Learner Statement Assessment 2022

Centre name Nations School of Business and Management
your college name
Learner’s name Damini Lakram
ABE membership number
First Name Last Name
6 4 3 5 4 1
your ABE membership number – i.e. 123456
Damini Lakram
By ticking this box, I
Insert your full name
am confirming that the work I am submitting is my own and I have acknowledged
ALL the sources of reference I have used in constructing my assignment.
Date:
Day Month Year
☒
16 11 2021

Sterling Products Limited
Sterling Products Limited is a medium sized company with the main aim of being the leading
manufacturer of quality food products and cleaning agents utilizing both human resources and
modern technology to satisfy the local and international market. Located at Providence on the
East Bank of Demerara it is the manufacturer of many edible fats, detergents, beverage, ice –
cream and personal hygiene product to suit everyone needs.
Incorporated as a Public Limited Company on October 15, 1954, export of these products began
with golden cream margarine to Dominica in November 1957 while the production of detergents
began in 1967 (Sterling Products Limited, 2019).
Over the years Sterling Products has managed to establish its name in igloo ice-cream as
against
Banks DIH Limited demico ice-cream while margarine butter became the leading brand against
Roberts Butter distributed by Massy Trading Limited because it is a healthier choice in terms of
low saturated fats. Abbey butter, Baker’s Pride Shortening, Marigold Margarine and Umda Palka
Ghee and are amongst the other edible fats. Additionally, the Mighty foam all-purpose cleaner,
liquid laundry detergent, soap powder and dishwashing liquid detergents are often in higher
demand more than other detergent agents and distributors such as Global Hygienic Distributors
and Tidy up Liquid Detergents.
OPEN BOOK EXAM QUESTIONS START ON THE NEXT PAGE
Question 1 20 Marks
(700 words)
Employees are the main foundation of any organization, and HR plays one of the main functions in
ensuring employees are provided with the right tools, resources, talent, leadership, and safety to
maximize productivity and safeguard the company from any threats that may arise within the
workforce. Hence, requiring HR professionals to perform another major role in being vigilant about

changes and opportunities to maintain their competitive edge and, at the same time, achieve the
company's mission. However, in the forever evolving market, there are several external factors
that severely impact the role of the HR professional and functions of HR.
A PESTLE analysis conducted by Sterling Product Limited identified recession as one of the main
economic factors impeding the functions of HR and the role of the HR professional. The World
Bank has highlighted that emerging markets will expand by six percent in 2021, but this has been
constrained due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Guyana’s positive growth, however, was highly
dependent on the development of oil and gas, but was also hindered by the pandemic (Ragobeer,
2020). As a result, the unemployment rate showed an increase, with 2021's being at 15.6% rather
than 12.8% in 2020. Now this poses a major challenge to the human resource management at
Sterling Products Limited, as one of the major underlying problems is hiding behind it. This is the
shortage of a skilled labor force. And since the company’s main mission is to utilize skilled human
resources to yield quality products, the HR professional had to carefully read and analyse tons of
CVs to identify capable candidates. While this was time consuming, it aided in mitigating the cost
of hiring the wrong candidates.
Nevertheless, HR professionals were working under difficult circumstances as they were tasked
with hosting seminars and sensitizing vacancies publicly. This was required so that candidates
could have a better understanding of career paths and skills in the production department, since
most vacancies were in the production field.
Additionally, the refinement of the hiring process resulted in delays and was a major challenge for
HR managers to select suitable candidates. As face to face interaction was prohibited, the
company’s assessment was also eliminated. Hence, the manager had to adjust to conducting
interviews via online platforms such as zoom or teleconferencing. Yet again, this prevented the HR
manager to accurately assess the capability of the candidate to meet the company’s strategic
goals since no proper connection, body language and knowledge testing are portrayed accurately.
As a consequence, this created the need for HR professionals to rethink how training is delivered.
Subsequently, the HR professionals had to create monthly online workshops and training to
develop candidates’ skills in an effort to deliver high quality performance. Cross training, on the
other hand, was another initiative taken by the HR professionals to motivate staff as monotonous
work causes boredom, hence low productivity. Finally, compensating employees for any
educational programs or technical skills undertaken was another strategy initiated by the HR
professionals as they believe personal learning improves efficiency and creates innovation.
Technological changes are increasing rapidly and are another factor affecting human resource
functions and professional roles. Sterling Products Limited's mission is to utilize modernized
technology to deliver quality products. However, this presents itself with both opportunities and
challenges. While the machinery and plants have proved to improve efficiency and downtime, they
require frequent inspection and maintenance to avoid malfunctions that will result in delayed
orders, hence customer satisfaction. Therefore, it requires HR professionals to continuously
source technicians in the event of an absence. Furthermore, they are tasked with keeping abreast
of training sessions and programs so that technicians are aufait with changes and required skills to
minimize errors and waste.
Recently, Sterling Products Limited upgraded its system, another requirement resulting from the
analysis to stay competitive. Hence, it required training since current skills were no longer relevant
to organizational needs. With such changes, the company’s HR professionals weren’t tasked with
providing on-the-job training but preparing test training and interactive sessions beforehand so that

