Business Finance Homework Help

.5 page, comprehensive response, cover sheet not needed, references needed, references must include course book listed below.

Part A (Chapter 9)

1. After reading Chapter 9, attached (summary below), read the two articles listed below:

2. Answer the following questions:

Why is it important to establish the meaning of talent and talent management in a particular organizational setting?

How does the strategic direction of the organization influence human resource planning activities?

What are some potential disadvantages of using a packaged application to help automate the employee goal-setting process?

Why is it important to have an adaptable workforce in a global economy?

https://searchhrsoftware.techtarget.com/feature/Integrating-talent-management-and-core-HR-systems-valuable-but-tricky

http://www.hrvillage.com/human-resources/applicant-tracking.htm

Chapter 9 Summary

The primary purpose of this chapter on the introduction to talent management (TM) was to investigate how an HRIS and other information systems can be used to support a talent management program. The importance of talent management was illustrated by examining the results of two comprehensive surveys. The origin of talent management and its fit with human resource planning (HRP) and human capital management (HCM) were discussed in detail. In addition, strategic HRM was covered, and its relation to corporate strategy was discussed.

The relationship between TM and performance management was explained as being critical to the effectiveness of the entire TM program. In addition, the chapter emphasized that the metrics from both the performance management and the TM programs could be entered on the balanced scorecard, which, in turn, contributes to the strategic HRM function. To understand a TM program, it is necessary to realize that the program reacts to labor and consumer market changes, producing a life cycle for TM. In developing and implementing a TM program, HR specialists must identify talented individuals by assessing the important personal attributes of employees and new hires.

A talent management program is part of the HRP function of an organization. One of the important ingredients for an effective HR plan is to have accurate and timely job descriptions based on job analysis. An HRP program consists of three phases: (1) estimation of the demand and supply of human capital to set HRP objectives, (2) planning HR programs, and (3) evaluation of HR programs and control through feedback on program outcomes. The HRP program will generate HR metrics that are useful for the organization in going through these three phases.

Long- and short-term strategies for TM were covered. When an external event occurs unexpectedly, such as the recent recession, a short-term strategy should be available. Conversely, the company should have a long-term strategy for TM, usually one looking 5 to 10 years into the future; this long-term talent management strategy is part of the overall corporate strategy. In this way, the TM program can make a major contribution to the immediate and future strategic positions of the corporation. A major aspect of a successful TM strategy, short or long, is to have an adaptable workforce. For example, cross-training employees on jobs is a way to increase the adaptability of the workforce. Finally, the value of a positive corporate culture in attracting talented individuals was discussed.

The link between TM and HRIS was also covered in this chapter. There are quite a few quality TM computer applications available to companies, and most have been used successfully. Recruiting talented individuals by using social networks has been increasing too, but companies should be aware of the limitations of this approach. Some questions were posed that people should keep in mind when using social networks for recruiting talent. The use of analytics in TM was described, particularly the use of business intelligence to produce TM analytics. The success of TM was covered and emphasized the use of metrics generated by the performance management program and entered on the HR balanced scorecard.

Part B – Chapter 10 attached, (summary below)

3. After reading chapter 10, attached, answer the following questions:

What are the pros and cons of recruitment and selection in an Internet context?

Provide examples of your personal experiences with online recruitment and selection.

Do you agree or disagree with online assessments during the recruitment and selection process? Why or why not?

Chapter 10 Summary

This chapter explained the intersection between the use of technology in the recruitment and selection process and the use of HRIS in organizations. This highlighted the need for HRIS experts to understand how to use the Internet for recruitment as well as selection-related data in order to provide strategic information to the company and demonstrate the return on the company’s investment in assessments. In addition, technology issues surrounding the selection process were addressed. Measurement properties of paper-and-pencil assessments and their computer versions were discussed. The mode of assessments that do not include measurements of ability is of little concern for researchers since giving these tests on paper will not result in a different measure from that obtained with a computerized test. However, there is clear evidence that the mode of administration (paper vs. computer) matters for ability tests that are speeded. The more speeded a test is, the more likely that there will be differences between the paper and computer test results. A second issue focused on in this chapter is the trade-off between fidelity and bandwidth. Technology has enabled organizations to create work sample simulations that represent the job with high fidelity. However, if the company then wants to use the simulation for a different business unit or job, the details that made the simulation highly appropriate in the first setting may interfere with its use in the other setting. In general, HRIS managers should keep in mind that, depending on the effort and expense one is willing to expend on assessment development and installation, lower-fidelity simulations or combinations of other types of assessments might be preferable. One of the final issues dealt with was unproctored testing, which can be convenient to both the applicant and the organization. Unfortunately, this means of delivering assessment gives way to a floodgate of concerns such as how to verify candidate identity, provide test security and eliminate cheating, and ensure fair access to testing for minorities. The chapter further examined the role that HRIS experts have to play in solving these problems through the use of technology and the decision to develop and use an HRIS.

