KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, KUMASI

COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS/INSTITUTE OF DISTANCE LEARNING

(DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE AND ORGANISATIONAL DEV’T)

End of Second Semester Examination, MAY/JUNE, 2020

B.SC. Business Administration (HRM option)

MAS 360: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

 Answer ALL Questions.

 Be reminded that this is group work to be done by the existing groups created
for the seminar presentations for students at the KNUST School of Business.
 Students at the Institute of Distance Learning (IDL) are to work in groups not
more than five members each (i.e. minimum of 2 members and maximum of 5
members). The groups must be IDL center-based.
 Also be reminded that in case of any evidence of exchange of answers, the
groups involved will suffer 25% reduction in their score.

SUBMISSION DATE: 8TH JUNE, 2020

Note:
1. School of business students should Upload on the KSB e-learning platform
2. Students of IDL should Upload on the KNUST v-class platform and also submit through
azingawine@yahoo.com with Title of email as: MAS 360, group … (indicate number), end of
semester assignment.
3. Submit word document, well formatted (times New Roman, font size 12, justified), all in a single
file.
4. Add all particulars: programme, course title, center/school, names and index numbers of all
group members.
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Study the cases carefully and answer the questions that follow

Case Study 1: Changes in HRD at Hansen Group

The Hansen Group is one of the UK’s largest construction groups. Traditionally, the company
has been involved primarily in civil engineering but it has recently begun to diversify, partly
through acquiring local government contracts, for example for street maintenance and cleaning
and the facilities management of publicly owned buildings, such as universities. Therefore, the
company is now involved in a wide range of diverse activities and employs an increasingly
diverse workforce, from street cleaners to highly qualified civil engineers.

The three years since the Credit Crunch of 2008 have been incredibly difficult for the
construction industry in the UK. As a result of the economic downturn, many construction firms
have decreased their spending on learning and development. Hansen Construction has, however,
increased its investment in these activities, notably introducing a new apprenticeship scheme for
construction team leaders, expanding online learning provision and continuing to recruit and
develop significant numbers of graduates. Hansen recognises that talented individuals are the
lifeblood of the firm and, therefore, sees investment in workforce development as a key
dimension of its employment proposition. This approach is felt to be in line with its commitment
to sustainability in its corporate activity.

The learning and development team at Hansen drives learning and development innovations,
provides analysis of business learning requirements and manages the delivery of cost-effective
learning solutions to support the achievement of business goals. Learning solutions at Hansen
include traditional off-the-job classroom programmes, short courses, online learning
interventions, workbooks and mentoring. The firm has recently recruited two new team members
specifically to design in-house e-learning solutions, and to upgrade the company’s online
learning management system.

As well as the learning and development team located at the company’s headquarters, Hansen
employs a further 12 learning and development professionals who are located throughout the

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country and work directly with particular business units and clients, many of whom have diverse
needs in respect of employee development.

Traditionally, training needs for Hansen staff have been identified centrally and on the basis of
the employee group. This has been consistent with its traditional approach to training for large
groups in classroom settings. However, with an increasingly diverse workforce, the company has
sought to introduce a new performance management system that focuses on individual
performance and the competencies behind that performance.

In 2010, the L&D team sought to supplement its traditional classroom-based training
programmes with a series of bite-sized (typically half an hour) interactive learning modules for
construction site staff that were linked together to form part of a meaningful programme of
activities. These were known as ‘toolbox talks’, and were delivered by site managers, using
materials developed to support them by the central team. The talks are mainly devoted to site
management and health and safety issues. In addition, a significant part of Hansen’s revised
approach to learning and development is to increase the amount of on-the-job coaching
employees receive and to create a coaching culture within its management community.

Hansen has made significant investment in technology-based learning (or e-learning),

particularly software that enables e-learning specialists within the learning and development
team to produce online training programmes, several of which are compulsory for all employees.
The learning and development team is exploring other technological solutions, such as the use of
mobile phones and DVDs, to deliver learning to its maintenance workers, street cleaners and
other employees who do not have ready access to the Internet.

Historically, the evaluation of learning and development interventions at Hansen has tended to
focus on the initial reactions of employees by asking them to complete evaluation forms after
having attended a training programme. However, as part of the wider changes to learning and
development at the company, longer-term evaluation of interventions is now in place. This
involves the learning and development centre asking the manager sponsoring any new
programme to define what a positive outcome would look like in order to determine an
appropriate metric for assessment, such as employee engagement or productivity, and involves
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contacting recipients of training 3–6 months after they have completed a programme and asking
them whether they are doing anything differently as a result of what they have learned.

