INSTRUCTION

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

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

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 to 150 to 200 Words.

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

ASSIGNMENTS 

FIRST SET OF ASSIGNMENTS Assignment-I = 5 Marks 

PART– A

1. Explain the factors affecting and barriers to HRP 

2. Describe the reasons  why  employees  join  unions  and taking  examples,  elaborate  upon the tactics used by unions 

3. Explain the concept of an orientation program and elaborate upon the requisites for an effective orientation program.  

4. Taking examples, describe some of the impediments to effective training 

5. Taking examples, elaborate upon the various methods of performance appraisal.

SECOND SET OF ASSIGNMENTS Assignment-II = 5 Marks 

PART– B

1. Explain HRM models with particular emphasis on the Guest Model 

2. Taking examples, elaborate upon the various rating errors. 

3. What is job design? Taking examples, describe some of the approaches to job design. 

4. With examples, explain the approaches to labour welfare 

5. Briefly describe the causes of Employee Separations and elaborate upon the various types of

involuntary separations. 

Human Resource Management Page 1 of 4 IMT‐12

THIRD SET OF ASSIGNMENTS Assignment-II = 5 Marks 

PART– C

1. Describe the purpose and methods of job evaluation 

2. Briefly  describe the  components  of  Executive  Remuneration  and  explain the  ESOP  varieties available 

3. Elaborate upon the various types of non‐monetary rewards and explain the benefits a company may derive from providing employee benefits and services 

4. Elaborate upon the various causes of disputes and their relative impact on the workings of the organization as a whole 

5. With examples, describe some fringe benefits and non‐monetary awards. 

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

CASE STUDY - I 

Retention Challenges at Bharat Fertilisers 

Ms. Swamy is the manager of the computer division of Bharat Fertilizers. It is one of the older Fertilizer companies in the country and is located sixty‐three kms. from Hyderabad. In spite of a somewhat old technology it has been making profits consistently in the regulated Fertilizer market. Its turnover last year was Rs. 620 crores. It employs 2100 workers and staff and 297 managerial staff.  Ms. Swamy is forty years old and has been working for the present company for the last sixteen years. She is presently a manager in M.I.S. department. She is a God‐fearing lady and is liked by her colleagues and subordinates. Among her various responsibilities is the central data entry office. It has a sanctioned strength of ten grade GS‐4 data entry clerks and one GS‐5 supervisor. 

The starting salary of a trainee clerk is comparable to the compensation paid to clerks with little skills in other companies. However after nearly six months’ job experience; most data entry clerks are able to get  a substantial salary  increase  in other  companies.  It has become  known  in the market that Ms.Swamy  has  an  excellent training  programme  for  data  entry  clerks  and  her  division  has  become  a favourite poaching ground for nearby companies. As a result of all this Ms. Swamy has experienced more than 50% turnover over the  last two  years. A huge backlog of work has resulted.  Even  after replacements are recruited their productivity is low for many months and a disproportionate time of the supervisor and also of the manager is spent in training the new recruits. Within the data entry section there are three exceptions who have worked for Ms. Swamy for many years. In fact, they have been responsible for most of the work that has been turned out of the section.  

The GS‐5 supervisor has been running the section for seven years. Yesterday, she informed Ms. Swamy that she has received another offer from an Engineering company in Hyderabad with larger and more challenging responsibilities and a substantial increase in pay and benefits. She has just now given the one‐month’s  notice  as  required  by  her  employment  contract  and  requested  leave  starting  from tomorrow.

Ms. Swamy is at her wit’s end. .She had once recommended that the clerks should be given two special increments on completion of six month’s service, but the Personnel department had replied that the rules of the company did not permit increments before the completion of one year, that it could not be given  en masse,  and that  any  exception  would  have serious repercussions  among the rest  of the employees, and they had earlier turned down similar requests from other Divisions. In any case, the management had imposed a strict control on manpower cost. She had always felt that the supervisor should be upgraded to GS‐6 and data entry clerks to GS‐5. In fact, she had even mentioned it to her boss, Shiva Lamba. Unfortunately, the matter did not progress beyond that.  

Questions

Q1. Identify and explain some of the HR issues presented in the above case. 

