Major activities of HRD

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HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING

Major activities of HRD carried out in any of the Industry are-

Recruitment Management
Workforce Planning
Induction Management
Training Management
Performance Management
Compensation & Benefits
Attendance Management
Leave Management
Benefits Management
Overtime Management
Pay slip Distribution
Timesheet Management
Employee Information/ Skill Management
Grievance Redressal
Employee Survey
Exit Interviews & Process
Health & Safety

The Human Resources Management (HRM) function includes a variety of activities, and key among them is deciding what staffing needs you have and whether to use independent contractors or hire employees to fill these needs, recruiting and training the best employees, ensuring they are high performers, dealing with performance issues, and ensuring your personnel and management practices conform to various regulations. Activities also include managing your approach to employee benefits and compensation, employee records and personnel policies. Usually small businesses (for-profit or nonprofit) have to carry out these activities themselves because they can't yet afford part- or full-time help. However, they should always ensure that employees have -- and are aware of -- personnel policies which conform to current regulations. These policies are often in the form of employee manuals, which all employees have.
Note that some people distinguish a difference between between HRM (a major management activity) and HRD (Human Resource Development, a profession). Those people might include HRM in HRD, explaining that HRD includes the broader range of activities to develop personnel inside of organizations, including, eg, career development, training, organization development, etc.
There is a long-standing argument about where HR-related functions should be organized into large organizations, eg, "should HR be in the Organization Development department or the other way around?"
The HRM function and HRD profession have undergone tremendous change over the past 20-30 years. Many years ago, large organizations looked to the "Personnel Department," mostly to manage the paperwork around hiring and paying people. More recently, organizations consider the "HR Department" as playing a major role in staffing, training and helping to manage people so that people and the organization are performing at maximum capability in a highly fulfilling manner.
Efficient and effective Human Resource management is a challenge to all HR professionals. Staffing, training and helping to manage people so that the organization is likely to increase the performance level is imperative to work in a productive manner. Normally, human resource functions are tracking data points on each employee. ...

Human Resource Management System (HRMS, EHRMS), Human Resource Information System (HRIS), HR Technology or also called HR modules, refers to the systems and processes at the intersection between human resource management (HRM) and information technology. It merges HRM as a discipline and in particular its basic HR activities and processes with the information technology field, whereas the programming of data processing systems evolved into standardised routines and packages of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. On the whole, these ERP systems have their origin on software that integrates information from different applications into one universal database. The linkage of its financial and human resource modules through one database is the most important distinction to the individually and proprietary developed predecessors, which makes this software application both rigid and flexible.
[edit] Purpose
The function of Human Resources departments is generally administrative and common to all organizations. Organizations may have formalized selection, evaluation, and payroll processes. Efficient and effective management of "Human Capital" has progressed to an increasingly imperative and complex process. The HR function consists of tracking existing employee data which traditionally includes personal histories, skills, capabilities, accomplishments and salary. To reduce the manual workload of these administrative activities, organizations began to electronically automate many of these processes by introducing specialized Human Resource Management Systems. Due HR executives rely on internal or external IT professionals to develop and maintain an integrated HRMS. Before the "client-server" architecture evolved in the late 1980s, many HR automation processes were relegated to mainframe computers that could handle large amounts of data transactions. In consequence of the high capital investment necessary to purchase or program proprietary software, these internally-developed HRMS were limited to organizations that possessed a large amount of capital. The advent of client-server, Application Service Provider, and Software as a Service or SaaS Human Resource Management Systems enabled take increasingly higher administrative control of such systems. Currently Human Resource Management Systems encompass:
1. Payroll
2. Work Time
3. Benefits Administration
4. HR management Information system
5. Recruiting
6. Training/ Learning Management System LMS
7. Performance Record
The payroll module automates the pay process by gathering data on employee time and attendance, calculating various deductions and taxes, and generating periodic pay cheques and employee tax reports. Data is generally fed from the human resources and time keeping modules to calculate automatic deposit and manual cheque writing capabilities. This module can encompass all employee-related transactions as well as integrate with existing financial management systems.
The work time gathers standardized time and work related efforts. The most advanced modules provide broad flexibility in data collection methods, labour distribution capabilities and data analysis features. Cost analysis and efficiency metrics are the primary functions.
The benefits administration module provides a system for organizations to administer and track employee participation in benefits programs. These typically encompass, insurance, compensation, profit sharing and retirement.
The HR management module is a component covering many other HR aspects from application to retirement. The system records basic demographic and address data, selection, training and development, capabilities and skills management, compensation planning records and other related activities. Leading edge systems provide the ability to "read" applications and enter relevant data to applicable database fields, notify employers and provide position management and position control. Human resource management function involves the recruitment, placement, evaluation, compensation and development of the employees of an organisation. Initially, businesses used computer based information system to:
• produce pay checks and payroll reports;
• maintain personnel records;
• pursue Talent Management.
Online recruiting has become one of the primary methods employed by HR departments to garner potential candidates for available positions within an organization. Talent Management systems typically encompass:
• analyzing personnel usage within an organization;
• identifying potential applicants;
• recruiting through company-facing listings;
• recruiting through online recruiting sites or publications that market to both recruiters and applicants.
The significant cost incurred in maintaining an organized recruitment effort, cross-posting within and across general or industry-specific job boards and maintaining a competitive exposure of availabilities has given rise to the development of a dedicated Applicant Tracking System, or 'ATS', module.
The training module provides a system for organizations to administer and track employee training and development efforts. The system, normally called a Learning Management System if a stand alone product, allows HR to track education, qualifications and skills of the employees, as well as outlining what training courses, books, CDs, web based learning or materials are available to develop which skills. Courses can then be offered in date specific sessions, with delegates and training resources being mapped and managed within the same system. Sophisticated LMS allow managers to approve training, budgets and calendars alongside performance management and appraisal metrics.
Many organizations have gone beyond the traditional functions and developed human resource management information systems, which support recruitment, selection, hiring, job placement, performance appraisals, employee benefit analysis, health, safety and security, while others integrate an outsourced Applicant Tracking System that encompasses a subset of the above.
Hrm Activities

