I answered "no" to both questions, as did the majority of the class. It was my initial reaction to the question and that an employee couldn't be burdened with a purchase like that. After doing general research on this subject I couldn't find anything that implies an employer couldn't require cell phone purchases from his employees. Therefore I would change my answers. It could be just another "job requirement/specification" an employer can demand, just like "must be bilingual" or "must have valid driver's license" or "must purchase own uniforms" (California laws), etc.
Questions / information I would gather:
Is there a company book/policy in place, and does the employer have the right to amend it anytime?
What are the working hours of the staff and can those be adjusted at any time by the employer? How would that affect their wages (overtime, weekend)?
Are the employees able to be "on call" 24/7? If not, what would be the consequence?
How many extra working hours for the employees does the employer anticipate?
How will the extra hours (phone conversations) be recorded for payroll?
How will that impact insurance and safety laws?
What is the employers exact reason for wanting the employees to purchase the cell phones instead of him?