The Human Resource Manager: Four Case Studies

Citation

(1999), "The Human Resource Manager: Four Case Studies", Education + Training, Vol. 41 No. 9. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.1999.00441iad.003

The Human Resource Manager: Four Case Studies

The Human Resource Manager: Four Case Studies

Shotlist Video SeriesEducational Broadcasting Trust£35

Keywords HRM, Personnel management, Appraisal

The aim of this video is to explore and illustrate good practice in human resource management. It seeks to achieve this aim through four "company" case studies, focusing on the HR manager in each case. The video purports to reveal the different skills, experience and ambitions each manager brings to the job and the vision each of them has for HR in the organisation and hence their role in driving forward such a vision.

The format followed is broadly the same in each of the four case studies. We hear the HR managers telling their story and we look in on a number of "real" scenarios; for example, a discussion with a line manager on a performance issue, a financial training session and an appraisal of a placement student. Through these two devices relevant issues are raised including using the Internet for recruitment, the role of the line manager in induction and HR's role in welfare issues. Of particular interest was case four - the GWK Radio Station - where the HR manager contrasts the HR "paper shifters" with a more strategic role. His argument that computers can do the "paper shifting", whereas the challenge for HR is to get people ready for change, is not a particularly new one but the case provides an interesting context through which to reflect on such trends.

Accompanying notes to the video suggest that it will be of particular interest to those planning a career in human resource management. Given that three of the four HR managers featured came into the function by chance there is possibly as much of an issue for discussion here as in any of the topics addressed more overtly through the particular illustrative scenarios.

One concern is that while the video succeeds in highlighting a number of pertinent themes we only get a glimpse of the issue and the company context in which they are located. A question remains, therefore, about the extent to which the four mini case studies provide us with a rather superficial, and hence possibly somewhat misleading, picture of HR practice. This point aside, however, the video does represent good value for money. It is well produced and, as one of a series of videos produced by a consortium of universities (Shotlist is for HE by HE), very reasonably priced. Of particular note is the facility to personalise or customise copy, although a master tape costing £150 is required for this purpose. Other titles in the series include "The annual general meeting"; "Interacting with computers"; "Investigative interviewing" and "Supermarket information systems". There is also a free video available entitled "Using Shotlist", which outlines the project's ethos and how the videos can be used in education and training.

Further information can be obtained from the Educational Broadcasting Trust (Tel: 0171 765 5714/5087) or Shotlist's Web site at http://shotlist.co.uk