1. This case was based on Bruce Einhorn, “The Shanghai Scramble,” BusinessWeek (August 20, 2007): 53; Bruce Einhorn, “Selling Cisco to China’s Tech Talent Pool,” BusinessWeek Online (September 18, 2007): 23. A recent study of successful mid- and senior-level executives in China provides additional insights into developing high-performing leaders in emerging markets. See: Jean Lee, “Emerging Need,” MIT Sloan Management Review, May 24, 2010, http://sloanreview.mit.edu; Rachel Silverman and Lauren Weber, “An Inside Job: More Firms Opt to Recruit from Within,” Wall Street Journal, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303395604577434563715828218.html?mod=WSJ_-qtnews_wsjlatest, last updated May 29, 2012; Rolfe Winkler, “Riding with the Cisco Kid,” Wall Street Journal, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304543904577396294061180960.html?mod=WSJ_qtnews_wsjlatest, last updated May 12, 2012.

2. For a leading study demonstrating the value of human resources for organizational performance, see: T. R. Crook, S. Y. Todd, J. G. Combs, D. J. Woehr, and D. J. Ketchen, “Does Human Capital Matter? A Meta-Analysis of the Relationship Between Human Capital and Firm Performance,” Journal of Applied Psychology 96, no. 3 (2011): 443–456. See also: R. E. Ployhart and T. P. Moliterno, “Emergence of the Human Capital Resource: A Multilevel Model,” Academy of Management Review 36 (2011): 127–150.

3. To see how the performance of these steps can be shared in an organization, see: Brenda Paik Sunoo, “Growing Without an HR Department,” Workforce 77, no. 1 (January 1998): 16–17. For a review of effective recruitment techniques, see; Daniel Bates, “Do You Have Great People?: Roadshow Recruitment,” SBN Pittsburgh 7, no. 10 (February 1, 2001): 32.

4. For a look at job descriptions, see: Jeff Archer, “New Job Description?” Education Week 22 (2003): 18. For another view, see: Man-Ki Yoon, Chang-Gun Lee, and Junghee Han, “Migrating from Per-Job Analysis to Per-Resource Analysis for Tighter Bounds of End-to-End Response Times,” IEEE Transactions on Computers 59, no. 7 (July 2010): 933–942.

5. Bruce Shawkey, “Job Descriptions,” Credit Union Executive 29 (Winter 1989–1990): 20–23; Howard D. Feldman, “Why Are Similar Managerial Jobs So Different?” Review of Business 11 (Winter 1989): 15–22.

6. “Job Analysis,” Bureau of Intergovernmental Personnel Programs (December 1973): 135–152. For a better understanding of how internships help applicants learn about a job, see: H. Zhao and R. C. Liden, “Internship: A Recruitment and Selection Perspective,” Journal of Applied Psychology 96, no. 1 (2011): 221–229. For an excellent review of research on employee recruitment, see: J. A. Breaugh, “Employee Recruitment,” Annual Review of Psychology 64 (2013): 389–416.

7. Bob Gatewood, Hubert Feild, and Murray Barrick, Human Resource Selection (Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2010), 307–332. To better understand how potential employees view the recruitment process, see: H. J. Walker, T. N. Bauer, M. S. Cole, J. B. Bernerth, H. S. Feild, and J. C. Short, “Is This How I Will Be Treated? Reducing Uncertainty Through Recruitment Interactions,” Academy of Management Journal 56 (2013): 1325–1347.

8. Fred K. Foulkes, “How Top Nonunion Companies Manage Employees,” Harvard Business Review (September/October 1981): 90.

9. Walter S. Wikstrom, “Developing Managerial Competence: Concepts, Emerging Practices,” Studies in Personnel Policy (National Industrial Conference Board), no. 189 (1964): 95–105.

10. Robert Kleinsorge, “Expanding the Role of Succession Planning,” T + D 64, no. 4 (April 2010): 66–69.

11. K. Kearsley, “Firm Shares Tips for Succession Planning,” Wall Street Journal, January 24, 2014, http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303947904579340522630841530, accessed February 15, 2014.

