50 in BM, shoot me your questions!

[Mafioso]

Hi Mafioso,
Did you use any study guides for Business Management?

Nah I didn't use any study guides. I used the notes on here and a couple of different textbooks to make my own notes and used them as a guide.
I've heard the A+ Notes are pretty good - haven't used them myself though but might have a look at them soon

[Mafioso]

Hey Mafioso,

Just wondering what would your response be if you were asked for the link between employee relations, business strategy and business objectives? I've seen answers which are basically the same as you would explain for HR (maintaining a strong employee-employer relationship, harmonious work place, positive and productive environment), while VTextbook's video mentioned linking it with the implementation of objectives in employee contracts, e.g. productivity targets which would be rewarded.

Cheers

If a question asked me to link ER, business strategy and objectives, these are a few things I might talk about:

 - emphasise how the productivity targets/employee's objectives relating to work must be aligned with the broader organisational objectives. This way, individual work targets are met and in turn, the business objectives are also met.

- To align productivity targets with business objectives, managers must facilitate two-way communication - hear the expectations of the employees and in turn, communicate the business's expectations to the employees (this is where the strategic objectives of the business are communicated to the employees).

- Employees are arguably the most valuable asset in an organisation so maintaining a positive relationship with them is vital to business success. The business's performance depends on its employee's performance, so senior management and human resource managers involved in employee relations should aim to optimise the performance of the whole workplace by addressing their staff's expectations.

- Employee expectations such as work-life balance, flexible working conditions etc should be met (employee expectations is very important in ER as it can be linked to higher productivity, positive workplace so on... ).

- Implement a reward program to acknowledge the successful achievement of work objectives that in turn lead to the achievement of business objectives - this encourages more productive and effective work.


There's probably other things you can mention but that's the approach I would take. Hope that helps!

[LiquidPaperz]

what do you think we should be doing this weekend with the exam coming up?

anything the day before as well?

[Jawnle]

What are all the 'processes' within the course that have specific steps?
All I can think of at the moment is

- The planning process (SADIM)
- The selection process
- Policy development process
- Kotter's theory
- Quality control (4 steps)
- negotiation process (not sure if this is important though)

[Mafioso]

what do you think we should be doing this weekend with the exam coming up?

anything the day before as well?

I wouldn't stress about doing exams this weekend, unless you still have VCAA2013 to do. I suggest getting your textbook out and reading it from cover to cover. The most important thing you're gonna take into the exam is your knowledge of the theory. Make sure you're familiar with everything you read. Use the last few days to find any gaps in your knowledge and fill them. The worst thing you can do it go into the exam and come across something you're not 100% sure about. Try clearing it all up this weekend - any words you dont know the meaning of, any concepts you're unsure about, things you got wrong in your SACs etc.
Don't do too much heavy reading/thinking on Sunday night. Watch a movie or something so your brain isn't friend in the morning from stressing out too much.

[Mafioso]

What are all the 'processes' within the course that have specific steps?
All I can think of at the moment is

- The planning process (SADIM)
- The selection process
- Policy development process
- Kotter's theory
- Quality control (4 steps)
- negotiation process (not sure if this is important though)

Yeah good list. Off the top of my head, I'd probably add:

Decision making/problem solving process - strikingly similar to the planning process but with a few different key terms.

Organising process - breaking down tasks, grouping them, delegating to employees.

[Jawnle]

I wouldn't stress about doing exams this weekend, unless you still have VCAA2013 to do. I suggest getting your textbook out and reading it from cover to cover. The most important thing you're gonna take into the exam is your knowledge of the theory. Make sure you're familiar with everything you read. Use the last few days to find any gaps in your knowledge and fill them. The worst thing you can do it go into the exam and come across something you're not 100% sure about. Try clearing it all up this weekend - any words you dont know the meaning of, any concepts you're unsure about, things you got wrong in your SACs etc.
Don't do too much heavy reading/thinking on Sunday night. Watch a movie or something so your brain isn't friend in the morning from stressing out too much.

