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Case Study on American

Airlines, Baxter International
and Advanced Photonics
A. HARIS AWANG

Case Study 1, 2 & 3

Submitted to:
Mr. Paramjeet Singh
Senior Lecturer
Faculty of Business
ASIA METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY
Tel: 03-9080 5888 Ext 731
02nd July, 2016

A. HARIS AWANG
By A. HARIS AWANG MBA2016-04-1001 MBA 6673 Human Resource Management
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Human Resources Management (MBA 6673)

INSTRUCTION:
This section consists of THREE (3) cases.
Answer ALL questions referring to the cases.
This case study carries 45% of coursework.

CASE STUDY 1: TIMING OF THE JOB OFFER (50 MARKS)

A federal appeals court has re-instated a lawsuit brought by three men whose job offers from
American Airlines were withdrawn after the men failed to tell the company of their HIV-positive
status.

Leonel vs. American Airlines involves Walter Leonel, Richard Branton and Vincent Fusco, each
of whom applied for flight-attendant positions. They passed initial screenings and were flown to
American's headquarters in Dallas for interviews. Each then received an offer that was "contingent
upon your successful completion of a drug test, a medical examination and a satisfactory
background check."

During their company medical examinations, none of the three disclosed their HIV-positive status
or their related medications on an extensive health questionnaire. When blood-test results indicated
the possible use of such medications, each man disclosed his condition. They were notified the
company was withdrawing their job offers -- not because of their HIV-positive status but because
they lied about their status. After the three plaintiffs sued in district court, the airline sought a
summary judgment, claiming it had abided by the Americans with Disabilities Act. U.S. District
Judge Phyllis Hamilton of San Francisco agreed and dismissed the case. The men then appealed
to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which reinstated the case.

Judge Raymond C. Fisher, writing for the three-judge panel, said the issue was timing. The ADA
prohibits prospective employers from making medical inquiries until all other background checks
have been completed and a job has been offered. Since that had not been done in this case, the
court ruled, the men were within their rights to withhold the medical information when the
company requested it prematurely.

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"The federal Americans with Disabilities Act and California's Fair Employment and Housing Act
not only bar intentional discrimination; they also regulate the sequence of employers' hiring
processes. Both statutes prohibit medical examinations and inquiries until after the employer has
made a 'real' job offer to an applicant," according to Fisher's court opinion.

1. Do you believe American Airlines has the right to rescind a conditional job offer? Explain. (5
Marks)

ANSWER:

American Airlines has no right to rescind a conditional job offer in this case. The company revoked
the offer based on the ground “non-disclosure” that the three recruits lied about their health
condition whereby they were within their rights to withhold their medical information prior to
undergoing non-medical checks as stipulated by The Federal Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA) and California's Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) where the sequence of hiring
process is regulated and thus their nondisclosures could not be used to disqualify them. Under the
ADA, an employee can be subjected to medical examinations only after getting a “real” job offer
and after the employee has completed non-medical checks. ADA also prohibits intentional
discrimination against employees with HIV. As long as employees can perform the job safely, in
no way can they be discriminated based on their disabilities. It is also noted that American Airlines
acted in such a way only after knowing that the recruits had HIV and there’s no argument to support
their unfair and discriminatory action as it is clearly against the law.

2. Is the fact that American did not follow their standard hiring process a problem here?
Discuss. (15 Marks)

ANSWER:

The fact that American Airlines did not follow their standard hiring process or procedure is a
problem here. It is quite a common practice for any procedure involving human or environment
made by an organization to be based on local, federal or international law. Whether with intent or
not, not following a procedure can seriously lead to breaking the law.

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Looking into the case positively, there may be difficulties or constraints faced by American
Airlines during the hiring process that they can address for further improvements. However, it
should be noted that American Airlines may be negligent in following the procedure most probably
not intentionally but rather based on the following factors.

