Business organizations, as well as non-profit organizations, exist because they have got desired goals and objectives to achieve. In essence, organizations are a means to a certain desired end, that is, the achievement of their goals and objectives. Realization of organizational goals and objectives requires a collection of resources. These resources include financial, physical, technological, and human resources.
Human resources are also known as personnel refer to workers or employees of an organization who add value to the other forms of organizational resources in making them useful in respect to the achievement of identified desired organizational goals. This line of argument portrays organizations as people who have come together to put organizational resources into proper utilization to achieve the goals of their organization Gardner (2002).
Due to the important role played by organizational employees in the strive towards the achievement of its goals, selection and recruitment of necessary people who possess the required knowledge, qualifications, skills, attributes, and abilities to perform various specific duties and responsibilities is a sensitive and demanding task. This explains why organizations with clearly defined goals have got well-established human resources departments. The purpose of this task is to carry out a job analysis project and provide a report on the same. In practice; Job analysis comprises one of the main duties of the human resource managers and specialists.
What is a Job Analysis?
Different scholars have put forward different definitions of the term job analysis which differs slightly because of factors such as the context in which they are doing their writing and their backgrounds. However, a keen interpretation of the various definitions provided gives a closely related understanding of the term job analysis. According to Gatewood, Field, and Barrick (2008), job analysis refers to “a purposeful, systematic process for collecting information on the important work-related aspects of a job.” Meaning that job analysis involves sourcing information that can assist the human resource managers to know what a specific job entails Sharma (2009). Some of the jobs features that the human resource officers seek to understand include work activities, that is, what an employee does, how, why, and when the work is carried out; tools and equipment used in executing work activities; work environment in terms of physical working conditions and what those performing the job requires such as qualifications, knowledge, skills, abilities and other specific attributes such as experience, personality, interests and physical characteristics (Gatewood, Field and Barrick, 2008, Lussier,2008, Caruth and Pane,2008).
Job analysis has been regarded by many as the foundation of human resources management. Lussier (2008) for instance argues that job analysis is the most basic of all other activities involved in human resource management because their utility depends on the triumphant carrying out of this one activity. He also adds that planning in the field of human resources needs data gathered through job analysis to determine the kinds of jobs and skills that are required by the organization as it expands. A job analysis enables the recruitment panel to establish what they will be looking for in those who have applied for a position that has been declared vacant within an organization. It is important to note that searching for the relevant qualities from a pool of applicants is done within the broad context of diverse and complex organizational goals. It is thus safe to argue that job analysis in human resource management operationalizes and makes conduction of other human resource management activities possible Stredwick (2005). In fact, carrying out other human resources management activities without a successful job analysis can be likened to be embarking on a journey in which you do not know its destination.
As mentioned earlier job analysis is a process with major steps which human resources managers apply. Caruth and Pane (2008) have identified five main components of a typical job analysis process namely identification of job (s) in the organization; a gathering of information about the duties, tasks, and working conditions of each job; definition of critical job functions and secondary or additional job functions; determination of the human qualifications necessary to perform the job and making of job descriptions and job requirements.
Knowledge of what people are doing in their organization can be assembled in various ways. For purposes of this project, we shall provide a plan of three job analysis techniques to be deployed in our task. It is noteworthy that in practice job analysis usually involves a human resources expert who acts as a coordinator and managers, supervisors and employees doing the job and that it should be content based Mathis and Jackson (2008). Observation, interviewing, questionnaires and computerized systems are some of the most common methods used by organizations. Using more than one of these organizations depends on circumstances and the organization doing the job analysis.
Job Analysis of a Market Analyst
In our job analysis project we shall use observation, interviewing and questionnaires. Under interviewing method I shall visit my friend at his work place on an agreed work day. Once at my friend’s work place I will observe him as he does his job and I will take note of the duties and tasks he will be performing. Since observation method may not give me much of the information required about my friend’s job I will use it together with interviewing and questionnaires Mathis and Jackson (2008). During the interview I shall take a detailed record of information concerning his job as a market analyst at Farm Fresh Limited. Even though this method is time consuming when many employees are being interviewed, it is suitable for this project because it will give me an opportunity to interact with my friend and his immediate supervisor on a one on one Gold and Bratton (2001). This will enable me to gather as much information about the job as I can. To make up for its weaknesses I will develop questionnaires which I will give to my friend and his immediate supervisor to complete.
