Task I Modecs business objectives are to change the world through pioneering development, production and marketing of the

worlds first purpose built zero emission commercial vehicles. They also include to become the world leader in the production of environmentally friendly automotive technologies and to remain at the fore front of the automotive industry. They also set the objective of providing a platform for clients to achieve their corporate social responsibility needs through operating an environmentally friendly fleet. This means that for Modec to be successful as an innovation-driven business it requires development of strategies for optimal utilisation of resources. In the words of Jack Welch, organisations are not the plants and machinery rather the human capital available to exploit these resources; hence this portends a need for Modecs HR to design and implement plans that effectively achieve organisational objectives. This for an organisation based around high employee skill and knowledge requires the HR team to evolve and implement pragmatic strategies around recruiting, selecting, organising and consolidating employees to improve organisational performance. In line with Barney(1991) and Pfeffer(1994)(as cited by Bratton)which suggest that managerial focus should be on selecting the right people with skills and intellectual assets to complement technological superiority or provide a major competitive advantage when it erodes. To effectively design and implement plans that will improve the attainment of organisational objectives, the HR team and the organisation needs a greater understanding of the impact HR practices, policies and procedure have on operational and financial performance of Modec (Alvarez & Marshal, n.d), thus it should be measured against the firms objectives to determine its contribution to the success of the set objective. This Purcell (2001) argues the need for a two-way link to strategy requiring HR practices to be informed by organisational strategy while helping to shape the nature of that strategy. Beer, Spector, Lawrence, Mills and Walton(1984), asserts that a firms HR policies and practices must fit with its strategy in its competitive environment and with the immediate business condition it faces, thus it requires Modecs HR to effectively coordinate and appraise the activities of employees and teams to ensure alignment to overall business strategy. Task II Modec HR team has focused on four key areas in the start up stage recruitment and selection, induction and contractual issues, communication and involvement, and performance management. However, moving on to the strategic role stage, improving existing functions and aligning them to companys strategic objectives as well as other functions will be necessary. Below are areas that the HR function can improve within 2years; Recruitment and Selection Owing to Modecs business objective which requires a constant flow of high skilled employees to achieve and maintain competitiveness, the recruitment and selection initiative should not be left to the line managers to drive and control as they are more focused on achieving a person-job fit, which in the long run might not encourage employee retention and engagement. Adopting a more robust strategy which allows for

more HR involvement in formulating policies and active participation in the process, this will provide room for them to explore multiple channels of recruitment such as engaging in recruitment strategies that helps in attracting fresh hands from universities, this will help improve the currency of their talent pool and encourage a person-organisation fit which research suggests helps sustain employee engagement. This is necessary as line manager led recruitment and selection initiative might end up being too focused on choosing the most suitable candidate for the job, this might not encourage commitment as they might not be equipped to consider how the candidate fits to overall objectives and values of the company, which on the long run might infringe on the individuals psychological contract. Riox and Bernthal (1999) argues that a better recruitment and selection strategies will improve organisational performance, as the more effectively organisations recruit and select candidates the better their chances of hiring and retaining satisfied employees. In adopting strategies aimed at attracting fresh graduates, the firm will benefit from the possibility of instilling organisational culture and mould these employees to their values which will help sustain long term competiveness. This is also necessary as Modec plans to expand its marketing, sales and accounting units which line managers are less competent. They can also adopt a selection method whereby line mabngers recruits albeit temporary and those new recruits are then sent for a 2-3 month training programme with the HR team while receiving full employment benefits, at the end they narrow down the selection pruning candidates that do not meet their requirement, the adverse effect of this is its cost implication but it will help encourage their internal brand as unsuccessful candidates will still benefit from the training programme.

Communication and Involvement The communication systems already set in place ensures that organisational information and directive are transmitted without dilution through their periodic meetings and other channels, but this only emphasises a structured top-down approach as it does not do much to reduce status differentials or effective communication and participation across organisational channel. This area can be improved by entrenching more horizontal and as well bottom-up communication.

