Talent Engagement
Part A:-
All questions are compulsory.
1. _____ describes a positive feeling about your job resulting from an evaluation of its characteristics.
a. Enlargement
b. Satisfaction
c. Engagement
d. involvement
2. _____ refers to an individual's involvement with, satisfaction with, and enthusiasm for the work she does.
a. Employee engagement
b. Normative commitment
c. Cognitive support
d. Job enrichment
3. People with positive _____ believe in their inner worth and basic competence.
a. Locus of control
b. Self-monitoring behavior
c. Core self-evaluations
d. Levels of enrichment
4. According to your text, which is the most likely explanation for the higher absentee rate for women?
a. Women tend to have more illnesses that keep them from work than do men.
b. Traditionally, women have had the responsibility of caring for home and family.
c. Women tend to be less satisfied with their jobs than men and are consequently absent more often.
d. Women generally have jobs for which a temporary replacement can be hired so absences are more permissible.
5. Eliminating any reinforcement that is maintaining an unwanted behavior is called _____.
a) Extinction
b) Punishment
c) negative reinforcement
d) positive reinforcement
6. What is not a critical Success factor of employee engagement
a) Feeling valued
b) Higher purpose
c) Ability to trust and be trustedCompetition
7. Talent management is increasingly becoming an important role (if not the critical role) for the CEO which cannot be delegated and there are several key actions that leaders must take. Which of the following should be included in the list?
a) Get involved in people decisions
b) Develop probing talent reviews
c) Instil a talent focused mindset within the organisation
d) Invest real money in talent
e) Be accountable for talent management
8. According to the 'Hard' approaches to HRM, the focus should be on...
a) High performers
b) Low performers
c) Solid performers
d) None of the above
9. When an organization _______________, it may need to eliminate jobs.
a) is faced with increasing market share
b) has grown too slowly
c) ]has been poorly managed
d) is confronted with new management
10. What is defined as the sequence of positions held by a person during his or her lifetime?
a) Job
b) Career
c) boundaryless career
d) high-performance work practices
11. The best way for an employer to find out if a potential employee can do a job is by:
a) the interview process.
b) written test.
c) a day in the office.
d) performance simulation test.
12. A more elaborate set of performance simulation tests, specifically designed to evaluate a candidate's managerial potential, is:
a) work sampling.
b) assessment centers.
c) personality tests.
d) management development programs.
13. Assessment centers are used specifically to evaluate what level of candidate?
a) unskilled labor.
b) skilled workers.
c) professional workers.
d) managers.
14. We can expect individuals to work considerably below their potential if which of the following conditions occurs?
a) if the objectives that employees are expected to achieve are unclear.
b) if the criteria for measuring those objectives are vague.
c) if the employees lack confidence that their efforts will lead to a satisfactory appraisal of their performance.
d) all of the above
15. Individual task outcomes that management could evaluate include all of the following except:
a) quantity produced.
b) scrap generated.
c) average number of calls per day.
d) cost per unit of production.
16. Examples of behaviors that management could evaluate include all of the following except:
a) quantity produced.
b) average number of calls per day.
c) sick days per year.
d) cost per unit of production.
17. A specific way in which human resources contributes to business strategy is by
a) helping to build high-performance work practices.
b) organizing company picnics.
c) making PowerPoint presentations to top management.
d) helping to prepare job descriptions.
18. An example of a workplace factor that could lead to turnover is
a) a booming economy with many job opportunities.
b) a worker's limited ability to cope with the job demands.
c) job-hopping tendencies of the worker.
d) lack of emotional support from the supervisor.
19. The general purpose of strategic human resource planning is to
a) develop selection systems to meet the needs of the firm.
b) control costs in carrying out the human resource function.
c) identify skills needed for the success of the business.
d) ensure that business strategy does not neglect people.
20. Learning how to be a better listener and how to be a more effective team player is included in:
a. communication skills.
b. technical skills.
c. problem solving skills.
d. interpersonal skills.
Part B:-
Answer any 3 of the following questions:
1. What is the difference between employee satisfaction and employee engagement? Explain the critical success factors of talent engagement.
2. What are the strategies for employee engagement? Explain with the help of suitable examples.
3. Employee engagement is a powerful tool for employee retention, explain.
4. What engages employee more? Explain ten Cs of Employee engagement.
5. What is the similarity and difference between employee engagement and talent management?
Part c Case Study
Premier chemicals is a Rs. 2000-crores company, headquartered at Ahemdabad. The company is manufacturing bulk drugs as well as formulations, and markets its products across the country as well as countries in Europe and South Asia.
The company is traditionally run and is fully controlled by the promoters. However with the advent of a competitive environment, the company felt the need for revamping its operations and restructuring the organizational structure too.
The CEO in his meeting with VP (operations), VP (HR) and other department heads discussed and approved the revised organizational structure. The VP (HR) was given a period of three months for completing the revamping/recruiting process.
The VP (HR) engaged an HR consultant and assigned them the following tasks:
• Mapping the existing business profile and strategy of organization.
• Mapping the competencies of the existing manpower
• Reviewing the requirements of the existing manpower vis-à-vis the new organizational structure
• Identifying the competency and manpower gaps
• Retraining and redeploying of manpower
• Preparing of a position-Wise succession plan and matching career plan for the employees
The company recorded an average performance of only 17% increase in sales and profit as against the envisaged target of 40%. The CEO in his annual review meeting with departmental heads reviewed the situation, and during the course of brainstorming, they identified the following:
• Some of the employees who did not possess the required level of competencies were recommended for promotion by the HR consultant and were promoted by HR department with a view to complying with the recruitment and staffing target period.
