The Test 
Two college seniors had a week of exams coming up. However, they decided to go to a party instead and they didn't get any studying done.
When they went to the test, they decided to tell the professor that their car had broken down the night before due to a flat tire and they needed a bit more time to study.
The professor told them that they could have another day to study.
That evening, both of the boys crammed all night until they were sure that they knew just about everything.
Arriving to class the next morning, each boy was told to go to separate classrooms to take the exam. Each shrugged and went to two different parts of the building.
As each sat down, they read the first question.
"For 5 points, explain the contents of an atom."
At this point, they both thought that this was going to be a piece of cake, and answered the question with ease.
Then, the test continued... "For 95 points, tell me which tire it was."
* First Definition
Human resource management (HRM) is the strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organization's most valued assets - the people working there who individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the business.[1] The terms "human resource management" and "human resources" (HR) have largely replaced the term "personnel management" as a description of the processes involved in managing people in organizations.[1] Human Resource management is evolving rapidly. Human resource management is both an academic theory and a business practice that addresses the theoretical and practical techniques of managing a workforce.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_resource_management
* Second Definition
Human Resource Management (HRM) is the function within an organization that focuses on recruitment of, management of, and providing direction for the people who work in the organization. Human Resource Management can also be performed by line managers.
Human Resource Management is the organizational function that deals with issues related to people such as compensation, hiring, performance management, organization development, safety, wellness, benefits, employee motivation, communication, administration, and training.
source: http://humanresources.about.com/od/glossaryh/f/hr_management.htm
* Third Definition
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.
source: http://www.managementhelp.org/hr_mgmnt/hr_mgmnt.htm
* Fourth Definition
Human Resource Management is based on ideas and techniques developed to enhance worker motivation, productivity and performance. The HRM model emphasises:
* the need to search for new ways of working
* the central role of managers in promoting change
* the treatment of workers as individuals rather than part of a collective workforce
* the encouragement of workers to consider management as 'partners' rather than as opponents - 'us and us', rather than 'us and them'
source: http://www.humanresourcemanagement.co.uk/resourcemanagement.htm
* Fifth Definition
Human Resource management is based in the efficient utilization of employees in achieving two main goals within a corporation or other type of organization. The first goal is to effectively make use of the talents and abilities of employees to achieve the operational objectives that are the ultimate aim of the organization. Along with realizing the goals of the organization, Human Resource management also seeks to ensure that the individual employee is satisfied with both the working environment and the compensation and benefits that he or she receives.
* source: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-human-resource-management.htm
Human Resource Management has no exact definition, every definition vary from one point to another. However, all of the definition are concerned with the most valuable asset in a business - the people. in definition 1 define HRM as "strategic and coherent approached" in which I agree, human resource is the most demanding resources that must be manage effectively. Definition 2 and 3 specifies the functions of the HRM in a company. And it is the ensure to meet the expectation and the need of its resources, for the wellness of both party, the company and the employees. Definition 4 and 5 talk about the utilization and motivation of its employees, to use its full potential for the common good. Thus, the Human Resource Management deals with the handling employees and wellness of its resources, respecting the rights of each other and attain a common goal.
TEACHER: Clyde , your composition on "My Dog" is exactly the same as your brother's. Did you copy his?
CLYDE: No, mam, it's the same dog.
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TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?
HAROLD: A teacher mam!!
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"DALAWANG LASING...NAGLALAKAD."
LASING-1: Shege pare, Ayan na yung bahay namin eh, dito na lang ako, salamat sa paghatid mo sakin ha!
LASING-2: Mali ka pare, hindi yan ang bahay mo... diyan ako nakatira eh... kaya sa amin yang bahay na yan! Okey?
BABAE :(Nagbukas ng pinto}.. Hoy, mga Unggoy! Anong pinagtatalunan nyo diyan? Lasing na naman kayong Mag-ama noh?
