1. business and industrial
2. business operations
3. human resources

INSTITUTE OF PEOPLE MANAGEMENT OF ZIMBABWE
ASSIGNMENT BOOKLET
HIGHER DIPLOMA SUBJECTS
APRIL 2015
*n.b.ALL ASSIGNMENTS SHOULD BE TYPED
Assignment Submission Deadline for students writing April 2015 Exams
is Tuesday 10 February, 2015.
April 2015
CONTENTS
HIGHER DIPLOMA SUBJECTS
PAGE
ASSIGNMENTS AND EXAMINATIONS INSTRUCTIONS............................
2
Module 12
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT & PRODUCTIVITY...............
3
Module 13
MANAGEMENT ...............................................................................
4
Module 14
COMMUNICATION AND MOTIVATION ......................................
5
Module 15
ORGANISATION DEVELOPMENT.................................................
6
Module 16
RESEARCH METHODS ...................................................................
7
Module 17
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT .........................................................
8
Module 18
MARKETING MANAGEMENT .......................................................
9
Module 19
BUSINESS ECONOMICS ................................................................
10
Module 27
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT .........................................................
11
Module 28
LEADERSHIP, CORPORATE GOVERNANCE &ETHICS ...........
12
Module 29
BUSINESS STATISTICS ..................................................................
13
1
April 2015
ASSIGNMENTS AND EXAMINATIONS INSTRUCTIONS
In line with the New Curriculum, Assignments have been re-introduced with effect from
the December 2011 Examinations.
Please note that the final examination mark will be an aggregate of Assignments and
Examinations marks.

Assignments
:
Will contribute 30%

Examinations
:
Will contribute 70% to the final
examination pass mark

Answer any TWO (2) Assignments questions per subject.

The assignment should be about 1 500 words in length. Some answers should be
brief where required.


Now it is A
Margins
Must
:
:
Typed assignments, font size 12
2 cm
PLAGIARISM OF ASSIGNMENTS
Students Please Note that Plagiarism of Assignments is not Allowed nor Tolerated.
While students are allowed to study and discuss the study materials/assignment questions with others
and/or with the tutors; but ultimately the assignment to be submitted should contain one’s own
thoughts and research findings and understanding of the subject matter. Submitting an assignment
copied word by word with another person is considered plagiarism and is not acceptable.
IPMZ is a professional body, and as such we cannot be seen to be condoning behaviour which is
completely at variance with our code of ethics. We expect our members to behave in an ethical and
professional manner as representatives of the HR profession.
Please be advised that if an Assignment is deemed to have been Plagiarised, the following will
happen:A)
Suspension from writing the examination/s in the Assignment/s proven beyond reasonable
doubt to be plagiarized.
B)
Forfeiting of the examination fees paid for the subject/s.
ALL assignments submitted will not be marked. Writing of examinations on the other
subjects will be allowed but will be marked out of 70%.
C)
Resubmission of the assignments in the subject/s if and when one decides to register for
future examinations.
PLEASE NOTE THAT NO CORRESPONDENCE SHALL BE ENTERED INTO AND NO FURTHER
REDRESS SHALL BE PERMITTED
2
April 2015
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AND PRODUCTIVITY
1.
2.
Module 12
(a)
Explain the terms efficiency and effectiveness as they relate to productivity.
[10]
(b)
Demonstrate your understanding of the systems view to productivity.
[10]
(c)
What is the difference between a closed and an open system?
(a)
Differentiate with examples, between multifactor and single factor
productivity.
(b)
[5]
[10]
What companies in Zimbabwe can apply the following types of
benchmarking?



