Rent 9780072874433 | Annual Editions : Human Resources 04/05

Summary Table of Contents

This updated fourteenth edition of Annual Editions: Human Resources gives you articles from the best of the public press. The articles explore the current environment of human resources management; meeting human resource requirements; creating a productive work environment; developing effective human resources; implementing compensation and security; fostering employee/management relationships; and international human resource management.This title is supported by the student Web site, http://dushkin.com/online.

To the Reader

Topic Guide

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Selected World Wide Web Sites

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UNIT 1 Human Resource Management in Perspective

Ten unit selections examine the current environment of human resource management with s... MORE

Unit Overview

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Part A. The Environment of Human Resource Management

1. HR Is Dead, Long Live HR,

Shari Caudron, Workforce, January 2003

Business conditions are changing, and people in the human resource field must find new ways to be relevant to organizations or be faced with the prospect of becoming irrelevant in a rapidly changing environment.

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2. The State of the Human Resources Profession in 2003: An Interview With Dave Ulrich,

Rich Vosburgh, Human Resource Planning Journal, Volume 26, Issue 1, 2003

Dave Ulrich has been an active leader of the human resource community for many years. This interview was conducted just prior to Ulrich's three-year sabbatical to do missionary work for his church.

(6)

3. What Is an Employee? The Answer Depends on the Federal Law,

Charles J. Muhl, Monthly Labor Review, January 2002

You may think you are hiring a consultant or an independent contractor, but according to federal law, it may be an employee. Does it make a difference? You bet!

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Part B. Human Resources and Corporate Strategy

4. 7 Steps Before Strategy,

Bruce N. Pfau and Bonnie Bell Cundiff, Workforce, November 2002

Over the past decade there has been much emphasis on the role of human resources in contributing to the organization's strategy. But HR professionals must not lose sight of their basic functions in their efforts to be included in the strategic planning for the organization.

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5. Workforce Planning: Why to Start Now,

John Sullivan, Workforce. November 2002

Understanding the business cycle and how it affects the organization's demand for labor is a key to the successful management of the human resource function

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6. Strategic Human Resources Management in Government: Unresolved Issues,

Jonathan Tompkins, Public Personnel Management Spring 2002

Strategic human resource planning in government is different from the private sector. This article addresses those differences and how they alter that function

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Part C. Employees With Disabilities

7. A Statute for Liberty,

Peter McGeer, People Management, January 2002

In Britain, legislation regarding the employment of disabled people is still in its beginning stages. Peter McGeer looks at how the American experience in this area can help the British as they address issues for disabled workers.

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Part D. Sexual Harassment

8. Sexual Harassment: It Doesn't Go With the Territory,

Rachel Thompson, Horizons, Winter 2002

Despite all the negative publicity and court decisions, sexual harassment continues to be a problem in the workplace. Here are some of the things that can be done about it.

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Part E. 9/11 and the War on Terror

9. Why 9/11 Didn't Change the Workplace,

Shari Caudron, Work-force, March 2002

Studies after September 11, 2001, show that the terrorist attacks did not bring massive changes to the American workplace. HR professionals need to monitor the needs of their employees to keep this from happening.

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10. Dealing With HR Issues Following the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks,

Robert W. Lincoln Jr., Employment Relations Today, Winter 2002

The terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania have presented human resource professionals with a new set of problems, especially in areas of safety and security. How to address these problems is the subject of this article.

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UNIT 2 Meeting Human Resource Requirements

The unit's eight articles discuss the dynamics of human resource job requirements, planning, selection, recruitment, and information systems.

Unit Overview

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Part A. Job Requirements

11. Using Telecommuting to Improve the Bottom Line,

Jason A. Greer, Thomas E. Buttross, and George Schmelzle, Strategic Finance, April 2002

There are answers to the problem of improving productivity in the workforce and using that increased productivity to enhance the bottom line. The technology for telecommuting is now commonplace and can be used effectively to achieve these ends.

