Equal employment opportunity commission (EEOC)- created by the civil rights act of

1964, this federal commission is responsible for enforcing non-discrimination laws

in the US
Equal pay act of 1963- legislation that establishes federal policy of equal pay
for both men and women who do the same job with the same employer
Essential job functions- language the ADA specifies that people with disabilities
must not be barred from work if they can perform the “essential job functions”. In
the case of a cook, essential functions would include cooking skills.
Executive order- method by which equal employment opportunity provisions have been
added to existing laws. Executive orders are made by the President of the US.
Family and medical leave act of 1993- legislation that requires employers with 50
or more employees to provide 12 weeks of unpaid leave for employees after the
birth or adoption of a child; to care for a seriously ill child, spouse, or
parent; or in the case of the employees own serious illness
4/5 rule- rule established by the uniform guidelines on employee selection
procedures in 1978 that states selection or promotion of any racial, ethnic, or
sex group must occur at a rate of at least 80% of the rate of the group with the
highest selection rate.
Immigration reform and control act of 1986- legislation designed to regulate the
employment of aliens in the US, and to protect employees from discrimination on
the basis of citizenship or nationality.
I-9 forms- forms used to verify citizenship of applicants and employees as
required by the immigration reform and control act of 1986.
Just cause- a policy that focuses on fair and equal treatment, and the progressive
discipline.
Pregnancy discrimination act of 1978- civil rights legislation that prohibits
discrimination by the employer on the basis of pregnancy.
Reasonable accommodation- language in the ADA that defines the workplace changes
that must be made to satisfy the requirements of the act. Reasonable
accommodations include suck items as widening work aisles, lowering countertops,
and installing ramps.
Retirement equity act of 1984- legislation that requires companies to count all of
an employees service since the age of 18 in determinging vesting in retirement
benefits, and all earnings since the age 21- even if the employee has breaks in
service up to 5 years. Other provisions of the are that pension benefits are
considered a joint asset in divorce settlements, and employers must provide
survivor benefits to spouses of fully vested employees who dies before reaching
the minimum retirement age.
Reverse discrimination- discrimination against a member of a majority group in
favor of a minority solely on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age,
disability status, or national origin.
Title VII (of Civil rights act of 1964)- legislation that prohibits discrimination
on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
Veterans re-employment act of 1942- legislation that requires employers to rehire
veterans who left for military service within 90 days with no loss of seniority,
if the veteran re-applies. The act also requires employers to give employees time
off, without pay, to meet active reserve status.
Vietnam veterans readjustment act of 1974- legislation that made Vietnam veterans
a protected group for a period of 4 years upon their return to the private sector.
This legislation also provided guidelines for employers regarding treatment of
veterans from all wars.
Vocational rehabilitation act of 1973- legislation that made it illegal for public
sector employers to discriminate against individuals with disabilities.
Legislation also applies to companies that hold federal contracts.
Wrongful discharge- charge brought against an employer for terminating employees
without due process or without substantial efforts to first call an employees
attention to improper work habits and to help the employee change; terminating an
employees employment without sufficient reason.
Alternative employees- part-time or temp workers. These employees often do not
have regularly scheduled shifts or are employed at the company only for a short
period of time.
Critical incident- job analysis technique based on capturing and recording actual
events that occur at work which, when combined, form and accurate picture of a
jobs actual requirements. Useful in describint how services should be performed.
Also used in training and as a measurement in certain performance appraisal
systems.
Fixed labor expenses- labor costs associated with the minimum number of employees
required to work for a function.
Hawthorn effect- management theory describing the positive effect that paying
attention to employees has on workplace productivity.
Heisenberg effect- management theory stating that people being interviewed are
likely to subconsciously give answers they think interviewers want to hear.
Job anaylsis- process of determining the tasks, behaviors, and characteristics
essential to a job.
Job description- a written summary of the duties, responsibilities, working
conditions, and activities of a specific job.
Job design- process of definoing how a job will be done

Job enlargement- process of broadening components of a job by adding similar tasks

