1. AEREN FOUNDATION’S Maharashtra Govt. Reg. No.: F-11724
SUB : HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Course: ADHRM Total marks: 80
Instructions:
1. Answers must be written in legible handwriting without using abbreviations or SMS
language.
2. Clarity of thought and expression is expected from the examinee
3. Figures to the right indicate the marks assigned to each case study.
4. All questions carry equal marks
5. Read the case studies carefully and then attempt the questions.
CASE –1 (20 Marks)
“I don’t want to hear your excuses. Just get those planes in the air,” john Vaz was screaming at his
gate manager. As head of American Airlines’ operations at the Mexico City airport, Vaz has been
consistently frustrated by the attitude displayed by his native employees. Transferred from Dallas to
Mexico City only three months ago, Vaz was having difficulty adjusting to Mexican style of work.
“Am I critical of these people? You bet I am! They don’t listen when I talk. They think things are just
fine and fight every change I suggest. And they have no appreciation for the importance of keeping
on schedule.”
If Vaz is critical of his Mexico City staff, it’s mutual. They universally dislike him.
Here’s a few anonymous comments made about heir boss: “He’s totally insensitive to our needs.”
“He thinks if he yells and screams that things will improve. We don’t see it that way.” “I’ve been
working here for four years. Before he came here, this was a good place to work. Not anymore. I’m
constantly in fear of being chewed out. I feel stress all the time, even at home. My husband has
started commenting on it a lot.”
AN ISO 9001 : 2000 CERTIFIED INTERNATIONAL B-SCHOOL

2. Vaz was brought in specifically to tighten up the Mexico City operation. High on his list of goals is
improving American’s on-time record in Mexico City, increasing productivity, and improving
customer service. When Vaz was asked if he thought he had any problems with his staff, he replied,
“Yep. We just can’t seem to communicate.”
Questions:-
1. Does John Vaz have a communication problem? Explain.
2. What suggestions, if any, would you make to John to help him improve his managerial
effectiveness?
3. Ineffective communication is the fault of the sender. Do You agree or disagree? Discuss.
4. What can you do to improve the likelihood that you r communication will be received and
understood as you intend.

3. CASE –2 (20 Marks)
The reality of software development is a huge company like Microsoft-it employs more than 48,000
people- is that a substantial portion of your work involves days of boredom punctuated by hours of
tedium. You basically spend your time in an isolated office writing code and sitting in meetings
during which you participate in looking for and evaluating hundreds of current employees and
potential employees. Microsoft has no problem in finding and retaining software programmers. Their
programmers work for very long hours and obsess on the goal of shipping product.
From the day new employees begin at Microsoft, they know they are special. New hires all
have one thing in common-they are smart. The company prides itself on putting all recruits through a
grueling “interviewing loop”, during which they confront a barrage(an overwhelming number of
questions or complaints) of brain-teasers by future colleagues to see how well they think. Only the
best and the brightest survive to become employees. The company does this because microsofties
truly believe that their company is special. For example, it has high tolerance for non-conformity,
would you believe that one software tester comes to work everyday dressed in extravagant Victorian
outfits? . But the underlying theme that unites Microsofties is the belief that the firm has a manifest
destiny to change the world.
The least important decision as programmer can have a large importance which it can affect a
new release that might be used by 50 million people.
Microsoft employees are famous for putting in long hours. One program Manager said “In my
First Five Years, I was the Microsoft stereotype. I lived on caffeine and vending-machine hamburgers
and free beer and 20-hour work-days……I had no life…..I considered everything outside the building
as a necessary evil”. More recently things have changed. There are still a number of people who put
in 80-hour weeks, but 60 and 70 hour weeks are more typical and some even are doing their jobs in
only 40 hours.
No discussion of the employee life at Microsoft would be complete without mentioning the
company’s lucrative stock option program. Microsoft created more millionaire employees, faster,
than any company in American history-more than 10,000 by the late – 1990’s while the company is
certainly more than a place to get rich, executive still realize that money matters. One former
Manager claims that the human resources’ department actually kept a running chart of employee
satisfaction versus the company’s stock price. “When the stock was up, human resources could turn
off the ventilation and everybody would say they were happy. When the stock was down, we could
give people Massages and they would tell us that the Massages were too hard.” In the go-go 1990’s,
when the Microsoft stock was doubling every few months and yearly stock splits were predictable,
employees not only got to participate in the Microsoft’s manifest destiny, they would get rich in the
process. By the spring of 2002, with the world in a recession, stock prices down, and the growth for
Microsoft products slowing, it wasn’t so clear what was driving its employees to continue the
company’s dominance of the software industry.

