BPCS 187 Solved Question Paper June 2026 gives you the official IGNOU Managing Human Resources term-end paper with exam-length answers written by our subject team. Two answers are open below so you can judge the quality for yourself. The other six sit in the full file, which you get on WhatsApp 9899436384.
BPCS 187 Managing Human Resources key facts
- Course code: BPCS 187 (printed as BPCS-187)
- Subject: Managing Human Resources
- Programme: Bachelor of Arts (General) BAG and Bachelor of Science (General) BSCG; Skill Enhancement Course, School of Social Sciences
- Credits: 4 credits
- Blocks and units: 12 units; block count requires official confirmation
- Maximum marks: 50 (term-end exam carries 70% weightage, assignments 30%)
- Duration: 2 hours
- Questions in the paper: 8 questions in two sections; attempt any 5, at least 2 from each section
- Samples shown on this page: 2 (Q1 and Q2)
- Questions in the paid file: All 8 questions solved, including the 6 not shown on this page
What the BPCS 187 Solved Question Paper June 2026 includes
BPCS 187 Managing Human Resources is a 4-credit Skill Enhancement Course from the IGNOU School of Social Sciences, taken mainly by Bachelor of Arts (General) and Bachelor of Science (General) learners. It teaches how organisations hire, train, keep and support their people.
The June 2026 BPCS 187 Question Paper has 8 questions split into Section A and Section B. You attempt any five, with at least two from each section, and every question carries 10 marks. Section A tests HRM foundations, diversity, CSR and selection, while Section B moves to training, engagement, careers and counselling.
The credit value and the 30:70 split between assignments and the term-end exam are taken from the official BPCS 187 assignment booklet published by IGNOU. Our solved file follows the same course structure, so each answer matches the unit it comes from.
Inside the file you get all 8 answers, each divided to match the printed mark split: 5+5, 7+3, 4+6 or a single 10-mark answer. That split matters in this course, because a weak second part costs you half the marks even when the first part is strong.
BPCS 187 sample answers from the June 2026 paper
Questions 1 and 2 from Section A of the June 2026 BPCS 187 paper are solved in full below; the remaining six questions are listed as printed, with answers kept for the full file.
Q1. Describe the functions of Human Resource Management (HRM). Discuss the process of strategic HRM. (5+5 marks)
Q1. Describe the functions of Human Resource Management (HRM). Discuss the process of strategic HRM. (5+5 marks)
Answer
Part A: Functions of HRM (5 marks)
Human Resource Management (HRM) is the part of management that plans, acquires, develops, rewards and retains people so that both the organisation and its employees reach their goals. Edwin B. Flippo grouped its functions into two sets: managerial and operative.
Managerial functions
- Planning: forecasting how many people, with which skills, the organisation will need and when.
- Organising: setting up the HR structure, roles and reporting lines that carry out HR work.
- Directing: guiding and motivating employees so that plans turn into action.
- Controlling: comparing actual performance with set standards and correcting the gaps.
Operative functions
- Procurement: job analysis, recruitment, selection, placement and induction.
- Development: training, management development and career planning.
- Compensation: fair pay, incentives and benefits linked to the worth of each job.
- Integration: building a sense of belonging, handling grievances and keeping industrial relations healthy.
- Maintenance: health, safety and welfare measures that keep the workforce able to perform.
- Separation: managing retirement, resignation and exit in a fair and lawful way.
Part B: Process of strategic HRM (5 marks)
Strategic HRM (SHRM) means designing HR policies so that they directly support the long-term business strategy, instead of treating HR as routine administration. The process usually runs in five linked steps.
- Understanding the mission and goals: HR first studies where the organisation wants to go, for example growth, cost control or innovation.
- Environmental scanning: HR analyses the external environment (labour market, laws, technology, competitors) and the internal one (skills, culture, strengths and weaknesses of the workforce).
- Formulating HR strategy: HR chooses staffing, training, reward and culture strategies that fit the business plan. A firm competing on innovation, for instance, needs creative hiring and learning-focused rewards.
