Human Resource

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As a first-year Human Resource Specialist at “State of Estates” estate planning firm, your boss (Will N. Trusts) presents you with the following two scenarios:

Scenario 1

Ned was hired six weeks ago by “State of Estates” to supervise the call center on weekends. At the time of hire, Ned did not disclose that he is a follower of the “Weekend Warriors” religion. In observance of his religious practices, Ned may not work Saturday mornings before noon. Ned called out of work three Saturday mornings in a row, costing the company extra overtime costs. The company looked to re-arrange the schedule, but to pull in a more senior supervisor on the weekend would require time-and-a-half pay. In addition, call-center statistics indicate a drop in productivity when there is a change of supervisor mid-day. The company would like to terminate Ned’s employment.

  • Would Ned have an argument for religious discrimination against “State of Estates?” Why or why not?
  • If yes, would the company be able to assert any defenses under these circumstances?
Scenario 2

Ella works in the accounting department in the northern satellite office of the company. She has been employed for four years, and performed her job well until recently, when she was caught sleeping on the job numerous times. Ella explained to her supervisor that she suffers from sleep apnea and has not been sleeping well at night. She requested a special caffeine supplement, at $200 daily, to keep her focused on the spreadsheets.

  • What factors would a court consider in determining whether Ella’s sleep apnea qualifies her for protection under the ADA?
  • Would “State of Estates” have to provide the requested accommodation of the caffeine pills in this instance? Why or why not?

Create two 350-word memos in one document based on these two scenarios.

Format your memos, including citations and references consistent with APA guidelines.

Human Resource

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  1. “State of Estates” is a national estate planning firm with 2,500 employees in eight states.

    Research, as a team, three relevant court cases on age discrimination. 

    Design a 2-3-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation with speaker notes for the senior management team at “State of Estates” to train them on the following topics:

    • An overview of the ADEA
    •  
      Include visual interest in the form of relevant photos, clip art, and/or graphics. 

5 pg APA ethic interview

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DIRECTIONS:

You will write an APA 7th Edition paper, 5-7 double-spaced pages in length, on someone of your choosing who is currently in an executive position or in a leadership role. They should be considered a C-Level (CEO, CIO, CFO, etc.) executive or in a prominent leadership position.  At a minimum this person needs to be responsible for a significant function in an organization and have supervisory responsibility over others.  The interview may be conducted on the phone, virtually, or in person (your methodology or mode of conducting the interview, must be documented in your paper).  This paper must include a minimum of five (5) peer-reviewed, refereed journal articles pertaining to your subject’s ethics. As a guideline, your paper should include:

  1. DESCRIBE: A description of the subject’s ethical beliefs and practices. In two pages (approximately) you should address the following: What challenges have they encountered in the workplace that have shaped their views on ethics? How have they addressed those challenges (their ethical reasoning)?
  2. ANALYZE: An analysis of the subject’s ethics.  How did he or she evolve their view of ethics?  

What ethical theories are expressed or implied in his or her discussion of ethics.  Examine whether there were inconsistencies, deficiencies, inadequacies in his or her ethical theory. If there were no shortcomings, account for the strength of the subject’s ethical position. What motivated the leaders to act appropriately or inappropriately, in your opinion? This should be approximately two-three pages.

  1. SYNTHESIZE and EVALUATE: Do you agree with your subject’s approach to ethics? If not, why not, and if so, then why?  What did you learn from this interview and your research?  About two pages are adequate for this portion.

You are to summarize and analyze the content of the interview, not provide a verbatim transcript of the interview. This is due on Sunday of Week Six, and is worth 300 points. The grading rubric for this paper is provided in Course Information in Blackboard.

Signature Assignment

Executive Interview Rubric

Criteria

Exemplary

Proficient

Needs Improvement

Below Expectations

No credit

Content Accuracy 

80

Provides clear identification of the interviewee’s ethical beliefs and practices. Utilizing the course textbook or journal articles identify two or more ethical theorists or theories to explain the leader’s approach.

73

Provides fairly clear identification of the interviewee’s ethical beliefs and practices. Utilizing the course textbook or journal articles identify two or more ethical theorists or theories to explain the leader’s approach.

67

Provides somewhat clear identification of the interviewee’s ethical beliefs and practices. Utilizing the course textbook or journal articles identify one ethical theorist or theory to explain the leader’s approach.

