IOP4863 Assignment 05 (19/09/2024)

Do not plagiarise ASSESSMENT 05 SECTION A (PERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY) & SECTION B (CAREER PSYCHOLOGY) IMPORTANT: THIS ASSESSMENT IS COMPULSORY. Due date: 19 September 2024 Unique number: 688200 Total: 50 marks PART A: PERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY Generally, South African labour laws prohibit unfair discrimination. The Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 (as amended) and the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 (as amended) are explicit on issues of unfair discrimination. Despite this regulatory framework, debates around the issues of fairness remain intense. Fairness in personnel psychology must be demonstrated, using scientific methods. Discuss fairness in employment decisions by focusing on the following: 1.1. The difference between unfair discrimination and adverse impact. (2) 1.2. Discuss the complexity of fairness in employment decisions by referring to Figures 8.1; 8.3; 8.4; 8.5; 8.6; 8.7 and 8.8 in Cascio and Aguinis (2019, p. 181-184). In your discussion, refer to each scatterplot and illustrate a differential predictor-criterion relationship which is legal and appropriate, or which is inappropriate and may have adverse impact. (28) [30] Total Section A: 30 Marks PART B: CAREER PSYCHOLOGY QUESTION 1 Read the case study below carefully and answer the questions that follow. The case of Nokwanda Nokwanda is a 28-year woman from Empangeni, in KwaZulu-Natal. She moved to Johannesburg in 2019 when she found a new job in a big manufacturing firm, to assume the position of senior finance manager. She is not yet married although she would love to get married one day. She has no children yet and would like to start a family soon after she is married. She completed her matric in Empangeni and then studied at the University of Zululand (UniZulu). She graduated from UniZulu with a BCom degree in Accounting Science in 2012, and in 2014, she completed a higher diploma in Accountancy. She started her career with Deloitte and Touche, and worked as an assistant manager, then as a manager, and thereafter was promoted to senior manager. Nokwanda is the first born in her family. Her father passed away in a home invasion incident when she was 18 years old, but she still has her mother, two sisters and a brother. Nokwanda’s mother was a stay-at-home mother and after the passing of her husband, she had to find a job to provide for the family’s needs. Nokwanda was forced to assist her mother and took on part-time work as a tutor while she was at university. Nokwanda has shared with you that after her father’s death, 2 she developed anxiety and feels unsafe when in confined spaces or when she is around crowds. She believes she is much better, but she would like help to manage and hopefully overcome her anxiety. Nokwanda shared with you that her career is very important to her. She is very happy in terms of what she has achieved thus far in her career, and she wants to continue working for her current company. Things that are important to her and that she values are opportunities for growth, being valued, being able to use her expertise, good working conditions, working under minimal supervision, having flexibility in how she works, and a competitive salary. Currently, she is not experiencing most of these and this causes frustrations for her. She aspires to be in a very senior position within the next ten years – preferably as the management accountant for the company. Her current challenges on the job include a lack of career development support and minimal exposure due to her qualifications. Despite her frustrations, Nokwanda wants to continue working for her current organisation. At the same time, she knows that with the qualifications and experience she has, she may find it difficult to secure good employment elsewhere. During the career diagnostic and assessment process you realise that Nokwanda is experiencing psycho-emotional distress. Considering that you are limited in your scope as a professional career practitioner, you refer Nokwanda to an appropriately qualified professional. 1.1. Based on your evaluation of Nokwanda’s case, name and describe the level of psycho- emotional distress that she is experiencing. (4) 1.2. Describe and justify the process of ethical referral that you will apply as professional career practitioner to contain Nokwanda’s experiences of distress. (16) (20) Total Section B: 20 Marks