PUB3702 Assignment 2 (DETAILED ANSWERS) Semester 2 2025 - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED

PUB3702 Assignment 2 (DETAILED ANSWERS) Semester 2 2025 - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED Answers, guidelines, workings and references....ASSIGNMENT 3: Short essay Instructions: • Make sure the grammar, expression and general use of the English language are correct. Remember that poor grammar, expression and presentation can affect the way your work is perceived by the lecturer. • The correct use of source references [according to the Harvard technique, for example, (Webb, 2016:5), is a scientific requirement. • Include a ‘List of Sources’. List of sources/Bibliography. A technically complete "List of Sources/Bibliography” section at the end on a separate page rounds off the assignment - see tutorial letter PASALL-P/301!!! Refer to the surname, initials, year, title, place and publisher. All sources need to be listed in alphabetical order. In a List of Sources section you only include those sources that you used in the text, whereas for a Bibliography, you include all the sources you have consulted. Remember to build in acts, regulations, white papers, collective agreements, management guides, ministerial/administrative instructions, journal articles, interviews etc. Remember when making use of government documents to refer to the relevant Government gazette, Internet website (with date) or official file. The use of one or two sources is unacceptable. It is UNISA policy not to make use of sources that are older than five years – only where historical aspects apply and in case of official government documents such as acts and white papers. Government sources should be cited as follows: Republic of South Africa. 2010. Employment Equity Act 110 of 2005. Government Gazette. Vol 20. No 15. Pretoria: Government Printer. Internet sources should be cited as follows: South Africa. 2010. Baseline Implementation Guide for the Public Service.Department of Public Service and Administration. Available at: http// [accessed on 20 June 2010]. Journal article should be cited as follows: Mokgoro, T.J. 2007. A better understanding of public management. Service Delivery Review 6(1): 36-39. Interviews should be cited as follows: Personal interview: Burger, J.P. 2009. Department of Agriculture, Director: Environmental Services, April. No permission will be granted for late submission. Students who do not submit this assignment before or on the due date, will receive a zero mark for the assignment. Question: Discuss the factors at macro level (technology, economy, politics) that may influence public human resource management. In this essay-type assignment the following was expected of you: a. To prove your ability to deal with the factors at macro level (technology, economy, politics) comprehensively, apply it to the human resource environment and to practice writing skills in a scholarly way. The information (basic guidelines) is available in the study guide (Part I; Theme 1; Learning Unit 2; Section 2.3). Only a few students were able to present the factors at macro level in a logical and scientific manner. It was a requirement to refer to each factor and reflect on it in the human resource environment. b. To critically and systematically defend your own standpoint. Most of the students were not able to adopt a critical approach. c. Convey the factual information in such a way to persuade the reader of well formulated arguments. The majority of the students did not succeed in doing this. d. To undertake research independently and present the results of your research in a scientific manner. On the whole students struggled to do independent research and merely produced data and information of existing sources. e. Divide the essay into three subsections: an introduction, a discussion and a conclusion. In the introduction, you were supposed to briefly set out the standpoint you are going to take on the topic. In the discussion you should have used the available data to support the standpoint you have set out in the introduction. In the conclusion you could have referred to some of the implications of the points you have raised in the discussion. Nearly all the students did not follow an appropriate structure to present the assignments logically. f. Relate your answers to your own work situation. A minimum number of students did relate their essays to their work places. g. To consult various sources (at least 15 sources). A large amount of students did not consult the minimum number of sources. PUB3702/201/2/2025 4 h. Consult Tutorial Letter PASALLP/301 for guidance on the technical requirements for assignments before writing the assignments. It was clear that a good number of students did not even put in an effort to consult this tutorial letter, since many of the assignments were not technically well attended to. You were not penalised if your assignment did not comply with the technical requirements. i. Show ethical conduct in the preparation of assignments. Many students copied parts out of books or articles or from a website without acknowledging the sources and pass it off as their own. Remember, if you make yourself guilty of plagiarism it is regarded as a serious form of misconduct. Question 1 (a) Demonstrate that human resource management has a management perspective. [5] (b) Explain that human resource management takes place in the public sector and therefore has a “public” dimension that requires unique skills and competencies. [10] (c) Consider the key role of resources in the public sector to guide the human resource management function optimally. [10] [25] Question 2 No public sector human resource activity occurs within a vacuum. The human resource function is constantly affected by various activities and influences outside the institution. For example, human resource decisions are persistently influenced by the country’s politics. Politics in this regard implies that the state guides the human resource function as a regulating entity – a case in point is the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995. In light of the above, describe and explain the following external factors at macro level that may influence human resource management in the public sector: (a) Technological developments. (b) Economic conditions. (c) Legal provisions. [25] Question 3 Write explanatory notes on the following: (a) Learning of specific groups in the public sector by focusing on the objectives of orientation training for newcomers and devising of an orientation course. [15] [TURN OVER] This study source was downloaded by from CourseH on :39:34 GMT -05:00 PUB3702/201 8 (b) Phase for the evaluation of learning in the public sector by concentrating on aspects such as reaction, learning, changes in behaviour and results. [10] [25] Question 4 As employer the public sector needs to attract (recruit) job candidates with the required competencies for the tasks to be performed. In this regard, they have to make good decisions about the provision of suitable human resources. Recruitment refers to the overall process of attracting, selecting and appointing suitable candidates for jobs (either permanent or temporary) to assist a public institution achieving its objectives. Managers, human resource generalists and recruitment specialists may be tasked with carrying out recruitment, but in some cases publicsector employment agencies, commercial recruitment agencies, or specialist search consultancies are used to undertake