61

Does not provide a clear identification of the interviewee’s ethical beliefs and practices. Does not utilize the course textbook or any journal articles, and does not identify any ethical theorists or theories to explain the leader’s approach.

0

Assignment, meeting grading criteria, was not submitted.

Critical Analysis 

80

In-depth discussion of three (3) of the following:

  • Inadequacies, deficiencies, or inconsistencies in the subject’s ethics
  • Strengths of the subject’s ethics
  • Presents evidence corroborating your position of the subject ethical behavior

Utilizes the textbook and journal article(s) to state your case.

73

In-depth discussion of two (2) of the following:

  • Inadequacies, deficiencies, or inconsistencies in the subject’s ethics
  • Strengths of the subject’s ethics
  • Presents evidence corroborating your position of the subject ethical behavior

Utilizes the textbook and journal article(s) to state your case.

67

In-depth discussion of one (1) of the following:

  • Inadequacies, deficiencies, or inconsistencies in the subject’s ethics
  • Strengths of the subject’s ethics
  • Presents evidence corroborating your position of the subject ethical behavior

Utilizes the textbook and journal article(s) to state your case.

61

Does not discuss any of the following:

  • Inadequacies, deficiencies, or inconsistencies in the subject’s ethics
  • Strengths of the subject’s ethics
  • Presents evidence corroborating your position of the subject ethical behavior

Does not utilize the textbook and/or journal article(s) to state your case.

0

Assignment, meeting grading criteria, was not submitted.

Application/

Learning 

60

The writer provides a clear and detailed rationale explaining support or opposition to the subject’s ethics.   Identifies a minimum of 3 learnings from the interview.

53

The writer provides a somewhat clear and somewhat detailed rationale explaining support or opposition to the subject’s ethics.   Identifies 2 learnings from the interview.

47

The writer provides an inadequate and minimally detailed rationale explaining support or opposition to the subject’s ethics.   Identifies 1 learning from the interview.

41

The writer does not provide a clear or detailed rationale explaining support or opposition to the subject’s ethics.   Does not identify learnings from the interview.

0

Assignment, meeting grading criteria, was not submitted.

Writing Mechanics and APA 

40

The writer clearly demonstrates an understanding of the assignment while using a style, form and language that is appropriate for a college level paper. The writer properly acknowledges the work of others by consistently utilizing current APA style.

33

The writer demonstrates some understanding of the assignment while using a style, form and language that is appropriate for a college level paper.

The writer properly acknowledges the work of others with some APA flaws.

27

The writer demonstrates minimal understanding of the assignment while using a style, form and language that is appropriate for a college level paper. The writer properly acknowledges the work of others with major APA flaws.

21

The writer uses a style, form, and language that are not college level quality.

The writer does not acknowledge the work of others, and does not utilize APA style.

0

Assignment, meeting grading criteria, was not submitted.

Use of Sources 

40

The writer has used at least 5 scholarly reference sources. Draws from primary sources for discussion.

33

The writer has used at least 5 scholarly reference sources. Draws heavily upon secondary sources for discussion.

27

The writer has used at least 5 scholarly reference sources. Draws heavily upon secondary sources for discussion.

21

The writer has used 4 or fewer scholarly sources of reference.

0

Assignment, meeting grading criteria, was not submitted.

ppls asmnt 6

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This assignment is divided into 2 parts.  Submit the answers of these 2 parts into one document (1 file).

Part One: Certification

Visit the website http://www.asq.org/certification and check on the certifications that ASQ offers.  You will select only 1-2 certifications which you’re interested to obtain in the future and write 2-3 paragraphs (between 150-200 words, single space). Your answers should include:

–  What certifications and organizations are you currently attained (or none)?

–  Are you a membership of any organizations? Please indicate the name of organization and type of your membership

–  What are the certifications that you’re interested to obtain?  Are you qualified to take this certificate exam now? If not, what do you need to do to be able to take the exam? And what is your preliminary plan?