12. Patricia Panchak, “Resourceful Software Boosts HR Efficiency,” Modern Office Technology 35 (April 1990): 76–80.

13. James Temple, “Alliance to Boost Startups, Hire More Grads,” SFGate.com, February 24, 2010, http://articles.sfgate.com.

14. Joann S. Lublin, “‘Pink Quotas’ Alter Europe’s Boards,” Wall Street Journal, September 11, 2012, http://online.wsj.com; European Parliament, “Women on Company Boards: Go for 40% of Non-Executive Posts by 2020, Urge MEPs,” news release, October 14, 2013, http://www.europarl.europa.eu; Stephanie Bodoni, “EU Plan for 40 Percent Quota of Women on Boards Gets Win,” Bloomberg News, November 20, 2013, http://www.bloomberg.com.

15. For an overview of the EEOC guidelines, see: “Facts about Discrimination in Federal Government Employment Based on Marital Status, Political Affiliation, Status as a Parent, Sexual Orientation, or Transgender (Gender Identity) Status,” http://www.eeoc.gov/federal/otherprotections.cfm, accessed February 20, 2014.

16. For issues regarding affirmative action, see: Glenn Cook, “A Victory for Affirmative Action,” American School Board Journal 190 (2003): 7. For more information regarding the potential legal issues associated with discrimination, see: Richard A. Posthuma, Mark V. Roehling, and Michael A. Campion, “Applying U.S. Employment Discrimination Laws to International Employers: Advice for Scientists and Practitioners,” Personnel Psychology 59, no. 3 (2006): 705–739. For a history of employment discrimination, including affirmative action, see: Walter Vertreace, “Equal Employment Opportunity: Mission Accomplished, or Dream Deferred?” Black Collegian 40, no. 2 (January 2010): 57–60.

17. Ray H. Hodges, “Developing an Effective Affirmative Action Program,” Journal of Intergroup Relations 5 (November 1976): 13. For a discussion of EEOC operations, see: Ellen Rettig, “EEOC Gets Tough with Employers,” Indianapolis Business Journal 20, no. 46 (January 24, 2000): 1.

18. R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr., “From Affirmative Action to Affirming Diversity,” Harvard Business Review 68 (March/April 1990): 107–117. For an article supporting the notion of affirmative action, see: Albert R. Hunt, “A Persuasive Case for Affirmative Action,” Wall Street Journal, February 1, 2001, A23.

19. For a different view of generational differences among those entering the workforce, see: Jean M. Twenge, Stacy M. Campbell, Brian J. Hoffman, and Charles E. Lance, “Generational Differences in Work Values: Leisure and Extrinsic Values Increasing, Social and Intrinsic Values Decreasing,” Journal of Management, March 1, 2010, http://jom.sagepub.com.

20. For an extensive overview of research on selection, see: A. M. Ryan and R. E. Ployhart, “A Century of Selection,” Annual Review of Psychology 65 (2014): 693–717.

21. This section is based on Andrew F. Sikula, Personnel Administration and Human Resource Management (New York: Wiley, 1976), 188–190. For an overview of the potential errors involved with selection, see: Herman Aguinis and Marlene A. Smith, “Understanding the Impact of Test Validity and Bias on Selection Errors and Adverse Impact in Human Resource Selection,” Personnel Psychology 60, no. 1 (2007): 165–199.

22. For an example of an aptitude test for accident proneness, see: Hiroshi Matsuoka, “Development of a Short Test for Accident Proneness,” Perceptual and Motor Skills 85, no. 3 (December 1997): 903–906.

23. Daniel P. O’Meara, “Personality Tests Raise Questions of Legality and Effectiveness,” HR Magazine (January 1994): 97–100. See also: Joyce Hogan, Paul Barrett, and Robert Hogan, “Personality Measurement, Faking, and Employment Selection,” Journal of Applied Psychology 92, no. 5 (2007): 1270–1285. For a study on the value of personality test norms, see: Robert Tett, Jenna Fitzke, Patrick Wadlington, Scott Davies, Michael Anderson, and Jeff Foster, “The Use of Personality Test Norms in Work Settings: Effects of Sample Size and Relevance,” Journal of Occupational & Organizational Psychology 82, no. 3 (September 2009): 639–659.

