MAN 128 Human Relations Assignment #4 Chapters 13 - 16

Grading: There are 10 questions for a total of 100 points for this assignment and
each question or case study question is worth 10 points.
10 points – Question answered completely and no spelling or grammar errors
8 points – Question almost answered completely and/or one spelling or grammar error
6 points – Question missing concept or answer and two spelling grammar errors
0 -4 points – Question lacking complete information and more than two spelling or
grammar errors

Chapter 13

1. Define “internal customer” and why is this concept of internal customer

service important to an overall understanding of customer service.
An internal customer is a person who depends on the other people in a company
to provide services and products for the external customer. Internal customers
are essential to running and operating a business/company, and as such are vital
to the overall customer service of said business/company. If internal customer
service is not good, there can be no good external customer service.
2. What are the two simplest principles of customer service? Discuss each.
The two principles are 1.) Find out what the customer needs, and 2.) Do
whatever is possible to satisfy those needs. This is fairly self-explanatory, but
does warrant some further explanation. If one were to not know what the needs
of a customer were, they can not provide the appropriate service. For this
reason, the first thing that must be done is to ensure that you understand what
must be done for the customer. Of course, once that is understood, you must
ensure that it is done to ensure customer satisfaction.
3. Have you ever been the victim of a company’s poor customer service and
policy? What occurred and how did this make you feel? What would you
change about how it was handled?
All of my positions in the work force have generally not been related to dealing
directly with customers, so I can't recall any incident off the top of my head. I can
think of a few instances where customers were not happy with a policy (internal
customers), but that doesn't mean that I don't believe it was the best option. For
example, while working in IT (internal IT for other employees), if we were unable
 to resolve an issue in a timely manner, we would reassign it to a more advanced
IT technician to look at. But this could take days, and so people often did not
want to be passed off to another person. I was not fond of doing this, but if there
was an issue that couldn't be solved, this was genuinely the best way we had to
fix it and help them.
Chapter 14
4. Examine your own attitudes and prejudices? What ones would you say you
have and how would you address these now that you have read this
chapter.
While I think I am much better about it now, I do believe I was very ethnocentric
before living in Japan. I think this is a problem/prejudice that almost every person
has, as it's natural to believe that ones culture is the “right” one when you're
raised in it and molded by it. I think experiencing other cultures and peoples
helps us be more exposed to these other cultures and to have a better
understanding of their strengths, as well as the weaknesses of our own.
5. Discuss the negative effects of discrimination in the workplace and have
you seen any discriminatory acts in your workplace?Discuss.
The negative effects of discrimination in the workplace are far-reaching. People
can become anxious about going to work, or feel feelings of depression and
anger. This can lead to a decrease in motivation, self-esteem, and self-worth,
affecting performance at the workplace, but more importantly the mental health of
one outside the workplace as well. I have been fortunate enough that I have not
seen any discriminatory acts in any of the workplaces I have been employed at.
6. If you were hiring someone and wanted to make sure they were a reliable
employee, what valid questions could you ask that are legal? List five here.
1.) How would you define a reliable employee?
2.) Tell me about a time when you made a wrong decision.
3.) Can you tell me about a time when punctuality affected your work?
4.) What do you consider to be effective and important skills for communication?
5.) How do you stay motivated with your work?

Chapter 15
7. What does ethics mean to you and where do you get yours or define
yours?
 Ethics are closely linked to morals, and I personally see behaving ethically as
behaving morally. I believe that having a strong understanding of one's own
ethics can help lead to a life/career with strong ethical choices. I believe many of
my ethics came from my parents, but also the worldview I've built for myself. My
number one priority has always been to be kind and fair to others, so I try and
base my ethics around this. I learned a lot about myself during college when
taking an Ethics class as part of my criminal justice degree, and this helped
shape my ethical philosophies as I struggled with my difficult questions.
8. There are times when people feel they must act unethically in the short
term for the greater good in the long haul. Think of a time or situation that
you have been in and this has happened? Is it every acceptable to act
unethically?
The first thing that comes to mind is reminiscent of examples given in class.
Something like someone forgetting a signature, or a mark somewhere on a
document, and quickly signing it, knowing that the person would agree to sign it
were they present. While I have never forged a signature, I know that in my work
(at least in the past), I have done something like this before. Personally, I don't
ever wish to act in an unethical manner. But I realize that we are all humans, and
people make mistakes. There are certain unethical acts (perhaps like the one
listed above) that will most certainly cause no harm or distress to anyone, and
only help others. Still, I think it's important to strive for ethical behavior at all times
without making excuses such as “this won't hurt anyone,” or “it's only a little
thing.” I realize this is not easy, and again don't wish to hold myself or others to
some perfect or unobtainable standard, but it is important to try our best.
Chapter 16
9. What is your definition of a productive workplace? List factors that make a
workplace productive.
A productive workplace is one that gets the job done in a timely and effective
manner, sometimes even going beyond what the normal expectations are. I think
one of the most important factors for workplace productivity is employee morale
and happiness. If employees are happy to do their work and feel satisfied or
fulfilled, they are more likely to do their job well, or even beyond their normal
expectations. Any productive workplace begins with the work of the employees.
Beyond this, however, the system of work must be efficient. That is to say, even
if the employees are very motivated and hard working, they can not do a good
job if they are not given the right tools. If the structure of a business/workplace is
not assisting in productivity (large amounts of busy work, ineffective systems or
tedious processes, etc.), no amount of employee motivation can overcome this.
10. Briefly explain the importance of a positive workplace morale.
As listed in the above example, a positive workplace morale leads to happy
employees. Those employees are more likely to go the extra mile, and see that
their work is done appropriately. With happy and productive employees, one can
expect a productive workplace as well.