HRM in the Corporate Environment

X15002233 Vincent Cole HRM

HRM in the Corporate EnvironmentAssignment

Vincent Cole X15002233

Department of Business

School of Business and Humanities

National College of Ireland

Lecturer Clare Mulligan

Word Limit for Assignment: 2000 Actual Word Count: 2221

HRM Practise & Theory

HRM in the Corporate Environment

9/02/2016

1


Introduction

The development and conceptual meaning of Human Resource Management is clearly

defined by (Beer, et al) 1984, the Harvard framework was created and proposed that “HRM

involves all managerial decisions and actions that affect the nature of the relationship

between the organisation and its employees its human resources “

In this assignment a full breakdown of the company’s strategy will be displayed as well as a

clear description of the organisation, the analysis of the role of and function of HR with an

emphasis of providing a clear understanding of models, structures and framework.

Recommendations will be suggested in regards to idea generation for optimum HR

structures, as well as clear indication of knowledge in terms of the changing business

environment using the macro and micro methods.

The assignment will be showcased in four parts, business strategy, Roles and functions,

Ideas and Recommendations, Changing Business environments.

“The beliefs of HRM included that the assumptions that is the human resource which gives

competitive edge, that the aim should be to enhance employee commitment, that HR

decisions are of strategic importance and therefore HR policies should be integrated into

business strategy “(Storey, 1989)

2


Business Strategy

Who are we??

The company chosen is one of broad growth and sustainable reach with the UK, Ireland, Germany

Austria and Italy home to its customer base, the company chosen is Sky.

Sky provide TV, Phone and Broadband to over 21 million households across the UK, Ireland,

Germany, Austria and Italy.

The company’s tag line is “Believe in better “with the goal of providing great content with

something to offer everyone in the household, innovation with the latest technology, and with

customer focus intact are the strengths of the business model .

The company sells the product through call centres throughout Europe, as well as through retail

stores (UK and Ireland), online, and B2B.

In terms of the UK and Ireland there are six contact centre offices as well as 30 main sites between

the UK and Ireland with Cork added recently to the ever growing expansion, as well as over 200

retail stores in the UK and Ireland with over 20,000 staff employed.

In terms of core values and the company, values, growth and development, doing the right thing,

collaboration, team work, equality and feedback go hand in hand with the company’s organisations

strategies and goals

Fig 1.0 , Sky at a Glance

3


Business Strategy

What we are doing?? What are we looking to achieve

A good strategy is one that works (Boxall, 1998) explained “Strategy should be understood as a

framework of critical ends and means “, in terms what the company are doing it is quite evident

from the annual business report as displayed in (figure 1.0) the company is expanding rapidly with a

growing customer base .

Building on current strengths is a huge factor in regards to the business strategy , Sky have

developed three core areas , content , innovation and customer focus .

Content

In terms of content Sky seek to build on the strengths in this area, a significant step was taken when

original production was created in where Sky invested 4.9 Billion into creating such TV shows as

Fortitude and Italian police drama 1992, which are released simultaneously across the five

territories, with viewership of 3.7 million Fortitude was Sky Atlantic’s most successful original drama.

The success of this has led to the creation of more original content, with drama projects in the

pipeline, in terms of home grown success Sky Ireland provided a platform for 50 Ways to Kill Your

Mammy, an Irish based reality TV show.

In terms of sport content Sky are leading the way , with the rights to three times more games than

any other provider as well as over 472 Italian football games .

4


Innovation

Value from investment in terms of content enables Sky to get the greatest value from it, adapting to

latest technologies and trends with the goal of meeting customers growing desirable needs by

distributing content by means off OTT ( Over the top) technology , on a broader scale , with the

intention of creating new revenue streams .

In terms of the technology Sky is home to on demand , in where the customer can control what

content they wish to watch at home or on the go via tablet of electronic devices , Sky have become

Europe’s biggest mobile TV providers with the creation of the Sky Go app, with a deal struck with

Telefonica in the UK , the mobile phone sector is one of a growth opportunity .

The growing technology and penetration of connect devices has created a new revenue stream in

the Sky Store , in where customers can rent films at home , or on the go , the buy and keep surface

was launched also in where a customer can purchase a DVD by post .

Customer Focus

In terms of core values of the company as stated previously feedback is listed as a core value, Sky

values the feedback of its customers and works relentlessly to provide something for everyone, Sky

has been built as the leading brand in terms of providing for customers’ needs.

In the UK more than one third of households believe that Sky is the best brand in terms of providing

their entertainment and communication needs, in Italy it is placed second only to Apple, Sky

provides world class customer service, in terms of Ireland the customer service is housed in Dublin

and not outsourced to foreign countries.

Customer service intends to grow customer satisfaction by providing world class customer service

this hugely evident in Sky’s retention rate which for 2015 reached 9.8% , in the previous year it had

been 10.9% .

Fig 1.1, Sky Core Values

5


HR Delivery Model

Sky Ireland / Role & Functions

In terms of the HR set up for Sky Ireland it houses an in house HR department that is made up of HR

Generalists, admins, and HR Partners, in terms of outsourcing recruitment and selection is provided

by manpower an external recruitment company, sky also provide a HR hub through a system called

HR2020 who deal with payroll, time off requests, Annual leave and holiday pay.

The in house HR generalists and admin staff liaise with line managers with daily dealings with people

issues for example disciplinary procedures, payroll issues and investigations, in terms of recruitment

the line managers liaise with the team from man power who screen cv, s and provide pipeline for the

line managers who conduct the second interview after the initial one with the recruitment worker.

