Human Resource Management: Recruitment and Selection

This unit explores the principles of effective Human Resource Management (HRM) and its importance in attracting, recruiting, and retaining talented staff. It covers topics such as recruitment and selection, employee engagement, and the impact of employment legislation. The project focuses on a case study of 'Chocola Fantastica' and includes tasks related to HR functions, selection methods, job advertising, and employee engagement.

Unit Number and Title Unit 01– Human Resource Management
Submission Format:
Project Guidelines:
 Use a standard report structure, Word-process the report and use Normal script of a proper font size 12.
 Produce an academic report, addressing all the tasks with an approx. word limit of 3,000, although you will
not be penalised for exceeding the word count.
 Complete the title page and sign the statement of authenticity (format attached). This sheet should be
attached in the front of your project.
 All work should be comprehensively referenced and all sources must be fully acknowledged, such as
books and journals, websites (include the date of visit), etc.
 Include a References/Bibliography at the end of the project. Use the Harvard referencing system.
 In order to pass you need to address all Pass criteria.
 In order to get a merit you need to address all the merit criteria along with pass criteria.
 In order to get a Distinction you need to address all the distinction criteria along with pass and merit
criteria.
Use a common report format in writing, for example:
 Introduction (analyse the question.)
 Underpinning Knowledge (write about the relevant theory/points)
 Applied knowledge (Application to a business scenario and supported by applicable data)
 Conclusions and Recommendations (summarizing the whole scenario keeping in view pass, merit,
distinction criteria.)
Unit Learning Outcomes:
LO1- Explain the purpose and scope of Human Resource Management in terms of resourcing an
organisation with talent and skills appropriate to fulfil business objectives.
LO2- Evaluate the effectiveness of the key elements of Human Resource Management in an
organisation.
LO3 Analyse internal and external factors that affect Human Resource Management decision-making,
including employment legislation.
LO4 Apply Human Resource Management practices in a work-related context
Project Brief and Guidance:
Introduction
The aim of this unit is to enable students to appreciate and apply principles of effective Human Resource
Management (HRM). People are the lifeblood of any organisation and being able to attract, recruit and
retain talented staff is at the core of all HRM activity. This unit will explore the tools and techniques used
in HRM to maximise the employee contribution and how to use HR methods to gain competitive
advantage.

Students will explore the importance of training and development in building and extending the skills
base of the organisation and ensuring it is relevant to the ever-changing business environment. Students
will also consider the growing importance of becoming a flexible organisation with an equally flexible
labour force, and become familiar with techniques of job design and with different reward systems.
The unit investigates the importance of good employee relations and the ways in which employers
engage with their staff and possibly with trade unions. Students will gain an understanding of the law
governing HRM processes as well as the best practices which enable an employer to become an
‘employer of choice’ in their labour market.
Project Brief and Guidance
Scenario and activity:
PART 1 –The Purpose and Scope of HRM and Recruitment and Selection & the Application of HRM
practices in the workplace.
Case scenario
‘Chocola Fantastica’ is a rapidly expanding organisation based in South Wales, which provides
tailormade chocolate-based greetings cards and presents across the UK. The business comprises a
chocolate production team, a finance and marketing team and a packaging and distribution section.
There is also a small team of staff who design and create the more specialist gift orders. The owner of
the business is a master chocolatier, who, whilst excellent at creating innovative chocolate flavours and
inspired designs, has no experience of employing an ever-increasing workforce. As the organisation
has grown staff turnover has increased and feedback from long standing customers indicates that the
quality of some items is not as high as it used to be.
The organisation is based in an area of high unemployment and so the number of applicants for
production or administration vacancies is very high. In order to help the owner and the
workshopmanager to shortlist applicants they have created their own assessment test on English
comprehension and maths which applicants complete on line or in person. They have a fixed pass mark
of 50% for both of these tests. Those that achieve the pass mark then have their references checked
before being called for interview. The interview is really an informal chat, which takes around 15
minutes. There have recently been some complaints from applicants about the fairness of the test and a
number of new recruits have failed their probationary period.
The owner has recruited you as a Human Resource Officer to ensure that the organisation recruits and
retains the best workers to enable further growth.
Please note: ‘Chocola Fantastica’ is NOT a real company! It is a fabricated company made up for
the purposes of this project)
Section 1 – (LO1)
(Approximately 1000 words)
Compile a report which:
a) Explains the purpose of the HR function and its importance to the organisation, given its current
problems and future plans for further growth.
b) Explains the strengths and weaknesses of the current selection methods used by the organisation.
c) Evaluates at least 2 two potential improvements that could be made by ‘Chocola Fantastica’ to
enhance its selection process.
Tips: Try to be evaluative and analytical in your answer. Refer to suitable, credible materials to build
general understanding of HR functions, roles and responsibilities, then consider the specific situation of
the case study. Remember (b) and (c) refer just to Selection methods, NOT recruitment methods. Be