Is there any method to retain what we read? I read something and in about a few hours it just flies out of my head

[LiquidPaperz]

also on the note of ethics and social responsibility, is there anything special you said that made your answer "stand" out? how did you usually approach these type of questions?

[Ferdy270]

What are your top tips in answering the 10 markers to ensure you achieve maximum marks?

[qccd148]

Hi,

I am doing bus man 3/4 next year and I was wondering what I should do in the holidays to put myself ahead before the academic year starts?

[dyii22]

Thanks heaps for the help so far,

Came across a question in a Compak exam which asked "compare the methods of resolving conflict under a centralized system of employee relations against those under a decentralize employee relations system" (6 marks)

I've barely seen this covered in textbooks or the lectures I've been to, do you think its required knowledge? The answer mentioned conciliation, arbitration, protected industrial action, etc.

Cheers!

[Mafioso]

Is there any method to retain what we read? I read something and in about a few hours it just flies out of my head

For BM i used to scribble things on a notebook as I read, summarising key things in my own words, drawing diagrams etc.
When youre reading dense theory, try to simplify it as much as possible through flow charts, key words and so on because it makes it easier to remember later.
Also try attaching an example to a concept so when you come across the key term, you can apply the example to help you recall.

also on the note of ethics and social responsibility, is there anything special you said that made your answer "stand" out? how did you usually approach these type of questions?

I didnt write anything magical for these type of questions to make me stand out. Just the standard approach to get all the marks.

Define ethics, Define SRM, create a killer link back to the case study if you're given one.

If its a typical question asking you to link it to operations system and you're not given a case study, make sure you have a solid example for inputs, processes and outputs. Everyone would say things like 'supplier is ethical' or something standard like that. You can probably stand out here by writing something different. But keep in mind that you just have to get all the marks. Don't was time writing something crazy for 10 minutes when you couldve still got all the marks in half the time.

What are your top tips in answering the 10 markers to ensure you achieve maximum marks?

These are a few things I feel will INCREASE YOUR CHANCES for a 10/10

- Highly relevant content that fully addresses the question
- An excellent, coherent structure (VERY important for the 10 marker)
- Eloquent expression
- Use of business-specific language
- Strong, relevant examples if it asks you to refer to real organisations.
- Concise writing

Hi, I am doing bus man 3/4 next year and I was wondering what I should do in the holidays to put myself ahead before the academic year starts?

Over the holidays read the whole textbook (probably takes a day), do the holiday homework if you have any and start making notes for the first two chapters (takes like thee days).

Thanks heaps for the help so far,

Came across a question in a Compak exam which asked "compare the methods of resolving conflict under a centralized system of employee relations against those under a decentralize employee relations system" (6 marks)

I've barely seen this covered in textbooks or the lectures I've been to, do you think its required knowledge? The answer mentioned conciliation, arbitration, protected industrial action, etc.

Cheers!

Yeah conciliation, arbitration, mediation and negotiation are definitely required knowledge. You obviously won't be getting a 10 marker on those things but its part of the study design relating to conflict resolution so its good to know.

The types of leadership (informational, interpersonal and decision making) are't really emphasised in lectures and textbooks but they made an appearance on the exam last year and caught a lot of people off guard. Only 11% got all three correct so teachers focused on it a bit more this year. 

Protected v Unprotected industrial action is also part of the course. There are a few differences between the two but the main one is that protected industrial action is approved by FWA while unprotected isn't.

If this is an area you're not sure about, read up on it this weekend and make sure you understand it.

[Jawnle]

Compare and Contrast the following management structures

Functional & Divisional
Functional & Matrix
Matrix & Divisional

[Billion]

If we had to "compare methods of resolving conflict under a centralized system of employee relations against those under a decentralize employee relations system"
would you talk about:
Negotiation and mediation under a decentralised approach, and conciliation and arbitration under a centralised approach?
Also would it be worth mentioning grievance procedures under any of them?

Thanks in advance.

[Jono_CP]

In Question 1 of the 2011 exam, an ever so brief case study is provided and yet the high scoring answers do not even account for this? Find it interesting because they keep banging on about the 'application to the case material' and contradict themselves by what is in the examiners report answers for that exam. Was wondering if I am missing something?