Effective Human Resource Management: Case Study of British Airways

Desklib provides past papers and solved assignments for students. This report analyzes HRM practices at British Airways.

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Human resource management
Word count: 5, 018

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Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
LO1..................................................................................................................................................3
Explain the motive of human resource management with respect to talent and skills to fulfill the
targets of British airways.................................................................................................................3
P1 & M1explain the motive of human resource management that is applicable to workforce
planning.......................................................................................................................................3
P2, M2 & D1 explain the strengths and weaknesses to recruitment and selection methods
within British airways..................................................................................................................3
LO2..................................................................................................................................................5
Delineate the effectiveness of key attributes of human resource management in British airways..5
P3, M3 & D2 state the advantages of various HRM practices existent in British airway for
both the employees and the employer.........................................................................................5
P4 delineate the efficacy of various HRM practices that enhances the profit and productivity of
British airways.............................................................................................................................6
LO3..................................................................................................................................................8
Explain the micro and macro factors that affect the human resource management that involves
employment legislation....................................................................................................................8
P5 & D3 explain the significance of employee relations with respect to the decision making
process in human resource management.....................................................................................8
P6 & M4 discover the key attributes of employment legislation that influences the decision
making process of human resource management........................................................................9
LO4................................................................................................................................................10
Recognize the various HRM practices in work related context....................................................10
P7 & M5 delineate the effectives and application of HRM practices within British airlines....10
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................13
References......................................................................................................................................14

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Introduction
Human resource management is the utilization of the people of the organization to achieve the
business objectives and targets set by the organization to gain a competitive edge in the market.
Human resources are the main asset and the most valuable asset of an organization with respect
to their abilities and skills (Stone et al, 2015). The tasks of human resource department include
planning, organizing, recruiting, training employees that will enhance the productivity of the
organization. In this report, we will speak about the human resource management team of British
airways which is an airlines company. British airways are a well-publicized UK based airline
industry with an excellent human resource management team. We will study the purpose of
HRM functions, and the pros and cons of recruitment model’s used in British airlines. Further,
we will discuss the effectiveness of HRM functions and the ways in which it helps to enhance
profit and productivity of British airways. We will also discuss employment legislation and the
HRM practices in work related context.

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LO1
Explain the motive of human resource management with respect to
talent and skills to fulfill the targets of British airways.
P1 & M1explain the motive of human resource management that is applicable
to workforce planning
British airways are a reputed organization that considers human resource as the most valuable
asset of the organization. Workforce planning is the process of linking the business objectives
with the workforces of the organization. It is the process of effectively utilizing the human
resource the get the desired outcomes of the organization. The main motives of human resource
management are to improve the efficiency of the organization and enhance the productivity of
the organization. The main functions of the organization are recruitment, selection, and positive
work environment and employee motivation. The operative functions are recruitment, training
and development, professional development, compensation etc.
 The recruitment process is the most crucial process because it involves so many functions
like preparing a job description, to publish the job posting on various job sites so that
candidates can apply to the vacancies, sourcing the right candidates and select the
candidates to be interviewed, if selected then they have to negotiate the salary and lastly
make the job offer.
 The training and development is also under the HR manager where he is responsible for
providing or arranging training for fresher’s to enhance the skills they possess and make
them efficient to work for the company (Parry and Tyson, 2011). This makes it easier for
both the employees as well as the employer as it makes work easier for the employees
since they have understood and acquainted knowledge from the training and if the
employees are well-trained they can efficiently work and enhance the productivity of
British airways.
 Compensation and benefits are provided to the employees so they stay motivated towards
their work and work efficiently. The compensation and benefits are provided in the form
of flexible working hours, medical insurance, extended vacations, maternal leave, and
educational reimbursement.

