Q.1. What constitutes the key tasks of a Human Resource Manager?

Human Resource Managers Duties HR Managers Line Function Line Authority Implied Authority Coordinative Function Functional Authority Staff Functions Staff Authority Innovator Employee Advocacy Line Managers HRM Responsibilities 1. Placing the right person on the right job 2. Starting new employees in the organization (orientation) 3. Training employees for jobs that are new to them 4. Improving the job performance of each person 5. Gaining creative cooperation and developing smooth working relationships 6. Interpreting the firms policies and procedures 7. Controlling labor costs 8. Developing the abilities of each person 9. Creating and maintaining department morale 10. Protecting employees health and physical condition

Q.2. Explain the difference between Training, Development and Education. What constitutes a good training programme for Quality Managers. [6] Training - involves application, job experience, specific tasks andnarrow perspective, offered to operatives Education - involves theoretical orientation, classroom learning,general concepts and broad perspective, more importantfor managers and executives Development -not primarily skills-oriented, meant for employees inhigher positions, focus on knowledge (businessenvironment, management principles/techniques, human

relations, specific industry analysis Q.3. Describe in short on-the-job and off-the-job methods of training. [6] On-thejobMethods Coaching Action learning Staff Meetings Lateral Transfers Job Rotation Orientation Job Instruction Internship apprenticeship Coaching or understudy Job rotation Off-thejobMethods Seminars and conferences Case Studies Management Games Role Playing Behavior Modelling Corporate Universities Lectures Audio-visuals Simulation (Case Studies,Role Play, sensitivitytraining) Programmed Instruction Q.4. How does an organization identify the training needs of its employees? [6] Training & Development Need =Standard performance Actual performance Training Needs Analysis 1. Group or OrganizationalAnalysis (Goals of the organization andtrends likely to affect thesegoals) 2. Individual Analysis(Performance Appraisal, KSAanalysis)

Needs assessment a. Organisation support b. Organisational analysis c. Task and KSA analysis d. Person analysis

Q.5. What are the present day challenges confronted by a HR Manager? [6]

Organisational Culture Managing Separations and right sizing Managing Industrial Relations Outsourcing HR Activities HR professional as a change agent HR Manager as strategist Changing Workforce demographics Managing Diversity Changed employee expectations Attitude towards union Make HR activities ethical Knowledge management

Q.1 What are the prime activities of a Human Resource Manager in an industrial

organization? [6]
1. Societal Objectives: To be responsive to the needs and challenges of the society while minimizing the negative impact, if any, of such demands upon the organization. 2. Organizational Objectives: To assist the organization to achieve its primary objectives, whether it is profit making or charity or social agenda. 3. Functional Objectives: To maintain departments contribution and level of services at a level appropriate to the organizations needs. 4. Personal Objectives: To assist employees in achieving their personal goals, at least in so far as these goals enhance the individuals contribution to the organization. This is necessary to maintain employee performance and satisfaction for the purpose of maintaining, retaining and motivating the employees in the organization. (a) (b) (c) (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (a) (b) (c) (a) (b) (c) (d) Legal Compliance Benefits Union Management Relations Human Resource Planning Employee Relations Recruitment & Selection Training & Development Performance Appraisals Placement & Orientation Performance Appraisals Placement & Orientation Employee Assessment Training & Development Performance Appraisals Placement & Orientation Compensation

(e)

Employee Assessment

HR manager plays a role of an effective change agent.By aligning HR plans to business , HR managers becomestrategic partners.HR function seeks to convert an adverse situation into anopportunity (e.g. Performance review- outcome) The eight key functions of HRM are: Planning Staffing Developing Monitoring Maintaining Managing relationships Managing Change Evaluating
Q.2 Describe five elements of organizational learning. [6]

1.Needs analysis 2. Designing Instructional Objectives Deciding on objectives of T&D Designing the measures of success 3. Designing the T&D Programme 4 Implementation 5. Evaluation
Q.3 Explain in brief the various off-the-job training methods. [6]

Seminars and conferences Case Studies Management Games Role Playing Behavior Modelling Corporate Universities

Types:
Lectures Audio-visuals Simulation (Case Studies,Role Play, sensitivitytraining) Programmed Instruction
Q.4 You have been engaged as a consultant by a leading company. Suggest them

howto identify the training needs of their personnel. [6]

T&D as Source of CompetitiveAdvantage By removing performance deficiencies Making employees stay long Minimizing accidents, scraps and damage Meeting future employee needs Training contributes to: Stability (employees stick) Flexibility (multi-skilled, transferable) Growth (more productive) T&D ProgrammeDesign Vital issues: Who are the trainees? Who are the trainers? Methods and techniques of training What should be the level of Learning? (Basic, Skills development, Operational efficiency) What learning principles are needed? (Motivation, recognition of Individual differences, practice opportunities, Reinforcement, Feedback, Goals, schedules, meaning of material, Transfer of learning) Where is the programme conducted?
Q.5 Write short notes on the following:

a. Importance of People in an organization. [3] People A Source of Competitive Advantage 1) People offer skills, capabilities, systems, practices and behaviors which help execute firms strategies successfully 2) By aligning HR plans to business , HR managers become strategic partners. 3) Innovation is the key to competitive advantage and people are sources of innovation 4) HR function seeks to convert an adverse situation into an opportunity (e.g. Performance review- outcome) 5) Changes to structure due to environmental changes will become successful only through innovative HRM Strategies 6) HR manager plays a role of an effective change agent b. Job Rotation. Job rotation refers to moving employees from job to job to add variety and reduce boredom by allowing them to perform a variety of tasks. When an activity is no longer challenging , the employee would be moved to another job at the same level that has similar skill requirements. It reduces boredom and disinterest through diversifying the employees activities. Employees with wider range of skills give the management more flexibility in scheduling work, adapting to changes and filling

