Instructions

Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.

Selvam Tutorials offers exclusive face-to-face evening classes from Monday to Friday for students who are preparing for various entrance exams. Selvam Dindigul, the owner, operates from his ancestral house, situated in the middle of the city. There are several instructors, but each teaches only one of the following courses: quantitative ability, verbal ability and decision making. Selvam usually recruits fresh graduates, or those instructors who are working with other tutorials and seeking a job change.

As Selvam Tutorials has been expanding aggressively over the past few years, managing it alone becomes challenging for Selvam. Hence, he recruits Kanmani Gunaa, his niece, who has an online MBA with specializations in Accountancy and HR, as a manager. He asks Kanmani to introduce modern HR practices at Selvam Tutorials while managing cost effectively.

Question 47

Soon after Kanmani takes over, she discovers that every instructor is paid differently even though they teach for the same number of hours. Moreover, these instructors have been recruited locally, having similar educational background. As she is introducing modern HR practices, she wants to equalize the salaries of all the instructors.

Which of the following is definitely NOT an option for Kanmani?

Solution

Kanmani has been appointed to introduce modern HR practices at Selvam Tutorials, and she has identified an apparent pay disparity among instructors who teach for the same number of hours and have similar educational backgrounds. Since addressing such disparities falls within her responsibilities as manager, she should investigate the reasons for the differences and explore ways to establish a fair compensation policy. Option D is the correct answer, as refusing to address salaries simply because the subject is sensitive would prevent Kanmani from fulfilling her assigned responsibility. Salary decisions may require careful handling, but their sensitivity is not a sufficient reason to avoid examining them.

The other options each present valid approaches: Option A is a valid approach because Kanmani can formulate a policy and seek Selvam’s approval before implementing it. Option B is appropriate because understanding the reasons for the existing differences is necessary before making changes. Option C is also a possible course of action, as she can recommend equal pay to Selvam based on the information available. Option E is a reasonable step towards understanding prevailing industry practices, although Kanmani should consider whether those practices suit her organisation rather than follow them blindly. Thus, Option D is the only option that Kanmani should definitely not choose.

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