Key Functions in HR and Marketing

1.0 Introduction

Organizational management entails various functions executed by various managers within the organization to ensure a smooth operation. For example, these functions include customer care, finance and accounting, marketing and human resource management among others. This manuscript aims to discuss the key functions of human resource management and marketing departments in an organization. In doing so, there will be a close examination of how these functions contribute to the image of the organization. Next, this paper will discuss the role of effective organizational structure in promoting the success of the organization.

2.0 The Functions of Human Resource Management within an Organization

An organization in which the human resource management (HRM) is efficiently run can easily acquire the ability and structure to achieve its business needs through the management of the firm’s most valuable resources i.e. the employees (Stefanescu, 2018). Against this backdrop, there exist various HRM areas, or disciplines, but the HR practitioner in each area can perform more than one function such as new recruitment, job safety, employee relations, benefits and compensation, compliance to labour law, and employee training and development. Conversely, according to Akshay & George (2016), a small organization that does not have the capacity to set up a fully functioning HR department can outsource HR services.

2.1 New Employee Recruitment

Mallillin (2017) argues that the success of an employment specialist or a recruiter is determined by the number of positions they fill and the duration it takes to fill those positions. According to Rozika et al, (2018), the HR manager plays a major role in developing the organization’s workforce by advertising for vacant job positions, identifying candidates, screening them, conducting interviews and coordinating hiring activities with other managers to ensure that the recruits match the organization’s needs. Gupta (2016) argues that whether an organization outsources recruitment services or uses their in-house HR department to conduct recruiting, new employee recruitment is effective in promoting the image of the company especially through various activities conducted to new recruits such as onboarding.

It is critical for organizations to create the best impression during the first few weeks of onboarding when recruits start their new job. For instance, new employees spend a significant duration of time in various hire-related administrations within their first month in the organization. Consequently, the use of paper to complete enrolment processes can fail to meet the employee’s expectation of the organization. This is particularly true in a situation when the enrolment process is inconsistent with other aspects of the onboarding process – yet hires are unimpressed with disjointed processes (Obiedgiu, 2017). Thus, as argued by Forsten-Astikainen et al (2017), streamlining the onboarding processes through technology can reduce the enrolment time, create efficiency and plant a seed of developing future brand ambassadors of the organization.

2.2 Employee Relations

In some organizations, labour and employee relations functions are combined and handled by one HR specialist while in other organizations, the role of labour relation is handled by a separate specialist within the organization (Cioclov et al, 2016). Nonetheless, according to Almada & Borges (2018), employee relation is an HR function concerned with managing and strengthening the employee-employer relationship by resolving employee conflict, measuring employee satisfaction, and measuring employee engagement levels. Moreover, labour relations roles may include negotiating collective bargain agreements, responding to employee union issues, and interpreting labour contract issues to labour unions (Kim et al, 2018). This implies that an employee labour relation specialist plays the role of identifying, responding to and communicating benefits provision issues within the organization.

However, a major challenge in most organization is for employers to ensure that the employees accept and value the benefits package offered by the firm, and to recognize that the organization is making an investment in order to reward them (Stefanescu, 2018). Failure of employees to recognize the organization’s benefits package may lead to labour unrest, strikes or even employee go-slows, which are detrimental to the company image. In such a scenario, the employee relations office intervenes with various internal communication tools and programs that are intuitive, engaging and informative to help staffs have a better understanding of benefits availed to them and to understand that labour unrest has an effect on company’s image (Mallillin 2017). Equally, according to Akshay & George (2016), the employee relations specialists, through conflict resolution and effective communication with employees, identify and understand employee’s preferences and inform the top management how failure to meet these preferences may damage the organization’s image.

2.3 Benefits and Compensations

As in the case of employee relations, benefits and compensation can either be handled by one specialist or by two separate specialists in the HR department. While the compensation side includes functions such as evaluating competitive pay levels and setting up compensation structures, the benefits roles include group health coverage and coordinating employee retirement fund administration (Cioclov et al, 2016). Nonetheless, payroll management can be handled by either the benefits or the compensations specialists.