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P2, M2 & D1 explain the strengths and weaknesses to recruitment and
selection methods within British airways
Since British airways are a big company it needs an efficient human resource team that will
fulfill the goals and targets set by the organization. Recruitment and selection process of
candidates is a very significant process because it hires employees that are going to work for the
organization and enhance its efficiency and productivity to achieve the goals and targets set by
the company. An efficient recruitment process will help British airways to get hold of the right
talent from the pool of candidates that exist in the market. Recruitment process can be conducted
in two ways namely the internal recruitment and external recruitment process. The internal
recruitment is done through referrals from within the organization in such cases the costs of
hiring an employee are less whereas in the external recruitment method the recruitment is done
through promotions, job posting on various job sites, newspapers etc. both of these methods has
some strength and weaknesses that the organization has to deal with.
Strength of recruitment method
The strength of internal model is it is a cost-effective method because there is no much cost
involved in searching the right employee for the company since the existing employees provide
the candidates through referrals. This is not only a cost-effective method but also saves time and
gets the right employee to increase the efficiency of the company (Noe et al, 2017). It will also
reduce employee turnover since the employees will stay within the organization and will not
switch. The strengths of external recruitment method are it helps British airways to find the best
talent and candidate from a large pool of candidates. This gives them a wider choice to employ
the right individual for the company
Weakness of recruitment method
The weakness of internal method is the company has only limited choice of candidates to choose
from that might lose out on potential candidates that might be there in the market outside. The
weakness of external method are it is more time consuming and costly since the company has to
go through such a long process of recruiting an employee and interview him and test his skills
later provide the candidate necessary training. This becomes very costly for the company and
also time consuming.
Strengths and weakneeses of selection process
The strength of selection process is it helps British airways to test the skills and knowledge of a
candidate and check if he will prove to be the best fit for the job. There are various methods of
selection that is dependent on the company what they chose to hire. The weakness of this process
is the candidates may not be totally honest in their skills and the HR managers cannot trust and
rely on them only by interviewing them in one go.

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LO2
Delineate the effectiveness of key attributes of human resource
management in British airways
P3, M3 & D2 state the advantages of various HRM practices existent in British
airway for both the employees and the employer
Human resources are the most valuable asset of British airways since they are the ones who
enhance the productivity of the organization. Hence, the organization should practice such HRM
methods that will benefit both the employee and the employer and together enhance the
efficiency of British airways. Hence, there are various HRM practices that are used by the British
airways to achieve organizational goals efficiently.
To balance and benefit both the employee and employer there are various methods that are used
by British airways that are discussed below.
Training and development programs should be introduced within British airways that will
help to enhance the knowledge and skills of the employees within the organization. This will
benefit both the employee and the employer because the employee will learn efficient skills and
talents that he did not possess before and it will help him work more efficiently whereas if the
employee is working well and is well trained he can work efficiently and enhance profits for the
company which is beneficial to the employer. Hence, in this both the employee and the employer
are benefited in their own ways. Performance reward system will enhance the motivation of
the employees to work even better because they will be rewarded for their performance. The
rewards are provided to the employees to stay productive at work and enhance the profits and
reach the targets set by the organization (Iles et al, 2010). The reward systems can be provided to
the employees via bonuses, promotions, appraisals, incentives etc. This will motivate them
internally to work harder for the organization and achieve the goals of the company since they
know they will be rewarded for their performance. Hence, by this both the employee and the
employer will be benefited. Flexible working hours will help the employees to balance their
personal and professional life which will keep them contended and if they are contended they

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will work efficiently in the company and give their all to enhance the productivity of British
airways. Flexible working hours include working from home, working from other remote places,
shift of working timings according to the employees schedule etc. By this the employee and the
employer both are getting benefited because the employee is getting to work at the choice of his
timings and place and hence he is going to work effectively and prove his loyalty to British
airways whereas if the employees are happy and motivated then it will enhance the productivity
of British airways which is beneficial to the employer.
P4 delineate the efficacy of various HRM practices that enhances the profit and
productivity of British airways
It is very essential for a company like British airways to practice efficient HRM practices that
enhance the profit and productivity of the organization. This can be done by maintaining good
relations with the staff and the employees working in British airways. If good employee relations
are maintained then the employees will be happy working in the organization and will have a
positive work environment in the company which will motivate employees to work harder and
achieve the targets and goals set by British airways. If good employee relations are maintained, it
will also reduce the employee turnover of the company which will be beneficial for British
airways as they will save on hiring new employees for their organization and also not lose out on
potential employees from the organization (Jackson and Seo, 2010).
The profit and productivity of the organization can only be enhanced when the employees are
working efficiently to achieve the goals of British airways. To work efficiently they need to be
motivated from time to time to maintain their level of performance for the company. To maintain
this level of performance within all employees’ motivation in the form of rewards is very
necessary. The rewards may be in the form of promotions, incentives, appraisals, flexible
working hours, extended vacation leaves etc. through this the employees will stay motivated to
work for the company and work efficiently to enhance the profit and productivity of the
organization. There are many different motivational theories that can be applied to British
Airways to enhance the productivity of the employees. The theories of motivation are Maslow
theory of needs and Herzberg two factor theories. These theories explain the need for motivation
within employees and how important it is to motivate employees within an organization.