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Part B. Human Resource Planning, Selection, and Recruitment

12. Who Are You Really Hiring?,

Shari Caudron, Workforce, November 2002

Background and reference checks are an important part of the hiring process. Not doing an adequate job of checking a potential employee's references can lead to many problems down the road that could have been prevented.

(4)

13. Does HR Planning Improve Business Performance?,

Bill Macaleer and Jones Shannon, Industrial Management, January/February 2003

What are some of the ways that human resource planning can improve business performance and enhance profitability? This article explores that relationship and explodes some of the myths surrounding HR and strategy.

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14. Smarter Hiring, the DDI Way,

Adam Hanft, Inc., March 2003

Predicting whether an employee will be a success in an organization is difficult at best. The consulting firm DDI has a strong track record in assessing potential employee performance.

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15. Playing e-Detective,

Chris Penttila, Entrepreneur, March 2002

The Internet can provide you with answers concerning a prospective employee. Be certain to double-check the information, however, as not everything on the Internet is accurate.

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16. Learning From Experience,

Clare Ranson and Elizabeth Raper, People Management, March 7, 2002

Age discrimination will be prohibited in the United Kingdom in 2006. Here are some useful lessons the British can take from both the American and Australian experiences.

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Part C. Human Resources Information Systems

17. HR Cost Cutting: How Technology Makes Little Savings Add Up,

Michael Esposito and Jeff Novak, Workforce, August 2002

Don't look for a single huge savings from the implementation of information technology for human resources. The real savings come in small ways, but they add up.

(2)

18. A Wealth of Choice,

Craig Gunsauley, Employee Benefit News, April 1, 2002

The growing use of Internet-based HRIS systems is making it easier for both large and small employers to utilize these systems that give the firms the capability to conduct HR functions online.

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UNIT 3 Creating a Productive Work Environment

The seven selections in this section examine how to increase productivity in the workplace by motivating employees and developing effective communication channels.

Unit Overview

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Part A. Motivating Employees

19. Getting Happy With the Rewards King,

Leslie Gross Klaff, Work-force, April 2003

Motivating employees has always been a concern of organizations, but what works best? Will money or small rewards and praise do the trick?

20. The Extra Mile: Motivating Employees to Exceed Expectations,

David King, CMA Management, February 2002

Creating an environment that is open to new ideas and that rewards high performance can motivate professionals to do their best work.

21. Secrets to Motivating Your Employees,

Kelley Robertson, Canadian Manager, Fall 2002

Motivation of employees has always been a concern of management. Setting goals and priorities is one of the chief methods to motivate the workforce.

(2)

22. Motivating Employees,

Samantha Oiler, American Printer, October 1, 2002

Trying to motivate employees can lead to a variety of approaches in a number of different industries. Even in a hard-pressed, competitive industry like job printing, there are ways to develop motivating strategies to encourage optimum performance.

(2)

Part B. Facilitating Communication

23. The "Write" Way to Enhance Business,

Dawn Josephson, Walls and Ceilings, March 2003

Sometimes writing might be considered a lost art in communicating, but it is often of paramount importance and the one method of communication that may best represent you.

(2)

24. Harmony in the Workplace: 10 Positive Strategies You Can Use,

Tellervision, February 2002

Here are 10 things that can be done to help people get along with each other on the job.

(2)

25. Fear of Feedback,

Jay M. Jackman and Myra H. Strober, Harvard Business Review, April 2003

Many people are afraid to have a conversation with the boss concerning their performance, but some conversations are necessary. Getting and using feedback on job performance is a necessary component to success in one's career.

(6)

UNIT 4 Developing Effective Human Resources

Five unit articles discuss how to develop resources through employee training and career and staff development.

Unit Overview

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Part A. Training Employees

26. Creating a Learning Organization,

Neal McChristy, Office Solutions, February 2002

With changing conditions in the workplace as well as the business environment, it is necessary for organizations to create an atmosphere where people are encouraged and rewarded for learning. People should learn not only for themselves, but to help the company's bottom line.

