Small Business Staffing and Recruiting Plan

Small Business Staffing and Recruiting Plan Order Description Assignment instructions included in the attachments Ralph Braun built his company out of his creativity in meeting his own personal needs. Growing up in rural Indiana, Braun had difficulty climbing stairs, and doctors diagnosed him with spinal muscular atrophy. At age 14, Braun needed a wheelchair to get around. He was disappointed but developed his mechanical aptitude, honed by years of helping his uncles fix motorcycles and race cars, and used it to build himself a battery-powered scooter. With the scooter, Braun was able to navigate his way around a job at an automotive supply factory, where co-workers would ask him to build something similar for their family members and acquaintances. Later, for better transportation to and from the job, Braun figured out how to convert a Dodge van with a lift so he could enter the van on his scooter and drive it from there. Again, people saw the van and asked for something similar. Eventually, Braun took all his earnings from scooters and van conversions and started Save-A-Step Manufacturing, later named BraunAbility, which has become the world’s largest maker of wheelchair-accessible vans and wheelchair lifts. The passion and purposefulness of the company’s founder are reflected in the structure of BraunAbility’s jobs and work. Recruiting is inclusive, with an especially great appreciation for the potential of disabled workers. Cindy Garnett, the company’s director of human resources, notes that a person with a disability has to go through life solving accessibility problems creatively, so that person is likely to have become a great innovator. Wherever possible, work schedules are tailored to employees’ needs. Many employees have flexible schedules, working their choice of eight hours between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Some employees telecommute full-time or part-time. Even production workers, who must coordinate their tasks as vans move from one work station to the next, have flexibility to negotiate arrangements that work for them as a group. They told the company that they wanted just a couple of short breaks during the day instead of a long lunch break, so they could leave earlier. BraunAbility went along with the idea. As you might expect from a company founded by a creative man, innovation is valued over hierarchy at BraunAbility. On a typical day, Ralph Braun tours the facility in his wheelchair, observing the work and talking to production workers and staff. Garnett says, “If anyone has an idea, that person is listened to.” For example, an employee suggested that, rather than going through the process of safely disposing of leftover paint, workers use it to paint the vehicle floors under the carpet, for a little additional protection of the vehicle. The company readily adopted the suggestion. Along with feeling respected, workers at BraunAbility feel their work matters to society. In Garnett’s words, because the company’s vans make it possible to travel independently, employees “know that they’re changing the lives of people with disabilities with every product that goes out the door.” SOURCES: “Collaboration, Inclusion Help Create That ‘Small-Town’ Feeling,” white paper, HR.BLR.com, January 18, 2010, http://hr.blr.com ; “How I Did It: Ralph Braun of BraunAbility,” Inc., December 1, 2009, http://www.inc.com ; and “BraunAbility Launches EntervanXT to Accommodate Needs of Taller Wheelchair and Scooter Users,” Marketing Weekly News, October 10, 2009, Business & Company Resource Center, http://galenet.galegroup.com . Questions 1. In what ways is work at BraunAbility motivating? What other features of motivating work might BraunAbility be able to offer its employees? 2. What place would efficient job design have in a company like BraunAbility? How could BraunAbility improve job efficiency in a way that is consistent with the company’s emphasis on inclusiveness and flexibility? 3. Imagine that you work with the HR director at BraunAbility, and she has asked you to suggest some ways to reinforce employees’ sense that their jobs have an important positive impact on others. What would you suggest? Small-Business Case : Inclusivity Defines BraunAbility’s Products and Its Jobs This guide is designed to lay out each assignment required this semester. All assignments should be submitted as a Microsoft document (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.). Microsoft Word documents must be 1” margins, double spaced Times New Roman 12pt. font. Assignment #1 – Understanding of Human Resources Read chapter 1. Write a two page paper, in APA format (use the paper template on the course website) addressing the following: 1) Compare the differences between the role of a line manager and the role of a human resource manager (HR Generalist). a. How are their roles similar? b. How are their roles different? c. How can they best work together? 2) Based on your current understanding of Human Resources, explain about what you want to learn in this course. 