Ms-24 Question bank (11)
Ms-24 Question bank
MS-24 JUNE 2013
Written by sales@mbaonlinepapers.com sales@mbaonlinepapers.comMS-24 : EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS
June 2013
SECTION – A
1. Briefly explain the Gandhian approach to industrial relations.
2. Briefly explain the reasons for the formation of managerial unions and its activities. Explain with suitable examples.
3. What are the special features of collective bargaining, in India ?
4. Briefly discuss the factors responsible for the failure of participative management schemes in India.
5. Explain the bases of classification of act of misconduct relating to discipline. Give examples
SECTION – B
6. Read the case given below and answer the questions given at the end :
The Standard Textile Printing Works conduct business in high quality printing of superior ' textiles. It has a good reputation in the market. The Company employs about 500 workers and works in three shifts a day. There is no union in the plant. The chief executive of the works is the General Manager who is assisted by three Shift Managers, six Supervisors and twelve Assistant Supervisors.
For the past few months, the General Manager had been receiving frequent complaints from Shift Managers that a large number of pieces of customer's cloth were missing from the plant and they could not account for the losses. The General Manager took a serious view of the losses because it meant not only payment of damages to the customers but also the company's reputation in the market. He therefore, ordered a close search of workers at the time of their leaving the work-place for home. As a result of these searches, a couple of workers were caught with pieces of cloth hidden inside their dresses. They were chargesheeted for theft subsequently dismissed after the domestic enquiry.
Some day's back, during lunch interval, Vinayak, a worker in the folding department saw an Assistant Supervisor taking a piece of cloth and putting it in his brief case. Vinayak immediately reported the matter to the Shift Manager who came to the department and found the said piece of cloth in the briefcase of the Assistant Supervisor. Without any discussion, he asked the Assistant Supervisor to see him in his office. A week passed, and the concerned Assistant Supervisor continued to attend to his work.
During this period, the Assistant Supervisor threatened Vinayak that the latter's days here were numbered. This upset Vinayak. He approached the Shift Manager and enquired of him as to what action was taken against the Assistant Supervisor. The Shift Manager politely replied, "I am thankful to you for whatever you did; it is none of your business to know what action we are taking against him. Remember that, after all, he is your officer." Vinayak felt irritated, but left the Shift Manager's office without a word.
On the same day, when the watchman was about to search Vinayak while he was leaving the plant, Vinayak shouted at the watchman saying. " I will not allow myself to be searched unless the officers are also searched. They are the thieves." The watchman detained Vinayak at the gate and reported the matter to the General Manager, who called vinayak to his office. On being questioned by the General Manager, Vinayak told him all about the piece of cloth in the Assistant Supervisor's briefcase and subsequent events and repeated what he had said to the watchman. The General Manager thereupon asked him angrily, "Do you mean to say that we are thieves ?" Vinayak replied, "You can take it that way, if you like." The General Manager recorded the incident along with Vinayak's reply to his question and took Vinayak's signature on it.
Next day Vinayak was served with a suspension order for his "Act of insubordination and indecent behaviour." Thereafter, the General Manager referred the case to the Personnel Manager.
Questions :
(a) How far is the action of General Manager Justified ?
(b) As the Personnel Manager how would you deal with this case ?
(c) Give reasons for the way you would handle this case.
Ms-24 june 2007
Written by sales@mbaonlinepapers.com sales@mbaonlinepapers.comMS-24 june 2007
MS-24 : EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS
1. Briefly discuss the levels and forms of WPM in India. Discuss the implementation of WPM in industry.
2. Describe registration and recognition of Trade Unions. Briefly discuss the methods of verification of union membership and state the advantages and disadvantages of these methods.
3. Discuss the various approaches to industrial relations and their.relevance.
4. Describe the concept and process of collective bargaining. Describe the emerging trends of collective bargaining, with few examples.
