HNC Business: Human Resource Management Practices Report

This report offers a comprehensive analysis of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices, focusing on the global retail giant, Walmart. It begins with an overview of Walmart's operations, including its global presence, workforce size, and financial performance. The report then delves into the purpose and scope of HRM functions, emphasizing the importance of practices like training and development, diversity and inclusion, and employee benefits in fostering a high-performance work environment. It examines various recruitment and selection methods, such as video interviews, employee referrals, psychometric tests, and CV analysis, discussing their strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, the report evaluates the effectiveness of Walmart's HRM practices, highlighting its training programs (Walmart Academies and Spark City) and employee benefits (health plans, maternity/paternal leave, and adoption assistance). It also explores the internal and external factors influencing HRM decision-making, including employee relations, company growth, and technological advancements. The report concludes with the application of HRM practices, including a job specification, a sample CV, and a rationale for HRM interventions.

Running head: HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Human Resource Management
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
Activity 1:...................................................................................................................................4
Overview:...............................................................................................................................4
Purpose of HRM functions:...................................................................................................4
Recruitment and Selection Methods:.....................................................................................5
Activity 2:...................................................................................................................................6
Effectiveness of the HRM practices in the company:............................................................6
Activity 3:...................................................................................................................................8
Activity 4:.................................................................................................................................10
Job Specification:.................................................................................................................10
Curriculum Vitae:.................................................................................................................12
Rationale:.............................................................................................................................13
References:...............................................................................................................................14

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The concept of human resource management is pretty unique for the modern business
entities. The companies consider the management of their human resource in a scientific
manner, to be one of their top most priority as that can deliver them considerable amount of
competitive advantage in the long run. According to the comments of Kadiresan et al. (2015),
the effects of globalization played a substantial role in increasing the intensity of the business
competition. The rise in the number of new companies entering various business industries is
a significant factor for the companies which highlights the continuously enhancing intensity
of the business competition. Under such circumstances, the established organizations are
facing the threat of survival and their growth is largely dependent on their ability of customer
retention. With an in- depth consideration of the fact, the companies are prioritizing the
development of a high performance working environment through handling the human
resources in a professional manner (Noe et al. 2015).
The study is primarily based on one of the global retail giant, Walmart. The study
delivers an insightful overview of the company, explanation of the HRM practices of the
company along with strengths and weaknesses of different recruitment and selection
methods. Other than this, the study delivers an interesting assessment of the benefits
associated with the implemented HRM practices of the organization. Along with that, the
study also provides an efficient elaboration regarding the internal and external factors that
contribute to the HRM decision making process at the organization. The study delivers a
portfolio of the HRM practice application which includes the design of a job specification, an
appropriate CV of an interviewee along with the rationale of the HR practices.

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Activity 1:
Overview:
Walmart is an American retail giant which is currently operating across the world.
The organization was introduced by Sam Walton in the year 1962 and the headquarter of the
company is currently situated at Bentonville (Walmart.com. 2020). The company offers a
range of FMCG products, clothing, health, beauty, electronics, jewellery, toys and many
other services such as Walmart- 2- Walmart, Walmart.com, Walmart Pay and Walmart
MoneyCard. The global workforce of the company has expanded to 2.2 million employees in
2018 and along with that, the company opened store outlets in 11503 number of locations
(Walmart.com. 2020). Other than this, the organization earned a sum of 523.964 billion US
dollars as revenue at the end of fiscal year 2020 (Walmart.com. 2020). The renowned names
in the executive management team of the company are Doug McMillon, the President and
CEO, Walmart Inc, Dan Bartlett, the Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Brett
Biggs, the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Walmart, Rachel Brand, the
Executive Vice President of Global Governance, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary
and John Furner, the President and CEO, Walmart U.S (Corporate.walmart.com. 2020).
Purpose of HRM functions:
The significance of the HRM practices in modern organization is considerably high.
The HR intervention such as training and development is crucial in improving the knowledge,
accuracy and skills of the employees which play a massive role in the enhancement of the
quality of the performance of the employees. The diversity and inclusion management
practices contribute towards the development of a unique and adaptable working
environment. The wage and work time characterises help the companies in compensating the
employees for their performances and in developing the operational activities for the
employees (Armstrong and Taylor 2020). The WHS policies play an important role in

