Background to HRM at General Motors Corporation Essay Example for Free

Background to HRM at General Motors Corporation Essay General Motors Corporation (NYE: GM) is the leading American automaker in the world with its operations spanning in 157 countries. The car manufacturer was established in 1908 in Michigan and today it is headquartered in Detroit, the United States of America. Besides the domestic industry of the United States of America, General Motors manufactures cars and trucks in other 30 countries around the world. Among its brand products are Cadillac, Buick, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Hummer, Holden, Opel, Saab, Pontiac, Vauxhall, and Saturn. Besides these brands that are owned by the automaker, GMC also operates joint ventures in China and Japan. That is, Shanghai GM and SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile respectively. From its Website, General Motors Corporation is among the leading American employer with 204 000 employees distributed throughout its global markets. The employees include production engineers, financial auditors, marketers, and researchers among others. Before restructuring and retrenching that took place in 2008 following a harsh global financial crisis that resulted into a loss of $37.3billion by the automaker, General motors corporation was the leading American employer with 284 000 employees (GMC, 2008). Because of its large network of global presence in 31 countries, General Motors human resource management practices entail international practices that are designed in accordance to the international operation requirements and the organizational culture designed to reduce operational costs. Majority employees of the corporation’s subsidiaries in the 31 countries are drawn from the domestic pool of local labour markets and only a few expatriates are drawn from USA as back office managers due to their wide knowledge of its organization culture (Cappelli, 1999). The Board of directors which draws from the organization’s international market presence is charged with the responsibilities of making major decisions critical to the company’s operation. According to Gustin (2008), General Motors Corporation spent up to $103 million in settling healthcare insurance benefits of its retired employees in 2007. From this information, it is evident that the American automaker provides life insurance covers for its employees upon retirement. However, following restructurung, these benefits  were stripped off and only a few employees still enjoy them today. From January 1, 2010, pension scheme of retired hourly employees of General Motors Corporation was transferred to United Autoworkers; a third party insurance firms and all permanent employees who were hired after january 1, 1993 nolonger receive health care insirance benefit upon retirement(GMC,2008). The entry salary of the global automaker is dictated by the labour laws of each market of operation and thus varied with the United States of America being the highest irrespective by job categories ( Main et al., 2007). The organization has invested in a Human Resource Management system that allows close interraction of its global employees through technology such as e-mailing and enterprise resource Management (Azrul, 2010). Marketing strategy entails presentations by field marketers to the organization’s large distributors and online follow ups. Reccommended HRM practices for GMC From the above background analysis of General Motors corporation, it is clear that the organization requires international Human Resource Management practices that will integrate the cultural diversity of its employees.The catastrophic impact of the 2008 financial ciris that resulted into massive restructuring and retrenching of its human resources also underscores the organization’s poor human resource planning. The following recommendations are prescribed for the automaker on the basis of figure 1 below. The first recommendation, is Re-designing the business strategy to target the bottom line of the market. According to Azrul (2010), one of the main reasons for the $37.4 billion loss incured by the American automaker is external market forces from competitors like Honda and Hyundai that were producing far cheaper vehicles with high efficient engines and low fuel consumption rates as compared to Genereal Motors’ brands. In the heat of global financial crisis, the market shifted to consumption of cheaper and less fuel consumers produced by the competitors resulting in huge losses by the General Motors Corporation. The new business strategy should entail  designing cars and trucks with high eficent engines and electric cars that can survive an upsurge in oil prices. This will involve an investment in manufacturing technologies that ensures high quality at reduced costs such as electric engines that uses bateries.This will give the Amecan leading automaker a competitve advantage against the stiffening market competition. The second recommendation is outsourcing of labour from China and Japan. Many Corporations prefer to manufacture their products from China because of the availability of a relatively cheaper labour force when compared to western counterparts. General Motors corporation can either outsource its human resoure from China or undertake most of its production from its Japanese and Chinese Subsidiaries. The labour laws in the two countries are relatively flexible and firendly than in the United States of America. This will help the American Automator reduce huge operational costs incured in meeting the big payroll of over 200, 000 employees. The third recommendation is integration of employees’ training in high involvement work practices. According to Konrad (2006), engaging employees of an organization in job specific training improves their productivity by increasing their job-related skills, reducing propensity of committing costly errors, and increasing their job confidence. Training of General Motors’ employees on their job specifications will improve their productivity. Ofshore trainings in China and Japan are recommended. This will allow the corporation’s manufacturing engineers to learn new efficient production technologies of Japan and China in making cheaper and highly effiecient cars. Motivational incentives such as team building sessions, delegation of duties, self-managed leadership styles, and monetary rewards will boost their commitment to the organization. The combined effect of training and motivation