• A few of the new recruits were found to be taking confidential information to the competitors. A subsequent investigation revealed that some of them were actually implanted by the competitors.
Questions:
1. What went wrong with the recruitment process?
2. Did the company take right step by engaging the HR consultant?
3. Who should be held accountable for the organizational debacle?
Talent Measurement and Performance Review
Part A:-
All questions are compulsory.
1. The performance appraisal methods which consists of management by objectives approach and behavioral rating approach are considered as
a) behavioral methods
b) objective methods
c) subjective method
d) both a and b
2. The type of career planning which prioritize the career of individuals over the needs of organization is classified as
a) compression career planning
b) tactile career planning
c) organization centered career planning
d) individual-centered career planning
3. The type of information which gives us the information about character traits of employee such as initiative, creativity and attitude is called
a) trait based information
b) behavior based information
c) results based information
d) coaching based information
4. The information type whose main focus is on employees specific behaviors leads to success of job is classified as
a) results based information
b) coaching based information
c) trait based information
d) behavior based information
5. The performance appraisal measurement method by which the behavior of employees are assessed instead of all other characteristics is classified as
a) behavioral rating approach
b) management by objectives
c) combination method
d) critical incident method
6. The company's HR team is responsible for
a) training of supervisors
b) monitor the appraisal system affectivity
c) training the employees
d) All of the above
7. The reason that why employers are moving to performance management is
a) total quality
b) appraisal issues
c) strategic planning
d) All of the above
8. The rating of all employees equal such as 'good' is called
a) lenient tendency
b) strict tendency
c) biasing tendency
d) central tendency
9. When the person's performance is neither satisfactory nor correctable is
a) satisfactory-promotable interview
b) satisfactory-not promotable interview
c) unsatisfactory-correctable interview
d) unsatisfactory-uncorrectable interview
10. The people not attracted to occupations requires affective activities is best classified as
a) realistic orientation
b) investigative orientation
c) social orientation
d) artistic orientation
11. In traditional focus, providing opportunities for learning is part of
a) training and development
b) performance appraisal
c) recruiting and placement
d) human resource planning
12. The strategy employees seek to interesting jobs and greater advancement opportunities is included in
a) Promotions
b) Transfers
c) reality shock
d) formal training
13. Stress can affect not only your health, but also other aspects of your life. What else can be affected by stress?
a) Family relationships
b) Work performance
c) Your attention to safety
d) All of the given options
14. When the employee's high expectations confront the reality of the boring job, it is called
a) Promotions
b) Transfers
c) reality shock
d) formal training
15. The strategy employees seek to interesting jobs and greater advancement opportunities is included in
a) Promotions
b) Transfers
c) reality shock
d) formal training
16. Which activities are not associated with workforce planning?
a) Forward planning reviewing internal and external labour supply
b) Assessing capability of workforce to develop any requisite skills
c) Time keeping
d) Identifying areas where recruitment will be needed
17. Which statement best describes '360 degree feedback'? It is:
a) a method used to appraise employees
b) a system where managers give feedback to all their staff
c) a system where feedback on any individual is derived from peers, subordinates supervisors and occasionally, customers
d) a development tool
18. Which of the following is NOT a common criticism of using personality tests in selection?
a) Good performers in the same job may have different personalities
b) There are no reliable instruments with which to assess personality
c) An individual's personality can vary with circumstances
d) Candidates can fake the answers, so giving a misleading impression
19. ______________ is a process of setting standards and measuring employee performance to arrive at performance standards
a) Time and motion study
b) Benchmarking
c) Legal influence arrangements
d) A performance management system
20. The use of ___________ focuses the evaluator's attention on key behaviors that distinguish effective from ineffective work performance.
a) simple analysis
b) job analysis
c) critical incidents
d) graphic rating scales
Part B:-
Answer any 3 of the following questions:
1. What are the important points of consideration for implementing performance management? Discuss some of the paradoxical situations that managers face while perusing the performance objectives.
2. Explain how different performance dimensions vary with respect to nature of organization. Answer with respect to the FMCG organization and other service sector organization.
3. Explain what are the various approaches and strategies for talent review? Explain with examples.
4. You are a supervisor ant a manufacturing company and you are coaching one of your veteran employees of the company. Discuss the behavior required to perform this function.
5. Define and distinguish between accountabilities, objectives and standards. Describe the critical steps in adopting a result approach to measuring performance.
Part c Case Study:-
Assume you are the CEO of a company that employs a huge number of industrial workers who are below graduate level and who possess the technical job specific skills. Your organization is highly technology driven and requires everyone to perform well, keeping pace with the machine cycle time. Any below the standard performance can create total mess in the assembly line production system, as the job remains in each work station for a specific period of time. On the expiry of time schedule, the job reaches to next work station, even if it is not fully completed in the earlier work station. In assembly line production system, we cannot back track a job; as a result when the job travels through different work station with incomplete workmanship, the end product fails to confirm to the required quality and is rejected.
1. As CEO design an appraisal format and develop performance review system for your organization.
2. Suggest which review process you deem fit and why?
Guideline -
• Ensure to solve every question in series.
• Make sure to write enough length answers of descriptive questions as per the weightage.
• Highlight more relevant case studies and practice examples.
• Do take care of numerical and diagrammatical representation.
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNICAL STUDIES
Total Reward Management
Part A:-
All questions are compulsory.
