Talent Acquisition and Talent Management

Part A 20*2=40 marks

All questions are compulsory. Each question carries 2 marks.

1. Key success factors of talent management includes:

a. Proper job design
b. Employee participation
c. Treating and dealing with staff as a group and not individualistically
d. The proverbial “golden handcuff
2. Talent identification should:
a. Focus on the top 10% of the workforce
b. Assume that everyone has talent
c. Be HR’s responsibility
d. Consider staff’s willingness to learn and grow

3. Talent can be identified through:

a. Performance data
b. Client feedback
c. Job interviews
d. Qualifications

4. The following is important when applying talent management:

a. It can only be accessed through objective assessments
b. Performance and potential should be used as predictors of talent
c. Talent is always evident
d. Potential is indicated by cognitive power and ability

5. Which combination of statements is CORRECT?

a Organisations that are prepared to focus on attracting and developing talent, will be in a
stronger position to retain key human resources as the so-called 'war for talent' intensifies.
b The structural changes driving the 'war for talent' are widespread across many advanced
market economies.
c. The McKinsey report highlighted the changing psychological contract within the employment
relationship noting that employees will look for employability not employment, and will want to
change jobs often.
d In light of the war for talent organisations will have to deploy more creative human
resource practices to attract and retain talented employees.

1 a and b
2 a, b and d
3 c and d
4 all of the above
6. Organisations must develop their talent at all levels and weave it into the _________.
a. strategy
b. policies
c. culture
d. structure

7. In the _______________, a compensation range is specified and companies stay within this
range.
a. Old talent mindset
b. Old recruiting strategies
c. New talent mindset
d. New recruiting strategies

8. Most organisations:
a. Will have the same skills requirements for jobs in the future as jobs do not change
much
b. Experience a more disengaging workforce who are less loyal
c. Are effective in measuring performance and productivity
d. Have effective and pro-active talent management strategies
9. Key factors in skills development and talent management are:
a. A broad definition of talent to ensure inclusivity
b. Finding a balance between staff development and making staff more employable
c. Compliance with the EE Act
d. Limiting investment in the A-players

10. Talent management is:

a. In essence about a contract between the organisation and the employee
b. Also taking into account other factors that unlock value in the business
c. A combination of hard and soft issues (including the psycho-social contract)
d. Taking the new economy into account (i.e. the knowledge-based economy)

11. Modern organisations tend to:

a. Find it hard to be pro-active with talent management
b. Use simplistic attraction and retention tools
c. Develop strategic talent management interventions
d. Assess potential as evidenced through performance

12. The following have all been highlighted as important aspects from the employee’s
perspectives when looking at companies to work for, except…

a. High performance is promoted.

b. The company is well managed.
c. Good relations with the boss.
d. Work employees feel passionate about.

13. Which one of the following is applicable to the new talent mindset?

a. HR is responsible for people management

b. Taking bold actions to build the talent pool needed
 c. Doing a two-day succession planning exercise once a year
d. Working with the people inherited by the organisation

14. Which one of the following statements is INCORRECT?

a. An important factor in differentiating and affirming employees is awareness of

their diverse lifestyles and needs.
b. The increase in the number of women in the workforce coupled with an ageing
population base that requires part-time work or careers, elevates the need for
organisations to support valued employees who have family responsibilities.
c. Allowing employees the flexibility to meet personal needs, does not have an
influence on the retention factor or the organisation's 'employer of choice'
standing.
d. Companies employing diversely experienced employees are likely to be more
creative and thus better able to meet the expectations of a diverse market.
15. In the new era employees are looking for work that provides __________________ and is
______________.

a. Stability highly remunerated

b. variety interesting
c. opportunities challenging
d. challenges complex

16. Short-term reward strategies to retain talent:

a. Often escalates payroll costs exceeding real benefits
b. Should take note that money is not that important to talented people – they would
rather experience job satisfaction
c. Include time-factors and delaying tactics
d. Have weak retention value
17. Which of the following lists is comprised of support activities?
a. Human resource management, information systems, procurement, and firm infrastructure
b. Customer service, information systems, technology development, and procurement
c. Human resource management, technology development, customer service, and procurement
d. Human resource management, customer service, marketing and sales, and operations