Non-competitive benchmarking
External benchmarking
Internal benchmarking
[3]
[3]
[3]
Provide at least three examples and justify your answer in each case.
(c)
3.
Briefly explain the maturity stage in benchmarking process.
[6]
“Continuous improvement is a never ending effort to investigate and
consequently eliminate the root causes of problems. It involves small,
incremental improvements as opposed to dramatic changes.” Qualify this
statement.
[25]
4.
Illustrate the stakeholders that benefit from increase in productivity. In what way
do they stand to benefit?
3
April 2015
[25]
MANAGEMENT
Module 13
1.
Discuss the role and relevance of Labour Unions in Zimbabwe.
[25]
2.
You have been appointed a Marketing Manager of a large organisation with
branches in all towns in Zimbabwe, and have been asked to prepare a marketing
plan. What details would you include?
[25]
“Both McGregor’s Theory X & Y represent effective approaches for motivating
employees.” Discuss this statement making reference to an organisation of your
own choice.
[25]
“The Finance Department is the pivot of any organisation.” Discuss this
statement using an organisation of your own choice.
[25]
3.
4.
4
April 2015
COMMUNICATION AND MOTIVATION
1.
2.
3.
4.
Module14
Formulate a plan to motivate employees through the development of their skills
and abilities at the workplace.
[25]
Criticise the use of Max Weber’s Theory on bureaucracy as a motivating tool to
employees at the workplace.
[25]
Justify the study of motivation at the workplace as a critical step towards
achieving both organisation’s and employees’ goals and objectives.
[25]
Review your organisation’s communication systems to ensure compliance with
the theories of motivation at the workplace.
[25]
5
April 2015
ORGANISATION DEVELOPMENT
1.
2.
3.
4.
Module 15
Generate the criteria used for structuring successful organisation development
interventions.
[25]
Analyse the causes of failure of the Organisation Development program that your
organisation has invested in heavily.
[25]
Formulate the roles played by the HR Manager in implementing the Human
Resources Management Systems.
[25]
Compile the characteristics of the data collected through Action Research to
solve the organisation’s problems.
[25]
6
April 2015
RESEARCH METHODS
1.
2.
(a)
What are the differences between Applied Research and Basic Research?
[16]
(b)
Explain the circumstances within which true experimental design can be
applied and why.
[9]
(a)
(b)
(c)
3.
4.
Module 16
Explain the following terms as regards threat to internal validity:
(i)
Effects of history
[5]
(ii)
Effects of maturation
[5]
Explain the following:
(i)
Non-probability sampling
[4]
(ii)
Stratified sampling
[4]
Briefly describe what is meant by variables.
Give a full outline of the steps to be followed in designing a questionnaire in the
field of research. What are the key pitfalls to be avoided in the process of
questionnaire design?
[7]
[25]
You have just attended a seminar on Research Methodology. Your Line
Manager asks you to give a full report on how to conduct a research on gender
disparities within the organisation that you work for.
Suggest an appropriate research topic, likely hypothesis, literature references,
population and sampling, definition of abstract terms, how you would ensure
validity and reliability, population and sampling to be applied and the limitations
of the study. Make all common sense assumptions in developing the research
plan likely to be guiding this research.
7
April 2015
[25]
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
1.
2.
3.
4
Module 17
‘To say that the main objective of financial management is to maximise
shareholders’ wealth or the value of the firm is both nebulous and vague.
Maximisation of profit is a much more clearer and precise objective.” Discuss.
[25]
Discuss the balanced score card approach to performance measurement. Is it any
better than the traditional approaches to performance measurement? Explain.
[25]
Explain the advantages of debt-financing and discuss its limitations as a viable
source of business finance.
[25]
“Debtors constitute a big component of working capital and they require the
same type of planning and control as cash.” Discuss.
[25]
8
April 2015
MARKETING MANAGEMENT
1.
2.
3.
4.
Module 18
Outline the major consumer reference groups and explain how each group
influence the consumer’s decisions.
