UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES

CAVE HILL CAMPUS

DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES

FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

MS22B- HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

PREPARED FOR: MR. EDDIE CORBIN

PREPARED BY:  KERRY LAYNE                2002621863

                           JULIA MOORE                2002621313

                                KARL PHILLIPS        2002622906

                                SHANISE TAYLOR        2002621783

                                KEISHA WENT                2002623139

DATE DUE: 31st MARCH 2003


TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENTS                                                                       PAGES

Section 1: Background

Section 2: Purpose

Section 3: Issue Researched

Section 4: Literature Review

Section 5: Methodology                                

Section 6: Presentation of Findings

Section 7: Analysis of Findings

Section 8: Recommendations

Section 9: Constraints to Implementation of Recommendations

Section 9: Conclusion

Bibliography

Appendices

                                                                                                                           

BACKGROUND

In 1898 he founded A.S. Bryden, a "traveling representative and supervisor of Agencies for the West Indies and parts of Central America", and represented high quality goods manufactured in Britain such as James Buchanan & Co. and Peek Frean & Co. He was the Chairman of A.S. Bryden (which subsequently was renamed to A.S. Bryden & Son and then A.S. Bryden & Sons (Barbados) Ltd.) until his death in 1935 upon which his son, Arthur Spencer Bryden (1935 – 1972), succeeded him. There have only been five Chairmen in the history of the company, the other three being Peter F. Campbell (1972 – 1984), Peter Mc. G. Patterson (1984 – 1996) and present Chairman, John G. Bellamy (1996 - ). This continuity of succession has provided the stability which has been a hallmark of the company’s growth over the years.

In 2002, with consolidated sales of approximately $97 million A.S. Brydens & Sons (Barbados) Limited is one of the largest wholesale distributors of food, consumer and household goods and pharmaceuticals in Barbados.Founded in 1898, Brydens Barbados was the first company in the Brydens Group, which now spans the Caribbean.

Through all the changes that have taken place since then, the core business philosophy of providing the highest standard of marketing and distribution service for a wide range of world-renowned products has remained constant and throughout the region Brydens is known for their reputable approach to business which was a hallmark of Arthur Sydney Bryden when he began operating all those years ago.

Although wholesale distribution remains its core business A.S. Brydens & Sons (Barbados) Limited is well diversified in its business interests and sources of income. Through wholly owned and majority owned subsidiaries, the company is involved in such business lines as general insurance, stationery, corporate office supplies, film processing and sales, shipping and courier services and real estate development and sales.

PURPOSE

We have seen in the changing marketplace, the ever increasing importance of people within an organization. The marketplace now riddled with the increased use of technology, trade liberalisation and globalization, has forced organizations to change their view of the importance of Selection. People should be the most important factor within an organization. These people are now referred to as human capital that is because it is an investment the company makes in forms such as wages and salaries, bonuses, paid holidays, training and development.

The interest returned on investment generated may be increased productivity, increase in the market share and achieving the desired competitive advantage. This is the reason why the group chose to investigate   “The Role of Selection in Strategic Human Resource Planning as a Source for Gaining a Competitive Edge”. Through Selection, a company can acquire the right persons for the job and this is phase of Human Resource Management. This is where future needs can be assessed and how they can be achieved. In turn, the human capital can help the organization in carrying out the strategies that have been developed and identified, in order to reach the long-term goals and objectives set out.  

ISSUE RESEARCHED

The major issue, which we chose to research, was ‘The Role of Selection in Strategic Human Resource Planning as a Source for Gaining a Competitive Edge.’  This was chosen as we have the seen growing importance of persons within an organization.

The paper intends to show why selection is important, why it is part of Strategic Human Resource Planning and how this all affects the organization gaining a competitive edge.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Based on our problem identification we must clearly define the key points within it. These key points are selection, strategic human resource planning and competitive edge.

According to Wilf H. Ratzburg, selection is a later stage of the recruitment process, which involves choosing competent and qualified applicants suited for the job. This selection of competent employees is one of the most important activities a firm can do. Spending a few extra dollars, to select a competent employee who might potentially save the firm thousands of dollars, is money well spent.

Competitive advantage is the condition, which enables a company to operate in a more efficient or otherwise higher-quality manner than the companies, it competes with, and which results in benefits accruing to that company.