- Implementation: the strategy becomes HR policies, programmes and budgets, and line managers help deliver them.
- Evaluation and review: results are measured through indicators such as turnover, productivity and training outcomes, and the strategy is revised when the business or its environment changes.
In short, HRM functions describe what HR does, while SHRM explains how those functions are lined up with the organisation's strategy to build a lasting competitive advantage.
Q2. Discuss the benefits and challenges of diversity in the workplace. Explain Hofstede’s model of cultural dimensions. (5+5 marks)
Q2. Discuss the benefits and challenges of diversity in the workplace. Explain Hofstede’s model of cultural dimensions. (5+5 marks)
Answer
Part A: Benefits and challenges of workplace diversity (5 marks)
Workplace diversity means the presence of employees who differ in gender, age, religion, language, region, ethnicity, disability, education and work style. In a country like India, such differences are part of almost every large workplace.
Benefits
- Wider talent pool: the organisation can hire the best people from every group.
- Creativity and problem solving: different viewpoints produce more ideas and better decisions.
- Market understanding: a varied workforce understands varied customers and new markets.
- Stronger reputation: inclusive employers attract talent and are seen as fair.
Challenges
- Communication barriers caused by language and cultural differences.
- Stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination that lead to conflict.
- Resistance to change and weaker team cohesion in the early stages.
- Extra cost of diversity training and inclusive policies.
These challenges are managed through clear inclusion policies, sensitivity training and fair HR practices in hiring, pay and promotion.
Part B: Hofstede's model of cultural dimensions (5 marks)
Dutch social psychologist Geert Hofstede built this model from a large survey of IBM employees working in many countries, published in his book Culture's Consequences (1980). It explains how national culture shapes values and behaviour at work.
- Power distance: how far less powerful members accept an unequal spread of power. High power distance cultures, India among them in Hofstede's data, expect clear hierarchy.
- Individualism versus collectivism: whether people see themselves mainly as individuals or as members of close groups.
- Masculinity versus femininity: a preference for achievement and competition versus care, cooperation and quality of life.
- Uncertainty avoidance: how comfortable a society is with ambiguity, risk and change.
- Long-term versus short-term orientation: persistence and future rewards versus tradition and quick results; this dimension was added later with Michael Bond.
- Indulgence versus restraint: freedom to enjoy life versus strict social norms; added in 2010 with Michael Minkov.
For HR managers, the model guides leadership style, appraisal methods, reward design and training for multicultural teams.
Questions answered only in the full file
- Q3. Describe the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility. Discuss the role and impact of technology in the context of Human Resource Management. (7+3 marks)
- Q4. Discuss the meaning and different techniques of selection at workplace. (4+6 marks)
- Q5. Describe the various cognitive methods of training and development. (10 marks)
- Q6. Explain the concept of employee engagement. Discuss the ways to promote employee engagement. (5+5 marks)
- Q7. Discuss the process of Career Management. Explain the various initiatives of career development. (5+5 marks)
- Q8. Describe the types of counselling provided in an organizational setup. Discuss the approaches of employee counselling. (5+5 marks)
These six cover CSR and the impact of technology on HR, selection techniques, cognitive training methods, employee engagement, career development initiatives and the types and approaches of counselling. Q5 is the only question in this paper that is not split into parts.
Managing Human Resources block and unit map for BPCS 187
BPCS 187 covers 12 units, moving from HRM foundations to everyday HR practices and then to retention, careers, safety and counselling. The last column shows when IGNOU last drew questions from each unit.
