Executive summary
The pharmaceutical industry has been target of vast antitrust actions emanating from both the government enforcement agencies to private plaintiffs. Competition further falls within the diverse aspects that deter the performance of organizations and firms operating within the pharmaceutical industry. The study holds into account the various notions that are attached to minimizing, averting competition from oversees or local enterprises and turning the competition to more dynamic entities to achieve the organizational objectives through emphasizing and reflecting on the significant role of human resource management.
The study offers diverse and rich strategic approaches that can be enacted by firms and organizations operating under pharmaceutical industry to address the dynamic forces of competition. It addresses the vast strategic mechanisms that organizations should include within their operations towards averting competition through human resource management and more precisely on approaches on attraction and retention of employees. Categorizing of employees, effective administrating of salaries and payments, employees performance appraisal among other strategic entities, forms some of the baselines under which the study is founded and seeks to explore.
Based on the dynamism in competition within the pharmaceutical industry emanating from both local and overseas, the study provides detailed conclusion embedded with strategic recommendations which the firms should undertake. These recommendations include the essentiality of training and development of employees which forms the cornerstones towards enhancing more effective and efficient human resources to avert competition.
Introduction
The overall performance of every organization is determined by the working personnel’s efficiency, effectiveness and qualifications. Establishing an effective Human Resource Management strategy is a role that many organizations fail to, however the consequences are always mild affecting the performance and success. According to (Heery & Noon 2001), there is no definite definition that can be used to analyse what Human Resource Management entails. It is a distinctive approach analysing employment management aimed at achieving competitive merits through the strategic deployment of highly committed and capable workforce by utilizing integrated array of structural, cultural and personnel activities. According to researchers there are two approaches that can be used to analyse the form of human resource that an organisation may chose to deploy or establish this are:
- The hard approach that is characterized by instrumental and economical factors in relation to the human resource management strategy development. In this approach the firm seeks to achieve the lowest labour cost by enacting strategic considerations. The approach aims to enact measures based on other factors other than human resource in their production model.
- The soft approach deploys and addresses more awareness on the human factors (workers welfare). The aim of this approach is to achieve a mutual relationship among the employees to increase the organizations productivity.
These two approaches are determined mainly by the form of organisation. If the organisation is based on manufacturing by deploying more machines with few employees the hard approach is mainly used. Based on the stipulated notions, it is essential for every pharmaceutical company seeking to create a competitive advantage within both local and international market to embrace significant approaches limiting competition within the industry.
Challenges faced by the company
Poor human resource policies hence limiting the effectiveness and efficient of the employees on the workplace, the repercussions are diverse based on the limited ability to share resources. This has largely impacted the ability of the organization to compete effectively with other pharmaceutical companies both locally and internationally. Developing policies aimed at addressing the stated challenge.
Failure to have more effective strategic approaches advocating for sharing resources, ideas among other resources needed to supplement the performance of employees within the company is the second challenge (Hardie, 2008). According to researchers, organizations which avail a more favorable environment enabling employees to share ideas and skills perform effectively compared to those that have failed to establish such environment.
Analysis on the external environment impact on human resources within the organization
Source: understanding the organization environment and culture
Ways to embrace change within the organization
- Unfreeze step where the company makes analysis and makes sure upper management offers support.
- The movement or change step which is the second stage where the organization is required to communicate with the employees, this is achieved through involvement on the planning and implementation of change. The company should direct the management to effectively facilitate staff transition on the policies and the standards.
- Refreeze is the third step where organization anchors the changes into the organizational culture. The stage further allows the organization to minimize the barriers such as the employees’ resistance towards changes.
Main body
Attraction and Retention of employees
The organizational establishment is meant to attract and retain its employees and create an ideal environment for work. This would include promotions, healthcare support, individual appreciations for work deliveries and creating opportunities as per existing work capacity and achievable practices. Developing the following areas are key steps towards facilitating above specifications;
Categorizing employees
Organisations should develop effective categorizing strategy on every employee in relation to the nature of their position. It should always be designed and recorded in writing with a copy retained in the employees file. Some of the categories that can be used include; probation (when employees are beginning employment), indeterminate, part-time, casual, contractors, term and job-share.
Administrating salaries and payments
Organisation needs to set detailed procedures and policies for the employees to be able to achieve and win their confidence. The procedure should provide direction and rules addressing every aspect in relation to payment. Some of the policies of payment should include; salary rates, overtime, allowances, periods of payment, increments and deductions. In the organisation to boost the performance of the employees and be able to retain and attract them all the policies of payment are effectively enacted and carried out.
Overtime
Employees’ response to effective service delivery on the organisations extension on their normal schedules requires a well established overtime strategy. This is normally facilitated by the agreement between the organization and employee. In the organization compensation over excess working hours is normally facilitated by officials to make sure that employees are fully paid. Having established this measures the organisation is assured employees support when customers increase and need more services.
Allowances
These are normally compensations that are provided to the employees, it is normally determined by the form of organization and production line. They include safety (footwear and gloves), travel and expenditure. The firm may decide to pay allowances annually or monthly. In the organization allowances are normally paid to the employees on monthly bases.
Increments
They are given to employees in relation to efficiency in their service delivery with substantial performances. In the organization this is normally based in relation to their hiring or entrance dates to the organization. The organization offers a small party where the employee is recognized for the satisfactory service delivery. This motivates the employees to work hard with the organization being able to evaluate the overall performance of the employee.
