MOD003486 - Analyzing HRM, Corporate Strategy & Influencing Factors

This report provides a detailed analysis of Human Resource Management (HRM) and its relationship with corporate strategy. It delves into the policies and practices of HRM, using Sainsbury as a case study to illustrate the effectiveness of HRM policies. The report examines both internal and external factors that influence human resource practices, including political, economic, and legislative factors. It also covers key aspects of HRM such as recruitment, learning and development, and employee retention, highlighting the importance of these functions in achieving organizational goals. The report concludes by emphasizing the critical role of HRM in creating a motivated and productive workforce, contributing to a company's competitive advantage. Desklib provides access to similar past papers and solved assignments for students.

RUNNING HEAD: Human Resource Management 1
Human Resource Management
(Student Name)
12/24/2018

Human Resource Management 2
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
HR Policies and Practices................................................................................................................3
Sainsbury......................................................................................................................................4
Factors Influencing Human resource practices................................................................................6
External factors............................................................................................................................7
Internal factors.............................................................................................................................7
Examples......................................................................................................................................8
Legal Aspect................................................................................................................................9
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................10
References......................................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
Human resource management is one of the core pillars of any organization it is one of the
department which plays a key role in establishing any company or an organization (Bratton, J.
and Gold, 2017). The role of Human resource management is vast and complex. It caters the
current as well as future needs of the organization and fulfills it with hiring suitable resource on
time which can help the companies to achieve their goals effectively. Human resource
Management works according to the need of the organization and its policies and rules are
designed in such a manner that everyone involved in the company has transparency and all
employees are aware of their right and duties which helps them to work better in an organization
(Bailey et al., 2018). Human resource helps the companies to bridge the gap between individual
goals and organizational goals. Human resource helps the employees to get motivated due to
which they perform better within the organization which in turn inverse their efficiency and
dedication towards work (Marchington et al., 2016). The role of Human resource starts from
hiring of an individual, performance management catering the needs of the individual,
motivating them communicating all the necessary information to them timely, helps them to train
in specific skill set which in turns helps employees to upskill themselves and they are more
focused towards day to day operations (Albrecht et al., 2015).
In this assignment there would be detailed discussion on the roles and responsibility of human
resource management as well as how effective is Human resource management policies and
process are which help organizations deliver strategic effect, by contributing to competitive gain.

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HR Policies and Practices
Human resource policies and procedure are one of the prime factors which are designed in such a
manner that everyone is aware of them and everyone has the right to know it. It is planned in
such a manner that all the employees are benefited out of it, in turn, helps the organization to
achieve their goals, mission, and vision effectively (Ostroff and Bowen, 2016). It is created in
taking the consideration of present as well as future needs of the organizations and all the
policies and procedures are managed or alerted time to time as per the need of the hour or
business requirement it is an ongoing process which Human resource have to do it in order to
have competitive advantage over other and organization could be one of the best working places
locally or globally (Trullen et al., 2016). As organization involves lot humans to work in
particular time hence it becomes essential that all the needs and requirement of those individuals
are fulfilled so that they can focus of the work which they have been allocated to and
performance can be derived (Van Gunsteren, 2018).
Sainsbury
Sainsbury is one of the leading retail supermarket company which holds close to 17% market
share in the United Kingdom. It is based out of United Kingdom. Sainsbury provides good
services to its clients which competitors are not able to deliver it hence making them one of the
largest retail market stores of the United Kingdom (Gruissem, 2015). The services which
Sainsbury provides to its customers are of groceries and in a couple of stores, they have the
electrical products, for instance, DVD player, television, washing machines etc. It was founded
by John James Sainsbury in 1869 and it became the largest retail store in groceries in the year
1922. The main reason for picking up this organization is the hard work and dedication which

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their employees have showcased and helped the organization to become one of the largest retail
store markets in groceries in a couple of years. Therefore, Sainsbury is one of the examples
which help us in understanding the effectiveness of the Human resources management policies
helps the organization to achieve or gain the success and become one of the largest supermarket
(Argent et al., 2016). Huge changes have been done in 15 years within the company related to
the selection process of the company.
Recruitment
It is one of the primary jobs of Human resource management which ensure that the right
individuals are hired for a particular post so that organization can achieve its goals effectively.
Sainsbury focuses on bringing the best individuals on board which cater to the job description
very well (Anwaar, Nadeem and Hassan, 2016). The process involves defining the correct
requirement which the company is seeking in an employee and attracting the potential employees
towards the job scrutinizing their application thoroughly interviewing them and selecting the
appropriate candidate for a particular profile.
To achieve the best results out of the individual employees are made clear of the objective of the
organization which helps them to work better and know the company. Sainsbury has the priority
to put the clients first, know their needs and cater their needs in such a manner that clients are
pleased every time when he walks into the store. It seeks the integrity of an individual as they
have to deal with the clients directly hence integrity for Sainsbury is very important. Sainsbury
always believes in hiring the right candidate for any profile as hiring involves cost and time
which is spent every time when an organization is about to hire hence selecting the right
individual is what Sainsbury looking for. Sainsbury tries to fill the required vacancies through

