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Institute of Personnel Management Sri Lanka

CASE STUDY COVER PAGE

NAME OF THE PROGRAMME :-...............PQHRM................

TOPIC OF THE CASE STUDY

:-...

MODULE NUMBER

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NAME OF THE LECTURE Name of the student Index Number Contact Number E-mail Date of the examination Date of submission

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For office use only 1. Final Marks:............................... 2. Remarks :........................................... LATE SUBMISSION No of Days

(To be filled by the Examiner)

Contents
Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................... 3 1.0 Introduction to the case ................................................................................................................................ 4 2.0 Problem Statement ....................................................................................................................................... 4 3.0 Objectives .................................................................................................................................................... 4 3.1 Objective 1 ............................................................................................................................................... 5 3.2 Objective 2 ............................................................................................................................................... 8 3.3 Objective 3 ............................................................................................................................................... 9 6.0 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................. 16 Reference List .................................................................................................................................................. 17

Executive Summary
The author has prepared a report for the case study of Care-Link pharmaceutical company. The author has given a brief introduction to the case study. Afterwards the author has identified the main issues and has come up with a statement with clear objectives. A critical analysis of the case and other sources has been carried out in order to support the main objectives and proper analyzing of alternatives and implantation is done following with the conclusion. Journals and books are referred to gain an understanding of the theories.

1.0 Introduction to the case


Care-Link is a leading pharmaceutical company which has been importing and distributing pharmaceutical and healthcare related products on almost all the local market in many parts of Sri Lanka. They have over 10 years of experience in this industry. As Care-Link has been spending lavishly for the training and development sector this case study enlightens the fact that the employees have not gained any additional knowledge or performance gained by the overseas and local training program. According to the case even though the extensive training and quality training material provided by the Training Manager Mr. Ravi Fernando, the new CEO Mr. Dylan Perera is puzzled as the sales force lacks even the basic knowledge such as selling, communication and presentation skills. The companys has 55 medical representatives who travels to all parts of the country and do medical detailing, and promote their products to win the doctors attention. There are 22 sales representatives, 5 areas sales mangers to monitor the medical and sales reps, 2 brand managers, 1 marketing communications manager, 1 training and 1 stores manager. Rest from the over 200 workers are working at non-management capacity.

2.0 Problem Statement


Even though the extensive and great effort put by Ravi for the training of the staff, why had it failed?

3.0 Objectives
The objectives of this case study are to critically answer the following questions: 1. Find out the key issues that could have caused the situation

2. What has Ravi missed as the Training Manager and how it contributed to the present problem?

3. Make suggestions as to how Ravi could make the training function more meaningful to the organization and also a strategy how he could in future show the results achieved through his training initiatives.

3.1 Objective 1 Find out the key issues that could have caused the situation 1. Extensive Outsourcing of Training According to the case study, it is said that most of the training is outsourced to external training companies. This factor could bring large disadvantages to Care-Link. Extensive training outsourcing is a risky decision the company has made. By outsourcing their training programs it does help by making the companies to focus on their core functions and also can access the subject-matter expertise from an external training service provider. The below table will demonstrate the disadvantages in outsourced training and will also recommend solutions how Care-Link can tackle them.

Disadvantages
Cost Training companies may charge hundreds of dollars per employee for a one-day training course. Executive training programs tend to be more expensive. Productivity Productivity suffers when employees leave work to attend training sessions.

Solution
Do a cost-benefit analysis to determine if they should continue outsourcing or hire training professionals as full-time employees or as consultants to the human resources department.

Start the training at the earliest time of recruitment so that employees immediately have the chance to apply what they have learned.

Dependency and Loss of Control Executives may give up too much control over the companys human resource functions or the company may become too dependent on the outsourced provider. Considerations Internal training does not necessarily mean a separate training department. Outsourcing training or any other function should not be an automatic decision. Management should authorize outsourcing only if it provides a significant improvement over current capabilities.

Table 1 - Advantages and Disadvantages of Outsourced Training Source Authors Work based on Derose (1999)

2. Lack of an HR department Human resources refer to employees and managers who focus on tasks primarily related to improving employee relations and recruiting new employees. Depending on the size of your company, you may face challenges by not adding a human resources department or you may find that a human resources department causes more problems than it would fix. It is clear that Care-Link lacks a major function in their company. Even though there is a training manager according to the case study, there is no indication that there is a proper HR department functioning in the company. The company is employed with over 200 employees which makes it obviously hard for Mr. Ravi to handle in-house training programs which will be largely beneficial by reducing outsourcing costs. The following table give a brief idea of having a HR department in an organization.
Employee Relations A company that lacks human resources may have difficulty developing and maintaining a solid relationship with employees. Human resources bridges

communication gaps between company management and employees and offers employees the opportunity to release their frustrations with the company and report wrongdoings. If your company does not implement human resources, it must develop a plan to effectively communicate and listen to employee concerns. If you're managing numerous people, such as over 50, it may be difficult to employ a strategy to deal with each employee. If employees become frustrated with the company or their jobs become dissatisfying, production can drop and company revenue may plunge. In addition, poor employee relations due to a lack of human resources can cause prospective employees to reconsider joining your company.