1. Which of the following are reasons for the popularity of Variable Pay Systems? Select all that apply.
a) Product and labour market pressures.
b) Increasing pressures on the reward systems.
c) Proven links to employee motivation.
d) New technology and new forms of work organisation.
e) Linked to notions of HRM, TQM, HPWS.
f) Government ideology.
2. Which of the following reasons might an employer use VPS? Select all that apply.
a) Organisational culture change.
b) Allow closer financial control.
c) Allow selective reward without increasing the pay bill.
d) To restructure the employment relationship.
e) To bolster collective bargaining and trade union relationships.
3. Which of the following are common criticisms of non-analytical job evaluation? Select all that apply.
a) More likely to result in 'felt fair' outcomes.
b) Straight forward to operate.
c) Perceived to be a scientific method.
d) Transparent and speedy.
4. According to Herzberg, the job working conditions are considered as
a) hygiene's
b) demotivators
c) intrinsic hygiene's
d) extrinsic hygiene's
5. The public recognition such as an award in organized function is best classified as an example of
a) financial awards
b) non-financial rewards
c) proportional award
d) fixed award
6. The occasional incentives such as bonuses, sales prizes are paid mostly with the
a) salary plan
b) commission plan
c) combination plan
d) proportionate plan
7. The 'praise' and 'expression of approvals' in form of program are best classified as
a) social recognition program
b) performance feedback
c) fixed premium
d) financial awards
8. According to Herzberg, to create self-motivated workforce employers should focus
a) motivator factors
b) demotivator factors
c) intrinsic factors
d) extrinsic factors
9. The type of rewards that attract job applicants who desire predictable income are referred to as:
a) job status-based rewards
b) task performance-based rewards.
c) skill-based pay.
d) membership/seniority-based rewards.
e) empowerment.
10. Which of the following is most likely to be a type of membership/seniority-based reward?
a) Employee benefits
b) Pay increase resulting from a promotion
C) Profit-sharing
D) Skill-based pay
E) Gainsharing
11. Job status-based rewards may encourage:
a) bureaucratic hierarchy.
b) employees to compete with one another.
c) Employees to exaggerate job duties and hoard resources.
d) All of the above.
e) one of the above.
12. Which of the following statements concerning job status-based rewards is TRUE?
a) Job evaluation and job status-based rewards motivate employees to compete for positions further up the organizational hierarchy.
b) Job evaluation and job status-based rewards strive to maintain internal equity.
c) Job status-based rewards try to minimize pay discrimination.
d) Job status-based rewards create a psychological distance between employees and management.
e) All of the above statements are true.
13. Which of the following is a competency-based reward?
a) Gain sharing
b) Pay increase resulting from a promotion
c) Skill-based pay
d) Merit pay based on performance appraisal results
e) Additional week of paid vacation after completing five years of service with the company
14. Which of these is NOT typically an individual performance-based reward?
a) Commissions
a) Merit Pay
c) Profit-sharing
d) Piece rate
e) All of the above are individual task performance-based rewards
15. The pay-performance linkage can be improved by all, EXCEPT:
a) using objective performance measures.
b) using 360-degree feedback to minimize biases if subjective measures are necessary.
c) applying the reward soon after the performance occurs.
d) rewarding employees who don't meet minimum standards because performance is difficult to measure.
E) applying large enough rewards so that employees experience positive emotions when they receive the rewards.
16. Job specialization:
a) often reduces work quality because employees see only a small part of the process.
b) ignores the motivational potential of jobs.
c) focuses on reducing labour "waste" by improving the mechanical efficiency of work.
d) requires each employees to perform several complex tasks in fulfilling the requirements of his/her job.
e) Only "a", "b" and "c" are characteristic of job specialization.
17. The job design practice that involves giving employees more responsibility for scheduling, coordinating, and planning their own work is:
a) job rotation.
b) job enlargement.
c) task significance.
d) job enrichment.
e) task identity.
18. Which one of the following statements is correct in relation to monetary rewards in accordance with Herzberg's Two-Factor theory?
a) Pay increases are a powerful long-term motivator
b)Inadequate monetary rewards are a powerful dissatisfied
c) Monetary rewards are more important than non-monetary rewards
d)Pay can never be used as a motivator
19. Workers' compensation benefits fall into all of these major categories except:
a) Medical care
b) Retirement benefits
c) Disability income
d)Death benefits
20. A horizontal extension of the object to increase task variety is called:
a) Job evaluation
b) Job enrichment
c) Job enlargement
d) Job rotation
Part B:-
Answer any 3 of the following questions:
1. What is the role of compensation and reward in modern organization? What re the advantages of fair compensation system?
2. Which is a better motivator individual based reward or job based reward? Explain the determinants of reward in public and private sector.
3. How does an organization align with its reward strategy with its HR strategy and organization strategy?
4. What do you understand by job based pay, skill based pay and competency based pay?
5. What do you understand by employee benefits? Discuss the legal requirements of benefits.
Part c Case Study
XYZ organization is a medium sized company which produces electrical components. The performance management policy of the company is based on the principle of rewarding the efficient employees and churning and eliminating the incompetent employees. When the performance declines beyond the permissible levels, a warning is issued to him/her and usually asked to explain the reason for decline. In the absence of any convincing reply of significant improvement within a reasonable time frame, the company resorts to transfer. If the poor performance continues, is or her services are terminated after due notice. This is followed for all levels of employees. With the current system, the company has succeeded in maintaining the quality of the products.
a) If you are HR manager of the organization, do you see any crisis in your organization.
b) Comment on the practice of type organization.
c) In case, one of your friend who works as an supervisor need to be terminated because of poor performance, how will you tell this to him?
Leadership Development and Growth
Part A:-
All questions are compulsory.
