HRM Assignment 1: Leadership Styles, Global Staffing, and HR Practices

This assignment delves into various aspects of Human Resource Management (HRM), examining the practices of Google and Zappos. It begins by analyzing the unique features of Google's offices in the USA, China, Brazil, and Switzerland, focusing on how these features impact employee productivity. The assignment then explores how an HR consultant could implement Zappos' employee-centric culture in another organization, emphasizing core values, employee-friendly environments, and innovative workspaces. Furthermore, the assignment compares the leadership styles at Google and Zappos and their influence on employee behavior and morale. It also covers a pre-departure training program for a British family moving to the UAE, addressing cultural adjustments, climate considerations, and practical aspects like visa and accommodation. Finally, the assignment contrasts American and Japanese HRM practices, using Mazda and Chrysler as examples, and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of ethnocentric, polycentric, and geocentric staffing policies. The assignment aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of diverse HRM strategies and their impact on organizational success and employee well-being.

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Assignment Task 1
1. Google offices in USA, China, Brazil and Switzerland and the productivity of
employees at Google:
Answer:
Introduction:
Established in the year 1998 by Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Google Inc. has gotten to be
one of the world best associations to work for. Google’s mission is to systematize and
mastermind every data on the planet that has set it up with a goal that it accessible to each and
everybody around the world.
USA: The office at USA, also known as the GooglePlex is quite luxurious one. Being as
large as 2.5 times a regular stadium, the office has loads of free pros or perks for each of its
employees. Right from recreational facilities to the free supply of food and loaded gyms- Google
ensures that each of its employees has everything in order to work efficiently.
Below are the unique features of the Google:
 Inventive air such as the adaptable workspace (Garage) gives the employees to escape from
the working areas for the time being, and gives them chance to enjoy the activities.
 With the same, there is also a childcare office created for the working parents in order to
make them ensure that their family is put first as well as to expel any issues that are identified
related to the youngster care.

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 For some physical change for the employees, there is also an arrangement of g-Fit physical
work out regimes and several recreation centers that are situated inside the premises.
China: At the Google’s office in China, they have arranged bean bags in their meeting
rooms and areas. They also have huge rooms along with Ping Pong Tables that keeps the
employees energized and refreshed in order to work more with great effectiveness and efficiency.
Following are the unique features in the Google office at China:
- Large sized recreation center are accessible on the location for the employees.
- There is an availability of great free sustenance by the top culinary specialists of the
company.
Brazil: In Brazil, they have Indoor Beach style relaxing stands that are far better than
those of the sleeping pods that they have in the other offices. It provides the tired employees with
great pleasure. This reflects that how culturally the company has changed its so many things in
order to make ensure that the productivity of its employees remains high in the near future as
well.
The following are the unique features of its office in Brazil:
- The meeting rooms of the Google office at Brazil are named as Forte Apache, Bambolê and
Ipanema.
- There are casual and fun arrangements for the employee, as the nation is widely known for
its Carnival.
- With several foundations and societies the company appreciates a large array of sustenance
right from Shushi to spaghetti.

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Switzerland: The Google office present at the Switzerland is not the ordinary one. It has
been designed according to its employees’ wishes. The changes are made according to the needs
and desire of the employees. Right from aquariums to loads of privacy pods and cafes; the office
is beautifully designed. They even have swings and fire poles for sliding down to the cafes and
other places.
The office of Switzerland has the following unique features in it:
- There is different topic outlined on each of its floor.
- A major part of the gathering rooms are named as SBB, Luke Skywalker and Eichhof.
- They have Rub stations.
- The eateries serving are amazing fare and refreshments that are supplied from the Europe and
Asian countries.

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Employee Headcount versus the Revenue Dollars per Employee (Data of 2015)
Source: http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/562816679dd7cc01308b866d-1200-
1010/bi-graphics_how-much-tech-companies-make-per-employee.png
The above graph in the image reflects that at the times when none of the companies were
interested in taking care of its employees, Google focused on the HR policies in order to increase
the level of its employee satisfaction.

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Hence, it can be concluded that since its emergence, the Google Company has greatly
developed itself in such a short period of time at a rapid pace. At present, the organization has
more than seventy workplaces situated in more than forty different nations all round the world.
The prosperity of the organization is a direct result of such excellent and additional standard
treatments to its employees and representatives.
2. If you were an HR Consultant and asked to review the work culture at Zappos and implement
similar initiatives at your organization, discuss how you would execute the task assigned to you.
Answer: As an HR Consultant, if I would have asked to review the working culture at the
Zappos and was asked to implement any initiatives that are similar to it in my organization, I
would have execute my task in the following way:
a. I would have form Core Values that would make the employees of my organization not
only well-efficient but would also make them better version of themselves. This in turn will
make my organization more bound as well as its employees will have much more better
engagement than before
b. I will try to implement an employee Friendly Culture, which in turn will help the
employees to align their own goals in respect to that of the organization.
c. I will make sure that the Workspace will be more innovative so that the employees will
get attracted as this will affect their mind-sets. With the same, this will also develop creativity
among the employees of my organization.
d. I will make sure that employees are feeling better to work in the environment, as it is
the most critical and vital part because only then the customers and the stakeholders will be

