North South University School of Business

Fall 2014 EMBA-602

Term Paper on “HR practices of Marks &Spencer,

Selfridges, Primark, and Sainsbury’s” Prepared for

Prof. Dr. Md. Mahmodul Hasan Faculty of Business Administration EMBA – Program, North South University

Prepared by

Date of submission December 20, 2014

North South University School of Business

Fall 2014 EMBA-602

Term Paper on “HR practices of Marks &Spencer,

Selfridges, Primark, and Sainsbury’s” Prepared for

Prof. Dr. Md. Mahmodul Hasan Faculty of Business Administration EMBA – Program, North South University

Prepared by

Name ID Md. Ariful Islam 1420917090 Asif Faisal Rumy 1411406690 Sayeeda Rubaiya Sultana 1421831690

Nu Mohammad Rumi 1420746090

Date of submission December 20, 2014

1. Letter of Transmittal

December 20, 2014

To

Professor Dr. M. Mahmodul Hasan

School of Business

North South University

Dhaka-1209

Subject: Submission of term paper on HR Practices of M&S, Selfridges, Primark and

Sainsbury.

Dear Sir

We are very much gratified and appreciative to you for having such a prospect to make a

report on Human Resource Management. Our topic was “HR Practices of M&S, Selfridges,

Primark, and Sainsbury”. This paper assists us to congregate convenient and very

significant knowledge about the HR Practices of M&S, Selfridges, Primark and Sainsbury.

We served our excellence to make this report informative and sensible. To make it

exquisite we have contended to provide supplementary illumination concerning

stipulation. We would be reverent to submit this report to you. Your compassion is our

esteem if you do recognize this report and accredited at.

Sincerely yours,

Group: Banger Chata

Md. Ariful Islam ID # 1420917090 _____________________

Asif Faisal Rumy ID # 1411406690 _____________________

Sayeeda Rubaiya Sultana ID # 1421831690 _____________________

Nu Mohammad Rumi ID # 1420746090 _____________________

2. Acknowledgement

The success of this report depends on the contribution of number of people specially those

who have shared their thoughtful guidance and suggestions to complete this report.

First, we express our sincere gratitude to our honorable faculty Professor Dr. M.

Mahmodul Hasan for his valuable contribution to the preparation of this report. He has

been gracious enough to spare time out from his busy schedule for giving us all the

necessary assistance throughout the entire period of the semester and the report writing

time. Without his help this report might not have been a comprehensive one.

We are also thankful to those people, who helped by participating in the research work and

provided us valuable and necessary information. It is our great pleasure that, we get

heartily cooperation from all of them. Without their cooperation and information we could

not able to complete our survey and also the term paper.

It would be incomplete if we do not consider the contribution of our study partner and

friends inside and outside of the classroom. We also like to thank them for their

cooperation and doing the right job at the right time.

3. Executive Summary

Human resource management (HRM) is a subset of the study of management that focuses

on how to attract, hire, train, motivate, and maintain employees. For getting practical

information we have to research on M&S, Selfridges, Primark and Sainsbury. This report

explains about the HR practice of the four leading retail company whom has large amount

of market share in the industry. In this report we have given the description of their HR

policy ,their selection process and how technology affect them in their selection process,

training program, paying employee market value, decentralized their work site etc. We

also describe in this report how company is taking their recruitment test via online.

Technology has had a positive effect on internal operations for organizations, but it also

has changed the way human resource manager’s work. In this report we describe the mark

&Spencer, Primark, Sainsbury, and Selfridges, HR policy, their financial HR budget, their

recruitment process, and how they are using technology in their selection and recruitment

process. We found that to apply in the four companies’ job everyone needs to register in

their e-recruitment system. After registering they provide a reference number. An

applicant needs to sit for online assessment test. Then successful candidate are called for

interview. After successful completion of interview they offer the job. Wherever you are

you can apply in any job of the four companies if you have qualification they want. They

practice the equal employer opportunity. They feel it's vital that their people are well

rewarded. So when you say yes, they’ll give an access to a highly competitive total reward

package that’s proven to attract, motivate and retain the best people. They’re constantly

reviewing the details of the package to make sure it’s got everything their people want in a

benefits scheme. The provide different types of benefits and rewards to the employee

beside the basic salary such as Pay, holidays, bonus, pension, life insurance, discounts etc.

