Personnel Management of Singapore Airlines - Case Study Example

Personnel Management al Introduction Singapore Airlines Singapore Airlines Limited is among the largest and most profitable airline companies in Singapore. The company operates from its headquarters at Changi Airport. The company commands most of the air operations in East, South and South East Asia. Singapore Airlines launched its operations in Singapore in 1947 as Malayan Airways. The company ranks among the most profitable service firms in the world. In addition, it has diversified its services and products in order to compete effectively in the airline industry. The organisation has three major departments that include engineering, cargo and passenger transport departments. The engineering department deals with maintenance of aircrafts and other mechanical, electrical and electronic equipment in the company. The passenger and freight transport departments focus on the safe and comfortable transportation of individuals in different regions across the world. The firm plans to enhance its operations in Singapore by purchasing additional passenger and cargo aircrafts. In addition, the organisation plans to invest heavily in the procurement and engineering sectors in order to enhance the safety of its clients, as well as the quality of its services. In order to achieve these objectives, Singapore Airlines has initiated massive recruitment in various positions such as management, sales, procurement and engineering. The essay focuses on the job design and formulation of the general and sales managers at Singapore Airlines. The recruitment process aims at acquiring highly qualified individuals to manage the most sensitive sectors of the company. In addition, it aims at increasing the profits and market share of the enterprise in Singapore and worldwide. Job Formulation Design Job design entails work organisation that aims at minimising the levels of job dissatisfaction among employees due to mechanistic and repetitive tasks. This design is essential in promoting productivity in the workplace and reducing the reluctance among the workers. In addition, work formulation and design enables employees and prospecting workers to evaluate the work environment and conditions (DuBrin, 2009). Additionally, various organisations use job formulation and design to motivate employees using alternative non-monetary incentives such as satisfaction based on personal achievement. There are various techniques, which are utilised in the job design and formulation such as job simplification, rotation, enrichment and enlargement. Job satisfaction is the main motivational approach in the design of the general manager position at the company (Sicksch, 2009). This approach is essential because it promotes individual performance, which enhances the company’s overall productivity (Aswathappa, 2005). In addition, job satisfaction ensures that the manager commits fully to the achievement of the company’s objectives at both local and international platforms (Singaporeair.com, 2015). General Manager The role of the general manager at Singapore Airlines is to oversee the general operations and performance of the company. In addition, the general manager updates the organisations board regarding the latest trends in the industry such as competition, marketing strategies and new aircrafts developments. The manager also ensures that all the departments in the organisation operate collectively to enhance the companys market share and profits. (DuBrin, 2009). The employee reports to the firm’s president and the board of directors. The various departmental managers’ report to the general manager in order to provide updates regarding the operations of their departments. In addition, several subordinate staffs such as the Information Technologists, procurement officers, operations officers, engineers and pilots consult the general manager through the personal assistant. The general manager also consults the procurement officers regarding the purchase of new aeroplanes and engineering equipment. In addition, the manager reports to the company’s chairperson in order to update them on the performance and plans of the company (Armstrong, 2006). The general manager position candidate should possess a master’s degree in business or its equivalent from a reputable university. In addition, the candidate should have at least five years’ experience at a management level as well as a high school diploma (Heracleous, Wirtz & Pangarkar, 2009). The person should also possess good communication and computer applications skills. In addition, the general manager should be adaptive to the market dynamics of the Airline industry. In addition, the personnel should be able to make decisions effectively based on the performance of the industry across the country. The applicant should also be residing in Singapore, United States, Asia and Europe (Aswathappa, 2005). Sales Manager The sales executive oversees the operations of the sales department at Singapore Airlines. The duties of the sales manager include ensuring a smooth functioning of the sales department and assign roles to the various individuals in the sales team (Heracleous, Wirtz & Pangarkar, 2009). The sales manager also promotes the services of the organisations in different countries worldwide in order to increase the company’s profitability. The sales manager reports directly to the general manager, the board of directors and the president of the organisation. The sales team members report directly to the sales manager regarding remuneration and job specifications. The candidate for the position should possess a bachelor’s or master’s degree in sales and marketing. Additionally, the employee should have good communication and computer application skills. The employee should also have at least five years’ experience in a sales management position (Armstrong, 2006). Recruitment Strategy Recruitment is the process of establishing a pool of highly qualified individuals with interests in working for the company. The recruitment process at Singapore Airline entails various phases such as informing the prospective employees about the availability of a particular and evaluating the qualifications of various applicants (Armstrong, 2006). The recruitment strategies used by Singapore Airlines Limited include advertisements, internal announcements and personal referrals. Other recruitment strategies include enlisting on the recruitment and employment agencies, as well as career fairs provided by the government and higher learning institutions (Albrecht & Broikos, 2000). Advertisement Advertisements entail placing the vacant positions on the nation and local print media platforms. In addition, job advertisement is done on various online platforms such as company’s website, social media and blogs (Harvey, 2007). The advertisement strategy at posting the vacant positions in the organisations on platforms