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Fig: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. (Source: www.coachilla.co)
Fig: Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory of Motivation. (Source: http://www.humanbusiness.eu)
Another way of enhancing the profit and productivity of British airways are to alter the job
design and its methods and techniques followed in the company. This involves various steps like
rotation, simplifying, enlargement and enrichment of jobs. This will help to enhance the
productivity and give a fresh atmosphere to work to the employees for whom they might be
excited or curious to work for.
Other ways of motivation are giving them off whenever needed without much interrogation and
allowing them to work flexibly from home on their timings. This will help them stay stress free
and keep a fresh mind that will help them to work more efficiently and will enhance the
productivity of the company. A fresh mind will help to gain more ideas instantly which they can
apply to their work and achieve results soon (Gupta and Shaw, 2014). It will also build trust
within the employees for the company and think that they are really worth to the company and
are cared for. This feeling will help them work harder for the company and they will entrust their
loyalty to the company and will not plan on switching companies. This will greatly save costs for
British airways because if these employees switch then the company has to hire new employees
which is not just a long process but it also needs so much money to be spent to search and hire
the right and potential employee that will enhance the productivity of British airways. This will

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unnecessary waste time of the HR team who are in charge of recruiting new staff in the company
which is two side losses for British airways because they lost their potential employee as well as
lost their time and money to hire a new employee.
LO3
Explain the micro and macro factors that affect the human resource
management that involves employment legislation
P5 & D3 explain the significance of employee relations with respect to the
decision making process in human resource management
Employee relations are maintaining good relations among employees and the management team
of British airways to understand their needs and requirements while they are a part of the British
airways (Farndale and Paauwe, 2017). Good employee relations within British airways will keep
a healthy and a positive work environment that will help the employees to work efficiently and
enhance the productivity of the organization. To achieve this, the management team of British
airways should apply effective strategies to maintain a good and positive working environment
and maintain employee relations in the company. The various effective strategies that can be
applied to maintain good employee relations are discussed below.
Career enhancement opportunities should be provided to the employees because every
employee working within an organization will also see and calculate their personal growth first
and then work for the organization. Hence, career development opportunities should be provided
to the employees that will not only add to their personal growth within the organization but also
it will help the employees to work efficiently for the organization and maintain their loyalty for
the organization. The vision of British airways should be strong and achievable so that it
motivates employees to achieve the targets through their skills and talent and in return be
rewarded for it.
Communication should be practiced well between the employee and the employer to have an
effective flow of information and knowledge that the company is working on. If there is no good
communication or lack of communication between the employee and the employer then it might
affect the tasks the employee is performing on and degrade the productivity of the organization.

