Strategic Human Resource Management Report: Learning and Branding

This report offers a comprehensive analysis of strategic human resource management (HRM), focusing on learning methods and employer branding. It explores various learning methods, including training and development, coaching, and role-playing, alongside learning theories such as behaviorism, cognitive theory, and constructivism. The report emphasizes the significance of building a strong employer brand to attract talented candidates and discusses the factors that influence candidate attraction, such as career paths, opportunities, and compensation. It uses Marks and Spencer as a case study to illustrate these concepts, highlighting how a positive brand reputation and employee development initiatives contribute to organizational success. The report concludes by underscoring the importance of aligning employee goals with company objectives to foster motivation, reduce employee turnover, and enhance market share.

STRATEGIC
HUMAN
RESOUCE
MANAGEMENT

Abstract
From the report, various learning method and learning theories has been high lighten.
Learning method may include training and development, role playing, coaching and
development, online training and many more. Learning theorires may include behavior theory,
cognitiatve theory and constructivism theory. The report also includes the reason why it is
necessary to build a brand name for employer and the factors which needs to get consider to
attract the candidates for employment.

Contents
Abstract............................................................................................................................................2
INTRODCTION..............................................................................................................................4
TASK A...........................................................................................................................................4
TASK C...........................................................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODCTION
Human resource is taken as major part which contributes to the success of organization.
They said that it is the hard work of employees only which takes the organization is the very next
level. An employee performs to his best when it has given a work or job of his forte. Every
employee has his personal career goal for which he joins the company and it is the mere duty of
organization to link the employee goals with the objectives of an organization. To hire talented
workforce lies totally into the hands of Human Resource Department. Human resource
department is concern with recruitment, selection and placing the employee at the right position.
For reference purpose this report has taken an example of a company, Marks and Spencer. Marks
and Spencer is a British multinational company which specializes in manufacturing of quality
clothes, home products and food products (Armstrong and Taylor, 2020). The company was
establishing in the year 1884 by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer. The company has
successfully opened its stores at 1463 stores serving worldwide.
This report discuss about the learning theories which helps the organization to make
understand the change to the employees. Apart from this the report also includes the importance
of employer brand at the time for recruitment and selection program.
TASK A
Organization job is to develop the skills and knowledge of their employees because they
know that investing into their employees will be a direct investment into the growth of company.
Different employees have different objectives with the company and very employee gets
specialized in the work he is performing with time (Daley, 2012). In every organization there is a
learning and development department which has the duty to undertake the responsibility to
develop and organize the learning and development program. There basic main is make the
employee update about the changes into the market in their work and make them learn about
such change. There are employees whose goals are different from what the company is expecting
them to learn. There are many theories of learning for which the organization can take help and
make their employees learn according to the recent and demanding development into the
organization. As well as there are many methods of providing the learning and training program

to the employees. Some training methods which is followed by company Marks and Spencer are
as follows:
Training and development: In this type of method, training and development refers to providing
the required training to the people for developing the skills and knowledge in them. These
training can be provided by providing lectures or programs which solely would based on the
topic which the company wants its employees to learn (Delery and Gupta, 2016). These training and
development program are of two types, i.e., on the job and off the job.
In on the job training program, the training is provided to the employees at the job only.
The employees will attend the training program in his job hours only. And the employee is not
require to pay for these training as it is totally done by the company.
Whereas off the job training are the training and development program which an employee get
after the competition of his job hours. In this the employee is required to attend the training
program after completing his job routine (Hendry, 2012). This training can be held in the office
premises or also outside of the job premises.
Coaching and mentoring: In this type of learning, the employee is provided with a
mentor who is responsible to coach or train the employee with the required skills and
development program. In coaching and mentoring program, the employee gets coaching within
this job work about the training and his mentor would mentoring about the topic which he is
required to provide training.
Role playing: Role playing in learning is an activity which is played by a small group of
people. In this the people learn by performing the role into the group. They imitate the role or the
learning and from this they learn the things which company wants to inculcate in this. As in the
case with Marks and Spencer manufacturing unit, if the company comes up with new
manufacturing process, they would take the help of role playing to make the employee learn
about the manufacturing process as in this they would imitate the role of how they would
undertake the process by themselves.
Learning Theory:
Learning theory describes how the people or learner absorb, process or retain the learning
knowledge. These theories are as follows:
Behaviorism theory: In this the new behavior is generated through association among stimuli and
responses.
Cognitive theory: In this the process of information leads to understanding of concept and its
retention.