Questions

1. Why do you think that Hansen Construction has increased its investment in learning and
development activities despite the tough economic climate?
2. What are the likely benefits associated with the introduction of an individualised
performance management system, and an associated competency framework, to inform
learning and development at Hansen?
3. What are the likely benefits of introducing the ‘bite-size’ training programme delivered
by site managers?
4. What is on-the-job coaching? Why is Hansen interested in creating a coaching culture
within its management community?
5. What training evaluation methods are available to Hansen beyond the evaluations of
training through the initial reactions of employees to a training programme?

Case Study 2: Developing a Learning Strategy at Wellread Books

Wellread Books is a high street retailer established in 1993 as a single bookshop but which has
since grown rapidly and is now present on many of the UK’s high streets and in many shopping
centres. Until 2005, Wellread served only the book market – particularly specialising in
children’s books – but following the appointment of a new chief executive, the company
increasingly diversified into a number of ‘related’ areas such as music, DVDs and stationery.
These areas have grown to represent a substantial part of each store. Furthermore, larger
Wellread stores now have cafés where customers are encouraged to browse books before they
buy.

Until 2008, Wellread experienced strong growth and increasing market share in the book
retailing sector. Since then, however, growth has slowed considerably, even when accounting for

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a decrease in consumer spending during the recent economic downturn. More worryingly, its
market share has begun to recede and Wellread is losing out to its high street competitors, larger
retailers who sell bestsellers at marked-down prices and online book sellers. To understand the
deeper reasons for this decline, Wellread commissioned market research to explore consumers’
perceptions of the store and what shoppers wanted from a book retailer. The results were mixed.
The research found that Wellread rated highly on the following criteria: friendly staff and
welcoming atmosphere. Moreover, the annual customer surveys show that customer service was
rated highly among regular shoppers at Wellread, many reporting that they know staff by name
and often drop by for coffee and to browse the books. The market research also found, however,
that Wellread was rated worse than its competitors on staff knowledge (particularly in the areas
of music and film), the range of titles held and speed of service. Of particular concern to the
company is the fact that the high levels of ‘footfall’ at Wellread stores appear to translate into
comparatively low sales volumes.

The company also recently conducted its first ever employee attitude survey which asked for
employee opinion on a wide range of issues, including the company itself, their jobs, why they
chose to work for Wellread and what they felt they brought to the company. The survey showed
that a core of workers in each store had been with Wellread for a number of years, albeit
alongside a quite substantial transient workforce. These long-term employees appeared to be
knowledgeable and passionate about books, were committed and often highly qualified. Many
were concerned, however, about developmental opportunities within the company. Morale
among staff appeared to be high, although this was largely explained by an apparent loyalty to
their colleagues and to their store manager. One respondent commented: ‘I don’t really see
myself as a Wellread employee, just an employee of this particular store.’

In keeping with the relaxed atmosphere that the company seeks to develop within its stores, it
advocates a paternalist approach to employee management. Commensurately, the company
allows a fair degree of autonomy to store managers in how staff are managed at a local level, and
whilst it promotes regular performance appraisals it is aware that some managers take this
process less seriously than others. Where they are conducted, they are generally informal
meetings used for employees to raise concerns or to make suggestions. Typically, no formal
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records are kept regarding appraisals. Wellread has always recognised that business success
relies on good customer service and the focus of employee induction has been to instil in
employees the importance of creating an accessible shopping environment which runs counter to
the popular perception of bookshops as ‘stuffy’ places and booksellers as ‘snobby and
condescending’. New employee induction is, however, typically brief and conducted by the store
manager, often involving little more than a chat as they ‘walk the shop’. The only demarcation of
staff on the shopfloor is between café and store workers. Store workers typically work wherever
needed in response to demand. Following induction, training activity for customer service
advisors is limited. All shop staff are trained in the use of the point-of-sale technology and given
a brief tutorial in the shelving system. Staff are trained as and when necessary if new technology
is introduced into the store (for example, there is talk of introducing an Espresso book machine
into some stores which can create bound copies of out-of-print books to order). Café staff are
given training in using the coffee machine and in basic health and safety.

Drawing on all the information gathered in the review process, Wellread has devised a five-year
growth strategy focused on increasing sales and efficiency, improving customer perception and
awareness of the brand and differentiating itself in the marketplace.

Questions

1. How might learning and development activities contribute to Wellread’s business

strategy? What do you think should be the objectives of learning and development
interventions?

2. Where would you focus learning and development activity for customer service advisors,
new employees and store managers?

3. What types of behaviours would you seek to develop among these employee groups to
contribute to the achievement of strategic objectives?

4. What would be the most appropriate mechanisms through which to deliver these HRD
interventions?

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 5. How would you develop other aspects of HRM to support the achievement of strategic
objectives and how would you integrate these with the training and development
activities you would put in place at Wellread?

6. Drawing on Kirkpatrick’s (1987) model of evaluation, what measures and means of

measurement would you recommend Wellread uses to assess the impact of its training
and development interventions at each level (reaction, intermediate and ultimate level)?