 Large turnout of candidates and limited medical staff

 Pressure from the operations side to hire quickly to meet their demand
 Faster results with employee consent provided that everything turns out well medically
 HR personnel conducting the checks may just want to finish the job fast
 Cost effective, more practical and time saving by immediate medical checks upon arrival in
Dallas Texas instead of having to wait after conducting background and other checks.

However, on the negative side, American Airlines may be negligent or intentional in the hiring
process and conscientiously getting away all the while with what they normally practice. The
negative factors associated to the problem are as follows:

 Purposely ignoring procedure as regulated by the law (ADA) thinking that it is a small matter
 Bullying hopeful job seekers who come in droves for interviews and screening
 Discrimination based on disabilities
 Neglecting that this case may be the tip of the iceberg with other problems waiting to happen
 Severely impacting the image of American Airlines

Therefore in conclusion, it is crucial for American Airlines to uphold the law by following their
own hiring procedure no matter how tough the situation is.

Reference:
Walter LEONEL, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC., Defendant-Appellee

3. Do you believe that American Airlines has the right to not hire someone who is HIV positive?
Criticize. (15 Marks)

ANSWER:

American Airlines has no right not to hire someone who is HIV unless it can prove that employees
with HIV pose health hazards and safety to passengers or the airlines.

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In the United States context, there are laws and government bodies that protect employees with
HIV.

a) The Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): ADA protects employees from being
unfairly treated in the hiring process. According to ADA, “Persons with HIV disease, either
symptomatic or asymptomatic, have physical impairments that substantially limit one or more
major life activities and thus are protected by the ADA. Persons who are discriminated against
because they are regarded as being HIV-positive are also protected.”

b) California's Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA): “This law specifically provides
protection from harassment or discrimination in employment because of disability (mental
and physical) including HIV and AIDS.” This law applies to appellants (Leonel, Branton &
Fusco) as they are California residents.

c) The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC): The commission was setup
to enforce federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an
employee.

d) California's Unfair Competition Law (UCL): “UCL defines “unfair competition” to include
“any unlawful, unfair or fraudulent” business practice, including actions of employers taken
with respect to their employees.” This law protects employee’s right to privacy which implies
the right to protect the HIV status.

However, the company has the right not to hire a candidate only based on his or her ability to
perform the job safely or other non-medical criteria such as criminal records. In this case American
Airlines has failed to prove that this disability (HIV-positive) can relate to the employee not being
able to perform the job safely.

According to the US government’s Centers for Disease and Control Prevention, “HIV is NOT
transmitted through touching, hugging, sneezing, coughing, eating or drinking from common
utensils, or being around an infected person. It is now clear that casual contact with a person with
HIV infection does not place others at risk.” This is why HIV-positive employees have to be

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protected under this law so they can live and work just like everybody else without being
discriminated.

In conclusion, it is clear that American Airlines is in violation of the laws as described and
therefore has no right to turn down the job application by someone who is HIV positive. American
Airlines has to look into reviewing their policy regarding hiring as well as educating their staff
with regard to HIV.

Reference:
Adagov. (2016). Fighting Discrimination against People with AIDS/HIV. Retrieved 30 June, 2016, from
https://www.ada.gov/aids/
Dfehcagov. (2016). Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). Retrieved 30 June, 2016, from
http://www.dfeh.ca.gov/Publications_FEHADescr.htm
Eeocgov. (2016). WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT HIV/AIDS & EMPLOYMENT
DISCRIMINATION. Retrieved 30 June, 2016, from
https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/wysk/hiv_aids_discrimination.cfm
Walter LEONEL, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC., Defendant-Appellee

4. If you were the judge at the trial, given the facts presented above, who would you rule in favor
of the American or the three individuals? Discuss. (15 Marks)

ANSWER:

Given the facts presented above, my judgment will rule in favor of the three individuals. The
judgment is based on the following rationales:

 American Airlines is clearly in violation of laws prohibiting discrimination of people with

disabilities, in this case HIV.
 The company did not take the necessary steps in adhering to even their own hiring procedure.
 The company is putting business importance higher than the law and human rights.
 As a big corporation, it only perpetuates the stigma people are having toward HIV-positive
people whereby it should be the leader in protecting employees against all forms of
discrimination.
 The company must be punished either by a hefty fine or by compensating and reinstating the
three as deterrent and exemplary so the society can learn about the importance of protecting
employees against discrimination.

