|
COVER STORY
Green Recruiting: Is It a Concept Whose Time
Has Come?
-- NR Aravamudhan
As the heads of many countries descended on Copenhagen to attend the climate
change summit, saner voices plugging for issues like environmental sustainability, reducing
carbon footprints, and going green have assumed increased stridency and are becoming
chillingly shriller. For their part, chieftains of the corporate sector have been making a lot of noise
about environment conservation. In all this sound and fury, there seems to be a silver
lining. Companies are increasingly using environment-friendly practices to maximize
their recruitment leverage. A new concept, called green recruitment, is emerging in a slow
but steady manner. What is this buzz about? How is the concept being used to maximize
the recruitment pitch?
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
NEW HR TECHNIQUE
Six Thinking Hats : More Than a Brainstorming Technique
-- Radha Mohan Chebolu and Tanisha Singh
Successful firms recognize the significance of capitalizing on emerging
opportunities manifested through day-to-day challenges, while preparing to expand domestically
and globally. In the process, they take the cue from HR systems and practices. By exploring
the utility of synergy emanating from the diverse thinking platforms of modern day firms,
an attempt is being made to evolve a congenial atmosphere for the smooth running of
business operations. Precisely, the "Six Thinking Hats" appears to be the most feasible option for
the easy makeover of firms in tune with the market transformation. A bird's eye view of the
"Six Thinking Hats", propounded by Edward De Bono, has been captured for its application in
the business management of modern times. Cutting across the hierarchies or divisions in
the workforce, it ensures `parallel thinking' that reinforces the enduring greatness of
human intellect in the organization.
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
NEW HR TECHNIQUE
Innovative Human Resource Management : The Need of the Hour
-- Richa Sharma, AH Ansari and Kanika T Bhal
Human Resource Management (HRM) has gained greater importance in these turbulent
times. Organizations are trying to put their best foot forward and to develop newer strategies to
cope with the stress and strains of the prevalent economic crisis. HRM technology solutions can
help Human Resource (HR) professionals to manage the climate shifts. Globally, concepts
or practices like, training, team work, Total Quality Management (TQM), Web 2.0,
talent management practices, etc., are being adopted from the Japanese, Australian, European
and US HRM practices. Organizations are also endeavoring to lure more female employees into
the workforce, providing programs aimed at developing alternative talent pools. Presently, HRM
is being engineered to make it employee-friendly on one hand, and performance-based on
the other.
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
Managing Knowledge Workers : An HR Perspective
-- Minakshi Chauhan Asopa
With the emergence of Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization (LPG), the
business environment has become dynamic. Markets are becoming competitive, businesses
are becoming service-oriented and diversified, educated workforce is growing in
number. Information revolution is actually knowledge revolution. Nowadays, organizations
are capitalizing on knowledge-based work and knowledge workers are regarded as
intellectual capital. There is transformation of the industrial economy into a knowledge-based economy.
In this scenario, the role of HR managers has become very crucial. They need to attract,
mold, develop, retain and fulfill the expectations of "knowledge workers". It has become evident
that the application of effective HRM practices in managing them can only lead the
organization towards success.
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
CSR
Corporate Social Responsibility : An Elixir for Business or a Compulsive Concept
-- Nidhi Sharma
In recent times, business at the corporate level has seen a substantial tilt towards the
societal responsibilities and the urge and necessity of being perceived as a good corporate
citizen involved in sustainable, responsible business practices. This article endeavors to
understand the wide spectrum of the still evolving concept and approaches towards Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR). At the same time, it also tries to analyze the new thinking, which
believes that what Milton Friedman thought about its non-relevance is not relevant in the present
times of global economy and that CSR and the core economic profit-oriented goals are
not contradictory; they more or less compliment each other. It is established that CSR
programs are not reckless and illogical but are implicit business models, which minimize risk
and maximize opportunities leading to long-term rewards and benefits.
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
QWL
Quality of Work Life in Small Scale Industries
of Dharwar District
-- Shanakrgouda C Patil and VM Chavan
Most of the industries consider their employees as high leverage variables. A business
can compete and will be successful only when employees are helped by the company to achieve
a constructive balance between their work and personal lives. Also, a society will provide a
strong foundation for future business growth only when a proper constructive balance is achieved.
A comprehensive Quality of Work Life (QWL) process strengthens business, families
and society. In recent years, several approaches to improving productivity and enhancing the
QWL have captured the imagination of Indian small scale industry promoters. Global
competition requires that promoters of small scale industries in India undertake the primary role
in improving productivity, and one way to achieve this is by enhancing the QWL within
the organizations.
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Social Security for the Most Overlooked Human Resources in India
-- Hitesh I Bhatia
The formal social security support is available to only a small fraction of India's labor
force working in the organized sector. A massive 93% of the labor force work in the
unorganized sector (NSSO, 62nd Round, 2008) and continue to remain comprehensive of any
exhaustive social security program. Apart from absorbing a large chunk of India's labor force, the
sector also contributes over 50% of GDP (NCEUS, 2008) and yet remains ignored, even after
six decades of economic planning. The article attempts to study the dichotomy of social
security schemes for the organized and unorganized sectors.
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
CASE STUDY
New Recruits' Perfunctory Perceptions:
The Manager's Apathy
-- MV Vivek and Vara Vasanthi
This case study helps in analyzing the factors which influence people's perceptions.
It also throws light on the perception hierarchy and helps in explaining how same things
are viewed differently by different people. Damodar Dhoot (Dhoot), the head of
Hermes-Nakata Finance Company (HNFC), was successfully executing the
company's expansion plans to the South Indian states, while four new recruits were being hired
in Delhi. Being absent during the selection process for the first time had already made
him uneasy about the right fit of the new recruits in the company. When Dhoot came back
to Delhi, he found that things were not progressing as he had expected. Each of the
new recruits had his own expectations, attitudes and motives, and hence, perceived the
job differently. After an unpleasant first meeting with the new recruits, Dhoot decides to
keep an eye and assess each one of them. He finds that some of the new recruits differed
from the company's as well as his values and ideals. Dhoot judges each, based on
his perceptions and ultimately fires three of the four new recruits. Did Dhoot make the
right decision?
© 2009 IBSCDC. All Rights Reserved.
| 
