2.15 Exercises/Activities for Teachers and Students
Exercises
- Review the HR Planning Process and the steps, individually. Discuss how you would create an HR plan for a company with 100 employees. Discuss how you would create an HR plan for a company of 2000 employees. What are the similarities? What are the differences? Discuss in a small group.
- You are the HR Manager of a large company that is expanding. Presenting there are 5000 employees. The strategic plan mission is to expand to 8000 people over the next 3 years into difference markets, provide new products, and diversify into another country. It is your responsibility to create the HR Plan. Who do you speak to? Who do you get involved, and why? What is the first step you would take to create the HR Plan? Discuss in a small group.
- Why do companies align the HR Plan with the Strategic Plan? Discuss with a partner.
- You work for a Canadian retail chain that has stores in Western Canada. The company wants to expand to Ontario and Nova Scotia. The goals is to open 10 new stores in each province within a year. The CEO asks you to complete an external and internal review. What factors would you consider and include in your review? Discuss in a small group.
- You work for a digital music and 3-D company that sells it’s services to the movie industry. The job descriptions and the move customer’s needs are in constant flux, upgrading technology and developing new digital software. You need to complete some forecasting. Which ones would you consider? Why? Discuss with a partner.
- Review nominal group method and delphi method of forecasting, individually. What are the similarities? What are the differences? Do you have a preference you would use for a large electrical company that has 300 employees across Ontario? (The company is downsizing due to the slump in housing construction and sales). They expect to lay off about 100 employees. Discuss in a small group.
- Why are staffing tables important to Human Resources? President? Brainstorm in large group.
- Discuss an approach you would use if your company had “too many employees” and needed to cut back on staff by 30%? Why is this approach the most beneficial? Discussion in small group.
- Discuss an approach you would use if your company was expanding by 40% over the next year. You now have 1000 employees and it is expected you will have 1400 employees within a year. Why is this approach the most beneficial? Discuss in small group.
- What is the purpose of replacement charts? And, who would use them in the company? What would they use them for? Discuss with a partner.
- Review the Conference Board of Canada website, individually. Share with a partner something that you learned that could b useful to an HR Manager.
- Do you believe crowdsourcing is a good idea? Why? Why not? Brainstorm with the large group.
- Have you ever had to complete an application online through a database? What are the advantages for HR? Did you think the process was a good experience, as an applicant? A bad experience, as an applicant? Discuss with a partner.
- Think about security as it relates to HR analytics. Do so research on security online, individually. What are the risks? Discuss with a partner.
- What are the challenges facing companies that want to invest in an HRIS? Brainstorm in large group.
- In your own words, describe HR analytics. Write a one-minute paper. Share with a partner.
- Research “analytics and the law”, individually. Find something interesting about the search. Share with a partner.
- How do HR analytics impact job design? Recruitment? Training? Compensation? Discuss in a small group.
- Teacher will research a budget for a small company. Teacher will direct students to the weblink. Students will find and review the budget (annual) in a small group; and discuss variable costs, fixed costs, and mixed costs.
- In a small group, each group will decide on research for one company. The group will locate an income statement, balance sheet and statement of cash flow for the company. The group will share what they learned in the larger group.
- In pairs, students will review horizontal analysis and vertical analysis. Each student chooses one topic. Explain to the fellow student, in your own words, what the topic means and its importance to businesses.