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In conclusion, being a flagship carrier and a corporate leader, American Airlines must be made
liable and punished to the extent that the case sets as exemplary and deterrent to corporations all
over the United States. The judgment is meant as a clear message to the society that no
discrimination or breaking of the law can in any way be tolerated. The judgment will also serve as
a precedent for future cases involving discrimination.

CASE STUDY 2: BAXTER HEALTHCARE CORPORATION WORK-LIFE

BALANCE AT BAXTER (50 MARKS)

Baxter’s Work & Life Strategic Initiative formally began with an 18-month extensive employee-
needs assessment that provided a far better understanding of how the company could benefit by
championing greater work-life balance for all its employees—for women as well as men. Baxter
has succeeded at integrating its business case for work-life balance into a new corporate culture
that is supported from the top down, demonstrated by strong CEO commitment and role modeling.
A major result of this strategic assessment has been that Baxter redefined and expanded the work-
life experience to encompass more categories of conflicts experienced by employees. Baxter, in
conjunction with MK Consultants, developed the four-level The Work and Life Pyramid of Needs,
which rests on a base of Respect (the company’s attitude toward the employee’s needs) and rises
through Balance (the employee’s goal) to Flexibility (what the company wants to help the
employee attain) to Programs (the supports that the company provides). The study refocused
Baxter’s strategy, giving increased importance to and emphasis on respect for the “whole” person,
including his or her responsibilities and interests outside of work. The initiative has since added
work-life to Baxter’s shared values, employee satisfaction tools, performance standards, and other
existing HR initiatives. In addition, the study’s findings added up to a strong business case for
flexibility as a means to recruit and retain talented employees.

The Work & Life Strategic Initiative was developed under the direction of Alice Campbell,
Baxter’s Director of Work and Life Initiatives. Initial input for the project was received from the
Work-Life Forum, a group of human resources managers that represented various Baxter business
units. The business unit human resources staff identified how many locations would participate in
the study, the findings of which would represent that particular business unit. Managers at most

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locations were interviewed, as well as managers in the headquarters office for that division. CEO
Harry Kraemer is the champion of the initiative, providing ongoing role modeling and
communication of his commitment.

The initial goals of the Work & Life Strategic Initiative were fact-finding in nature: to evaluate
current work and life programs, understand employees’ work and life needs, and surface
management attitudes toward employees’ work and life conflicts. As the project progressed, the
results were used to motivate senior managers to address work-life as a critical business issue and
to dispel fears and stereotypes surrounding work-life issues.

Excerpted from the findings of the study added up to a strong business rationale for flexibility, and
provided the impetus for Baxter to incorporate work-life support mechanisms into operational
aspects of the company. Leadership, communication, and commitment of the CEO and senior
executives. Inclusion of work-life as part of Baxter’s Shared Values, the principles that guide
employee behavior. The shared values—Respect, Responsiveness, and Results—define a three-
way commitment among employees, customers, and shareholders that states the expectations,
rights, and responsibilities these groups have with respect to one another. Designation of work-life
as a key predictor of overall satisfaction with Baxter, which has been added into surveys and
evaluation tools. Specifically, the all-employee survey includes the following questions: 1) I can
advance in Baxter and still devote sufficient attention to my family/personal life, and 2) My
business unit supports employees’ efforts to balance work and family/personal responsibilities.

