-HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT-

Human Resources, also called HR, derived from what was formerly known as the

personnel department. The former personal department worked independently

from the other departments in the organization and was primarily responsible for

handling the administrative duties for the company. In essence, personnel

handled the recruiting and interviewing of job candidates and the exit interviews

for the employees who terminated employment with the company. Personnel

were also responsible for keeping track of employees’ attendance records,

employment law, administering benefits, and were pretty much reactive in

supporting the needs of the organization. This was the extent of the duties that

were performed by the personnel department.

Nowadays, HR is proactive in the strategic planning process and the

development of an organization. HR plays an integral role in the success of the

organization overall –by recruiting and selecting the best candidates to fill job

vacancies. Furthermore, HR continues to work closely with management teams

within the company to ensure workforce efficiency. There are several facets of

Human Resources today. The major functions of Human Resources are:

strategic management, workforce planning and employment, human resource

development, policy formulation, total rewards, labor relations, and risk

management. Let's take a look at the functions of HR and how each impacts an

organization.
Strategic Management

Human Resource professionals are proactive in planning for the future by

meeting the continuous short-term and long-term strategic objectives of the

organization.

Workforce Planning and Employment (recruitment and selection)

Workforce planning involves recruitment, selection, orientation, and exit process.

Department managers collaborate with Human Resources to determine staffing

needs and to fill job vacancies in a timely manner whenever the need(s) arise.

The HR recruitment team strategically recruits and selects only the best

candidates for the company and ensures workforce efficiency thereafter in an

effort to help the organization accomplish it goals and objectives.

Human Resource Development (training & development)

HR is responsible for ensuring that employees receive the appropriate training

(whether in-house or off-site) to adequately perform their jobs. Thus, employees

will be equipped to help achieve desired departmental and company goals and

objectives. Encouraging employees to take advantage of the tuition

reimbursement benefit will give employees an incentive to further their education

and use their acquired skills and knowledge for the betterment of the company in

general. HR Specialist also assists with change management and performance

management needs of the organization.

Total Rewards (compensation & benefits)

The HR benefits team is responsible for acquiring and administering an attractive

compensation and benefits package for new hires. This might include: a

competitive salary range, medical and dental insurance, choice of life insurance,

tuition reimbursement, 401k, flexible spending account, and more. The HR

recruiter should promote and offer an attractive rewards package to those

candidates who meet the selection criteria at some point during the interview

process. A competitive reward package will attract top talent and hopefully retain

them once hired.

Most organizations use a computerized system, Human Resource Information

System (HRIS) to in-put and keep track of employee data. HR compensation

analyst and payroll specialist oversees the salary administrations of new hires,

process payroll, employee benefits, attendance, vacation days, and maintain

employees files. Payroll specialist also responds to employee inquiries

regarding their salaries and other benefits.

Policy Formulation

Human Resources keep new hires and current employees abreast of the policies

and procedures of the organization. This might include (but not limited to) the

distribution of employee handbook, code of conduct manual, and performance

appraisals guidelines.
Employee and Labor Relations

The employee relations team seeks to align the employees’ needs and rights

with the needs of the organization. Things such as: union and non-union issues,

discrimination issues, and sexual harassment claims are matters that should be

handled by the labor relations department. Employers must stay in compliance

with the law in making sure that every employee is treated fairly. Employees are

encouraged to contact employee relations should they ever feel that they were

treated unfairly or to resolve other workplace problems.

Risk Management

The HR risk management team along with the department manager-should be

proactive in detecting risk items that could pose a possible threat to the

company: such as the removal of hazardous waste material from a work area

within the organization. Health care institutions in particular, should take extra

precautions in providing a safe work environment for its workers as well as its

clients and customers. HR should provide safety training and issue handbooks

to its employees to educate them on risk management issues. Employers face a

legal obligation to provide a safe and hazard free work environment. Employers

must also comply with OSHA (occupational safety and health administration) in

keeping accurate records for all work related injuries.

