Alternate Work ArrangementsVarious alternative work arrangements exist for use in businesses and other types of organizations; included among the options are compressed work weeks, flexible work schedules, telecommuting, and job sharing. This case focuses on alternative work arrangements in general rather than on a particular one exclusively; however, telecommuting does receive additional attention.The case revolves around the potential advantages and disadvantages that are associated with alternative work arrangements, and the factors that are contributing to an increased use of various alternative work arrangements by employers. With respect to the various advantages and disadvantage that are identified in the case, the positives seem to outweigh the negatives. “Organizations that offer flexible working arrangements are, and will continue to be, employers of choice. ¼ Employees consistently rank flexible schedules high on their list of desired benefits; employers who are reluctant to offer these popular perks will find themselves falling short in the bidding wars for talent.” The case identifies three underlying factors that are driving the movement toward the increased utilization of alternative work arrangements in many different workplaces. These factors are: (a) the needs, desires, and expectations of workers for greater flexibility at work; (b) fuel costs and fuel consumption associated with commuting, and the related carbon footprint impact; and (c) the restrictive impact of the 2008-2009 economic recession on job opportunities.The case concludes by pointing out that many nations have experimented successfully with various flexible work programs and some countries have enacted legislation promoting alternative work arrangements. It then poses the question: “Will the United States government and American businesses be adequately prepared to meet future economic challenges, at least in part, by embracing the movement toward increasing use of alternative work arrangements?”Case Study - Alternative Work Arrangements: Possible Solution s for a Plethora of Problems?Alternative work arrangements, such as compressed work weeks, flexible work schedules, telecommuting, or job sharing, can have positive and negative consequences for employers and employees. In general, alternative work arrangements can generate beneficial outcomes, particularly for employers, such as “increased employee retention, loyalty and morale; higher productivity; improved recruiting of highly qualified workers; decreased employee tardiness and unscheduled absences; and maximum use of facilities and equipment.” On the employees’ side, telecommuting—one type of alternative work arrangement—has favorable effects on perceived autonomy, the resolution of work–family conflicts, job performance, job satisfaction, and the experience of stress. What is more, it does not harm perceived career prospects or the quality of workplace relationships. On the downside, however, are the ch.

1. Alternate Work ArrangementsVarious alternative work
arrangements exist for use in businesses and other types of
organizations; included among the options are compressed work
weeks, flexible work schedules, telecommuting, and job
sharing. This case focuses on alternative work arrangements in
general rather than on a particular one exclusively; however,
telecommuting does receive additional attention.The case
revolves around the potential advantages and disadvantages that
are associated with alternative work arrangements, and the
factors that are contributing to an increased use of various
alternative work arrangements by employers. With respect to
the various advantages and disadvantage that are identified in
the case, the positives seem to outweigh the negatives.
“Organizations that offer flexible working arrangements are,
and will continue to be, employers of choice. ¼ Employees
consistently rank flexible schedules high on their list of desired
benefits; employers who are reluctant to offer these popular
perks will find themselves falling short in the bidding wars for
talent.” The case identifies three underlying factors that are
driving the movement toward the increased utilization of
alternative work arrangements in many different workplaces.
These factors are: (a) the needs, desires, and expectations of
workers for greater flexibility at work; (b) fuel costs and fuel
consumption associated with commuting, and the related carbon
footprint impact; and (c) the restrictive impact of the 2008-2009
economic recession on job opportunities.The case concludes by
pointing out that many nations have experimented successfully
with various flexible work programs and some countries have
enacted legislation promoting alternative work arrangements. It
then poses the question: “Will the United States government and
American businesses be adequately prepared to meet future
economic challenges, at least in part, by embracing the
movement toward increasing use of alternative work
arrangements?”Case Study - Alternative Work Arrangements:
Possible

2. Solution
s for a Plethora of Problems?Alternative work arrangements,
such as compressed work weeks, flexible work schedules,
telecommuting, or job sharing, can have positive and negative
consequences for employers and employees. In general,
alternative work arrangements can generate beneficial
outcomes, particularly for employers, such as “increased
employee retention, loyalty and morale; higher productivity;
improved recruiting of highly qualified workers; decreased
employee tardiness and unscheduled absences; and maximum
use of facilities and equipment.” On the employees’ side,
telecommuting—one type of alternative work arrangement—has
favorable effects on perceived autonomy, the resolution of
work–family conflicts, job performance, job satisfaction, and
the experience of stress. What is more, it does not harm
perceived career prospects or the quality of workplace
relationships. On the downside, however, are the challenges
associated with making these programs work for both employer
and employees: handling issues regarding employee training,
work monitoring, and performance evaluation; maintaining lines
of communication with bosses and coworkers; and changing the
attitudes of managers who might be uncomfortable with

