MUHAMAT BIN IDRIS (2013141007)

NBMHF1A BM/APRIL2014/HRM533

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA

HRM 533
TEST 1

NAME : MUHAMAT BIN IDRIS

STUDENT NO : 2013141007
CLASS : NBMHF1A

QUESTION 1

a) Explain how advance technology could give a positive impact on the way
organisation handle the human resource.
(5 marks)

Advance technology give a positive impact to the organisation to handle

human resource in :
Recruiting
One way in which human resources has been significantly impacted by
technology is in the area of recruiting. Technology has made recruiting more
efficient and, in the hands of the right recruiter, more effective as well.
Training
Information technology makes it possible for human resources professionals to
train new staff members in a more efficient manner as well. The ability to
access company information and training programs from remote locations
eliminates the need for trainers to work directly with new hires on all training.
Data Storage and Retrieval
Human resources professionals generally process a considerable amount of
paperwork and also have to keep much of that paperwork on file for a
considerable period of time. The use of electronic imaging has made it
possible for companies to store and retrieve files in an electronic format.
Technology also makes it possible for human resources professionals to simply
print the forms that are needed for employees.
Performance Management
Human resources professionals can use computer technology to assess
employee performance and also to get employee feedback to be used for
the betterment of the organization. Various software programs make it
possible for human resources professionals to examine employee
performance using metrics to ensure that employees are meeting
performance standards.
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b) In the country with diverse ethnics and races, discuss two (2) challenges
organisation could face in handling their workforce.
(5 marks)
Two challenges that organisation could face in handling their
workforce (in the country with diverse ethnics and races) are:

i) Enhanced Risk of Discrimination

A diverse workforce presents increased potential for discrimination.
It is natural that if you put people together with obvious
distinguishing traits, employees with prejudices could use them
against others. This increased risk is why diversity management is so
critical with multicultural workforces. Companies need to provide
cultural awareness and sensitivity training to help create a
company culture of tolerance and acceptance of differences.

ii) Resistance to change

There are always employees who will refuse to accept the fact that
the social and cultural makeup of their workplace is changing. The
“we‟ve always done it this way” mentality silences new ideas and
inhibits progress.

c) Explain two (2) strategies that can be taken by the manager to avoid
shortage of employee in organisation and three (3) strategies to avoid surplus
of employee in organisation.

(15 marks)

Strategies that can be taken by the manager to avoid shortage and

surplus of employee in their organisation is to be prepared by planning /
forecast the talent for their organisation. The manager (HR) should have
workforce planning which is a systematic, fully integrated organizational
process that involves proactively planning ahead to avoid talent surpluses or
shortages. By planning ahead, manager (HR) can provide employee with the
right number of people, with the right skills, in the right place, and at the right
time.

Strategies that can be taken by the manager to avoid shortage of

employee are :
i) Identify "critical talent."
Manager need to define the skills that are critical to its business
strategy, and then identify the people within the organization who
possess these skills. These individuals are considered the "critical talent."
MUHAMAT BIN IDRIS (2013141007)
NBMHF1A BM/APRIL2014/HRM533

They are not necessarily the most highly paid executives. Instead, they
are people who have highly developed specialized skills and know
how to get things done within the organization.

ii) Keep employees happy

Maintain good relations with all of your employees and recognize the
different needs specific to each generation. Often this means looking
past compensation to other factors that may help these individuals in
their various life stages. These incentives may include benefits such as
financial planning, long term insurance, and flexible work hours. For
example, some baby boomers live in "sandwich" households, sharing
their homes with both their parents and their children. By addressing
their unique needs they will have greater loyalty to your organization
and will be more open to building a long term relationship with your
company.

Strategies that can be taken by the manager to avoid surplus of

employee are :

i) Aware the Cycle of Business

To avoid surplus of employee, manager (HR) should aware the cycle of
organisation business. Everyone knows that the business cycle has ups
and downs. There are periods of growth and periods of recession;
each seems to happen every few years. So, the manager should have
a workforce planning for their organisation such as Talent Forecast,
Talent Action Plan and the Integration program.

ii) Preventing problems.

Having to fix problems is expensive and painful. A superior approach is
to prevent problems from ever occurring.
• Lower turnover rates: Employees are continually groomed for new
opportunities that fit their career interests and capabilities. They
transition easily and rapidly to them.
• Low labor cost: The capability is developed to rapidly reduce labor
costs without the need for large-scale layoffs of permanent
employees.
• No layoffs: Avoiding the need for layoffs by managing head count
ensures that the company won‟t have a "surplus" of talent.

iii) Employing Temporary staff, outsourcing and offshoring

Hiring temporary staff or outsourcing / off-shoring helps manager to
avoid surplus and shortage employee. It also affords flexibilty to
organisation in order to operate efficiently during swing in demand.
MUHAMAT BIN IDRIS (2013141007)
NBMHF1A BM/APRIL2014/HRM533

QUESTION 2

a) Name two (2) human resource activities and briefly explain on how job
analysis can help HR manager to complete the activities.
(5 marks)

i) HR Planning
Job analysis is a key step for effective HR planning. It can be used to
"[design/resign] jobs to improve efficiency or motivation". Job analysis
can also reduce overlap across departments by distinguishing one
category across multiple departments (similar responsibilities) or by
forming distinct jobs within departments. Jobs that overlap can either
be combined or separated. At the same time, job analysis can limit
political squabbles by clarifying reporting relationships and areas of
responsibility.

