Relationship Between HR and Other Departments

The HR is a term which describes the individual who comprise the workforce of an organization. HR is also named as the functions within an organization charged with the overall responsibility for implementing strategies and policies relating to the management of individuals. HR might set develop policies and strategies, systems, standards, and processes that implement these strategies in a whole range of areas

1.2 The Function of HR Department

• Selection, recruitment, and resourcing
• Designing the organization and development
• Changing management and Business transformation
• Conducting performance and behavior management
• Employee and industrial relations
• HR analysis and workforce personnel data management
• Rewards, compensation, and benefits management
• Training and development

2.0 The Perception of HR Department

The size of HR department has been grown for over the past three decades. However, numerous of the top managers from the firms think that other departments such as marketing, finance, and production department are more important than HR department. Let’s discuss the reason why many top managers still believed the other departments are more important than HR department.

2.1 Less Productive Department

• None Revenue Generating

The marketing department’s main activities are marketing, targeting the customers and helping other department to determine the new product’s need of the market. The production department’s main activities are turning inputs into finished outputs through a series of production processes. And the finance department’s main activities are preparing the firm’s budget and appropriating the account. Those department’s main activities have the direct relation with the firm’s revenues and from the generating the physical revenue, the top manager may see the profits. However, as mentioned above, the HR department’s activities are not direct linked to the firm’s revenues. This means that from the top manager side he or she is easy to see the money running form other department through their generating the physical revenues every day. But, the top manager is hard to see the physical revenue from the HR department because it is working impliedly.

• High Utilizing the Expense

In other point, HR department is not generating the physical revenues but it has high utilizing the firm’s expenses. HR department utilize the firm’s expenses as recruitment, training and development (T&D), compensation, and the payroll etc. comparing with other department, the percentage of expenses over the revenue is very high. So, the top managers are hard to see the effective production and cash flow (running money) in HR department. Therefore, the top manager might think it is less productive department and it is less important.

2.2 Indirect helping the achievement of firm’s business objectives.

The common objectives of the firms are achieving Survival, Profit Maximization, The Sales Growth, the Business Growth and Brand Image and so on.

Marketing department helps the firm to achieve its objectives in developing the good brand image, increasing the sales through advertizing and surviving in the market. Finance department helps the firm to achieve its objectives in increasing the cash flow and increasing the productivity and efficiency via management consulting and business planning. Production department helps the firm to achieve its objectives in organizing the resources efficiently to offer efficiently to offer the final consumer the best value and quality. The most departments help the firm to achieve its objective directly. However, the HR department does not help the firm to achieve its objective directly but, indirectly. Therefore the top managers might Think other departments are important than HR department.

3.0 The Methods to change the Perception of HR Department

For changing the perception of HR department to the top managers, we may emphasize the importance of HR department to them. And let them know how the HR department helps the firm.

3.1 Less Productive Department

HR department is less productive but helps the firm in reducing the cost.

For maximizing the profit, there are two ways. One is increasing the revenues and the other is reducing the cost. Even though HR department is less productive department, it can help the firm to reduce the cost for maximizing the profit. There are several methods to reducing the cost in HR department.

• Reducing the number of employees

HR department can reduce the unnecessary number of employees by restructuring or giving the multi task to employee. For example if there are inefficient employees, they might lay off them and pass the tasks which were handled by those employees to the efficient employees. It may occur some complains by remain employees but, HR department gives them some bonus or incentives. Giving the efficient employees the bonus or incentive is less cost than keeping the inefficient employees.

• Reducing the cost of Training and Development (T&D)

One of the HR department’s tasks is T&D for the firm’s employees. As well known fact, the company spends a lot of expenses for T&D for its employees. However HR department may change the T&D program to mentor and mentee program, or on job training and with internal employee training, HR department can reduce the cost of the firm.

3.2 Indirect helping the achievement of firm’s business objectives.

HR department also helps the firm to achieve its business objectives in directly.

Indirect helping does not mean no helping at all. Even though it is in direct HR department still helps the firm to achieve its business objectives. There are several methods how HR helps the firms to achieve its business objectives indirectly.

• Recruitment, selection and positioning the employees.