will necesitate restructuring of a pay roll while leveraging on improved productivity of highly productive employees. The fourth recommendation is embracing technology in Human Resource Management system to enhance global cordination of its business. According to Dreher and Dougherty ( 2002), the use of technology such as centralised Enterprise Resource Management system to co-ordinate human resource  activities of General Motors will enhance quick sharing of ideas and consultation among the global employees of the company without barriers. This will allow the organization to carry out its marketing strategies efficiently and effectively without limitation by geographical distances. Effective Human Resource Management through streamlined sofware-based systems enhances fast communication and online training which gives an organization a higher competitive advantage. The fifth recommendation is integration of social benefits such as pension and health care schemes in the reward system. From the backround information above, it is evident that General Motors Corporation with-held social benefits for employees who were hired after January 1, 1993 and transferred the remaining ones to third pary insirance firms. The American automaker also stripped healthcare benefits for retired employees beyond 65 years. Acording to Konrad (2006), social rewards like health care insurance schemes make employees feel more valued by their organizations than monetary rewards in terms of bonuses and salary increments. Also pension schemes improve employees’ commitment to their employer because of future guarantees. This reduces employees’ turnover which is essential in retaining critical human resources for continuity of operation of General Motors. High staff retention improves an organization’s competitive advantage in a complex market of operati onal rivalry. The sixth recommendation is the implementation of employee productivity management and monitoring systems such as Balanced Score Card (BSC) and High Performance Work System (HPWS) (Rouse, 2000). The latter system refers collectively to open systems, autonomouas teams and teamworks, and performance-based pay (Azrul, 2010). The implementation of the two Human Resource Management systems will improve organizational performance by providing real time employees’ information storage database from which future managerial decisions, and rewards will be based. According to Konrad ( 2006), employees of an organization are more productive when they are aware that their performance is recorded for review in determining their future rewards. Effective implementation of the Human Resource Management systems will help General Motors Corporation in categorising employees  according to their productivity rates. This information is important in determining the relevance of job training and objective restructuring in the event of a crisis like that which befell it in 2008. In this case, only high productive employees will be retained. The seventh recommendation is the implementation of an integrative pay/ reward system to inculde performance-contingency pay scheme, skill-based pay, and seniority-based pay scheme. According to performance-contingency pay scheme, the employees’ reward will be based on the performance of their working teams. This will help the automaker in creating effective self-managed and motivated teams. Skill-based pay will ensure that employees’ pay schemes are based on their job skills. For instance, production engineers will be given high pay than marketers because of their technical skills required by the organization. Seniority-based pay scheme demands that those employees who have stayed longer in the organization will get a higher pay than new comers because of their cumulative salary increements along their carrier path. Seniority-based pay scheme promotes staff retention even when the entry salary is relatively lower than the market rates because employees know that there is a room for growth. In general, General Motors Corporation should ensure total compliance with the labour markets and legal environments of their respective countries of operations before implementation of the proposed recommendations. For instance, the employment laws regarding hourly wages, minimum wage policy, employment opportunities, labour regulations, and safety rules in China are different from those of the United States of America. Therefore it is imperative that the American automaker consider their implications in setting the minimum entry wage in each country of operation. Conclusion. In conclusion, General Motors Corporation can sustain its competitive strategy as a leading automaker by embracing the above prescribed Human Resource Mangement system that integrates staff training on job related skills, outsourcing, social reward scheme, technology, and  performance-contingency pay scheme among others as strategic competiencies in its operation. The implementation of Balanced Score Card and HPWS is critical in improving the productivity of the organization’s employees. The proposed system will enhance high staff retention, high staff productivity, and objective contingency planning in times of global crises like the 2008 global financial crisis that lead to massive retrenchment by the automaker. References Azrul, A. (2010). Human Resource Management General Motors. Monash University Publication, p.1-13.From: http://www.scribd.com/doc/14812855/Human-Resource-Management-General-Motors Main, B.G.,Jackson, C., Pymm, J., Wright, V. (2007). GMC:The Remuneration Committee and Strategic Human Resource Management. University of Edinburgh publications, p.1-49. Cappelli, P. (1999). Employment Practices and Business Strategy. Oxfford, ew York : Oxford University Press. General Motors Corporation. (2008). Restructuring Plan for Long-Term Viability: Submitted to Senate Banking Committee House of Representatives Financial Services Committee. Detroit: General Motors Corporation. Rouse ,D. (2000). Manufacturing Sdvantage:Why High Performance Work Systems Pay off. Journal of Team Performance Management, vol 96(5) , p.1420. Dreher, G., Dougherty,T. (2002). Human resource strategy: A behavioral perspective for the general manager. Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Gustin, L. R. (2008). Billy Durant: Creator of General Motors. Ann Arbor. Michigan: University of Michigan Press. Konrad, A. M. (2006). Engaging Employees Through High-Involvement Work Practices. IVEY Business Journal , n.p.From:

Process Essay †How to Name a Cow -- Process Essays

Process Essay – How to Name a Cow Naming your cow may not be an easy task. While some claim to be well versed in bovine nomenclature, many first-time cow owners are not. It may be true that cattle should not be named because a growing attachment to your cow may hinder economic gain—if you plan to eat your cow, don’t name it. Most cow lovers need not worry about any of this. Their cows have become welcome household pets. They have put down their steak knives and decided to dine with them, not on them. Such docile animals have now become a part of the family, and owning but a few cows has eased the problem of naming a vast herd of cattle. I once knew a family in Loma Rica that tried to name all their many cows. They couldn’t keep track of them, and the family became mean, bitter people. Cows are just too damn difficult to distinguish from each other when they are in large groups, and you just plain run out of names. Cow connoisseurs usually begin with one or two cows and are therefore able to relate to their cows on a more personal level. Get in touch with your cow. Spend quality time with it. Get to know it as it gets to know you. Both you and your cow have distinctive attributes that distinguish either of you from others. That should play a big part in the naming process, and spending time with your animal creates a better bond and gives insight to a proper name for the creature. I might like a bizarre name like Sink, Horse, or Unhalangami, depending on the personality of my cow. Another person might like a more traditional name like Daisy or Buttercup. Try naming your bovine after an obvious characteristic or physical feature. If your cow is a rich brown color, na... ...ter, Rolling Pin, Dinner Jacket, Vendetta, and Alaska. You can get some really great names by employing this technique, but it may take several tries. Try other reference books for variation. An alternative approach: Instead of names, give your cows words. Paint a word or phrase on each cow. (Nontoxic cold-cream-based finger paint works well for this.) As your cows arrange themselves in a field, in a sort of fluxus tradition, they create an artful type of found poetry. Your cows can be your art. All in all, research your possibilities; milk your sources. If you are religious, pray, and ask for guidance. Ask your friends. Ask your grandmother. (If you ask me, I would name my cow Heimlich. Then I could have Heimlich manure!) Most of all, be creative. Don’t stress, because with these pointers, naming your cow will be fun, easy, and satisfying.

