HRM3007 Strategic HRM: Training & Challenges in International Projects

This report examines strategic Human Resource Management (HRM) approaches for preparing and training employees for international projects, using Mark and Spenser (M&S) expansion into Bolivia and Uzbekistan as a case study. It details effective training programs, immigration support, communication strategies, knowledge management, and project alignment meetings. The report identifies challenges employees face when working abroad, including fitting in, language barriers, loneliness, financial management, and healthcare issues. It also outlines HR practices to address these challenges, such as training and development, effective communication, financial support, and international health insurance plans, ultimately aiming to ensure the success of international expansion projects.

HRM3007 Strategic HRM

TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS..............................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
(a) Approaches and Strategies for preparing and training employees to work on overseas or
international projects...................................................................................................................3
(b) Challenges employees face when working abroad and HR practices to deal with this issues
.....................................................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
International Human Resources Management (IHRM) is basically a strategic approach with
the help of which HR manager can effectively and efficiently manage the people for their
international operations (ThiHoa and et.al., 2021). With the help of international HRM
approaches and strategies, the internationalizing company not only prepare or train its employees
to work on international or overseas projects but also able to retain top talents within the
company from all over the world. Mark and Spenser (M&S) is a British retailer company that
provides clothing, home products and food products to its national as well as international
customers. Currently, M&S company has announced to expand its business to Bolivia and
Uzbekistan in order to grow its business at international level. The internationalization of
business put responsibility over the HR management of the company to train their employees so
that they can work on overseas projects. The employee while working abroad faces various of
challenges or issues. Thus, the human resources manager of the company also need to adopt the
various HR practices to solve the issue faced by employee.
(a) Approaches and Strategies for preparing and training employees to work on overseas or
international projects
The various strategies or approached with the help of which the HR manager of newly
internationalize company can train its employees to work in overseas location or international
projects which might last for one or more years are as follows:
Effective Training Program:
The first approach with the help of which the internationalize company can prepare and
train its employees to work at international level is training and development program. It means
the company have to provide proper training to its employees regarding culture, technology,
innovation, language etc. For example, M&S company can provide field simulation training,
culture simulation training to its employees so that they can analysed what type of food products
is preferring by Bolivia and Uzbekistan people in order to build strong business. The new
internationalizing company such as M&S can use this approach in order to enter Bolivia and
Uzbekistan market (Anderson, Chung and Macleroy, 2018). Not only that, the internationalize

company can also provide local language training to its employees so that they can successfully
understand the taste and preferences of Bolivia or Uzbekistan customers.
Sourcing Immigration Support:
The another approach has to be used by the internationalize company in order to prepare
their employees to permanently shift in the foreign countries for the success of the international
projects. It is because without this the oversea assignment or project of the company won’t be
able to continue. For example, in order to enter the new market of Bolivia or Uzbekistan, M&S
company can use this approach with the help of which their employees are in line with the
national and international immigration policy. Also, the HR manager of internationalize
company have to arrange and sent permanent residency application form to its employees who
are involve in international assignment and relocate to international location for one or more
years.
Ensure Continued Communication:
As per this approach, the internationalize company need to stay in frequent contact with
its employees throughout that international projects. It is because continued communication will
encourage the employees and they will not lose their morale. It is basically one of the toughest
task for the employee to work in different culture or society. For example, M&S company can
also use this approach for its new market expansion because without communication there is no
expansion (Schleiff and et.al., 2020). Home team of internationalize company have to
communicate with the employees to know about their issues and also respond actively to solve
such issues.
Invest in knowledge management:
This is generally the most significant approach that can be used by newly internationalize
company in the present time to train old as well as new employees. For example, M&S company
in order to enter new country Bolivia or Uzbekistan can use this approach. In this what they need
to do is that they need to conduct session for employees in which old employees who has
previously worked on international projects. As M&S company has its strong base in China
market after they entered in Chinese market in 2008. But during this international expansion, the

