MBA HRM Assignment: Global HR Strategies, Policies, and Outsourcing

This MBA HRM assignment report comprehensively examines various aspects of human resource management. It begins by comparing the work environments and leadership styles of Google and Zappos, highlighting their distinct approaches to employee satisfaction and organizational culture. The report then delves into HR strategies, contrasting the approaches of Mazda and Chrysler, particularly in response to financial challenges and cultural differences between Japan and the United States. The analysis further explores the advantages and disadvantages of ethnocentric, polycentric, and geocentric staffing policies, providing examples of global organizations like Samsung and Nintendo that utilize these approaches. Finally, the report discusses the benefits of outsourcing, emphasizing cost reduction and access to skilled resources, and concludes with a pre-departure training program design. This assignment provides valuable insights into global HR practices and their impact on organizational success.

Running head: MBA HRM ASSIGNMENT
MBA HRM Assignment
Name of Student
Name of University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
Assignment Task 1..........................................................................................................................2
1. Comparing offices of Google all over the world.....................................................................2
2. Reviewing work culture at Zappos..........................................................................................2
3. Comparing leadership styles of Zappos and Google...............................................................3
Assignment Task 2..........................................................................................................................3
1. Designing a pre-departure training programme.......................................................................3
Assignment Task 3..........................................................................................................................4
1. Explaining the difference in HR strategies of Mazda and Chrysler........................................4
2. Comparing cultural difference of Mazda and Chrysler...........................................................5
Assignment Task 4..........................................................................................................................6
1. Advantages and disadvantages of Ethnocentric, Polycentric and Geocentric staffing policies
......................................................................................................................................................6
2. Examples of global organisations practising the policies........................................................7
3. Explaining the benefits of outsourcing....................................................................................8
Reference.........................................................................................................................................9

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Assignment Task 1
1. Comparing offices of Google all over the world
From the analysis of the description provided in favour of Google it could be said that the
environment of Google provides its employees with opportunities to have fun along with work. It
can be said that in the US branch of the company, people are provided with opportunities to have
free meal and visit the gym at the time of leisure. The video provides evidence that the free food
provided by the company complement the existing culture of different countries (YouTube.com
2018). In China, the meetings between the people are held in science parks that provides the
employees with a relaxation from the tedious work that they need to undertake. In Switzerland,
the happiness of the employees was the main concern and so psychiatrists were appointed. The
result showed that exotic fishes in an aquarium could help to calm the minds of the people
working in the company (Google.com 2018). Hence, these activities undertaken by Google
provide evidence that it has improved since its initial foundation and have started to focus more
on the satisfaction of employees rather than just on the profitability of the business.
2. Reviewing work culture at Zappos
The work culture at Zappos can be considered as friendly as well as define the core
values of the organisation. The value from which the company has developed the culture, the
brand and business strategies defines the work ethics that defines the existence of the company
(Zappos.com 2018). The company follow ten core values that are essential for the development
of its growth and ensure that the demands of the customers are entertained. These include
1. Delivering good quality through services
2. Embrace and drive the change required for success in the business

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3. Create a fun workplace
4. Remain open minded and take adventurous staffs into consideration
These actions define the work culture of Zappos and the employees working in the company
remain satisfied with the initiatives that are undertaken. Hence, implementation of these
strategies in other companies can help in the retention of employees. Therefore, it can be said
that the work culture of Zappos can be implemented as a benchmark process in other
organisations.
3. Comparing leadership styles of Zappos and Google
Having analysed the leadership styles of Google and Zappos it can be said that both the
companies have different methods in engaging in the satisfaction of the employees. In the case of
Google, the employees are provided with the liberty to access their performances, improve their
state of mind and gain access to free food (Google.com 2018). In the case of Zappos, it is seen
that the company promotes a fun workplace for the employees and encourages them to keep an
open mind so that they may take adventurous opportunities while working in the organisation
(Zappos.com 2018). Therefore, it can be said that the leadership styles adopted by both the
organisations are similar in trying to upload the interests of the employees and at the same time
ensure that a sense of being in a family is prevalent for the development of a suitable
organisational culture. Such actions can even help in increasing the morale of the employees to
remain loyal and work hard in the organisation.
Assignment Task 2
1. Designing a pre-departure training programme
The pre-departure training programme for the family includes:

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Time Activities
08:00 am-08:30 am Gather the family members for a discussion about the shift
09:00 am-09:30 am Gain insight about knowledge of the place
09:45 am-10:00 am Discuss about the pros and cons of shifting to the new location
10:30 am-11:30 am Start taking preparation about the shift by arranging required luggage and
important items
12:00 pm-12:30 pm Make departure towards the country by reaching the airport and boarding
the flight
1:00 pm-1:30 pm Bid farewell to people that had come to see them off at the airport
Table 1: Pre-departure training schedule
(Source: Created by author)
Assignment Task 3
1. Explaining the difference in HR strategies of Mazda and Chrysler
The HR strategies of America and Japan are different in the way that both cultures share
a difference of the work culture. While the power distance between employee and employer in
America is negligible in Japan, the distance is high. Hence, for a company like Mazda located in
America, the bankruptcy meant that both the employees as well as the employers were
responsible for ensuring that the financial condition of the company remained (Mazda.com
2018). On the other hand, in the case of Chrysler, the high power distance between the
employees had seen an extreme deduction of the salary of the employees rather than that of the
employers. The deductions of the senior employees were less as compared to the blue-collar
employees of the organisation (Fcagroup.com 2018). However, one of the de-motivating factors

