Examiner s Report March 2013

Transcription

1 Examiner s Report March 2013 Level 4 Certificate Paper 5: Strategic Human Resource Management. Introduction Candidates were required to answer six questions from a choice of eight questions. The most popular questions with candidates were question 3 (training and development), question 4 (variety of communication methods used within the workplace) and question 6 (difficult employees). The questions where candidates performed best were questions 3 and 4: candidates performed least well on question 2. Feedback on candidate performance in each of the examination questions follows. Question 1 Health and safety processes are based on the control of risks in the working environment. They are therefore less effective in dynamic situations. Discuss the validity of this statement. (20 marks) Successful candidates recognised that the trigger word discuss involved a for and against treatment of the subject. They were able to articulate both points of view in showing how risks in a stable environment are easier to control and in explaining how potential risks arising within a dynamic environment could be mitigated. Unsuccessful candidates challenged the statement without presenting both sides of the argument. Question 2 a) Explain the importance of strategic human resource planning to an organisation. b) Describe the factors that organisations need to take into account as part of their human resource planning process. (15 marks) Candidates who gained high marks in answering this question understood that it referred to high level planning related to ensuring there were sufficient resources available to achieve organisational objectives. They continued by identifying clearly

2 the factors that needed to be taken into account as part of the planning process in Human Resources. The many candidates who did less well in answering this question either provided insufficient information to present their answers in detail or they described recruitment and selection procedures at length, which was not what the question asked them to do. Question 3 Training and development are important aspects of effective organisations. a) Explain why it is important for managers to identify the present and future training and development needs of their staff. (10 marks) b) Explain why it is important for employees to take responsibility for identifying their own present and future training and development needs. c) Describe briefly some of the ways in which training and development needs can be identified. This was the most popular question on the paper and candidates who attempted it gained a high average mark for their efforts. Successful candidates clearly identified the importance of training and development in the achievement of organisational objectives. These included the following:- To ensure team members have the necessary skills and knowledge to fulfil their roles and meet organisational need. To meet staff shortfall via the training of existing staff. To identify the precise areas where training is required to ensure that strategies can be implemented to meet organisational objectives. To aid succession planning by ensuring that the organisation has a pool of competent staff who can be promoted. They explained why staff should be actively involved in the process, for example:- To keep up to date and informed about specific initiatives within their sector. To identify gaps between their level of understanding and their current role. Being able to develop new skills and fulfil potential through CPD, being able to meet new challenges. To be a good role model to team members by demonstrating commitment and by contributing to the development of a learning organisation. To gain knowledge and transferable skills that will help to progress their careers

3 Question 4 Effective managers recognise the importance of using a wide variety of communication methods within the workplace. Describe the circumstances under which the following would be appropriate methods of communication. i. Newsletters (4 marks) ii. Team briefings (4 marks) iii. and/or intranet (4 marks) iv. Noticeboards (4 marks) v. Senior management presentations (4 marks) Highly marked answers demonstrated an understanding of the ways in which different communication methods can contribute to the flow of information around an organisation and the circumstances in which they may be used. Unfortunately some candidates simply wrote about the barriers to communication. They did not understand how to use the various methods of communication or how they could be applied appropriately in different circumstances. Question 5 Explain why possession of the following hard skills listed below enables managers to contribute to the achievement of organisational objectives. i. Planning skills. (8 marks) ii. Controlling skills. (6 marks) iii. Organising skills. (6 marks) Successful candidates understood which activities should be listed under the different headings and they explained how these contributed to the achievement of organisational objectives, for example:- Planning skills enable managers to set goals and identify the best way to achieve them. Controlling skills enable a manager to ensure that everything is working to plan by establishing standards of performance, measuring results and comparing them with the results which were intended. Organising skills enable managers to deploy people and other resources effectively. Less successful candidates either wrote about leadership in general rather than focusing on the hard skills referred to by the question, or they did not differentiate between planning, organising and controlling and therefore repeated similar information in addressing each skill. Where this was appropriate they gained credit for this information - but only once.

4 Question 6 Difficult employees are a problem most managers have to deal with at some stage in their careers. a) Describe the characteristics of difficult employees. (6 marks) b) Explain how managers can deal with difficult employees to minimise the disruption they cause. (14 marks) Answers that attracted high marks showed a clear understanding of the characteristics of difficult employees as well as why and how such employees should be dealt with in a variety of ways to minimise the disruption they can cause. Less convincing answers were characterised by insufficient or irrelevant information. Some responses managed to outline the characteristics of difficult employees but failed to describe in enough detail how to deal with them other than by formal disciplinary procedures. Question 7 A manager s use of delegation, if properly planned, can be valuable in achieving organisational objectives and providing development opportunities for those seeking more senior roles. a) Describe the factors that influence a manager s use of delegation. (11 marks) b) Explain how a manager can ensure that the organisation and individual employees benefit from the delegation of tasks. (9 marks) Well informed candidates identified the factors that influenced a manager s decision to delegate and showed how a manager could ensure that both the employee and the organisation benefited from the use of delegation. Less successful candidates often lost marks by writing about the benefits of delegation rather than the factors influencing the use of it. Also they often failed to identify the importance of setting objectives, using timescales and reviewing progress. Please see Question 8 below.

5 Question 8 When it covers all aspects of an organisation s operations, risk management can make a valuable contribution to the achievement of the organisation s objectives. a) Explain why organisations need to be aware of risks. b) Identify four of the seven main categories of organisational risks. c) Describe the benefits of effective risk management. (4 marks) (4 marks) (12 marks) This question focused on risk management across the whole organisation. Candidates had to demonstrate an understanding of this before they identified the main categories of risk and explained why organisations benefited from effective risk management. Candidates who were not successful in answering this question thought it was about health and safety and consequently they were allocated low marks. They failed to understand how the risks relating to human resources and finance can prevent the achievement of organisational objectives.