DIM 1001

HUMAN RESOURCE MANGEMENT

TAN WAH TIONG

940928-14-5531

JUNE 2012
NO DETAIL

PAGE

1.0

Content

1-2

2.0

Human Resource Planning

3-9

2.1 Identify need and Importance of Human Resource Planning

2.2 Identify factors affecting Human Resource Planning
2.3 Identify limitations of Human Resource Planning

3.0

10-15

Training Needs
3.1The Models of Identifying Training needs
3.2The Evaluation Process

4.0

Introduction To Microsoft

16-29

4.1 Employee hiring strategy

4.2 Employee development strategy
4.3 Employee retentive strategy
4.4 Employee lay offs

5.0

30-31

Advantages of promoting employees from

within the organization rather than employing
outside persons.

6.0

Conclusion

32-33

7.0

References

34

8.0

Coursework

35-42

2.0 Human Resource Planning

Human resource planning is the process whereby organizations determine the staffing
support they will need to meet business needs and customer demands. There are a
variety of considerations that impact this planning, including impending retirements and
transitions, the availability of employees with certain skills sets and changes in the
environment that may require training for existing employees. An important, yet
challenging, element of human resource planning is forecasting demand for certain types
of skills and positions. For instance, in the early 21st century, Internet and social media
skills were in increasing demand. In the health care industry, nursing has long been an
area of high demand. Each industry is different and each is impacted by different factors.
Staying on top of industry, regulatory, governmental and economic changes can help
businesses improve their success at forecasting demand for employees and building the
human resource plan.

Succession planning is the process whereby company leaders and HR professionals

identify key positions within the company and develop plans to fill those positions either
with internal or external staff. Succession planning is closely tied to leadership
development, which is the process of providing training and on-the-job experiences to
prepare internal staff to step into positions that may become vacant. Succession planning
is a key element of human resource planning.

3
Succession planning is the process whereby company leaders and HR professionals
identify key positions within the company and develop plans to fill those positions either
with internal or external staff. Succession planning is closely tied to leadership
development, which is the process of providing training and on-the-job experiences to
prepare internal staff to step into positions that may become vacant. Succession planning
is a key element of human resource planning.

2.1 The Need and Importance of Human Resource

Planning
The Importance of Human Resource Planning the Human Resource Department of a
business has responsibility for many aspects, including Recruitment & Selection,
Training and Wage Bargaining.

However within all organizations one of the most important tasks performed, which
encompasses all of the above issues, is that of Human Resource Planning, also known as
Workforce Planning or Manpower Planning. All three planning is needed to ensure that
it has 'the right people, in the right numbers, with the right skills now and in the future.
The importance of any management function can best be discussed from the point of
view of the advantages derived from its effective and efficient performance.
Accordingly, a good and well implemented human resources plan enables the
organization to reap the following major benefits. It enables the organization to

maximize the utilization of its human resources. It enables a better achievement of the
organizations objectives by ensuring that management

4
efforts are made in good time to avail the requisite labor power for the organizations
performance processes. It enables the organization to economize on its recruitment
function. It enables the organization to organize successful exit plans for the advantages
of the employees and the organization. It increases the organizations information base
to the advantage of the human resources department and other departments. It enables
the organization to make a more effective and efficient use of the labor market. It
facilitates career or personal development.

Besides, human resource planning help assist organizations to recruit, retain, and
optimize the development of the personnel needed to meet the business objectives and to
response to change in the external environment. HR planning involves gathering of
information, making objectives and making decisions to enable the organizations
achieve its objectives. The organization objectives and strategies for the future determine
future needs of human resource. It means number and mix of human resources are
reaction to the overall organizational strategy. It follows different procedures including
the need to assess the impact of technological changes and new jobs and new skills.

There are four main reasons that why need human planning human planning. Firstly, it
encourages employers to develop clear link between their business plan and their HR
plans so that they can bring together the two effectively. Second, organization can

control staff costs and numbers employed more efficiently. Next, employees can build
up a skill profile for each of their employees. This makes it easier for employers to give
them work where they are most
5
value to the organization. Lastly, it creates a profile of staff, which related to gender,
raceand disability. Thus, thats why the Human Resource Planning is needed and
importance in every company.

2.2 Factors affecting Human Resource Planning

HRP is a dynamic and ongoing process. The process of updating is not very simple,
since HRP is influenced by many factors, which are as follows. Firstly, the type of
organization determines
6
the production process and the number and type of staff needed. Then, the human
resource
needs of an organization depend on the strategic plan adopted by it. For example the
growth of a business calls for hiring of additional labour, while mergers will need a plan
for layoffs.

Next, organization operates under different political, social environment and has to
carefully formulae the HR policies and so the HR manager has to evolve suitable
mechanism to deal with uncertainties through career developments, success planning,
retirement schemes etc. Besides, HRP also depends on the time period and accordingly
the short and long-term plans are adopted. And this time span is based on the degree of
environmental uncertainties.

Furthermore, the type and quality of information used in making forecasting is an

important factor influencing HRP. Accurate timely human resource information system
helps in getting better quality personnel. HRP is required to ensure that suitable
candidates should be appointed at the right kind of job.

Changes take place within the organization from time to time i.e. the company diversify
into new products or close down business in some areas etc. in such cases the HRP
process i.e. appointing or removing people will change according to situation.
Demographic changes refer to things referring to age, population, composition of work
force etc. A number of people retire every year. A new batch of graduates with
specialization turns out every year. This can change the appointment or the removal in
the company. Industries having high labour turnover rate, the

HRP will change constantly i.e. many new appointments will take place. This also
affects the way HRP is implemented. Lastly, workers from different countries travel to
other countries in search of job. When a company plans its HRP it needs to take into
account this factor also.
Clearly, these are some of the factors that affect the human resource planning.