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that took place at Mazda during the bankruptcy is the fact that it deducted the bonus that the
employees and the employers were meant to receive for four years. This can be considered as a
huge de-motivating factor for the people involved with Mazda.
2. Comparing cultural difference of Mazda and Chrysler
The differences that exist in America and Japan are that of the cultural attributes at the
work place. An analysis of the cultural dimensions of both the countries can be used to explain
the reason behind the decision undertaken by the respective managers.
Figure: Hofstede’s analysis of cultural dimensions
(Source: Gibbons and Skevington 2018)
From the figure, it can be seen that power distance in Japan is more than that of the
United States therefore, this can be considered as one of the reasons behind the decision taken.
However, with the high rate of masculinity that prevails in Japan and the low level of indulgence

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can be considered as reasons for the cutting out the salaries of the people. This is mainly because
the Japanese society is more of a dominant type and the company does not always appreciate
changes. On the other hand, in the case of America, the employees of Mazda share a more liberal
relation with the employees; therefore, both the parties working in the organisation share the
burden of bankruptcy.
Assignment Task 4
1. Advantages and disadvantages of Ethnocentric, Polycentric and Geocentric staffing
policies
Ethnocentric Polycentric Geocentric
Ensures that the new
subsidiaries complies
with the objectives
and policies of an
organisation
Reduces the need for
a cultural training
awareness programme
Helps in the
development of an
international
executive team
Possess the required
level competence
Employment of staffs
is less expensive
Overcomes the
drawbacks associated
with the polycentric
approach
Control the demand of
the staffs
Employing of staffs
helps in the
continuous growth of
the management
Support resource
sharing as well as
cooperation across
units

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particularly in foreign
subsidiaries
Table 2:Advantages of Ethnocentric, Polycentric and Geocentric staffing policies
(Source: Plakhotnik 2017)
Ethnocentric Polycentric Geocentric
Limits any
opportunity of
production thereby
de-motivating the
staffs
Difficulty in reducing
the gap between
subsidiary managers
and head quarter
managers
Immigration control
can be used by the
host country to
increase the level of
employment
Longer time required
for adoption in the
host country
Limited opportunities
to gain experience
outside own country
Expensive as training
costs are high
Considerable income
gap and a change in
the standard of living
Resource allocation
and strategic decision
can be made
constraint
Reduced
independence of
subsidiary
management
Table 3:Disadvantages of Ethnocentric, Polycentric and Geocentric staffing policies
(Source: Michailova et al. 2017)
2. Examples of global organisations practising the policies
Some of the global organisations that practise the Ethnocentric, Polycentric and
Geocentric staffing policies include Samsung and Nintendo. These companies have its

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headquarters all across the world and the shifting of expatriates from one place to another need to
be made so that it can continue to do business successfully in the market. Cole (2015) stated that
the approaches could have its benefits as no such training needs to be provided to either of the
companies about the different culture. At the same time, opportunity for growth can be gained
with the application of the approaches and both Samsung and Nintendo can support one another
with the required resources for development. Hence, gaming products can be improved with the
collaboration between the companies.
3. Explaining the benefits of outsourcing
As stated by Hruschka and Henrich (2015) outsourcing can provide an advantage to
Etisalat in the form of reducing the cost of training a person. With outsourcing, an employee can
gain experience about the work culture in different organisations. In this case, the work culture
of Egypt and of the UAE can be analysed in order to understand the different culture and based
on the newfound knowledge infrastructure and technology of the company can be improved
(Michailova et al. 2017). At the same time, outsourcing can help in spreading the culture of UAE
to the culture in Egypt. Accessibility to skilled resources can be gained that can help Etisalat to
improve its operations in the market of UAE.

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Reference
Cole, D.H., 2015. Advantages of a polycentric approach to climate change policy. Nature
Climate Change, 5(2), p.114.
Fcagroup.com 2018. Official Global Website | FCA Group. [online] Available at:
https://www.fcagroup.com/en-US/Pages/home.aspx [Accessed 12 Oct. 2018].
Gibbons, C.J. and Skevington, S.M. 2018. Adjusting for cross-cultural differences in computer-
adaptive tests of quality of life. Quality of Life Research, 27(4), pp.1027-1039.
Google.com 2018. Google. [online] Available at: https://www.google.com/ [Accessed 12 Oct.
2018].
Hruschka, D.J. and Henrich, J., 2015. Prosocial Behavior, Cultural Differences in.
In International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences: Second Edition (pp. 238-
243). Elsevier Inc..
Mazda.com 2018. MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION GLOBAL WEBSITE. [online] Available at:
http://www.mazda.com/ [Accessed 12 Oct. 2018].
Michailova, S., Piekkari, R., Storgaard, M. and Tienari, J., 2017. Rethinking ethnocentrism in
international business research. Global Strategy Journal, 7(4), pp.335-353.
Plakhotnik, M.S., 2017. The Role of Strategic Leadership in Building the Geocentric Culture of
Global Corporations. In Encyclopedia of Strategic Leadership and Management (pp. 1769-
1780). IGI Global.

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YouTube.com 2018. World Best work place at Google. [online] Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8wqS7VkAcw [Accessed 12 Oct. 2018].
Zappos.com 2018. Shoes, Sneakers, Boots, & Clothing + FREE SHIPPING | Zappos.com.
[online] Zappos.com. Available at: https://www.zappos.com/ [Accessed 12 Oct. 2018].