Carefully review the case study and answer the related questions. Make sure to maintain APA format as you complete your answers–view the APA Tutorial in the Webliography for instructions on APA formatting. Submit to the Dropbox during Week 11. The minimum word count for the Final Case Study is 1000 words.

CASE STUDY A 

INTRODUCTION 

Analyze the following case from a communication perspective. Pay careful attention to concepts such as gender, roles, family-of-origin, cultural norms, rituals and patterns. 

BLENDING RELATIONSHIPS: MANAGING COMPETING LOYALTIES 
Rachel Ruan & Courtney Waite, Northwestern University 

Aaron and Helene, a young couple in their 20s, recently became engaged. They met their freshmen year of college at Washington University and dated four years before getting engaged. Aaron and Helene had a wonderful time in college together and rarely spent time apart. They seemed to agree on everything and both knew each other was “the one” for several years before Aaron proposed. They acted like a married couple already but both thought it was more sensible to wait until after graduation to get married. There are not many married couples at Washington! 

Washington University was a good distance from both Aaron and Helene’s families and as a result, neither had a chance to visit each other’s home or spend more than a few hours at a time with each other’s parents. The only time spent with family was an occasional dinner out when their families would come to visit for a big football game or Parents Weekend. The family dinners always went smoothly and were not at all unpleasant. 

Helene shared a particularly warm relationship with Aaron’s father, Ed. Ed always went out of his way to make Helene feel accepted and at ease. He showed a strong interest in her pursuits and was always eager to hear stories about what was going on in her life. Conversely, it wasn’t unusual for some tension to arise between Helene and Aaron’s mother, Jill. Helene consistently felt as though Jill was very controlling of Aaron and could be overbearing with her opinions at times. Jill had very strong opinions as to what she expected for her son and was uninhibited when it came to sharing those opinions. Helene noticed this behavior and it became something that she disliked about Jill. 

However, when Helene voiced her concerns to Aaron, he often discounted them and claimed, “If you could spend more time with my mother you would see that she has very good intentions and is very fond of you.” After some reassurance from Aaron, Helene would conclude that Aaron was right; Helene had only spent a handful of nights with Jill and maybe just did not understand her personality yet. Besides, Jill usually refrained from sharing negative opinions regarding Helene. 

There have been instances, however, when Jill has shared some of her negative opinions regarding Helene or her ideas. For example, during the second family dinner Helene had with Aaron’s parents, Helene expressed to Jill her sincere interest in attending law school following college graduation. Jill immediately responded, “Helene, are you smart enough to go to law school?” Helene was so hurt and shocked by Jill’s comment that she has had a difficult time forgiving Jill for implying that she did not have the intelligence to pursue her goals. When Helene tried to discuss this comment with Aaron, Aaron brushed off the remark saying, “It was only a joke – you cannot take anything my mom says too seriously.” Still, Helene could not get over the hurt of this comment or the fact that Aaron was not more willing to stick up for her when Jill upset her. After all, Helene was on the Dean’s List. 

During the course of Aaron and Helene’s relationship, Jill hurt Helene’s feelings several other times in similar ways. Each time Aaron did not say anything to challenge his mother’s remarks. He either pretended not to hear or tried to change the subject to a friendlier topic. However, these instances greatly upset Helene and she had a very difficult time overcoming her feelings of hurt and anger toward Jill. If Helene were braver and was not taught so strictly never to contradict adults, she might have confronted Jill. But she just could not bring herself to do it. Helene finds Jill to be intimidating and is afraid of what might happen if she tries to discuss her feelings with her. Instead, Helene repeatedly raises the issue with Aaron looking for some sort of resolution or closure. Each time Jill upsets Helene, Helene repeats to Aaron every negative thing Jill has ever said to her and becomes upset about each one all over again. During these conversations, Aaron remains very neutral. He says he understands how Helene feels and that maybe his mother should not have said some of the things she said, but insists that she “means very well and would never intentionally say or do anything to intentionally hurt you.” Aaron also points out that his mother has three brothers and was the only girl in her family and now has two sons of her own and no daughters. Aaron defends his mom saying that she does not have any experience with girls and has always put up a tough exterior as a way to better relate to the males in her life. 

Since Helene and Aaron became engaged, Helene’s negative feelings toward Jill have only intensified. When Helene and Aaron were only dating, Jill’s controlling behavior was aimed solely at Aaron. Now Jill is trying to control many aspects of the wedding plans and Helene and Aaron’s plans for the future. 

