Fill-in-the-blank

64. _______________ means a job that is not only reasonably safe and for which the pay is equitable, but which also achieves an appropriate level of both physical and psychological requirements.

Quality of work life (Human resource strategy for competitive advantage, moderate)

65. ___________ is a means of determining staffing policies dealing with employment stability and work schedules.

Labor planning (Labor planning, moderate)

66. ___________ refers to a work schedule that deviates from the normal or standard five 8-hour days.

Flexible workweek (Labor planning, moderate)

67. __________ is an approach that specifies the tasks that constitute a job for an individual or a group.

Job design (Job design, easy)

68. ___________ is the grouping of a variety of tasks using the same approximate skill level.

Job enlargement (Job design, moderate)

69. ___________ is a method of giving an employee more responsibility that includes some of the planning and control necessary for job accomplishment.

Job enrichment (Job design, moderate)

70. _______________ showed that there is a dynamic social system in the workplace.

The Hawthorne studies (Job design, moderate)

71. _______________ involves enlarging employee jobs so that the added responsibility and authority is moved to the lowest possible level in the organization.

Employee empowerment (Job design, moderate)

72. A(n) _____________ is a group of empowered individuals working together to reach a common goal.

self-directed team (Job design, moderate)

73. ___________ is a system providing some portion of any profit for distribution to employees.

Profit sharing (Job design, moderate)

74. The study of work, often called human factors, is called __________.

ergonomics (Job design, moderate)

75. __________ are drawings used to analyze movement of people or material.

Flow diagrams (Job design, moderate)

76. Painted symbols that indicate the proper place for tools and machinery are called __________ and _________.

shadow boards and foot prints (The visual workplace, moderate) {AACSB: Communication}

77. Keyboard design, noisy work environment, and dangerous materials or operations in the workplace are all __________ issues with ethical implications.

ergonomic (Ethics and the work environment, moderate) {AACSB: Ethical Reasoning}

SHORT ANSWER

78. Provide examples of non-monetary incentives.

Awards, recognitions, certain preferences such as a preferred work schedule, promotion and achievement. (Job design, moderate)

79. What is quality of work life? What is its relation to a firm's human resource strategy?

Quality of work life means a reasonably safe job with equitable pay that adheres to an appropriate level of both physical and psychological requirements. Quality of work life is one of the two primary goals of a human resource strategy, the other of which is efficient utilization of people. (Human resource strategy for competitive advantage, moderate)

80. Describe some impacts of noise in the workplace.

Specific answers will vary, but should include some of the following. High levels of sound will damage hearing. Extended periods of exposure to decibel levels above 85 dB are permanently damaging. (Private business offices average about 50 dB.) OSHA requires ear protection if exposure to 85dB equals or exceeds 8 hours. Even at low levels, noise and vibration can be distracting and can raise a person’s blood pressure, so most managers make substantial effort to reduce noise and vibration through good machine design, enclosures, or insulation. Finally, recent research shows that noise in the work environment can increase the risk of heart attack by 50% or more. (Ergonomics and the work environment, moderate)

81. What is mutual trust? What is its link to a firm's human resource strategy?

Mutual trust is intended to mean reasonable, documented employment policies that are honestly and equitably implemented to the satisfaction of both management and employee. This is the atmosphere that nurtures reasonable quality of life. (Human resource strategy for competitive advantage, moderate)

82. What are the advantages and the disadvantages of the employment-stability policy "holding employment constant?"

Holding employment levels constant maintains a trained workforce and keeps hiring, termination, and unemployment costs to a minimum. But when demand is low, people may be underutilized, and when demand is high, the firm may be unable to respond. (Labor planning, moderate)

83. How does labor specialization assist in reducing labor costs (list three ways)?

Labor specialization assists in reducing labor costs by development of dexterity and faster learning by the employee because of repetition; less loss of time because the employee will not be changing jobs so frequently; development of specialized tools and a reduction in investment because each employee will require only a few tools for a particular task. (Job design, moderate)

84. Identify the limitations to job expansion.

Limitations of job expansion include higher capital cost; many individuals prefer simpler jobs; higher wage rates are required; smaller labor pools exist; and higher training costs. (Job design, moderate)

85. Explain how job expansion can lead to higher pay rates.

As expansion leads to workers having greater skills, they tend to be paid according to their highest skill. (Job design, moderate)

86. It is said that job expansion has both a vertical component and a horizontal component. Explain, with reference to such terms as job enrichment, job rotation, job enlargement, and employee empowerment.

