Question

Question 1 : The focus of this question is to analyse the external operating environment of a Higher Education (HE) Sector and discuss potential impacts on the HRM functions of a HE provider such as a University. Use Jackson and Schuler (1995) HRM model to analyse the external environment of the HE Sector that you are familiar with. Identify and discuss the factors of the environment and their potential impact on the HRM functions of an HE provider of your choice.

• Discuss the different functions of HR. The typical HR functions are:
  • planning, resourcing and retention,
  • recruitment and selection,
  • training and development,
  • remuneration and rewards and
  • employee relations.
• Discuss the impact of each external environmental factor on the HR functions of the chosen HE provider.

Answer 1

Functions of HR include:

Human Resource Planning: The aim of Human resource planning is to ensure the right people possessing relevant skills, are in the right number so that there is no shortage of manpower, at the right time and place so as to ensure that they carry the job at the right time.

Resourcing: Resourcing is concerned with a wide range of functions and therefore includes staffing,  performance management, change management, and documentation processes.

Retention: Retention has always been considered to be a potent tool to help an organization retain the best employees. Lack of job satisfaction and lack of job enrichment leaves employees disgruntled with the organization. Retention helps organizations not only to retain the existing lot but also to attract new folks.

Recruitment and Selection: Recruitment and Selection are two different concepts but one that reinforces another. Recruitment aims at inviting the job applicants who match the required KRIs set ar the beginning in the organization. Selection aims at filtering out and selecting one who is the best from the potential pool of candidates.

Training and Development: Training and Development aims at imparting required knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics that are useful for an employee in improving the effectiveness of his work.

Remuneration and rewards: This process comprising of devising reward strategies that are all-encompassing and therefore includes salaries and wages, Incentives, Fringe Benefits, and Perquisites, etc.

Employee relations:  Employee relations include the relationship between the management and its employees. It gives rise to labor welfare and assistance programs, Conflict management, Quality of work environment.

Impact of external environmental factors on the HR functions of the chosen HE provider.

External factors are the sum total of social and cultural, technological, economic, political and legal environments. It has an important bearing on the functioning of HR and when we talk about Higher education, its impact only goes on and on. University, for example, has always been an embodiment of interaction between society and politics and all other factors which come in between. HR functions have to be devised in a Higher education sector keeping in view the cultural and societal factors mainly because it invites people from different segments of the society. The role of technology is something that cannot be ignored by these HR functions and efforts are being made to use AI, Virtual Reality, Big Data, and Blockchain the part and parcel of the HR function in Higher education segments because of its ever-increasing reliance on research. Political factors have an important bearing on the functions of HR because it is the government that provides funds and regulates the functioning of the Higher education Department and has to abide and go by the rules and regulations imposed by the Government from time to time which then shapes its legal environment.

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