The Impact of Cloud Computing on Human Resource Activities: A Case Study of Tesco

This research paper explores the impact of cloud computing on the human resource activities of Tesco, a global supermarket chain. It examines the effectiveness of cloud computing systems used by Tesco's HR department, investigates the challenges faced during implementation, and provides recommendations for improvement. The study utilizes a mixed-methods approach, combining data from interviews with Tesco managers and a survey of 50 employees. The findings highlight the benefits of cloud computing in enhancing efficiency, flexibility, and security in HR operations. However, the research also identifies challenges related to data privacy, security concerns, and employee resistance to change. The paper concludes with recommendations for Tesco to address these challenges and maximize the benefits of cloud computing in its HR department.

The Impact of Cloud Computing on Human Resource
Activities: A Case Study of Tesco

Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction....................................................................................................................4
1.0 Introduction................................................................................................................................4
1.1 Rationale of the study................................................................................................................4
1.2 Background................................................................................................................................4
1.3 Aim............................................................................................................................................5
1.4 Objectives..................................................................................................................................5
1.5 Research questions.....................................................................................................................5
1.6 Structure of the dissertation.......................................................................................................6
Chapter 2: Literature Review...........................................................................................................7
2.0 Introduction................................................................................................................................7
2.1 Concept of cloud computing......................................................................................................7
2.2 Activities of human resource department..................................................................................7
2.2 Impact of cloud computing on human resource activities.........................................................8
2.3 Literature Gap............................................................................................................................9
2.4 Summary....................................................................................................................................9
Chapter 3: Research Methodology................................................................................................10
3.1 Research philosophy (Selection and justification)..................................................................10
3.2 Research design (Selection and justification)..........................................................................10
3.3 Research approach...................................................................................................................10
3.4 Sampling technique and selection...........................................................................................11
3.5 Ethical consideration...............................................................................................................11
3.6 Limitation of the study.............................................................................................................11
3.7 Timeline...................................................................................................................................11
3.7 Summary..................................................................................................................................12

Reference list.................................................................................................................................13

Chapter 1: Introduction
1.0 Introduction
The introduction of the new technologies in the field of organisational work culture has brought
about a revolutionary movement. The organisations no longer depend on the physical techniques
to do both the trivial and important works. In the early years of the implementation of the
technological advancements, the companies found it hard to bring the positives outcome. But
with the new age of workers, who are aware of the perks of the gadgets and technologies, the
workers can instil the advantages of the technology and have brought about a drastic change in
the work culture.
This research is an evaluation of the impact of the technologies in the organisational objectives
With the help of this research, the researcher is enabled to understand the positive and negative
effects of the introduction of Cloud Computing in a company named Tesco, which is service
provider in the super market sector based in UK.
1.1 Rationale of the study
Tesco is a huge company, which operates in multiple nations and has more than six thousand
stores worldwide. So the amount of data that the company has to handle is huge and from a
diverse number of sources. The company faces problems in the human resources department in
storing the huge database. So main idea of the research is to understand the ways in which Tesco
can solve the problem. Cloud Computing is the most effective way in the present to deal with
these sorts of situations. The human resource department of the company needs to evaluate the
effects of the system and implement Cloud computing in their work culture.
1.2 Background
Cloud computing is an internet based system that enhance the accountability of the different
sections in an organisation and works as a bridge between all the sectors like human resource,
production and other existing working sectors in the company. This way the work can go on with

better speed and less confusion between the departments, which enhance the workability of the
workers in the company (Employers, 2016).
1.3 Aim
The aim of this research is to evaluate the impact of cloud computing on human resource
activities of Tesco.
1.4 Objectives
 To evaluate the effectiveness of cloud computing system used by the human resource
department of Tesco
 To investigate the issues faced by Tesco while using cloud computing system
 To provide suitable recommendations to the human resource department in order to
improve the implementation of cloud computing
1.5 Research questions
 What is the effectiveness of cloud computing system used by the human resource
department of Tesco?
 What are the issues faced by human resource department of Tesco while using cloud
computing system?
 What are the possible ways in which human resource department of Tesco would be able
to mitigate the issues encountered while using cloud-computing system?

