Research Highlight
In This Issue
Call Center Performance:  How HR
1 Call Center Performance
Practices Lead To Higher Service 2 Wachovia
Quality and Net Revenues HR Company Profile3 Alcoa Grant for HR Students
Some companies view call centers rewards are associated with better 4 Spring Sponsor Meetings
as a necessary cost.  However, their quality or prod u c t i v i t y, few have
strategic role in generating customer demonstrated these effects, net of labor 6 New HR Professor
loyalty and profitability is highlighted and operating costs.  Second, it shows 7 Save the Date
in a recent study by Rosemary Batt the importance of maintaining quality 8 In the News
and Lisa M. Moynihan of Cornell’s service when competing in mass
ILR school.  “Human resource consumer markets.  “Even in price- 9 New CAHRS IWS News Service
practices that enhance employee conscious markets, competing on the 10 CAHRS Events Calendar
skills, discretion, and motivation lead basis of quality customer service pays
to better service quality and labor off,” says Batt, “because HR practices
efficiency,” says Batt.  “These allow employees to provide better
operational improvements, in turn, service, and this in turn, leads to higher percent of their time simultaneously
lead to higher net revenue generation net revenues.   handling incoming calls and
Based on an analysis of 64 manipulating databases of
mass market call centers at a customer information while
large telecommunications being under on-going
services company, the multi- surveillance through
year research included three electronic monitoring
phases: site visits to fifteen systems.  Average customer
call centers to gather interaction time was eight
preliminary information; minutes.  However, because
surveying a random sample of they are covered by a union
1,243 customer service contract, they have longer
representatives and their average tenure (5.9 years)
supervisors, and collecting than the typical call center
company archival data on worker and higher average
economic performance.    The customer service compensation ($42,514).
This study goes beyond prior representatives in this study resemble To measure organizational
research on strategic human resource the U.S. call center workforce in performance, the researchers
management in two ways.  First, it uses several ways.  They are primarily examined call handling time, revenues
company archival data to take female, have some college education, per call, costs per call, and service
operational costs into account.  While and are in their late twenties to early quality data during the study’s time
many studies have shown that HR forties in age.   They hold stressful p e r i od.  Service quality was measured
investments in skills, discretion, and jobs, spending approximately 85 by an outside vendor who surveyed
customers about their satisfaction with
employees’ understanding of customer
needs, ability and willingness to
handle requests, efficient call
Continued on Page Ten
P A G E  0 N E www.ilr.cornell.edu/cahrs/
HR Company Profile
Wachovia
Wachovia Corporation, one of America’s fastest skills. The service is available for both employees 
growing financial service organizations, provides and managers.
complete banking services, brokerage services, asset • Explored outsourcing for non-core HR functions.
management, wealth management, and other products for “HR Online has significantly reduced errors and
individual customers. Wachovia also offers corporate and increased employee satisfaction,” says McFayden.
investment banking services to more than 14 million Another key HR objective is managing the company’s
clients, in person and online. talent effectively. “We’re committed to attracting the best
Formed in 2001 when east coast banking heavyweight talent as an employer of choice and creating an
First Union bought venerable Wachovia and took the environment where our employees feel respected,” says
smaller firm’s name, the company is the fourth-largest McFayden. An important component of this strategy is
bank in the U.S. behind 3,200 locations in 15 eastern and Wachovia’s employee engagement survey. “We
southern states, and around the world through 33 periodically survey our employees concerning their
international offices. Wachovia Securities, the company’s satisfaction with work environment, compensation,
full-service retail brokerage firm, serves clients in 49 opportunities for advancement and other factors,” says
states and Washington, D.C. McFayden. “Then we act on their input.”
