Human Resources #5 -Due Nov 13 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Resources #5 -Due Nov 13 - Essay Example This is highly recommended at lower levels at Abbott Laboratories where knowledge and skills count most to deliver the best products to customers. On the job training can be delivered at the work place itself, as it keeps the focus on the need to upgrade or sharpen the skills in the same area of activity. It will be cost effective as well. This kind of training is most useful at all levels, especially for the new entrants. OJT can be delivered in classrooms as well. The informal way of on the job training fosters better employee relations as well. ‘Special Assignments’ similarly give lower-level executives firsthand experience in working on actual problems. Behavior modeling involves showing trainees the right way of doing something, letting trainees practice that way, and then giving feedback on the trainees’ performance. Modeling is one of the effective ways of learning. Trainees watch films or videos that show models behaving effectively in a problem situation. Role playing will also be very helpful as trainees are given roles to play in a simulated situation. This improves interpersonal skills among the employees. By social reinforcement, the trainer strengthens the learning by complimenting and praising. It helps gaining confidence and getting recognition. When the trained employees carry their learning to the work place by using their updated skills, they will show improved performance. Behavioral methods are more of giving practical training to the trainees. The various methods under Behavioral approach allow the trainee to behavior in a real fashion. These methods are best used for skill development. Any training method that helps building strong teams is of great value to every organization, especially for Abbott Laboratories with its global presence. Team work is the life of an organization. Effective team building techniques are immensely helpful for fostering team spirit and

Laura Ashley is a global British iconic brand. With reference to Assignment

Laura Ashley is a global British iconic brand. With reference to knowledge management strategies and effective use of technology - Assignment Example Through KM, knowledge is appropriately distributed among every member of the organisation in order to enhance knowledge based productivity (Henczel, 2000). Contextually, it has been observed that since the past few decades a majority of the organisations have begun to emphasise on managing workforce in order to survive in a rapid changing competitive environment. KM primarily focuses on this accelerated changing environment through which organisations can transform their entire activities into ‘knowledge work’ and all of its employees into ‘knowledgeable workers’ (Uriarte, 2008; Fao, 2013). Laura Ashley plc is considered one of the leading United Kingdom based organisation whose operations are primarily based on dealing with designing, distributing, sourcing and selling of apparel items, accessories as well as home furnishing products. In the UK, the company operates with over 211 stores in which 134 stores deal with selling activities of various product cat egories, 54 home stores operates under home furnishing and accessories products and 21 stores act as a gift as well as clearance outlets (Laura Ashley, 2013). The essay intends to discuss the aspect regarding the way Laura Ashley implements KM strategies in order to attain competitive advantages. Additionally, this essay intends to delineate regarding the various approaches of KM strategies which Laura Ashley execute and follow in order to enhance its overall operational performance. Knowledge Audit Link to Strategy Codification Knowledge audit is considered as a systematic and strategic approach towards the dimension of KM by which managers obtain an opportunity to incorporate its diverse operational activities within their organisation. Knowledge audit facilitates to bring efficiency within the productive procedures and also assists to share valuable knowledge amid the internal as well as external shareholders (Botha & Boon, 2003). With the help of well-developed knowledge audit s trategies, an organisation can be able to identify suitable strategic directions in order to improve its knowledge based productivity. The objective of this strategy is to influence an organisation to maintain collaboration, coordination and make more consistent approach towards its goals (Hansen & et. al., 1999; Janicot & Mignon, 2012). In order to understand the role of knowledge codification, it is necessary to evaluate the attributes of the strategic options which are primarily implemented by Laura Ashley. With the aid of the KM strategies, the company can improve its work performance and also identify the sources of competitiveness. By emphasising on knowledge codification strategy, the company’s Information Technology (IT) and Research & Development (R&D) departments play an imperative role for sharing the knowledge production information by which it can instantly access and distribute valuable knowledge amid its team members (Che Pa & et. al., 2012; Laura Ashley, 2013) . Laura Ashley has primarily adopted and follows two major knowledge audit strategies i.e. codification and personalisation which helps the company to improve