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safeguarding the staffs from the fatal injuries during the operational hours (Bratton and Gold
2017). Other than this, the HRM practices such as value added services for the employees is
crucial strategy for the companies for managing the retention of the talented employees at the
organization. Other than this, the appropriate formulation of the recruitment and selection
procedures contribute to the development of an optimal workforce and high performance
workforces and that certainly enhances the ability of the companies in raising the quality of
their services.
Recruitment and Selection Methods:
Considering two different recruitment approaches to be video interviews and
employee referrals, it is understandable that the strength of video interview is the cost
efficiency. The approach of recruitment is apt for cost controlled recruitment procedures. On
the other hand, it is limited in assessing the suitability of the individuals as it does not offer
the provision of having an interactive analysis of the individual’s competency in front of the
recruiter. On the other hand, employee referral helps the company in developing a pool of
suitable candidates from which they can select the appropriate and efficient individuals
(Brown, Setren and Topa 2016). Having said that, the employee referrals can also lead the
companies towards facing the internal personal conflict amongst the employees and that has
the possibility of affecting the team performances in the companies. Considering two
different selection methods to be psychometric tests and application forms or Curriculum
Vitae, it is evident that the psychometric test delivers the scope of cost efficient and easy way
of evaluating the skills and mental strength of the probable candidates in performing as per
the desired fashion in their position (Chen and Zhang 2018).
On the other hand, the interpretation of the results of the psychometric test is difficult
and in many of the occasions are associated with misjudgements, The strength of application
forms or CV is that it provides the scope to the recruiters to have an in depth knowledge

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about the education, skills, personal information and job experience (Forsberg 2016). The
main disadvantage of the application forms or CV is that the recruiters face substantial
difficulty in comparing the skills and expertise of different candidates at the same time.
Activity 2:
Effectiveness of the HRM practices in the company:
The training and developmental activities of the company is recognized as the top
most effective human resource intervention managed by the company. The organization
developed the Walmart Academies which is associated with functional supercentres. The
Walmart Academies provides the scope to the senior management of the company in
educating their employees in different formats such as sales floor training and online class
room trainings. The training is important for the success of the organization in providing the
scope to their employees in learning the soft skills such as change management, business
ethics, leadership and management and at the same time, the training has the potential of
helping the employees for learning the technical skills as well. Other than this, the company
developed a video game named as Spark City for the enhancement of the sales floor
management skills of their executives and high performing employees
(Corporate.walmart.com. 2020).
Other than this, the company formulated a business tie up with Guild Foundation for
the development of the Live Better U program where the associates of the company had the
opportunity of achieving debt free optimum quality degrees in various domains such as
supply chain or business management at the cost of just 1 dollar (Corporate.walmart.com.
2020). Other this, the company offers medical plans of 26 dollar per pay period which
includes the vision plans and dental plans (Corporate.walmart.com. 2020). Other than this,
the company follows the practice of Health reimbursement plans which delivers 300 to 1000

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dollars to the health employees for maintaining good health and along with that, the company
offers health savings account plan which ranges up to 700 dollars (Corporate.walmart.com.
2020). Along with that, the associates have the opportunity of taking advantage of the
services such as the free of cost confidential counselling sessions and health information
services.
In addition to this, the company serves maternity leave of 10 weeks to their
employees which is protected paid time away from their work (Corporate.walmart.com.
2020). The paternal leave is also an important advantage for the employees where they get six
weeks of protected paid time away from their work for taking care of their family members.
Other than this, the employees get 5000 dollars in case they adopt a new family member and
at the same time there is provision of 10000 dollars annually and 20000 dollars lifetime for
the associates in case they adopt a new family member (Corporate.walmart.com. 2020). The
company also formed strong association with the organizations such as PRIDE, HLARG,
African American Business Resource Group, APAN, ADAE, Women’s resource council and
Tribal Voices for the professional implementation of the diversity and inclusion management
practices (Careers.walmart.com. 2020).
From the above discussion, it is understandable that the company has developed
significant HRM practices and there is benefits from the same for both employees and the
employers. With a close look at the human resource interventions at the company, it is
understandable that the activities help the employees in enhancing their level of expertise
which places them in a better position for delivering high quality work and for raising their
production level (Noe and Kodwani 2018). Other than this, the substantial list of benefits help
the employees in maintaining the work life balance and the health security policies are crucial
for the employees in maintaining good health. On the other hand, the human resource
intervention helped the company in managing the employees of different backgrounds and

