Question 1
Read the scenario below and answer the questions that follow: (25 marks)
Thomas Thabo is feeling very unsure about his new job, he just successfully completed his
Diploma in Business Management. After applying for several jobs, he decided to accept a position
as a Human Resources Officer at the head office of Fashions Company specialising in African type
design garments particularly informal African shirts. The company has been very successful since.
The company manufactures its own clothes and distributes them to different boutiques around the
country. The head office is located in the capital city.
On reporting for duty on Monday morning, nobody seemed to know exactly what Thabo was
supposed to do. He had been referred from one person to the next without getting any information
on his job duties. Someone dumped the company’s strategic plan, received from an outside
consultant on his desk and told him to read through it. “ Hopefully you will be able to find
something in there on what a Human Resources Officer is supposed to do”, he was told.
Jane Malebogo, the company HR Manager was also a new employee. The first thing she found
was the haphazard way in which human resources matters were dealt with within the company.
Because of the rapid expansion of the company, the appointment of an HR Manager was done at
a very late stage. Ms Malebogo decided to conduct a climate study to find out how the employees
feel about the company. She also included a number of HR questions on the survey. The results of
the survey were disappointing. Apparently no formal HR policy existed, which left employees
DIPLOMA Sessional Examination
January-June BHM612 – Human Resources Management
© BOU 2024 Page 8 of 10
feeling very insecure. One of the biggest problems seemed to be the lack of proper job descriptions.
Stella identified the following job categories within the company; Managing Director, Marketing
Manager, Financial Manager, Production Manager, Human Resources Manager, Human
Resources Officer and Sales Assistant. However, each of these needed to be subjected to some job
analysis exercise before developing job descriptions.
Required
a) Identify two (2) human resources functions that were poorly executed due to the delay in
appointing a Human Resources Manager. (4 marks)
Two human resources functions that were poorly executed due to the delay in appointing a Human Resources Manager are:
1) Development of HR policies: Without a HR Manager in place, the company did not have formal HR policies in place, leading to employees feeling insecure and unsure about their roles and responsibilities within the organization.
2) Job descriptions: The lack of proper job descriptions for positions such as the Human Resources Officer meant that employees were unclear about their roles and duties, leading to confusion and inefficiency in the workplace.