Management at the Functional Level

Assignment Human Resource

Management

Presented by I Liebenberg

01/03/2010

Author: I Liebenberg for Millpark Business School MBA 2010 (MFL) Page 1
 Glossary of terms

Automation “the act of implementing the control of equipment with advanced

technology; usually involving electronic hardware; "automation
replaces human” ... wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
Client self- Obtain a service or product through using automation without the
help assistance of others.

Code of Good Set of rules and procedures that should be followed to ensure a
practice positive outcome.

Employee These wellness programs are designed to improve employee

Wellness morale, loyalty, and productivity

Equal Absence of discrimination, as in the workplace, based on race,

Opportunity colour, age, gender, national origin, religion,

External Sourcing candidates from out-side the organisation through

recruitment recruitment agencies or advertisements
methods

Internal Sourcing candidates from in-side the organisation in an effort to

recruitment create promotion possibilities
methods

Interview A list of issues or questions to be raised in the course of an

guide interview.

New venture Start-up a new business.

Structured Standard list of questions are asked through a panel of interviewers

panel
interview

Venue The scene of any event or action (especially the place of a meeting)
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

Work-life Work-life balance is having enough time for work and enough to
balance have a life thus the work life balance.

Author: I Liebenberg for Millpark Business School MBA 2010 (MFL) Page 2
 Table of Contents

Page

INTRODUCTION 4

QUESTION 1.1 4

QUESTION 1.2 4

QUESTION 1.3 5

QUESTION 1.4 5

QUESTION 1.5 7

QUESTION 1.6 7

CONCLUSION 10

RESOURCE LIST 11

Author: I Liebenberg for Millpark Business School MBA 2010 (MFL) Page 3
INTRODUCTION

The following assignment is aimed at providing information on the plan to implement

a business decision taken by the Board of Ubuntu Investment (Pty) Ltd, to establish
and operate a cell phone operation in Upington.

As the group Human Resources Manager I will attempt to answer the questions
regarding Human Resources which will have an impact on the establishment and
operations of the “Talk and Walk” cell phone operation in Upington.

I will ensure that through the information provided the Board and all parties
concerned with the new venture will have a clear understanding of the requirements
and processes involved to obtain the business objective.

QUESTION 1.1

Our mission for “Talk and Walk” states the following:

To keep people talking by offering customers a top class one stop cellular solution in
terms of service and product offerings, through a profitable venue that promotes
community interaction.

QUESTION 1.2

Our business objective for the project is as follow:

1. Establish and operate a profitable cellular solution operation within one year
that will be used as a business model for future business venture.
2. Address the needs of a community by offering customer focussed products
and unique top quality services.
3. Achieve a market share of 40% within one year of operation.

QUESTION 1.3

The following business activities will be necessary to obtain the previously

mentioned business objectives:

1. Sales and Marketing

2. Operations and Service

Author: I Liebenberg for Millpark Business School MBA 2010 (MFL) Page 4
 3. Human Resources
4. Financial

QUESTION 1.4

To attain business objectives and to ensure effective and adequate staffing of

the project (University of Sheffield, Dept of HR, 2006: 4.) recommends that
guidelines are set which will serve as a Code of Good Practice in Job design
which must include:
a) Clear communication on duties and requirements as well as clear person
specifications.
b) Transparent and fair procedures for the allocation of work and specific tasks
and responsibilities
c) Job design must be based on meeting business objective and take in
consideration individual skills, experience, preference and aspirations.
d) Project members must be accessible and available to discuss any concerns
relating to the job design process.
e) All legislative and company policies are adhere to in the process of job design
which may include principles such Equal opportunity, Work life balance and
Employee Wellness.

All managers involved should be briefed on the Code of Good Practice for job design
and which design components will be included in the process.

Based on Code of Good Practice principles and taking into account the three
determinants of job design the following steps will be followed:

1. All managers involved should be briefed on the Code of Good Practice for job
design and which design components will be included in the job design
process.
2. Consult with the project team of functional managers to obtain clarity and
consensus regarding the business objective and what is required to attain the
objectives.
3. Consult each of the functional managers and obtain clarity of functional
objectives within each of the business functions.

