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HUMAN RESOURCES Short answers and essays.

Short Answers Marks

 Question 23 (10 marks) (2001)

A mining company that operates 24 hours a day has decided to restructure its workforce by
changing working conditions. Management has increased the length of work shifts from 8
hours to 12 hours.

(a) Discuss an ethical or legal aspect that management should have considered when making
this change to working conditions. 2

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(b) Analyse TWO methods of measuring the effectiveness of human resource management,
and recommend ONE that would be appropriate for the mining company. 6

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 Question 23 (10 marks) (2002)

Sandra owns a computer software business selling a range

of games and small-business packages. She employs two
full-time and three part-time sales staff.

(a) Describe ONE example of a monetary reward and ONE example of a non-monetary reward
that Sandra could use to motivate her staff. 2

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(b) Outline TWO indicators that Sandra could use to measure the effectiveness of these
rewards. 2

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(c) Analyse the potential impacts of these rewards on ONE profitability ratio
and ONE efficiency ratio of this business. 6

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 Question 22 (5 marks) (2002)

Ace Tyre Fitters Pty Ltd has a majority of employees who are union members.
The management team is not satisfied with the work performance of a number of
employees and would like to take action that may ultimately lead to the dismissal
of some workers.

(a) Identify TWO stakeholders in the human resource management process. 1

(b) Outline and recommend an appropriate grievance procedure that could be established and
used by Ace Tyre Fitters Pty Ltd to help resolve the concerns of at least TWO stakeholders.
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 Question 25 (5 marks) (2004)

PPG Milk currently has an in-house permanent cleaning staff of 50 people. To reduce
operating costs, PPG has decided to terminate the services of the cleaning staff and
outsource the work to a contract cleaning company, which will re-hire PPG staff on a
casual basis. The cleaning staff are angry and has taken industrial action. PPG Milk has
received negative media attention as a result of the dispute.

(a) Identify ONE overt and ONE covert type of industrial action that the cleaning staff might
have taken.

(i) Overt: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1

(ii) Covert:---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1

(b) Discuss ONE cost OR benefit associated with industrial action taken by the cleaning staff.
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 Question 24 (10 marks) (2005)

Vic is employed as a senior project manager. Vic’s wife will soon be required to work away from
home for three days a week. This will create child-minding problems for Vic and his wife, and
Vic’s working conditions may need to change.

(a) Identify TWO social influences of human resource management that contributed to Vic’s
and his wife’s situation. 2

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(b) Describe a legal influence that Vic’s employer should consider before changing the present
working conditions. 2
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(c) Describe ONE strategy Vic’s employer may suggest in response to Vic’s changed situation,
and evaluate its likely impact on Vic and the business. 6

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Question 21 (6 marks) (2006)

(a) Identify ONE way an employee can behave ethically in the workplace. 1

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(b) Describe ONE legal aspect of human resource management. 2

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(c) Identify ONE aspect of ethical human resource management and explain its
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benefit to the employer. 3

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 Question 24 (10 marks) (2007)

ABC Ltd has restructured and twenty-five employees will be retrenched. Management
has not consulted employees about the changes. Employees are considering industrial action.

(a) Outline ONE type of covert industrial action employees might take in response to the
proposed retrenchments. 2

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Question 22 (8 marks) (2008)

(a) State ONE key influence on Human resource management and give an example. 2

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Question 24 (10 marks) (2010)

Bailey manages a guitar store that operates from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday. The staff provides
excellent customer service. Bailey would like to trial opening the store for extended hours to cater for
customer and employee preferences, but he is concerned about ongoing staffing costs. Currently all staff
are on permanent employee contracts but the type of employment contract may need to be revised if
operating hours are changed.

(a) Describe TWO key influences on human resources management that might have led Bailey
to consider the change to operating hours. 4

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(b) Evaluate TWO types of employment contracts that would allow for the change to
operating hours. 6

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HSC Question 21 (8 marks) (2011)

(a) Using ONE change model, explain how change can be managed effectively in
business. 4

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(b) Using an example, explain how a manager can reconcile a conflict that has arisen between 4
two stakeholders as a result of change.
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Question 23 (6 marks) (2011)

(a) Outline ONE cause of industrial conflict. 2

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(b) Explain ONE financial cost and ONE financial benefit of industrial conflict. 4

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Question 24 (8 marks) (2012)

TextMore is a global communications business that is facing increased competition.

Management has decided to reduce the size of its factory workforce by 25% but also employ more
information technology (IT) specialists.

(a) Identify the TWO human resource processes that will be used in this situation.

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(i) ................................................................................................................... 1

(ii) ................................................................................................................... 1

(b) Explain how TWO human resource strategies could be used to effectively manage
downsizing TextMore’s factory workforce.

(i) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3

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(ii) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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HUMAN RESOURCES ESSAYS – NEW COURSE.

Question 28 (20 marks) (2011)

Analyse the use of management skills when managing global employment relations.

Question 28 (20 marks) (2013)

Assess strategies that management may use to respond to key influences on human resources.

Question 26 (20 marks) (2014)

Analyse both the causes of workplace disputes and the strategies used to resolve them.
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