DIPLOMA Assignment

January – June BSH622- Strategic Human Resource Management

BOTSWANA OPEN UNIVERSITY

Diploma in Human Resource Management

Strategic Human Resource Management

BSH622

Marks- 100

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Instructions
1) This assignment is based on material covered in the course module
2) The assignment consists of FOUR sections.
3) Write in grammatical English. Use Font size 12, Times New Roman, 1.5 spacing justified.
4) This is an individual assignment. No duplication of work will be tolerated. Any plagiarism
or collusion may result in disciplinary action
5) Your assignment will be assessed on the factual answer provided based on your reading
and analysis from various references related to this course. In addition, you should
demonstrate a sound knowledge of the topics covered and adhere to the APA referencing
style.

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SECTION A- MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS [10 MARKS]

Answer ALL questions. Each question carries ONE (1) mark.

1. The contemporary Human Resources Practitioners need to have all of the following statutes
except ____________________.
A. Employment Act
B. Workman’s Compensation Act
C. Family Act
D. Factories Act

2. According to Economic –Society link, organisation employment builds the relationship

between _____________________.
A. Employer and society
B. Economy and government
C. Economy and society
D. Society and organisation

3. Strategic planning entails the following elements except ________________.

A. Mission
B. Vision
C. Values
D. Attitudes

4. Which of the following is not one of the four perspectives of Balance Score Card?
A. Financial
B. Customer
C. Internal Processes
D. External Process

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5. Which of the following can be regarded as Bottom up-kind of communication?

A. Employees are given a stringent opportunity to air their views.
B. Employees are given chance to criticize their immediate supervisors
C. Employees are given opportunity to make some final decisions.
D. Employees are given an opportunity to say their views before top management can make
its final decision in an organisation.

6. The following are the features of a good information system except______________.

A. User friendly
B. Value for money
C. Reliable
D. Difficult to access

7. The information strategy is not concerned with _______________________.

A. The use of computerized information for strategic decision making.
B. The range of applications or software that should be included in the system.
C. The provision to line managers to have direct access to any personnel data they need in
order to manage their own teams in the organisation.
D. Analyses of the business sales return as opposed to sales projections.

8. The following are the functions of a Computerized Human Resources System

except__________________.
A. Holds details about individual employees
B. Holds details about the employees job details
C. Holds details about employees social details
D. Processes and produces reports summarizing different aspects of the information held

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9. Which of the four perspectives is concerned with the training and development of the
employees?

A. Financial perspective

B. Learning and growth

C. Customer

D. Internal Processes

10. CHRIS is an acronym for ________________________________.

A. Computerized Human Resources Internal System
B. Computerized Human Resources Interlinked System
C. Computerized Human Resources Information System
D. Customer and Human Resources Information System

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SECTION B-TRUE/FALSE QUESTIONS. [10 marks]

Answer All questions. Each question carries ONE (1) mark.

State whether each of the following statements is TRUE or FALSE.

1) Human Resources has transformed from being a miscellaneous administrative burden to being
a strategic function.

2) For every organisation to survive stiff competition, it has to hire incapable and knowledgeable
employees.

3) The accelerated rate of the unionization process called for a new perspective in the approach
toward Human Resources Management.

4) In the early stages of industrialization, output-input ration was applicable.

5) Environmental Scan is not concerned with the external environment of the organisation.

6) Strategic planning refers to the process of identifying where the organisation wants to be at
some point in the future and how it is going to get there.

7) Balance Score Card was pioneered by Blanchard and Norton, 1996.

8) Modern organisation view communication as the key for implementing Strategic Human
Resources Management.

9) The computerized- information system help the organisation make strategic decisions
regarding the overall effectiveness of the organisation.

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10) The government first intervention on job training was passing of the Apprenticeship and
Industrial Training Act, by the parliament as of year 1938.

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SECTION C- SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS. [30 MARKS]

Answer ALL questions in this section.

Question 1

As a Performance Improvement Coordinator of MX Inc. you have learned that every initiative
aimed at improving performance in the organisation must have objectives of what it hopes to
achieve.

Outline six (6) common objectives that organisations state for their choice of Work Improvement
Teams. (6 marks)

Question 2

List seven (7) steps required to develop and implement a Human Resources Information System.
(7 marks)

Question 3

State five (5) modern approaches to team building. (5 marks)

Question 4

You are a qualified Strategic planner for Netbox Inc. You are asked to advise the management of
this organisation during performance planning seminar, on the most important factors necessary
for any performance appraisal system.