Concluding, understandably, some may still use the terms personnel and human

resources interchangeably. However, keep in mind that a HR professional’s role

is not just limited to administrative duties in the company anymore, but instead,

they provide continuous support in the planning process and the development of

an organization.

-STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT-
Creating a Mission Statement, Setting
Goals, and Developing Strategies (Action
Plans)
Revised, August 2009
Don Hofstrand
Professor Emeritus
Iowa State University
dhof@iastate.edu

A mission statement is a guiding light for a business and the individuals who run the
business. It is usually made up of three parts:
 Vision – big picture idea of what you want to achieve.
 Mission – general statement of how you will achieve your vision.
 Core Values – how you will behave during the process.
Each of these three elements is an important aspect of the businesses guiding light.

Once you have developed your mission statement, the next step is to create the
following items:
 Goals – general statements of mileposts you need to meet to achieve your
vision.
 Objectives – specific, time-sensitive statements for achieving your goals
 Strategies/Action Plans – specific implementation plans of how you will
achieve your objectives and goals.
Mission Statement Elements

Below are definitions of the three mission statement elements. An example of the
statements for a value-added business is included for clarification. Ag Ventures
Alliance (AgVA) is a company that starts value-added businesses. Because of its
unique nature, it is important that AgVA create a meaningful mission statement to
convey its purpose to it leaders, staff and members.

Vision -- A vision statement is a mental picture of what you want to accomplish or

achieve. For example, you may want to develop a profitable winery or a successful
organic dairy business.

AgVA's Vision -- A vibrant rural economy driven by value-added agriculture.

The vision statement should be concise and easy to remember. Because it is easy
to remember, it is easy for everyone in the organization to focus on the vision.
When people focus on the vision, their daily activities are automatically directed
towards achieving the vision.

Mission -- A statement of mission is a general statement of how you will achieve

your vision. There is a very close relationship between the vision and mission. The
mission is an action statement that usually begins with the word “to”. Once again it
is a very simple and direct statement that is easy to understand and remember.

AgVA's Mission -- To create and facilitate the development of value-added agricultural businesses.

AgVA’s mission defines how it will achieve its vision. It will create a vibrant rural
economy by creating and facilitating the development of value-added agricultural
businesses. There is a very close relationship between the two elements. The
vision and mission describe what will be achieved and how it will be achieved.

Core Values -- Core values define the business in terms of the principles and
values that the business leaders will follow. They provide the bounds or limits of
how the business leaders will conduct their activities while carrying out the vision
and mission.

AgVA's Core Values:

 Provide economically sound business opportunities for our members.
 Practice high ethical business standards.
 Respect and protect the environment.
 Produce high quality products that are safe for consumers.
 Meet the changing needs and desires of consumers.
The core values tell a lot about the leaders of AgVA and how they will conduct their
business activities and relationships.

Characteristics of Good Mission Statements

to create a successful mission statement, you should keep the following concepts in
mind.

Simple -- Your mission statement should be simple. However, creating the

statement is usually not easy. It may require several drafts. The statement needs to
capture the very essence of what your business or organization will achieve and
how you will achieve it.

The statement should be short and concise. The fewer words the better. Use just
enough words to capture the essence. Most mission statements are too long.
People tend to want to add additional information and qualifications to the
statement. Usually these statements just confuse the reader and cloud the real
meaning of your statement. Each successive draft of your statements should be to
simplify and clarify by using as few words as possible.

Your statements of vision and mission should be a single thought that can easily be
carried in the mind. To test the effectiveness of a mission statement in a business,
ask its leaders, managers and employees to tell you the vision and mission of their
business. If they cannot instantaneously tell you both, their mission statement is of
little use. The vision and mission guide the everyday activities of every person
involved in the business. To be effective, your statements need to short and simple,
capturing the essence of what you want to accomplish.