HR management is composed of several groups of interlinked activities taking place within the context of the organization .

All managers with HR responsibilities must consider external environmental forces like :
1-legal
2-political
3-economic
4-social
5-cultural
6-technological
That when addressing these activities.

-Planning & Analysis :
HR planning is a process of analyzing and identifying the need for and availability of human resources so that the organization the organization can meet its objectives, so managers attempt to anticipate forces that will influence the future supply of and demand for employees.
Note; importance of human resources competitiveness must be addressed as well.

-Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO):
Individuals should have equal treatment in all employment-related actions, so compliance with equal employment opportunity laws and regulations affects all HR activities and integral to HR management.

Staffing: The aim of staffing is to provide an adequate supply of qualification individuals to fill the job in an organization. By studying what workers do through these steps :
-Job analysis: Systematic way to gather and analyze information about the content and the human requirements of jobs.
Job description: Identification of the task, duties and responsibilities of a job.
Job specification: The knowledge, skills and abilities an individual...
HR Planning
HRM Audit
The HRMA (Human Resource Management Audit) uses this framework to try to answer such questions as : Are the mission and strategy of the human resource organization designed to match the business strategy of the organization? Does the design of the human resource organization enhance its ability to accomplish its strategy? Are the kinds of people who run the human resource function good choices for the ongoing tasks?
HR Policy and Manual
HR policies vary considerably from one organization to another, depending on the age of the organization, its size, the nature of the workforce and the position regarding union recognition, but here are the main policy areas.
Role of Human Resource Development Manager
The role of manager of HRD (human resource development) consists of five separate but overlapping components referred to as subroles. Each is vital to the development of an efficient and properly managed HRD department. They include: (1) evaluator of the HRD program's impacts and effects on organizational efficiency, (2) management of the organizational learning system, (3) strategist responsible for long-term planning and integrating of HRD into the organization, and (4) marketing specialist responsible for the advancement of HRD within the organization through well defined and effective networks.
Job Analysis
Job analysis is the process of determining the nature or content of a job by collecting and organizing information relevant to the job. A complete job analysis contains information relating to the following five factors, plus any others deemed appropriate to fully describe the nature of the job.
Competencies for HRD Practitioners
There are five fundamental skill that need to be mastered by Human Resource Development (HRD) practitioners: (1) needs assessment, (2) program design, development, and evaluation (including individual evaluation), (3) marketing of HRD programs, (4) cost/benefit analysis, and (5) facilitation of learning.
Critical Elements of HRD Effectivenss
The following article describes ten key points of HRD effectiveness. These critical elements are discovered through an extensive empirical research conducted by Neal Chalofsky and Carlene Reinhart. These research findings will definitely provide the foundation from which HRD practitioners can begin to effectively deliver the resources their organization need.
Assessment Questionnaire Instruments
There are some principles need to be considered when designing questions items for 360 degree assessment questionnaire. To be useful, they must be constructed carefully. A simple way to test each of your items is to ask if the item can be described as the following.
Redefining The Role of Strategic HR
Redefining the role of strategic HR can be challenging. Here are some reasons. HR may not have credibility with senior managers. Many executives do not view HR as a business. They are used to thinking of HR as an organizational support department and accustomed to telling them what to do. HR will need to achieve the credibility to be accepted in the new role.