Part Two: Case Study

This part will provide you examples of case studies from the Air Academy Associates.  You will select, study and summarize one case from the website http://www.airacad.com/our-insights/case-studies/ Then you’ll  provide your own suggestions in solving the case problem.  Your writing should be in 1-2 pages (Time NW 12, single space) will include:-  Case title and business’ products/services-  Case problems and case questions-  Steps or process of solving case problems-  Tools, techniques, and application used in solving case problems-  Project results (e.g.  did it solve problem, cost saving, reducing failure rate/variation,…. )-  Your suggestions on how to solve case problems, criticize if the case did not provide proper solutions.

To access into the case studies, go to http://www.airacad.com/our-insights/case-studies/  then select the type of industries from the list. Different types include: manufacturing, government, financial services, energy and transportation, healthcare phama and biotech, professional and adminstrative services, information system and technology, and retail operations.

Week 7

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Consider a project such as moving to a new neighborhood, completing a long-term school assignment, or even cleaning your bedroom.  Develop a set of activities necessary to accomplish that project, and then order them in a precedence manner to create sequential logic.  Explain and defend the number of steps you identified and the order in which you placed those steps for best completion of the project.In crashing a project, we routinely focus on those activities that lie on the critical path, not activities with slack time.  Explain why this is the case.Identify and discuss some of the problems or dangers in using project networks.  Under what circumstances can they be beneficial, and when can they be dangerous?

Employment Law

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You are responsible for training new managers on key employment policies and practices. For this assignment, you will create a PowerPoint presentation that includes information on the following topics:

  • protected classes under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and how the Act applies to staffing decisions;
  • employer conduct that violates anti-discrimination laws;
  • the importance of the Civil Rights Act in eliminating racial discrimination in the workplace;
  • the role of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in workplace discrimination regulations; and
  • documentation needed to defend retaliation claims.

You must use at least three sources, one of which may be your textbook. Consider the value of using actual case decisions to exemplify the regulation for your managers. Adhere to APA Style when creating citations and references for this assignment.

Your presentation should be eight to 10 slides, not including the title and reference slides. You are encouraged to use the slide notes function to explain slide contents as necessary or to add additional talking points you would want to discuss in your training.

Training and Development

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Imagine that you work for a global automobile manufacturer as a lead training and development associate. The head of human resources (HR) has had meetings with various departments, and a training need was identified by the sales department. Sales have dropped considerably in the last quarter, and through a training needs analysis, it was shown that sales associates lack the proper knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to effectively sell automobiles to various car dealerships in the United States and abroad.

The head of HR has asked that you give him or her a presentation on which major training theory you would recommend to apply to this scenario to equip the sales associates with the necessary skills to increase sales.

Select one training theory. This can be any of the four discussed in this unit or a training theory of your choice that interests you. Then, in your PowerPoint presentation, include the elements listed below.       

  • Discuss the training theory and its primary tenets.
  • Explain why you recommend this theory.
  • Discuss two to three activities that you would build from this theory. For example, if you chose action theory, you may create group activities where sales associates run through sales scenarios with each other to see what works and what does not. Feel free to be as creative as you would like with your given theory. 
  • Explain how your activities will address each learning style (i.e., visual, audible, and kinesthetic learning styles).

Your presentation must be at least 10 slides in length, not counting the title and reference slides. You are required to use at least one outside source and to utilize the notes section within PowerPoint. Within the notes section, include additional explanations for each slide. As you create your presentation, keep in mind that you are presenting for executives at your organization. All sources used, including the required unit resources, must be cited and referenced according to APA guidelines.

Strayer discussion

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Apa format

1-2 paragraphs 

references

Step 1 – Read the Information Below

Motivation is the psychological process that arouses and directs behavior. There are three theories that will help us understand the motivation of employees in the workplace:

  • Goal-setting theory suggests behavior can be motivated with specific, challenging goals that are obtainable. The key to goal-setting theory is ensuring employees understand what is expected and accept the goals.
  • Self-efficacy is the belief in one’s personal ability to do a task. There is a lot to be said to scoring high in this trait. People who are confident about their ability tend to succeed, whereas those who doubt their ability tend to fail.
  • Reinforcement theory explains how behavior can be altered by administering positive or negative consequences to actions of employees. Behavior with positive consequences tends to be repeated, and behavior with negative consequences tends not to be repeated.

Leading CLA1

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1. What symptoms of resistance to change have you experienced? Have you experienced both active and passive forms? Have you experienced them as a resistor yourself (as a recipient of change)? Have you experienced them as someone responsible for the management of change (as an initiator of change)?

