Exam 1 Flashcards
individuals who work for a company
employees
the practices that a company has put in place to manage employees
human resources practices (HR practices)
an individual who is responsible for supervising and directing the efforts of a group of employees to perform tasks that are directly related to the creation and deliver of a company’s products or services
line manager (manager)
a support function within companies that serves a vital role in designing and implementing company policies for managing employees
human resources department (HR department)
a company’s ability to create more economic value than its competitors
competitive advantage
primary HR activities
encompasses work design and workforce planning, managing employee competencies, and managing employee attitudes and behaviors
HR challenges
organizational demands, environmental influences, and regulatory issues
the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other talents that employees possess
competencies
the extent to which HR activities are designed to achieve the goals of an organization
alignment
the outcome of ensuring the specific practices within each HR activity are consistent with one another and aligned across the primary HR activities
internal alignment
the outcome of ensuring that the design of the three primary HR activities takes into account the HR challenges that companies face
external alignment
factors within a firm that affect decisions regarding how to manage employees
organizational demands
a company’s plan for achieving a competitive advantage over its rivals
strategy
the set of underlying values and beliefs that employees of a company share
organizational culture
pressures that exist outside of companies that managers must consider to strategically manage their employees
environmental influences
the blurring of country boundaries in business activities
globalization
sending work to other companies in other countries, or opening facilities in other countries to do the work, often at a substantially lower cost
offshoring
focuses on outperforming competing firms within an industry by maintaining the ability to offer the lowest costs for products or services
cost leadership strategy
emphasizes achieving competitive advantage over competing firms by providing something unique for which customers are willing to pay
differentiation strategy
the set of basic assumptions, values, and beliefs of a company’s members
organizational culture
the perceived obligations the employee believes they owe their company and that their company owes them
psychological contract
the balance between the demands of work and the demands of employees’ personal lives
work/life balance
perceptions of the fairness of what individuals receive from companies in return for their efforts
distributive justice
perceptions of whether the processes that are used to make decisions, allocate rewards, or resolve disputes, or that otherwise affect employees, are viewed as fair
procedural justice
how employees feel they are treated by their managers and supervisors in everyday interactions
interactional justice
actions an employee might take to correct a situation that he or she views as unfair
voice
a form of nonresponse and a willingness to live with the circumstances, even if they are viewed as unfair
silence
failure to completely fulfill one’s duties
neglect
departure from the company
exit
counterproductive behaviors that damage the company, such as vandalism, theft, and aggression
destruction
working away from the traditional office setting
telecommute
a strategy that focuses primarily on serving the market within a particular country
domestic strategy
a strategy used by companies to expand the markets in which they compete to include multiple countries
international strategy
a strategy where companies establish autonomous or independent business units in multiple countries
multinational strategy
a strategy whereby a company strives to achieve global efficiency
global strategy
a strategy that strives to achieve the benefits of both a global strategy and a multinational strategy
transnational strategy
the term used to describe laws, regulations, and processes related to fair treatment of employees
equal employment opportunity (EEO)
treating people differently in employment situations because of characteristics such as race, color, and gender, that have nothing to do with their ability to perform a particular job
discrimination
the federal agency responsibly for enforcing compliance with anti-discrimination laws such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
the federal agency responsible for developing guidelines and overseeing compliance with anti-discrimination laws relative to executive orders
Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP)
the demographic characteristics that cannot be used for employment decisions
protected classifications or protected classes
this exists when a protected classification can legally . be used to make an employment decision
bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ)
an employment practice that has some relationship to legitimate business goals and is essential to the company’s survival
business necessity
treating individuals differently in employment situations because of their membership in a protected class
disparate treatment (intentional)
establishing the basis for a case of discrimination
prima facie case or preliminary case
a four step test used to make a case of disparate treatement
McDonnell Douglas test
McDonnell Douglas test steps
- member of a protected class 2. applied for the job (or other employment opportunity) and was qualified 3. was rejected 4. someone else got the job, or the employer continued to seek applications from individuals with the plaintiffs qualifications
a legitimate reason for an employment decision exists but the decision also was motivated by an illegitimate reason
mixed motive
discrimination that occurs when an employment practice results in members of a protected class being treated less favorably than members of a nonprotected class, even though the discrimination was not intentional
disparate impact
a guideline generally accepted by courts and EEOC for making a prima facie case of disparate impact by showing that an employment practice results in members of a protected class being treated less favorably by an employment practice than members of a non protected class
four fifths rule or 80% rule
occurs when employees are subjected to unwanted and unwelcome treatment because of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information
harrassment
exists whenever an employee is the subject of unwelcome harassment because of his or her membership in a protected class and that harassment is severe and abusive
hostile work environment
occurs when an employer takes an adverse action against an employee who has filed a discrimination complaint
retaliation
factual information presented by the defendant that leads to a claim by a plaintiff being defeated even if his or her claim is true
affirmative defense (equal pay example)
a situation that exists when accommodation an employee would put the employer at a disadvantage financially or otherwise would make it difficult for the employer to remain in business and competitive
undue hardship
occurs when submission to sexual conduct is made explicitly or implicitly a condition of employment
quid pro quo harassment
a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities
disability
the job tasks, duties, and responsibilities that must be done by a person in a job
essential functions
making modifications in how the work is done or in the work environment so that someone who is qualified for the job and who has a disability can perform the job
reasonable accommodation
information about an individual’s genetic tests and genetic tests of family members and/or about an individual’s or family member’s diseases or disorders
genetic information
a process for resolving disputes among employees and employers using a mediator or an arbitrator
alternative dispute resolution (ADR)
the process of actively seeking to identify, hire, and promote qualified members of underrepresented groups
affirmative action
a type of discrimination in which members of a protected group are given preference in employment decisions, resulting in discrimination against nonprotected groups
reverse discrimination
state and local governments’ employee management regulations
fair employment practices laws
hiring provisions based on state laws that allow employers to terminate (or hire or transfer) employees at any time and that employees to quit at any time
employment-at-will
the seven best practices of successful firms
- selective hiring 2. self managed teams and decentralization 3. comparatively high compensation contingent on organizational performance 4. extensive training 5. reduction of status differences 6. sharing information 7. employment security
exists when the HRM system fits with all other elements of the organizational environment - the culture, strategy, structure and so on
external alignment
exists when all the HR policies and practices that comprise the HRM system are consistent with each other so that they present a coherent message to employees concerning how employees should behave while at work
internal alignment
the HR triad
HR professionals, line managers, all other employees
four components of organizational demands
strategy, company characteristics, organizational culture, and employee concerns
organizational life cycle
startup => emerging growth => maturity => decline/transition
the unique pattern of shared assumptions, values, and norms that shape the socialization activities, language, symbols, and ceremonies of people in the organization
company culture
four environmental influences
labor force trends, technology, globalization, and ethics and social responsibility