Keeping an eye on employee benefits trends such as flexible spending accounts and wellness programs, and evaluating whether these benefits are right for the organization’s competitiveness not only ensures that the organizations evolve with changes in the external environment but also enhance the level of employee engagement (Stefanescu, 2018). For instance, according to Akshay & George (2016), despite Starbucks having a large population of part-time and full-time employees, all the workers are kept under stock awards, free coffee, and full health insurance benefits. Ideally, employees who feel that their companies give them competitive benefits are likely to share their opinions with others – which is good for the company’s image.

2.4 Labour law Compliance

Labour law compliance is a critical HR function because non-compliance may lead to workplace complains bordering unsafe working conditions and unfair employment practices which have an ultimate effect on company productivity and profitability (Mallillin 2017). Hence, HR managers must be aware of the existing labour laws and must ensure that resources are available to enable compliance with such laws.

Compliance with labour laws not only promotes the organization’s image to employees but also to the government and to the competitors. When an organization maintains good employment practices by avoiding racism, tribalism, and other negative practices, it emerges as an equal opportunity employer that only considers skills as the main recruitment criteria (Stefanescu, 2018). Contrariwise, according to Akshay & George (2016), engaging in poor employment practices may lead to negative effects such as litigations and operation license cancellation – all which are not good for the company image.

3.0 The Functions of marketing within an Organization

Marketing plays an essential role in the success of every business. According to Darja et al (2016), marketing involves activities such as packaging, researching, and any other activity that related to the presentation of the product to the customer. A well-functioning marketing department, with specialists who understand the roles of research, packaging, transportation or quality control does not only contribute to a positive brand image of the business but also helps drive sales (Fatos, 2016).

3.1 Research

The marketing department of an organization is charged with the responsibility of conducting research on the target audience. As asserted by Nyuur et al (2016), the marketing department conducts research on the buying trends of customers and the kind of products that fulfil customers’ needs or those that attract them. For instance, the marketing department of apparel products need to stay informed, through research, on the upcoming trends to know the type of products that they should focus on during their marketing campaigns, the customer’s perception of product value and the prices at which such products should be sold (Sombultawee & Boon-itt, 2018).

Understanding the customers’ perception of value and how they interpret a valuable product plays a major role in building the brand image of the products and a positive image of the organization as a whole. For instance, while some customers prefer lower prices, others are attracted by higher quality, added features or free after-sales services provided by the organization (O’Keeffe et al 2016). Hence, understanding how different customers perceive value enables the organization to deliver better results and create a positive brand image.

3.2 Product Quality Control and Risk Assessment

According to Porto (2016), the marketing department is responsible for assessing the risks and controlling the quality of products to ensure that any variable that affects the sale of company products and services are eliminated. Moreover, Darja et al (2016) also argue that quality control entails building product credibility by evaluating how the product stands against the competition; and making necessary adjustments to match or exceed competitors’ quality levels.

Building product credibility is fundamental to creating a positive image of the company. For instance, taking a great consideration to customer feedback, reviews, and testimonials on the quality of products enables the company to make the necessary adjustments on those products in response to the reviews. According to Fatos, (2016), this promotes customer satisfaction and enhances a positive image of the organization. Equally, as Nyuur et al (2016) argue, a majority of customers prefer socially responsible organizations. Hence, by making sure that the products are produced in an environmentally responsible manner, and highlighting this through various media helps creates a positive image of the business (Sombultawee & Boon-itt, 2018).

3.3 Packaging

Besides engaging in market research, the marketing function also entails packaging the products or services in an appealing manner to the customers. In this regard, Darja et al (2016) assert that the marketing department is responsible for the packaging materials and the logos which must be designed to attract customers.

While the main role of packaging is to keep the products undamaged and secure, it is also a form of branding and therefore complements the logo in relaying the company’s message (Sombultawee & Boon-itt, 2018). Thus, the company can use various packaging designs to appeal to various demographics i.e. adults or the youth. Equally, O’Keeffe et al (2016) assert that the product’s environmental impact is considered by many customers, and therefore by incorporating recyclable packaging materials, the marketing department creates a positive image of the company and its products.