2. Which of the various reasons for resisting change do you believe to be the most common? What are your “top three” in this regard?

3.Which of the various reasons for resisting change do you believe to be the most difficult to deal with (as a manager)? What are your “top three” in this regard?

4. When senior managers resist change at the strategic level, they are in a position to cause more damage than employees resisting changes at the operational level. Have you worked in a company where you believe that management resistance to change may have existed? As a manager yourself, what would you try to do to prevent this from happening?

5. Which approach to the management of resistance attracts you? What is the reason for your choice? For example, is it because you think it to be the most effective or does it also relate to a view that you have about how people should be managed?

case study

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Part 1 Ethical Challenge
Ford Motor Company Responds to Ethical Challenges

Ford Motor Company was founded by Henry Ford, an inventor and entrepreneur, on June 16, 1903, in Detroit, Michigan. The Model-T became one of the most popular vehicles because it was inexpensive. During this era, he opened a factory in Canada, making the

company a global transportation leader. His moving assembly line for manufacturing was to revolutionize the auto industry.

In July 1919, the Ford family bought out all nonfamily shareholders, making them the sole owners of the company. Ever since, all Ford Company Chairmen/CEOs have been direct descendants of Henry Ford. It is the fifth largest family-owned business in the world. Today, Ford remains one the world’s top automobile companies. In 1927, Chevrolet surpassed Ford in the number of cars sold, and a rivalry continued for the next 100 years. The Ford Focus was the world’s bestselling automobile in 2013.

The Ford Company mission also known as the vision statement is “People working together as a lean, global enterprise to make people’s lives better through automotive and

mobility leadership.” Today, Bill Ford is Executive Chairman; under his leadership, the company was named the Best Global Green Brand among all companies in the world in 2014, and one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the eighth year in a row in March 2017.

In 2017, Mark Fields was forced out as CEO, after a 40 percent drop in share price over the past three years. Chairman Bill Ford immediately appointed Jim Hackett to replace him. Prior to this appointment, Hackett served as Chairman of the Ford Smart Mobility LLC subsidiary. Hackett’s growth strategy is to take the carmaker from conventional production to new kinds of vehicles and new advanced manufacturing processes that include ridesharing and

autonomous vehicles. His strategy is to move from a traditional car company to a more flexible and technologically advanced mobility company.

Hackett’s management strategy is to cut costs, focus on trucks and SUVs, and move some manufacturing, including the Ford Focus, to China. Ford will cut internal combustion

engine spending by one-third while moving these resources toward electrical technology with a goal to add 13 new electric cars by 2020. Ford has pledged to redesign its factories and add 3D printing, robotics, and virtual reality tools to speed up design for development and production of all product offerings.

Ford will explore emerging markets as they seek new ways to address urban congestion and park and ride desires of the driving public. Recently, the company acquired Chariot, a crowdsourced shuttle service, and opened the company’s Smart Mobility Innovation Office in London, which will target near-term development of smart mobility technologies while focusing on the specific requirements of European cities. Hackett plans to push Internet connectivity and promises that 100 percent of new U.S. vehicles will have the capability. It will include Wi-Fi

technology that is critical for driver assistance systems and autonomous vehicles. Ford’s biggest competitors are Tesla, Google, and Uber.

Henry Ford said “there is a most intimate connection between decency and good business.” The company has a strong code of conduct; it is published in the Ford Code of Conduct Handbook. It focuses on ethical risk, provides guidance on how to recognize and deal with ethical issues, and provides policies and methods to report unethical conduct and to help create a culture of accountability and honesty. It also provides an online reporting system as well as questions and answers.

The handbook covers the workplace environment; gifts, favors, and conflicts of interest, use of company assets and data safeguarding integrity of financial records; product quality; safety and environmental matters; intellectual property; working with the governments political activities; competition and antitrust laws; and international business practices. The

Ford Code of Conduct Handbook provides a list of items employees are forbidden to accept: gifts from those who do business or wish to do business with Ford (unless under a $50.00 value), including cash, discounts on products (unless offered to the whole company), and tickets that do not meet entertainment requirements. The company has strict guidelines on international business and maintains strict oversight over its global operations and provides an online global ethics training program for employees, written in 13 languages.

