Identifying Green HRM Practices and Impact on Ikea's Company Image

This report investigates the impact of green human resource management (HRM) practices on the company image of Ikea within the retail sector. The study explores various aspects of green HRM, including recruitment, job design, learning and development, and their effects on Ikea's brand perception. It identifies the roles of green HRM practices, factors affecting their implementation, and significant ways Ikea can improve its company image. The research employs a positivism philosophy and a quantitative approach, utilizing questionnaires and frequency distribution analysis to analyze data collected from 30 Ikea employees. The report also reviews literature on the topic, highlighting the positive impact of green HRM on efficiency, cost reduction, and employee engagement, ultimately contributing to a stronger brand image and a more sustainable business model for Ikea. The report also considers factors such as government policies and communication strategies in the implementation of green HRM practices.

To identify green HRM
practices and its impact on
company’s image within retail
sector: A study on Ikea

Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................3
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................5
What are the effective roles of green HRM practices in retail sector?.......................................5
What are the main factors that have affects on Ikea while implementing of green HRM
practices in retail sector? ............................................................................................................5
What are the significant ways for Ikea in improving its company's image within retail sector?5
What is the impact of green HRM practices over business image of Ikea in retail industry?....5
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............................................................................7
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................8

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Human resource management refers as an effective practice of recruiting, hiring,
deploying and managing employees in an organisation. Green HRM can be defined as the set of
practices, systems and policies that stimulate a green behaviour of an organisation's employees in
order to develop an environmentally sensitive, socially responsible workplace, resource efficient
and overall organisation. There are different practices of green HRM such as recruitment and job
design, HR operations and onboarding process, learning and development etc. These are major
practices that will be essential for an organisation in improvement of its business performance
and also image in marketplace (Jermsittiparsert, Siriattakul and Wattanapongphasuk, 2019).
There are different advantages of green HRM for company such as less cost, flexibility, healthy
work environment, increase employees' efficiency and effectiveness, increase employee
motivation etc. All these advantages turn to helps company by improving its brand image.
For this research, Ikea is a Swedish multinational organisation that specialise in designing
and selling of ready-to-assemble furniture, home accessories and kitchen appliances, among
other useful goods as well as occasionally home services. Company was founded in 1943 by
lngvar Kamprad, and headquartered in Delft, Netherlands.
Research Aim:
Main aim of this research is to identify the impact of green HRM practices on company's
image within retail sector. A study on Ikea
Research Objectives:
 To identify the role of green HRM practices within retail sector.
 To determine the factors that may be affects on Ikea in implementing of green HRM
practices within retail sector.
 To evaluate the ways that will be essential for Ikea in improvement of its company's
image within retail sector. To explore relationship between the green HRM practices and company's image in retail
industry.
Research Questions
 What are the effective roles of green HRM practices in retail sector?
 What are the main factors that have affects on Ikea while implementing of green HRM
practices in retail sector?

 What are the significant ways for Ikea in improving its company's image within retail
sector?
 What is the impact of green HRM practices over business image of Ikea in retail
industry?

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
What are the effective roles of green HRM practices in retail sector?
According to the Ahmad (2015), there are different types of green HRM practices that
played an important role within retail sector. These are explained as below:
Recruitments and job design: Green HRM starts even before acquiring new workers
inside the organisation, during the process of designing or approving, collectively with other
departments, job descriptions for the newcomers. This practice plays essential role within retail
sector by increasing number of talented workforce that results in higher growth and success of
company (Gilal and et. al., 2019).
Learning and development: Learning and development is another practice of green
HRM that emphasis on developing skills, knowledge, and attitudes of employees. This will
helps in increasing business operations and also maintaining strong image in marketplace.
What are the main factors that have affects on Ikea while implementing of green HRM practices
in retail sector?
As per the view point of Sally Margaret Sakwa (2018), there are different factors that
effecting on Ikea while implementing green human resource management. These are government
policies, communication etc. Government policies gives guidelines on the efficient
implementation of green HRM practices, including; raise necessary financial resources, develop
an effective plan etc. Communication assist to sensitize the all stakeholders on the green human
resource management projects and their roles or responsibilities, communication is the fabric that
connects the company and its stakeholders.
What are the significant ways for Ikea in improving its company's image within retail sector?
According to the Kee (2018), there are number of significant ways that will be essential
in improving of company's image in retail sector. These are value of employees and establish a
healthy company culture, build an amazing website, build trust and authenticity between clients
and brand etc. These are essential and effective ways that helps company in improvement of its
image.
What is the impact of green HRM practices over business image of Ikea in retail industry?
According to the Bombiak and Marciniuk-Kluska, (2018), green human resource
management practices has positive impact over company's image of Ikea. This helps them in

attaining greater efficiency and lower costs in a process, eliminating and reducing ecological
wastage as well as refurbishing HR products, procedures and tools. This will also support Ikea in
recruiting of talented and knowledgeable workforce that results in improvement of company
image.

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research philosophy: Positivism and interpretivisim are two types of research
philosophy but within a present study, positivism philosophy will be applied because it helps in
collecting and analysing of data in form of quantitative and in minimum time period.
Research approach: Qualitative and quantitative are two approaches of data collection
but for conducting current investigation, quantitative approach of data collection is more suitable
because it helps in gathering of numerical data without consuming more time and resources.
Data collection: There are two sources of data collection such as primary and secondary.
Within an investigation bot sources will be used by investigator. In order to gather primary
information, questionnaire will be used because it not consume more time and also provide valid
outcomes (Basias and Pollalis, 2018). Secondary data only use for literature review that will be
collected from books, magazines, articles, publication research and many other sources relevant
to the topic.
Sampling: There are two essential techniques of sample selection such as probability and
non-probability. In this study, simple random sampling under probability sampling will be
applied because it facilitates in selecting of large sample in less period of time. 30 employees of
Ikea will be selected for this research proposal.
Data analysis: Frequency distribution analysis as an analytical technique will be applied
for analysing quantitative information. In this tool, researcher will require to make frequency
table and distribute entire table in single table. This will assist in analysing of quantitative data
systematically and timely (Appelbaum and et. al., 2018.).

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Appelbaum, M. and et. al., 2018. Journal article reporting standards for quantitative research in
psychology: The APA Publications and Communications Board task force
report. American Psychologist. 73(1). p.3.
Basias, N. and Pollalis, Y., 2018. Quantitative and qualitative research in business & technology:
Justifying a suitable research methodology. Review of Integrative Business and
Economics Research. 7. pp.91-105.
Bombiak, E. and Marciniuk-Kluska, A., 2018. Green human resource management as a tool for
the sustainable development of enterprises: Polish young company
experience. Sustainability. 10(6). p.1739.
Gilal, F. G. and et. al., 2019. Promoting environmental performance through green human
resource management practices in higher education institutions: A moderated mediation
model. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management. 26(6).
pp.1579-1590.
Jermsittiparsert, K., Siriattakul, P. and Wattanapongphasuk, S., 2019. Determining the
environmental performance of Indonesian SMEs influence by green supply chain
practices with moderating role of green HR practices. International Journal of Supply
Chain Management. 8(3). pp.59-70.
Online
Ahmad, S., 2015. Green Human Resource Management: Policies and practices. [Online].
Available through:
<https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23311975.2015.1030817>.
Kee, A., 2015. Ways to improve company image. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.bandboo.co/9-ways-improve-company-image/>.
Sally Margaret Sakwa, 2018. Factors effective the Green HRM practices. [Online]. Available
through: <http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/11295/106021/Sakwa_Factors
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%20Practices%20in%20the%20Civil%20Service%20in%20Kenya.pdf?sequence=1>.