18. Why are employers interested in employee engagement?

a. To encourage employees to trust their managers

b. To make a quick profit
c. Because engaged employees are more motivated and prepared to give of their best to make
the firm succeed
e. To make employees work harder for less

19. Strategic human resource management involves:

a. planning, foresight and analytical decision making
b. setting employment standards and policies
c. linking human resources with strategic objectives to improve performance
d. all of the above

20. The balanced scorecard proposes that organisational success depends on:
a. a focus on only the internal environment of the organization
b. a constantly changing external environment
c. the belief that it is impossible to take a rationalist view of the organisation to make optimal
choices
e. an ability to develop a complete list of cause and effect relationships driving a
firm's success

Part B 10*3=30 Marks

Answer any 3 of the following questions:
 1. What do you understand by talent management? explain. “Talent Management is a tool to
successful business”, explain.
2. Differentiate between recruitment and talent acquisition. Explain the recent trends of
talent acquisition.
3. What are the components of talent management? Explain the employee development for
talent management.
4. What are the challenges in the acquisition process? Explain
5. Explain the importance of Gap analysis form employee perspective in detail.

Part c Case Study 40 Marks

Satish was a Sales Manager for Industrial Products Company in City branch. A week ago, he was
promoted and shifted to Head Office as Deputy Manager - Product Management for a division of
products which he was not very familiar with. Three days ago, the company VP - Mr. George,
convened a meeting of all Product Managers. Satish's new boss (Product Manager Ketan) was
not able to attend due to some other preoccupation. Hence, the Marketing Director, Preet - asked
Satish to attend the meeting as this would give him an exposure into his new role.

At the beginning of the meeting, Preet introduced Satish very briefly to the VP. The meeting
started with an address from the VP and soon it got into a series of questions from him to every
Product Manager. George, of course, was pretty thorough with every single product of the
company and he was known to be pushy and a blunt veteran in the field. Most of the Product
Managers were very clear of George's ways of working and had thoroughly prepared for the
meeting and were giving to the point answers. George then started with Satish.

Satish being new to the product, was quite confused and fared miserably. Preet immediately
understood that George had possibly failed to remember that Satish was new to the job. He
thought of interrupting George's questioning and giving a discrete reminder that Satish was new.
But by that time, George who was pretty upset with the lack of preparation by Satish made a
public statement "Gentlemen, you are witnessing here an example of sloppy work and this can't
be excused". Now Preet was in two minds - should he interrupt George and tell him that Satish is
new in that position OR should he wait till the end of the meeting and tell George privately. Preet
chose the second option.

Satish was visibly angry at the treatment meted out by George but he also chose to keep mum.
George quickly closed the meeting saying that he found in general, lack of planning in the
department and asked Preet to stay back in the room for further discussions.

Before Preet could give any explanation on Satish, George asked him "Tell me openly, Preet,
was I too rough with that boy?" Preet said "Yes, you were. In fact, I was about to remind you
that Satish is new to the job". George explained that the fact that Satish was new to the job didn't
quite register with him during the meeting. George admitted that he had made a mistake and
asked his secretary to get Satish report to the room immediately.

A perplexed and uneasy Satish reported to George's room after few minutes. George looking
Satish straight into his eyes said "I have done something which I should have never even thought
of and I want to apologise to you. It is my mistake that I did not recollect that you were new to
the job when I was questioning you". Satish was left speechless.

George continued "I would like to state few things clearly to you. Your job is to make sure that
people like me and your bosses do not make stupid decisions. We have good confidence in your
abilities and that is why we have brought you to the Head Office. For everybody, time is required
for learning. I will expect you to know all the nuances of your product in three months time.
Until then you have my complete confidence". George closed the conversation with a big
reassuring handshake with Satish.

Questions:

1. Was it at all necessary for George to apologies to such a junior employee like Satish?

2. If you were in Satish's place, how would you to respond to George's apology?

3. Was George correct in saying that Satish is there to correct the "stupid mistake" of his boss
and George?

Appraisal and Motivation

Part A 20*2=40 marks
All questions are compulsory. Each question carries 2 marks.

