Reference no: EM13834262

Assessment Task

Report on HRIS Application

Word limit: 1500 words

• Analyse and audit organisational HRIS Database (DBMS) needs.

• Rationalise and communicate organisational DBMS needs.

• Develop and organisation specific criteria of an effective DBMS.

• Develop skills in designing and interpreting reports from an HRIS.

• Be able to demonstrate problem-solving skills and anticipate problems with using an HRIS.

Scenario

The Cornerstone of an effective HRIS system is delivery of up-to-date information for all organisational needs (ESS, MSS and SSS). As a result, design and development of a credible database that rationalises data and minimises repetition whilst making the information available at the right time to the right person becomes paramount. Effective collection, storage, and use of data are essential for any business, and the most successful organizations are masters of this process! Many believe that managing data and turning data into information is a competency necessary to succeed in today's marketplace. Today's HRIS consist of business applications that work in conjunction with an electronic database. Together these software programs transform data into information that is essential for business operations and for decision making.

A database management system (DBMS) is a set of software applications (i.e., computer programs) combined with a database. These systems allow organizations to effectively manage data electronically. DBMS turn data into an organizational resource. The main functions of a DBMS are to create the database, insert, read, update, and delete database data, maintain data integrity (i.e., making sure that the data are correct) and security (i.e., making sure that only the right people have access to the data), and prevent data from being lost by providing backup and recovery capabilities. As a central repository of data, a database is a valuable organizational asset and, therefore, needs to be managed appropriately. DBMS and databases work in conjunction with business applications, such as transaction processing systems, to make organizations run smoothly.

In this assignment, assume that you are the HR manager and that your organisation requires you to provide a plan and a set of recommendations that would identify parameters and protocols for design and development of an HR Database Management Systems (DBMS). The proposed HR DBMS is adopted with the intention to deliver HR services at Tactical, Functional and Strategic levels to all concerned stakeholders. The central question that you need to consider is the idea of design parameters. In another words, you need to consider the following;

1. What characteristics should a credible HRIS Database System for the high-growth industry should have and,

2. If you are to design a DBMS for your company, what functionalities would you integrate into your DBMS so that HR services are provided on a more efficient and effective basis.

3. Once you have outlines the design parameters, you need to discuss and rationalise the spending on the design parameters and their overall effect on the efficiency and effectiveness of your HRIS.

4. The design parameters of the DBMS of your case organisation should be directly applied to 2 (TWO) HR functions which can be amongst a variety of services/ functions including but not limited to; recruitment, selection, induction, training, career planning, industrial relations, occupational health and safety, etc.

5. Your chosen organization can be the organisation you chose in your Theoretical Assignment. If you however, wish to choose a different case organisation to that of the Theoretical assignment, you are recommended to choose one from the ones below;

• An Airline with a recent modernisation strategy in place where a new fleet has replaced the older planes and hence new crew with new set of skills and ongoing training requirements are employed.

• An Australian mining company with mining outposts in the Northern Plains of Western Australia.

• A Business School in a tertiary educational institute that has applied for accreditation from The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Accreditation of AACSB required mandatory training and audit of skills of the academic staff. In addition the directive regarding the teaching load, research and community service should be abided by, audited, reported and be available in a transparent manner to the AACSB.

Up to this point you have done this in your previous assignment and hence you can use the material that you have already developed (provided you choose the case organisation you used in your previous assignment).

6. Once you have chosen your two HR functions, and have briefly explained the effects of HRIS on those two functions, you need to develop a DBMS for the two functions in your case organisation.

7. You need to choose a specific job in addition to the two function you have chosen. You need to contextualise the job in relation to the two functions. The process of DBMS design and implementation should include describing the type and the manner by which the underlying data in a database are collected from business transactions and stored in tables that are related to each other through shared fields and in turn are reported to interested parties.

8. You need to consider the following when describing the process of Database design and implementation;

• Data Sharing Between Different Functions: Relational DBMS facilitate data integration across different functions. As a result, relational database technology increased the feasibility and popularity of integrated business applications. These integrated applications used in large organizations are referred to as enterprise resource planning (ERP) business applications.

• Data Sharing between different Levels: Data mining, data analytics, and business intelligence (BI) are examples of information derived from a DSS, which relies on data warehouses. Data warehouses represent aggregated data collected from various databases available to a business.

• Data Sharing Across Locations: In today's global environment, access to data from any physical location in the world is increasingly important. Computer networks are created that provide instant access to these operational data, allowing real-time managerial decision capability regardless of physical location. A centralized database allows a company to confine its data to a single location and, therefore, more easily control data integrity, updating, backup, query, and control access to the database. A company with many locations and telecommuters, however, must develop a communications infrastructure to facilitate data sharing over a wide geographical area. The advent of the Internet and a standardized communication protocol made the centralized database structures and geographically dispersed data sharing feasible.

9. Further to above, you need to consider the following terminologies in design and implementation of HRIS DBMS for the two functions you have chosen.

• Entities and Attributes: Entities are things such as employees, jobs, promotion transactions, positions in company, and so on. It includes both physical things such as desks and conceptual things such as bank accounts. A company must analyse its business operations and identify all the entities that it believes are important.

• Tables: Tables are used to store information about entities. Each table in a database contains rows. Rows are also referred to as records and represent an "instance" of the entity.

• Queries: A query is a question that you ask about the data stored in a database. Queries retrieve specific data in a particular order, but it is important to note that queries do not store data! All data are stored in tables. Queries only report on data currently in the table.

• Forms: A form is an object in a database that you can use to maintain, view, and print records in a database in a more "structured" manner. Although you can perform these same functions with tables and queries, forms can present data in many customized and useful ways.

• Reports: A report is a formatted presentation of data from a table, multiple tables, or queries that is created as a printout or to be viewed on screen. Data displayed in a report are dynamic, reflecting the latest data from the tables on which the report is based.

10. Given the limited word count, it is highly recommended that you select a specific job and/or job classification within your choice organisation and apply points 1, to 11 (above) to that specific job and/or job classification. For e.g. If your choice organisation is a typical airline company, it is recommended to look at Flight Engineers as a possible specific job within the choice organisation and analyse the effects of HRIS on 2 HR functions related to Flight Engineers and describe the parameters of the design with reference to the Flight Engineer and contextualise it in terms of the two functions you have chosen. This will ensure that you avoid generalisation of HR technology in complex organisations which will add value to your discussion.