Problems And Prospects Of Personnel Management In Private Sector

INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The advert of industrial revolution in 9th century by European brought new dimension in human society. Machines were invented by human mind and factors emerged for the first time.
People came o work under one roof for the first time, creating management human problems. Later management as a process was intensified through some efforts like those of Federick Taylon Henry Fayol, max weber and Elton Mayor ad the rest of the human behavior scientist who followed Fayol and human relation school. There are various methods of managing organization but all approaches share one thing in common, they advocate the use of people to get things done.
Burskirt, Green and Rogers (1976) contented that personnel management were almost unheard of in the 19th century business firms, it was only in the 20th century that personnel management came in to existence. They further emphasized on the influence of government labour unions in the growth of personnel management. It was the British administration in Nigeria that introduced the period of employment in the real sense of it. The early colonial administration establish government workers or Oyibo workers as they are called in some parts of the country.
Personnel management development gradually gather momentum after independence in both private and public sector. The federal ministry of labour was establish in 1942 to coordinate the public service recruitment.
The role of labour union in developing personnel function in Nigeria is tremendous. The activities of the Nigeria employers of labour (NEL) in 1957 to cater for their welfare cannot be forgotten
Furthermore, development of education and other also contributed, today personnel management is highly developed, utilizing highly trained managers with background in sociology, psychology, economics and general business administration. Personnel management are found in every field of organization such as: insurance, banking, co-operatives and public administration.
The importance of the personnel function was underscored by a well known management enemy Rensis Likert, who said that all the activities of any enterprise are initiated and determined by the persons who make up that organization. Plants officers, computers, automated equipment and others that a modern firm uses are unproductive expect for human effort and direction of all the management tasks, managing the human components is the central and most important task because all else depend on how well it is.
From Likerts view one can see that personnel department is the foundation upon which other department are layed. This department is of great importance to both the public and private sector like Emenite as a private company was established in 1963 and formally called Turners Absectors cement company Nigeria limited producers of absbestord related materials such as ceiling board, ceiling ties.
This company was then owned by turners and Newer company in Britain, lately the British sold their shares to a company at Belgium in 1987 called Emtext group of company and it is now called Emenite Nigeria limited, this belguim company have 51% shares with the Eastern state including Enugu, Imo, Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi states have the remaining 49% shares in the company, they now includes asbestos roofing sheets, pressure pipes I their products which has about 90% raw materials from cement. This continuous existence of this company is as a result of the viable hands in management which was made possible by the personnel department.
Therefore,. Personnel functions are over emphasized which includes recruiting selecting, training, developing assimilating and remunerating employees so that the organization aims ad objectives are attained. That is why Flippo (1984) looked at personnel management as the planning organizing directing and controlling of the procurement development compensation, integration, maintenance and separation of human resources to the end so that individual, organizational and societal objectives are accomplished effectively and efficiently

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Personnel management usually go beyond demand and supply of human resources in an organization. The existing problem in this department trigger to mal-functioning of the department. There are constrains such as individual geographical and racial background, occupational, cultural, industrial differences and legal influence on employment decisions which jeopardize their objective. It is this problem that necessitate this project.
The native of the man power resources that are available has considerable influence on the degree of success that a personnel manager experience in filling job vacancies.
The composition of the labour force and it’s distribution also effect such personnel function as supervision, bring benefits, wages and salary administration and union relation. Infact, there is probably no function of personnel management that is not influenced in some manner by man power hand.
It is describable also to understand some of the changes that are taking place and their implication for personnel management.

1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
It is the intention of the researcher to examine the problems and prospects of personnel department of Emenite PLC Enugu to be precise, the objective of the study includes
1. To explore the personnel department of Emenite in Enugu state, with a view of finding out how objective oriented they are
2. To find out how adequate and efficient the department activities relate to the compan6’s objective.
3. To identify the problems of personnel management in Emenite company Enugu
4. To make recommendation on how to improve the image of the company and so encourage the effective and efficient practices of the personnel department of the firm.

1.4 THE SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This study on the problems and prospects of the personnel management is narrowed on a private sector with particular reference to Emenite in Enugu state. It is limited within the following departments: personnel/administration, commercial/marketing, financial/account department, production department and engineering department.

