Trends in the Workplace

Trends in the Workplace

Sierra McDaniel

HRM500 Human Resource Management Foundations

Professor Jo-Rene Queensberry

4/28/2014

Companies are always trying to figure out better ways to produce their products more efficiently, while still saving money in the process. One way that companies do this is by implementing a materials resource planning system, or MRP. MRP is a computer-based system that is used to help speed up the process of production by managing inventory and production schedules (Cheng, 1997). As a human resource manager of a small manufacturing company, I have decided to invest in a MRP system to help with ordering materials, scheduling work on the floor, and planning the needs of resources. With this new system, the company will be able to quickly and efficiently produce its products. Although MRP systems are used to help the company, they can also cause some challenges. This paper will identify those challenges and how the company can make sure the organization carry out a new process successfully. I will also identify three HR skills that would be essential in having a successful MRP system and the difficulty we might have with hiring qualified workers to perform the job.

Impact of MRP Systems on HRM

According to Cheng (1997), the theme of a MRP system is “getting the right materials to the right place at the right time” (p. 8). MRP helps maximize productivity by forecasting and planning the production, and maintaining the right amount of inventory (Cheng, 1997). This includes scheduling the right number of workers, scheduling production, and forecasting the demand of the products (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, & Wright, 2014). Using this new system will keep me from having to forecast production or do any scheduling because the computerized system will do that for me. The MRP system will determine how much material is needed to complete each product and when to replenish material so it is there when needed (Cheng, 1997).

The new system...