Countries that Seek Competitive Advantage by Exploiting Workers

The provided content discusses global companies like Apple that outsource work to countries with lower labor costs, which can affect job satisfaction and performance. The content also explores the role of HR in making decisions about potential whistleblowers and whether it is ethical to screen them out.

Workshop Four - 4.4 Dropbox
4.4 Dropbox: Competing Through
Globalization, Technology, and Sustainability
with Integrity in Action
Every executive recognizes the need for satisfied, loyal customers. If the firm is publicly held, it
is also safe to assume that every executive appreciates the need to have satisfied, loyal investors.
Customers and investors provide the financial resources that allow the organization to survive.
However, not every executive understands the need to generate satisfaction and loyalty among
employees. Yet, as we saw in the opening vignette, whereas voluntary turnover is actually good
for the overall economy, it is often very costly for some individual employers. This may even be
the deciding factor when it comes to who wins and who loses in the competitive market because
retention rates among employees are a direct link between employee retention rates and sales
growth and companies that are cited as one of the "100 Best Companies to "Work For" routinely
outperform their competition on many other financial indicators of performance. This is
especially the case in the service industry where the direct contact between customers and
employees enhances the relationship between employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction.
(Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, & Wright, 2015, p. 452)
Introduction and Alignment
For each workshop—Workshop One through Workshop Six, you will have the opportunity to
gain competencies by learning to exercise your analysis and decision making skills —focusing
on HRM practices and strategies companies can employ to be competitive in four key areas:
competing through globalization, competing through technology, competing through
sustainability, and integrity in action
For this assignment, you will address those four key areas as presented in the textbook reading
from Chapters 8, 9, and 10. In addition to the learning concepts from Chapters 8 and 9—already
highlighted in association with previous assessments in this workshop—the learning concepts in
the reading from Chapter 10—Employee Separation and Retention, include:
 Distinguishing between involuntary and voluntary turnover, and how each of these forms
of turnover can be leveraged for competitive advantage.
 The major elements that contribute to perceptions of justice and how to apply these in
organizational contexts involving discipline and dismissal.
 Specifying the relationship between job satisfaction and various forms of job withdrawal,
and identifying the major sources of job satisfaction in work contexts.
 Designing a survey feedback intervention program, and using it to promote retention of
key organizational personnel. (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, & Wright, 2015, p. 450)
Upon completion of this assignment you should be able to:

 Determine in what ways are the factors that cause job dissatisfaction universal across
cultures, and what this implies for countries that seek competitive advantage by
exploiting workers.
 Explain why the use of telepresence robots increases the job satisfaction and performance
of some workers, but reduces job satisfaction and performance for other workers.
 Describe the types of people and the types of tasks that would be best suited for the use of
telepresence robots.
 Discuss how the nature of a company’s workers and the nature of the work itself might
influence when flextime is a good policy and when it is a poor strategy.
 Explain why a “one-size-fits all policy” for flextime might be unrealistic.
 Evaluate whether or not firms might be motivated to screen out potential whistleblowers
in light of the view of the larger society on the ethical/unethical practice.
Resources
 Textbook: Human Resource Management: Gaining a Competitive Advantage
 File: Sample Paper Format
Background Information
Involuntary turnover reflects a separation initiated by the organization, often when the individual
would prefer to stay a member of the organization. Voluntary turnover reflects a separation
initiated by the individual, often when the organization would prefer that the person stay a
member. Organizations can gain competitive advantage by strategically managing the separation
process so that involuntary turnover is implemented in a fashion that does not invite retaliation,
and voluntary turnover among high performers is kept to a minimum. Retaliatory reactions to
organizational discipline and dismissal decisions can be minimized by implementing these
decisions in a manner that promotes feelings of procedural and interactive justice. Voluntary
turnover can be minimized by measuring and monitoring employee levels of satisfaction with
critical facets of job and organization, and then addressing any problems identified by such
surveys. (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, & Wright, 2015, p. 484)
Instructions
1. Read Chapter 10, “Employee Separation and Retention,” in the Human Resource
Management textbook. Attend carefully to the four “popular boxes” in Chapter 10 related
to competing globally and technologically, with sustainability and integration of ethics.
The single submission assignment will be comprised of four individually written
responses —each one addressing one of the four areas for gaining HR competitive
advantage.
2. Read the scenario “Competing through Globalization: Riot Puts Spotlight on Working
Conditions” on page 473 in Chapter 10, and write a one-page response to the scenario
questions:

