INTRODUCTION
Understanding your preferences for various job characteristics can help you assess your match to working in an organization that implements certain competitive business strategies. This application will present you with a brief description of three generic competitive business strategies. You will also be asked to take a survey that contains a series of statements about your personal preferences for a variety of job characteristics. After you take and score the survey responses you will be provided with feedback that indicates how good a "match" there is between your preferences and an organization that employs a particular competitive business strategy. Issues related to the strategic management of human resources are discussed in Chapter 6 of French's Human Resource Management, 4th ed.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Having successfully completed this application, you will be able to:

• Understand your preferences for a variety of job characteristics.
• Identify and explain the three generic competitive strategies.
• Explain how your preferences for certain job characteristics are related to the three competitive strategies.

ANSWERS TO ASESSMENT QUESTIONS

Question 1: What are the main differences in job characteristics for a cost leadership strategy versus those for a differentiation strategy?
Question 2: If a person exhibits the preferences or characteristics listed below, which generic competitive strategy would they most likely have the best match? Hint: To answer this question correctly, review the responses for each statement in the survey.

• Prefers not to work for an organization where change is occurring.
• Prefers a job where his/her tasks don't change.
• Thinks of creative solution to problems.
• Enjoys a job with an intermediate term focus on planning to achieve goals.
• Occasionally enjoys working with others.
• Prefers a job where there is a high concern for quality.
• Prefers a job where there is a moderate concern for quantity.
• Prefers a job that requires a moderate concern for process.
• Prefers a job where there is high, rather than low, responsibility.
• Is moderately flexible to change.
• Has a moderate tolerance for a vague or ambiguous work environment.
• Prefers a job that requires a moderate application of skill.
• Prefers a job where his/her involvement in decision making is high.

Question 3: Based on your survey results, for which generic competitive strategy did you exhibit the highest preference? Do you agree with the survey results? Explain.