Constructivist theory: In this the individual construct his own knowledge through his
experiences.
TASK C
Before getting into any organization, the candidate or employee search about the
company (Konrad, Yang and Maurer, 2016). The search may include the time at which the company
was establish, the owner history, parts of country or world where it has expanded, the goodwill,
feedback and review of employees working there, culture and environment of the company and
the so forth. By knowing such, the employee can make out about how well the company can
serve to him, whether it is beneficial for him to join the company or not, whether his personal
career goals can be meet through this company or not. Also the company acknowledges the
candidate about how they can help them in accomplish their personal career goal with their
company. The company tries to link their employee’s goals with company’s objectives. This has
helped the company in various ways, it keeps the employee very much motivated and satisfies, it
also results into low turnover ratio of employees, and much more. Here the goodwill of company
plays a major role for the them in attracting the talented workforce. Talented workforce also
searches for the company which has the ability to make them more develop, train them in
achieving their personal goals and objectives.
The importance of employer brand is as follows:
Good goodwill: If the organization has a good goodwill into the market, then major of the
candidates will automatically would get attracted towards them. They need not have to educate
the employee or interested candidates about their company and the work which they perform.
Good goodwill also helps the company in increase in the market share and growth. A good
reputation of company help it in raising the capital and funds from market (Mello, 2014).
Therefore, it is very much important for the organization to make its name a huge brand. As in
the case with Marks and Spencer, the company is serving worldwide with approximately 1476
stores. The company has a brand name which is very much famous among people. Any
employee would be privilege to tell to other about the company he is working in as he does not
need to explain the other about his company.
In attracting talented workforce: The Company does not need to work too hard in
attracting the workforce towards them. As the brand of the company is so good that the talented
workforce ultimately gets attracted towards them. The brand name helps the company in the
recruiting process, as they find very much easy in inviting the applications (Ridder and Baluch,
2017). They do not need to post about their vacancies at too many platforms but they only have to
post it at few place or platform which helps the company a lot. As in the case with Marks and
Spencer, the company does not need to work hard for attracting the talented employees towards
them. The company already has many pending resume which company stores it and consider it at
the time of any vacancy.

Increase in market share: As the name of a company become a brand, it would start
getting known and famous to others also. Once it would get known to other companies or people,
it would start getting more and more projects. This helps the company in growth and
development. As the company will keep on growing, it would require more employees and
ultimately as a known company it would be easy for them to hire the employees. As in the case
with Marks and Spencer, the company has increases its market share and growth by increase in
the goodwill and building up the brand of the company (Stahl, Björkman and Morris eds., 2012).
Change marker: The big companies, like Marks and Spencer are considered as a change
marker. They bring change into the market as well into the structure of the company. They
initiate the change by making the people release the need for making change. Such companies
grab the opportunities as and when they arise. The employees help these big company in
bringing the change into organization, they detect the area where they see the opportunity and
then cash it. The talented employee has helped the company in becoming a change maker or a
change taker. Therefore, it is very much essential for employer to build up a brand for his
company so that he can attract the people like this which can help the company in the growth and
success.
Factors that need to get consider ensuring potential candidates are attracted to the
organization:
Stronger career path: The Company which has the strong plans for the career and development
for employees, attracts the huge number of candidates for employment. If the company has a
planned career path it would help the employee to analysis whether that career path would be
beneficial for him or not. It also generates a sense of trust into the minds of employee that the
company plays very fair and transparent with them (Stewart and Brown, 2019). It encourages them to
build up the trust and motivated them to perform the best in their job.
More opportunity: Every candidate asks for the opportunity which the organization would
provide to him. Now a day’s candidates are looking for the company which provides them with
more opportunity very often which helps them to reach early where they have planned for
themselves. The candidates also look for the company which provides them with learning and
training with them which helps them in developing their skills and knowledge.
Better compensation and knowledge: The candidates goes for the company which provides
their employee with good pay scale. A good pay scale helps the company in attracting the
candidates very well. As in the case with Marks and Spencer, the company provides the pay
scale at par with the kind and type of work the employee is required to perform (Storey, 2014). The
company does not pay any employee low or less as compared to the work and hard work he has
shown to the company.

CONCLUSION
From the report discuss above, the learning methods like training and development,
coaching and mentoring, role playing, online teaching, brainstorming and etc has been discuss
which can helped the company and the employee in making their learning very easier and
efficient. It has become necessary for the organization to make their employee learn and train
them according to the requirement of market. They invest into their people by doing so. The
report also includes the necessity of an employer to build its brand, as it is useful in many things
such as in attracting the talented candidates, building up the goodwill, increase in market share
and much more. The report has also states the factors which the employer considers as a
potential factor in attracting the candidates.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S., 2020. Armstrong's handbook of human resource management practice.
Kogan Page Publishers.
Daley, D. M., 2012. Strategic human resources management. Public Personnel Management, pp.120-125.
Delery, J. and Gupta, N., 2016. Human resource management practices and organizational effectiveness:
internal fit matters. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance.
Hendry, C., 2012. Human resource management. Routledge.
Konrad, A. M., Yang, Y. and Maurer, C. C., 2016. Antecedents and outcomes of diversity and equality
management systems: An integrated institutional agency and strategic human resource
management approach. Human Resource Management. 55(1). pp.83-107.
Mello, J. A., 2014. Strategic human resource management. Nelson Education.
Ridder, H. G. and Baluch, A .M., 2017. Strategic human resource management. In The Nonprofit Human
Resource Management Handbook (pp. 69-86). Routledge.
Stahl, G. K., Björkman, I. and Morris, S. eds., 2012. Handbook of research in international human resource
management. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Stewart, G. L. and Brown, K. G., 2019. Human resource management. John Wiley & Sons.
Storey, J., 2014. New Perspectives on Human Resource Management (Routledge Revivals). Routledge.