Roll No.
II-SEMESTER-MBA-BM-H05
2022
JUNE
BIRLA GLOBAL UNIVERSITY
SECOND SEMESTER MBA EXAMINATION
SUB- ACQUISITION, RETENTION AND ENGAGEMENT
PAPER CODE- BM-H05
(Answer All Questions)
TIME- 2 ½ Hours FULL MARKS-50
Section A
(Answer any three) (5X3)
1. Differentiate knowledge, skill, and abilities with reference to the job of a sales manager in a
FMCG company.
2. Discuss any two hiring challenges faced by recruiters in India.
3. What do you understand by employee engagement, and to what extent is this required for
any organization to thrive for excellence?
4. Social media usage has received a lot of attention from the recruiters of new age. Discuss
how to scrutinize a candidate from his/her social media activities?
5. Discuss with example any two types of interviews to select the CEO of a start-up company.
Section-B
(Answer any two) (10x2)
6. “Companies that implement formal onboarding program could see 50% greater employee
retention and 62% greater productivity within the same group. Employees with positive
onboarding experience are almost three times as likely to feel prepared and supported in
their role boosting their confidence.” Gallup’s onboarding report, 2021. With reference to
this statement discuss the keys to onboarding success.
7. No matter how hard you try to create a supportive environment, the day will come when
you find out that a valued star performer is thinking of leaving or has already accepted an
offer outside the firm. What you will do as the HR manager and how will you proceed with
the same?
8. “Older generation think people spend their whole lives in one company, but younger
generations do not think this way. If the work doesn’t really interest you, you can quit in
two or three years. It doesn’t really matter. You can change the place of your work-liking
your work is more important.”- Bob Moritz, the U.S. chairman and a senior partner in
PWC. How would you devise your millennial’s engagement plan with references to the
inputs from PWC?
Section-C
9. Case (6+6+3=15)
MRG Human Performance Improvement (MRG HPI) was founded in 1988 with the goal to
improve human performance using multiple technology avenues.
To improve human performance, MRG HPI makes recommendations about how to change work
environments to improve employee performance, motivation, and morale; and develops
courseware for skill improvement.
The Training Solutions Division of MRG HPI develops the courseware products. Revenue for past
year: $25 million. Revenue for the Training Solutions Division for the past year: $10 million.
MRG HPI total workforce: 650 employees, 260 of whom are employed in the Training Solutions
Division.
The Training Solutions Division (TSD) of MRG HPI was recently awarded a $6 million contract to develop
a training academy for ZULU, a United States government organization with highly educated personnel.
The contract is for 36 months. The academy must be up and running in three months and the first classroom
course offered at the start of the fourth month. TSD must develop the following before the first classroom
course is offered: a. A project plan and timeline for the academy’s development, including web site design
and launch, course development and repeat course cycles. b. Paper-based training and educational products.
c. Web-based training and educational products. d. Digitized video training and educational products. e.
Marketing brochures, posters, and e-mail announcements. f. Event logistics plans. g. Delivery schedules for
15 courses. h. Training analyses for the first and second courses. i. Instructional design plans. j. An
instructor’s guide, participant manual and PowerPoint presentation with a variety of multimedia
components such as graphics, animations, and videos for the first course. k. An examination for the first
course. The training academy will be completely virtual. All academy marketing, courses and attendee
registration will occur online. In addition, the academy web site will house course materials and records for
attendee access, and an interactive forum for academy member collaboration. The contract requires TSD to
develop 15 classroom-based courses that are highly interactive and use innovative multimedia approaches.
After all the courses are developed and delivered one time, they will be repeated during the last year of the
three-year project.
Project development will occur in two phases: Phase 1: Create the training academy (3 months).
Implement organizational structure. Develop and launch web site. Develop and implement branding for
the academy. Develop and distribute marketing materials. Develop the first course. Deliver the first
course. Begin development of the second course through the analysis phase. Phase 2: Maintain academy
operations, develop, and implement remaining courses, and offer repeat sessions (2 years and 9 months).
Complete development of the second course. Deliver the second course. Implement development
schedule for the next 13 courses. Offer repeat courses during last year of the contract. Continue to
manage the academy, maintain the web site, and market the courses.
The Training Solutions Division is a matrix organization* divided into the following branches: Project
Management Instructional Design Graphic Design Programming Document Production Logistics
Multimedia * A matrix organization uses a multiple chain-of-command system. In a matrix organization,
employees typically report to a manager with profit or overall project responsibility and to their functional
manager who is responsible for maintaining product quality and functional performance.
