Globalization today has raised standards in as far as qualifications for employees are considered today. In today’s world, globalization has already become a valid concern for all business establishments in a given economy because it now involves. In order to be competitive, the so-called multi-national companies or MNCs must have the most competent employees in terms of their skills and on computer literacy. In another perspective, the rising supply of available employees continues to grow given the growing number of college graduates from various academic institutions. Because globalization continuous to exists in terms of:
“the expansion of technology, as well as the liberation of cross-border trade and resource movements, and development of services that support international business” (Daniels, Radebaugh, and Sullivan, 2011, 7),
it is relevant for companies to hire world-class and competitive employees who can help them achieve their corporate goals and objectives. Subsequently, it is the responsibility of both students and the academe to develop the computer literacy of individuals so as to meet the expectations of global trade today. With this in mind, it is the purpose and objectives of this paper to determine the relevance of hiring computer literate college graduates for companies competing in a global perspective. Such is so because information and computer technology can help improve the efficiency of employees given the fast technological development of productivity tools for business today. As such, the academe and students themselves must be updated with the latest trends because global businesses are taking advantage with these developments as they promise to improve work efficiency, reduce costs and human errors, and speed up the turnover of capital that results to profitable business operations as their bottom-line objective.
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Globalization is now a factor for global companies who are currently competing with competition in international business nowadays. Competencies of these global companies are now as relevant as before because they would not only compete with other global companies but those operating in domestic levels where they are presently operating. As such, companies need to emphasize not only with their financial performance, market competitiveness, and internal business processes in order to achieve such globalization requirement. They must also emphasize as a preliminary strategy the learning and growth of their human resources who are the ones who would implement strategies and achieve goals for the MNC.
In addition to this requirement, MNCs must also take into consideration the culture of the locals where they source their human resource because it practically defines how these individuals view the necessities of their skills or competencies in order to fulfill work expectations of the MNCs that hire them. Consequently, all these revolve around the respective economic status and activities of the local countries where these companies are operating in. Because development of technology such as the latest computer programs that almost changes through their frog-leap approach tend to provide better and more powerful productivity tools, MNCs tend to patronize such and expect users to know this in as far as their preparatory education is concerned. More so, these resources are easily accessible because of the relaxing of various trade agreements that makes computer and information technology products advocate from various governments in the world. Such factors are considerable given the upgrading of business facilities that are applicable for any businesses and must also be taught by academic institutions in preparation for college students for their future employment.
International Competencies in Globalization
Given the needed international competencies of global businesses around the world, skills of their human resources must be emphasized. Among these skills involves their need to acquire computer literacy prior to employment with a global company. Regardless of the size of a MNC, computer literacy as a requirement is emphasized noting that:
“stakeholders, such as future employers, have raised expectations of college graduates in the area of computer literacy where computer skills and understanding are especially critical for business management graduates, who are expected to use computer technology as a tool in every aspect of their career” (Johnson, Bartholomew, and Miller, 2006, 77).
With this in mind, expectations must be met by both the academe and students in order to compensate the demands of global business today. Without the computer literacy skills of new employees, such inadequacy in competencies shall eventually translate into their productivity and eventually result to poor performance of the global company as a whole. This expectation could be more challenging for developed nations as compared to Second or Third World countries given that there are already a:
“high volume of fresh graduates from transnational companies coming from developing countries are already highly equipped with the necessary technological knowledge needed by international companies nowadays” (Brown and Lauder, 7).
Computer literacy skills can also be measured through the use of various computer-related terminologies and theories as a means of measurement for global companies because “familiarity with computers, exposure to technology, and understanding terminologies, will play an important role in successful job entry” (Arzy, 5, 1992) and should be a priority of new graduates if they intend to apply with a global company. This is the primary function of the human resource management department with a “sound human management (strategy) that encompasses both static and dynamic functions” (United Nations, 2). This meant that the responsibility of employee selection must be supported with high standards of skills such as computer literacy in order for them to meet global company expectations today. More so, human resource managers must also learn how to “shift from personnel management to human resource management as companies move from old economy to the new economy” (Rennie, 7) and the skills of new employees must be given emphasis even during the hiring process. With employees meeting these expectations, global companies would eventually acquire efficient and effective human resource who can contribute productive performance for the global company’s success.
The Role of the Academe and Students
In order to meet these requirements, globalization and its success through the relevance of human resource management would require development at the grass-roots level. This means that the academe and the students themselves must initiate progress before future employees are deployed in the global field. Among the most crucial skills that these students must gain is computer literacy. Today, computer literacy is defined and acquired through:
“some type of introductory computer course of their students to ensure their ‘computer literacy,’ ‘computer competency,’ ‘technological literacy’ or similar term that are broadly construed as a measure of one’s aptitude and proficiency with computer and information technology” (Easton, Easton and Addo, 39).
The academe must always have the most effective computer literacy programs that would guarantee the proficiency of students in as far as using specific computer business applications are involved. This would guarantee companies employing new graduates from specific educational institutions that students are equipped with the necessary competencies that meet their expectations.
How can these academic institutions teach students to be computer literate? For most academic institutions, the most common approach would be discussing computer theories and terminologies through classroom with lecture discussions as methodologies. This is not enough because it is a proven approach that students must also have hands-on training in order to simulate actual use and experience on various computer skills needed and used once they are employed after graduation. According to Ä°lhan:
“Computer-based instructional applications are effective alternative to traditional teaching methods and interactive computer programs are used to teach young students and adults computer literacy skills by many academic institutions today” (1).
With the effectiveness of such methodology, academic institutions become an effective learning venue that would provide them the credibility for producing graduates that guarantees proficient competencies in as far as the required skills of computer literacy is demanded by global companies. “Corporate e-learning programs used by the most promising markets in the education industry today” (Urdan and Weggen, 2000, 1) entails this strategy.
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Finally, attitudes and motivations of students in learning both basic and advanced computer courses would be achieved if the learning approach would help them realize the necessity, applicability, and regulations of this knowledge. This is because it is also their responsibility to equip themselves with computer literacy skills since they will be the ones who would benefit from such once they are employed in their chosen field of work. It is not enough to attend to a computer learning class with the best methodology to guarantee learning. It is also the sole responsibility of students to become serious with what they are trying to learn. They must always realize that the relevance of computer literacy courses is vital for their productivity once they join the real world. As such, attitudes towards learning and self-motivation are needed if they want to see themselves employed with global companies that expect more from them in as far as computer literacy, proficiency, and productivity is concerned.
Conclusion
With the demands of globalization in the global economy today, multi-national companies expect more from employees in terms of their competencies. Such competencies would include their computer literacy in terms of using the most updated computer and information technologies today. Such is the job of human resource management to acquire competent individuals who are computer literate because this is a part of their responsibilities in human resource management. For global companies, productivity of employees translates to their bottom-line purpose of earning profits so that they can continue operating. Aside from culture and economic conditions, computer literacy and competency of their human resource is the first thing that they should consider because these individuals will implement corporate strategies aimed in achieving corporate success. With this in mind, it is the responsibility of academic institutions to prepare students for these expectations. Concurrently, it is also the responsibility of the students themselves to learn in the most effective manner they can as such skills are being demanded and will eventually be used once they enter the real world of international business.
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