4.0 The Importance of an Effective Organization Structure

Musibau et al (2016) define the organizational structure to be how the organization communicates, adapts to change and distributed responsibility among its employees. Valaei, (2017) also assert that organizational structure defines an organization’s lines of authority and accountability, its scope of acceptable behaviour and how it relates to its external environment. However, despite the different definitions given by different scholars, a major theme that emerges when organizational structure is mentioned is: the manner in which the company’s structure is kept dynamic and responsive to the ever-changing business environment ( internal or external).

Organizational structure has gained much attention from Scholars and business analysts especially due to the negative consequences attributed to a poor organizational structure. According to Musibau et al (2016), a poorly structured organization not only contributes to a reduced productivity but also poor communication. While the scope of this paper does not focus on the negative effects of poor organization, the following section highlights how an effective organizational structure can positively contribute to the success of an organization.

4.1 Fitting the Organization’s Needs

A good organizational structure is designed in a manner that creates a position and management structure that suits the organization’s model of operation, rather than considering the company’s current staffing levels (Valaei, 2017). In doing so, the company acquires various levels of talents to fit various management functions. For instance, a software development company with a large development staff can structure its reporting relationships in a manner that the development team’s productivity and creativity are maximized to meet deadlines. Neis et al (2017) also argue that companies have to reorganize departments of individual positions to create an opportunity for effective utilization of human resources and achieve a smooth operation.

4.2 Effective Communication

Effective flow of information with the organization enables its success. According to Musibau et al (2016), a good organizational structure is designed to ensure that departments and individuals coordinate their roles through various lines of communication built within the structure. For instance, when the accounting department is able to report to the chief financial officer and the chief executive officer because both are members of the top management who depend on reports and information provided by the financial planning team, the organization’s financial planning affairs are effectively coordinated with the strategic plans at the top management (Yilmaz & Ceran, 2017).

4.3 Effective Reporting Relationships

Auchter et al (2018) argue that reporting relationships within an organization must be clear to ensure that all members of the organization understand their responsibilities and to whom they are accountable. The availability of such a clear relationship enables easier supervision of employees in the lower levels of the organization. Moreover, according to Valaei (2017), each employee is able to know whom they can turn to for help or direction. Equally, managers can easily tell who is outside their scope of authority so that they do not interfere with another manager’s responsibility or overstep their bounds.

4.4 Organizational Growth and Expansion

A good organizational structure enables the organization to rapidly grow by making the best use of its resources. According to Auchter et al (2018), a good organizational structure ensures that each employee or manager is put in the right position and the structure may enable managers to tell the deficiencies or weak spots within the organization’s current management team. Equally, a good organizational structure allows for a good response to company growth because as the company grows, more layers of the organization are created, causing the need for an evolving organizational structure where one manager has enough individuals reporting to him (Yilmaz & Ceran, 2017).

4.5 Efficient Completion of Tasks

A good organizational structure enables the company to effectively and efficiently complete its projects. According to Valaei (2017), this is possible because the project managers are able to identify the available human resources within each department as well as each employee’s skills and capabilities needed to complete the projects. For instance, market research is required for new product development projects, and therefore through an effective organizational structure, the project manager is able to know who can effectively participate in the research – through whose permission.

4.6 Smooth Running of the Organization

Sometimes it becomes difficult for poorly structured organizations to meet deadlines because such organizations are characterized by insufficient human resources to accomplish all the available tasks (Borgos, 2016). Moreover, the team members may not be sure of whom to report to and may find themselves with conflicting assignments. Conversely, in a well-structured organization, employees know whom they report to, who assigns them tasks and which tasks they are to accomplish (Yilmaz & Ceran, 2017).

In conclusion, the paper has identified that the human resource management function of the organization plays an important role in the success of the organization and in creating a positive organizational image. Secondly, the paper has highlighted evidence to support that the marketing function is an essential function to all organizations especially in regards to creating a good brand image. Ultimately, the paper has highlighted the meaning of organizational structure and its importance to the success of an organization. hence, this paper recommends that managers should take a keen interest in the functions of HRM and marketing, as well as the organizational structure.

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