A work-life standard was included in the overall set of standards that were created to address
employee selection, hiring, and retention. Work-life issues were included as an item to be rated
on Baxter’s multi-source feedback instrument. Annual individual performance reviews include the
capacity to address work-life issues. The development of the Alternate Work Arrangement
(AWA) proposal kit. Enhancements to Baxter’s job posting program were completed; additions
address the ability to facilitate and promote the use of alternate work arrangements. Prior to these
enhancements, there was virtually no indication that an open position would consider any type of
AWA.

From 1996 to 1998, there has been a 17 percent increase of women at the managerial level, an 18
percent increase at the director level, and a 30 percent increase at the vice president level. Women

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make up 19 percent of Baxter’s corporate board of directors, compared to 16 percent for the
industry and 11 percent in the Fortune 500 (1998 Catalyst Census of Directors of the Fortune 500).
The number of employees of color who are officials and managers increased by 8.8 percent—
women of color in those positions increased by 20.4 percent.

Managers are held accountable to respond to the results of multiple indices—annual performance
reviews, multisource feedback, and the all-employee survey. There are work-life aspects in all of
these instruments; to the extent that a department manager’s results in any area require attention,
he or she is held accountable for achieving objectives that would demonstrate improvement.
Annual merit increases are determined, in part, by managers’ performance in this area. Managers
were educated about the initiative’s importance through several methods:

 business unit reports on their specific results;

 distribution of The Work and Life Pyramid of Needs report;

 incorporation of work-life issues into the all-employee survey;

 multi-source feedback and performance reviews; and

 enhancements to the job-posting program

Baxter’s commitment to work-life issues is communicated through a variety of methods:

Specifics about each business unit’s participation in the survey are communicated to the
management team and followed up with a detailed report. Baxter’s PACE magazine is used to
communicate the overall results to the employee population. The Operating Management Team
uses voicemail to distribute standards to all employees. A Work-life homepage is available on
Baxter’s intranet site, which supports and provides information to employees about Baxter’s work-
life initiatives. CEO Harry Kraemer writes monthly updates to all staff that include information
about his own family and his efforts to achieve balance. On the “Ask Harry” intranet site, Kraemer
responds to employee questions about the company and the initiative. Baxter’s commitment to
the field of work-life was also demonstrated by sharing results of the Work & Life Strategic
Initiative in a full report, The Work and Life Pyramid of Needs, internally as well as within the
business community.

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Work-life issues are reviewed for individuals and managers using the variety of mechanisms
described earlier (annual performance reviews, multi-source feedback, all-employee survey).
Results are monitored by each employee’s supervisor (up to the highest levels) and taken into
account when establishing objectives for any given year. Results on employee issues that take into
account the overall corporation are monitored using the all-employee survey. Figures are
monitored quarterly for activity relating to alternate work arrangements and the Inside Advantage
job posting system. A sharp increase in the number of jobs that would be considered alternate work
arrangements occurred as a direct result of these enhancements. Baxter International Inc. is a
global medical products and services company that focuses on critical therapies for life-
threatening conditions. Baxter’s products and services in blood therapies (biopharmaceuticals
and blood collection, separation, and storage devices), cardiovascular medicine, medication
delivery and renal therapy are used by health-care providers and their critically ill patients in 112
countries. Baxter employs over 40,000 individuals worldwide. Women make up approximately 50
percent of their U.S. workforce.

1. Explain how work-life balance plays role in the success of an organization? (10 marks)

ANSWER:

Work is a where you go to. Family is where you come home to. Without work, a family can’t be
sustained and without family, work can be meaningless. In other words, work and life have to
balance each other so individuals can be a good worker and at the same time be a good member to
a family. Work-life balance is the relationship between work and life commitments, and how they
impact on one another. Life in the context of this discussion means family and activities outside
the work scope.

However, it should be noted that there is no ideal work-life balance. Every individual is different
and the ‘right’ balance may change over time as families grow older and personal commitments
change. For example, a father with a family of young children and a working wife may struggle to
balance between his the work and the responsibilities of caring for children, family members with
a disability or elderly parents, studying, volunteering, taking care of their own health or
participating in sport and recreation, while an older man with grown up children may find it easier
to balance between his life and work.

