Exam 1: The Challenges of Hrm

LB Brands,a Western Canada marketing company,had grown to 100 employees.Joan Farris the Vice President of Marketing spends much of her day developing and coaching people and helping to solve problems.She has a prescribed employee performance management process.She feels that decisions concerning her employee staffing,training and performance appraisals are her responsibility.Jay Carter,the Vice President of HR,feels that LB Brands must have consistent HR practices and that staffing,training and performance management decisions must be centralized in the HR department. -Please refer to Scenario 1.1.What is the problem at LB Brands?

What is the term for finding the best practices in other organizations which can be brought into the company to enhance performance?

Which is the best example of HRM responding to the challenge of technology?

A study by the Conference Board of Canada detailed the skills that are important for contributing to innovation in the workplace.Which of the following are two of the skills?

HR managers have changed their focus to employee motivation and no longer play a role in top management planning and decision making.

Because of its importance to human resource management,HR managers should assume sole responsibility for the implementation of information technology.

What percentage of the Canadian population lacks the basic literacy skills to meet everyday requirements in our society?

Jayne Carter,the Vice President of HR for Starline Hotels is focused on ensuring that Starline Hotels is staffed with the most effective human resources to achieve the organizations strategic goals.What is Jayne's role?

In economic uncertainty,companies would be well advised to avoid outsourcing as it may cause the failure of the business.

In addition to outsourcing,organizations are also making more use of migrant workers as a way to contain costs.

LB Brands,a Western Canada marketing company,had grown to 100 employees.Joan Farris the Vice President of Marketing spends much of her day developing and coaching people and helping to solve problems.She has a prescribed employee performance management process.She feels that decisions concerning her employee staffing,training and performance appraisals are her responsibility.Jay Carter,the Vice President of HR,feels that LB Brands must have consistent HR practices and that staffing,training and performance management decisions must be centralized in the HR department. -Please refer to Scenario 1.1.Which of the following competing demands does Jay Carter try to balance in his role as the Vice President of HR at LB Brands?

The manager must have a thorough knowledge and understanding of contemporary HRM practices and how they influence the output of the organization.

Define the term "human capital".Describe how it differs from other forms of capital organizations management.Suggest 2 ways HRM and line managers build human capital in organizations.

HR managers must understand the economic and financial capabilities of their businesses to function effectively.

What is the overall term used to describe the value of knowledge,skills,and capabilities that may not show up on a company's balance sheet but nevertheless have tremendous impact on an organization's performance?

What are integrated knowledge sets within an organization known as that distinguish it from its competitors,and that deliver value to customers?

What is a capacity or quality called that an organization has,which gives it an edge over its competition?

List six competitive challenges faced by Canadian organizations.Describe and give an example of any one of the six challenges faced by an organization you are familiar with.Discuss how this challenge might affect managing the organization's workforce.What is the impact on HRM and/or line managers?

Scenario 1.3: HRM Challenges-Staffing Cuts Artic Learning Systems was under pressure to reduce staffing costs and improve productivity.They took advantage of a Canadian federal program involving work-sharing and encouraged people to use any banked overtime.In some cases,employees were working 50% less.SunSystems Learning,in the same industry,was under the same pressures and decided to do an across the board reduction and laid off 50% of their employees based on performance.Both companies' organizational strategic plans indicated significant growth within a year due to new communication technologies and the ability to provide their learning systems globally.They both assess the best practices of other organizations looking for ways to enhance their performance. -Please refer to Scenario 1.3.What might SunSystems experience using its approach?

The manager must have a thorough knowledge and understanding of contemporary HRM and how these practices influence the output of any organization.