Writing Assignment 1
Ashley King
Dr. Barrett
HRM 500 Management Foundations
July 22, 2012

Introduction Working for any organization can be hard, but working for one of America’s favorite candy manufactures with such as long history such as Hershey can be challenging. According to ycharts.com as of 2010 The Hershey Company (HSY) is worth $5.67 billion. With a history that goes back to the late 1800’s it is safe to say that Hershey is doing something right. In the case titled Hershey’s Sweet Mission states that “the company defines its mission in terms of its relationship with all stakeholders.” They go on to list the important groups that help make up the success of their organization and more importantly the case focuses on the employees (Noe & Hollenbeck, 2011 p55).” “Aligned employees should share values (Noe & Hollenbeck, 2011 p55),” the employee’s of any company should want the same things and a good outcome, not only for themselves but for the company as well.
Redesign of Performance Management In the case states “We are growing together by sharing knowledge and unwrapping human potential in an environment of mutual respect(Noe & Hollenbeck, 2011 p55).” This statement can be interpreted in different ways. This statement implies that they are growing and learning together, and it also implies how Hershey treats its employee’s in the process. This theory is something that doesn’t really need any revamping or redesigning. The statement implies that the company wants to grow and learn together. When learning something knew or changing polices it can be difficult for more seasoned employees. They may not see the need in this new policy or might be thankful for the change because it may make it easier on them or the change that may have needed to happen. Either way the case states that the company is going to integrate these changes in ways where everyone will be on the same page. New and older employees will be expected to attend any training that might enhance performance, and be expected to retain any vital and key information that pertains to their job and be able to expand that knowledge. It also seems to say that even though performances may be changed or someone new might be brought into the mix, the employee is still valuable and their experience is still needed and desired. Seasoned veterans will still be treated with respect because of the knowledge that they have on policies and procedures, but at the same time they will be evaluated the same as the others who are learning this new information as well. This tactic is only fair to all sides and it will help HR evaluate employees accurately and appropriately. Also to use that data to actively assess the effectiveness of the trainings as well as new policies and the success of the new implementation and measure it to previous success.
Value of Role in Company As stated before The Hershey Company is going to make each employee feel respected and needed and that no role is as important as the next. The role that would be played by any employee whether it is entry level or senior level would be treated with same importance. One thing that would impact the is the program that they describes as a program that pairs up the new and the old. The case describes what most people are doing such as co op’s and internships. This partnership is paring up of the up and coming generations which the case describes as the millennia’s. This group is a product of the late 80’s early 90’s. This age group grew up in a time where technology was on the rise and that is what they grew up learning. They grew up learning the importance of computers and being advanced in that subject because by the time they were adults everything would be done and stored on computers and other devices. The partner in this duo would be the baby boomer generation which is the product of the late 40’s to the mid 60’s. This generation may have children that maybe in that millennial age group or maybe a little bit older. Either way this generation is not as technicality advanced as the other. The can stand to learn a lot from one another. The up and coming employee wants to be in the position that the elder employee is in. They can stand to learn a lot from them and vice versa. The up and coming can teach the baby boomer more technical things, there maybe things that they don’t know. This can also be used for both of the parties involved. With both of the standing to learn something from the other the potential for growth, and the permanent position for the up and coming employee.
Impacting Trends The Psychological Contract which the text says it is “what the employee expects to contribute to the employment relationship, and then what the employer will provide the employee in exchange for their contribution(Noe & Hollenbeck, 2011 p49).” This will help Hershey keep that alignment that they talked about in the case. The text goes on to state that this may not be spoken into words but in to actions. This is something that has been put in place for years that text states but over the years has become more competitive for good reasons. With the economy being in the state that it is in the state that it is in and jobs being so hard to find a job the contract may help evaluate the progress of employees and their ability to fulfill their role. This would open up jobs for those who are qualified and give others the opportunity to service this organization and the other to find work doing something where they will be more fulfilled and maybe perform better on the job.
Effects of Mentoring
As stated before the effects on mentoring could have a huge impact on the company. The fact that the company is paring newer and older generations for the common good of the company is a good idea. The fact that they both can stand to learn from each other and both progress to another level, whether it is technically or advance in a area of that they were not as familiar with as before. The Hershey Company has made it clear that they want their employee’s to feel respected and valuable.

References http://ycharts.com/companies/HSY/net_ppe Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2011). Fundamentals of human resource management (4thed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.