On March $1,2024,$ I interviewed John Doe, the Human Resources Manager at ABC Industries in South Houston, Texas. Mr$.$ Doe has an M$.$B$.$A$.$ He has seven years of business experience and manages $121$ people.

As the Human Resources Manager, Mr$.$ Doe ensures planning, monitoring, and appraisal of employee work results by training managers to coach and discipline employees; scheduling management conferences with employees; hearing and resolving employee grievances; counseling employees and supervisors.

His background has all been in human resources. He found out early in his college years that he was drawn to working with people in this type of capacity. He had a couple of human resources positions before he was promoted to department manager, which is his current position. He is very happy in his current position and feels that he will retire from that position.

Mr$.$ Doe believes that his most important skill is people skills. He would like his employees to also have good people skills, knowledge of procurement, good attendance, and a thirst for knowledge.

ABC Industries considers strategic planning to be necessary for the company to be successful. It conducts strategic planning annually.

The process starts with the Chief Executive Officer who meets with the department managers to review the past year$$s planning and determine where the company wants to go strategically. They develop a draft strategic plan which is discussed with all employees for input before it is finalized and implemented.

The company does recycling where possible. It has recycle containers dispersed around the plant for paper and plastic and glass containers. The company also recycles cardboard boxes. They pay a recycling company to pick up the materials weekly.

The company is not specifically involved in community service other than providing good wages and working conditions for employees.

Mr$.$ Doe knows of Rice University in Houston, but he did not know much about the institution or its strategic management program or if it even has a strategic management program.

Mr$.$ Doe thinks that students should have strong work ethics, creativity, the ability to think out of the box, managerial skills, and analytical skills. He would like to see students take college courses in the recruitment and hiring process, labor relations, affirmative action, risk management, employee training and development, finance, analysis, and quantitative management.

Mr$.$ Doe thought Rice University might want to advertise on a roadway billboard.

In summary, I thanked Mr$.$ Doe for the interview and asked if he would like me to send him a copy of my paper. He said he would like a copy and provided me with his email address.

Mr$.$ Doe was curious as to why a graduate student would want to interview him. I told him that ABC Industries is a well$-$known company in South Houston, and I was considering applying for a position once I complete my graduate degree. The community interview assignment provided an excellent segue to find out about the company and what skills and knowledge I need to attain if I want a position at ABC Industries.