Exam 2: Aligning HR With Strategy

Swimco Swimco is a beach- and resort-wear retailer based in Calgary,Alberta,with operations in 22 retail stores across Western Canada.In 2014,it launched its web store.It believes that everyone deserves to feel good in a swimsuit.Swimco provides a unique "fit expert" customer service that permits the store to support a customer value-pricing strategy.To achieve this strategy,the product is a unique mix-and-match swimsuit design that gives customers the ability to create a swimsuit that fits perfectly.The company also provides a real-time "live chat" that is staffed with experienced fit consultants so customers always receive quality service. "Our company is committed to making our customers feel confident in swimwear so they can be free to enjoy some of the best experiences of their lives." What type of statement is this quote an example of?

According to classical economics,what are the three most important resources or inputs?

Human resource professionals recognize the need to play a more strategic role within the organization,but many executives do not.

Professional certification is NOT a human capital asset.

What does it mean if an organization's human capital return on investment is $3?

To the HR practitioner,what does human capital incorporate?

Michael Porter estimates that it takes approximately five years to duplicate a competitive edge in human resources.

Four Seasons Hotels competes on service excellence.It invests in HR systems for service quality,such as selecting,training,and rewarding employees' service-related skills.What theory is being applied by Four Seasons Hotels.

At Sears,which of the following will NOT be an impact on customers if employees are trained to change their behaviours?

Costs incurred in training,motivating,compensating,and monitoring employees can be viewed as investments in human capital that result in gains to productivity per worker.How does this type of investment yield such gains?

Human resources create competitive advantage for organizations,which reflects a resource-based view.

Recently HR departments have been required to move from demonstrating real value to articulating perceived value.

Payroll represents a routine activity that must be done for the organization to operate on a daily basis.What term best describes this type of activity?

There is a negative relationship between the amount of money spent on training employees and the perceived value of human capital.

The aggregate of all employees' knowledge is an example of human capital.

The HR senior manager team moves from insider status to outsider status with strategic HRM.

"Human capital" refers to the collective sum of the attributes,experience,knowledge,and commitment that employees choose to invest in their work.

Ten Tree Apparel Ten Tree Apparel is a Regina-based company devoted to producing all its clothing responsibly and locally.It uses only 100 percent organic cotton and unprocessed hemp to create premium-priced contemporary clothing that is unique.Ten Tree Apparel's clothing comes with a distinctive environmental bonus.For every piece of clothing a customer purchases,Ten Tree Apparel plants ten trees.The brand believes in a social enterprise model of business that can inspire a new group of consumers to tackle environmental challenges through reforestation efforts. Ten Tree Apparel is most likely to gain a sustained competitive advantage through its people by using which of the following programs?

Ten Tree Apparel Ten Tree Apparel is a Regina-based company devoted to producing all its clothing responsibly and locally.It uses only 100 percent organic cotton and unprocessed hemp to create premium-priced contemporary clothing that is unique.Ten Tree Apparel's clothing comes with a distinctive environmental bonus.For every piece of clothing a customer purchases,Ten Tree Apparel plants ten trees.The brand believes in a social enterprise model of business that can inspire a new group of consumers to tackle environmental challenges through reforestation efforts. ​ Ten Tree Apparel is most likely to gain a sustained competitive advantage through its people by using which of the following programs?

Swimco Swimco is a beach- and resort-wear retailer based in Calgary,Alberta,with operations in 22 retail stores across Western Canada.In 2014,it launched its web store.It believes that everyone deserves to feel good in a swimsuit.Swimco provides a unique "fit expert" customer service that permits the store to support a customer value-pricing strategy.To achieve this strategy,the product is a unique mix-and-match swimsuit design that gives customers the ability to create a swimsuit that fits perfectly.The company also provides a real-time "live chat" that is staffed with experienced fit consultants so customers always receive quality service. ​ Through its e-commerce initiative,Swimco is transitioning from local to national in its market position.What type of strategy is Swimco adopting?