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happy. However, employees come before the customers, as it is the work of the employees that
increases the productivity of the company.
e. I shall start taking new and efficient initiatives in the organization in terms of better
employee engagement
3. Compare how the Leadership styles at Google and Zappos influence employee
behaviour and morale at the respective workplaces.
Answer: The Google leadership is an informal one. It is informal as it has been noticed
that there are employees who are seen as playing and dancing ping pong during their meeting
with new employees. This brings a sense of oneness among the employees and they feel that
their heads are also a part of them. This in turn, indirectly motivates them.
On the hand, the leadership of Zappos is much more titled to employee building, and with
the same, making them involved with the Core Values of the company that makes all the
difference in within the workplace.
Organization Leadership Style Working Environment
In Google Democratic and Laissez Faire
are the two types of leadership
style implemented here, as
everybody is involved.
Playful, productive, friendly
and enjoyable.
In Zappos Authoritative style Less Enjoyable working
environment

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Assignment Task 2
1. A pre-departure training program for a British family moving to UAE:
Answer: The programme will consider discussing the below mentioned points with
respect to culture, setting and the shifting of home.
a. Culture shock: Preparation will be made for learning their language, especially few of
the commonly spoken terms that will help the family to communicate with the people over there
who cannot speak the language of English fluently.
Training: The trainer will take initiative to train the kids in order to know few terms that
will greatly help them while imitating the conversations with the other children in their school.
With the same, the husband who will work in the university of UAE are required to learn the
language much more than the others, as they will be in constant contact with people while
working. Also, if the wife wants to start teaching music the school, she too needs to develop the
rapport.
b. Summer heat: There must be proper training conducted for them so that they can deal
with the change in climate there. This will need a lot of time and preparation for the family.
c. Visa and Work Permits check: There must be proper check about the types of paper
work. Therefore, training regarding the same will also be given.
d. Accommodation and Documentation: The couple will be seeing a program in order to
learn the way of maintaining the accommodation paper, as the rules and regulation at that place
is much different from their native land.
e. Renting a car: It is very important there. Thus the company shall also help them in this.

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The training program will also take into consideration the following things:
- How to pay the rent of the whole year in advance with only one cheque.
- Air-conditions are too cool in the malls and other places. Therefore, training will be
given to keep the wear handy.
The following points could also be discussed in the program in detail:
- Knowledge about Climate and Geographical
- Cross-Cultural Awareness
- Preliminary Visit
- Every day assistance
- Employment probabilities for the spouse
Assignment Task 3
1. DifferentAmerican versus Japanese Human Resource Management Practices
Answer: Mazda Motor Corporation is basically alluded to the pretty much like Mazda. It
is one of the Japanese automaker that is situated in Fuchū, in the Aki District of
Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.
The company has delivered about 1.3 million vehicles for global deals. A large part of
those deals (around 1 million) were formed in the company’s Japanese plants, along with
from an assortment of diverse plants around the world. It has been one of the top most
and the best fifteenth largest automaker by generation in the world.
FCA US LLC or Fiat Chrysler is the American backup of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V.
It is an Italian controlling vehicles producer that has enrolled in Netherlands along with

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their central station based in London, U.K. for the assessment purposes. It is one aong the
"Huge Three" American vehicles producers.
The startling difference is the compensation structure and in the times of bankruptcy also
the American Company Mazda- the kind of individualism the company has, the
employees agreed with such a cut. But in Japanese company- Chrysler has a different cut
for all levels in the same situation.
The HR Policies based on informal control mechanisms which makes all the difference.
(Rosenzweig & Nohria, 1994)
2. Compare the cultural differences prevalent in America and Japan that may have
influenced the decisions taken at Mazda and Chrysler.
Answer: A recent investigation of the Japanese and the American companies in their
native nations were called for in order to figure out the absence of the contrasts in
between the American and the Japanese companies has revealed that a huge majority of
the Human Resource Management measurements has reflected the adjustment of the
neighboring member to the host nation environment of it and joining in what we know as
the " American " or the "Japanese" administration hones (White & Trevor, 1983).
As the scholars and the specialists alike keep on searching for the "best practices"and to
reveal the way to accomplish in present day’s rapidly changing and progressing
environment, it would be imperative for not just archiving the similitude what is more,

