Human Resource Management Chapter 2

Study Notes

Human Resource Management Environment and Strategies

Human resource managers are integral members of strategic management teams in companies.
Understanding strategy, strategic management, and the strategic management process is essential.

What is Strategy?

Strategy is defined as a unified course of action aimed at achieving specific goals.
Example: Hero Honda Motors' goal to increase motorcycle sales by 200,000 units in 2010.
Strategies to achieve this goal may include:
- Reducing prices by cutting production costs.
- Improving product design.
- Increasing fuel efficiency.
Glueck defines strategy as a comprehensive plan to achieve the organization's objectives.
Henry Mintzberg describes strategy as a pattern in decisions or actions aimed at reaching company goals.

What is Strategic Management?

Strategic management involves analyzing both external and internal environments to make informed decisions.
Example: Hero Honda must assess motorcycle demand, production rates, and competition to identify opportunities and challenges.
Internal scanning identifies strengths such as skilled employees and reliable suppliers.
Key definitions:
- John and Richard: Strategic management is the set of decisions and actions to align the organization with its environment.
- Samuel and Peter: It's a continuous, cross-functional effort to match organizational capabilities with environmental demands.
Strategic management is characterized by:
- A cross-functional process viewing the organization as a single system.
- Matching strengths with opportunities.
- Implementing decisions to achieve organizational objectives.

Strategic Management Process

The strategic management process involves a series of steps to formulate and implement strategies.
Essential steps include:
- Establishing the vision, mission, and objectives of the company.
- Conducting external environmental analysis.
- Conducting internal environmental analysis.
- Revising organizational direction if necessary.
- Formulating alternative strategies.
- Selecting the best strategy.
- Implementing the strategy.
- Evaluating and controlling the strategy.

Vision, Mission, and Objectives

Vision: Answers the question, "What do we want to create?" and unifies organizational efforts.
Mission: An enduring statement that defines an organization's purpose and distinguishes it from others.
Identifying the vision and mission is crucial as the starting point of the strategic management process.

Strategic Implementation and Evaluation

Strategy implementation requires addressing functional strategies to minimize costs, improve timing, and optimize working capital.
Effective implementation does not guarantee achievement of goals; it must be monitored and evaluated continuously.
Feedback mechanisms are critical: feedforward information helps anticipate issues, while feedback helps rectify them after events.

Strategy Evaluation Process

Establish standard performance benchmarks.
Measure actual performance against these benchmarks.
Assess if actual performance meets, exceeds, or falls short of standards, informing future management actions.
If performance meets or exceeds standards, continue without corrective actions; if it falls short, identify areas for improvement.

Corporate Level Strategies

Corporate level strategies focus on overarching decisions, such as whether to maintain, change, or enhance business efficiency.
Recognized corporate strategies include stability, growth, retrenchment, and combinations of these.
Each strategy type plays a role in addressing the company's overall objectives and market position.

Stability Strategies

Aimed at maintaining the status quo and sustainable growth without major changes to operations.

Growth Strategies

Involves methods like internal growth, mergers and acquisitions, horizontal integration, conglomerate diversification, vertical integration, and joint ventures to expand the business.

Retrenchment Strategies

Focus on actions to improve performance in the face of difficulties, including turnaround strategies, divestments, and liquidation.

Strategic Business Unit (SBU) Level

SBUs are designed for specific product lines or market segments, formulated in alignment with corporate strategies.
Emphasis is placed on product differentiation, customer needs, and market segmentation to create distinct competitive advantages.

Generic Strategies at SBU Level

The three primary generic strategies are:
- Low Cost Leadership: Competing primarily on price.
- Differentiation: Competing on unique product features.
- Focus/Niche: Targeting specific market segments.

Summary of Generic Strategy Choices

Cost Leadership
- Focus on mass market with low pricing.
- Competitive advantage derived from manufacturing efficiencies.
Differentiation
- Emphasizes unique offerings; caters to various market segments.
- Distinct competencies in research, development, and marketing.
Focus/Niche
- Targeting narrowly defined segments effectively through specialized offerings.

Description

This quiz delves into Chapter 2 of Human Resource Management, focusing on the environment and strategies relevant to HR management. It addresses key concepts such as strategy, strategic management, and the strategic management process in the context of organizational goals. Prepare to explore how these principles apply to effective human resource practices.