In this report we also describe the compensation policy of the four companies and

compare and contrast it with each other. Finally we give some suggestion and

recommendation how they can improve their HR practices.

Table of Content

Serial No. Content Page No. 4. Definition of HRM 01

5. HR practice of Marks & Spencer 02

5.1 HR Management in the 21st Century: Challenges for the Future

03

5.2 The Impact of Information Technology on HR Management: Opportunities & Challenges

03

5.3 Recruitment & Selection Process 04 5.4 Performance & Reward Systems 05 5.5 Career Development & Training & Development Program 06 5.6 Financial Budget of HR 07 5,7 Health & Safety Issues & HR Ethics 08 5.8 Recommendation 09

6. HR practice of Selfridges 10

6.1 HR Management in the 21st Century: Challenges for the Future

11

6.2 The Impact of Information Technology on HR Management: Opportunities & Challenges

11

6.3 Recruitment & Selection Process 12 6.4 Performance & Reward Systems 12 6.5 Career Development & Training & Development Program 13 6.6 Financial Budget of HR 13 6.7 Health & Safety Issues & HR Ethics 14 6.8 Recommendation 15

7. HR practice of Primark 16

7.1 HR Management in the 21st Century: Challenges for the Future

17

7.2 The Impact of Information Technology on HR Management: Opportunities & Challenges

18

7.3 Recruitment & Selection Process 19 7.4 Performance & Reward Systems 20 7.5 Career Development & Training & Development Program 22 7.6 Financial Budget of HR 24 7.7 Health & Safety Issues & HR Ethics 29 7.8 Recommendation 30

8. HR practice of Sainsbury 31

8.1 HR Management in the 21st Century: Challenges for the Future

32

8.2 The Impact of Information Technology on HR Management: Opportunities & Challenges

33

8.3 Recruitment & Selection Process 34 8.4 Performance & Reward Systems 35 8.5 Career Development & Training & Development Program 36 8.6 Financial Budget of HR 37 8.7 Health & Safety Issues & HR Ethics 41

8.8 Recommendation 43 9. Compare & Contrast HR practices among Marks & Spencer,

Selfridges, Primark & Sainsbury 44

10. Conclusion 46

11. References 47

4. Human Resource Management (HRM)

Human resource management is a function in organizations designed to maximize

employee performance in service of their employer’s strategic objectives.HR is primarily

concerned with how people are managed within organizations, focusing on policies and

systems. HR departments and units in organizations are typically responsible for a

number of activities, including employee recruitment, training and development,

performance appraisal, and rewarding. HR is also concerned with industrial relations, that

is, the balancing of organizational practices with regulations arising from collective

bargaining and governmental laws.

According to Decenzo and Robbins:

"Human resource management is a process consisting of four functions-acquisition,

development, motivation and maintenance of human resources."

According to Gary Dressler:

"Human resource management refers to the policies and practices one needs to carry out

the people or human resource aspects of management position including recruiting,

screening, training, rewarding and appraising."

5. Chapter- 1: HR Practices on (a)

5.1 HR management in the 21st Century: (Challenges

for the future) Today the success of individuals and organizations are measured by their adaptability to

change. Organizations have abandoned the traditional thinking of what work is and how

people work. Employment now means more than having a job.

Resource, in its organizational context is defined as, “anything that could be thought of as

a strength or weakness of a given firm” including tangible and intangible assets.