2.3 Limitations of Human Resource Planning

Human resource planning can be defined as the process of identifying the number of
people required by an organization in terms of quantity and quality. All human resource
management activities start with human resource planning. So we can say that human
resource planning is the principle/primary activity of human resource management.

Although HRP is a very advantageous method it has some limitations which can be
explained as follows. Firstly, the future in any country is uncertain i.e. there are political,
cultural, technological changes taking place every day. This effects the employment
situation. Accordingly the company may have to appoint or remove people. Therefore
HRP can only be a guiding factor. We cannot rely too much on it and do every action
according to it. Much top management adopts a conservative attitude and is not ready to
make changes. Next, the process of HRP involves either appointing. Therefore it
becomes very difficult to implement HRP in organization because top management does
not support the decisions of other department.

8
Besides, HRP gives a clear out solution for excess staff i.e. Termination, layoff, VRS.
However when certain employees are removed from company it mostly affects the
psyche of the existing employee, and they start feeling insecure, stressed out and do not
believe in the company. This is a limitation of HRP i.e. it does not provide alternative
solution like re-training so that employee need not be removed from the company.

Furthermore, HRP collects information from all departments, regarding demand and
supply of personnel. This information is collected in detail and each and every job is
considered. Therefore the activity takes up a lot of time. In addition, the solution
provided by process of HRP incurs expense. E.g. VRS, overtime, etc. company has to
spend a lot of money in carrying out the activity. Hence we can say the process is
expensive.

It is also a time consuming and costlier process. It is beneficial in organizations that

adopt a professional approach and at the same time are conscious about the changing
environment. Lastly, HRP is beneficial where adequate skilled manpower is available
and also made difficult in organizations that have a very high lab our turnover.

3.0 Training needs

Training needs analysis process is a series of activities conducted to identify problems
or other issues in the workplace, and to determine whether training is an appropriate
response. Training is also defined by Wayne Cascio as training consists of planed
programs undertaken to improve employee knowledge, skills, attitude, and social
behavior so that the performance of the organization improves considerably.Training is
normally viewed as a short process. It is applied to technical staff, lower, middle, senior
level management. When applied to lower and middle management staff it is called as
training and for senior level it is called managerial development program/executive
development program/development program.

Training is defined by Wayne Cascio as training consists of planed programs

undertaken to improve employee knowledge, skills, attitude, and social behavior so that
the performance of the organization improves considerably.The purpose of training and
development can be explained which are improving quality of workforce .Training and
development help companies to improve the quality of work done by their employees.
Secondly, training programs concentrate on specific areas. There by improving the
quality of work in that area.

Besides, every employee who takes development program becomes better at his job.
Then, training provides perfection and required practice, therefore employees area able
to develop them professionally. Through training and development the employee is up to
date with new

10

technology and the fear of being thrown out of the job is reduced. In addition, training
and
development programs greatly help new employees to get accustomed to new methods
of working, new technology, the work culture of the company etc.

Furthermore, plans made by companies expect people to achieve certain targets within
certain time limit with certain quality for this employee performance has to be accurate
and perfect. Training helps in achieving accuracy and perfection. Lastly, training and
development program clearly identifies and teaches employees about the different risk
involved in their job, the different problems that can arise and how to prevent such
problems. This helps to improve the health and safety measures in the company.

3.1 The Model of Identifying Training Needs

Training needs will differ with the backgrounds of the employees to be trained, and their
present status in the organization. Basically, a candidate for training may come from any

one of three groups which is new hires, Veteran employees and trainees currently in the
training pipeline.
Consideration of the varying needs of these groups provides a frame of reference for
discussing and suggesting the methods of identifying training needs.

One of the training needs is hires. Addition of new employees creates high and low
peaks in placing new persons into the training program. This problem may be solved by
a program where progression is made in different sequences. It will eliminate a jam that
will occur if all phases of the program must be taken in a definite sequence. Besides, the
new employees will normally
11
of somewhat different backgrounds. Being new, they are not familiar with their new
employers.
As a result, the earliest phases of the training must concentrate on company orientation.

During these phases, the organization, organization policies and administrative details
should be covered. It is also a suitable time to acquaint the trainees with what will be
expected of him, and how he will be evaluated throughout the phase of training. Next,
the people in this category offer a real challenge to the training department. There- fore,
the number and amount of training required by this category should be carefully
considered. Often the retraining and upgrading of former employees can be very
rewarding for training instructors. At least two schools of thought exist as to how these
employees should be rekindled. There are advantages in keeping this group intact and

tailoring the program to their needs. On the other hand, this category of employees can
also make significant contribution to training if they are co-mingled with the new hires.

In addition, a good training program will normally have participants in various phases of
completion. An awareness of completion dates and how the potential employee will be
employed should be the concern of the training staff and also the employees supervisor.
A trainee should have a challenge in all phases of his training. All these challenges
should not be confined to those phases where the pipeline employee is sitting in a
classroom. Therefore, it is recommended that thorough interim test-work be given to
pipeline employees in periods
between formal classes. This may take the form of solidifying what he learned in the
prior phase and serve as preparation for the coming phases.
12
Lastly, there are a number of practical methods you can use to gather data about
employees performance. Each works well in given circumstances; therefore, you must
determine which the best be for you. None of these methods can stand alone. Always use
at least two, if for no other reason to validate your findings. One of those you choose
should always be observation.

