Human Resource Management Report: ASDA HRM Practices and Strategies

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices within ASDA, a major UK supermarket chain. The report begins with an introduction to HRM, defining its purpose and functions, and then proceeds to examine various aspects of HRM within the context of ASDA. Task 1 explores the different purposes and functions of HRM, focusing on employee relations, resource utilization, legal compliance, and organizational culture. It also analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of internal and external recruitment and selection approaches. Task 2 delves into the benefits of HRM practices, such as employee development, positive behavior promotion, workplace flexibility, and staff motivation. It further evaluates the effectiveness of HRM practices in enhancing profits and productivity, with a focus on talent management, information systems, and coherent thinking. Task 3 examines the importance of employee relations in influencing decision-making and highlights key elements of employment legislation and their impact on HRM decisions. Finally, Task 4 explores HRM practices within a work-related context, providing a holistic overview of HRM strategies and their implications for ASDA's overall success.

Human Resource
Management

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................4
TASK 1.................................................................................................................................................5
P1 Different purpose and Functions of HRM..................................................................................5
P2. Strengths and weaknesses of approaches of recruitment and selection.....................................6
TASK 2.................................................................................................................................................7
P3. Benefits of HRM practices........................................................................................................7
P4. Effectiveness of HRM practices in increasing profits and productivity....................................8
TASK 3.................................................................................................................................................9
P5 Importance of employee relations to influence decision making...............................................9
P6. Key elements of employment legislation and their impact on HRM decision making.............9
TASK 4...............................................................................................................................................10
P7. HRM practices in work related context...................................................................................10
CONCLUSION..................................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES...................................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
Human resource management can be defined as a function which is performed by the HR
managers of the company. They performs the process of managing the employees of the
organisation. They help the company in achieving the goals and objectives and make them
successful in the market (Alfes and et. al., 2013). The activities that are performed in the HR
department are recruitment, selection, training and development, making plans and policies,
designing the structure of organisation etc. The company that will be referred here is ASDA. It is
the second largest supermarket in UK. It was founded in 1949. they are offering variety of services
like selling food, clothing, electronics, toys, general merchandise. This report will discuss about the
various topics like scope and functions which are related with human resources. Effectively
evaluating all the internal and external factors which are affecting the decision making process.
Different applications of HRM practices which are related with real business world.
TASK 1
P1 Different purpose and Functions of HRM
The functions that are performed by the staff of ASDA is formed by the HR manager of the
company. It makes use of all the resources that are available with the management of the company.
Various plans are made by the HR manager of the company for identifying the needs of the clients

at the workplace. This is important for achieving the goals of the company.
The purpose associated with Human resource management are :-
 Employee relations: The main purpose of human resource management is to maintain
employee relations in the company. But this is not an easy task as maintaining relationships
in an organisation is not an easy task. This responsibility is given to the HR manager of the
company to manage the relations and ensure that no conflicts arise in the company.
 Effective use of resources – It is the responsibility of Human resource manager of the
company to make sure that all the resources are used by the organisation in an efficient way.
They should make sure that none of the resources are wasted as the resources are already
scarce in the market and if it will not be available then company will not be able to produce
goods and services (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014).
 Laws: HR Department of ASDA is only responsible to make sure that the employers and
employees should follow all the rule and regulations that are formed by the higher
management of the company. It is very important to follow the laws because then only they
will be able to remove all the legal issues of the company.
 Culture - It is very important a good culture is maintained in the company so that
employees feel comfortable and satisfied with the work environment. Maintaining the
culture is another responsibility of the HR manager of the company.
The various functions that are performed by HR department of ASDA are;-
 Planning: It is one of the main function that is performed by the managers of the company.
Here they are given the responsibilities of making plans and policies for the organisation
which will be applied in the organisation and this will help in achieving goals and objectives
of the company (Bloom and Van Reenen, 2011).
 Staffing: In ADSA , management fills vacant places of the organisation by employing
efficient staff for performing the work. It is considered as a very important function as
selecting the best employees for performing the work is not an easy task.
 Employee development: It is a development program that is organised in the company for
the benefit of the employees as through this they are able to gain more and more knowledge
and skills which can be used in performing the work.
 Employee maintenance: It is the responsibility of HR manager to maintain the employees
in the organisation and increase the percentage of employee retention in the company. This
can be done only when ASDA will provide various benefits to the employees.

