FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

FINAL EXAMINATION – September 2020

MODULE CODE: BBA 3206

MODULE NAME: Human Resource Management

TIME ALLOWED: 24 Hours

MATERIALS PERMITTED: Open Book Examination
MATERIALS PROVIDED: Examination Paper (soft copy)
TOTAL MARKS: 100 Marks

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
(i) This is an Open Book Take Home Examination.
(ii) It is recommended that before beginning to type/write, you name and save the
document under your REGISTRATION NUMBER, MODULE CODE AND MODULE
NAME e.g. VU-BIR-1509-0009, BIR100, Introduction to International Relation.
(iii) Write/Type your student ID number at the bottom of every page (as a footer).
(iv) Read each question carefully before beginning to type/write your answers.
(v) Review the grades assigned to each question of the examination and allocate your time
accordingly.
(vi) Review your answers carefully before submitting your examination to exams@vu.ac.ug
and copying (cc) to victoriauniversityexams@gmail.com
(vii) Answer all the four questions.

Page 1 of 4
 Section A: compulsory

Q.1.

Case Study:

Helena, a high school kid looking for a summer job, was hired as a cook at a nearby restaurant.
Helena had no experience working in kitchens, but the supervisor who hired her, explained that it
was not necessary, because they would train her.

On Helena’s first day, she was paired with a Senior Line Cook by the name of Ericarido. Ericarido
was not especially thrilled with the idea of having to train a new person on the busiest night of the
week, and expressed his concerns to the manager. “You are our most senior employee, so that makes
you the most qualified person to do the training.” A frustrated Ericarido did not say much after that –
and aside from giving Helena a nod of acknowledgement, his only words to her were “watch, and
stay out of my way.”

By the time the main dinner rush hit, the entire kitchen line was bustling with activity and Ericarido
was doing his best to call orders, time out bills, and cook all at the same time. As more and more
orders came in, the stress level in the kitchen had increased dramatically. It was at this point
Ericarido turned to Helena and barked, “I need you to run to the fridge and get me more meat!”
Afraid to ask any questions, Helena quickly turned to look for the fridge, and as instructed, “ran”
through the kitchen line to get more meat. A cook, unaware that Helena was coming through, turned
to put up a dish, and collided with Helena. He never heard her coming.

a) Identify and list all the things that went wrong on Helena’s first day (5 Marks)
b) When selecting an employee to do training, how much does seniority factor in on your decision
(5 Marks)
c) Refer to your response in (b) above, If yes, why, if not why not – justify your response (5
Marks)
d) If an employee is good at their job, does that automatically make them a good trainer, and why?
(5 Marks)
e) What is the key takeaway you have learned from this case study? (5 Marks)
(Total 25 Marks)

Q.2.
Case Study:
Lucy managed a branch bank office. The office was located in a good location and had many
customers. However, the bank itself had been under severe pressure to improve profits. As a result,
the staff in Lucy's office had been reduced by a third.
Page 2 of 4
Now there seemed to be a constant backup of customers in the branch. Because of long waits,
customers were often abusive to the tellers when they finally reached the window. The staff was
feeling increasingly stressful, and the quality of work began falling off.
The contradiction of this business was that, as things stood now, Lucy had more customers than she
was capable of handling. Two days after a particularly disturbing incident, Lucy prepared to conduct
a mandated "sales meeting" in the branch. These meetings seldom went well as far as Lucy was
concerned. She wanted to find some way to deal with the real problems of the branch, and felt she
had to come up with something before the meeting on the following day.
(a) Can Lucy use this meeting to help solve some of the problems of the branch? (6 marks)
(b) What kinds of general strategies can Lucy pursue to help solve these problems? (6 marks)
(c) Describe the process that Lucy can follow with her staff to address productivity and quality
problems. (7 marks)
(d) What is the KEY takeaway you have learned from this case study? (6 Marks)

(Total 25 Marks)
Section B; Answer two questions

Q.3.
Case Study:

Jerry was made supervisor of the Case Analysis Unit of the city's Department of Social Services
about three months. There were four employees in the unit. They were expected to complete 12 cases
and clear four backlogged cases each week.
Jerry was pleased with every employee except Frank. Frank was a long-term city employee who had
been in this department for the past eight years. Frank was polite and likable, but his usual level of
performance was seven cases and one or two backlogged cases weekly. After watching Frank's work
more closely, Jerry observed that Frank worked more slowly than his coworkers.
Before Jerry's predecessor and boss Silver retired, he told Jerry that Frank just lacked motivation.
However, his boss also said that he did not want to rock the boat over Frank. Sure enough, when
Jerry finally looked in Frank's personnel folder, he noticed that no counseling or disciplinary actions
had been recorded and found that Frank had been given generally good performance appraisals.
Indeed, Frank was given a better-than-average merit pay increase the month before Jerry moved in as
supervisor.
Jerry also noticed how the other employees began to mock and make fun of Frank. During one
meeting at which he was present, they openly ridiculed Frank before Jerry could regain control of the
situation. Jerry became concerned about the long-term effects Frank would have on the morale of the
team.
Page 3 of 4
a) Describe the problems that Jerry is facing (6 marks)
b) Should Jerry do anything about the less-than-standard performance of Frank? (6 marks)
c) What should Jerry do about Frank in relation to the other employees in the unit? (7 marks)
d) What is the KEY takeaway you have learned from this case study? (6 Marks)
(Total 25 Marks)
Q.4.
Case Study:
Muriel was a young, attractive senior bookkeeping clerk for a manufacturer of sports clothes. In this
capacity, Muriel was required to go to the Shipping Office in the warehouse every week to verify
inventory records. The Shipping Office was completely enclosed and private. Whenever she went
there, Muriel would work closely with Beatrice, the shipping clerk. They worked well together, and
Muriel had no reason to anticipate any problems from Beatrice. Nonetheless, during one meeting,
Beatricesat very close to Muriel and asked her if she wanted to go out dancing together. Muriel left
shortly thereafter and informed her boss, Richard, about what had happened. He shrugged off her
comments.

When Muriel arrived at the Shipping Office the following, Beatrice rushed over to her, hugged her
tightly, stoked her back and patted her rear and told Muriel how much she had missed her. Muriel
was shocked and afraid. She broke free of Beatrice and ran back to her department, crying. She told
Richard what had happened.

(a) Is this a case of sexual harassment? Explain your response (6 marks)

(b) Does the company have a responsibility? (7 marks)
(c) What should the supervisor do now to avoid having similar problems in the future? (7 marks)
(d) What is the KEY takeaway you have learned from this case study? (5 Marks)
(Total 25 Marks)

~ W I S H I N G Y O U S U C C E S S ~

Page 4 of 4