3rd SEMESTER MBA ASSIGNMENT

Qn. 1- Define the term manpower planning. Explain the need for manpower
planning. What are the advantages of manpower planning?
Ans. 1 - Human resource planning is very essential for continued existence of the
business. It is a process in which the HR department tries to understand their
strength of current manpower and prepares for the future. Effectiveness of
Manpower planning is to hiring the right number of people at the right place and at
the right time for doing the right things. Effective manpower planning helps in
achieving the goals and objectives of the organization.
Bruce Coleman has defined manpower planning as the process of determining
manpower requirements and the means for meeting those requirements in order to
carry out the integrated plan of the organization.
Need for Manpower Planning
The shortage of certain categories of employees and/or variety of skills despite the
problem of unemployment. The rapid change in technology, marketing, management
etc. and the consequent need for new skills and new categories of employees. The
changes in organization design and structure affecting manpower demand. The
demographic changes like the changing profile of the workforce in terms of age, sex
education etc. The Govt. policies in respect to reservation, child labor, working
conditions etc. Every business requires investments of funds. The art of maximizing
returns from such investments within the framework of law and ethics requires that
the right numbers of people are available for the open positions at the right time, at
the right place with the right competencies, attitude and values for doing the right
things.
If the business is not able to build and maintain its credibility with various
stakeholders, the business starts to fail. Similarly if your business needs 1000
people and your business is always overstaffed by 300 people then the cost of the
additional manpower, the infrastructure cost for the additional manpower and
management costs for the additional manpower eats away into the profitability of the
business, hence the need for manpower planning.
Advantages of Manpower Planning
Manpower planning has gained wide recognition as a reliable tool for effective
human resource management Manpower planning helps the organizations in utilizing
human resources better through effective planning and timely execution. it assists
the organization in anticipating the future trends in the demand for and supply of
labour. It replaces haphazard and thumb rule approaches towards human resource
management with a well-planned, systematic and scientific approach. HR plans are
capable of serving both the long-term and short term HR requirements of the
organization. It helps the organization in determining the career growth of each

employee in a systematic manner. It helps the organization in creating and

maintaining a satisfied, well-trained and skillful workforce.

Qn. 2 What do you mean by manpower forecasting? Why is it necessary?

Explain the types of manpower forecasting.
Ans. 2. - Manpower forecasting is the very first step or feature of the entire
manpower planning activity. The HR manager foresees the demand and supply of
different types of manpower resources in the firm. In simple words the basic idea is
to see where or in which area there is a shortage or surplus of human requirement.
Forecasting is the process of making judgments about events whose actual
outcomes have not been seen.
Necessity for Forecasting
Forecasting is also important when it comes to developing new products or new
product lines. It helps management decide whether the product or product line will be
successful. Forecasting prevents the company from spending time and money
developing, manufacturing, and marketing a product that will fail.
Types of Manpower Forecasting
Having understood the objectives of manpower forecasts one needs to know that
manpower forecasts could be categorized differently, depending on the purpose for
which forecasts are made. Some of the major types of forecasts are briefly described
here.
1) Short-Term Forecasts
Short-term forecasts are very useful at the micro-level or we can also say company
level, e.g., a chain hotel makes financial statement for its expenditures keeping in
view both the ongoing projects and the projects in the pipeline.
2) Medium-Term Forecasts
For most countries medium term is about two to five years - the horizon for planning.
Medium term forecasts are useful in those offices where manpower is concerned
with advising ministers or preparing contingency plans to meet the 'twists and turns
of economic circumstances or international events'.
3) Long-Term Forecasts
Forecasts for a period more than five years are considered as long-term forecasts.
These forecasts are useful in educational planning, particularly relating to the highly
skilled professional categories of manpower.
4) Policy Conditional Forecasts
Policy conditional manpower forecasts are those which are determined by the policy
towards the factors which influence the demand for manpower.
5) Optimising Forecasts
Optimising manpower forecasts are those which are obtained as solutions to an
optimising model in which numbers demanded of various categories of manpower
are so determined that either the end benefits are maximised, or cost of resources
used in achieving a pre-determined end objective is minimised.

6) Macro and Micro Forecasts

Macro manpower forecasts are used for planning, education and training facilities
as well as to make decisions regarding choice and location of industries for
development whereas Micro manpower forecasts are needed primarily for
planning recruitment, promotion, training and counselling in accordance with the plan
for the development of enterprise or department concerned.