Questionnaires are advantageous than interviews because information on a large number of jobs can be collected cheaply in a considerably short period of time. However, the questionnaire assume that workers can write information about their jobs while in reality workers differ in their awareness of what their jobs entails, and even in their literacy Mathis and Jackson (2008).Questionnaires will enable me to clarify information gathered through interviewing. Through the questionnaires I will seek to find out the following features regarding my friend’s job: duties and time required on each, supervision, decisions that need to be made, relations with other people, physical aspects and the required characteristics of the job holder Mathis and Jackson (2008).
Information gathered through job analysis process is put into different use by the human resource managers (Adkins, 2005: Talwar, 2006). Bratton and Gold (2001) argues that “the object of collecting information is to develop job descriptions, job specifications, and job standards”. A job description is a summary statement of information collected in job analysis process.It is a written document that identifies, defines and describes a job in terms of its duties, responsibilities, working conditions, specifications Sims (2007). There are two types namely: specific and general descriptions. A specific job description is a detailed summary of a job’s task, duties and responsibilities. A general job description is usually associated with organizational structures in which there are few boundaries between functions and levels of the organization. Only the most generic responsibilities and skills for a position are documented in a general job description.
Job Description for a Market analyst
Farm Fresh Limited is a fast growing company that specializes in buying and selling fruits and vegetables from horticulturalists. Currently, most of their consumers are light manufacturing industries and supermarkets. The company would like to reach out individual house hold consumers and social groups like schools, hospitals and homes of the aged and the less privileged. The company wishes to recruit a focused Market analyst to work together with our team in this journey as we seek to expand our floor space and help small scale horticultural farmers who are our suppliers raise their incomes through increased productivity and improved marketing of their horticultural crops especially fruits and vegetables.
Duties and Responsibilities
The analyst will undertake the following activities:
- Orderly and systematically collect market information on consumption of fruits and vegetables by schools, hospitals, homes and individual household units from the right sources such as the ministry of agriculture and trade as well as other relevant sources
- Conduct market related surveys as required to analyze findings and produce reports
- Conduct market data analysis and provide reports
- Produce and distribute marketing news letters to the necessary stakeholders like the farmers and our employees
- Provide information for annual and quarterly reports
- Offer professional advice to our organization on how we can increase and maintain our client base on the bases of market research conducted
Qualifications and Experience Required
A bachelor’s degree in either Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing option) , Business Administration (Marketing option) or Statitistics (with experience in market analysis);
- With a minimum of 5 years in marketing, at least two of which he or she must have worked as market researcher
- Ability to conduct an in depth market research
- A strong background in agribusiness field
- Computer literate
- Proven ability in usage of computerized data analysis packages, especially SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Scientists)
Personal Qualities
The right applicant must:
- Have strong interpersonal and communication skills; verbal and written
- Be able to relate professionally at high management levels
- Be hard working and able to work independently and as a team
- Be rational and good at handling technical aspects of your job
- Be punctual and able to meet deadlines
- Be consistent, accurate and able to pay attention to details with proven report writing skills
- Be proficient in customer service and customer care
- A master’s degree in Marketing in the field of horticulture will be an added advantage
If you possess the above outlined qualifications and attributes and would like to get an opportunity that offer you the kind of rewards and satisfaction you want to get kindly send your current resume plus a recent colored photograph and a detailed cover letter to.
Reference List
Adkins, C. L. 2005. ‘Staffing organizations: A comprehensive applied exercise.’ Human Resource Management Review, Vol 15, 226– 237.
Bohlander, G.and Snell, S. (2009). Managing Human Resources. Florence, KY Cengage Learning.
Bratton, J. and Gold, J. (2001). Human resource management: theory and practice. New York: Routledge.
Caruth, G. L., Caruth, G, G.D. and Pane, S.S. (2008). Staffing the Contemporary Organization: A Guide to Planning, Recruiting, and Selecting for Human Resource. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.
Gardner, T. 2002. ‘In the trenches at the talent wars: Competitive interaction for scarce human resources.’ Human Resource Management, 41(2), 225-237.
Gatewood, R.D., Field, H.S. and Barrick, M. R. (2008). Human resource selection. Florence, KY: Cengage Learning.
Lussier, R. N. (2008). Management Fundamentals: Concepts, Applications, Skill Development. Florence, KY: Cengage Learning.
Mathis, L. John and Jackson, H. (2008). Human resource management.Florence, KY: Cengage Learning.
Sharma, S.K. (2009). Human Resource Management: A Strategic Approach to Employment. New Delhi: Global India Publications.
Sims, R.D. (2007).Human resource management: contemporary issues, challenges, and opportunities. Charlotte, NC: IAP.
Stredwick, J. (2005). Introduction to Human Resource Management. London: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Talwar O, P. (2006). Human Resource Management. New Delhi: Gyan Publishing House.