i. View the Linked-In video What is LinkedIn? at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzT3JVUGUzM which is about 2.5 minutes in length; then, go to the social media website located athttp://www.LinkedIn.com to find out more. What is your opinion of this social media solution? Do you already have an account? Is Linked-In for you? Why or why not?
ii. OPTION: You may opt to select another "how-to" LinkedIn video if the above clip is inaccessible.
b. Career Development Activities: Give several examples of career development activities that employers can use to foster employee commitment. Does your current employer make use of any of these examples?
Part 2
1. Navigate to the threaded discussion below and respond to the following using the same boldface headings below in your post:
a. Appraisal Methods: Performance appraisal means evaluating an employee's current and/or past performance relative to his or her performance standards. Stripped to its essentials, performance appraisal always involves (1) setting work standards, (2) assessing the employee's actual performance relative to those standards, and (3) providing feedback to the employee with the aim of motivating him or her to eliminate performance deficiencies or to continue to perform above par (Dessler, 2013, p. 285).
b. Reflection on your personal experience:
i. Identify one performance appraisal method with which you are familiar.
ii. Provide the textbook definition for that particular performance appraisal (from our current textbook or other valid resource).
iii. Describe the pros and cons of the performance appraisal as identified in the textbook or other valid resource.
iv. Tell about your own personal experience with its use and whether you would recommend the continuation of the method or the suggestion of another.
v. Option: If you have had no personal experience with an appraisal method, then select one appraisal method that you think would be ideal for your current position or a position with which you are familiar. Once selected, answer the same questions i. - iii. above, and for iv., tell why you selected the performance appraisal method.
c. HR Metrics: According to the web page article, "20 Common HR Metrics and their Formulas," located on the ERC: Where Great Workplaces Start blog site at http://www.yourerc.com/blog/post/20-Common-HR-Metrics-and-their-Formulas.aspx
HR metrics and measurements can be powerful in showing areas where we could improve and better meet the needs of our organization and its employees. They can also provide meaningful data to help us make good decisions for our business and department ("20 Common HR Metrics and their Formulas," 2014).

With so many HR metrics available, what's an HR manager to do? Great Work
Place suggests asking four crucial questions which are listed in the instructions section of this discussion segment.
i. Read the HR Metrics and Benchmarking section located in Chapter 3, pages 84-91.
ii. Refer to Table 3-1. Comparison of Selected Human Resource Practices in High-Performance and Low Performance Companies (p. 92) and Table 3-2 Examples of HR System Activities the Hotel Paris Can Measure as Related to Each Chapter of This Book (p. 98), as well as the SHRM Metrics Calculator and the SHRM Metrics pdf file for examples of metrics that can benefit HR management. Other reliable sources may be used as well, including your own workplace.
iii. Answer the following questions:
1. What metrics do you think are most crucial to your organization? Why? (Identify at least two (2) metrics and provide the formula that would be used for each.)
2. What data or information needs to be gathered or tracked to calculate these metrics?
3. How will the data be analyzed or benchmarked? In other words, what will you compare the data to?
4. How will the analysis be used for action planning, development/ improvement, or problem solving?
d. Going International: You are the president of a small business. What are some of the ways you expect "going international" will affect HR activities?