Training Given the high skill requirement of the organisational objective the HR function in a strategic position should be able to organise periodic training to provide employees the tools for continued growth and achievement of objectives. This exercise should be able to accommodate employees needs for development, up skilling and currency with changes in their work environment. This can be done through outsourcing training and development and as well utilising in-house experts to train and coach deficient employees. To encourage employee engagement the HR team should design strategies allowing for individuals to embark on relevant external career development programmes, this in an innovative driven organisation is important as such opportunities will foster engagement and retention.

Performance reviews Modecs performance management strategy can be improved by standardising the process; this requires the documentation and effective communication of the appraisal techniques, yardstick of measurement to both employees and managers to ensure that the process does not engender a feeling. Also there should be a level of involvement of employees and management in designing values to be evaluated; this will help ensure equitable measures are adopted. Also the feedback on these reviews should communicated on time to enable deficient employees assess potential areas of improvement.

Task 3 This refers to efforts adopted by organisations to attract current employees and potential talents, by making them hold a perception that the organisation is a great place to work. This is possible through a sustained development and congruence of both organisational values and individual values as reflected in the employees psychological contract. Walker (2007) suggests a set of attributes and qualities that make an organisation seem distinctive, promising a particular kind of employment experience and appeal to people who will thrive and perform their best in its culture. For Modec to attract, recruit and retain the talent required to ensure competitive egde it need s to do the following things; Determining how employer branding is viewed inside your company: this requires Modecs HR team to define what employer branding means to the firm. Employer brand is the image of the organization as a great place to work in the mind of current employees and key stakeholders in the external market (Minchinton & Estis, 2009). Employer branding is therefore concerned with the attraction, engagement, and retention initiatives targeted at enhancing Modecs employer brand. This should be done with a long term perspective encompassing a wide range of activities aimed at improving the brand across the organisation. Defining employer brand objectives and project scope: At this stage clear attainable objectives are set out, and the clarity of these will help save time and money while ensuring the promptness and can be a source for decreasing staff turnover rates The relationship between HR, marketing, and communications: A clear definition of roles and leadership of the program between departments is required to enable all stakeholders remain focussed and united around the company objectives. In most cases the HR team is expected to drive this program through internal education and awareness building as it is considered a long term strategic talent management decision. The strategy and message are designed towards attracting, engaging and retaining talent, which requires the collaboration of the HR, marketing and communication departments to succeed. This stage involves developing a communication strategy based on the research findings, and formulation of clearly thought out message which will now be disseminated through the most effective and efficient channels available based on findings from their research.

Discovering your employer brand: The key to developing your employer brand strategy is to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of the organizational culture, work experience, key talent drivers, external perceptions, leadership vision, and management practices. Operating from this position of intelligence supports the construct of a message platform that is authentic, compelling, differentiated, and that will be internally embraced, appropriately received in the external market and consistently delivered upon by the organization (Minchinton & Estis, 2009). This means that Modecs should be able to conduct research to gain insight on both internal and external perception from stakeholders on their reputation. Communication Strategy\ Planning: This stage requires the utilisation of multiple communication channels to propagate their value proposition to the target audience, experimenting with multiple channels of communication to find the most suitable one, and this is necessary due to available multiple media outlets due to technological advancements, hence it necessitates Action: This stage requires the implementation and monitoring of steps taken. It is crucial to continuously evaluate the program to make adjustments and corrections to forestall failure, and yardsticks for measurement of the program should be clearly outlined.

Task 4 The HR team of Modec over the next five years should be focussing on areas that will encourage employee engagement, retention and organisational learning to be able to implement organisational objectives through the following; Modec HR team should develop strategy to encourage individual career development. This they can achieve through utilising internal resources to fill up vacancies whenever they arise thereby ensuring that employees have a sense of belonging in the organisation and this encourages commitment and retention of their best skills. To ensure that the firm retains the skill quality driving its success and sustain competitive edge, the HR team should consider programmes that will engender learning in the organisation; this can be done through funding and encouraging research as well as bringing specialist to improve their knowledge base. The flow and transfer of knowledge within the organisation can be improved by encouraging informal social relationship in the organisation through the introduction of extracurricular activities, where employees can pursue their interests in areas as varied as arts, culture, or sports which would also help reduce status differentials and enhance person to organisation fit.