1. The Action Centered Leadership model was put forward and developed in 1973 by whom?
a) Beer
b) Taylor
c) Adair
d) Fiedler
2. ________ is the right to make decisions, to direct the work of others and to give orders.
a) Leadership
b) Authority
c) Delegation
d) Management
3. Most leadership training programs concentrate on developing, maintaining, or enhancing individual attributes. This is most accurately described as an example of:
a) behavior development
b) personality development
c) leadership development
d) leader development
4. ______________ leadership is best when the job is boring or the subordinate lacks self-confidence, whereas ____________ leadership is most effective when the job is not clearly defined.
a) Supportive; directive
b) Directive; supportive
c) Participative; directive
d) Directive; participative
5. Which of the following is a criticism of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire?
a) It is based on only one theory, that of transactional leadership theory.
b) It is unclear how many transactional and transformational strategies there are.
c) It is overly long and often frustrates the test takers.
d) It tends to be imprecise in measuring what it says it is measuring.
6. According to a study described in the textbook, the mental health of female managers was ________ if they adopted _________ style in a male dominated industry.
a) worse; autocratic
b) worse; interpersonal
c) better; interpersonal
d) better; nurturing
7. Leaders who permit a group to take control of itself are:
a) participative leaders.
b) authoritarian leaders.
c)laissez-faire leaders.
8. When a leader has the ability to explain to members in a cognitive manner what is occurring in the group, this is known as:
a) interpersonal style.
b) emotional stimulation.
c) position power.
d) meaning attribution.
9. Which type of group counselor trusts members to develop their own potential and that of other group members?
a) traditional leader
b) authoritarian leader
c) democratic leader
d) laissez-faire leader
10. The principles that guide group leaders are known as:
a) norms.
b) rules.
c) theory.
d) personality.
11. Which of the following is NOT a limitation resulting from co-leadership in group work?
a) being too leader focused
b) collusion
c) competition
d) pragmatic considerations
12) Theory X assumes which of the following?
a) People regard work as normal activity.
b) People are self motivated.
c) People are committed to organisational activities.
d) People seek out responsibility.
e) People achieve little satisfaction from work.
13. Early Leadership trait research looked to find characteristics that might ___
a) distinguish ordinary leaders from great leaders
b) define charisma
c) identify the physical traits of leaders
d) differentiate leaders from non leaders
14. Leaders are___.
a) Individual people, while leadership is a process.
b) the first step in the leadership process
c) individual people who study the leadership process
d) the final step in the leadership process
15. Which leadership style tends to centralize authority and make unilateral decisions?
a) cultural style
b) autocratic style
c) democratic style
d) laissez-faire
16. The prescriptive and emergent approaches to strategy view the role of human resources very differently. Which of the following statements best captures this difference?
a) The prescriptive approach sees human resource issues as only relevant to implementation after the key competitive issues have been addressed in the development of the strategy, whereas the emergent approach suggests people issues significantly affect both strategy development and implementation
b) The prescriptive approach sees human resource issues as mainly impacting on the development of strategy, whereas the emergent approach suggests the greatest impact occurs during implementation of the strategy
c) The prescriptive approach stresses leadership in the development of strategy and resistance during implementation, whereas the emergent approach reverses this emphasis
17. Business process re-engineering (BPR) was very popular in the 1990s as a way of improving efficiency and effectiveness in organisations. But what is 'BPR'?
a) The process of using information technology to radically simplify the organisation's handling of administrative tasks
b) The process of modernising manufacturing technologies to improve quality
c) The practice of removing layers of management to improve the speed of decision-making
18. Which of the following is not one of the five main elements of organisational culture?
a) Leadership and mission
b) Size
c) History and ownership
d) Location
19. A democratic consultative leader
a) seeks input and shares the final decision
b) makes the final decision without input
c) seeks input but makes the final decision by oneself
d) shares the final decision without input
20.Trait theory helps explain why ____.
a) Some people are leaders
b) Some people are not leaders
c) Successful leaders are effective
d) Leadership involves extraversion
Part B:-
Answer any 3 of the following questions:
1. Charisma is a vital component in transformational leadership. Comment on the statement highlighting the trait of charismatic leader.
2. What is Transformational Leadership? Discuss the concept of Transformational Leadership using a case of Indian business leader?
3. What is Business Leadership? Discuss the Business Leadership quoting any one of the leaders viz., - Aditya Birla, or VargesseKurien, or Baba Amte?
4. Define strategic leadership. Explain the various role of a leader in the organization.
5. Explain the dyadic theory of leadership. What is transformational leadership explain?
Part c Case Study:-
Churchill, the Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II, was aghast that Gandhi expected the British to simply pack up and leave India after the war. On November 10, 1942, Churchill made his famous statement on maintaining the British Empire. "I have not become the King's First Minister in order to preside over the liquidation of the British Empire." In addition, Churchill vowed to "crush the naked fakir."
Gandhi replied: " You are reported to have the desire to crush the "naked fakir," as you are said to have described me. I have been long trying to be a fakir and that, naked -- a more difficult task. I therefore regard the expression as a compliment, though unintended. I approach you then as such, and ask you to trust and use me for the sake of your people and mine and through them those of the world. Your sincere friend - M K Gandhi."
Analyze and discuss Effective Leadership with the help of Gandhiji's response. Mention at least Five leadership learning's for you...
Talent Acquisition and Talent Management
Part A:-
All questions are compulsory.