a. In what ways are the factors that cause job dissatisfaction universal across
cultures, and what does this imply for countries that seek competitive advantage
by exploiting workers?
b. What does this say about global companies like Apple that outsource work to such
countries?
3. Read the scenario “Competing through Technology: Didn’t Your Boss used to be a
Vacuum Cleaner?” on page 477 in Chapter 10, and write a one-page response to the
scenario questions:
a. Why would the use of telepresence robots increase the job satisfaction and
performance of some workers, but reduce job satisfaction and performance for
other workers?
b. What types of people and what types of tasks would be best suited for the use of
telepresence robots?
4. Read the scenario “Competing through Sustainability: Flextime: Has Its Time Come and
Gone?” on page 475 in Chapter 10, and write a one-page response to the scenario
question and faith integration question:
a. Discuss how the nature of a company’s workers and the nature of the work itself
might influence when flextime is a good policy and when it is a poor strategy.
b. Why might a “one-size-fits-all policy” for flextime be unrealistic?
5. Read the scenario “Integrity in Action: Whistleblower or Traitor: The Role of HR in
Making the Call” on page 466 in Chapter 10, and write a one-page response to the
scenario questions:
a. Imagine that HR professionals were able to accurately predict who would become
a whistleblower.
b. Would firms be motivated to screen out such individuals from being hired, if so,
would this be an ethical practice from the view of the larger society?
6. Each one-page analysis is to include:
a. A brief scenario summary paragraph, written in 3-5 sentences, to establish
context.
b. An evidence-based response to the question(s).
7. Each one-page written response is to be double spaced and 250-350 words in length.
8. For the submission of this Dropbox written assignment, compile all four of your written
responses into a single document with inclusion of a single title page and single reference
page. See representative Sample Paper Format for these assignments throughout the
course.
9. Use APA format. For each one of your four written responses provide, at a minimum,
two sources properly cited and referenced: (a) the Human Resource Management
textbook, and (b) one academic journal article that is at least 3-5 pages in length and
published within the last 3-5 years.
10. Answers are to evidence critical thinking and be substantive, to include theory and
application as appropriate from an HR professional perspective. See the grading rubric
for assignment expectations and scoring.
11. Before submitting this assignment, thoroughly edit the written paper for APA formatting
and mechanics. Checkmark the instructions of this workshop document and the rubric
for this assignment to be sure that your paper has met all requirements.

12. When you’ve completed your assignment, save a copy for yourself and submit a copy to
your instructor using the Dropbox by the end of the workshop.
Assessment Criteria
CRITERIA 16 POINTS 13–15 POINTS 9–12 POINTS 0– 8 POINTS
Riot Puts
Spotlight on
Working
Conditions
You demonstrated
clear, insightful critical
thinking when:
Determining in what
ways the factors that
cause job
dissatisfaction are
universal across
cultures and what this
implies for countries
that seek competitive
advantage by exploiting
workers.
Explaining what this
says about global
companies like Apple
that outsource work to
such countries.
You demonstrated
competent critical
thinking when:
Determining in what
ways the factors that
cause job
dissatisfaction are
universal across
cultures and what this
implies for countries
that seek competitive
advantage by exploiting
workers.
Explaining what this
says about global
companies like Apple
that outsource work to
such countries.
You demonstrated
limited critical thinking
when:
Determining in what
ways the factors that
cause job
dissatisfaction are
universal across
cultures and what this
implies for countries
that seek competitive
advantage by exploiting
workers.
Explaining what this
says about global
companies like Apple
that outsource work to
such countries.
You demonstrated little
to no critical thinking
when:
Determining in what
ways the factors that
cause job
dissatisfaction are
universal across
cultures and what this
implies for countries
that seek competitive
advantage by exploiting
workers.
Explaining what this
says about global
companies like Apple
that outsource work to
such countries.
CRITERIA 16 POINTS 13–15 POINTS 9–12 POINTS 0– 8 POINTS
Didn’t Your
Boss used to
be a Vacuum
Cleaner?
You demonstrated
clear, insightful critical
thinking when:
Explaining why the use
of telepresence robots
would increase the job
satisfaction and
performance of some
workers, but reduce job
satisfaction and
performance for other
workers.
You demonstrated
competent critical
thinking when:
Explaining why the use
of telepresence robots
would increase the job
satisfaction and
performance of some
workers, but reduce job
satisfaction and
performance for other
workers.
You demonstrated
limited critical thinking
when:
Explaining why the use
of telepresence robots
would increase the job
satisfaction and
performance of some
workers, but reduce job
satisfaction and
performance for other
workers.
You demonstrated little
to no critical thinking
when:
.
Explaining why the use
of telepresence robots
would increase the job
satisfaction and
performance of some
workers, but reduce job
satisfaction and
performance for other
workers.

