MS-022: Human Resource Developement last 3 yrs paper
December, 2020
Section-A
- What is Competency? Why do organisations need competency mapping? Briefly discuss the steps followed in competency mapping. Explain with suitable examples.
- Briefly explain the concept of performance management. Enumerating major methods, and movements, discuss benchmarking as a method of increasing organisational performance. Explain with suitable examples
- Define and differentiate between Profession and Occupation. Briefly explain the characteristics of profession with relevant examples
- Define Globalisation and Global Corporations. Briefly discuss the benefits of being global in an organisational set up, and the elements which help making globalisation work. Explain with examples
- Write short notes on any three of the following:
(a) Congnitive Age (b) The three “sa” of the organisational development (c) Internal self-renewal system (d) Designing Reward system (e) Knowledge management in organisation
- Read the following case carefully and answer the questions given at the end:
ABC Food Limited, a multinational corporation dealing in consumer food products, started its operations in India from 1965. Initially, the growth of the company has been very slow, because of the limited market size in India for ready food items, However, during the last three years there has been a boom in the fast food market and many new companies have ventured into the same product line. ABC Food Limited, being an old company operating in India, has distinct advantages vis-a-vis its competitors who are of recent standing. The products of the company have enjoyed very good reputation in the market from the day of its inception. Over a period of time, the company has added many new products which have been successfully accepted by the market. In view of the recent competition offered to its existing product line, the company has launched a number of new products in the last three years. Based on the Market Research Survey conducted by the company regarding acceptance of their new products, the feedback has been excellent. There is ample scope for the company to penetrate into the existing markets as well as expand the size of the existing market by introducing its products into areas in which the company does not have any marketing set-up till date. The organisational set-up of the company in India consists of Marketing Director at the corporate level and four Zonal Managers Marketing, each incharge of East, West, North, South zone independently. The order of promotion in Marketing Department is Management Trainee— Marketing Officer—Branch Manager— Regional Manager— Zonal Manager—Director Marketing. Mr. Khan joined the company in 1982 as a Management Trainee, Marketing and after completion of two years of rigorous Management Training in all the four zonal offices, he was placed in Bombay Zonal Office as Marketing Officer. Mr. Khan did his MBA in 1982 after graduating in Commerce. He was selected on the basis of Campus Interview by the company. Mr. Khan has been recognised as an outstanding officer based on his previous Performance Appraisal Reports throughout his career with the company by different bosses with whom he had worked during the relevant time.
The company’s performance appraisal system has been recently updated and modified with the cooperation and consultation of an outside consultant in the area of Human Resource Development. The thrust of the new performance appraisal system is on mutual consultation and fixation of target on the basis of joint discussion between the appraisee and the appraiser. Another distinct feature of the new system is that it has two-tier system of assessment, one by the immediate boss under which the appraisee is working and second by the boss of the reporting officer.
The immediate boss of Mr. Khan is Mr. Singh, who is in the grade of Branch Manager but placed at Zonal Office, Bombay. During the last three years, Mr. Khan and Mr. Singh have been given the assignment of conducting Market Research in various parts of the country with the help of an advertising company. In this connection both have to travel extensively to different parts of the country, being away from their families and permanent place of work at times for even more than 15 days in a month. Mr. Dutt, the Zonal Manager, Marketing incharge of Bombay division since 1985, was transferred on promotion as Zonal Manager from Northern Zone where he was working as Regional Manager. He has been observing the working of Mr. Khan as reviewing officer, being the immediate boss of Mr. Singh. During this period, Mr. Dutt has developed a fancy for Mr. Khan being smart, energetic and dynamic in his approach to work, He has been talking good about him to Mr. Singh from time to time.
However, during some of the trips to outstation which were jointly undertaken by Mr. Khan and Mr. Singh, Mr. Singh observed that Mr. Khan has started taking his work lightly as he tends to spend more time with clients in informal get-togethers instead of serious business discussions. Moreover, he has developed tendency of overcharging his expenses on such tours to the company. So far, all such expenses were authorised by Mr. Singh for payment to Mr. Khan. Keeping in mind Mr. Khan’s excellent performance, Mr. Singh has been avoiding bringing it to Mr. Khan’s notice. Mr. Singh has to fill up the Appraisal Report of Mr. Khan for the calendar year 1988. For the last three years, ever since Mr. Khan started working with Mr. Singh, he has been getting excellent reports from Mr. Singh. In view of the above developments, Mr. Singh has not given an excellent report to Mr. Khan for the Appraisal Year 1988. He has also made certain adverse remarks about his integrity and honesty.
Mr. Khan is due for promotion and the Appraisal Report for 1988 is very important for him because as per the promotion policy of the company, promotions are decided on the basis of the last three years’ appraisal reports.
(a) Identify and discuss the core issue in the case.
(b) Was Mr. Singh justified in giving adverse remarks regarding Mr. Khan’s integrity and honesty?
(c) How would you view the action of Mr. Singh, if you were the M. D. of the company?
(d) If you were the M.D. of the company, how do you solve the issue?
Section-B
June, 2020
Section-A
- Explain the concept of career system and discuss career development perspective. Briefly describe different strategies for career development. Cite relevant examples.