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DIRTY OLD MAN: Alam mo pare, lima ang tsiks ko ngayon!
PARE : Magaganda ba sila pare?
D.O.M.: Maganda sila pare.... at magkakamukha pa silang lahat!
PARE : Ha, bakit nagkaganon pare?
D.O.M. : Lahat sila Mukhang Pera !!
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ARMY : Manong, san ba dito nagpupugad ang mga NPA..?
MANGYAN: Sir, matagal nako dito sa bundok, pero wala pa akong nakikitang pugad ng NPA.... Ano ba kulay ng ITLOG nila sir..?
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ERAP: (Nag-e-exercise) 1234 Amen...!
5678 Amen...!
8765 Amen...!
4321 Amen...!
JINGOY: Dad, bakit may pa-amen amen ka pa..?
ERAP: Kasi sabi ng Doktor ko... "EXERCISE RELIGIOUSLY"..!
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An Arab was interviewed at the US Embassy for a U.S.A. Visa.
Consul : What is your name?
Arab: Abdul Aziz
Consul: Sex?
Arab : Six to ten times a week
Consul: I mean, male or female?
Arab : both male and female and sometimes even camels
Consul: Holy cow!
Arab : Yes, cows and dogs too!!!!
Consul: Man,...isn ' t it hostile?
Arab :Horse style, dog style, any style
Consul: Oh...dear!
Arab : Ah Deer? Me no fuck, they run too fast!
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Chemistry teacher asked a sexy student, "What are NITRATES?
The student replied shyly, "Ma'am, sa motel po.
NITRATES are higher than day-rates!"
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"Usapan ng dalawang mayabang..."
Tomas: Ang galing ng aso ko! Tuwing umaga, dala
niya ang dyaryo sa akin.
Diego: Alam ko.
Tomas: Ha? Paano mo nalaman?
Diego: Ikinukuwento sa akin ng aso ko.
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WHO'S GUILTY?
Wife dreaming in the middle of the night
suddenly shouts, "Quick, my husband is back!"
Man gets up, jumps out the window and realizes, "Damn! I am the
husband!"
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- Today is the yesterday you worried about tomorrow. - Unknown
- Be kind to your kids, they'll be choosing your nursing home. - Unknown
- A diamond cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials. - Chinese Proverb
- I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see. - John Burroughs
- We are born weak, we need strength; helpless, we need aid; foolish, we need reason. All that we lack at birth, all that we need when we come to man's estate, is the gift of education. - Jean Jacques Rousseau 1712-1778
- Death borders upon our birth, and our cradle stands in the grave. Our birth is nothing but our death begun. - Bishop Hall
- Even at our birth, death does but stand aside a little. And every day he looks towards us and muses somewhat to himself whether that day or the next he will draw nigh. - Robert Bolt
- Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds. - Buddha
- Birth and Death are the two noblest expressions of bravery. - Kahlil Gibran
- The day which we fear as our last is but the birthday of eternity. - Seneca
- We are all born naked and screaming and if you're lucky that sort of thing won't stop there. - Unknown
- Death and taxes and childbirth! There's never any convenient time for any of them. - Margaret Mitchell Gone with the wind
- Nobility is not a birthright. It is defined by one's actions. - Robin Hood
- Men are equal; it is not birth but virtue that makes the difference. - Voltaire [Francois-Marie Arouet]
- You were born an original. Don't die a copy. - John Mason
- Real birthdays are not annual affairs. Real birthdays are the days when we have a new birth. - Ralph Parlette
- Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting; The soul that rises with us, our life's star, Hath had elsewhere its setting, And cometh from afar; Not in entire forgetfulness, And not in utter nakedness, But trailing clouds of glory do we come from God, who is our home. - William Wordsworth
Link 2 Support
Call Center Agent, Technical Support
Computer Networking
The personnel I’ve interviewed agreed to their company’s HRM, for it ensures to meet what they are expecting as an employee in that organization. She have seen the effort of the management to handles all the concern of their people compare to the other companies that she had work with in the past. Their office guarantees the address all concern of their people like health benefit, they have what they called HMO it is a medical assistance that is only available for their regular employees. They are also the one who manages the SSS and Pag-ibig loans.
