HRM case study and answer

Case study

1)      “the number of employees are usually from three to six.’’ Why is the size of team an important factor. What are the benefits to Starbucks of having small teams of staff in each branch?

One of the strategies of Starbucks is to have small teams of staff in each branch (from 3 to 6). It helps employees to communicate more effectively, to know each other easily and deeply. They become closer and more familiar, and therefore the efficiency of the company will grow up.

Another benefit having small teams for Starbucks is the manager can spend more time with each employee as necessary. And it helps the company to gain better relationship between manager and employees.

2)      How does Starbucks manage to keep good relationships between their managers and employees?

·         The managers in Starbucks treat their employees equally.

·         Even all employees in the organisation have a status as 'partners'.

·         They build good relationship by coming closer and familiar.

·         Every week they organize interviews to see what employees needs are.

·         They narrow the gap between managers and employees.

3)      The staff at Starbucks are empowered and motivated employees. Briefly explain, in own words, the three principles that Starbucks implement in motivating employees.

Starbucks has its own effective ways of employees' motivation.

1.      Equal treatment: Starbucks treat its employees equaaly and not jus employees  but as essential partners to their business. So, they create more closer and familiar otmosphere.

2.       Listen to employees: In Starbucks employees have a right of their personal opinion, to help developing plans. In order to know employees needs, managers organize weekly interviews. And therfor, each employee thinks that they play an important role in an organisation.

3.      Good welfare measures: Starbucks gives employees discounts for buying opportunities, medical insurance, dividents of a company.

4)      Managers needs to commit to certain aspects in order to empower employees. List four of these aspects.

 It's very benefitial for Starbucks to empower its employees. Here listed 4 of them.

1.  Motivation is the most important key factor

2.  Good relationship between managers and employees

3.  They do not ignore workers' ideas

4.  Great deal of welfare policies.

Exam questions and answers for HRM

 Explain how each of the following HR practices can be used to maintain safe and healthy workplaces: job analysis, selection, training, performance measurement and feedback.

Organizations can become more effective if they have safer and healthy workplaces.

There are lots of things that can be used for workplace safety and health.

Job Analysis is essentially the assessment of work activities and the workplace to establish whether adequate precautions are in place. In other words, it is the systematic identification of potential hazards in the workplace as a step to controlling the possible risks involved.

Selection – Managers should hire safe employees. Employees who are aware of safety issues and have a commitment to following safe work practices can reduce accidents.

Training- Training is the most important activity that can be used to improve workplace safety and health. If you teach your employees how to behave when an accident happens, they can be calm. The training of managers may include detailed explanations of the relevant laws and regulations that govern workplace safety and health.

Performance measurement and feedback -The organisation should measure, monitor and evaluate its safety and health performance. The main purpose in  measuring safety performance is to develop strategies that will eliminate future  incidents and give feedback.

 Why is job analysis essential for the development of a performance appraisal and feedback system?

Job analysis is used as the basis for developing performance appraisal and feedback system. The analysis can be used to identify the best source of information for the appraisal of different components of job performance. Job analysis consists of a systematic set of procedures or methods for determining what workers actually do on the job and for describing which aspects of workers knowledge, skill, ability, and other characteristics contribute to job performance.

A thorough approach to planning for change can take a great deal of time. When time is short, which steps in the planning process can be eliminated most readily? What are the potential risks of skipping these steps? Explain your logic.

Even if time is too short, it’s good not to eliminate any steps of planning process. We should make a plan in order to finish on time.

For example, we can use talents, use teams giving them specific tasks to do. We can have communications as well about change that are taking place.

 Describe how powerful and clear statement of an organization’s vision, mission, and values can be helpful to employees of the organization.

Vision, mission and values statements are important components of strategic planning.

The vision statement is future focused and paints a picture of where you would like the organization to be or what you would like to accomplish in the long term.

Mission is focused on the present and describes the purpose of your organization or why it exists.

Finally, values statement reflects core behaviours or principles that guide the actions of employees as they execute to achieve the mission and vision.

A clear vision helps employees to have the same future state or objectives.

A clear mission provide the basis for developing plans that can  be executed to achieve the vision.

Values statement make clear behaviours that are expected of everyone.

8. Assume you are supervising employees who fall into one of here categories:

(1) effective performers who have lots of potential for advancement;

(2) effective performers who lack motivation or ability, or both, for potential advancement;

(3) ineffective performers.

It’s performance appraisal time, and you must plan interviews with subordinates from each of these categories. Will you have different objectives for different types of employees? Explain how your discussion will  be similar and how they will be different.

Answer:

Performance appraisal is the process by which organisations evaluate employees job performance. In this case, we have 3 types  of employees. During the discussion about performance appraisal with employees first of all in all groups we should focus on setting clear performance objectives and expectations.

Of course,  there will be some differences:

1^st group, which are effective performers, need to listen recognitions of their achievements.

• We should show respect
• Ask if they need any kinds of trainings in order to maximize their performance.

2^nd group

Lack of motivation can make it feel as if there is no reason to do anything. This kind of employees you should show that you are there to help them, and they can trust you.

• Show them that they can talk about their problems
• Help find the most important goal that they want to achieve
• Maybe they need some of rest.

