HRM1501 May/Jun 2017 exam paper — questions

Every question, by topic

1. Question 1.1 · Recruitment and selection · 2 marks

   Smoky-Shell CC is a chicken farm located in Brits, North West, that was started five years ago by Mrs Nandi Brown, who is currently its owner and CEO. Like all businesses, Nandi intends to expand and grow the farm into a very large business able to serve every province in the country, and to achieve this she must apply sound business ethics. A key issue in ensuring her success is to examine the HR processes and functions of the farm, considering whether her organisational HR plan will give her a competitive edge given the tough competition in the farming industry. She has decided to attract specialists in the HR field, and to attract the best job applicants she must ensure that compensation is in line with market-related rates. The process of attracting the best job applicants will begin with advertising job positions throughout the country, while ensuring compliance with South African labour legislation. Once all prospective job applicants have submitted their CVs, selection of the most desired candidates will begin: selection interviews will be conducted and all applicants will be exposed to the same interviews to ensure fairness. To ensure newly appointed employees become productive as quickly as possible, the HR department will conduct an orientation programme, since choosing the right applicant does not on its own guarantee success in actual job performance. Nandi will also have new employees trained to ensure a return on investment, and has allocated this role to Zack Smith, the training manager; although Zack is also new at Smoky-Shell, he has ten years' experience in training and holds an MBA from North-West University. Nandi and her new management team have decided to conduct performance appraisals half-yearly to ensure things remain on track, a role allocated to Selina Bosch, the HR director, who will use a team of professional raters to ensure fair scores for all participants. In her strategic plan, Nandi has also made provision for outsourcing both service providers and some products, should her business lack the capacity to serve the entire market. Determine whether Smoky-Shell is a service business or a product business, and support your answer.Show the full questionShow less

2. Question 1.2 · Recruitment and selection · 5 marks

   Smoky-Shell CC is a chicken farm located in Brits, North West, that was started five years ago by Mrs Nandi Brown, who is currently its owner and CEO. Like all businesses, Nandi intends to expand and grow the farm into a very large business able to serve every province in the country, and to achieve this she must apply sound business ethics. A key issue in ensuring her success is to examine the HR processes and functions of the farm, considering whether her organisational HR plan will give her a competitive edge given the tough competition in the farming industry. She has decided to attract specialists in the HR field, and to attract the best job applicants she must ensure that compensation is in line with market-related rates. The process of attracting the best job applicants will begin with advertising job positions throughout the country, while ensuring compliance with South African labour legislation. Once all prospective job applicants have submitted their CVs, selection of the most desired candidates will begin: selection interviews will be conducted and all applicants will be exposed to the same interviews to ensure fairness. To ensure newly appointed employees become productive as quickly as possible, the HR department will conduct an orientation programme, since choosing the right applicant does not on its own guarantee success in actual job performance. Nandi will also have new employees trained to ensure a return on investment, and has allocated this role to Zack Smith, the training manager; although Zack is also new at Smoky-Shell, he has ten years' experience in training and holds an MBA from North-West University. Nandi and her new management team have decided to conduct performance appraisals half-yearly to ensure things remain on track, a role allocated to Selina Bosch, the HR director, who will use a team of professional raters to ensure fair scores for all participants. In her strategic plan, Nandi has also made provision for outsourcing both service providers and some products, should her business lack the capacity to serve the entire market. A certain advertising principle must be applied to ensure that the right job applicants are attracted to Smoky-Shell. Identify this principle and discuss it.Show the full questionShow less