However, there are some lapses in their management just like some of their policies are being bypass, politics within the company and accounting discrepancy. The company makes sure to have a company meeting at least once a year including all its employees and the big bosses. It is done to address at least all of their concern and problems within the organization. If there are legal policies arises regarding the good or benefits of the employee just like the additional salary fee of 25 pesos this 2nd quarter and employee allowance increase, in which they have granted one month after the hearing.
I do agree to the management of their company, people are very vulnerable that need to be dedicated much attention. Thus, they did their best to address the problems within the organization and given the right action. A company is a community of people, whose working together to attain common goal.
HRM TECHNICAL PAPER
First Draft
Submitted by:
Kate Mariel Dizon
Charmaine Dayanan
Fatima Paclibar
Dolorosa Mancera
Ida Karla Duguran
Submitted to:
Randy S. Gamboa
Instructor, IT314
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Human resources may be considered as the most abundant resource around because a specific place or time can never have too few human resources. An individual is as important as a group of individuals and therefore must be cared for just as well.
In an organization, human resources make up the most essential part of the whole hierarchy. They serve as the backbone of any institution or organization and without them, even the establishment of an organization is impossible, let alone its survival. But since human resources are the most abundant resource, they are the most susceptible to abuse and neglect. And because of their uniqueness, they are the most difficult to manage because of their different personalities.
For an organization to do its function properly the backbone, which is the human resources, must be maintained properly and treated with utmost care. Today, with the dawn of technology, almost everything can be done with ease and the human resources lose their purpose. This is a common misunderstanding that should be corrected by showcasing technology as a means to properly manage and maintain the human resources. Technology should not be seen as a threat and must therefore be utilized to further develop and improve the maintenance of the human resources. This is where technology is interwoven with human resource management.
Thus, this paper will provide a clear example of how technology can be used in human resource management as a tool in improving the human resources. It will present an innovative way to use technology and incorporate it in human resource management. It will also depict the real-life scenario in a company adopted by the authors and develop a system prototype that can possibly enhance the operation of the company’s existing human resource information system.
CHAPTER II
METHODOLOGY
I. Adoption of Company
The group chose a company where they have an acquaintance. A letter of permission addressed to the company’s Regional Director was written by the group. The letter was signed by a group representative, the subject instructor, the director of the Office of Student Services, and the dean of the College the group is affiliated with. The letter was then submitted to the company for receiving and approval. Upon approval, the group proceeded with the study.
II. Preparation of Questions
A set of questions was formulated by the group based on the topics given to them by the subject instructor. The questions involved the company’s background, the functions of their Human Resource department, and other questions related to Human Resource Management.
III. Data Gathering
Necessary data from the company was gathered through a series of visits and interviews conducted by the group. The group interviewed the Chief Administrative Officer of their adopted company and was provided with a printed copy of the answers to the questions they prepared, in addition to the actual interview process. The group was also able to obtain hard copies of the company’s organizational chart and other documents that could probably help in the development of this paper.
The group was also allowed to view the company’s personnel information system and take several screenshots of the system. The interviewed personnel also demonstrated and conducted a brief run-through of the functions of the system. The group took several screenshots but unfortunately, was unable to cover the whole system because of some defects.
IV. Documentation
All the data gathered from the interviews and demonstrations were written down by the group members. Also, during the course of the company visit, the group was able to take several pictures to document the visit.
The data gathered were compiled and re-written into a more understandable and organized manner, in the form of this technical paper. All the information gathered was grouped together into specific chapters to present a clearer and smoother flow of ideas. Drafts for the chapters were made for consultation and checking.
