Human Resource Planning and Recruitment strategies Essay

Human Resource Planning and Recruitment strategies - Essay Example The present global financial meltdown has created real and urgent human resource issues for organizations throughout the world. Everything seems to be shrouded in uncertainty. Employers are unsure of how events will play out in the near future, while employees sit tight, holding fast to the job on hand, not because they don't want better opportunities but because everything is in a stand still. KPMG is a global network of professional services firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services. The firm has a total of 137,000 outstanding professionals working together to deliver value in 144 countries worldwide. The realities created by the present global financial crisis are poles apart from what used to obtain when the global economic climate was good. Being a firm that recruits high flyers and top graduates, there was always a high turnover in manpower before the crisis began. People were leaving and coming in at a fast rate. This implied that HR was always on its feet and on the move. Consulting jobs from clients streamed in whether employees went out on marketing or not. The reputation of the company attracted new clients every day. Sometimes the firm had no option other than to reject jobs that are not value adding According to Vetter (1967, p15), Human Resources Planning is "the process by which management determines how the organization should move from its current manpower position to its desired position. Through planning, management strives to have the right number and the right kinds of people, at the right places, at the right time, doing things which result in both the organization and the individual receiving maximum long-run benefits". Writing in the American Psychologist, Jackson and Schuler (1990, pg 227) state that "traditionally human resource planning occurs within the context of the overall organizational plan and its strategic focus. It generally involves predicting, in the light of prevailing circumstances and past performance, the organization's future human resource needs and planning for those needs to be met". It includes establishing objectives and then developing and implementing programs (staffing, appraising, compensating, and training) to ensure that people are available with the appropriate characteristics and skills when and where the organization needs them. The biting economic climate has affected planning in several organizations. Now more than ever, there is uncertainty about the future and how things will

Corporate Socail Respinsibility of Merck Pharmeceuticals Research Paper

Corporate Socail Respinsibility of Merck Pharmeceuticals - Research Paper Example In a more modern and popular sense, CSR has become a public relations form as well as a marketing strategy that also pre-empts regulatory agencies (Mintzberg, 1983). However, there are many ways that firms or corporations apply CSR in their business system. One of the approaches is the community-based development where a firm establishes community presence and program in a fixed geographical area either in the area of their operation or outside of it. Some of the examples of community-based programs are efforts such as livelihood assistance for a supplier-manufacturing of clothes by a branded clothing, starting a literacy program through provision of books and learning aids, supervision, evaluation and recommendation for improvement in a certain school or area, waterways clean-up, and other efforts. A traditional approach has been philanthropy where corporations provide cash donations, products or tangible materials to a non-profit organization for its distribution to undeserved or d eserving beneficiaries such as Children International and like NGOs. Other forms of CSR are embedded on the supply-chain system such as adoption of the Fair Trade system that ensures animals are not harmed, workers are paid and benefited in a justified manner, packaging is ecological, employees are properly compensated, delivery, distribution and post-consumption processes took environmental protection measures throughout the lifetime of a single or collective products (International Business Leaders Forum and International Finance Corporation, 2007). B)  Ã‚  Merck Pharmaceutical’s CSR Program.     ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The kind of CSR the company is doing:   Merck claims to ensure that CSR is â€Å"an integral part of the way we do business†¦ to create shared value and to help solve the tough issues facing business and society today,† (Merck, 2008, p 3). Their CR principles center on conducting business with high ethical standards; engage in expans ion of access to quality care around globally; make positive and sustainable impact on the communities and societies they live and work in; and provide fair and just compensation to employees (Merck, 2008). This is reflected on their claimed CSR programs research on new medicines and vaccines needed, environmental footprint management, improved access to medicines and vaccines, ensure confidence in safety and quality, advocacy and outreach, and executing the basics which pertains to ethical business process standards (Merck, 2008). CSR has become a very complex process that is involved in various stages of the corporate system, so that a multinational corporation like Merck Pharmaceuticals may be involved in several CSR efforts at one time. The IBLF and IFC (2007) have defined various CSR efforts of which the following are addressed: protection and promotion of the rights of individuals as stakeholders of a company from employees, consumers, suppliers, distributors, to community mem bers. On this manner, Merck has adopted several more popular CSR patient assistance programs in the United States for patients who cannot afford medications (Merck, 2006). This program has started in the 1950s and is active today. There are several CSR programs undertaken by Merck but this paper will focus on seven programs in practice as noted to be more practical to the public: Act Program for Emend, Act Program for Zolinza, Merck