that have a large client base such as newspapers and social media platforms. In addition, the company advertises the positions on airline publications in the target regions. These advertisement approaches ensure that the candidates meet the appropriate requirements for a particular position (Eaton, 2001). Personal Recommendations and internal Bulletins Internal bulletins entail the processes of posting vacant job positions on various communication platforms with the organisation. The aim of the internal bulletins is to entice individuals who are seeking advancement in their careers to apply for the position. In addition, they promote personal recommendations from the employees (DuBrin, 2009). Recruitment Agencies Recruitment agencies are organisations, which undertake the recruitment and employment process on behalf of the company. These agencies advertisement the job positions on various platforms and ensure that the hired candidates meet the requirements of the company (Belobaba, Odoni & Barnhart, 2009). Higher Learning Institutions and Jobcentres Companies recruit individuals from various institutions across the worlds such as universities and colleges during the career fairs in the respective institutions. This strategy ensures that only the best candidates from the universities are hired. On the other hand, the company uses other recruitment platforms like the job centres provided by the government. Individuals who are recruited from these centre have adequate experience and qualification because of the training provided to them by the government (Aswathappa, 2005). Selection Strategy The selection process involves various techniques for selecting the most qualified individuals from a pool of applicants. The following are the major selection strategies, which Singapore Airlines utilises (Hyer & Wemmerlöv, 2002). Outsourcing Outsourcing entails various initiatives for hiring external organisations to select candidates on behalf of the organisations. This approach is useful in hiring the company’s executives like the general manager (Eaton, 2001). Skills, Knowledge and Abilities This selection strategy involves the use of an individual’s qualifications and abilities in the hiring. It involves a critical examination of the applicant’s academic performance as well as their experience in the specified fields (Albrecht & Broikos, 2000). In addition, the process involves an evaluation of the person’s major strengths and weaknesses in the workplace based on their documentation (Durai, 2010). Multistage Selection A multistage selection process entails a combination of various assessment tools in the selection process. The tools used in the multistage approach include tests, interviews and examination of the qualifications (Durai, 2010). Implementation and Job Design Plan table Job Position Job Design Recruitment Strategies Selection Strategies Implementation Schedule General Manager Satisfaction The employee is provided with various incentives such as a company vehicle, housing and adequate salary Duties The general manager oversees the general operations of various departments in the company. The manager also updates the top executives on various aspects of the business performance and market dynamics Qualifications The general manager should possess a Masters degree in Business and a five-year experience in a management position. The recruitments strategies used include internal bulletins and advertisements (K, 2010). The selection strategies used for the position include multistage selection and examination of the candidates’ abilities, skills and qualifications (Kosnik & Brown, 2007). The advertisements are made on various platforms such as international and local print media, company’s website and television. On the other hand, the selection process includes various tests and interviews on the candidates. The recruitment and selection process takes approximately three months. Sales Manager Satisfaction The employee is provided with various incentives such as a company vehicle, housing and adequate salary Duties The sales manager oversees the general operations of the sales department in the company. Qualifications The sales manager should possess a bachelor’s or master’s degree in sales management and five-year experience marketing (Kosnik & Brown, 2007). The recruitment strategies used include recruitment agencies, internal bulletins and advertisements The selection strategies used for the position of the sales manager Include multistage selection, outsourcing and examination of the candidates abilities, skills and qualifications The advertisements are made on various platforms such as international and local print media, company’s website and television. On the other hand, the selection process includes various tests and interviews on the candidates. The recruitment and selection process takes approximately two months Conclusion Singapore Airlines Limited is among the most profitable organisations in the country. The company has three major departments, which include engineering, cargo and passenger transport. The screening and recruitment strategies utilised in the hiring process ensure that only highly qualified individuals apply and succeed. In addition, the work design is crucial in promoting quality and production levels of the organisations because it focuses on job satisfaction of the employees. References Albrecht, D., & Broikos, C. (2000). On the job. New York: Princeton Architectural Press. Armstrong, M. (2006). A handbook of human resource management practice. London: Kogan Page. Aswathappa, K. (2005). Human resource and personnel management. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill. Belobaba, P., Odoni, A., & Barnhart, C. (2009). The global airline industry. Chichester, U.K.: Wiley. DuBrin, A. (2009). Essentials of management. Mason, OH: Thomson Business & Economics. Durai, P. (2010). Human resource management. Chennai: Pearson. Eaton, J. (2001). Globalisation and human resource management in the airline industry. Aldershot, England: Ashgate. Harvey, G. (2007). Management in the airline industry. London: Routledge. Heracleous, L., Wirtz, J., & Pangarkar, N. (2009). Flying high in a competitive industry. Singapore: McGraw-Hill. Hyer, N., & Wemmerlöv, U. (2002). Reorganising the factory. Portland, Or.: Productivity Press. K, R. (2010). Recruitment management. Mumbai [India]: Himalaya Pub. House. Kosnik, L., & Brown, J. (2007). Crew resource management improves communication. OR Nurse, 1(2), 47-48. Larson, S., & Hewitt, A. (2005). Staff recruitment, retention, & training strategies for community human services organisations. Baltimore, Md.: Paul H. Brookes Pub. Co. Sicksch, M. (2009). Crew Resource Management. Intensive, 17(05), 261-265. Singaporeair.com,. (2015). Singapore Airlines - Our History. Retrieved 29 January 2015, from http://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/about-us/sia-history/ Read More