As head of Wachovia’s human resources, community In the past, feedback from the surveys has prompted the
relations, corporate communications, corporate development of new programs or changes to existing ones:
marketing and customer analysis, research and targeting, • Career development. “Each employee has a $5,000
Shannon McFayden leads the way. McFayden leads a annual budget for external education,” says McFayden.
highly centralized team of 1,600 HR professionals who “Our only stipulation: the course must be job-related or
serve the company’s four lines of business, five central included in a degree-granting program.”
staff units and three centers of expertise: comp and • Tiered medical benefits. “We charge employees who
benefits, leadership practices and HR shared services. earn less than $50,000 less than the standard benefits
“HR’s structure aligns with Wachovia’s structure,” says deductions; employees who earn more than $100,000 pay
McFayden. “We team with our businesses to improve a premium,” says McFayden.
operating efficiency and attain goals.” • Community service support. “We used to provide
HR’s priority is to help Wachovia generate revenues employees four hours per month to volunteer in schools.
and look for ways to reduce future expense growth. In 2003, we broadened the program. Wachovia employees
“We’re supporting Wachovia’s strategy to increase now have six paid days off annually with any type of
revenues through new programs,” she says. The company’s community service organization.”
Retirement Initiative, a collaborative program across • Diversity training. “To reinforce an inclusive
various businesses within Wachovia, seeks to market the environment at Wachovia, we enhanced our diversity
company’s products to soon-to-retire Baby Boomers. “HR training,” says McFayden. “Managers are expected to
is supporting this initiative with extensive training, attend a program that includes three and a half days of
upskilling and compensation/benefits modifications.” awareness training and two days in skill development.”
HR also helps Wachovia improve operating efficiency, a In addition, Wachovia carefully monitors diversity
critical objective following several mergers and acquisitions representation, turnover, and managers’ engagement by
over the last few years. For example, HR recently: various identity groups.
• Introduced an online system enabling employees to A 23-year company veteran who joined a Wachovia
change personal information and managers to predecessor right out of college, McFayden reports to
submit requests to fill open jobs, make salary Wachovia’s CEO, G. Kennedy Thompson. “The culture
changes, and update department information. of a company is an important aspect of its success, and my
• Centralized an employee relations team that is job and my team’s job is to know the culture and use that
accessed via a toll free 1-800 number and staffed knowledge to influence business decisions and support
with experts in grievances, policies and other key future growth,” says McFayden.
Wachovia Corporation joined CAHRS in 2004, the ‘Company Profile’ series feature a Corporate HR view of new CAHRS sponsors.
hrSPECTRUM May - June 2005 P A G E  T W O www.ilr.cornell.edu/cahrs/
Alcoa Grant for HR Students
Future Research on Sustainability
The Alcoa Foundation all sorts of issues with
recently put forth a request for onboarding, retention, and
proposals to major institutions career growth that will become
on the topic of sustainability. very important to HR
“We are a values-based executives. The ‘milennials’
company, and we try to live our are a totally different
values,” says Karis Dorfman, generation than the ‘baby-
Manager of Staffing at Alcoa. boomers’ in terms of values,
“It follows that we are very culture, expectations, etc., and
serious about being good Alcoa is very interested in
stewards of resources in the learning how other companies
communities in which we are dealing with these types of
operate.” Therefore, when Karis Amitav Mukherji, Karis Dorfman and Jeannie Kim changes. 
heard about the opportunity to pledge a grant when she This generous grant from Alcoa has allowed CAHRS to
visited with Pam Stepp in February, she felt it would be a support two HR students positions. MILR students Amitav
great idea to get involved in leading edge research in the area Mukherji and Jeannie Kim have begun working with CAHRS
of growth and sustainability. Karis thought CAHRS was HR professors on Alcoa’s topics, and will be providing
uniquely positioned in exploring the role of the assistance for CAHRS research. 
human resources function in fostering a sustainable Jeannie Kim is in the dual degree program with the
growth model. Johnson Graduate School of Management and the
Alcoa has won many awards on its environmental ILR School. She holds a BA degree from Dartmouth
excellence. “Our company has the vision to be the College, where she majored in Economics. Jeannie
‘best company in the world,’” says Karis, and Alcoa has been has worked as an analyst for Mercer Management Consulting,
honored as the ‘most admired metals company’ by Fortune an HR/Finance associate for The Horizons Initiative a
magazine. Alcoa has 130,000 employees in over 40 countries nonprofit organization in Boston, and interned at Merck &
around the globe. The ‘World of Alcoa Products and Co, Inc. in the Organizational Development group. She also
Services’, includes activity in Aerospace, Alumina, spent one year under the Fulbright Scholarship teaching at a
Aluminum Ingot, Automotive, Commercial Transportation, high school in South Korea. Here at Cornell, Jeannie served
Homes and Commercial Buildings, Industrial Products and as Vice-President and Treasurer of the Strategic HR
Services, and Packaging and Consumer commodities. The Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness Group. She
company is extremely interested in sustainability.  began her research assistantship at CAHRS this spring. This
Company sponsors felt that having CAHRS research summer, Jeannie will intern with Johnson & Johnson in the
fellows would give them more visibility with the MILR Corporate Human Resources department. 
