Students: Please be sure to review the following scenario prior to June 11, since it will prove of great help when we discuss our 1-5 Modules in your teams. The mini-review that contains short questions at the end be sure you feel comfortable answering each type of question.
Mini Review 1
Managers and HR Professionals at Sands Corporation:
Friends or Foes?
Sands Corporation is a medium-sized company located in the Midwest. It manufactures specialized computer equipment used in cars, serving as a subcontractor to several automobile manufacturers as well as to the military. Federal contracts are an important part of Sands’ total sales. In 1965 the firm had 130 employees. At that time, the personnel department had a full-time director (who was a high school graduate) and a part-time clerk. The department was responsible for maintaining files, placing recruitment ads in the newspaper at management’s request, processing employment applications and payroll, answering phones, and handling other routine administrative tasks. Managers and supervisors were responsible for most personnel matters, including whom to hire, whom to promote, whom to fire, and whom to train. Today Sands employs 700 people. Personnel, now called the human resources department, has a full-time director with a master’s degree in industrial relations, three specialists (with appropriate college degrees and certifications: one in compensation, one in staffing, and one in training and development), and four personnel assistants. Sands’ top management believes that a strong HR department with a highly qualified staff can do a better job of handling most personnel matters than line supervisors can. It is also convinced that a good HR department can keep line managers from inadvertently creating costly legal problems. One of Sands’ competitors recently lost a
