Human Resources in Probank Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Human Resources in Probank - Case Study Example Granted this is conducted in a fashion that suits the conventional research methodology, it becomes relatively easier to assign a research method that generates evidence for the research findings (Sato, 2000). At this juncture the findings and outcomes triggers the development of an obvious logic essential to make my hypothesis worth the expected consideration. Probank, a medium-sized Greek bank which started operations in 2001, has been growing at a remarkably fast pace, and is on track to get listed on the Athens Stock Exchange within 2008. The bank's Human Resources strategy is notable by its absence, but this could be viewed as not very surprising, insofar as the rise of the bank has been meteoric, the whole sector has been growing and operational issues were higher up on the agenda. As the organisation is maturing, this report will attempt to understand the mechanics of HR within Probank, including the obligatory devolution of personnel activities to line/branch managers, and evaluate the bank's performance in a number of key HR areas, namely knowledge management, performance management, employee satisfaction/retention, and the recruitment and development of managers/executives. Even though Probank do have a personnel department, it is very small (3 employees) and distinctively non-strategic, almost confining itself to purely administ rative matters. While there has been a lot of discussion about the devolution of HR to line management, there remains a very clearly identifiable gap in the published academic literature in that only Thornhill and Saunders (1998) have attempted to analyse a sizable organisation lacking a human resources department. On the strength of the (relatively) tiny size of the department and the impression conveyed by Probank managers during our conversations at the start of this project, it is felt that the "absentee specialist" paradigm effectively holds true for Probank, and, where applicable, parallels will be attempted with the Thornhill and Saunders (1998) study, in an attempt to evaluate the personnel situation at the bank, identify strong points in the current policy as well as its weaknesses, highlight areas for improvement and suggest ways for it to take place, considering both the "absentee specialist" scenario as well as one of more formal HR involvement. Cardinal to this report is the desire to identify a reconciling gap that will fill the existent void between academic literature and direct policy inclusions that have an intricate bearing on the justification, either covertly or overtly on the backseat role assigned to conventional human resource practice. It should be noted that, the depth of research carried out on this topic is very limited and where it is available is very scanty and vague. In this report, the practicality of the policy is explored from all angles using Probank as the main case in point. Suffice to explicitly state at this point that my report seeks to highlight and answer a number of pertinent questions that are directly related to the research goal. Measured by the overall performance of the bank since its inception, it should be asked

Risk management Failure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Risk management Failure - Essay Example The overall discharge of the spill was estimated at 4.9 million barrels, which covered an area of 780,000 cubic metres (Jervis and Levin 2010). The disaster was followed by major attempts to protect the estuaries and wetlands of the region, from the spreading oil. The impacts of the spill included the destruction of wildlife and marine habitats in the area; the stagnation of the tourism and the fishing industry of the region, as well as the human health issues that continued to be felt until year 2012 (Robertson and Krauss 2010). Following investigations, the causes of the disaster included the use of defective cement; the ineffectiveness of the operations of Halliburton and Transocean, as well as the lack of effective risk assessment by BP (NOAA 2011). This paper will explore the impact of BP’s failure to manage risks, which resulted in the BP disaster. The risk management failures of BP that led to the disaster Risk management failures were among the core factors that led to the 2010 BP disaster at the Gulf of Mexico (Zolkos and Bradford 2011). ... However, the contributory roles of the two secondary companies blamed for the disaster could have been mitigated through an effective investigation and the management of the risks facing the project. For example, the report from the investigation showed that the cement used during the construction was defective. Through effective risk assessment and management, BP would have discovered that the cement supplied was defective, therefore would outsource good cement for the project (Ingersoll, Richard and Reavis 2013). The Macondo blowout of 20th April 2010 was caused by a string of company decisions by BP, which increased the risk levels of the project. The company, also failed to assess different areas that would help it mitigate the risks of the project. These risk management failings include that BP did not carry out an official risk assessment of the critical operational choices made during the days prior to the disaster. For example, through administering an effective risk assessme nt process, the company would have discovered the risky operations planned during the execution of the project. Through the assessment, the BP Company would have exposed any organizational issues that were likely to affect the credibility of the decision-making process. Through exposing the different areas of risk – whether in the areas of planning or implementation – the company would have averted the incidence of the disaster. Therefore, the company’s failure to assess the risks that contributed to the disaster was a contributing factor. Through effective risk management prior to the disaster, the company would have detected the engineering weaknesses in the plant, therefore would have recommended some precautions to the issue (Zolkos and