The Association of Business Executives

Diploma
HRM(Dip)1210

1.21 HRM(Dip)

Human Resource Management

Morning 1 December 2010

1 Time allowed: 3 hours.

2 Answer any FOUR questions.

3 All questions carry 25 marks. Marks for subdivisions of questions are shown in brackets.

4 No books, dictionaries, notes or any other written materials are allowed in this
examination.

5 Calculators, including scientific calculators, are allowed providing they are not
programmable and cannot store or recall information. Electronic dictionaries and
personal organisers are NOT allowed.

6 Candidates who break ABE regulations, or commit any misconduct, will be disqualified
from the examinations.

7 Question papers must not be removed from the Examination Hall.

HRM(Dip)1210 © ABE 2010 R/500/3696

 Answer any FOUR questions

Q1 You are about to review the total reward and recognition practices of your organisation, and
you want to start your report by reminding readers of the various purposes of rewarding
employees. In preparation for your report:

(a) Outline and justify the purposes of an organisation’s reward processes. (10 marks)

(b) Identify and explain the elements in an organisation’s overall reward processes,
showing how each element can contribute to the organisation’s performance.
(15 marks)
(Total 25 marks)

Q2 A colleague says to you, “You cannot change the practices of HRM in this organisation
because of the organisation’s culture. We are bureaucratic rather than creative, unwilling to
take risks rather than entrepreneurial, resistant to change rather than flexible, and we lack
visionary leadership”.

(a) Explain the meaning and significance of organisational culture, and show how it affects
the practice of HRM in organisations. (15 marks)

(b) Identify and briefly explain ways in which an organisation might use HRM practices to
influence its culture positively. (10 marks)
(Total 25 marks)

Q3 You are asked to write a short article for the ABE student journal. It is to be titled “Treating
Employees Fairly”. In preparation for the task:

(a) Identify the forms of discrimination and other unfair treatment that employees
sometimes face. (5 marks)

(b) Assess the consequences of discrimination and other unfair treatment for:

(i) The employer

(ii) The employee (10 marks)

(c) Propose ways in which organisations can reduce discrimination and promote the fair
treatment of staff. (10 marks)
(Total 25 marks)

HRM(Dip)1210 2
Q4 You work in a car factory that relies heavily upon panel interviews to select staff to work in
the ten-person production teams that assemble vehicles. Problems have occurred because
some unsuitable staff have been recruited. You have therefore been asked to identify the
teamworking competencies that are required and to recommend other ways to assess
candidates.

(a) Identify the attributes that the organisation might look for in candidates who would be
successful in such teams. Justify your choice. (10 marks)

(b) Explain the different techniques you could use in order to find out about a job
applicant’s teamworking abilities, showing the advantages and disadvantages of
each technique. (15 marks)
(Total 25 marks)

Q5 “This organisation is committed to investing time and money in developing its employees,”
states the opening sentence of an organisation’s learning and development policy.

(a) Explain the difference between ‘development’, ‘training’, and ‘learning’. (5 marks)

(b) Describe the various purposes of learning in an organisation. (10 marks)

(c) Identify and explain the characteristics that need to be present for an organisation to be
classified as a ‘Learning Organisation’. (10 marks)
(Total 25 marks)

Q6 You receive an email from your chief executive which starts: “We offer flexible working hours
to many of our staff and where appropriate staff can work at home but beyond that we are
rather inflexible in our structure and employment practices. I would value your ideas on how
we might make our structure and employment practices more flexible”.

(a) Identify and explain the characteristics of a Flexible Firm. (15 marks)

(b) Discuss the potential advantages and disadvantages that adopting the practices of the
Flexible Firm might bring to an organisation. (10 marks)
(Total 25 marks)

HRM(Dip)1210 3 [Turn over

Q7 A friend who runs a small accountancy business has been approached by a member of staff
complaining about sexist treatment by male colleagues and the failure of the organisation to
recognise her achievements at work.

(a) Explain how the organisation should handle such a grievance, justifying your
recommendations. (15 marks)

(b) Outline the potential problems faced by the organisation when handling such a
grievance, and indicate how these problems may be avoided or prevented. (10 marks)
(Total 25 marks)

Q8 A construction business designs and builds new houses and small commercial buildings.
The company employs ten construction staff and brings in other contract workers as
required.

(a) Explain and justify why this organisation should have a health and safety policy.
(5 marks)

(b) Outline the health and safety responsibilities of:

(i) The employer

(ii) The employees (10 marks)

(c) Discuss the actions that the organisation should take to ensure that health and safety
responsibilities are met. (10 marks)
(Total 25 marks)

End of Question Paper

HRM(Dip)1210 4 7626-121-1