BHR211: FUNDAMENTALS HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

MARKING SCHEME
QUESTION ONE (Compulsory)
a) Explain Human Resource Management. [2 Marks]
 Human resource management (HRM) is the process of employing people, training
them, compensating them, developing policies relating to them, and developing
strategies to retain them.
b) Explain any 3 operative functions of HR management [3 Marks]
 Employment; Human resource is the most important resource for any enterprise since it
is the resource that converts other resources into the final product.
 Development; undoubtedly, the acquisition of human resource in any organization is
very important. But we should not forget the fact that the world is changing at a rapid
pace demanding the companies to change along with it.
 Compensation; everyone works for some benefit or the other. Mostly, people work in
exchange for some monetary benefits. Compensation is nothing but the payment for the
work done by the workers in the company.
 Working Conditions and Welfare; Training and Development just upgrade the workers
to work effectively and efficiently but that does not ensure good productivity or
fulfillment of the objectives.
 Motivation; This function states that the HR manager should motivate the workers with
both financial and non-financial incentives.
 Personnel Record Keeping; This function states that an HR manager keeps records of
the personnel working in different departments under different heads.
 Industrial Relations; The relation of all the workers in the industry is an important
aspect for any organization. This function is nowadays fulfilled by the HR managers in
the organization.

c) Differentiate between job description and job analysis. [2 Marks]

 While a job description and job analysis may feature overlapping content, they
involve different levels of detail. The job analysis contains in-depth information about
every aspect of the role. It usually contains Responsibilities and tasks, including
frequency and difficulty levels.
d) Explain 3 challenges of modern HR managers. [6 Marks]
  Recruitment and Selection: Finding a suitable candidate for the job from a large
number of applicants is a basic problem for the human resource manager.
 Emotional and Physical Stability of Employees: Providing wages and salaries to
employees is not sufficient in today’s world. The human resource manager should
maintain the proper emotional balance of employees.
 Balance Between Management and Employees: The human resource manager has a
responsibility to balance the interests of management and employees.
 Training, Development, and Compensation: A planned execution of training
programs and managerial development programs is required to be undertaken to
sharpen and enhance the skills, and to develop the knowledge of employees.
 Performance Appraisal: This activity should not be considered a routine process by
the human resource manager.
 Dealing with Trade Union: Union members are to be handled skillfully as they are
usually the people who oppose the company policies and procedures.

e) Discuss 6 purposes of training. [6 Marks]

f) Explain the selection process. [6 Marks]

QUESTION TWO
a) Using illustrations, explain the uses of job analysis. [10 Marks]
 To prepare the employee, both new & and old to meet the present as well as the
changing requirements of the job & and the organization.
 To develop the potentialities of the people for the next level job.
 To ensure smooth & and efficient working of a department.
 To ensure economic output of required quality.
 To build up a second line of competent officers & and prepare them to occupy more
responsible positions.
 To prevent obsolesce.
b) Explain the on-job training techniques. [5 Marks]
 Apprenticeship Programs: Apprenticeship programs place the trainee under the
guidance of well-trained personnel.
 Coaching: The coach or the trainer sets the required goals with a mutual discussion,
advises on how to achieve those goals, analyzes the trainees’ progress from time to
time, and suggests changes necessary in the attitude and performance.
  Internship Training: These trainings are generally a joint program. The candidates
who are selected continue to pursue their studies regularly and also work in a factory
or office to gain the practical knowledge and skills required for a job.
 Job Rotation: Job rotation involves shifting trainees from one job to another or from
one department to another. This allows the trainee to gain a better understanding of
the working of the organization and all its parts.

QUESTION THREE
a) Discuss FIVE functions of the Human Resources manager. [10 Marks]
 Recruitment and hiring.
 Training and development.
 Employer-employee relations.
 Maintain company culture.
 Manage employee benefits.
 Create a safe work environment.
 Handle disciplinary actions.

b) Explain reasons for recruitment. [5 Marks]

 Attract and retain high-quality talent; attracting the best talent requires businesses to
work on their employer brand.
 Improve morale and performance; when businesses focus on recruitment, they can
positively impact by creating a supportive and productive atmosphere.
 Enhance Skills and Experience; recruiting new talent helps bring new skills and
perspectives into your organization.
 Reduce staff turnover; employees leave for several reasons, their situations change,
people retire, or they just want a new challenge.
 Improves business growth; new hires can bring in new potential clients by sharing
their news on their social media like LinkedIn. This enables you to get your name out
to a new audience who might never have heard of you before or what you do.
 Streamline the recruitment process; the more your company looks for and hires the
best talent the easier it is to attract the best talent. This is where having the right
 processes in place and using the right recruitment partners can make all the
difference.
 Adapt to a changing job market; the job market is constantly changing, and those who
offer a flexible recruitment strategy will come out on top.