Author: I Liebenberg for Millpark Business School MBA 2010 (MFL) Page 5
 4. Analyse information obtained and in co-operation with functional managers
determine the activities within each business function necessary to attain
functional objectives.
5. Determine the tasks associated with each activity through inputs from
functional managers as well as any reliable sources within departments, for
example interviewing current employed incumbents with more or less the
same roles and responsibilities.
6. Oosthuizen (2008:33) recommends Analysis of the task demands on the
basis of:
 What the incumbent must be able to do
 Skills and knowledge required
 Minimum qualifications required
 Special attributes required

Inputs from managers and current job holders can be valuable in ensuring all
aspects of the tasks were covered in the process of analyses.

Company policies and legislative regulations should be taken into account

during the analyses process.

7. On completion of the task analyses I would suggest that the Project team
investigate the possibilities of eliminating tasks through automation, the
utilisation of computer systems or client self-help facilities.
8. Once clarity is obtained on the above step the process can proceed by
grouping the tasks into jobs taking into account:
 Task demands
 Workload
 Logical grouping
 Ensure no overlapping
9. In addition to the above job enrichment should also be taken into account to
promote employee performance and job satisfaction.
10. The last step in the process will be the compilation of job descriptions for each
of the jobs required at the Upington operation.

Author: I Liebenberg for Millpark Business School MBA 2010 (MFL) Page 6
Question 1.5

Store Manager

I recommend that an internal recruitment method is used for recruiting a Store

manager, as this is a new business venture and its success will determine future
developments in the cellular retail market Ubuntu Investments (Pty) Ltd. It requires
someone who understands the company and its objectives. The appointment of
someone within the group with a proven track record of success can eliminate the
risk of non-performance and provide the board with a sense of security that the
project is in capable hands. It would build employee morale as employees realise
that the opportunity for promotion is available to them.

Departmental Heads

I would recommend that a combination of Internal and External methods is used for
the appointment of departmental heads by focussing on the specific requirements
set for each position.

For example

The head of service and repairs should be a specialist in the field of cell phone
repairs, therefore an expert should be sourced from outside the group as the
required skills knowledge and experience might not exist within the group due to the
fact that this is a new business venture. To be an accredited service centre,
technicians might need to have had accredited brand repair training; it can be
beneficial to rather source candidates from outside the group with the necessary
credentials rather than to spend time and money in trying to train staff which might
cause time delays or having an in-experienced person heading up repairs.

On the other hand the recruitment of the Head of Finance should rather be done
internally as the person understands company policies, systems and procedures in
terms of financial control and reporting and have good knowledge of what is required
in terms of meeting financial objectives of the group.

Other staff

Author: I Liebenberg for Millpark Business School MBA 2010 (MFL) Page 7
The recruitment of other staff, I would recommend that the majority of the positions
are filled from outside the group or externally. As “Talk and Walk” is a new venture it
will be beneficial to source candidates with experience and knowledge of the cell
phone industry to eliminate cost and time of training internal staff to meet the
requirements but also bring new insights and perspectives in the light of possible
future venture in the industry. It is also a good idea to recruit skilled candidates from
the community of Upington as they are familiar with the preferences and needs of
the community and by employing from within the community shows “Talk and
Walk’s” commitment towards the improvement of the living standards of the
community through job creation.

Question 1.6

For the purpose of selecting a candidate for the position of Store Manager a
structured panel interview technique will be used.

The following guidelines and procedures will be followed:

Preparation

1. Select the interview panel which should be functional managers for each of
the business functions required at the Upington operation.
2. Decide on how the interview will fit into the whole selection process.
3. Study the job description to obtain clarity on the essential skills, knowledge
and key behaviours required to meet business objectives to ensure they are
measured in the interview.
4. Developing a pool of questions measuring competencies and key behaviours
from the job description.
5. Develop a selection questionnaire from the pool of questions and ensure all
functional areas are covered measuring essential skills, knowledge and key
behaviours.
6. Develop evaluation guidelines for questions by adding a score rating to each
of the questions.
7. Prepare interview guides which will include the questionnaire and rating
procedures for the selection panel and “reality” test the questions by asking

