Easy Living

Project Overview: Reflection Paper

Introduction

The 18-week individual Human Resource Management (HRM) project promises to be very challenging, but will undoubtedly provide much information and reveal many opportunities in the chosen industry. The industry of choice is the Medical Services industry. Project research will focus primarily on the type and quality of health care provided to consumers in the United States (U.S), and the influence of HRM functions on the organizations within which they operate. The project will look at HRM challenges facing the industry, and examine current and future HR trends in areas like personnel recruitment, employee development and retention, employee compensation, laws and regulations guiding the industry, and change management strategies.

Challenges, Opportunities and Possible Solutions

The greatest challenges anticipated during the next eighteen weeks will be personal ones. The biggest impact will be from re-locating after the first course, with all moving activities occurring midway through the course. The stresses and inconveniences associated with packing up household goods will prove distracting. The temporary loss of personal computer access will mean a month lag in the middle of the project. Pending unemployed status will also influence choice of industry for project research topic; access to inside up-to-date information on the industry would be beneficial for doing direct research.

Collection of data for research will be another challenge. It will be difficult to determine the correct or most relevant data for the project, and how much will be enough to make a judgment on the best or most suitable HRM practices for the industry. Another challenge will be making the correct decision for future HRM strategies. The key will be to identify accurately past and future trends for the industry, particularly those with global implications. Strategies for private health care providers may be inappropriate for public health care systems. Like all other industries of the 21st century, the health care industry operates in a constantly changing environment influenced by many external and internal factors. Medical breakthroughs, technological advances, and new legislations can all have great impact on some or all sectors of the industry.

The best approach to tackle the challenges in the project would be to conduct direct research whenever possible, and to use well-known, reliable sources for secondary research data. When collecting data the underlying premise should be that "the HRM function is responsible for maximizing productivity, quality of work life, and profits through better management of people" (Cascio, 2003, p 32). The project should address issues that link people to the business strategy in both public and private organizations. Analysis of external environmental