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Moreover, as far as how the work-life balance plays a role in the success of an organization, it is
observed that as the overall quality of life improves, the success of an organization also benefits
from employees' higher morale and commitment. A policy concerning work-life balance is
recommended and made known to all employees for better understanding and commitment. An
organization that has the flexibility towards work-life balance will have happier, motivated and
satisfied employees which transforms it into a successful organization.

On the other hand, overworked and overstressed employees who have less attention to his or her
life may lead to family problems such as divorce, suicide, family breakup, depression, or health
issues. These problems will impact the work that may result in low productivity, dismissal or loss
of revenue. The work and life is actually a cycle that can impact one another where both the
organization and individuals end up having to pay the price if not addressed properly.

Realizing this, it is important for employers to promote & provide tools to help employees manage
their work-life balance which can only benefit both the company and employees.

2. Explain how does diversity in an organization affect the organizational work-life balance? What
ethical considerations exists that may drive the organization to be more work-life balanced? (15
Marks)

ANSWER:

a) How does diversity in an organization affect the organizational work-life balance.

Having worked at Baxter in Penang previously, I can say that Baxter is an international company
with manufacturing facilities all over the world where cultural diversity is a feature that has made
the organization one of the leaders in healthcare products. Its diversity in terms of culture, racial,
religion, gender, age groups, skills and experience has open doors to talents that are creating values
for the organization. However, there’s no one-size-fit-all solution approach for the work-life
balance for a diverse work force. The challenge is to make the organization more accommodating
to this type of diversity by addressing different lifestyles, family needs, languages and work styles.
So, diversity in an organization do have issues which are affecting the work-life balance.
Following are examples:

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 The company has to take into consideration the sensitivity of each racial group when it comes
to granting holidays for festivities such as Hair Raya, Chinese New Year, Deepavali,
Christmas, Vesak, etc. It has to be fair and balance so everyone can enjoy.

 The company must avoid any decisions or actions perceived to favor one group while
neglecting the other. For example, a certain group of workers are allowed to take the time off
to perform their prayers while others are not. This has serious implications as instead of
working harmoniously, they may work against each other. So this has to be addressed with
care.

 The company must avoid any practice that can be interpreted as discriminating based on sex,
age group, religion, or race which may create bad blood and resentment among employees.

 The company must not overwork their employees by working on weekends without
reasonable compensations. For employees with family commitments, it would be very
difficult to balance especially weekends are for them to spend quality time with the family.

b) What ethical considerations exist that may drive the organization to be more work-life
balanced.

Ethics is a set of be unwritten and unspoken values, rules, principles or norms that defines right
and wrong, good and bad conduct. They may differ from one group to another. Ethical
considerations that may drive the organization to be more work-life balance are described in the
following with examples:

 Respect- e.g. the company’s attitude toward the employee’s needs.

 Welfare- e.g. Visit of employees during death of family members. Sending birthday wishes
to employees.

 Religious affair- e.g. Employees are given breaks to perform prayers, rites or ritual
accordingly. Employer accommodates religious needs.

 Motivation- e.g. Employees sent for training to boost motivation and morale.

 Volunteering- e.g. Employees are encouraged to participate in social activities such as

community service, environmental protection, etc.

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 Safety and health- e.g. Employees are provided with safe and healthy working environment
while encouraged to participate in healthy lifestyle such as sports and recreation.

The management has to really understand each group’s values and practices and try to make
employees understand and know their rights, duties and responsibilities.

3. How can an organization develop a culture that supports work-life balance? (10 Marks)

ANSWER:

The development of a culture that supports work-life balance in an organization has to start from
the top as can be seen from the Baxter example where CEO Harry Kraemer is the champion to the
work-life balance initiative.

