INSTRUCTION

a. Write answers in your own words as far as possible and refrain from copying from the text 

b. Answers of Ist Set (Part-A), IInd Set (Part-B), IIIrd Set (Part – C) and Set-IV (Case Study) must be sent 

c. Mail the answer sheets alongwith the copy of assignments for evaluation & return. 

d. Only hand written assignments shall be accepted. 

A. First Set of Assignments: 5 Questions, each question carries 1 marks. 

B. Second Set of Assignments: 5 Questions, each question carries 1 marks. 

C. Third Set of Assignments: 5 Questions, each question carries 1 marks. Confine your answers 

D. Forth Set of Assignments: Two Case Studies : 5 Marks. Each case study carries 2.5 marks. 

to 150 to 200 Words. 

FIRST SET OF ASSIGNMENTS Assignment-I = 5 Marks 

ASSIGNMENTS 

PART– A 

1. Taking examples, explain the problems that can be encountered while strategizing. 

2. Elaborate  upon  some  of  the  problems  associated  with  international  performance  and 

compensation management. Take examples to support your answer.  

3. With examples, describe the various types of Power. 

4. With examples, describe the concept of the “Stuff’ of organizational culture. 

5. Elaborate upon the various methods of performance appraisal.  

SECOND SET OF ASSIGNMENTS Assignment-II = 5 Marks 

PART– B 

1. From a strategizing perspective, how important is being aware of the internal capabilities of the 

organization? In light of this, explain ETOP and SAP. 

2. Elaborate upon the factors that differentiate Domestic from International HRM. With examples, 

describe the approaches to international recruitment 

3. What is organization structure? Explain the concepts of: 

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d. Centralization and Decentralization 

4. Describe the  various types of organizational  culture  and detail the  various stages of  culture 

5. What is Organizational Development? Explain some OD intervention techniques.  

THIRD SET OF ASSIGNMENTS Assignment-II = 5 Marks 

PART– C 

1. With examples, explain the purposes of the Strategic Management Process. 

2. Taking examples, elaborate on the various Influence tactics. 

3. Differentiate between transformational and transactional leaders. 

4. Explain  how  HR  management  works  as  a strategic  business  contributor.  Give  examples  to 

5. What  is  organizational  design?  Taking  examples,  elaborate  upon  the  determinants  of 

FOURTH SET OF ASSIGNMENTS Assignment-IV = 2.5 Each Case Study 

CASE STUDY - I 

Parvati Aggarwal’s NGO – Motivating her Volunteers 

Mrs. Parvati Aggarwal is an affluent housewife residing at Saket in New Delhi. She is concerned about 

the health of poor children who live with their families in various J. J. colonies (Jhugi, Jhompri colonies). 

She has decided to form a voluntary group of about 25 housewives and single women who are not 

career oriented to visit these poor neighbourhoods and help parents understand the need for taking 

care of the health of their children. Twenty housewives in the neighbourhoods have volunteered to join 

the group. It was decided that the group will meet every Monday morning at 9:00 AM for about I hour, 

to discuss the developments in the preceding week and any new directions for the coming week. After 

the meeting, refreshments would be served.  

It was also decided that Mrs. Aggarwal would be elected as the leader of the group. Mrs. Aggarwal also 

encourages these volunteers to solicit funds from donors to put up scholarships in schools for these 

poor children. Members are also encouraged to seek and convince doctors who would be willing to treat 

these children in case they are sick, free of any charge. The group is very dedicated and enthusiastic 

about this project. Most of the members being religious feel that they are doing a religious and moral 

Meetings are scheduled to be held at 9:00 AM sharp every Monday. After the first few weeks, it was 

noticed that many of the volunteers were not coming on time. They have been filtering in every 5 or 10 

minutes until almost 10:00 AM. Mrs. Aggarwal has felt that she has to delay the start of the meetings 

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until all the volunteers arrive. The last few weeks, the meetings have not started until 10:00 AM. Many a 

Mrs. Aggarwal fails to understand the reasons behind this tardiness. She feels it is important to start the 

meetings so that they can finish in time. On the other hand, she feels that her hands are tied because 

after all the people are volunteers and she cannot reprimand them or make them get to the meetings 

on time. She is willing to change the time for the start of the meetings to 10:00 AM but feels that 

Indians, in general, are not time bound and if the meetings were changed to start at 10:00 AM, the 

volunteers will probably not all come until 11:00 AM. 

