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Block 4 Importance of HR Planning

Unit 1 Goals And Objectives Of Human Resource Planning , Corporate Social Responsibility

1) Briefly explain the basic principles of human resource planning.

Basic Principles of Human Resource Planning (HRP)

• Comprehensive planning: There should be a comprehensive plan for the best management of human resources, prepared in advance by the human resource planning unit. This plan should act as a framework or guide for actions needed to improve the human resources of the organisation.
• Proactive approach: HRP should be proactive, anticipating future needs and taking precautions in advance, rather than reacting after issues occur.
• Alignment with other functions: The planning function should be linked to other organisational functions such as strategic planning and market demands.
• Clear objectives: Plans should be prepared by the HR planning unit in advance with clear objectives, to act as a framework.
• Specific timeframe: The plan should have a specific time period which can range from one year to several years to suit the needs of the organisation.
• Accurate information: HRP should be based on accurate and up-to-date information about the organisation's human resources.
• Flexibility: HRP should be flexible to adapt to changing circumstances.
• Integration: The plan should be integrated with other business plans to influence the organisation and coordinate decision making.

2) What are the goals and objectives of human resource planning?

Goals and Objectives of Human Resource Planning

• Assess Human Resource Management Strategies: HRP helps in assessing the work and contribution of current employees to the organisation's output. It acts as a guide to manage the human resources of the organisation.
• Predict Future Requirements: HRP helps in determining the future needs of the organisation based on present records. It aims to predict future workforce requirements both in terms of quantity and quality.
• Assess Training Needs: HRP identifies the training needs of the human resources to ensure employees can meet the demands of their profession.
• Determine Cost-Cutting Strategies: HRP aims to determine strategies for the best utilisation of human resources, so as to minimise expenditure and costs.
• Meet Professional Competencies: HRP ensures that the organisation keeps up with its competitors by updating existing employees and recruiting new ones.
• Meet Customer Demands: HRP enables the organisation to predict and meet the changing demands of customers by utilising trained human resources effectively.
• Manage Organisational Change: HRP helps the organisation in change management by utilising its professionally skilled employees.
• Manage Diverse Workforce: HRP maintains detailed records of employees, facilitating the management of a diverse workforce in terms of education, experience, age, gender, etc..
• Ensure alignment: HRP helps to ensure that the organisation’s human resource plans are aligned with its business plans and objectives.
• Match resources to business needs: HRP seeks to match human resources to the needs of the business in the long term.
• Develop a flexible workforce: HRP aims to develop a well trained and flexible workforce which can adapt to changing environments.

3) Point out the significance of human resource planning.

Significance of Human Resource Planning

• Recruitment and Selection: HRP helps in determining the recruitment and selection procedures of the organisation.
• Retention: HRP helps in retaining the human resources of the organisation by creating plans for career development.
• Future Needs: HRP helps in identifying the future needs of the organisation for a skilled and competent workforce.
• Downsizing: HRP may help an organisation in downsizing to ensure the best use of human resource.
• Strategic Resource: HRP recognises that 'people' are an organisation's most strategic resource and should be managed accordingly.
• Achieving goals: HRP helps ensure that an organisation has the right mix of employees and skills to meet its objectives.
• Addresses needs: HRP helps address human resource needs in both quantitative and qualitative terms.
• Improves efficiency: HRP helps improve the way people are employed and developed within the organisation to increase its overall efficiency.
• Reduces reliance on external recruitment: HRP can help reduce an organisation's dependence on external recruitment, particularly in situations of skills shortages.
• Improves utilisation of people: HRP can improve the use of people by introducing flexible work systems.

4) Explain the concept and significance of the corporate social responsibility.

Concept: CSR refers to the activities undertaken by organisations to contribute to the development of society, including actions like providing education, developing schools, supporting NGOs, building hospitals, and investing in the betterment of women, children, the elderly, and disabled persons. It is a commitment by businesses to behave ethically and contribute to economic development, while improving the quality of life for the workforce, their families, and the community.

• Ethical and Moral Standards: CSR allows organisations to uphold moral and ethical standards.
• Welfare and Growth: CSR contributes to the welfare and growth of society.
• Meeting Expectations: CSR helps businesses meet or exceed the ethical, legal, commercial, and public expectations of society.
• Business Benefits: CSR enhances an organisation's reputation, attracts customers, employees, and stakeholders, and increases the number of consumers for their products.
• Societal Benefits: CSR contributes to the achievement of broader societal goals.
• Risk Management: CSR helps in managing risks by ensuring safe and healthy environments.
• Competitive Advantage: CSR promotes competition in the market.
• Sustainable Livelihoods: CSR can help in building sustainable livelihoods by developing skills of employees, the community and the government.

5) Explain the major types of corporate social responsibility.

Major Types of Corporate Social Responsibility

• Responsibility Towards Human Beings: This involves activities that directly target the development of people within society, such as running schools, colleges, hospitals, and charitable organisations.
• Responsibility Towards the Environment: This involves efforts to reduce pollution and ensure sustainable use of natural resources.
• Responsibility Towards Non-profit Organisations: This includes providing financial assistance to charitable organisations to indirectly aid society.
• Responsibility Towards the Business Environment: This involves participating in industry-led initiatives and activities aimed at promoting social responsibility, such as awards for companies that promote certain causes.

6) What are the other types of social responsibilities that you can suggest to the business world?

Other Types of Social Responsibilities for the Business World

• Promoting Fair Trade Practices: Ensuring fair compensation and working conditions for suppliers and producers, especially in developing countries.
• Supporting Local Communities: Investing in local infrastructure, education, and health programs.
• Ensuring Ethical Sourcing: Making sure that materials are sourced from sustainable and responsible sources that respect human rights.
• Promoting Diversity and Inclusion: Creating a work environment that promotes the inclusion of individuals of all backgrounds.
• Encouraging employee volunteerism: Supporting employees in volunteering their time to support social causes.
• Transparency and Accountability: Being transparent about business practices and being accountable for their impact on society and the environment.
• Focus on employee well-being: Creating a work environment that takes care of the physical and mental wellbeing of employees.
• Develop programmes to support small businesses: Partnering with small, local businesses and helping them grow to support local economies.
• Promoting Environmental Conservation: Supporting programmes to protect biodiversity, reduce carbon emissions, and prevent deforestation.

Important Points

• Organisations can minimise the cost or expenditure by deciding the strategies of the utilisation of the human resource in the best possible way.
• Human resource planning can help out in the upliftment of the morale of the organisation.
• The human resource planning also helps in meeting the professional competencies.
• There should be a comprehensive plan for the best management of human resource which should be prepared by the human resource planning division.

• The human resource planning helps in determining the recruitment and selection procedure of the organisation.
• Human resource planning is a primary activity of human resource management.
• The human resource planning division can help in identifying the upcoming trends and provisions for development of the organisation.
• The function of human resource planning can be affected by the demographic factors of the people of the society.
• The trend of people leaving and joining other organisations affects the activity of the planning division of the organisation.

• CSR initiatives can include providing vocational training.
• With help of such social work, the organisations are gaining customers, employees, and stake holders as well as making out more consumers for their product.
• While CSR can benefit a company's image, it is not solely for profit maximisation.
• Imparting education to the members of the society is one of the examples of corporate social responsibility.
• The corporate world gets its manpower, customers as well as the consumers from the society.