Organisational Management: HRM and Marketing Functions

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Introduction to
Organisational Management

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
1. Discuss the key aims of two of the following functions.........................................................2
Human Resource Management (HRM)..................................................................................2
Marketing................................................................................................................................6
2. Discuss how an effective structure can positively contribute to the success of an
organisation................................................................................................................................9
Conclusion................................................................................................................................12
References................................................................................................................................13

Figure 1: functions of HRM.......................................................................................................3
Figure 2: key functions of marketing.........................................................................................7
Figure 3: Illustration of functional organisational structure.......................................................9

Introduction
The present report focuses on the two major functions of an organisation, as are: human
resources and marketing. Human resources management is an approach that enables the
organisation to get the best, qualified and potential candidates for different positions. On the
other hand, marketing is an approach that enables the organisation to reach large number of
customers through promotional activities, advertisement, and other marketing methods.
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1. Discuss the key aims of two of the following functions
Human Resource Management (HRM)
Aim and purpose of HRM
Human resource management refers to the strategic management approach that supports the
organisation to gain competitive benefits. It involves developing and managing the policies
and programs to address the concerns of employees, identify and recruit new employees, and
maximize the employee performance through the enhancement of morale, and administration
of compensation policies (Montoro-Sánchez and Ribeiro Soriano, 2011). The aim of HRM
strategies is to support the organisation programmes to improve the overall performance with
the development of policies to retain the best talent and acquisition of new employees for the
organisation. HRM also aims to develop knowledge management and enhance job
engagement and commitment of the workforce through appropriate rewards management
system.
Functions of HRM
Human resource management in an organisation is responsible for performing different
functions. For example, HRM is responsible for identifying the requirements of employees
within the organisation and developing plans to help management in gathering, analyzing,
and identifying current and future workforce needs of the organisation. HRM functions also
aim to allocate the tasks efficiently as per skills and specialization among the workforce.
HRM functions are responsible for tapping the maximum potential of the employees through
activating them to drive their contribution towards organizational goals. After the completion
of planning, organizing and directing, HR functions focus on the evaluation of employees’
performance (Armstrong, 2006). For example, a performance benchmark is developed by the
HR Manager against which the actual performance of the employees is compared, and any
deviations are measured to take appropriate preventive actions.
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Figure 1: functions of HRM
(Source: Surbhi S , 2015)
The HR manager is also responsible for performing appropriate operational functions which
include recruitment, job analysis, performance appraisal, training and development, employee
welfare and salary administration. Recruitment function includes the pooling of human
resources and supporting management in selecting the best potential candidate for the
organisation. Evaluation of the performance of existing and new employees is made through
appropriate performance appraisal system. The HR manager has to impart timely training to
the employees so that they can acquire new tactics and skills to handle high-level
responsibilities efficiently (Haslinda, 2009). The HR manager also functions to minimize
employee turnover and encourage employees’ engagement by taking care of various
employment-related issues, provision of benefits, and facilities. The HR management
functions improve labour relations within the organisation with an aim to support the
workforce in dealing with their issues and concerns pertaining to professional and personal
aspects.
Models and approaches of HRM
HR management practices can be executed with the help of hard and soft models, Best fit and
best practice approach. The HR manager in an organisation can adopt a hard model in which
there is full control over the employees' activities to attain organizational targets and goals
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according to the requirements and deadlines. On the other hand, the soft model approach
tends to establish good and positive relations with the employees by showing them concerns
and support towards their issues. The aim of the sot model is to develop connectivity with the
employees to bind them with the organisation for its sustainable growth.
The HR manager can adopt the best fit approach that emphasis on the integration of the
business environment and the business strategy (De Leede and Looise, 2005). For example,
an organisation can focus on technological advancement to meet out the technological
requirements of the business environment to enhance its competitive position and market
share through innovative approaches. On the other hand, The Best practice approach aims to
deliver the quality output to the organisation by considering and improving the skills and
talent of the workforce.
Effectiveness of HRM practices
The HR manager of the organisation engages in different strategic management activities that
are beneficial for not only the organisation but also for the employees. The HRM practices
aim to strengthen the skills and knowledge among the workforce that support their future
growth along with the enhancement of organizational performance. For example, the
periodical training and development program helps the employees in learning tactics and
knowledge from their seniors and other professionals that encourage them to put their efforts
to improve their job performance (Cooper-Thomas and Anderson, 2006). HR managers
practice their profession with an aim to manage workforce efficiently within the organisation
by developing a positive and enthusiastic working environment. Hence, it helps to improve
job satisfaction among employees that facilitate the organisation in reducing the employees'
absenteeism and turnover.
HRM practices ensure a positive attitude of employees towards their work and enhance their
capability through employee relations and motivation. In addition, HR managers make all the
efforts to make their employees feel that they are a crucial part of the organisation and a
