Expert answer:Human Resources management U3D
Solved by verified expert:Unit 3 Discussion Why are so many companies using 360-degree feedback systems? What are the benefits of such systems? Requirements: 250 words 2 references and one can be the reading material. APA format Bethel University. (2013). Human Resource Management, An Experimental Approach, Sixth Edition. Retrieved from https://www.betheluniversityonline.net
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Copyright © 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies. All rights reserved.
Appendix A / Critical Thinking Applications
are informed and believe that even when women
are promoted, on average they are advanced later,
and then more slowly, than similarly situated male
employees.
10. The workforce profile of Wal-Mart does not reflect
the industry or the profile of its largest competitors.
In fact, although it is the largest discount retailer
in the country, it lags far behind its competitors in
the promotion of women. Thus while Wal-Mart’s
store management is only about one-third female,
among its 20 top competitors, women comprise over
56 percent of management, even though the proportion
of hourly workers who are female at these companies
is comparable to Wal-Mart. These differences are
consistently found around the country. Moreover,
these differences are longstanding. In fact, female
representation among managers at Wal-Mart is at
a substantially lower level today than the level of
representation among Wal-Mart’s competitors in 1975.
11. This pattern of unequal assignments, pay, training,
and advancement opportunities is not the result of
random or nondiscriminatory factors. Rather, it
is the result of an ongoing and continuous pattern
and practice of intentional sex discrimination
in assignments, pay, training and promotions,
and reliance on policies and practices that have
an adverse impact on female employees that
cannot be justified by business necessity and for
which alternative policies and practices with less
discriminatory impact could be utilized that equally
serve any asserted justification. These policies and
practices include, without limitation:
a. Failure to consistently post job and promotional
openings to ensure that all employees have notice
of and an opportunity to seek advancement or
more desirable assignments and training.
b. Reliance upon unweighted, arbitrary, and
subjective criteria utilized by a nearly all-male
managerial workforce in making assignments,
training, pay, performance review, and
promotional decisions. Even where Wal-Mart
policy states objective requirements, these
requirements are often applied in an inconsistent
manner and ignored at the discretion of
management.
c. Because of the “excessive subjectivity” described
in 11b, there is a reliance on gender stereotypes
in making employment decisions such as
assignments, promotions, pay, and training.
d. Pre-selection and “grooming” of male employees
for advancement, favorable assignments, and
training.
e. Maintenance of largely sex-segregated job
categories and departments.
f. Deterrence and discouragement of female
employees from seeking advancement, training,
and favorable assignments and pay.
g. Paying female employees lower compensation
than similarly situated men.
h. Assigning women to lower paying positions, and
positions with lesser advancement potential than
those given to men, and advancing women more
slowly than similarly situated male employees.
i. Providing less training and support to female
employees and managers than that given to male
employees and managers.
j. Harassing female employees interested in
advancement and subjecting them to a hostile
work environment.
k. Requiring, as a condition of promotion to
management jobs, that employees be willing
to relocate, often to significantly distant stores,
and applying this policy to require frequent and
substantial relocations of its managers without
any reasonable business justification. Plaintiffs
are further informed and believe that the
relocation policy is applied disparately between
male and female employees to the disadvantage of
female employees.
l. Retaliating against female employees who have
complained either internally or externally about
Wal-Mart’s treatment of its female employees.
Wal-Mart maintains a companywide, toll-free
telephone number, which it encourages employees
to use if they have a problem or complaint in
their store or with store management. Plaintiffs
are informed and believe that Wal-Mart retaliates
against women who use this number to report
discrimination, sexual harassment, or other unfair
working conditions.
Assignment
Based on the evidence presented, is Wal-Mart guilty of
gender discrimination as alleged? Try to take a definitive
position and then justify that position with specific arguments and evidence presented here. If you are unsure, what
specific information do you need to be able to render a
verdict in this case? Setting aside the alleged illegalities,
what HR practices discussed in Chapter 5 could Wal-Mart
improve to make its HR more effective, to increase the
diversity of its supervisory and management staff, and
(perhaps) to lower the likelihood of Title VII lawsuits in
the future?
1
Featherstone, L. (2004). Selling women short: The landmark battle for
workers’rights at Wal-Mart. New York: Basic Books.
2
Pikul, C. (2004, November 22). Women vs. Wal-Mart. Retrieved from Salon.com.