P2. Strengths and weaknesses of approaches of recruitment and selection
The process which is conducted by the management of the company for hiring employees for
the organization is termed as Recruitment process. It is considered as one of the most essential
processes of the organization which helps the company in selecting the best employees which is
capable of performing all the work of the organization. The selection process is also a part of
recruitment process only as it is linked with identifying the best candidates among the all present.
There are only two ways for ASDA for recruiting the employees for the organization namely:-
 Internal Sources – In this type of recruitment, the employees are recruited from inside the
company itself. The manager of the company does not go outside the company to fill up the
vacant position. It is also beneficial for the employees as they are getting promoted in the
company and they will get a hike in their salary as well. Through this the employees will get
to learn about new work and processes which is being conducted in the company (Boxall
and Purcell, 2011).
Benefit of internal sources of recruitment
 It is very helpful in developing the morale of the people present in the organisation so as
that it is sure that the employees can perform their business activities more effectively.
 Every person who works in a company wants that they should be promoted in the company
so for this they work day and night with dedication and give good results to the company so
that they can be considered eligible for promotion (Bratton and Gold, 2012).
The disadvantage of internal sources involves:
◦ There is limited choice for the company.
◦ The employees who are rejected becomes discontented
◦ Favouritism is normally happening
 External Sources – It is that type of recruitment process which is carried on by the HR
department of the company. Here the hr manager of the company goes outside the company
in search of new talent. There are various tools and techniques that are linked with this
source of recruitment like advertisements, programs etc.
Advantages -
 Brings in new blood in the company.
 Compliance with the policy of company becomes easy.
 There is greater choice of selection
Disadvantages -
 It is very costly.
 It is difficult to adopt

 Sometimes wrong employee is selected by the management
TASK 2
P3. Benefits of HRM practices
Human resource management involves various types of practices which is carried on by the
managers of the company. These practices makes the organization a better place to work for
examples of few HRM practices are recruitment, selection, training, performance management,
payroll etc. they must be coordination between the employer and the employee so that these
practices are applied in an effective way in an organization so that efficient results are achieved
(Buller and McEvoy, 2012). The various benefit that are derived from these practices are :
1- Employee development- it is impossible for the company to conduct its activities without
its employees. Employees are considered as the assets of the company. There should be
proper training sessions for the employees so that they are able to perform their work in a
better manner it will help them in increasing their productivity. ASDA is also applying
various HRM practices in their organizations which is benefiting the employer and the
employee both. The employees are benefited as they feel development in themselves and the
employers are benefited as they are able to achieve their goals easily (Guest, 2011).
2- Promotes positive behavior- it is a very important factor for every organization. It is
beneficial in improving the behavior of employees in an organization. ASDA ensures that
they are having a positive environment in their company. Positive behavior can be achieved
only when the employees are happy so the HRM practices which are applied by the HR
department should be effective and satisfies the employees of the company as well. This will
help them in increasing the productivity of the employees and later on goals of the company
will also be achieved easily.
3- Building a flexible work place- it is very important to have a flexible work place because
then only the employees will be able to do their work in a better manner and without any
issue. If the work place is flexible then the employees will be able to communicate openly
with the senior management and it is effective for both i.e employer and employee.
4- Motivating staff- The various HR practices that are implemented is very helpful for
motivating the employees. These help in improving the work performances of the staff as
well. Various practices like performance management, increase in salary , non monetary
benefits etc. helps in motivating the employees of the company after receiving this kind of
motivation the employees work with more energy and passion and thus is benefits both
employer and employee.