| Block | Unit | Topics you must cover | Recent IGNOU exam use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block 1: Introduction to Human Resource Management | Unit 1: Human Resource Management | Nature, scope and objectives of HRM; managerial and operative functions; strategic HRM | Six of seven papers, most recently June 2026 Q1 |
| Block 1 | Unit 2: Human Resource Development | Features and nature of HRD; functions of HRD; how HRD differs from HRM | June 2024 and December 2024 |
| Block 1 | Unit 3: Diversity at Workplace | Meaning of workplace diversity; its benefits and challenges; Hofstede's cultural dimensions | December 2023, December 2024 and June 2026 Q2 |
| Block 1 | Unit 4: Contemporary Issues and Challenges | Globalisation and its types; sexual harassment and its prevention; CSR and the impact of technology | Asked in every session from June 2023 to June 2026 |
| Block 2: Human Resource Practices | Unit 5: Job Analysis | Nature and uses of job analysis; methods for collecting job analysis information | Five sessions, last in December 2025 |
| Block 2 | Unit 6: Selection | Meaning and importance of selection; selection techniques; barriers to selection | June 2025 asked barriers; June 2026 Q4 asked techniques |
| Block 2 | Unit 7: Training and Development | Process of training; on-the-job and off-the-job methods; cognitive and behavioural methods | June 2026 Q5 asked cognitive methods alone |
| Block 2 | Unit 8: Performance Appraisal | Meaning, nature and benefits; appraisal process; traditional and modern methods | June 2023, December 2023, June 2024 |
| Block 3: Human Resource Management Functions | Unit 9: Employee Retention and Engagement | Employee turnover; factors and strategies for retention; employee engagement and its models | June 2026 Q6 on engagement |
| Block 3 | Unit 10: Career Management and Development | Concept, models and process of career management; psychological contract; career development initiatives | Six of seven papers, most recently June 2026 Q7 |
| Block 3 | Unit 11: Employee Safety and Health | Workplace hazards; causes of accidents; ways of preventing accidents | Four sessions, not in June 2026 |
| Block 3 | Unit 12: Employee Counselling and Wellness Services | Nature, scope and types of counselling; approaches and process; stress and wellness programmes | June 2026 Q8 on types and approaches |
Our BPCS 187 Study Material follows these same 12 units, so you can revise a unit and then test yourself on the matching question in the solved file.
Unit 4 is the busiest in Block 1. Globalisation, sexual harassment, CSR and technology all sit there, and at least one of them has appeared in every paper from June 2023 to June 2026.
BPCS 187 exam pattern and marks split
The BPCS 187 paper carries 50 marks in 2 hours: you answer any five of eight questions, each worth 10 marks and about 300 words.
| Paper element | BPCS 187 June 2026 |
|---|---|
| Total questions | 8, in Section A (Q1 to Q4) and Section B (Q5 to Q8) |
| Questions to attempt | Any 5, with at least 2 from each section |
| Marks per question | 10 marks each |
| Mark splits printed | 5+5 in Q1, Q2, Q6, Q7, Q8; 7+3 in Q3; 4+6 in Q4; 10 in Q5 |
| Word limit | About 300 words per answer |
| Maximum marks and time | 50 marks in 2 hours |
| Weightage in final result | Term-end exam 70%, assignments 30% |
June 2026 kept the pattern used since 2023, but the format is not always fixed. The December 2024 paper, for example, asked two 150-word short notes inside Q3, one on Hofstede's model and one on types of CSR.
You can compare these papers yourself through our IGNOU Previous Year Question Paper collection, which also lists the IGNOU BPCS 187 Question Paper for earlier sessions.
Managing Human Resources topics IGNOU keeps asking in BPCS 187
In the seven official BPCS 187 papers from June 2023 to June 2026, HRM functions and career management each appeared six times, more than any other topic.
