Case Analysis

For Case analysis, the cases are as given below. Students will form a group with 3-4
members. Each group will be allotted one case study as given below related to HRM aspects
in organizations. Next, each group will prepare a 15-20 minutes case analysis presentation to
the class. The scheduled date for Case analysis presentation is June 9. This exercise carries 10
marks.

Case 1: Northwest State College

Northwest State College (a disguised name) is a four-year regional state college and has an
enrollment of about 3,500 students. Its business department has a faculty of seven full-time
instructors, and other part-time instructors are used as needed. Currently about 900 students
are majoring in business. The college is located in a medium-sized northern community of
about 70,000. Most of the faculty recruiting is done by one person, the department head, who
makes the initial contact with prospective faculty members at various professional meetings
held during the school year. If the department head cannot attend a meeting recruiting is
done by an instructor from the business department.
Projections are that enrolment at Northwest State will increase about 25% in the next
five years. Most of the increase is expected in the business area. The ideal faculty size
would be about 16 full-time instructors. Most of the full-time instructors currently in the
Department of Business Administration hold MAs or MBAs from various northern colleges.
The salary scales and fringe benefits are considered to be slightly lower than the
compensation available at similar colleges in the region. In addition to any increase in
faculty members needed due to enrolment, three replacements are needed for this fall in the
business area to replace individuals who have gone elsewhere.
Northwest State has a recruiting policy that requires final approval of candidates by
the department head, the vice president for academic affairs, and the president of the college.
In addition, the school has a policy requiring that at least two candidates be invited to the
campus before any candidate can be hired so that adequate screening can take place. Often
the result is a waiting period of two months between initial contact, application, and campus
interview for most applicants. Some other small colleges in the area pay full travel expenses
for potential candidates, while the majority of the others pay at least half. Northwest State
does not pay any travel expenses if the candidate is not hired. Only if the candidate is offered
a position and accepts is full reimbursement for travel expenses given. Usually the payment
comes about two months after the campus interview.
In the past Northwest State has not been very successful in filling empty positions.
The president is concerned and wants to evaluate the recruiting program so that a better one
can be designed.

Questions
1. List the reasons why you would not consider a position at Northwest State if you
were a potential applicant.
2. Evaluate the approval procedure for applicants.
3. What would be the components in a recruiting system you design?

Case 2: 21st-Century Onboarding

New employees at Sun Microsystems begin their orientation sessions after being hired with a
computer game. It is part of an attempt to integrate new people, improve the image of the
company, get feedback, and start training. Looking over the shoulder of a new employee, one
would see the person playing a computer game called Dawn of the Shadow Spectors,
battling evil forces that are trying to destroy Suns network.
Before Sun changed its orientation program, an employees first day at work consisted mostly
of filling out paperwork, as in most companies. Some new employees waited 2 weeks to get
e-mail, and people who worked remotely sometimes waited weeks or months before meeting
their managers. The chief learning officer at Sun said, We wanted to make a better first
impression, unlike that made on an employees first day if the company/manager is not
ready and the person just sits there. That can make a bad impression that is lasting. Now at
Sun the onboarding starts as soon as a person accepts a job. The new employee logs on to the
companys new hire website and learns about the company by playing video games. The
person sees a welcome video from the CEO and connects with other employees via social
networks. New employees also fill out their W-4s, I-9s, and other paperwork on the website.
Sun, which has about 34,000 employees, believes orientation should start the moment a
person is hired and continue until the person is productive.
A Houston-based company, El Paso Corporation, which employs about 5,000, has a different
onboarding process. New hires attend a first-day orientation and then another a month later.
During
their first week at the company, they get an e-mail with links to everything from ordering
business cards to joining the credit union. Before the new system was instituted, employees
sometimes waited
to even get a computer. One company official noted that new employees were here but just
sitting
around because they didnt have the tools to work. Now they have a workspace, computer,
and network access on their first day.
An advertising agency in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, takes yet a different approach.
Zimmerman Advertising, which has about 1,000 employees, wants employees to understand
the company, so new hires log on and learn from the new hire website what the company
does, its client philosophy, and about its leadership. Then they meet for an hour with the CEO
who talks about how he built the company. New hires get a 30-, 60-, and 90-day training
checklist that must be completed on time and signed by their supervisor. They also have an
opportunity to provide feedback via the website. Modern onboarding systems help new
employees understand what the company is all about so they are prepared to integrate into it,
says Zimmermans Vice President of HR.
QU E S T I O N S
1. The case introduces three companies of very different sizes with three different onboarding
approaches. What differences do you see in their approaches? What similarities?