Qn. 3- The latest trend in recruitment is the E-Recruitment. Write a brief note
on this E-recruitment
Ans. 3 - The buzzword and the latest trend in recruitment is the E-Recruitment or
Online recruitment. In this internet based tools are used to assist the recruitment
processes. They advertise job vacancies through the internet. Job seekers send in
their applications or curriculum vitae (CV) through email. The internet penetration in
India is increasing and has tremendous potential. Two kinds of e-recruitment options
that an organization can use are: Job Portals: Post an opening with job description and job specification on the
job portal. Search for suitable resumes available on the portal and invite
candidates for an interview.
Careers Section On Companys Own Website: Create a complete online
recruitment/application section in the careers section of the companys own
website. The passive job seekers can submit their resumes into the database
of the organization for consideration in future, as and when the roles become
available.
Resume Scanner: Resume scanner is a facility offered by job portals to employers.
Employers can filter, select and screen resumes on pre-defined criteria and
requirements (skills, qualifications, experience, payroll etc.) of the job.
Online Recruitment Techniques provide a detailed job description and job
specifications in the job posting to attract candidates with the right skill sets and
qualifications. Review applications using the filter and screening method. Dont print,
just screen online. E-recruitment is the Evolving face of recruitment.
Advantages & Disadvantages
There are many advantages of e-recruitment; both to the employers and to the job
hunters, but it also has a few disadvantages too.
Advantages of E-Recruitment
Cost of posting jobs online are low vs. advertising in newspapers No intermediaries
or middle men handling CVs Hiring time is reduced for recruitment. Works
24x7x365. Facilitates recruitment of right type of people with requisite competencies
Short-listing is automated and quick
Disadvantages of E-Recruitment
Require being computer savvy: The process is restricted within computer savvy
candidates. As the search is based on various websites, their screening, keywords
application demands for a computer savvy person and company.

Legal consequences: Alike other recruitment sources this source also should be
aware of the words used in the advertisements otherwise it may lead to the charge of
discrimination.
Non-serious applicants: Lot of applicants forward their resumes just to know their
market value. As personally the candidates are not checked thus whether they are
serious is not known
Disclosure of information: Candidates profile and company details are available to
public. The applicants do not want their employer to know that they are looking for a
change. Phone number, address information has lead to many security problems.
Again the companies do not want their competitors always to know the current
scenario

Qn. 4 - Explain the necessity and types of induction.

Ans. 4.- Necessity of an Induction Program
An induction program is a very important step when new employees join an
organisation. It provides an introduction to the working environment and the role of
the employee in the organisation. Induction covers the employer and employee
rights and, the terms and conditions of employment. An induction program definitely
covers any legal and compliance requirements of the organization. Also it definitely
tells employees about the health and safety precautions to be taken in certain
situations. Induction is meant to enable a new employee to become productive and
get integrated with the team faster and hence start feeling good about his/her joining
the new firm.
Types of Induction- An organization needs to make a strategic choice before
designing an induction/orientation programme. They are: Formal Induction and
Informal Induction
Informal Induction- In this the new employees are instructed to report to the HR
department for an explanation of organization policies before being referred to the
manager for on the job briefing on specific work process. In informal orientation,
new employees are put directly on the job and are expected to adjust themselves on
the new job and organization. Informal orientation tends to be brief; may last for an
hour or may be less than an hour.
Formal Induction
Here the management has a structured programme which is executed when new
employees join the firm. Formal induction is more elaborate and is spread over a
couple of weeks or months. Most formal induction programmes consist of three
stages:
General introduction to the organization is often given by the HR department.
Specific orientation to the job and the department, typically is given by the
supervisor or manager.
Follow up meeting to verify that the important issues have been addressed
and employee questions have been answered. This follow up meeting usually
takes place after a week of joining between the new employee and the
manager.
Organization issues: organization history, history of the employer, names and titles
of important executives, departments, layout of physical facilities, probationary
period, product line, production procedure, organization policies and procedures,
disciplinary regulations, safety procedures.
Employee benefits: pay scale, pay days, vacation and holidays, rest breaks,
training and education benefits, counselling, insurance benefits, retirement
programme etc.

Supervisors outline the main job duties: job location, task and overview of job, safety
requirements and relationship to other jobs. The choice between formal and informal
induction will depend mainly on the goals and objectives of the organization.