Cost

By not implementing human resources, you can save a large sum of money. Money spent on human resources management and costs associated with human resources, such as employee programs and services, can amount to over $1,000 per employee. According to Human Resource Executive Online, the average cost for human resources per employee totaled $1,569 in 2009. The money spent may be justified if you run a large business that consists of hundreds of employees, but if your company sits on the other side of the spectrum and consists of only a few employees, those costs are difficult to justify. Small companies typically don't see the amount of revenue that larger companies do, and small businesses often exist on thin profit margins, so extra expenses can make a significant negative impact on small businesses.

Simplified Hiring Process

Human resources management relieves managers and owners of the stress of finding qualified employees when positions open up. Rather than searching for candidates, interviewing them and performing background checks, owners and managers can focus on their daily tasks and let the human resources department focus on the hiring process. However, this advantage to having human resources is only an advantage if you run a large business with a lot of employees. For a tiny business, the owner or manager can typically find candidates without taking too much time out of his daily schedule.

Simplified Management

Adding a human resources department and human resources services means more employees to watch over and more programs and services to account for. This can place an additional burden on your accounting department and yourself as the owner or manager of the company. Keeping an eye over more employees and departments may put you at risk for spreading yourself too thin, resulting in the inability to effectively manage the company as a whole. A lack of human resources simplifies the management process.

Table 2 Benefits of Having a HR Function Source Authors Work (2014)

3.2 Objective 2 What has Ravi missed as the Training Manager and how it contributed to the present problem? The purpose of organizational training is to develop the skills and knowledge of people so they can perform their roles effectively and efficiently. Ravi should have followed the following before a training program: Identifying the training needed by the organization Obtaining and providing training to address those needs Establishing and maintaining training capability Establishing and maintaining training records Assessing training effectiveness

There is no evidence that suggests that Ravi checked/ attended to any outsourced training programs in order to make sure that the services that they provide are up to the standards and it is the sole responsibility of the management in order to constantly/ frequently check these processes. This extensive outsourcing have must have made Care-Link to make big losses in training and development. Ravi can also use the following in advance of the employee training session to increase the probability that the training you do will actually transfer to the workplace. Make sure the need is a training and development opportunity. Do thorough needs and skills analysis to determine the real need for employee training and development. Make sure the opportunity you are pursuing or the problem you are solving is a training issue. Create a context for the employee training and development. Provide information for the employee about why the new skills, skill enhancement, or information is necessary. Make certain the employee understands the link between the training and his job. Provide training and development that is really relevant to the skill you want the employee to attain. You may need to design an employee training session internally if nothing from training providers exactly meets your needs. Or, seek out providers who are willing to customize their offerings to match your specific needs. Favor employee training and development that has measurable objectives and specified outcomes that will transfer back to the job. Design or obtain employee training that has clearly stated objectives with measurable outcomes. Ascertain that the content leads the employee to attaining the skill or information promised in the objectives. The employee will know exactly what he can expect from the training session and is less likely to be disappointed. He will also have ways to apply the training to the accomplishment of real workplace objectives.

3.3 Objective 3 Make suggestions as to how Ravi could make the training function more meaningful to the organization and also a strategy how he could in future show the results achieved through his training initiatives. For a successful employee learning experience, Ravi can adopt this list for a successful learning experience.

The goals of the employee training or development program are clear The employees are involved in determining the knowledge, skills and abilities to be learned The employees are participating in activities during the learning process The work experiences and knowledge that employees bring to each learning situation are used as a resource

A practical and problem-centered approach based on real examples is used New material is connected to the employee's past learning and work experience The employees are given an opportunity to reinforce what they learn by practicing The learning environment is informal, safe and supportive

Employee training is the responsibility of the organization. Employee development is a shared responsibility of management and the individual employee. The responsibility of Care-Link is to provide the right resource and an environment that supports the growth and development needs of the individual employee. Care-Link should carry out an individual development planning process. An individual development plan is prepared by the employee in partnership with his or her supervisor. According to the case study, the mangers can carry out this task for the medical and sales reps as the supervisors. A good individual development plan will be interesting, achievable, practical and realistic. It is implemented with the approval of the employee's supervisor. The author recommends Care-Link to employ the following format.

