Sample Questions

1.
i. Job design has an effect on motivation, work performance, and job satisfaction. In this
regard job characteristic theory serves as a framework for management to identify how
certain job characteristics affect the outcomes of the jobs. Draw and explain a diagram to
illustrate how core job characteristics are used to result in employees’ psychological state
and the important outcomes of job.

(15 Marks)
ii. Draw and explain a diagram to illustrate how self-determination theory is used to
incorporate employee empowerment.
(10 Marks)
(Total 25 marks)
2.
Kumara is a Human Resources Manager for Mega, a local apparel manufacturing company
with six factories in metropolitan and regional Sri Lanka. The company has changed its
strategic direction to provide a wider product portfolio to its existing international customers
instead of previously adopted low cost garment for all strategy. The main accountability of
Kumara and his team is to identify sources of new talent and motivate employees to attain the
best performance. From 2020, the company hopes to introduce a new performance
management system.
i. Specify organizational strategy, HR strategy and individual strategy.
(5 Marks)
ii. Identify Key Performance Indicators (KPI) for Kumara under three key areas.
(10 Marks)
iii. Suggest an appropriate performance appraisal method for following categories of
Employee categories? And explain why?
a. Operational level employees (e.g. Machine Operators)
b. Executive level employees
(10 Marks)
(Total 25 marks)
3. Carson Motor Serve provides general car servicing and mechanical repairs for all models of
cars at 23 sites across the island. Recently, Carson’s HR team observed that the performance
among their technicians is declining. Further, there is a high rate of absenteeism and turnover
among the technician category. The HRM team thinks to revise its Reward Policy to combat
these problems.
a. Specify how you use four types of reinforcements in reward strategy design.
(10 Marks)
b. List four intrinsic rewards and four extrinsic rewards that can be used to enhance the
technician’s performance.
(8 Marks)
c. Suresh is a technician at Carson. He typically works 40 hours per week and his pay is
completely based on his sales. He earns a 5% commission for every sale he makes.
What is the pay policy described in this situation? Is it appropriate?
(7 Marks)
(Total 25 marks)
4. Clifton Associates is an accounting firm that provides accounting services to small
businesses. The firm is aiming to expand its business by attracting more clients. Within three
years the firm was able make a good profit and had nearly 100 clients, most of whom had
been gained through word of mouth. However, during the recent months, the firm recognised
that there is an increasing number of customer complains about the poor service. Evidence of
poor service included limited access to their particular accountant, poor response time to
clients' enquiries and failure to identify opportunities to save clients’ money. In addition, bad
advice, lack of interest in business development opportunities for the client and poor internal
communication between the partners and their staff contributed to client dissatisfaction. In
addressing these issues, the HRM Manager hopes to redesign its learning function to provide
a better service.
a. Conduct a learning need assessment for an Accountant at Clifton associates.
(10 Marks)
b. Suggest four on the job learning and four off the job learning methods for the above
identified learning needs.
(5 Marks)
 c. How do you assess the effectiveness of your learning initiatives in the above
situation?
(10 marks)
(Total 25 marks)

5. Organizations are facing changes in their business environment because of globalization of

markets and competition, growth of immediate digital information and communications,
growth of the service-based economy, and changes in rules affecting corporate governance
and trade relationships. Assume the role of a HRM Director who needs to change their
corporate culture and their standards of operation. The organizational structures in your
industry have trended from tall, hierarchical bureaucracies to flat, decentralized operations
that encourage innovation. Changes like this do not happen automatically. What theories and
techniques would you use to change your organization’s performance culture?

6. You are a recently hired supervisor at a paper mill factory. During your second week on the
job, you learn about a White employee who has been using a racial slur during lunch breaks
when discussing some of her Black coworkers with others. You ask the person who reported
it to you about the woman and learn that she is an older woman, around 67 years old, and has
worked at the factory for more than 40 years. You talk to your boss about it, and he tells you
that she means no harm by it, she is just from another era and that is just her personality.
What would you do in this situation?

7. What are the four “waves” of the human resource management evolution?
8. What are some of the key regulations that human resources must manage compliance with?
9. What are some of the unintended consequences of a forced ranking system?
10. What are some of the performance management challenges that must be addressed, no matter
what the system?
11. Why are many companies interested in moving to a pay-for-performance strategy?
12. What are the main process steps for implementing pay for performance?
13. What are some best practices for recruiting new leadership candidates?