...Human Resources Management OMM 618 Human Resource Challenges November 27, 2009 Human Resource Challenge Human Resource Departments play a very important role in the success of a business. They are the ones who help keep employees in line, help companies establish and maintain company standards and polices and assist with recruiting and bringing in top quality employees. One of the toughest roles that involve human resource departments is laying off employees in this struggling economy. With the many problems people and businesses are facing in the current struggling economy having to lay off employees is not a fun detail in the job description for human resource departments. Many HR departments today have had to completely change their usual focus. On top of dealing with employee issues, company policies and training they are now having to deal with layoffs and some companies large masses of layoffs. When determining the layoffs, HR departments need to make sure the flow of productivity is not interrupted. An article titled, HR Challenges in 2009 mentions, “Rather than conducting blanket downsizing, human resources management strategies must preserve essential functions and high-performing employees. Downsizing must be blended with employee retention plans.” (par.6) HR departments need to think about the business now but they must also take into consideration what is going to happen once the business is back...
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...Discuss the HR challenges faced by a Kenyan multinational in East Africa. Corporate Culture Corporate culture refers to the values and behaviors that contribute to the unique social and psychological environment of an organization. Research has proven that culture influences organizational performance, whether performance is defined in terms of customer satisfaction, attendance, safety, stock price or productivity. Human resources plays an active role in the development of an organizational culture. Great workplaces with a great corporate culture are more financially successful than their peers. Great workplaces have lower employee turnover than their competitors and are able to recruit top talent that fits their culture and needs. The end result is that they provide top quality customer service and create innovative products and services that contribute to their overall financial success. There is a strong relationship between cultures and hiring that comes into play with employee sourcing, selection and retention. Cultural fit is the makeup of someone. It’s who they are and what they bring to the table. Generally it can’t be taught. If your corporate culture is not in synch with your candidate, it will be difficult to change them. Most people can pick up new skills with relative ease if you have the time to train them. Most companies pay relatively little attention to culture despite its importance. It has been proven that actively managing and developing culture through hiring...
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...Challenges of Human Resource Managers In a time of increasing globalization, economic rationalization, competitiveness, deregulation, technological revolution and changing workforce there is an increasing need for human resource management to be able to capitalize and gain on the challenges that this changing environment will bring. For a company to be able to successfully stay ahead of its competition, human resource management has to be seen as a significant contributor within the company. Human resource management will face many challenges and will operate in a constant environment of change. Two of the most important challenges to the role of human resource management in the future is the capacity to develop and utilize a new set of competencies to fulfill the changing roles and the ability to move to a strategic human resource. In this assignment I will outline how each of these areas have developed to become two of the most important changes for Human Resource Managers and why I believe they are critical to the success of an organization. Strategic Human Resource Management The literature on the changing role of human resource management stresses the requirement to move from an administrative support function, or the more traditional human resource operational management model, to a strategic and facilitative role. To sustain the transformation of the human resource functions to a Strategic Human Resource Management model; it will require human resource...
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...Challenges of Strategic Human Resource Management Name: Course: Tutor: Date: Abstract Human resource management has become very important in modern organizations and this is because the knowledge-based economy of today requires that employees contribute their ideas and be actively engaged in the execution of company strategy. Because of this, it has become a strategic partner through the identification of skills needed by employees and the consequent provision of employees with the structures and training required to deploy and develop those competencies. All human resource elements including selection and placement, job design and compensation thus have to be aligned with the strategies of the company so as to ensure that only the right employee is hired for the right job and consequently properly rewarded for their input and contributions to the furtherance of the company objectives. Strategic human resource management is therefore a key element in the overall strategic management of a company. This is however not been without challenges. This paper discusses the challenges experienced in the execution of a strategic approach to human resource management. Functions of the Human Resource Department Apart from ensuring compliance with the rules and regulations, human resource management has various elements including workforce recruitment and planning, induction, orientation of new employees, training, appraisal and administration (Dessler...