CHAPTER III
PURPOSE, SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study is to let the students experience learning on a real-world scenario. Not only will the students acquire knowledge inside the four corners of the classroom but also to be able to see how human resource management is being implied in different organizations. In this case, the students will have a clearer perspective of how the theories that are being discussed in the subject proper are practically applied in various companies being chosen and adopted.
Scope of the Study
The group adopted an “open-philosophy” in the process of writing this technical paper. The study is limited to gather information about the company’s HR department, and how it is being operated and managed. The group was allotted approximately four (4) months to choose a company, study their human resource department, gather data,, document the findings, develop the HRIS prototype, and finalize the technical report.
Objectives of the Study
The study aims to develop an HRIS (Human Resource Information System) prototype for the adopted company.
Specifically, the study intends to:
1. discuss the importance of technology in effect to the human resource management;
2. identify business needs and translate them into functional requirements for HRIS implementation;
3. determine the basic components included in the company’s HRIS
CHAPTER IV
BACKGROUND OF THE COMPANY
I. Historical Background
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) was created in 1972 as an independent economic and planning agency which shall help the government in implementing integrated and coordinated programs and policies for national development. On March 12, 1986, Pres. Corazon Aquino issued EO No. 5, directing a government-wide reorganization to promote economy, efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of the public service. Then, on July 22, 1987, EO No. 230 was issued reorganizing the NEDA. On February 16, 1988, the implementation of this EO was completed when NEDA inaugurated operations under its reorganization setup.
II. Functions
As the coordinating agency and secretariat of the Regional Development Council (RDC), which is the highest policy-making body in the region, NEDA’s major functions include the following:
1. Serving as the technical staff of the RDC in the region by providing staff assistance in the coordination of plan formulation and implementation at the regional level;
2. Providing staff assistance to implementing agencies in the region in identifying and developing programs and projects;
3. Evaluating and reviewing proposed regional programs and projects for consideration by the RDC;
4. Monitoring and assessing project implementation in the region; and
5. Coordinating with regional offices of other departments and agencies, with the local government units in the region in the performance of their assigned tasks.
III. Organizational Structure
The present structural composition of NEDA XI (Figure 1) headed by Regional Director Nicasio Angelo J. Agustin, who is also the vice-chairman of the RDC XI, and Assistant Regional Director Bonifacio G. Uy, has five (5) major departments: the Plan and Policy Formulation Division headed by Division Chief Miguel S. Herrera III; Project Development, Investment Programming and Budgeting Division headed by Division Chief Concepcion C. Anaud; Knowledge Management Division headed by Division Chief Noel E. Quiratman; Project Monitoring and Evaluation Division headed by OIC-Division Chief Jose T. Cornales; and the Operations Division headed by Chief Administrative Officer Stephen G. Basilio.
CHAPTER V
HRIS PROTOTYPE PROPOSAL
Description of the Current NEDA Personnel Information System
The group’s adopted company, NEDA XI, is currently using a Human Resource Information System that they call as NEDA Personnel Information System (NPIS).
The system is very old and has not been updated for many years. According to their personnel, the system bugged down some years ago and the company was not able to use the system to its potential. The cause of the system breakdown was the failure of their main server. However, NPIS did contain some personnel information.
The system was created using an old version of Visual FoxPro. It operates in a DOS-like environment with the standard blue, green and black colors. Basically, the system holds the employees’ personal profiles, work experience, and current work status. The system has some miscellaneous functions, such as the reports section and housekeeping section, which are, unfortunately, not operational.
From observation, the system lacks functionality and security. It lacks certain functionalities in that all the records contained within are only usable and viewable in the system. The system is pretty much just a record-keeping program with no other use. It also lacks security in that anyone in the office can access it because there is no user authentication and all records are viewable because of the absence of content filters.
Thus, the group shall propose a prototype of a new personnel information system for their adopted company. The prototype shall demonstrate functionality and security that the current system lacks and shall improve the working environment of the system.