3.2 The Evaluation Process

There are the two principal factors which need to be resolved: who is responsible for the
validation and evaluation processes and what resources of time, people and money are
available for validation/evaluation purposes? (Within this, consider the effect of

variation to these, for instance an unexpected cut in budget or manpower. In other words
anticipate and plan contingency to deal with variation.)
Traditionally, in the main, any evaluation or other assessment has been left to the
trainers "because that is their job..." My (Rae's) contention is that a 'Training Evaluation
Quintet' should exist, each member of the Quintet having roles and responsibilities in the
process (see 'Assessing the Value of Your Training', Leslie Rae, Gower, 2002).
Considerable lip service appears to be paid to this, but the actual practice tends to be a
lot less. The 'Training Evaluation Quintet' advocated consists of: senior management, the
trainer, line management, the training manager and the trainee. Each has their own
responsibilities, which are detailed next, Awareness of the need and value of training to
the organization. The necessity of involving the Training Manager (or equivalent) in
senior management meetings where decisions are made about future changes when
training will be essential. Knowledge
of and support of training plans. Besides, active participation in events and requirement
for evaluation to be performed and require regular
13
summary report. Lastly, policy and strategic decisions based on results and ROI data.
Provision of any necessary pre-programme work etc and programmer planning. In
addition, identification at the start of the programme of the knowledge and skills level of
the trainees/learners. Then, Provision of training and learning resources to enable the
learners to learn within the objectives of the programme and the learners' own
objectives. Monitoring the learning as the programme progresses. At the end of the
programme, assessment of and receipt of reports from the learners of the learning levels

achieved. Then, ensuring the production by the learners of an action plan to reinforce,
practise and implement learning.

Work-needs and people identification. Involvement in training programmer and

evaluation development. Support of pre-event preparation and holding briefing meetings
with the learner. Giving ongoing, and practical, support to the training programme.
Holding a debriefing meeting with the learner on their return to work to discuss, agree or
help to modify and agree action for their action plan. Reviewing the progress of learning
implementation. Final review of implementation success and assessment, where
possible, of the ROI.

Management of the training department and agreeing the training needs and the
programme application Maintenance of interest and support in the planning and
implementation of the programmers, including a practical involvement where required.
The introduction and
maintenance of evaluation systems, and production of regular reports for senior
management.

Frequent, relevant contact with senior management Liaison with the learners' line
managers

14

and arrangement of learning implementation responsibility learning programmers for the

managers. Liaison with line managers, where necessary, in the assessment of the training
ROI.

Involvement in the planning and design of the training programmer where possible.
Involvement in the planning and design of the evaluation process where possible.
Obviously, to take interest and an active part in the training programmer or activity. To
complete a personal action plan during and at the end of the training for implementation
on return to work, and to put this into practice, with support from the line manager.Take
interest and support the evaluation processes. N.B. Although the principal role of the
trainee in the programme is to learn, the learner must be involved in the evaluation
process. This is essential, since without their comments much of the evaluation could not
occur. Neither would the new knowledge and skills be implemented. For trainees to
neglect either responsibility the business wastes its investment in training. Trainees will
assist more readily if the process avoids the look and feel of a paper-chase or number
crunching exercise. Instead, make sure trainees understand the importance of their input
exactly what and why they are being asked to do. As suggested earlier what you are able
to do, rather than what you would like to do or what should be done, will depend on the
various resources and culture support available. The following summarizes a spectrum
of possibilities within these dependencies.

15

4.0 Introduction To Microsoft Microsoft19751981:

Microsoft boots up

Getting started: Microsoft co-founders Paul Allen (left) and Bill Gates
Its the 1970s. At work, we rely on typewriters. If we need to copy a document, we likely
use a mimeograph or carbon paper. Few have heard of microcomputers, but two young
computer enthusiasts, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, see that personal computing is a path to
the future.
In 1975, Gates and Allen form a partnership called Microsoft. Like most start-ups,
Microsoft begins small, but has a huge visiona computer on every desktop and in
every home. During the next years, Microsoft begins to change the ways we work.
19821985: Introducing Windows 1.0, 19871992: Windows 2.0 2.11More
windows, more speed

16

2.11More windows,
more speed

19901994: Windows 3.0Windows NTGetting the graphics

19952001: Windows 95 and 98, Windows 2000 Professional

the PC comes of age (and don't forget the Internet)

17

Ship it: Windows XP, Window vista, Windows Vista Ultimate

Many laptops no longer have a slot for DVDs and some have solid state drives rather than
conventional hard disks. Most everything is streamed, saved on flash drives, or saved in the
"Cloud"an online space for sharing files and storage. Windows Livefree programs and
services for photos, movies, instant messaging, e-mail, and social networkingis seamlessly
integrated with Windows so that you can keep in touch from your PC, phone, or the web,
extending Windows to the Cloud.
Meanwhile, work is underway for the next version of Windows.