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...Human Resources Management Trends and Challenges The Human Resources (HR) Management role has changed dramatically over time. With globalization of business and advances in technology, the HR role has grown into a necessary function of all business today. According to Fundamentals of Human Resource Management the HR management is “The policies, practices, and systems that influence employees' behavior, attitudes, and performance.” (Gerhert, Hollenbeck, Noe, Wright, 2003, p. 3). This role is so important because of the financial impacts of polices, practices, and employee behavior. This paper will discuss some existing trends and challenges in today’s HR management role with emphasis on a complete performance management system compared to annual performance appraisals, managing turnover, safety and health management issues, and a discussion of future trends and challenges that may arise. The HR management role is broken into many different functions. The HR managers of today usually specialize or work in one or two of these many parts of the HR role: recruiting, hiring selection, training and development, performance guidelines and measurement, compensation, and employee relations (Gerhert, Hollenbeck, Noe, Wright, 2003, p.2). Each of these functions is impacted by the challenges of technology, globalization, and diversity. Each of these challenges present opportunities to improve performance monitoring, turnover management, and health or safety issues. Globalization has grown...
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...difficult challenges of international human resource management, such as cultural diversity and the problem of managing people in different cultures and environments, convergence and divergence and the variety of international organizational models that exist. This paper proves that human resource managers of global organizations can not afford to ignore challenges of international human resource management, in order to ensure company’s success. Moreover, this work focus on investigating the correlation between these problems, that also must be understood. During the past fifty years, technological advances in transportation and communications have spurred the pace of globalization. Many companies envolved from being purely domestic to becoming truly global. The first step in this evolution might be to export goods for sale in one or two foreign markets. The next step might be to manufacture those goods overseas because it is more efficient than shipping products thousands of miles to foreign markets. Setting up all those complex operations to enter a foreign market change the companies that eventually envolve into multinational enterprises. Although developing international business increase the requirement for understanding ways in which companies operate effectively on a global scale. In order to become successful in the global, competitive business world, firms must overcome certain challenges. Globalization influences the way companies manage their human resources, therefore...
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...Opportunities and Challenges of Human Resource Management *Susmita Das Abstract Today, the field of Human Resource Management (HR) is experiencing numerous pressures for change. Shifts in the economy, globalization, domestic diversity, and technology have created new demands for organizations, and propelled the field in some completely new directions. However, we believe that these challenges also create numerous opportunities for HR and organizations as a whole. Thus, the primary purposes of this article are to (a) examine some of the challenges and opportunities that should influence the future of HR, and (b) provide an overview of the very interesting articles included in the special issue. Also consider implications for future research and practice in the field. “It's been a long time coming. But I know a change is come.” Keywords:Future of human resource management, Globalization, Knowledge economy, Diversity, Technology ------------------------------------------------- 1. Change from a manufacturing to a service or knowledge economy ------------------------------------------------- One of the major challenges influencing the future of HR processes is the change from a manufacturing to a service or knowledge-based economy. This new economy is characterized by a decline in manufacturing and a growth in service or knowledge as the core of the economic base. A service economy can be defined as a system based on buying and selling of services or providing something for...
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...International human resource management (IHRM) is concerned with identifying and understanding how multinational organisations (MNC’s) manage their geographically dispersed workforce in order to sustain their competitive advantage. Literature shows that globalisation has brought about new challenges and increased complexity for human resource (HR) directors in managing organisational systems in areas of recruitment and selection and training and development (Kayworth and Leidner, 2000; Selmer, 2001; O’Leary, Cummings, 2002). Geographical dispersion has created trends correlated with several challenges IHR managers face when dealing with the global environment. These include issues associated with the Internet, time zones and employee isolation. Being in contact with different geographic locations leads IHR managers to do business with employees of different nationalities and cultures. The challenge for IHR managers is to avoid culture clashes and adequately prepare unit members, specifically expatriates, on adapting in a foreign environment (Tung, 1987; Selmer, 2001; Chauh, Hoffman, Jones and Williams, 2007). This essay will discuss these challenges in relation to IHR directors designing recruitment and selection processes and training and development programs. The essay will also describe briefly the challenges IHRM come across as a result of pressure to rationalise and differentiate their operations, and explain how these challenges prove IHRM to be more complicated than the...