Critical Thinking Application 6-A
What Privacy Do We Have in the Workplace?1
Currently debated privacy issues have included drug testing,
medical information kept on employees and family members, credit history, and certain questions on personality tests.
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Appendix A / Critical Thinking Applications
Employers have maintained records on employees since
the employer-employee relationship was first established.
Research on personnel record keeping has revealed that
as the employer-employee relationship changed, the level
and amount of information collected on employees also
changed. Employers had personal knowledge of employees
in the 1800s, could vouch for the employees’ integrity, and
could observe the personal patterns of behaviors (going to
church, etc.). The amount of information kept in files was
not as important because of the face-to-face interaction.2
In order to hire the right person, limit negligent hiring
claims, and provide employee benefits, companies need to
keep extensive dossiers on employees. The management
(sharing and disclosing) of those dossiers was the subject
of a report by the U.S. Privacy Protection Commission investigation established by the Privacy Act of 1974. Survey
data were collected in 2005 to determine corporate privacy
policies.3
The commission recommended the following as fair
information practices:
• Acquire only relevant information.
• Consider pretext interviews unacceptable methods of
gathering information.
• Use no polygraph or lie detector tests in employment.
• Allow and encourage employees to see and copy
records pertaining to them.
• Keep no secret records.
• Establish a procedure for challenging and correcting
erroneous reports.
• Use information only for the purpose for which it was
originally acquired.
• Transfer no information without the subjects’
authorization or knowledge.
• Destroy data after their purpose has been served.4
The results of the survey revealed that the majority of
companies still do not have formal policies that follow the
commission’s guidelines in regard to disclosure and access. Informing and evaluating the record-keeping system
are being done by most companies. However, many companies surveyed are still shy of following the commission’s
recommendations. The survey results are listed next.
Policy to inform employees of
routine disclosure?
Personal access to records?
Policy of evaluating record system?
Inform employees on types of
records maintained?
Inform employees of how information
is used?
Inform individual of collecting
information?
56%
34%
65%
82%
58%
66%5
Are you entitled to your privacy regarding your political
proclivities? Can a company ask and use such information
in its personnel decisions? What about government entities?
Discrimination based on one’s political affiliations or
positions is not allowed for career service positions in the
federal government and under many state and local civil
service rules. The U.S. Department of Justice policy on
nondiscrimination is contained in the Code of Federal
Regulations, Section 42.1(a) of 28 C.F.R. Part 42, Subpart A, which states: “It is the policy of the Department
of Justice to seek to eliminate discrimination on the basis
of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national
origin, marital status, political affiliation, age, or physical or mental handicap in employment within the Department and to assure equal employment opportunity for all
employees and applicants for employment.” It is thus a
violation of civil service rules to ask political questions
of job candidates and to use political information to make
decisions for nonpolitical positions within the Department
of Justice. Other federal agencies have very similar statements and policies.
Suppose that you have just come from a job interview
in which you were asked the following questions in a personality screening test for a homeland security position.
The security company has assured you that your answers
will be strictly confidential and that emotional stability
(which this test claims to test) is essential for the job. Based
on the information provided by the U.S. Privacy Protection
Commission listed earlier, subsequent surveys as well as information from Chapter 3 on job relatedness, evaluate and
justify your reaction to the following questions. You realize
that this position is a high-stress and safety-sensitive job.
1. I enjoy social gatherings just to be with people.
2. The only interesting part of the newspaper is the
“funnies.”
3. Our thinking would be a lot better off if we
would just forget about words like “probably,”
“approximately,” and “perhaps.”
4. I usually go to the movies more than once a week.
5. I looked up to my father as an ideal man.
6. I liked Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
7. When a person “pads” his income tax report so as
to get out of some of his taxes, it is just as bad as
stealing money from the government.
8. Women should not be allowed to drink in
cocktail bars.
9. I think Lincoln was greater than Washington.
10. I feel sure there is only one true religion.
11. I am embarrassed by dirty stories.
12. Maybe some minorities get rough treatment, but it is
no business of mine.
13. I fall in and out of love rather easily.
14. I wish I were not bothered by thoughts about sex.
15. My home life was always happy.
16. Only a fool would ever vote to increase his own
taxes.
17. When a man is with a woman, he is usually thinking
about things related to her sex.
18. I hardly ever feel pain in the back of my neck.
19. I have no difficulty starting or holding my urine.
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Appendix A / Critical Thinking Applications
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
My sex life is satisfactory.
I am very strongly attracted to members of my own sex.
