PUB3702/201/2/2018

Tutorial letter 201/2/2018

PUBLIC HUMAN RESOURCE

MANAGEMENT

PUB3702

Semester 2

Department of Public Administration and

Management

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
This tutorial letter contains important information
about your module.

COMMENTS ON ASSIGNMENTS AND EXAMINATIONS

 PUB3702/201

Dear Student

1. INTRODUCTION

Congratulations on your perseverance with your studies. We know that the majority of you
have already commenced with your preparation for the examination.
The purpose of this tutorial letter is to -

 Provide feedback on the compulsory assignments 01 and 02 that you submitted

during the course of the academic semester.
 Give an indication of the format of the examination paper together with advice on how
to approach the examination and to prepare for it.

2. ASSIGNMENTS

Two compulsory assignments were asked (one multiple-choice assignment and one essay-
type assignment). Below is feedback on the assignments you submitted for marking.

2.1 ASSIGNMENT 01 - COMPULSORY (MCQ)

Please see the table below for the correct answers.

QUESTION NUMBER CORRECT ANSWER

1 3
2 1
3 1
4 3
5 3
6 1
7 3
8 2
9 1
10 4
11 4
12 2
13 2
14 2
15 1
16 2

2
 PUB3702/201

17 1
18 2
19 2
20 4

2.2 ASSIGNMENT 02 – COMPULSORY (ESSAY-TYPE)

The assignment topic for the self-evaluation essay-type assignment was as follows:

Discuss the various internal and external factors that influence recruitment in the public sector.

In this essay-type assignment the following was expected of you, to:

 Prove your ability to deal with the internal and external factors that influence
recruitment comprehensively, apply it to the public sector (human resource field)
and to practice writing skills in a scholarly way. The information (basic guidelines)
is available in the study guide (Learning Unit 4, section 4.5) and prescribed book
(Chapter 6, section 6.6.1 and section 6.6.2). Only a few students were able to
present the internal and external factors influencing recruitment in a logical and
scientific manner.

 Critically and systematically defend your own standpoint. Very few students were
able to adopt a critical approach.

 Convey the factual information in such a way to persuade the reader of well
formulated arguments. You did not quite succeed in doing this.

 Undertake research independently and present the results of your research in a

scientific manner. Generally, you struggled to do independent research and
merely produced data and information of existing sources.

 Divide the essay into three subsections: an introduction, a discussion and a

conclusion. In the introduction, you were supposed to briefly set out the
standpoint you are going to take on the topic. In the discussion you should have
used the available data to support the standpoint you have set out in the
introduction. In the conclusion you could have referred to some of the
implications of the points you have raised in the discussion. Many students did
not follow an appropriate structure to present the assignment logically.

 Relate your answers to your own work situation. You did not relate the essays to
your work place appropriately.

 Consult various sources (at least 15 sources at this level of study). You did not
completely consult the minimum number of sources.

 Consult Tutorial Letter PASALLP/301 for guidance on the technical requirements

for assignments before writing the assignment. It was clear that you did not even
3
 PUB3702/201

put in an effort to consult this tutorial letter, since the assignment was not
technically well attended to.

 Show ethical conduct in the preparation of the assignment. In some instances you
copied parts out of books or articles or from a website without acknowledging the
sources.

3. EXAMINATION

A few guidelines regarding the 2018 examinations appear in the following paragraphs.

3.1 Format of the examination paper

You are reminded that the format of the examination paper is explained in Tutorial Letter
PUB3702/101/3/2018. We wish to mention at this stage that the PUB3702 examination will
consist of a two hour paper. Students will be given a choice of questions.
THERE WILL BE FIVE (5) ESSAY TYPE QUESTIONS ASKED OF WHICH YOU MUST
ANSWER ANY FOUR (4). Each question will count 25 marks, BUT may be subdivided, e.g.
15 marks & 10 marks = 25.
The examination in this module will take place during May/June 2018 (semester 1) and
Oct/Nov 2018 (semester 2).
Please bear in mind that some of the questions will not be asked exactly in the same way as
it appears at the end of each theme/study unit. Furthermore, to assist you in identifying the
questions, the headings in the study guide were used in the formulation of the questions
wherever possible. Owing to time limitations in the examinations, only sections of certain
questions could be asked, while in other instances questions may be combined. For this
reason some questions may consist of more than one section. Questions will be asked from
all the themes, although not necessarily from each study unit. For your convenience, the
Official Study Material folder on myUnisa contains copies of previous examination papers so
that you may get an idea of the format of the examination.