Key Components of Human Resource Development
There are three fundamental component areas of human resource development (HRD): individual development (personal), career development (professional), and organizational development. The importance of each component will vary from organization to organization according to the complexity of the operation, the criticality of human resources to organizational efficiency, and the organization's commitment to improved human resources.
The Role of HRM in Knowledge Management
There are several roles that can be played by HR in developing knowledge management system. First, HR should help the organization articulate the purpose of the knowledge management system. Investing in a knowledge management initiative without a clear sense of purpose is like investing in an expensive camera that has far more capabilities than you need to take good pictures of family and friends.
Job Analysis Interview Guide
Job analysis interview guide is a tool that can be used in conducting job analysis process. It describes list of questions that should be asked to explore the content of a particular job. What is the job's overall purpose? What the incumbent does and, if possible, how he/she does it?
Writing Job Description
Most widely used job description formats contain the following five sections: (1) job identification; (2) job summary or purpose; (3) job duties and responsibilities; (4) accountabilities; and (5) job specifications. The most important thing to remember is that all job descriptions within an organization should follow the same format.
Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)
This is one of the most sophisticated and yet easily administered techniques to analyze job. The PAQ analyzes jobs in terms of 187 job elements. These elements are of a worker-oriented nature, meaning that they characterize or imply the human behaviors that are involved in various jobs.
Work Measurement Methods
The purpose of work measurement is to determine the time it ought to take to do a job.There are four main systems of work measurement. First, and most used, is time study. The second system, work sampling, is a statistical procedure for measuring work and requires an understanding of the techniques of statistics and probability.
Strategies for Designing and HRD Program
Jerry Gillet and Seteven Eggland (2002) identified for managers of HRD an eight-point strategy for designing cost-effective, reputable learning programs that can survive economic crises and internal/external changes affecting the organization. First, there should be a written HRD philosophy that states unequivocally that effective human resource development can improve performance (i.e., change behavior, produce results, increase productivity). This provides a framework for the HRD program. It also provides a common objective for each of the members of the HRD staff on which to focus their efforts.
Characteristics of Effective HRD Managers
Nadler and Wiggs (1986) identified nine characteristics of effective HRD (human resource development) managers. Each is viewed as essential to the development of a comprehensive and competent HRD program. First, HRD managers must have the ability to plan HRD activities that foster training, development, and education. These activities should be targeted at the needs of employees, supervisors, line managers, customers, and nonemployees of the organization.
Work Study and Employee Productivity
Work study is the systematic examination of the methods of carrying on activities so as to improve the effective use of resources and to set up standards of performance for the activities being carried out. Work study then aims at examining the way an activity is being carried out, simplifying or modifying the method of operation to reduce unnecessary or excess work, or the wasteful use of resources, and setting up a time standard for performing that activity.
Job Time Study
Time study is a work measurement technique for recording the times of performing a certain specific job or its elements carried out under specified conditions, and for analyzing the data so as to obtain the time necessary for an operator to carry it out at a defined rate of performance.


