Goodbye, Jimmy, Goodbye. Free Essay Example

Questions:
1. Is there anything wrong with the manner the shortlist was prepared by Gloria? 2. What do you suggest regarding the preparation of the shortlist?

Answers:
1. Based on the case presented, there is really a big mistake with the manner of choosing the applicants for interview done by Ms. Gloria Tadino. As a recruitment supervisor of the HRMO in the company, she is expected and it is a must for her to analyze and evaluate the resumes and applications of the applicants based on the standard set by the company.

She must set aside her personal biases because the applicants she eliminated unfairly might be better than those she picked.

2. The company must be very careful, in the very first place, in choosing and putting an employee to be assigned as their recruitment supervisor because it is a very crucial position to fill in. On the problem of this case, I strongly suggest that Ms. Gloria Tadino must take a serious commitment to her job and come to terms with her past so she can move on with her life.

She must be very professional in dealing her duties and responsibilities so as not to sacrifice the quality of her performance and the operations of the company. She must prepare the shortlist according to the criteria set by the company—21 to 26 years old, graduate of B.S. in Computer Science, and a resident of Manila. She must choose applicants depending on their credibility and qualifications, not on her personal interests, biases, and feelings.

Hence, she should give utmost consideration to the abilities and skills of the applicants that could contribute to the success of the company.

2. Case 4: PONCIANO RETAILING COMPANY: Yesterday

Questions:
1. What do you think of the reaction of the employees regarding the decentralization policy of Patrick? 2. Do you consider the decentralization policy as a big mistake? Why or why not?

Answers:
1. The reaction of the employees regarding the decentralization policy of Patrick was highly anticipated and expected by top management as Patrick thinks it is easy to replace those who will leave.

Change is stressful for employees on this case as they have been working on a very functional decentralized organizational structure for several years already. However, the employees must also open their minds to the changes being presented by Patrick, as the latter was slowly introducing measures to centralize decision-making. It is also necessary for the employees to be receptive of those changes. In many cases, employees and the company must move forward with the current changes and demands at hand.

Since most of Patrick’s employees have worked in the former structure, it is uncomfortable and very difficult for them to transfer to the new system of management. Their attitudes are difficult to alter, and attempts often lead to resistance. In this case, a healthy dialogue between the top management and employees must be facilitated by Danny in order to give Patrick a proper venue to lay down, present and explain the new policy and also for the employees to express their thoughts on the new policy versus the policy that they have been using for years.

2. Decentralization policy or decentralization in itself is an organizational structure by which daily operations and decision-making responsibilities are delegated by top management to middle and lower-level managers within the organization, allowing top management to focus more on major decisions. The need to decentralize is deemed necessary in order to continue efficient operations. It also has a lot of advantages, though relinquishing control may be difficult for a business owner accustomed to making all the decisions.

Decentralization can also empower employees by having more autonomy to make their own decisions, giving them a sense of importance and making them feel as if they have more input in the direction of the organization. It also allows them to make better use of the knowledge and experience they have gained and implement some of their own ideas.

Decentralizing takes some of the burden of daily business operations off the business owner. When the owner allows others to perform such tasks as hiring new employees or ordering supplies, this frees him/her up to spend more time on big-picture items, such as planning for expansion or meeting with important clients.

A situation may arise where the business owner must be away from the business for an extended period of time because of illness or other emergency reasons. Decentralization gives a better chance that the organization will maintain self-sufficiency because managers and employees are accustomed to working autonomously.

A decentralized organization is able to make decisions more quickly than one with a centralized structure. A manager often can make a decision without having to wait for it to go up a chain of command, allowing the organization to react quickly to situations where fast action can mean the difference between gaining and losing a customer.

For a growing business, decentralization can facilitate the process of expansion. For example, if expansion results in opening a new business unit in a different geographic area, decentralization allows the new unit to operate as an independent entity, meaning it can react more easily to the specific needs of the area, such as deciding to sell products that appeal to the local market.

3. Keeping Up with the IT

Questions:
1. State Samuel’s main problem.
2. Discuss the area of consideration following the guide below:
Samuel’s Strength
Samuel’s Weakness
Samuel’s Opportunities
3. Give your proposed solutions/alternative course of action to help Samuel overcome his problem. (minimum of three)

Answer:
1. Samuel’s main problem is that he is not technology-savvy and he has very low self-esteem because of his age.

2. Samuel’s Strength, Weakness, and Possible Opportunity
Samuel’s Strength:
He basically knows the manual operations in the HR field of the enterprise. He has got full knowledge for he has been working with the company for almost 20 years. Samuel can make use of this as his strength because it would be easy for him to identify the terminologies and jargons when he uses the HRIS.