4.1 Employee Hiring Strategy For Microsoft

Hiring a new employee is hard enough. But hiring a new manager can be harder and a lot more
complicated and much easier to bungle.
If you're a company president or CEO, you probably know this challenge all too well. In many
ways, a management position is a little bit of both ends of the employment spectrum by no

18

means a salaried "worker," but not an autonomous leader either (after all, he or she has to
answer to you).That makes any addition to your management team a responsibility with serious
import. Here are six strategies that can help you make the right choice more often.
Always evaluate the talent you have inside the company first. One of the most critical
elements in hiring a solid manager is finding someone who buys into what you do. Both the
function of the company itself as well as the philosophy that drives it. And oftentimes the best
place to find those attributes is within your existing employee roster. Promoting someone from
within negates the need to indoctrinate an outsider into what your company is all about. "A
careful study of companies who depend on finding and acquiring managers from the outside
reminds me of baseball teams like the New York Yankees," says Dr. Manny Steil, head of the St.
Paul, Minn.-based International Listening Leadership Institute. "They overspend on supposed
superstars and never develop a great farm system." All this said, the best candidate still may be
outside your company and your industry.

Have a manager identification process already in place. A company that tries to hire anyone
using haphazard methodology first employing one set of criteria, then another is bound to
have problems finding good fits, no matter where the applicant pool comes from. Think about
what you want in new hires, in terms of skill set, experience, level of education and other
credentials, long before the need comes up. From there, develop careful, flexible parameters and
goals so that hiring over time is consistent and complementary. "The most important
accomplishment is to identify the management and leadership demands of the future,

19

and create crystal clear and in-depth templates of every existing and future management and
leadership role and position," Steil says. "It's critical to establish comprehensive data on the
forces that drive every existing employee and potential future manager."

Firstly, look for supporting strengths, not a clone. Every new addition to a management
team should strengthen and broaden your company's capabilities. But, in looking for someone
who may prove a solid fit, don't make the mistake of hiring someone who's just like you (or, for
that matter, too similar to anyone else in your management network). Identical thinking and
leadership styles may argue for similarity but, over time, they do little to drive creative solutions
or a fresh approach to problem solving attributes that come from someone who tackles things
differently. "Leaders should want someone who is unlike them and has strengths that they don't
have," says Shawn Doyle, author of The Managers Pocket Guide to Motivating Employees. "A
new manager can bring fresh perspectives to your organization. It's called diversity and it
works."

Besides, seek out someone eager to interact. Many of us have had the experience of
working with someone whose skills, at least on paper, were formidable. But sharing those
talents and other strengths with colleagues and co-workers was akin to luring a scared rabbit out
of its hole. In seeking out suitable management talent, don't just focus on what a candidate can
do have him or her explain how they've been able to imbue others with all that they can bring to
a company. "Look for team members who are anxious to interact with employees across an
organization and who are willing and able to communicate," says Dr. Albert Vicere, Executive
20

Education Professor of Strategic Leadership at Penn State University's Smeal College of

Business.

In addition, think of the message you're sending with each hire. Every decision a company
makes carries an implicit message be it about its values, its working philosophy or how it feels
about the people it employs. Frame your management hire with the message in mind. For
instance, if you promote from within, you're projecting a commitment to internal growth. By the
same token, hiring an outsider with a background of inclusion and teamwork naturally sends
that message as well both to those within the company as well as any outsider with whom you
may work. "They [new hires] should be a model of what you want your organization to look
like," Doyle says. "When you hire a person who is different and brings new skill sets to the
table, you are sending a message that these skills are now more important."

Lastly, disqualify and then hire! In the movie The Paper Chase, a law professor urges first
year students to look to their right and left. By year three, he cautions, two out of the three
students will be gone. It may seem rather mercenary, but that kind of aggressive attitude is
critical to finding the right manager. So, don't just interview and look to rule someone out and
see how long what they have to offer keeps them in the running. "Your goal should be to try to
eliminate them as a candidate by finding their flaws," Doyle says. "If you can't, you've got a
heck of a candidate. Hire them as soon as possible." But be smart and shrewd in your
assessments.. A person you rule out because of a minor flaw or two may go to work for the
competition, and have a major incentive to prove you wrong.
21

4.2 Employee Development Strategy of Microsoft

There are a few of strategies that show skill of development of employee in a company. Firstly,
introduce a Rapid Release Schedule. Im not sure why Microsoft adopted a 2-year browser
release schedule but its far too slow. Today, IE9 supports fewer HTML5 technologies than
Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Opera. How bad will it look in 2013? Personally, I dont mind IE9
missing a few HTML5 features now if I know theyre coming in a few months. Put it this way:
Microsoft can produce a new OS and Office suite every 3 years, so why should their browser
take almost as long? Google can release a new version of Chrome every 6 minutes (or
thereabouts); Microsoft certainly has the resources to keep IE up to date.

Next is Implement Automatic Updates. From this point forward, Microsoft should automate
browser updates. IE6, 7 and 8 will remain a headache for years to come but there are few
reasons why that fate should befall IE9.I understand Governments and large businesses like to
assess software before distributing it to all users. However, Im sure theyd prefer incremental
improvements every few months rather than a major overhaul every couple of years which
breaks their applications. Besides, Give IE a Beautiful Interface. Historically, Microsoft has
worked hard to prettify its applications. They may not have been the best, but they were the
most attractive. So why is IE9 uglier than any of its rival browsers? The Developer Tools are
particularly shocking
Then, improve the developer tools. Many years ago, Microsoft realized that Windows would fail
if developers didnt create applications for the fledgling OS. Good-quality programming tools

22

were at the heart of everything the company did. So why are IEs Developer Tools so poor?
IE9 Developer Tools evolved from the Developer Toolbar introduced for IE6/7 around 5 years
ago. That was produced within a matter of weeks in response to the ongoing success of Firebug.
It was obviously a rushed project with a UI designed by a programmer, yet IE9s Developer
Tools have barely changed. Its ugly and clunky compared to Firebug, webkit Inspector and
Opera Dragonfly. In addition, implement a better Add-ons System. Web developers understand
web technologies yet IE add-on creators need to be Windows desktop programmers with a copy
of Visual Studio. The only people creating IE extensions are large corporations and malware
distributors. It neednt be that way. Chrome offers a simple bookmarklet-like add-ons system
and Opera is calling for a browser extension standard. Microsoft could be instrumental in
creating an industry-wide system which attracts third-party developers to the IE platform.