1. A performance appraisal method that allows the evaluator to rate employees on an

incremental scale is called a ____________.
a) written essay
b) critical incident
c) graphic rating scale
d) multiperson comparison
2. A performance appraisal system that combines a graphic rating scale and a critical
incident system into one process is a(n) _______________.
a) written essay
b) 360-degree feedback
c) objective
d) behaviorally anchored rating scale
3. ________________ is a process used to compare one’s performance with that of
others.
a) Multiperson comparison
b) Job analysis
c) A critical incident
d) A graphic rating scale

4. ______________ is often used for appraising managers and professional employees.

a) Management by objectives
b) Job analysis
c) A critical incident
d) A graphic rating scale

5. The most thorough performance appraisal method, _____________, utilizes feedback

from supervisors, employees, and coworkers.
a) management by objectives
b) 360-degree feedback
c) critical incidents
d) graphic rating scales

6. The first step in appraising process is

a) defining the job
b) training session
c) feedback session
d) interview sessions
 7. When the ratings are collected from supervisors, customers and peers it is called
a) 350-degree feedback
b) 320-degree feedback
c) 360-degree feedback
d) 380-degree feedback

8. Which of the following statements about performance appraisal is not true?

a. Performance appraisal reduces managerial control.
b. Employees may be appraised on both objective and subjective measures.
c. Companies use appraisal to encourage employee loyalty and commitment.
d. Performance appraisal has become a tool to motivate and control workers.

9. What is the meaning of upward appraisal?

a) Employees rate the performance of their peers.
b) . Senior managers rate the performance of line managers.
c) Line managers rate the performance of employees.
d) Employees rate the performance of their manager.

10. What is meant by 360 degree appraisal?

a) A system where the line manager rates subordinates simultaneously.
b) A system where every employee rates another employee chosen at random.
c) A system where a senior manager rates all line managers simultaneously.
d) A system where feedback is obtained from peers subordinates and supervisors.

11. Which of the following statements is not true?

a) Some performance appraisal systems have become bureaucratic.
b) Some line managers do not take the appraisal processes seriously.
c) The introduction of performance appraisal in the public sector has been controversial.
d) Deming believed performance appraisal was central to quality management.
12. Which of the following is an example of an intrinsic motivator?
a) A pay increase
b) Promotion
c) Satisfaction in a job well done
d) Good working conditions

13. Using a foul-tasting nail varnish to motivate a person to stop biting their nails is an
example of what?
a) Equity theory
b) Aversion therapy
c) Orientations to work
d) Expectancy theory

14. Which of the following best describes Maslow's hierarchy of needs?

a) It is a perfect model of workplace motivation.
b) It was devised by Maslow after meticulous research in workplace settings.
c) It has been proven empirically to be accurate in workplace settings.
d) It is a highly flawed model, although it does recognize that people are motivated
differently.

15. A performance management system that evaluates irrelevant aspects of performance

is
a) unreliable.
b) invalid.
c) contaminated.
d) inconsistent.

16. Which of the following is not a criterion that should be used to evaluate performance
management systems?
a. Acceptability
b. Specificity
 c. Complexity
d. Reliability

17. The extent to which the performance measure assesses all the relevant aspects of
performance is called
a. reliability.
b. validity.
c. specificity.
d. acceptability.

18. Performance can be managed by focusing on all of the following except

a. behaviors.
b. weaknesses.
c. results.
d. employee attributes.
19. The approach to measuring and managing performance that consists of techniques
requiring the rater to rank order individuals within a given work group is called the
a. attribute approach.
b. behavioral approach.
c. comparative approach.
d. results approach.

20. The technique that ranks employees into groups according to performance is called
a. forced distribution.
b. alternation ranking.
c. paired comparison.
d. ranking.