And 3^rd group, in which exist ineffective performers.

• Help employees to understand their roles and focus on their particular goals
• Maybe they need some trainings and development needs.

 

Exam questions and answers for Business Ethics

Question: Define the term stakeholder and briefly discuss the issues the stakeholder theory addresses. Also, list the primary stakeholders of a business and explain through examples their relations with an organization.

Answer:

Stakeholders are those who are affected by an organization.

Stakeholder theory deals with three issues:

·         What responsibilities or duties does an organization owe to its stakeholders?

·         How should an organization decide between its obligations to two or more stakeholders if they demand different things from an organization? What criteria should the organization use when deciding which stakeholder group’s wishes it should prioritize.

·         What legitimate interests justify a group of people being regarded as a stakeholder in an organization?

Primary stakeholders of a business                    Its relation

            Employees                                                     sell labor

            Stockholders                                                  invest capital

            Creditors                                                        lend money

            Suppliers                                                        sell materials

            Customers                                                      buy products

            Retailers                                                         distribute products

Question: One of the approaches used to describe business ethics is through the discussion of the legality, illegality, and justice of a decision or action. Briefly discuss the four combinations of legality and justice used to explain ethical issues.

Answer:

1. Actions that are good and legal but not a legal obligation: some actions may raise ethical issues because, although they are good and legal, people do not take them because the law does not require them to do.
2. Actions that are wrong and illegal: here, ethical or moral questions arise because an action is both wrong and illegal.
3. Actions that are legal but not necessarily just: another category includes actions that may be legal but are also, bad.
4. Actions that are just but illegal: It concerns actions that may be illegal but are morally or ethically good.

 

   Question: Define values and briefly differentiate between instrumental and terminal values. In     addition, explain the types of values that might affect how we think about ethical issues.

Values are defined as beliefs of a person, set of emotional rules that people follow to help make the right decisions in life.

Different types of values might affect how we think about ethical issues.

Instrumental values (moral and competence) are about how a person should live and behave.

Terminal vales ( personal and social) concern the ends or purposes that we should striving for. 

Question: Briefly discuss the five viewpoints on the role of values in business ethics.

1)      Traditionalist view is defined by its possession of shared values.

2)      The Modernist view- Those who take this position believe that values are tangible and can be unambiguously stated and defined through formal and rational debate.

3)      The neo-traditional view- They see values in the context of organizational and social cultures.

4)      The post-modern view- They see nothing in the social and intellectual world as tangible or fixed.

5)      The programmatic view is not about how to represent, or mirror, the world in our thinking but how cope with its ambiguity. 

 Question :Explain the conditions under which whistleblowing might be justified.

Answer:

6 conditions:

i. A product or policy of an organization needs to possess the potential to do harm

to some members of society.

ii. The concerned employee should first of all report the facts, as far as they are

known, to their immediate superior.

iii. If the immediate  superior  fails to act  effectively , the concerned employee should

take the matter to more senior managers, exhausting all available internal

channels in the process.

iv. The prospective whistleblower should hold documentary evidence that can be

presented to external audiences.

v. The prospective whistleblower must believe that the necessary changes will be

implemented as a result of their whistleblowing act.

vi. The sixth condition is a general one and it is that the whistleblower must be

acting in good faith, without malice .

 

 Question : List and define Hofstede’s four dimensions on national value differences.

Hofstede’s 4 dimensions

Power distance: the extend to which the less powerful members of organisations expect and accept that power is distributed unequally.

ii. Individualism: high in countries in which the ties between individuals are loose and everyone is expected to look out for themselves.

iii. Masculinity: high in those countries in which gender roles are distinct and in which men are expected to be assertive, tough and focused on material success and women are supposed to be more modest, tender and concerned with the quality of life. In societies in which masculinity is low the gender roles overlap and both men and women are supposed to be modest, tender and concerned with the quality of life.

iv. Uncertainty avoidance: the extend to which society members feel threatened by uncertain or unknown situations. Societies in which there is low uncertainty avoidance are comfortable with ambiguity; those in which there is high uncertainty avoidance seek to finesse ambiguity away.

 

 

 

How to prepare for the exam

  How to prepare for the exams? It's clear for everyone,  that it would be better if  the students  work hard  during the year. But, unfortunately, this idea comes to mind only to parents.
  But is it possible to prepare for the exams in a few days? Practice shows that it is possible. This is proved by the evaluation of millions of students and pupils. It is important to have an idea about how to prepare for exams, and then everything will turn out. There are some simple but time-tested rules. 
  In preparing for the exams never use all sorts of stimulants such as coffee, tea, and energy. In addition to health hazards, they can not bring anything. Knowledge of them is not exactly increase. If you want to sleep, it is better to take a nap a couple of hours and then with renewed energy and a clear head start exploring the new material.
  In addition, every 2-3 hours take a break in training. And in this time of need to just relax, breathe fresh air, or relax in a chair and sit with your eyes closed.
   When I was a student, once I asked my proffesor a question about materials, his answer was funny, but was felpful "Google it". 
  Google is perfect way to get any answer, even to any crazzy  question. 
  So, in this blog I will answer  all questions from students around the world. But, please, note that I will focus on Business Administration subjects. 

I wish you to perfectly pass all your exams!!!