P4. Effectiveness of HRM practices in increasing profits and productivity
There are several types of practices that are conducted in the human resource department.
These practices include performance management, motivation, and recruitment. It is said that if the
employees of the company will work together than their performance will be enhance and the
productivity of the company and the employees will also increase. These can be achieved only if the
plans maid by the management is formulated in an effective manner. The factors which benefit the
employees within ASDA are:
 Talent management- it is the responsibility of the hr manager of the company to manage
the talent in the organization. If the employees who are hired are skilled and talented than
they will be able to increase the productivity of the company. Every person present in the
firm having different kinds of talent in them, it depends on the company that how they make
use of the talent of the employees. These employees have the power to make the company
successful in the market (Han, Chiang and Chang, 2010).
 Information system- it is also termed as knowledge administration. In this system the
message which is important for the company is shared with the workers so that the work is
conducted in an effective manner. This will help the company in achieving their desired
goals and objectives. The management of ASDA is using effective communication strategies
for communicating with their employees with the help of this, the management is able to
reduce the chances of miscommunication that happen in the companies and thus the
employees will be able to work more efficiently and according to role assigned to them so it
can be said that if there is effective communication in the company then the work of the
organization will be conducted without any issue (Huselid and Becker, 2011).
 Coherent thinking- It is the policy that is followed at the work places in which the
employees are given strict orders for completing their work within the deadline assigned to
them. If the employees does not follow the same then they will not be able to gain any
incentive in the company.
 Logical thinking- It is a process which is carried out by the hr manager of the company.
Through this they aim to generate innovative ideas in the company so that the work of the
employees will be completed on time and in different ways also. This will help them in
gaining competitive advantage in the market.
TASK 3
P5 Importance of employee relations to influence decision making
It is very important to maintain good relations at the workplace because it will help them in
carrying out all the plans of the organisation in an effective manner. It is the responsibility of

manager for managing good relations inside the organisation as then only the employees will feel
comfortable and will be able to share their queries with the higher authorities. The importance of
employee relations can be specified as:-
 If good relationships are formulated than it will help in motivating the employees of the
company so that they can achieve good results for business by expanding there business
operations.
 It will make a healthy work environment in the company so that the employees work with
enthusiasm and happiness and not forcefully.
 It will also bring loyalty in the employees as they will feel that the company is thinking so
much about them then they should also behave like that only.
 If good relations are maintained with workers than it results in developing good and positive
image about business (Jiang and et. al., 2012).
P6. Key elements of employment legislation and their impact on HRM decision making
An employee relation plays an imperative role in growth and vitality of every business
organization. It helps managers to achieve their goals and objectives in an effective manner. ASDA
having strong employee’s relation as it has well experienced and qualified workforce. In order to
manage healthy employee relations companies need to use open or free flow of communication
channels in which workers can easily interact with their staff members. The HR managers of the
company also implement different HRM practices for managing employees; it helps to run an
organization in an effective manner (Renwick, Redman and Maguire, 2013).
The various laws that are compulsorily to be implemented in companies are :-
 Anti-discrimination act – This act is implemented in an organisation so as top protect the
important rights of the employees who feel that they are discriminated at their workplace on
the basis of caste, religion, colour etc. In business organisation where more than 15
employees are working it is important to apply this law.
 Minimum wages act – This act was developed for those workers who does not get salary
for the work done. This act says that all the employees in a company have a right to get
wages for the work they do in the company. If the managers will not do so then the
employees have a right to complaint against them . This is compulsory to be followed in
those businesses who have employed more than 15 employees.
 Age Discrimination - This act states that employers have no right to fire all those
employees who have reached at the age of 40 years. This is applied on all those places
where more than 20 employees are involved in business operations.

TASK 4
P7. HRM practices in work related context
The application of various HRM practices in very essential for the organisation because it
will help then in achieving then organisational objectives also. The two main practices that are
applied by ASDA are:-
Job Specification – It is considered as an official document that contains details about all
the tasks and duties that will be performed by an individual in a particular position. It also defines
the set of competencies that required to be present in the person (Schalk, Timmerman and Van den
Heuvel, 2013). For this proper examination is conducted of the task that the employee are required
to perform and then only the list of competencies is prepared.
JOB SPECIFICATION
Organisation: ASDA
Job Title – Assistant Human Resource manager
Qualification – MBA or PGDM (Human Resources)
Essential Criteria:
 Complete knowledge of management skills and tools.
 Capable to holding ideal employee relations.
 Maintaining coordination between the functions of management.
 Able to deal with pressure in a productive manner.
Desirable criteria:
 2.5+ years experience
 Effective communication skills required
 Good personality
 Knowledge about the HR plans and policies
Job Description – It is another official document that contains information about the work
profile. Here, the summary of role and responsibilities of the individuals is being recorded that are
required by the applicants (Vaiman, Scullion and Collings, 2012).
Job Description
Organisation: ASDA
Division: Human Resource Department
Job Title: Assistant Human resource manager

