Case Study: Human Resource Management at BMW

BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke  in German, or  Bavarian Motor Works  in English) is basically a German company with vast experience in the field of cars and was introduced in 1916. This company spends more money on its human inputs to add value and also its complex contribution of human resources creates its competitive advantage. BMW’s specialized staff which are able to offer superior quality of product and services in the market with the customer experience. Human resources plays important role in the BMW even in the time of recession as they have invest on the human inputs. But this depends on the financial condition and capabilities of the market as they had invested in training development and recruitment of the new management teams in their organisation. Earlier BMW was not giving importance to its customer services and its staff only focusing on its products and places for its expansion but Continue reading

Idea of Workers Participation in Management

Workers participation in management refers to the involvement of employees in the decision-making process and management activities of an organization. This approach to management is based on the belief that employees are valuable assets to the company and should be given a voice in the direction and operations of the organization. Workers participation in management can take various forms, including collective bargaining, works councils, employee representation on boards, and employee involvement programs. The concept of workers participation in management has its roots in the labor movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During this time, workers were organizing to improve their working conditions and wages, and were calling for a greater say in the decisions that affected their lives. Over time, workers participation in management has evolved and become an important aspect of modern management practices. Today, workers participation in management is widely recognized as a way to Continue reading

Purposes of Performance Management System

Performance Management is often a misunderstood concept most people associate it with concepts such as: Performance appraisal, Performance-related pay, Targets and objectives, Motivation and discipline. But, performance management is much more than this. Performance management is about getting results. It is concerned with getting the best from people and helping them to achieve their potential. It is an approach to achieving a shared vision of the purpose and aims of the organization. It is concerned with helping individuals and teams achieve their potential and recognize their role in contributing to the goals of the organization. A performance management system consists of the processes used to identify, encourage, measure, evaluate, improve, and reward employee performance at work. Employees’ job performance is an important issue for all employers. However, satisfactory performance does not happen automatically; therefore, it is more likely with a good performance management system. A performance management system serves a Continue reading

Equity and Fairness of Employee Compensation Systems

Compensation is key to organisational strategy. It has an impact on attracting and retaining employees and ensuring optimal performance in meeting the organisation’s objectives. The economic importance of compensation is that it should allow the organization to maintain a cost structure that enables it to compete effectively and efficiently in its markets. Adams equity theory suggests that once an individual has chosen an action that is expected to satisfy his or her needs, the individual assesses the equity or fairness of the outcome. Three attitudes are possible; an individual may feel equitably rewarded, under rewarded, or over rewarded. When individuals feel under rewarded or over rewarded, they will do something to reduce the inequity. A further development ‘Fairness theory’ takes into account the notion of accountability and blame. When people identify an instance of unfair treatment, they are holding someone accountable for an action that threatens another person’s material or Continue reading

Concept of Human Capital

Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization all over the world, has created the need for quality products and quality service. It in turn necessitated organizations to compete with one another to improve the quality and device cost reduction measures to exist in the industry. That could be done only with the development of human capital which is evidenced by the rapid economic growth of Japan and other East Asian countries. The investment in human capital cannot be easily measured as it differs from one person to another. Basically, when we talk of human capital it refers to the human knowledge, their inner capabilities and creativity. The development of technology cannot be fully utilized without knowledge and skill. The capabilities of the human capital in relation to the needs of the organization should be improved by creating a climate in which the human knowledge, skill, capabilities and creativity can be developed. How do Continue reading

Necessity for Alignment between Corporate Strategy and HR Strategy

Current business environmental forces such as competition, innovation, globalization, technological advancement etc has created major impact on organizational behavior. These changes come in different forms. Sometimes it required to reorganize the structure of the organization and due to this organization may have to introduce new roles and new people. Sometimes it may require to change the culture of the organization. In all these situations HRM function plays a major role. Further recent development of new concepts such as knowledge workers has increased the complexity of HRM function. Nowadays HR has become strategic assets for organizations. From an IT company’s view point intellectual property that is knowledge of the software developers is crucial for their business than the physical asset of the company. This importance has heightened due to the transition of old economic conditions to knowledge based economy where it considers the intellectual property as one of key success factors Continue reading