Xaviers Institute of Business Management Studies

Human Resource Management

(i) There are three Sections A and B and C.

(ii) Attempt any three questions each from Section A and B. All questions carry 10 marks
each.
(iii) Section C is compulsory for all and carries 40 marks.

SECTION A

1. Define and differentiate between Job Analysis, Job Description and Job Evaluation.
Select an appropriate job evaluation method and create a plan for evaluating jobs of
scientists in different grades.

2. Discuss the role of indoctrination in organizations. How can Performance Appraisal,

and Training and Development be made an integral part of Human Resource Planning?
Discuss.

3. Discuss the scope of Human Resource Audit. While auditing Reward systems for
employees in a manufacturing organization, which factors should be taken into account
and why? Explain with suitable examples.

4. Define and discuss the need for Human Resource Planning in an organization. Briefly
discuss various approaches to HRP

5. Write short notes on any three of the following:

(a) Training methods
(b) Value determinants of HRP
(c) Human Resource accounting
(d) Labour Market Behavior
(e) Promotion and Reward Policies

SECTION B

1. Define and discuss the objectives of Human Resource Planning at organizational level.
How does it help in determining and evaluating future organizational capabilities, needs
and anticipated problems? Explain with suitable examples.

2. Define and describe Job Analysis. Briefly discuss several methods in which information
about a job is collected and evaluated.

3. What is the purpose and process of recruitment function? Discuss various methods of
sourcing manpower.
4. How is monetary value assigned to different dimensions of Human Resources costs,
investments, and worth of the employees? Briefly explain Cost and Economic value
approaches of measurement.

5. Write short notes on any three of the following :

(a) MBO
(b) Succession Planning
(c) Competency Mapping
(d) Job Evaluation
(e) H.R. Inventory

SECTION C

1. Quality control Department

Read the case given below and answer the questions given at the end.

Mr. Kapil Kumar and Mr. Abbas Ali were working in a scooter manufacturing public sector
industry as Senior Quality Control Engineers in 1988. One post of Deputy Chief Quality
Controller has fallen vacant due to the retirement of the incumbent and the management
decided to recruit a qualified, knowledgeable and experienced professional from outside
so that the present quality standard may be improved thus ensuring better marketability
of their scooters in the face of stiff competition. Mr. Kapil Kumar, who was a mechanical
engineer with about 15 years experience in the Quality Control Department dealing with
mopeds and scooters, could have been promoted to fill the post on the basis of seniority.
However, the management was looking for a graduate in statistics with experience in
latest Quality Control (QC) techniques like statistical quality control, quality assurance
and other related areas rather than a mechanical or automobile engineer with the
routine experience in quality control. As such instead of promoting Kapil Kumar, the
management advertised for the post of Deputy Chief Quality Controller - since as per
company rules it was DR (Direct Recruitment) vacancy also.

Selection of Outsider

Out of the applications received in response to the advertisement, six candidates were
called for interview including the two internal candidates, Mr. Kapil Kumar and Mr. Abbas
Ali. The person selected was an outsider, one Mr. Ratnam, who had over 12 years
experience SQC, quality assurance etc., in the two-wheeler private manufacturing
industry. Mr. Ratnam joined within 2 months time expecting that in his new position he
would be the main controller for quality. However, after joining the organization he came
to know that he would be the second senior most person in the hierarchy for controlling
the quality and would be reporting to one, Kirpal Sing,. The Chief for Quality Controls.
Mr. Kirpal Singh had come up to this post by seniority and was basically a diploma holder
in automobile engineering. He had to his credit about 28 years of industrial experience,
out of which 20 years were spent in Quality Control Department of two industries. He
joined the present organization in its Quality Control Department and had 17 years
experience in the organization and was due for retirement within the next 2 or 3 years.
On learning about the retirement time of Mr. Kirpal Singh, Mt. Ratnam had the
consolation that he would be able to take up the position of 'Chief Controller of Quality'
very soon.

Interference from Top

Ratnam could not put forth many good suggestions (for quality control) because of the
interference and direct supervision of Kirpal Singh. He, however, could pick up a good
deal of knowledge about the working of the company, the nature-and tendency of
different production department heads particularly with regard to care for quality,
organization for 'QC' in the company, the various components required for assembly of
the company's two-wheeler scooter and the expected quality standards, drawback in the
present system of quality controls. etc.

Right from the time the advertisement for the selection of Deputy Chief Quality
Controller appeared, the O.A. (Officers Association) of the organization had been
pressing the management to consider the case of Kapil Kumar for promotion to the
above post based on his seniority in the organization.

Meanwhile, the management obtained a license in 1989 for producing Three-Wheeler

Autos. As a result of this and the pressure from O.A., Ratnam was transferred to look
after the Quality Control Department at the company's new Three-Wheeler plant,
whereas Kapil Kumar was promoted as Deputy Chief Quality Controller in the present
two-wheeler scooter plant in 1990 (after creating one additional post of Deputy Chief
Quality Controller for the new Project).

In 1991, the State Government, which controlled the company in question, changed the
Managing Director. During the regime of this new Managing Director, Kapil Kumar was
promoted as Chief (Quality Controls) next year, when Kirpal Singh retired. This decision
was based on the recommendations of Kirpal Singh and partly attributed to pressure
from O.A., for further promotion of Kapil Kumar based on his vast experience in the
Quality Control function of this industry. Abbas Ali rose to the position held earlier by
Kapil Kumar.

Allotment of Company Quarters

The Company had its own township near the factory. Its quarter allotment scheme was
based on the length of service, i.e., date of joining. Ratnam had asked for a suitable
quarter at the time of interview and was thus allotted a tile quarter meant for the Senior
Engineer's cadre. He learnt about this, after occupying the quarter. Ratnam asked for a
change of Quarter - preferably a RCC-roof quarter, - but his request was turned down,
since he had put in only few months of service whereas many others senior to him, on
the beds of their longer length of service in the Company (having over 10 years service),
were staying in tiled-roof quarters and were awaiting a chance for a RCC-roof quarter.
Kapil Kumar and Abbas Ali were residing in RCC-roof quarters. Soon after Kapil Kumar's
promotion to the post of Chief (Quality Controls), he was allotted a bungalow.

The management's decision in this case must be viewed in the context of the downtrend
in the demand for scooters and three-wheeler autos during 1993 following complaints
from dealers about the deteriorating quality of components as also their short life.
Notably the complaints had risen ten-fold in that year as compared to that in 1988.

Questions

(a) Was the management justified in taking a decision to recruit a qualified and
experienced person from outside as Deputy Chief Quality Controller?

(b) Was it in the interest of the organization to transfer Ratnam to the new auto-wheeler
plant and promote Kapil Kumar? What could have prompted the management to take
this decision?
(c) How do you view the role of O.A.s in supporting only the local and internal candidates
and overlooking the interests of direct recruits even when they were family members of
the Association, particularly at a time, when the industry needed professionally qualified
persons to fill key technical posts?

(d) How would you react to the management's scheme for quarter allotment and why?

2. Pearl Engineering
Pearl Engineering Company was a 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 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 managers.

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 fulltime 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 work 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 drawback, the General Manager of the company felt that these men
were a set of disciplined supervisors. They had a 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 caliber. 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:

(i) Identify the issues related to manpower planning as evident in the case.

(ii) Discuss the strategies to tackle the percentage of internal promotion at the
organizational level.

(iii)What type of additional training programmes should be imparted for direct entrants?

(iv) Suppose you are the head of the personnel division. What would be your
suggestions in the meeting - Which has been called by the General Manager?