Strategic HRM June 2018 Assignment

03 Apr

Strategic HRM

1. ‘Strategic human resource management is largely about integration or strategic fit between HR strategy and business strategy’. Do you agree? Differentiate between external fit and internal fit. Give example of any one organization you know of, that have achieved a fit between business strategy and HR strategy.

2. XYZ limited is exploring ways of compensating and rewarding employees as a strategy to improve retention. As an advice state and explain various reward management strategies available to XYZ ltd. Highlight the strategies available to the management in dealing with poor performance in the workplace.

3. Siemens is a 150-year old Company, but it’s not the company it was even a few years ago. Until recently, Siemens focused on producing electrical products. Today the firm has diversified into software, engineering, and services, and is also global, with over 400,000 employees working in 190 countries. In other words, Siemens became a world leader by pursuing a corporate strategy that emphasized diversifying into high-tech products and services, and doing so on a global basis.With a corporate strategy like that, human resource management plays a big role at Siemens. Sophisticated engineering services require more focus on employee selection, training and compensation than in the average firm, and globalization requires delivering these sevices globally. Siemens sums up the basic themes of its HR strategy in several points. These include:

i. A living Company is a learning Company. The high-tech nature of Siemen’s business means that employees must be able to learn on a continuing basis. Siemens uses its system of combined classroom and hands-on apprenticeship training around the world to help facilitate this. It also offers employees extensive continuing education and management development.

ii. Global teamwork is the key to developing and using all the potential of the firm’s human resources. Because it is so important for employees throughout Siemens to feel free to work together and interact, employees feel they are part of a strong unifying corporate identity. For example, HR uses cross-border, cross-cultural experienced as prerequisites for career advances.

iii. A climate of mutual respect is the bais of all relationships – within the Company and with society. Siemens contends that the wealth of nationalities, cultures, languages, and outlooks represented by its employees is one of its most valuable assets. It therefore engages in numerous HR activities aimed at building openness, transparency, and fairness, and supporting diversity.

3. A) Describe your opinion on how Siemens rates people as a vital tool in creating organizational competitive advantage.

3. B) Advice Siemens on how it should go in drafting a Training and Development Strategy and show how it should be linked to other HR functional strategies.

Strategic Financial Management June 2018 Assignment

03 Apr

Strategic Financial Management

1. From the following details supplied by Amaya Plastics ltd. you are required to:

a. Calculate the Net Present Value

b. Calculate the Discounted Payback Period

For each Capital Expenditure proposal given below:

Details Proposal A Proposal B
Initial Cost Rs. 20,00,000 Rs. 15,00,000
Expected life 10 years 8 years
Cash flows before tax after depreciation Rs. 3,00,000 each for first four years Rs. 2,00,000 for next 6 years Rs. 2,00,000 each for first five years Rs. 3,00,000 for last three years
Estimated scrap value Rs. 50,000 Rs. 1,00,000

The discounting factor is 12% and tax rate 30%.

2. Kailash Ltd. Earns Operating Profit (EBIT) of Rs.1,80,00,000 at existing capital structure. You are required to calculate financial leverage and EPS with the help of following information

Particulars Amount in Rs
13.5% Debentures ( FV 100) 4,00,00,000
15% Cumulative Preference Shares( FV 100) 1,00,00,000
Equity Share Capital ( FV 10) 3,00,00,000
8,00,00,000

Tax rate 35%

3. A) Naysha Ltd. has the following capital structure as on 31st March, 2017

10% debentures (before tax) (Rs) 300000
9% preference shares (Rs) 200000
Equity shares of Rs.100 each 500000
Total 1000000

The equity shares of the company are quoted at Rs.102 and the company is expected to declare a dividend of Rs.9 per share for the year. Tax rate is 40% required.

Calculate the cost of capital.

3. B. Discuss the cheapest form of raising long term finance with reference to Question 3 (A) and state the reasons for the same.

