MGMT4311 Human Resource Management

Take-home Midterm Exam

Instructions:

Please put your name on the top of the exam. If not, 5 points will be deducted.

You are to work alone on the midterm without any help from anyone. Plagiarism, cheating, and academic dishonesty in any form will result in a grade of F for the course!

You should answer all the questions. You need not include the question but must write the question number and your answer below it so that I know which question you are answering. All of the questions carry equal weights.

The total is 100 points.

Wherever applicable, you should show your calculations in complete detail.

You should turn in the midterm by 11 PM on the due date. Upload your midterm exam as an attachment in word format or PDF format (a few students in the past have uploaded unreadable formats and those will be considered as no submission resulting in a grade of zero).

The midterm exam must be uploaded under the assignment area of the course. Please do not email these to me. I will deduct 20% of your grade if you email them to me before the deadline.

After you uploaded the exam, try opening it and see if it opens! That's one way to check if it is uploaded correctly.

Page Limit:  4 pages, single-spaced, typed.  Please note that I will not read the fourth page onwards. Title page and any appendixes you want to include (such as a calculation table) are not included in the three-page limit.

For each question, your justification and explanation are very important.  I am interested in seeing the answers to both "what and why" rather than just "what".  Your answers should be specific rather than generic (e.g., Generic: "The company must use job analysis to collect data".  Specific:  "The company must use observation method to collect job analysis data")

1. A newly formed start-up company has the following three jobs for which they do not have any job description.  They want to do a job analysis and have asked you for help in identifying the appropriate method for collecting information. 

a.       Administrative Assistant

b.      Air-conditioning Installation and Repair Technician

c.       Finance Manager

Discuss the type of data gathering technique that you would use for each of these three positions with a clear justification of why the method you suggest would be appropriate.

2. A company covered by Title VII advertised for a position of Marketing Manager.  The company hired three people: Jane, white female, age 38; Charlie, age 44, black male, Lin, a Chinese female, age 25.  Garza, a Hispanic male, aged 47 had applied for the job but was not selected.  Later he found out that 6 Hispanics including himself had applied for the job (gender of the six other than himself unknown) and none was hired.  He also gathered informally that 3 Blacks, 5 Whites, and 2 Asians had applied for the job out of which the above three were hired.  He feels that the company has discriminated but being unaware of the EEO laws has sought your guidance.  He wants to know if there is any evidence of discrimination and the bases on which he could have been discriminated against. Discuss if the company practiced discrimination based on any of the prohibited categories with a justification.

3. A company wants to hire a Salesman for selling medical equipment.  The main job responsibilities are given below.  Based on the summary, the company wants to identify the main knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the job successfully.  They are also interested in knowing "how to assess the KSAs" you identified so that they can match the KSAs with the appropriate ways to assess them during the selection process.  Identify five important KSAs and the appropriate selection method to assess them during the selection process.  Justify your answers. 

Presents and sells the company products to new and existing accounts and follows up with these customers to confirm that products delivered met their needs. Primary call points include; Cardiac Cath Lab, Electrophysiology lab, Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiologists, and EP Physicians. Product Portfolio consisting of Access, Angiography, Intervention, Hemostasis, EP/CRM, and complete procedural solutions Makes in-service presentations to clinicians, explaining new products and their use. Attends cases to facilitate understanding and correct use of products during procedure. Maintains close relationships with clients to ensure that their needs are understood and met. Coordinates with Merit marketing, sales, and customer service staff to ensure that products are delivered on time, to stay informed about new products, and to provide customer feedback about product innovation.

4.  Your friend has started a medical billing outsourcing business.  His clients are mainly doctors.  After the patient gets treated, the doctor's office sends your friend's company the paperwork for each patient (e.g., the reason for the visit, diagnostic tests done, referrals made, complexity of the visit, nature of treatment given, details of patient's insurance, etc.).  Your friend's company then files the insurance claim with the respective insurance companies, sends them the details of the claim, follows up with them for payments and clarifications, collects payments, and then makes the payment to the doctor.  Thus, the main clientele are independent doctors who have outsourced the insurance work to your friend's company.  Hospitals and patients are not your friend's customers.  Your friend is interested in knowing the number of employees he needs to hire in the next three to four years (long-range HR planning).  He has asked you for your assistance in identifying the appropriate method for forecasting HR supply and demand for his business.  Discuss the methods you would suggest and the justification for the methods or methods.