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Due Thursday 

Respond to one or more of the following in a minimum of 175 words: 

• Describe an example where Theory of Constraints (TOC) was successfully applied to improve a process, or where you saw the potential for TOC to improve the process, in either a company you worked for or a company you were a customer at.
• What is the lean concept and why is it important to study?
• How can lean be applied to manufacturing and service processes?
• What is work center scheduling and why is it important for firms to focus on?

Due Monday 

Reply to at least 2 of your classmates. Be constructive and professional in your responses.

**Classmate Responses Attached***

Word Counts:

175- reply to post

125 Per reply (2 replies) = 250 

Complete the conflict resolution questionnaire created by Dr. Johnson at the University of Arizona to determine your personal style. It is important for you to understand your personal conflict resolution style and be aware of it as you have difficult conversations.
 

Next, review the “Let’s Apply It” section in Chapter 2 called You’re an Avoider If… and complete the checklist of things that may have crossed your mind when having a difficult work-related conversation.  Painless Performance Conversations
by: Green, Marnie E.

ISBN: 978-1-118-53353-6
Edition/Copyright: 2013
 

Summarize the results of these tasks and conduct a self-analysis to determine whether you agree with the results. Post this summary and self-analysis to the discussion.

Conflict Management Questionnaire

Directions: Answer the questions by indicating how you would behave rather than how you think you should behave. Each question provides a strategy for dealing with a conflict. Rate each statement on a scale of 1 to 4. 

1 = Rarely  2 = Sometimes 3 = Often 4 = Always

1. I explore issues with others to find solutions that meet everyone’s needs. ___3____

2. I try to negotiate and adopt a “give-and-take” approach to problem situations. _____3__

3. I try to meet the expectations of others. ____4___

4. I generally argue my case and insist on the merits of my point of view. __2_____

5. When there is a disagreement, I gather as much information as I can to keep the lines of communication open. ____3___

6. When I find myself in an argument, I usually say very little and try to leave as soon as possible. ___1___

7. I try to see conflicts from both sides. What do I need? What does the other person need? What are the issues involved? ___3____

8. I prefer to compromise when solving problems and just move on. ___1____

9. I find conflicts challenging and exhilarating. I enjoy the battle of wits that usually follows. ___2____

10. Being at odds with other people makes me feel uncomfortable and anxious. _____1__

11. I try to accommodate the wishes of my friends and family. ____4___

12. I can figure out what needs to be done and I am usually right. ___3____

13. To break deadlocks, I would meet people halfway. _____2__

14. I may not get what I want, but it is a small price to pay for keeping the peace. __3_____

15. I avoid hard feelings by keeping my disagreements with others to myself. ____2___

How to score the Conflict Management Questionnaire:

As stated, the 15 statements correspond to the five conflict resolution styles. To find your most preferred style, total the points in the respective categories. The one with the highest score indicates your most commonly used strategy. The one with the lowest score indicates your least preferred strategy. However, if you are a leader who must deal with conflict on a regular basis, you may find your style to be a blend of multiple styles.

Style Corresponding Statements: Total: The numbers represent the questions above.

• Collaborating:      1, 5, 7 ____9___
• Competing:      4, 9, 12 _____7__
• Avoiding:      6, 10, 15 ____4___
• Accommodating:      3, 11, 14 _____11__
• Compromising:      2, 8, 13 _____6__

Brief Descriptions of the Five Conflict Management Styles

Accommodating: Cooperating to a high degree where you may have to give in to maintain relationships

Pros: Minimizes injury when we are outmatched; relationships are maintained

Cons: Breeds resentment; exploits the weak

Avoiding Style: Non-confrontational approach

Pros: Does not escalate conflict; postpones difficulty

Cons: Unaddressed problems; unresolved problems

Collaborating Style: Problems are solved in a way for all involved to get what they want and negative feelings are minimized.

Pros: Creates mutual trust; maintains positive relationships; builds commitments

Cons: Time consuming; energy consuming

Competing Style: Authoritarian approach

Pros: Goal-oriented; quick

Cons: May breed hostility

Compromising Style: Middle ground approach

Pros: Useful in complex issues without simple solutions; all parties are equal in power

Cons: No one is ever really satisfied

Conflict Scenario

You and your roommate live in a dorm room on campus. Your roommate has a friend who is on fall break at a different time than your school. She wants to invite her friend to visit and stay for two nights. You know that you have three tests and a paper due that week. You would rather not have a guest that week. 