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...Abstract The coming of the 21st century globalization poses distinctive Human Resources Management (HRM) challenges to businesses especially those operating across national boundaries as multinational or global enterprises. Global business is characterized by the free flow of human and financial resources especially in the developed economies of European Union (EU), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), other regional groupings such as the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Southern African Development Community, etc. (Schuler, R.S & Tarique, I. & Jackson, S.E, 2002). J.P. Morgan is a leader in wholesale financial services, offering intelligent solutions across one of the most comprehensive global product platforms available. JPM keep client objectives foremost important, fostering long-term relationships. This combination of product strength, intellectual capital and character sets the firm apart as an industry leader. I was working at JPM Israel last year and have a lot of knowledge from the inside. I was part of the Investment Banking at the Israeli JPM which is a representative branch that has been committed to serving clients and has key relationships with governments and top financial and corporate institutions. We offer the full spectrum of investment banking services to our clients, including M&A advisory, capital raising and risk management, as well...
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...THE CHALLENGES OF GLOBALIZATION AND THE ROLE OF HUMAN RESOURCES. Muhammad Aminu Bawa (1) Dr Juhary Ali (2) ABSTRACT The current financial crisis, which has engulfed East Asia since July 1997 and has subsequently spread to Russia and Brazil, is one of the most pressing challenges facing countries and businesses in today's global business environment. Globalization represents the structural making of the world characterized by the free flow of technology and human resources across national boundaries as well as the spread of Information Technology (IT) and mass media presenting an ever-changing and competitive business environment. Two major limitations are observed in the treatment of the twin issues of the responses to the East Asian economic crisis and the coverage of the literature on globalization. While the response to the crisis has focused on macroeconomic aspects, the issue of globalization has been addressed predominantly in and with respect to the developed economies of Western Europe, North America and Japan. This paper is an attempt to address these two limitations. Since the human factor is the key in the new era of globalization (Hassan, 1992; Sims & Sims, 1995), the primary objective of this paper is to present a conceptual framework for effective management of human resources as a response to the growing interaction of globalization and business performance. Three central arguments are made in this paper. (1) That a growing body of evidence converge...
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...challenges of hrm manager Human resources managers have three aspects of responsibility to the organizations that employ them. Unlike other departmental managers whose responsibilities focus on running their departments and respective teams of employees, HR managers are responsible for the HR department functions, supervising the HR staff and ensuring that the organization's entire workforce is cohesive, engaged and productive. Compliance Ever-expanding legal considerations, legislation and federal and state laws make compliance an important aspect of running an HR department and determining the extent to which certain laws apply to each workplace. One of the challenges that HR managers face includes staying abreast of the changes and ensuring that the department's strategy coincides with its legal obligations. For example, the Affordable Care Act contains health care reforms that have a serious impact on the way some employers will provide coverage for their employees. The act requires many employers to calculate and report the dollar value of health benefits for employees on their W-2s, according to Ted Lewkowicz, a lawyer who specializes in employee benefits and tax law. In an August 2012 column for HR Specialist, Lewkowicz reminds HR professionals that they're responsible for ensuring that their companies adapt to the changes that the ACA brings. Compliance-related issues require collaboration among HR leadership, compensation and benefits specialists and HRIS, or human...
