CIPS Exam Report for Learner Community:

Qualification: Advanced diploma in procurement and supply

Unit: AD1 - Management in P&S
Exam series: May 2017

Each element of a question carries equal weighting unless otherwise stated.

Question 1 – Learning Outcome 1 Mark
(a) Explain the term ‘psychological contract’ suggesting THREE 10 marks
examples from NUL to support your answer.

(b) Discuss the influence of organisational culture on team performance 15 marks

at NUL.
a) Learning outcome addressed: 1.1

Command word explanation: Explain – give reasons for or account for something

Examples of good content/good approaches in answers:

Good answers defined a ‘psychological contract’ and gave THREE examples from NUL including:

 The importance of tidying up work areas

 Maintaining equipment in a good working order
 Offering ‘a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work’
 Scheduling of training during working hours rather than after work
 Offering training and development opportunities

Examples of content for merit/distinction grade answers:

Better answers gave a detailed and precise definition mentioning aspects such as an unwritten contract
involving the expectations of an employer and employee in terms of pay and rewards, accommodating
staff aspirations, quality of work and levels of performance and behaviour required by NUL.

Better answers were particularly strong at drawing examples from the case study including:
 Higher wages and better development opportunities at the local car plant compared to NUL
 Autocratic management style that did not enable employees to feedback on issues in the
workplace
 Providing a working environment conducive to high levels of performance and complying with

MAY 2017_AD1_EXAM REPORT _LEARNER_COMMUNITY_FV 1/7

Leading global excellence in procurement and supply

 health and safety legislation (which NUL were failing in across certain working practices)

Examples of poorer content/ poorer approaches in answers:

Poor answers were unable to give a clear definition of a ‘psychological contract’ and cite enough
examples from the case study. Also, poor answers did not grasp the concept of a ‘psychological
contract’ and believed it was part of the employment contract which it is not.

Concluding comment: overall, a well answered question.

a) Learning outcome addressed: 1.2

Command word explanation: Discuss – consider something by writing about it from different points of
view

Examples of good content/good approaches in answers:

Good answers discussed the influence of organisational culture on team performance at NUL by
covering a range of pertinent issues including:
 Management style
 Communication
 Workplace practices
 Motivation
 Decision making
 Organisational structure
 ‘Blame Culture’ and threat of staff losing their jobs
 Poor recruitment practices

Examples of content for merit/distinction grade answers:

Better answers were able to not only mention the factors above and contextualise to the case study
but also link to relevant theories such as:
 Cultural Web (by Johnson, Scholes & Whittington)
 Harrison and Handy model of organisational culture
 Hofstede’s cultural dimensions

Examples of poorer content/ poorer approaches in answers:

Poor answers either struggled to identify examples from the case study or recall relevant theories and
models.

MAY 2017_AD1_EXAM REPORT _LEARNER_COMMUNITY_FV 2/7

Leading global excellence in procurement and supply

Concluding comment: overall, a reasonably well answered question.

Question 2 – Learning Outcome 2 Mark

(a) Explain the benefits for NUL of developing a more diverse workforce. 12 marks

(b) Appraise the factors influencing job satisfaction within the team at
NUL. 13 marks
(a) Learning outcome addressed: 2.1

Command word explanation: Explain – give reasons for or account for something

Examples of good content/good approaches in answers:

Good content included a range of benefits such as :-
 Innovation
 Better team performance (and synergy)
 Sharing of ideas
 More informed problem solving and decision making
 Better understanding of stakeholder needs
 Compliance with equality and diversity legislation

Examples of content for merit/distinction grade answers:

Better answers were able to not only identify the benefits of a diverse workforce but relate them
specifically to the case study.

Examples of poorer content/ poorer approaches in answers:

Poor answers did not fully appreciate the concept of a diverse workforce and/or were unable to cite a
range of benefits. Some candidates also spent time discussing the disadvantages of a diverse workforce
which was not requested in the question and therefore was awarded limited or no marks.

Concluding comment: overall, a popular question in which most candidates were able to identify a
range of benefits of developing a more diverse workforce at NUL.
(b) Learning outcome addressed: 2.4

Command word explanation: Appraise – evaluate something, giving views on strengths and
weaknesses of a given situation.

MAY 2017_AD1_EXAM REPORT _LEARNER_COMMUNITY_FV 3/7

Leading global excellence in procurement and supply

Examples of good content/good approaches in answers:
Good content included factors influencing job satisfaction within the team at NUL as:
 Working environment
 Pay and conditions
 Job Design
 Management style
 Level of autonomy
 Levels of motivation
 Participation in problem solving and decision making

Examples of content for merit/distinction grade answers:

Better answers were not only able to identify the factors from the case study but were able to appraise
them (i.e. measure how each factor contributed to job satisfaction). Also, relevant models and theories
were used from the work of Hackman and Oldham, Maslow, Herzberg and McGregor.