For example, one week after Aaron and Helene announced their engagement, Helene’s parents invited Aaron’s parents to a dinner party to celebrate Aaron and Helene’s engagement. Ten minutes into the evening, Jill announced that Helene and Aaron would be evenly splitting holidays with their families and that Helene’s family should not expect Aaron and Helene this Christmas. Helene was very embarrassed by Jill’s comment and was glad when her mother graciously replied that it is difficult when children grow up and begin to have their own lives and new traditions. Jill replied, “I hate Thanksgiving. You can have them then. I get every Christmas.” Luckily Ed changed the subject for the time being, but Christmas plans were never resolved between Helene and Aaron. Aaron kept telling Helene they would worry about it later. Aaron knows that Christmas is Helene’s favorite holiday and it would be very difficult for her to spend it away from her family, especially every year. He knows that he will have to work out a compromise between Helene and Jill, but is reluctant to go against his mother’s wishes and realizes that his mother will lay on a terrible guilt trip at a mere mention of the possibility that Aaron and Helene may not be at his home for Christmas. 

As the wedding date draws closer, Jill repeatedly reminds Helene and her family of how instrumental she was in planning Aaron’s older brother’s wedding and hopes she will be just as big of a part in Aaron’s wedding. She says that it is okay “if she does not have that role” in Aaron and Helene’s wedding but it is clear she truly expects to be a part of all of the planning. One particularly contentious issue is Jill’s desire to have her niece, who is a student of opera at a nearby community college, sing during several points during the ceremony. Helene prefers to have instrumental accompaniment but did not have a chance to make her desire clear to Jill before Jill asked her niece to sing in the wedding. Helene was furious and informed Jill that she and Aaron were planning to have a string quartet and had already made the necessary arrangements. At this point, the argument escalated: 

JILL: Since I knew that you wanted an intimate family wedding, I assumed that you might actually want to include your new family. 

HELENE: Yes, I want my family and new family all in attendance, but I have certain expectations for the ceremony and they don’t include a novice opera singer who I have yet to meet. Besides, Aaron and I discussed how special and lovely a string quartet would be. 

JILL: Aaron, is this true? I thought that you and I were on the same page and thought it would be best to have family involved in the wedding. Maybe you two should just go to a Justice of the Peace. 

AARON: I think that family should be there and I told you that Cousin Christie’s singing is very nice but a string quartet would be great too…(Helene then storms out of the room leaving Jill and Aaron together.) 

JILL: Is that how she always reacts to a little disagreement? 

AARON: Mom, I think that she is very stressed and has a lot on her mind right now. Don’t take it personally; she just has a lot on her plate. I’m going to go talk to her and smooth things out. (Aaron leaves to go find Helene.) 

HELENE: How could you do that to me?! We had a very long conversation about how beautiful it would be to have a string quartet. We specifically agreed that that would be a part of the wedding and now for some reason you act as though that conversation never took place. Can’t you be a man and stand up to your Mom and just tell her that you don’t want Christie to sing? Would it be impossible for you to stand up to her for once? 

AARON: Well, what do you want me to say? Do you really want me to have my Mom go to Christie and tell her that she is no longer in the wedding? I don’t know if I can do that. I want to make you happy but I think that you are overreacting. 

HELENE: Is this how it is always going to be with us? Are you always going to side with your mother and never stand up for me or the decisions we make together? I can’t stand living like this. 

QUESTIONS FOR CASE STUDY A 

1. Which of Gottman’s couple types best describes the relationship between Helene and Aaron and Jill? Explain. 

2. How does the first interaction between Helene and Aaron and Jill differ from their second interaction? 

3. What are the first indications of trouble between Helene and Aaron and Jill? Cite specific examples from their interactions. 

4. How do Helene and Aaron and Jill exhibit contempt for one another? Cite specific examples from their interactions and reference common signs of contempt within their interactions. 

5. How do Helene and Aaron and Jill exhibit defensiveness? Cite specific examples from their interactions and reference common types of defensive behavior within their interactions. 

6. What are the two primary explanations for the physiological differences between the sexes? Do Helene and Aaron and Jill exhibit these physiological differences? 

7. Which pieces of Gottman’s advice for volatile couples would be helpful to Helene and Aaron and Jill? Why? 

8. Which pieces of Gottman’s advice for productive disagreements would be particularly useful for Helene and Aaron and Jill? Explain. 

In this assignment, use the information from the previous unit’s Individual Project to create an expanded worksheet with a summary area and a chart showing this summary area.