NEDA HRIS Prototype Proposal
NEDA XI showed the group a diagram of how the system should work. The diagram is shown below:
Figure 5.1 NEDA Personnel Information System
The current system only implemented the upper left corner of the diagram, until “Encode Employee 201 File”. The group shall present a prototype proposal that would expand the system and provide it with added functionality. Another thing that the system is supposed to do is to keep track of employee attendance and link it directly to the Finance Division for computation of credits and salary. Therefore, the proposal shall address the need for keeping the attendance record of each employee in every month.
Figure 5.2 Proposed Personnel 201 Record
Figure 5.3 Proposed Personnel 201 Record
Figures 5.2 and 5.3 show the proposed Personnel 201 File. It contains the necessary information about the company’s employees, such as personal profile, work experience, and other vital information. The prototype was created using a newer version of Visual FoxPro. It makes use of various graphical user interface objects such as buttons, text fields and page tabs.
The Personnel 201 File allows the users to add, edit or change, and delete records. For the user to view an employee’s records, an employee ID number must be supplied at the very top text field and the “Retrieve” button will search the database for the employee number and display its corresponding information on their respective places on the page.
To add a new record, the user can immediately type the new information in the input fields. After filling up the form, the user must click the “Add” button at the upper right hand side of the page to add the new record to the database.
To edit an existing record, the user must first retrieve the records of a certain employee by typing in the employee number and clicking the “Retrieve” button. The information to be altered will be displayed and the user can now alter the record immediately. To save the changes made, the user must click the “Update” button at the right side of the form.
To delete an existing record, the user must first retrieve an employee record and then click the “Delete” button at the right side of the form. After deleting a record, all the input fields will be cleared and ready for input again. Clicking the “Clear” button will only clear the text fields and not affect any records.
Things do happened unexpectedly. You never wish it to happen today, tomorrow nor in the future but it happens. When you least expect it to happen, well it just happen hehehe. I dont know. I'm Talking non sense here. No particular points, maybe I'm just killing the time hahaha. Sorry if youre reading by now the most non sense writing i your whole existence hahaha.
I always see to it that I will live my life to the fullest. You may wonder why, but its simple. Life is to short. We never know what well happen next. All we have is the present, and the future is in the hand of our creator and beyong our control. I want to live a life with no regrets...for doing things I should have done...for showing what I feel...for exploring the dirty world we live in...for expiriencing what I thought before that was imposible. I want to achieve many things, to reach my lofty dreams and to spread His love. Too many things to do, too many words to say..to many duties to fulfill...too many...but one thing I know, I dont want to die without showing my loveones how much I love them, how much I treasure them, how thankful I am for having them and how proud I am for having all of them. It would be my greatest regret in my life, dying without doing all of these. For as long as I live I want everyone of you my friends especially my family that I love you. I'm not good in words but I hope you have feel it.
On the assumption that you heard/read the SONA of the President yesterday, July 28, 2008, identify at least 3 areas related to Human Resource Management and explain how these areas can improve our quality of life.
Three areas related to Human Resource Management:
In training, 7.74 million took technical and vocational courses over the last seven years, double the number n the previous 14 years. In 2007 alone, 1.7 million graduated.
The creation of six million jobs in six years via more opportunities given to entrepreneurs, tripling of the amount of loans for lending to small and medium enterprises, and the development of one to two million hectares of land for agricultural business; she said: "Our P 350 million training partnership with the private sector should qualify 60,000 for call centers, medical transcription, animation and software development, which have a projected demand of one million workers generating $13 billion by 2010.
The construction of new buildings, classrooms, provision of desks and chairs and books for students and scholarships to poor families.
These program of the government benefits all of us Filipinos. The government alone cannot do all of these without the support of its people. We have our responsibilities towards our nation, and realizing these, may help lessen the crisis we are facing today. I do appreciate the efforts of the government and I hope we'll cooperate and do our part as a citizen of this country.