Furthermore, do something for XP Users. Microsoft had chosen to ignore my pleas for a version
of IE9 on XP. Im not surprised, but they could do something about the 50% of Windows users
who arent able to install their latest browser. Release IE8.1. Distribute Opera. Give out free
Vista CDs. Well be waiting a long time for XP to die.(This is a longer shot, but developers
lives would be far easier if IE was also available on Mac OS and Linux.)Then, cut the Legacy
Crap. IE9 tries to hide its roots but IE7 and 8 are lurking beneath the surface. Its time to
abandon their legacy and move forward. Specifically, lets see an end to the old toolbars and the
confusing Internet Options dialog. Id also like to see an end to Compatibility View. Developers
who target IE7 deserve to have their sites break in a modern browser! Lastly, remember That
Speed Isnt Everything. IE9 is blisteringly fast. But is that enough to stem the flow of users to
23

rival browsers? I doubt it. At the time of writing, Im using Firefox 3.6 widely regarded as
the slowest mainstream browser. The start-up speed may be irritating, but Im happy to swap
those lost seconds for the increased functionality Firefox offers. Simple features such as session
restore and better tab handling make all the difference. Speed helps, but its not a substitute for
features.
In short, stop the Browser BS. I like IE9. I have a lot of respect for Microsoft. But why do they
create misguided pages like Compare browsers to Internet Explorer 9? Any vendor can cherrypick features and give their browser nice big ticks. Unfortunately, this page gives the impression
Microsoft struggled to produce a decent list. By the bottom, I was half expecting to see written
by Microsoft, has a blue e icon and features the word Internet in its name. Bring Back
Innovation. The IE team are continually playing catch-up with other vendors. That wasnt the
case 10 years ago: Microsoft introduced browser add-ons, the DOM, XMLHttpRequest (Ajax),
XML tools, font embedding, and many CSS features which are only just becoming a W3C
standard. Sure, there were some dubious technologies but IE led the way.

4.3 Employee Retentive Strategy of Microsoft

Employee retention, especially of your best, most desirable employees, is a key challenge in
organizations today. Use these tips, articles, tools and ideas to learn employee retention
strategies that will help you retain your best staff. Learn loyalty strategies for employee
retention. There are some retention way used by Microsoft. Firstly, don't rely on salary alone
Despite the rise in salaries, companies that are getting the most talented IT professionals attract

24

and retain top talent who are flexible and technology-savvy without significantly raising
salaries.
According to a study by Accenture, which interviewed some 500 senior executives,
organizations attract and retain talented IT professionals by offering a comprehensive range of
opportunities to further their career and develop the skills necessary to do so.

Then, create incentives. Organizations can improve retention rates and employee performance
by making it easier for their people to find new opportunities within an organization. According
to the Accenture study, organizations can also develop the skills and knowledge of all talent,
regardless of their position in the company. Some of these strategies include involving
employees in company decision-making processes, a practice used by 60 percent of executives
surveyed. Other organizations empower employees by giving them the opportunity to work on
diverse, limited-term assignments, rather than in one department or function. Some
organizations develop a talent exchange. This connects employees and other resources with
appropriate projects, roles, and positions across the company. Real-time goal setting,
performance measurement, and skills-development programs ensure that people always know
how well they're doing their job. They can then address performance issues and skills gaps
before these become a problem.

Besides, successful firms also recommend embracing a wide range of emerging information
technologies including personalized employee Web portals, business simulation, and relearning
to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their training and development efforts. Next,
manage employee progress. To create successful incentive programs, it's important to manage

25
each employee's progress. This is most easily done with an automated human resources (HR)
management system. HR management solutions can help companies fulfill the potential and
increase the loyalty of their workforce while minimizing the cost and complexity of
administrating salaries, benefits, recruiting, and performance management.

In addition, company decision-makers must be able to assess and drive their people's
performance to ensure that they align with business goals. Human resource management tools
can show which employees are doing which jobs and the percentage of employees in each
position, define opportunities for improvement and growth, and organize the teams and business
groups that have the highest potential for success. Automated HR management systems also
give each employee control of their personal information and career path. Your people can
easily access contact records, time-off tracking, performance review files, individual payroll
data, benefits updates, and other information that matters to them. At the same time, in taking
care of many basic needs and functions without assistance, employees help streamline HR
administration.

Besides, there's another benefit to automating HR management. Automation and the smart use
of software tools can greatly simplify administrative tasks and help control costs. The software
can streamline payroll processing, improve the efficiency and fairness of recruiting, hiring, and
performance reviews, help ensure full compliance with government regulations and industry
standards, and facilitate consistent, productive access to information and collaboration.

26
"Clients want work done faster and cheaper," says David Hofferberth, managing director of
Service Performance Insight, a Cincinnati-based research firm covering technologies that impact
the services sector. "The fact is, you have to have the resources available to do the work faster."