Author: I Liebenberg for Millpark Business School MBA 2010 (MFL) Page 8
 panel members to give their final inputs and comments before the interview
guide is finalised.
(Censeo Corporation, 2007)
8. Finalise the interview guide, the interview guide will give guidelines and
procedures on how the interview will function which will include
a) Role clarification
b) Allocated questions to each functional area
c) Method of scoring
d) Measures to ensure decisions are implemented
9. Train the selection panel on the content of the Interview guide.
10. Send applicant information to the selection panel for them to familiarise
themselves with the applicants background, knowledge, skills and experience.
11. A summary of the process can be forwarded to the applicants to save time
during the interview explaining the interview process and preparing them for a
constructive interview.
On the day of the first interview quickly re-affirm procedures relating to the
interview process (10 to 15 minute brief)
(Censeo Corporation, 2007)

During the interview

1. Opening the interview will include:

a) Welcoming the applicant
b) Introducing panel members by giving job titles and the title of the job
opening
c) Briefly discuss the job and the organisation
2. Outline the process
a) Explain how the interview will fit in the selection process
b) Panel members will ask questions to obtain information about the
applicant’s previous jobs, knowledge, skills, required key behaviours,
experience relating to the position.
c) Panel members will ask questions in a rotating manner.
d) Panel members will be taking notes to ensure the responses are
recorded accurately; the applicant may also make notes if desired.
3. Asking questions and making objective notes

Author: I Liebenberg for Millpark Business School MBA 2010 (MFL) Page 9
 a) Ask all questions from the questionnaire exactly as worded, in the
agreed order.
b) Allow applicant to answer questions, make notes and score answers
c) Invite the applicant to ask questions if anything is not clear or about
anything discussed.
d) Keep applicant to short answers and offer to follow up on the question
later.
4. Close the interview
a) Thank the applicant for his or her interest and time.
b) Tell applicant when and how he or she will be notified of decision
taken.

After the interview

1. Ask panel members to finalise scores and present them to the chairperson of
the panel.
2. Review candidate ratings in an objective manner and obtain agreement on
final scores for each applicant.
3. Narrow selection down to 3 possible depending on the number of candidates
interviewed.
4. Follow the next step in the selection process which may include selecting an
applicant or referral of the chosen applicants for further testing.
(Gordon, R. et al. 2008)

CONCLUSION

Answers in this assignment will provide the all members of the project team assigned
to the “Walk and Talk operation with a clear picture on the process to be followed
regarding the role of HR in ensuring the business objectives of the project are
attained.

Author: I Liebenberg for Millpark Business School MBA 2010 (MFL) Page 10
RESOURCE LIST

CENSEO CORPORATION . 2007. Factsheet Structured interview guides.

CPS HUMAN RESOURCE SERVICE. 2008. Conducting a robust Interview: The

Baviourally and Competency-Based Structured Interview.

http:// www.censeocorp.com/.../structured-interview-guides.asp. Date of access 4

Feb 2010

http:// www.cps.ca.gov/upload/.../StructuredInterviews_Gordon_etal.pdf. Date of

access 4 Feb 2010

http://.www.shef.ac.uk/Guidelines%20on%20Job%20Design%20and%20Work
%20Allocati.htm. Date of access 4 Feb 2010..

OOSTHUIZEN, W. 2008. Management at the Functional Level (MFL Part 1 10a).

Millpark Business School. 4 -63p. (Study guide)

PAUW, I. 2008. How to compile a job description. SA Labour Guide, Feb

http://www.labourguide.co.za/job_description.htm Date of access 4 Feb 2010

SWANEPOEL , B.J. ERASMUS, B.J. VAN WYK, M.W. & SCHENK, H.W. South
African Human Resource Management. 2nd impression. Kenwyn: Juta and Co, Ltd.
263- 273 p.

UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD. Department of Human Resources. 2006. Guidelines

on Job design and Work allocation.

Author: I Liebenberg for Millpark Business School MBA 2010 (MFL) Page 11