How will you work out this situation with her?

What conflict management style did you use?

What would you do if your roommate did not want to use this style?

You will prepare the SHRM case analysis on “Designing a Pay Structure,” which consists of your completion of Tasks A–J that simulate the creation of a compensation system for an organization in meeting its goals and supporting its mission. In your analysis, respond to the following tasks found in the case study by using Excel.

Your case analysis should consist of:

• Task A: Create a complete job description for the benefits manager position using O*NET.
• Task B: Calculate the job evaluation points for the administrative assistant, payroll assistant, operational analyst, and benefits manager jobs. Provide a rationale for assigning specific degrees to the various jobs.
• Task C: If there were any outliers (i.e., extreme data points) in the data, what would you recommend doing with them? From this point forward, assume no extreme data points exist in the dataset.
• Task D: Conduct a simple regression in Excel to create a market pay line by entering the job evaluation points (on the X axis) and the respective weighted average market base pay (on the Y axis) for each benchmark job.
• Task E: What is your R squared (variance explained)? Is it sufficient to proceed?
• Task F: Calculate the predicted base pay for each benchmark job.
• Task G: Because your company wants to lead in base pay by 3%, adjust the predicted pay rates to determine the base pay rate you will offer for each benchmark job.
• Task H: Create pay grades by combining any benchmark jobs that are substantially comparable for pay purposes. Clearly label your pay grades and explain why you combined any benchmark jobs to form a grade.
• Task I: Use your answer to Task H to determine the pay range (i.e., minimum and maximum) for each pay grade.
• Task J: Given the pay structure you have generated, consider the following: Does this pay structure make good business sense? Do you think it is consistent with the organization’s business strategy? What are the implications of this pay structure for other HR systems, such as retention and recruiting?
• Your analysis of this case and your written submission should reflect an understanding of the critical issues of the case, integrating the material covered in the text, and present concise and well-reasoned justifications for the stance that you take. You are to complete this case analysis using Excel in a spreadsheet analysis format.

You may discuss your case analysis assignment with the class, but you must submit your own original work.

Case analysis tips: Avoid common errors in case analyses, such as:

• Focusing too heavily on minor issues.
• Lamenting because of insufficient data in the case and ignoring creative alternatives.
• Rehashing of case data — you should assume the reader knows the case.
• Not appropriately evaluating the quality of the case’s data.
• Obscuring the quantitative analysis or making it difficult to understand.

For the Unit I Essay, explain the learner-guided approach to training and its effectiveness in meeting organizational training needs. Within your essay, address the points below.

• Describe training guides, self-directed learning strategies, and the use of smart technology.
• Describe two to three methods for organizations to harness the use of self-directed training. Why is this important?
• Explain how technology can be used to enhance the learner-guided approach to training. Select a field of study that interests you, and provide an example of technology being used to enhance the learner-guided approach in that field.

Your essay must be at least two pages in length, not counting the title and reference pages. You are required to use at least one outside source to support your explanation. All sources used, including required unit resources, must be cited and referenced according to APA standards.

 1. E-Tronics is a well-established, publicly traded  manufacturing company that has been in business for over 50 years.  E-Tronics is reviewing a potential acquisition of a manufacturing plant  of 120 employees in India. This would be E-Tronics’ first time having a  physical operation in India. As part of the review of labor, the Chief  Human Resources Officer (CHRO) recommends an environmental scan as part  of the long-term planning for the operation. Why is this the best  approach to recommend?   

•   Environmental scanning allows the company to evaluate what  environmental, health, and safety protocols need to be implemented at  the new plant.
•   Environmental scanning allows the company to review both the domestic  laws and foreign laws of the new country to understand what changes need  to be made to the employee handbook.
•   Environmental scanning allows the company to assess the tax advantages  of the new business to see how favorable the stock will respond as part  of this new acquisition.
•   Environmental scanning allows the company to examine both the  demographic and social factors of the labor force to understand how the  future of employment looks.

