Week 5: H 11, 12, 13

Question 1

Best (HR) practices

Answer 1

Are people management activities that are created and implemented by organizational performance without any institutional obligation (e.g. by law).

Question 2

Collective bargaining agreement (CBA)

Answer 2

Coverage refers to the percentage of all workers who are covered by a CBA.

Question 3

Degree of unionization

Answer 3

Represents the percentage of all employees who are trade union members.

Question 4

Financial participation

Answer 4

Involves employee participation in organizational ownership and profits.

Question 5

Industrial democracy perspective

Answer 5

Pays specific attention to and highlights the importance of the further emancipation of individual workers and their involvement in an organization.

Question 6

Institutional HR practices

Answer 6

Are people management activities that are determined by legislation or CBAs; for example, with regard to wages, pension schemes, employment benefits, training budget and employee participation.

Question 7

Pluralist HRM approach

Answer 7

takes into account the interests of different stakeholders of an organization and builds on the notion that their interests can be conflicting.

Question 8

Trade unions

Answer 8

Are a form of institutionalized employee representation at organization, branch of industry and national level mainly engaged in CBAs and relationship management with other social partners (employers and the goverment).

Question 9

Unitarist HRM approach

Answer 9

Mainly focuses on the interests of the shareholders of an organization in combination with the assumption that employers and employees share common goals and interests.

Question 10

Works councils

Answer 10

are a form of institutionalized employee representation within organizations mainly engaged in organizational issues that affect the employment relationship.

Question 11

Administrative expert role

Answer 11

Represents the HR role focused on cost-effective design and delivery of the functional areas of HRM.

Question 12

Change agent role

Answer 12

Focuses on managing organizational change.

Question 13

Conformist innovator role

Answer 13

Represents the HR business role mainly emphasizing the economic value of employees.

Question 14

Deviant innovator role

Answer 14

Emphasizes the long-term perspective and the necessary balance between the economic value and the human side of organizing.

Question 15

Employee champion role

Answer 15

Concentrates on blending employees’ needs with organizational goals.

Question 16

Personnel function

Answer 16

Is defined as the HR responsibilities and tasks that are bundled in an HR department an performed by HR professionals.

Question 17

Strategic partner role

Answer 17

involves the alignment of the HR strategy with the overal business strategy in the process of strategic decision making of an organization

Question 18

Three HR ambiguities

Answer 18

Reflect the dualities and paradoxes in HRM.

Question 19

Contextual paradigm

Answer 19

Assumes that there might be general best principles in HRM, but the organizational context in the end determines the nature of the specific HR practices.

Question 20

Cross-cultural differences

Answer 20

Are the differences between countries based on norms, values, rituals and habits of its citizens.

Question 21

Expatriates

Answer 21

Are employees that temporarily or permanently work in a different country than their home country.

Question 22

Global HR strategy

Answer 22

Is one corporate people management strategy applied to all units of an MNC across the world.

Question 23

Globalization

Answer 23

Is the transition from local or regional activities to global activities.

Question 24

Institutional differences

Answer 24

Are the differences between countries based on legislation, procedures and stakeholders (e.g. trade unions).

Question 25

International HRM (IHRM)

Answer 25

Is the people management (or HRM) in MNCs and HRM across borders.

Question 26

Internationalization

Answer 26

Is the expansion of business activities, products, services and markets of an organization to other countries.

Question 27

Local HR strategy

Answer 27

Is a people management strategy within an MNC adapted to national or regional contextual factors.

Question 28

Offshore outsourcing

Answer 28

Is the subcontracting and relocation of business activities to external companies in other countries or regions.

Question 29

Offshoring

Answer 29

Is the relocation of business activities to other countries or regions.

Question 30

Outsourcing

Answer 30

Is subcontracting business activities to external companies.

Question 31

Universalist paradigm

Answer 31

Assumes the existence of best practices in HRM that can be applied by organizations successfully worldwide.