parts of the process. With the above in mind, it is now expected of you to describe the following: (a) Objectives of recruitment and elaborate on the formulation of a recruitment policy and procedures as well. (b) Various sources of recruitment in the public sector. (c) Various external and internal factors that influence recruitment in the public sector. [25] Question 5 An important part of human resource management is concerned with the economic dimension, relating specifically to the compensation of employees. Basically, compensation is a methodical approach to offering monetary value to employees in exchange for tasks performed for the institution. When most people hear the term compensation they think about "what a person is paid". Although this is true, it is only one aspect of a multifaceted topic. Compensation includes not only salary, but also the intrinsic rewards, extrinsic rewards and benefits the employee is provided with in return for their contribution to the institution. Against this background, describe and explain the following: (a) The concept of compensation and its objectives. [TURN OVER] PUB3702/201/1/2020 Sam Maluleke is the accounting manager of the Financial Division in the Department of National Education. He is in charge of five financial analysts, two administrative officials and two secretaries. Brian Furham is one of the five financial analysts. Brian was appointed to the Financial Division about six months ago and Sam noticed that Brian finds it difficult to fit in with the rest of the group. Brian has not much to say to the other workers and generally they ignore him during the working day. Brian usually takes lunch in his office, or leaves the premises to be on his own. Although Brian’s work is generally satisfactory, Sam believes that the Accounting Section would function better if Brian were a proper member of the group. One particular afternoon Sam is amazed to see Brian in the doorway of his office. Sam cannot recall a previous occasion when Brian came to see him in his office. Brian stands in the doorway saying nothing until Sam starts the conversation. Sam Well, Brian, what can I do for you? Brian: It’s not really anything, but I just thought ... well, if you’re busy, I’ll come some other time ... Sam: You might just as well talk to me now. But I have a number of reports to complete so you must be quick. What is it? Brian: Well ... I actually wanted to talk to you about ... well, about me and the rest of the section ... PUB3702/201/1/2020 Sam: Oh, is that ... what it’s about? I’m glad you came to see me about it. I’ve noticed that you haven’t done much from your side to fit in with the group since you were appointed. I find it strange that you keep to yourself all the time. I’m happy to point out this problem to you. I have to do it because we need better cooperation from your side so that there can be better coordination within the group. You must decide soon what you’re going to do about it. It is up to you to get to know the people in your work group better. Talk to them ... you will find that they are really a pleasant group of people. Now off you go – you must at least give it a try. After reading the above part, it is now expected of you to answer the following questions: • Would you say that Sam Maluleke is a good listener? • If your answer is “no” – what do you think can be done to overcome this problem? • Do you think that Sam should have got involved in this case? 9 (b) The factors (external and internal) that can influence the compensation policy in the public sector. 3 QUESTION NUMBER CORRECT ANSWER 16 1 17 3 18 2 19 4 20 3 2.2 ASSIGNMENT 02 – COMPULSORY (ESSAY-TYPE) The assignment topic for the self-evaluation essay-type assignment was as follows: In any given situation a public sector human resource manager has four basic resources at his/her disposal in order to guide the human resource function optimally. These resources are roughly classifiable as financial, physical, informational and human resources. PUB3702/201/1/2020 It is now expected of you to write an essay assignment on these four resources. In this essay-type assignment the following was expected of you, to: • Prove your ability and apply academic skills to deal with the four basic resources comprehensively, apply it to the human resource environment and to practice writing skills in a scholarly way. The information (basic guidelines) is available in the study guide (Theme 1; Part I; Learning Unit 1; Section 1.3.3) and prescribed book (Chapter 1, Section 1.5). Only a few students were able to present the resources in a logical and scientific manner. It was a requirement to refer to each resource and reflect on it in the human resource environment. • Critically and systematically defend your own standpoint. Most of the students were not able to adopt a critical approach. Deal with the topic in detail and to practice writing skills in a scholarly way. The content of the study guide and prescribed book is regarded as peer-reviewed work (if you used it), written by academic staff members that has the authority on the subject at hand. The process of an assignment of this nature was meant to promote the validity and reliability of the content. • Analytically defend your own standpoint. This implies that you should have examined in detail the four basic resources in order to discover meaning of the essential features. By applying data analysis on the topic you were supposed to have organised, interpreted, structured and presented the data into useful information that provided context for the topic under discussion. • Convey the factual information in such a way to persuade the reader of well formulated arguments. The majority of the students did not succeed in doing this. This study source was downloaded by from CourseH on :39:56 GMT -05:00 4 • Undertake research independently and present the results of your research in a scientific manner. On the whole students struggled to do independent research and merely produced data and information of existing sources. • Divide the essay into three subsections: an introduction, a discussion and a conclusion. In the introduction, you were supposed to briefly set out the standpoint you are going to take on the topic. In the discussion you should have used the available data to support the standpoint you have set out in the introduction. In the conclusion you could have referred to some of the implications of the points you have raised in the discussion. Nearly all the students did not follow an appropriate structure to present the assignments logically. • Relate your answers to your own work situation. A minimum number of students did relate their essays to their work places. • Consult various sources (at least 15 sources). A large amount of students did not consult the minimum number of sources. • Consult Tutorial Letter PASALLP/301 for guidance on the technical requirements for assignments before writing the assignments. It was clear that a good number of students did not even put in an effort to consult this tutorial letter, since many of the assignments were not technically well attended to. You were not penalised if your assignment did not comply with the technical requirements. • Show ethical conduct in the preparation of assignments. Many students copied parts out of books or articles or from a website without acknowledging the sources and pass it off as their own. Remember, if you make yourself guilty of plagiarism it is regarded as a serious form of misconduct.