HRM is not just new improved personnel management, as it is evident from the points

above HRM is a strategic function. However, it is getting difficult to effectively planned HR

because it is becoming increasingly blurred when work begins and where it ends.

There are probably countless factors that affect employee commitment and motivation,

but no matter what the situation is, HR practitioners need to be in control of their carrots

and sticks. HR management need to understand that what motivates employees, what

employees value most and what employee think is fair.

5.2 The Impact of Information technology on HR

management: (opportunities and challenges)

Driving customer innovation

Marks & Spencer’s - a growing group, with Stein (IT head) partway through recruiting 60

staff to join the firm this year. The team also delivered 191 large digital "inspiration

screens" that carry editorial-style content about products and trends across 110 locations.

M&S also has equipped 1,500 of its customer assistants with iPads to enable staff to

demonstrate the retailer's full range of products to customers, as well as checking size and

availability.

Focus on big data

A key area of attention for Stein is what can be done with the vast amounts of information

that M&S gathers about customer buying behavior. M&S's technology team is creating a

big data strategy in partnership with other business divisions to work out what areas the

retailer will focus on first.

Leaving Amazon

Other important back-end projects that have a direct impact on M&S's bottom line include

moving the retailer's multi-channel systems, currently hosted by AWS, to a new platform.

While the move is underway, M&S also has to develop skills in the IT department to carry

out tasks that were previously done by Amazon, such as security and IT operations.

Warehouse management

Another key deliverable of the IT team is the roll-out of a new warehouse management

system from Red Prairie. The platform will support a significant milestone for M&S's

logistics - its warehouse set-up, currently spread across the north of the UK, will be

consolidated in one 900,000ft2 central distribution center in Castle Donington from next

quarter. Fast approaching seven years of service at Marks & Spencer, Stein (IT Head M &

S) is busier than ever, but satisfied with the current position of IT as a key part of the

business strategy - as opposed to the back-office function it was in the past.

5.3 Recruitment and Selection process:

Marks and Spencer is an international retail and food chain, with over 700 stores in the

UK. They go with both Internal & external search for fill the vacant positions.

INTERNAL vacancies are advertised on the:

Staff notice board

company intranet [although a lot of shop floor staff still do not use this]

Monthly newsletter

EXTERNAL vacancies are advertised via:

Newspapers – for local jobs it will be in the local newspaper such as the Bristol

Evening Post on Wednesday night. For higher level jobs it will appear in national

newspapers such as The Times or The Guardian.

The Marks and Spencer online recruitment process is as follows:

1) Search through their website under the careers section for the job role you are interested

in according to the department as the company has a large range of job roles available

2) The search will show all the job roles within the store across the various branches in the

UK. The Marks and Spencer recruitment of employees is conducted through the Marks

and Spencer website or their hotline.

3) Click on the job role with the most suitable location to you. An FAQ page is available

before you apply to answer any potential queries.

4) This will require you to create a login as a registered user. A confirmation email will be

sent to you to validate the account for the Marks and Spencer recruitment process.

5) Once you submit the application form, an email receipt will be sent to your given email

address. Their recruitment process is easy to track, you can revisit the site to to track the

progress of your application for a job, and edit your personal details.

6) Marks and Spencer recruitment process takes into consideration if you have any

disability or learning difficulty, a number is provided to give assistance to those

individuals.

7) Once you apply for a job through the Marks and Spencer recruitment process, you

cannot re-apply for a position within the next 6 months due to high demand.

5.4 Performance and Reward System

Performance management is a joint process that involves both the supervisor and the

employee, who identify common goals, which are linked to the goals of the organization.

This process results with the establishment of written performance exceptions later used

as measures for feedback and performance evaluation.

An appraisal system is carried out every 12 months at Marks and Spencer's. An appraisal

system is when discussions are made with members of staff about what is going well, what

can be improved and how they would which to develop and other suggestions form

workers. These meetings are done by manager of M&S for the employees and are

confidential.