24. Clive Fletcher, “Testing the Accuracy of Psychometric Measures,” People Management 3, no. 21 (October 23, 1997): 64–66. For a discussion of EEOC guidelines concerning appropriate pre-employment testing for Americans with disabilities, see; Melanie K. St. Clair and David W. Arnold, “Preemployment Screening: No More Test Stress,” Security Management (February 1995): 73.

25. Julie McCarthy, Coreen Hrabluik, and R. Blake Jelley, “Progression Through the Ranks: Assessing Employee Reactions to High-Stakes Employment Testing,” Personnel Psychology 62 (2009): 793–832.

26. David Littlefield, “Menu for Change at Novotel,” People Management (January 26, 1995): 34–36; Susan O. Hendricks and Susan E. Ogborn, “Supervisory and Managerial Assessment Centers in Health Care,” Health Care Supervisor 8 (April 1990): 65–75.

27. Barry M. Cohen, “Assessment Centers,” Supervisory Management (June 1975): 30. See also: Paul Taylor, “Seven Staff Selection Myths,” Management 45, no. 4 (May 1998): 61–65.

28. To examine the possible impact on inmates of assessment centers, see: Ralph Fretz, “New Jersey’s Assessment Centers Helping Inmates Take the Final Step Toward Release,” Corrections Today 64 (2002): 78.

29. A. M. Gibbons and D. E. Rupp, “Dimension Consistency as an Individual Difference: A New (Old) Perspective on the Assessment Center Construct Validity Debate,” Journal of Management 35 (2009): 1154–1180.

30. William Umiker and Thomas Conlin, “Assessing the Need for Supervisory Training: Use of Performance Appraisals,” Health Care Supervisor 8 (January 1990): 40–45. For a look at innovative training techniques, see: Rob Eure, “E-Commerce (A Special Report): The Classroom—On the Job: Corporate E-Learning Makes Training Available Anytime, Anywhere,” Wall Street Journal, March 12, 2001, R33.

31. Jim Schakenbach, “Employee Training Programs Show Signs of Improvement,” Mass High Tech, January 6, 2010, http://www.masshightech.com.

32. Bass and Vaughn, Training in Industry. For discussion on using technology to improve lecture effectiveness, see: “Switches Offer Classroom Control,” Computer Dealer News 14, no. 17 (May 4, 1998).

33. David Sutton, “Further Thoughts on Action Learning,” Journal of European Industrial Training 13 (1989): 32–35. For further information regarding the relationship between training and learning, see: Andrew Neal, Stuart T. Godley, Terry Kirkpatrick, and Graham Dewsnap, “An Examination of Learning Processes During Critical Incident Training: Implications for the Development of Adaptable Trainees,” Journal of Applied Psychology 91, no. 6 (2007): 1276–1291.

34. Garry Kranz, “It’s ‘Game On’ for Training in Virtual Worlds,” Workforce Management (May 2010): 4.

35. Stephen Evans, “Conduct CBT for a Non-Computer-Based Workforce,” Training, September 2013, EBSCOhost, http://web.ebscohost.com; Nancy Mann Jackson, “How to Take Advantage of Online Training Tools,” Entrepreneur, October 31, 2012, http://www.entrepreneur.com; BLR, “The Most Effective Training Techniques,” Training Today, n.d., http://trainingtoday.blr.com, accessed January 23, 2014; “Make the Case for Learning Online,” Industrial Safety and Hygiene News (January 2014): 22.

36. Anne Fisher, “Don’t Blow Your New Job,” Fortune (June 22, 1998): 159–162.

37. For an example of how training improves the effectiveness of consultants, see: F. Lievens and J. I. Sanchez, “Can Training Improve the Quality of Inferences Made by Raters in Competency Modeling? A Quasi-Experiment,” Journal of Applied Psychology 92, no. 3 (2007): 812–819.

