First Discussion

We learned about what motivates people at work and the critical role that human resource management plays in any organization. After listening to the video lectures, reading the Businessweek/Harvard Business Review article "Managing People in Their Twenties", and taking the Myers-Briggs assessment, please respond to the following:
(Article Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-01-21/managing-employees-in-their-twenties)

1. What motivates you at work? Is their anything else that management could do to make you a more motivated employee?

2. What are your thoughts on the Businessweek article? Do you agree with the comments on how people in their twenties should be managed? Is there anything else that should be included?

3. With regard to Chapter 11, do you think it is important to orient new employees to an organization? Should training and development be the responsibility of the organization, the employee, or both? Explain your answer.

4. After taking the Myers-Briggs assessment, what was your score and what did you learn about yourself? How will that help in working with others in an organization?

Second Discussion

There are a number of issues that arise as a result of the experiment. Responsibility is, in large part, understood in the experiment (i.e., the director of the experiment accepts full responsibility and the person throwing the switches on the electric shock generator relinquishes his/her own responsibility and transfers it to the authority figure).
(Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HcMWlnTtFQ&feature=youtu.be)

Considering the Chapter 4 readings and the "Obedience" video, please respond to the following questions:

1. What would it take for you to stop the experiment (i.e., what could the victim have said that would have made you stop)? From an Ethics perspective, where must one draw the line? Where appropriate, relate your responses to this week's readings.

2. In the experiment, the researchers found that a significant number of the test subjects obeyed the commands fully. What factors are in place in our society that may have contributed to this high percentage of obedience? Are these factors in place in elsewhere.? If the experiment was conducted in some other country, what do you think the change in percentage would be? Please explain.

3. What policies should an organization have in place to encourage individual ethical responsibility? What training should they offer?

4. In thinking about Chapter 9, discuss one key concept relating to production or operations management that you found most interesting and how it impacts on the workplace.

Third Discussion

1.With regard to Chapter 3, what do you think the U.S. can do to improve their trade position with the larger, and more industrialized, countries? In other words, should they relax quotas/tariffs, or should they become stricter about what gets imported into the U.S.? Please be sure to provide a rationale for your position.

2. In thinking this week's video on Iowa exporting to China, do you think it is a good idea? Should Iowa look to strengthen/grow it's trade relationship with China? Why or why not?

3. As it relates to Chapter 7, please research a leader of your choice and explain why you think he/she is an effective leader. If your research is on the Internet, please provide a website link so that we can read further about your chosen leader.