students, and expose them to some of the latest thinking in Amitav has majored in Economics and holds a masters
HR. With their need to bring in new talent, this is a priority degree in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations
for Alcoa. Like many companies, Alcoa is expecting a wave of from the Xavier’s Labour Relations Institute in India. Prior to
retirements when the “baby-boomers” reach eligibility. joining the masters program at ILR this spring, Amitav was
Therefore, their Talent Acquisition function is expecting a the Marketing Manager at ITC Limited, contributing to the
big increase in the numbers of requisitions they will have to development and implementation of marketing strategies for
fill. They’ve already seen a 50% increase in job postings in a portfolio of brands. Amitav’s professional career spans
the first quarter of 2005. CEO, Alain Belda, told their HR leadership roles in employee relations, human resources, and
leaders that Talent Management and Succession Planning are sales and distribution. Amitav’s area of concentration is
among the top two HR priorities in order for their company Human Resources and Organizations and he is interested in
to continue to grow and succeed. learning and contributing to issues dealing with
Karis relates, “While this does not mean that we are organizational agility and innovation. This summer, Amitav
expanding our workforce, it does mean that we will be is working on research projects at CAHRS and the office of
bringing in a whole new generation of workers.” There are Organization Development Services at Cornell.
hrSPECTRUM May - June 2005 P A G E  T H R E E www.ilr.cornell.edu/cahrs/
CAHRS Spring 
HR Functional Excellence, Ithaca, NY
The CAHRS Spring Sponsor meeting, held May 11th and 12th, was
attended by more than 65 HR professionals from thirty sponsor
companies. The topic, “HR Functional
Excellence,” continues to attract
attention among sponsor companies, and
has been the subject of an ongoing
CAHRS study. 
The keynote presentation, given by
Bill Conaty, Senior Vice President of
Human Resources at GE, focused on the
foundations of HR excellence across GE’s
diverse set of successful businesses. Other Karen Sansone, Lucent Technologies 
speakers described new HR tools and and Gerry Kells, Johnson & Johnson
competency models, and Brad Bell, Bill Conaty, General Electric
Assistant Professor of
Human Resources at
Cornell, presented
preliminary findings
from a study on HR
rotational training
programs. Steve Price,
from Dell Computer,
provided an overview of
HR development, and
invited CAHRS sponsor
companies to
Penny Stoker and Simon King, AstraZeneca
visit Dell to
benchmark their
progress. “We’re Meeting 
always willing to discussion
share in the hope
that we will also
learn something
from those who
visit,” Price said.
Feedback from
participants Meeting discussion
highlighted the
importance HR functional excellence has in Sandy Ohlsson and Beth Flynn,
today’s global competitive business General Mills
environments, and urged CAHRS to push
harder to identify the most important
Nancy Roberts and
elements of the next generation’s HR Warren Ericksen,
competency models. MassMutual
hrSPECTRUM May - June 2005 P A G E  F O U R www.ilr.cornell.edu/cahrs/
 Sponsor Meetings   
Cost and Benefits of Business in Eastern Europe and HR Implications
International Meeting, Budapest, Hungary
This year, CAHRS
ventured to Budapest,
Hungary, to host its
Spring 2005
International
meeting. The
discussion followed up
the CAHRS
November meeting on
cost decision making
to explore “Costs and
Benefits of Business and
Gábor Csizmár, Minister Chain Bridge, Budapest, Hungary Implications for HR,” in a growing region of the
of Labour and
Employment, Hungary world: Central and Eastern Europe. Fifty-one
people including government officials,
representatives from twenty-one CAHRS
companies and faculty from eight different
universities interacted at the meeting to learn
and search for solutions for a wide variety of
challenges.