or responsibilities to the job. Incorrectly used by managers in an attempt to make
jobs more interesting to employees. Sometimes called horizontal job expansion.
Job enrichment- process of improving a job by adding responsibly that require
different skills. Sometimes called vertical job expansion.
Job rotation- process of moving employees from one job to another, or of changing
employee responsibilities , in order to enhance job interest or to cross-train.
Job specification- a written description of the personal qualities required to
perform a job.
Job summary- a brief general statement that highlights the common functions and
responsibilities of a job.
Labor forecasting- a forecasting method that uses business trends and volume,
turnover, and other labor statistics to anticipate job vacancies.
Management position description questionnaire (MPDQ)- structured questionnaire
used to collect information about management work in 13 different categories. Used
in job analysis.
Moving average forecasting- forecasting method, based on past sales, that attempts
to smooth out the peaks and valleys businesses experience, to project anticipated
sales.
Performance standard- a required level of performance.
Permanent employees- the main staff of an organization. They usually work at least
30-40 hours per week, are on the regular company payroll, and often receive
benefits.
Position analysis questionnaire (PAQ)- a structured questionnaire consisting of
194 job elements used to define work. Used in job analysis.
Seasonality- a concept used in forecasting that describes the highs and lows of
business sales on the basis of seasonal demand for products or services. Example:
the demand for Caribbean cruise ship rooms is higher during the winter than in the
summer.
Staffing guide- a system used to establish the number of workers needed.
Team building- a process of designing jobs that views employees as members of work
groups rather than as individuals.
Trend line forecasting – a simple forecasting method that estimates future sales
on the basis of sales made during similar past periods.
Variable labor expenses- labor costs that vary according to the amount of
business.
Bottom-up forecasting- forecasting technique based on estimates made by managers
in each department. These estimates are combined to creat and estimate of human
resources needs for the entire property.
External recruiting- process of seeking applicants from outside the property to
fill open positions.
Human resource information system (HRIS)- computerized method of collection,
maintaining, organizing, analyzing, and reporting information on human resources
and positions in an organization.
Internal recruiting- process of seeking applicants from inside the property to
fill open positions.
Job bidding- process of posting a list internally for employees to sign when they
are interested in open positions.
Job posting- internal or external notice of a job opening.
Labor demand- the need for human resources in a particular job market.
labor supply- the supply of human resources in a particular job market.
Management inventory- a list of the problem-solving and management skills of
current managers and management candidates that is used to identify candidates for
internal recruitment.
Management succession plan- a written plan that identifies readiness or skills
required for managers to move up in the organization.
Pre-recruitment process- sequence of recruiting steps that take place before
advertising positions or posting notices,
Recruitment- process of attracting a pool of qualified job candidates from which
an organization may select individuals to best meet its job requirements.
Replacement chart- a management tool that estimates the internal supply of
employees for a particular position.
Skills inventory- a list of skills, abilities, qualifications, and career goals of
current employees that is used to identify candidates for internal recruitment.
succession chart- management tool used to plot anticipated successions in an
organization by position.
Top-down forecasting- forecasting techniques for human resources based on
quantitative and statistical approaches.
Trend analysis- forecasting technique for predicting the future based on past
performances.

Behavior- the manner in which a person conducts himself or herself; the response
of an individual or group to an action, stimulus, or environment.
General property orientation- a formal program presented by an employer to
introduce the organizations mission and values to employees; usually conducted
shortly after hiring.
Norm- a patter or trait that is considered typical behavior of an individual or
group.
Organizational culture- the dominant culture or personality of the organization.
Orientation- the process of introducing new employees to their work and the
environment in which their work is completed.
Orientation kit- the package of info provided by employers to new employees during
orientation to help new employees understand and get acquainted with the
organizations policies, procedures, and facilities.
Socialization- the process in which employees learn what is expected of them at
work; includes both written ad unwritten rules of behavior.
Specific job orientation- the process of introducing new employees to the specific
tasks and behaviors of their job.
Turnover- the rate at which employees leave a company or work unit.
Values- a set of beliefs, often socially and culturally defined, which attempt to
guide the behavior of an individual or group.

Accommodating response- a response to social problems caused by a business that is

characterized by the business accepting responsibility and following legal,
economic, and ethical guidelines to remedy the problems.
Affirmative philosophy- a philosophy that assumes that business has a
responsibility to serve society.
Balance sheet approach- an approach to ethical decision-making that consists of
listing the ethical pros and cons of a decision on a sheet of paper.
Critical questions approach- a method of assessing ethical standards in a
business, based on the process of asking critical questions about ethical conduct.
Defensive response- a response to social problems cause by a business that is
characterized by the business admitting some errors but doing only what is legally
required to correct the situation.
Moral rights approach- an approach to ethics that assumes that actions are moral
and ethical if they do not interfere with anothers rights and do not coerce
another party.
Obstructive response- a response to social problems caused by a business that is
characterized by the business denying responsibility, hiding evidence, and
stonewalling investifations.
Proactive response- a response to social problems cause by a business that is
characterized by the business coluntarily doing everything it can to resolve the
problems, or to head off potential problems before they develop.
Profit maximization management- a philosophical view of the role of business that
contends that the only responsibility a business has is to maximize its profits
for the benefit of its owners/shareholders.
Quality of life management- a philosophy that centends that business has a
responsibility to help make society better.
Social Darwinism- the application of Darwinism to the study of human society;
specifically, a theory in sociology that social order is the result of natural
selection.
Social justice approach- an approach to ethics that assumes the cultural
differences cause different societies to establish varying ethical standards.
Social responsibility- the obligation an organization’s management had to make
decisions and to take actions that will enhance the welfare and interests of
society as a whole.
Stakeholder philosophy- a business philosophy emphasizing that managers should be
responsible to societal groups that have a stake in the company’s performance.
Stakeholders- groups that have either direct or indirect interests in the welfare
and activities of an organization or business. Examples are: owners, stockholders,
employees, unions, customers, suppliers, creditors, trade associations, government
agencies, media outlets, competitors, and special interest groups.
Three-stage approach- a method of assessing the ethical actions of a business
based on developing and understanding of general ethical principles, developing
ethical principles to apply to real business situations, and identifying cases
that provide good examples of the applied principles.
Utilitarian approach- an approach to ethics that assumes actions representing the
greatest net good for society as a whole are most ethical.

