Ap Human Resource Management Essay
Strategic Human Resources Management
Chapter Questions
Chapter 1
Environmental change can have a profound effect on HR policy. (1) List at least 5 important challenges faced by HR professionals. (2) Identify which one is the most important to you. Explain.
What are three ways that HR policies can affect an organization’s competitive position?
Three ways a company can gain a competitive advantage is there organizational structure, the type of strategic strategy the company implements and how well an organization can motivate its employees to work.
In your own words, describe organizational culture. Describe a company’s organizational culture that you would like to work for following graduation.
Organizational culture is a business’ …show more content…
environment. It looks at the vision, values, norms, systems, symbols, language, assumptions, beliefs, and habits of both the employees and the company. A companies organizational culture that I would like to work for would be something the mimics the culture that google has developed. They have a laid back environment with great work amenities. It makes going to work enjoyable.
Can you see any potential ethical dilemmas develop with the rise of technology and security in the workplace? Explain using real-world examples to prove your point.
Ethical problems can arise with the continued development of technology and security in the workplace. For example, constant video monitoring can make employees uncomfortable with having there every movement watched while they are working. It can be considered an invasion of personal space if taken too far. A recent example of security measures creating ethical debates would be the introduction of the new security scanning machines at airports. People believe they invade their personal space.
Provide a brief discussion outlining how strategic HR fits into the defender and prospector strategies created by Miles and Snow.
Strategic HR fits into the defender and prospector strategies based off the type of business environment they are competing in. A stable market with a well-established product the company would use a defender strategy. Thus, if a company was operating in an uncertain business environment, they would require flexibility and use the prospector strategy.
Discuss three types of organizational design structures. Give an example of a real-world company that exemplifies each.
-Bureaucratic organizational structure- a pyramid shape structure with many different levels of management and the few head managers being at the top. An example of this would be a company like oracle. Head Ceo and then managers at different levels below him.
-Flat Organizational Structure- characterized by few levels of management, general job descriptions, emphasis on teams. A good example of this would be law firms. They have a head partner. Then below him a few partners. And then these partners have associates.
-Boundaryless Organizational Structure- joint ventures with customers, suppliers, and competitors.
Emphasis on team and share a lot of characteristics with flat organizational structure. An example would be Apple buying a glass company to help make the glass for their new iphones.
Explain the difference between work-flow analysis and Business Process Reengineering (BPR).
Work-flow analysis is the process of examining how work creates and adds value to the ongoing processes of a business. Business Process Reengineering differs from this because it looks to redesign the business process to achieve more value for a business. Therefore these two things work together. You use a work-flow analysis to see if work process is creating value and then the BPR looks to make that process more efficient.
Why would a company consider a Self-Managed Team (SMT) as a viable option for structure option? What are the skills areas that may be necessary for an HR department to develop before an SMT is ready to function?
SMT’s would be considered a viable option because they can potentially improve quality, productivity, and reduce operating costs for a company. This being said there are three areas that need to be developed before an SMT is ready to function. These skill areas include technical skills, administrative skills, and interpersonal
skills.
Describe Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory of motivation.
It looks to identify and explain the factors that employees find satisfying and dissatisfying about their jobs. It says for a job to be satisfying for employees that it must have as many motivators as possible which include the work itself, achievements, recognition, and responsibility. Also it talks about making as many positive changes in hygiene factors that will make the job more enjoyable.
What is Job Analysis? What is it used for? What are some methods used to create one?
A job analysis is the systematic gathering and organization of information concerning jobs. It is used to identify the tasks, duties, and responsibilities of a particular job. Methods used to create a job analysis include interviews, observations, diaries, questionnaires, internet-based data collection.
Chapter Questions
Chapter 1
Environmental change can have a profound effect on HR policy. (1) List at least 5 important challenges faced by HR professionals. (2) Identify which one is the most important to you. Explain.
What are three ways that HR policies can affect an organization’s competitive position?
Three ways a company can gain a competitive advantage is there organizational structure, the type of strategic strategy the company implements and how well an organization can motivate its employees to work.
In your own words, describe organizational culture. Describe a company’s organizational culture that you would like to work for following graduation.
Organizational culture is a business’ …show more content…
environment. It looks at the vision, values, norms, systems, symbols, language, assumptions, beliefs, and habits of both the employees and the company. A companies organizational culture that I would like to work for would be something the mimics the culture that google has developed. They have a laid back environment with great work amenities. It makes going to work enjoyable.
Can you see any potential ethical dilemmas develop with the rise of technology and security in the workplace? Explain using real-world examples to prove your point.
Ethical problems can arise with the continued development of technology and security in the workplace. For example, constant video monitoring can make employees uncomfortable with having there every movement watched while they are working. It can be considered an invasion of personal space if taken too far. A recent example of security measures creating ethical debates would be the introduction of the new security scanning machines at airports. People believe they invade their personal space.
Provide a brief discussion outlining how strategic HR fits into the defender and prospector strategies created by Miles and Snow.
Strategic HR fits into the defender and prospector strategies based off the type of business environment they are competing in. A stable market with a well-established product the company would use a defender strategy. Thus, if a company was operating in an uncertain business environment, they would require flexibility and use the prospector strategy.
Discuss three types of organizational design structures. Give an example of a real-world company that exemplifies each.
-Bureaucratic organizational structure- a pyramid shape structure with many different levels of management and the few head managers being at the top. An example of this would be a company like oracle. Head Ceo and then managers at different levels below him.
-Flat Organizational Structure- characterized by few levels of management, general job descriptions, emphasis on teams. A good example of this would be law firms. They have a head partner. Then below him a few partners. And then these partners have associates.
-Boundaryless Organizational Structure- joint ventures with customers, suppliers, and competitors.
Emphasis on team and share a lot of characteristics with flat organizational structure. An example would be Apple buying a glass company to help make the glass for their new iphones.
Explain the difference between work-flow analysis and Business Process Reengineering (BPR).
Work-flow analysis is the process of examining how work creates and adds value to the ongoing processes of a business. Business Process Reengineering differs from this because it looks to redesign the business process to achieve more value for a business. Therefore these two things work together. You use a work-flow analysis to see if work process is creating value and then the BPR looks to make that process more efficient.
Why would a company consider a Self-Managed Team (SMT) as a viable option for structure option? What are the skills areas that may be necessary for an HR department to develop before an SMT is ready to function?
SMT’s would be considered a viable option because they can potentially improve quality, productivity, and reduce operating costs for a company. This being said there are three areas that need to be developed before an SMT is ready to function. These skill areas include technical skills, administrative skills, and interpersonal
skills.
Describe Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory of motivation.
It looks to identify and explain the factors that employees find satisfying and dissatisfying about their jobs. It says for a job to be satisfying for employees that it must have as many motivators as possible which include the work itself, achievements, recognition, and responsibility. Also it talks about making as many positive changes in hygiene factors that will make the job more enjoyable.
What is Job Analysis? What is it used for? What are some methods used to create one?
A job analysis is the systematic gathering and organization of information concerning jobs. It is used to identify the tasks, duties, and responsibilities of a particular job. Methods used to create a job analysis include interviews, observations, diaries, questionnaires, internet-based data collection.