Human Resource Planning at in Motion - Research Paper Example

The company was formed out of the need to improve exchanges among corporate and individuals, by integrating smartphones with click-away access to emails and short message services. This enhances the timely reception and delivery of messages which improves efficiency in business processes. Using this approach, the company introduced the Blackberry as its core product which had a good market reception upon introduction (McQueen, 2010).

Despite initial surges in profits, RIM’s products have not remained competitive because of increasing competition from other companies offering better communication platforms and gadgets. Email and SMS have been outdated with the introduction of better and more sophisticated communication devices. Samsung Electronics has its Galaxy line of products that allow for direct, video conferencing which enables two people to communicate, via a network, from two different locations. This decline in revenue started in 2011 has made it adopt some survival tactics to remain competitive by reducing operational costs. The company, initially lauded as a high recruiter, shed off 2000 workers in one instance in 2011 thereby drastically reducing its human resource capabilities.

Layoffs do not give a company a good image as many employees initiate criminal litigations to demand their right to stay at their places of service. RIM has organized its employees in teams; this is delegating overall tasks to groups of workers who identify management issues and address them. According to McQueen (2010), one thing lacking in RIM is the application of a harmonious working relationship, with effective communication channels among existing employees. This is to improve this teamwork only shown in writing, on the organization’s website. It has had numerous conflicts; a worker wrote a letter to the board of directors in June 2011 accusing the CEO of having lost direction of the company. The following are human resource initiatives the company should incorporate to remain relevant in an increasingly competitive telecommunications market:

The company develops its human resource to be creative, global in thinking and professional. Problems facing RIM because that they have a rigid workforce which has hindered the injection of new ideas to advance its software and hardware development, thereby putting it on par with the rest of the industry players. Creativity is enhanced by providing a learning environment to employees, where they can contribute to decision-making because of different experiences. This diversity of thought is ideal for minimizing risk factors in a company which offers rapidly evolving products to the market. According to Michell (2010), Samsung Electronics sources its employees from the global market, people with deep knowledge of international business and speakers of multiple languages. This pool of talent makes it easier for the company to establish global offices in emerging economies, as these areas have a rising middle class which offers new markets for its products.

RIM should use a market-oriented team to effectively gauge entry points in a new market, and adopt the best approaches to appeal to these markets. These market analysts provide the production team with the appropriate consumer requirements; they then design these gadgets according to the given specifications. LG Electronics manufactures customized products for its diverse market segments, for instance, producing pink-cased phones, which appeal to ladies. Samsung Electronics also produces long-lasting phones, with longer battery life, for the African market due to its energy problem. The company also introduced solar-powered phones for the same market, to reduce the time taken by locals looking for other energy options to charge their phones.

Employee empowerment through training in marketing and management also equips them with the necessary tools and experience to promote the company’s image as a global establishment. Samsung has leadership development schools that sharpen employee skills for instance Advanced Technology Training Institute (SATTI) which trains its innovation section in new skills to keep it ahead of the rest. With these new approaches, RIM can rise above its woes and claim its lost market by incorporating new technologies and appealing to a changing global market (Michell, 2010).