Fluid Process -- People agonize over writing mission statements. Granted, it is

usually not a simple or easy process. However, the statements are not “cast in
stone”. They can be updated and modified later. It is often best to do the best job of
writing it as you can, use the statement for a period of time, and then revisit it a few
months or a year later. It is often easy to sharpen the statement at that time.
Remember, the reason you are writing the statements is to clarify what you are
doing.

Unique Businesses -- It is usually more important to write mission statements for

unique or non-traditional businesses where the purpose of the business is not
generally known. Mission statements are important for these businesses so that
everyone involved in the business understands what the business will accomplish
and how it will be accomplished. In essence this means “keeping everyone on the
same page” so they are all “pulling in the same direction”.

The Role of Goals and Objectives

Once you have developed your vision, mission and core values, you can then
develop the goals and objectives needed to achieve your vision.

Goals -- Goals are general statements of what you want to achieve. So they need
to be integrated with your vision. They also need to be integrated with your mission
of how you are going to achieve your vision. Examples of company goals are:
 To improve profitability
 To increase efficiency
 To capture a bigger market share
 To provide better customer service
 To improve employee training
 To reduce carbon emissions
A goal should meet the following criteria:
 Suitable: Does it fit with the vision and mission?
 Acceptable: Does it fit with the values of the company and the employees?
 Understandable: Is it stated simply and easy to understand?
 Flexible: Can it be adapted and changed as needed?
Make sure the goals are focused on the important properties of the business. Be
careful not to set too many goals. You run the risk of losing focus. Also, design
your goals so that they don’t contradict and interfere with each other.

Objectives -- Objectives are specific, quantifiable, time-sensitive statements of what

is going to be achieved and when it will be achieved. They are milestones along the
path of achieving your goals. Examples of company objectives are:
 To earn at least a 20 percent after-tax rate of return on our net investment
during the next fiscal year
 To increase market share by 10 percent over the next three years.
 To lower operating costs by 15 percent over the next two years by improving
the efficiency of the manufacturing process.
 To reduce the call-back time of customers inquiries and questions to no more
than four hours.
Objectives should meet the following criteria:
 Measurable: What will happen and when?
 Suitable: Does it fit as a measurement for achieving the goal?
 Feasible: Is it possible to achieve?
 Commitment: Are people committed to achieving the objective?
 Ownership: Are the people responsible for achieving the objective included in
the objective-setting process?
Types of Goals and Objectives

Most business goals fall into one of four categories. A variety of objectives can be
constructed to meet the goal in each category. Examples are given below. Each of
the objectives should be described with a quantifiable outcome to be achieved by a
predetermined deadline.
Goals Corresponding Objectives

Improve Profitability Net profit as a percent of sales

Net profit as percent of investment
Net profit per share of common
stock
Increase Volume Market share
Percentage growth in sales
Sales rank in the market
Production capacity utilization

Provide Stability Variance in annual sales volume

Variance in seasonal sales volume
Variance in profitability

Non-monetary

 Improve company image Contributions to community activities

 Environment enhancement Meet specific environmental
requirements
 Enhance quality of life Increase pay scale

The Role of Strategies and Action Plans

Strategies are statements of how you are going to achieve something. In a sense,
a strategy is how you will use your mission to achieve your vision. A strategy is a
series of actions or activities designed to achieve the goal. Goals and objectives
provide milestones for measuring the success of the strategy in achieving the
vision.

Action plans (tactics) are statements of specific actions or activities used to achieve
an objective. You need to identify specific individuals who have the responsibility for
implementing the action plans.

Examples of Strategies, Goals, Objectives and Action Plans

Below are strategies, goals, objectives and action plans for AgVA. Note that the
strategies are a series of ways of using the mission to achieve the vision. Goals are
statements of what needs to be done to implement the strategy. Objectives are
specific milestones for meeting the goal. Action plans are specific actions for
reaching the milestone.
Vision: A vibrant rural economy driven by value-added agriculture.

Mission: To create and facilitate the development of value-added agricultural businesses.