38. Samuel C. Certo, “The Experiential Exercise Situation: A Comment on Instructional Role and Pedagogy Evaluation,” Academy of Management Review (July 1976): 113–116.

39. “Training Program’s Results Measured in Unique Way,” Supervision (February 1992): 18–19.

40. William Keenan, Jr., “Are You Overspending on Training?” Sales and Marketing Management 142 (January 1990): 56–60.

41. For a review of the literature linking performance appraisal and training needs, see: Glenn Herbert and Dennis Doverspike, “Performance Appraisal in the Training Needs Analysis Process: A Review and Critique,” Public Personnel Management (Fall 1990): 253–270. For a comprehensive review of research on performance appraisals, see: A. DeNisi and C. E. Smith, “Performance Appraisal, Performance Management, and Firm-Level Performance: A Review, a Proposed Model, and New Directions for Future Research,” The Academy of Management Annals (in press).

42. D. McGregor, “An Uneasy Look at Performance Appraisal,” Harvard Business Review (September/October 1972): 133–134. For a review of how performance appraisals vary internationally, see: H. Peretz and Y. Fried, “National Cultures, Performance Appraisal Practices, and Organizational Absenteeism and Turnover: A Study across 21 Countries,” Journal of Applied Psychology 97, no. 2 (2012): 448–459.

43. A “forced distribution” or “forced ranking” rating system was put in place at General Electric years ago, and its value has been the subject of some debate ever since. For the findings of a study of employees’ reactions to this methodology, see: Deidra J. Schleicher, “Rater Reactions to Forced Distribution Rating Systems,” Journal of Management 35, no. 4 (August 1, 2009): 899–927.

44. Suzanne Kapner, “Citi’s CEO Is Keeping Score,” Wall Street Journal, March 4, 2013, http://online.wsj.com; Jesse Solomon, “Citigroup Earnings: ‘A Tale of Two Citis,’” CNN Wire, January 16, 2014, Business Insights: Global, http://bi.galegroup.com; Tom Braithwaite, Camilla Hall, and Stephen Foley, “Shrunken Ambition,” Financial Times, December 19, 2013, Business Insights: Global, http://bi.galegroup.com.

45. For information regarding the role of documentation in handling performance appraisals, see: Brian Crawford, “Performance Appraisals: The Importance of Documentation,” Fire Engineering 156 (2003): 100; see also: Audrey Bland, “Motivate and Reward: Performance Appraisal and Incentive Systems for Business Success,” Human Resource Management Journal 14 (2004): 99–100.

46. Linda J. Segall, “KISS Appraisal Woes Goodbye,” Supervisory Management 34 (December 1989): 23–28. For an example of how appraisal systems work for not-for-profits (in this case, a police department), see: Victor M. Catano, Wendy Darr, and Catherine A. Campbell, “Performance Appraisal of Behavior-Based Competencies: A Reliable and Valid Procedure,” Personnel Psychology 60, no. 1 (2006): 201–230.

47. Robert M. Gerst, “Assessing Organizational Performance,” Quality Progress (February 1995): 85–88. For a better understanding of how employee turnover influences organizational performance, see: J. I. Hancock, D. G. Allen, F. A. Bosco, K. R. McDaniel, and C. A. Pierce, “Meta-Analytic Review of Employee Turnover as a Predictor of Firm Performance,” Journal of Management 39 (2013): 573–603.

48. Michael Myser, “Bosses Get a Helping Hand,” Business 2.0 8, no. 6 (July 2007): 31.

49. www.raisingcane.com.

50. Ibid.

51. Paul King, “Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers Seeing the Big Picture by Implementing a Vision,” Nation’s Restaurant News 37, no. 19 (2003): 56.

52. This exercise was based on the company’s website as well as on Jena McGregor, “Room & Board Plays Impossible to Get,” BusinessWeek (October 1, 2007): 80.