Utility test results for the three methods are as follows; structured interviews (95,080), working sample test (57,200) and mental ability test (75,120). The utility decreased when we factored in more applicants. That implies a reduction in efficiency of the system. The most appropriate method, as per the results of the calculations I obtained, is a structured interview as it yielded the highest utility, and that provides the company with employees with best skills. The structured interview, being the most preferred method involves asking sets of questions to each and every candidate in one- on- one interviews. It also involves filling of questionnaires by the candidates. Candidates become cognizant of the fact that the questionnaires are filled in advance and will or have already gotten asked to other candidates for comparison purposes. The structured mode of interviewing poses equal opportunities to all the applicants to prove that they have the required skills and job experiences. Additionally, being an initial process, the questions are set up in a manner that the interviewer can retrieve all the initial data and the professional details too. The high number of applicants, in this case, from 120 to 200 resulted in a decrease in the utility.
An appraisal that is fair to both the company and the salesman should regularly occur, usually weekly, in a fortnight or monthly. It should use a prescribed set of rules to assess the salesman’s performance relative to the company’s expectations. The process should eliminate non-performers, retaining those that are very productive. As a manager, I would come up with objectives and targets for the employees as a minimum number of soaps and detergents to sell in a month or give them a minimum target for their total sales. Their performance and results are indicative of their relevance to the objectives and targets of the company. The performance assessment on personal attributes, like stress management and customer relations, should also take place and should observe the employees’ confidentiality. I would later, after the assessment, give feedback to the employee so that they can improve. I could also involve supervisors and other personnel in the evaluation so as to get a second opinion. Another possible measure is through self-assessment where the employees can evaluate themselves. I can allow them to grade their performance with respect to the company’s objectives, as well as, the client’s feedback on their experience.
A salary survey to determine the wages and benefits on the company should occur on companies within the relevant area of production; which in this case happens to oil and gas companies. A company within the same labor market is one that deals with the same product and located within the same region as the one conducting the survey. The industry practice is the measuring rod of determining the wages and benefits. The consideration that should be made before conducting the compensation survey would be the survey methodology to get used. The methodology would ensure consistency with the set standards of other reputable firms. The firm enrolled to conduct the survey should be reputable in the survey of professionals in the human resource department and have knowledgeable personnel on the compensation information of the company. The survey should also cover a large number of participants. The target population should be set in order for the comprehensive inclusion of the entire industry. As such, enough data will get provided, and the practical results will tend to the ideal representations. The participants’ profiles, on the other hand, determine the usefulness and the relevance of salary surveys. For small companies, a salary survey would prove less helpful if the survey gets conducted on large corporations. Incentives and bonuses should also be put to consideration. The actual annualized salaries and the target levels which get assessed as percentages of the base payments should be used in the evaluation of incentives and deserved bonuses.
When the survey gets designed and carried out appropriately, the information gathered can help draft competitive salaries and benefits for the company. A survey for the employees of an oil and gas company in Huston should look at other oil and gas companies in that region and determine those within its level in terms of production and profitability. The survey should find out what the other similar oil and gas companies are paying their staff for specific jobs within different job groups. The employees of the company should get divided into their relevant job groups and job class in relation to those in the oil and gas field in Huston. The survey should provide a picture of what the other organizations are paying their staff at different job levels and classes. A survey that collects clear-cut information on the required areas is what should be in mind during the designing stage. It can happen by collecting information from other similar companies that are similar to the company’s structure. The company should also acknowledge the fact that paying for the compensation data collection brings with it more benefits than the costs. The amount that ends up spent on surveys is a mere fraction of the percentage that falls in the total payroll costs in the company.
Training on ethics for hospital staff can get done by a number of people. The members of the ethics committee and senior employees within the hospital have the required knowledge to train the hospital employees on a number of ethical issues that involve them. The hospital can also outsource to private trainers from the various ethical training facilities and colleges to train its employees on ethics. Inviting private firms that specialize on hospital and medical ethics to offer a training seminar to the hospital staff is also a viable alternative. The training can take place within the hospital premises, the hired firms’ offices, or in conference facilities outside the hospital. Those chosen for the training are the new employees; employees with good communication skills that can pass on the information to their colleagues. Chaplains can also take part to help in the planning of medical care training. The participants in the training should be aware of the expectations in the training. For instance, they should look forward to understanding how to solve the problems arising with patient care. They should be capable of understanding their position in healthcare and that some patients may be too sick to make decisions. Ethics in such cases becomes inseparable to the roles of the employees of the hospital. They also should be capable of writing or understanding the policies governing the hospital to prevent unwanted ethical emergencies which at times prove to be critical both legally and professionally.
Notes
The formula for utility is: Ns*rxy*SDy*Zx-Nt(C) where
Ns = Number of applicants selected for the position
rxy = Validity coefficient of the selection method
SDy = Standard deviation of job performance expressed in dollar terms
Zx = Average test score of those selected expressed in standardized unit (z-scores)
Nt = Total number of applicants
C = Cost of assessing each applicant
Structured interviews
25*0.62*8000*0.82-(120*55) = 95080
25*0.62*8000*0.82-(200*55) = 90680
Mental ability test
25*0.54*8000*0.72-(120*22) = 75120
25*0.54*8000*0.72-(200*22) = 73360
Work sample test
25*0.5*8000*0.62-(120*40) = 57200
25*0.5*8000*0.62-(200*40) = 54000