Part B 10*3=30 Marks

Answer any 3 of the following questions:
1. What are the performance dimensions? Explain 360 degree appraisal system.
 2. “A good performance appraisal system can lead to higher employee satisfaction
and motivation”, explain.
3. What are the three determinants of performance that allow some people to
perform at higher levels than others? Explain with suitable examples.
4. Your organization is considering implementing a team performance management
system and has asked you to provide information on what type of performance
dimension should be used to measure team performance. Write a memo to your
supervisor on the recommended performance dimensions to be considered.
5. What ate the challenges of team performance management? What is the model of
rater motivation.

Part c Case Study 40 Marks

A British cabinet minister has now stepped into the debate regarding equal prize money
Wimbledon, the British Open tennis championships. Patricia Hewitt (no relation to the men’s
winner), the Trade and Industry Secretary, announced that it is ‘simply wrong’ that the winner of
the men’s singles should collect £525,000, while the women’s winner should receive only
£486,000, when they had both worked equally hard. The debate regarding prize money is not
new, and has aroused some strong feelings in the last ten years. The 1996 men’s champion,
Richard Krajicek, commented in 1992 that most women players were ‘fat, lazy pigs’ who
deserved to win less. This attracted a storm of protest from many supporters of women’s tennis,
and these supporters and lobbyists have been successful in gradually reducing the differentials in
prize money. Tim Henman, the British number one player, attracted criticism in 1999 for
accusing female players of being ‘greedy’ in demanding more prize money in ‘Grand Slam’
tournaments. The situation in 2002 was that in the four ‘Grand Slam’ tournaments the prize
money was equal for men and women at both the US and Australian Opens, but interestingly the
women’s prize money was only half that of the men’s at the French Open. Let us consider some
of the main arguments that have been put forward both for and against equal prize money:

FOR

1 Women have to train just as long and hard as men.

2 The ball is in play longer in women’s matches, because the game involves more rallies and
less ‘serve and volley’ tactics, according to research by the Women’s Tennis Association.

3 Female stars are just as popular with the crowds as male players.

4 Unequal pay is an example of unfair discrimination, which in many countries is illegal.

AGAINST

1 Men have to play the best of five sets, while women only play the best of three. Therefore men
play longer. Research from Stirling University shows that, on this basis, men earn less. The 1998
men’s singles champion, Pete Sampras, earned £26,270 per hour, compared with £42,011 per
hour received by the women’s champion, Jana Novotna.

2 Competition at the top of women’s tennis is less stiff, allowing female stars to compete in the
doubles more easily, and win two prizes. The combination of singles and doubles prizes for
women would exceed the singles prize for men.

3 Male players attract bigger crowds.

4 Women are not as good as men.

The last point has also raised argument, since it is difficult to make any objective evaluation. On
a purely objective measure, the top female stars serve nearly as fast as the top male players, but
obviously there are many other factors which make a top tennis player apart from a fast serve. In
a recent television interview John McEnroe, never one to shy away from controversy, opined that
the top female seed at Wimbledon in 2002, Venus Williams, would only rank about number 400
in the world among male players.

Adding another dimension to the debate is sponsorship income. Anna Kournikova has never
Nature, scope and methods won a major tournament; she is currently ranked number 55 in the
world. Her career total prize winnings amounted to just under £3 million at the end of 2001.
However, it is estimated that she has accumulated around £50 million in sponsorship income,
mainly from Adidas, the sportswear supplier. Although sponsorship income tends to be directly
related to the talent of the player, as reflected in computer rankings, there are obviously other
factors that are relevant. However, one factor that is important here is that sponsorship income is
determined much more by the market forces of demand and supply than is the amount of prize
money in a tournament. The amount of tournament prize money at Wimbledon is determined by
the management committee of the All England Club.

What do the public make of all this? In a recent television poll by the BBC the viewers calling in
were nearly equally divided: 51 per cent thought the men should receive more, 49 per cent
thought prize money should be equal.

Questions

1 Do the observations by Patricia Hewitt make any sense in economic terms?

2 How relevant is hard training to determining prize money?

 3 Can you suggest any way of using economic forces to determine prize money? What about
having an ‘open’ championship where men play women, with no distinction between men’s
singles and women’s singles?
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