HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT - Ibscdc

1 RESOURCE MANAGEMENTHUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENTHUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENTHUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENTHUMAN RESOURCE Medical Clinics: Perks orProductivity Boosters?This case study helps in analysing howcompanies can derive benefits from amandatory cost to enhance savings. Thecase also helps in understanding theimportance of On-Site clinics in the era ofexorbitant medical costs, ever escalatinghealthcare-related expenses of theemployees and companies and enables adiscussion on whether this model issustainable. Or will it meet the fate of itspredecessor the Company Doctor,abandoned during many observers, 'On-Site' medicalclinics are the refined version of CompanyDoctor a practice that has long been outfashioned by high maintenance , for the HR executives, 'On-Site'medical clinics are a novel concept thatimproves the morale of the employees andfor top managers, this is a cost item whichhas the potential to boost , in essence, it is a basic healthcarefacility provided by the companies toemployees and their dependents in thefactory premises.

2 Companies throughsetting up On-Site medical clinics want tocontrol the soaring medical costs, improvethe productivity of the employees besidesenhancing the quality of treatment for theemployees. The On-Site medical clinicsmodel provides better returns for thecompanies on employee health-relatedinvestments compared to any otherexisting model. Some healthcare expertsadvice that On-Site medical clinics shouldnot be confined only for controlling themedical costs and improving theproductivity of the employees but alsofocus on improving personal health andcreating community awareness on diseaseprevention and MANAGEMENT . This model,hailed by one and all, however, has itsAchilles Heel safety and security ofemployees' health records from themanagers. The possibility of managersusing personal medical records ofemployees for undue benefits can neitherbe ruled out nor can be Objectives To analyse the significance of On-Sitemedical clinics to the companies in thetimes when medical costs are everincreasing in the US To analyse how the On-Site medicalclinics reduce the medical costs andimprove the productivity of employees To debate whether On-Site medicalclinics model will be a successfulHealthcare model or it will be withdrawnlike Company CareReference of Medical Clinics, On-Site clinics,Company Doctors, Health Insurance,Employee Health, Medical Costs in theUS, Outsourcing Healthcare ManagementEmployees as Brands.

3 The Caseof GoogleThis case is written primarily to raise aninteresting arguement over a simple, yet,thought-provoking concept how canhuman resources be leveraged as a sourceof competitive advantage? Illustratedthrough the example of Google, this caseraises many intriguing issues. In a span of adecade, Google has emerged as atechnological powerhouse with twoextraordinary innovations, search and adwords , to its credit. The companyattributes this enviable rise to glory to itsmost valued assets the Google its inception, the company hasconstantly hired only the best talent inthe industry, preferring creativity to workexperience. Striving to attract and retainbright and inspiring employees, Googlefocused on motivating its employees bycreating a challenging yet fun-filled workenvironment coupled with a wide array ofperks ranging from free food and a gym toemployee stock options.

4 Additionally tofoster innovativeness, Google has adoptedthe 70/20/10 model, to encourageGooglers to spend 20% of their work timeon a project of their choice. These effortspaid off and Google emerged as the mostsought after place to work for twoconsecutive years (2007 and 2008).However, can a company that has focusedon small teams and individual interactionwith all employees cope up with the samewhen its meteoric climb to success hascaptured the interest of many competitors?The appreciation of Google sachievements has been accompanied byincreasing apprehensions about the long-term sustainability of Google s informaland fun-filled culture. Whether Google ssuccess is a result of its much hyped workculture or vice versa, continues to be anunresolved Objectives To analyse the role and essence of HRmanagement across different industriesand their contribution in buildingsuccessful organisations To analyse factors contributing toGoogle s meteoric rise in a short span oftime To examine Google s HR practices anddebate on the replicability andsustainability of these practices To understand how Google has beensuccessful in making its employees search and NavigationReference of , Brands, Employees, HRM, Culture,Motivation, Compensation, EmployeeRetention, Talent MANAGEMENT , Bestpractices, work culture, Organisationalculture, InnovationMicrosoft.

