international business

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THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT AND MARKETING

SEMESTER TWO 2016 TAKE-HOME EXAMINATION

MGMT90012: MANAGING DIVERSITY

This paper has 3 pages

This examination contributes 50% to the final subject mark and carries a total of 50 marks

Instructions to Students This examination paper includes two (2) sections: Section A: Case Study. The case study has three (3) compulsory questions. This section

accounts for 25 marks. The word limit for this section is 1500 words. If you exceed the word limit by more than 10%, penalties will be applied.

Section B: Essay. This section contains five essay questions. You are required to answer

one (1) of these essay questions. This section accounts for 25 marks. The word limit for this section is 1500 words. If you exceed the word limit by more than 10%, penalties will be applied.

The take-home exam will be available via LMS from 9am Monday 12th September and is due for submission by 6pm Friday 23rd September. Penalties will be enforced for late submissions without prior approval from the subject coordinator. Your exam answer should be submitted in the form of one word or PDF file (including your answers to Section A and Section B) via turnitin. On the menu of the subject LMS homepage, there is an ‘assessment’ tab where you will find a link to submit your take-home exam answer. Your final exam document must have a .doc, .docx, or .pdf extension. Final exams that are submitted with a different extension or as hard copies, will be not be considered. Please include a cover page that lists the subject name and number as well as your full name and student number. Please consult the recommended readings listed in your subject outline in preparing your exam answers. You can, of course, draw on additional references relevant to the question. You should include in-text citations in your answers for any information, ideas or words taken from another source. Include a reference list at the end of your answer to each section (i.e. at the end section A and at the end of section B). This list will not be included in the word count for each answer. You should not contact the instructor about the examination paper during the period of the take- home exam. The only exception is if the wording of the exam is unclear to you. In this situation you may contact the subject coordinator via email only until 5pm 16th September. Clearly write “Take-Home Exam MGMT 90012 – Question” in the email subject heading and send it to [email protected]

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SECTION A: CASE STUDY This section consists of a case study with three compulsory questions. Read the case study The Six Sigma Case: Promotion at the Western Company (available on LMS) and answer all three of the following questions: You must answer all questions and all parts of each question. Questions 1 is worth 10 marks, question 2 is worth 8 marks and question 3 is worth 7 marks. This section counts for 25 marks in total. Remember to draw on relevant course materials and references in developing your answers.

Answer all three (3) questions. This section is worth 25 marks.

1. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each of Peter’s four alternatives.

Are there any other alternatives he could consider? (10 marks)

2. As Peter Toubin, what would be your decision and why? Provide a justification for

this decision and outline a step by step process for implementing it. (8 marks)

3. The organization about which the case is written is based in the province of

Quebec in Canada. If the organization were based in Australia, what other

considerations might Peter have to take into account? (7 marks)

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SECTION B: ESSAY This section has a choice of five (5) essay questions. You are required to answer ONLY ONE (1) of these essay questions. This section is worth 25 marks. Limit of 1500 words.

1. Some people think that workforce diversity automatically leads to positive outcomes for organizations. Drawing on theory and research explain why workforce diversity needs to be managed for benefits to be realized.

2. Managing diversity sometimes requires innovation in human resource systems and practices. Discuss how different approaches to recruitment and selection can assist organizations to build a diverse workforce. In your answer, you can refer to examples of specific disadvantaged groups (e.g. Indigenous Australians, new migrants, etc) to illustrate key points.

3. While organizations may succeed in attracting a diverse workforce, they also need

to work to retain them. Discuss the most important diversity-related initiatives

organizations can introduce to support employee retention. You can refer to

examples of specific disadvantaged groups in your answer.

4. There are many potential benefits to increasing the workforce participation of individuals with disabilities. However they still face many barriers to gaining and keeping employment. Some argue the most significant barrier is the negative and often inaccurate perceptions employers, managers and other workers have of disabled people. Drawing on academic research, discuss whether or not you agree with this view and suggest ways these negative perceptions can be addressed?

5. Despite research evidence disproving their accuracy, many negative stereotypes

about older workers persist and affect how older workers are treated in

organizations. What impact might this have on organizational performance and on

older workers themselves?

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