Starfish Oil is a European Oil Company with its HO situated in Norway: Bachelor of Human Resource Management Report, SUSS, Singapore

Report

Starfish Oil is a European Oil company with its HO situated in Norway and other key subsidiary sites based in Scotland and Singapore. Due to a downturn in the North Sea Oil Sector (connected to global oil prices), the company has been increasingly turning its attention to production in Asian oil fields. Pressure has been on the company to cut costs, but at the same time, there is a real need to retain and develop skilled staff in order to resource valuable and profitable drilling, production, and support projects.

The leadership team is keen to move away from bringing inexpensive overseas contractors to manage projects and wants to train up local managerial level staff. They have identified a number of individuals, now working in an engineering capacity who have management potential.

They believe that despite the initial cost outlay, in the long term this is a more efficient use of resources and will improve employee engagement due to the enhanced career routes available to local internal staff. It also affords the company greater social legitimacy in line with Government strategy to give priority to local workers and government funding can be utilized.

As an HR professional, you are required to write a report to the managing Director of Starfish Oil addressing the following concerns:

1. Explain and define the nature of management and leadership development (MLD).

2. Critically evaluate the integrated approach to MLD explaining why there is ‘a greater emphasis on experiential learning? (Burgoyne & Stuart 1991).

3. Make recommendations to the company regarding what approach to MLD they should adopt with specific reference to formal and informal techniques