Case Study 3: Learning and Development at Choc Co.

Choc Co. is one of the world's largest confectionery businesses with significant market share in
many of the world's biggest confectionery markets, including many emerging markets. It has a
long and proud tradition, stretching back more than 150 years, including a long history of
developing its employees, which has remained part of its ethos during its progress to becoming a
global company.

Despite very positive sales figures over the last 12months, Choc Co. has prioritised streamlining
the business to make it more competitive and has placed a strong emphasis on reducing cost over
the next 18 months. Despite being keen to preserve its longstanding reputation as a firm that is
committed to developing all its employees, in respect of learning and development, this
‘streamlining’ activity has focused on:

 ensuring a clear return on investment in training activities

 changing the way that learning programmes are delivered and being more creative in
developing approaches to learning

 connecting training activities to the strategic needs of the firm.

The most important driver of the assessment of its training provision at Choc Co. is change.
Whilst performing well in the marketplace, senior management continue to express discontent

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with levels of productivity and employee performance. Moreover, senior management has
determined that the company needs to become more flexible and adaptable to respond to change
in its market context, for example by an ability to adapt organisational structures to meet new
business needs or through the introduction of technological innovation. However, as a
traditionally minded employer, and with low levels of employee turnover at shopfloor level,
Choc co. appears to have instilled in its workers a mindset of stability and steady progress, which
is at odds with competition in a rapidly changing global economy. Therefore, Choc Co. wants to
move towards a system of continuous improvement by creating a culture whereby workers are
empowered to implement small incremental changes, rather than have substantial change
imposed on them from time to time.

Identifying training needs

Traditionally, training needs analysis at Choc Co. has been ‘gap-led’. In other words, training
tends to be focused where Choc Co. identifies a gap in capability – for example, where the
introduction of new technology requires worker skill to be updated, company policy is changed
or a key worker leaves the firm, requiring training to be provided to their replacement. Typically,
this gap-led identification of need is conducted at a local level, with little reference made to the
wider national or international workforce.

Whilst workers can put themselves forward for training courses, including those provided by
local education providers, there is no formal channel for doing this and access to such training
often comes down to personal relationships and the constraints imposed by departmental
budgets. The culture at Choc Co. is very much one in which training needs are typically
identified for workers rather than by workers.

Delivery of training

Currently, the company runs a number of large training events each year designed to update
manufacturing staff on everything from health and safety changes, business strategy and
company performance to the adoption of new production technology. This is sometimes coupled
with skills training for these workers as and when appropriate. This has traditionally been done at
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the specialist training centre at their largest production facility, which doubles as the company’s
headquarters. This practice partly stems from a time when the company only operated two
production facilities in the country. It now operates across six geographically dispersed locations.
Workers tend to view these training events as a bit of a waste of time, particularly when they are
delivered by consultants with little real understanding of working processes at Choc Co. It is not
unknown for workers to claim that the training they receive is outdated and tells them nothing
that they don’t already know.

The head of training and development, responding to a call to cut costs from the HR director, is
now of the opinion, however, that such long training programmes, often of up to three or four
days, are no longer the most cost-effective and efficient means by which to develop the staff.
Such training has the dual problem of requiring regular investment and repeat sessions to cover
workers on different shifts or at different plants, as well as leading to undesirable downtime of
certain aspects of production. In particular, the head of L&D is keen to reduce a reliance on
external training providers to design and deliver interventions to different workforce groups,
from senior management to shopfloor workers.

Moreover, the company has historically not evaluated the impact of these events. In the new era
of cost-cutting and added value, however, the company is keen to ensure that the impact of all
training interventions, however big or small, is measured.

Employee development programmes

A major investment in L&D at Choc Co. is in its manufacturing apprenticeship scheme and
graduate development programme, both of which are widely viewed as models of good practice
in the industry and beyond. These programmes are, however, under significant scrutiny by senior
management to better understand the extent to which this investment provides value to the firm.
One particular area under review is the turnover of employees who complete these programmes
and then leave to work at other firms.

Ray Barbie, the head of learning and development at Choc Co. recently attended a seminar at a
local university on ‘the changing nature of workplace HRD’. He was slightly alarmed to find out
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that much of the company’s practice was seen as outdated. In particular, he was interested in
examining how some more contemporary approaches and techniques in HRD could help the
company both reduce costs and better performance through continuous improvement.

Questions

1. What changes would you recommend that Choc Co. make to their current learning and
development provision in order to reduce costs and improve performance?

2. Discuss how e-learning, competency frameworks and improved knowledge-sharing at

Choc Co. might help to cut costs and make the HRD activity at Choc Co. more strategic.

3. How might the firm seek to ensure a return on investment for its learning and
development activity?

S. A. AZINGA

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