And then, consult magazine custom media. Consulting Magazine Custom Media is a division of
Consulting Magazine, the flagship publication of the consulting profession. The magazine
features the latest information on consulting careers, thought leadership, and corporate
strategies. It also serves the consulting profession through its individually delivered online
edition, Consulting Magazine Online. The magazine is published by Kennedy Information, the
authority in the consulting space since 1970, publishing newsletters, in-depth research reports,
directories, and books. Consulting Magazine also organizes Kennedy Information's annual
Consulting Summit, the largest annual gathering of consulting leadership in North America.

4.4Employee Lay Offs of Microsoft

If you are in the unfortunate position of having to lay off workers, it is important to determine
the criteria for employee layoffs carefully to avoid making mistakes. The best way to decide on
criteria for employee layoffs varies from company to company, based on factors such as number
of employees, projects being worked on, pay scale, employee overlap and more.
Read the steps below to help your company come up with fair and justified criteria for employee
layoffs.

27
Firstly, consider the legal implications of laying off an employee - Some employees might have
legal reasons why they cannot be laid off or need extra warning or benefits in doing so. These
employees could include pregnant females, minorities, disabled, etc. Speak to a lawyer to
determine if any restrictions apply to your company. Besides, consider the employee's general
attitude - Most companies would agree that one of the most important criteria for employee
layoffs is the employee's attitude. This includes the employee's work ethics, moral, flexibility,
team playing skills, job motivation, etc. An employee who is generally difficult to work with is
often the first to go. Not only is this employee not productive, but productivity of fellow
workers also slides when he is around.

Next, consider the employee's usefulness. Unfortunately, some employees are more useful than
others. This could be because of job function (some functions are just less useful in the
company) or because of the worker's personality. Some workers are more willing to take on
additional tasks beyond their bare minimal job descriptions - these employees will be especially
useful after other workers are laid off. Consider the employee's skills. Does this employee have
skills that are unique or does this employee have skills that are duplicated by many other staff
members.

In addition, consider the future of the company. Which projects is the company focusing on now
and in the future? Is the employee that you are considering laying off a main player in one of the
future projects or is he mainly involved in a project that is dying out? You may want to transfer
important employees from one project to another, but this consideration is still part of the

28
criteria for employee lay off. Then, consider the employee's pay in comparison to his/her
usefulness. Is the employee being overpaid relative to their amount of contribution? Some
employees are very talented and worth a lot of money, but they are not used to their full
potential and are therefore not worth their high pay. Other employees may be receiving a very
high pay but are a key employee in the company and are therefore worthwhile to keep on.

Lastly, consider when the employee was hire. Newly hired workers are often the first to let go
when company layoffs are performed because they have contributed the least to the company
and will be missed the least. However, criteria for company layoffs should focus not just on
newly hired workers, but on how long all workers have been at the company. Ethically, some
companies might want to keep on employees who have been at the company many years
because of the employees' contribution in the early days and a feeling that laying them off
would be a lack of gratitude. Although year at the job is not the only criteria, this combined with
other criteria is important to consider. Consider trade secrets an employee might have. Some
employees are valuable because they hold knowledge about your company or corporation. Some
are valuable because they have a unique skill that cannot be easily replaced.

29

5.0 Advantage of Promoting Employees From Within The

Organization Rather Than Employing Outside Persons

When it comes to adding staff and recruiting new employees for an organization, the essential
question may boil down to the same basic decision point: should you hire externally or promote
from within? There are a number of benefits that your company may realize by hiring new
individuals from the outside.

Firstly, find proven talent. Hiring externally is an excellent way to get proven talent for your
organization, according to Dr. John Sullivan on the ere.net website. Rather than going through
the lengthy and expensive hiring process only to find that the person you have promoted is not
capable of doing the job, you will be able to hire someone who has been performing in the
position and may have a proven track record with another company.
Secondly, brain drains. Create a "brain drain" for your competition by hiring their talent. If you
are able to hire someone who has experience and skills that will make them a success at your
company, then you may be taking them away from a competitor. You also will be gaining the
knowledge that this employee has of another company in your field.

External recruiting allows you to create an influx of new ideas into the company, according to
the Gaebler site. Those who have been working in your organization for a long period of time
may become familiar with expected methods of doing work and may not be able to identify
30

improvements. An outsider can review work processes with a fresh perspective and have
innovative suggestions for change. A Wider Applicant Pool also carry the advantage to a
company. If you opt to hire from outside the company, you also will have a wider pool of
qualified applicants, states the Gaebler site. You may be able to hire someone with more
knowledge, talent or experience if you have a larger selection of applicants to choose from.
Candidates who are better qualified and who have experience more tailored to the job may
apply. Then you will not be restricted to choosing from among your existing talent pool, and,
subsequently, endure a training period.

Besides, preserves organizational harmony. If you promote someone from within the
organization, that person may become the boss of previous co-workers. This has the potential to
create feelings of resentment with employees who are now subordinates. The new internal
manager may be unable or unwilling to provide appropriate direction or to fire those who were
once co-workers as a result of their prior working relationship. By bringing in someone new,
you avoid the problems associated with existing employees becoming resentful or judging the
candidate based on his past role in the organization.

31

6.0 Conclusion
The department and HR have to change in many ways. The rate of change is likely to
increase quickly and public and political expectations of service levels will continue
to rise. We need to be able to continue to attract talented people who will be
committed, involved in their work, will achieve high levels of performance and deliver excellent
value for money. This strategy examines the issues that are central for HR to continue to support
the departments success and set a new direction. The Governments modernization and reform
document Fit for Purpose encourages the NICS to improve its systems, skills and abilities to
provide relevant and appropriate public services.

