The importance of human resource management

Organizations use HRM programs to make work-related decision about employees. These decisions have become increasingly important to companies in recent years for several reasons, the most important of which is that industries have become more and more competitive, and many face foreign competitors that have low labor costs. Companies with relatively high labor costs can compete by having well-skilled employees who are rewarded for high performance. HRM deals with these issues.

Another important reason for the increased importance of HRM is that a number of laws affecting employment decisions have been introduced in the last 30 years. Many of these laws are very complex in their interpretation and implementation. HR specialists are concerned with how an organization can both comply with these laws and meet its needs for an effective work force.

A third reason concerns the increasing use of new technology in business operations. Such technology, of course, requires operators who are skilled in its use, maintenance, and repair. The task of finding these skills in the general work force and developing these in current employees falls primarily to human resource managers.

Exercise 6. Аnswer the questions.

a) What are HRM programs aimed at?

b) What is the key reason for the ever-increasing role of employment decisions?

c) What is special about foreign competitors?

d) How can companies with rather high labour costs compete?

e) Why do human resource managers have to give special attention to laws involved in making employment decisions?

f) What kind of employees is required by the use of new technology in business operations?

g) How is HRM connected with the introduction of new technology into business operations?

1.9. Скажіть, які дії відповідають функціональним обов’язкам менеджера з людських ресурсів, а які – ні.

If I were a human resource manager...

a. ... I would be responsible for lowering labour costs.

b. ... I would have to make laws affecting employment decisions.

c. ... I would make every effort to meet the needs of the organization for an effective work force.

d. ... I would fire unqualified employees.

e. ... I would try to find skilled employees in the general work force.

f. ... I would be in charge of developing skills in current employees.

1.10. Прочитайте швидко (за 3-4 хвилини) текст 3, намагаючись зрозуміти його якомога точніше й повніше. Придумайте доречний заголовок тексту, потім виконайте вправи 7, 8.

TEXT 3

A basic activity of HR managers is collecting information to use in making job-related decisions about individuals. Most HR programs use some combination of three types of information: job characteristics, worker qualifications, and job performance.

Job analysis is the systematic process of gathering information about important work-related aspects of a job. It identifies the first of two types of information, which includes the tasks that make up the job; the worker knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) needed on the job; the information, equipment, and materials used; and the working conditions.

Table 1 provides some example task statements and KSAs that are appropriate for the position of regional sales manager.

Performance appraisal, discussed in a later section, is the process of collecting the third type of information, job performance of individual employees.

Table 1

A partial list of tasks and KSAs for the position of regional sales manager

Exercise 7.Аnswer the questions. (Оцінюється в 2 бали)

a) What information must be collected to have full characteristics of job?

b) What does the abbreviation KSAs mean?

c) What must a good sales manager be proficient in?

d) What must a regional sales manager do to work out a sales forecast for each product item?

e) What does a regional sales manager need a sales forecast for?

f) In what way does a regional sales manager select applicants for sales positions?

Exercise 8.You are going to be interviewed for the position of HR manager. To be well prepared, you need to make a table showing duties and KSAs that are required for this job.

.1. Прочитайте текст 4, намагаючись зрозуміти його якомога точніше й повніше. Придумайте доречний заголовок тексту, потім виконайте вправу 9.

TEXT 4

Human resource planning involves forecasting the organization’s future demand for employees, forecasting the future supply of employees within the organization, and designing programs to correct the discrepancy between the two. It serves the same purpose for human resource management as strategic planning does for other management activities. The purpose of human resource planning is to ensure that, in the future, the firm has enough employees with the appropriate skills so that it can accomplish its long-term goals.

The starting point of human resource planning is the organization’s strategic plans and goals. Let’s use a hypothetical example. Hubert Spotswood presently owns a successful jewellery store. Hubert has read that, because of the cost of building new homes, economic forecasters are predicting that individuals will choose to remodel their existing homes rather than buy new ones. He has therefore decided that in six years he wishes to be the largest jewellery and tool marketer in the area. His strategic plan is to open a large discount store, Jewels & Tools, which will carry watches and other jewellery as well as tools for household repair and maintenance. In addition, he wishes to have three upscale boutiques for each of the two product groups, to be called Pretty Things and Puttering Things.

He knows that implementing these plans will necessitate more employees with different skills than those he presently employs. Hubert does not have the time to handle all the details of the strategic plan, so he has hired Diana Taylor as a human resource manager. Diana, because she did well in her management courses, knows that she must start by drawing up a human resource plan that will be implemented over the next six years.

Exercise 9.Аnswer the questions. (Оцінюється в 2 бали)

a) What is human resource planning?

b) Why is it important to predict the organization’s future demand for and supply of employees?

c) Why has Hubert Spotswood decided to reform his business?

d) What kind of business reorganization is Hubert Spotswood planning?

e) Why has he employed Diana Taylor?

f) Imagine that you are a HR manager. What information would you need before drawing up a human resource plan?

2.2. Прочитайте текст 4 ще раз, потім виконайте вправу 10.

Exercise 10.Find and write down a word or words in the text that mean the same as the following definitions. They are in the same order as they appear in the text. (Оцінюється в 3 бали)

2.3. Щоб оволодіти лексичними одиницями, необхідними для розуміння й надання інформації про планування попиту на людські ресурси, виконайте вправи 11, 12, 13.

Exercise 11.Write the following words in the correct column.(Оцінюється в 3 бали)

Exercise 12.Which verbs in A can go with which nouns in B?

E.g. to develop a forecast / forecasts

A

B

Exercise 13.Working in pairs, form as many noun phrases as possible combining a word in A with a word in B.

E.g. accurate method, adopted method, qualitative method, quantitative method, statistical method, etc.

A B

2.4. Ви вже знаєте, що компонентом планування людських ресурсів є прогнозування попиту на працівників. Методи, які використовуються при цьому, можно розділити на дві групи. Постарайтесь усно відповісти на запитання:

· Do you have any idea what these groups are?

· Can you exemplify each of these two groups of methods?

2.5. Прочитайте швидко (за 3-4 хвилини) текст 5. Чи є в ньому підтвердження ваших припущень? Потім виконайте вправу 14.

TEXT 5