Discussion One:  

Assume you are employed as an HR manager for a large retail clothing store. You are tasked with hiring a sales clerk for an open position.  The ideal candidate for this position will possess the following factors: 

1. Have at least a high school education (bachelor’s or associate’s degree desirable).

2. Have experience as a sales clerk or in a related field (such as customer service).

3.  Ability to work with currency and balance a cash drawer correctly.

4. Have good communication skills (for example, speak clearly, make good eye contact)

5: Have good interpersonal skills (for example, demonstrate patience and flexibility and develop rapport easily).

5: Have good selling skills (for example, ability to influence, persuasiveness).

6. Be motivated to work.

Part A: Evaluating Selection Methods

Identify which selection method (e.g., résumé, interview, test, role-play exercise, reference check or personality inventory) you would recommend for each of the six factors listed below. You can use the same selection method more than once if you believe it is appropriate for more than one factor.

1. Education – selection method:  _________________________________________

Justification:

2. Work experience – selection method:  _________________________________________

Justification:

3 Ability to work with currency – selection method: _____________________________

Justification:

4.Communication skills – selection method:  ___________________________________ 

Justification:

5. Interpersonal skills – selection method:  _______________________________________

Justification:

Work motivation – selection method:  _________________________________________

Justification:

2007 SHRM. Marc C. Marchese, Ph.D.

Part B: Evaluating a Selection System

There are different ways to ensure that a selection system is working. One important method focuses on legal compliance.  As indicated in the reading material, there are two types of discrimination: disparate treatment and disparate impact (also known as adverse impact). 

Disparate treatment discrimination refers to treating applicants differently based on a protected characteristic (for example, age, sex, national origin, religion). Disparate impact discrimination may be unintentional because the intention was for all applicants to be treated equally; however, this equal treatment had an unequal effect related to a protected characteristic. The most common approach to identify adverse impact is to apply the four-fifths rule. The four-fifths rule states that adverse impact exists if the selection ratio of the minority group is less than four-fifths (or 80 percent) of the selection ratio of the majority group. The simplest way to calculate adverse impact is to divide the selection ratio of the minority group by the selection ratio of the majority group. If the result is less than 80%, then adverse impact exists.  

The retail clothing store collected the following hiring data over the past seven years for Department Manager positions:

Males applied:  75; Males hired: 15

Females applied: 115; Females hired: 20

Caucasians applied: 150; Caucasians hired: 30

Minorities applied: 40; Minorities hired: 5 

Calculate the selection ratios for the two groups:

Males: —————-

Females: ————–

Minorities: —————-

Non-Minorities: ___________

Does adverse impact exist when you compare the minority applicant pool with the non-minority applicant pool?  Does adverse impact exist when you compare the female applicant pool with the male applicant pool? Show your calculation for both questions.

2007 SHRM. Marc C. Marchese, Ph.D.

Part C: Evaluating a Selection Process

Think about the concepts of reliability and validity in the context of the selection process. Describe what each one means, why it is important, and provide an example.  How are reliability and validity related to each other and why is important for a selection process to be both valid and reliable? 

You may use a word document if you like or provide your answers in the content of your response window.

Be sure to provide the references for the sources of the information you used to inform your analysis including the material provided in the classroom.

Discussion Two: Application

Read the Module 3 Case and in-depth scenario 1. Draft a 1 – 2 page memo to the founders of HSS to address the issues with the selection practices. Specifically, include a) a discussion of the reasons why a selection strategy is necessary to hire the best candidates; b) an explanation to the founders regarding how the selection process should be based on valid and reliable selection criteria, including some examples; and c) a discussion of the selection criteria and methods that could have been used to avoid hiring the wrong candidate for the marketing manager position.  You may use a word document if you like or provide your proposal in the content of your response window.  Be sure to provide the references for the sources of the information you used including the material provided in the classroom.

 

Assignment Content

1. Resource: Grading Guide: FMLA, Labor Law, and OSHA

   You are a first-year Human Resource Specialist at “State of Estates” estate planning firm. Norman is the mid-level manager responsible for the southern regional office. The following events have recently occurred in Norman’s office:

   • Ken, an estate planner in Norman’s office, recently adopted a baby with his wife. He applied for 12-week family leave, but was denied by Norman because his wife did not physically give birth. The corporate human resource department (where you work) was not given notice of this decision.
   • June, part of the full-time housekeeping staff, has been asking other employees if they would like to join a union. There are currently no unions within the organization.
   • Maria is concerned about ladders that are placed around the office for remodeling. Norman said not to worry, and that there are no official policies for safety in an office setting.
   • Prepare a  15- to 20-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation with speaker notes responding to Norman from a Human Resource standpoint. The presentation should address the following topics:
   • An overview of the FMLA and its key provisions relating to Ken.
   • Recommended resolution for Ken’s situation (both for Ken as an employee and as a company handling these requests moving forward).
   • An overview of key labor laws to briefly educate Norman on employee rights in unionizing.
   • A brief discussion of OSHA and possible application to Norman’s office setting.
   • Format your presentation consistent with APA guidelines.