Strategy: Use local farmer leaders with business development skills to develop the
businesses.

Goal: Recruit local farmers interested/experienced in business development.

 Objective: Create a membership of twenty farmers by February 1.

Action Plan: Form a membership committee to recruit local farmer

leaders. Identify forty farm leaders in the area. List their
qualifications. Contact them individually with the expectation that half
of them will join.

Vision: A vibrant rural economy driven by value-added agriculture.

Mission: To create and facilitate the development of value-added agricultural businesses.

Strategy: Use consultants to supplement the skills of local farmers leaders in developing
businesses.

Goal: Recruit experienced and reliable consultants.

Objective: Identify and retain legal, accounting and industry consultants by

March 1.

Action Plan: Create a committee from the membership (recruited

above) to talk to Prairie Ethanol, Peterson Organics and Valley Bio-
Diesel about who their consultants are, select a small group to
interview and hire an attorney, an accountant and an industry
consultant.

Vision: A vibrant rural economy driven by value-added agriculture.

Mission: To create and facilitate the development of value-added agricultural businesses.

Strategy: Create successful businesses by focusing on current market opportunities.

Goal: Identify and analyze market opportunities for possible business ventures.

Objective: Identify three potential market opportunities by June 1.

Action Plan: Contract with our industry consultant (identified above) to

conduct an industry scan.

Vision: A vibrant rural economy driven by value-added agriculture.

Mission: To create and facilitate the development of value-added agricultural businesses.

Strategy: Provide financial support for the businesses from investment by local farmer
members.

Goal: Build a membership base.

Objective: Have 500 members by August 1.

 Action Plan: The membership committee will conduct 10 membership
meetings at specified locations on the following dates in June and July.

In other words, strategies are approaches AgVA will take to create successful
businesses that will lead to a vibrant rural economy. Goals, objectives and action
plans are used to implement these strategies.

Strategies are critical to the success of your business because this is where you
actually outline a plan for doing something and then do it. If you don’t carry through
on your strategies, your vision and mission are of no value.

Strategies are a series of unique steps that will achieve the business vision. The
more unique the business, the more creative and innovative you need to be in
crafting your strategies.

Conclusions

creating the statements described above may seem like a lot of busy work. But, if
done properly, they can save money and time and increase the odds that your
business venture will succeed. Creating these statements will help you focus on the
important aspect of your business. They will force you to focus on “where you are
going” and “how and when you will get there.” Think of these statements as living
documents that are changed as the needs of the business change. Too often these
statements are treated as “iconic relics” to be stored away in a safe place. If you
don’t use them, you have wasted your time.

Vision Mission Values




Our Vision
To influence market forces through vibrant and sustainable agriculture activity that
reduces poverty, reduces the risk of food insecurity and increases the contribution to
GDP

Our Mission Statement

To excel in the provision of customer-focused and market driven services in the
agriculture sector. In particular the elements will be:

 Efficient management of technical, administrative, financial and personnel services

 Sound human resource management and development
 Investment optimization through research and development in conjunction with all
interest groups
 WTO and Codex compliance for domestic and international markets
 Development of collaborative and consultative alliances at all levels
 Manage land and water resources in a sustainable and cost effective way
 Continue the inculcation of performance based management
 Maintenance and enhancement of the commitment to food and income security
 Enact and implement legislation both within the Ministry and throughout allied
agencies

Our Values

 Commitment
 Honesty
 Integrity
 Accountability
 Transparency
 Impartiality
 Professionalism
 Courtesy
 Partnership
 Equity
 Responsiveness
 Responsibility
 Innovation

Vision Statement
To operate a family-based and sustainable agri-business that provides solid returns for both landowners and
our operation so future generations can continue in farming.

Mission Statement
Landowners: Landowners are the lifeblood of our business. Together, we look to the future to continue to
provide an acceptable return and be good stewards of their soil and environment.