 

Open your old Unit 4 IP assignment, and save it as “Expense Report 3” in your working folder on your computer.

In this exercise, you are going to create a chart showing the expenses in the categories listed below. You first need to calculate the data in a summary section of your spreadsheet. The data in the summary section will be used to create the chart.

First, in cells O16–O21, enter the following labels (headers): “Summary,” “Travel,” “Meals,” “Entertain,” “Phone,” and “Other.” Do not include the quotes when entering the labels in your worksheet.

Cells P17–P21 will hold the data you will calculate to get the total expense for each category. For example, if you went on a business trip, you would need to enter the amount you spent on travel in one cell, the amount you spent on meals in another cell, and so on. Then, you would use the Sum function to get a total of your expenses for the trip. Put the totals for each category next to the labels you have created. These formulas go in cells P17–P21.

For Travel, include expenses for Ground, Air, Lodging, and Mileage $. Be sure to only include dollars in your formula. Enter the formula in cell P17.

For Meals, include expenses for Brkfast, Lunch, and Dinner. Enter the formula in cell P18.

Do the same for Meals, Entertain, and Other. If a category does not require the addition of one or more totals, do not use Sum or any other built-in functions. Use cell references for the data rather than entering the actual amount for each category.

Finally, in cell P22, enter a function to show the total of cells P17–P21.

After selecting the range O17-P21, create a pie chart to show the graphical representation of the expenses, using the figure below as a guide. Move the chart on its own chart sheet named “Pie Chart.” Include category names and percentages for data labels on your chart. Using the O17: P21 range will include your data labels and the data series to be charted.

Add line callouts as shown in the figure. (Click the Insert menu and then the Shapes icon)

Travel consists of Air + Ground + Lodging + Mileage $.

Meals consist of Brkfast + Lunch + Dinner.

Rename the sheet tab for the data spreadsheet as “Expense Report.”

Save your final report as your “First initial Last name Expense Report 4.” Example: J Doe Expense Report 4.

Submit your report.

 

 

 

 

 

Course Project: Recruiting, Hiring, Evaluating, and Compensating HRM590 HR590

Objective | Grading Rubrics | Guidelines | Best Practices

Objective

The final project consists of an accumulation of information throughout the previous seven weeks, which you begin compiling in your Written Assignments 1 and 2 (see details below). Your final paper will be based on these previous assignments, feedback provided, and a final product that you would deliver and review with your HRM leadership team and employee(s). I encourage you to read through all the assignments to understand the complete process expectations. Your role in creating these assignments is that of an HRM manager. 

Grading Rubrics

Assignment 1: Job Analysis – Due Week 3

Purpose: To create a new job description for a new position in the human resource department. This will require conducting a job analysis and writing a job description. The job will provide administrative support to a 10-employee HRM office. Incumbent will also act as department receptionist. Some duties include maintaining personnel files, performing all administrative functions for the office personnel, assisting the public and employees with personnel questions, following company policy when dispensing information, reviewing and processing forms for personnel changes, monitoring staff time and payroll items, handling director’s calendar, handling office mail, filing, typing as requested, answering phones, and other duties as assigned.

Written Assignment #2: Recruiting/Selection – Due Week 5

Purpose: Now that you have a job created, you need to find someone to fill that job. The purpose of this assignment is to outline a recruitment plan to find a candidate to fill your new job opening. Once you’ve identified your recruitment pool, you then need to determine how you will select the best candidate. Then, after your candidate has been on the job for a year, she needs a performance evaluation.

Final Course Project Submission: Compensation Decisions – Due Week 7

Purpose: In Weeks 3 and 5, you submitted information to help you in completing the final project. Feedback was provided to assist you in maximizing points earned on this final paper. To properly complete this final project, you must include the feedback provided to apply to this final paper. The purpose of this assignment is to apply your critical thinking skills in completing the employee process from job analysis to compensation based on performance. You are now going to make compensation decisions.

