Brian Charles, the vice president of marketing for Sharpco Manufacturing, commented at the weekly executive directors' meeting, "I have good news. We can get the large contract with Medord Corporation. All we have to do is complete the project in one year instead of two. I told them we could do it."
Charmagne Powell, vice president of human resources, brought Brian back to reality by reminding him, "Remember the strategic plan we were involved in developing and we all agreed to? Our present workers do not have the expertise required to produce the quality that Medord's particular specifications require. Under the two-year project timetable, we planned to retrain our present workers gradually. With this new time schedule, we will have to go into the job market and recruit workers who are already experienced in this process. We all need to study your proposal further. Human resource costs will rise considerably if we attempt to complete the project in one year instead of two. Sure, Brian, we can do it, but with these constraints, will the project be cost-effective?"
1. Was Charmagne considering the strategic nature of human resource planning when she challenged Brian's "good news" forecast? Discuss.
2. How did the involvement in developing the corporate strategic plan assist Charmagne in challenging Brian?