AIM
To develop knowledge and understanding of the techniques, processes and procedures which are required to ensure the efficient and effective use and deployment of human resources, and to use the human resource to the greatest possible benefit of the organisation.
OBJECTIVES
On completion of this paper candidates should be able to:
• identify, understand and explain the complex interpersonal relationships that exist within organisations
• appreciate the relationship between theory and practice
• understand the nature, processes and procedures of people management • explain the principles of successful team
performance and the need to plan, monitor and evaluate team based work activities
• investigate future personnel
requirements and describe recruitment and selection procedures
• understand and describe the principles of motivation
• understand and describe the role and process of employee development • understand the need for clear and
precise communication • explain the principles of effective
counselling
• describe the elements of disciplinary and grievance procedures.
POSITION OF THE PAPER IN THE OVERALL SYLLABUS
The paper is concerned with an understanding of people management and the techniques involved. The paper is constructed in such a way that it provides a broad introduction to the problems and opportunities involved in managing people. It is intended to cultivate an understanding of the importance of good practice in human resource management.
The professional accountant is often in a management position and thus fulfils another role, that of the management of the human resource. It is important therefore that the professional accountant understands issues of management and human resources.
Whilst there are no pre-requisites for this paper, candidates will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of the theory and issues involved in human resource management and to display appropriate writing skills in answering the examination paper.
Managing People is a pre-requisite for paper 3.5 Strategic Business Planning and Development, where many of the ideas introduced are developed further.
It should also be noted that although the course is divided into five topic areas, the nature of the syllabus means that there will often be overlap between the individual topics.
SYLLABUS CONTENT
1 M anagement and team development
(a) The organisation of work
(i) the need for formal organisations (ii) organisational types and
differences. (b) The role of management
(i) modern management writers (ii) classical theories of management. (c) The role of the manager
(i) the role of the manager in the organisation of work
(ii) the responsibilities of the manager.
Managing People
Paper 1.3
3.5 Strategic Business Planning and Development
(d) Individual and group behaviour (i) organisational culture (ii) groups and teams (iii) perception and role theory. (e) Team management
(i) the need for teams (ii) team construction
(iii) team and group differences. (f) Objective setting
(i) the need for objectives (ii) profit and other objectives. (g) Authority, responsibility and delegation
(i) organisational structure
(ii) classical and modern approaches to structure
(iii) authority, responsibility and delegation.
(h) Standard setting and performance management
(i) work standards and indicators (ii) performance related pay.
2 Recruitment and selection
(a) The recruitment and selection process (i) process, roles and responsibilities (ii) assessment criteria.
(b) Effective recruitment
(i) recruitment and selection plan (ii) process of recruitment (iii) use of media.
(c) The job description and personnel specification
(i) job description (ii) personnel specification. (d) Job analysis
(i) purpose of analysis (ii) methods of analysis.
(e) Selection methods (i) appropriate methods (ii) usefulness of methods. (f) The selection interview
(i) purpose (ii) skills involved
(iii) importance of the selection process. (g) Equal opportunities and the
management of diversity (i) equal opportunity issues (ii) managing diversity.
3 Training and development
(a) The learning process (i) the learning process (ii) the role of management. (b) Retention, training and development
(i) duties of the training manager (ii) methods for individual
development.
(c) Effective training and development (i) benefits of training
(ii) training needs analysis (iii) staff evaluation methods (iv) management development (v) in-house and external training. (d) Competence assessment
(i) process and barriers (ii) staff appraisal
(iii) measures of effectiveness. (e) Conducting the appraisal interview
(i) management skills involved (ii) key communication skills. (f) Individual skills and development
(i) appraisal process and employee development.
(ii) the role of management
(iii) the skills development programme (iv) the mentoring process.
(h) The management of health and safety (i) health and safety awareness (ii) the obligation of management.
4 M otivation and leadership
(a) Motivation, concepts, models and practices
(i) the key theories of motivation (ii) classical theories
(iii) modern theories (iv) reward schemes. (b) Effective leadership
(i) the nature and importance of leadership
(ii) classical theories (iii) modern theories.
