Evaluating the human resource development in public and private sector IN Oman - Dissertation Example

Evaluate the human resource development in public and private sector IN Oman 0 Introduction 1 The field of research The proposed research study is in the area of human resource management. Specifically, the study seeks to find various strategies and approaches put in place by both public and private sector institutions and organizations the Oman in developing the human resource of the human labour base in that country. Generally, the field of human resource development in Oman is not isolated. Rather, practices in human resource development are in consolidation with “human resource management practices in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the emerging economies of East Asia” (Al-Lamki, 2003). As Oman is concerned, the selection of the field of human resource development for this research could not have come at any better time than now when the country is rapidly becoming a destination point for several skilled labour and investors who want to invest in the country’s rich natural resources (Al-Ghorfa, 1999). 2 1.2 The research questions The entire conduct of the research is going to be guided by specific questions that the researcher is going to seek to address. These questions therefore serve as delimitation for issues to look at in the study and those to ignore. The research questions are thus quotes as follows: 1. What are the various human resource development models in use at the private sector in Oman? 2. What human resource development models are used by the Omani public sector? 3. Are there differences in the effectiveness of human resource development approaches in the private sector as against what exists in the public sector in Oman? 4. What is the influence of National Policies on Human Resource Development in Oman on the private and public sectors? 5. In what ways can human resource development in Oman be made more result oriented? 3 4 2.0 Research method 5 2.1 Research Design The overall aim of evaluating the human resource development in public and private sector in Oman cannot be achieved in the absence of a benefiting research design. The researcher shall therefore use the case study research design to conduct the present study. With the case study research design, the researcher shall be offered the opportunity to select specific scenarios and cases for both the private and public sectors in Oman to investigate in (Ahuja, 1997). The case study shall also offer the opportunity of meeting and interacting with the most suitable and appropriate respondents whose inputs would affect the research positively (Al-Lamki, 1998). In the course of the case study, the researcher shall select specific institutions, companies and organizations that fall under both the private and public sectors. These institutions, companies and organizations shall also have different industrial background so that a well balanced and comprehensive view of human resource development as it cuts across different quarters of Oman shall be seen (Aryee, 1994). This is to say that the case study shall not be limited to specific industries or service providers. 6 2.2 Sample and Sampling Technique The researcher shall build a sample size that shall be made up of two hundred (200) respondents. These two hundred (200) respondents shall be solicited from as many as forty (40) different organizations and institutions. This means that there shall be five (5) respondents from each company. Among the companies, there shall be twenty (20) from the private sector and twenty (20) from the public sector. This will be done to ensure fairness and balance in data collection. Among areas of the labour market that companies will be selected shall be pharmaceutical, Education, health, oil and gas, communication, construction, real estate, non-governmental organization, publishing, law, media, sports and many others. This means that data to be collected can easily be classified as empirical and representative of the entire Oman population and labour market. To ensure that it is only the right and most deserving selection of companies is used, there shall be a purposive sampling technique. This is because with purposive sampling technique, the researcher shall have the privilege of selecting specific respondents who can constitute a well represented sample size (Barney, 1991). To this end, a special list of forty companies spread across Oman shall be made. Within each organization, permission shall be sought to include five employees and managers who shall be in the persons of human resource manager, accountant (or head of finance), head of research and strategic planning, one senior employee and one junior employee. 7 2.3 Data Collection Procedure The researcher shall design a questionnaire to be used in the data collection process. The choice of questionnaire is in the fact that the sample size is very large and with a questionnaire, it will be possible to collect data simultaneously and within a very short period of time (Birks and Sinclair, 1980). The questionnaire shall contain questions that are elaborated around the research questions posed earlier. There shall however be three major forms of data to be collected. These shall be data for human resource managers, data for finance officers and data for employees. This will be done to ensure fairness and reliability with results. For instance the researcher shall be in a position to judge the accuracy of responses by relating those of one group to the other. After the questionnaire has been prepared, there shall be a short conference with the sample size to explain to them some of the basic rudiments in attending to the questions. A time frame shall then be given to them within which to complete the questionnaire. There shall be an electronic form of the questionnaire so that those who wish can submit their completed questionnaire online (Campos and Root, 1996). The data from the questionnaire shall then be sorted, decoded, presented, analysed and discussed. 