Applying HRIS to Selection and Assessment

Selection systems are information management systems for organizational decision making and administration. Therefore, human resource information systems play an important part in their development and use. Where once these systems operated using local software and storage, the availability of cloud computing for remote storage, and licensed, remotely hosted software as a service (SaaS) now means that HRIS managers will frequently be partnering with or working for consulting firms offering assessment services. One uniquely HRIS-centered role is database design. Selection systems require the careful design of databases to store and keep track of selection data, both before and after individuals are hired, and the ability to link information in interrelated systems, such as candidate test data and demographics, employment data for those who are hired, and job movement and position histories within the company. Increasingly, HRIS experts will be called on to assist in integrating the organization’s various HR systems. At a minimum, integration involves linking data in two or more systems, such as the candidate and employee identification data, so that one may conduct database queries and follow individuals as their information passes through the different systems. Integration often also involves linking transactional operations in a system such that, after the first system has conducted a transaction that requires follow-up in the next system, the first system contacts the next system to launch the required transaction. For instance, once a candidate has completed an online application, he or she may be automatically sent to another Web-based application to complete an assessment. The HRIS manager must have a conceptual understanding of what it means to link a test delivery system with other systems, such as applicant-tracking systems. Another general HRIS role in selection systems is the development of scoring and decision rules and of the administrative functions of the system. Whether the output of the completed assessment is simple to interpret (e.g., pass/fail) or complicated (e.g., multiple sources of information, levels of performance, and data from various screening events that could follow), the HRIS expert who participates in the creation of scoring or decision rules must be sure that they are easy for the HR department and others to understand and apply consistently throughout the organization. Another key HRIS role is helping to design and apply the administrative functions of the system, the features permitting access to assessments results, and the right to distribute candidate information. Below are some more specific considerations for designing a computerized or Web-based selection system (Kehoe, Dickter, Russell, & Sacco, 2005):

• Test access and security: The HR department must decide how candidates will gain access to the test (By permission? Will there be prescreening? Is testing open to anyone?) and how the test content will be kept secure.
• Test inventory and administrative privileges: The HRIS expert must consider how the computerized tests will be purchased and inventoried (if accessed from a vendor) and the administrative privileges that determine
  • who should be assigned the right to work with particular types of test data,
  • whether there will be multiple levels of access, and
  • whether individuals will be able to delegate record-viewing rights to others.
• Options for scoring: Will there be multiple ways to score an assessment, with a variety of possible scoring rules? How might examinees’ scores be compared with those of reference groups to make these scores more meaningful?
• Accessing results: In what data format and by what methods will test results be stored, transmitted, and interpreted?
• Applying test policies: What organizational requirements will affect the testing methods (e.g., systems that allow accommodations for disabilities) and the data that are kept and used (e.g., mandatory waiting periods before retests)?

A new area for HRIS is Big Data—large-volume datasets with a variety of information that may be collected rapidly. For example, information posted on social media not only is high-volume, but also contains text, Internet links, and photos, all of which are updated frequently. Data scientists have begun mining these data to learn about the people who post to social media sites, including their personality and attitudes toward work. Guzzo and colleagues (2015) provide numerous examples as well as cautionary advice regarding the analysis of Big Data. Of particular concern are the ethics of using such data, for example, when the individuals posting online did not give consent for their data to be used in research or to make application decisions, or where it might be possible to connect datasets in such a way that identifies people who posted information privately. Another concern is that such data might be incorrect. It may be difficult to amend one’s own inaccurate data online, or as a researcher, to verify the quality of the information gathered there. Big Data is a rapidly growing field that will be of interest to many who pursue a profession in HRIS.

References

Kavanagh, M. J., Thite, M., & Johnson, R. D. (2018). Human resource information systems: Basics, applications, and future directions (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.