Task: Using in-text citiations and APA format, please respond to the questions below.
Problem 1. Julie Watkins has worked in her new position writing software documentation for three months. She keeps hearing about how important her job is to the company, but she does not understand how her work contributes to the whole. Her exposure to the company is limited to her department colleagues (other technical writers), the employee cafeteria, and the payroll office. What could Watkins's company have done to make her see the whole picture and gain an understanding of and commitment to how the company works?
Problem 2. Interviewing unqualified applicants can be a frustrating experience and a waste of time for managers, peers, or whoever is responsible for interviewing. How can the HR department minimize or eliminate this problem?
Problem 3. Superficially, it seems preferable to use objective performance data (such as productivity figures), when available, rather than subjective supervisory ratings to assess employees. Why might objective data be less effective performance measures than subjective ratings?
Problem 4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using seniority as the basis for layoff? What alternatives to seniority are available as layoff criteria?
Problem 5. What challenges do post-traditional family units pose to company career development plans? How can companies meet these challenges?
Problem 6. Should applicants be selected primarily on the basis of ability or on personality/fit? How can fit be assessed?
Problem 7. Today's organizations are flatter and offer fewer opportunities for advancement. How do you think careers should be developed in this type of organizational environment?
Problem 8. In an age when more and more companies are downsizing, an increasingly trendy concept is the "the virtual corporation." The idea is that a company should have a core of owners and managers, but that, to the greatest degree possible, workers should be contingent - temporary, part-time, or on short-term contracts. This gives the corporation maximum flexibility to shift vendors, cut costs, and avoid long-term labor commitments. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the virtual corporation from the point of view of both employers and workers?
Problem 9. Managing survivors in a layoff is important. As a manager, what concerns would you have about the surviving workforce after a layoff? How can the HR management staff be of assistance in providing support for the survivors of a layoff?
Problem 10. What is comparability? How can it be maximized in performance appraisal?