HRM3701 PORTFOLIO (DETAILED ANSWERS) Semester 2 2024 - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED

HRM3701 PORTFOLIO (DETAILED ANSWERS) Semester 2 2024 - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED Answers, guidelines, workings and references ,.. 1. TASK 1: POOR RAJ (13 marks) Read through the following case study and answer the questions that follow. Poor Raj Raj Kumar is a new recruit from a reputed management institute, who was recruited as a sales trainee in an office selling large computer hardware located in Pretoria. Thabo is the sales manager responsible for overseeing the work of the sales officer, field executives and more than 70 trainee salesmen who operate in three areas, namely Pretoria, Centurion and Menlyn. The sales growth of the products in his area was highly satisfactory owing to the developmental initiatives taken by government agencies in spreading computer education. Thabo had collected several sales reports, catalogues and pamphlets detailing the types of office equipment sold by the company for Raj’s reference. On Raj’s first day at work, Thabo introduced himself and showed Raj to his assigned desk and provided him with the material collected. Thereafter Thabo excused himself and did not return. Raj, feeling alienated and unsure of what was expected of him, scanned through the material given to him until 5:00 pm before leaving the office. 1. What do you think about Thabo’s training programme? Why is it adequate or inadequate? Do you think Raj will benefit from this type of training? Explain. (2) 2. Provide a detailed programme of what Raj’s first day should have looked like. (11) 2. TASK 2: PAL PHARMACEUTICALS (57 marks) PAL PHARMACEUTICALS STUDY PAL Pharmaceuticals is a South African based pharmaceutical company which was founded by Kefilwe Patience Mabunda in 1996. Over the years PAL Pharmaceuticals has grown from a single pharmacy to a cross-country chain of retail pharmacies and a pharmaceutical manufacturing site based in Cape Town. PAL Pharmaceuticals manufactures and packages a wide range of pharmaceutical products with a key focus on vaccines and anti-retroviral treatment (ARVs). The company’s mission is to provide quality and innovative healthcare products at affordable prices for the benefit of society at large. PAL Pharmaceuticals consists of various strategic divisions, which include finance, human resources, marketing, sales, IT, legal affairs and administration. The HR department is based at the head office in Cape Town and deals with all human resource-related activities such as recruitment, selection, performance management, orientation, retention and employee relations. PAL Pharmaceuticals aims to attract and retain talented individuals who are most suited for the job. So, they consider internal candidates first and only when a suitable internal candidate cannot be found then they will appoint an external candidate. The company uses a variety of methods to find potential employees, such as job postings, university recruiting, employee referrals and job advertisements. Ms Mabunda favours job advertisements as advertising has proven in the past to be a highly effective method of recruiting top candidates. Ms Mabunda has stated time and again that “it is important that various methods should be used to ensure that the best suited candidates are attracted and selected.” The relevant line manager, HR practitioner and the managing director work hand-in-hand and their approval is required when making recruitment decisions such as the salary range and job grade for vacant positions. Shortlisted candidates are invited to an interview which consists of the line manager, a representative from HR and the Head of Department who serve as interviewers. In the interview, standard questions are asked to all candidates as Ms Mabunda believes that this is the best way to compare candidates’ responses. PAL Pharmaceuticals requires employees to work the standard five-day working week and should be willing to work overtime if required. Employees may be required to travel, depending on the type of job and position that they hold. PAL Pharmaceuticals is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to achieving a fair and equal representation of the workforce. The challenge Over the past year, PAL Pharmaceuticals has come into the public eye when a disgruntled employee revealed on a local TV programme that the company has been hiring individuals who are not qualified for the job and that the company is understaffed in many departments. The employee stated that “the manufacturing and dispensing of medication could endanger patients’ lives if handled by unqualified individuals but PAL Pharmaceuticals simply does not care as they are solely driven by profit”. Further investigation revealed that Maria Sibanda, a director of the company was recently dismissed as she was caught stealing from the company. It was revealed that the recruitment consultant at PAL Pharmaceuticals did not follow correct recruitment processes when hiring Maria Sibanda and has on many occasions stated, “Get me anyone! They do not have to be qualified I just need someone to get the job done.” However, this has resulted in many of the hired leaving the company as they were not qualified for the jobs. This has escalated the problem of the company being understaffed and the company has been accused of hiring “blindly”. Answer the questions that follow: 1. Through investigation it was found that the complaints of the disgruntled employee are true – PAL Pharmaceuticals is understaffed. The company does not have any specific human resource planning programme in place and has not taken any initiative to assess the human resource requirements adequately. It is recommended that strategic human resource planning be implemented to avoid understaffing problems in the future. Compile a report in which you appraise the strategic HR planning process. (20) Assessment Criteria: Your report should include a comparison between HR planning and strategic HR planning, the steps involved in the strategic HR planning process. You should further highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the strategic HR planning process followed by a conclusion in which you provide a clear recommendation of why you recommend the implementation of the strategic HR planning process. 