8 2.4 Limitations of the research There are some few limitations that are envisioned for this research work. The first has to do with the ability to get the exact description of respondents from each company to make up the sample size. This is because not all the companies may have such portfolios. Other companies who may have such portfolios may also want to designate powers to other people. Again, the time frame needed to complete the research may cause the researcher to speed up unnecessarily with the whole process. This is because the research is strictly time-bound as an academic exercise and must therefore be completed within a specific time frame. 9 3.0 Results 10 3.1 Anticipated outcomes In pursuance to the 2020 future vision of Omans economy, which seeks to encourage, support and develop the role of the private sector, it is anticipated that the private sector shall have more rigorous models and approaches to developing their human resource base than the public sector (Al-Lamki, 2003). Again, it is anticipated that human resource development programs for non-Oman workers will be more intensified than that of Oman workers because of the continuous calls to have such schemes to encourage foreign investor interests (De Cenzo and Robbins, 1994). It is also expected that most companies and organisation will depend on the government supported schemes and incentives for human resource development to finance their human resource management programmes. In terms of sectors of the economy, it is anticipated that the banking sector shall lead the park in terms of effectiveness and vibrancy in human resource development. This may be followed sequentially by transport, communication, finance, real estate, oil and gas, industry, hotels, wholesale and retail before contracts (Al-Lamki, 2003). Finally, it is anticipated that the more companies invest in human resource development, the better such companies and institutions will perform in their various fields and sectors of the economy. 11 3.2Contribution to knowledge The search for knowledge has become an imminent practice in almost all sectors of the economy in Oman and other countries (Maloney, 1998). This means that companies are investing more and more in research and development in order to come to terms with modern and the most appropriate schemes they can rely on to maximise profits. This research work shall therefore add up to the knowledge on what to do right to make profits. This assertion is made against the backdrop that the researcher anticipates that users of the findings of this research work will come to appreciate the importance of human resource development as a means of increasing revenue base and thus opt for it. What is more, the research shall extend current understanding on human resource development especially as it shall bring to the floor the various models and approaches used by as many different companies as possible and the impacts of these models and approaches so that those who care about exemplification can try the models of other companies and institutions. Finally, this research work shall become a permanent source of reference for all future research works on human resource management. 12 3.3 Managerial/business significance for theory and practice In both theory and practice, this research is going to be of a lot of significance and importance. In the first place, there is going to be a theoretical significance of this research as it relates to human resource training for employees. In Oman, The Ministry of Social Affairs, Labour and Vocational Training has implemented a number of programs that are human resource management. In theory and principle therefore, this research shall come to trumpet the importance and relevance of such government backed programs and policies (World Bank, 1994). In practice also, the significance of this study shall include the fact that there shall be a whole section of the research report dedicated to the review of related literature where the models used by the various companies and instituted represented in the research shall be discussed and explained. This will make it possible for any other company to try some of these models on human resource development as exists in other places. Eventually, this research can be described as a credible empirical study that does not only pertain to a number of selected private and public sector companies in Oman but to the entire Omani labour force. REFERENCE LIST Ahuja, V. 1997, Everyones Miracle? Revisiting Poverty and Inequality in East Asia, Washington, D.C.: World Bank. Al-Ghorfa, 1999, Reducing Dependence on Expatriate Labour. Al-Ghorfa, No. 118. Sultanate of Oman: Oman Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Al-Lamki S.M, 2003, Omanization: A Three Tier Strategic Framework for Human Resource Management and Training in the Sultanate of Oman. Journal of Comparative International Management. [Online] http://www.lib.unb.ca/Texts/JCIM/bin/get.cgi?directory=vol3_1/&filename=lamki.htm [April 28, 2012] Al-Lamki, S. 1998, Barriers to Omanization in the private sector: the perception of Omani graduates. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 9. Aryee, S. 1994, The social organization of careers as a source of sustained competitive advantage: The Case of Singapore. The International Journal of Human Resource Management 5, 67-87. Barney, J. 1991, Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17: 99-120. Birks, J.S. and Sinclair, C. A. 1980, Arab manpower: the crisis of development, London: Croom-Helm. Campos, J. and Root, H. 1996, The key to the Asian miracle: making shared growth credible. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution. De Cenzo, D. A. & Robbins, S. P. fourth edition 1994, Human resource management: concetps & practices. USA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Maloney, W. 1998, The structure of labour markets in developing countries: time series evidence on competing views. World Bank Report. World Bank: Washington D.C. Ministry of Social Affairs, Labour and Vocational Training. Muscat: Sultanate of Oman. N.d. World Bank 1994, Sultanate of Oman: sustainable growth and economic diversification. Report No. 12199-OM. Read More