Job Location: New Castle
Job Summary
Company is looking for capable person who can fulfil the requirement of Assistant human
resource manager in the company. The applicant must carry Business knowledge and ability to
manage human resources efficiently.
Role
1. Ensuring laws and policies are adhered.
2. Maintaining Harmony in the environment
3. Recruitment
4. organising training and development programs.
When ASDA will carry out an recruitment process then a that time they will try to reach
maximum no. of people so that they will have choices from which they will recruit the best
employee (Van Solinge and Henkens, 2014). When there will be large pool of applicants then there
will be more probability of selecting the best candidates for the vacant places . The HR manager of
the company is having the application of all the candidates who will be present at the interview
(Wright and McMahan, 2011). The CV of a student is given as follows:
CURICULAM VITAE
Curriculum Vitae
Name: Benjamin Kay
Address :23rd Street, Birmingham lane, Birmingham
Phone No. - 2421425647
Profile summary:
An MBA in human resources with 2.5 years of experience wishes to be a part of organisation
that provides me opportunities for growth. Effective communicator with deep knowledge of
management theories and topics.
Specialisation:
 Recruitment
 Management of Human relations
 Conflict management Training and development
Educational qualification: -

 Bachelor in Commerce. (B.com) Masters in Business administration (MBA) (HR)
Declaration:
I hereby declare that all the information provided is true and is best of my knowledge.
Date:
Place:
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it can be concluded that human resource management is a very
important function in an organisation. They perform all those activities that help the company in
achieving growth and success in the market. They help in selecting the best employees for the
company as they will only perform the work in the company. The HR manager of the company is
given the responsibility to maintain the employees at the workplaces and also increases their
productivity as well. Various employee development programs are being organised by the HR
manager of the company so as to improve the skills and capabilities of the employees and also
motivates then to achieve their targets on time. Different act are designed by legislations which are
helpful in protecting employees who are facing any discrimination and ensures safety of workers so
that they can carry out there works in healthy work environment.
REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Alfes, K., and et. al., 2013. The link between perceived human resource management practices,
engagement and employee behaviour: a moderated mediation model. The international
journal of human resource management. 24(2). pp.330-351.
Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S., 2014. Armstrong's handbook of human resource management
practice. Kogan Page Publishers.
Bloom, N. and Van Reenen, J., 2011. Human resource management and productivity. Handbook of
labor economics. 4. pp.1697-1767.
Boxall, P. and Purcell, J., 2011. Strategy and human resource management. Palgrave Macmillan.
Bratton, J. and Gold, J., 2012. Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave
Macmillan.
Buller, P. F. and McEvoy, G.M., 2012. Strategy, human resource management and performance:
Sharpening line of sight. Human resource management review. 22(1). pp.43-56.
Guest, D. E., 2011. Human resource management and performance: still searching for some
answers. Human resource management journal. 21(1). pp.3-13.
Han, T. S., Chiang, H.H. and Chang, A., 2010. Employee participation in decision making,
psychological ownership and knowledge sharing: mediating role of organizational
commitment in Taiwanese high-tech organizations. The International Journal of Human
Resource Management. 21(12). pp.2218-2233.
Huselid, M. A. and Becker, B.E., 2011. Bridging micro and macro domains: Workforce
differentiation and strategic human resource management.

Jiang, K., and et. al., 2012. How does human resource management influence organizational
outcomes? A meta-analytic investigation of mediating mechanisms. Academy of
management Journal. 55(6). pp.1264-1294.
Renwick, D. W., Redman, T. and Maguire, S., 2013. Green human resource management: A review
and research agenda. International Journal of Management Reviews. 15(1). pp.1-14.
Schalk, R., Timmerman, V. and Van den Heuvel, S., 2013. How strategic considerations influence
decision making on e-HRM applications. Human Resource Management Review. 23(1).
pp.84-92.
Vaiman, V., Scullion, H. and Collings, D., 2012. Talent management decision making. Management
Decision. 50(5). pp.925-941.
Van Solinge, H. and Henkens, K., 2014. Work-related factors as predictors in the retirement
decision-making process of older workers in the Netherlands. Ageing & Society. 34(9).
pp.1551-1574.
Wright, P. M. and McMahan, G. C., 2011. Exploring human capital: putting ‘human’back into
strategic human resource management. Human Resource Management Journal. 21(2).
pp.93-104.
Online
Recruitment and selection process. 2017. [Online]. Available Through:
<https://hr.ucr.edu/recruitment/guidelines/process.html>.