MGT 4481 Chapter 1-2 Discussion Questions
MGT 4481
March 29, 2012
Discussion Questions from Chapter 1 and 2
Chapter 1
1. Relate a hiring experience you have had as a job seeker to the process illustrated in Figure 1-1. What could the organization you applied to have done to improve your experience?
Many years ago I applied for a job I learned about by word of mouth. I was instructed to contact the supervisor of the position I was seeking in order to set up an interview. I interviewed with the supervisor, and met the qualifications he had for the job, and he told me he would contact me at a future date to formally offer the job. After a few weeks, I had heard nothing. I contacted the supervisor who conducted the interview, only to find out another applicant had been hired by the supervisor’s boss. It was apparent the business I applied to did not have a formal process of hiring employees because the supervisor had no idea the manager was doing a search of his own. The organization could have benefited from the sort of flowchart in Figure 1-1 by allowing the HR Dept. to screen all potential applicants, then presenting them to either the supervisor or the direct manager for a further interview. Following a process like the one presented in Figure 1-1 would have potentially solved the problem of two different supervisors interviewing candidates without knowing what the other was doing.
2. Assume that your organization wants to pursue a staffing strategy of acquiring the best talent possible. Give an example of how the firm’s ability to provide only average pay can affect the success of this staffing strategy.
An organization seeking the best talent available will have to figure out a way to properly compensate their workers, but this is not always an option due to differing business climates. Firms wanting to recruit the best talent must be able to provide competitive wages and/or performance pay to avoid losing the employee to another job offer. When the labor market is
March 29, 2012
Discussion Questions from Chapter 1 and 2
Chapter 1
1. Relate a hiring experience you have had as a job seeker to the process illustrated in Figure 1-1. What could the organization you applied to have done to improve your experience?
Many years ago I applied for a job I learned about by word of mouth. I was instructed to contact the supervisor of the position I was seeking in order to set up an interview. I interviewed with the supervisor, and met the qualifications he had for the job, and he told me he would contact me at a future date to formally offer the job. After a few weeks, I had heard nothing. I contacted the supervisor who conducted the interview, only to find out another applicant had been hired by the supervisor’s boss. It was apparent the business I applied to did not have a formal process of hiring employees because the supervisor had no idea the manager was doing a search of his own. The organization could have benefited from the sort of flowchart in Figure 1-1 by allowing the HR Dept. to screen all potential applicants, then presenting them to either the supervisor or the direct manager for a further interview. Following a process like the one presented in Figure 1-1 would have potentially solved the problem of two different supervisors interviewing candidates without knowing what the other was doing.
2. Assume that your organization wants to pursue a staffing strategy of acquiring the best talent possible. Give an example of how the firm’s ability to provide only average pay can affect the success of this staffing strategy.
An organization seeking the best talent available will have to figure out a way to properly compensate their workers, but this is not always an option due to differing business climates. Firms wanting to recruit the best talent must be able to provide competitive wages and/or performance pay to avoid losing the employee to another job offer. When the labor market is