3.2 Preparing for the examination

The self-evaluation/revision questions which appear at the end of each theme/study unit are
examples of the type of questions which could be posed in the examination. This should give
you an indication of what is required. You should, however, not restrict your preparation to
these questions. Other questions which do not necessarily appear in the self-
evaluation/revision questions could also be included in the examination paper.
Furthermore, to assist you in identifying the questions, the headings in the study guides will
be used in the formulation of the questions wherever possible. Owing to time limitations in
the examinations, only sections of certain questions would be asked, while in other instances
questions may be combined. For this reason some questions may consist of more than one
4
 PUB3702/201

section. You will have to be careful with the use of time: spend about 12 minute on a ten
point question, 18 minutes on a 5-point question, et cetera. A number of even shorter
questions with mark allocations of 5, 6 and 8 may also be included in the paper. The basic
principle is that you must use the mark allocation for each question to determine the length
of your answer and the time spent on each answer.
Questions will be asked from all the themes although not necessarily from each study unit. A
case study/activity, as explained in the study guide, may also be asked as a possible
question.

3.3 Previous examination paper

A previous examination paper is attached for your information. This examination paper will
give you an idea of the kind of questions that can be expected in the examination.

3.4 Concluding remarks on the examination

Basically, you should prepare the study guide as well as the prescribed book with all the
activities and assignments for the examination. The prescribed book is background
information and a source for the activities in the study guide. Most of the activities in the
study guide require the reading of parts of the prescribed book. We are worried by the fact
that some of the students have not started on those activities that were not part of the
assignments. Those activities are part and parcel of the work that you should have done
throughout the semester.
The activities are important because they facilitate your understanding of the work. The
student who understands the work should pass easily in the examination. It is therefore very
important that you ensure that you understand the different themes and study units - that you
can formulate the so-called "big picture" of the different themes and study units. When a
student does not understand something, it is often a good sign. It means that he or she has
engaged or is really involved with the work. Phone the lecturers to solve your study
problems. Do not phone to try and obtain the examination questions. You will be wasting
your time.
Finally, we would like to wish you all the best for the examinations!

Prof EJ VAN DER WESTHUIZEN

vdwesej@unisa.ac.za
(012) 429 6246

5
 PUB3702/201

This paper consists of three pages.

Write the number of each question answered clearly in the space provided on the cover of the
examination answer book.

Answer FOUR (4) of the following FIVE (5) questions.

[TURN OVER]
6
 PUB3702/201

Question 1

(a) Demonstrate that human resource management has a management perspective.

[5]
(b) Explain that human resource management takes place in the public sector and
therefore has a “public” dimension that requires unique skills and competencies.
[10]
(c) Consider the key role of resources in the public sector to guide the human resource
management function optimally.
[10]
[25]

Question 2

No public sector human resource activity occurs within a vacuum. The human resource function
is constantly affected by various activities and influences outside the institution. For example,
human resource decisions are persistently influenced by the country’s politics. Politics in this
regard implies that the state guides the human resource function as a regulating entity – a case
in point is the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995. In light of the above, describe and explain the
following external factors at macro level that may influence human resource management in the
public sector:

(a) Technological developments.

(b) Economic conditions.
(c) Legal provisions.
[25]

Question 3

Write explanatory notes on the following:

(a) Learning of specific groups in the public sector by focusing on the objectives of
orientation training for newcomers and devising of an orientation course.
[15]

[TURN OVER]

7
 PUB3702/201

(b) Phase for the evaluation of learning in the public sector by concentrating on aspects
such as reaction, learning, changes in behaviour and results.
[10]
[25]

Question 4

As employer the public sector needs to attract (recruit) job candidates with the required
competencies for the tasks to be performed. In this regard, they have to make good decisions
about the provision of suitable human resources. Recruitment refers to the overall process of
attracting, selecting and appointing suitable candidates for jobs (either permanent or temporary)
to assist a public institution achieving its objectives. Managers, human resource generalists and
recruitment specialists may be tasked with carrying out recruitment, but in some cases public-
sector employment agencies, commercial recruitment agencies, or specialist search
consultancies are used to undertake parts of the process. With the above in mind, it is now
expected of you to describe the following:

(a) Objectives of recruitment and elaborate on the formulation of a recruitment policy and
procedures as well.

(b) Various sources of recruitment in the public sector.

(c) Various external and internal factors that influence recruitment in the public sector.
[25]

Question 5

An important part of human resource management is concerned with the economic dimension,
relating specifically to the compensation of employees. Basically, compensation is a methodical
approach to offering monetary value to employees in exchange for tasks performed for the
institution. When most people hear the term compensation they think about "what a person is
paid". Although this is true, it is only one aspect of a multifaceted topic. Compensation includes
not only salary, but also the intrinsic rewards, extrinsic rewards and benefits the employee is
provided with in return for their contribution to the institution. Against this background, describe
and explain the following:

(a) The concept of compensation and its objectives.

[TURN OVER]

8
 PUB3702/201

(b) The factors (external and internal) that can influence the compensation policy in the
public sector.
[25]

TOTAL: [100]