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contrasts worldwide over the associations in the HRM rehearses additionally to look
forward and investigate the relation in between the hierarchical execution and HRM
hones. H, from the above it is clear that the ideal opportunity for the common people to
rethink the acknowledged learning and knowledge are the special among the Japanese
and the American administration (Yoshino, 1968).
Assignment Task 4:
Global Staffing Policies:
1. The advantages and disadvantages of the Polycentric, Geocentric and Ethnocentric
Staffing policies:
Answer:
 Ethnocentric:
Source: http://businessjargons.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/ethnocentric-
approach.jpg

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- the company sees the ethnocentric staffing strategy to be the most ideal approach in
order to keep up with the bound together in a corporate society
- It trusts the most truly ideal approach in order to make the esteem by exchanging the
center capabilities to outside operation is exchanging the guardian nation nationals
that know regarding the competency to remote operation
The disadvantages include:
- Adjustment of ostracizes is indeterminate.
- The guardian nation nationals continuously are experiencing difficulties in order to
acclimate to the global assignments.
- There is an entangled faculty of arranging systems.
 Polycentric:

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Source: http://businessjargons.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/POLYCENTRIC-
APPROACH.jpg
Two preferences are there to polycentric approach:
- the company is more averse to the experience and the ill impacts of the social near
sightedness
- Such staffing methodology may be of less cost in order to actualize as compared to
the ethnocentric approach
There are weaknesses of the polycentric approach and they are:
- The nationals of the host nation have constrained options to pick up the experience
outside their own nation. Hence they have their own senior managers
- A crevice has the ability to shape between the host nation administrators and other
directors of the nation

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 Geocentric:
Source: http://businessjargons.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/geocentric-Approach-
final.jpg
The benefits of this geocentric way include:
- Establishing a framework round worldwide administrators that feel a homely working
in different societies
- Empowering the company for making the best utilization of the Human Resource
The disadvantages of this methodology are:
- The challenges with the movement laws
- The costs related to executing this methodology

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2. Examples of each of Global Organizations which are practicing Ethnocentric, Polycentric
and Geocentric Staffing policies:
Answer: Examples:
Ethnocentric:
A. Nissan in the earlier days had found this approach effective during their exportation to
Japan
B. Harley-Davidson is one of the ethnocentric companies. It is an ‘all-American’ brand.
Polycentric:
A. The Phillips Electronics is following the polycentric orientation because they assume
the country is different and unique in respect of its target customer behavior. This helps
them for designing the products accordingly.
B. GE
During managers based in Asia was developing a hand-held ultrasound machine; they
ensured that the common or the local customers are taken into account.
C. Geocentric:
Google and Apple:
The company has a network that helps it to properly function and to use its HR practices
and policies in the best used way

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3. Etisalat- the benefits of the HR initiative.
Answer: It will help the firm in order to gauge the information regarding the Egyptian market
that will be best done trough the specified company. The county will help them to carry out
the services and supply better services to the entire customer present locally. The rest other
major benefits include that the company in Egypt that have comparatively lesser operation
cost as well as expert manpower are available rather than of UAE.
The gauge of the Human Resource in the division is genuinely focused in true terms. As it is
indicated by the Modesti, they are discussed turning into the center point by keeping in mind
that we were on right way. At present, it is a great opportunity for putting the resources into it
once more, and to showcase their unwavering standard and quality. They need to concentrate
on the regions they require to separate themselves, as well as to expand them, and general
create higher-esteem consisting of the administrations in the IT. The pool of the specialists in
the country is really one of a kind.
The Services that the Etisalat offers to UAE customers and staff include:
- Customer care
- CSR
- Enterprise solutions
- Human Resource Management
- Etisalat could concentrate on their major capacity as opposed to the investing every
energy in the supporting because this procedure ould be effectively taken into account
by outsourced staffs.
- The outsourcing merchants in addition share danger alleviation elements and deal
with these in much better ways.

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- When there is the requirement of more staffs, the outsourcing organizations could
help by giving them additional laborers in order to finish the work off
- It enormous facilitates of the workload on the staffs of the company.
- The mainly preferred standpoint is minimize operational and the enlisting cost like
contracting of the nearby located people can turn out into very costly.
Hence if the UAE company outsource the customer service operations to the Egypt then it
really makes sense, as it has a lot of less costly man power that can actually help the
Company in order to increase its capabilities in other areas.

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References
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http://scoopempire.com/20-things-no-one-tells-you-about-moving-to-dubai/#.V52wtbh97IU>
White, M. & Trevor, M. 1983. Under Japanese management: The experience of British workers.
London: Heinemann Educational Books Ltd.
Yoshino, M. 1968. Japan's managerial system: Tradition and innovation. Cambridge, MA: MIT
Press
Rosenzweig, P. & Nohria, N. 1994. Influences on HRM practices in MNC's. Journal of
International Business Studies. Spring, 229-251.
Adler, NJ, 1997,International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior, South Western College
Publishing,
Armstrong M. 1996, Personnel Management Practice, Kogan Page,