Samuel’s Weakness:

Samuel is quite hesitant and unreceptive of the new technology because of his very low self-esteem due to his age. Furthermore, he lacks interest and willingness to lear the new system. This personal outlook of Samuel could be translated to an attitude problem as this can be viewed as an issue of pride.

Samuel’s Possible Opportunities:

Samuel can take full advantage of the opportunity, since the enterprise is now online in its HR operations by using HRIS, to request for a training from their IT personnel on how to use the HRIS of the enterprise. He just have to open his mind on this very important change being introduced and make full advantage of the resources at hand. There could also be a possibility that other employees of the enterprise have the same concern or problem as his.

3. a.) Technology is essential to every business, even small business enterprise is not an exemption. Samuel has to come to terms with his fear. He must face it because it is the new trend in the business world. Everything is only few clicks away. He has to understand that the enterprise would like to maintain a competitive edge and build a strong presence in today’s business world. The enterprise cannot afford to be left behind in the business bandwagon just to cater his fear.

b.) As the enterprise wants to be competitive in the business world, Samuel also needs to compete despite his age. He needs to know that technology knows no age because it is only a matter of interest and willingness to learn. Since he has full knowledge of the old manual system of the HR operations, he must take full advantage of it when he starts to learn the HR information system of the enterprise. He can ask questions while on training and take note on the difference between the manual system and the new electronic system. He must also be familiar with the basics of computer and internet, plus the jargons used in the new HRIS.

c.) He can request for a training on how to use the new HRIS because I believe that the enterprise will be very happy for Samuel to show interest and willingness to learn and adopt the new system. He can also request for a very smooth transition for his advantage in letting go of the manual system and using the new system in full. But he has to do the transition in a very reasonable period of time so as not to hamper the entire operations of the enterprise.

While on transition, Samuel may also consider some technology awareness strategies just to keep himself abreast that he is working with new technology. He must determine his needs, assess the resources available to him, rank the resources in order of usefulness to him, and make or allow time to use the resources available for him.

4. Reyes Department Store.

Question:
1. Discuss the process that Nicole should follow to solve this problem.

Answer:
1. First thing is first. Nicole needs to check and review the existing company standards and procedures, as well as, the contracts of the company’s employees which include their job descriptions. A good employment contract will spell out the scope of an employees’ responsibility to the company, including their titles.

If Nicole found the contract so explicit, she can always refer to it when approaching Jet or other employees about duties and responsibilities that are not included. If it is not explicit, then she can manipulate around what was stated and what is being asked. It is not easy for a newbie manager to be in that position as Nicole but simply her work requires her to deliver results. Nicole also needs to understand that it is also difficult for employees to ask for clarification on an employment contract during the hiring process, but it is something that is a must. Hence, there is a need for a review on the job descriptions and employment contracts with the employees, especially those who need it.

There is a great need for Nicole to check and review the job descriptions because, in most cases, job descriptions sometimes fail to achieve their important purposes. A job description is only valid and useful to the extent that it accurately reflects job content. Jet and other employees with same attitude toward work may tend to ignore the decision-making aspects of their job. All jobs involve a degree of decision-making, which must be clearly defined in the job description, otherwise the scope of responsibility and accountability will remain unclear. On the other hand, maybe the job descriptions of Jet may have failed to focus on his expected job behaviour or are not really specific enough about the required behaviors. There is a need to describe what an employee needs to be done in specific and measurable terms.

Furthermore, Nicole needs to identify the root cause of the issue, define the obstacles, examine her options, act on an agreed course of action, and look at how it turns out, and whether any changes need to be made. In her course to check and review the job descriptions of the employees, she needs to always consider the fact that having a document that specifically sets forth the minimum job requirements helps ensure that all employees are on the same page and going to one direction only. To her advantage, the job descriptions of the employees provide her and the employees a mutual understanding of the job expectations. A well-defined job description can be used as reference for training initiatives and as a basis for performance appraisal standards. Job descriptions are important tools in developing the employee-employer relationship.

Lastly, Nicole, in her way to resolving this issue, needs to pay attention to the details of the main problem by simply setting the scene by paying attention to the interest of the many—listen very carefully and respectfully and be open to having a dialogue or symposium with the employees regarding the matter at hand. She needs to gather information by going deeper than the surface to really get an understanding of Jet and other employees’ need, concerns and points of view.

She needs to be objective—not personal; and try to view her actions from the standpoint of the other person. She also has to be an example to her colleagues in putting aside individual goals to come to a mutually agreeable and beneficial solution in order to address the job description issue. Brainstorming with the involved party/parties must also be considered for a win-win solution. Of course, Nicole needs to make sure that all parties have better understanding on each other’s positions by educating every employee about their job descriptions and the standards and procedures of the company.

