Student-1
4. What type of HR plan would you develop for Polaroid today?
The type of HR plan that I would develop for Polaroid today would be a plan with specific objectives in place for each HR function from recruiting to terminating staff that would align with Polaroid’s strategic planning. The plan should drive the specific operational objectives. I think Polaroid had the product to sell but did not quite understand the demographic or market it was selling to. I think if they had a Marketing Team in place to research this, the product would have done well. Also since the technology industry continued to expand, HR would follow and investigate the new trends and keep up to date with the changes and bring that information to the strategic planning of the company.
5. What other companies do you know of that failed to mature to other growth stages with new products after the initial product played out? What causes this to happen?
The company that comes to mind for me is Blockbuster. Blockbuster was in business from 1985 through 2010 and went under because it failed to innovate. Netflix was launched in 1997 as a DVD rental service, similar to Blockbuster, but by 2007 Netflix began to offer its subscribers the opportunity to stream the services at their home and also offered a DVD by mail service to their subscribers. Netflix understood the power that the internet held and realized that would be the new wave to watch TV shows and movies, and also realized that consumers appreciate having different options in their service packages. Blockbuster failed to keep up with the trends which caused them to file for bankruptcy.
Student 2
4. What type of plan would you develop for polaroid?
My plan would be to examine the organization as a whole while remaining competitive. Staying aware of outside influences like the economy, technology, the labor market is imperative when remaining competitive. Recruiting highly skilled individuals would have made a huge difference with the outcome of polaroid. According to the text, mismatch between job skills and job requirement will have a negative impact (Anthony, 2010). Thus, aligning your perspective employees with your needs is also another great way to remain competitive.
5. What other companies do you know of that failed to mature to other growth stages with new products after the initial product played out? What causes this to happen?
One company I know of that failed to mature to other growth stages with new products is blockbusters. Blockbusters was a movies and games rental service that was nationwide with over 9,000 outlets, employing over 84,000 people (Goh, n.d.), however, with the rise of streaming platforms like Netflix, Blockbuster took a turn. Due to blockbusters not adapting to the changes in technology unfortunately, they went out of business.
Student 3
2. Discuss Title VII of the civil rights act. What does this prohibit? Be Specific.
Title VII of the civil rights act prohibits discrimination against any individual based on race or ethnicity, color, religion, gender or national origin in any employment condition for example training or hiring. Title VII was amended in 1972 to strengthen its enforcement and to expand its coverage for government employees and educational institutional and private employers of more than 15 people. Then in 1978 was amended again in 1978 making it illegal to discriminate because of pregnancy, childbirth or a related condition.
Student 4
2. Discuss Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. What does this act prohibit? Be specific.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on a persons race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or national origin, as well as because of pregnancy or childbirth. The prohibited discrimination applies to any employment decisions including hiring, firing, promotion, and assignment changes, as well as any conditions of employment. Title VII applies to government employees, educational institutions and private employers of more than 15 people (Anthony, Kacmar & Perrew, 2010, pg. 137). Title VII violations can also be confirmed when disproportionate or adverse impact occurs for minorities and women.
Student-5
4. The chapter covered three ways to demonstrate discrimination in employment decisions. What are they?
The three ways employment decisions can be discriminatory are:
- Disparate treatment: an intentional decision made due to someones race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, gender or age.
- Adverse impact: Inadvertently causing a group in a protected class to be affected in the workplace.
- Past discrimination: Past workplace practices have long lasting effects that can cause discrimination to inadvertently continue (Anthony, Kacmar, & Perrewe, 2010).
Student-6
The chapter covered three ways to demonstrate discrimination in employment decisions, what are they?
Disparate Treatment- Is an intentional discrimination practice where an employer will prefer one group of people in preference over another which is prohibited by federal law.
Adverse Impact- is sometimes used as an alternative to disparate treatment. It is an employment practice that discriminates against a protected group which can affect promotions, hiring, layoffs, transfers even training.
Present effects of past discrimination- is when an employer discriminates against a person or group of people based on former practices. At the point the victim can file a complaint with the EEOC within 180 days after the alleged unlawful employment practice occurred EEOC.