In terms of functionality and delivery models the most celebrated is one by Dave Ulrich (Ulrich,

1998) stated that “ HR should not be defined by what it does but what it delivers , results that enrich

the organisations value to customers , investors and employees “

Ulrich also created the three legged stool model one that can be used in the context in regards to

the deliverance of HRM for Sky Ireland, the three sub headings centres of expertise, business

partners and HR Shared Services mirror the system that Sky Ireland have in-place.

6

Growth& Developement

Feedback

Doing The Right Thing

Calloboration

Team Work


Centres Of Excellence : Specialise in high level advice and HR Services , the HR generalists of

the company work daily under this umbrella other areas include reward and employee

relations , disciplinary procedures and investigations

Business Partners: HR Partner works with line managers and senior managers, embedded in

business making decisions, works with management to help them achieve their

organisational goals.

HR Shared Services : Involved in transactional services for example pay roll , day off

requests , recruitment , absence monitoring , day to day HR issues , outsourced mostly any

in house would be HR Admin staff .

Figure 1.2 , Ulrich’s Three Legged Stool

Idea Generation and Recommendations

In terms of the company’s business strategy and building on its current strengths the company uses

Ulrich’s three leg approach (Ulrich, 1998) , building on its current strengths is an area that can be

analysed , as used by the company in its strategic plan in regards to innovation and technology the

same emphasis transcends to the deliverance of HRM .

Whilst Ulrichs approach is highly respected in the realm of HR it has its critics also (Hird, 2010)

describes the three-legged stool model as “ Off the shelf introduction of new HRM structure without

careful thought as to how the model fits the organisational requirements “

In terms of suggestions and idea generation, Ulrich created an updated and simple framework in

2005.

Employee advocate ( ensuring employer – employee relationship are of value)

Functional Expert ( designing and delivering HR practises)

Human capital developer ( building future workforces)

Strategic Partner ( Help line managers with goals)

HR Leader ( credible to own function and others)

7

HR GeneralistsHR Senior Level

Centres of

Expertise

HR ManangerHR Partner

Strategic Busines Partner

RecruitmentPayroll AdminTraining

HR Shared

Services


(Ulrich D. a., 2005)

This updated system uses titles such as leader , expert , developer , advocate which changes the

working dynamic with the goal of building and shaping the future , whilst outsourcing can be viewed

as cost saving , you cannot put a cost on a synergistic workforce , in my personal view if we can

mould change and alter the roles and work towards HR Generalists becoming , people experts ,

recruitment champions , HR Managers could become HR coaches and take the leadership role as

more significant one , in terms of Sky Ireland I feel an in house recruitment team would work better

in terms of finding the right people for the right people for the right jobs .

Future HR Job Titles! Fig 1.3

8


9

#TalentNinja#EmploymentLawLegend

#WellBeingChampions

#PeopleExperts

HR CoachHuman Capital

Developer

Employee Advocate

Functional Expert


Changing Environments

Macro vs Micro

In the ever changing business environment it is of importance for a company like Sky to adapt and

too change to the ever changing environment around them, (Becker, 2006) stated that “The HRM

system is first and foremost a vehicle to implement the firms strategy “

The macro represents the external factors in your business, for example legal, social, economic,

cultures a shift or a change in the environment can alter and change HR procedures , the past

recessions have influenced cost measures and with demand for jobs high, companies had the luxury

of having larger pool of candidates , retention levels would have also be significantly high .

The micro element represents the internal environment which tie in with elements that are within

your business for example, structure and size, scale, work place profile also , it is seen from a

tangible point of view , in terms of analysing the internal and external environment , a PESTLE

analysis should be carried out, PESTLE analysis looks through what influences a company takes from

the broader environment that it belongs in , and contributes to the company strategic planning to

operate properly in the environment (CIPD, 2013).

10

SocialEnvironmental

Economical

LegalTechnological

Political


In terms of Sky and the macro and micro environment it is of high importance to continuously use

examples such as PESTLE or SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) to curve and

shape the business to mirror the ever changing environment, the deliverance of a HR system is of

high importance but it needs to be aware of the external and internal environment.

11


Bibliography

Becker, B. (2006). Strategic Human Resource Management , Where do we go from here . In B. 2. Becker.

Beer, M. S. (et al). Managing Human Assets. In B. e. al, Managing Human Assets. New York: The Free Press.

Boxall, P. (1998). The Goals of HRM . In P. 1. Boxall, The Strategic Debate and resourced view of the (pp. 55-79).

CIPD. (2013, may ). www.cipd.co.uk. Retrieved from www.cipd.co.uk: www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/factsheets/pestle-analysis.aspx>

Hird, M. (2010). HR Structures are they working ? In M. 2. Hird, HR Structures are they working ? (pp. 23-45). Basingstoke .

Storey, J. (1989). From personell management into human resource management . In S. J. 1989), New Perspectives on Human Resource Management (pp. 1-18). London: Routlege .

Ulrich, D. (1998). A New Mandate for Human Resources. In D. Ulrich, Havard Business Review (pp. 124-134).

Ulrich, D. a. (2005). The HR Value propostion. In D. 2. Ulrich, Havard Business School Press. Boston MA.

12


13

HRM in the Corporate Environment

Documents

Transcript of HRM in the Corporate Environment