Staffing practices and selection tools in human resources

Business Management: Staffing Practices & Selection Tools:

Analysis of a Pharmaceutical Organization

In the past few decades, globalization and technology are two emerging trends that play a significant role in any organization's staffing practices and selection tools used to meet current and future employment needs. Both globalization and technology pose dilemmas for any pharmaceutical company with a large number of promising drug candidates. This paper examines and analyzes the staffing practices of Pfizer in its position as a leading worldwide pharmaceutical company. Pfizer is a good example of a company whose staffing practices have met their current employment needs and continues to meet future employment needs. This company is in an excellent position, as demonstrated by the fact that its overall sales exceeded $45 billion in the last year, up 40% over the previous year (Pfizer, 2004). This strong financial performance has its roots in the employees that comprise the company.

I. Globalization

Globalization is an emerging trend that is of substantial importance to many different organizations. Economic globalization is a historical process, the result of human innovation and technological progress. It refers to the increasing integration of economies around the world, particularly through trade and financial flows (International Monetary Fund, 2002). At times the term also refers to the movement of people (labor) and knowledge (technology) across international borders (International Monetary Fund, 2002). One of Pfizer's goals involves being sensitive to the needs of its' colleagues, and evaluating the company from a critical point-of-view.

Over the past four years, Pfizer has almost tripled in size, from about 45,000 colleagues worldwide to over 122,000 (Pfizer, 2004). In this way, Pfizer has achieved globalization through its staffing practices. In 2003 Pfizer created a global corporate citizenship coordinating team. The goal of this group was to help unify Pfizer's approach to corporate citizenship across many countries and cultures, through membership in organizations that promote responsible business practices internationally. Pfizer has successfully used their employee selection tools to expand and globalize the organization.

II. Technology

Technology is another emerging trend in which organizations implement to strengthen their staffing practices and selection tools. The future goals of any major pharmaceutical company are similar to those of Pfizer: directing financial and management resources to the areas in which the company has potential for expansion, new product initiatives, and a focus on research (Pfizer, 2004). A general risk in the United States is that some states discourage the use of new medicines, instead focusing on the higher cost of the new drugs. New drugs manufactured must be examined on the basis of the spending they prevent -- more hospitalizations and higher overall costs.

The use of technology in this area is very important, as the company must spend money on the employees that account for this type of work. Achieving reductions in healthcare depends on innovative medicines, preventive care, effective patient education, and a well-coordinated healthcare system focused on those most at risk (Pfizer, 2004). Unlike some of the other global leaders, Pfizer strives to achieve these reductions through their research and development in 18 different therapeutic areas. Technology is used at Pfizer to select employees, train employees, and evaluate them as well. New employee applications can be completed and automatically submitted on to human resources staff. An automated computer system them sifts through applications to match keywords to positions before any human eye sees them.

Effectiveness of Practices