5 Reshaping HRStrategiesFounded in the year 1975, Microsoft is theworldwide leader in software, services andsolutions. Employees at Microsoft arerecognised as the intellectual fuel and areprovided with various benefit plans andresources, which are designed to retain Brummel, who joined as the chief ofhuman resources at Microsoft, in the year2005, started reshaping the company s HRstrategies. She began to innovate the HRsystem and tailored it to meet the needs ofindividual employees. The case helps toanalyse the importance of innovation inHR practices of an organisation. The casealso offers a backdrop to debate whetherthe reshaped HR strategies of Microsofthelp to satisfy, retain and motivate theemployees at Objectives To analyse the significance of employeesin a knowledge-based industry To analyse how companies attract thebest-knowledge workers and retainemployees in a competitiveenvironment To analyse the HR practices at Microsoft To analyse the reshaped HR practicesimplemented by Lisa Brummel To analyse whether the new HR Strategyhelps to satisfy, motivate and retainemployees at ServicesReference of ; HR Strategies; Reshaping HRStratgies; Google; Lisa Brummel;Knowledge-based industry; ComparitiveAnalysis; Steve Ballmer; Mini-MicrosoftBlog; mymicrosoft ; HRM Case Studies.

6 Next Generation Work RESOURCE MANAGEMENTHUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENTHUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENTHUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENTHUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENTI nnovative HR Practices atSouthwest: Can they beSustained?With 35 consecutive years of profitability,the Dallas-based Southwest Airlines hadbeen the most successful low-fare, highfrequency and point-to-point carrier in theUS. Southwest is known not only for itsinnovation in operations but also for itsHR practices which were nurtured by itslong-standing CEO, Herbert D. developed a culture aimed at fun andemployee satisfaction. He also devisednumerous employee-orientedorganisational practices, training andmotivational programs. His fun loving wayof treating employees and charismaticleadership qualities made him a supremehero among them even after he steppeddown from the CEO post in 2001 andbecame its chairman.

7 But in May 2008,Kelleher announced that he will step downfrom the post of chairman. Following theannouncement, the entire airline industryis skeptical about the sustainability ofKelleher s innovative HR practices atSouthwest. The case discusses how a leaderinfluences the HR practices of a firm withhis own leadership style. It also allows fordiscussion on whether it is the right movefor a company to follow HR practiceswhich are highly influenced by a Objectives To trace out the distinguished HRpractices of Southwest Airlines To discuss Herb Kelleher s role inSouthwest s HR practices To analyse the positive impact ofSouthwest s HR practices on itsoperational and financial performance To evaluate a leader s role in influencingHR practices of a IndustryReference of Airlines; Herbert D.

8 Kelleher;Charismatic Leader; US airline industry;Southwest s Business Model; Best HRpractices; HRM Case Studies; Southwestsprit; Motivational Programs; Innovative;Fun work Culture; Kelleher; Gary Kelly(Kelly); Coolen Barrett (Barrett); HRDilemmaGoogle's HR Practices: AStrategic Edge?Google, based in Mountain View, California,is the world s most popular search company was not just known for itsinnovative breakthroughs in thetechnology front, but is also known for itsunique culture and innovative HumanResource (HR) policies. In a surveyconducted by BusinessWeek magazine,Google was the most sought after companyby college students, MBAs, women,engineers, and diverse individuals. Googleranked 1st on the 10th annual 100 BestCompanies to Work For list of Fortune, awell-known international businessmagazine.

9 HR practices at Google is named People Operations , which is designed tounderline the fact that it is not a mereadministrative function, but ensures to builda strong employee-employer s HR practices clearly reveal theimpressive results of the company sapproach, which help in increasingemployee productivity. The case facilitatesdiscussion on whether the Best Place toWork For culture at Google is to reallyattract and motivate the employees or ifit is with a business Objectives To analyse how employees help acompany in differentiating itself fromits competitors in knowledge-basedindustries To analyse how companies attract thebest-knowledge workers and retainemployees in a competitiveenvironment To analyse the innovative HR practicesand the 'Best Place to Work For' cultureat Google To analyse the future implications ofGoogle s HR practices in the long IndustryReference of ; HR Practices; Innovative WorkCulture; Benefit Packages; Retention;Recruiting Machine; Competition fortalent; Knowledge-based industries; HRMCase Studies; Workplace Design.

10 EmployeeBenefitsTata Tea and the Employee BuyOut ModelThe case discusses about the employee buyout business model adopted by Tatas ontheir exit from plantation business in theirsouthern plantations operations in Munnardistrict of Kerala in India. Tata Tea hadsold off 17 tea estates in the south to thecompany formed by its employees namedKanan Devan Hills Plantation CompanyPvt. Ltd. (KDHPCL). In sharp contrast tothe situation in the tea industryexperiencing closures affecting thousandsof employees, KDHPCL with 13,000employees could not only recover withina year the loss of $ 24 million run up byTata Tea, but could also register a post taxsurplus of $ 50,000 as on March 31st , when Tata Tea went ontoimplement a similar model in the NorthIndia Plantation Operations, it met withconsiderable resistance.