HR department’s main tasks are recruitment, selection and positioning the employees. From this task it can help the firm to achieving the business objectives. Even though the marketing, finance, production department are productive, the department which does recruitment, selection and positioning the employees is HR department. If HR does recruitment, selection and positioning the employees not well, the other department cannot be efficient. Therefore HR department is helping the firm for achieving its business objective in choosing and positioning right person to right position to make other department to be efficient.

• Be a middle man between the top management and the employees for avoiding the strike

HR department is also role as a middle man between the top management and the employees. From the counseling the employees, HR department might analysis the employee complaint and tries to solve the problem. If employees are not satisfied with the company it might caused the strike. If there is strike, it affects not only the firm’s revenues but also it harms the company image too. So, HR department is role as a middle man to avoid the unexpected impact between the top management and the employees.

• Reducing the high turnover and holding the effective employees.

If there are high turnover rate the firm should not be stable and it can affect the firm’s revenues and it might cost high cost for training the new employees. So, providing the benefit and the compensation to the employees, the HR department reduces the high turnover rate. And also make the employees to satisfy the work in firm to make them not to leave the firm.

1.0 Introduction(Q2)

A Job Description (JD) is the list of describing the general duties, responsibilities, tasks most important contributions and outcomes needed from a position, the reporting relationship of a particular job, and required qualifications of candidates. JD helps the employer to get the ideal candidate and specify the expectations. It also helps the employees to understand what their job requires exactly.

The most of the employers require all the applicants to complete the job application form because it is the way for the employers to collect and keep the consistent data on the file for all prospective applicants.

Starbucks is the largest coffee house chain company in the world. Let’s look at the JD of the marketing manager in Starbuck and discuss about the insufficient information of JD and how to improve.

2.0 Job Description for Marketing Manager in Starbucks.

The Starbucks marketing manager’s job descriptions are as followed:

• Leads project teams and sub teams to develop and implement new programs and process improvements. Manages projects in accordance with Starbucks established program management methodologies. Ensures that multiple projects meet specified timelines and deliver expected results.
• Manages and monitors project or program schedules, progress and costs to ensure that expected results are delivered on time and within budget. Maintains, adjusts and updates project plans as needed. Consolidates, communicates and ensures resolution of all issues. May develop and collect performance metrics.
• Represents business unit, department or functional area on cross-functional project teams. Provides functional expertise to assess potential financial and operational impact.

The JD of Starbucks marketing manager does not provide the sufficient information.

3.0 The Suggestions of Improving JD for Starbucks Marketing Manager

The Starbucks marketing manager’s JD is too general like ‘Leads project teams and sub teams to develop and implement new programs and process improvements’ what are the new programs? It should better specify what the new programs are.

3.1 Suggested JD for Marketing Manager in Starbucks

• Developing and implementing of the promotional marketing calendar for all Starbucks stores.

The marketing manager must be able to develop and implement the monthly marketing promotion planning to help all the retail stores.

• Developing and implement local store marketing events.

The marketing manager must be able to develop and implement marketing events for local store including launching the new products and opening the new store as well as provision of counseling.

• Developing and implement the product placement opportunities and promotional events in Public Relations (PR) plans.

The marketing manager must be able to develop and implement chances for placing the products and events in Public Relation (PR) plans for promotional usage.

• Developing and managing the annual marketing budgets.

The marketing manager must be able to plan all the expenses in activities of the without over budget.

• Managing and coordinating all marketing, advertising and promotional staffs and their activities.

The marketing manager must be able to well understand and lead the staffs in overall activities.

• Conducting market research to determine market requirements for current and future products.

The marketing manager must be able to the market research to determine the existing or future products

• Analysis the customer research for current market conditions and competitor information.

The marketing manager must be able to determine target segmentation for each product. And he or she has to know what the firm’s competitors are doing.

• Monitoring, reviewing and reporting on all marketing activity and results.

The marketing manager must be able to check and improve the all the overall activities in marketing department.

4.0 The Job Application Form of Starbucks

The requested information in Starbucks job application is following:

• Personal information

The personal information is requested because to identify the candidate and checking the qualification. Also it is needed for corresponding

• Employment desired

The employment desired is requested because to check the candidate’s willing position and the requirements

• Education

The education information is requested because to check the qualification.

• Practical question

The practical Question is requested because to get the candidate’s perception of company.

• Former employers

The former employers are requested because to get the candidate’s previous working experience and the reason why they leave the companies. Also it is needed for checking the candidate’s attitude in previous companies.