Performance-related pay

Marks and Spencer’s have three-month bonus periods in which if a store makes a higher

profit than what is predicted they will receive a bonus. Marks and Spencer's also gives gift

vouchers for hard work, staff discount scheme of 20%.

Holidays

Entitled to a minimum of 28 days’ statutory holiday per year. For part-time worker this

will be pro-rated.

Shares save

This is a way to save and share in the future success of M&S. By joining employees can

save any amount between £5 and £250 each month for 3 years. At the end of 3 years you

can get your money back or buy shares at an exclusive 20% discounted price, which is set

at the start of the scheme.

Salary Sacrifice

By Joining Salary Sacrifice schemes, covering childcare vouchers, holiday buying, car

leasing and cycle to work and employees could save money on tax and National Insurance.

Heath & Well-being

At M&S wellbeing is a big priority, and they want employees to be the best they can be.

That’s why M&S offer discounted healthcare products and a wellbeing website with top

tips and health guides, to keep employees fighting fit.

5.5 Career development and training and development

program

Mark and spencer began by highlighting the recruitment drive in the media of each

country. Marks and Spencer uses a structured behavioral interviewing format. Tjis means

that interviewers seek evidence of predetermined selection criteria. At the initial stage ,

these are :

1. Leadership

2. Planning and organizing

3. Assertiveness

4. Analytical Consideration

5. Job motivation

The next stage of selection process is assessment center; this was new concept for

applicants for some countries. Assessment center measures candidates against all seven

selections criteria.

5.6 Financial budget of HR

Everyone budgets to a greater or lesser extent. A budget is a financial plan developed for

the future. Budgeting is an important control mechanism for every organization and helps

to predict what the organization thinks will happen over the next accounting period.

The forecast financial plan or budget for each store is known as the forecast profit and loss

account. At the beginning of each year, the management team for each store will look back

at the previous year’s sales and targets/objectives of the whole organization to predict

their sales for the store for the following year.

The profit and loss account will also take into account controllable costs. They are locally

based costs on which the Management Team of each store can have impact. They include

staffing costs ,cost of refunds, lighting and gas costs stationary costs, staff uniforms, as

well as any other costs related to each store.

Rumination Policy table

Executive Directors’ Remuneration

Individual objectives The 2012/13 individual objectives will continue to be aligned to the Company’s strategic plan and the specific work streams that underpin it.

Annual Bonus Scheme outcome for 2011/12 In 2011/12, 60% of the executive directors’ bonus was based on Group PBT performance with the remaining 40% based on the achievement of individual objectives, independent of Group PBT (and subject to achieving the ‘threshold’ Group PBT target).

Performance Share Plan outcome for 2011/12 The underlying basic EPS figure for 2011/12 was 34.9p which was above the ‘threshold’ target of RPI+3% but below ‘maximum’ performance, resulting in 34.95% vesting for

awards up to 200% of salary and 28.97% vesting for awards between 200% and 400% of salary.

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5.6 Health And Safety Issues and HR ethics

The policy of Marks and Spencer’s on health and safety and its implementation is directed

by:

The fire health and safety committee Advises on fire, health and safety policy monitors its

effectiveness and reviews key performance measures on a quarterly basis.

The Store/Site Manager is accountable and responsible for ensuring in conjunction with

their Fire, Health & Safety Officer that Company Health & Safety Policy is implemented.

Occupational Health Services provide advice and support to line managers on managing

the impact of work on health, and health on work.

Business Involvement Groups (BIGs) represent all employees in two way communication.

Retail Finance and Operations and its Trading, Safely and Legally Team are responsible

for determining and monitoring risk assessments, work practices and enforcement

measures.

Property Development and Facilities Management are responsible work practices and

enforcement measures.

The Fire, Health & Safety Officer (FHSO) assists the Store Manager in promoting and

improving the FHS culture in stores, ensuring a consistently safe, secure and healthy

environment for all staff.