On the first day, Hungary’s Minister of
Labour and Employment welcomed the group
and encouraged all to do business there.
Meeting discussion Business challenges in the region were
presented by GE and IBM. Three panel
discussions including executives from GE, Honeywell, Diageo,
Patrick Cogny,
GECIS Europe Gillette, Alcoa, and Lucent addressed “HR Challenges in Central and
Eastern Europe: Early Bird Versus Late Arrivals,” “Will Business
Tim Massa, Continue Moving East to Bulgaria, Ukraine or Russia?” and “Building
Proctor & Gamble Co.
the Talent Pipeline” on day two. Panel moderators Chris Collins,
Quinetta Roberson and Brad Bell, faculty in HR at Cornell,
were able to guide the audience in stimulating discussion.
When asked what were the most useful ideas and information
gathered at the meeting, all presentations were praised. This
was the first time that
CAHRS offered two
spring meetings, one
in Ithaca and one
internationally in
Budapest. Both
meetings were highly
Mary Sue Rogers, IBM attended and well
received. 
Meeting discussion
hrSPECTRUM May - June 2005 P A G E  F I V E www.ilr.cornell.edu/cahrs/
Kevin F. Hallock
New HR Professor
Kevin F. Hallock has joined the HR Economics and two volumes on Executive
Professors here in ILR and is looking forward to Compensation. Funding for his research
his first semester. He will be teaching two dif- comes from various sources, including the
ferent courses at ILR; one on compensation and American Compensation Association, the
one on finance. Currently, he is a Research Intel Corporation, the National Bureau of
Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Economic Research, the U.S. Department of
Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Labor, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Professor Hallock’s previous positions at the Kevin’s work has been discussed in various
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Kevin F. Hallock national and business publications such as the
were Associate Professor of Economics and Wall Street Journal, the New York Times,
Labor and Industrial Relations, Co-Director for their Barron's, Business Week, and Newsweek. Recognized as
Center for Human Resource Management, and Associate an outstanding teacher he has received awards from the
Professor of Finance. He was also a research consultant Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations and by the
to the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago. Department of Economics at the University of Illinois.
His current research is focused on compensation, labor Professor Hallock previously taught one course in Finance
economics and corporate finance. He has written for Human Resource Managers and another in Applied
extensively on executive compensation in the for-profit Econometrics at the University of Illinois.
and nonprofit worlds. Professor Hallock has been He joined the University of Illinois in 1995. He earned
published in a variety of outlets including the American a Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University in 1995,
Economic Review, the Journal of Corporate Finance, the and a B.A. in Economics, Summa Cum Laude, from the
Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, 1991. Kevin is
Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Industrial an avid baseball fan. CAHRS welcomes Kevin and his
Relations, the Journal of Economic Perspectives, and wife Tina and their children Emily (age 10) and Tyler (7)
Research in Personnel and Human Resources to Ithaca.
Management. He has co-edited four volumes on Labor
hrSPECTRUM is published by the Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies, 
School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University,
Ithaca, New York 14853-3901 
Phone: 607-255-9358 
Fax: 607-255-4953 
Dr. Patrick Wright, Director 
Dr. Pamela Stepp, Managing Director
hrSPECTRUM May - June 2005 P A G E  S I X www.ilr.cornell.edu/cahrs/
SAVE THE DATE
ILR Orientation and CAHRS Executive Roundtables
August 23, 2005 Ithaca, NY
This season gives top CAHRS executives the opportunity to meet with first and second-year graduate students and
seniors from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.  This is one of the unique and valuable aspects
of the CAHRS partnership: opportunity to interact with future HR professionals at Cornell, and to shape their educational
and career choices. The past ILR-Graduate Orientations have offered our CAHRS executives and the students an
opportunity to exchange questions and ideas about the field, to talk about HR, the most important issues facing individual
companies, and the skills needed by future HR professionals.  
Due to space limitations and the popularity of this event, there are limited spaces available.  If you are interested in
getting involved, please contact our office as soon as possible.  
A G E N D A
12:00-1:00 Lunch in the Rowe Room, Statler Hotel, for CAHRS’ sponsor contacts
participating in the round tables.
