Chap 1
organization
A group consisting of people
with formally assigned roles who
work together to achieve the
organization’s goals.
manager
Someone who is responsible for
accomplishing the organization’s
goals, and who does so by
managing the efforts of the
organization’s people.
managing
To perform five basic functions:
planning, organizing, staffing,
leading, and controlling.
management process
The five basic functions of planning,
organizing, staffing, leading, and
controlling.
human resource
management (HRM)
The process of acquiring, training,
appraising, and compensating
employees, and of attending to their
labor relations, health and safety,
and fairness concerns.
authority
The right to make decisions, direct
others’ work, and give orders.
staff authority
Gives a manager the right to advise
other managers or employees.
line authority
Traditionally gives managers the
right to issue orders to other manag
ers or employees.
line manager
A manager who is authorized to
direct the work of subordinates and
is responsible for accomplishing the
organization’s tasks.
staff manager
A manager who assists and advises
line manager
strategic human resource
management
Formulating and executing human
resource policies and practices that
produce the employee competencies
and behaviors the company needs to
achieve its strategic aim
employment engagement
The extent to which an organiza
tion’s employees are psychologically
involved in, connected to, and com
mitted to getting their jobs done.
ethics
The principles of conduct governing
an individual or a group; specifically,
the standards you use to decide
what your conduct should be.
Chap2
reverse discrimination
Claim that due to affirmative action
quota systems, white males are dis
criminated against.
good-faith effort strategy
An affirmative action strategy that
emphasizes identifying and eliminat
ing the obstacles to hiring and pro
moting women and minorities, and
increasing the minority or female
applicant flow.
managing diversity
Maximizing diversity’s potential ben
efits while minimizing its potential
barrier
diversity
The variety or multiplicity of demo
graphic features that characterize a
company’s workforce, particularly in
terms of race, sex, culture, national
origin, handicap, age, and religion.
stereotyping
Ascribing specific behavioral traits to
individuals based on their apparent
membership in a group.
gender-role stereotypes
The tendency to associate women
with certain (frequently nonmanage
rial) jobs. On the other hand, diversity
can be an engine of performance, as
the following feature shows.
discrimination
Taking specific actions toward or
against a person based on the person’s
group.
tokenism
When a company appoints a small
group of women or minorities to
high-profile positions, rather than
more aggressively seeking full repre
sentation for that group.
ethnocentrism
The tendency to view members of
other social groups less favorably
than members of one’s own group.
alternative dispute resolution
or ADR program
Grievance procedure that provides for
binding arbitration as the last step.
bona fide occupational
qualification (BFOQ)
Requirement that an employee be
of a certain religion, sex, or national
origin where that is reasonably nec
essary to the organization’s normal
operation. Specified by the 1964
Civil Rights Act.
restricted policy
Another test for adverse impact,
involving demonstration that an
employer’s hiring practices exclude a
protected group, whether intention
ally or not.
disparate rejection rates
A test for adverse impact in which
it can be demonstrated that there
is a discrepancy between rates of
rejection of members of a protected
group and of others.
4/5ths rule
Federal agency rule that a minority
selection rate less than 80% (4/5ths)
of that for the group with the
highest rate is evidence of adverse
impact.
adverse impact
The overall impact of employer
practices that result in significantly
higher percentages of members
of minorities and other protected
groups being rejected for employ
ment, placement, or promotion.
sexual harassment
Harassment on the basis of sex that
has the purpose or effect of sub
stantially interfering with a person’s
work performance or creating an
intimidating, hostile, or offensive
work environme
Federal Violence Against
Women Act of 1994
The act that provides that a person
who commits a crime of violence
motivated by gender shall be liable
to the party injured.
qualified individuals
Under ADA, those who can carry out
the essential functions of the job.
Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA)
The act requiring employers to make
reasonable accommodations for
disabled employees; it prohibits dis
crimination against disabled persons.
“mixed-motive” case
A discrimination allegation case in
which the employer argues that the
employment action taken was moti
vated not by discrimination, but by
some nondiscriminatory reason such
as ineffective performance.
Civil Rights Act of 1991
(CRA 1991)
The act that places the burden
of proof back on employers and
permits compensatory and punitive
damage
protected class
Persons such as minorities and
women protected by equal opportu
nity laws, including Title VII.
Uniform Guidelines
Guidelines issued by federal agen
cies charged with ensuring compli
ance with equal employment federal
legislation explaining recommended
employer procedures in detail.
affirmative action
Steps that are taken for the purpose
of eliminating the present effects of
past discrimination.
Office of Federal Contract
Compliance Programs
(OFCCP)
This office is responsible for
implementing the executive orders
and ensuring compliance of federal
contractors.
Equal Pay Act of 1963
The act requiring equal pay for equal
work, regardless of sex.
Age Discrimination in
Employment Act of 1967
(ADEA)
The act prohibiting arbitrary age
discrimination and specifically
protecting individuals over
40 years old.
Vocational Rehabilitation
Act of 1973
The act requiring certain federal
contractors to take affirmative
action for disabled persons.

Pregnancy Discrimination Act

An amendment to Title VII of the
Civil Rights Act that prohibits sex
discrimination based on “pregnancy,
childbirth, or related medical
conditions.

Title VII of the 1964 Civil

Rights Act
The section of the act that says an
employer cannot discriminate on
the basis of race, color, religion, sex,
or national origin with respect to
employment.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Commission (EEOC)
The commission, created by Title
VII, empowered to investigate job
Chap 3
strategic plan
The company’s plan for how it will
match its internal strengths and
weaknesses with external opportuni
ties and threats in order to maintain
a competitive advantage.
strategy
A course of action the company can
pursue to achieve its strategic aims.
strategic management
The process of identifying and
executing the organization’s strate
gic plan by matching the company’s
capabilities with the demands of its
environment.
vision statement
A general statement of the firm’s
intended direction; it shows, in
broad terms, “what we want to
become.”
mission statement
Summarizes the answer to the ques
tion, “What business are we in?”
corporate-level strategy
Type of strategy that identifies the
portfolio of businesses that, in total,
comprise the company and the ways
in which these businesses relate to
each other.
competitive strategy
A strategy that identifies how to
build and strengthen the business’s
long-term competitive position in
the marketplace.
competitive advantage
Any factors that allow an organiza
tion to differentiate its product or
service from those of its competitors
to increase market share.
functional strategy
A strategy that identifies the broad
activities that each department will
pursue in order to help the business
accomplish its competitive goals.
strategic human resource
management
Formulating and executing human
resource policies and practices that
produce the employee competencies
and behaviors the company needs to
achieve its strategic aims.
strategy map
A strategic planning tool that shows the
“big picture” of how each department’s
performance contributes to achieving
the company’s overall strategic goals.
HR scorecard
A process for assigning financial
and nonfinancial goals or metrics to
the human resource management–
related chain of activities required
for achieving the company’s strate
gic aims and for monitoring results.
digital dashboard
Presents the manager with desktop
graphs and charts, and shows a
computerized picture of where the
company stands on all those metrics
from the HR scorecard process.
human resource metrics
The quantitative gauge of a human
resource management activity, such
as employee turnover, hours of
training per employee, or qualified
applicants per position.
strategy-based metrics
Metrics that specifically focus
on measuring the activities that
contribute to achieving a company’s
strategic aims.

HR audit
An HR audit is an analysis of the
completeness, efficiency, and
effectiveness of the organization’s
HR functions, including its HR poli
cies, practices, processes, and rel
evant metrics.

high-performance work
system (HPWS)
A set of human resource manage
ment policies and practices that pro
mote organizational effectiveness.
discrimination complaints and sue
on behalf of complainants