ii) Recruitment
Job analysis also works with the company's internal and external
recruitment processes. The first step in recruiting is to determine
whether a new position needs to be opened or an existing position
filled. Then the recruiter or HR personnel must determine whether the
company can fund the position's associated compensation and
benefits. Third the recruiter must decide whether to recruit internally,
externally, or both, depending on the requirements of the position.
Finally, the recruiter must advertise the position and its required skills,
education, and experiences. All of these steps are facilitated through
the information provided by the job analysis and presented in the job
description.

b) Give five (5) reasons why a firm should recruit employee internally.
(5 marks)
1. Saves time and money
If at first you decide to look internally, the position really only needs to
be posted on a notice board or on a company intranet site and only a
handful of suitable candidates need to be interviewed. There‟s no need for
extra reference checks, personality profile testing or extensive interviews since
these would have been carried out when the staff members initially joined the
organisation.

2. Reduces training time

An internal recruit would need no orientation and far less training, as
they are already familiar with the company processes, goals, vision and „way
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of doing things‟. They may even be familiar with and have performed some
of the tasks in their previous role (i.e. an assistant manager being promoted to
manager).

3. Improves productivity
Organisations with a policy of promoting from within tend to have
more highly motivated staff. If a person feels they will be rewarded for
dedication and hard work, they are far more likely to take ownership of their
position and give it their best efforts.

4. Improves morale
Rewarding talent and promoting from within engenders a culture of
loyalty and stability. Staff absenteeism and retention rates are also likely to be
better, which provides a greater return on the time and resources invested in
each employee.

5. Facilitates succession planning

As well as filling existing positions, internal opportunities can also be
created for employees who demonstrate potential. By grooming talented
employees to move into higher positions as they become available, the
organisation can benefit from the skills and talent in its workforce.
Succession planning aims to ensure that the right people are in the
right position at the right time to achieve the organisation‟s business goals.

c) Explain two (2) grounds rules an interviewer should acquire in order to have a
valid and good selection interview.
(5 marks)

1. Understand the job.

Perhaps the most critical step to ensuring interviewers do a good job is
to be sure they understand the job and its requirements. Research
studies have shown that interviewers who understand the parameters
of a job are better at interviewing people and evaluating their
responses.

2. Establish an interview plan.

Examine the purposes of the interview and determine the areas and
specific questions to be covered. Review the job requirements,
application form data, test scores, and other available information
before seeing the applicant.

d) Discuss five (5) advantages of internet recruitment.

(10 marks)
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Internet recruitment has revolutionized the recruitment industry that

benefits both employer and job seekers and ultimately accelerates the
recruitment process. Thus online recruitment is the era of quick hiring where
employers can get quickly the potential talent. Online recruitment today is
indispensable for recruiters and employers who use job portals as the primary
source for headhunting, although this is a traditional hiring method but still its
work, so job portals and career sites are the two edges of the recruitment
equalizer. The penetration of the internet in our society has crossed the
geographical boundaries, thus mobilize the recruiting process. The quest for
hunting top talent is a quest to boost regional economy in reality.

i) Internet recruitment is time saving:

It is the charisma of online recruitment that you can search for job twenty
four hours a day. The real-time interaction of employers with employees. The
recruiters and employers can easily access to the jobseekers, and job seekers
can easily find the jobs as well as
recruiters on these career sites. Candidates can upload their resume on these
career sites and their resume goes public immediately. Whereas a newspaper ad
takes time to be viewed and sometime it can‟t be viewed due to improper
printing. Moreover a newspaper works like a weekly newsletter so it takes so
much time. So recruiters are not to wait any more due to online recruitment they
can do immediate screening of the candidate. So recruiting cycle working very
speedily from posting to receiving the CVs, thus making filtering process and
managing the contacts and workflow very easy.

ii) Minimized the hiring cost:

Job posting is now inexpensive, as it was so much expensive before. Job

portals allow posting the job at very low rates with the guarantee that the job will
be viewed publically. Thus online posting made easier for every candidate to
view the job of his related field, people can view the job immediately right after
it‟s posting. These job portals are 30%cost-effctive of annual fee that the
staffing agency charge and the cost of newspaper or ads have the same cost.

iii) Easy access to employers:

Employers can easily access the candidate through online recruitment,

they can contact with them by using these pro-sites. These pro-sites are not
restricted to any geographical boundary or any other parameters. Online
recruitment websites maintains database of al career level and industries and
regions. Huge money is spending to upgrade and develop this database, that‟s
why these career sites are always on the top when the jobseekers start searching
for jobs.
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iv) Broadened the scope for candidates:

This online recruitment pro -sites like LinkedIn has broadened the scope for
candidates, now they can easily access the jobs and contact the employers at
the same time. Through these sites they learned about the companies, locations
they don‟t know before. Moreover they come to know what the industrial trend
of the specific field is, what are the skills an employer is expecting from the
person of his caliber? and what his career level is. Through these job portals you
can apply for those vacancies which have not been published in newspaper.

v) State-of-the-art filtration tools

These job portals are equipped with latest technologies tools, thus
employers by using the state of the art technology can easily filer the C.Vs that
are available in bulk. By filtration they can access to those candidates who are
efficient and got the talent required for a specific job. Through screening and
sorting tool employer can easily target and contact with the professional, to
whom he wants to interview without choosing any middle way.

So here is no doubt, recruitment industries are playing key role in the hiring
process, but these five benefits are equally significant for recruiters and
employers as well.

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