1:15-5:00 Roundtable sessions - Statler Hotel Ballroom. Refreshments will be served.
5:00-6:00 Reception - Statler Hotel Ballroom Foyer. Refreshments will be served.
Following the roundtable sessions, there is a reception where students and executives are able to converse in a more
informal setting.  Several of the executives will set out information on their company, and students will leave resumes for
the executives to look over.
Please note that this agenda is subject to change.
Visit our webpage frequently for updates where more information and logistics 
can be found at www.ilr.cornell.edu/cahrs/Roundtables2005.html
H O T E L I N F O R M A T I O N 
A block of rooms have been reserved at the Statler Hotel for the evenings of 8/23 and 8/24. To reserve
a room at the Statler Hotel please call 1-800-541-2501 and mention ILR CAHRS Roundtable Sessions ‘05
for our specific block of rooms. The rooms will be reserved until July 26, 2005 and then any unused portions
will be released to the general public.
Executive Briefing Profiling TYCO International
October 24, 2005 
In early 2003, Tyco International had: no company-wide Talent Management processes; no strategy for HR Services
Delivery; ineffective Diversity initiatives and needed to completely overhaul and redesign its Incentive Compensation
structure virtually overnight.  The meeting sessions will address the unique challenges faced in building most aspects of a
“start-up” enterprise-wide HR function for Tyco International, a 250,000 person corporation. 
In building many key HR process elements nearly “from scratch,” the HR function needed to confront the challenges
of deciding what aspects to preserve and which to change.  The session will focus on how companies can learn from,
select and adopt best practices, while remaining equally clear and intentional about what conditions and outcomes the
enterprise must not create.
This briefing will be hosted by Laurie Siegel, Senior Vice President, Human Resources and CEO Edward Breen as the
keynote speaker.
Information will be posted soon on the CAHRS web site 
www.ilr.cornell.edu/cahrs
Please check the site for continued updates.
Inquiries, please contact:  Jo Hagin, Program Coordinator
Cornell University, CAHRS 187 Ives Hall Ithaca, NY 14853-3901 USA 
Phone: 607-255-9358; Fax: 607-255-4953 Email: jap7@cornell.edu
hrSPECTRUM May - June 2005 P A G E  S E V E N www.ilr.cornell.edu/cahrs/
IIn  The  News
ILR Dean Lawler Steps Down June 30, 2005 – Edward J. Lawler stepped down from the
deanship at the end of June. Staff and faculty of the ILR School held several parties in his
honor and gathered memories in a personal ‘journal of remembrance’ to be given to him. On
S u n d a y, May 29, Cornell’s university-wide 137th Commencement ceremony was followed by
the ILR’s 59th Diploma ceremony. This event held special meaning because it was Dean
L a w l e r ’s last commencement as Dean, a moment noted by applause as he approached the
p od i u m . Dean Lawler addressed a crowd of faculty and guests as graduates received their
degrees. Members of the class who have contributed to the university and the school were
Edward J. Lawler recognized by the Dean, including the
highest number of seniors graduating
with honors (16) in recent memory. Following the Dean’s
talk, Professor John Bunge presented 50 advanced degree
recipients and Professor George Boyer and Laura Lewis
presented 230 BS degree recipients. Faculty, graduates and
guests were then invited to a reception held immediately after
the ceremony.
Lawler had served as Dean of the School of Industrial and
Labor Relations from 1997-2005. “Being Dean of the ILR
School has been a great experience because of the special
nature of the School and because of the opportunity to work
with the School’s various stakeholders—students, faculty, Joan Lawler, Provost Martin and Dean Ed Lawler
staff, alumni, and friends from labor, corporate, and
government sectors. I greatly appreciate all the support CAHRS sponsors have provided to the School and to me,
personally. This has made a big difference over the last eight years.” Lawler will be on sabbatical during the 05-06
academic year doing research and writing on affect and emotion in groups and organizations, and will return to
teaching in the Fall 06. “I plan to teach courses on group processes, and on conflict and power, which I have
taught in the past, and a new course on the sociology of emotions or emotions in organizations,” he said. L a w l e r ’s
primary teaching and research areas are group processes, exchange, power, negotiation, emotion, and sociological
theory. His current research deals with the role of emotion in social exchange relations (negotiations, trading) and
group formation (cohesion and solidarity). The work indicates that positive feelings from exchanging tangible or
intangible items (goods, advice, approval) can result in relations, groups, or organizations taking on intrinsic value
and becoming stronger sources of commitment, cohesion, and solidarity. Lawler is particularly interested in
workplace and organizational applications of such ideas. His research builds a stronger emotional/affective
component into sociological theories of social interaction and shows ways that the emotional/affective aspects of
human interaction are interwoven with the rational/cognitive.