Furthermore, an organization can follow the guideline to develop this culture as follows:

 To include work-life balance in employee handbook.

 To include work-life balance as top corporate policy with measurable key performance
indicator among other policies such as Quality, Productivity, Customer Service.

 Get feedback from employees on work-life balance by conducting a survey.

 Work-life balanced awareness training to be conducted at each employee level.

 To incorporate work-life balance as part of organization’s operational elements.

 Promote programs to include family participation e.g. family day, family vacations, annual
dinner, etc.

 Assessment of managers’ attitude toward lower level employees’ work-life balance.

 Use social media tools like Facebook, Instagram, etc. as a platform to promote work-life
balance.

 Provide a conducive work environment with facilities to be shared among employees so they
feel more like home e.g. pantry, rest area, recreation room, karaoke or entertainment room,
child care center, etc.

 Recognition and acknowledgment of achievements by family members e.g. children excel in

examinations, employee success in obtaining a university degree, etc.

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 Recognition of traditions and celebrations by multi-ethnic groups e.g. performing Haj,

festivities, prayers, etc.

 Supportive working environment for employees with life commitments outside the
organization.

4. Assess on how Baxter supports the goal of work-life balance? (15 Marks)

ANSWER:

Baxter is an international company that truly believes in a healthy work and personal life. To
support the goal, Baxter provides various options and resources to employees and managers. The
company collaborates with various external organizations to develop and facilitate the program.
The work-life programs and resources are available and listed as below:

 Adoption assistance and reimbursement.

 Back-up/emergency child and elder care.
 Childcare support.
 Dependent-care flexible spending accounts.
 Educational assistance.
 Employee assistance and counseling programs.
 Elder-care management services.
 Lactation rooms.
 Resource for referrals to local service providers for family, financial, and work issues.
 Webinars on topics such as stress management and parenting (in English but offered
worldwide).
 Workplace Flexibility.

Baxter’s philosophy on work-life balance - to support flexibility and employees’ needs to

successfully manage their work and personal lives.

Reference:
Baxtercom. (2016). Work/Life Balance at Baxter. Retrieved 1 July, 2016, from
http://www.baxter.com/careers/working-at-baxter/work-life-balance.page?scroll=tab-navigation

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CASE STUDY 3: MOTIVATION, JOB DESIGN, MONEY AND REWARDS (50

MARKS)

Case Synopsis:

This case describes a meeting with software engineer Suzanne Chalmers and Thomas Chan, the
vice-president of software engineering at Advanced Photonics Inc. (API). Chalmers arranges the
meeting to indicate her intention to leave API. Chan tries to keep her by offering better conditions
and, eventually, more money and share options. But Chan knows that Chalmers is already a
millionaire from her share options and the appreciation of API’s share price. The case highlights
the difficulty in motivating people to stay and the relative importance of financial rewards
compared to other sources of motivation. Soon after the meeting, Chalmers submits her resignation
and, after a few months rest, takes up a position at a start-up company.

1. Explain briefly why didn’t money motivate Suzanne Chalmers to stay with API? (10 Marks)

ANSWER:

Different people are motivated by different factors. In Suzanne Chalmers case, it seems that there’s
more than just money that motivates her. She may be looking at something else other than money
which she already has a lot of. Job satisfaction, job challenge, essential training, skill development
opportunities, job security, empowerment, company reputation, career advancement, work-life
balance, relationship or freedom of expression may be factors affecting her motivation. Maybe
she’s looking at her self-actualization that is the realization of her full potential as a software
engineer hence explains why she ended up working at a start-up. This is described by the Maslow’s
needs and hierarchy theory where self-actualization is at the top.

2. Discuss if financial rewards have any value in situations such as this, where employees are
relatively wealthy?(10 Marks)

ANSWER:

In this situation, financial rewards do have a value even if employees are relatively wealthy. Money
has endless usage and by having more simply means having more choices of what to do with it.
Being relatively wealthy doesn’t being financially satisfied. Suzanne Chalmers may appear to be

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rich compared to those earning lesser but deep down there may be a desire for her to earn more
than API could possibly offer. There is a wealth of evidence that financial rewards can motivate
higher levels of performance and productivity.

