Running Head: ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES, JOB DESCRIPTION AND MULTI-TIERED APPROACH 1

Sharika Quow

AC1477936 2

Assignment 04

BZ420 Human Resources Management

9th March 2021

Environment Influences, Job Description, and Multi-tiered Approach

Part A

As the new human resource manager of a multimillion-dollar service organization, you

have been provided with a job description for new responsibilities.

For this assignment, please provide the following.

1. A synthesis of three (3) environmental influences that affect the organization

quantifying their impact and providing potential solutions for negative and positive
influences.

Managers are required to recognize and respond accordingly to all factors that influence their

organizations. These forces can either be internal or external environmental factors. The internal

factors are linked to the elements within the organization and are generally under the direct

control of the company whereas the external factors are comprised of elements that occur outside

the organization and affect the internal affairs of the company. Some components that make up

the external elements are external competition, political and economic environment.

All businesses are faced with competition within their markets which is more prevalent due

to globalization. What must be noted is that within the market, there are always other business

entities who would be present. Some markets have relatively little competition, while others

would be more established and experienced than yours. Competition within any sector never dies

and according to the product or service being provided the competition can be quite intense. The

intense competition requires companies to change swiftly and improve the quality of production,

customer service, and operational advantages that sets the organization apart from companies

with similar products to strengthen their competitive advantage.

“The political factors of the general environment refer to the business-government

relationship and the overall political situation of a country”(n.d). Having a good business-

government relationship is vital to the economy and more so to the business. It is no secret that

the policies of a country play a huge role in business activities. These are achieved through

import and export policies, taxation, investment, competition, and consumer protection policies
ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES, JOB DESCRIPTION AND MULTI-TIERED APPROACH 2

amongst others. Changes in government policies can have a significant impact on their activities.

There are instances where the government takes drastic measures to pursue nationalization

policies for state ownership of a business. The political stability of the nation affects the

operation of the stability of firms. Businesses are turned off from investing or trading in

politically unstable countries, such instances include riots, hostile takeover, or continued protest.

Managers must be able to understand the implications of the activities of certain groups within

countries. They must pay attention to the political nature and the impact of certain policies that

the government implements and properly assess to see how it would affect their decision to

invest.

The economic factor of an organization is the overall status of the economic system in which

the organization operates. The important economic factors for business are inflation, interest

rates, and unemployment. These economic factors affect demand or business performance

whether negatively or positively. . During inflation, businesses pay more for their resources, and

to cover the high cost incurred, commodity prices rise. These high prices come as governments

try to stimulate the economy through the provisions of various tax and interest rate benefits. The

economic conditions of a country affect the health of the market, this is so since the performance

of the business is dependent on the well-being of the economy. The inflation rate, taxes, and

income level are all factors that contribute to economic health. The income levels of the country

affect the purchasing power of customers which means that this specific element must be taken

into consideration. This means before making huge investments, proper research must be done

by firms. Economies can tend to move from a state of boom to recession or depression or

recovery or continually fluctuates. Businesses must therefore employ the necessary resources to

study each economy which will be able to identify the changes and trends to make the best

strategic plans.

2. Create a brief job description for a specific job of your choice outlining the roles
and responsibilities of this position. Next, design an employee-training program and
outline its implementation for this position. Finally, provide an evaluation of the
design and implementation of the employee-training program you have created.

Job Description
The post of Marketing and Sales Manager has been made available within the

organization. Amongst the responsibilities of the new manager would be, recruiting, selecting,

orienting, training, assigning, scheduling, counseling, and disciplining employees. The individual
ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES, JOB DESCRIPTION AND MULTI-TIERED APPROACH 3

must ensure that marketing and sales operational objectives are met. He/she must strategically

plan, review, prepare and complete action plans to meet customer service standards. Since this

firm is a large one, the individual will oversee the marketing team based in the New York

location and must ensure that sales and financial objectives are met.

To be considered for this post, a minimum of a BA in Marketing and Business

Administration is required. Background experience or education in Accounting, Finance, and

Human Resource Management would be an asset. The applicant must possess excellent verbal

and written communication skills and must be proficient in the use of computers. A minimum of

two years of experience in the marketing field would be an asset. The individual must possess

proper skills inclusive of Product Development, Financial Planning and Strategy, Client

Relationships, and Creative Services.

Employee Training Program

The coaching method of on-the-job- training would be utilized in this scenario to give the

incoming manager the necessary experience needed. The marketing manager will receive his or

her training under the current Marketing and Sales Manager. All duties relevant to the post will

be performed under the close supervision of the current Marketing and Sales Manager for six

months. The responsibility of tasks will be modeled and practiced with assistance. The current

Manager will slowly release his responsibility with the incoming Manager eventually taking over

while for a smooth transition of control according to company policy.

The goal of this program is to sufficiently train the incoming manager and allow for ease

of transition for all involved in the process. Topics relevant to the job will be covered, they will

be conducted in a manner of those that are most urgent or of top priority down to the least

important. The company's manual will be used to measure progress in ensuring that the worker is

carrying out duties under the policies and procedures. Progress will be measured on monthly

basis; with a final report at the end of the six months.