3. anything other than traditional working arrangements.On
balance the positives seem to outweigh the negatives.
“Organizations that offer flexible working arrangements are,
and will continue to be, employers of choice.¼ Employees
consistently rank flexible schedules high on their list of desired
benefits; employers who are reluctant to offer these popular
perks will find themselves falling short in the bidding wars for
talent.”Although alternative work arrangements can be highly
beneficial for both employers and employees, we need to ask
the question: “What seems to be the underlying factors that are
driving the movement toward the increased utilization of
alternative work arrangements in many different workplaces?”
One factor reflects the needs and desires of workers. “Many
people today are seeking flexibility at work. Parents ¼ may
want more time for family. Students hope to fit employment
into a busy class schedule. And some people look for work after
retirement. Whatever their situation, they’re not alone in
wanting a job that’s a better match for their lives.”Younger
workers and those nearing retirement age are two particular
segments of the workforce that can be meaningfully targeted by
employers offering various alternative work arrangements.
Younger workers are entering the workforce with different
expectations than previous generations of workers. Whereas
their parents were work-centric, most members of Generations
X and Y give priority to their personal lives; or at the very least

4. they desire to balance their work lives and personal lives. Sharif
Khan, vice-president of human resources at Microsoft Canada,
says, “Gen X and Gen Y are coming into the workplace with the
expectation that they’re going to be treated as individuals,
[who] ¼ want to be able to fit their life and their work together
comfortably, as opposed to focusing on work and dealing with
life after the fact.”Another important demographic group in the
workforce consists of those individuals nearing retirement.
“Baby Boomers are reaching retirement age. While many
Boomers may choose to stretch their retirement date based on
some combination of lifestyle choice and recent market
developments, many are opting for less-demanding positions or
reduced workloads.” “By 2020, 16 percent of the U.S.
population will be age 65 and over, up from 12 percent in 1999.
¼ Yet leaders of many organizations ignore aging workforce
issues despite the potential problems they see coming, and some
damage seems likely to occur before the issues receive
appropriate attention.” “[T]he size of the Baby Boomer
demographic group exceeds current graduating classes, and
replacing their experience will be a challenge for most
firms.”Increasingly, business and governmental organizations
are adopting alternative work arrangements for economic
reasons. For example, a May 2008 poll conducted by the Society
for Human Resource Management indicated that 18 percent of
responding organizations offered telecommuting in order to help

5. employees with rising fuel costs. Four months later, with fuel
prices continuing to soar, the percentage of organizations
offering the telecommuting option had risen to 40 percent. In
October 2008, when gasoline prices were peaking, Ann Bednarz,
writing in Network World, reported that “[g]as shortages in the
Southeast United States are prompting companies to consider
expanding their telework programs so employees can conserve
fuel. Other options workers are weighing include greater use of
carpools and public transit, along with alternative scheduling
arrangements such as four-day work weeks.”In addition to the
dramatic increase in fuel costs in the summer and autumn of
2008, concerns about global warming and long commutes have
fostered interest in alternative arrangements. Moreover, two
recession-related factors could lead more employees to seek out
long-distance telecommuting options for at least part of their
time on the job. First, the slow housing market limits people’s
ability to move to new jobs. Consequently, rather than
physically commuting a long distance for a new job, part-time,
long-distance telecommuting could be an option. Second, the
weak job market that has been caused by the recession appears
to be increasing the number of commuter marriages wherein the
spouses work in different cities. Here too, part-time, long-
distance telecommuting might be a viable option.Many nations
have experimented successfully with various flexible work
programs; and indeed, some countries have enacted laws to

6. make alternative work arrangements more accessible to
employees. Although the United States has not enacted such
legislation, the demographic and economic changes that are
occurring may result in alternative work arrangements laws that
“could play an important role in preparing the U.S. economy for
the future.”Will the U.S. government and American businesses
be adequately prepared to meet future economic challenges, at
least in part, by embracing the movement toward increasing use
of alternative work arrangements?This case was written by
Michael K. McCuddy, The Louis S. and Mary L. Morgal Chair
of Christian Business Ethics and Professor of Management,
College of Business Administration, Valparaiso University.In
your paper discuss the following questions with concepts from
the course:1. How can employees benefit from alternative work
arrangements? Why?2. What are some of the possible negative
outcomes for employers and/or employees regarding alternative
work arrangements? Please explain your answer.3. What types
of factors are influencing organizations to consider using
alternative work arrangements? Explain how alternative work
arrangements can address the problems/issues that are raised by
these factors.4. Should the availability of alternative work
arrangements to employees in the United States be mandated by
law? Why or why not?

7. Find the equation of the regression line for the given data. Then
construct a scatter plot of the data and draw the regression line (
Each pair of variables has a significant correlation) Then use
the regression equation to predict the value of y for each of the
given x values if meaningful. The caloric content and the
sodium content (in milligrams) for 6 beef hot dogs are shown in
the table below
Calories, x
Sodium, y
150
410
170
460
120
320
120
380
70
260
190
550
A) x= 160 B) x=80 C) x=130 D) x=200
Find the regression equation
^y = ?x + ( ? )

8. A) Predict the value of y for x=160
a) 534, 238 b) 381, 258 c) 543 238 d) not meaningful
B) Predict the value of y for x=80
a) 450, 768 b) 265 558 c) 381 258 d) not meaningful
C) Predict the value for y for x = 130
a) 450 678 b) 265 558 c) 381 258 d) not meaning ful