UNIVERSITY OF MAURITIUS
FACULTY OF LAW AND MANAGEMENT
SECOND SEMESTER EXAMINATIONS
MAY/JUNE 2014
PROGRAMME BSC (HONS) INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT / BSC
(HONS) ACCOUNTING (MINOR : MANAGEMENT) / BSC (HONS)
MANAGEMENT (MINOR : ENTREPRENEURSHIP) / BSC (HONS)
MARKETING MANAGEMENT / BSC (HONS) HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT / DIPLOMA IN OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY
MODULE NAME PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF MANAGEMENT
DATE Wednesday MODULE CODE MGT 1067Y(1)
14 May 2014
TIME 09:30 – 12:30 DURATION 3 Hours
Hours
NO. OF NO. OF QUESTIONS
6 4
QUESTIONS SET TO BE ATTEMPTED
INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
There are 2 Sections in this paper: Section A and Section B.
Section A is COMPULSORY. Answer ALL questions from Section A.
Section B consists of 5 questions. Answer ANY THREE (3) questions from
Section B.
PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF MANAGEMENT – MGT 1067Y
SECTION A - COMPULSORY
Case Study
Z Company is a long established and locally based family run engineering business
but was recently taken over by GN Holdings. As a traditionally family run business,
relationships between managers and factory workers were very strong. Over the
years this led to a contented workforce with a strong sense of loyalty towards the
family that owned the business. There was a willingness to do whatever was asked
of them if it was seen to be in the best interests of the company. In the past this has
been tested to the full when, at various times, workers have agreed to take a pay cut,
or work longer hours when the survival of the company was threatened. In return
workers have always been well cared for, enjoying excellent working conditions and
a generous pension on retirement.
The last owner, A, was a particularly charismatic figure who many of the workers
knew as a boy growing up during the time when his father was still running the
business. As a student he worked alongside many of those he was later to manage
in the factory. He had been at the head of the company himself for over ten years
and was responsible for introducing a number of key changes in recent years in
order to modernise the business. In every case he had the full backing and
cooperation of the employees and under his leadership the business began to thrive.
Unfortunately, and quite unexpectedly, A was forced to step down as leader due to
ill health, and with no family able to take over the running of the business A had to
take the decision to sell it to GN Holdings. The upheaval came at a particularly
difficult time for the company which had just won a major export contract that
would necessitate a significant increase in output.
GN Holdings wasted no time in installing its own management team in Z Company.
However, the approach of the new management has not gone down well since it has
adopted what could be termed an autocratic/authoritarian approach. It has told
workers that there will be changes in how their work is organised. One significant
change will be the introduction of multi-skilled teams, which will mean changes to
individual job roles.
Workers are generally feeling unhappy and are also sceptical about the proposed
changes whilst production for the export contract is now behind schedule.
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PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF MANAGEMENT – MGT 1067Y
Question 1
(a) Discuss why an autocratic/authoritarian style of leadership adopted by the
new management team is not effective in Z Company and what approach
could be introduced to improve the situation in Z Company. Your answer
should make reference to relevant theory. [20 marks]
(b) Discuss the benefits of team working that GN Holdings could mention in
order to gain the support of Z Company workers to its proposal to introduce
multi-skilled teams as well as any potential problems that could arise.
[20 marks]
SECTION B – Answer any three Questions
Question 2
James, the Finance Director, is preparing for an important negotiation with Nick, the
Marketing and Sales Director, regarding the way the company's sales targets will be
set in the future. Whilst he is confident that he has a good case, he knows that
having effective communication skills will be vital to the success of the forthcoming
negotiation.
(a) Explain the communication process to James. [10 marks]
(b) Discuss about the potential barriers to effective communication in the
negotiation process and how they can be overcome. [10 marks]
Question 3
Write short notes on all of the following :
(a) Span of control
(b) Corporate Social Responsibility
(c) Business ethics
(d) Centralisation.
You should illustrate your answers with relevant examples.
[4 x 5 marks]
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PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF MANAGEMENT – MGT 1067Y
Question 4
Conflict is natural and inevitable in all organisations. Using examples,
(a) Explain why conflict arises and identify the sources of conflict in
organizations. [10 marks]
(b) Describe conflict management strategies that managers can use to resolve
conflict effectively. [10 marks]
Question 5
Recently the University of Mauritius has embarked on its restructuring programme
and it encountered some resistance. In light of this statement,
(a) Discuss the reasons why people and organisations resist change. [10 marks]
(b) Describe the techniques for overcoming resistance to change. [10 marks]
Question 6
(a) Motivation is a significant feature of business, where the input of human
resources is maximized through attaining a high level of output. Explain its
importance to the organization. [10 marks]
(b) Using a company of your choice discuss the various stages of the Maslow’s
Hierarchy. [10 marks]
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