Strategic planning determines where an organization is going over the next year or more, how it's going to get there and how it'll know if it got there or not. The focus of a strategic plan is usually on the entire organization, while the focus of a business plan is usually on a particular product, service or program.
There are a variety of perspectives, models and approaches used in strategic planning. The way that a strategic plan is developed depends on the nature of the organization's leadership, culture of the organization, complexity of the organization's environment, size of the organization, expertise of planners, etc. For example, there are a variety of strategic planning models, including goals-based, issues-based, organic, scenario (some would assert that scenario planning is more a technique than model), etc. Goals-based planning is probably the most common and starts with focus on the organization's mission (and vision and/or values), goals to work toward the mission, strategies to achieve the goals, and action planning (who will do what and by when). Issues-based strategic planning often starts by examining issues facing the organization, strategies to address those issues, and action plans. Organic strategic planning might start by articulating the organization's vision and values and then action plans to achieve the vision while adhering to those values. Some planners prefer a particular approach to planning, eg, appreciative inquiry. Some plans are scoped to one year, many to three years, and some to five to ten years into the future. Some plans include only top-level information and no action plans. Some plans are five to eight pages long, while others can be considerably longer.
Quite often, an organization's strategic planners already know much of what will go into a strategic plan (this is true for business planning, too). However, development of the strategic plan greatly helps to clarify the organization's plans and ensure that key leaders are all "on the same script". Far more important than the strategic plan document, is the strategic planning process itself.
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
profit maximization is the process by which a firm determines the price and output level that returns the greatest profit. There are several approaches to this problem. The total revenue—total cost method relies on the fact that profit equals revenue minus cost, and the marginal revenue—marginal cost method is based on the fact that total profit in a perfectly competitive market reaches its maximum point where marginal revenue equals marginal cost.
Basic definitions
Any costs incurred by a firm may be classed into two groups: fixed cost and variable cost. Fixed costs are incurred by the business at any level of output, including zero output. These may include equipment maintenance, rent, wages, and general upkeep. Variable costs change with the level of output, increasing as more product is generated. Materials consumed during production often have the largest impact on this category. Fixed cost and variable cost, combined, equal total cost.
Revenue is the total amount of money that flows into the firm. This can be from any source, including product sales, government subsidies, venture capital and personal funds.
Marginal cost and revenue, depending on whether the calculus approach is taken or not, are defined as either the change in cost or revenue as each additional unit is produced, or the derivative of cost or revenue with respect to quantity output. It may also be defined as the addition to total cost as output increase by a single unit. For instance, taking the first definition, if it costs a firm 400 USD to produce 5 units and 480 USD to produce 6, the marginal cost of the sixth unit is approximately 80 dollars, although this is more accurately stated as the marginal cost of the 5.5th unit due to linear interpolation. Calculus is capable of providing more accurate answers if regression equations can be provided.
[edit] Total Cost-Total Revenue Method


Profit Maximization - The Totals Approach
To obtain the profit maximizing output quantity, we start by recognizing that profit is equal to total revenue (TR) minus total cost (TC). Given a table of costs and revenues at each quantity, we can either compute equations or plot the data directly on a graph. Finding the profit-maximizing output is as simple as finding the output at which profit reaches its maximum. That is represented by output Q in the diagram.
There are two graphical ways of determining that Q is optimal. Firstly, we see that the profit curve is at its maximum at this point (A). Secondly, we see that at the point (B) that the tangent on the total cost curve (TC) is parallel to the total revenue curve (TR), the surplus of revenue net of costs (B,C) is the greatest. Because total revenue minus total costs is equal to profit, the line segment C,B is equal in length to the line segment A,Q.
Computing the price at which to sell the product requires knowledge of the firm's demand curve. The price at which quantity demanded equals profit-maximizing output is the optimum price to sell the product.
[edit] Marginal Cost-Marginal Revenue Method


Profit Maximization - The Marginal Approach
If total revenue and total cost figures are difficult to procure, this method may also be used. For each unit sold, marginal profit equals marginal revenue minus marginal cost. Then, if marginal revenue is greater than marginal cost, marginal profit is positive, and if marginal revenue is less than marginal cost, marginal profit is negative. When marginal revenue equals marginal cost, marginal profit is zero. Since total profit increases when marginal profit is positive and total profit decreases when marginal profit is negative, it must reach a maximum where marginal profit is zero - or where marginal cost equals marginal revenue. This is because the producer has collected positive profit up until the intersection of MR and MC (where zero profit is collected and any further production will result in negative marginal profit, because MC will be larger than MR). The intersection of marginal revenue (MR) with marginal cost (MC) is shown in the next diagram as point A. If the industry is competitive (as is assumed in the diagram), the firm faces a demand curve (D) that is identical to its Marginal revenue curve (MR), and this is a horizontal line at a price determined by industry supply and demand. Average total costs are represented by curve ATC. Total economic profits are represented by area P,A,B,C. The optimum quantity (Q) is the same as the optimum quantity (Q) in the first diagram.
If the firm is operating in a non-competitive market, minor changes would have to be made to the diagrams.