Q2. What would you do if you are Shiv Lamba, the boss of the M.I.S. department? 

Q3. What can the company do to prevent such issues from arising in any other department? 

CASE STUDY-II 

Local Colour – Challenges at Global Operations

“We are not an American company. We are a Thai company.” This is what C. William Carey, Chairman and CEO of Town and Country Corporation, the largest U.S. jewellery manufacturer and whole seller, said  about  his  Thailand subsidiary,  Essex  International  Company  Ltd.  Carey  has  built  a successful business and on the basis of respect for native customs and cultural traditions. Carey proclaims, “I don’t believe in Americanizing them. You have to go to a place and understand its strengths and massage them.” He goes on to say that people “don’t want outside influences coming in that distort their values and work ethics.” 

“If you take a cookie‐cutter approach and stay open on a Buddhist Holiday workers will be resentful and feel you are disrespectful of their culture. They don’t care if you are closed on the Fourth of July, but they do care if you’re closed on the Queen’s birthday in April.” Carey’s views are shared by a majority of CEO's, who feel that adapting to the local culture is the biggest problem of globalization. Carey hasapparently accomplished the goal of cultural awareness to its fullest extent. When Town and Country established a subsidiary in Hong Kong, he spent $15,000 on fortune‐tellers to tell the workers the fate of the company. Carey also gave all public holidays after his purchase of Little Switzerland, based in the Caribbean.

Thailand is where Carey has proved to be most culturally sensitive. Essex enjoys being ranked in the top 5 of over 800 jewellery manufacturers in Thailand, with net annual sales of $19.4 in U.S. dollars. Carey chose Thailand which ranks second in the world in jewellery exports, because of the people’s tradition in stone cutting, the low labour cost and the work ethics. Also, Thailand’s pro‐business attitude gave Essex a four‐year tax holiday and permission to build a warehouse free of restrictions and duties. Carey’s original goal was to make it acceptable to the people of Thailand, who are motivated by security and respect from their employer. Carey had to do many things to gain their confidence, including sitting cross‐legged for a three and a half hour ceremony, inviting nine Buddhist monks to bless their seven‐storey factory, and building a Buddhist spirit house at the factory for daily prayers and offerings.  

After using 115 expatriates to set up the company in the first year, Carey sent them all back and used a polycentric recruitment policy to fill all positions. Essex’s initial 200 workers were between the ages of 17 and 22 and had previously worked rice fields. Essex lured women from 500 miles with rent‐free dormitories  and the opportunity to  learn  a trade  and  increase their standard of  living.  The women received on‐site medical  care and exams, three meals a day, and uniforms. Courses for high school equivalent diplomas are offered, as are classes in home economics and self‐improvement. There is a library and a number of recreational facilities. These benefits are intended to both help the workers develop and keep them occupied. “We wanted to give them spirit de corps...to mould them in what we wanted by getting them to excel,” Carey stated.  

These women, who at one time had nothing, were able to send money home, open bank accounts, and join the profit‐sharing programmes. They were offered company stock in 1991, and these workers now own  approximately  10% of the  30% publicly held stock.  The total  cost  is  hard to figure, but Careyestimates that these benefits add around $250 a month per employee. 

Recognition is another factor in Essex’s success. There are both team and individual incentives. While at first  people  were  reluctant  about  individual  incentives,  the  recognition  is  now  welcome.  As  their performance  improves people  can move up the  line and earn even more money, relocate to semi‐private dormitory, be named employee of the month, or receive a pat on the back in a public ceremony. Carey’s  cultural sensitivity  knows  no  bounds.  In the  beginning stages  of  Essex,  he  allowed  a  work schedule that started much later than in the western world. After employees were comfortable with the company, he was able to slowly move up the time to 8 A.M. 

To sum  up,  95%  of  the  employees  have stayed,  unlike  the  Thai  average.  There  is  a  low  level  of absenteeism and a waiting list of job applicants. When there is a large order, Essex has no problem getting the workers to stay late. “The workers feel proud of the company,” says Carey. “They are proud and appreciative of working in a company where they are recognized.” 

Answer these questions: 

1. What are the challenges one can face in managing a cross‐cultural workforce/organization? 

2. What was the strategy of Carey for building a successful operation in Thailand?