Team Members: To make Emerick Farms a great place to work by providing an atmosphere that promotes
team member growth, satisfaction, trust and respect.

Financial Success: To provide our company with acceptable financial success that is measured by profitability,
efficiency and return on assets.

Growth: To provide for our expansion and growth and better serve our landowners and team members.

CaObjectives and Benefits of Agricultural Societies

Agricultural Societies In Ontario

 The over 200 Agricultural Societies are nonpartisan, grassroots, volunteer based organizations whose primary
objective is to encourage an awareness of agriculture and to promote improvements in the quality of life of persons
living in an agricultural community.

The Objectives of Ontario Agricultural Societies

The objectives of an agricultural society are to encourage an awareness of agriculture and to promote
improvements in the quality of life of persons living in an agricultural community by:

 Researching the needs of the agricultural community and developing programs to meet those needs
 Holding agricultural exhibitions featuring competitions for which prizes may be awarded
 Promoting the conservation of natural resources
 Encouraging the beautifications of the agricultural community
 Supporting and providing facilities to encourage activities intended to enrich rural life
 Conducting or promoting horse races when authorized to do so by a by-law of the society
Not every society will be engaged in all of the activities listed, however all societies should be engaged in activities
that encourage agricultural awareness and improve the quality of life of the persons living in their community.

Benefits From Ontario Agricultural Societies

Local and Provincial economies receive a direct benefit:

 Agricultural benefits
 Family appeal
 Helps keep communities on the map
 A sense of community is strengthened
 Urban and rural communities alike can learn about agriculture
 Development of Youth through Ambassador Programs, 4-H Clubs and Activities, Junior Farmers
 Promotion of tourism
 Provides opportunities in leadership
 Other groups and service clubs realize fund raising goals through fair participation
Ontario Agricultural Societies through their activities, programs and services, deliver direct, indirect and induced
benefit to the Ontario Government with great significance to the rural and urban population. The benefits include:

 Strengthening the agricultural economy

 Providing tax revenues
 Increasing agricultural education
 Increasing agricultural awareness
 Providing entertainment
 Strengthening rural life
 Increasing and enhancing tourism
 Providing rural and urban exposure
 Strengthening the food chain
Agricultural Awareness
Ontario's Agricultural Societies are a nonpartisan medium through which new technologies can be shown and
displayed to the general public. Annual fairs/exhibitions provide a means of educating the consumer as to how
Ontario food is produced and delivered to the dinner table, "From Farm to Table". The agricultural fair provides
agricultural awareness, education programs and 4-H and Jr. Farmer opportunities to encourage further youth
involvement in agriculture and their communities.

The Societies provide an opportunity for individuals to develop their leadership and interpersonal skills as they
progress through committees, to the executive and on the provincial boards. Many of these people are key leaders
within the agricultural community and beyond.

Agricultural Volunteers Throughout Ontario

 over 200 fairs in all areas on Ontario
 4300 or more directors staffing these fairs
 8200 service groups present or exhibiting
 24,000 volunteers support the directors
 4,500,000 or more attend on Ontario fair
 3,000,000 dollars paid in prize money
 Objectives
 Coordinate education programs and services for beginning farmer efforts statewide.
 Assess needs of beginning farmers and retiring farmers.
 Develop, coordinate, and deliver targeted education to beginning and retiring farm families.
 Provide programs and services that develop skills and knowledge in financial management and planning, legal
issues, tax laws, technical production and management, leadership, sustainable agriculture, human health
and the environment.
Future plans for the center

 Continue the Ag Link program that links beginning farmers with farmers desiring to transition their farms to the
next generation.
 Continue the Returning to Farm Seminar for farm owner/operators and their business successors.
 Continue supporting the individual farm financial analysis for beginning farmers through the Extension Farm
Financial Planning Program.
 Conduct targeted research to on farm business succession planning, the needs for beginning farmers and
other relevant topics.
 Provide educational materials to beginning and exiting farmers through a variety of methods including the
internet, seminars, and publications.