culture and job analysis

Question 1

PEST analysis

Answer 1

Acts as an audit of a company’s environmental influences to help determine its strategy and HR response
-Scans different contextual environments to understand different the long-terms trends and how they impact a company
-Environmental factors need to be considered/assessed
-Assess how factors affect company’s international operations

Question 2

Political Factors

Answer 2

• Assessed by examining a country’s labour laws, property rights, and patents
• Many countries have poorly protected property rights by their governments (Whoever has political power/authority can seize property with minimum repercussions)

Question 3

Economic Factors

Answer 3

Consists of trends around market and trade cycles, specific industry changes, customer preferences, and country economic growth forecast

Example: Former Trump administration in US rolled back several commitments to free trade, including tariffs on Canada and Mexico, as well as China and the EU (Impacted Canadian businesses immediately as firms cut back on operations and laid off workers)

Question 4

Sociocultural Factors

Answer 4

• Important implications when making decisions on when/how to do business
• Recognize/accommodate different ideologies, religious beliefs, communication styles, education systems, and social structures

Question 5

Technological Factors

Answer 5

Where a country stands technologically influences threats/opportunities that foreign companies face

Where a country stands technologically influences threats/opportunities that foreign companies face

Question 6

types of organizations

Answer 6

global
transnational
multidomestic
international

Question 7

global organization

Answer 7

high global efficiency, low local responsiveness

-views the world as single market
-controlled centerally from corp office

Question 8

international organization

Answer 8

low global eff, low local responsiveness

using existing capabilities to expand into foreign markets

Question 9

transnational organization

Answer 9

high global eff, high local resp

specialized facilities permit local resp, complex coodination provide global integration

Question 10

multidomestic organization

Answer 10

Firm with independent business units operating in multiple countries (Fresh something new)
- Example: Shell
- Given foreign subsidiaries great deal of latitude to address local issues (Consumer preferences, political pressures, economic trends in different regions of world)
- Subsidiaries are run as independent companies without much integration

Question 11

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory

Answer 11

six dimensions of culture that explain how values in different societies affect behavior, communication, and management practices

-power distance
-masc vs fem
-uncertaintiy avoidance (how much risk they will take)
-Long-Term vs. Short-Term Orientation (LTO) (the degree to which society will commit to something long term)
- Indulgence vs. Restraint (leisure vs dicipline)

Question 12

GLOBE dimensions

Answer 12

how cultural values influence behavior, leadership styles, and organizational practices worldwide.

Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness

Question 13

Recruitment
Job Specification

Answer 13

Statement of needed knowledge, skills, and abilities of the person who is to perform job

Question 14

Selection
Job Description

Answer 14

Statement of the tasks, duties, and responsibilities of a job to be performed

Must be reviewed annually or whenever substantial changes are made (Congruent with strategic direction and structure of organization)

Question 15

Workflow Analysis

Answer 15

Helps a firm determine the best processes, types, mix of jobs, and how they should be organized to execute the firm’s mission

Question 16

Home Country

Answer 16

the country where the parent company is headquartered or where an employee’s nationality or origin is considered

If a U.S.-based company sends an employee to its branch in Germany, the U.S. is the home country.

Question 17

Job Analysis

Answer 17

Process of obtaining info about jobs by determining the duties, tasks, or activities of jobs (Core of everything in HR)
-Written rapport summarizing info
-Used to develop job descriptions and specifications
-Used to develop performance appraisal criteria and content of training classes
-Improve organizational performance and productivity

Question 18

Host Country

Answer 18

The country where a multinational company has operations, but outside its home country. It refers to the location where an employee is sent to work or is temporarily assigned.

If a U.S.-based company sends an employee to its branch in Japan, Japan is the host country.

Question 19

Expatriate

Answer 19

An employee who is temporarily or permanently assigned to work in a country other than their home country. The term is typically used for employees sent by a company from their home country to a foreign (host) country.

Question 20

Host Country National

Answer 20

An employee who is from the host country, working for a company in their own country, typically in the company’s branch or subsidiary.

If the same U.S.-based company hires a local Japanese citizen to work in its Japan office, that person is a host country national (HCN)

Question 21

process of job analysis

Answer 21

1. data is collected from employee/supervisor thru interviews and questions
2. data is then implemented into job description and specification
3. Hr then recruits, selects, train/develops, performance appraisal, and manages compensation

Question 22

Sources of Job analysis data

Answer 22

job analyst
employee
supervisor

Question 23

Critical Incidents

Answer 23

Important job tasks are identified for job success
-Collected through interviews with employees/managers or through self-report statements written by employees

Question 23

methods of collecting job analysis data

Answer 23

interview
questionarries
observations

Question 24

NOC (National Occupational Classification) and O*NET

Answer 24

resources used for occupational classification, career guidance, and job analysis.

Canada and USA

NOC focuses on job descriptions, tasks, skill levels, and education requirements with a particular focus on the Canadian workforce.

O*NET provides extensive details on the knowledge, skills, and work activities needed for jobs, including job-related values and interests, along with detailed occupation codes used for organizing occupations across different industries.