3. Question 1.3 · Recruitment and selection · 2 marks

   Smoky-Shell CC is a chicken farm located in Brits, North West, that was started five years ago by Mrs Nandi Brown, who is currently its owner and CEO. Like all businesses, Nandi intends to expand and grow the farm into a very large business able to serve every province in the country, and to achieve this she must apply sound business ethics. A key issue in ensuring her success is to examine the HR processes and functions of the farm, considering whether her organisational HR plan will give her a competitive edge given the tough competition in the farming industry. She has decided to attract specialists in the HR field, and to attract the best job applicants she must ensure that compensation is in line with market-related rates. The process of attracting the best job applicants will begin with advertising job positions throughout the country, while ensuring compliance with South African labour legislation. Once all prospective job applicants have submitted their CVs, selection of the most desired candidates will begin: selection interviews will be conducted and all applicants will be exposed to the same interviews to ensure fairness. To ensure newly appointed employees become productive as quickly as possible, the HR department will conduct an orientation programme, since choosing the right applicant does not on its own guarantee success in actual job performance. Nandi will also have new employees trained to ensure a return on investment, and has allocated this role to Zack Smith, the training manager; although Zack is also new at Smoky-Shell, he has ten years' experience in training and holds an MBA from North-West University. Nandi and her new management team have decided to conduct performance appraisals half-yearly to ensure things remain on track, a role allocated to Selina Bosch, the HR director, who will use a team of professional raters to ensure fair scores for all participants. In her strategic plan, Nandi has also made provision for outsourcing both service providers and some products, should her business lack the capacity to serve the entire market. The attraction of the most desired job applicants refers to a specific HR function. Identify this function and provide its definition.Show the full questionShow less

4. Question 1.4 · Recruitment and selection · 8 marks

   Smoky-Shell CC is a chicken farm located in Brits, North West, that was started five years ago by Mrs Nandi Brown, who is currently its owner and CEO. Like all businesses, Nandi intends to expand and grow the farm into a very large business able to serve every province in the country, and to achieve this she must apply sound business ethics. A key issue in ensuring her success is to examine the HR processes and functions of the farm, considering whether her organisational HR plan will give her a competitive edge given the tough competition in the farming industry. She has decided to attract specialists in the HR field, and to attract the best job applicants she must ensure that compensation is in line with market-related rates. The process of attracting the best job applicants will begin with advertising job positions throughout the country, while ensuring compliance with South African labour legislation. Once all prospective job applicants have submitted their CVs, selection of the most desired candidates will begin: selection interviews will be conducted and all applicants will be exposed to the same interviews to ensure fairness. To ensure newly appointed employees become productive as quickly as possible, the HR department will conduct an orientation programme, since choosing the right applicant does not on its own guarantee success in actual job performance. Nandi will also have new employees trained to ensure a return on investment, and has allocated this role to Zack Smith, the training manager; although Zack is also new at Smoky-Shell, he has ten years' experience in training and holds an MBA from North-West University. Nandi and her new management team have decided to conduct performance appraisals half-yearly to ensure things remain on track, a role allocated to Selina Bosch, the HR director, who will use a team of professional raters to ensure fair scores for all participants. In her strategic plan, Nandi has also made provision for outsourcing both service providers and some products, should her business lack the capacity to serve the entire market. The function identified in 1.3 can be conducted either within the organisation or outside it. Provide four advantages of attracting job applicants from within the organisation and three disadvantages of attracting job applicants from outside the organisation.Show the full questionShow less

5. Question 1.5 · Recruitment and selection · 8 marks

   Smoky-Shell CC is a chicken farm located in Brits, North West, that was started five years ago by Mrs Nandi Brown, who is currently its owner and CEO. Like all businesses, Nandi intends to expand and grow the farm into a very large business able to serve every province in the country, and to achieve this she must apply sound business ethics. A key issue in ensuring her success is to examine the HR processes and functions of the farm, considering whether her organisational HR plan will give her a competitive edge given the tough competition in the farming industry. She has decided to attract specialists in the HR field, and to attract the best job applicants she must ensure that compensation is in line with market-related rates. The process of attracting the best job applicants will begin with advertising job positions throughout the country, while ensuring compliance with South African labour legislation. Once all prospective job applicants have submitted their CVs, selection of the most desired candidates will begin: selection interviews will be conducted and all applicants will be exposed to the same interviews to ensure fairness. To ensure newly appointed employees become productive as quickly as possible, the HR department will conduct an orientation programme, since choosing the right applicant does not on its own guarantee success in actual job performance. Nandi will also have new employees trained to ensure a return on investment, and has allocated this role to Zack Smith, the training manager; although Zack is also new at Smoky-Shell, he has ten years' experience in training and holds an MBA from North-West University. Nandi and her new management team have decided to conduct performance appraisals half-yearly to ensure things remain on track, a role allocated to Selina Bosch, the HR director, who will use a team of professional raters to ensure fair scores for all participants. In her strategic plan, Nandi has also made provision for outsourcing both service providers and some products, should her business lack the capacity to serve the entire market. In choosing the most desired job applicants, a certain process must be followed. Identify this process and list all the steps involved in it.Show the full questionShow less