2. A new Operations Manager at E-Tronics would like to get a  head start on recruiting for an upcoming role that will have key  oversight of the new assembly line. He already has one person in mind  that he feels will be perfect for the role based on his past experience.  As the HR Manager asks more about the candidate, she learns that both  the Operations Manager and the candidate went to college together and  have been best friends since college. She also learns that they have  never worked together before. What is the appropriate guidance the HR  Manager should consider?   

•   Research indicates that people are more likely to quit because of a  manager than because of any other variable. Considering the candidate  and hiring manager already have a good relationship, this candidate  already has a great chance of success and should be allowed to continue  on in the process.
•   The HR Manager is responsible for all recruitment initiatives and  should step in and take the place of the hiring manager. The Operations  Manager is already too biased to make the appropriate decision.
•   In order for an organization to meet its long-term goals, it must have  the proper mix of employees with the right knowledge, skills, and  abilities. The HR Manager should stress this importance while looking  closely at all candidates.
•   If the candidate is selected, the HR manager keep a close eye on the  relationship as the candidate progresses through onboarding and  orientation. If feedback is provided down the road that things aren’t  working, the HR Manager will have all the documentation needed.

3. E-Tronics is pursuing the India plant acquisition and is  working with current plant management to review all operational details.  As part of the process, the plant management that is being acquired is  asking for solutions for a way to track all employee data and  transactions. What recommendations should the new HR department make?   

•   The HR department should recommend a new HRIS that is built for  businesses that have between 50–250 employees. As the site has 120  employees, this will fit perfectly for the plant.
•   The HR department should leverage the currently existing HRIS platform,  which has the scalability to provide specific features for a plant as  little as 120.
•   The HR department should recommend a partnership with the IT department  to build from scratch a homegrown system that fits the criteria of the  current environment. This allows for a unique cross-functional project  and will highlight how the parent company can work with the newly  acquired plant.
•   The HR department should allow plant management to keep personal  records and notes and postpone the solution 1–2 years until the  post-integration phase is completed.

4. The Global Vice President of Operations prefers to keep a  close eye on things and ultimately have his hand in all processes. He  has asked not only to have visibility into all HRIS transactions for the  company but that he has approvals on every transaction as well. The  complexity of this request is quite high. How should the HRIS team  handle the situation?   

•   The team should caution the leader on the time waste it may be for him  but provide an alternative option in which access is given to his  executive assistant. The leader can then receive updates on what  transactions are taking place with the filtering done by the assistant.
•   The team should provide the leader with visibility and approval chain  access because the company believes in honesty and transparency. The  leader is one of the main advocates of this value statement.
•   The team should advise the leader who should have access and in what  transactions having visibility and approvals make sense. HR can help  minimize stress for business leaders, not make it worse.
•   The team should provide an alternative option of having daily reports  sent to the leader with the data aggregated and summarized because HRIS  systems enable countless transactions to be processed on a daily basis.  This will be the most efficient use of the leader’s time.

5. The Assembly Manager, who has been with the company for  only three months, previously came from a small specialty fabrication  shop of 20 people. He has commented on doing the upcoming fiscal year’s  strategic planning for his department on his own because that was the  process he was used to at his previous company. What are the risks of  this business leader conducting this review without the HR department’s  influence?   

•   The process doesn’t actually need HR advice at the department level. HR  provides the best value when looking at entire businesses, not  departments.
•   The process would lack the strategic value provided by HR professionals  in understanding the employment landscape, walking business leaders  through human capital forecasting, and executing the day-to-day staffing  requirements.
•  The process would lack the legal knowledge required to ensure the Assembly department doesn’t break employment laws.
•   The process would miss out on accurate employee engagement activities  such as parties and community service days, which need to be built into  the plan for next year.   

6. At a recent roundtable discussion, the HR Manager heard  several employees talk about their goals for internal promotions,  further professional development, and the desire to reach higher career  milestones. As the HR Manager goes through this feedback, what is the  best action she can recommend?   

•   She can begin processing their transfers to the roles they have  identified and ensure each employee knows that E-Tronics takes action  when employees speak.
•   She can ask the respective managers to follow up with each employee and  ensure that they work out a plan. Managers are in the best position to  help their employees with career goals.
•   She can write up an individual development plan (IDP) for each employee  and provide it to them so that they can begin their path to the next  opportunity.
•   She can analyze succession planning as part of a short-range plan to  see how many of these employees are ready for the next role up, need  further development, or still need more time to develop in their current  role.    