Lawler is the Martin P. Catherwood Professor of Industrial and Labor Relations. Before joining the faculty at
Cornell in 1994, he was a member of the sociology faculty at the University of Iowa for 22 years, where he became
the Duane C. Spriestersbach Professor of Liberal Arts in 1990. He earned bachelor’s (1966) and master’s degrees
(1968) in sociology from California State University, Long Beach and Los Angeles, respectively, and a Ph.D. in
sociology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1972.
Lawler has co-authored two books (with Samuel B. Bacharach) and co-edited 18 volumes (most in the series,
Advances in Group Processes). He has published over 50 articles, many appearing in American Sociological Review,
American Journal of Sociology, and Social Psychology Quarterly. He served as Editor of Social Psychology Quarterly
(1992-97); he was a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (1996-97); and in 2001
he received the Cooley-Mead Award for career achievement from the Social Psychology Section of the American
Sociological Association. In 2002, he received the Chancellors Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative
Activities; and in 2003, his paper, “An Affect Theory of Social Exchange,” won the 2002 Theory Prize from the
Theory Section of the American Sociological Association. 
hrSPECTRUM May - June 2005 P A G E  E I G H T www.ilr.cornell.edu/cahrs/
HR NEWS FLASH – THE CAHRS TOP 10
IWS NEWS SERVICE
In collaboration with Cornell University’s Institute for Stuart assisted CAHRS earlier in creating the award
Workplace Studies (IWS), CAHRS will now provide a winning course ‘HR Online Research and Reporting Methods
customized information service covering key workplace for Executive Decision-Making’ and presently teaches the
issues exclusively for CAHRS sponsors. course. As an operating principle, the IWS focuses
Currently the IWS provides a comprehensive service to primarily on disseminating intellectual content already
an audience consisting of academicians, researchers, available in the public domain. 
journalists, executives and others involved with workplace Since the current IWS service has a diverse audience
issues. The IWS sends out daily email updates and a and addresses a broad range of issues, the email service for
weekly summary on a range of issues covering key CAHRS sponsors will be adapted and customized to focus
economic indicators, workforce trends especially in the on content relevant to practicing HR executives and will
area of productivity, compensation, employment law, be available at a monthly frequency. Every month the
change management and human resource management ‘ Top 10’ news items will be carefully selected, covering
practices, critical policy announcements, trade and areas such as emerging workplace trends, compensation,
investment information and technology related news. The executive training and development, technology enabled
email service is intended to keep researchers, companies, HR services, important policy announcements impacting
workers, and governments aware of the latest information people practices, employment related macro economic
pertaining to workplace related issues as it becomes data and top line general economic data, significant court
available for the purposes of research, understanding and decisions relating to employment law and any other issue
debate. Stuart Basefsky, an information specialist and of potential significance to human resource managers.
Director of the IWS News Service, operates this service The monthly email update will provide a summary of the
and sources the content from the U.S. Government and topic with a link to the original source. Based on feedback
international agencies, public and private bodies, from the CAHRS sponsors, the content will be
consultancies and knowledge services firms, industry continually improved in terms of quality, range of issues
associations, unions and select academic institutions. and frequency.
Please see loose page insert for the first CAHRS TOP-10 selections.
1. Win-Win Workplace Practices: Improved 6. CEO Pay, Company Performance Show Close 
Organizational Results and Improved Quality of Life Alignment for 2004, United States.
