Reference no: EM13850306
Part -1:
Registered nurse Carmen Lopez wants a raise- so she's leaving Mexico and moving to California to take a job at desert Valley medical, a hospital near Los Angeles, where her income will increase tenfold. I was making US$500 a month in Mexico, and in the US. I will be making between $25 to $28 an hour, "Lopez says, Lopez, upon finishing her US nursing exam, will be joining nine other Mexican nurses at Desert Valley Medical.
AS US baby boomers -now in their early sixties -age, the number of registered nurses in United States is not keeping up. The U.S. government forecasts that by WM the demand for registered nurses will have increased by 40 percent while the number of nurses will have risen by 6 percent. There are currently 2.2 million working nurse.
Lopez and her colleagues were recruited by MDS Global Medical Staffing in Los Angeles. Roger Viera, cofounder of MDS Global Medical Staffing, says he and his business partner have invested $1 million, and the Mexican government added another $1 million, to open a nurse residency program in Mexico that trains and certifies nurses to work in the United States. "We only recruit qualified nurses. They must have a four-year bachelor of science degree and four years of work experience," Viera says. MDS expects to recruit from Mexico's twelve nursing schools and from n Costa Rica in the near future.
MDS has also recruited Maria de la Cruz Gonzalez, who says she's excited about this opportunity to emigrate with her husband and work as a nurse in the United States.' The hospitals offer us a two-year contract where our nuclear, family can come along to live with us in the U.S.," she says. MDS gives the nurses three months of paid rent and transportation, provides placement with client hospitals, and provides training in technology and language. 'They will be able to work in U.S. hospitals for two years tinder a North American Free Trade, Agreement visa.
Donna Smith, chief nursing officer at Desert Valley Medical, says she is happy to have the Mexican nurses join her staff and believes that they are as qualified as U.S. nurses. But, she says, they will need more technical experience before they can go to work, since technology is different in the hospitals of Mexico. "We will provide them with extra training once they get here," she says,
Questions
1. Is recruiting nurses abroad a good idea for U.S. hospitals facing worker shortages?
2. Can you think of any cultural problems U.S. hospitals might encounter as a result?
3. What long-term recruiting measures should U.S. hospitals strive for?
Part -2:
Supervisors report that discharging an employee is one of the toughest tasks they perform as managers. Furthermore, termination for absenteeism can be particularly difficult due to the causes of absenteeism and, in some cases, the past work record of the employee. This case illustrates a typical absentee problem faced by management.
Mary Schwartz was employed by Beach Electrical Systems for nine years. For the first six years of her employment, she was considered a model employee. Mary's annual performance reviews were always above average or exceptional, and she was described by her managers as a loyal and dedicated employee. However, things changed rapidly in 2004 when Mary became, as her current manager stated, "an absentee problem."
According to HR department records, in 2008 and 2009 Mary was absent 12 percent and 19 percent of the time, respectively. Her worst year was 2010, when she was absent 27.2 percent of the time. However, unlike other absent employees, Mary was always absent because of genuine and verifiable illnesses or work-related accidents.
Mary's supervisor had talked to her periodically about her attendance problem, but she was never given an official warning notice-oral or written-that she would be fired if her attendance record did not improve.
The incident that caused her termination occurred on Thursday, May 20, 2011. On that day her manager notified all department employees (eight in total) that they would need to work overtime on Saturday, May 22, 2011, to complete a critical order for a highly valued and important customer. All employees agreed to work Saturday, except Mary, who cited "personal reasons;' which she refused to disclose, for her refusal to work.
On Monday, May 24, 20011, her supervisor, with concurrence from the department manager, terminated her employment for "unsatisfactory attendance:' Mary did not dispute the attendance record, however, she filed a grievance through the company's alternative mauve dispute resolution procedure alleging that management did not discharge her according to the organization's published disciplinary policy. She pointed to the section in the policy manual that states,"Employees will be before they are terminated, Mary maintained that she was never officially warned as required. Management replied that Mary was well officially warned as required. Mary was well aware of their absentee problem but that warning her would have served no purpose since she was unable to prevent her continued illnesses from occurring. Additionally, her refusal to work overtime on Saturday was a further indication of her lack of concern for her job or the welfare of the company.