Strategic Human Resource planning is an important factor of Strategic Human Resource Management and according to Dr. Sheriff A. Mazen and Dina I. El-Kayely Strategic Human Resource Management is the pattern of planned human resources deployments and activities intended to enable an organization to achieve its long-term goals. For high growth organizations, attracting, hiring and retaining the right talent is critical. Add the right players to your team and you have a key source of competitive advantage. Attract the wrong talent and you will have difficulty meeting your strategic goals and objectives. Your first challenge is searching for top talent. The second is to develop an effective process for to generate a labour pool that is large enough for you to draw on when screening and selecting the best candidates.

 The process of employee selection involves deciding which of these recruits should actually be hired and for which positions. The most common sources of information for making selection decisions are resumes, reference checks, interviews and tests. A well-written resume is clear, concise, and easy to read and understand. It gives personal data, career objectives, education, work experience, descriptions of relevant competencies, activities, and personal information, names, addresses, and telephone numbers of references. Because resumes can be falsified easily, managers may request references and conduct reference checks. In making a final selection, most organizations rely on a combination of interviews and tests. Although commonly used, interviews don't always predict on-the-job performance accurately. Research indicates that interviewers tend to decide about a person early in the interview and then spend the rest of the time seeking information to support that decision.

It is evident that a strategic planning process – formulating the mission, goals and measurable objectives - totally permeates an institution and that departments in the institution have to formulate their own role in relation to, and in accordance with, the overall strategy. It is also important that the development of a strategic plan involves the staff if one wants it to succeed. The involvement of the staff comes in two ways. The first is, of course, the obvious one that staff members ought to be part of the process of formulating goals and objectives. The other concerns the staff as being the focus of a part of the overall strategic planning process (Leif Kajberg).

It is seen that strategic planning for the staff is supposed to be much more than a systematic effort and strategy than just emphasising the need for a strengthening of continuing education and professional development. The mapping of competencies at different levels and different categories is a useful tool. The levels are individual, institutional and departmental. The important thing is, of course, that the mapping relates to the overall mission, goals and objectives of the institution. In this sense the development of staff competencies becomes a tool in the process of reaching the goals.

The mapping indicates the need to clarify interesting issues that concern the 3 levels such as:

  • Do we, in a department, need staff with identical or supplementary qualifications, skills and competencies?
  • Is it possible to map the existing competencies?
  • Can existing competencies be used as a platform on which we build a strategy for development of staff competencies?
  • How much can we achieve with different kinds of training and education?
  • How much is it part of the culture of the institution?
  • How well does it fit together with our definition of the learning organisation?

All these questions are important and the answers will depend on the single institutions mission and strategy. Three extremely important things emerge from mapping. First of all, you cannot do it without involving the staff.

 Secondly it cannot be done if the staff does not relate to the mission and strategy, and thirdly it will make it possible to integrate new qualifications into the workplace in a productive manner. In the end it should turn out to be a cost - effective instrument (Leif Kajberg). When unemployment levels are high, employers can rather easily hire people who have the competencies needed to perform well in a job. But during labor shortages, hiring qualified new people becomes much more difficult.

 Instead, employers must help current employees develop the competencies needed by the company. By providing them with training, employers can help employees overcome their limitations and increase their productive capacities. By providing them with opportunities for development, employers can help employees attain the competencies needed to advance their careers. Most people would not be satisfied to continue to do the same job year after year. They want to grow and move into new and better jobs. The intent of development programs is to improve an employee's competencies in preparation for future jobs. A link can be made between people and gaining a competitive edge. Anthony Shewan [Head of Corporate Development], Macquarie Corporate Telecommunications, Australia said, "Strategic Human Resource Management reinforced my previously held view that people are the source of ongoing competitive advantage."

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Jeremy Klein (The Generics Group, Cambridge, UK) wrote, “Competitive advantage is at the heart of a firm's performance in competitive markets Today the importance of competitive advantage could hardly be greater.

 Firms throughout the world face slower growth as well as domestic and global competitors that are no longer acting as if the expanding pie were big enough for all.” Competitive advantage grows fundamentally out of the value a firm is able to create for its buyers that exceeds the firm's cost of creating it; hence competitive advantage is somehow correlated with value added. One model of competition is of a ...

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