We are not like machine. We have our own needs, rights, emotion and limitations. We ought to have insurance to ensure our health, demand for salary for living, seek leave in case of emergency, have our own rights that needs to be respected and for these reasons we are being least understood and worst managed. Sometimes our rights and needs are being neglected. Unlike machine we are capable to complaint in unrighteous management, unlawful activities and any other irregularities. Yet, we are the meat of the company we are capable to adopt any changes, can function without supervision and many more for the benefits of the company.
The success of a company is within itself. Proper management, supervision and development to its resources especially the "Human Resources" is advised.
So the question "What is the relation of having HRM in connection to a computer related courses". Well to start let me define first what is Human Resource Management. It is based on ideas and techniques developed to enhance worker motivation, productivity and performance. We are the most valued asset in an industry. I've learned from our adopted company which is NEDA, National Economic and Development Authority in one of our visit that in is very important to maintain a healthy working environment where harmonious relationship betwen employer-employee and employee-employee, keeping everyone motivated in work and productive to be able to attain common goal - to prosper.
Knowing your rights, responsibilities, right values towards work and how to be a good employee or employer(why not) and how to apply it in the near future would be very challenging. All we're going to learn in this subject will indeed very useful and helpful in facing the real world.
As a resolution, I'm going to do it all over again. Start from the very beginning, post it first on my blog, and wait when will http://rsg0927.forumsmotion.com/ going to run again! Hopefully very soon!
The Illuminati has surfaced from the shadows to carry out the final phase of its legendary vendetta against its most hated enemy... the Catholic Church.
Langdon's worst fears are confirmed on the eve of the Vatican's holy conclave, when a messenger of the Illuminati announces he has hidden an unstoppable time bomb at the very heart of Vatican City. With the countdown under way, Langdon jets to Rome to join forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and mysterious Italian scientist, to assist the Vatican in a desperate bid for survival.
Embarking on a frantic hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra follow a 400-year old trail of ancient symbols that snakes across Rome toward the long-forgotten Illuminati lair... a secret location that contains the only hope for Vatican salvation.
An explosive international thriller, ANGELS & DEMONS careens from enlightening epiphanies to dark truths as the battle between science and religion turns to war...
Dan Brown Profile
Brown is interested in cryptography, keys, and codes, which are a recurring theme in his stories. Currently his novels have been translated into more than 40 languages.
Although many perceive Brown's books as anti-Christian, Brown states on his website that he is a Christian and says of his book The Da Vinci Code that it is simply "an entertaining story that promotes spiritual discussion and debate" and suggests that the book may be used "as a positive catalyst for introspection and exploration of our faith".
The Solomon Key
Brown is working on a new novel, called The Solomon Key, which will reportedly take place in Washington D.C., and feature the "secret" society of the Freemasons. An exact release date has not been announced, but the most common media speculation says 2008. Brown's promotional website states that puzzles hidden in the book jacket of The Da Vinci Code (including two referring to the Kryptos sculpture at CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia) give hints about the subject of this novel. This repeats a theme from some of Brown's earlier work. For example, a puzzle at the end of the book Deception Point decrypts to the message, "The Da Vinci Code will surface."
Novels
- Digital Fortress, 1998
- Angels & Demons, 2000
- Angels and Demons, Special Illustrated Edition, 2005, Atria. ISBN 0-7432-7506-3
- Deception Point, 2001
- The Da Vinci Code, 2003
- The Da Vinci Code, Special Illustrated Edition, 2004, Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-51375-5
- The Solomon Key, in development, will possibly be published in 2008
Movies
- The Da Vinci Code, 2006 (Brown is listed as executive producer)
- Angels & Demons, mid-2009
Many factors, from the need to expand beyond national borders to the inexorable shift toward intellectual capital, are driving change, but none is more important than the rise of Internet technologies which provides accessibility to information--instantaneously, from anywhere and ideas can be zapped around the globe in the blink of an eye. Adapt and management of corporation via the Web.
