Report: Human Resource Management Practices at AstraZeneca Plc.

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices within AstraZeneca, a major manufacturing company. It begins with a brief introduction to AstraZeneca, detailing its establishment, location, and employee count. The report then delves into the development of HRM functions within the organization, exploring both traditional and contemporary approaches to recruitment and selection. It critically examines the processes and practices used by AstraZeneca in performance management, including training and development initiatives. The report assesses AstraZeneca's approach to fostering a culture of lifelong learning and employee development, highlighting the company's commitment to its workforce. It also provides an overview of the company's leadership structure and the benefits offered to employees. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of HRM in the pharmaceutical industry and the role of recruitment, selection, and performance management in achieving organizational goals.

Running head: HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN ORGANIZATIONS
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN ORGANIZATIONS
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN ORGANIZATIONS
Executive summary
The report is based on the analysis of an organization named AstraZeneca that is a major
manufacturing organization in the United Kingdom. The details related to establishment of the
organization, its location and number of employees have also been discussed in the report. The
development of human resource functions have been analyzed in detail. The report has also
provided information related to the traditional and contemporary approaches of recruitment and
selection that have been implemented by AstraZeneca. Practices and procedures related to proper
performance management in AstraZeneca have also been analyzed in the report with respect to
the operations of the organization.

2HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN ORGANIZATIONS
Table of Contents
Executive summary.........................................................................................................................1
Brief introduction of AstraZeneca manufacturing company in UK................................................3
Discussion - Main bodies.................................................................................................................4
Appraise the development of the human resource function in AstraZeneca Company...................4
Critically examine the traditional and contemporary approaches of recruitment and selection in
AstraZeneca Company.....................................................................................................................4
Analyze the procedures and practices of performance management and remedial activities in
AstraZeneca.....................................................................................................................................5
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................8

3HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN ORGANIZATIONS
Brief introduction of AstraZeneca manufacturing company in UK
AstraZeneca Plc. is a British-Swedish global pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical
organization that mainly develops, manufactures and thereby sells different biotechnology based
products that are able to treat disorders in oncology, cardiovascular, respiratory and neuroscience
based areas. The headquarter of the organization is mainly located in Cambridge, the United
Kingdom and has concentrated the research and development activities in three different sites
that include Gaithersburg, Cambridge and Maryland, USA (Careers.astrazeneca.com, 2020). The
organization has been established in the year 1999 with the help of merger of two firms named
British Zeneca Group and Swedish Astra AB and currently employs more than 60,000
employees. The merger has been able to become one of the biggest pharmaceutical organization
in the world (Careers.astrazeneca.com, 2020).
Mission statement of AstraZeneca – “AstraZeneca's mission is to create a meaningful
difference in the lives of the patients we serve and the people who work here.”
Vision statement of AstraZeneca – “Our commitment to making a meaningful difference
to patient health is founded on innovative science (Astrazeneca.com, 2020).”
Values of AstraZeneca – The purpose and value of AstraZeneca help in providing
understanding related to existence of the organization and proper achievement of the goals that
have been set as well.

4HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN ORGANIZATIONS
Discussion - Main bodies
Appraise the development of the human resource function in AstraZeneca
Company
Human resource functions and management - The global human resource function of
AstraZeneca has been able to build true partnerships with the managers throughout the
organization. The major purpose of the partners is to shape the culture of the organization and
also to help in prediction of the people trends on order to deliver the bold ambition of the firm.
The human resource function is able to provide people-related advice based on labor market and
can help the managers so that they are able to identify core knowledge, abilities and skills require
to support the competitive benefit of the firm (Bratton and Gold 2017). The working
environment that has been formed in AstraZeneca is mainly characterized by the levels of
integrity, respect and various growth opportunities that have the ability to inspire collaborative
entrepreneurial thinking and individual contribution as well. The human resource function of the
organization mainly aims at enhancing the excellence of human resources or the employees. The
human resource functions are also able to shape the workplace and improve the services that are
provided by employees (Brewster et al. 2016).
Critically examine the traditional and contemporary approaches of
recruitment and selection in AstraZeneca Company
Traditional process of recruitment and selection is considered to be a term which is
mainly used for the purpose of defining a process with the help of which people can apply for the
jobs. The paper based applications and resumes are able to play a major role in completing the
process of recruitment in the organization (Delery and Roumpi 2017). AstraZeneca has

5HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN ORGANIZATIONS
implemented the process of classified advertisements in order to recruit the suitable employees.
The networks that are developed by the managers of AstraZeneca have helped the organization
to recruit the employees. The interviews that are developed and completed by AstraZeneca can
also help the firm to recruit the employees in an effective manner (Careers.astrazeneca.com,
2020).
The major contemporary methods of recruitment that has been implemented by
AstraZeneca include inclusive job adverts, programmatic advertising, video interviewing,
employee referrals, engaging with the passive candidates, social media, virtual reality, using the
data of employees, employee review sites and mobile recruitment. The modern methods of
recruitment and selection have been used by AstraZeneca in order to recruit the suitable
candidates in various positions. The firm has been able to fulfill various positions with the help
of different innovative recruitment methods that have played a major role in enhancing the
organizational operations (Guest 2017).
Analyze the procedures and practices of performance management and
remedial activities in AstraZeneca
Training and development in AstraZeneca - AstraZeneca has aimed at the development
of a lifelong learning based organization in order to form the best teams and facilitating the agile
ways of working, reskill and up skill current employees. The workforce evolution is able to play
a key part in proper enhancement of automation levels and digitization process as well. The
organization has been able to ensure that 70,600 employees can be prepared and empowered to
face the changes in different technologies. The opportunities that can be used by organizations to
survive can play a major role in proper enhancement of performance management activities

6HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN ORGANIZATIONS
(Kianto, Sáenz and Aramburu 2017). The people strategy is able to support the strategic priority
of the organization that is based on the development of a “Great Place to Work”. The three
pillars that are a part of people strategy of AstraZeneca include,
1. Performing as the enterprise team.
2. Development of a culture related to lifelong learning.
3. Champions of the diversity and inclusion (Careers.astrazeneca.com, 2020).
The culture of lifelong learning has been able to play a major role in formation of
opportunities for the employees in the organization. AstraZeneca has developed different
resources and tools to set the standards that can enhance the skills of the employees. The
organization has aimed at focusing on the transformational content and tools that can help in
reinventing the ecosystem in an effective manner. The employees of AstraZeneca have an access
to a personalized and mobile learning experience across different devices (Olson et al. 2018).
Leadership of AstraZeneca – The leadership in AstraZeneca mainly includes the Board
of Directors and the Senior Executive Team which is accountable to the shareholders and the
long term success of the organization as well. The interests of stakeholders are also considered
by the organization in order to provide them with the effective returns on their investments.
Staff benefits provided to Astra Zeneca - The organization aims to continue the
development of the leaders who will be able to maintain its operations in the industry.
Performance and talent management in AstraZeneca has been able to maintain the ways by
which it can maintain the global operations and levels of profitability as well. The capabilities
and levels of agility in the organization is considered to be a major aspect that has an impact on
the digital literacy, coaching and learning agility of the organization. The development of a

7HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN ORGANIZATIONS
global online Digital Hub is considered to be a major aspect that is able to enhance the
performance levels that are depicted by the organization (Nankervis et al. 2016).
Conclusion
The report can be concluded by stating AstraZeneca is an organization that has aimed at
providing major levels of importance to the improvement of the performance of employees. The
human resource functions of the organization have played a major role in the proper
enhancement of the contribution that is provided by the employees. The employees are
considered to be the most important part of the operations that have been developed by an
organization like AstraZeneca. The recruitment and selection process of the organization is also
based on acquiring the best levels of talent in different positions. The performance management
and talent management based activities of AstraZeneca has been able to gain a major position in
the pharmaceutical industry.

8HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN ORGANIZATIONS
References
Bratton, J. and Gold, J., 2017. Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave.
Brewster, C., Vernon, G., Sparrow, P. and Houldsworth, E., 2016. International human resource
management. Kogan Page Publishers.
Careers.astrazeneca.com, 2020. Early Careers At Astrazeneca. [online] Careers.astrazeneca.com.
Available at: <https://careers.astrazeneca.com/HR-apprenticeships> [Accessed 10 March 2020].
Delery, J.E. and Roumpi, D., 2017. Strategic human resource management, human capital and
competitive advantage: is the field going in circles?. Human Resource Management
Journal, 27(1), pp.1-21.
Guest, D.E., 2017. Human resource management and employee well‐being: Towards a new
analytic framework. Human Resource Management Journal, 27(1), pp.22-38.
Kianto, A., Sáenz, J. and Aramburu, N., 2017. Knowledge-based human resource management
practices, intellectual capital and innovation. Journal of Business Research, 81, pp.11-20.
Nankervis, A.R., Baird, M., Coffey, J. and Shields, J., 2016. Human resource management:
strategy and practice. Cengage AU.
Olson, E.M., Slater, S.F., Hult, G.T.M. and Olson, K.M., 2018. The application of human
resource management policies within the marketing organization: The impact on business and
marketing strategy implementation. Industrial Marketing Management, 69, pp.62-73.