vacancies. Job rotation has also its drawbacks. Training costs are increased, work is disrupted as rotated employees take time to adjust to a new set up, and it can demotivate intelligent and ambitious trainees who seek specific responsibilities in their chosen speciality. According to Herzberg, job rotation is merely substituting one zero for another zero.
Q.1 Explain the significance of human factor in organizations. What are the key

activities of Human Resource Manager? [6] Business Mastery Business Acumen Customer Orientation Knowledge in all functional Areas External relations Personal Credibility Competence Sound academic credentials Trust Ethical Conduct Courage HR Mastery Staffing Performance Appraisal Reward Systems Communication Organization design Change Mastery Interpersonal Skills Problem Solving Skills Reward Systems Innovativeness and creativity Recruitment Selection and placement Training and Development Retraining and redeployment Retention plan Succession plan HR manager plays a role of an effective change agent.By aligning HR plans to business , HR managers becomestrategic partners.Knowledge about the environment helps theHR manager and his team to become moreproactive Planning Staffing Developing Monitoring Maintaining

Managing relationships Managing Change Evaluating

Q.2 How is Training different from Development? Explain the ingredients of a

good training programme for employees. [6] Training refers to imparting specific skills. For example, if areceptionist has been instructed about writing e-mailmessages, training has taken place. Development goes beyond imparting skills. It aims at employee growth and development in terms ofknowledge acquisition, visioneering, and strategizing. Obviously, training is given to lower level employeeswhere as senior managers are put development process.In practice, the two are used together as T & D. Inputs in T&D vary depending on the hierarchical positionof the learner. In general, inputs include skills,development centric concepts, ethics, attitudinalchanges, and decision making capabilities. Training also should proceed through sequential stages -starting from needs assessment and ending withevaluation of effectiveness.
Q.4 A company hires you as consultant. How would you go about identifying the

training needs of its employees? [6]

Q.5 Bring out the role of HRM in strategic management.

The Best-fit Approach Best Practices Approach Resource-Based View (RBV) of the Firm Linking Company-Wide andHR Strategies

HR creates value by engaging in activities that produce the employee behaviors that the company needs to achieve its strategic goals.

Strategic HR ManagementProcess
1. Environmental Scanning 2. Identify sources of competitive advantage 3. HR Strategy Formulation 4. HR Strategy Implementation 5. Evaluation and Control

Role of HR Can give inputs about the rivals (direction, strategies, strengths,weaknesses etc.) Role of HR HR strategy focuses on how these competencies can bedeveloped in order to achieve strategic objectives. e.g. business strategy: increase market share throughcustomer service excellence HR strategy: to enhance skills of sales force incommunication, empathy and problem solving

Devolved Informal learning Develop awareness of learning opportunities

Empowered Informal learning Creating a learning environment (e.g. context conducive to social capital)

Learning as Socialisation Delivering formal training, learning and development interventions

Engineering Creating and controlling communities of practices and social networks

Through policies, plans and practices Policy: expression of intent, HR Policy must state the purpose of HRM Plans: course of action along with time-frame to carry out plans, formulated at different levels Practices: represent a set of interventions and activities e.g. training courses, coaching sessions and change projects

Strategic management process results in decisions that have significant and long-lasting consequences Activities: Establish performance standards, targets, tolerance limits Measure performance in relation to targets, suggest corrective action Analyse deviation from acceptable tolerance limits Execute modifications where necessary and feasible

Benefits of Strategic HRM

Elevates the status of HRM in organisations Creates organisation capability by ensuring that the firm has skilled, engaged, committed and motivated workforce Provides a sense of direction to the organization in turbulent times

Traditional HRM versusStrategic HRM Traditional HRM Responsibility Focus Staff specialists Employee relations Strategic HRM Line managers Partnership with internal & external customers

Role of HR

Transactional, change follower and respondent Slow, reactive, fragmented Short term

Transformational, change leader, and initiator Fast, proactive, integrated Short, medium, long (as required) Organic- flexible, whatever is necessary to succeed Broad, flexible, cross- training, teams People, knowledge

Initiatives Time horizon

Control

Bureaucratic- roles, policies, procedures Tight division of labour, specialization Capital, products

Job design

Key investments

Q.3 Distinguish between Personnel Management and HR Management. [6]

Personnel Management Careful delineation of written contracts Importance of devising clear rules

HRM Aim to go beyond contract Can do outlook, impatience with rule Business need Values/mission Nurturing Customer is the key relation Integrated Initiatives Fast Transformational leadership Direct Facilitation Integrated key tasks Performance related Harmonisation Individual contract Few Team work Manage climate and culture Learning companies wide ranging culture, structural and personnel strategies. People are treated as assets to be used for the benefit of an organisation, its employees and the society as a whole. Mutuality of interests

Procedures Norms/customs and practices Monitoring Labour management Piecemeal Slow decision speed Transactional Indirect communication Negotiation- prized management skill Separate, marginal task Job evaluation based pay Separately negotiated Collective bargaining contracts Many job categories & grades Division of labour (Job Design) Reach temporary truce in conflict handling Controlled access to courses personnel procedures Labour is treated as a tool which is expendable and replaceable Interests of the organisation are uppermost Precedes HRM