2. Ms. Mabunda has expressed significant concerns about the recruitment and selection practices at PAL Pharmaceuticals, particularly in light of recent employee complaints and the inadequate performance of the recruitment consultant, who has since been dismissed. In response to these issues, she has tasked you with a comprehensive analysis of the current recruitment and selection procedures. Your objective is to identify weaknesses in the existing system and develop a set of recommendations aimed at enhancing these processes. These improvements will ensure that PAL Pharmaceuticals can effectively attract and select qualified candidates for future positions as the company seeks to fill the recently vacated role. NB: Your analysis should include all the elements in the sub questions below. 2.1 The following video is a depiction of the manner in which the director (Maria Sibanda) was recruited at SLS Pharmaceuticals a) Appraise the current recruitment and selection methods at PAL Pharmaceuticals. (7) b) Compile a recruitment and selection policy that will be enforced when hiring the recruitment consultant and for future hires at PAL Pharmaceuticals. (10) Assessment Criteria: (a) You are required to critically appraise the recruitment process followed by PAL pharmaceuticals. (b) You need to compile a policy that will be followed in terms of the recruitment and selection process that will be followed by PAL Pharmaceuticals. This means you need to know what each process deals with and how the company will abide by it. 2.2 Compile an application blank which is to be completed by candidates online when they apply for a job at PAL Pharmaceuticals. (10) Assessment Criteria: Your application blank must have an easy to fill in format, must have headings and numbering where necessary, and most importantly must be user-friendly. 2.3 It seems like something went amiss when Maria Sibanda was hired. Word from the grapevine was that she was hired because of who she knows in the company. Outline the process that should be followed by PAL Pharmaceuticals on how they should go about conducting reference checks especially in the digital age (5) Image Source: Assessment Criteria: Your reference process must be aligned with the digital age world of work and must clearly highlight the way the process must be followed. 2.4 It is evident that PAL Pharmaceuticals has minimal to no alignment with the HR governance standards. Compile a short comms that will be sent to the HR department as refresher on the importance of governance. (5) Assessment Criteria: You need to provide an innovative communication that will be broadcast to all staff highlighting the importance of HR governance. 3. TASK 3: COMPETENCIES OF A HUMAN RESOURCE PRACTITIONER (10 MARKS) To become an HR practitioner, you need certain competencies. Identify and briefly explain at least five of these competencies. Which of these competencies do you have? Provide evidence that you have these competencies. Which of these competencies do you still need to acquire? In other words which are your strengths, and which are your weaknesses? Provide a plan of action to show how and when you intend to acquire each competency you lack. What resources will you need for this? Remember that evidence cannot be based just on your opinion – a form of proof from an unbiased source is required. For example, describe your work experience and attach relevant documentation; attach a training certificate or proof of a qualification; or add a reference. This activity requires deep reflection. The following websites contain information about the competencies that HR practitioners should have: Assessment Criteria: You need to provide deep reflection of your strengths and weaknesses in terms of HR competencies. Provide evidence of those that you have and provide a well-thought-out action plan of how you will gain those competencies you don’t have. 4. TASK 4: REFLECTIVE LEARNING JOURNAL (20 MARKS) A reflective learning journal allows you the opportunity to self-reflect on your learning. What this means is that you can gauge where you currently are in your learning, assess if this is where you want to be and where you are heading. You can celebrate your victories and learn from your mistakes. You can also reassess whether where you are going supports where you wanted to be and if these align with your values, strengths and weaknesses. The following questions should guide you in this reflective process, but we encourage you to regularly engage in these reflective processes throughout your career and learning processes. Please note that the answers you provide to these questions should highlight deep reflection. 1. What made you choose to study Human Resource Management? 2. In which area of Human Resource Management does your interest lie? Why this particular area? 3. What goals and timelines have you set for yourself in terms of completing your Human Resource Management qualification? Have you enrolled in any other short courses or training programmes that will provide you with a competitive advantage over other candidates in the labour market? 4. How did Assignment 1 contribute to the application of your HR knowledge? What did you enjoy about Assignment 1? What feelings surfaced when completing assignment 1? When receiving feedback on Assignment 1 did you understand where you went wrong? Do you think you would be able to do better on assignment 1 after received the feedback? 5. How did Assignment 2 contribute to the application of your HR knowledge? What did you enjoy about Assignment 2? What feelings surfaced when completing assignment 2? When receiving feedback on Assignment 2 did you understand where you went wrong? Do you think you would be able to do better on assignment 2 after received the feedback? 6. How did this portfolio contribute to the application of your HR knowledge? What did you enjoy about the portfolio? What feelings surfaced when completing the portfolio? What mark would you award yourself for the portfolio and why? 7. How does your learning style contribute to aligning to your goals? Is there anything you need to change in terms of your learning style or methods to achieve your goals? 8. What did you enjoy about this module? What did you dislike about this module? How have the learnings you have gained through this module assist you in applying competencies in Human Resource Management? 9. With regards to the research component of this module, was this an easy or difficult task for you? What do you think you need to make the task easier or more enjoyable? Do you have a basic understanding of how to conduct research after completing this module? 10. What would you like to see more of in this module to assess applied competencies in Human Resource Management?