7. E-Tronics is now in place in the India plant. During the  job analysis discussion, the Plant Manager recommended to the interim HR  Manager that each person be evaluated in their roles because each of  their tasks and skills is very different. The Plant Manager feels this  will have a personal touch for each employee, which is important. What  is important to consider as the interim HR Manager determines how best  to support this process?   

•   Cultural trends at the plant have indicated Indian culture thrives on  individuality. It is important for company processes to honor this and  therefore have specific job levels and roles for each individual.
•   Appropriate categorization requires a thorough review of all jobs  throughout the company worldwide. The interim HR Manager needs to work  with the Global HR leadership team to review all profiles.
•   Appropriate categorization requires looking at broader job levels,  rather than individual people and consequently assigning a role to  several people within a job level.
•   In order to save time on the process, the HR Manager can have other  team leads and managers help out by asking each of their team members  for these job details. They can then summarize and send this data to the  HR Manager for record keeping.    

8. As part of the process for understanding the current  profile of employees, the HR Manager develops a questionnaire for each  employee to fill out. The survey asks an array of questions, including  items such as language skills, educational background, job history, and  personal interests and hobbies. Some concerns have been brought up by  employees indicating that they don’t want to share anything personal  because they don’t fully understand how the information will be used.  How can the HR Manager best respond to concerns of this nature?   

•   The HR manager can communicate that because the company wants to  attract and retain the best employees, it needs to understand the  current group of employees to know what profiles to hire in the future.
•   The HR manager can show how a skills inventory is actually a great tool  for employees so they can evaluate on a peer-to-peer basis what  everyone else is doing and how effective they are in their roles.
•   The HR manager can communicate openly that a skills inventory is  intended to provide the company a clear snapshot of which employees are  performing well, and which ones are not. While intrusive, it will help  the company succeed in the long run.
•   The HR manager can describe how a skills inventory allows the company  to understand the knowledge and skills of everyone to help facilitate  greater development for each person. It may also highlight untapped  potential in employees that haven’t been identified.    

9. As part of the manufacturing site’s Annual Operating Plan  (AOP), the business announces a new venture with a sister plant that  will bring in approximately 25% more raw materials with the specific  task of machining the material in the plant. The senior leadership team  is reviewing production and machine capacity over the course of three  years as part of increased demand. How can the HR Director best support  this new business initiative?   

•   The HR Director can rely on the operation line managers to understand  unit demand and what capacity the current machines have. This  information is then correlated with human capital and a plan is put in  place.
•  The HR Director can hire 25% more temporary workers. This is shorter term work and the demand will only last three years.
•   The HR Director can hire 25% more employees in response to the increase  in raw materials. The increase in production needs to have a 1:1 ratio  of human capital.
•   The HR Director can leverage human capital at the sister plant to  ensure this increase in production hits the daily targets. One of the  most effective ways to make a process efficient is to leverage shared  human capital.   

10. One of the core HR strengths at E-Tronics is the ability to  utilize HR analytics and apply them to operational scenarios. One of  the most frequent requests is for help in forecasting employment needs.  Why is work-load analysis the most accurate way of forecasting  employment needs?   

•  Work-load analysis utilizes key information such as actual work content and productivity ratios.
•  Work-load analysis utilizes key information such as probabilistic forecasting and past movement.
•  Work-load analysis utilizes key information such as statistical relationships amongst employment related data.
•  Work-load analysis utilizes key information such as quantitative relationships between critical variables.

11. The newly appointed plant HR Manager officially starts in  India. Her first objective is to complete a thorough HR audit and review  details at the site-specific level. While many details are missing, her  review reveals that historical turnover trends show over 80% of  turnover was caused by involuntary separation. How should the HR Manager  proceed?   

•   The HR Manager should review the selection procedures as well as  specific knowledge and skills currently held by management to evaluate  if better training and supervision is required.
•   The HR Manager should contact all former employees who left within the  last 12 months and conduct an exit interview. This will help her best  understand the actual reasons for their exit.
•   The HR Manager should prepare a site-wide presentation reviewing  company benefits and really encourage the new site to consider what  great benefits are offered to them if they remain employed with  E-Tronics.
•   The HR Manager should contact local competitors for a market analysis  and determine if 80% involuntary turnover is common in the local market.