QUESTION FOUR
a) Describe any FIVE global contemporary issues facing human resource management.
[10Marks]
 The Gig Economy; Many talented people have decided to leave the traditional
workforce in exchange for freelance work in their area of expertise. This gives them
the desired flexibility in their lifestyle and is a great selling point for potential clients
because overhead is less when you are a contract employee.
 Innovation and Automation; Human resources departments are often tasked with
training and developing employees. This means that when a new company rollout
includes technological advances, the human resources department needs to prepare
itself to train people.
 Changing Regulatory Issues; Compliance with regulatory issues is a primary duty of
human resources managers. While this job duty hasn't changed over the years, what it
covers evolves constantly. This means that human resource managers need to be on
top of all changes.
 Recruiting and Retaining Top Talent; Finding and keeping great talent is difficult,
especially for small businesses that don't have the resources to offer huge
compensation and benefits packages. This means that human resources managers are
always looking to find talented, loyal prospects for the company.
 Diversity and Harmony Issues; Business owners know that a diverse workforce that
works together in harmony will build stronger teams, yield better ideas, and offer
broader customer satisfaction.

b) Determine how human resource managers can ensure employees enjoy work-life
balance. [5 Marks]
 Set the Example; as a manager, you must have a work-life balance yourself.
Employees will feel compelled to do the same jeopardizing other areas of their lives
that need their attention.
  Maintain a Consistent Structure; it is vital to maintain a sense of consistency and
organization in your company structure such that the employees know exactly what is
expected of them and when.
 Foster an Accountable Environment; Ensure that everyone is on the same page
concerning who’s who and who does what. When roles and responsibilities are clearly
stated, employees don’t have to play guessing games or intentionally drop balls under
the pretense of ignorance.
 Engage in Team-Building Exercises; they will feel more comfortable sharing when
they are stressed out or overwhelmed: they know their colleagues will have their back,
which is the result of constant team-building exercises.
 Encourage Vacations; Due to some companies’ structures, it can be difficult for
employees to take vacations: no one may be available to do their jobs when they take
time off.

QUESTION FIVE
a) Explain the common interview mistakes. [10 Marks]
 Arriving late or too early.
 Inappropriate attire.
 Using your cellphone.
 Not doing company research.
 Losing your focus.
 Unsure of resume facts.
 Talking too much.
 Speaking poorly of previous employers.
b) Discuss the importance of performance appraisal. [5 Marks]

 Employee performance; Due to identifying these areas, an employee can set goals
that will lead to promotions and career advancement.
 Clarification; The process helps in clarifying the employee’s role and status in the
organization. As a result, employees understand what is expected of them.
Furthermore, employees can easily perform their roles seamlessly.
 Building relationships; the appraisal allows an employer and employee to have
meetings and discuss the performance.
  Motivation; A performance appraisal serves as a motivational tool for employees.
Offering bonuses or recognizing an employee of the week, month, or year motivates
employees.
QUESTION SIX
Discuss the circumstances in which team-based job redesign might improve organizational
performance. (15mks)

 Enhances the Quality of Work-Life: Job redesigning motivates the employees and
enhances the quality of their work life. It increases their on-the-job productivity and
encourages them to perform better.
 Increases Organization’s and Employees’ Productivity: Altering their job
functions and duties makes employees much comfortable and adds to their
satisfaction level. The unambiguous job responsibilities and tasks motivate them to
work harder and give their best output. Not only this, it also results in increased
productivity of an organization.
 Brings the Sense of Belongingness in Employees: Redesigning job and allowing
employees to do what they are good at creates a sense of belongingness in them
towards the organization. It is an effective strategy to retain the talent in the
organization and encouraging them to carry out their responsibilities in a better
fashion.
 Creates a Right Person-Job Fit: Job Redesigning plays an important role in creating
a right person-job fit while harnessing the full potential of employees. It helps
organization as well as employees in achieving their targets or goals.

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