valuable asset. Hence, this develops connectivity among the employees towards the
organisation and therefore put their efforts to enhance the organizational productivity,
profitability, performance, and customer base (Ericksen and Dyer, 2005).
There are different HRM functions that must be interlinked to attain the defined goals of the
organisation with the help of different HRM approaches, models, and tools. The effectiveness
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of HRM practices can be seen with the enhanced productivity, profitability and market
benefits to the organisation.
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Marketing
Marketing and its aim
Marketing refers to the process of pursuing marketing objectives of the organisation by
identifying, predicting and satisfying the customer needs effectively. The aim of marketing
can be understood with the following points:
Product development: The aim of the marketing is to deliver the required products and
services to the customers to the right person at the right price. For example, the organisation
is needed to analyse the competition, identify target customers, target market, and accordingly
develop the pricing strategy to get the best combination of gross profits and sales (Garrigos-
Simon et al., 2012).
Brand management: One of the goals of marketing is to develop an image in the market that
the organisation is reliable, healthy, affordable and innovative for the customers in relation to
offering benefits, affinity and loyalty. The organisation can use branding campaigns to
reinforce their brand image.
Repeat sales: The marketing department also aims to increase the sales of the organisation
that are supported by effective marketing strategies. For example, an organisation can
approach social media, content-rich website, newsletters, promotions, discounts, and other
programs to influence the customers towards the purchase of products and services.
Barriers to entry: Marketing can also be used to restrict the new entrants to enter the market.
For example, an organisation can make its magazines as the official publication of the trade
association to get exclusive access to the membership list of association (Drummond and
Ensor, 2006).
Key roles of marketing functions
The marketing functions in an organisation are responsible for performing various activities
to accomplish the marketing goals of the organisation. For example, the marketing function is
required to identify the best distribution channels to receive the goods and services so that it
can be delivered to the customers timely. An important function of marketing is to plan
appropriately for increasing sales, identifying target customers, promotional activities, etc.
For example, if the products are services are popular in a particular region, then to move
towards another region, an appropriate marketing plan is required. The market research is also
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the responsibility of marketing functions in which marketing manager collect the information
in relation to the customer needs, and marketing conditions to support the successful
marketing decisions (Olson et al., 2005).
Figure 2: key functions of marketing
(Source: https://www.gktoday.in)
Customers generally judge the quality of products on the basis of the outer packaging.
Marketing functions also aims to improve the packaging and labelling of products and
services, and therefore, he ensures that the designing of packaging and labelling is in
accordance with the specified management policies and whether it is protecting the products
or not. The marketing department is needed to dedicate their efforts towards the branding of
products and services. The marketing functions make strategic decisions regarding whether a
separate brand is required for different products or the same brand name can be justifiable.
Customers want to know the product features, descriptions, uses, etc. about the product before
initiating for any purchase, and hence, the marketing functions are responsible for providing
required information to the customers to persuade them for purchasing (Agarwal et al., 2003).
For example, a marketing manager can adopt different promotional tools, like, publicity,
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advertisement, personal selling, etc. to promote the products among the customers. It helps to
build a strong, loyal and effective connectivity of customers with the organisation.
Interrelationship of marketing and other organizational functions
In an organisation, there are different departments that integrate their activities and develop
their relationship with other functional departments to ensure smooth operational activities.
The marketing function is required to develop an interpersonal relationship with a production
function, finance function, human resource function and other functions of the organisation.
For example, marketing function requires appropriate budget and capital to conduct the
promotional and research relevant activities; hence, it requires coordinating the finance
function to get its estimated budget approved. Another example of the interrelationship of
marketing function can be seen with the production department. The marketing manager
requires information about production units, costs involved, etc. to develop an effective
pricing and sales strategy (Tatikonda and Montoya-Weiss, 2001). The marketing function
requires an appropriate number of workforces to execute the planned activities, and therefore,
it requires integrating with human resource department.
Hence, it can be said that the aim of marketing can be attained with the help of key functions
performed by the marketing team. In addition, to execute various marketing activities
effectively, the marketing function is required to develop a strong relationship with other
functions of the organisation.
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2. Discuss how an effective structure can positively contribute to the success
of an organisation
Organisational structure
An organisational structure is a systematic outline that depicts how different tasks, and
activities, like, supervision, task allocation, coordination, etc. are directed within the
organisation to attain the defined goals successfully. the organisational structure is a
determination process that helps to identify the flow of information within the organisation.
For example, in a centralised organisation structure, the information flows from top to down
while in the decentralised structure, the information is shared between the management and
employees from both sides (Pleshko, 2007).
Types of organisational structure
Line organisation: It is the simplest structure in which the flow of authority is vertical within
the hierarchical structure, i.e., from the top management to different lower-level executives
and subordinates. Hence, in this structure, there is clarity about the responsibility, authority,
and accountability at different levels in the organisation.
Functional organisational structure: It is also known as a bureaucratic structure in which the
work is divided among the workforce on the basis of specialisation. Under this structure,
there are three authority relationships: line authority, functional authority, and staff authority,
and hence, the scope of work is limited; however, the field of authority is unlimited.
Figure 3: Illustration of functional organisational structure
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