Thus, the corporation will need to nurture an array of formal and informal networks to ensure that these ideas can speed into development. In the near future, companies will call on outside contractors to assemble teams of designers, prototype producers, manufacturers, and distributors to get the job done. Emerging technologies will allow employees and freelancers anywhere in the world to converse in numerous languages online without the need for a translator. ''The gap between what we can imagine and what we can achieve has never been smaller,'' says Gary Hamel.
The 21st century Corporation, in contrast, is far more likely to look like a web: a flat, intricately woven form that links partners, employees, external contractors, suppliers, and customers in various collaborations. The players will grow more and more interdependent. Fewer companies will try to master all the disciplines necessary to produce and market their goods but will instead outsource skills--from research and development to manufacturing--to outsiders who can perform those functions with greater efficiency.
By using information to manage themselves and better serve their customers, companies will be able to do things cheaper, faster, and with far less waste. To keep ahead of the steep new-product curve, it will be crucial for businesses to attract and retain the best thinkers. The company of the future will call on talent and resources--especially intellectual capital--wherever they can be found around the globe, just as it will sell its goods and services around the globe. The Internet is a tool, and the biggest impact of that tool is speed.
At the very core of the 21st century corporation is technology, or what most people today call digitization. Put simply, digitization means removing human minds and hands from an organization's most routine tasks and replacing them with computers and networks. Digitizing everything from employee benefits to accounts receivables to product design cuts time, cost, and people from operations, resulting in huge savings and vast improvements in speed.
The truly great 21st century companies will recognize that the real power of technology is not just the ability to make a business more efficient but also its potential to spark transformative change. Much of that change will involve the company's relationship with its customers.
Reference:
http://www.businessweek.com/common_frames/ma_0035.htm?/2000/00_35/b3696011.htm
DOWNSIZING
• Downsizing or doing layoffs is a toxic solution. Used sparingly and with planning downsizing can be an organizational lifesaver, but when layoffs are used repeatedly without a thoughtful strategy, downsizing can destroy an organization's effectiveness. How you treat people really matters - to the people who leave and the people who remain.
• One outcome of downsizing must be to preserve the organization's intellectual capital.
• How downsized employees are treated directly affects the morale and retention of valued, high-performing employees who are not downsized.
• Downsizing should never be used as a communication to financial centers or investors of the new management's tough-minded, no-nonsense style of management -- the cost of downsizing far outweighs any benefits thus gained.
Electronics giant Toshiba, hit by the collapse in computer chip prices, is to axe 18,800 jobs.
The firm, Japan's largest chipmaker, has confirmed media reports that it is to cut its global workforce by 10%. Toshiba is also exploring a tie-up with European rival Infineon, which has reported a slump of almost two thirds in profits at its memory chip division.
The moves provide further evidence of the difficulties besetting Japan's tech sector, still reeling from the announcement a week ago that Fujitsu was cutting 16,400 posts. Hitachi, Japan's largest electronics manufacturer is also considering cutting 20,000 posts, a report by a Japanese newspaper said on Sunday.
Hitachi on Monday confirmed it was to cut 800 jobs by March at its electronic materials and household chemicals unit, Hitachi Chemical, with news of more widespread cuts not expected for a fortnight.
Toshiba blamed the job losses, which will be enacted by March 2004, on the deteriorating business climate, which has affected firms in technology sectors particularly badly.
"The dramatic economic slowdown that began in the US at the end of 2000 is becoming a global phenomenon that has undermined worldwide demand for IT," the firm said in a statement. The majority of jobs culled - about 17,000 - will go from operations in Japan, where six of 21 factories will be closed.
A further 10,000 staff will be encouraged to shift posts within the group.
"With this action plan we want to regenerate the company," company president Tadashi Okamura said.
Resources:
http://humanresources.about.com/od/layoffsdownsizing/a/downsizing.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/1511308.stm