Go Lovely Rose: An Explication Essay

Topic Sentence 1: The lover has emphasized sweetness and loveliness of his lady by comparing her to rose. Proof 1: He seems to be disappointed by the fact that his warm love has not been requited by the lady he loves. His impassioned address to the rose – â€Å"Go, lovely Rose† – is an instance of apostrophe, a figure of speech effectively used. This comparison not only highlights the lady’s beauty, it also underscores its fragility. Proof. 2. It is the philosophy of hedonism that preached here. The pleasures of human life are indeed short-lived; so lovers should not waste valuable time in prolonged courtship. They should confess their love and accept the bliss of love. He is full of regret that her shyness does nothing but â€Å"wastes her time and me,† (l. 2) Proof 3. The poet reminds his beloved that death is the inevitable end of everybody’s life, therefore they should live fully and happily before death can seize them. His contemplative mood reminds him of the fact that each day brings all creatures closer to the grave. The rose which symbolizes beauty and sweetness may remind her of the common fate of all living creatures: â€Å"Then die — that she †¦May read in thee;†(ll. 16-18) A realization of this kind may change her mind and requite his love. Topic Sentence 2 : He urges the lady to enjoy the warmth of attention she is receiving from her lover rather than feel embarrassed by it. It is a pity that she â€Å"shuns to have her graces spied†(l. 7) He argues that her beauty would have been wasted if she lived in a desert. Then there would be no one to appreciate her beauty. The existence of beauty is only justified if there are viewers to admire it. Proof. 1. The Puritanical coyness of the ladylove seems to be an impediment to the fulfillment of his love and it only deepens his gloom. Living in isolation may make her more covetable and attractive, but it is unwise â€Å"not blush so to be admired. † (l. 15) The etymological meaning of the word â€Å"blush† is to â€Å"redden† which is derived from the Middle English blusshen, from Old English blyscan to redden, according Merriam-Webster Dictionary. The red color is associated with a lady in love and also with rose which is often chosen by lovers as a gift to express their love. Proof. 2. In this poem we find the recurrent theme of carpe diem reinforced as in John Donne’s â€Å"To His Coy Mistress† and other poems. Even the things â€Å"wondorous sweet and fair† (l. 20 ) are not beyond the jurisdiction of ageing and death. Proof 3. The lover asserts that beauty is useless unless there is some one to admire it. Her beauty would have gone unnoticed if she were born and brought up in a desert. The beauty of human form is revealed by light and therefore it would be unwise to conceal it by blushing as he says, â€Å"not blush so to be admired. † (l. 15) Topic Sentence 3: He reminds his coy mistress that it is a privilege to be the object of male attention, and it is wise not to spurn it. Proof 1: In the final stanza he reiterates the central theme of carpe diem – human life is short, therefore enjoy it. He makes an appeal to her to â€Å"Suffer herself to be desired† (l. 14) and not to withdraw from public gaze out of false modesty. The metaphor of light and darkness is very apt. Beauty is hidden in darkness; similarly love is marred by its concealment. As light reveals beauty, so love is denied by withdrawal. Lovers should express their feelings spontaneously. Proof 2: If we think of eternity, the span of human youth and beauty is indeed very brief. The span of human life is indeed short. Even three scores and ten or more is a very brief period to fulfill one’s desires. Reflection on the fleeting nature of the life one should make one conscious of its limitations and lead to a meaningful life in which there is no time to waste. Proof 3: The rose is a beautiful flower with sweet fragrance, but it is also short-lived. It stands for the beauty as well as vulnerability of life. The use of the word â€Å"resemble† to mean â€Å"compare† is archaic according to Merriam-Webster 11th Collegiate Dictionary. Conclusion: The lover in the poem (not necessarily the poet) attempts to persuade his lady to share his positive outlook on life and enjoy life to the brim. He is very modern in outlook. What he says is better appreciated in the twentieth or twenty-first centuries. Closing statement: The message to the lady is a universal one: every lover feels that lovers should not suppress their feelings under the cover of social respectability. They must not delay their decision to choose their mate as human life may not grant him or her another opportunity. Restate thesis: The poem explores a lover’s complaint to his lady about the need for eschewing her coyness and reciprocate his love by responding quickly as human life is ephemeral. Human life should be lived happily and meaningfully in which there is no scope for wasting time in vain modesty. Work Cited Waller, Edmund. â€Å"Go, Lovely Rose†. http://classicpoetryaloud. podomatic. com/entry/2007-12-04T00_24_07-08_00 (The text of the poem. Accessed on 12/29/08) Merriam-Webster 11th Collegiate Dictionary. 2003. Version 3. 0 (CD-ROM) 29-Dec-08

Climate Change And Global Warming - 1900 Words

Climate change is a self-contradictory subject and has affected areas worldwide, plants, animals, the environment, habitats, etc. in a variety of ways. One of the main environmental changes faced today are climate changes caused by humans. There was a statement on climate change from 18 scientific associations which stated, â€Å"Observations throughout the world make it clear that climate change is occurring, and rigorous scientific research demonstrates that the greenhouse gases emitted by human activities are the primary driver(Scientific consensus: Earth’s climate is warming,† 2017). The government and the public responses to this issue have been really weak. There are programs and businesses that understand and know that climate change†¦show more content†¦Climate change can affect our society in so many ways including cultural, social, and natural resources. Climate change can affect the health of humans, transportation systems, infrastructure, food, wate r supplies, and energy. There are different groups of people around the world that will face greater challenges because of the climate change. Climate change can have a great impact on people who live in areas that can get affected by any natural disaster like droughts, coastal storms like tornadoes and hurricanes. People who are in poverty, communities that consist of immigrants, and elderly people can also be really affected by climate change. People’s jobs can be threatened by climate change. For people who are employed with outdoor professions dealing with agriculture, plants, tourism, etc. can be affected by climate change. There was a Ted Talk by Alex Steffen. He talks about what is causing climate change. He believes that tailpipes from our emissions and smokestacks are the cause and believes that people should eliminate them. 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