Examples of poorer content/ poorer approaches in answers:

Poor answers struggled to recall models/theories and factors from the case study. Alternatively, this
question was used as an opportunity to theory dump. Either approach received lower marks than a
well-crafted and structured response.

Concluding comment: Overall a reasonably well answered question in which most candidates were
able to identify factors influencing job satisfaction at NUL. The higher marks were awarded to those
answers were the command word ‘appraise’ was fully addressed.

Question 3 – Learning Outcome 3 Mark

(a) Summarise the probable causes of organisational conflict at NUL. 9 marks
(b) Evaluate the possible conflict resolution approaches that might be
utilised by the NUL management to alleviate the problems being 16 marks
experienced at the distribution centre.
(a) Learning outcome addressed: 3.4

Command word explanation: Summarise – give a brief, concise account of the main points of
something

MAY 2017_AD1_EXAM REPORT _LEARNER_COMMUNITY_FV 4/7

Leading global excellence in procurement and supply

Examples of good content/good approaches in answers:
Good answers covered a range of organisational conflict causes at NUL including:
 Untidiness of work areas
 Condition of equipment
 Autocratic management style
 Terms and Conditions of employment (including pay)
 Staff sickness and absenteeism
 Shift team differences

Examples of content for merit/distinction grade answers:

Better answers were able to discuss a range of causes of organisational conflict and relate them well to
the case study.

Examples of poorer content/ poorer approaches in answers:

Poor answers were either too brief or did not identify enough root causes of conflict from the case
study. Some candidates spent a disproportionate length of time answering this part of the question
and/or tried to resolve the issues of conflict identified which was not asked for in this part of the
question but was required for part (b).

Concluding comment: Overall a well answered part of the question in which most candidates identified
a range of factors that would cause conflict at NUL.

(b) Learning outcome addressed 3.4

Command word explanation: Evaluate – calculate or judge the value of something

Examples of good content/good approaches in answers:

Good answers covered a range of conflict handling techniques such as:
 Problem Solving
 Dealing with discipline and grievance issues
 Negotiation
 Mediation
 Conciliation
 Arbitration
 Litigation

Or alternatively used a range of practical approaches to resolve the conflict in the case study including:

MAY 2017_AD1_EXAM REPORT _LEARNER_COMMUNITY_FV 5/7

Leading global excellence in procurement and supply

  Meetings
 Away Days
 Training
 Changing management style (from autocratic to democratic)
 Improving terms and conditions (including pay)
 Taking a more planned approach to equipment maintenance
 Sharing best practices

Examples of content for merit/distinction grade answers:

Better answers were able to alleviate the range of conflict issues and problems identified and were also
able to relate their approaches to appropriate theories/models from Thomas-Kilmann, Cornelius and
Faire, Mullins or Robbins and contextualise their response to the case study.

Examples of poorer content/ poorer approaches in answers:

Poor answers were unable to cite relevant models or theories and struggled to come up with logical
and rationale approaches to conflict resolution.

Concluding comment: Overall a variably answered question in which candidates took either a practical
approach and/or a theoretical approach to answer the question. Unfortunately, the quality of the
responses and level of understanding of conflict resolution varied widely.

Question 4 – Learning Outcome 4 Mark

NUL has recognised that extensive training of distribution centre staff is 25 marks
required in order to meet ongoing organisational expectations.

Explain the factors that NUL should consider when preparing a training
and development plan.
Learning outcome addressed: 4.4

Command word explanation Explain – give reasons for or account for something

Examples of good content/good approaches in answers:

Good content was demonstrated by the coverage of a range of factors that need consideration when
preparing a training and development plan including:

MAY 2017_AD1_EXAM REPORT _LEARNER_COMMUNITY_FV 6/7

Leading global excellence in procurement and supply

  Conducting a training needs analysis (TNA)
 Aligning training to organisational plans
 Development of SMART objectives
 Adopting suitable methods of training (‘on the job’ or ‘off the job’ including classroom based, e-
learning, coaching and mentoring etc.)
 A cost/benefit analysis approach
 Appreciating staff members various learning styles
 Evaluation of the impact of the training and development undertaken

Examples of content for merit/distinction grade answers:

Better answers showed an appreciation of the range of factors needed to construct a comprehensive
training and development plan, the gap that needs bridging following a TNA, developing suitable
training programmes to meet learners and organisational needs and where to source the information
from i.e. competency framework, appraisals and complying with legislative requirements. Also use of
appropriate models such as the Kirkpatrick model to gain feedback from a range of sources on the
impact of the training was awarded marks accordingly.

Examples of poorer content/ poorer approaches in answers:

Poor answers were unable to cover enough factors or lacked sufficient detail to be awarded higher
marks. Alternatively, answers used models that were not completely justified or used inappropriately
e.g. STEEPLE as part of an environmental analysis.

Concluding comment:
Overall, candidates provided a variably answered response to this question.

MAY 2017_AD1_EXAM REPORT _LEARNER_COMMUNITY_FV 7/7

Leading global excellence in procurement and supply