Benefits
In the organization various benefits are normally given to the employees in relation to their competence and satisfactory rate in their service delivery. Most of the benefits entitled each employee they include; Pension scheme, medical bills, insurance, dental plan, clothing allowances (workers uniform) and medical assistance. Medical assistance is one of the most credited benefits that the employees can use to credit the benefits associated with being a member. It provides assistance to medical bills of any employees relative who may be suffering from any disease that the family cannot be able to fund. This has happened in case where a mother of one of the employee was diagnosed with cancer and the family could not pay for the medication, the organization paid for her and when through the process successfully. That is one of the various cases that the organization has funded and offered assistance. According to (Reiffen & Ward, 2005), these benefits not only provide a healthy working environment for the workers but also a baseline on establishing a cordial relationship between the firm and the employees.
Deductions
There are various form of payments that an employee may be mandated to pay to the organization. They are normally prescribed in relation to various rates and premiums. They include; government taxes pension plan and accommodation or housing rent. Employees in the organizations are normally advised to make sure that the deductions are done correctly with the attached benefits received. The government taxes are paid in relation to the specifications by the government based by the salary amount on every employee. Making rightful and fare deductions provides confidence to the employee on the organization (Aspridis, 2007).
Leave
Employees are entitled to various forms of leaves in relation to their job description and terms of employment. They can be paid inform of cash or days for the employees to relax away from the workplace. In the organization every employee is provided with adequate information on the type of leave accorded in the terms of employment. They most common authorized leaves include; when there are special occasions as provided by senior managers, government functions such as voting, vacation leave, sick leave and training leave (work related). By providing these rights to the employees ensures that they get time to relax or advance their skills. Leaves are normally rights of employees and provide them with time to interact with the environment outside the firm (Beardwell, 2004).
Promotion
It is every employee dream to be promoted in the workplace. Various organizations sets this process within their structure, however organizations require other benefits attached to the candidates involved. This normally includes; stipulated skills hence a need to be promote, experience and the duration of the employee service delivery in the organization or educational advancement. This is also can act as a form of retaining and attracting employees. When employees are promoted they develop a closer attachment with the organization. In the organization encouraging the employees to advance their skills through training and commitment guarantees they a chance to be promoted in relation to their overall performance. Promoting employees is a means of not only making them feel like part of the organization by creating a bond between them and the organization (Purcell, 2000).
Integrated approach on attraction and retention in human management
Figure1: integrated approach to attraction and retention in human management
Job Descriptions
- They provide a clear description of the position such as the purpose, scope, qualifications, and competence and working conations.
- Evaluating the task
- During recruitment and selection criteria’s
- Beneficial when orientations are made within the firm
- Evaluation on the performance of the workers
- During developmental and training strategies of the organisation to the workers
The above benefits can be effective and achieved in a firm by establishing innovative job descriptions for every employee in the firm. In the pharmaceutical company clear job descriptions are needed; this facilitates the smooth running of the firm, easy to monitor the activities of employees, making sure that the tasks are done as specified and that the customer requirements are attained. The pharmaceutical company is entitled to enact a human resource approach that is aimed at developing the welfare of the employees in relation to their tasks. This policy facilitates attaining and achieving the organizational objectives with high customer satisfaction. To facilitate, create or upgrade various steps can be carried out as provided by (Alleyne, 2006);
- Carrying out or gathering necessary background information about the task
- Preparing the job description after gathering the information, achieved by developing a table with the following contents; identification (contains basic information about the job such as title), purpose (entails the reason why the job is being created), scope (the impact of the job in the organization), responsibilities, tasks required attached and expected returns, competencies (the required skills and knowledge) and working conditions (physical, mental and environmental requirements in relation to the task).
- Reviewing the job description which should be done by the; incumbent, supervisor, senior managers and human resources representatives.
- Approval of the job description is done by the incumbent, supervisors and manager (senior) who signs the job description with a copy retained on the employees file.
Training and development
This is a means of ensuring that the employee acquires the stipulated skills and knowledge in relation to their work. It may be in various forms such as; courses, workshops, distance learning, job on training, self directed training, coaching, online course development and management. Training is a vital tool for enhancing work quality and effective delivery. Thus, in various forms, the required skills need proper establishment and given stretch of training on highly specialized areas, marked by relevant scrutiny on how the business cycle has been accomplished. Due to the changing needs within a given business setting, the uniqueness of enhancing planning procedures, strategic decision making and aided problem definition and solving capacity. There are steps that are necessary to be comprehensively attained appropriately as per defined organizational nature. The processes as stipulated in the organization structure include;
- Identifying the competencies (establishing requirements for the employees success in their carriers)
- Completing the training needs and assessed records on the employees (by the employer and employee)
- Holding a training needs and assessment meeting
- Involving the various stakeholders
- Developing the training and development strategies
- Applying the training (the employees identified)
- Evaluating the training and recording the improvements
Conclusion
The productivity level of an organization is examined within the range of absolute workforce availed. This is accordingly examined through facilitated productivity range including optimal employee management consideration. The productivity and organizational performance as per given cordial relationship should hence include participative training programmes. In order to generate the model for increasing productivity, dynamic human resource factors must be fully established and be in line with the structured objectives of an organization. In order to create substantial performance, the descriptive nature of its programs should be understood and attractively utilized on the basis of helpful working and productive structure. Skills as well as projected evaluations and benchmarks need to be properly and adequately set to create an environment which has relative functional consideration.
Recommendations
- Development of policies and standards addressing human resource within the organization and embrace Lewin change model
- Implement strategic approaches aimed at ensuring that the organization creates a favorable working environment for the employees
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