Human Resource Management Human Resource Management Assignment

Human Resources Management (MGMT 471-102), Spring 2025

Final Exam (Chapters #9 - #16)

Valentine, Meglich, Mathis, & Jackson (2025)

• Answer every question on this exam (8 questions).

• Submission deadline: Saturday, 5/17/25 (11:59 PM) 1

Instructions: Your completed Take-Home Essay Exam must be submitted via Blackboard

Assignments no later than 11:59 PM on Saturday, 5/17/25. Submit one Word file for the entire

exam. Answer all parts of the question. This is an individual assignment.

1. Answer every question on this exam (8 questions). Each question is worth 36 points.

2. Maximum Number of Pages = four (4), 8 ½” x 11” pages for the entire exam. Please submit

no more than three pages of answers to the questions and no more than one page of references.

Pages beyond the page limit will not be graded.

3. Paper Format (Failure to follow ALL Formatting Instructions: Grade = ZERO).

(Also refer to the sample exam template that is posted on BB, Course Materials):

• Margins: 1-inch (top, bottom, sides)

• Font: 12-point

• Spacing within each question: Single-space (indent new paragraphs)

• Spacing between questions: Double-space

• Page numbers: Include page numbers on every page.

• Header (on every page): ▪ your full name (upper left-hand side of paper, line one)

▪ Course and section number (upper right-hand side of paper, line one)

▪ Final Exam, Spring 2025 (upper right-hand side of paper line two)

• Subheadings: The Question # should appear at the beginning of each response. DO

NOT re-write the entire question.

4. References and Citations.

• References are limited to those listed on the Final Exam, unless specified (e.g., personal

example). All exam references are posted on BB (Course Materials, Assignments/Exams).

• APA=American Psychological Association: http://apastyle.apa.org

• APA direct quote example: “Innovation is the process whereby new ideas are generated that

create value for an organization” (Valentine, Meglich, Mathis, & Jackson, 2025, p. 10).

• APA paraphrase example: New idea generation that creates value for an organization is

referred to as innovation (Valentine, Meglich, Mathis, & Jackson, 2025).

• Example of quotes from online sources with no page numbers: “To directly quote from

written material that does not contain page numbers (e.g., webpages and websites, some

ebooks), provide readers [with section or paragraph numbers]” (Publication Manual of the

American Psychological Association, 2020, p. 273). An example follows. “Much like the

accommodation one makes for an adored pair of shoes that hurt, travelers appear to be slowly

finding peace with paying for checked baggage and the other fees that have become a critical

part of the airline business model” (Bachman, 2014, para. 1).

• Names of the authors for your textbook should be listed in the order shown on the textbook

for the first citation, then for subsequent citations use: Valentine et al., 2025.

• Refer to the following link for assistance with in-text citations of material without page

numbers (e.g., your course e-book). The link is also available in Course Materials.

https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/quotations/no-page-numbers

5. BSU Writing Center. https://www.bowiestate.edu/academics/colleges/college-of-arts-and-

sciences/departments/language-literature-and-cultural-studies/writing-center/

6. Definitions. When asked for definitions, provide concise, brief definitions from your course

textbook (Valentine et al., 2025), or other readings as specified.

7. Grading Rubric. Posted on BB (Assignments/Exams, Final Exam)

Human Resources Management (MGMT 471-102), Spring 2025

Final Exam (Chapters #9 - #16)

Valentine, Meglich, Mathis, & Jackson (2025)

• Answer every question on this exam (8 questions).

• Submission deadline: Saturday, 5/17/25 (11:59 PM) 2

References

Alcántara, A. & Deighton, K. (2020, December 30). Five ways employee experience changed in

2020; Companies added new benefits and revamped existing programs to address

challenges of remote work. Wall Street Journal (Online); New York, N.Y.

Bureau of Labor Statistics (n.d.). Overview of BLS wage data by area and occupation. Bureau of

Labor Statistics. http://www.bls.gov/bls/blswage.htm

Levi, M. (2021, November). How labor unions shape society [Video]. TEDxSeattle.

https://www.ted.com/talks/margaret_levi_how_labor_unions_shape_society

O*NET Interest Profiler (n.d.). O*NET Interest Profiler. My NEXT MOVE. U.S.

Department of Labor. https://www.mynextmove.org/explore/ip

Smith, R. A. (2024, November 15). Pet sick days are the new employee-perk battleground; For

some bosses, granting paid time off to care for furrier family members is one employee

benefit too far. Wall Street Journal (Online); New York, N.Y.

Spina, M. (2025, April 17). Why Starbucks employees aren't happy with the latest dress code.

Yahoo News. https://www.yahoo.com/news/why-starbucks-employees-arent-happy-

193138982.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

Starbucks (2025, April 14). Updating our dress code for a more consistent coffeehouse

experience. Starbucks.com. https://about.starbucks.com/stories/2025/updating-our-dress-

code-for-a-more-consistent-coffeehouse-experience/

Valentine, S. R., Meglich, P. A., Mathis, R. L., & Jackson, J. H. (2025). Human Resources

Management (17th ed.). Boston MA: Cengage Learning.

Human Resources Management (MGMT 471-102), Spring 2025

Final Exam (Chapters #9 - #16)

Valentine, Meglich, Mathis, & Jackson (2025)

• Answer every question on this exam (8 questions).

