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2. Productivity is an important goal for Clearwater Electronics. Like most productive organizations, Clearwater recognizes the contributions human resource management (HRM) can make to improve productivity through people. How can HRM best ensure that the work environment at Clearwater is one in which employees are productive and add value?

• HR managers can contribute by ensuring employee tasks and responsibilities are described in detail to avoid lack of understanding on the part of employees.
• HR managers can contribute by providing top management with a regular report of what is going on in the company.
• HR managers can contribute by ensuring line managers and employees comply with the many laws, regulations, arbitration, and court decisions a company will face.
• HR managers can contribute by providing work organization and design that allow for an increase of output as well as quality.

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2. Clearwater Electronics wants to strategically attract new talent to the organization to support future growth. Why is it important for the HR director to work with top management to improve the firm's recruiting system?

• Because the HR director is responsible for the firm's talent management, it is important to work with top management to make sure that those recruited will fit into the company culture.
• Because the HR director is responsible for the firm's talent management, it is important to work with top management to ensure the recruiting is legally compliant.
• Because the HR director is responsible for the firm's talent management, it is important to work with top management to make sure employees are satisfied with their pay and that the firm has enough financial resources to attract top talent.
• Because the HR director is responsible for the firm's talent management, it is important to work with top management to ensure the recruiting strategy meets the firm's overall needs and attracts top talent.

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2. Clearwater Electronics now has 1,600 employees and an HR department with several employees. However, it was not always that large. In its second year, the company was growing steadily and hired its 40th employee. At that time, the CEO decided to hire an HR generalist to manage all human resources functions. Why was this decision the best thing for the company at the time?

• The company was past the start-up stage, and someone handling HR would help recruit better applicants.
• The company needed someone who could manage complex HR reporting functions in a timely manner as well as manage the time-consuming task of recruiting.
• The CEO, who had been handling the HR functions, was overwhelmed by all the HR tasks as well as the overall company responsibilities and needed someone dedicated to HR.
• The CEO believed HR was important to the strategic mission of the firm, and the company needed someone qualified to handle a wide variety of HR responsibilities.

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2. Clearwater Electronics has an employee recruitment and retention goal of 90 percent. How does HR planning best help the company meet or exceed its employee recruitment and retention goal?

• HR planning helps the organization know how many employees the organization needs as well as what type of employees to hire.
• HR planning helps the company determine whether it needs an HR recruiter.
• HR planning helps synchronize the company's financial obligations with its desire to pay its employees a competitive salary.
• HR planning helps the organization improve its plan to build an open and creative workplace.

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2. Caitlyn has worked in HR for Clearwater Electronics for more than 20 years. She has found that many employees are now more concerned with working in an environment where they can grow personally than with their level of compensation. How can Caitlyn and the HR department best provide opportunities for their employees to grow?

• HR can provide a creative and open workplace.
• HR can continually monitor and measure employees' satisfaction to ensure their employees are happy.
• HR can provide a healthy and safe workplace environment.
• HR can provide training and development activities to help employees improve.

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2. You are the HR director for Clearwater Electronics and have been invited to the organization's yearly strategic goal-setting meeting. You started with the company six months ago, so this is the first time you have been invited to attend. Why do you think it important you attend this meeting, and how do you think HR can best contribute to the organization?

• It is important to attend to maintain HR records and comply with regulations.
• It is important to attend to ensure that nothing discriminatory is discussed and to provide feedback on HR issues such as hiring, firing, and workplace violations.
• It is important to attend to better understand the organization's strategic position in the market and align human resources with that strategy.
• It is important to attend so you can share the information you gather with your staff and other managers to ensure that everyone is updated and kept in the loop.

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2. As the HR director of Clearwater Electronics, you are the direct supervisor for several employees within your department. As their direct supervisor, you are tasked with conducting individual performance appraisals and providing feedback on their performance. Why should you and your direct reports take this activity seriously?

• Employees need to know job expectations and that things will not change in those expectations.
• Employees want consistent feedback to know how well they are doing their jobs and what they can do to improve.
• Employees want to know how they compare to others, and a performance appraisal will allow them to make the comparison.
• Employees want to know what areas they are failing in and how it will affect their bonuses and raises.

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2. An employee on one of Clearwater Electronics' production lines violated safety protocols by disabling a machine's safety guard. The line manager wrote up the employee and submitted the violation to HR. Why is it important for managers and HR to work together to promote a safety-first culture?

• It is necessary for them to work together because ignoring safety issues shows a lack of respect for employees as well as the company.
• It is necessary for them to work together to make sure OSHA guidelines are clearly stated in many places on the production line.
• It is necessary for them to work together because neglecting safety issues can cost the company substantially when workplace injuries occur.
• It is necessary for them to work together to make sure employees pay attention and understand safety training offered by HR.