1. Key success factors of talent management includes:
a. Proper job design
b. Employee participation
c. Treating and dealing with staff as a group and not individualistically
d. The proverbial "golden handcuff
2. Talent identification should:
a. Focus on the top 10% of the workforce
b. Assume that everyone has talent
c. Be HR's responsibility
d. Consider staff's willingness to learn and grow
3. Talent can be identified through:
a. Performance data
b. Client feedback
c. Job interviews
d. Qualifications
4. The following is important when applying talent management:
a. It can only be accessed through objective assessments
b. Performance and potential should be used as predictors of talent
c. Talent is always evident
d. Potential is indicated by cognitive power and ability
5. Which combination of statements is CORRECT?
a Organisations that are prepared to focus on attracting and developing talent, will be in a stronger position to retain key human resources as the so-called 'war for talent' intensifies.
b The structural changes driving the 'war for talent' are widespread across many advanced market economies.
c. The McKinsey report highlighted the changing psychological contract within the employment relationship noting that employees will look for employability not employment, and will want to change jobs often.
d In light of the war for talent organisations will have to deploy more creative human resource practices to attract and retain talented employees.
1 a and b
2 a, b and d
3 c and d
4 all of the above
6. Organisations must develop their talent at all levels and weave it into the _________.
a. strategy
b. policies
c. culture
d. structure
7. In the _______________, a compensation range is specified and companies stay within this range.
a. Old talent mindset
b. Old recruiting strategies
c. New talent mindset
d. New recruiting strategies
8. Most organisations:
a. Will have the same skills requirements for jobs in the future as jobs do not change much
b. Experience a more disengaging workforce who are less loyal
c. Are effective in measuring performance and productivity
d. Have effective and pro-active talent management strategies
9. Key factors in skills development and talent management are:
a. A broad definition of talent to ensure inclusivity
b. Finding a balance between staff development and making staff more employable
c. Compliance with the EE Act
d. Limiting investment in the A-players
10. Talent management is:
a. In essence about a contract between the organisation and the employee
b. Also taking into account other factors that unlock value in the business
c. A combination of hard and soft issues (including the psycho-social contract)
d. Taking the new economy into account (i.e. the knowledge-based economy)
11. Modern organisations tend to:
a. Find it hard to be pro-active with talent management
b. Use simplistic attraction and retention tools
c. Develop strategic talent management interventions
d. Assess potential as evidenced through performance
12. The following have all been highlighted as important aspects from the employee's perspectives when looking at companies to work for, except...
a. High performance is promoted.
b. The company is well managed.
c. Good relations with the boss.
d. Work employees feel passionate about.
13. Which one of the following is applicable to the new talent mindset?
a. HR is responsible for people management
b. Taking bold actions to build the talent pool needed
c. Doing a two-day succession planning exercise once a year
d. Working with the people inherited by the organisation
14. Which one of the following statements is INCORRECT?
a. An important factor in differentiating and affirming employees is awareness of their diverse lifestyles and needs.
b. The increase in the number of women in the workforce coupled with an ageing population base that requires part-time work or careers, elevates the need for organisations to support valued employees who have family responsibilities.
c. Allowing employees the flexibility to meet personal needs, does not have an influence on the retention factor or the organisation's 'employer of choice' standing.
d. Companies employing diversely experienced employees are likely to be more creative and thus better able to meet the expectations of a diverse market.
15. In the new era employees are looking for work that provides __________________ and is ______________.
a. Stability highly remunerated
b. variety interesting
c. opportunities challenging
d. challenges complex
16. Short-term reward strategies to retain talent:
a. Often escalates payroll costs exceeding real benefits
b. Should take note that money is not that important to talented people - they would rather experience job satisfaction
c. Include time-factors and delaying tactics
d. Have weak retention value
17. Which of the following lists is comprised of support activities?
a. Human resource management, information systems, procurement, and firm infrastructure
b. Customer service, information systems, technology development, and procurement
c. Human resource management, technology development, customer service, and procurement
d. Human resource management, customer service, marketing and sales, and operations
18. Why are employers interested in employee engagement?
a. To encourage employees to trust their managers
b. To make a quick profit
c. Because engaged employees are more motivated and prepared to give of their best to make the firm succeed
e. To make employees work harder for less
19. Strategic human resource management involves:
a. planning, foresight and analytical decision making
b. setting employment standards and policies
c. linking human resources with strategic objectives to improve performance
d. all of the above
20. The balanced scorecard proposes that organisational success depends on:
a. a focus on only the internal environment of the organization
b. a constantly changing external environment
c. the belief that it is impossible to take a rationalist view of the organisation to make optimal choices
e. an ability to develop a complete list of cause and effect relationships driving a firm's success
Part B:-
Answer any 3 of the following questions:
1. What do you understand by talent management? explain. "Talent Management is a tool to successful business", explain.
2. Differentiate between recruitment and talent acquisition. Explain the recent trends of talent acquisition.
3. What are the components of talent management? Explain the employee development for talent management.
4. What are the challenges in the acquisition process? Explain
5. Explain the importance of Gap analysis form employee perspective in detail.
Part c Case Study:-
Satish was a Sales Manager for Industrial Products Company in City branch. A week ago,he was promoted and shifted to Head Office as Deputy Manager - Product Management for adivision of products which he was not very familiar with. Three days ago, the company VP -Mr. George, convened a meeting of all Product Managers. Satish's new boss (ProductManager Ketan) was not able to attend due to some other preoccupation. Hence, theMarketing Director, Preet - asked Satish to attend the meeting as this would give him anexposure into his new role.