• Submission deadline: Saturday, 5/17/25 (11:59 PM) 3

Question #1 (Chapter Nine): “Career planning involves several steps that provide an individual

with the information needed to create a logical career path. Figure 9.7 shows the steps in the

process” (Valentine, Meglich, Mathis, & Jackson, 2025, p. 329). One step in the career planning

process is to “Determine who you are” (Valentine et al., 2025, p. 329).

• Complete the O*NET Interest Profiler (O*NET Interest Profiler, n.d.).

• What was your highest interest score (e.g., realistic, investigative, artistic, social,

enterprising, conventional)?

• Describe the relevance of your highest interest score to your current occupation. Is there a

fit between your job and your interests?

Question #2 (Chapter Ten): The graphic rating scale and the behaviorally anchored rating scales

(BARS) are absolute performance appraisal methods (Valentine, Meglich, Mathis, & Jackson,

2025). The ranking method and the forced distribution method are relative performance appraisal

methods (Valentine et al., 2025). The critical incident method and the essay method are examples

of narrative appraisal methods (Valentine et al., 2025).

• Is the performance appraisal system at your current or former place of employment an

absolute performance appraisal method, a relative performance appraisal method, or a

narrative appraisal method, or a combination of two or more of these methods?

• Is this system effective? Why or why not?

• Make sure that you identify your organization.

Question #3 (Chapter Eleven): “A pay survey is a collection of data on compensation for workers

performing similar jobs in many organizations. Pay surveys are an important element for

establishing external pay equity” (Valentine, Meglich, Mathis, & Jackson, 2025, p. 411). “National

surveys on many jobs and industries are provided by the DOL’s Bureau of Labor Statistics,

professional and national trade associations, and various management consulting companies”

(Valentine et al., 2025, p. 411).

• Go to the Bureau of Labor Statistics website (Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d.) and select

wage data for one occupation of your choice.

• Select the wage data for your chosen occupation within one of the following

areas: national, state, or metropolitan area.

• Which occupation did you select?

• Which area (i.e., national, state, metropolitan area) did you select?

• What did you find interesting in your review of the wage data for your chosen

occupation?

Human Resources Management (MGMT 471-102), Spring 2025

Final Exam (Chapters #9 - #16)

Valentine, Meglich, Mathis, & Jackson (2025)

• Answer every question on this exam (8 questions).

• Submission deadline: Saturday, 5/17/25 (11:59 PM) 4

Question #4 (Chapter Twelve): “A benefit is a tangible indirect reward provided to an employee

or group of employees for organizational membership. Benefits often include retirement plans,

paid time off, health insurance, life and disability insurance, and many more” (Valentine, Meglich,

Mathis, & Jackson, 2025, p. 440).

Pawternity leave is “time off specifically to tend to a new or sick pet” (Smith, 2024, para. 2). In

recent years, some companies have “begun offering pet bereavement leave or ‘pawternity’ leave

when an employee gets a new pet” (Alcantara & Deighton, 2020, para. 9).

• Are you in support of employers offering pet benefits for their employees?

• Why or why not?

Question #5 (Chapter Thirteen): “Stress is the harmful physical or psychological reaction that

occurs when people are subjected to high work expectations, excessive mental and physical

demands, job insecurity, poor interpersonal relations, and low work-life balance” (Valentine,

Meglich, Mathis, & Jacson, 2025, p. 504). “Figure 13.11 provides examples of sources of

workplace stress and possible ways to address them” (Valentine et al., 2025, p. 504).

• Identify and describe one source of workplace stress that you recently experienced.

• How did you combat the workplace stressor?

• Make sure that you identify your employer.

Question #6 (Chapter Fourteen): “Employers can put limits on employees’ dress and appearance

in the workplace, including items such as visible tattoos, certain clothing and accessories, and body

piercings. Having a written dress policy is recommended to ensure consistency, safety, and fair

treatment” (Valentine, Meglich, Mathis, & Jackson, 2025, p. 540).

Starbucks recently released the following statement: “…starting May 12, we’re evolving our dress

code in all stores to focus on simplified color options that allow our iconic green apron to shine

and create a sense of familiarity for our customers, no matter which store they visit across North

America” (Starbucks, 2025., para. 3). Some Starbucks’s employees are opposed to the dress code

change (Spina, 2025).

• Do you agree with the decision by Starbucks to implement a new dress code?

• Provide the rationale to support your opinion.

Human Resources Management (MGMT 471-102), Spring 2025

Final Exam (Chapters #9 - #16)

Valentine, Meglich, Mathis, & Jackson (2025)

• Answer every question on this exam (8 questions).

• Submission deadline: Saturday, 5/17/25 (11:59 PM) 5

Question #7 (Chapter Fifteen): “A union is a formal association of workers that promotes the

interests of its members through collective action” (Valentine, Meglich, Mathis, & Jackson, 2025,

p. 566). In her TED Talk, Margaret Levi (2021) calls for a 21st-century revival of the labor

movement in order to build a more equitable future” (Levi, 2021).

• What is the relevance of Margaret Levi’s (2021) TED Talk to any topic in Chapter 15:

Union-Management Relations of your course textbook (Valentine et al., 2025)?

Question #8 (Chapter Sixteen): “An expatriate (or parent-country national) is a citizen of one

country who is working in a second country and employed by an organization headquartered in

the first country” (Valentine, Meglich, Mathis, & Jackson, 2025, p. 614).

• Do you have any interest in taking on an expatriate assignment to staff an international

subsidiary?

• Why or why not?