B221 Human Resource Management

PBL PROBLEM WORKSHEET

Title of Problem: Musical Chairs Module: B221 – Human Resource

Management

Problem No.: HR12 Topic: Career and Talent

Management

Study Questions

S1. Some students in Republic Polytechnic might not know what they want for their careers.
The Student Career Centre (http://www.rp.sg/scc/) helps the students to find their career
directions and meaningful employment.

a) How does the Student Career Centre help the students?

Provide info on careers.

b) Should organisations provide some similar services for staff to develop their careers?
Discuss with specific examples of services that you have identified in question S1(a).

c) James is a former student of Republic Polytechnic. Before graduation, he attended a

career planning session with the Student Career Centre. However, he has not been
able to find a job that he likes despite the economy doing well. He blames the Career
Centre for not doing its job. Is James justified in blaming the Career Centre? No the
career centre is to advice you on which path that might suit you but You yourself
need to find out the job that you one. Discuss.

S2. Researchers propose that people go through different stages in their careers:

4.
1. Exploration
Disengagement

3. Maintenance 2. Establishment

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 B221 Human Resource Management

Read the attached articles. What stages of one’s life might you consider the 3 scenarios
given below to demonstrate?
a) Discuss the needs and career aspirations that might be relevant to them.

What stage do you What are their What are their

think they are in? personal needs? career
a) Exploration aspirations?
b) Establishment
c) Maintenance
d) Disengagement
Exploration To expand her
business not only
career.tif for the jewellery
path.
Maintenance Family time
Work life balance
All In The Family.pdf

Disengagement To still contribute

to the society
IBM.png

b) Assume the people in all three scenarios work in the same company. How would
having people of different life stages affect the way the company designs its career
development plans?

S3. What are the indicators that a particular employee has the potential to hold higher
appointment? Does potential and performance mean the same thing?

S4. It is not possible for everyone to be promoted, even if they are qualified. People need to
consider other ways to grow in their jobs. Consider the situation below:

Shahril and Isa are professional footballers in the same league club. Both of them want
to be star players and were vying to be team captain. The club manager has decided to
appoint Shahril as the captain. Isa will play attacking midfielder.

a) Without being the captain, what can Isa do to become the star in the team?
Isa can improve himself by being the key man in the team.

b) List possible ways that the coach can help Isa succeed?

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 B221 Human Resource Management

The coach can help isa by playing him more often.

Allow him to play in other position in midfield to improve his potential.

c) Should the coach consider fielding Isa in other positions too? Discuss.

Singtel1.tif
S5. Read the following articles on career development in Singtel.

Singtel2.tif

a) What does Singtel do to develop the careers of their talents? Develop road map,
mentorship,

b) Discuss how some of the ideas in the Singtel article can be used to develop a
generic step-by-step process for providing career development (from the
organisation’s perspective).

S6. Read the attached article about Steve Jobs stepping down as CEO of Apple. Propose
the process that was used to prepare Tim Cook to “take over the reins” at Apple.

Steve Jobs
resigns.doc

Challenge Yourself
These questions are not critical for solving the problem but allow you to gain deeper understanding of the areas
of discussion addressed above.

C1. In each of the scenario below, discuss how the company should treat the type of
employee mentioned in terms of managing their careers, developing them and the possible
constraints that could affect the career progression.

High potential/good performer High potential /poor performer

Low potential /good performer Low potential/poor performer

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 B221 Human Resource Management

C2. Based on the Singtel article in QS5, how does the company manage Generation Y’s
career expectations?

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