Evaluation of Training Program

It is of utmost importance that feedback is received from both the current marketing

manager and the incoming marketing manager. The effectiveness of the program will be

measured through several steps. They include reaction, this allows feedback of the trainee’s

reaction to the program. It answers whether or not he/she likes the program. Next is the learning

and behavior signs, the employee can be tested to see what skill or principle they acquired and
ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES, JOB DESCRIPTION AND MULTI-TIERED APPROACH 4

the behavior on the job. Finally, the results would be assessed to see if the desired outcome is

received as it relates to the training objectives. This will determine the success and any weakness

that the training program may possess. The weekly evaluation which is used to assess the trainee

will show his/her progression or regression. The program will be examined to determine how

thorough it is, how helpful the information is and how effective the trainer has been. This will

give managers a chance to make improvements where necessary.

Part B

You operate a small advertising agency. You employ two secretaries, a graphic designer,
three sales representatives, and an office coordinator. 7

1. Construct a multi-tiered approach for compensation for each position.

What types of criteria would you consider when determining how to compensate
each position? Describe two (2) considerations for each position. Students may
choose to present information in a spreadsheet or table format for organization and
interpretative purposes.

"Employee compensation refers to all forms of pay or rewards going to employees and

arising from their employment”(Dessler,p.188). Employees are compensated through direct

financial payments in the form of salaries and indirect payments in the form of employer-paid

insurance etc. Before a final decision is made in determining the type of compensation that

should be awarded to each employee, the compensable factors are considered. They are job

evaluation which takes into consideration the job difficulty and job classification which places

them into groups. This comparison of jobs determines the worth of one job relative to another.

Jobs with similarities are classified as classes while those who have similar difficulty are referred

to as grades. In determining compensation for each of the employees in the agency, a functional

and effective approach must be made. This can be achieved through a Wage Tier system. “A

tiered pay plan is a wage system that distinguishes the salary based on time of hire and work

performance” (n.d). Under this system, the wages and benefits of new employees are less than

senior employees. This helps to provide different salaries to individuals performing the same job

duties. Benefits such as paid vacations and retirement plans may be significantly smaller for new

employees. The employees can also be tiered based on their employee status of whether they are

temporary or permanent. When a worker is temporary he/she is at the lower end of the pay scale

and the benefits offered to permanent employees, aren't offered to them. Temporary employees

are then motivated to work harder to achieve a permanent post with the firm.
ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES, JOB DESCRIPTION AND MULTI-TIERED APPROACH 5

2. Evaluate the process and the associated outcomes for the approach you constructed.
Defend the choices you have made including the type of compensation plan chosen
for each position

The multi-tiered compensation plans were chosen because of several reasons. The approach

allows businesses to take advantage of basic cost reduction in the short and long term. It also

helps them to extend their profit margins and gives a clear distinction between employee bases.

About the short-term cost reduction, the budget for wages and benefits decreases while the

production increases or remains consistent. Reduced labor cost means lower unit cost, which

allows the business’s profit margin to extend once the price remains the same. The business can

also choose to improve its competitive advantage by reducing the price. As it relates to the

temporary and permanent workers, employees on the temporary tier can be promoted over a

specified period to the higher wage tier. This approach can be quite effective and acts as a

motivational measure for continued learning and development within the organization based on

the rewards offered. This system is quite efficient in all positions. This tiered approach can be

instituted into my firm where new employees are placed on the low tier as compared to those

who are senior in the business. Employees who are endowed with the same duties can run on two

different tiers due to the time the employee is employed with the firm. The new employee would

be able to catch up with other employees after a specified period once certain criteria are met. At

the job I currently hold, I started at the lower end of the salary scale and was only offered certain

benefits like paid vacation leave after a few years within the system following a positive

evaluation from my supervisor.

Reference

Dessler, G. A Framework for Human Resource Management. (7th Edition). Pearson: Florida

(n.d.) Internal and External Environment Factors that Influences Organizational Decision
Making. Retrieved from
https://www.iedunote.com/organizational-environment-elements

Martin, J. E. (1990). An Introduction to Tiered Compensation Structures. Retrieved from

file:///C:/Users/S.Williams/Downloads/up90jmttcsbg%20(1).pdf
ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES, JOB DESCRIPTION AND MULTI-TIERED APPROACH 6

Lohrey, J. (2019, January, 25). What Is Two-Tier Compensation Package? Retrieved from
https://smallbusiness.chron.com/twotier-compensation-package-78136.html
(n.d.). Tiered Pay Plan and Legal Definition. Retrieved from
https://definitions.uslegal.com/t/tiered-pay-plan/

Staff, T. (2018, November, 28). The internal and external corporate environmental factors and the
project environment. Retrieved from
https://twproject.com/blog/internal-external-corporate-environmental-factors-project-
environment/#:~:text=Customers%2C%20competition%2C%20economy%2C
%20technology,growth%20and%20long%2Dterm%20sustainability.