Current State of HRM in Saudi Arabia - Research Proposal Example

? RESEARCH PROPOSAL by 27 January Research Proposal 2 Within what academic area your research will be? - The proposed research will be within the academic area of Human Resource Management. Human resource management is generally defined as “planning, organizing, directing and controlling the procurement, development, compensation, integration, maintenance, and separation of human resources to the end that individual, organizational and social objectives are accomplished” (Randhawa 2009, p.2). The current state of HRM in Saudi Arabia is characterized by a number of features. HRM covers all organizational levels and functions, and has already become a definitive ingredient of the process of management within organizations (Randhawa 2009). HRM is inherently people-oriented, which means that human resource managers are concerned with employees as members of a separate organizational group and as individuals (Randhawa 2009). Finally, HRM is equally pervasive, challenging, and essential for the future of organizations (Randhawa 2009). The complexity of HRM issues is difficult to underestimate, and the current research holds a promise to clarify these issues and support the development of efficient HRM strategies and solutions. The current research into HRM is associated with numerous limitations. More often than not, scholarly research defines HRM too narrowly, leaving numerous issues beyond the boundaries of learning (Lewin, Mitchell & Sherer 2008). This is one of the reasons why the given study will explore “The impacts of motivation on workers and staff, which encourage employees to work in Saudi private sector”. The proposed research will aim at clarifying the factors that motivate workers in Saudi Arabia to work in the private sector. The researcher expects that the proposed study will help private sector enterprises in Saudi Arabia to develop effective HR strategies and attract prospective workforce, which will help organizations to improve their performance and strengthen their competitive position. 2.2. Will your research be industry-based? - Industry-based approach: the proposed research will utilize the benefits of industry-based approach. The petrochemical industry in Saudi Arabia will serve the principal object of analysis. The choice of the petrochemical industry is proved by the fact that (1) it is one of the most important industrial sectors in Saudi Arabia and (2) it combines the features of public and private ownership. For example, 70% of SABIC is being currently owned by the government, with the remaining 30% distributed among private owners (SABIC 2011). As a result, the petrochemical industry exemplifies one of the most attractive objects of organizational analysis in the context of motivation and its implications for the Saudi workforce. - The organization to consider: SABIC will serve the central object of the analysis for the proposed research. The choice of SABIC is not accidental. First, SABIC is the largest non-oil company in the Middle Eastern region and is included in the list of the top five manufacturers of petrochemical products in the world (SABIC, 2011). The size of the company and its profitability provide a wealth of opportunities for researching its workforce and motivation issues in the workplace. Second, SABIC considers itself as a company, which invests heavily in the development of sophisticated training and development strategies for its employees. According to SABIC (2011), the company is dedicated to its people, enjoys detecting and developing talents, whereas its HR department has recently undergone a serious change. Thus, the company seems to possess vast training and development potential. Ultimately, little is known of what attracts individuals in Saudi Arabia to work in private sector companies. Moreover, the body of research concerning motivation in Saudi companies and private sector organizations is increasingly scarce (Al-Eisa, Furayyan, & Alhmeoud 2009). The researcher expects that the proposed study will add to the existing knowledge of motivation and help SABIC to clarify, how they can attract and develop talents. 2.3. Topic area - Academic focus: the proposed research is focused on the concept of motivation and its implications for the future of the private sector companies in Saudi Arabia. Motivation is fairly regarded as one of the most popular topics in contemporary literature. The growing body of knowledge about motivation supports companies in the development and implementation of efficient strategies of continuous performance and quality improvement. Generally, motivation is defined as the set of stimuli, factors, and influences that lead individuals to behave in the desired way (Schwartz 2001). Given that employees exemplify one of the most valuable organizational assets, it comes as no surprise that private and public organizations want to have their employees motivated toward achieving strategic organizational goals. - The industry: the petrochemical industry of Saudi Arabia will be the principal object of the proposed study. The organization to consider is SABIC – the leader of the petrochemical industry and the global market of petrochemicals. - The history of the petrochemical industry in the Gulf region dates back to the beginning of the 1940s, when Egypt established its first ammonia plant (Zawya 2007). Since that time, the petrochemical industry has become one of the most attractive objects of government and private investments in the