5. Test Scores versus Letter of Recommendation

Questions:
1. Should Vangie disregard the test scores and hire Angela Joy? Explain your decision.
2. Would it be kind to hire or not to hire Angela Joy?
3. What is your recommendation to help Vangie solve this problem?

Answers:
1. Vangie should not disregard the test scores of Angela Joy. The test scores are based on the standardized employment and personality testing of the company. The test scores are a very important component in determining and hiring best fit employees for a certain job vacancy. I believe that Mr. Max Ditangan will surely understand and greatly appreciate when Vangie makes a very thorough explanation about the hiring process that needs to be considered. Hence, Vangie may even suggest to Mr. Ditangan that Angela Joy maybe considered in other job opening of the company that would best suit her.

Moreover, the test scores are indications of job fit, work ethic, integrity, aptitude, and core competencies which will result to a reduced employee turnover and hire a highly motivated and compatible workforce. I believe that Mr. Ditangan will fully understand this matter. 2. With the given test results, it would be kind if Angela Joy would not be hired. It simply means that she still has a lot of areas for improvement. Vangie just needs to explain the reason of not hiring Angela Joy as of now. That would be kind enough.

3. Vangie may even suggest to Mr. Ditangan to give Angela Joy an on-the-job-training opportunity, without salary. In this way, Angela Joy will have a chance to observe the how the operations in the sales and marketing department go. After a certain reasonable period of time, Angela Joy may apply again and take the tests in order to check if she now qualifies for the job. The company must not neglect the test results at all times.

6. Recruiting a New Production Manager

Questions:
1. How valuable is the tradition of promotion from within and how disruptive will it be to deviate from the tradition? What are the advantages and risks of promoting from within in this situation? 2. As head of HR, how are you going to handle the problem of the incumbent production manager, Analisa Rafol, considering she rose from the ranks because of her exceptional performance record? 3. If the company decides to recruit from outside, what are the best external recruiting sources for finding a new production manager?

Answers:
1. Promoting from within is a powerful morale and productivity tool, as many studies have shown. It is also an attractive recruitment incentive for employees who want to know if a long-term career path is available in the company. It also provides advantages to employers because they already know what an employee’s strengths and weaknesses are, advancement opportunities provide motivation for staff to perform at their best level, and the promoted employee already knows how the organization operates and understands the business’ culture.

However, promoting from within is not always positive. It is can potentially promote unhealthy competition among the employees. When one person is promoted, bad feelings can result in the people left behind. This can lead to dissatisfaction at work, poor work performance and even resentment from employees who feel slighted or overlooked. Some workers may have felt entitled to a promotion even if they were not qualified, simply because they have put in more time at the company. If length of service were the only criterion for promotion, people could be promoted to a job they cannot perform, which could lead to them being fired.

In this situation, it is advantageous for the company to promote from within because they have already identified a production supervisor who is bright and capable and could probably acquire the knowledge and skills needed to be a good production manager. Thus, making employee feel that the company rewards hard work by offering him an opportunity to take on new responsibilities of which he has a great interest. Hence, still keeping the tradition of promoting from within which will keep the company’s good reputation to their employees.

However, promoting from within is potentially dangerous in this situation. Knowing that the incumbent production manage, Analisa Rafol, rose from the ranks because of her exceptional performance record. This might create a conflict between employees because the competence of Analisa will now be undermined which will lead to her bad feelings of being left behind.

2. If I were the HR head of this company, I will talk to top management and recommend to them to review Analisa’s great contributions to the company, considering the fact that she’s been with the company for 18 years and she had been promoted many times because of her exceptional performance record. It is very best to take those things into serious consideration because those are very vital.

Since the production department adopts the latest technology and production processes, perhaps Analisa still has an issue on familiarization in using the new technology maybe due to her age and she only masters the manual process, or maybe because she’s not tech savvy at all. I would also recommend to top management to give Analisa an intensive training on the usage of the new technology and compare and contrast it with the manual one, so she can easily identify the difference. Hence, she can become easily familiar with the new one. This must also be done within a very reasonable period of time which will also include evaluation and assessment. This way, Analisa would not feel bad at all, in fact, she will be delighted by such act of kindness and consideration.

But afterwards, if Analisa fails to hit the target on her performance matrix, then something has to be done with due process.

3. Sometimes, internal sources may not be able to supply suitable persons from within. Externals sources give a wide variety of choice to the management. A large number of applicants may be willing to join the organization. They will also be suitable as per the requirements of skill, training and education.

In this case, the company may take these two methods of external sources in recruiting a new production manager:

a. Educational Institutions:
The company may send recruiters to educational institutions where they meet the members of the faculty of the school and persons in charge of placement services who recommend suitable candidates.

b. Advertising and/or Telecasting:
These media tools are very effective especially in looking and recruiting of candidates for managerial positions.