At the beginning of the meeting, Preet introduced Satish very briefly to the VP. The meetingstarted with an address from the VP and soon it got into a series of questions from him toevery Product Manager. George, of course, was pretty thorough with every single product ofthe company and he was known to be pushy and a blunt veteran in the field. Most of the Product Managers were very clear of George's ways of working and had thoroughly preparedfor the meeting and were giving to the point answers. George then started with Satish.
Satish being new to the product, was quite confused and fared miserably.Preet immediately understood that George had possibly failed to remember that Satish wasnew to the job. He thought of interrupting George's questioning and giving a discretereminder that Satish was new. But by that time, George who was pretty upset with the lackof preparation by Satish made a public statement "Gentlemen, you are witnessing here anexample of sloppy work and this can't be excused".Now Preet was in two minds - should he interrupt George and tell him that Satish is new inthat position OR should he wait till the end of the meeting and tell George privately. Preetchose the second option.
Satish was visibly angry at the treatment meted out by George but he also chose to keepmum. George quickly closed the meeting saying that he found in general, lack of planning inthe department and asked Preet to stay back in the room for further discussions.
Before Preet could give any explanation on Satish, George asked him "Tell me openly, Preet,was I too rough with that boy?" Preet said "Yes, you were. In fact, I was about to remindyou that Satish is new to the job". George explained that the fact that Satish was new tothe job didn't quite register with him during the meeting. George admitted that he hadmade a mistake and asked his secretary to get Satish report to the room immediately.
A perplexed and uneasy Satish reported to George's room after few minutes.George looking Satish straight into his eyes said "I have done something which I shouldhave never even thought of and I want to apologise to you. It is my mistake that I did notrecollect that you were new to the job when I was questioning you".Satish was left speechless.
George continued "I would like to state few things clearly to you. Your job is to make surethat people like me and your bosses do not make stupid decisions. We have goodconfidence in your abilities and that is why we have brought you to the Head Office. Foreverybody, time is required for learning. I will expect you to know all the nuances of yourproduct in three months time. Until then you have my complete confidence".George closed the conversation with a big reassuring handshake with Satish.
Questions:
1. Was it at all necessary for George to apologies to such a junior employee like Satish?
2. If you were in Satish's place, how would you to respond to George's apology?
3. Was George correct in saying that Satish is there to correct the "stupid mistake" of hisboss and George?
Appraisal and Motivation
Part A:-
All questions are compulsory.
1. A performance appraisal method that allows the evaluator to rate employees on an incremental scale is called a ____________.
a) written essay
b) critical incident
c) graphic rating scale
d) multiperson comparison
2. A performance appraisal system that combines a graphic rating scale and a critical incident system into one process is a(n) _______________.
a) written essay
b) 360-degree feedback
c) objective
d) behaviorally anchored rating scale
3. ________________ is a process used to compare one's performance with that of others.
a) Multiperson comparison
b) Job analysis
c) A critical incident
d) A graphic rating scale
4. ______________ is often used for appraising managers and professional employees.
a) Management by objectives
b) Job analysis
c) A critical incident
d) A graphic rating scale
5. The most thorough performance appraisal method, _____________, utilizes feedback from supervisors, employees, and coworkers.
a) management by objectives
b) 360-degree feedback
c) critical incidents
d) graphic rating scales
6. The first step in appraising process is
a) defining the job
b) training session
c) feedback session
d) interview sessions
7. When the ratings are collected from supervisors, customers and peers it is called
a) 350-degree feedback
b) 320-degree feedback
c) 360-degree feedback
d) 380-degree feedback
8. Which of the following statements about performance appraisal is not true?
a. Performance appraisal reduces managerial control.
b. Employees may be appraised on both objective and subjective measures.
c. Companies use appraisal to encourage employee loyalty and commitment.
d. Performance appraisal has become a tool to motivate and control workers.
9. What is the meaning of upward appraisal?
a) Employees rate the performance of their peers.
b) . Senior managers rate the performance of line managers.
c) Line managers rate the performance of employees.
d) Employees rate the performance of their manager.
10. What is meant by 360 degree appraisal?
a) A system where the line manager rates subordinates simultaneously.
b) A system where every employee rates another employee chosen at random.
c) A system where a senior manager rates all line managers simultaneously.
d) A system where feedback is obtained from peers subordinates and supervisors.
11. Which of the following statements is not true?
a) Some performance appraisal systems have become bureaucratic.
b) Some line managers do not take the appraisal processes seriously.
c) The introduction of performance appraisal in the public sector has been controversial.
d) Deming believed performance appraisal was central to quality management.
12. Which of the following is an example of an intrinsic motivator?
a) A pay increase
b) Promotion
c) Satisfaction in a job well done
d) Good working conditions
13. Using a foul-tasting nail varnish to motivate a person to stop biting their nails is an example of what?
a) Equity theory
b) Aversion therapy
c) Orientations to work
d) Expectancy theory
14. Which of the following best describes Maslow's hierarchy of needs?
a) It is a perfect model of workplace motivation.
b) It was devised by Maslow after meticulous research in workplace settings.
c) It has been proven empirically to be accurate in workplace settings.
d) It is a highly flawed model, although it does recognize that people are motivated differently.
15. A performance management system that evaluates irrelevant aspects of performance is
a)unreliable.
b) invalid.
c) contaminated.
d) inconsistent.
16. Which of the following is not a criterion that should be used to evaluate performance management systems?
a. Acceptability
b. Specificity
c. Complexity
d. Reliability
17. The extent to which the performance measure assesses all the relevant aspects of performance is called
a. reliability.
b. validity.
c. specificity.
d. acceptability.