Question 25

Approaches to job analysis

Answer 25

Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)
Critical Incidents
Task inventory analysis
Functional job analysis
Competency‐based analysis

Question 26

Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)

Answer 26

Questionnaire covering 194 different tasks that, by means of a 5 point scale, seeks to determine the degree to which different tasks are involved in performing a particular job

Question 27

Task inventory analysis

Answer 27

Organization-specific list of tasks and their descriptions used as a basis to identify components of jobs
- Job-oriented type of job analysis
- Questionnaire tailor-made to specific organization
- List of task statements that are applicable to all jobs
- Note importance/frequency of use of task to the successful completion of the job

Question 28

Functional job analysis

Answer 28

Uses an inventory of the various types of work activities that can constitute any job
- Worker functions used to describe what they do regarding information, people, and things (Coordinating, supervising)
- Each function given % in terms of its importance to the job (Supervising 75% of job)

Question 29

Competency‐based analysis

Answer 29

• Building job profiles that look at responsibilities and activities of jobs and worker competencies necessary to accomplish them
• Identify key competencies for organizational success (Interpersonal communication skills, conflict resolution skills, adaptability etc.)
• Identified through focus groups, surveys/interviews

Question 30

Problems with Job Descriptions

Answer 30

Poorly written, vague, little guidance
Not updated
Violate the law (Contain things not related to job success)
Limit the scope of activities (Reduces organizational flexibility)

Question 31

Job Design

Answer 31

• Changing, modifying, and enriching jobs to capture talents of employees while improving organizational performance
• Improve efficiency and employee job satisfaction

Question 32

Job Enrichment:

Answer 32

Enhancing a job by adding more meaningful tasks/duties to make the work more rewarding/satisfying
- 5 factors: Achievement, recognition, growth, responsibility, and performance of the whole job vs only parts of the job
- Example: Increasing difficulty/responsibility, more authority/control, adding new tasks that require training/growth
- Allow employees to be more involved in planning, organizing, directing, and controlling their own work

Question 33

Job Characteristics Model

Answer 33

Theory that proposes that 3 psychological states of a jobholder result in improved work performance, internal motivation, and lower absenteeism and turnover
1. Experiencing meaningfulness of the work performed (Skill variety, task identity, task significance)
2. Responsibility for work outcomes (Autonomy)
3. Knowledge of the results of the work performed (Feedback)

Question 34

Job Characteristics

Answer 34

1. Skill variety (Variety of activities = variety of skills/talents)

2.Task identity (Doing job from beginning to end with visible outcome)

3.Task significance (Substantial impact on the lives or work of other people, immediate organization or external environment)

4.Autonomy (Substantial freedom, independence, discretion in scheduling the work and determining procedures to be used to carry it out)

5.Feedback (Direct and clear information about effectiveness of their performance)

Question 35

Employee Empowerment

Answer 35

• Employees become innovators and managers of their own work
• More control and autonomous decision-making capabilities

Question 36

Industrial Engineering

Answer 36

A field of study concerned with analyzing work methods and establishing time standards

• Determine which, if any, elements can be modified, combined, rearranged, or eliminated to reduce the time needed to complete the cycle
• Time the work cycle and adjust for interruptions, adjusted time becomes time standard for that work cycle
• Disciplined and objective approach to job design
• May cause behavioural considerations to be neglected (Assembly line efficient but not psychologically rewarding)

Question 37

Ergonomic Considerations

Answer 37

Jobs are designed for safe and efficient work while improving safety, comfort, and performance

Must be compatible with both physical characteristics and the reaction capabilities of the people who must operate them and the environment in which they work

Question 38

Job Crafting

Answer 38

Naturally occurring phenomenon whereby employees mould their task to fit their individual strengths, passions, and motives better

• Bottom-up instead of top-down
• Can add tasks, redesign tasks or emphasize different tasks
• Relational changes
• Changes in cognition (Narrow mental scope, focus on valuable aspects)
• Make mental connections between job and their identity (Like comedy, connect with customers using humour)

Question 39

Job Carving

Answer 39

Job is amended not by the individual but by the employer or a vocational specialist to provide employment opportunities for individuals with autism and other disabilities

Question 40

Compressed Workweek

Answer 40

-# of days in workweek is shortened by lengthening the number of hours worked per day (4 days, 10 hours a day)
-Reduced job stress, work-life balance, increased productivity

Question 40

Employee Involvement Groups

Answer 40

Groups of employees who meet to resolve problems or offer suggestions for organizational improvement (5-10 employees)

Question 40

Flextime

Answer 40

Flexible working hours that permit employees the option of choosing daily starting and quitting times, provided that they work a set # of hours per day/week

• Core period during morning and afternoon when all employees are required to be on the job
• Less people late/missing
• Not suitable for all jobs

Question 41

Job Sharing

Answer 41

Arrangement where 2 part-time employees perform a job that otherwise would be held by 1 full-time employee

Question 42

Telecommuting

Answer 42

Use of personal computers, networks, and other communications tech to do work at home that is traditionally done at workplace

pros:
Larger labour pool
Higher productivity
Less turnover
Reduced office-space costs

cons:
Difficult to coordinate
Less direct supervision
Difficult to evaluate non-quantitative performance