Marks & Spencer: A Report on Talent Management Strategies

This report analyzes the talent management practices of Marks & Spencer (M&S), a leading British multinational retailer. It begins with an introduction to talent management and provides a company overview, highlighting M&S's business operations and recent challenges. The report identifies poor talent management as a key issue impacting the company's growth and profitability, particularly in staff hiring procedures. It discusses the benefits of addressing this issue, such as increased employee motivation and improved business performance. The report then recommends improvements, including providing equal training opportunities, developing continuous professional development plans, and implementing performance appraisal systems. The conclusion summarizes the importance of effective recruitment and development strategies for retaining skilled employees and driving overall business success. The report references various books and journals to support its analysis and recommendations.

MANAGEMENT REPORT

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Company overview......................................................................................................................3
Issue statement.............................................................................................................................4
Benefits for M&S in dealing with talent management issue.......................................................6
Recommendations for improvement............................................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Talent management is the commitment of multinational company to recruit, develop, hire
and retain the most applicable and talented workers available in job market (McKean, 2014). It
is useful and beneficial term when it describes a firm commitment to manage applicants
effectively. The present report is based on Marks and Spencer organization established in UK,
they operate their business across the world. This study explains the current issue facing by
company, applicable theory and justify recommendation to reduce the issue that is poor talent
management. Furthermore, it clarifies the benefits for that firm in dealing with problem which
impact on overall business operations.
Company overview
Marks & Spencer is leading British multinational retailer in London, UK, they provide
great quality clothing, food as well as home products to its consumers. The company is founded
by Michael Marks ad Thomas Spencer in 1884. They have about 1,0000 outlets, a figure that
consider 300 main stores and wide network of simply food convenience stores. It is considered
as the first British retailer to make pre-tax earning of over £1 billion, in spite of that subsequently
M&S went into sudden slump, which took their stakeholders and firm by suspire. Food sales of
company increasing more and more rather than clothing sales which fallen down. In order to gain
popularity and increase profit, they began to sell branded and high quality food products like
Kellogg's corn flakes.
In recent time, organization is recognized as UK Fifth biggest retailer, it is undergoing a
tumultuous period in their general and fashion merchandise arms. In additional to this, company
cater range of financial services to people including current account, credit cards, saving and
mortgages, all these services help to build their strong and powerful image within market place.
They also launched its new clothing collection for children with eczema by considering their
needs and preferences. Firm operates through two segments: International and UK. The global
segment consist of M&S owned businesses in republic of Europe, Asia and Ireland together with
international franchise functions. Along with this, organization is occupied in delivering its own
brand clothing, home and other products in their physical outlets and online both in nation and
internationally.

They sells lingerie, menswear, women's wear, kids wear, beauty products and serving
consumers through approximately 300 full line websites and stores. It has around 910 UK stores
including more over than 220 owned and 350 franchise simply food outlets.
Issue statement
As per view of Swenson, Gravitz and Lightner, 2017 talent management is effective and
systematic procedure of identifying vacant job role, developing skills and hiring’s suitable
person to match position and retaining them to achieve long term objectives of business.
Vaiman, Scullion and Collings, 2017 argued that talent management is full scope of
Human resource procedure to develop, attract and motivate high performing workers. It is set of
HR processes that is integrated with each other; it means that this activity is larger than sum of
individual sections.
In simple words, talent management helps to increase productivity and performance of
workers in company, it supports to manage people effectively and build strong workforce.
Due to poor talent management and staff hiring procedure company face issue that
impact on its business growth and profit margin. It hinders ability of organization to innovate and
respondents, it makes firm enable to expand business into new market. When manager and leader
do not motivate their staff for their effective performance in workplace, it directly affects people
work abilities and demotivate all of them. They do not appraise people which increase high
employee turnover. In order to motivate staff, company can apply different types of framework
and theory that help to enhance work capability of people effectively.
Training and development of staff members-
It is considered as subsystem of company which highlight on performance improvement
of teams and individual. Training is one of the best learning procedures that make employees
able to contribute in competitive environment. It includes changing of attitude, sharpening of
skills, gaining more knowledge and concepts to enhance performance of workers.
With the help of training employees work effectively and complete daily task on time. In
context of M&S, when human resource manager supports in creating plan for workers training,
they provide the best opportunity to applicants. Staff enhance their work abilities throughout this
procedure which is quite beneficial for them. Company can retain and motivate employees
appropriately as well as manage them systematically with the help of training and development
program.

It is the second need of staff working and performing under company since for so long. In
order to manage talent and motivate staff, management will provide the best training opportunity
to its workers and fulfil their needs that help to retain talented candidates. When management
provide training, they have to consider the exiting workers needs. New applicants also get this
benefit which help to assure them about company concern towards their career growth as well as
skills development which is quite beneficial for business as it helps to retain and motivate staff
members for longer period to time.
When needs are completed by management of business in workplace it helps to motivate
staff. Training also helps to reduce nervousness of new applicants and reduce rate of depression
that impact on its work abilities.
Good training of workers in workplace and out of company give change to employees
belongs with different culture that also work effectively. After obtain all the things including
training sessions provided by management of M&S, the interest of employees work with
company is increased more than before. It helps to increase their desire to develop and grow
professional career.
Poor hiring process does not allow HR management to acquire the talented and skill
applicants in workplace, it creates many difficulties for M&S forecasting growth. But with the
help of training and development plan, organization build strong team. By reconsidering the
current training plan with the help of getting suggestions from other people in business, company
can be able to trained labour. To manage talent management effectively, organization will
prepare better job training with lists of requirements. By improving quality of workers training
company get the most applicable and skilled applicants who are able to contribute in achieving
business objectives and goal. These things having impact on firm competitive advantage and
profit margin.
Furthermore, M&S HR management follow the path that drive towards training and
development of employees in company. They have to design and develop the best training plan
in order to attract individuals available in market. From top to bottom leaders all need to be
included while planning for developing workers skills.
Employees development is the procedure that strives to build ability of people to achieve
new desired state that benefits workers.