18. Performance can be managed by focusing on all of the following except
a. behaviors.
b. weaknesses.
c. results.
d. employee attributes.
19. The approach to measuring and managing performance that consists of techniques requiring the rater to rank order individuals within a given work group is called the
a. attribute approach.
b. behavioral approach.
c. comparative approach.
d. results approach.
20. The technique that ranks employees into groups according to performance is called
a. forced distribution.
b. alternation ranking.
c. paired comparison.
d. ranking.
Part B:-
Answer any 3 of the following questions:
1. What are the performance dimensions? Explain 360 degree appraisal system.
2. "A good performance appraisal system can lead to higher employee satisfaction and motivation", explain.
3. What are the three determinants of performance that allow some people to perform at higher levels than others? Explain with suitable examples.
4. Your organization is considering implementing a team performance management system and has asked you to provide information on what type of performance dimension should be used to measure team performance. Write a memo to your supervisor on the recommended performance dimensions to be considered.
5. What ate the challenges of team performance management? What is the model of rater motivation.
Part c Case Study:-
A British cabinet minister has now stepped into the debate regarding equal prize money Wimbledon, the British Open tennis championships. Patricia Hewitt (no relation to the men's winner), the Trade and Industry Secretary, announced that it is ‘simply wrong' that the winner of the men's singles should collect £525,000, while the women's winner should receive only £486,000, when they had both worked equally hard. The debate regarding prize money is not new, and has aroused some strong feelings in the last ten years. The 1996 men's champion, Richard Krajicek, commented in 1992 that most women players were ‘fat, lazy pigs' who deserved to win less. This attracted a storm of protest from many supporters of women's tennis, and these supporters and lobbyists have been successful in gradually reducing the differentials in prize money.
Tim Henman, the British number one player, attracted criticism in 1999 for accusing female players of being ‘greedy' in demanding more prize money in ‘Grand Slam' tournaments. The situation in 2002 was that in the four ‘Grand Slam' tournaments the prize money was equal for men and women at both the US and Australian Opens, but interestingly the women's prize money was only half that of the men's at the French Open. Let us consider some of the main arguments that have been put forward both for and against equal prize money:
FOR
1 Women have to train just as long and hard as men.
2 The ball is in play longer in women's matches, because the game involves more rallies and less ‘serve and volley' tactics, according to research by the Women's Tennis Association.
3 Female stars are just as popular with the crowds as male players.
4 Unequal pay is an example of unfair discrimination, which in many countries is illegal.
AGAINST
1 Men have to play the best of five sets, while women only play the best of three. Therefore men play longer. Research from Stirling University shows that, on this basis, men earn less. The 1998 men's singles champion, Pete Sampras, earned £26,270 per hour, compared with £42,011 per hour received by the women's champion, Jana Novotna.
2 Competition at the top of women's tennis is less stiff, allowing female stars to compete in the doubles more easily, and win two prizes. The combination of singles and doubles prizes for women would exceed the singles prize for men.
3 Male players attract bigger crowds.
4 Women are not as good as men.
The last point has also raised argument, since it is difficult to make any objective evaluation. On a purely objective measure, the top female stars serve nearly as fast as the top male players, but obviously there are many other factors which make a top tennis player apart from a fast serve. In a recent television interview John McEnroe, never one to shy away from controversy, opined that the top female seed at Wimbledon in 2002, Venus Williams, would only rank about number 400 in the world among male players.
Adding another dimension to the debate is sponsorship income. Anna Kournikova has never Nature, scope and methods won a major tournament; she is currently ranked number 55 in the world. Her career total prize winnings amounted to just under £3 million at the end of 2001. However, it is estimated that she has accumulated around £50 million in sponsorship income, mainly from Adidas, the sportswear supplier. Although sponsorship income tends to be directly related to the talent of the player, as reflected in computer rankings, there are obviously other factors that are relevant. However, one factor that is important here is that sponsorship income is determined much more by the market forces of demand and supply than is the amount of prize money in a tournament. The amount of tournament prize money at Wimbledon is determined by the management committee of the All England Club.
What do the public make of all this? In a recent television poll by the BBC the viewers calling in were nearly equally divided: 51 per cent thought the men should receive more, 49 per cent thought prize money should be equal.
Questions
1. Do the observations by Patricia Hewitt make any sense in economic terms?
2. How relevant is hard training to determining prize money?
3. Can you suggest any way of using economic forces to determine prize money? What about having an ‘open' championship where men play women, with no distinction between men's singles and women's singles?
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNICAL STUDIES
Effective Recruitment
Part A:-
All questions are compulsory. Each question carries 2 marks.
1. When you recruit someone you need to consider:
a. The involvement of all stakeholders
b. What other companies are doing
c. What newspaper to use
d. What skills you need to attract
2. Effective recruitment is about:
a. Increased performance
b. Assessing your culture
c. Keeping your structure intact
d. Making totally objective appointment decisions
3. Social Networking can assist recruitment as follows:
a. It creates opportunities for people to socialise
b. It has access to large networks
c. It creates access to global job opportunities and talent pools
d. It assists poor communities to have access to the internet
4. Temporary appointments are:
a. Against the law
b. Beneficial as you get people with a diverse set of skills
c. Creates instability and uncertainty
d. Useful if you have a cyclical business
5. External factors impacting on recruitment includes::
a. The Gender Equality Act of SA
b. The Labour market
c. Cosatu and Solidarity
d. LRA 66 of 1995
e. The rising petrol costs and falling house prices
6. Internal factors impacting on recruitment includes::
a. Corporate culture
b. Business strategy
c. Internal politics and structure
d. Recruitment criteria
7. Internal factors impacting on recruitment includes::
a. Corporate culture
b. Business strategy
c. Internal politics and structure
d. Recruitment criteria
8. Screening applicants can include:
a. Proper interviews to determine suitability
b. Structured telephonic interviews
c. Analysis of submitted CV's
d. Checking applicant's health history
9. Paper scanning can assist to:
a. Identify gaps in employment
b. Determine the type of person you are dealing with
c. Get an idea of remuneration and benefits\
d. Identify possible questions for the interview
10. The primary aim of recruitment and selection process is to
a. meet the high labour turnover
b. hire the best individuals at optimum cost
c. ensure the availability of surplus in the case of sickness and absence
d. none of the above
11. The process of developing an applicants' pool for job openings in an organization is called
a. Hiring
b. Recruitment
c. Selection
d. retention
12. Which of the following is the most serious problem that might arise due to excessive reliance on internal recruitment?
