Bandag Automotive

RUNNING HEAD: ASSIGNMENT #1

Bandag Automotive is a family owned company that distributes and sells automotive parts with two divisions, five stores and employs three hundred people.  Both father and son have run the company for the last ten years together and now the father is working part time while the two of them handle marketing and sales.  The son’s executive assistant handles the daily human resources management tasks while other functions like their 401k benefit recruiting and payroll are outsourced.  Over the past couple of years the company has found themselves entangled in human resources and equal opportunity employment law issues.  While Jim and his executive assistant are not versed in employment law and have little to no experience in human resources, they are not making informed decisions.  Companies today are demanding human resources competencies that are necessary to address new issues proactively. Jim needs to hire a talented human resources manager to overhaul the human resources function for his company (Dressler, 2005).

1.      Given Bandag Auto’s size, and anything else you know about it, explain why and how the human resource management function should be reorganized.

According to Dessler (2005), human resource management entails such functions as hiring, training, evaluating and compensating employees.  Human resource management also involves the knowledge and experience to handle labor relations, health, safety equality and fairness for all employees.

The human resource management process has five basic functions of planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling.  The new human resources manager must work closely with Jim to establish goals, standards, rules and procedures in order to develop plans and forecast for the company (Dessler, 2005).

The new human resources manager will organize by directing and leading employees, delegating authority and developing means of communication (Dessler, 2005).

The new human resources manager can work with Jim to decide the feasibility of leaving the recruiting function outsourced or brought in house.  This important function involves staffing which is determining what type of people should be hired by recruitment and selection.  Staffing also involves training and development, setting performance standards, evaluating performance, counseling and compensation (Dessler, 2005).

In order to get this company back on track this human resources manager must be a good leader.  As a leader this new hire will lead others to get the job done, maintaining morale and motivating employees (Dessler, 2005).

Controlling is the last of the five functions of the human resources management process by setting quotas, quality standards or production levels, determining how actual performance compares to the standard and taking corrective action as needed (Dessler, 2005).

2.      Recommend what Bandag should change and/or improve upon regarding the current HR systems, forms, and practices the company now uses.