Current TSD Staffing All 260 employees in the Training Solutions Division are already assigned to
projects. The new contract will require TSD to determine how many employees they will need for each
division branch and for each project. They will need to take into account when current projects are ending;
who can be moved from those projects to the new project; and how many new employees will be needed.
MRG HPI Policies and Guidelines for Assigning Employees to Projects: MRG HPI is committed to
maintaining a highly qualified talent pool. Therefore, all MRG HPI employees must be considered for new
work opportunities before being terminated due to lack of an available, relevant assignment. New
employees must be hired to support existing workloads. Full-time position requests must include
verification of the project assignment; a budget to support the position; and the duration of the assignment.
If project will be short in duration, term hires must be considered or even the use of a consultant or
subcontractor. The addition of a new position requires written approval from the project manager, branch
chief, the Vice President of the Training Solutions Division, the Chief Operating Officer, the Chief
Financial Officer, and the Vice President of Human Resources. Subcontractor hiring requires written
approval from the project manager, branch chief, of the Vice President of the Training Solutions Division,
the Vice President of Contracts, the Chief Operating Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, and the Vice
President of Human Resources. Staff reassignments require written approval from the branch chief, the
Vice President of the Training Solutions Division, the Chief Operating Officer, the Chief Financial Officer,
the Vice President of Human Resources and the Chief Executive Officer.
Work is well underway. A Task Management Educational Plan is being written to articulate the
scope, work breakdown, processes, schedules, and assignments at each project phase. This plan
must be done within the first month of the project start date. MRG HPI hired a new program
manager from outside the organization to oversee the new project. MRG HPI hired her based on
her college degree and years of experience in the field, and needs her to get up to speed quickly.
An existing program manager who worked on the project proposal and who has met the client is
assigned the project’s Principal Instructional Designer.
Client’s Requirements
The client expects the program manager to conduct weekly status meetings with them;
communicate with them daily through e-mails and telephone calls; and to meet established
deadlines for product delivery. The client will conduct quality assurance reviews immediately to
keep the schedule on time.
Schedule and Workload Requirements
The team is organized into three divisions: course development, marketing, and website
development. Each division has a lead team member. The program manager has oversight of the
entire project.
The web site must be designed and launched two months after the project start date. A marketing
plan and branding campaign must be designed before the web site can launch. Marketing products
must be ready for distribution at the same time as the web site launch. The first course must be
delivered at the start of the fourth month from the project start date. The course review and
rehearsal must be ready two months after the project start date. Analysis work for the second
course must start two months after the project start date.
Program manager’s actions
The Program Manager seems friendly but does not seem to be leading the team. She holds weekly
status meetings with the client but doesn’t say anything during those meetings. She responds only
by e-mail to client communications and calls only to confirm meetings. The client is not impressed
with the Program Manager’s performance and notices that the lead instructional designer is filling
both the Program Manager and instructional designer roles. One month into the project, the client
mentions the Program Manager’s performance to the Vice President of the division. The Vice
President promises to talk to the program manager and help her improve her performance. By the
end of the second month, the analysis for the second course has started. The first course is ready
for review and rehearsal, which means all materials have been developed and are ready for
instructor review. The preliminary branding campaign was completed, marketing materials are
ready for approval, and the first version of the web site has launched. The Vice President of the
division phones the client and asks for feedback on the project accomplishments to date and the
program manager’s performance. The client praises the progress made in such a short time but
thinks it has happened despite the program manager. The client informs the vice president that the
program manager missed the deadline for delivery of the Task Management Educational Plan.
When it was finally delivered, the client sent it back as unsatisfactory. Also, the client feels that the
program manager has been uncommunicative; she has not said a dozen words in the past eight
weekly progress meetings. The client is not pleased with the program manager’s performance. At
the end of the third month, MRG HPI decides to replace the Program Manager. Despite this, team
leaders have made sure that the first course is ready, the web site is launched, and the marketing
plan is developed and implemented on schedule. A new Program Manager is needed right away.
i. What recruitment issues do you have in this case?
ii. What retention issues might you have in this case?
iii. How will you ensure that the new hire will be approved and hired as expediently as possible?
Course outcome assessment:
No. Description of Course Outcome Associated Questions
1 To understand the meaning and importance of Sec A, Q 1,2,3,4,5
recruitment, selection, appointment, orientation, Sec B, Q 7
retention, development, and engagement of human Sec C
capital in organizations
2 To understand the Recruitment and Selection Processes Sec A, Q 2,4,5
Sec C, Q 9
3 To analyse critically the usefulness of various methods of Sec A, Q 4, 5
selections, especially the modern methods and techniques Sec B, Q 6
in a global context
4 To appraise the challenges and measures for engaging Sec B, Q 7, 8
people effectively in organizations in changing global Sec C
labour market scenario