Vertical expansion gives employees more planning and/or control over their work, which is job enrichment. Horizontal expansion adds tasks, through job rotation or job enlargement. Job enrichment relates primarily to increasing the cognitive or intellectual requirements for the job. Job enlargement relates primarily to an increase in the number of tasks to be performed. Job rotation implies a formal arrangement for job switching among a particular group of workers within a specific set of jobs. Employee empowerment is the practice of enriching jobs so that employees accept responsibility for a variety of decisions normally associated with staff specialists. (Job design, moderate)

87. What impact did the Hawthorne studies have on human resource strategy?

The Hawthorne studies introduced psychology into the workplace. They proved that there is a dynamic social system in the workplace, and that this social system can be more important than physical working conditions. (Job design, easy)

88. Identify the five components of job design.

The five components of job design include job specialization, job expansion, psychological components, self-directed teams, and motivation & incentive systems. (Job design, moderate)

89. List Hackman and Oldham's five desirable characteristics of job design.

According to Hackman and Oldham, the desirable characteristics of job design include skill variety, job identity, job significance, autonomy, and feedback. (Job design, moderate)

90. To maximize team effectiveness, managers need to do more then just form teams. What should managers do to maximize team effectiveness?

They should ensure that those who have a legitimate contribution are on the team, provide management support, ensure the necessary training, and endorse clear objectives. (Job design, moderate)

91. Describe how supervisors might need to change their roles after organizing self-directed teams.

Supervisors must release some control and learn to accept different job responsibilities. Self-directed teams may mean having no supervisors on the factory floor. (Job design, moderate)

92. Identify three forms of monetary rewards.

Pick three of the following: bonuses, profit sharing, gain sharing, incentive systems, and knowledge-based pay systems. (Job design, moderate)

93. What is methods analysis?

Methods analysis focuses on how a task is accomplished. It involves developing work procedures that are safe and produce quality products efficiently. (Job design, easy)

94. What are operations charts used for?

Operations charts are used to analyze body movement. They are designed to show economy of motion by pointing out wasted motion and idle time. (Job design, moderate)

95. How might ergonomics be used to help design an employee workstation?

Ergonomics deals with the human factors of work. Ergonomic studies take into account the height, weight, range of motion, and other physical attributes typical of employees, along with variations from those norms. Ergonomic influences should result in workstations that are the proper height for employees, comfortable for the range of motions of that job, and free from unnecessary danger, noise, or other environmental detriments to work. (Job design, moderate) {AACSB: Reflective Thinking}

96. Describe how the "visual workplace" can increase information flow, improve efficiency, and eliminate non-value-adding activities. Support your argument with a few examples.

Visuals reduce the time spent sharing information, especially in signaling hazards, low-stock conditions, poor quality, etc. Time spent reading instructions or taking measurements are non-value-adding if a simple visual can replace them. Examples include graphs of stock conditions, painted warnings, markers, kanbans, andons, shadow boards, foot prints, and others. (The visual workplace, moderate) {AACSB: Communication}

97. What is meant by the visual workplace? Provide two examples.

The visual workplace brings low-cost visual systems to the workplace so information that is vital in the workplace can be shared. Good visual systems are designed to increase the possibility that what is supposed to happen does happen. One example is the timing clock that is increasingly found in fast-food restaurants, which indicates the length of time that a customer has waited. Another example is a painted shadow board which indicates the proper place for tools to be stored when not in use. Other examples include andon lights which signal a problem, containers of the optimum size or with indentations for each part or type of part, color coding and symbols for parts containers. (The visual workplace, moderate) {AACSB: Communication}

98. The visual workplace improves communications at three levels: big picture, performance, and housekeeping. Cite an example of each type; explain your examples in a sentence each.

Big picture is illustrated by a posting of a company's stock price, reminding employees of their role in company efficiency and profitability. Performance is illustrated by kanbans—visuals that signal the need for additional production (SPC charts and production quotas are other examples). Housekeeping is illustrated by foot prints and shadow boards, which indicate the proper place for tools and equipment (other examples include andons and labels). (The visual workplace, moderate) {AACSB: Communication}

99. List two ethical concerns that arise from work environment issues that are ergonomic in nature; list two more that are not ergonomic in nature.

Ethical concerns arise in ergonomic work environment issues such as (students may name any two of the following): danger in performing the job, exposure to dangerous ingredients on the job, unnecessary noise, vibration, heat, humidity, and incorrect lighting. Ethical issues which are not based in ergonomics arise with respect to fairness and equity. These include equal opportunity and equal pay for equal work. (Ethics and the work environment, easy) {AACSB: Ethical Reasoning}

100. A female employee in a male-dominated workplace comes to you and says "I'm having difficulty with a certain task because the workstation was designed for the men, who are generally taller and have greater arm's length than I." What are the basic ethical issues here (if any), and what are the various guidelines and sources that could help you? (You are not asked to SOLVE her problem.)

The basic ethical issue is equal opportunity, even though the problem arises because of ergonomics. There may be OSHA or state law to assist your deliberations; you may also consult with your firm's legal or human resource department. (Ethics and the work environment, moderate) {AACSB: Ethical Reasoning}

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16