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...and Management Containing Human Resource Costs During Economic Challenges In: Business and Management Containing Human Resource Costs During Economic Challenges Abstract Being able to remain or become globally competitive while facing challenges within today's economy is a challenge for all types of companies and organizations. When faced with struggling budgets outsourcing and or downsizing are often seen as the only possible solutions for businesses to stay afloat. Trying to maintain competitiveness while downsizing and or outsourcing brings about additional challenges for human resource management organizations. Containing Human Resource Costs During Economic Challenges The current economy brings challenges to every level of a corporation, including human resource management. Maintaining an effective budget is not always easy and becomes even more difficult with the strains of an economic crisis. While the elimination of unnecessary materials and or processes may help in curtailing costs and spending, it is not always an easy task; and an even more difficult task involves the elimination of actual jobs. As companies are faced with having to cut costs, eliminating jobs is sometimes an unfortunate solution. Human resources management is defined as the process of managing human talent to achieve an organization's objectives (Bohlander & Snell, 2010). Being able to effectively execute the process of human resources management relies on several factors...
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...competitive while facing challenges within today's economy is a challenge for all types of companies and organizations. When faced with struggling budgets outsourcing and or downsizing are often seen as the only possible solutions for businesses to stay afloat. Trying to maintain competitiveness while downsizing and or outsourcing brings about additional challenges for human resource management organizations. Containing Human Resource Costs During Economic Challenges The current economy brings challenges to every level of a corporation, including human resource management. Maintaining an effective budget is not always easy and becomes even more difficult with the strains of an economic crisis. While the elimination of unnecessary materials and or processes may help in curtailing costs and spending, it is not always an easy task; and an even more difficult task involves the elimination of actual jobs. As companies are faced with having to cut costs, eliminating jobs is sometimes an unfortunate solution. Human resources management is defined as the process of managing human talent to achieve an organization's objectives (Bohlander & Snell, 2010). Being able to effectively execute the process of human resources management relies on several factors. Being able to compete, recruit and staff globally; embrace new technology; manage change; manage talent; respond to the market and contain costs are imperative to a successful human resources management organization ...
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...Int. J. of Human Resource Management 16:4 April 2005 584– 598 The challenge of international human resource management: balancing the duality of strategy and practice Helen De Cieri, Marilyn Fenwick and Kate Hutchings Abstract Over the last two decades there has been an unprecedented increase in the number of organizations that have internationalized their operations. The international movement of labour that has been concomitant with such expansion of international business has meant that issues associated with the management of human resources across international borders are increasingly important to international human resource managers and academics. The research presented in this paper examines international human resource management (IHRM) pedagogy and practice in Australia. It reports IHRM academicians’ and practitioners’ understanding of the major issues for teaching and practice in IHRM and elucidates current developments and directions for this field. Keywords International human resource management; pedagogy; Australia. Introduction During the last two decades academicians and practitioners of international management have paid increasing attention to the impact of globalization on the management of human resources across national boundaries. International businesses have increasingly turned their attention to issues such as expatriate management (employees being transferred by organizations to work outside their country of origin/permanent residence), managing...
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...IBIMA Publishing Journal of Human Resources Management Research http://www.ibimapublishing.com/journals/JHRMR/jhrmr.html Vol. 2011 (2011), Article ID 598896, 20 pages DOI: 10.5171/2011.598896 The Adoption of Strategic Human Resource Management Practices in Commercial Banks: The Process and Challenges in Kenya George O. Omondi1, Peterson Obara Magutu2, Cliff Ouko Onsongo3 and Linda A. Abong’o4 1 Department of Business Administration, School of Business, University of Nairobi, Nairobi - Kenya 2 Department of Management Science, University of Nairobi, Nairobi - Kenya 3 School of Business, Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology, Nairobi - Kenya 4 Central Bank of Kenya, Nairobi - Kenya ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Abstract Developing an effective human resource system that is compatible with organizational strategy is critical for the functioning and success of an organization in the competitive business arena. The main objectives of the study were to establish the extent of adoption of strategic human resource management practices among commercial banks in Kenya; and to determine the factors that influence adoption of strategic human resource management practices by commercial banks in Kenya. The research questions were systematically generated from the objectives. In the data analysis, descriptive statistics and factor analysis were used to help draw comparisons and...
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