Research Paper on International and Domestic Staffing

Introduction

The HR is an essential department in any organization as it facilitates the management of employees. HR managers are tasked with the responsibilities of overseeing the affairs of human resources n any organization. Domestically, the HRM performs all the functions of human resources within the country. In this case, it influences all human resources decisions while considering geographical differences within the country. Internationally, the HR performs similar functions but has to link parent company to subsidiaries in host countries. As companies expand due to globalization, they must establish a global human resource strategy to gather for HR needs. International Human Resource Management (HRM) is responsible for ensuring that their competent employees within the organization who can work to meet organizational objectives. The main issue that creates the difference between the two is the issue of cultural difference and labor laws that influence the recruitment process. While the HR functions are the same, IHRM puts into consideration the host country's laws and culture while implementing various HR strategies. In the case of India and Thailand, the issue of domestic HRM and IHRM come in place due to the cultural differences and laws that exist between these countries. Despite the differences in geographical locations, the two countries share similarities in some aspects of HRM. India and Thailand enjoy similarities and differences in HR planning and staffing, recruitment and selection and appraisal and development. These areas of HR are integral in the management of human resources in both countries and companies seeking to expand into these markets must put into consideration cultural and labor laws.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

HR Planning and Staffing

HR planning and staffing are one of the functions of human resources that tasked with managing the staffing needs of the organization. HR planning is the process of understanding the HR needs of the company and taking up measures to help the company realize its goals. In planning, the HR identifies the changing dynamics and what is likely to occur shortly. As such, appropriate measures are put in place to ensure that the operations of the organizations are not interrupted due to understaffing (Collings, Scullion & Dowling, 2009). In planning, the process includes identifying future changes in remuneration, access to skilled workforce and potential change of attitudes of employees towards the organization. Staffing is the overall function that is supposed to be conducted by the HR department in any organization. It can include roles or recruiting, selecting, training, appraising and compensating staff. These roles are separated and assigned to managers who oversee that all positions are filled in the organization. The process of planning goes hand in hand and vary between countries. India and Thailand have different cultures that are related in a way. However, the HR planning and staffing between these countries differ in ways in which cultural differences support them.

India has a country can be described as multi-cultural owing to the diverse people and cultures living in the country. Ever since India was colonized, it majorly adopted the British system of governance characterized by a capitalist economy. Thailand, on the other hand, has a unique definite culture that draws its influence from China. It is a society that believes in collective responsibility, and such people work in groups. When it comes to HR functions for companies that operate in these countries, the issue of HR planning might be distinct, but staffing is almost similar. The main similarity when it comes to HR planning is that both countries are putting a stronger emphasis on a skilled workforce. Thailand and India are two countries that have focused on the skilled labor force. The training and education programs support middle-level colleges that offer training to thousands of youths. In India for example, HR planning is focused mainly on how to absorb the sizeable working force while keeping the country industrialized (Budhwar & Debrah, 2013). The high unemployment rates have seen governments putting much effort towards supporting organizations to create jobs for its population. This is similar to Thailand where the more substantial part of the economy is made up of the informal sector. As such, HR planning is limited due to access to a larger workforce (Varma & Budhwar, 2013). There is no much worry about planning HR activities since the labor market is affected by changes in other sectors of the economy. The emergence of technology also supports the limited planning efforts on HR activities in both countries.

The economic systems bring the significant difference that arises on the issue of HR planning and staffing in the two countries. The Indian economic system is majorly capitalist while Thailand is socialist. These two economic systems influence the staffing and planning in human resources. In India, the economic system supports the idea of planning all the HR functions. The fact that most companies are conscious of risk, adequate planning is done to ascertain the HR demands and potential changes in the labor market (Chatterjee, 2013). Thailand, however, is different since little regard is given planning. It is widely believed that the economy has adequate when it comes to HR needs. The fact that the socialist culture informally supports the economy favors the idea of creating opportunities for all (Varma & Budhwar, 2013. As such, organizations don't have to worry about the demands of the labor market and as such planning is unnecessary. The informal sector favors hands-on training making the process of staffing easier. Since most people are in need of jobs, they will find themselves seeking employment where training is also offered.