| Topic | Course unit | Sessions where it was asked | Times asked (of 7) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nature, scope, objectives and functions of HRM, including strategic HRM | Unit 1 | June 2023, December 2023, December 2024, June 2025, December 2025, June 2026 | 6 |
| Career management, its process and the psychological contract | Unit 10 | June 2023, December 2023, December 2024, June 2025, December 2025, June 2026 | 6 |
| Job analysis: nature, uses and methods of collecting information | Unit 5 | June 2023, June 2024, December 2024, June 2025, December 2025 | 5 |
| Selection: meaning, importance, techniques and barriers | Unit 6 | June 2023, December 2023, December 2024, June 2025, June 2026 | 5 |
| Training and development: process and methods | Unit 7 | June 2023, June 2024, June 2025, December 2025, June 2026 | 5 |
| Workplace hazards, causes of accidents and their prevention | Unit 11 | June 2023, June 2024, December 2024, December 2025 | 4 |
| Employee counselling: nature, approaches, process and types | Unit 12 | December 2023, June 2024, December 2024, June 2026 | 4 |
| Performance appraisal: meaning, process and modern methods | Unit 8 | June 2023, December 2023, June 2024 | 3 |
| Employee turnover and retention strategies | Unit 9 | December 2023, June 2025, December 2025 | 3 |
| Workplace diversity and Hofstede's cultural dimensions | Unit 3 | December 2023, December 2024, June 2026 | 3 |
| Corporate social responsibility: concept and types | Unit 4 | December 2023, December 2024, June 2026 | 3 |
| Sexual harassment at the workplace and steps to prevent it | Unit 4 | June 2023, June 2024, December 2025 | 3 |
| Globalisation and the role of technology | Unit 4 | June 2025, December 2025, June 2026 | 3 |
| Human resource development: nature, features and functions | Unit 2 | June 2024, December 2024 | 2 |
| Employee engagement: concept, models and ways to promote it | Unit 9 | June 2024, June 2026 | 2 |
Sessions used: June 2023, December 2023, June 2024, December 2024, June 2025, December 2025 and June 2026, all taken from ignou.ac.in and webservices.ignou.ac.in. No session in this range was missing.
One pattern stands out. Job analysis appeared five times between June 2023 and December 2025, then skipped June 2026, so it is a strong candidate for the next paper.
For a ready list of likely questions built from this pattern, see our IGNOU Important Questions page.
How we write and check BPCS 187 answers
Every BPCS 187 answer in our file is planned around the printed mark split, kept close to the 300-word limit and checked by a second reviewer before release.
Prateek Talwar writes each answer after reading the matching unit of the IGNOU course book. Sheetal Kirola then reviews it for accuracy, coverage of every part of the question and plain, exam-ready language.
Split questions get split answers. In Q3, for instance, the 7-mark CSR part gets clearly more space than the 3-mark technology part, and each part has its own heading so the examiner can see both were answered.
Course terms are used the way the BPCS 187 book uses them, such as Flippo's managerial and operative functions or Hofstede's six dimensions. Examples come from Indian workplaces, so answers feel relevant and easy to recall.
BPCS 187 solved file index, question by question
The BPCS 187 solved file answers all 8 questions: 2 are shown on this page and 6 are in the full file only.
| Question | Topic | Section | Course unit | Marks | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | HRM functions and strategic HRM process | Section A | Unit 1: Human Resource Management | 5+5 | On this page |
| Q2 | Workplace diversity and Hofstede's model | Section A | Unit 3: Diversity at Workplace | 5+5 | On this page |
| Q3 | CSR concept and technology in HRM | Section A | Unit 4: Contemporary Issues and Challenges | 7+3 | Full file only |
| Q4 | Meaning and techniques of selection | Section A | Unit 6: Selection | 4+6 | Full file only |
| Q5 | Cognitive methods of training and development | Section B | Unit 7: Training and Development | 10 | Full file only |
| Q6 | Employee engagement and ways to promote it | Section B | Unit 9: Employee Retention and Engagement | 5+5 | Full file only |
| Q7 | Career management process and development initiatives | Section B | Unit 10: Career Management and Development | 5+5 | Full file only |
| Q8 | Types of counselling and counselling approaches | Section B | Unit 12: Employee Counselling and Wellness Services | 5+5 | Full file only |
Units 5, 8 and 11 were not tested in June 2026. If you are also revising past sessions, our BAG Question Paper collection shows how often those units come back.