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both channels Internal and external. For internal post, the work which an individual is doing is
seen and what all extra efforts he is putting into to achieve the desired results. If there is any
employee who fits the profile Sainsbury tries to fulfill it internally (Liu, Gibson and Walton,
2017). Just in case if a suitable candidate is not available then Sainsbury hires from the external
sources. Like any other companies Sunbury also tries to hire from internal sources as hiring
involves cost and time which Human resource has to do it and if we have a suitable candidate
within the company itself it gives the opportunities to grow within the organization to its
employees and they are self-motivated by these vacancies.
Sainsbury focuses on the one to one or face to face interview with the candidate so that they can
gauge the candidate more effectively by observing them in different situations (Woo and Lee,
2018).
Learning and development
It is one of the next process or steps which an individual has to go through once he has been
selected for any profile. In this Learning and development, an employee gets the learning of the
work which is going to be assigned to him/her. All the task, roles, responsibilities are defined
and explained in these trainings which helps the employee to gain knowledge and expertise on
this so that when an individual is working in day to day operation he/she is not facing any
challenges in doing the work. Training and development programs are designed in such a manner
that it caters the needs and requirement of the organization in current scenarios and in the future
as well. Learning and development are not only defined with the new employees but also caters
the need of the current employees or old employees as well (Eccles, Krzus and Ribot, 2015).
Companies work in a very dynamic environment which is changing rapidly as the current needs

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and requirements of the companies may differ from time to time or it could be the need of an
hour. The training program at Sainsbury helps the employees to upskill themselves in certain
skill set which helps the Sainsbury to have more skilled labors and their productivity can be
increased by providing them proper training and motivating them towards the organizational
goals. Sainsbury focuses on increasing the knowledge of their employees on current legislation
so that everyone is aware of it and all are on the same page. It helps the employees in increasing
their skill set and qualifications so that better workforce could be there with the company.
Sainsbury motivates the employees, increase their confidence and competencies. It also focuses
on the health and safety of their employees as health is wealth and every employee is provided
medical aids time to time to keep a track on their health (AF and Najeeb, 2018).
Retention
Sainsbury due to its dynamic nature of work it becomes of the toughest place to work on to as all
the employees have been on their toes to fulfill the need and requirement of the clients. Hence
the role of Human resource management becomes critical in motivating to their employees in
such a manner that all the task and responsibilities are fulfilled in such a manner that everyone is
benefited out of it. Sainsbury is a difficult workplace to work but still, Sainsbury is one of the
companies which have lowest attrition rate as compared to its competitors as they have Strong
Human resource management which is working day in and out to cater the needs of their
employees and fulfilling them timely. Providing them good remunerations, benefits, and perks so
that all employees are motivated to work with the organization goals. Sainsbury Human resource
ensures that each employee is motivated, guided and corrected if required at every level so that
improvements can be seen towards the betterment of the organization. Sainsbury doesn’t
discriminate their employees on caste, creed or culture. It gives equal opportunities to all

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employees and genders. It gives them the chance to improve their skill set, performance, and
behavior so that they can become the asset for the company, not a liability. It also caters the need
for health and safety of its employees by providing them proper medical aids on regular basis so
that all employees can perform better and productivity can be increased which in turn helps the
companies to perform better in a bigger picture and it gives added advantage from the
competitors (Goodman and Goodman, 2016).
Factors Influencing Human resource practices
Human resource management works in a very volatile environment which is influenced by many
factors in organizations. It could be internal factors or external. Internal factors can be controlled
and monitored these are the factors within the organization which Human resource management
has to deal with it. There are few factors on which organizations have no control over it. At times
companies are driven by external factors which influence them in taking certain decisions. In the
last 25 years, external and internal factors has affected the companies at huge level which are
explained in below points:
External factors
Political factor
The political factors play a major role that is mainly responsible for the mission of the company
as well as in their strategy. The policies of the government in any country also pose some threats
as well as hurdles for HR professionals. The HR department has required handling as well as
managing the working environment of the company according to the lows of the country within
which the company does their business. There are certain administrative and legal environments