Advertisers often do research to test for the effectiveness of an advert before it is
placed in the media. Suggest some principles that should be followed when
testing an advert copy.
[25]
[25]
Discuss the circumstances under which a manufacturer would initiate price cuts
to his/her customers.
[25]
Discuss the factors that contributed to the adoption of marketing concepts and
practices by service industries.
[25]
9
April 2015
BUSINESS ECONOMICS
Module 19
1.
“With the rapid growth of the informal sector in Zimbabwe, omissions from GDP
have now become significant enough to seriously undermine the credibility of
GDP as an economic indicator.” Discuss.
[25]
2.
Discuss the arguments 3rd world countries advance against a Floating Exchange
rate system.
[25]
Explain the barriers to entry that are generally found in monopoly markets. Have
advances in technology and the increasing pace of globalisation weakened any of
these barriers? Discuss.
[25]
“In recent years the influence of trade unions in the Zimbabwe economy has
steadily and persistently declined.” Discuss.
[25]
3.
4.
10
April 2015
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
1.
2.
Module 27
Discuss the generic strategies according to Michael Porter. How relevant are
these strategies to organisations that you are familiar with in Zimbabwe.
[25]
Critically analyse the characteristics of an effective evaluation system using an
organisation of your own choice.
[25]
3.
Discuss the strategies for implementing change using an organisation that you are
familiar with. Illustrate your answer.
[25]
4.
Explain the concept of “Business Reengineering.” How important is this concept
in enhancing the competitive advantage of organisations in Zimbabwe? Use
organisations of your own choice to illustrate your answer.
11
April 2015
[25]
LEADERSHIP, CORPORATE GOVERNANCE & ETHICS
1.
2.
3.
4.
Module 28
What lessons on leadership can one learn from the challenges that bedevilled the
City of Harare during the period 2009 to 2013?
[25]
As the major shareholder in Air Zimbabwe, what measures should the
government have put in place to stop the decline as well as the rot in this
organisation?
[25]
What is an adverse opinion in an audit report? In your opinion, what is the effect
of such a report on the operations and reputation of an organisation?
[25]
Discuss the conduct that ensures good boardroom practice. In your opinion, is
good boardroom practice feasible in modern organisations?
[25]
12
April 2015
BUSINESS STATISTICS
Module 29
Instructions to Candidate
1. Section A is compulsory
2. Answer any one question from Section B
Section A
1.
(a)
A simple random of 400 of Blackberry customers showed that the mean
value of orders in the 1st quarter of 2013 was $31 with a standard deviation
of $10
Find confidence limits for the population mean and interpret your
answer.
[8]
(b) (i) The sample of 400 comprises 80 pensions fund a 99 % confidence
interval for the population % of pensioner customers and interpret your
answer.
[8]
(ii What size of sample would have to be taken at least 95% confident that
the population % of pensioner would be estimated to within +2%.
[9]
Section B
2.
Answer any one question
Mcell has implemented a system of charging out telephone calls based on the
length of the call. To find out how this new charging out system would affect its
telephone bill, a market research company which carries out extensive telephone
interviews monitored the duration of 600 calls over a period of 3 days.
The following frequency distribution was completed.
Duration (minutes)
2 – 4.9
5 – 7.9
8 – 10.9
11 – 13.9
14 – 16.9
17 – 19.9
Number of calls
38
122
186
134
98
22
13
April 2015
You are required to
3
4.
(i)
Find the mean and the median of the call lengths
[10]
(ii)
Find standard deviation of call lengths
[10]
(iii)
Find interquartile range
[5]
Explore the relationship among the three measures of centrality in terms of
skewness.
[25]
The following two-way table shows the frequencies of occurrence of a
hypothetical exposure and disease in a group of 1 000 people
Exposure
Present
Absent
Disease
Present
75
25
100
Absent
325
575
900
400
600
1 000
(a)
What is the probability of exposure in the group?
[7]
(b)
What is the joint probability of both exposure and disease being present in
the group?
[8]
(c)
Compute the probability of disease being present conditional on the
presence of exposure and conditional on the absence of exposure.
14
April 2015
[10]