1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. Has there been optimum performance on the personnel management of Emenite company Enugu
2. Are there some factors responsible for low performance on the personnel department of the firm?
3. Do you think that high productivity and efficiency of the personnel department affect Emenite’s labour turn over?
4. Will effective and efficient practice of personnel management improve the company as a whole?
5. Are there factors responsible for low productivity and efficiency of the personnel department of the firm?

1.6 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
Ho: The improvement on workers performance of the personnel department does not affect the company positively
Hi: The improvement on workers performance of the personnel department affects the company positively
Ho; Inadequate and mal-functioning operation of top management does not affects performance of personnel department in the company.
Hi: Inadequate and mal-functioning operation of top management affect the performance of personnel department in the firm.

1.7 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This research study will be of great benefit to the whole enterprises both in the public and private sector. This is because the accomplishment of the objective as a personnel management is a key function in very organization which shows that the successful implementation of a development plan depends not just on the availability of financial and other capital inputs but more importantly on the adequate of trained man-power in the various occupation. Infact, the experience of most developing countries is that the shortage of skilled and executive man power could be a crucial constrains in the implementation of development projects.
It will also assist in man-power forecasting or predicting future requirement in personnel both in terms of demand ad supply. This includes thorough assessment of the requirement for specific categories of man-power in the various activity areas of the organization which would include requirement to fill position in each man-power category as envisaged in a recruitment, fore casting, assuming no drastic changes in man-power mix, constrains and also requirements for meeting “wastage” through turn over, retirement, death, and promoting from one job to another. It also require an inventory of supply of various categories of man-power from all external sources as well as through internal sources including on the job training and upgrading.
The study will also be a great significant to the personnel department to identify the functions which includes motivation, employees to perform at standard, fostering good labour management relations, man-power planning, recruitment, selection and placement.
It also ad includes: Training and development, wages and salaries, administration of transfer, promotions and lay-off, discipline and discharge. Additionally, the personnel department is also often charge with responsibility of health and safety, employees benefits and services, organizational planning personnel and behavioral research.
The economy is not forgetter, since national economy applies to individual are organization, non-organization can survive for so long or achieve it’s objectives efficiently without a proper knowledge of it’s strength ad weakness in terms of it’s staffing position.

1.8 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
Owing to time factor, academic stress and lack of financial support, only limited books, journals, newspapers were consulted in the study.
The researcher was also constrained by limited well structured organization in Enugu state where adequate and complete ascertained in defining the problems and prospects that faces the department.

1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS
MANAGEMENT: This is the employment and application of both human and material resources to achieve the objective of an organization in the most economic way.
PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT : It is defined as the deployment and development of people within an organization so that the objective of the organization will be achieved and adapted within the changing circumstances and conditions. It deals with bringing of a person into an organization, studying his behavior in the work situation, interest and relationship both with his fellow workers and the organization.
ADMINISTRATION: This is that part of management whose job is the implementation ad interpretation of the policies made by top management.
BUSINESS: It is an organized effort of individual to produce and provide goods and services for profit and to meet the needs and aspirations of the society.
ORGANIZATION: It is a group of people bound together to provide to provide unity of action for the achievement of predetermined objective.
OBJECTIVE: This is defined as the intended goals which spell out the scope and suggest the direction of efforts of organization
MOTIVATION: This is an incentive give in cash or in kind to an employee or group of employees geared to wards getting the best from them.
TRAINING: Training is defined as the organizational effort aimed at helping an employee acquire basic skill required for the efficient execution of the function for he hired.
DEVELOPMENT: It is the activities undertaken to expose an employee to perform additional duties and assume positions of importance in the organizational hierarchy.
SUPERVISOR: It is an act that involves directing and inspecting workers and other materials resources to attain efficiency in an organization. It is also at the lower level of management.
MAN-POWER: It refers to the number of staff working or available to work in an organization.
COMPENSATION: They are rewards for performance or for consolation, it can be either cash item as salary allowances, Christmas bonus or in non cash items like car, product of the company.
SOCIOLOGY: This is the scientific study of the name and development of society and social behaviour.
PSYCHOLOGY: This is the science of study of the mind and how it functions or mental characteristics of person or group.
ECONOMICS: This is the science or principles of the production distribution and consumption of goods especially with regards to cost or it is a condition of a country as regards to its wealth
MOMENTION: It is the force that increase the rate of development of a process.