Even with a strict Code of Conduct, Ford has encountered problems through the years. In 1970–1980 while sales of the Ford Pinto were high, design issues arose regarding placement of the gas tank behind the rear axle instead above it. Bolts were added, which increased the likelihood of a puncture in the tank and causing a fire. In 1977, the flaws were made public in a

Mother Jones article criticizing Ford’s decision-making process for the product. The flawed design cost Ford Motor Company $125 million in compensatory and punitive damages.

The verdict remains controversial even after many appeals as Ford maintained the Pinto was safe and only involved in 1.9 percent of fatal accidents and less than half were the result of rear-end collisions. A California Court of Appeals upheld the original verdict although the amount of punitive damages was reduced to $3.5 million. Ford was found by the jury to be negligent. Later Ford engineers indicated that management was not made aware of the design problems because of a company culture of firing the bearers of bad news. Ford’s reputation

was significantly impacted when the jury viewed Ford was more interested in saving money at the expense of society.

Another embarrassing Ford ethics issue involved Firestone/Bridgestone tire company in 1998. A State Farm Insurance investigator studied claims and discovered tire tread failure with

the Firestone tires, which was then reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Almost 84 percent of the tire retread issues were found on Ford vehicles that were manufactured at the Decatur, Illinois, plant. Further investigation revealed the plant did not have adequate air conditioning which directly impacted the adhesive properties of the tire. Old equipment combined with temperature-control problems led to the safety issues. The Ford Explorer recommended a lower tire pressure, and many felt it contributed to the Ford Explorer rollover problems and tire tread failure. Firestone issued a tire recall, and Ford implemented a tire replacement program that affected 1.3 million tires. Each company blamed the other for the problems that ultimately severed the long-term business relationship the two companies had.

Ford was criticized for lack of due diligence and should have had more quality control over their vehicles. Ford also failed to acknowledge to the public that they had identical problems with the Ford Explorer in foreign countries. This resulted in their stock price decline, loss of consumer faith, and ultimately cost the company more than $1.3 billion.

Sustaining Sustainability—Ford Motor Company has made a commitment to sustainability; they created the Sustainable Work Force that focuses on strategic hiring, training, protection, safety, and health care. Ford has a policy for safeguarding human rights and working conditions as they seek to be a good corporate citizen. They also encourage their

suppliers to develop and enforce similar polices for their own suppliers and subcontractors. Sustainability creates an opportunity for engagement, collaboration, and innovation. Ford has created an employee wellness and well-being program and expanded benefits beyond the traditional ones, including increased paid leave time.

The company is a strong supporter of employee diversity and education. An employee program called Ford Interfaith Network was created to help employees learn about and respect different religious beliefs and customs. Every year, Ford holds a National Day of Prayer at its world headquarters and invites employees of all faiths, ethnicities, and religion to participate. The company also created GLOBE to support a safe and supportive work environment for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered employees. Employees are encouraged to participate in health risk appraisals and health promotion programs.

Community Sustainability—Ford employees gave 204,000 volunteer hours in 2016 working in poverty areas. The Ford Global Day of Caring volunteers engage in building projects in communities through the world. Ford Community Day is a fair for the public that introduces

the customer to their product line. Local Ford dealerships sponsor major events and initiatives. The Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies (Ford PAS) is an academic program that has students, teachers, and community leaders providing free tutoring to participants. In 2016, Ford provided $32.8 million to support Community Life, $18.4 million for education, and $7.7 million for driving safety programs.

The Environmental Sustainability Program for Climate Change addresses ethical business practices, product carbon footprint and fuel economy, customer satisfaction, product quality and safety, supply chain management, assessment, capacity building and performance, and

government regulations. Ford was named to CDP’s Water A List for corporate water stewardship for the second year in a row. Ford’s Value Chain includes product design that addresses the impacts at every stage of the automotive life cycle, from use of natural resources and materials to product quality and safety. Ford tries to use sustainable materials throughout

the manufacturing process. They also hold their suppliers and subcontractors to the same standards they adhere to.

Conclusion—Ford today has operations in more than 100 countries and works to maintain the core values of improving performance while addressing social, economic, and environmental challenges while living in compliance within the Ford Code of Conduct Handbook. There will always be new ethical issues, and Ford will need to continue to access risks and respond to new challenges.

Question:

How has Ford made ethics an important part of its culture?