employees could gain experience. Moreover, these impose another challenge as HR professionals
have to delegate staff from different departments to participate to ensure continuity of work. This
required lots of feedback from supervisors and managers.
Amidst any challenges, training and development maximize productivity and efficiency.
Additionally, it is necessary for HR professionals to conduct frequent training as this will enhance
employees’ confidence, and thus their overall performance. It is therefore evident that HR
professionals keep abreast of changes so that employees can be a part of such training and skills
to improve their performance and, at the same time, maintain their competitive edge.
Word count - 771
Question 2 20 Marks
(700 words)
Organizations operate in a constantly changing labor market, necessitating a new approach to
human resource management. As a result, it should come as no surprise that knowing the labor
market is crucial to attracting and maintaining the best staff. Not only does it rely on finding skilled
people, but it also ensures that its employees well-being. Hence, various labour market trends are
transforming, affecting human resource policies and practices both locally and globally. Keeping
up with changes, on the other hand, allows HR professionals to prepare for and manage any
potential challenges.
In Guyana and the Caribbean, Sterling Products Limited is noted for its excellent ice cream bars
and golden cream margarine. Its purpose is to provide these high-quality items at a low cost, but
businesses that compete in this way are impacted by globalization. As a result, the company is
now under pressure to adapt to changing organizational needs in order to boost efficiency, which
is only possible thanks to technological advancements. However, this has a significant impact on
HR practices for recruiting and developing personnel. Artur Leyster stated that technology is
progressing and that people must get familiar with new inventions in order to keep up with the
times (Meyster, 2020).As a result, new skills must be learned in order to stay relevant.
Subsequently, the company will hire people who are eager to learn new skills. Furthermore, he
stated that developing technologies are changing the nature of employment, and that automated
machines will eliminate the need for repetitive skilled labourers. Sterling Products Limited HR
professionals will therefore, have to adapt its recruitment processes in order to accommodate the
company’s need to use skilled human resources and modern technologies. HR professionals will
no longer hire people based on their manual skills, but prefer to keep current employees for their
creativity and capacity to think critically, since they can easily prioritize tasks and focus on
problem-solving and product design, resulting in enhanced efficiency and productivity. While such
innovations will improve internal procedures and competition, HR professionals will be required to
provide frequent training and educational programs to ensure that employees are informed of
trends and grow them personally and professionally.

Additionally, employee health and safety is a top responsibility for Sterling Products Limited and
working remotely during the Covid – 19 pandemic is another great example of utilizing technology
to adapt to flexible working. This trend had positive results, but it will change the HR game in the
future for the company. HR professional would be given new responsibility since management
recognized that staff were working efficiently and were happier to spend time with their families.
Working from home, for example, will necessitate Sterling Products Limited HR specialists
amending insurance coverage to guarantee that they are insured with business equipment.
Secondly, HR professionals will need to devise a policy for reimbursing employees, as the cost of
telephone and utilities bills is expected to rise. In addition, the company’s HR professionals will be
required to complete remote health and safety training to guarantee that staff are prepared.
Nevertheless, the number of working-age adults in Guyana is increasing, which is another local
labour market factor that will influence Sterling Products Limited’s Hr policies, according to the
Guyana employment report (Anon., 2020). Mature employees bring a wealth of information,
expertise, and experience to the table, which assists HR in training new and younger employees.
However, the corporation is concerned about employee health and safety as an aging workforce
will be more prone to medical visits. As a result, the company’s health plan will see increasing
medical bills and insurance plans, which HR personnel will need to keep track of. HR professionals
will also need to devise contingency plans in the event of illness or frequent doctor visits.
Employees on the verge of retirement will have a significant influence on HR functions due to the
loss of senior talent. As a result, HR professionals will need to develop training programs so that
older staff can share their expertise, which will take time and money.
It is therefore evident, Sterling Products Limited will focus on skilled human resources and
cuttingedge technology to provide high-quality products. Working from home, on the other hand,
has enhanced efficiency, and this trend is expected to continue at Sterling Products Limited, as
more people are content. However, HR professionals will need to design and revise regulations to
ensure the well-being and safety of employees working from home. Finally, the labour force is
aging, and HR professionals will encounter medical concerns.
Word count - 749
Question 3 20 Marks
(700 words)

