UJIAN AKHIR SEMESTER

MATA KULIAH : Manajemen Sumber Daya Manusia

HARI/TANGGAL : Rabu & Sabtu /3 & 6 Mei 2017

PROGRAM : MAGISTER MANAJEMEN

WAKTU : 19.00 21.00 & 8.00 10.00

DOSEN PENGUJI : DR. AGUSTINA HANAFI, MBA

PETUNJUK

1. Bacalah semua soal secara seksama keseluruhan

2. Kerjakanlah dengan hati-hati dan teliti
3. Tulisan harap jelas, rapi dan bersih
4. Selamat mengerjakan

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS

In Indonesia through the Eyes of a Foreigner- A note

Management problems in any enviroment could be discussed relative to

the particular type of enterprise; public or private, foreign or domestic, large or
small, manufacturing or otherwise, etc. Another approach would be in terms of
management activities; decesion making, delegation of authority, organizational
structure, decentralization, etc. Lacking space allocation and the depth of
research required to discuss management problems in the detail the above
would require, the author rather limits discussion to spesific problem heading
that will often overlap many of the above mentioned distinctive categories.

In general sense, a manager in Indonesia faces the same problems as a

manager elsewhere: how to effectively accomplish objectives given available
resources and operational environment. Having said that, one can immediately
go further and point out that Indonesian human and other resources as well as
objectivies differ from those elswhere. So there will be similiarities and
differences and it will be the latter to which most attention is given in the
following discussion.

Goverment influence in managemet decisions must be taken into account

both in market oriented United States and in socialist Russian pattern. This
influence brings regulation both in the United States and Indonesia but with a
weaker set of institutions in the latter to make the controls unifformly effective.

Thus, compared to the Unite States, managers in Indonesia face a greater

degreee of uncertainly. There is a tendency in both contries for management to
minimize the economic impact of control but throught formal procedures the
outcomes are predictable in the United States. For Example, American
management finds legal loopholes by which taxes can be reduced and they will
press the law to be limit in minimizing taxation. But in Indonesia, often much
more uncertainty is involved with tax assessment more frequently the result of
negotiation. Similarly, when offical enforcement channels are weak, the degree
of effective regulation will vary depending upon managements ingenuity.

For managers in Indonesia, uncertainty has other distinctive aspects that

contrast with those faced in many other countries, business and eeconomic
forecasting can be made only with a much wider probability of error. It is more
often necessary in Indonesia for management to conduct its own surveys for
market analysis, either because location formation may never have been
assembled or available information may be too unreliable.

Such uncertainties suggest that succesfull indonesian managers must be

ready constantly with a set of alternative strategies to provide operational
flexibility when forecasts prove defective.

Related to uncertainties but somewhat different are the problems

associated with accounting practices in Indonesia. How does management live
with the multiple set of books often resorted to by businesses in Indonesia?
These may be considered important in tax negotiations, but how can they be
explain to creditors. Can a manager show the real set of books to his banker ?
And, if not how can the banker have the confidence to finance business ? where
business equity is held within a family circle, family finance may negate the need
for bank finance. But this then can frequently place a limit on entreprise growth.

Given the high levels of inflation experienced in Indonesia in recent years,

the management is faced with other extraordinary accounting decisions. How is
the inflation level to be incorporated in depreciation schedules? And what does
this mean relative to holding of inventories and levels of debt and accounts
receivables? Where the real value of many may change 15 or 20 percent
annualy, funds for capital replacements must take this into account, borrowing
will be preferred over lending, while inventories of real resources that can be
expected to increase in value have advantages over high cash balances.

Decision making itself raises problems that it is difficult for Western

management to understand. In the West authority carries with it the
responsibility for making policy decisions. Management recognize that they
cannot expect that such decisions will be implemented effectively if subordinates
are strongly opposed. So an attempt is made to reach a rational understanding
before the decision is made. Does the principal of musyawarah mean the same
thing in indonesia? It is certainly somewhat the process frequently delays policy
implementation unduly.

Some aspects of personnel management in Indonesia contrast sharply

with those in the West, especially relative to situation in the United States.
There, with employement understood to bear some relationship to productivity,
and wih underemployment less prevalent, even the workers unions generally
respect the rationale for reducede work force in times of lower demand.
Unemployment insurance of one sort or another usually is available to ease the
transition. But in Indonesia, with a different work ethic, unemployment insurance
tends to take the form of maintenance of employment, even when business
activity declines. If competitive market exists, and monetary penalties are
assosiated with the discharge of permanent employees, management is often
forced to resort to special hiring common labor continuously on a daily basis as
required. For more skilled employees, specialy steps are frequently necessary to
sever employement of in effective senior staff. On such occasions, it is not
unusual to see the management place a large newpaper advertisement
announcing with regret that officer X has decided to leave the company's
employement at some future date. While the reason for these practises is
understood, it is not always easy for a non-indig enous manager to adjust.

In splite of the fact that the supply of efficient secretarial assistance has
increased at geomatric rates in recent years, such skills are are still in short
supply. In the West, a good excecutive secretary frees management from all but
key responsibilities. It is possible to delegate to the secretary because of the high
level of training and experience. In Indonesia, where experienced management is
scarce relative to the expanding need of the country, the advantage of capable
executive secretaries who can relieve management from unnecessary detail is
doubtly important. Effecticve use of such executive secretaries on a wide scale in
Indonesia may require more than merely an increase in the potential supply. It
may require an increased willingness on the part of Indonesia management to
delegate responsibilities (and associated authority).

Impressions obtained from bankers trend to emphasize the considerable

lack of understanding of the need for insuring adequate cash balances, for
attention to cash flows. The writer does not attempt to poin-poin the exact cause
of this common management diffulty. It could be that financial forecasting is
inadequate, or, it might reflect the strong pressure to keep up with the Jones
without regrad for what means to cash balances.

A final comment relates specially to Goverment enterprise. In many of the

forms of State Enterprise, control is in theory maintained by a supervisory Board
of the Goverment known as the Dewan Komisaris. To an american, this relates to
the Board of Directors common to American business. The role of the Board of
Directors common to American business. The role of Board of Directors still
causes concern in many Western enterprises, and a similiar problem seems to be
evident for Dewan Komisaris. Do these supervisors always have available prompt
externally audited financial reports so they can recommend changes when
difficulties are evident? And, in such cases, do they have adequate prestige to
lend support to the management to help effect the changes?

This paper has but lighly touched the subject of Indonesia management
problems. But even in this summary exposition, several major appear to be high-
lighted. These may differ only in degree from mangement problems elsewhere,
but even their partial understanding could suggest ways to improve
management effectiviness in Indonesia.

Please give your analysis and recommendation conjunction with this problem
based on concept and theorytica Human Resources Management.