Guidelines

A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the following requirements. Reference the Grading Rubrics section for each assignment’s specific point distributions. These assignments will be graded on the following criteria:

• paper follows instructions as outlined;
• paper has topical flow with like subjects in each paragraph;
• paragraph transitions are present and logical;
• quality of research topic, quality of paper information;
• proper use of citations;
• proper grammar; punctuation, spelling, etc.;
• page count follows guidelines;
• sentences are complete, clear, and concise;
• writing style follows appropriate graduate college level writing;
• paper content is thorough, and information included is relevant and provides depth and clarity of theories as well as theory application;
• all key elements of the assignment are covered in a substantive way;
• concepts are reviewed clearly, supported by specific details (examples or analysis);
• there is correct use of vocabulary and theory;

Best Practices

• Include all aspects of the assignment criteria outlined.
• Use 12-point font (Arial, Times New Roman), double spaced, and 1” margins as a standard format.
• Do not include extra lines between paragraphs, etc.
• There should be theory used in each assignment as outlined. 
• Keller Graduate School (DeVry University) policies are in effect including the plagiarism policy; cite in text when quoting (copying information word for word) or using words/thoughts that are not your own.
• Submit assignments in Word documents and templates provided only to the dropbox by the due date.
• All papers should have a separate title page, which includes name, paper title, and university.
• Paper should have topical flow with like subjects in each paragraph. 
• Proofread your papers before submitting. Spell check is not foolproof.
• There should be minimal copied information (<5%); this just teaches you how to copy and paste. Use critical thinking skills to understand the material researched.
• Papers should be third person.
• Academic writing is a formal writing style, sharing information and facts (theory).
• Fully describe the concepts and theories; what does the information mean? If you make a statement such as, “All people who break the law should improve their communication skills to stay out of jail,” you mustsubstantiate that statement. If that statement is not your own thought or is a statistic, cite it. If it is your opinion, state that and explain what led to that conclusion. Provide enough information to validate and explain statements.

Attention, please! For Discussion Topics 8-10, we are to go a little beyond our required course materials and you can do EITHER of the following:

1. Discuss one of our reference books The Panda and Monkey King Christmas–A Family’s Year in China by Nelly M. Case & Stephen F. Ledoux. [Available in SUNY Canton’s Southworth Library] Dr. Ledoux is a SUNY Canton’s professor who has been to China several times teaching at Xi’an Foreign Language University (currently known as Xi’an International Studies University) and traveling extensively around China; therefore, the book he co-authored has proved to be a good resource which you may find experientially closer to you Americans than the other texts we use. Hopefully, Dr. Ledoux will have the time to join our discussion. But, if not, you can probably pay a visit to him at FOB 312 or give him a call at 386-7423 at his convenience. To help you better understand the book, your instructor has prepared a booklet of “Study Questions, “which you can click to download for reference. For Topic 8, let’s just focus our discussion on the topic: How can this book help you if you get to plan a trip to China?
2. In case you live off campus and have no access to the college library, read this article about “Education in China“ at the official website of the Chinese Ministry of Education (http://en.moe.gov.cn) and share with us your thoughts, insights, comments, or questions, criticisms, constructive suggestions, etc. 

Show references

week 7 Assignment 3 Teamwork and Motivation

Imagine that you are the owner of a small manufacturing
company. Your company manufactures a commodity, widgets.
Your widget is a clone of a nationally known widget. Your
companys widget, WooWoo, is less expensive and more
readily available than the nationally known brand. Presently,
the sales are high; however, there are many defects, which
increase your costs and delays delivery. Your company has fifty
(50) employees in the following departments: sales, assembly,
technology, and administration.
Write a five to six (5-6) page paper in which you:
1. Design an organization motivation plan that encourages:
a. high job satisfaction
b. low turnover
c. high productivity
d. high-quality work
2. Propose two (2) methods to motivate all of the employees in
the organization. Rate these methods in order of importance.
3. Propose three (3) ways to motivate the minimum wage
service worker. Support your suggestions with a motivation
theory.
4. Analyze the relevance of the individual worker in todays
organizational context.
5. Re-create and complete the following Individual Work to
Teamwork chart using Microsoft Office or an equivalent such as
OpenOffice.
The left-hand column is filled with terms that describe an
individual worker. Fill in the right-hand column with descriptive
terms that suggest the desired change in behavior from
individual work to teamwork. Use Chapter 8 as a reference.
Note: The graphically depicted solution is not included in the
required page length.
Individual Work to Teamwork
INDIVIDUAL WORKER
Talks
Me oriented
Department focused
Competitive
Logical

TEAM MEMBER (change in behavior from
individual to team member)

Written messages
Image
Secrecy
Short-term sighted
Immediate results
Critical
Tenure

6. Use at least three (3) quality academic resources in this
assignment. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify
as academic resources.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font
(size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and
references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check
with your professor for any additional instructions.

Include a cover page containing the title of the
assignment, the students name, the professors name, the
course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference
page are not included in the required assignment page length.