RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION - The Case of National Oil Refinery Company-SO.NA.RA (Sarl), CAMEROON

Abstract

This study focuses on the implications of the recruitment policy and the overall business strategies of SO.NA.RA-Cameroon. The study also strives to illuminate CSR as a strategic ingredient to be integrated in HRM theory and practice by companies and to take cognizance of local employment issues. Such a requirement more likely enhances the reputation of firms within the vicinities where they operate, and guarantees that their working environments remain conducive and serene for sustainable production as echoed by CIPD (2007b). The objective of this Thesis is to study the Recruitment and Selection Strategies in SONARA. The study attempts to unravel questions associated with human resource allocation inefficiencies that is perceived to be perpetuated by corruption or discriminatory tendencies by some organizations or companies in Cameroon. The study is an exploratory case study. It was carried out with the use of a qualitative approach with in-depth interviews. The Human Capital Theory and The Resourced Based View of Firms were the dominant theories in the study complemented by the Equity Approach. These theories underline that firms’ successes are determined by the quality of their human resources. The theories were relevant in the analysis of the empirical data by creating spaces for the researcher to make inductions as well as deductions. Findings reveal that despite a well-conceived recruitment strategy framework aimed at attracting the right people in the right places, discrimination and corruption are major factors that infringed on the efficiency and effectively of the recruitment policy in SO.NA.RA. The study also identifies CSR as an alternative route to the public delivery of development. Companies should not see it only through the lens of the business case. Activities of CSR by companies should be institutionalized to recognize employment issues at least from within the immediate localities where such companies operate. The study further opens a gap for further research on the significance of the practice of the psychometric test in the last part of the recruitment and selection process in the company.