay Equality - Pay equality is about fair pay for individual women employees. For example, a female electrician must be paid the same as a male electrician.

7.

What is meant by a bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ)? Be sure to give an example.

BFOQ - A justifiable reason for discrimination based on business reasons of safety or effectiveness. For example, according to Ontario provincial legislation, adherence to the tenets of the Roman Catholic Church was deemed a BFOQ for employment as a teacher in a Roman Catholic school 8.

There are a number of steps to follow in implementing employment equity in an organization. List and explain the 6 steps. 1. Senior management commitment Commitment to an employment equity plan necessitates a top-down strategy 2. Data collection/analysis Enable an organization to determine where it stands relative to the internal and the external workforce 3. Employment systems review “Employment systems” or “employment practices” are the means by which employers carry out personnel activities such as recruitment, hiring, training and development, promotion, job classification, discipline, and termination 4. Establishment of workplan The workforce analysis and the review of employment systems will provide the employer with a useful base from which to develop a workplan with realistic goals and timetables 5. Implementation The implementation of employment equity is idiosyncratic in that no two plans will be the same. Each strategy should be designed to meet the needs of the particular organization 6. Follow-up with monitor and revision By monitoring progress, the employer will be able to evaluate the overall success of the equity initiatives used to achieve a representative workforce, as well as respond to organizational and environmental changes 9. What is meant by systemic discrimination? Give an example. Systemic Discrimination - The exclusion of members of certain groups through the application of employment policies or practices based on criteria that are not job related. Example: when an employer’s workforce represents one group in our society and the company recruits new employees by posting job vacancies within the company or by word of mouth among the employees 10. What is underutilization and concentration? underutilization - Term applied to designated groups that are not utilized or represented in the employer’s workforce proportional to their numbers in the labour market If the percentage in the employer's workforce is much less than the percentage in the comparison group, then that minority group is considered to be "underutilized." concentration - Term applied to designated groups whose numbers in a particular occupation or level are high relative to their numbers in the labour market 11. What is reasonable accommodation? Reasonable accommodation Attempt by employers to adjust the working conditions or schedules of employees with disabilities or religious preferences

12. What is diversity management? Diversity Management The optimization of an organization’s multicultural workforce to reach business objectives Chapter 4: Job Analysis and Work Design 1. Know the difference among these terms: job, position, and job family. Job - A group of related activities and duties Postion - The different duties and responsibilities by only one employee Job Family - A group of individual jobs with similar characteristics 2. What is meant by job description? Job specification? Job Specification - A statement of the needed knowledge, skills, and abilities of the person who is to perform the job. Job Description - A statement of the tasks, duties and responsibilities of a job to be performed. 3. Information collected about jobs is useful for a number of HR functions. What are these functions? - Recruitment - Selection - Training and development - Performance appraisal - Compensation Management 4. What is job analysis (JA) and what is the purpose of JA? Job Analysis - The process of obtaining information about jobs by determining the duties, tasks or activities of jobs. - A job analysis should also outline the tools needed to do the job, the environment and times at which is needs to be done, the pole with whom it needs to be done, and the outcome or performance level it should produce. 5.    

6. 

What are the many ways in which JA information can be obtained? Interviews Questionnaires Observation Diaries What is NOC and what use do HR professional make of this tool? The NOC is the National Occupational Classification. It’s purpose is to compile, analyze, and communicate information about occupations. This information can be used for employment equity, HR planning, and occupational supply and demand forecasts and analyses.

7. What is the Position Analysis Questionnaire System (PAQ) and what use is it? Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) - A questionnaire covering 194 different tasks that, by means of a five-point scale, seeks to determine the degree to which different tasks are involved in performing a particular job.