Employees are the driving force behind a company’s success, and HR professionals are
responsible for onboarding, training, and performance management. As a result, HR professionals
must understand the value of their efforts. The first stage is aligning all human resources activities
with the company strategic goals. Measuring and evaluating HRM activities is important since it
allows HR professionals to track progress and identify problem areas.
As such, the balanced scorecard, developed by Dr. Robert Kaplan and Dr. David Norton, is one of
the most effective tools for evaluating human resource contributions. In this approach, HR
contributions are linked to cooperative goals, and it is intended to track and measure the
effectiveness of human resource activities, allowing managers to make specific investments in HR
and organizational structures (Cardenas, 2018). As a result, Sterling Products Limited will be able
to incorporate current data and compare it to previous periods to demonstrate progress toward
targets using this approach. However, it consists of four components, each of which the HR
department adds value by aligning the company's goals and objectives.
Financial
Sterling Products Limited’s main goal is to provide high-quality products while employing skilled
people resources, and HR plays a key role in attracting the best candidates. Furthermore, because
the organization expects value for money, finding exceptional candidates the first time is critical.
As a result, the primary indicator in this area is tracking recruiting quality, which is determined
through performance appraisal. HR professionals will be able to see if these individuals performed
as predicted. Did the salesperson, for example, accomplish the anticipated sale as expected? A
high percentage display implies that Sterling Products Limited’s recruitment process, which
includes job referrals and assessment is effective. Poor scores, on the other hand, will force the
organization to reconsider strategies such as hosting a work trial day.
Customer
The company requires a high level of friendliness and professionalism to maintain its
competitiveness as the leading manufacturer of ice cream and detergents, but to do so,
employees must be engaged and empowered. As a result, measuring employee satisfaction will
assure great customer service, assisting in the achievement of the customer satisfaction index’s
core goal of 95 percent client retention. This is assessed using a survey that scores three key
factors: how satisfied they are, how well their workplace meets their expectations, and how well
their workplace promotes their ideal employment. Finally, the score is calculated, and it ranges
from 1 to 100, with a higher number indicating that the HR’s strategy of rewarding and praising
efforts with monthly bonus is working. Poor scores may necessitate approaches like suggestion
box to indicate employees’ interest to deliver optimum service.
Process
Sterling Products Limited strives to provide high-quality, customer-satisfying products, which
necessitates a high level of collaboration. As a result, human resources plays a critical role in
ensuring that these goals are met. As a result, an employee survey is the most effective way to
measure employee engagement and focus on areas that require improvement. HR professionals
will be able to gain insight into the issues that are preventing employees from working effectively
and make plans for change. It serves as a two-way communication channel, allowing employees