1. What could be the reasons behind such tardiness? (1) 

2. What can Parvati Aggarwal do to encourage everyone to come to the weekly meetings on time? 

3. How can one avoid such situations in the office context? (0.5) 

CASE STUDY-II 

Issues with Worker’s Empowerment Policies – Union Reps in Management 

It was past 4 pm and Purushottam Kshirsagar was still at his shop‐floor office. The small but elegant 

office was a perk he was entitled to after he had been nominated to the board of Horizon Industries (P) 

Ltd., as workman‐director six months ago. His shift generally ended at 3 pm and he would be home by 

late evening. But that day, he still had long hours ahead of him. 

Kshirsagar had been with Horizon for over twenty years. Starting off as a substitute mill‐hand in the 

paint shop at one of the company's manufacturing facilities, he had been made permanent on the job 

five years later. He had no formal education. He felt this was a handicap, but he made up for it with a 

willingness to learn and a certain enthusiasm on the job. He was soon marked by the works manager as 

someone to watch out for. Simultaneously, Kshirsagar also came to the attention of the president of the 

Horizon Employees' Union who drafted him into union activities. 

Even  while  he  got  promoted twice  during the  period to  become the  head  colour mixer  last  year, 

Kshirsagar had gradually moved up the union hierarchy and had been thrice elected secretary of the 

Labour‐management  relations  at  Horizon  were  not  always  cordial.  This  was  largely  because  the 

company  had  not  been  recording  a  consistently  good  performance.  There  were  frequent  cuts  in 

production every year because of go‐slows and strikes by workmen‐most of them related to wage hikes 

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With  a  view to  ensuring  a  better  understanding  on the  part  of  labour, the  problems  of  company 

management, the Horizon board, led by chairman and managing director Avinash Chaturvedi, began to 

toy with the Idea of taking on a workman on the board. What started off as a hesitant move snowballed, 

after a series of brainstorming sessions with executives and meetings with the union leaders, into a 

situation in which Kshirsagar found himself catapulted to the Horizon board as workman‐director. It was 

an untested ground for the company. But the novelty of it all excited both the management and the 

labour  force.  The  board  members‐all  functional  heads  went  out  of  their  way  to  make  Kshirsagar 

comfortable and the latter also responded quite well. He got used to the ambience of the boardroom 

and the sense of power it conveyed. Significantly, he was soon at home with the perspectives of top 

management and began to see each issue from both sides. 

It was smooth going until the union presented a week before the monthly board meeting, its charter of 

demands, one of which was a 30 per cent across‐the‐board hike in wages. The matter was taken up at 

the  board  meeting  as  part  of  a special  agenda.  "Look  at  what  your  people  are  asking  for", said 

Chaturvedi,  addressing  Kshirsagar with  a sarcasm that  no  one  in the  board missed.  'You  know the 

precarious finances of the company. How could you be a party to a demand that simply can't be met? 

You better explain to them how ridiculous the demands are'. he said. 

"I  don't think they  can  all  be  dismissed  as ridiculous", said  Kshirsagar.  “And the  board  can surely 

consider the  alternatives. We owe  at  least that much to the union". But Chaturvedi  adjourned the 

meeting in a huff, mentioning, once again to Kshirsagar that he should 'advise the union properly'. 

When Kshirsagar told the executive committee members of the union that the board was simply not 

prepared to even consider the demands, he immediately sensed the hostility in the room. 'You are a sell 

out", one of them said. 'Who do you really represent‐us or them?" asked another. "Here comes the 

crunch', thought Kshirsagar. And however hard he tried to explain, he felt he was talking to a wall. 

A victim of divided loyalties, he himself was unable to understand whose side he was on. Perhaps the 

best course would be to resign from the board. Perhaps he should resign both from the board and the 

union. Or may be resign from Horizon itself and seek a job elsewhere. But, he felt, silting in his office a 

little later, "none of it could solve the problem”. 

Answer these questions:

1. What are the problems identified in this case? (1) 

2. What  are the  challenges  one  can  face  in managing  employee  empowerment  and  worker’s 

participation in management policies? (1) 

3. What can Kshirsagar do to resolve this situation? (0.5)