4. Questions:-
1. If you were the programmer, would you want to work at Microsoft? Why or Why not?
2. How many activities in this case can you tie into specific motivation theories? List the
activities; list the motivation theories, and how they apply.
3. As Microsoft continues to get larger and its growth rate flattens do you think Management
will have to modify any of its motivation practices? Elaborate.
4. Can money act as a motivator? Explain.

5. CASE-3 (20 Marks)
Merlyn Monroe is not a complainer. If she has a major ache, she usually suffers in silence. Although
her employer, Atlantic Mutual Insurance, has an employee assistance program- to provide emotional
and psychological support in the work plan. She certainly never thinks of using it, even if she did
have a worry on her mind. “They say its confidential but who really knows? Asked Ms. Monroe’, an
administrative assistant at the insurance company.
But Merlyn Monroe’s life changed on September 11, 2001. Her office at 140 broadway in
New York City, was near the world trade Center. She watched the whole thing from her 50th
Floor
office window.
Ms.Monroe had never seen so much destruction in her life. She had never seen such a horrific
terrorist attack. Nor had she forced her to relieve 9/11 over and over.
Everything she talked to people they wanted details, which made it worse for her. She had so
much anger about what had happened to her life and lives of so many people and the city where she
worked for 40 Years.
Two weeks after 9/11, Ms.Monroe was still suffering after effects. Even though she lives on
state Island and Atlantic Mutual’s offices have been temporarily relocated to Madison, New Jersey,
not an hour goes by when she doesn’t have flashbacks of her experiences of 9/11.
Questions
1. What should Atlantic Mutual Management do, if anything, to cope with the aftereffects of
9/11?
2. How long would You expect employees to be adversely affected by 9/11 if a company
provides no formal assistance for dealing with anger and stress?
3. What, if anything, should Management do about employees who appear to be suffering from
such kind or trauma and stress, but will neither admit it nor accept help from their employee?
4. Outline the role of HR specialist in providing a safe and healthy environment for employees.

6. CASE – 4 (20 Marks)
Patil, RK Materials, is very angry, anxious and restless. He bumped into Mehta , RK
Materials, threw the resignation letter on his table, screamed and walked out of the room swiftly.
Patil has a reason for his sudden outburst. Details of the story will tell the reasons for
patil’s anger and why he put his resignation, only four months after he took up his job.
In the year 2000 Patil quit his prestigious Mittal plant at Vishakhapatnam. As a manager
Materials, Patil had various powers like he could even place an order of materials worth Rs.50 Lakhs.
He required nobody’s prior consent.
Patil Joined a pulp-making plant located at Kerala, as RK Materials. The plant is part
of a multi-product and multi-plant conglomerate owned by a prestigious business house in India.The
perks, reputation and designation of the conglomerate attracted Patil away from the public sector steel
monolith.
When he joined the eucalyptus pulp making company, little did Patil realize that he needed
prior approval to place an order for materials worth Rs.25lakh. He thought that he had the authority to
place an order for materials by himself worth half the amount of what he used to as at the Mega Steel
maker. He placed the order, materials arrived, were received, accepted and used up in the plant.
Trouble started when the bill for Rs.25 lakh came from the vendor. The accounts department
withheld the payment for the reason that the bill was not endorsed by Mehta. Mehta refused to sign
on the bill as his approval was not taken by Patil before placing the order.
Patil felt very angry and cheated. A brief encounter with Mehta only made the situation
worse. Patil was rudely told that he should have known company rules before venturing. He decided
to Quit.
Questions:-
1. Do you think the company has any orientation programme? If Yes, discuss its effectiveness.
2. If employees were properly selected, there should be no need for an orientation programme”.
Comment on the statement.
3. If You were Patil, how would you react to the above situation?
4. Discuss the purpose of orientation. What are various requisites of an effective programme?