2. Calling a Change in the Outsourcing Market; The 7. A Brief Look at Contemporary Issues in Employment 
Realities for the World's Largest Organizations and Workplace Policy
3. Work and Leisure in the U.S. and Europe: 8. Annual Review of Working Conditions in the EU: 
Why So Different? 2004-2005 
4. Downsizing Looming and Decline in Pharmaceutical 9. Achieving Gender Balance Strategies for 
Sales Rep Jobs for Class of 2005 Competitiveness:  Four company case examples
5. Missing Variables in Theories of Strategic Human 10. U.S. Multinationals Dramatically Revising Stock 
Resource Management: Time, Cause, and Individuals Option Awards For Non-U.S. Executives
hrSPECTRUM May - June 2005 P A G E  N I N E www.ilr.cornell.edu/cahrs/
2005
CAHRS Spring Sponsor Meeting  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . May 11 - 12, 2005  Ithaca, NY
Building HR Functional Excellence
CAHRS European Spring Sponsor Meeting:  Cost and  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . May 23 - 24, 2005  Budapest, Hungary
Benefits of Business in Eastern Europe and HR Implications
ILR Orientation and CAHRS Executive Roundtables  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . August 23, 2005  Ithaca, NY
CAHRS Executive Briefing Profiling TYCO  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . October 24, 2005  Location TBD
CAHRS Fall Sponsor Meeting  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . November 9 - 10, 2005  Ithaca, NY
Growth and the Implications for HR
SHRLOE Symposium  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . November 11, 2005  Ithaca, NY
Other ILR Events
American Express Custom Programs: 
Strategic Leadership  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . March 2 - 3, 2005  New York, NY
HR and Leadership Decision Making  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . March 9 - 10, 2005  New York, NY
Managing for Impact:  HR Metrics & Firm Performance  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . April 7 - 8, 2005  New York, NY
Shell Custom Program Strategic HR Learning  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . May 15 - 20, 2005  London, UK
American Express Custom Programs:
Strategic Leadership  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . June 1 - 2, 2005  New York, NY
Costing HR  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . June 8 - 9, 2005  New York, NY
HR & Bottom Line .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . TBD  New York, NY
Global HR .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . September 15 - 16, 2005  New York, NY
HR Strategy: Creating Competitive Advantage Through People  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . September 25 - 30, 2005  Ithaca, NY
American Express Custom Program: Leading Globally  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . October 4 - 5, 2005  Fontainebleau, France
Managing for Impact: HR Metrics and Firm Performance  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . November 3 - 4, 2005 Arlington, VA
American Express Custom Program: HR Execution .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . November, 2005  New York, NY
For more information, contact Jo Hagin at 607/255-9358 or email: jap7@cornell.edu, or visit our website at: 
www.ilr.cornell.edu/cahrs/Calendar.html
Call Center Performance
Continued from Page One
handling, courtesy, and overall attempting to reduce such metrics as worry about cost pressures, they can
performance.  Financial data, call handling time and increase the compete most effectively by focusing
including revenues and cost per call, number of customers per employee per on revenue generation.  A narrow
reflected the same time period.  d a y.  In this case, however, it was the focus on labor efficiency as a driver of
HR practices reviewed in the study centers with the longer handling performance is not the appropriate
included: the amount of initial and times that generated more revenues. business model in current consumer
on-going training, the extent of “Our research shows that call centers markets that demand quality and
employee discretion in handling with longer customer interaction customization as well as price.”  
customer requests; and use of cash times typically generate more sales
and non-cash incentives to provide than those with short customer phone Lisa Moynihan received her Ph.D. from the ILR
recognition for good performance. calls,” says Batt.   This makes intuitive School and is currently on the faculty of theLondon Business School.  For more information
The findings in this study are sense: sales reps with the time and regarding this research please contact Dr. Rose
contrary to conventional wisdom. discretion to interact with customers Batt via email: rb41@cornell.edu, or Tel:
Service quality does matter in price are more able to customize offerings or (607)254-4437. This article references research
from the CAHRS Working Paper #04-16, which
conscious markets.  Call centers bundle services, leading to higher can be found on our web site:
typically focus on cost reduction, sales.  “Although companies must www.ilr.cornell.edu/cahrs/paper.html 
hrSPECTRUM May - June 2005 P A G E  T E N www.ilr.cornell.edu/cahrs/