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2. Susan Lopez, the CEO of Clearwater Electronics, has recently provided details of a large change initiative that is forecasted to begin next year. As part of the briefing, Susan explained that previous company-wide changes were rough, that both time and money were wasted, and that employee morale suffered. If the previous organizational change was so painful, why would the CEO feel it important to implement another change initiative, and how can HR best support the CEO in this initiative?

• The CEO wants Clearwater Electronics to diversify its portfolio. HR can help the CEO by counseling employees to embrace the changes being made.
• The CEO wants Clearwater Electronics to improve its market position and be prepared for the competitive and uncertain environment in today's global economy. HR can help the CEO by monitoring the effectiveness of the changes.
• The CEO wants Clearwater Electronics to make changes because other organizations are doing so, and she does not want the company to be left behind. HR can help the CEO by reminding employees of the mission and vision of the company.
• The CEO wants Clearwater Electronics to become more successful and stave off the possibility of being acquired by another company. HR can help the CEO by recording reactions to the changes by managers and employees and monitoring morale.

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2. Clearwater Electronics is having a hard time matching its demand for staffing needs. The COO has asked the HR director to develop a forecast to project temporary labor versus full-time employees. Why is this type of analysis helpful for human resource planning (HRP)?

• Because HR planning allows recruiters to identify good job candidates, the HR director can continuously be looking for top talent to fill open positions.
• Because HR planning helps a company control unplanned talent costs, the HR director can focus on issues that limit employee productivity.
• Because HR planning provides a company with easy-to-use reports and tools, the HR director can prioritize workforce initiatives.
• Because HR planning allows the company to understand employee demand and match it to the supply, the HR director will be able to assess more accurately how positions can be filled, whether internally or externally.

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2. A line manager at Clearwater Electronics has just hired a female employee who is pregnant. Her baby is due at the same time production peaks, which is extremely inconvenient for the line manager, who is responsible for production numbers. The line manager did not know the employee was pregnant when he hired her. He has now hinted to the employee that her pregnancy will make it harder for her to do her job in the hope that with enough hints, the employee will decide to quit or transfer to another position. Clearwater Electronics has a strong policy to prevent and address employment discrimination. Why should the HR director become involved in this situation instead of leaving it up to the line manager to handle?

• The HR director will be reprimanded if the employee files a complaint against the company.
• The HR director is responsible for protecting the company against complaints brought by disgruntled employees.
• The HR director is legally responsible to enforce all antidiscrimination laws.
• The HR director is responsible for ensuring the company maintains a culture of kindness and respect for all.

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2. Clearwater Electronics is planning to open an office in Shanghai, China, and the HR department has been asked to benchmark the compensation practices of other multinational organizations in the region. Why is benchmarking a first good step to developing a compensation and benefits plan to attract and retain new employees who will contribute to the organization?

• Benchmarking will ensure that salary and benefit decisions are made on solid data. This information will aid and influence the cost management of the organization.
• Benchmarking will allow the company to identify trend data and use it to improve their products.
• Benchmarking will allow the company to offer wages comparable to other organizations in the region.
• Benchmarking will enable the company to identify strengths and weaknesses of competitors as well as gain insights into its own strengths and weaknesses.

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2. The HR director at Clearwater Electronics has had negative feedback from employees about perceived inequalities in compensation among its company subsidiaries. While the HR director believes compensation is already consistent and fair, a review of the compensation and benefits packages will be conducted and shared with the employees. Which of the following statements gives the best reason for conducting and sharing the compensation assessment?

• It is important that employees see that their contribution is valued.
• It is important that employees perceive they are being treated equitably.
• It is important that employees believe their opinions matter.
• It is important that employees see that something is being done because of their feedback.

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2. The HR department at Clearwater Electronics has been asked to develop a job description for a new managerial position in Dubai. Clearwater's policy states that subsidiary managers should be employees from the parent company. What benefits does the company hope to realize from this ethnocentric approach?

• The ethnocentric approach will allow the manager to better represent the company subsidiary to the parent company.
• An employee from the parent company will have a strong working knowledge of company policies and procedures, work ethic, and productivity, and can ensure that company guidelines are followed.
• Ethnocentric staffing offers the opportunity for the manager to learn from and transfer foreign values to the company.
• An employee from the parent company will cost the company less than it would cost to hire and train a local national from Dubai.

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2. The scarcity of qualified HR managers with global experience has been identified as a major challenge for the HR department at Clearwater Electronics. Therefore, the HR director has developed a job rotation program where selected, highly skilled HR managers will work abroad in one or more assignments during their career. Why is it most important for these HR managers to increase their appreciation of cross-cultural differences, develop a global perspective, strengthen their technical skills, and broaden their socioeconomic and political knowledge?

• These skills and abilities will enable the HR managers to manage, engage, and support employees in the company's international subsidiaries more effectively.
• These skills and abilities will provide the HR managers with greater managerial mobility.
• These skills and abilities will enable the HR managers to recruit better employees in the company subsidiaries.
• These skills and abilities will enable the HR managers to appreciate all aspect of the company's operations, especially the contributions made by the company subsidiaries.