Chapter 12

Question 1

What is the role of human resource management in an organisation?
(List three roles)

Answer 1

1) They develop strategy regarding people profit and effectiveness – HR management is a strategic partner.
2) They improve skill base of employees and contribute to profitability.
3) Integration and teamwork are important for organisational success, teamwork and integration are ensured by the HR management.

Question 2

List and explain the five attributes of the HR management?

Answer 2

1) Primary benefits - monetary benefits, eg. Salary, pension etc
2) Secondary benefits - non monetary benefits, eg. Leave and flexible working conditions
3) Training and development - availability of function related development initiatives
4) Career development
5) Company culture and diversity - efforts of employer to establish strong company culture.

Question 3

How does HR contribute to organisational effectiveness?
(5 points)

Answer 3

1) Assist in reaching stated goals.
2) Provide with well trained and motivated employees.
3) Develop quality of work life that makes organisational desirable.
4) Manage change to mutual advantage of individuals and organisation.
5) Execute human resource functional activities in a professional manner.

Question 4

Define HR planning.

Answer 4

HR planning is a process of using organisation’s goals and strategies to forecast organisation’s HR needs.

Question 5

What are the three steps of HR planning?

Answer 5

1) Identify the work being done in the organisation
2) HR forecasting
3) HR plan

Question 6

How is step one of HR planning done?

Answer 6

To identify a position in organisation, a job analysis process is followed. A job analysis is where management systematically investigates the tasks, duties and responsibilities of a job within an organisation.

Question 7

What is the difference between job description and job specification?

Answer 7

A job description is prepared in pre-determined form, it includes, job title, purpose, duties, working conditions of a job. While, a job specification refers to knowledge, skills, qualifications relevant to a job description.

Question 8

What is the purpose of HR forecasting and what are the three factors considered during forecasting?

Answer 8

The purpose of age of forecasting is to balance human resource supply and demand.

The factors considered during forecasting are economic growth, new development in the business and labour market.

Question 9

What is the purpose of the HR plan?

Answer 9

It provides concrete guidelines that indicate how business’s short, medium and long-term human resource requirements can be provided for.

Question 10

What is the purpose of recruiting?

Answer 10

The purpose is to ensure that a sufficient number of applicants apply for jobs.

Question 11

What are the three advantages of internal recruiting?

Answer 11

1) Career planning becomes possible.
2) Cost of recruitment is low.
3) Assessment of applicants is easier.

Question 12

What are the disadvantages of internal recruiting?

Answer 12

1) Staff do not necessarily have potential to fill senior management posts.
2) Personal competition among colleagues, to detriment cooperation between them
3) There are no new ideas due to which the business tends to stagnate.

Question 13

What are the two advantages of external recruiting?

Answer 13

1) An active effort is made to obtain the right person for the job.
2) The opportunity for bringing new ideas.

Question 14

What are the two disadvantages of external recruiting?

Answer 14

1) Recruiting cost are higher.
2) Morale of existing personnel can be negatively influenced.

Question 15

What are 5 recruiting methods?

Answer 15

Recruitment through:
1) Advertisement
2) Recruitment agencies
3) Personal approach - an individual known personally to the management is approached and offered a job.
4) E-recruiting
5) Sundry recruiting strategies – visits to schools and universities

Question 16

Name the three phases that the talent selection process is divided into.

Answer 16

Preliminary screening
Intensive assessment
Final selection

Question 17

Define the process of on-boarding.

Answer 17

On-boarding is the process of introducing employee to organisation and make him/her familiar with the requirements of the position.

Question 18

What is the difference between training and developmental activities?

Answer 18

Training involves providing employees with knowledge skills to do a task or job. While developmental activities have a longer term focus on preparing for future work responsibilities, increasing capacities of employees to perform their current jobs.

Question 19

What are the two development methods?

Answer 19

1) On the job training and development
• job rotation
• job shadowing
• job instruction training
• mentoring
• internships

2) Away from the job training and development
• lectures
• discussions
• seminar
• simulations

Question 20

What is the purpose of performance appraisal?

Answer 20

To determine in which aspects the employee has:
1) Performed exceptionally well.
2) Complied with requirements for job.
3) Not complied with requirements for job.

Question 21

Define compensation of employees.

Answer 21

Compensation refers to extrinsic (salary and benefits) and intrinsic (achieving personal goals) rewards.

Question 22

What are the three different types of compensation?

Answer 22

1) Direct compensation, which is basic salary or wage.
2) Indirect compensation, refers to fringe benefits and employee receives such as leave benefits, insurance benefits and housing/car benefits.
3) Reward, which is recognition of good work performance.

Question 23

Define motivation.

Answer 23

Motivation refers to those forces within a person that affects his or her direction, intensity and persistence of behaviour that is within the control of the person.

Question 24

What are the three things that determine employee performance?

Answer 24

Desire to do the job – motivation
Capability to do job – ability
Resources to do the job – work environment

Question 25

What is the difference between content approaches and process theories for motivation?

Answer 25

Content approaches determine those things that actually motivate people to do their jobs, known as need theories. And process theories explain the actual process, these approaches are concerned with how employee behaviour is energised or stopped.

Question 26

what are the four content approaches to motivation?

Answer 26

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Alderfer’s ERG theory
Herzberg’s two-factor theory
McClelland’s learnt-needs theory

Question 27

What are the three types of process approaches to motivation?

Answer 27

Expectancy theory
Equity theory and organisational justice
Goal-setting theory and feedback

Question 28

Define organisational justice and name its three components

Answer 28

Organisational justice is the extent to which employees perceive they are treated fairly at work, it consists of three components distributive justice, procedure justice, and interactional justice.

Question 29

What are employee motivational strategies?

Answer 29

1) Job design – jobs can be redesigned to make them challenging by using job rotation, job enlargement or job enrichment.
2) Employee involvement programs
3) Management objective strategies
4) Intrapreneurial incentives
5) Reward systems
6) Career management

Question 30

What is the difference between job rotation, job enlargement, job enrichment?

Answer 30

Job rotation allows employees to move through variety of jobs; job enlargement focuses on expanding employees duties; job enrichment allows jobs to become more desirable by including new tasks as well as an increased salary or compensation for the task.

Question 31

What are South African laws that affect HR in a business?

Answer 31

Labour relations act
Basic conditions of employment act
Employment equity act

Question 32

What is the CCMA responsible for?

Answer 32

Commission for conciliation, mediation and arbitration is the most important institution for resolution of labour disputes established by the LRA.

Question 33

What are ordinary working hours?

Answer 33

According to the BCEA, maximum of 45 hours in any week.

Question 34

What is the maximum overtime hours?

Answer 34

According to the BCEA, maximum of 10 hours in a week.

Question 35

What is the purpose of the skills development act?

Answer 35

To improve low skill base in South Africa.