to participate in the development process by giving them easy accessibility to the management
team.
Learning and development
The main goals of Sterling Products Limited are to use modern technology to increase efficiency,
produce high-quality items, and hold monthly customer service training. As such, human resource
professionals put a lot of effort into keeping these employees up to date so that customers are
satisfied. Consequently, the HR department must guarantee that the training provided resulted in a
high degree of customer satisfaction and retention. Customer satisfaction surveys can be used to
measure this. This will provide feedback on if the training provided permitted the employees to
provide excellent products on schedule, if they were pleasant, and if queries were answered.
Positive outcomes will demonstrate the effectiveness of HR professionals training.
Finally, as illustrated above, the four perspectives are interconnected because employee
satisfaction and development are critical in ensuring Sterling Products Limited meets its objectives.
The balancing scorecard provides an overview of the company’s goals and how human resources
can best support those goals. It also assesses the quality of these efforts and provide feedback on
areas that require improvement by utilizing a single report.
Word count - 721
Question 4 20 Marks
(700 words)
Employee discriminations and fighting about performance appraisals and privacy issues, as well
as assuming accountability for health and safety, are common occurrences that should be
avoided. These are just a few examples of ethical dilemmas that HR managers face. Allowing
these to go unchecked can harm a company’s reputation and result in the loss of valuable human
resources.
But what exactly is ethics? “Ethics are the policies, procedures and culture of doing the right things
in the face of difficult and often controversial issues” (Leonard, 2019). As a result, human resource
professionals play a critical role in developing and maintain regulations and standards to limit the
extent to which they are involved in human operations.
Hence, Sterling Products Limited, a leading ice cream and detergent manufacturer, is concerned
about maintaining and ensuring appropriate ethical practice through health and safety. As an
ethical and responsible corporation, HR professionals play a critical role in preserving the health
and safety of its employees. The company has a team of professionals in charge of supervising,
analysing, and implementing safety practices in all operational settings. Furthermore, the HR
department focuses on training, promoting a safety-conscious culture, and regularly monitoring
safety compliance. Accident prevention, hazard identification, and personal protective equipment

use are examples of these areas. As this is a high-intensity manufacturing company, the team
ensures that employees are using safety equipment and monitors it on a regular basis. Most
importantly, employee protection reduces absenteeism and ensures a more productive and
efficient work environment for the company. Furthermore, working to keep the workplace safe will
reduce the risk of work-related illnesses and injuries. For example, as the pandemic spread,
several changes were implemented by the company, including remote working, mask and social
distancing requirements, sanitation and testing and reporting of positive tests.
Another critical role of ethics in human resource management in the workplace is maintaining
employee loyalty. The company strives to foster great relationships among all employees, and
great teamwork will boost productivity because when employees feel appreciated, they begin to
see the business as their own and work relentlessly to achieve goals. As a result, HR
professionals at the company play a significant role in obtaining regular feedback from employees
as this provides insight into what the staff requires and expects. Furthermore, HR professionals
want employees to feel safe and positive, so they address any conflicts that may arise. Employees
are frequently rewarded with hampers and other gifts from the company. This retains employees
hence reduces recruitment, training costs and misconduct.
Not only is Sterling Products Limited concerned about ethics within the workplace but the society
at large. Of course, all manufacturers want to make a profit. Carol Csr emphasized the importance
of legal and socially supportive business behaviour. Furthermore, he created Carroll’s Csr
pyramid, which highlights four important responsibilities that an organization must fulfil in order to
be ethical. First and foremost, economic responsibility emphasizes the need for a company to
conduct market research and produce what the customer desires at an affordable price. For
example, Sterling Products Limited sells low-sugar ice cream to the elderly and diabetics. The
legal responsibility stated that the company must pay all taxes, follow all labour laws, and maintain
health and safety standards. Sterling Products Limited, on the other hand, must be fair in all
situations, according to ethical responsibility. For example, treating all suppliers with respect and
empathy, as well as being environmentally conscious. This will generate additional revenue for the
company because people will feel more at ease and continue to buy. Finally, the philanthropic
responsibility requires the company to give back to the community. The company is known for
sponsoring sporting events and donating to the less fortunate, which provides opportunities for
customer retention and mire support (Perry, 2021).However, in order to achieve these goals,
Sterling Products Limited's HR professionals have the greatest impact on recruitment, training and
development of employees, fostering culture, and these are the activities that pass on and
reinforce CSR in the company. Furthermore, these are critical because new ideas from employees
allow the company to gain more recognition and thus increase sales. As a result, HR professionals
reward employees for any ideas they have, thereby fostering an innovative culture.
Additionally, the company HR professionals are concerned with assisting employees who raise
concerns about ethical violations as these combat fraud and mismanagement but do so by
accepting anonymous reports to prevent conflicts. These are investigated immediately and staff
are made aware via emails.

