HRM1501 May/Jun 2016 exam paper — questions

Every question, by topic

1. Question 1.1 · The HR environment, profession and strategic role · 12 marks

   Tom and Timothy both work for Khululeka (Pty) Ltd. When their current positions were advertised, the advertisement did not mention giving priority to previously disadvantaged communities, which allowed Timothy, a white male with 10 years' working experience in HR, to apply. Besides his 10 years of managerial-level experience, Timothy also holds an MCom degree in HR. The advertisement satisfied all the AIDA principles, and recruitment took place both nationally and internationally, with interviews used to select the best candidates from the pool of applicants. Timothy was appointed as an HR Practitioner, while Tom, a young Indian male holding a BCom degree in HR, was appointed as manager of the entire HR function, meaning Timothy now reports to Tom and feels very uncomfortable with this arrangement. Top management has announced that all employees must undergo training to improve their skills and contribute positively to the organisation's overall goals and objectives, a plan that will also enable employees to advance along their career paths. It has further been agreed that performance appraisals will be conducted quarterly to ensure both organisational and individual goals and objectives are met. To further enhance achievement of organisational goals, employees from different sections and departments have been grouped into small, manageable teams and groups according to their areas of specialisation. The company is also committed to compensating and rewarding its employees at market-related rates in order to gain a competitive advantage. Khululeka (Pty) Ltd is affected by factors present in both its external and internal business environments. Identify the factors influencing the company from the external business environment only, and briefly discuss each of these factors.Show the full questionShow less

2. Question 1.2 · The HR environment, profession and strategic role · 4 marks

   Tom and Timothy both work for Khululeka (Pty) Ltd. When their current positions were advertised, the advertisement did not mention giving priority to previously disadvantaged communities, which allowed Timothy, a white male with 10 years' working experience in HR, to apply. Besides his 10 years of managerial-level experience, Timothy also holds an MCom degree in HR. The advertisement satisfied all the AIDA principles, and recruitment took place both nationally and internationally, with interviews used to select the best candidates from the pool of applicants. Timothy was appointed as an HR Practitioner, while Tom, a young Indian male holding a BCom degree in HR, was appointed as manager of the entire HR function, meaning Timothy now reports to Tom and feels very uncomfortable with this arrangement. Top management has announced that all employees must undergo training to improve their skills and contribute positively to the organisation's overall goals and objectives, a plan that will also enable employees to advance along their career paths. It has further been agreed that performance appraisals will be conducted quarterly to ensure both organisational and individual goals and objectives are met. To further enhance achievement of organisational goals, employees from different sections and departments have been grouped into small, manageable teams and groups according to their areas of specialisation. The company is also committed to compensating and rewarding its employees at market-related rates in order to gain a competitive advantage. Identify only four (4) roles that are likely to make Human Resource Management (HRM) important to organisations.Show the full questionShow less

3. Question 1.3 · The HR environment, profession and strategic role · 6 marks

   Tom and Timothy both work for Khululeka (Pty) Ltd. When their current positions were advertised, the advertisement did not mention giving priority to previously disadvantaged communities, which allowed Timothy, a white male with 10 years' working experience in HR, to apply. Besides his 10 years of managerial-level experience, Timothy also holds an MCom degree in HR. The advertisement satisfied all the AIDA principles, and recruitment took place both nationally and internationally, with interviews used to select the best candidates from the pool of applicants. Timothy was appointed as an HR Practitioner, while Tom, a young Indian male holding a BCom degree in HR, was appointed as manager of the entire HR function, meaning Timothy now reports to Tom and feels very uncomfortable with this arrangement. Top management has announced that all employees must undergo training to improve their skills and contribute positively to the organisation's overall goals and objectives, a plan that will also enable employees to advance along their career paths. It has further been agreed that performance appraisals will be conducted quarterly to ensure both organisational and individual goals and objectives are met. To further enhance achievement of organisational goals, employees from different sections and departments have been grouped into small, manageable teams and groups according to their areas of specialisation. The company is also committed to compensating and rewarding its employees at market-related rates in order to gain a competitive advantage. Given that Timothy has been appointed as an HR Practitioner, identify any three (3) competencies required of a person who is registered as an HR practitioner with the SABPP (South African Board for People Practices).Show the full questionShow less

4. Question 1.4 · The HR environment, profession and strategic role · 3 marks

   Tom and Timothy both work for Khululeka (Pty) Ltd. When their current positions were advertised, the advertisement did not mention giving priority to previously disadvantaged communities, which allowed Timothy, a white male with 10 years' working experience in HR, to apply. Besides his 10 years of managerial-level experience, Timothy also holds an MCom degree in HR. The advertisement satisfied all the AIDA principles, and recruitment took place both nationally and internationally, with interviews used to select the best candidates from the pool of applicants. Timothy was appointed as an HR Practitioner, while Tom, a young Indian male holding a BCom degree in HR, was appointed as manager of the entire HR function, meaning Timothy now reports to Tom and feels very uncomfortable with this arrangement. Top management has announced that all employees must undergo training to improve their skills and contribute positively to the organisation's overall goals and objectives, a plan that will also enable employees to advance along their career paths. It has further been agreed that performance appraisals will be conducted quarterly to ensure both organisational and individual goals and objectives are met. To further enhance achievement of organisational goals, employees from different sections and departments have been grouped into small, manageable teams and groups according to their areas of specialisation. The company is also committed to compensating and rewarding its employees at market-related rates in order to gain a competitive advantage. Besides performing his functions as an HR practitioner, Timothy also acts as an employee champion at Khululeka (Pty) Ltd. Provide any three (3) roles that you think his duties as an employee champion will involve.Show the full questionShow less

5. Question 2.1 · Groups, teams and organisational behaviour · 6 marks

   Individuals and groups behave differently in organisations compared to their behaviour in society in general. Describe the concept 'organisational behaviour' (OB) and identify the four (4) goals of studying OB.Show the full questionShow less