All employees must be aware of their individual responsibility for maintaining the

health & safety of themselves and all those affected by their actions at work.

5.7 Recommendation 1) Use of scientific change management model

2) Effective leadership

3) Utilize technological advantages to the changing market

4) Use of micromanagement in the changing process

5) New strategies in the payment of pension funds to avoid internal conflict.

6. Chapter- 2: HR Practices on

(b)

6.1 HR Management in the 21st century: Challenges for

the Future

Selfridges is a chain of high end department stores which is the second largest shop in the

UK. The HR Management in Selfridges understands that, only through a happy and

motivated employee comes a happy and friendly service, only then the customers can be

happy. By understanding this, the prime motive for them is to provide a happy and

friendly environment to the employees and staffs to work in, and thus reinventing

themselves more as a service oriented organization or customer oriented organization

than a profit oriented organization. Thus HR Management plays a very important role in

shaping up a successful organization, by motivating and bringing out the full potential out

of staffs in order to work for a common goal and achieve success.

The biggest challenges for the HR Management of Selfridge are the long working

hours, poor work life balance, corruption at higher level etc. Selfridges advanced

training and development creates difference between the competitors. Selfridges should

use flexible training program. Online recruitment as organizational need help to hire the

most efficient employee .large number of candidate could be assessed within short period

of time.

6.2 The Impact of Information Technology on HR

Management: Opportunities and Challenges At Selfridge, Technology has changed the way human resource manager’s work. By the use

of technology HRM professionals have become the primary source of information. HR

Management can circulate important Information & policies quickly and easily via

company Web sites and intranets, e-mail, and messaging. Human Resource Information

Systems (HRIS) allow HRM professionals to better facilitate human resource plans, make

decisions faster, clearly define jobs, evaluate performance, and provide cost effective

benefits that employees want. Technology helps to strengthen communications with both

the external community and employees.

As we found, Selfridges & Co. is already using web-based questionnaires for initial

screening of applicants, they are already reaping the benefit of technology. This can be

further enhanced by implementing a process which will direct the short listed candidates

to a face-to-face interview through a completely automated way.

Technology also made it possible for Selfridge’s HR professionals to simply print the forms

that are needed for employees. Printing on demand eliminates the need to dig through an

endless number of files in the file cabinet to find what is needed and at the same time

increasing productivity.

6.3 Recruitment & Selection Process Preliminary screening is done through online assessment through Selfridge’s job portal

website. Then prospective selected

candidates are called for interview

for the applied position. Selfridge is

an equal employment organization.

The selection is done based on the

required competencies and criteria

required to perform the applied job.

Selfridges put high importance on

the applicant’s passion on work and

reasons for choosing Selfridges.

Based on the position, they structure

the interview questions to find out the insights about the applicants that are relevant to the

applied job. On request of the applicant, Selfridges also provide feedback on his/her

interview for future development need of the applicant.

6.4 Performance & Reward Systems Selfridges upholds a culture where deserving employees gets acknowledged and rewarded.

Following are a few examples of the reward and benefits:

Generous holiday entitlement (which increases the longer you stay with us)

Extremely generous discount throughout the whole store

Contributory pension scheme

Life cover

Long service awards

Performance related incentives

For all other roles, bonus potential of 5-40% of

base salary (dependent on the role and area

you work in)

Season Ticket Loan (London & Birmingham

only)

Healthcare (senior management roles only)

6.5 Career Development and Training & Development

Program Learning and Development team works with all business areas to ensure that everyone is

given the full opportunity and encouragement for their talents to flourish.

Selfridges wants to get the most out of each employee’s role because they want to make the

most of every employee’s abilities. Selfridges provides three months' induction and

continuous on-the-job training through which one can take advantage of a broad range of

programs and workshops, designed to help develop employees’ particular sales,

management or technical skills.

6.6 Financial Budget of HR

Information is required to prepare an HR budget:

Expected annual turnover of the company.