Gulf area. The past five years were marked with the rapid changes in the petrochemical industry in Saudi Arabia: in 2007, SABIC announced its decision to expand beyond petrochemicals, marking a new stage of the company’s integration with other industries and economic sectors (Zawya 2007). Saudi Arabia is rich in petrochemical resources, which explain its commitment to the development of petrochemicals during the past decade (Zawya 2007). Simultaneously, the leading petrochemical companies in Saudi Arabia attract and retain thousands of local and foreign civilian workers, who are committed to their companies’ goals and strategic objectives. This is one of the causes why it is important to see, what motivates workers to stay in private companies in Saudi Arabia. This knowledge will further re-direct Saudi companies’ efforts to spot and retain the most prospective civilian employees. 2.4. Issues and objectives The key issue to consider is what motivates employees to work in the private sector in Saudi Arabian SABIC. The proposed research will meet the following objectives: To examine the factors that affect employees and staff conditions in Saudi Arabian firms; To find out whether employees in SABIC develop and sustain motivation-related habits; and To define the role of motivation in achieving job satisfaction in Saudi Arabian petrochemical organizations. The proposed research will not cover the issues of motivation and job satisfaction in the organizations that operate in sectors other than petrochemical. Also, the study will not involve petrochemical organizations in Saudi Arabia that are fully-state owned. SABIC is the best choice for the proposed research, as far as it combines the features of private and state ownership and provides significant opportunities for investigating the underlying meaning of motivation and its relation to job satisfaction in Saudi Arabia. 2.5. How precisely are you going to tackle the work? - Methodology: for the purpose of the proposed study, the benefits of the survey methodology will be used. A survey method of research is rightly considered as one of the key ways to collect primary data about research subjects. According to Fowler (2002), the principal purpose of any survey is to produce relevant statistical results. Survey also means that primary information is collected by asking respondents questions and analyzing their responses (Fowler 2002). The data will be collected by administering survey forms among SABIC employees, with the help of e-mail. A survey form will be developed, containing 10 questions. The questions will cover the areas of motivation and factors that attract Saudi employees to work in the private sector. The connection between motivation and job satisfaction will be discussed. The survey will serve the principal instrument of collecting primary information about the subjects. The data will be analyzed, using standard SPSS statistical procedures. Primary data will be the key source of information about motivation in the private sector employees in Saudi Arabia. - A survey form will be developed, containing 10 questions. The questions will cover the areas of motivation and factors that attract Saudi employees to work in the private sector. The connection between motivation and job satisfaction will be discussed. The survey will serve the principal instrument of collecting primary information about the subjects. The data will be analyzed, using standard SPSS statistical procedures. Primary data will be the key source of information about motivation in the private sector employees in Saudi Arabia. - Secondary information will be gathered from a variety of reliable, reputable sources. Peer-reviewed journal articles will constitute the bulk of secondary data for the proposed research. Peer-reviewed journal articles have a reputation of providing reliable, verifiable data for the majority of organizational performance domains. Given the growing attention toward motivation and its implications for the workforce, this information will be used to support and analyze the results of the primary data analysis. - The sample will include from 100 to 150 employees at SABIC, depending on the amount of employees, who will agree to participate in the study. The sample will include ONLY local employees at SABIC. No expatriates will participate in the study. It is imperative that the factors behind motivation of the national/ local employees at SABIC be understood. Survey questions will be administered by e-mail. 2.6. Identify and summarize relevant sources The current research provides a wealth of information about motivation and its relation to job satisfaction. Some of the relevant sources of information are summarized below, in alphabetical order. - Al-Eisa, Furayyan & Alhmeoud (2009) examined the workforce implications for transfer intentions and the mediating role of motivation in transfer decisions in Saudi Arabia. The researchers found out that manager support is a vital factor affecting transfer intentions. This information may help to understand what motivates employees in Saudi Arabia to work in the private sector. Andersson, Chawla & Khan (2009) investigated the relationship between “employee satisfaction and motivation in the oil and gas industry” (Andersson, Chawla & Khan 2009). The researchers discovered “a direct, positive relationship between international legal factors of performance in the oil and gas industry, the risks of cutbacks, and employee satisfaction” (Andersson, Chawla & Khan 2009). Employees in