Strategic Cost Management June 2018 Assignment

03 Apr

Strategic Cost Management

1. X Ltd has to replace its machine and the production manager has to decide between Machine A and Machine B. Machine A is having installation cost of ₹ 160 and annual electric bill ₹ 200. Machine B has installation cost of ₹ 760 and annual electric bill of ₹ 80. If both have life of 8 years which machine will you recommend if interest rate is 9 % for five years. P/V factor @ 9 % for 8 years is 5.5348

2. A company manufacturing two products furnishes the following data for a year.

Product Annual Output Units Total machine hours Total No. of purchase orders Total No. of setups
A 5,000 20,000 160 20
B 60,000 120,000 384 44

The annual Overheads are as under:

Volume related activity cost ( Activity driver-Machine hours ) ₹ 5,50,000
Setup related cost ₹ 8,20,000
Purchase related cost ₹ 6,18,000

You are required to calculate cost per unit of each product A & B based on

i. Traditional method of charging overhead and

ii. Activity based costing method

3. Project X Involves an initial outlay of Rs 32,400.Its working life is 3 years. The cash streams are as follows

Year Inflows ₹ P .V Factor @ 14% P .V Factor @ 16%
1 16,000 0.877 0.862
2 14,000 0.769 0.743
3 12,000 0.675 0.641

Calculate:

a. NPV at 14 % & 16%

b. IRR

Performance Management System June 2018 Assignment

03 Apr

Performance Management System

1. Assume that you have just joined a start-up organization which is around 6 months in existence. Explain to the Founders of the company the elements of an effective performance Management System and putting forward a convincing argument in favor of implementing a Performance Management System.

2. Disha Enterprises is a 5 year old organization in the manufacturing space. The organization has seen challenges likes conflicts among team members and also a growing number of First Time Managers. The organization is deliberating on introducing Coaching and Mentoring in the organization. Keeping the above background in perspective will a Coaching and Mentoring program help Disha Enterprises?

3. Assume you are an HR manager in a small company which has recently introduced Performance Management System for its employees. The employees are being coached on the concepts and application of the same.

a. Explain the concept of SMART goals.

b. Provide 2 illustrations of SMART goals.

Organisation Culture June 2018 Assignment

03 Apr

Organisation Culture

1. ABC Ltd, a medium sized IT firm, has hired you as a consultant to help the company correctly understand the cultural patterns in the organization. Before this, there was no attempt made to look at the culture of the organization. You decide to use Hofstede’s model of organizational culture to make the company understand cultural patterns. In this background, explain Hofstede’s model.

2. Consider the following two characteristics of XYZ Ltd, an online retail start up.

  • Promoters don’t have proper awareness of firm’s strengths and weaknesses
  • Promoters are not aware of opportunities and threats

Based on the above characteristics, identify the type of culture that XYZ has and then point out other characteristics of the same type.

3. In the fresh recruitment drive, 25 new employees have joined your organization which is a medium sized textiles manufacturing firm. One of the tasks on your hands is to make these fresh employees well aware of present organizational culture. Explain how will you use following ways to make these new employees learn the organizational culture?

a) Stories

b) Material symbols

Manpower Planning, Recruitment and Selection June 2018 Assignment

03 Apr

Manpower Planning, Recruitment and Selection

1. Performance appraisal has been one of the core functions of HRM. In the scenario today when attrition has increased and cost savings are the need of the hour, do you feel that Performance Appraisal is still a required function? Why?

2. Why is Succession Planning important for companies? Give atleast two examples from Indian / Foreign businesses.

3. A training program on Customer Service was designed for petrol pump attendants in the state of Gujarat. Due care was taken to include matters most relevant to the petrol pump attendants and that would contribute to their productivity. The training program was not found effective inspite of it being conducted in the local language and by experienced trainers.

a. What according to you may be the possible reason for the failure of the program?

b. Discuss factors that should be considered while designing a effective training program.

Industrial Relations & Labour Laws June 2018 Assignment

03 Apr

Industrial Relations & Labour Laws

1. Anil is a rural worker, working in an establishment which carries manufacturing of plastic sacks used for packing cement. This establishment is owned by a registered to manufacturing process. The number of workers work in two shifts, with each shift lasting for around 7 hours. The total number of workers employed by the establishment is 154. Anil and the other workers have issues with their health as the unit is not kept clean. They have to face problems with regard to drinking water also. Sunil, another employee, suffered an accident because the unit was not well lit. The owners do not take the complaints seriously stating that none of the labour laws apply to the manufacturing unit. Advise Anil.