Low and behold, human resources plays a significant role in ethics by ensuring that employees
work in a safe environment and encouraging them to reach their full potential in a productive
manner.
Word count - 775
Question 5 20 Marks
(700 words)
Everyone wants to make a positive difference at work, but how can this be done in a culture with
varying values and a physically and emotionally demanding environment? This necessitates a high
level of ongoing professional development for both professional practice and individuals in human
resource management. To begin, it is critical to focus on how people are feeling today and in the
past in order to identify areas of strength and weakness. This is reflective practice, and it is the
process of evaluating one's own ideas and behaviours in order to grow and develop. HR
professionals who pursue this goal will experiment with new ideas and concepts to assist the
company in meeting its objectives. As a result, HR professionals who are proactive in their own
CPD will inspire others to do the same, and there are a variety of ways that HR professionals can
encourage this.
Reflection raises awareness, which boosts comprehension and learning potential. Furthermore,
viewing problems from different perspectives opens up new avenues for problem solving.
However, Chris Argyris (1980), a prominent organizational leader, emphasizes the importance of
teaching people to question their own beliefs and assumptions. The evolution of this concept
entails changing methods and increasing efficiency in order to achieve goals (Cartwright, 2002).
As a result, Sterling Products Limited, a well-known ice cream manufacturer, is currently facing
fierce competition and must respond quickly to changes as competitors develop new marketing
strategies. However, it does not involve changing the objectives, but rather intense questioning
about the objectives in order to invent new alternatives and objectives. Because of the company's
bureaucratic structure, the manager would be very dismissive if employees questioned his beliefs.
Hence, HR professionals can be proactive in transforming leadership through double loop
learning, which also transforms deeply held points of view in which we act or work. To accomplish
this, a form of communication with a high level of interaction among learners is used. Furthermore,
the HR professionals will hold in-depth discussions on the subject in order to identify and bring to
light the employees' unquestioned assumptions and beliefs. These will enable Sterling Products
Limited employees to learn new skills and abandon old ways of thinking and acting. However,
communication takes place through platforms such as emails or meetings. This approach,
promoted by human resource professionals, will extract technical knowledge from employees and
convert it to explicit knowledge. Furthermore, because this type of learning requires a high level of
creativity and innovation, Sterling Products Limited will be able to anticipate change.
Another concept presented by Donald Schon, a prominent theorist, is reflection on action, which
occurs after an action. This entails reflecting on what has occurred, why it occurred, what
occurred, how it was handled, and whether it could have been handled better to achieve better

results, as Sterling Products Limited strives to deliver exceptional products. It necessitates a high
level of critical thinking, which includes analysis and evaluation without sentimental biases that
obstruct clear thinking. It entails conducting extensive research and breaking down events as
rationally as possible. However, this will necessitate a four-stage process by the firm’s HR
professionals. First, relive the event, followed by reflection, which includes taking note of what is
going on. Thirdly, analyse the situations and finally capture new understanding (Fletcher, n.d.).
This approach encouraged by the company’s hr professionals will require coaching to employees.
As such, they can issue questionnaires to all employees and host sessions frequently. These will
enable employees in the development of new behaviors as a result of critical thinking, and new
ways of learning as these will question and try to rebuild previous thoughts.
Aside from Shon’s reflective approach, another notable theorist, David Kolb, developed the Kolb’s
experimental learning, which necessitates four elements. The first is to experiment, which entails
actually doing something; this is where data should be gathered, and HR professionals of Sterling
Products Limited can use activities such as role plays and lectures. Secondly, HR professionals
can guide employees through the second stage of reflection, which entails sharing reactions to
which they have been exposed. The HR professionals connect the thoughts in order to gain
meaning. Furthermore, they assist participants in thinking critically about their reflections in order
to draw conclusions. The following stage is the learning stage, in which employees’ final thoughts
on the first two phases. As a result, the human resources professional allows each employee to
reflect on what they learn and then guides them in sharing their conclusions with one another by
comparing and identifying differences. Finally, there is an application stage in which employees
apply what they have learned by developing plans such as employees sharing each other’s plans
and formulating ideas for professional development (ISC Medical, 2019). Furthermore, critical
evaluation and selfassessment in which employees learn from their experiences will change their
behavior and perception and encourage them to explore new ways of improving their work. As
such, employees at the company will be able to set clear goals and be more productive and
efficient.
Word count - 832

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Appendix (optional)