2. Are there important ideas missing from all three approaches? If so, what are they?
3. Which approach sounds best to you? Why?

Case 3: Building Performance Management through

Employee Participation
A process of performance management is developed in companies to better shape how
employees execute their job responsibilities and complete their work. Ideally, employees
should feel comfortable with this process, believing that the communication occurring
between managers and workers facilitates the completion of important workplace goals.
Unfortunately, many employees become dissatisfied with how their organizations encourage
goal-directed behavior, which can result in poor job attitudes, decreased motivation, and
reduced effort on the job. These negative factors lead some companies to seek alternative
ways to design and implement performance management systems so that employees are
encouraged to work hard in their jobs.
Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company (JMI) is one such company that has actively improved
its performance management approach, and the results have been very encouraging.
Employees were initially dissatisfied with the feedback and goal-setting approaches that were
being utilized to manage job performance, so company leaders decided to involve employees
in the redesign efforts to create a more viable program that would be satisfactory for all the
parties involved.
An outside consultant started the process by interviewing top leaders in the company, and
focus groups were used to solicit feedback from various other members of the organization.
By utilizing a more participative and inclusive approach, the company was able to identify
the problems with the current performance management system and generate greater support
for the proposed changes that would ultimately fix these issues.
This case illustrates how important employee participation is in the effective management of
human resources, particularly when developing a viable performance management system.
Several key changes were made to the performance management system based on the
feedback received from managers and employees. In particular, inconsistencies in the
administration of the performance management system, problems with the rating techniques
and forms, and various challenges linking pay to performance were specifically targeted as
part of the redesign effort. Such reflection and self-assessment prompted a number of specific
improvements to management of job performance within the company. Evaluations are now
based on narratives, various metrics of accountability, and job goals. Further, feedback is
provided to employees on a quarterly basis, compensation is more strongly linked to
individual effort, and the performance management system functions in concert with the other
elements of human resource management. The changes made to the performance
management processes at JMI Company demonstrate how human resource professionals can
work with other staff members to create a system that excites employees and, ultimately,
yields greater job performance.
QU E S T I O N S
1. Discuss how this case illustrates how greater support for a performance management
system can be developed through employee participation.
2. Identify some of the ways that performance management systems can be improved based
on the experi ences at JMI.

Case 4: The New Payroll Clerk

Irene Kemp has just completed her first day on a new job at Key Data Processing Co. (KDP).
Although she had been out of the force while raising a family, she was hired recently as a
payroll clerk, based primarily on three years experience she had 15 years ago. Quite
naturally, she approached a job with more anxiety than the average person taking a new job.
That evening, Jim, her 15-year-old son, asked, How did it go today? Irene replied,
Oh, okay I guess, although Im not really sure. She continued describing her day to her son
and related that upon arriving at work, she went to her personnel department. The personnel
assistant said, Are you starting today? Have a seat while I get some forms for you to fill
out. After spending 30 minutes having various hospitalizations, retirement, and other
benefits explained, Irene was thoroughly confused, but managed to complete all the relevant
forms. The personnel assistant then told her to go to the accounting department.
After taking two wrong turns, Irene entered the accounting department and asked one
of the clerks where Mrs. Schultz, the supervisor, was. Oh, shes in a meeting and will be
back in about an hour. Can I help you? Upon learning that Irene was a new employee, Roy
Harmon, the clerk, introduced Irene to the other six people in the department. Roy got Irene
some coffee and began telling her the true story about KDP, including the fact that two
supervisors had quit in other departments. He also, told her how to get along with Fran (the
supervisor)
About 10:15, Fran Schultz returned from her meeting, saw Irene and said, Oh Im
sorry, I forgot you were starting today. Why dont you observe what Roy is doing while I
return some calls. At 1045 Fran called Irene into her office and spent 45 minutes reviewing
work rules and the job responsibilities of payroll clerks. Then Fran left for lunch after asking
one of the other clerks to let Irene tag along with you for lunch
After returning from lunch, Fran showed Irene the forms, where her desk was, and
gave her some time cards, which needed the hours, computed. Irene spent most of the rest of
the day completing the time cards, except for a break in mid-afternoon. At 4:10 Fran checked
back with Judy, noted a few errors, and explained that she would have more time to spend
with Irene tomorrow. Irene then punched out at 4:30 and went home.
Irenes son Jim, with the candor of a 15-year-old, said, Man, they sound
disorganized. Later that evening Irene told her son that she was having doubts about taking
a job at KDP.
Questions
1.
2.

What problems can you identify with the orientation activities experienced by
Irene?
How would you make changes in the orientation process? What changes would
you make?

NO HR