Describing the types of
people and types of
tasks that would be
best suited for the use
of telepresence robots.
Describing the types of
people and types of
tasks that would be
best suited for the use
of telepresence robots.
Describing the types of
people and types of
tasks that would be
best suited for the use
of telepresence robots.
Describing the types of
people and types of
tasks that would be
best suited for the use
of telepresence robots.
CRITERIA 16 POINTS 13–15 POINTS 9–12 POINTS 0– 8 POINTS
Flextime: Has
Its Time Come
and Gone?
You demonstrated
clear, insightful critical
thinking when:
Discussing how the
nature of a company’s
workers and the nature
of the work itself might
influence when flextime
is a good policy and
when it is a poor
strategy.
Explaining why a “one-
size-fits-all policy” for
flextime might be
unrealistic.
You demonstrated
competent critical
thinking when:
Discussing how the
nature of a company’s
workers and the nature
of the work itself might
influence when flextime
is a good policy and
when it is a poor
strategy.
Explaining why a “one-
size-fits-all policy” for
flextime might be
unrealistic.
You demonstrated
limited critical thinking
when:
Discussing how the
nature of a company’s
workers and the nature
of the work itself might
influence when flextime
is a good policy and
when it is a poor
strategy.
Explaining why a “one-
size-fits-all policy” for
flextime might be
unrealistic.
You demonstrated little
to no critical thinking
when:
Discussing how the
nature of a company’s
workers and the nature
of the work itself might
influence when flextime
is a good policy and
when it is a poor
strategy.
Explaining why a “one-
size-fits-all policy” for
flextime might be
unrealistic.
CRITERIA 16 POINTS 13– 15 POINTS 9– 12 POINTS 0– 8 POINTS
Whistleblower
or Traitor: The
Role of HR in
Making the
Call
You demonstrated
clear, insightful critical
thinking when:
Evaluating whether or
not firms might be
motivated to screen out
potential
whistleblowers from
being hired and, if so,
would this be an ethical
practice from the view
of the larger society.
You demonstrated
competent critical
thinking when:
Evaluating whether or
not firms might be
motivated to screen out
potential
whistleblowers from
being hired and, if so,
would this be an ethical
practice from the view
of the larger society.
You demonstrated
limited critical thinking
when:
Evaluating whether or
not firms might be
motivated to screen out
potential
whistleblowers from
being hired and, if so,
would this be an ethical
practice from the view
of the larger society.
You demonstrated little
to no critical thinking
when:
Evaluating whether or
not firms might be
motivated to screen out
potential
whistleblowers from
being hired and, if so,
would this be an ethical
practice from the view
of the larger society.
CRITERIA 16 POINTS 13– 15 POINTS 9–12 POINTS 0– 8 POINTS

Length, APA,
and
Mechanics
Assignment length is
correct with inclusion of
appropriate headings.
No APA errors
No mechanics errors
(sentence structure,
spelling, grammar,
punctuation, word
choice).
Assignment length is
correct with inclusion of
appropriate headings.
A few APA errors.
A few mechanics errors
(sentence structure,
spelling, grammar,
punctuation, word
choice).
Assignment length is
inadequate and/or
headings are missing.
A number of APA
errors.
A number of mechanics
errors (sentence
structure, spelling,
grammar, punctuation,
word choice).
Assignment length is
inadequate and
headings are missing.
Several APA errors.
Several mechanics
errors (sentence
structure, spelling,
grammar, punctuation,
word choice).
TOTAL POINTS 80