I used to like “drop-the-handkerchief.”
I’ve often wished I were a girl (or if you are a girl)
I’ve never been sorry that I am a girl.
I go to church almost every week.
I believe in the second coming of Christ.
I believe in life hereafter.
I’ve never indulged in any unusual sex practices.
I believe my sins are unpardonable.6
I donated money to the Obama for President campaign.
I donated money to the Mitt Romney for President
campaign.
specified otherwise by your instructor, this CTA has two
online assignments: one for the Five-Factor Model or “Big
Five” self-inventory and one for the “Core Self-Evaluations
Scale.”
Part A. The Five-Factor Model of Personality
To access this exercise, go to the “Self-Assessments” section of the book’s website (www.mhhe.com/bernardin6e).
Follow the directions for completing “A Profile of Your
Personality Based on the Five Factor Model” and then
print the feedback page (to be handed in at the discretion of
your instructor). After you complete the online portion of
the CTA, answer the following questions.
Discussion Questions for Part A:
Assignment
Should the company be allowed to ask such questions?
Think of all issues that you considered in taking your position, or if you aren’t sure what your position on this is,
what additional information do you need? How would
the company prove the “job relatedness” of such a test?
(Review Chapter 3 material or go to www.eeoc.gov for
discussion of this term.) When must the company prove
the “job relatedness” of the test? In your home state, can a
company use political information to make decisions about
people? (Search for the answer to this question.) Also,
conduct research on trends related to the use by employers
of “facebook” and other Web-based information. Should
employers be restricted in their use of such information to
make decisions of job candidates and current employees?
1. What does research say about the use of the FiveFactor Model (FFM) for predicting success as a
manager?
2. What does research say about the use of the FiveFactor Model for predicting success in sales?
3. How does the validity of personality tests compare to
the validity of general mental (or cognitive) ability
tests? Explain this in correlational terms.
4. Doesn’t faking on tests like the one you took
completely undermine the usefulness of such tests
for actual personnel selection? Wouldn’t the “fakers”
get the job and those who answered honestly not
be hired (or promoted)? Justify your answer with
research.
5. Are there any other methods besides self-report
inventories that would provide for an assessment of
personality traits that might improve the validity in
the assessment of these traits?
6. What is incremental validity? Does this term apply to
the assessment of personality traits?
1
Contributed by Mary E. Wilson.
Linowes, D. F., & Spencer, R. C. (1996). Privacy in the workplace in perspective.
Human Resource Management Review, 6(3), 165–182.
3
Benardin, H. J. (2005). Privacy in the workplace. Unpublished survey.
4
Ibid., pp. 177–178.
5
Ibid.
6
Taken from Psychscreen, a screening tool used by Target stores based on
the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and the California
Personality Inventory (CPI). Source: Alderman, E., & Kennedy, C. (1995). The
right to privacy. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.
Copyright © 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies. All rights reserved.
2
Critical Thinking Application 6-B
The Measurement of Personality Traits1
Overview
Research supports the proposition that stable personality
characteristics are related not only to success in particular occupations but also to job and life satisfaction. The
purpose of this exercise is to provide a profile of your
personality based on valid measures of personality.
As discussed in Chapter 6, the “Big Five” factor structure has gained widespread acceptance by personality
researchers and has greatly influenced the research into individual differences. There is also strong evidence that personality measures have utility in providing vocational and
career guidance. It is clear that certain Big Five factors and
their combinations are correlated with career choice, success, performance, and satisfaction. More recent research
also supports the validity of core self-evaluations. Unless
Part B. The Core Self-Evaluations Scale2
To access this exercise, go to the “Self-Assessments” section of the book’s website (www.mhhe.com/bernardin6e).
Follow the directions for completing the “Core SelfEvaluations Scale” and then print the feedback page (to
be handed in at the discretion of your instructor). After
you complete the online portion of this CTA, answer the
following questions.
Discussion Questions for Part B:
1. What does research say about the relationship
between the FFM and the Core Self-Evaluations
Scale?
2. If you were going to use a self-report inventory to
select sales personnel, would you use a Big-Five
measure, the Core Self-Evaluations Scale, neither,
or both? Explain your answer and cite any relevant
research.
1
Contributed by Kathleen Bernardin.
Judge, T. A., Erez, A., Bono, J. E., & Thoresen, C. J. (2003). The core selfevaluations scale: Development of a measure. Personnel Psychology, 56,
303–331.
2
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