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for example, if the Airlines is working on introducing some new product in the company the staff
and the employee should be well informed about it otherwise they will not know that the product
has arrived and this will delay the employees work in completing the project or will halt the
project because the employee does not have product for the project to be completed. If the
employees will know about the new products that have arrived in the company they will be able
to market it to the customers and enhance company’s sales and increase their profit and
productivity of the company in all (Esteban-Lloret et al, 2018). The company should ensure to
maintain a positive work environment for the employees working within the organization and
maintain their good health. As British airways are an airlines industry it is very important for the
company to provide the employees with extreme safety and security instruments that the
employees operate on. If not it might turn to be risky for the employees and might affect their
health which will decrease the productivity and efficiency of the organization. The company
should also provide them with safe travel opportunities while they are on their tour for the sake
of the company.
Hence, these strategies are very important to be followed within an organization for it to
effectively work and all together achieve the business objectives and targets set by British
airways to be achieved.
P6 & M4 discover the key attributes of employment legislation that influences
the decision making process of human resource management
All the employees that are working within the organization of British airways are protected and
secured with various employment laws that are put forth by the government of UK.
 Equality act of 2010: According to this act, the company should offer equal opportunities
to all the employees working in the organization irrespective of their caste, gender, race,
religion or any criteria. The opportunities should be equal to everyone and should not be
biased due to any reasons. It is essential for British airways to abide by this law to
maintain good relations with the government otherwise if the law is violated in any way
the company will have to face its consequences.
 Employment protection act of 1978: According to this act, the company should fix a
standard salary for the employees working in the organization according to their position
in the company and not practice any bias. Apart from this, the company also should
provide commencement of jobs, standard working hours, and pension from time to time.
 Health and safety at work act of1974: it is the duty of the company to ensure good health
of employees by providing them with safety work equipment’s while at work. Since this
is an airlines industry the safety and security of the employees should be given utmost
importance (Dries, 2011). They should maintain effective operation system and a positive
work environment should ensure safe access and exit for the employees, it should provide
the employees with primary treatment and first aid in case of emergency, and should train
the employees on safety and health management of themselves while at work.
 Employee contracts and their dismissal from the company: According to this act, the law
gives power to both the employee and the employer to terminate the job with valid
reasons whenever they want to. But before this, they have to follow the legal procedures
that are standardized by the government of UK. If any employee or employer decides to
quit or no longer continue in the same organization due to some reason then the employee
or the employer should provide a written letter to the company and their reason to

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terminate the job before one week of their dismissal from their post. This will be a valid
way of leaving a job in the company by informing the head of the company so they can
look out for other employees in the meantime to fill their position and work for the
company in their absence.
LO4
Recognize the various HRM practices in work related context
P7 & M5 delineate the effectives and application of HRM practices within
British airlines
To delineate the effectiveness a portfolio as an intern at British airways for the position of HR
assistant will be discussed below.
The job specification for the post of HR assistant is discussed below. Job specification helps to
describe the skills, talent and knowledge of an individual with respect to a particular job post in
the company. It helps to identify the skills and talent of an individual if he will be able to
perform the activities and justify the role by his skills and abilities. To know this better, a job
description of HR assistant is provided below.
1. Job specification for HR assistant
Academic qualification: The candidate should hold a BBA or MBA degree in human resource
management from a good and reputed university.
Experience: The candidate should at least have about 2 years prior experience in human
resource management as an HR assistant manager.
Physical features: The candidate should be young, smart, intelligent, a fast learner, tall, healthy,
good body language and should be aged between 24-32 years.
Personal attributes: The candidate should have strong communication skills, should be an
excellent speaker, should have strong leadership qualities that can effectively lead a team, in

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depth knowledge about human resource management, curiosity in learning new things, and good
interpersonal skills.
2. A CV is prepared to apply for the post of assistant HR manager at British airlines
Name: Katy
Postal address: 5 Chapel Hill, Heswall, Bournemouth, BH1 1AA
Email id: [e-mail]
Professional profile
I have about 2.5 years of experience in human resource management and I possess all the
qualities that are mentioned in the job description to be applicable for applying for the post of
HR assistant manager at British airlines. I am well versed in handling pressure and working and
giving successful outputs to the tasks allotted to me and I am well motivated to strongly perform
the tasks provided to me. I will work hard to enhance the productivity of British airlines and
make sure to enhance their profits and count of potential customers by my skills and expertise
(Dalton and Bingham, 2017). I shall devote my self to the fullest if you let me be a part of your
company and be hard working and achieve the goals of the company.
Educational qualification
 MBA degree in human resource management from Harvard university in 2013
 BBA degree in human resource management from Harvard university in 2014
Associated experience
I have worked as an assistant HR manager at Tesco and Sainsbury.
Key IT skills
Proficient with Microsoft skills, digital marketing skills, Microsoft excel, Microsoft PowerPoint,
slide presentation etc.
Personal hobbies
Travelling, reading books, writing poems and short stories, curiosity in learning new things, keep
up-to-date with technology etc.
3. Interview selection criteria
To recognize and identify the best candidate from the pool of candidates the following criteria
has been selected.
 Educational qualification, CGPA background
 Professional experience
 Communications skills
 Knowledge about HR
 Language efficiency and mental ability