employee has faced various issues such as cultural, language barrier etc. and also learned various
lesson during that project (Picciotto, 2020). So, now in order to enter new market, M&S
company can implement knowledge management within the organization where old employees
should share their knowledge, experience, challenge etc. with the current employees involved in
new international expansion projects.
Undertake Project Alignment Meetings:
This approach indicates that during the project alignment meetings, each employee need
to share the information regarding employee’s assignment, residency, taxation and other
requirement with the relevant stakeholders. With the help of this information, the HR manager of
internationalize company such as M&S can expand its business in new market. For this, M&S
company need to conduct a meeting between the employees, host team, host manager or home
team. In this, they have to share each other with the possible challenge the employee will face
while working abroad. After that, what mitigating strategies they can adopt or use to solve such
issues. They need to identify the issue which can affect M&S expansion to Bolivia and
Uzbekistan in the term of timeline, goals, customers and people data collection and reporting
strategies. This information further spread across whole enterprise in order to reduce mistakes
and any delay in international projects.
Which approach is best and why?
On the basis of above analysis of different approaches and strategies, it can be said that
effective training program is one of the best approach which new internationalize company can
use to train its employees to work on international level. For example, new internationalize
company can use this approach in order to internationalize its business to international market.
This approach is best because with this the internationalize company can provide information on
various aspects such as cultural, language differences. The taste and preferences of the customers
of different country are always different. So providing local language and culture training is best
for preparing the employee so that they can relocate internationally and work properly. During
this training, the various skills development class also need to be provide by newly
internationalize company for their employee encouragement.

However, the company who are already expanded its business at international level but
now wants to enter new market can also use this approach along with the project alignment
meetings arrangement. For example, M&S company of UK is basically a globalized company
now wants to enter new market Bolivia and Uzbekistan (Dandage, Mantha and Rane, 2018). So,
this approach is best for them as it provides practical assistance for relocation efforts. The
productivity of employees at international level increases. Also, with the help of this approach
they able to make proper decision for international projects. This approach provides emotional
security to employee about this change and also increase cultural sensitivity of employees.
(b) Challenges employees face when working abroad and HR practices to deal with this issues
The various challenges face by employees at the time when they need to work abroad for their
company new expansion projects are as follows:
Fitting in: This is first challenge which is faced by employee when they work abroad. In
this, the employee basically has the feeling of fear that whether they able to build strong relation
at new location or not. The employees unable to fit in new environment and culture which
ultimately affect the outcome of their international projects (Caligiuri and et.al., 2020). For
example, M&S company has recently announced to close down its several Chinese stores as they
failed to win Chinese consumers trust. Thus, this is a biggest challenge face by employee in the
present time.
A language barrier: Every country has their own language, culture which they follow.
Also, the taste and preferences of the consumer’s changes as per the change in country. Thus,
this is one of the challenge face by employee when they work abroad. For example, in order to
enter Bolivia market, the employee of M&S company need to understand that culture, language
and taste and preference of customer of people. If they fail to do so then they unable to complete
their international expansion process in successful manner. The employee has to understand that
in order to avoid further mistakes they have to learn local language during entire process of
overseas.
Being lonely: It is obvious that when an employee work abroad they feel lonely but when
they unable to make strong relation with the people of foreign country where they are relocating.
Then that situation became one of the issues or challenge for the employee to make right
decision in a foreign country. For example, the fear of being lonely of the employee of M&S is a