12. In E-Tronics’ competitive business landscape, business  leaders expect innovative, strategic guidance by knowledgeable experts.  The Plant Manager in Michigan has requested that either the HR Manager  (whom he trusts deeply) or an outside analyst he knows as an expert  provide guidance on the operation’s long-term staffing plan. Why is this  approach one of the least effective for planning?   

•  Experts rely too much on subjective and anecdotal experiences that don’t provide the most clear guidance.
•   Expert consulting fees are so high that it takes years to break-even  after receiving consultation services and actually forecasting a better  headcount.
•  Experts collaborate too much with other subject matters experts and ultimately cannot agree on a single path forward.
•  Experts that can perfectly understand the context for the business and its specific operations are very difficult to find.   

13. A year into the India acquisition, line leaders highlight  concerns regarding the staffing levels and the quality output of certain  machines. Some machines are running near 98% capacity with many quality  issues while others are running at only 63% with barely any quality  issues. The HR Manager feels confident there is enough historical data  to start highlighting relationships between staffing, machine  utilization, and quality control. Why is a regression analysis an  effective tool for this problem?   

•  Regression analysis removes the need for short- and middle-range planning because of its high levels of long-term accuracy.
•   Regression analysis enables the business to look at how specific  variables interact and gives a high degree of confidence in projecting  future needs.
•   Regression analysis evaluates the line operator job description details  to make sure they are both valid and reliable to what the job is  supposed to be.
•   Regression analysis helps identify which operators are the most  productive employees and therefore provides information on how to model  future training.

14. E-Tronics has a small plant of only 120 employees in Oregon  that has gone through quite a bit of unrest within the last year. There  have been three restructures and a lot of turnover due to local  competitive pressure. Now that the pressure and the company landscape  have normalized, the plant leadership is attempting to forecast staffing  requirements for the following year. Among many methods to use, why  should the HR Manager be hesitant to recommend the Markov Analysis?   

•  Markov analysis requires a fairly stable situation with many people in each job category.
•   Markov analysis requires cross-functional collaboration with key  stakeholders and departments such as Finance to review budgetary  considerations.
•  Markov analysis requires a highly complex statistical review of three or more variables for the most effective output.
•  Markov analysis requires multiple sources of experts utilizing the Delphi technique.

15. Business leaders often look to HR for specific guidance on  how to staff a business and avoid unhealthy levels of turnover. HR has  an increasingly important role in mitigating employee movement during  economic downturns, such as in 2008 and 2020, when global markets are in  flux and labor markets are directly impacted. How can HR professionals  add the most value economic downturns?   

•   Periods of low and/or high unemployment result in inverse turnover  rates as employees either find more suitable options for employment or  stay put until markets normalize. HR professionals can advise and  strategize a business’s plans accordingly.
•   Spikes in unemployment may make employees panic and cause them to leave  for a more stable company. HR professionals are well positioned to  decrease turnover rates by persuading employees not to leave.
•   While HR professionals aren’t equipped to look at micro and macro  economic data, it is paramount for HR professionals to have a strong  network to tap into and through which to understand workforce  implications.
•   HR professionals can advise employees looking to leave of the types of  government assistance programs that are available to them. It is  critical for HR professionals to keep up-to-date on federal and state  programs.

16. Alliance Data is a new start-up looking to rival E-Tronics  in a highly competitive market. While the company only has 150  employees, business leaders would like to use some of the most recent  high tech solutions as a way to get ahead of the game. They recommend to  HR to go all in and invest in the best and most sophisticated planning  systems available. How can HR best respond to business leaders in this  scenario?   

•   If Operations is willing to pay for sophisticated human resource  planning systems and the necessary resources to manage the process, HR  will agree to the new implementation.
•   Although technology and tools are useful for a more robust process,  simple stage I modeling that reduces cost and hassle can be just as  effective for a small company looking to grow. HR will stick with stage I  modeling.
•   The only way to bring in better talent and manage systems more  effectively is through sophisticated human resource planning systems. HR  will invest heavily in systems used by large, successful corporations.
•   Rather than using sophisticated systems, HR will adopt quick rules of  thumb based on the past experiences of each employee. Given the maturity  of the business, a stage II model will provide the most success.

please summarized.

