Introduction
The chosen article was titled Impact of Globalization on Human Resource Practices in a Manufacturing Firm in Nigeria. The article was published in 2013 in the European Journal of Business and Management by Akanbi and Itiola.
The article was chosen because it reflects on one of the developing countries in Africa and which is among the top countries embracing globalization in the continent. Moreover, the article was chosen since it has featured in a peer-reviewed journal and was published recently.
Additionally, the paper has content that easily sparks discussion in the major effects of globalization on the different human resource practices such as training, recruiting, and selecting. As such, my group members would have a wide perspective to base their discussion as well as prove their content.
Relation of the Article and Course Materials
The article presents globalization as an important strategizing factor in all organizations. For instance, the article emphasized on the need for organizations to attract more human capital rather than financial capital. The article also provides the rationale that unlike human capital, financial capital is easy to source from lenders and other investors and innovations are easy to duplicate (Akanbi & Itiola, 2013).
Therefore, unless an organization differentiates its human resource practices such as training, hiring, and recruiting, it will be difficult for them to stand out and remain at the top of the competitive markets.
Discussion Questions
Below are some discussion questions that could get the conversation started.
How has globalization challenged firms to be more efficient in their HR practices?
What objectives should an organization set up to match the global standards?
In what ways can an organization counter the competitive threats as a result of globalization?
How does global market uncertainties affect the different HR practices?
The moderating experience was informative and gave me an opportunity to assess and effect my leadership skills. Moreover, the group members had an opportunity to talk to each other since I made sure that most questions were directed to other members and not to me as a moderator. First, I was able to fairly and effectively begin the discussion by introducing the article for discussion. Second, I was able to fuel the discussion to the end by constantly encouraging different members to participate in the discussion. Finally, I was able to summarize the discussion by having members reflect on the action points and come up with reflections.
However, I faced challenges such as some of the content for discussion being misunderstood and misinterpreted by some members of the group. It was, therefore, hard to elaborate and create a distinction between the flawed interpretations and the right ones. Some points remained inconclusive and required more time to research and elaborate.
Despite the moderation experience being informative self-developing, there are several things I would do differently. First, I would require gaining more time-keeping skills since some of the discussions got so much heated that I lost track of time. Better time management will necessitate the moderator to research more on the discussed topic and identify the discussion questions that require more or less time.
Moreover, prior research ensures that all the areas that could stall the progress of the discussion are identified. I would also be more aware of the need to summarize different levels of the discussion and allow for reflection. As such, the members will be constantly aware of their position in the discussion as well as the amount of content remaining for discussion. Hence, the group members will know whether they are focusing on all the parts of the content and if there is a need to backtrack for better grounding on the most important issues. Also, the discussion group will be in a position to make different decisions as the discussion progresses.
Finally, for better moderating, I would designate one of the group members to be the recorder. As such, there will be a clear and consistent record of all the important points and decisions made in the discussion, and that will be used for reflection sessions. As such, more time will be saved by ensuring that there is no confusion among the group members. Moreover, recording the progress of the discussion will help me, as the moderator, to summarize all that has been conclusively discussed.
Evaluating Group Members
The evaluation of the group members entailed collecting data regarding the effectiveness of the group discussion regarding how much they learned, participated, and enjoyed the discussion. The group members were also required to give their reasons while rating the discussion. Reactions on how well the group discussion was conducted were also collected to gauge the attitudes of the group members which would directly translate to their learning experience.
While evaluating the group members, most of them performed as I asked. Nevertheless, some outstanding members contributed more than others. The differences in participation and overall performance in the discussion were mainly due to the difference in exposure to the topic of globalization and its impact on different human resource practices. Moreover, the group members that were conversant with the globalization impact on African countries were able to relate more easily and hence had a wider scope of participation.
Finally, all the group members were positive about the importance of such discussions in improving the learning experiences on different topics. Most of the students reported the learning experience as excellent with reasons that it opened up their minds by giving them a better understanding of the impacts of globalization on human resource practices.
References
Akanbi, P. A., & Itiola, K. (2013). The impact of Globalization on Human Resource Practices in a Manufacturing Firm in Nigeria. European Journal of Business and Management, 5(6), 88-94.
