Question 1: Many organisations are now operating in a global market. Competition is increasing on many fronts as products/services are improved and/or substitutes developed. The life-cycle of many products/services is reducing rapidly and the competitive lead-time to market for products/services is becoming increasingly shorter.

(a) What trends do you think are impacting HR today for organisations operating in a global market?

(b) What are the implications of these trends for strategic human resource management in organisations?

(c) What strategies can an organisation put in place to ensure sustainability in the face of these emergent trends and their implications?

Question 2: MES Engineering is a medium-sized engineering company located in Singapore. The Company has 30 employees who are mainly technical staff. It has been experiencing high voluntary turnover over the past twelve months and is now losing key human resources to their competitors. The management of MES Engineering have assumed that employees are not happy with their current compensation package but have done little to find out the real reasons for the high turnover.

The turnover problem will be made worse in the next twelve months because of the demographics of the organisation. It is anticipated that 25% of the existing staff will retire in that time.

Please answer each of the following questions about this case:

(a) Discuss the reasons why people voluntarily leave an organisation.
(b) How could management determine the real reasons for the high turnover?
(c) What strategies could management put in place to retain their staff?
(d) How could they lessen the impact of the pending retirements?

Question 3: NewLearning Pty Ltd develops online learning courses for clients in the Asia-Pacific region and specialises in the development of courses for supervisor development. The courses are tailor-made to meet client's needs and specifications. Management at NewLearning has decided to introduce a performance management system to reinforce the company's goal of providing quality, innovative products in a timely and cost-efficient manner. The initial focus of the performance management system will be the
product developers who are engaged in course specification, curriculum development and course design.

Please respond to each of the following questions in relation to the above case:

(a) What form of performance management system would you introduce for the product developers to help reinforce the company's goals?

(b) What aspects would you be assessing through the performance management system?

(c) How would you go about evaluating the performance management system once it has been introduced?

Question 4: MGB Containers is an expanding company with 3,000 employees. It is a retailer of boxes, bags, racks, and shelves that organise everything from shoes to spices. The company is noted for the very positive way it treats its employees. However, the existing systems are under stress because of the growth in sales and staffing. Management is considering the introduction of a Corporate HR area which will involve some changes in the roles of line managers who currently perform most HR functions such as recruitment and selection, payroll, and benefits processing.

Please respond to each of the following questions in relation to the above case:

(a) What role would you assign to the Corporate HR area?

(b) What functions/activities would be involved for this new area?

(c) What impact would these changes have on the line manager's role?

(d) If you were to outsource some HR functions, what would they be? Please explain why you have chosen those activities.

Question 5: WBD Enterprises is a web design company that is competing on a global basis. The company has 40 employees, including two who specialize in marketing the company's web design services. This niche is highly competitive with many global operators. WBD Enterprises prides itself on its innovative designs and state-of-the-art technology. They are especially successful in attracting highly creative people who appreciate the opportunity to work with such an innovative company.

The CEO is conscious that innovation is the basis of their differentiation and is concerned that the company will lose its competitive advantage if it does not continue to develop new ideas and approaches. The CEO has decided that the best way forward is to develop WBD Enterprises as a learning organisation.

Please respond to each of the following questions in relation to the above case:

(a) What do you understand by the concept of the "learning organisation"?

(b) What strategies should the CEO implement to develop WBD Enterprises as a learning organisation?

(c) What difficulties do you think the CEO will encounter in trying to establish a learning organisation culture in WBD Enterprises?

Question 6: Your current manager approaches you to discuss your career. You are conscious of all the discussions about the changing nature of careers and the changing role of the organisations in relation to career management. Please answer each of the following questions about this case from your own perspective:

(a) What is your perspective on the concept of "career"? In other words, what does the term "career" mean for you at your stage of development?

(b) What factors are currently influencing your choice of career?

(c) How would you respond to your manager when they asked to discuss your career with you (i.e. what wold you state to them about your career plans)?

(d) How could the manager facilitate the alignment of your personal "career" goals with those of the organisation?