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cultural preferences in a professional manner through managing the workplace diversity (Bell
et al. 2017). The company is able to enhance the collective ability of delivering higher
production and quality of service through the improving the skills and efficiency of the
employees. The value added services helped the company to retain the talented employees at
their workforce and the health service policies were also of great significance for the
company in ensuring that they comply with the WHS legislations and maintain high
employee morale through safeguarding the employees from each and every possible
workplace injuries (Sparrow, Brewster and Chung 2016). As a result, the productivity and
quality of service of the company is expected to improve and that will ensure increment in the
sales of the products and enhancement of the profitability of the company.
Activity 3:
The employee relations has the ability of affect the HRM decision making. The
selected company is observed to have good corporate culture which helps the same in the
efficient management of the decision making related to the human resource management. The
company formulated certain basic principles for the management of the employee relations
which were respecting the individuals through listening, being humble to others and
maintaining the inclusiveness, striving for excellence through achieving high performance,
accountability, strategic decision making and acting with integrity by being honest, fair and
courageous towards their operations (Corporate.walmart.com. 2020).
Other than this, the flexible work schedule and close to standard compensation
package of the company are considered to be important part of the employee relations.
Having said that, the excellent training facilities, education and the WHS policies of the
company are considered to be important aspects of the employee relations. With the
development of such substantial employment relations, the company is observed to build a

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rapport with the employees and that helps the company in formulating unchallenged HRM
decisions. Other than this, the excellence of the employee relations delivers a much required
breathing space to the company in the HRM decision making.
The internal factors that are affecting the HRM decision making process is the level of
growth in the company along with the usage of the technology. The possibility of
professional growth that is on offer for the employees at the company is a crucial indicator
for the senior managers of the company responsible for the formulation of the HRM
decisions. Other than this, the acceptance of the technology from the part of the employees
and the usage of the technology in the business management of the company educates the
decision makers of the company regarding the probable dynamics and the influence of
technology in the HRM activities. The external factors that affect the HRM decision making
are employee unions, the government authorities, the economic environment and labour and
employment market (Zibarras and Coan 2015).
With a special consideration towards the labour and employment legislation of United
Kingdom, it is understandable that the key elements of the employment legislations that the
company is expected to comply with, are Employment Rights Act 1996 fir unfair dismissals,
redundancy, leave and employment contracts, National Minimum Age Act 1998 for the wage
characteristics of the employees, Employment Relations Act 1999 for the management of the
union recognition and industrial actions, The Maternity and Parental Leave etc. Regulations
1999 for controlling the maternity and parental leaves, Part-Time Workers (Prevention of
Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000 for the management of the service of the part
time workers, Agency Workers Regulations 2010 and Transfer of Undertakings (Protection
of Employment) Regulations 2006 for protecting the rights of the agency workers and general
employees during the transfer of undertaking (Peninsulagrouplimited.com 2020). Hence, it is

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visible that the company has the necessity to comply with these legislations for the
management of the HRM policies and the decision related to HRM.
Activity 4:
Job Specification:
Job Role: Sales Associate
Location: Different store locations
Career Area: Walmart Store Jobs
Job Function: Walmart Store Jobs
Contract Time: 2 Years
Salary: As per the company pay roll
Employment Type: Full Time
Operational Activities:
 The employee will work in the store outlets of the company. The employee will manage the sales of toys, sporting goods, apparel and other
products of the company. The employee will interact with the customers in the best possible for resolving their
customer queries. The employee will take part in team assignments and will be required to work under
the leadership of different team leaders of the outlets.
Responsibilities:
 Greeting the customers at the store outlets. Deliver appropriate and timely response to the customer queries.

