Examiner’s Report – March 2013

Level 4 Certificate Paper 5: Strategic Human Resource Management.

Introduction

Candidates were required to answer six questions from a choice of eight questions.

The most popular questions with candidates were question 3 (training and
development), question 4 (variety of communication methods used within the
workplace) and question 6 (difficult employees). The questions where candidates
performed best were questions 3 and 4: candidates performed least well on question
2.

Feedback on candidate performance in each of the examination questions follows.

Question 1

“Health and safety processes are based on the control of risks in the working
environment. They are therefore less effective in dynamic situations.”

Discuss the validity of this statement.

(20 marks)

Successful candidates recognised that the trigger word “discuss” involved a “for and
against” treatment of the subject. They were able to articulate both points of view in
showing how risks in a stable environment are easier to control and in explaining how
potential risks arising within a dynamic environment could be mitigated.
Unsuccessful candidates challenged the statement without presenting both sides of
the argument.

Question 2

a) Explain the importance of strategic human resource planning to an organisation.

(5 marks)

b) Describe the factors that organisations need to take into account as part of their
human resource planning process.
(15 marks)

Candidates who gained high marks in answering this question understood that it
referred to high level planning related to ensuring there were sufficient resources
available to achieve organisational objectives. They continued by identifying clearly
the factors that needed to be taken into account as part of the planning process in
Human Resources.
The many candidates who did less well in answering this question either provided
insufficient information to present their answers in detail or they described
recruitment and selection procedures at length, which was not what the question
asked them to do.

Question 3

Training and development are important aspects of effective organisations.

a) Explain why it is important for managers to identify the present and future
training and development needs of their staff.
(10 marks)

b) Explain why it is important for employees to take responsibility for identifying

their own present and future training and development needs.
(5 marks)

c) Describe briefly some of the ways in which training and development needs can
be identified.
(5 marks)

This was the most popular question on the paper and candidates who attempted it
gained a high average mark for their efforts. Successful candidates clearly identified
the importance of training and development in the achievement of organisational
objectives. These included the following:-
To ensure team members have the necessary skills and knowledge to fulfil
their roles and meet organisational need.
To meet staff shortfall via the training of existing staff.
To identify the precise areas where training is required to ensure that
strategies can be implemented to meet organisational objectives.
To aid succession planning by ensuring that the organisation has a pool of
competent staff who can be promoted.

They explained why staff should be actively involved in the process, for example:-
To keep up to date and informed about specific initiatives within their sector.
To identify gaps between their level of understanding and their current role.
Being able to develop new skills and fulfil potential through CPD, being able
to meet new challenges.
To be a good role model to team members by demonstrating commitment
and by contributing to the development of a learning organisation.
To gain knowledge and transferable skills that will help to progress their
careers
Question 4

Effective managers recognise the importance of using a wide variety of

communication methods within the workplace.

Describe the circumstances under which the following would be appropriate methods
of communication.

i. Newsletters (4 marks)
ii. Team briefings (4 marks)
iii. E-mail and/or intranet (4 marks)
iv. Noticeboards (4 marks)
v. Senior management presentations (4 marks)

Highly marked answers demonstrated an understanding of the ways in which

different communication methods can contribute to the flow of information around an
organisation and the circumstances in which they may be used.
Unfortunately some candidates simply wrote about the barriers to communication.
They did not understand how to use the various methods of communication or how
they could be applied appropriately in different circumstances.

Question 5

Explain why possession of the following hard skills listed below enables managers to
contribute to the achievement of organisational objectives.

i. Planning skills. (8 marks)

ii. Controlling skills. (6 marks)
iii. Organising skills. (6 marks)

Successful candidates understood which activities should be listed under the

different headings and they explained how these contributed to the achievement of
organisational objectives, for example:-
Planning skills enable managers to set goals and identify the best way to
achieve them.
Controlling skills enable a manager to ensure that everything is working to
plan by establishing standards of performance, measuring results and
comparing them with the results which were intended.
Organising skills enable managers to deploy people and other resources
effectively.
Less successful candidates either wrote about leadership in general rather than
focusing on the “hard skills” referred to by the question, or they did not differentiate
between planning, organising and controlling and therefore repeated similar
information in addressing each skill. Where this was appropriate they gained credit
for this information - but only once.
Question 6

Difficult employees are a problem most managers have to deal with at some stage in
their careers.

a) Describe the characteristics of difficult employees.

(6 marks)

b) Explain how managers can deal with difficult employees to minimise the
disruption they cause.
(14 marks)

Answers that attracted high marks showed a clear understanding of the

characteristics of difficult employees as well as why and how such employees should
be dealt with in a variety of ways to minimise the disruption they can cause.
Less convincing answers were characterised by insufficient or irrelevant information.
Some responses managed to outline the characteristics of difficult employees but
failed to describe in enough detail how to deal with them other than by formal
disciplinary procedures.

Question 7

A manager’s use of delegation, if properly planned, can be valuable in achieving

organisational objectives and providing development opportunities for those seeking
more senior roles.

a) Describe the factors that influence a manager’s use of delegation.

(11 marks)

b) Explain how a manager can ensure that the organisation and individual
employees benefit from the delegation of tasks.
(9 marks)

Well informed candidates identified the factors that influenced a manager’s decision
to delegate and showed how a manager could ensure that both the employee and
the organisation benefited from the use of delegation.
Less successful candidates often lost marks by writing about the benefits of
delegation rather than the factors influencing the use of it. Also they often failed to
identify the importance of setting objectives, using timescales and reviewing
progress.

Please see Question 8 below.

Question 8

When it covers all aspects of an organisation’s operations, risk management can

make a valuable contribution to the achievement of the organisation’s objectives.

a) Explain why organisations need to be aware of risks.

(4 marks)

b) Identify four of the seven main categories of organisational risks.

(4 marks)

c) Describe the benefits of effective risk management.

(12 marks)

This question focused on risk management across the whole organisation.

Candidates had to demonstrate an understanding of this before they identified the
main categories of risk and explained why organisations benefited from effective risk
management.
Candidates who were not successful in answering this question thought it was about
health and safety and consequently they were allocated low marks. They failed to
understand how the risks relating to human resources and finance can prevent the
achievement of organisational objectives.