Questions
1. What role, if any, should Mary's past work record play in this case? Explain your answer.
2. Does management have a right to know why employees refuse to work overtime? Why or why not.
3. Evaluate the arguments of Mary Schwartz and management in this case.
4. You were a member of the company's peer-review complaint committee, how would you vote in this case? What facts would cause you to vote this way?
Part -3:
What is the quality of the work/life environment in your company? The following survey provided by the Work and family Connection will help provide a case analysis " of the climate in your organization. Answers to the twenty questions will provide clear insights about your company's position in the work/life area.
Agree or Disagree with the Following Statements:
1. My manager/supervisor treats my work/life needs with sensitivity.
2. It is usually easy for me to manage the demands of both work and home life.
3. My career path at this company is limited because of the pressure of home life demands.
4. My job at this company keeps me from maintaining the quality of life I want.
5. My manager/supervisor is supportive when home life issues interfere With work.
6. My manager/supervisor focuses on results, rather than the time I am at my desk.
7. My manager/supervisor has a good understanding of flexible work hour practices.
8. If I requested a flexible work arrangement, my manager/supervisor would support me.
9. My manager/supervisor is often inflexible or insensitive about my personal needs.
10. I believe my manager/supervisor treats me with respect.
11. My manager/supervisor allows me informal flexibility as long as I get the job done.
12. My manager/supervisor tends to treat us like children.
13. My manager/supervisor seldom gives me praise or recognition for the work I do.
14. My manager/supervisor seems to care about me as a person.
15. I would recommend this company to others.
16. The work I do is not all that important to this company's success.
17. If I could find another job with better pay, I would leave this organization.
18. If I could find another job where I would be treated with respect, I would take it.
19. If I could find another job where I could have more flexibility, I would take it.
20. I am totally committed to this company.
Part -4:
Katie Perkins's career objective while attending Rockford State College was to a degree in small business management and to start her own business after graduation. Her ultimate desire was to combine her love of sports and a strong interest in marketing to start a mail-order golf equipment business aimed specifically at beginning golfers.
In February 2003, after extensive development of a strategic business plan and a loan in the amount of $75,000 from the Small Business Administration, Performance Sports was begun. Based on a marketing plan that stressed fast delivery, error-free customer service, and large discount pricing, Performance Sports grew rapidly. At present the company employs sixteen people: eight customer service representatives earning between $11.25 and $13.50 per hour; four shipping and receiving associates paid between $8.50 and $9.50 per hour; two clerical employees each earning $8.25 per hour; an assistant manager earning $15.25 per hour; and a general manager with a wage of $16.75 per hour. Both the manager and assistant manager are former customer service representatives.
Perkins intends to create a new managerial position, purchasing agent, to handle the complex duties of purchasing golf equipment from the company's numerous equipment manufacturers. Also, the mail-order catalog will be expanded to handle a complete line of tennis equipment. Since the position of purchasing agent is new, Perkins is not sure how much to pay this person. She wants to employ an individual with five to eight years of experience in sports equipment purchasing.
While attending an equipment manufacturers' convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, Perkins learns that a competitor, East Valley Sports, pays its customer service representatives on a pay-for-performance basis. Intrigued by this compensation philosophy, Perkins asks her assistant manager, George Balkin, to research the pros and cons of this payment strategy. This request has become a priority because only last week two customer service representatives expressed dissatisfaction with their hourly wage. Both complained that they felt underpaid relative to the large amount of sales revenue each generates for the company.
Questions
1. What factors should Perkins and Balkin consider when setting the wage for the purchasing agent position? What resources are available for them to consult when establishing this wage?
2. Suggest advantages and disadvantages of a pay-for-performance policy for Performance Sports.
3. Suggest a new payment plan for the customer service representatives.