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27. The Top Training Priorities for 2003,

Brandon Hall, Training, February 2003

What will training priorities be, not only in 2003, but for the next several years? Some of the priorities may come as a surprise to many people.

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Part B. Career and Staff Development

28. Brand Yourself,

Ann Brown, Black Enterprise, March 2002

To be successful in the business world, it is rapidly becoming necessary to create an image, a reputation, or a brand that will make you stand out and be successful in your career.

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29. Focus on Talent,

Craig R. Taylor, Training & Development, December 2002

How do organizations retain the top people in their companies? One of the key elements is leadership that understands the employees and that the employees can trust.

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30. Equality's Latest Frontier,

Diane Cadrain, HR Magazine, March 2003

Transgender issues constitute the latest frontier in nondiscrimination. Sexual identity is now at the forefront of equal employment opportunity issues in the workplace.

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UNIT 5 Implementing Compensation, Benefits, and Work-place Safety

Eleven articles address employee compensation, incentive arrangements, executive pay, health and safety considerations, and benefits.

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Unit Overview

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Part A. Managing Employee Compensation

31. Plastic Paychecks,

Elayne Robertson Demby, HR Magazine, April 2003

Employers are constantly looking for ways to cut expenses. One area of expense that all employers face is processing payroll. A way to reduce the expense would be to deposit the pay in a credit-card account.

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32. Going Down the Road: Campaign for a Living Wage,

Jim Hightower, The Nation, April 1, 2002

The minimum wage has declined in real terms over the past decade. Now there is a movement to do something about it.

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Part B. Incentive Compensation

33. Top Pay for Best Performance,

Steve Bates, HR Magazine, January 2003

Rewarding the top performers in a company is a key way to motivate them and other workers to become top performers. Additional merit raises over time can make a real difference in the annual compensation of an employee.

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34. Should You Adjust Your Sales Compensation?,

David Fiedler, HR Magazine, February 2002

In the wake of September 11, 2001, the economy has slowed down, making sales and the salesperson's job more difficult. Adjusting the compensation program may be necessary, but it should only be done after careful consideration.

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Part C. Executive Pay

35. Executive Pay,

Business Week, April 15, 2002

Although average executive compensation actually went down slightly due to the recession in 2001, many executives are still compensated far more than would seem necessary. This year's winner, Laurence Ellison of Oracle, made $706.1 million. That's more than someone making $100,000 per year would have if they had started working before the beginning of recorded history.

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36. Executive Compensation: Are Some Paid Too Much?,

Fred Maidment, Journal of Pension Planning and Compliance, Winter 2003

In 2001, new records were set for CEO compensation. Yet, the stock price, sales, and corporate profits of many of these executive's companies plummeted.

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Part D. Health and Safety

37. Employers May Face Liability When Domestic Violence Comes to Work,

Stacey Pastel Dougan, Employee Benefit Plan Review, February 2003

Domestic violence is bound to have an impact on the workplace. Employers need to have a policy in place to deal with it should the need arise.

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38. How Safe Is Your Job? The Threat of Workplace Violence,

Laurence Miller, USA Today Magazine (Society for the Advancement of Education), March 2002

Recent changes in the American workforce have made it a far more dangerous place, costing companies more than $4 billion annually.

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39. The Most Effective Tool Against Workplace Violence,

HRfocus, February 2003

The best way for organizations to deal with workplace violence is to train employees so that they will know what to do when the situation arises.

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Part E. Benefits

40. Health-Care Costs: HR's Crisis Has Real Solutions,

Shari Caudron, Workforce, February 2002

Informing employees of the cost of health care is one way to control the cost of this insurance, which is expected to rise 16 percent in 2002.

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41. The Cutting Edge of Benefit Cost Control,

Fay Hansen, Work-force, March 2003

Employee benefits, especially health insurance, are one of the most rapidly growing costs of almost any organization. However, there are strategies that organizations have implemented that can help to contain these expenses.