Despite of having a value under this circumstance, financial rewards however do come with a set
of problems:

 Cheating by overstating employees’ performance.

 Unethical behavior, jealousy and turnover.
 Pay inequality, which can lead to frustration, jealousy, envy, disappointment and resentment,
often undermines performance, collaboration and retention.
 Financial incentives lies in reducing intrinsic motivation. A person may initially perform the
job based on intrinsic motivation but eventually follows the financial rewards along with all
the problems associated to it.

3. Identify and explain TWO (2) drives seem to be motivating Suzanne Chalmers?(10 Marks)

ANSWER:

Two drives that seem to motivate her are the drive to acquire and the drive to learn.

Drive to Acquire
Drive to acquire is the drive to seek control and retain objects, personal experience and to achieve
a higher position than others.

Susan Chalmers is in a position where she has fulfilled her physiological, safety, belongingness,
and esteem needs i.e. having a good job, good pay, good life, etc. But she has that one needs that
is self-actualization that needs to be fulfilled. Motivated by the drive to acquire, she needs to seek
and take control of her work to achieve a higher position than others at API. Having worked for
API and knowing the culture, she might conclude that API is not the right place for her to achieve
those needs and move on to another level. She may be eyeing for Tommy Chan’s position but
that’s not going to happen as it seems.

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Drive to Learn
Drive to learn is the drive to satisfy our curiosity, to know and understand ourselves and the
environment around us. The drive is also related to the higher needs of growth and self-
actualization.

When a person stays too long with a company, the ability to learn may seem to decline and
everything is becoming routine. There’s no challenge and no opportunities to learn new things,
partly may be due to the company not providing a ground for that to happen.

Suzanne Chalmers may have come to point of stagnation where her career growth is stunted. So
she needs to learn new things in order for her to grow professionally. And what better way rather
than to join a start-up company where there’s new things to learn, new projects to pursue and new
people to meet.

4. What importance is job design in this case? (5 Marks)

ANSWER:

In this case, job design is important in a way that it helps towards how the nature of a person's job
affects their attitudes and behavior at work, particularly relating to characteristics such as skill
variety and autonomy. The aim of a job design is to improve job satisfaction, throughput, quality
and to reduce employee problems e.g. grievances and absenteeism.

According to Dessler (2013), job design can have a significant impact on employee motivation
and retention.

Job design also translates into providing opportunities for employees to make choices, develop
skills, do work that matters and build meaningful interpersonal connections.

From these researches, it is clearly stated that job design is very crucial in keeping employees like
Suzanne Chalmers from leaving the company. It seems that Suzanne Chalmers may be the product
of a company with bad job design.

Reference:
Dessler, G. (2013). Human Resource Management. (13th ed.). US: Pearson.

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5. If you were Thomas Chan, propose some strategies that you would use to motivate Susan
Chalmers to stay at Advanced Photonics Inc.? (15 Marks)

ANSWER:

Some strategies that could possibly motivate Susan Chalmers to stay at Advanced Photonics Inc:

 Find out if Suzanne Chalmers’ is interested to take up a position as a VP of a new division

that she herself creates. If she does, find out what it is and propose it to board members.
 Find out more about Suzanne Chalmers’ intrinsic motivations. What really motivates her
internally to succeed. For example, if challenges is what intrisically motivates her then design
a job that does that.
 Make her a partner with API. For example, she is not only given more stock options but she
is also given the power to decide and control the company subjected to her shares allocation.
 Even though Suzanne Chalmers is already working at the start-up, a counter offer can be made
after another talk with her. This time Tommy Chan should listen more to her instead of
drawing his own assumptions like working conditions, the size of office, compensations, etc.

END

By A. HARIS AWANG