Instructions

To read the case study below, please click the link and log into the CSU Online Library.

Bodolica, V., & Waxi, M. (2007). Chicago food and beverage company: The challenges of managing international assignments. Journal of the International Academy for Case Studies, 13(3), 31-42. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/docview/216279533?accountid=33337

Please answer the following questions after reading the case study:

1. Which staffing framework do you recognize in this case study? Explain its characteristics and the advantages to using this type of framework?
2. Would this type of staffing framework affect Paul’s ability to get things done? Why, or why not?
3. Explain if any of the other staffing frameworks would be any better? What can you recommend to the company’s headquarters in this sense?
4. Why does Paul want this job? Is Paul a good candidate for this expatriate position?
5. What comments can you make on expatriate management in general? And what comments can you make on the expatriate recruitment policy in particular?
6. What are the different expatriate compensation methods you recognized in the text? What are the advantages and disadvantages of these different expatriate compensation methods?
7. What do you suggest to the U.S. headquarters’ human resources manager in order to improve the expatriate satisfaction/compensation?

Your submission should be a minimum of three pages in length in APA style; however, a title page, a running head, and an abstract are not required. Be sure to cite and reference all quoted or paraphrased material appropriately in APA style.

Instruction:

Annotated presentation on an individually assigned topic defining it, explaining its key characteristics, describing the best practices and/or recent HRM trends related to it, 1’000 words +/- 20%. Your assigned topic is the same as before. You should go straight to the task, without repeating the Assignment 2 (no more need to introduce the topic or discuss its importance in management). We make it ONLY in the Powerpoint document of 1000+- words, no other report needed. In the PPT slides, you have to put comments to each slide under the “Click to add notes” (annotated presentation, representing a PowerPoint file with commented slides) 

–HARVARD REFERENCES AT LEAST 3

– NO PLAGIARISM

Topic:

“Managing employee performances in HUMAN RESSOURCES”

Key points of my topic that I would like to discuss

– Contribute to optimal staff engagement

– Strengthen individual competitiveness in the labor market

– Develop diverse skills and capacities according to needs by using own potentials

– Enable staff to act competently

– Reach companies objectives

What I started already don’t copy it just follow the direction I started:

Model of performances required in a company:

It is a model that breaks down a company’s vision and strategic objectives into concrete and observable skills and behavior patterns. It makes it possible to bring employees’ expertise closer to the company’s requirements so that the same guideline is followed.

This model is divided into different sections starting from the top management to the bottom management. It makes it possible to fill jobs based on skills, whether through the development of internal employees or the recruitment of external employees.

For instance, we can take two models, professional and conceptual or basic:

Professional: 

– The set of knowledge and skills specific to the exercise of a job

– Training, continuing training, technical/industry knowledge, professional experience

– It defines what makes a person an expert in a domain

– Language expression and computer skills are also part of professional competencies

Conceptual:

– Organization of work

– Analysis and synthesis

– Written expression (language)

– Initiative and creativity

– Global vision and sense of perspective

Evaluations (yearly, monthly, or less):

To guarantee the insurance that everyone follows the same path, companies need to manage their skills needs as their market evolves while preserving social peace and strengthening the motivation of their teams. To solve this, the human resources departments are increasingly using the annual evaluation interview to scale the employee’s performance and identify the training needs and possibilities of evolution in the company. The skills assessment interview is also a privileged moment in the relationship between a manager and his or her employee. It is also desirable to clarify relationships and set new performance and development perspectives.

To do this, the manager must have the means to commit to specific elements in terms of increase to reward performance or choice of training. If the assessment consequences are not directly visible to the employee, the process may be perceived as unnecessary and complicated.

Tutorjass?

• Discussion: Budgeting Time and Valuing Risk Management
  • You have been assigned to analyze the project plan of a payroll system that is behind schedule and over budget. The project was supposed to be completed in one (1) year, but now, it is running about three (3) months behind schedule and 25% over budget. It is expected that the project may continue to fall further behind schedule and over budget. Your superior wants to know if the project can be saved. Recommend a series of actions to save the project and identify the risks in taking such an approach.