web marketing tools to cut advertising costs by Moonis Rehman
We are in global recession. Ad sales are at record low. Marketing budgets have declined. What started in November 2007 has affected both the small and big players in the industry. This economic turbulence has lead to lay-offs, no new product launches, cut in promotional budget et al. All of us are eagerly waiting for the markets to recover, but no one knows how long will it take? So, how can we cope with the downturn and adapt to survive such situations?
The answer lies in strategic planning that can see you through in these times of serious downturn. Companies need to identify potential risks and affects of recession on their business, they need to stay focused on their goals and offer products or services that are indispensable even in a down economy.
While staying focused, you should find ways for a profitable expansion. If you can grow in times of economic recession you will find yourself on the other side of the crisis – ahead of your competition. You just need to change your strategies to adapt to the prevalent situation.
Recession doesn't mean that there are no buyers for your products or services. There are buyers; the only thing that has changed is their shopping habits. Due to recession, spending power of the consumers may have been reduced and their purchasing now involves more focus, more thought and thorough research. They are now looking for best products or services at the minimum possible prices. They are not after the brands; and are looking for complete value for their money.
Less purchasing has also led to an increase in competition, and the consumer now has the power to bargain. So the companies should maintain a minimum marketing budget even in times of recession. If a consumer can't find you, how will he reach you? You need to prove that you are the best in the market and make it easy for them to find your products and services.
Internet, the greatest invention of all times can play an important role in reaching out to your prospective customers, in showcasing your products and services through the world wide web. You need to set specific marketing goals for your company and identify the consumers (or market) that you wish to target. With internet, you can use the web marketing tools for promoting your website and achieving your goals.
Web marketing tools includes social community websites, website syndication tools, gadgets, and RSS feeds that are easy to use and are often free. They will generate new leads and drive traffic to your website. Social networking sites are Facebook, Orkut and Myspace are very popular with the users these days. You can create a community page about your company, products and services and regularly update it with fresh content so that prospective and current customers can stay in touch.
You can also syndicate your web site or blog with an RSS feed. This will also help in keeping your users updated without having them visit your website. The users will get to know through RSS reader whenever you post something new on your website or update it. These feeds can also be hosted on social community websites, community tool bar, and personalized start pages.
Through your website, you must give your visitors the opportunity of providing a feedback about your site, your products and services so that you can make changes accordingly. You can conduct online surveys to find out whether you are fulfilling the requirements of your customers or not.
Other cost-effective methods for online marketing include sponsored links campaign and the use of b2b portals for advertising.
Sponsored links provide a quick turn-around and help gain instant visibility to your website through effective ad text and keyword matches. Research is required in order to identify industry trends and competitors and is necessary to keep the campaign effective. Sponsored links will not cost you a fortune if you clearly identify your targeted area, do proper research and spend time on updating the same.
B2B (business-to-business) portals have also emerged as viable option of promoting and doing business in a much cheaper and effective way. Business to business portals facilitate in establishing new business relationship and retaining the existing ones, which is also termed as e-marketplace. They serve as a platform for the wholesalers, distributors, suppliers, manufacturers and retailers for carrying out their business via online. Today, online marketing through B2B portals has become an essential tool for both the buyers and sellers.
In fact, a survey report says that B2B portals can deliver a bountiful of ROI (return on investment) in a matter of months. It is a fact accepted by millions that each and every company from any corner of this globe can use the effective medium in order to increase their business sales.
Another aspect is the safety and security of B2B marketplaces. Several recent studies have opined that B2B portals are perhaps the safest mode of getting the right buyer even if he is operating thousands of miles away.
In the end, I would say that the use of web technology along with proper strategic planning for your business promotion can help you weather the storm caused by economic slowdown.
 
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