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Human Resource Management Mba-S1 Question Paper
Human Resource Management Mba-S1
Course:Master Of Business Administration
Institution: Kabarak University question papers
Exam Year:2010
INSTRUCTIONS:
Answer question ONE and any other THREE questions
QUESTION ONE
Read the case study provided and answer the questions that follows-:
A DILLEMMA
I am a supervisor at a modern soap factory built about ten years ago at Masinga , which is a fast
developing town in Kenya and lies about 200 kilometers away from Nairobi, the capital city. The
factory is situated in beautiful and what one might call rural surrounding. The factory is itself
surrounded by cultivable land and many of the factory workers own ancestral property here. The
pattern of living of the workers, in most cases, conforms to the joint family system.
I feel that production at our factory has never come up to managements expectations for several
reasons. One of these is heavy absenteeism, for during the agricultural season the factory
workers stay at home to cultivate their own land. Since the worker is also a farmer, there is no
dearth of food and his factory job only provides him with liquid cash. Because he does not
depend upon factory wages alone, the factory worker takes things easy which results in a
situation of chronic absenteeism in the factory.
About six years ago within the same factory compound, a fruit processing unit was also added by
the company. The jobs in this unit are seasonal; that is only during the fruit-growing season it
does work to its full capacity. The unit employs 22 workers. All of them are given semi skilled
grade E jobs. During the season, besides the bottling of fruit products, fruit juices are also filled
in wooden casks and stored up, so that in lean periods, they could be bottled. Some of the jobs
done in the unit are peeling fruit, extraction juice, boiling juice and other ingredients into syrups
or jams, bottling, capping, labeling, storing, and keeping the premises clean.
During the lean period the major portion of all these jobs come to an end and therefore part of
the work-force is transferred to the soap plant an allied sections, to make good labour shortages
which occur there. However, a small portion of workers who remain in the fruit-processing plant
are given light jobs, such as keeping the premises clean, rolling the barrels, and so on. The only
exceptions are the tow workers who are engaged in filling and capping bottles. They have an
obvious job title: bottle filler and capper. All workers in the fruit-processing unit are permanent
employees. When these two workers-bottle filler and capper-see others having an easy time they
become disgruntled and demand higher wages, or that others do the filling and capping jobs as
well. They cannot be given higher grades because in the soap factory people doing almost similar
jobs are in E grade and they too would then claim higher grades. The other workers cannot be
made to do these jobs because production would suffer. The bottle filler and capper have done
the job for years and have attained great speed in doing it. Others cannot match that speed.
I first cajoled those two workers and also counseled them but without success. Finally, I
threatened them with punitive action. This has only resulted in a ‘go slow’ response from them. I
am faced with a dilemma. I am convinced that so far as my unit is concerned these two
workmen’s demands are just and fair since the workload on them is definitely more that on the
others in the unit, and also their jobs are more skilled than that of the rest of the workers there.
However, in the context of the entire factory, their demands cannot be conceded.
(a) What is the main problem in the case? (4 marks)
(b) What are your views about the problem as supervisor (5 marks)
(c) How would you have handled the problem as the supervisor and as part of
management? (5 marks)
(d) Explain the possible consequence of the action taken to restore productivity in the
food processing unit. (5 marks)
(e) Suggest possible measures to resolve the major problems faced by the
organization (5 marks)
(f) Discuss various ways the management can use to win the cooperation of
employees for better industrial relations and higher employee productivity.
(7 marks)
(g) If you are appointed a human resource manager of a well established organization
how would you indentify the training needs of your employee. (5 marks)
(h) Discuss span of control for effective management of employees. (4 marks)
QUESTION TWO
(i) Examine the concept of employee empowerment. Illustrate with appropriate concepts and
examples how to empower employees and how employee’s empowerment can enhance
motivation and productivity at the workplace (10 marks)
(ii) Discuss the consequences of fault employee selection in the organization and with the
help of suitable conceptual model explain the steps that you will suggest to overcome
different biased which lead to fault recruitment and selection of employees in Kenya.
(10 marks)
QUESTION THREE
(i) Maslow in widely known for his contribution to modern management of employees.
Discuss what is contained in his theory of motivation and show why you think motivation
is the key to enhance employee productivity in Kenya. (8 marks)
(ii) Differentiate the concept of employee grievancy from industrial dispute, trace dispute
resolving procedure and critically examine the implications of unresolved grievances
(6 marks)
(iii)Examining the qualities of a transformational leader and critically show why Kenyan
organizations require transformational leaders immediately (6 marks)
QUESTION FOUR
(i) Drucker once said the employee training is an investment without returns. With
appropriate support to your argument evaluate this statement (6 marks)
(ii) Discuss various sources of employee recruitment and highlight the merits and diversity
associated with each (6 marks)
(iii)An organization without Human Resource Department is like a limping Lion. Critically
examine this statement (8 marks)
QUESTION FIVE
(i) Discuss performance appraisals and explain the recent trends in performance appraisal
(6 marks)
(ii) Dr Zakayo an expert in human Resource management in the next decade management of
employees will become more complex and only the organizations that will have highly
qualified Human Resource Managers will survive. Explain what is happening in the field
of Human Resource management which may support the Zakayo’s statement. (8 marks)
(iii)Many organizations in Kenya are trying to kill trade unionism in Kenya. Are you for or
against this practice? Support fully our stand (6 marks)
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