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 Inform the customers about the new products and services of the company. Helping the customers to find their desired products in the store outlets. Co coordinating with the team members and other employees of the store. Keeping the store and their work station as clean and safe as possible.
Basic Skills Required:
 Good communication skills. Strong listening skills. Adequate literacy skills. Sound knowledge of retail skills. Strong team player.

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Curriculum Vitae:
Curriculum Vitae
Name of the Candidate
Contact number of the Candidate
Gmail ID of the Candidate
Address of the Candidate
LinkedIn User ID of the Candidate
Objective:
I am a dedicated professional with the hope of getting a chance to work for your esteemed
organization. I want to utilize my skills of business management for enhancing the revenue
and profit of the company with my work.
Education:
Business Management, 2018
Loughborough University
Loughborough, England
General Skills:
o Sound knowledge of business retail.
Photo of the Candidate

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o Strong ability of communication.
o Adequate knowledge of literacy.
o Good communicator and Listener.
o Open towards learning new things.
Experience:
Worked for six months in Aldi in the position of the Sales Associate. Jan’ 2019 – July’ 2019.
Worked for three months in Lidl in the position of the Sales Associate. September’ 2019 –
November’ 2019.
Rationale:
 The candidate has the education al qualification required for the job role or not.
 The candidate has the soft skills of not.
 The candidate are open to learning or not.
 The candidate portrays his flexibility or not.
 The candidate has the desired ability of achieving the organizational performance or
not.

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References:
Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S., 2020. Armstrong's handbook of human resource management
practice. Kogan Page Publishers.
Bell, B.S., Tannenbaum, S.I., Ford, J.K., Noe, R.A. and Kraiger, K., 2017. 100 years of
training and development research: What we know and where we should go. Journal of
Applied Psychology, 102(3), p.305.
Bratton, J. and Gold, J., 2017. Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave.
Brown, M., Setren, E. and Topa, G., 2016. Do informal referrals lead to better matches?
Evidence from a firm’s employee referral system. Journal of Labor Economics, 34(1),
pp.161-209.
Careers.walmart.com. 2020. Workplace Diversity And Inclusion | Walmart Careers. [online]
Available at: <https://careers.walmart.com/diversity-inclusion>
Chen, F.F. and Zhang, Z., 2018. Bifactor models in psychometric test development. The
Wiley Handbook of Psychometric Testing: A Multidisciplinary Reference on Survey, Scale
and Test Development, pp.325-345.
Corporate.walmart.com 2020. Corporate - US. Working At Walmart. [online] Available at:
<https://corporate.walmart.com/our-story/working-at-walmart>
Corporate.walmart.com. 2020. Corporate - US. Leadership. [online] Available at:
<https://corporate.walmart.com/our-story/leadership>
Forsberg, E., 2016. Curriculum Vitae–The Course of Life. Nordic Journal of Studies in
Educational Policy, 2016(2-3), p.33742.

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Kadiresan, V., Selamat, M.H., Selladurai, S., Ramendran, C.S. and Mohamed, R.K.M.H.,
2015. Performance appraisal and training and development of human resource management
practices (HRM) on organizational commitment and turnover intention. Asian Social Science,
11(24), p.162.
Noe, R.A. and Kodwani, A.D., 2018. Employee Training and Development, 7e. McGraw-Hill
Education.
Noe, R.A., Hollenbeck, J.R., Gerhart, B. and Wright, P.M., 2015. Human resource
management. Gaining a Competitive.
Peninsulagrouplimited.com 2020. List Of Employment Laws In The UK | Peninsula UK.
[online] Available at: <https://www.peninsulagrouplimited.com/guides/employment-laws-uk-
list/>
Sparrow, P., Brewster, C. and Chung, C., 2016. Globalizing human resource management.
Routledge.
Walmart.com. 2020. Walmart.Com | Save Money. Live Better.. [online] Available at:
<https://www.walmart.com/>
Zibarras, L.D. and Coan, P., 2015. HRM practices used to promote pro-environmental
behavior: a UK survey. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26(16),
pp.2121-2142.