Training and development plan is costly but effective for business as well as workers as it
needed a lot of efforts from trainers.
Benefits for M&S in dealing with talent management issue
When Marks & Spencer improve their hiring techniques, they can build strong team of
people. High employee motivation is one of the benefits that company will gain while dealing
with talent management problem. By making effective selection and recruitment procedures
include accurate qualification, strong pool of workers, proactive strategic alignment with
business goal, M&S reduce turnover and manage talent. With the help of the best recruitment
plan company will increase their business performance and productivity. Manager and leader
support encourage employees to complete task on desirable time limit, that provide better results.
Talent management is all about retaining, hiring and developing talented workers, by improving
current recruitment strategy or process, M&S will increase their productivity rather than before
as they have strong team. The another benefits' organization will gain with the help of
developing the best hiring procedure that is attracting high quality applicants.
Recommendations for improvement
M&S company is recommended for providing ranting to its new and existing people in
workplace, that enhance work capabilities and performance. Training is the best tool used to
manage talent and develop new skills in applicants. Management make training program by
considering all the people's in mind, they must trained each worker equally without any
discrimination. Training providing by senior applicants in organization increase morale and job
satisfaction among workers, it also helps to increase employee motivation, efficiencies in
operations management and enhance capacity to adopt new methods and technologies. As per
view of Bailey and et.al., 2018 training is a great way for talent management as it helps to
increase abilities and allow people to obtain better knowledge related to job role.
Marks & Spencer is highly suggested creating continuous professional development plan
for all people working in company. CPD refer to the procedure of documenting and tracking
current skills, experience and knowledge that person gain informally and formally as they work,
beyond any initial training. It is quite beneficial for workers as learn in practical and structured
manner that boosts knowledge and skills, it also supports people ascertain more knowledge they
need to get within short period. Martin, 2015 argued by CDP is the best method uses by

company for talent management. It allows management to fill gaps in their employees
knowledge and make them able to be more efficient and productive.
Performance appraisal plan must apply and develop by M&S that also help to retain
applicants in workplace effectively. By providing positive feedback and motivating staff in
context of work, management will retain skilled members in staff appropriately. It helps to
improve areas where people feel weak (Mohrman and Lawler, 2017). The purpose of
performance appraisal to cater data to senior authority by which they can judge future job
portion.
Rational- the purpose of training, appraisal and continuous development plan is to
developed new skills and increase level of knowledge among staff.
Timescales- the duration of achieving these objectives is depended on procedure of M&S
and its decision.
Prioritize- in order to deal with issue that impact on managing talent in organization.
Cost- the cost of implementing plan, arrangement of training and other things is
depended on number of applicants. Skill and knowledge development needed in workplace that
help to grow business.
CONCLUSION
From above, it has been concluded that poor recruitment procedure of M&S impact on its
overall business growth. With the help of considering needs of applicants, provide equal training
opportunities and developing continuous development plan organization will retain their skilled
labour effectively. Training and development systems is the best way for staff members that they
can use for enhancing skills as well as performances.

REFERENCES
Book and Jouranls
Bailey, C and et.al., 2018. Strategic human resource management. Oxford University Press.
Behaghel, L., Caroli, E. and Roger, M., 2014. Age‐biased technical and organizational change,
training and employment prospects of older workers. Economica. 81(322). pp.368-389.
Jiandani, M.M and et.al., 2016. Continuous professional development: Faculty views on need,
impact and barriers. Change. 7(43.75). pp.43-75.
Martin, J., 2015. The challenge of introducing continuous professional development for
paramedics. Australasian Journal of Paramedicine. 4(2).
McKean, C.E., 2014. Employee engagement, employer branding and the service-profit chain.
Mohrman, A.M. and Lawler, E.E., 2017. Motivation and performance-appraisal behavior.
In Performance measurement and theory (pp. 173-194). Routledge.
SAVCHENKOV, A.V., 2017. Training of workers and specialists relevant to the requirements of
high-tech industries in the context of networking cooperation of regional educational
institutions and enterprises. Revista ESPACIOS, 38(40).
Swenson, S., Gravitz, R.M. and Lightner, G.M., 2017. Modeling and Simulation for the
Enterprise: Integrating Application Domains for the M&S Professional. The Profession
of Modeling and Simulation: Discipline, Ethics, Education, Vocation, Societies, and
Economics. 253.
Vaiman, V., Scullion, H. and Collings, D., 2017. Talent management decision
making. Management Decision. 50(5). pp.925-941.