Reflections from 4/20/10 Class

Today was the last day of class. This semester has been interesting, because in my naivety, I never realized how much HR encompassed. I honestly never realized the history behind the laws and regulations that we have in our workforce today.

Our presentations ended, and then we were given an opportunity to ask open questions about the exam. I must admit that the freebies are a big help. With 4 answers already, that gives 16 points to start with. (Thanks!)

Always good to reach the end of a semester, but definitely a class to remember.

Reflections from 4/15/10 Class

Class presentations resumed today. I actually got up to do my part on offshoring. The hardest part of the presentation was limiting my information within the time allowed. I'm glad I practiced over and over because when I was practicing I started at over 10 minutes and then went down to 8 minutes. I cut out 4 slides to get it to 5 minutes. I'm glad I practiced.

Reflections from 4/13/10 Class

Research Project Presentations

Today was the start of our Research Presentations. I don't remember the names of the presenters, but there proved to be some good work put into their research. There was one presentation about building a positive workplace. There were good stats on what a company can save on turnover alone.

Reflections from 4/1/10 Class

I liked the video about Johnson & Johnson. I was interested in how their credo was a reflection of more than just their business practices. There was a lot of positive outcomes from there business style and it demonstrated an effective form of implementing positive objectives that will increase morale.

Chapter 16

There was a survey in the book that asked high school students if they would be willing to do something unethical just to get ahead if they knew they wouldn't get caught. The results were that 22% of those surveyed said yes, they would act unethically to get ahead. That means that 1 out 5 people are willing to cheat to get ahead.

There are some companies that include an ethical culture training, but this doesn't always prevent unethical behavior. Ethical decisions will be based more on a person's own moral compass than training.

I think that this training provides more of a sense of awareness than a sense of decision making. I think it makes employees more aware of the companies expectations. It sends a message that choosing to do the right thing is important to the company, so if there are any ideas of unethical behavior, it is clear that the behavior is unacceptable and will be handled according to company policy.

Is it just enough for an HR department to train on procedures, policies, and laws or should they incorporate an ethical framework into their training system?

Chapter 15

Managing Human Resources Globally

With the rise of offshoring practices within companies there are bound to be ethical dilemmas within labor practices and regulation. When a company utilizes the human resources of an outside country, there is always a question of who is ultimately responsible for the treatment of the employees. Although the US may have standards and laws that govern the work place, is it justified for them to enforce their practices on a foreign country?

The issue of "sweatshops" always comes up in conversation when speaking of offshoring. As a parent company, is there really a way for them to control the labor practices on foreign soil? There can be multiple inspections and numerous reprimands, but if there is no legal ramifications for the wrongful labor practices, then would the ultimate threat be to pull their company from that country? If they do, are they then imposing their beliefs on another country's age old practices?

Chapter 14

I've never really had any experience working with or for a union. It seems like it has a division as clear as political parties. Because I have never really been involved in unions, I see questions that can rise from both sides. I appreciate what unions intend to accomplish. I like that the unions try to ensure that workers have a voice and that their treatment by employers is closely monitored.

The main unions that I am familiar is within the automotive industry.

What role did the unions play in the big picture of the recent automotive financial fiasco?

Were the unions a contributing factor to the downside, and if so, could they have done anything different that could have possibly saved the industry?