5 Effective communication practices
(a) Working with people – interpersonal skills
(i) interpersonal skills
(ii) effective management practice (iii) verbal and non verbal
communication. (b) Communication
(i) the need for communication (ii) communication patterns. (c) The role of counselling
(i) the role of management (ii) skills of effective counselling. (d) Controlling conflict, grievance and
discipline
(iv) process understanding (v) the role of management (vi) appeals.
EXCLUDED TOPICS
The syllabus content outlines the area for assessment. No areas of knowledge are specifically excluded from the syllabus.
KEY AREAS OF THE SYLLABUS
The key topic areas are as follows: • an understanding of the theory,
techniques, processes, procedures and practice of people management and team development
• rules, procedures and processes of people management
• training and development, the trained workforce, employee assessment • the theories of motivation and
leadership and their application • effective communication practices.
APPROACH TO THE EXAM INING THE SYLLABUS
The examination is a three hour paper constructed in two sections. Section A consists of a brief scenario with a range of 5 to 10 mark requirements related to it, worth 40 marks in total. The scenario is generally devised to test the application and understanding of a particular topic, although candidates should be aware that more than one topic may form part of the scenario.
Section B consists of five essay type questions, with one question usually taken from each of the five topics in the syllabus. Each question carries 15 marks and candidates must attempt four questions.
There are no calculations involved, and candidates should note that the answers in Section B must be presented in essay form. Candidates need to show an understanding of the detail of the topic. Candidates should be aware that although the course is made up of a number of discrete topics, individual examination questions may well require a knowledge of more than one of these topics.
Number of Marks Section A: Compulsory scenario
question 40
Section B: Choice of 4 from 5
essay questions (15 marks each) 60
100
ADDITIONAL INFORM ATION
The Study Guide provides more detailed guidance on the syllabus.
RELEVANT TEXTS
There are a number of sources from which you can obtain a series of materials written for the ACCA examinations. These are listed below:
ACCA's approved publishers:
BPP Professional Education
Contact number: + 4 4 (0 )2 0 8 7 4 0 2 2 2 2 Website: www.bpp.com
Kaplan Publishing Foulks Lynch Contact number: + 4 4 (0 )1 1 8 9 8 9 0 6 2 9 Website: www.kaplanfoulkslynch.com
Additional reading:
Accountancy Tuition Centre (ATC) International
Contact number: + 4 4 (0 )1 4 1 8 8 0 6 4 6 9 Website: www.atc-global.com
International Financial Publishing (IFP) Contact number: + 44(0)148 322 5746 Website: www.ifpbooks.com
Candidates may also find the following texts useful:
Beardwell I, Holden L, Claydon T.
Human Resource M anagement – A Contemporary Perspective (4th Edition) Prentice Hall ISBN 0 2 7 3 6 2 2 3 0 7
Bratton J and Gold J Human Resource M anagement (3rd Edition) Palgrave Macmillan ISBN 0 3 3 3 9 9 3 2 6 8
Mullins L J M anagement and Organisational Behaviour (6 th Edition) Pitman ISBN 0273 651471
Handy C Understanding Organisations
(5th Edition) Penguin
Wider reading is also desirable, especially regular study of relevant articles in ACCA's st udent account ant.
STUDY SESSIONS
M ANAGEM ENT AND TEAM DEVELOPMENT
1 The organisation of work
(a) Explain the need for formal organisations
(b) Identify organisational types and differences.
2 The role of management
(a) Identify and explain the contribution made by modern writers on management: Drucker, Kanter, Mintzberg, Ouchi, Peters
(b) Identify and explain the contribution made by classical writers on management: Fayol, Stewart, Taylor, Mayo, Weber
(c) Identify the differences between classical and modern theories of management
(d) Identify the difference between individual and group contribution to work performance: Schein (e) Outline areas of management
authority and responsibility (f) List the systems of performance
reward for individual and group contribution.
3 The role of the manager
(a) Explain the role of the manager in the organisation of work
(b) List the management tasks involved in organising the work of others (c) Illustrate the role of the manager in
achieving tasks
(d) Identify the responsibilities of the supervisor.
