Chapter 6 – Staffing Questions and Answers: NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Business Studies

1. Briefly enumerate the important sources of recruitment.

Ans: There are two important sources of recruitment

When the firm arranges for manpower from within the organisation then it is known as an internal source. These are of two types (a) Transfer When we move an employee from one department to the other, from one branch to the other, from one division to another which leads to a change in his/her working environment it is known as a transfer. There is hardly any change in his authority and responsibility. (b) Promotion When we move an employee to a higher level in the same department, branch, division or different department, branch or division which increases his authority, responsibility and status, it is known as a promotion.

from any of the above given sources, it is known as external sources of recruitment.

2. What is meant by recruitment? How is it different from selection?

Ans: Recruitment refers to the process of finding possible candidates for a job. It can be defined as the process of motivating and encouraging people to come and apply for a job in an organisation. Selection is the process of identifying and choosing the best person out of a number of prospective candidates for a job. If recruitment is positive, selection is negative. Recruitment helps in creating a pool of prospective workforce whereas selection helps in finding the best out of them.

3. Define training. How is it different from education?

Ans: Training is the systematic development of knowledge, skills and attitudes required by an individual to perform adequately a given task or job.

4. Distinguish between training and development.

Ans: Difference between training and development

5. Why are internal sources of recruitment considered to be more economical?

Ans: Filling of jobs internally is cheaper as compared to getting candidates from external sources because only transfer or promotion has to be done. It does not involve the long process of staffing or selection. It increases the cost in the form of more time, money and efforts in recruiting.

6. What is the importance of staffing function in today’s environment?

Ans: Staffing is considered to be a key function because it deals with human resource, which is regarded as one of the most valuable resource of any organisation. Once an organisation could place the right man at the right job, it is easy to plan, organise, co-ordinate, direct and control the human activities to get the desired results. It helps in discovering and obtaining competent personnel, ensures the continuous survival and growth, helps to ensure optimum utilisation of resources and improves job satisfaction as well.

Long Answer Type Questions

1. Define the staffing process and the various steps involved in it.

Ans: Staffing process of the management is concerned with acquiring, developing, employing, remunerating and retaining people or we can say it is the timely fulfilment of the manpower requirements with in an organisation. The following steps are involved in staffing process (i) Estimating the Manpower Requirements The first step in the staffing process is determining the present manpower inventory and assessing the present and future manpower requirements of the organisation keeping in mind the production schedule, demand etc. (ii) Recruitment Recruitment may be defined as the process of searching for prospective employees and stimulating them to apply for jobs in the organisation. For this various sources can be used like transfer, promotion, advertising, job consultants etc. (iii) Selection Selection is the process of choosing from among the pool of the prospective job candidates developed at the stage of recruitment. It involves a host of tests and interviews. (iv) Placement and Orientation Orientation is introducing the selected employee to other employees and familiarising him with the rules and policies of the organisation. He is taken around the work place and given the charge of the job for which he has been selected. Placement refers to the employee occupying the position or post for which the person has been selected. (v) Training and Development All organisations have either in-house training centres or have forged alliances with training and educational institutes to ensure continued learning of their subordinates. By offering the opportunities for career advancement to their members, organisations are not only able to attract but also retain its talented staff. (vi) Performance Appraisal After the employees have undergone a period of training and they have been on the job for some time, there is a need to evaluate their performance. The employee is expected to know what the standards are and the superior is to provide the employee feedback on his/her performance. The performance appraisal process, therefore, will include defining the job, appraising performance and providing feedback. (vii) Promotion and Career Planning It is very important for all organisations to address career related issues and promotional avenues for their employees. They must provide opportunities to everyone to show their potential and in return promotions can be provided. (viii) Compensation All organisations need to establish wage and salary plans for their employees. There are various ways to prepare different pay plans depending on the worth of the job. Compensation therefore, refers to all forms of pay or rewards going to employees.

2. Explain the procedure for selection of employees.

Ans: The important steps in the process of selection are as follows (i) Preliminary Screening It helps the manager eliminate unqualified or unfit job seekers based on the information supplied in the application forms. (ii) Selection Tests An employment test is a mechanism that attempts to measure certain characteristics of individuals. These range from aptitudes, such as manual dexterity, to intelligence to personality. (iii) Employment Interview Interview is a formal, in depth conversation conducted to evaluate the applicant’s suitability for the job. (iv) Reference and Background Checks Many employers request names, addresses and telephone numbers of references for the purpose of verifying information and gaining additional on an applicant. (v) Selection Decision The final decision has to be made among the candidates who pass the tests, interviews and reference checks. (vi) Medical Examination Before the candidate is given a job offer he/she is required to go through a medical test. (vii) Job Offer Job offer is made through a letter of appointment/confirm his acceptance. Such a letter generally contains a date by which the appointee must report on duty. (viii) Contract of Employment After the job offer has been made and candidate accepts the offer, certain documents need to be executed by the employer and the candidate. There is also a need for preparing a contract of employment. It includes job title, duties, responsibilities, date when continuous employment starts etc.

3. What are the advantages of training to the individual and to the organisation?

Ans: Training helps both the organisation and the individual. Benefits to the Organisation (i) Training is a systematic learning which reduces the wastage of efforts and money. (ii) Enhances employee productivity. (iii) Training helps a manager to handle an emergency situation. (iv) Training motivates workers and thus reduces absenteeism. (v) Helps in adjusting to the changing environment (technological). Benefits to the Employee (i) Better career opportunities due to improved skills and knowledge. (ii) Earnings can be increased due to improved performance. (iii)Trained workers can handle machines more efficiently. (iv) Employees always remain motivated and satisfied.

4. The staffing function is performed by every manager and not necessarily by a separate department. Explain.

Ans: Staffing is a function which all managers need to perform. It is the responsibility of all managers to directly deal with and select people to work for the organisation. When the manager performs the staffing function his role is slightly limited. In small organisations, managers may perform all duties related to employees salaries, welfare and working conditions but as organisation grow and number of persons employed increases, a separate department called the human resource department is formed which has specialists in managing people.