Role of HR Professionals in Mitigating Labor Crisis in Australian Mining Industry

Running head: MANAGING HUMAN RESOURCES
Managing Human Resources
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1MANAGING HUMAN RESOURCES
Article 1:
Full reference of the article:
Bakker, R. M., & Shepherd, D. A. (2017). Pull the plug or take the plunge: Multiple
opportunities and the speed of venturing decisions in the Australian mining
industry. Academy of Management Journal, 60(1), 130-155. Retrieved from
https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2013.1165
Objective and research question:
The aim of the authors Bakker and Shepherd in this article try to analyze the role of
human resource management teams in the particular context of the Australian mining
industry. The authors are of the viewpoint that one of the most important job roles that the
HR professionals perform within the mining industry of Australia is that of recruitment and
selection. The primary research question that the authors have selected in the article under
discussion is “To understand the degree to which the decision making abilities of the HR
professionals in the recruitment and selection process affect the prospects of Australian
mining organizations”.
Method:
The authors for the completion of this article collected “unique data on 3,269 mineral
exploration ventures in the Australian mining industry”. These data or information were
analyzed through the use of quantitative data analysis technique and at the same time review
of the past literature related to the topic under discussion here was also conducted by the
authors for the effective analysis of the research question.

2MANAGING HUMAN RESOURCES
Findings and discussion
Bakker and Shepherd after an analysis of the primary as well as the secondary data
which were collected by them state that the HR professionals need to understand the
opportunities offered by the local labor markets and on the basis of this they need to take the
help of effective decision making process for the selection of the right kind of candidates.
More importantly, the authors at the same time found that the HR professionals for the
effective utilization of the opportunities offered by the local domestic labor market need to
take the help of different kinds of strategies like e-recruitment, skill analysis and others for
the selection of the right kind of employees. In this regard, the authors state that one of the
major challenges that the various Australian organizations related to the mining sector is the
dearth of skilled labors who are available to them. For the mitigation of this threat the authors
states that “firms are not necessarily fast or slow regarding all the decisions they make, and
by offering an opportunity-evaluation framework that recognizes that decision makers can—
in fact, often do—pursue multiple potential opportunities simultaneously”. Thus, it can be
said that the HR professionals can mitigate the adverse effects of the labor crisis through
effective decision making regarding the strategies that they use for recruitment and also the
kind of candidates that they hire.
Conclusion
The authors conclude that through the effective use of the process of recruitment and
selection and also the effective utilization of the different kinds of recruitment opportunities
that are available to them the HR professionals can resolve the labor issues that they are
currently facing in an effective manner.

3MANAGING HUMAN RESOURCES
How this article will contribute to my Essay 3
I personally believe that this will be an important source for the Essay 3 which I
would be required to complete in January. For example, the article under discussion here is
completely relevant to the topic which I have selected, that is, the role of the HR
professionals within the framework of the Australian mining industry and also the manner in
which the HR professionals can address the issue of labor crisis through effective decision
making. Furthermore, the article is a credible source, being published in the “Academy of
Management Journal” in the year 2017. More importantly, the authors objectively argue on
both sides of the argument and offers extensive information related to the concept of
recruitment and selection process in the mining industry.
Article 2:
Full reference of the article:
Moffat, K., & Zhang, A. (2014). The paths to social licence to operate: An integrative model
explaining community acceptance of mining. Resources Policy, 39, 61-70. Retrieved
from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2013.11.003
Objective and research question:
The aim of the authors Moffat and Zhang in this article is to analyze the manner in
which the HR professionals related to the different Australian mining organizations can not
only eradicate the stigma that the employees related to these organizations had to face but at
the same time increase their human capital. The major research question that the authors try
to explore in the article under discussion here is “To what extent community acceptance of
individuals related to the mining industry can resolve the labor issues that the organizations
related to the Australian mining industry are currently facing”.