4 Individual and group behaviour
(a) Explain the concept of organisational culture: Anthony, Handy
(b) Discuss the differences between individual and group behaviour (c) outline the contribution of
individuals and teams to organisational success (d) Identify individual and team
approaches to work
(e) Understand perception and role theory.
5 Team management
(a) Explain the role of the manager in building the team and developing individuals
(b) Define the purpose of a team (c) Outline the composition of
successful teams: Belbin, Peters and Waterman
(d) Explain the development of a team: Tuckman
(e) List team building tools
(f) Examine ways of rewarding a team (g) Identify methods to evaluate team
performance.
6 Objective setting
(a) Explain the importance of objective setting
(b) Compare and contrast profit and other objectives: Drucker, Cyert and
March, Marginalist Theories, Simon (c) Explain the behaviourial theories of
objective setting (d) Explain the importance of
understanding ethics and social responsibility
(e) Compare and contrast the difference between corporate objectives and personal objectives
(f) Illustrate the difference between quantitative and qualitative target setting
(g) Outline the management role in identifying performance standards and accountability
(h) Identify methods to measure achievement of objectives.
7 Authority, responsibility and delegation
(a) Describe, recognise and understand the importance of organisational structure
(b) Compare classical and modern approaches to organisational structure: Burns and Stalker, Contingency Theory, Fayol, Mintzberg, Trist and Bamforth, Urwick, Weber, Woodward (c) Define the terms authority, responsibility and delegation (d) Explain the term legitimized power:
Weber
(e) Describe the process of determining authority and responsibility (f) Examine the case of responsibility
8 Standard setting and performance management
(a) Define the term performance management
(b) Identify a process for establishing work standards and performance management
(c) Outline a method to establish performance indicators (d) Illustrate ways of applying
performance management (e) Describe management contribution
to personal development planning (f) Explain the term performance related
pay.
RECRUITM ENT AND SELECTION 9 The recruitment and selection process
(a) Explain the importance of effective recrui t m ent and sel ect i on t o t he organisation
(b) Define the recruitment and selection process
(c) Outline the roles and responsibilities of those involved in the recruitment and selection process
(d) List the most common reasons for ineffective recruitment and selection (e) List and describe criteria against which
to assess successful recruitment and selection practices.
1 0 Effective recruitment
(a) Outline a plan for an effective recruitment process
(b) Identify the stages in the recruitment process
(c) Compare and contrast the choice of media for job advertising (d) Analyse the purpose and
effectiveness of the job application form
(e) Explain the purpose and usefulness of applicant references.
1 1 The job description and personnel specification
(a) Outline the purpose and use of a job description and person specification (b) Explain how to devise a job
description and personnel specification: Rodgers, Fraser (c) Compare and contrast the purpose of
the job description and the person specification.
1 2 Job analysis
(a) Define the purpose of job analysis (b) Identify methods of job analysis (c) Outline the skills involved in carrying
out job analysis
(d) Justify the use of job analysis.
1 3 Selection methods
(a) List alternative methods of selection (b Evaluate the usefulness of selection
methods
(c) Identify those involved in the process of selection
(d) Establish the skills involved in successful decision making (e) Explain the importance to the
organisation of good selection decisions.
1 4 The selection interview
(a) Outline the purpose of the selection interview
(b) Identify who should be involved in selection interviewing
(c) Identify the key skills required for selection interviewing
(d) List the most common reasons for ineffective interviewing
(e) Explain the importance of the selection interview in the selection process.
1 5 Equal opportunities and the management of diversity
(a) Understanding equal opportunities (b) Measuring equal value
(c) Appreciate the legal position (d) Explain the appropriateness of
managing diversity in the workplace (e) Identify individual circumstances
and differences.
TRAINING AND DEVELOPM ENT 1 6 The learning process
(a) Explain the process of learning in the workplace
(b) Describe the ways in which individuals learn: Honey and Mumford, Kolb
(c) Explain the effect on learning of individual differences
(d) Outline the barriers to learning (e) Describe the role of management
and the organisation in the learning process.
