Management of Human Resources

Case A
A Chicago Loss
Windy City Core Supply, Inc. located outside Chicago, Illinois, buys used auto parts
and resells them to wholesalers. The company had grown to nine employees and
had annuals revenues more than $600,000. For the most part Windy City Core
was a solid small business. Its owners dealt with all the typical small business
issues and found ways to keep the business flourishing. Business was tough at
times, and to survive, employees had to do their work well. To help or guide them
workers received direction on what they needed to do and were evaluated on
how well they performed their work. One employee, Salvador Tapia, however had
some difficulties. He was a poor performer and often late for work. After a time,
when the owners had seen no improvement in Salvador’s performance, they
terminated his employment.
For months after his termination, Tapia called the organization at times making
threats. He wanted his job back and believed the company should not have fired
him. Although it was apparent that he was upset, no one in the company did
anything special about his threatening phone calls. No employee who had heard
the threats contacted local authorities about the calls. Most believed he was
merely upset and venturing his dissatisfaction. That perception quickly changed
on the morning of August 27, 2003, when Salvador entered the building armed
with a .380 caliber automatic handgun, opened fire, and killed six of the nine
employees before he was killed in a police shootout.
A tragedy like this in corporate America raises important questions. How could
such an event happen? What drove this employee to return to his former place of
employment and kill nearly everyone inside? One local leader asked “how” the
man was fired. Was the shop-floor maze of engine parts, 55- gallon drums, crates
and steel containers that permitted only one way in and one way out a factor in
so many employees being killed? Or the fact that the company failed to contact
authorities? The shooter Salvador was not unknown to law enforcement
authorities. He had been arrested a dozen times in the past 14 years for domestic
violence, gun possession and driving offenses.
Questions:-

1. You are an owner who survived this disaster. What would you do, from a
human resource management perspective, given the tragedy that has taken place
at your work site? (8)
2. What implications do proper selection and background checks hold for this
case? (8)
3. Do you believe safety hazards- such as limited access given the clutter on the
shop floor- had any effect on this case? Why or why not?
(9)

Case B
Management is Always Right
Mr. Kalyan is a Branch Manager of Micro Credit Bank at one of its village
branches. His staff included two clerks and an attendant. Very often Mr. Kalyan
was left alone in the bank after 5 p.m. to tally accounts day books and complete
all other formalities.
On the 31st Ashadh Mr. Kalyan was working till past 1 a.m. tallying the accounts
since hardly one day is left for closing the accounts for the year. On this fateful
night, the branch manager was attacked by a band of robbers who looted Rs. 5
lakhs after brutally wounding Mr. Kalyan’s right hand which had to be amputated
(cut off) later. After his recovery the branch manager applied for compensation.
The branch management was of the opinion that Mr. Kalyan violated the job
description by working beyond the stipulated hours of work. He, in their views
was not entitled to any compensation as the accident occurred during non-
employment hours. They also called for an explanation as to why the amount lost
cannot be recovered from his salary and provident fund.
Questions :-

1. How do you justify the bank’s stand in this case? (8)

2. What are the simple mistakes that Kalyan has done? (8)
3. What modifications do you suggest in job description to overcome such
incidents in future? (9)