Providing a mutually supportive and positive learning environment will facilitate development of communication and leadership skills to foster self-confidence and personal growth(Toastmasters, 2009). Modec HR team should ensure the use of efficient tools such as balance score card and KPI, is developed for measuring performance within the organisation, as these tools gives every member of staff a clear picture of what is most important and the means of achieving it (Kazmi, 2008). Also the team should develop room for employees to contribute in management decision making especially where it affects their welfare, this can be done through creating channels where they can proffer alternative ideas to management decisions. Modec needs the assistance of line managers in ensuring it is well adapted, designed, since they are best in making judgment of what a good job is all about, within their various units. Modec being high skill and knowledge driven business it is essential to develop responsibility friendly to the environment, due to the rapid change in technology it might no longer satisfy the need to be seen as a social responsible citizen, hence it should be looking at way of developing alternative packages such as funding of scholarships, social assistance, donations, making environmental improvements (Nussbaum, 2008), among others. They should also think of increasing employee commitment by utilising flexible working, conditions that will employees need for a work life balance. Modec should encourage health and safety from the inception of the company through all the periods being a regulatory demand (Trebilcock and Hiwse, 2005)*, and as well a way of protecting the lives of all involved. An effective reward system which would include the use of statutory base pay, bonus payment should be introduced to engender some level of competition in the organisation especially for their marketing and sales staff. They should adopt career development programmes, fund research and should also adopt a way to reward high performance, either through promotions, internal recruitment, bonuses, performance recognition and other incentives. This can create competitive atmosphere if equitable managed and assessed among staff and managers, resulting to higher involvement at work, better commitment and thus positive returns (Faulkner, 2003). For the 10year Plan Modec should adopt a pension scheme or severance package from the moment an individual employee becomes a permanent staff and also it will be of benefit to introduce incentives and recognition for staff that have stayed longer than a determined period of time. This will help in strengthening the employer brand, as it will strengthen potential employees desire to pursue careers in the organisation Finally since every human has a birth time and a time to die, also every organisation stands to lose its most important talents at one point or the other. Having this in mind, it will be of benefit for Modec to design its life-span to favour retirees also. In all, it can be through extra in-house coaching / learning on what to do after work, as well as taking general feedback of the employee perception about Modec (Turner, 1996). All these will help Modec in retaining the best hands and as such achieve the business objectives.

Task 5 Using the Ulricht 1997 model to assess Modecs HR function one could assert that they are at the Administrative expert stage. This according to Kirkbride, (2001) is where HR function is charged with designing and delivering efficient HR processes for staffing, training, appraising, rewarding, promoting, and managing the flow of employees through the organisation. Modecs HR function which is at start up stage is focused on providing standardised products and services such as recruitment and selection, communication and involvement, performance management; and induction and contractual issues. Their HR practices represent basic HR function delivered through administrative efficiencies and this operation mode was to provide support for management. However, management acknowledged the need for strategic involvement of the HR function. In light of the type of business and advantage which Modec holds, it is necessary for the HR function to transit to the strategic partnership role, to help evolve policies and strategies that will sustain their competiveness. This result from the short first mover advantage which basing business strategy solely on technological capabilities holds as such advantages erodes with the popularity of both product and technology. This for Modec entails a need for sustainable human capital to drive future innovations and sustain business objectives. Based on these and the proposed future direction of the firm, it is the authors view that the HR team needs to transit to the strategic partner and employee champion levels of Ulrichts quadrant. At the strategic partner level, Armstrong(2008) argues that the HR function takes on multiple roles focussing on helping the business to implement strategy in forms such as business expert, strategic HR planner, knowledge manager and consultant; combining them to align HR systems to help accomplish the organisational objectives. This means that for HR to strategically play a role at this level it needs to be involved in strategy formulation which entails a set of different skills and competencies. For this to happen, Modecs HR team might need to embed into existing groups in the organisation to be able to up skill to make reasonable and informed contribution to strategy formulation. This means that the formation of the HR team should not be left just HR professional and for it to include specialist from other areas to support its wealth of knowledge. Lemmergaard (2008) suggest that this requires the HR function to be both strategic and operational, this means being both process and people oriented,; he further opined that by encouraging the HR manager and the line manager collaborate in formulating strategic plans, a more committed and more critical management team is obtained.

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