Application blank- a form used by companies to solicit information from

prospective employees about their knowledge, skills, abilities, and needs
Assessment center- a selection tool that places applicants in simulated real-life
situations where observers watch their performance to determine the extent to
which the applicants would fit the company’s needs
Biographical information blank (BIB)- a pre-employment form that collects
information about an applicants attitudes, life experiences, and social values.
Body fluid test- a pre-employment test used to determine whether applicants are
using or have been using drugs
Closed ended questions- a type of question that requires only a yes or no answer
Compensatory strategy- a selection approach that emphasizes an applicants
specialized abilities or strengths over his or her weaknesses
Content validity- a test to determine whether the selection measure used assesses
the overall ability of an applicant to perform a job
Contrast error- an error in a performance appraisal or interview that results when
a manager or interviewer consciously or subconsciously compares one employee or
applicant to another.
Credit reference check- a selection test that measures an applicants credit
history, some expoerts feel than an applicants credit history is a good predictor
of job performance
Criterior-related validity- the degree to which the predictor relates to the
criterion (such as job performance).
Devils horns- an impression based solely on one undesirable quality that an
applicant may possess. Opposite of the halo effect.
First impression error- an error made by a manager or interviewer who bases his or
her entire opinion of an applicant on the first impression that person makes
Halo effect- an impression based solely on a single positive dimension of an
applicant such as appearance or performance. Opposite of devils horns.
Honesty test- a type of test that measures attitudes towards honesty by posing
hypothetical situations about which a potential employee makes a value judgement.
Inter-rater reliability- the degree to which observations made by different
interviewers about the same applicant agree.
Multiple hurdles strategy- a selection approach stipulating that applicants must
clear each stage of the selection process before being hired. In other words,
applicants much clear every hurdle before being accepted.
Negligent hiring- a practice commonly defined as an employer’s failure to exercise
reasonable care in the selection of its employees. Lawsuits over actions by
employees are often based on an employers failure to protect guests because of
negligent hiring practices
Open-ended questions- a type of question that requires a respondent to elaborate
on an issue
Paper and pencil tests- a selection device that requires written responses to
either written or oral questions posed to applicants
Physical and motor ability tests- selection tests that subject applicants to
physical exams. Only those physical and motor tests that measure specific job-
related skills or abilities are acceptable under ADA
Predictor- a measure used to predict performance on the job
Recency errors- a type of error in a performance appraisal or interview that
results when managers or interviewers abse employee rating primarily on the most
recent events or behaviors
Reference check- an inquiry made by prospective employers of past employers to
learn about and verify an applicants work history.
Reliability- the degree to which a selection method consistently produces the same
results.
Selection- the process of choosing the right person for the job out of a pool or
recruited candidates
Semi-structures interviews- and interview style that allows both planned and
unplanned questions. Typically the unplanned questions allow interviewers to ask
more specific questions about broad issues raised by structured questions.
Similarity errors- a type of error in a performance appraisal or interview that
results when a manager or interviewer is attracted to an applicant because of
personal or professional similarities
Stress interview- and interviewing style that creates and emotionally charges
setting in which the applicant is challenged by the interview to see how he or she
performs under stress
Structured interview- an interview style in which questions are totally prepared
in advance and are asked of each applicant in the same order.
Unstructured interview- an interviewing style in which no questions are planned in
advance. Instead, and interviewer directs the interview down whatever path seems
appropriate at the time
Validity- the degree to which a selection process really measures what it is
supposed to measure
Weighted application blank (WAB)- an application form in which points are
accumulated for different type of work experience. Typically, weighted application
blanks emphasize the most desirable qualifications of applicants
Work sample test- selection test that measures a candidates ability to perform the
skills and tasks associated with a specific job. For instance an applicant for a
typing position may be asked to type.