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that provide a framework within which the company needs to operate their business (Albrecht et
al., 2015).
Economic factor
The economic factor is one of the essential factors that have altered the HRM practices directly
as well as indirectly. The economic condition of the economy is directly related to the labor
market and labor supply that affect the recruitment as well as selection patterns of the companies.
Legislative factors
These are the factors in which an organization has a direct impact on their work and performance
as at times when legislative rules are changed or amended. It embeds the companies to follow it
through the core else there would be implications to it. There are certain HR related laws that are
practicing at the global level such as equal employment, safety, and health management,
disability accommodations and sexual harassment prevention which are important for the
companies to take care of that (Gatewood, Field and Barrick, 2015).
Internal factors
Quality of products
The quality of the product is cover under internal factors that affected the performance of the
companies at a greater level. The quality of the product plays an essential role in the success of
the business. The consumers are attracted towards the product with great quality at affordable
price. Therefore, the companies need to concentrate on the quality of the product at a greater

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level. These internal factors affected the demand of the product in the market. The companies
need to concentrate on such factors for leading in the competitive market (Brewster, 2017).
Work environment or condition
There are certain workplaces that have a tough place to work but still, employees are willing to
work in those companies for a longer period as the environment or facilities or conditions under
which employees are great. It is one of the factors which decide the success of any organization
as if employees are not happy to work in the present conditions they will not think to switch to
competitors.
Technological advancement factors
Technology is one of the key differentiators for any organization in this competitive world. It
gives significant growth opportunities in the world of internet. The HR department would able to
work in an effective manner with the help of internet. The HR department makes the better use
of certain tools to communicate with the employees in an effective manner (Stone et al., 2015).
Examples
 Case of Asda
With the help of internet Asda has been able to reach out to its customers widely while they are
sitting at their home. Asda has started selling their products online. They have their own food
delivery service system which is increasing their sales and revenue. Asda has seen the growth
rate of 25% year by year. Almost 90% of England has been covered by a network of Asda. The

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company has successfully attained the automated activities which help them to deliver good
quality of products. They are able to deliver the quality of products due to the constant
improvement in the system which they are bringing time to time. They have a strong network
which helps them to achieve the desired results. Asda has highly skilled labor which helps to
produce more goods which in turn reduces the cost per product (Akanji, 2017).
 The case of British Airlines
There are several HRM practices that linked with the relative economic prosperity of the
country. The instability in the economy of UK affects the performance as well as HR practices at
a greater level. The instability in the economy of the company generates the issue of retaining
and providing the training to their employees. British Airlines has cut the job due to the
downward slope of the economy of UK. It creates dissatisfaction among the employees of the
company that has generated the issue of strike by their employees. It greatly affected the
goodwill of the company as well as also faced the loss of millions of pounds by the company
(BBC News, 2011).
 A case of Marks and Spencer
Political factors in England have a tremendous influence on the performance of the Marks and
Spencer. Currently, England government is in debts so as to clients debts are at peak. This
impacts the overall purchasing power of an individual, which in turn becomes difficult for
companies to generate profits and a great amount of pressure is felt by Marks and Spencer.
Marks and Spencer not only have to deal or work in this market but eventually increase its
wealth and strength which helps to create a market hold. Political factors are not so favorable for
Marks and Spencer, these days it has managed to gain or sustain in this market due to presence

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for a long time. Due to their vintage, they are able to deliver the quality and great amount of
products to the consumers (Díaz et al., 2015).
Equality act 2010, icglc
Legal Aspect
British American Tobacco is one of the leading multinational companies that are handling
different subsidiaries in different countries. The company is providing the facility of paternity
leave and maternity leave as well as. The company obeying and follow the legal requirements
that are imposed by the government through Essential National Industries (Employment) Decree
ERP (2007). The company also needs to take care of the things according to the Equality Act
2010 of UK; this act was introduced to protect the interest of employees.
The company provides the maternity and paternity leave according to the requirement of UK
standards of managing employees (Evans-Reeves, Hatchard and Gilmore, 2015). It helps the
company to lead in a market in an effective manner. Other than that the government of UK has
enhanced the retirement age for the employees from 65 to 70. It has affected the company in
positive as well as negative manner. The companies would now able to retain experienced skills
for a longer period but at the same time, the companies also restricted to hire fresh employees
that limit them to new ideas in their organization (Barrett and Sargeant, 2015).
Conclusion
The conclusion can be done from the above analysis that, the management of human resource
plays a vital role in the success of the business. The company would able to retain the employees
in an effective manner with the help of human resource management. The HR department