Projected cost increment for employee benefits.

Number of employees slated to increase in the next financial year.

Plans for fresh programs or benefits.

Real cost to the company in the present fiscal year.

Various other alterations in the company policy, its strategy, rules and regulations

that may, in turn, affect the company’s cash flow.

Selfridges paid an £87m dividend to its owner Galen Weston, the Canadian billionaire

who bought the store in 2003. This payout was more than double the £40m it paid the

year before, according to accounts just filed at Companies House.

Sales at Selfridges, based on London’s Oxford Street, rose 5 per cent to £487.5m. But an

increase in operating costs weighed on the group’s earnings, meaning that pre-tax profits

fell 8.7 per cent to £73.5m for the year to February 2 2013.

Selfridges has reported its strongest ever financial results thanks to growth across all its

retail channels and the rapid development of its online business.

Gross sales climbed 10.4% to £1.2bn, while operating profit rose 12.3% to a record £150m.

6.7 Health & Safety Issues and HR Ethics Selfridges’ HR, like all other businesses, has a safety policy. This is a legal obligation that

they must follow. The policy states in simple terms what the goals of Selfridges are in

relation to health and safety of employees. It also consists of actions that are to be carried

out by the key staff members. The policy includes planning for coverage of training and

instruction, company rules and preparations for unpredictable scenario. This will be

signed by the senior manager; it is revised regularly to be kept up to date. Selfridges’ HR

has a unique code of practice. It states what employees should do in an event of an

emergency, such as a fire, earthquake etc. It elaborates how to contact a first-aider, how to

find a medical room, how to call a doctor and so on. Selfridges’s HR has a health and safety

office in all their stores; they are responsible for all health and safety policies and training.

All accidents, including the nearly missed ones, are recorded in an accident book so they

can see where improvements need to be made.

One need to consult health and safety legislation on a variety of issues, including but not

limited to:

Refusal to work because of unsafe conditions

Violence in the workplace

Dangerous equipment/material

Emergency procedures

Lifting heavy objects

First aid skills requirements

6.8 Recommendation Some recommendations for Selfridges are:

Periodical staff/management meetings including collective team-feedback -rather

than individual one- would be a big plus.

Very poor cross-department communication, concession partners treated poorly,

long hours that change with little notice, poor work life balance are some common

cons that need to be concentrated and the authority should take necessary steps to

prevent these.

Adequate training for every staff is mandatory as it is related with selling luxury

goods.

There should be an equal opportunity for every employee and the workplace has to

be favorable with them.

Listening to own staff and learning from them are other important prerequisites for

Selfridges.

The integrity and honesty from the authority is a must.

Long working hours is another drawback for Selfridges which needs to be solved

efficiently.

Because of its tremendous goodwill, it can create more market segmentation rather

than just holding with the one and only Retailing.

7. Chapter- 3: HR Practices on (c)

7.1 HR Management in 21st Century & Challenges Future

Challenge As we enter the twenty-first century, experts continue to validate that it is the human

asset, not the fixed asset that will make the difference for successful organizations. While it

has historically been HR’s job to “own” those assets, the overall enterprise must take a

more active role in the workforce experience. HR must continue to gain ground as the

chief people strategist by providing attraction and retention techniques that create an

employer of-choice environment. Simultaneously HR must demonstrate a measurable ROI

on human capital.

Being the Employer of Choice

Becoming and remaining an employer of choice is the top-ranking HR-related challenge

organizations face today. Establishing employer-of-choice status is HR’s responsibility,

and if HR does this well, all other practices become subordinate to this goal. The most

important objective on the people side of the business is establishing a place where

individuals want to work and remain working. HR should be concerned with providing

potential, current and even past employees with this environment.

Delineating the Corporate Culture

Corporate culture is a dramatic force behind every employer of choice. Unique to each

organization, culture has many drivers, such as the organization’s leadership or the

product or service produced. At the very least, HR should be the designated keeper of the

corporate culture.

