readings & resources and credible sources

UNIT FOUR – MIDTERM EXAM – Questions 1 through 5 are worth 18 points and question 6 is worth 10 points.

The exam consists of six (6) long essay questions. Questions require a response minimum of three paragraphs.

Directions:

• Refer to the Unit Readings, specifically the Textbook Chapters, Unit Lectures, readings & resources and credible sources from the Library or the internet to support your responses.
• Research the information and paraphrase your response to the question with cited academic data. The APA process is required and is important that students correctly identify scholarly sources. Do not cut and paste – Safe Assign is used to prevent plagiarism.
• It is highly advisable to first answer the questions in a Word document and then copy and paste into the exam

Questions

1. Many organizations are changing the focus of Human Resources, even going so far as to change the name of the function. In the middle part of last century, the term Human Resource Management started to replace the notion of the “Personnel Department”. Now, the terms are being rebranded again to titles such as the following: “Vice President of People”; Head of Associate Experience, Chief Experience Officer; Chief Talent Officer or even “Chief Happiness Officer”. What do these title changes say about the direction of Human Resources? Has the focus of what HR does changed or have we merely changed the wording? Provide sources to reinforce your opinion.

2. It is said that employee engagement is a critical factor in the long term success of an organization. In our readings we covered some important benefits of employee engagement. Answer the following questions:
   • Why is employee engagement so important for an organization? Name some benefits to having engaged employees and provide your reasoning as to why this is important. Provide outside sources to support your choice of benefits to having engaged employees.
   • Is employee engagement important in all types of organizations or might it be more important to some than others? Explain your answer and provide reference-supported justification.
   • What is HR’s role in creating & fostering employee engagement?

3. Determining proper compensation is an important component of an organizations’ reward structure. Traditionally, compensation determination involved getting an accurate idea of a job’s duties and requirements. Outline the steps needed to do this in an organization and why this is important. Make sure you use outside sources to back up yourpoints.

4. Often, when talking about the concept of “Equal Pay” critics cite statistics that indicate that women earn (approximately) $.79 for every dollar a man makes. Look into this further by looking at the concept of “adjusted” versus “unadjusted” pay gap analysis. Would that make a difference in how we look at the concept of “pay differences” between genders? Look at external sources to support your opinion.

5. Internal and external factors influence Human Resource Management. Identify and describe in complete detail three (3) internal factors and three (3) external factors and how they affect HR Management. Research and analysis is needed, along with academic data from sources.

6. This question has two parts.

• What do we mean by Diversity in the workplace? A complete definition is required.
• Provide an example of a company committed to Diversity. What are they doing that proves that this is an important initiative for them and, most importantly, why do they feel it is important? List the major business reasons for their choice. Use outside research to substantiate your conclusions.