- Explain the concept and objectives of coaching and mentoring. Briefly discuss the process of mentoring with suitable examples.
- Define organizational development. Briefly discuss the operational goals and conditions for organizational development success. Cite relevant
- What is Ethnocentrism? Discuss the linkage between diversity, power and mentorship in organization. Explain with suitable examples.
- Write short notes on any three of the following:
(a) System theory and human performances (b) Competency based organisational development (c) 0.D. inetrventions (d) Role of Trade Unions in HRD (e) Knowledge management
- Read the following case carefully and answer the questions given at the end:
The eleven workers whose annual increments were stopped made a representation to the 3 MS-22 inefttgement of RMX Limited that the action taken was not justified and that they wanted to know what was their fault. The management which acted upon the recommendation of the department head concerned, Mr. Raj, felt guilty because such an action was taken for the first time in the history of the comptany.
RMX Limited was a large paper manufacturing company in South India. The major departments of the factory were:
1. Chemical Processing: the raw material was mixed with certain chemicals for making pulp.
2. Pulp department: Pulp was mixed with other ingredients according to specifications for each order of paper.
3. Paper machine department: This was the haert of the factory where processed pulp was fed into the paper machines. Act first, a wet weak paper was formed which was subsequently drieed and rolled.
4. Finishing department: The paper rolls were then moved to the processing department where the required caoting was given.
5. Grading , winding and packing department.
6. Quality control department.Twenty eight workers worked in the paper machine department in four group—each group attending one machine. The nature of the work on each machine was such that all the seven workers had to work in cooperation. Because no individual tasks could be specified, the group was made responsible for the work turned out by them. All the workers working in the paper machine department had been with the company for over ten years.
The company did not have any incentive wage system for any class of its employees. They were all given straight salaries with normal annual increments. The annual increments were sanctioned each year in a routine way. It was the policy of the company that the moments should not be stopped unless the department head concerned recommended such an action.
Mr. Raj wad placed in charge of the paper machine department a year ago. Though Mr. Raj was a newcomer in the organization, he preyed himself to be a very competent man. The management noted that he was very aggressive and enthusiastic and that he know his job well. At the end of the year when increments were due to be sanctioned, he ‘recommended to the management that the increments due to eleven men in his department should be stopped, for, in his opinion they were lazy and inefficient. The eleven men concerned belonged to all the four groups operating in the department.
The management, though puzzled about the action recommended by Mr. Raj acted upon it and stopped the increments due to the eleven men concerned. The management were aware that such an action was the first of its kind in the history of the company. Most of the employees were with the company for a fairly long period and there was never an instance of strained relations between the management and the employees.
Soon after the action was taken, the eleven employees concerned made a representation to the management requesting them to let them know what was wrong with their work as to warrant stopping of their increments. The management were in a fix because they did not have specific reasons to give except Mr. Raj’s report in which he simply mentioned that the eleven men concerned were “lazy and inefficient.”
The management were naturally concerned about the representation and therefore, they tried to ascertain from Mr. Raj the detailed circumstances under which he recommended the stoppage of increments. When Mr. Raj could not pin-point the reasons, the management suspected that Mr. Raj’s recommendation was based on his ‘impressions’ rather than on facts. They, therefore, advised Mr. Raj to maintain a register from then on noting the details of day to day incidents of “lazy and inefficient” workers and obtain the signatures of the workers concerned. Mr. Raj was to make the final appraisal of each worker in his department on the basis of this register and recommend each case giving specific reasons why increments should be stopped.
Mr. Raj started maintaining a register as suggested by the management; but he found it difficult to report satisfactorily any case of laziness or inefficiency for want of specific reasons.
The management were convinced that their action of stopping increments of eleven men on the strength of Mr. Raj’s report was not a proper one. They realized that no similar action in future would be taken based on inadequate information. But, they were wondering whether the suggestion made to Mr. Raj was the proper course of action to prevent occurrence of similar situations.
(a) Identify and discuss the core issue in the case.
(b) Was management of the company justified in implementing the of Mr. Raj, in the absence of proper report?
(c)How would you view the action of Mr. Raj, if you were the M. D. of the company?
(d) Do you think the reward system instituted by the company needs to be reviewed? Substantiate your answer with logic.
Section-B
June, 2021
Section-A
- Briefly describe various forecasting techniques. Explain how these techniques are being used in human resource planning with suitable examples
- What is Job Analysis? Briefly describe various steps in the job analysis process.
- Discuss the objectives and uses of the performance appraisal system. Briefly describe MBO as the method of performance appraisal and its merits and demerits.
- Explain the concept of HR Audit. Describe various essential steps in the Auditing process.
- Write short notes on any four of the following:
(a) Job Evaluation (b) HRIS (c) Succession Planning (d) Induction Training (e) Competency mapping
- Read the following case carefully and answer the questions given at the end:
Pearal Engineering Company was large heavy engineering unit. It attached great importance to the recruitment and training of its senior supervisors. Apart from selecting them from within the organization, the company recruited, every alternate year, about ten young engineering graduates and offered them training for a period of two years, before they were appointed as senior supervisors. Such appointments were made to about 40 per cent of the vacancies of senior supervisors that occurred in the organization. This was considered necessary by the management as a planned programme of imparting vitality to the organization. Besides, many of the old-timers, who had risen from the ranks, did not possess the necessary academic background with the result that they could not keep pace with the technological changes. Management also believed that in the rapidly changing conditions of industry, a bank of technically competent supervisors played a pivotal role, besides serving as a pool from which to select future departmental mangers.