The three main themes of the reform agenda are shown in the strategic aims in
this HR strategy. Good leadership is essential for effective change, and this is one of the main
themes of this strategy. We are committed to improving our leadership at all levels, and to
becoming an organization where leaders lead by personal example and inspire others. We need
to involve staff to change and improve our business and service delivery. We have high-quality,
professional and motivated staff who are committed to achieving business targets despite facing
significant change.

Our success will come from the way our people can anticipate, adapt and respond to change. We
know that employees who are fully involved with the organization are more motivated, more
productive and deliver greater benefits. When we put this strategy in place we will involve all
our staff and communicate well with them. Through the senior management forum and various
32

organizational development events, staff will have the opportunity to be involved in decision
making and to express their opinions knowing management will listen to them and value their
contributions. We will respond confidently to the challenges of the Fit for Purpose reform
agenda, and we look forward to working in partnership with all our people and our
stakeholders to allow us to deliver our business objectives effectively.
Like our previous HR strategy, we will review this strategy every year to make
sure it is still relevant and to show its progress.

33

7.0 Reference

http://www.coursework.info/GCSE/Business_Studies/People_in_Business/The_Importance_of_
Human_Resource_Plannin_L21844.html
http://www.coursework.info/AS_and_A_Level/Business_Studies/People___Operations_Manag
http://www.essaytown.com/paper/organizational-environmental-factors-affecting-humanresource-management-introduction-7018
http://www.scribd.com/doc/49391335/Human-Resources-Planning-and-Management-Paper
Holiday Addison IlHilton.com/Addison
Book Addison Hilton Hotels Direct at Hilton.com. Best Rate Guarantee.
http://www.slideshare.net/ankushgakhar/human-resource-planning-concept-and-need-factorsaffecting-hrp-hrp-process-l-3-presentation
http://hrmba.blogspot.com/2009/11/training-and-development-notes.html
http://www.businessballs.com/trainingprogramevaluation.htm#workplace_training_evaluation
http://www.sitepoint.com/10-ways-microsoft-could-make-us-loveie/http://www.microsoft.com/dynamics/en/gulf/industries/proservices-employee-retention.aspx

34

8.0 Coursework
1 Role of HR in providing strategic competitive advantage
Thus far we have presented the strategic management process as including a step-by-step
procedure by which HRM issues are raised prior to deciding on a strategy and then HRM
practices are developed to implement that strategy. However, we must note that human resource
can provide a strategic competitive advantage in two additional ways: through emergent
strategic and through enhancing competitiveness.
Emergent Strategies
Having discussed the process of strategic management, we also must distinguish between
intended strategies and emergent strategies. Most people think of strategies as being proactive,
rational decisions aimed toward some predetermined goal. The view of the strategy we have
presented thus far in the chapter focuses on intended strategies. Intended strategies are the result
of the rational decision-making process used by top managers as they develop a strategic plan.
This is consistent with the definition of the strategy as the pattern or plan that integrates an
organizations major goals, policies, and action sequences into a cohesive whole. The idea of
emergent strategies is evidenced by the feedback loop in Figure 2.2.
Most strategies that companies espouse are intended strategies. For example, when Howard
Schultz founded Starbucks, he had the idea of creating a third place (between work and home)
where people could enjoy traditional Italian-style coffee. He knew that the smell of the coffee
and deeper, darker, stronger taste would attract a new set of customers to enjoy coffee the way
35

he thought it should be enjoyed. This worked, but as Starbucks drew, customers began asking if
they could have nonfat milk in their lattes, or if they could get flavor shots in their coffees.
Schultz swore that such things would essentially pollute the coffee and refused to offer them.
Finally, after repeated requests from his store managers who kept hearing customers demanding
such things, Schultz finally relented.
Emergent strategies, on the other hand, consist of the strategies that evolve from the
grassroots of the organization and can be thought of as what organizations actually do, as
opposed to what they intend to do. Strategy can also be thought of as a pattern in a stream of
decisions or action. For example, when Honda Motor Company first entered the U.S. market
with its 250-cc and 3.50-cc motorcycles in 1959, it believed that no market existed for its
smaller 50-cc bike. However, the sales on the larger motorcycles were sluggish, and Japanese
executives running errands around L Angeles on Honda 50s attracted a lot of attention,
including that of a buyer with Sears, Roebuck. Honda found a previously undiscovered market
as well as a new distribution outlet (general retailers) that it had not planned on. This emergent
strategy gave Honda a 50 percent market share by 1964.
The distinction between intended and emergent strategies has important implications for
human resource management. The new focus on strategic FIRM has tended to focus primarily
on intended strategies. Thus HRMs role has been seen as identifying for top management the
people-related business issues relevant to strategy formulation and then developing HRM
systems that aid in the implementation of the strategic plan.