3) Leverage at least two outside resources from reliable academic or professional resources (see the list on the course website). Assignment #2 – Small Business Recruiting and Staffing Plan Using the Small Business Case from Chapter 4, you will create a recruiting and staffing strategy for BraunAbility, a manufacturer of wheelchair vans. For this paper, you will need to select a position to write a recruiting and staffing plan. The paper should be a minimum of 4 pages and a maximum of 8 pages. The positions you can select from include: ? Salesperson ? Factory worker ? Marketing director In this paper, you will outline the following: 1) Introduction – include a thesis statement, the position selected, and a preview of your paper 2) Legal landscape – what are special legal considerations you would like the company to be aware of? 3) Recruiting plan for the position selected a. Explain what recruiting is and why it is important b. Explain the tools you will use to find candidates for your selected position and why you selected each tool 4) Create a selection plan for the position selected, including but not limited to: a. Explain what staffing is and why it is important b. What assessments will you use? Why? c. What type of interviewing will you use? Why? d. Create 5 interview questions for your candidate Resources to use: ? The case study (see the PDF in the Course Content section of the website) ? www.braunability.com ? Other outside academic resources Course Schedule & Assignment Guide 3 Recruiting & Staffing Paper Rubric Heading Content Points Possible Points Received Introduction Clear introduction that provides a thesis statement and preview of the paper. Explain the position the paper will be about (salesperson, factory worker, marketing director) 5 Legal considerations Identify any legal considerations you would like BraunAbility to pay special attention to during the recruiting and staffing process 15 Recruiting Plan Recruiting plan includes recruiting tools and why each tool was selected. 30 Staffing Plan Staffing plan includes description of assessments, why they were chosen, and interview questions. 30 Conclusion Conclusion recaps the paper 5 Overall Quality of Writing Overall quality of writing, including but not limited to use of correct grammar, sentence structure, spelling, etc. 5 APA Writing Style Paper is in APA format. 5 APA References Use 5 peer-reviewed, academic outside resources are integrated throughout the paper to support points made. 5 Total Points 100 Assignment #3 – Section of Final Paper Topic In this assignment, you will prepare for your final paper. Review the requirements for the final paper, and select the topic you will write about. Write the first two sections of the final paper, which details the topic you have chosen, a preview of your paper that ties to at least 2 functional areas of HRM and why your topic is important. Be sure the assignment is in APA format, and include references. Assignment #4 – Reflection Paper Write a 1 to 2 page paper reflecting on the course. 1) What information did you find most useful? 2) What information did you find least useful? 3) How would you grade your participation level this semester? 4) How will you use what you learned in this course in the future? 5) What recommendations do you have for this course in the future? 6) Anything else you would like me to know! Course Schedule & Assignment Guide 4 Assignment #5 – HR Integration Paper Over the course of the semester, you have learned about a number of different human resource topics. In this paper, I want you to show me how they are interrelated. Write a minimum of 6 to maximum of 8 page paper about one of the following topics. If you have a topic you are passionate about, but it is not included on this list, please request approval of the topic. Paper Topics: ? Expatriate assignments ? Improving employee retention ? Effectively using flexible work schedules ? Managing a contingent workforce ? Improving talent management ? Encouraging work-life balance in an organization Use the following outline for your paper: 1) Introduction: Briefly describe the topic/issue and explain why you chose this topic to research. (One paragraph) 2) Importance of issue: Why is this issue important for work organizations in general? Summarize major points of information gleaned from your sources on this topic. (Approximately one page) 3) How does this topic/issue affect the functional areas of HRM? What specific actions should be taken in those functional areas to support your goal/objective? This should be based on your research and not just personal opinion. Tie your recommendations to the different areas of HRM that you learned about this semester, such as recruiting, staffing, compensation and benefits, training, development, performance management etc. (Approximately 2 to 4 pages) 4) Close your paper with a brief summary of new learning that you personally have gained as a result of doing this research paper. (One to two strong paragraphs) Integration Paper Rubric Heading Content Points Possible Points Received Introduction: topic and why you chose it. Write a clear introduction to this paper, giving a brief explanation of the topic and why you chose it. 5 Why is the topic important to organizations? Include at least 3 reasons why this topic is important to organizations. 25 Impact of Functional areas of HRM Describe how your topic integrates to at least 2 of the functional areas of HRM that you learned about this semester. 50 Conclusion Conclusion recaps the paper 5 Overall Quality of Writing Overall quality of writing, including but not limited to use of correct grammar, sentence structure, spelling, etc. 5 APA Writing Style Paper is in APA format. 5 APA References Use 5 peer-reviewed, academic outside resources are integrated throughout the paper to support points made. 5 100 Course Schedule & Assignment Guide 5 PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET AN AMAZING DISCOUNT :)