a. reduced job performance
b. high labour turnover
c. lack of motivation
d. internal resistance
13. A prerequisite for a successful and efficient recruitment programme is to have a(n)
a. corporate policy
b. HR policy
c. recruitment policy
d. health and safety policy
14. Recruitment and selection must be effective to ensure it:
a. Offsets high labour turnover
b. Delivers the highest calibre of individuals at optimum most
c. To have a surplus in case of sickness and absence
d. Encourages new blood into the organization
15. The solution to many so-called 'people problems' is often associated with improving the effectiveness of the recruitment process by:
a. Having a robust HR department to carry out the process
b. Outsourcing the HR department
c. Careful selection of the right people for the job
d. Devolving to line managers
16. The science and engineering sectors reflect significant under representation of which group of employees?
a. Highly skilled operators
b. Young people
c. Over 50s
d. Women
17. Are the best and most productive employees likely to be
a. The least costly in terms of recruitment and employment costs.
b. A matter of 'pot luck' in terms of recruitment decisions
c. The most costly to employ.
d. Have no bearing on recruitment and selection costs.
18. Questions during the interview should give you an indication of:
a. Where this person sees him/herself in the future
b. Weaknesses and strength of the candidate's personality
c. The candidate's hidden motivations and agenda's
d. Past performance and evidence of competence
19. Questions during the interview can include:
a. Questions about children and marital status
b. Questions about religious affiliations
c. Previous exposure to relevant situations
d. Questions regarding mental stability
20. A Competency consists of:
a. The specific tasks a person must do
b. A list of tests that will measure cognitive ability
c. Skills and behaviours
d. Defined knowledge clusters required
e. Clear definitions of policies and procedures relevant to the job.
Part B:-
Answer any 3 of the following questions:
1. Explain the difference between Recruitment & Selection. Discuss the various sources of Recruitment. Explain the procedure of selection in a large scale infrastructure based or manufacturing enterprise.
2. What do you understand by recruitment? What steps can be take to make recruitment process effective.
3. Write notes on the following
i) Ability Test
ii) Personality Test
4. Discuss Competency Framework in detail. Discuss Two activity based and two people based approaches to defining and analysing role.
5. Draw and level a diagram showing connection between competencies and Hr strategies.
Part c Case Study:-
The following statement is an extract from the ‘Opportunities for All' section of Asda's corporate website, accessed September 2004.
At Asda we endeavour to discriminate only on ability and we recognise that our organisation can be effective if we have a diverse colleague base, representing every section of society.
We want to recruit colleagues and managers who represent the communities in which we operate and the customers we serve.
Ethnic minorities
We have been working at all levels to make sure that ethnic minorities are represented across all levels of our business and we operate a policy of Religious Festival Leave so that any colleague can apply to take up to two days unpaid leave to attend their Religious Festival.
Women
We recognise that there are mutual benefits in making sure we employ women in our workplace. Besides our equal opportunities recruitment policy we have a number of other initiatives which support our commitment, particularly our flexible working practices which include job shares and part time working at all levels, parental leave, shift swaps and career breaks.
Disability
It is our aim to make sure that our stores are accessible for disabled people to both work and shop in. As a company we have been awarded the Two Tick symbol and we have a good working partnership with Remploy and we work together to help disabled people get back into the work place. We offer people with disabilities a working environment which is supportive and we operate an equal opportunities policy on promotion.
If, due to your disability, you need some help whether completing your application form or during the interview process, please contact the people manager in your local store or depot who will be pleased to help.
Age
The proportion of older people in the population is steadily increasing and we're seeing this reflected in the age profile of our workforce. We want to encourage the recruitment and retention of older, experienced colleagues, many of whom welcome the opportunity to work beyond the traditional retirement age, to work flexibly and enjoy a phased retirement.
We've been encouraging stores and depots to recruit more mature colleagues or ‘Goldies' and in one new store in Broadstairs we opened with over 40 per cent of our colleagues aged 50 or over. And we have seen a reduction in both labour turnover and absence well below average in the store.
To further reinforce our commitment we also offer a number of flexible working schemes such as Benidorm Leave where older colleagues can take three months unpaid leave between January and March, or grandparents leave where colleagues who are grandparents take up to a week off unpaid to look after a new arrival.
Used with the kind permission of ASDA Ltd.
Questions
1. To what extent does this statement from Asda's website indicate that this organisation has a strategy for diversity management? What has led you to your conclusion?
2. How do Asda seek to safeguard their ‘Opportunities for All' policy in the area of recruitment and selection?
3. Produce a statement for use by companies setting out employment policy in the area of age discrimination and indicate how this could take effect in the recruitment and selection of workers.