Programmes that carry BPCS 187 Managing Human Resources
BPCS 187 is a Skill Enhancement Course, so it sits inside more than one IGNOU bachelor's programme instead of a single degree.
Most learners take it under the IGNOU Bachelor of Arts (General) programme, BAG, as one of their skill courses. The same course is also open to the Bachelor of Science (General) programme, BSCG, which is why science learners often study HR alongside their main subjects.
IGNOU files the BPCS 187 Question Paper in a shared BAG, BCOMG and BSCG folder on its website. If you are in another programme, check your programme guide to confirm that the course counts towards your degree.
Get the full BPCS 187 Solved Question Paper on WhatsApp
Send BPCS 187 June 2026 on WhatsApp 9899436384 to get the full file with all 8 answers, including the 6 that are not shown on this page.
You receive the IGNOU BPCS 187 Solved Question Paper as a clean PDF, with each answer headed by its question number, marks and unit. It is easy to read on a phone and easy to print before the exam.
If you have already read Q1 and Q2 above, the full file continues in the same style for CSR, selection, cognitive training methods, engagement, career development and counselling.
BPCS 187 Managing Human Resources FAQs
These answers cover the BPCS 187 Managing Human Resources questions students ask us most often.
Is this BPCS 187 June 2026 paper the official IGNOU version?
Yes. The questions are copied exactly from the official IGNOU June 2026 term-end paper for BPCS 187 Managing Human Resources, with the same numbering, sections and mark splits. Our team only added the answers. On this page you can read Q1 and Q2 in full, while the other six questions are listed as text so you can see the whole paper before you contact us.
How do I get the full BPCS 187 solved file on WhatsApp, and how many answers does it contain?
Send a message to WhatsApp 9899436384 with the words BPCS 187 June 2026. Our team replies with the details and shares the complete solved file as a PDF. It contains answers to all 8 questions in the paper: the 2 answers you can read on this page plus the 6 answers that are kept only in the full file.
How many questions must I attempt in the BPCS 187 Managing Human Resources exam?
You must attempt any five of the eight questions in the BPCS 187 paper, with at least two from Section A and two from Section B. Each question carries 10 marks, so the paper totals 50 marks in 2 hours. Section A covers HRM basics and contemporary issues, while Section B covers training, engagement, careers and counselling.
Which BPCS 187 topics repeat most often in IGNOU papers?
Across the seven official BPCS 187 papers from June 2023 to June 2026, the nature and functions of HRM and career management each appeared six times. Job analysis, selection and training and development each appeared five times. Employee counselling and workplace safety came four times, so these units deserve the most revision time before the exam.
How long should each BPCS 187 answer be in the exam?
IGNOU sets a word limit of about 300 words for each BPCS 187 answer. When a question is split, such as 5+5 or 7+3, you should divide those words in proportion to the marks. Our solved answers follow this rule, so the part carrying 7 marks gets clearly more space than the part carrying 3 marks.
Who writes and checks the BPCS 187 Managing Human Resources answers?
The BPCS 187 answers are written by Prateek Talwar and reviewed by Sheetal Kirola at Unnati Educations. Each answer is checked against the matching unit of the IGNOU course book, the printed mark split and the 300-word limit. The reviewer also checks that course terms, such as Hofstede's dimensions or the steps of strategic HRM, are explained accurately.
Which programmes include BPCS 187 Managing Human Resources?
BPCS 187 is a 4-credit Skill Enhancement Course from the IGNOU School of Social Sciences. It is mainly taken by learners of the Bachelor of Arts (General) programme, BAG, and the Bachelor of Science (General) programme, BSCG. IGNOU also files its question papers in a shared BAG, BCOMG and BSCG folder, so check your own programme guide.
Can the BPCS 187 June 2026 solved paper help me prepare for December 2026?
Yes, it is a strong starting point. Most BPCS 187 papers return to the same core units, such as HRM functions, selection, training, career management and counselling. Practising the June 2026 answers shows you how IGNOU frames these topics and how to split marks. Pair it with the repeat-topic table on this page to plan your revision.