This exam includes four sections featuring open-ended written questions. These questions ask you to apply your knowledge of human resource management systems in practical, realistic contexts. Your goal in this exam should be to demonstrate your ability to take an informed and thoughtful approach to human resource decisions. There are no “right” or “wrong” answers; instead, the quality of answers depends on your accurate and appropriate application of concepts covered in this class. Please separate your answers to each assignment question by using headers.
I encourage you to refer to outside material for this exam, including class slides, the textbook, and online resources. You may also discuss the exam with other students if you wish, although I discourage you from looking at another student’s work or showing your work to another student because this increases the risk of plagiarism.
The work you submit must be your own and resources that you draw from must be cited. Be mindful that plagiarism includes, but is not limited to: 1) Copying the work of others, 2) Modeling your work after the work of others without giving credit, 3) Allowing others to copy your work. Plagiarism results in an automatic zero on this assignment with no opportunity for re-submission. For more information on avoiding plagiarism, see the document “How to Avoid Plagiarism” on Canvas. If you have any questions, please feel welcome to contact me.
1. Compensation & Benefits
You are continuing to provide human resource management consulting to Julia, who owns a dry cleaning business in downtown Albany. Previously, you provided advice regarding HR strategy, job design, recruitment, selection, training, and onboarding. Now, Julia would like your assistance with establishing the other parts of her company’s HR system.
To-date, Julia has been copying the compensation practices of other comparable local businesses. She would like to improve employee performance, retention, and engagement through a reformed compensation system. She would also like to ensure the best possible return on investment for time and money spent on employee compensation.
a) Beyond mirroring competitors, how should Julia determine how much to pay her employees? Is copying the competition a good long-term strategy, or are there limitations to it? Where should she seek information about pay standards in her industry? Should her company use short-term incentives? Why or why not?
b) Given that most benefits cost money, why should Julia offer benefits to employees instead of increasing their pay? How should Julia decide which benefits her company should offer? Provide two specific recommendations regarding types of benefits that Julia might consider offering.
c) Briefly discuss the importance of non-monetary benefits, what non-monetary benefits look like in practice, and key steps that Julia should take to implement non-monetary benefits successfully.
2. Performance Management
Julia wants to ensure that she is taking appropriate steps to get the best possible performance from her employees. She wants her employees to clearly understand what they should be doing while feeling well-supported by management.
a) Develop an outline of a performance management system for Julia that can apply broadly throughout her business. Specify which forms of benchmarking you recommend and why. What type of routines should Julia develop around performance management, and what should the key features of the company’s performance management system include?
b) Julia wants your opinion about performance management. What can go wrong in the performance management process, what is absolutely critical to do, and why is performance management important? What practical advice can you give to Julia?
3. Ethics and Legal Compliance
What advice would you give Julia regarding ethical decision-making and legal compliance when making HR decisions? Think beyond the advice you have already given, which has likely included discussion of Title VII and other antidiscrimination laws. What should Julia do if she has a question about a legal or ethical matter?
4. Closing Advice
As you conclude your consulting work, Julia would like your personal advice regarding other important issues in HR that she should be aware of, beyond what you have already discussed.
Choose three distinct major topics that we have discussed in this course and that have not been covered in either exam. For each topic, what critical information should Julia know about the topic? Why is it important for her to be aware of? What practical advice can you offer her related to the topic?