Recruitment and Selection

Recruitment and selection are one of the aspects of staffing in human resource management. Recruitment refers to the process in which the organization identifies its staffing needs. In recruitment, the organization must identify the kind of people that need to be employed and the criteria that are used in receiving applications from potential candidates (Hiltrop, 1999). Recruitment is a critical component of staffing has it allows the organization to access skilled personnel to fill the various positions. Selection refers to the process of choosing candidates from a pool of applicants. The selection process only begins after recruitment has been conducted. Organizations have different approaches to conducting the selection process based on organization policies. Besides, the selection considers all the requirements that had been highlighted in job posts (Hiltrop, 1999). The staff from the HR department particularly those in charge of recruitment are tasked with this function. The selection can then be followed by oral or written interviews to allow HR personnel to make a selection of the right candidates. Thailand and India are countries where companies doing business in the countries conduct recruitment and selection.

India and Thailand have discussed unique factors that create a difference or a similarity in the manner in which recruitment and selection are conducted. The main similarity in recruitment between the two countries is the reliance on partners or referrals. In Thailand, a local partner is required in the recruitment process. The partner must be a Thai national who understands the language and the recruitment culture of the country. Besides, it is through this local partnership that referrals for job offers can be obtained for recruitment purposes (Moore & Jennings, 2017). The recommendations for other agencies and associates is critical in hiring in Thailand due to the nature of the economy. The success of recruitment and selection lies on how better one understands the dynamics which is harder for foreign companies seeking to expand to Thailand. The issue is similar to India where referrals are like gold. Majority of the employers in India prefer references in recruiting and as such, recruitment is a continuous process (Chatterjee, 2013). Since the majority of the recruitment is done from colleges and institutions of higher learnings, the management of these institutions establishes partnerships with major companies for job placements for its candidates. It is believed that institutions have better knowledge and understanding of their students and past success has built trust which makes job referrals the best recruitment tool in the country. In both countries, it is through the approach that the organization acquires employees who can later be trained to get the rightful skills.

There exist differences in the manner in which recruitment is conducted in both countries. In Thailand, the recruitment process is based on trust and family relationship. The collective nature of society and strong family bonds has ensured that recruitment in Thailand is done based on trust (Tangthong, Trimetsoontorn & Rojniruntikul, 2014). As such family referral and friendship play a massive role in recruitment and for individuals who are doubted or unknown, it is difficult for them to be recruited. The recruitment dynamics in India are different from those of Thailand. In India, recruitment is not based on trust or who you know but the qualifications one has in regards to the job advertised. In as far as referrals are used, the issue of trust does not play a role since the major part of Indian economy is made up of the formal sector. Besides, employers in India focus on building and brand to attract employees (Rao, 2013). Recruitment is made easier for companies that have established a reputation in the market as the best employers.

Additionally, recruitment is done through job boards which can be accessed by potential candidates. This is not the case in Thailand where developing a brand is not of the essence. Besides, most jobs are advertised internally allowing existing employees to notify their friends and relatives where trust can be established.

Appraisal and Development

Appraisal and development are the other functions of HR that are conducted after successful recruitment and selection have been conducted. An appraisal is a term used to refer to the review done by the organization to determine the effectiveness of its recruitment and selection process. It is through appraisal that the management will evaluate how employees are better placed to perform their duties. An appraisal is done after training has been done, and employees have been deployed to different positions (Sahdev, Vinnicombe, Tyson, 1999). It is through this appraisal that the organization will be able to review its process to ensure that it meets the set objectives. Development is a stage that occurs after appraisal to help employees to understand better and perform their responsibilities. The process of development involves further training and enrolling employees in courses and programs that would allow them to improve their skills. The development consists of identifying areas of strengths for employees and helping employees leverage their strengths for better performance (Collings, Scullion & Dowling, 2009). Performance can also be used as an incentive to motivate employees as it enhances their employability in the labor market.

The process of development and appraisal exists in India's and Thailand's HR activities. The function does not give the priority it deserves, but it can be identified that most companies have shifted to using this function to enhance performance. The similarity that exists is that in both countries, an appraisal is used as a method of gauging performance. Since the majority of the sector in Thailand is informal, an appraisal is conducted to see how certain an...