1.6 Structure of the dissertation
Figure 1: Structure of the dissertation
(Source: Created by the author)
Introduction
Literature Review
Research methodology
Findings and Analysis
Conclusion and Recommendations

Chapter 2: Literature Review
2.0 Introduction
Literature review of a research paper is a section that contains all the current knowledge about
the research. The literature review contains the important and significant findings about the
subject that is discussed in the research. The research is done in a methodological manner
concerning the topic.
2.1 Concept of cloud computing
As opined by Verma and Singh (2017), cloud computing is referred to a usage of technology that
an organisation or an individual can use in order to centralise a huge diversity of the resources
and information. In the years before, the organisations used to store their data in the computer
hard drives. The other sectors or any other individual could not access the data unless the data is
not shared through a hard drive or another source. This way the process of data transfer could
take a significant amount of time that the organisation could use in production. With the
introduction of the internet, the work structure became more and more efficient in the data
transfer sector (Bustamante, 2016). The work started to get distributed over the internet in the
organisation and the employees could get their hands on the important details that are needed in
the process. With the advancement of the technology further, the work started to get employees
started to get first hand access to the work through internet and they transfer time got reduced as
the files are stored in the internet itself. This can be understood as what cloud computing is.
Implementing the system in the work organisation has made the organisations lessen the time of
transaction of data easily and enhanced the efficiency of the work culture (Zhang et al., 2016).
2.2 Activities of human resource department
The Human resources department of a company can be understood to be one of the most
significant sectors of an organisation. The human resources mange the activities of all the
organisational constructs that run the main work in the organisation. The Human resource
operates in some primary sectors in an organisation when it is fully equipped with the efficient
and knowledgeable employees. Departments such as Staffing, compensation, employee and

labour relations, recruitments, health and safety of the workers, development of the
company are the most important matters of concern of the human resource department. The
activity of the HR officials can also be diversified in each of the sections (Storing, 2016). The
activities of the human resource officers are basically driven with an idea to make a healthy work
environment where the workers are happy and motivated enough to reach the goals that are set
by the company with required efficiency. The human resource officers also take care of the well
being of the workers and other employees so that they can work with satisfaction (Saeed,
Ramayah and Mahmood, 2017).
2.2 Impact of cloud computing on human resource activities
Cloud computing has opened up a completely new dimension in the world of human resource
department. The human resource department, as suggested by the very name of it, deals with the
section of the company that incorporates the workers and employees of the organisation. Years
before, the human resource officers found it extremely difficult to deal with all the data due to
the number of things to consider and the number of workers to deal with. Tesco, being a global
organisation, has to deal with millions of employees. If the hr has to take every one into account,
it will be impossible to deal with and that will affect the company. Thus the implementation of
the cloud computing has made the work easy for the hr sector of the company. The solutions that
cloud computing has provided the company with are written below (Owunwanne, 2016).
Easy access to the company is one of the most important helps that the company has been
provided by the introduction of the cloud computing. The changing of the whole software is no
longer necessary in the company. The company can update the solutions easily with the help of
privacy settings in the cloud that will let the cloud update the system automatically. The payroll
related data, recruitment related details and other solutions including talent management can
also be centralized with the help of the cloud computing. When all the data are available, the
process of adapting to new solutions gets easier and faster making the efficiency of the company
greater. The data becomes easily accessible to the other departments of the company and the
employees can access the data they need in order to amplify the production. The cloud
computing has helped the company (Nicoletti, 2018).