challenge which not affect their relationship with that country people but also their home
company, home team or employees.
Finance and money management: This challenge state that when the employee work
abroad they need to know that whether they able to manage money for that extra overseas travel
and living or not. It became difficult for the employee of M&S company to identify whether they
come under non-resident tax or not (Bilan and et.al., 2020).
Healthcare: This a last challenge which is faced by employee while working abroad for
their company international expansion projects. In this, the employee basically faces difficulty in
getting proper healthcare support while they work abroad. Thus, the employee has to get proper
global health insurance plan in order to get quick service in the case of emergency.
The various HR practices for coping up with such difficulties and complete international
project successfully are as follows: Training and development practice: This is a practice which state that HR department of
the company have to provide training and development session regarding language,
cultural, taste and preference understanding to its those employees especially who work
abroad (De Cieri and Lazarova, 2021). This will help the employees of M&S to
communicate properly with the new market people, society, investors etc. Effective communication practice: Further, the internationalize company HR also need
to communicate openly with their employees and ask them about their issues. This is best
for reducing the fear of employees that they are alone and do not fit on international
market. Here, HR manager of M&S company can communicate with their employees via
meetings, telephonic conversation to solve their issue and make them relax. This is also
good for enhancing the morale of employees. Providing finance and tax service: Another best HR practice can implement by
internationalize company are providing money to their employees for renting home,
eating food and managing travel needs in foreign countries. Also, M&S company can
appoint tax experts for each employee who relocate for international projects of business.
This will provide tax related advice to the employee that whether they fall under non-
resident tax or not (Biron and et.al., 2021).

 International health insurance plan: Lastly, to cope with the issue of employee
healthcare the HR manager of the company have to implement the practice related to
international health insurance plan. Also, the HR manager of M&S company can provide
its employees to access the private healthcare support in both home and foreign countries.
This will help the employee to manage its hospitals expenses abroad in the case of
emergency (Szromek and Wolniak, 2020). This facility also helps the company to solve
their employee issue which further leads to the success of international expansion project
i.e., expansion to Bolivia and Uzbekistan of M&S company.
CONCLUSION
After summing up the above information, it is concluded that the employees who need to
relocate in foreign countries in order to successfully complete the international expansion
projects of the new internationalizing company faces various challenges when working abroad.
Further, it is also identified that there are different types of approaches and strategies that a
newly internationalize company can use with an example of M&S company. With the help of
this approaches its prepare and train their employees so that they can properly relocate to new
country without any difficulty. Lastly, the HR practices is also concluded which help in coping
up the issue faced by employees when working abroad.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
ThiHoa, N. and et.al., 2021. Human resource for schools of politics and for international relation
during globalization and EVFTA. Ilkogretim Online. 20(4).
Anderson, J., Chung, Y. C. and Macleroy, V., 2018. Creative and critical approaches to language
learning and digital technology: Findings from a multilingual digital storytelling
project. Language and Education. 32(3). pp.195-211.
Schleiff, M. and et.al., 2020. Implementation of global health competencies: A scoping review
on target audiences, levels, and pedagogy and assessment strategies. PloS one. 15(10).
p.e0239917.
Picciotto, R., 2020. Towards a ‘New Project Management’movement? An international
development perspective. International Journal of Project Management. 38(8). pp.474-
485.
Dandage, R., Mantha, S. S. and Rane, S. B., 2018. Ranking the risk categories in international
projects using the TOPSIS method. International journal of managing projects in
business.
Caligiuri, P., and et.al., 2020. International HRM insights for navigating the COVID-19
pandemic: Implications for future research and practice. Journal of international business
studies. 51(5). pp.697-713.
Bilan, Y. and et.al., 2020. Hiring and retaining skilled employees in SMEs: problems in human
resource practices and links with organizational success. Business: Theory and
Practice. 21(2). pp.780-791.
De Cieri, H. and Lazarova, M., 2021. “Your health and safety is of utmost importance to us”: A
review of research on the occupational health and safety of international
employees. Human Resource Management Review. 31(4). p.100790.
Biron, M. and et.al., 2021. Structuring for innovative responses to human resource challenges: A
skunk works approach. Human Resource Management Review. 31(2). p.100768.
Szromek, A. R. and Wolniak, R., 2020. Job satisfaction and problems among academic staff in
higher education. Sustainability. 12(12). p.4865.