Qn. 5 .- Define talent engagement. Why is it important? What are the driving
factors of talent engagement?
Ans. 5. - Talent engagement is the concept which explains the degree to which a
talent (employee) is emotionally bonded to his organization and passionate about his
work. Talent engagement is the level of commitment and involvement a person has
towards his organization and its values.
An engaged talent (employee) is well aware of the organizations business context,
and how to work with colleagues to improve performance in his/her job and thereby
benefit the organization. Talent engagement forms a critical ingredient for an
individual as well as the organizations success. Talent engagement is strongly
influenced by the depth of the leadership and its qualities as well as organizations
culture.
Talent engagement creates an atmosphere for employees to go beyond job
responsibilities to delight customers and promote business. It is a powerful retention
strategy. The definition of a fully engaged talent might be any of the following:
One who is intellectually & emotionally bonded with an organization
One who gives hundred percent effort
One who feels passionately about achieving organizations goals
One who lives the values of the organization
Importance of Talent Engagement
Managers should essentially cultivate engagement in the organization because
failure to do that causes a lack of commitment and motivation amongst employees.
Talent engagement is linked to talent turnover, customer satisfaction, loyalty and
profitability.
The importance of talent engagement is that it helps
Create and sustain world class processes
Contribute greatly to society at large
Lower stress and allows more healthier lives
Achieve greater work-life balance
Allows more peace on earth
Increase ability to attract new talent
Increase ability to innovate
Driving Factors of Talent Engagement
The driving factors of talent engagement are:
Employers ability to create the conditions that promote talent engagement

Employees own unique psychological makeup and experiences

Nature of interaction between talented employees at all levels in the
organization
The above listed aspects are the responsibility of an organization and they have to
create an environment and culture which is conductive to this partnership. Some of
the other driving factors are:
Higher productivity
Higher employee commitment
Higher profits
Higher client satisfaction

Qn. 6 - Many organisations closely observe the employee exits and are
managing the exit process professionally in order to reduce the employee
turnover. Describe such employee exit process and operational
responsibilities. Differentiate between exit surveys and exit interviews.
Ans. 6 - The employee who wants to resign will discuss with his Manager, submits
his resignation. Usually before / on the relieving day or some 2 days ago, the
employee submits all no dues, and other forms to the HR and takes his relieving
letter. The sample questions below will help to facilitate these goals. They must be
used as soon as the employee and the organization are aware that the employee will
be leaving. It is only appropriate not to leave these questions until the exit interview.
How will the employees knowledge be advantageous to the organization;
their opinions, experience, introductions to their contacts, colleagues etc.,
before the employee leaves?
Will the employees meet up happily with managers or successor or
colleagues to advice them so that the organization will benefit from their
knowledge and experience before their departure?
How to help the employees to pass on knowledge and experience to their
successor before they leave the organization?
How and when will the employee prefer to pass on knowledge to the
successor?
Operational Responsibilities
This is termed as basic housekeeping. Immediately before or on the date of
departure the employee looks into basic housekeeping issues. Many organizations
have a chain of standard Exit Checklists for use. Here are suggested examples:
IT Checklist
Clean-up local hard drive
Clean-up network drives (personal & work)
Let them know what to do with network job files
Return manuals and disks
Delete organization software from personal laptops or other home computers
Signature of Employee who reviews the checklist: _____________
Administration Checklist
Return all Office Keys
Clear out the office desk, files; return all stationary /supplies/ equipment to
production; take all personal belongings
Return Credit Cards (if any)
Have address changed on letters, bills/forwarded at post office/ courier
Hand in all copies of reports, files, manuals etc
File all work, or arrange with someone responsible for filing work file

when job is complete (do not leave any work files in office)
Signature of Employee who reviews the checklist: _____________
HR Checklist
Leave forwarding address
Telephone Number
Facsimile (fax) Number
Mobile Number
Hand in all appropriate forms
Signature of Employee who reviews the checklist: _____________
Exit Survey
This is documenting, employees general impressions, of the organization.
Employers document the employees impressions of their work experience for later
use in improving the organization functionalities. To ensure that basic employee exit
information can be evaluated reliably with statistical analysis, it must be collected in
a standardized format and procedure. There are companies that specialize in this
type of evaluation. Employee Exits should meet professional standards and legal
requirements.
Exit Interview
This is viewed as the personal and professional closure. The employer and
employee accomplish proper closure with a face-to-face exit interview. An exit
interview is generally conducted by impartial persons such as an HR manager or a
senior leader of the organization. A proper closure in the exit interview, for both the
organization and departing employee encourages positive and professional ties
between the two.