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(4)

UNIT 6 Fostering Employee/Management Relationships

In this unit, 10 selections examine the dynamics of labor relations, collective bargaining, disciplinary action, temporary and part-time employees, and workplace ethics.

Unit Overview

162

(2)

Part A. Dynamics of Labor Relations, Collective Bargaining, and Contract Administration

42. Up Against Wal-Mart,

Karen Olsson, Mother Jones, March/April 2003

Wal-Mart has a reputation of being one of the most anti-union companies. Here are some of the ways that Wal-Mart manages to keep union-free.

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(5)

43. Lighting Labor's Fire,

Barbara Ehrenreich and Thomas Geoghegan, The Nation, December 23, 2002

Union membership has declined from nearly 40 percent of the workforce in the 1950's to less than 10 percent today. The question is, what are some of the strategies that could be employed to turn this around?

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Part B. Disciplinary Action

44. Union Rules in Nonunion Settings: The NLRB and Workplace Investigations,

James F. Morgan, James M. Owens, and Glenn M. Gomes, SAM Advanced Management Journal, Winter 2002

When a corporation investigates the possibility of some wrongdoing, there are certain rules it must follow in a unionized environment. But do those rules apply to a nonunion environment? This article addresses this question.

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45. Three Strikes, You're Out: How to Play Fair at Firing,

Claire Sykes, Office Solutions, March/April 2003

Terminating employees is never something that managers look forward to doing. There are, however, ways to do it that are better than others.

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(2)

46. Enough Is Enough

Clifton Leaf, Fortune, March 18, 2002

When executive criminals get caught, they are often given a fine and sent on their way. Those few that do go to prison usually end up at "Club Fed."

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(8)

Part C. Temporary and Part-Time Employees

47. Temporary Worker, Permanent Loser?,

Michael Rybicki, News-week, March 10, 2003

Temporary workers may be a boon for organizations seeking to control staffing and costs, but for the workers themselves, it is somewhat different.

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(1)

Part D. Ethics

48. Big Companies Teach Business Ethics to Employees,

Harold Brubaker, Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News, March 26, 2003

With all of the corporate scandals that have surfaced over the past several years major corporations are starting to worry about the ethics of their employees.

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49. Lessons From the Darkside,

Michael Kaplan and Seth Stevenson, MBA Jungle, February 2002

Most illegal enterprises have the same kind of problems that legal ones do Legitimate businesspeople could learn a few things from them.

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50. Walking a Tightrope: Employment Rights of Foreign Nationals in the Workplace,

Robert K. Robinson and Geralyn McClure Franklin, Business and Society Review, Volume 107, Issue 4, 2002

Foreign workers, even when illegal, have rights in the workplace. Organizations that are going to hire these workers need to understand these rights.

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(6)

51. Dirty Rotten Numbers,

Andy Serwer, Fortune, February 18, 2002

When the Enron scandal broke, it had an impact on a number of companies. But are there other companies waiting in the wings to join Enron?

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(3)

UNIT 7 International Human Resource Management

Four articles discuss the increasing globalization of human resource management.

Unit Overview

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(3)

52. Changes Afoot in EU Pension Regulations,

Robert O'Connor, HR Magazine, March 2003

As the European Union moves toward closer economic integration, the labor force is going to be more mobile than in the past. A uniform pension system will be necessary to cover these workers. But, don't look for it overnight.

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53. A People Strategy That Spans the Globe,

Carroll Lachnit, Work-force, June 2003

Novo Nordisk is a Danish manufacturer of materials for treating diabetes. It has won awards from around the world for its human resource efforts.

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54. Cross-Cultural Awareness, Lee Gardenswartz and Anita Rowe,

HR Magazine, March 2001

Dealing with employees from different cultures can be difficult, not only because of the employees, but because of their varied cultural orientation.

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55. Safe Haven,

Barbara Hanrehan and Donald R. Bentivoglio, HR Magazine, February 2002

In light of September 11, 2001, family and personal security have become very important. Dealing with these considerations is the subject of this article.

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Index

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Test Your Knowledge Form

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Article Rating Form

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