Human Resources Management. Introduction - Essay Example

04 December 2006 Human Resources Management Executive Summary This paper supports that job analysis is essential to the success of a business organization as it prepares employees to be firm's strategic partners. However, it should also be noted that some jobs can only be broadly but not specifically described. In conducting a job analysis for the position of a visual merchandiser, this report recommends to conduct an interview of Jane which is the incumbent visual merchandiser, conduct a review of job classification systems, and utilization of expert panels.

Introduction Job analysis is a very indispensable aspect of human resource management. Job analysis is the "process used to identify the important tasks of a job and the essential competencies an individual should possess to satisfactorily perform the job (Job Analysis 1)." As human resource is business organization's strategic partners, they should be fully acquainted on how they can efficiently contribute to the success of the company. It is imperative that the management fully inform its employees what they are expected to perform and what competencies they need in order to perform their respective tasks.

This then require having a formal job description which becomes the guideline of how a task should be performed. Recording Position Description It is irrefutable that some tasks in a business organization are just too broad to be formally recorded in very specific descriptions. In the case of Henry James Store, the task of visual merchandiser cannot be thoroughly specified. As Julian points out, it takes a lot of creativity from the part of the employee. However, this report argues that even though some position descriptions cannot be specifically recorded, every business organization can still state broad descriptions of what a job requires and what a visual merchandiser generally does.

For example, as the task of a visual merchandiser largely relies on the employee's creativity, the job description cannot specifically state where the specific products should be specifically placed but the company can state that he/she is responsible for the maximization of the space and layout of the store as well as dressing mannequins and making use of creative lightings for window display (Visual Merchandiser 3). Also, the job description should always be in line with the chosen strategy of the business organization.

If the company chooses to create a trendy and hip image in the mind of the customers, the visual merchandiser should be able to create that hip and trendy look of the store. Visual Merchandiser: A Job Analysis As discussed above, the business organization can only broadly described what is being done by visual merchandisers. If I were to perform a job analysis in order to create a job description for the position, I prefer to conduct an interview of Jane which is the incumbent visual merchandiser, conduct a review of job classification systems, and utilization of expert panels.

The rationale of choosing to conduct a review of classification system like the Australian Standard Classification of Occupations will give a very good overview of the general job descriptions of visual merchandisers in the industry. On the other hand, the use of expert panels has a general advantage of giving a well-defined conclusion which requires less room for interpretation. The employment of expert panels will also give an opportunity to solicit expert opinions in a short period of time.

Lastly, interviewing an incumbent who have succeeded in designing the store can give some specific details of the job description. Works Cited"Job Analysis." Workforce and Staffing Consultants. 2006. 04 December 2006 "Visual Merchandiser." Prospects.ac.uk. 2006. 04 December 2006