HRMT 20008 ASSESSMENT ONE BACKGROUND INFORMATION Imagine a scenario where the Government has announced they will

be reducing their Public Sector staff through the removal of generic and non-essential services and these services will be outsourced to the private sector for tender. The functions that will be open for tender are: 1. Recruitment and Selection of all Administration Staff (Levels A01 A08) 2. Generic Training for administration staff (any training, that is not profession related ie: Leadership training, Workplace Health and Safety training, Time Management Training, Microsoft Office training, general business training etc.) 3. Payroll Services Three areas of planning A successful Labour Hire & Training agency (Ready, Set, Go Employment & Training or RSG as it is commonly known) is very keen to apply for this tender. RSG currently concentrates in the area of Heavy Industry (Mining, Engineering, Fabrication), as this is the work most sourced within the region. RSG currently employs a team of six recruitment and jobseeker placement officers: two marketing officers (who recruit businesses to use RSGs services); four training officers (who conduct training and company based inductions) and a team of three administration staff for general administration and payroll. RSG finds casual (labour hire) staff for a range of heavy industries, with a small number of retail and administration clients on their books. They pride themselves on quick placement and their support to their clients (the businesses they source the employees for). They have many jobseekers registered with them but these are mainly fitters, boilermakers, general labourers, carpenters, electricians etc. RSG conducts training across a number of heavy industries and these include many heavy industry specific training programs such as safe work procedures, manual handling etc. However, they currently do not conduct training for some of the generic training programs specified in the tender. They are a Registered Training Organisation (RTO). RSG runs a weekly payroll to pay all casual labour hire staff currently placed during that pay fortnight. They currently use MYOB (an accounting software package) for payroll, as all staff are casual. Staff leave calculations are not a consideration and they have not required the use of specialised commercial payroll software. RSG has established itself as a well respected job placement and training agency. All staff have a very good rapport with jobseekers and industry, can talk the talk of the industry and their culture is in-line with that of heavy industry. RSG Recruitment staff please clients by finding staff quickly and at times are able to provide same day placements. As the sole owner of the company, Rebekka has built the company up from scratch and has increased the number of clients, jobseekers and staff every year, which she sees as a positive sign for growth. On the other hand, she knows that as a small business, there are many things she has not adopted. The company has never had a formalised direction. For RSGs own staff, there has never been any formal recruitment and selection or training as Rebekka has completed all of these tasks herself. She has always been hands on in the operations and supervises staff closely on a daily basis and she attributes this to RSGs success. Rebekka has viewed the tender information with enthusiasm and she believes that this is a very good opportunity to diversify her company into services outside of heavy industry. She also believes that this is the perfect opportunity to remain competitive if heavy industry has a downturn. The tender will be open in approximately one year and she wants to be prepared to submit for tender. The business bank account currently is very healthy and she owns all capital investments, apart from the leasing of the premises. If she has to employ additional staff to prepare the organisation for a successful tender, she can afford to do so, but only in a short term contract situation in the case the tender is unsuccessful. She understands her company may grow very rapidly and she is excited and wants to be prepared for it.

SUPPLEMENTRY ASSESSMENT INSTRUCTIONS Long Report Word Length Mark Referencing Style Research Requirement Date allocated to students Due date for Submission Submission instructions Format is strictly as per the FABIE Guide for students (click link above) 3500-4000 (10% +/-) Executive Summary, Reference list and appendices excluded 50 marks Harvard Referencing Style only http://www.cqu.edu.au/?a=14032 You must cite at least 15 peer reviewed journal articles 2nd March, 2013 th 30 March, 2013 (four weeks from allocation to student) Submit Directly to Patricia Bovingdon via email p.bovingdon@cqu.edu.au

RSG has one goal in mind. To be successful in securing the Government tender to deliver any or all of the three streams detailed within the tender As a HR Consultant, the owner, Rebekka has contracted you to complete a strategic HR review of the current state of the organisation to achieve this goal. Your approach is completely individual; however, the report must address AT LEAST TWO of the questions in Box 3.1 on page 66 of the prescribed text. Box 3.1 Page 66 Prescribed Text Strengths and weaknesses in human resources How well does the firms human and social capital help it to perform? In relation to the firms goals, what strengths and weaknesses are apparent in the firms management of its main employee groups? SWOT ANALYSIS FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION IN RELATION TO THE TENDER AREAS Competitive risks and potential in HRM What threats does the firm face in its HRM e.g. from under-performing work systems, from employee dissatisfaction or from labour market competition? What opportunities does the firm have to improve its HR performance relative to its industry rivals? Does the firms HRM have the potential to contribute to sustained competitive advantage? If so, how? Assessment of strategic HR Management Process How effective are the firms HR planning and reporting processes? What data are available on HR performance and how are they used for evidence-based strategic decisions, especially when linked to data on other critical variables like customer satisfaction and product or service quality? How can such strategic management processes be improved? The open tender is specified as below: The Government is seeking organisations to apply for tender to provide a range of Human Resource services to the state Public Service. Organisations will be considered for each individual stream independently: Stream 1 Stream 2 Stream 3 The delivery of Job Placement Services for public sector administration staff (Levels A01-A08) The delivery of training programs applicable to administration staff within the public sector The delivery of payroll services for administration staff within the public sector

This human resources strategic review should be written as a long report, which includes recommendations with enough information in the body of the report to support these recommendations. It should be clear to the Executive how these recommendations can be operationalised.

Some points to consider from the organisation information above: The organisation is well established for these services to heavy industry and they enjoy a good rapport with this sector and their current culture aligns with this industry. They have limited experience with providing these services outside of this industry. The organisation has never had a formalised strategic direction. It has never had a mission or vision, let alone any type of strategic business plan. It has never adopted any formal human resources functions for their existing staff. The owner has viewed her success through her hands- on approach and personal selection of staff and a healthy and positive work environment. The organisation is currently a well established small business, with a healthy financial surplus. If you propose the need for additional staff, RSG is in a position to employ more staff as required for a short term contract situation until the tender winners are announced; but they will need to be justified for the owner to commit to this additional expenditure. The organisation has experience in all three areas of the tender, with subtle differences: o o o Short term casual placements versus long term permanent placements Training heavy industry staff as opposed to administration staff in the public sector and Experience in processing weekly casual wages versus processing permanent staff wages.

The organisation has one year to prepare before the tender is opened for application. The tender and the organisation are both fictitious. It is not necessary to have an in-depth knowledge of tendering for this assessment and it is not necessary to include any information about the tender process in your report. However, if you would like enhance your knowledge of the Government Tendering Process, here is the link for the Queensland Government Tender Process http://www.business.qld.gov.au/business/running/winning-new-business/tendering-to-government

SUPPLEMENTARY ASSESSEMENT MARKING CRITERIA SHEET

Student Name: Student Number: Campus: Markers Name:

Criteria Critical analysis of company/industry information Demonstrates an in-depth knowledge of the linkages to different approaches to SHRM and demonstrates an understanding of HR challenges, issues and practices associated with various directional strategies. Overall application of relevant theories, models and concepts to address the topic Overall argument development, Research application and appropriate references and citations. Essay Format spelling and grammar Assessment Total /50 Late Submission without approval Final Mark Grade: HD, D, C, P, F Additional Comments:

Comments

Max Grade

Students Grade

15

15

10

5 50 5% loss for every day late (2.5 marks/day) 50

Training skills Employability skills (Soft skills) Human resources management plan on what is missing such as the payroll software or the HRIS system.