realistic and practical with your suggestions and back them up with a reference, as much as possible.
Section 2 – Application (LO 4)
(Approximately 1000 words)
In the past, job vacancies have been circulated internally, to existing staff and their friends/family, within
‘Chocola Fantastica’ and on the physical vacancy noticeboards on the external wall of the main site
entrance. You feel that this is insufficient and intend to change this with the first vacancy that you need
to fill - a Receptionist for the organisation.
Using the job description provided in Appendix 1 you should:
a) Create a person specification for the role
b) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the current methods of advertising jobs in the
organisation (internally within the organisation and on the noticeboard outside the main entrance).
c) Explain where you would recommend the job advert for the Receptionist vacancy to be placed and
why.
Tips: Try to take into consideration the nature of the job role, the targeted market and culture of the
organisation when answering the questions.
Section 3 (LO2)
(Approximately 1000 words)
Microsoft prides itself in having a culture which encourages personal growth and development
opportunities, whilst providing a range of benefits and rewards to its employees. Combined, this results
in an organisation that “creates things to change the world” (Microsoft, 2018).
Use the following links, along with additional research on Microsoft:
https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/ur-lp-united-kingdom
Provide a summary report which addresses the following points:
a) Microsoft offer graduate training schemes and internships. Evaluate the benefits to both the
organisation and employees of such schemes.
b) Microsoft offers a range of flexible working arrangements for staff.
Firstly, identify some of these arrangements and then evaluate the benefits of offering these to both
Microsoft and its employees.
c) Evaluate how Microsoft motivates its workers through the way it designs its job roles.
Tips: Try to support any claim or statement about Microsoft with a reference; try to cover the topic
sections generically and then link back to Microsoft. Try to integrate the merit and distinction elements
into your answer.
Section 4 (LO3 )
(Approximately 1000 words)

Microsoft held an employee engagement summit earlier last year (2018), with the involvement of 6 large
organisations, outlining their approach and success of engaging staff.
Using this information (via the link:
https://resources.techcommunity.microsoft.com/employee-engagement-summit-2018)
and by carrying out additional research, address the following, providing your answer in the form of a
briefing sheet on the importance of employee engagement:
a) What you understand by the term employee engagement; and why is employee engagement such an
important part in effective employee relations in Microsoft?
b) Critically evaluate the key approaches to engaging workers discussed in the Summit and how these
approaches improve communication in the workplace.
c) Identify the key elements of UK employment legislation, explaining how they influence HR decision
making such as recruitment, training and development and reward.
Tips: Make sure to you refer to information provided on each organisation in the Summit and
then use this information to feed back into your answer.
When answering (c) ensure that you consider what managers and the HR function need to do in order to
meet the legal requirements.

Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria
The module will be assessed and graded against the Pass, Merit and Distinction criteria as
specified in the assessment grid below issued by the awarding body, Pearson Edexcel.
Appendix 1
Chocola Fantastica Job description
Job title Receptionist
Department/Section Administration
Reporting to Head of Administration
Main purposes of job To provide a professional and welcome
experience for clients and visitors to the site.
To answer incoming telephone enquiries
Pass Merit Distinction
LO1 Explain the purpose and scope of Human Resource Management
in terms of resourcing an organisation with talent and skills
appropriate to fulfil business objectives
LO1 & 2
D1 Critically evaluate the
strengths and weaknesses
of different approaches to
recruitment and selection,
supported by specific
examples.
P1 Explain the purpose and the functions
of HRM, applicable to workforce planning
and resourcing an organisation.
P2 Explain the strengths and weaknesses
of different approaches to recruitment and
selection.
M1 Assess how the functions
of HRM can provide talent
and skills appropriate to fulfil
business objectives
M2 Evaluate the strengths
and weaknesses of different
approaches to recruitment
and selection.
LO2 Evaluate the effectiveness of the key elements of Human
Resource Management in an organisation
P3 Explain the benefits of different HRM
practices within an organisation for both
the employer and employee.
P4 Evaluate the effectiveness of different
HRM practices in terms of raising
organisational profit and productivity.
M3 Explore the different
methods used in HRM
practices, providing specific
examples to support
evaluation within an
organisational context.
LO3 Analyse internal and external factors that affect Human
Resource Management decision-making, including employment
legislation
LO3 & 4
D3 Critically evaluate
employee relations and the
application of HRM
practices that inform and
influence decision-making
in an organisational context.
P5 Analyse the importance of employee
relations in respect to influencing HRM
decision making.
P6 Identify the key elements of
employment legislation and the impact it
has upon HRM decision making.
M4 Evaluate the key aspects
of employee relations
management and
employment legislation that
affect HRM decision-making
in an organisational context.
LO4 Apply Human Resource Management practices in a work-related
context
P7 Illustrate the application of HRM
practices in a work-related context, using
specific examples.
M5 Provide a rationale for the
application of specific HRM
practices in a work-related
context.

efficiently
Key tasks • Meeting and greeting clients
•
• Booking meetings
•
• Arranging couriers
•
• Keeping the reception area tidy
•
• Answering and forwarding phone calls
•
• Liaising with departments in relation to
visitors and deliveries
•
• Sorting and distributing post
•
• Completing administrative paperwork
•
• Providing customer service support
•
• Maintaining stock of client stationery
• Any other reasonable duties assigned by the
Administration Manager
Responsible for
equipment/materials
Use of IT facilities and telephone switchboard.
Stationery stock and ordering of refreshments
Allocation of visitor badges and the attendance
log.