2. Amit was working in a factory. He was employed in lifting the goods with a crane. Abhay another employee was given the job of stacking the goods together, before they could be lifted by the crane. Abhay had to go home early, but the owner refused to leave him until he completed his task. In a hurry to complete the job Abhay overburdened the goods. When Amit, lifted the goods with the crane, the goods toppled and fell an Arvind, an employee, who was standing below. This accident resulted in the death of Arvind.

After a few days, the dependents of Arvind came to the employer and claimed for compensation. The employer refused stating that it was not his fault that led to the accident and it was the carelessness and negligence of Amit and Abhay which led to the accident.

Advice the Dependants.

3. A) An organization was in operation for the past 20 years. The organization gave a bonus every year during Diwali. For the past two years the organization did not give a bonus stating the reason that the company had not earned any profits. However, the balance sheet reflected clear profits. When the workers raised this issue the employers did not pay any heed as the workers were lacking a collective bargaining power. Without a trade union existing the workers found it difficult to fight for their rights. The employers also threatened to file a criminal conspiracy case against the workers. Analyze the case and advice the workers on a suitable solution.

3. B) Arjun was Director in a company. The company has units across the country – 2 in cities and 4 in rural areas. Each unit has approximately 30 to 40 workers working. The wages of each employee are different. Also the employees doing the same work but working in different units were not paid the same wages. An employee who was transferred from a rural unit raised this issue with the trade union. The trade union asked Arjun to get all the wages of all the employees at par. Arjun replied stating that disparities in wages was allowed.

Is Arjun justified in giving different wages to different employees working in different areas?

Compensation & Benefits June 2018 Assignment

03 Apr

Compensation & Benefits

1. Assume that you are the HR manager of a multinational manufacturing organization. Devise a compensation plan to accommodate the needs of the employees.

2. Analyse the current reward trends and comment on the pros and cons of those trends.

3. “A competitive compensation plan is not only favourable for the employees but it also perks up the company’s performance. It alters an employee’s focus towards generating more revenue for their organization and empowers them to overcome their departmental schedules”.

a. Do you agree with the above statement? Explain your reasons with examples.

b. What approach can be adopted by companies to make the compensation plan more holistic?

Services Marketing June 2018 Assignment

02 Apr

Services Marketing

1. Prepare an advertising campaign for a newly started chain of restaurant having presence across the country.

2. A new brand of airline named ALM has recently introduced its airline services in India. The brand has an objective of being the market leader as it has been in other country. India being a new market for them will require a proper blend of marketing mix elements. Suggest marketing mix for ALM in India.

3. A nationalized bank is facing difficult situation with respect to retaining their existing customers as these customers are shifting to private sector bank or foreign bank. Private & foreign banks offer better services & work for longer duration during the day which the nationalized bank lacks. As a consultant

a. Suggest a suitable repositioning strategy for the nationalized bank.

b. Explain the element of physical evidence & its importance in nationalized bank.

Sales Management June 2018 Assignment

01 Apr

Sales Management

1. Maggi brand of Nestle is contemplating to make a foray in soft drink market. Based on this assumption, prepare selling strategy for intermediaries (wholesaler & retailer) & customer (end user).

2. UCS is into hygiene business catering to hotel industry since last three decades. It is planning to expand its business in other parts of the country. As a Sales Manager draft a suitable sales action plan for UCS.

3. Papper-mint is a new brand of casuals which is to be launched in niche segment. The product line consists of T-shirts, jeans, cotton trousers, watches and eye-wear. The brand is targeted at the younger audience. The brand is to be marketed through the franchise stores which will be exclusive and on retail boutiques.

Questions:

a. Design a Selling Strategy to be adopted between the company & the franchise.

b. Suggest suitable compensation methods which you will follow for the employees.