1 7 Retention, Training and development
(a) Explain the importance of training and development to the organisation and the individual
(b) Explain the roles and responsibilities of a training manager
(c) Compare and contrast the various methods used in developing individuals in the workplace.
1 8 Effective training and development
(a) List the benefits to the organisation and the individual of effective training and development
(b) Explain the methods used to analyse training needs
(c) Suggest ways in which training needs can be met
(d) Describe methods of staff evaluation and follow-up
(e) Describe the skills involved in developing staff
(f) Explain the development methods available to management (g) Evaluate the effectiveness of
in-house and external training courses.
1 9 Competence assessment
(a) Explain the process of competence assessment
(b) Outline the purposes and benefits of staff appraisal in the process (c) Describe the barriers to effective
staff appraisal
(d) Suggest ways to measure the effectiveness of staff appraisal and the process of assessment.
2 0 Conducting the appraisal process
(a) Identify the benefits of the appraisal process
(b) Identify the management skills involved in the appraisal process (c) Describe the process of preparation
of an appraisal interview, including location of interview and pre interview correspondence
(d) Identify the key communication skills required to conduct an effective appraisal interview
(e) Explain the importance of feedback from the appraisal interview.
2 1 Individual skills and development
(a) Explain the link between the appraisal process and effective employee development
(b) Describe the role of the appraisee in the process
(c) Suggest ways in which
self-development can be part of the process.
(d) Describe the role of the manager in work based skills development (e) Identify the methods used to develop
skills
(f) Outline how to plan a skills development programme
(g) Explain the role of mentoring in the process of skills development.
2 2 The management of health and safety
(a) Identify preventative and protective measures
(b) Describe safety awareness and training (c) Outline working conditions and
hazards
(d) Explain the legal context and the obligation of management.
M OTIVATION AND LEADERSHIP 2 3 M otivation, concepts, models and
practices
(a) Outline the key theories of motivation
(b) Outline classical and modern theories of motivation: Argyris, Equity Theory, Handy, Herzberg, Maslow, McClelland, McGregor, Vroom
(c) Outline the difference between content and process theories of motivation
(d) Describe ways in which management can motivate staff (e) Explain the importance of the reward
system in the process of motivation (f) Explain the importance of
constructive feedback in motivation.
2 4 Effective leadership
(a) Define the term ‘leadership’ (b) Describe the nature and importance
of leadership
Handy, Hersey and Blanchard, Likert, Tannenbaum, Trait Theory, White and Lippit
(d) Compare and contrast the terms ‘leadership’ and ‘management’ (e) Identify the skills of a leader.
EFFECTIVE COM M UNICATION PRACTICES
2 5 Working with people – interpersonal skills
(a) Define the term ‘interpersonal skills’ (b) Explain the importance of developing
effective working relationships (c) Distinguish between verbal and
non-verbal forms of communication (d) Compare and contrast the difference
between aggressive and assertive behaviour
(e) Illustrate the link between interpersonal skills and effective management practice.
2 6 Communication
(a) Explain the importance of formal and informal communication in the workplace
(b) Explain communication models (c) List and describe barriers to
communication
(d) Outline the importance to the manager of effective communication (e) Describe the effects of poor
communication
(f) List and describe the attributes of effective communication
(g) List the main methods and patterns
of communication
(h) Explain the importance of the process of consultation.
2 7 The role of counselling
(a) Define counselling in the management context
(b) Outline the role of the manager when counselling staff
(c) Explain the importance of effective counselling
(d) Identify the skills used in the process of effective counselling
(e) Suggest reasons why the need to counsel a member of staff may arise.
2 8 Controlling conflict, grievance and discipline
(a) Identify the main causes of conflict within an organisation
(b) Outline procedures for managing conflict
(c) Outline a suitable framework (both internal and external to the organisation) for dealing with grievance and disciplinary matters (d) Explain the need for effective
organisational procedures (e) Explain the role of management in
respect of disciplinary matters (f) Suggest ways in which the outcome
of the disciplinary process should be communicated to the individual concerned
(g) Outline the features of an appeals procedure.