As you advise you are to name and explain at least four (4) commonly known ones. (12 marks)

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SECTION D- ESSAY QUESTIONS. [50 MARKS]

Answer any two questions from this section.

Question 1

Study the below passage and answer the questions that follow.

Many well-known examples of the use of information technology for competitive advantage
involve systems that link an organisation to suppliers, distribution channels, or customers. In
general, these systems use information or processing capabilities in one organisation to improve
the performance of another or to improve relationships among organisations. Declining costs of
capturing and using information have joined with increasing competitive pressures to spur
numerous innovations in use of information to create value. The ideas do not constitute a procedure
leading inexorably to competitive advantage. However, they have been of value when combined
with an appreciation of the competitive dynamics of specific industries and a grasp of the power
of information.

a). Name the three key (3) stakeholders who are directly linked to the businesses as given in the
passage. (3 marks)

b). Name any two (2) types of strategic control that can be implemented in this situation.

(2 marks)

c). Discuss the four (4) stages of Performance Management Cycle. (20 Marks)

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Question 2

By focusing heavily on its talent management program it can be clearly be seen that Netlink is
making the practice of SHRM as one of its key priorities. The way Netlink adopts its appraisal
methodology is of a very strategic angle. By making it a global standard to conduct face-to-face
performance appraisals every 6 months, goes to show that Netlink is reviewing its own
performance management objectives to make sure that those objectives stay relevant and
achievable, and that is a feature of SHRM. Being sensitive to different cultures by employing
different appraisal methods also shows that Netlink understands the importance of managers and
staff identifying and dealing with real, actual problems in a way that is most familiar and effective
to them. That is also another facet of SHRM as through such means, Netlink is able to monitor its
own competitiveness in the market.

Through appraisals, Netlink also classifies their employees into 5 categories ranging from high-
potentials, to critical resources, then to core contributors, followed by underachievers and finally,
underperformers. By doing so they are able to identify areas in which they are lacking and act upon
it. Interestingly, as Simon Mann explains the classifications, it can be seen that Netlink is already
identifying the likely flow of talent in the organisation and are taking actions to manage the flow.
For example, when classifying certain employees as underperformers, Mann goes on to mention
that these groups of people do not fit the job requirements and they should be transferred to another
role or be 'managed out'. Clearly, whether the organisation decides to place this group of employees
in another role (which fits the idea of SHRM because by placing people where they perform best
clearly benefits any company), or by managing them out (thereby reducing unnecessary manpower
costs or replacement with a more productive candidate), the intent behind both actions is clearly
strategic in nature. The employee classification also allows the organisation to understand their
potential and manpower mix which is critical because, the HR department would be able to plan
in advance for staff mobility or develop different programs to help develop potential of their talents
to another level. So far we are able to see that Netlink does indeed view its employees as a strategic
key asset in churning out profits for the organisation.

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a). Outline five (5) performance categories used by Netlink. (5 marks)

b). By analyzing the above passage, which category is negatively affecting both the business
productivity and the business profits. (2 marks)

c). Mann goes on to mention that these groups of people do not fit the job requirements and they
should be transferred to another role or be 'managed out'. According to your understanding of the
passage what does the two phrases to another role or be 'managed out' in the statement refers
to. (4 marks)

d). List three (3) types of performance appraisal systems that Netlink can use. (3 marks)

e). Modern businesses use Performance Management Systems to guide them in compensating
and rewarding their employees. Outline any five (5) problems faced by the organisation such as
Netlink when they use pay for performance method to reward the staff. (5 marks)

f). Elaborate on the three (3) key activities that are done at the stage of performance planning.
(6 marks)

Question 3

a). As a management consultant of MU Holdings you have realized that the area of organisational
culture is of great interest to the management. Therefore you understand that culture is about how
the organisation organizes itself, its rules, procedures and beliefs. The management of the
organisational has felt the need to look deeply into this aspect.

What are the four (4) major categories of organisational culture that you are going to present about?
(4 marks)

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b). Researchers such as Handy (1993) has further broken down the categories of organisational
culture into task, person, power and role cultures. Discuss the above stated categories.
(20 marks)

c).MU Holdings is the medium- sized organisation which has different functional areas such
Research and Development, Human Resources Department, Marketing Department just to
mention but few. What type of culture does this classification depict? (1 mark)

END OF ASSIGNMENT

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