1. BTEC National Award in Business
Unit 2
Investigating Business Resources
BTEC National Award in Business

2. How Human Resources are Managed
This resource relates to the staff required in a business
It is important that staff are dealt with sensitively
You cannot treat humans the same way you would treat physical resources
They are protected by legislation so it is important to recruit, employ and treat them appropriately
BTEC National Award in Business

3. Staffing to meet changing business demands
Suitably qualified staff may be recruited or trained when they first join the business to have the right level of skills
The level and type of staffing also needs to change to keep up with the changing demands of the business
The number and the skills of the staff will be constantly changing
BTEC National Award in Business

4. BTEC National Award in Business
Human Resources
Information about staff is usually keep on a Human Resources information System (HRIS) to help with future planning
This is known as succession planning
This information can help expand or reduce the staff in the business
Businesses who plan well are less likely to have problems as their needs change
BTEC National Award in Business

5. Co-ordination of team resources to meet targets
It is essential resources are used effectively within teams to meet company targets
There is no ‘I’ in team or ‘the sum is only as good as the total of all parts’
These expressions emphasise the need for team resources to be co-ordinated
Resources could be the skills within the team, experience or even financial resources
Some business appoint team leaders to look after teams
BTEC National Award in Business

6. Monitoring of team performance
Co-ordinating a team is likely to mean that a company knows what employees should be doing to work towards their target
It is also essential to monitor the team’s performance to make sure that they are actually making progress
This can be done by
Monitoring actual targets
Regular meeting
Individual and team appraisals
It is important to see that all the team are working equally
Incentives and bonuses are sometimes given when results are good
BTEC National Award in Business

7. Liaison with other departments
Large organisations have hundreds of teams working together
It is important for teams to be able to work with teams from other departments or it could lead to conflict or unsatisfactory performance
One way to help smooth running of the business is to have cross-functional teams
They do not need to meet physically but can communicate via the internet
BTEC National Award in Business

8. Establishment of professional Culture
Human Resources needs to teach how the business operates
This is its professional culture – the level of formality and the way that managers and staff deal with each other
Some business are very formal and will refer to each other using titles
Other organisations will use first names
It may also relate to the unwritten expectations of employer might have of its employees, such as whether or not people are expected to stay late on a Friday or go home early
BTEC National Award in Business

9. BTEC National Award in Business
Professional Culture
The same differences also occur when comparing work and personal lives
Some organisations will allow activities or relationships to be brought into the business
Some organisations will not allow employees to work else where ie moonlighting
BTEC National Award in Business

10. Provision of appropriate incentives
Incentives are use to encourage people to work harder or to produce work of a higher quality
There are many different incentives that can be used
Finish early
Prizes
Performance related pay
Share schemes
Profit Sharing
Desirable treats
Home-work balance
Social event
Useful benefits
BTEC National Award in Business

11. Encourage of creativity and initiative
Businesses that are able to change quickly and can be adapted to customer need are more likely to be successful
This is important because the Internet allows businesses to compete all over the world
If a business allows their employees to be more creative and show initiative to develop new ideas and solutions so that they can get better and better
It is more difficult to develop new ideas in a larger organisation because so many people are involved in the decision making process
BTEC National Award in Business

12. Outsourcing versus in-house
Businesses can make use of their own services (in-house)
Or those of external agencies (outsourcing)
It may be more expensive to employ people within the organisation to do the job
The company may not have the expertise
Using another company to do this work means that you only have to use workers when they are needed, rather than employing people permanently
BTEC National Award in Business