8. What is the Critical Incident Method that is used to identify critical job tasks? How is it used? Critical Incident Method - A job analysis method by which important job tasks are identified for a job success.  Information about critical job tasks can be collected through interviews with employees or managers or through self-report statements written by employees. After the data is collected, the analyst then writes separate task statements that represent important job activities. 9. What is the Task Inventory Analysis method and how is it used? Task Inventory Analysis - An organization-specific list of tasks and their descriptions used as a basis to identify components of jobs.  This is developed by employees and managers, and is a list of tasks and their descriptions that are components of different jobs. The goal is to produce a comprehensive list of task statements that are applicable to all jobs. 10. In what types of work environments does competency analysis make sense?  It makes sense when organizations operate in a fast-moving environment. 11. What are the various sections included in a job description (JD), including the job specification section?  The various sections are: (Page 139 in new book for sample Job Posting)  Job Title - Indicates job duties and organizational level.  Job Identification Section - Distinguishes job from all other jobs.  Job Duties/Essential Functions - Indicate responsibilities entailed and results to be accomplished.  Job Specification Section - Skills required to perform the job and physical demands of the job. 12. What types of problems could there be with JDs?  These are the most frequent problems: 1. If they are poorly written, using vague rather than specific terms, they provide little guidance to the job holder. 2. They are sometimes not updated as job duties or specification change. 3. They may violate the law by containing specification not related to the job success. 4. They can limit the scope of activities of the jobholder, reducing organizational flexibility. 13. What is meant by job design? Why are there behavioural and ergonomic concerns with job design?  Job Design - An outgrowth of job analysis that improves jobs through technological and human considerations to enhance organizational efficiency and employee job satisfaction. o In an effort to counter the motivational problems that occur, job design methods seek to incorporate the behavioural needs of employees as they perform their individual jobs.

14. What is meant by job enrichment? Job Characteristics Model? Employee empowerment? Job Enrichment - Enhancing a job by adding more meaningful tasks and duties to make the work more rewarding or satisfying. Job Characteristics Model - A job design theory that purports that three psychological states (experiencing meaningfulness of the work performed, responsibility for work outcomes, and knowledge of the results of the work performed) of a jobholder result in improved work performance, internal motivation, and lower absenteeism and turnover. Employee Empowerment - Granting employees power to initiate change, thereby encouraging them to take charge of what they do. 15. What importance is placed on the following with respect to job design: employee involvement groups? Employee teams? Employee Involvement Groups (EIs) - Groups of employees who meet to resolve problems or offer suggestions for organizational improvement. Employee Teams - An employee's contributions technique whereby work functions are structured for groups rather than for individuals and team members are given discretion in matters traditionally considered management prerogatives, such as process improvements, product or service development, and individual work assignments. 16. What is a flexible work schedule? Compressed workweek? Flextime? Job sharing? Telecommuting? Flexible Work Schedule - Is the term used to describe the various different types of work schedules that are not the normal monday-friday 8 hour job settings. Compressed Workweek - The number of days in the workweek is shortened by the lengthening the number of hours worked per day. Such as the 4-day 40 hour work week. Employees work 4 days a week, 10 hours a day. Flextime - Flexible working hours that permit employees the option of choosing daily starting and quitting times provided that they work a set number of hours per day or week. Job Sharing - The arrangement whereby two part-time employees perform a job that otherwise would be held by one full-time employee. Telecommuting - Use of personal computers, networks, and other communications technology to do work in the home that is traditionally done in the workplace. Chapter 5: Branding the Talent Pool: Recruitment and Careers 1.

What recruitment channels are available for internal recruiting? · Internal job posting · Identifying talent through performance appraisals · Skill inventories and replacement charts

2.

What recruitment channels are available for external recruiting? · Job fairs · Advertisement · Employee referrals · Walk-ins and unsolicited · Re Recruiting applications and resumes · Executive search firms · The internet, social networking · Educational institutions and mobile recruitment

· Professional associations · Private employment and · Labour unions temporary agencies · Public employment agencies · Employee leasing 3. What is meant by a walk-in application? It means tha...