5. Write short notes on any threeof the following :
(a) Conflict vs. Cooperation
(b) Misconduct
(c) Lay-off
(d) Red Hot Stove Rule
(e) Structure of employers' organisations in India
6. Read the following case carefully and answer the questions given at the end.
ADJUSTMENT PROBLEM
Twenty female employees of a large company were grouped together daily in an area measuring forty feet by forty feet to perform semi-skilled assembly work. Though the layout was far from ideal, it was accepted as "livable" at least as temporary quarters until construction of the new manufacturing facility was compl eted, and these women enjoyed their work. Their pleasure came rnostly from the fact that they could talk fleely about any subject that came to mind and still be able to do their jobs. They worked elbow to elbow and rarely failed to assemble their daily quota. When the new manufacturing facility finally opened, the women were assigned to an 'area several times larger than their former quarters. The new plant was equipped with superior lighting, water fountains, windows and piped-in music. On the surface, these work conditions appeared ideal, no employee sat less than six feet away from any other. Management, however, became perplexed over the performance of this group of women after a few weeks in the new facility. Absenteeism increased, production lagged, complaints and grievances were numerous, and two of the women quit their jobs.
In a closed door confer ence with the Production Supervisor, the Plant Engineer and the Manufacturing Manager, the Personnel Director voiced his opinion about the unforeseen problems in the assembly department. In his opinion the women missed the personal contact with each other, missed the continuous conversation and other
accustomed forms of social interaction and basically were resisting the change to the new location. The Personnel Director recommended that the Plant Engineer should do
something about redesigning the layout to bring the women closer together even if it meant spending several thousand rupees to do it.
Questions :
(a) Analyse the problem in this case.
(b) If you were the Personnel Director how would you have dealt with the grievance of the workers ?
(c) If the employees were men, would the same situation have arisen ? Why or why not ?
Ms-24 june 2008
Written by sales@mbaonlinepapers.com sales@mbaonlinepapers.comMS-24 june 2008
MS-24 : EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS
l. Outline the objectives of industrial relations. Briefly explain Dunlop's approach to industrial relations.
2. Briefly discuss the structure of Indian trade unions .
3. Briefly explain the evolution of managerial unions in India. Describe the factors influencing the formation of managerial unions in India.
4. Briefly explain the major perspectives that are dominating the industrial relations scenario since 1991
5- write short notes on any three of the following :
(a) Functions of employers' organisations
(b) Degrees and forms of participative management
(c) Collective Bargaining
(d) Importance of Integrity and Trust in employment relations
(e) Grievance redressal mechanisms
6. Read the following case and answer the questions given at the end.
In one state, the Chief Minister was invited to the annual conference of a union where union elections were also scheduled. The Chief Minister inaugurated the conference and observed as follows : "i propose that you elect Mr. XYZ as your president and the president in turn elect his team. " Before the members could understand the significance of what the Chief Minister had said there was a big round of applause from the audience presumably orchestrated by supporters of the Chief Minister's nominee for president ship of the union. Before anyone could say anything, quite a few queued up and began to garland Mr. XYZ. Mr. XYZ then rose and announced the names of his nomin ees. The elections concluded. Those who were elected were happy about the smooth and cordial manner in which the elections had been held. Referring to two cases in the recent past in neighbouring factories, they said, irr one the rival unions spent a lot of money in elections. From where had the money come. Would the ones who had spent so much money not want to recover it in one form or another ? Another elected person was talking about how management manipulated the elections to have a 'company'
union. Some of the people who had aspired to contest rvere dismayed but could not do much because of the atmosphere in which the whole thing had happened.
Questions
(a) Comment on the case and the divergent viewpoints/perceptions of those who won the elections without contesting and those who wanted to contest but could not.
(b) Discuss the problem of trade union democracy.
(c) What suggestions do you have to make trade unions truly for the members, of the members, and by the members ?
(d) What role, if any, should management have in the manner in which unions are administered ? Is there a justification for managements to intervene in the
internal matters of unions on the grounds that the internal dynamics of unions affect the functioning of the company wherein the unions operate.