Flexibility is another issue that cloud computing has enhanced in the company. With the help of
cloud computing, information has become accessible to all the members of the company. The
work can be done from anywhere and at any point of time, making the boundaries of the
workplace expand to such an extent that if the Hr cannot reach the office on a particular occasion
or day, the work can still be done from home (Al-Jaroodi and Mohamed, 2016).
The Security Protocol of a company can also be handled with better expertise with the help of
the cloud computing. The Hr officers have a clear idea about the sensitivity and importance of
the data they have acquired because if the files go to other companies or other sources, the
strategies and the private details of the workers can get mishandled. The cloud computing has
also presented the organisation with a solution to this problem as well as the security gets
updated with automatically and the files are not also kept in one physical location. The HR can
keep track of the files and update the security protocols according to the scenario they face
(Prakash et al., 2016).
Cost-Efficiency is probably one of the most important and significant aspects of the cloud
computing system as the co0mpanies do not have to spend extra for the establishment of the
cloud computing system. All the companies can implement the cloud computing in their
organisation (McLaughlin, 2015).
2.3 Literature Gap
The research literature that is available in the different research papers predominantly produces
research on the use of cloud computing in the organisations. However, the impact of the cloud
computing in the organisational structure has to be understood in a better way that emphasizes
the impact of the system not only on the sector but also the effect of the implementation of the
system on the company and the work culture of the company. This research paper will shed light
on the particular topic of the effect of the technology on the human resource department.
2.4 Summary
The literature review produces a detail insight on the details and the effects of the system on the
company if that is implemented in a proper manner. This part of the research helps the reader to

understand the theory of the Human resource and also the theory of the cloud computing and its
effects on the former. The detailed analysis with the evaluation of the process is done in this part.

Chapter 3: Research Methodology
3.0 Introduction
Research methodology is a guide to the reader about the way the research has been conducted.
The methodology helps the further researcher of the same topic to understand the approach an
individual has taken to conduct the research. This also helps the reader to understand the sources
of the research that he/she needs to acquire in order to complete the research in a proper manner.
This includes the philosophies of research that has been implemented in the particular research
work and also the design which the researcher has followed in order to understand the efficiency
of the researcher. The methodology also includes the approach of the researcher to the research
of the chosen topic and the evaluation perspective of the subject that is needed for the research.
3.1 Research philosophy (Selection and justification)
The researcher has used the positivism philosophy to conduct the research as the research needs
to deal with data and their evaluation. The researcher has evaluated the data with the sensory
emotions and then he/she has evaluated the cluster of knowledge the person has acquired with
logic and reason.
3.2 Research design (Selection and justification)
The research subject is not researched on a wide scale before and is understood to be a very new
research subject. This is the reason for the researcher to take up explanatory research design for
the evaluation of the subject and the subject is discussed in a detailed manner.
3.3 Research approach
The researcher has taken up a deductive approach in the process as the subject has not been
researched in a wide scale. The researcher has acquired information on the subject from the
interview and then after the deduction of the information, the individual has been successful in
finding out a theory and a resulting research.

3.4 Sampling technique and selection
For probability sampling the researcher has interviewed 50 employees of the company and for
the Non-probability sampling the researcher has chosen three managers of the same organisation
named Tesco.
3.5 Ethical consideration
The researcher has made sure that the research work was done keeping in mind that no
information was forced and no information was leaked in the process. No one was interviewed
without consent and also no information about the employee or the company and the managers
has been disclosed in the research work.
3.6 Limitation of the study
The limitation of the study is that the information received by the researcher can be arbitrary,
leading to a faulty data collection. The researcher has also faced problems related to time and
cost management. The employees may also find problems in understanding the problems.
3.7 Timeline
activity Week 1-3 Week 4-6 Week 6-7 Week 7-9 Week 9-
10
Week 10-
11
Week 11-
12
Objective
development
Reviewing
existing
literature
Developing
survey
questionnaire
Developing
interview
questions

Conducting
survey
Conducting
interview
Data analysis
Conclusion
recomendation
Finalising the
report
3.7 Summary
The methodology portion of the research gives a detailed description of the process the
researcher has adopted to make the research successful. The researcher has also made sure that
none of the information in the research is taken without the following the ethical consideration of
the process. Any individual who wants to make further progress in the research can follow the
methodology part to conduct a similar research can follow the methodology.

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