36

However, most emergent strategies are identified by those lower in the organizational hierarchy.
It is often the rank-and-file employees who provide ideas for new markets, new products, and
new strategies. HRM plays an important role in facilitating communication throughout the
organization, and it is this communication that allows for effective emergent strategies to make
their way up to top management. For example, Starbucks Frappucino was a drink invented by
one of the store employees in California: Starbucks leader (including Schultz ) thought it was a
terrible idea. They fought it in a number of meetings, but the employee kept getting more and
more information supporting her case for how much customers seemed to like it. The leaders
finally gave the go-ahead to begin producing it, and it has become a $ 1 billion a year product,
and one that has contributed to the Starbuck.
Enhancing Firm Competitiveness
A related way in which human resources can be source of competitive advantage is through
developing a human capital pool that gives company the unique ability to adapt to an every
changing environment. Recently managers have become interested in the idea of a learning
organization, in which people continually expand their capacity to achieve the result they
desire. This requires the company to be in a constant state of learning through monitoring the
environment, assimilating information, making decisions, and flexibly restructuring to compete
in that environment. Companies that develop such learning capability have a competitive
advantage. Although certain organizational information-processing systems can be an aid,
ultimately the people (human capital) who make up the company provide the raw materials in a
learning organization.
37

Thus, the role of human resource in competitive advantage should continue to increase
because of the fast-paced change characterizing todays business environment. It is becoming
increasingly clear that even as U.S. automakers have improved the quality of their cars to
compete with the Japanese, these competitors have developed such flexible and adaptable
manufacturing systems that they can respond to customer needs more quickly. This flexibility of
the manufacturing process allows the emergent strategy to come directly from the marketplace
by determining and responding to the extract mix of customer desires. It requires, however, that
the company have people in place who have the skills to similarly adapt quickly. AS Howard
Schultz, the founder and chairman of Starbucks, says, If people relate to the company they
work for, if they form an emotional tie to it and buy into its dreams, they will pour their heart
into making I n better. When employees have self-esteem and self-respect they can contribute so
much more: to their company, to their family, to the world. This statement exemplifies the
increasing importance of human resource in developing and maintaining competitive advantage.

2 Job Analysis Information

Nature of Information
Two type of information are3 most useful in job analysis; job descriptions and job
specifications. A job description is a list of the tasks, duties, and responsibilities (TDRs) that a
job entails. TDRs are observable actions. For example, a clerical job requires the jobholder to
type. If you were to observe someone in that position for a day, you would certainly see some
tying. When a
38

manager attempts to evaluate job performance, it is most important to have detailed information
about the work performed in the job (that is, the TDRs). This makes it possible to determine
how well an individual is meeting each job requirement. Table 4.1 shows a sample job
description.
A job specification is list of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs)
that an individual must have top perform the job. Knowledge refers to factual or procedural
information that is necessary for successfully performing a task. A skill is an individuals level
of proficiency at performing a particular task. Ability refers to a more general enduring
capability that an individual possesses. Finally, other characteristics might be personality traits
such as ones achievement motivation or persistence. Thus KSAOs are characteristics about
people that are not directly observable; they are observable only when individuals are carrying
out the TDRs of the job. If someone applied for the clerical job discussed, you could not simply
look at the individual to determine whether he or she possessed typing skills. However, if you
were to observe that individual typing something, you could assess the level of typing skill.
When a manger is attempting it fill a position, it is important to have accurate information about
the characteristics a successful jobholder must have. This requires focusing on the SAOs of each
applicant.

39

A Sample Job Description

Job Title: Maintenance Mechanic
General Description of Job: General: maintenance and repair of all equipment used in
the operations of a particular district. Includes the servicing of company vehicles, shop
equipment, and machinery used on job sites.
1. Essential Duty (40%). Maintenance of Equipment
Tasks: keep a log of all maintenance performed on equipment. Replace parts and fluids
according to maintenance schedule. Regularly cheek gauges and loads for deviances that
may indicate problems with equipment. Perform no routine maintenance as required.
May involve limited supervision and training of operators performing maintenance.
2. essential Duty (40%repair of Equipments)
Tasks: Requires inspection of equipment and a recommendation that a piece be scrapped
or repaired. If equipment is to be repaired, mechanic will take whatever steps are
necessary to return the piece to working order. This may include a partial. Or total.
Rebuilding of the piece using various hand tools and: equipment. Will primarily involve.
The overhaul and troubleshooting of diesel engines and hydraulic equipment.
4. Essential Duty (10%): Maintain Stock
Task: Maintain Inventory of parts needed for the maintenance and repair of. Equipment.
Responsible fororderirsg satisfactory parts arid. Supplies at the lowest possible. Cost.
Nonessential Function
Other duties as assigned
40

Source of Job Analysis Information

In performing the job analysis, one question that often arises is who should make up the group
of incumbents that are responsible for providing the job analysis information? Whatever job
analysis method you choose, the process of job analysis entails obtaining information from
people familiar with the job. We refer to these people as subject-matter experts because they are
experts in their knowledge of the job.
In general, it will be useful to go to the job incumbent to get the most accurate information
about what is actually done on the job. This is especially then case when it is difficult to monitor
the person who does the job. However, particularly when the job analysis will be used for
compensation purposes, incumbents might have an incentive to exaggerate their duties. Thus,
you will also want to ask other familiar with the job, such as supervisors, to look over the
information generated by the job incumbent. This serves as a check to determine whether what
is being done is congruent with what is a supposed to done in job. One conclusion that can be
drawn from this research is that incumbents may provide the most accurate estimates of the
actual time spent performing job tasks. However, supervisors may be a more accurate source of
information about the importance of job duties. Incumbents also seem more accurate in terms of
assessing safety-related risk factors associated with various aspects of work, and in general the
further one moves up the organizational hierarchy, the less accurate the risk assessments.
Although job incumbents and supervisors are the most obvious and frequently used sources of
41

job analysis information, other source, such as customers, can be helpful, particularly for service
jobs. Finally, when it comes to analyzing skill levels, external job analysis that have more
experience rating a wide range of jobs may be the best source.

42