 

Supporting Lectures:

Review the following lectures:

• Negotiating the Labor Agreement, Examining Issues, and Resolving Negotiation Disputes
• Contract Administration, Arbitration, and Employee Discipline

Discussion Questions

Before beginning work on this discussion forum, please review the link “Doing Discussion Questions Right” and any specific instructions for this topic.

Before the end of the week, begin commenting on at least two of your classmates’ responses. You can ask technical questions or respond generally to the overall experience. Be objective, clear, and concise. Always use constructive language, even in criticism, to work toward the goal of positive progress. Submit your responses in the Discussion Area.

Introduction:

By the due date assigned, respond to the assigned discussion questions and submit your responses to the appropriate topic in this Discussion Area. Respond to the assigned questions using the lessons and vocabulary found in the reading.

Select any one of the following starter bullet point sections. Review the important themes within the sub-questions of each bullet point. The sub-questions are designed to get you thinking about some of the important issues. Your response should provide a succinct synthesis of the key themes in a way that articulates a clear point, position, or conclusion supported by research. Select a different bullet point section than what your peers have already posted so that we can engage in several discussions on relevant topics. If all of the bullet points have been addressed, then you may begin to reuse the bullet points with the expectation that varied responses continue.

Tasks:

Question 1:

Evaluate the difference between a strike and a lockout.

Question 2:

Analyze the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) in relation to the collective bargaining agreement.

To support your work, use your course and textbook readings and also use the South University Online Library. As in all assignments, cite your sources in your work and provide references for the citations in APA format.

Your initial posting should be addressed at 500–1000 words as noted in the attached PDF.

PLEASE READ THE ASSIGNMENT CAREFULLY

12,000-15,000 words, not including references and appendices 

You have completed the development of an Organizational Change Action Plan. Your final project should include the following components:

Part 1: Background of the Organizational and its Current Situation

 Introduction

 Overview of the organization.

 Overview of the organization’s industry, environment, and competition.

 Background of the change initiative.

 Review of the failed change effort. 

Potential consequences if effective change is not adopted. 

Part 2: Review of the Literature 

Review of the academic literature of organizational change and development.

 Review of the practitioner literature of organizational change and development.

 Review of the academic literature of decision making and analysis.

 Review of the practitioner literature of decision making and analysis. 

Review of the academic literature of organizational learning.

 Review of the practitioner literature of organizational learning.

 Synthesis of the academic and practitioner literature. 

Part 3: Development of an Organizational Change Action Plan

 Evaluation of the academic and practitioner literature as it applies to the client organization.

 Creation of a detailed outline and implementation of the Action Plan.

 Systems thinking workshops

 Personal mastery workshops.

 Mental models workshops .

Building shared vision workshops.

 Caucuses to develop new change initiative.

 Review of new change initiative.

 Implementation of new change initiative .

Proposed time line and budget .

Part 4: References and Appendices 

Include a proposed implementation time line and a proposed budget that includes compensation for your services.

 Please submit your assignment.

 

For the Unit III Essay, imagine you are the lead trainer for a global organization. Through data analytics and observations, you have noticed that employees across the organization do not share their knowledge with one another, whether that be from skills trainings they recently completed to general knowledge that could enhance the capabilities of the organization. This is a big issue for the chief executive officer (CEO), and the head of human resources (HR) has asked you to come up with solutions to address the issue. Within your essay, provide the information below.

• Give three reasons as to why employees do not share knowledge.
• Give three solutions that your organization can incorporate to encourage knowledge sharing among employees.
• Discuss the benefits that each solution offers and how each solution promotes knowledge sharing.

For this essay, create a fictitious company name and location, and make your suggestions specific to that company. In the introduction, give the company name and location and some brief background information about the company and industry. Feel free to choose any industry (e.g., technology, manufacturing, or advertising) that interests you, and add any details that you think are necessary for your essay.

Your essay must be at least two pages in length, not counting the title and reference pages. You are required to use at least one outside source to support your explanation. All sources used, including required unit resources, must be cited and referenced according to APA guidelines.