Engineering graduates were selected from amongst those who applied in response to an all-India advertisement. For the selection of one engineer, on an average, eight applicants were called for interview. A selection committee consisting of the General Manager, the Production Manager, the Personnel Manager and the Training Officer interviewed and selected the candidates. The selection interview was preceded by a written test and only those who secured 40 per cent marks qualified for interview. The engineers thus selected had to undergo a two-year intensive theoretical and practical training. A well-staffed and equipped Training Institute was directly responsible for the training of the graduate engineers, besides training trade apprentices and operatives required by the company. Lectures on theoretical subjects were given at the Training Institute and practical training was imparted in all the works departments under the guidance of qualified and experienced instructors. A few lectures by senior officers of the company were also arranged to acquaint them with the company policies on different matters. During the last quarter of their two-year training programme, they were deputed to work full-time to familiarize themselves with the conditions in departments where they were to be absorbed eventually.
On successful completion of training, the graduate engineers were offered appointments, depending on their performance and aptitude as revealed during training. On placement in the works departments, however, most of them faced some difficulty or the other. According to management, some of the heads of departments, who were themselves not qualified engineers, did not have sufficient confidence in these younger men. They preferred the subordinates who came up from the ranks to hold positions of responsibility. A few discredited them saying that it would take years before these youngsters could pick up the job. Besides, some of the employees, whose promotional opportunities were adversely affected by the placement of graduate engineers, tried their best to run down the latter as a class, sometimes working on the group feelings of the workers. Some of the supervisors who were not graduate engineers also spoke derisively of them as ‘the blue-eyed boys’ of the organization. Management knew that many of the graduate engineers were not utilized according to their capacity or training, nor was any attempt made to test or develop their potentialities. They also knew that many of the graduate engineers were, therefore, dissatisfied with their work life. Some of them who did not get equal promotional opportunities as their colleagues placed in other departments, were looking for better jobs elsewhere.
On the other hand, according to management, the young graduate engineers were themselves partly responsible for the hostile attitude of others in the organization. Some of them failed to appreciate that a newcomer invited hostility in the beginning and it took time before he was accepted as a member of the work-group. They did not realize that they would be fully productive only after gaining about five to seven years’ experience in the organization. A few thought that they belonged to a superior cadre and threw their weight around. They did not bother to understand and appreciate the problems of the rank-and-file of employees who worked under them.
In spite of these drawbacks, the General Manager of the company felt that these men were a set of disciplined supervisors. They had a MS-023 7 P.T.O. sense of pride in their profession, and with the extensive training they had received, they would be able to take up any responsible position in the organization in course of time.
The General Manager could not allow the situation to continue especially when it was a difficult and costly process to recruit and train young engineering graduates of the requisite type and calibre. He knew that the prosperity of the company, to a large extent, depended on these young men. In addition, a large number of lucrative employment opportunities were available to these young engineers elsewhere and there was a systematic raid on them. He, therefore, called a meeting of all Heads of Departments to review the situation
Questions:
(a) Identify the issues related in the case.
(b) Discuss the strategies to tackle the problem.
Section-B
December, 2020
- Explain the concept and need of Human Resource Information System (HRIS). Describe the various approaches to managing information at the macro and micro level.
- What is Human Resource Accounting? Discuss the ways to measure the Human Resource Cost and Human Resource Value.
- Discuss the objectives of performance appraisal system in an organization. Describe the methods used in performance appraisal and their merits and demerits.
- Explain the concept of job evaluation and its objectives. Describe the methods and the recent developments in job evaluation system
- Explain the concept of competency. Describe the various methods of the competency mapping and their benefits.
- Discuss the main causes of job dislocation. Describe, what are the solutions to deal with dislocated employees.
- Define career planning. Explain the process of career planning and its benefits.
- Define role description and explain the uses of role description. Describe the factors leading to changes required in role description.
June, 2020
- Explain, why is Human Resource Planning important? Describe the process and various forecasting techniques being used in Human Resolute Planning.
- Explain the concept and process of Human Resource Planning (HRP). Discuss the review process of Human Resource Planning and also mention, how it balances the competing and conflicting elements.
- Explain the issues in demand forecasting. Discuss the different factors contributing to demand forecasting with suitable examples.
- Define and explain job analysis. Describe its importance in an organisation.
- Explain the various job evaluation methods and its objectives. Describe the recent developments in job evaluation system. Give suitable examples.
- What is Recruitment? Briefly describe the methods and techniques of recruitment.
- Discuss the aims and objectives of career planning. Explain the career planning process and its various benefits to the employees with citing suitable examples.
- Explain the concept, need and scope of Human Resource Audit (HRA). Describe the various essential steps and techniques involved in auditing process..
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