smaller companies in the gas and oil industry displayed better commitment to their jobs and a greater sense of confidence about their careers. Possibly, smaller enterprises in the oil and gas industry have better opportunities to manage and reduce the negative consequences of cutbacks for job security and performance in the workplace. - Bodla & Naeem (2010) tried to analyze the role of Herzberg’s hygiene factors in employee motivation in the Pakistani pharmaceutical sector. The researchers came to a surprising conclusion that hygiene factors had nothing to do with job dissatisfaction but, on the contrary, raised employee satisfaction in Pakistan. - Danish, & Usman (2010) sought to find out what factors were primarily responsible for improved motivation. The authors of the study discovered a multitude of factors responsible for employee motivation – among those, reward and recognition produced the greatest effects on motivation. - Maghrabi (2009) investigated the effects of introducing job characteristics in Saudi companies on employee motivation. The results of the study indicated that job characteristics led to dramatic improvements in job behaviors, attitudes, and workplace performance. Job characteristics were associated with better task identity and significance, increased self-sufficiency, and improved reaction. - Saleem, Mahmood, & Mahmood (2010) analyzed the effects of stimulus on worker’s satisfaction in mobile service companies in Pakistan. The results did not support a clear link between job satisfaction and motivation, although employees in the mobile services sector in Pakistan seemed quite satisfied with their jobs. 2.7. Academic models - In light of the growing body of literature about motivation, the range of academic models and theories underpinning the concept of motivation is enormous. Vroom’s expectancy theory lays the ground for the development of efficient research frameworks, as long as it links rewards to motivation and suggests the factors that affect employee motivation in organizations (MBA Knowledge Base 2011). However, Vroom’s theory (a) discusses motivation from the viewpoint of organizations (not employees) and (b) does not help to develop future recommendations for the companies in the private sector. In this context, Aizen’s theory of planned behavior (TPB) seems the most suitable option that fits the objectives and conditions of the proposed research. The theory creates a foundation for understanding what behavioral beliefs and normative expectations encourage employees to participate in private sector organizations (Ajzen 2000). The theory will also help to identify the factors, which facilitate the development of normative and behavioral beliefs leading to greater participation of the talented workers in private sector enterprises. 2.8. Gantt chart: Timeline Date Stage Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Submitting finished proposal Ethics agreements developed, signed, and submitted Literature review completed Collecting and analyzing primary information Draft report completed Submitting draft report to the supervisor Submitting completed dissertation References Ajzen, I 2000, ‘Theory of Planned Behavior’, Value Based Management, [online], accessed 27 January 2011, http://www.valuebasedmanagement.net/methods_ajzen_theory_planned_behaviour.html Al-Eisa, AS, Furayyan, MA & Alhmeoud, AM 2009, ‘An empirical examination of the effects of self-efficacy, supervisor support and motivation to learn on transfer intention’, Management Decision, vol.47, no.8, pp.1221-1244. Andersson, R, Chawla, S & Khan, Z 2009, ‘Effects of cutbacks in the United States oil and gas industry on employee attitudes: An empirical study’, International Journal of Management, vol.26, no.3, pp.400-413. Bodla, MA & Naeem, B 2010, ‘Motivation and dissatisfaction of Pakistani pharmaceutical salesforce’, Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, vol.1, no.12, pp.73-81. Danish, RQ & Usman, A 2010, ‘Impact of reward and recognition on job satisfaction and motivation: An empirical study from Pakistan’, International Journal of Business and Management, vol.5, no.2, pp.159-168. Fowler, FJ 2002, Survey research methods, SAGE. Lewin, D, Mitchell, OS & Sherer, PD 2008, Research frontiers in industrial relations and human resources, Cornell University Press. MBA Knowledge Base 2011, ‘Theories of motivation: Vroom’s valence-expectancy theory’, MBA Knowledge Base, [online], accessed 27 January 2011, http://www.mbaknol.com/management-concepts/theories-of-motivation-vroom’s-valence-expectancy-theory/ Maghrabi, AS 2009, ‘Consequences of job characteristics in an Arabian environment: A longitudinal assessment’, The Business Review, vol.12, no.1, pp.122-127. Randhawa, G 2009, Human Resource Management, Atlantic Publishers and Distributors. SABIC 2011, ‘Our Company’, SABIC, [online], accessed 27 January 2011, http://www.sabic.com/corporate/en/ourcompany/default.aspx SABIC 2011, ‘People at SABIC’, SABIC, [online], accessed 27 January 2011, http://www.sabic.com/me/en/career/peopleatsabic/default.aspx Saleem, R, Mahmood, A & Mahmood, A 2010, ‘Effect of work motivation on job satisfaction in mobile telecommunication service organizations in Pakistan’, International Journal of Business and Management, vol.5, no.11, pp.213-223. Schwartz, AE 2001, Motivation: Linking performance to goals, Andrew E. Schwartz. Zawya 2007, ‘Exploit oil to diversify from oil’, Zawya, [online], accessed 27 January 2011, http://www.zawya.com/industryinsight/petrochemicals.cfm?cc Read More