FORMAT Individual development plan purpose Set priorities for your career development Identify goals that are mutually beneficial to you and your employer Select the best available activities and the resources needed to help you achieve your goals Set a timeline for achieving your goals

Individual development plan sections Developmental goals for the coming year What do you want to achieve? Relationship of goals to the organizations goals How will the organization benefit from your development goal? Knowledge, skills, abilities to be developed What will you learn? Developmental activities What are the best development activities for the goals that you have identified? Resources What resources are required for you to engage in the development activities time, funds, help form others, and so forth? Date for completion IDPs are usually written for a one -year period, but some employees prefer to set short-term (1 year), medium-term (2 years), and long-term (3 years) goals. The longer time frame may be necessary if, as a goal, you want to earn a degree or certification in your field.

Individual development plan Name:

Developmental goals for the coming year Goal 1

Relationship of goal to the organizations goals

Knowledge, skills, abilities to be developed

Developmental activity

Resources Date for completion

Goal 2

Goal 3

__________________________________ Employees signature _________________________________ Managers signature

______________________ Date ______________________ Date

It is evident in the case study that when Mr. Dylan conducted a series of meetings for the employees who has attended the training programs, last year. The outcome was upsetting that all the participants were not able to answer/ explain what they have learnt or gained by those certain training programs. The evaluation process can be done in 4 steps. The following table will provide more understanding.

Figure 1 - Levels of Evaluation Source Noe (1999)

The author recommends the following training program evaluation sheet which will be highly useful and critical to get immediate feedback in order to make the future programs a success.

CARE - LINK
Please take a few minutes to complete this evaluation. Your feedback is important to us as we seek to improve our training activities. Thank you. Your name: Job title: Training activity title: Start date: Please circle the numbers to mark questions 1 10. 1. The activity met the stated objectives... 2. The length of the activity was... 3. Your skill development during the activity met your expectations... 4. The facilitator's knowledge appeared to be... 5. The facilitator's teaching methods were... 6. The amount of practical/practice sessions was... 7. Your level of confidence in using your new skills is... 8. Rate the relevance to your job... 9. You would recommend this activity to others... 10. The facilities were... hardly 1 2 3 4 5 6 completely poor 1 2 3 4 5 6 excellent poor 1 2 3 4 5 6 excellent too low 1 2 3 4 5 6 too high slightly 1 2 3 4 5 6 completely too short 1 2 3 4 5 6 too long

low 1 2 3 4 5 6 high

low 1 2 3 4 5 6 high not at all 1 2 3 4 5 6 definitely poor 1 2 3 4 5 6 excellent

Were you prepared for the activity? Did you have a briefing with your manager? What else would have been useful to know before you attended this activity?

Please describe your feelings about the activity. Which parts were handled well, which could be improved? (In this case, what improvements?) Would you change the amount of time devoted to any part of the activity? Would you increase or decrease practical/practice sessions?

Is anything missing from the activity?

How will attending this activity help you in your everyday role? Will it help you significantly improve your contribution to the business?

Do you expect to have a debrief with your manager after the activity to discuss your reactions to the activity? How will you plan to reinforce what you have learned? What steps will you take to use the new skills?

Mr. Ravin will be able to strategically show that the results achieved by his training activities to the CEO by using the strategic training and development process and comparing with the individual performances of employees.

Figure 2 - The Strategic Training and Development Process Source Noe (1999) The above model shows that it begins with identifying the business strategy. Next, the strategic training and development initiatives that support the strategy are chosen. Turning these strategic training and development initiatives into stable training and development activities is the next step. Then the final step would be to use metrics where it will be used to determine whether training helped contribute to goals related to the business strategy. Mr. Ravi can perform this task in order to show that his training efforts are certainly having a positive outcome on company performance and to satisfy Mr. Dylan.

6.0 Conclusion
In conclusion, the recommended theories, practices and formats will help Mr. Ravi in determining the best possible ways to make sure that the training function will be more meaningful and can be developed at CareLink. Mr. Ravin will be able to develop his skills as well by utilizing the different ways to conduct a training program. Care-Link should reduce or completely stop outsourced training and should recruit various experienced and qualified trainers to train their staff.

Reference List

1. Derose, G. J. (1999). Outsourcing. Alexandria, VA: American Society for Training & Development. 2. Noe, R. A. (1999). Employee training and development. Boston: Irwin/McGraw-Hill.

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