Using Branding to Promote Culture

Branding promotes culture. In the past branding was assigned to public relations or

marketing, but it is indeed an HR function because of its power to attract and retain

employees. Working together with marketing, HR must develop a compelling brand image

for the workforce. Staying Attuned to Changing Demographics .The workforce has

changed and will continue to do so. Employers of choice recognize and understand the

dynamics of the “new workforce,” where for the first time four distinct groups of workers

labor together under one virtual roof.

Winning the War for Talent

An employer of choice has already come a long way toward winning the war for talent,

which is another significant HR challenge. There is no truce in this war, regardless of

economic conditions.

Understanding the Workforce

Statistics show that the size of the workforce is diminishing —when the economy comes

back, there will be fewer candidates from which to choose. Although there is an economic

slowdown now, in the next 10 years demand will outstrip the supply. During a downturn, if

companies that are not hiring eliminate their focus on recruitment, they can miss golden

opportunities to secure the high performers who might be instrumental in the future.

Leveraging an Indispensable Player: Technology

Meeting today’s HR challenges would be impossible without technology, a critical practice

in and of itself. Most people want to work for companies that have good technology.

The impact of information technology in HR Management

The use of information technology in human resource management can be seen visibly in

the mode and operation of human resource management. Today, the training and

selection method is done via the use of information technology and this is fast making the

overall process more effective than ever as a whole. Information technology brings

enormous opportunities in every aspect of business. Particularly to HRM, it can contribute

by minimizing lot of redundant works and achieving efficiency through extensive use of

technology. Human Resource Information System shortly known as HRIS is an integral

part of any progressive organization which is in place in Primark’s as well.

In time and labor management, the use of information technology can’t be ignored

because it is advantageous. IT enables the gathering and application of employee time and

work information. It enables the tracking of employee in a scientific way that allows for

easy analysis. It also enable human resource managers or senior personnel to know which

employee is actually performing and the ones that are not performing and show

improvement.

The use of the technology oriented processes in an organization is affected by various

factors, which are highlighted as follows:

Employee orientation-The employees of the organization needs to be convinced by

the fact the use of technology in the processes will help in generating better and

improved results compared to the existing processes.

Work Culture-Work culture also affects the acceptance of the implementation of

new system in an organization. The dimensions of better results can be timely and

accurate information, ease of use and completion of work in lesser time.

Security Concerns-A system or technique designed for one country may not be

effective in other country. Implementation issues across boundaries come with the

challenges of data privacy and data movement across boundaries.

Cost factor- Cost is an important factor to be taken into consideration before

implementation of the e- systems. The companies must priorities and take the

decisions of acceptance and implementation of E-Systems on the basis of vital,

essential and desirable operations.

Training and learning- The process of training and adaptation to the new system

be a cumbersome and time consuming process. It may be challenging for the users

if they do not find it user friendly.

Technical limitation- An organization cannot depend on technological websites or

software completely to handle every issues related to HR. A website cannot ever

replace a skilled professional. Employees may not be able to make senses of choice

from the website and may need to discuss the issues personally with HR experts or

professionals, in case of doubts, faced by them.

7.2 Recruitment and selection process Primark Stores has a multi-dimensional recruitment and selection process a few years ago

and job vacancies were advertised through multiple ways, including in store postings, Job

Centre advertisement and advertisement of vacancies over the internet. Although we know

that Primark Stores has not been focused more on internet related issues in the past and

there was no other way available for the people a part from going to job centre’s and

Primark Stores itself asking about the vacancies.

With the current passage of success, Primark Stores has made the recruitment process

more transparent and easier to access. Primark Stores have now got an Online-

Recruitment System and vacancies are displayed onto the website immediately.

Online recruitment process (short hierarchy)

Recruitment Process for Retail Operatives & Recruitment for Management

Positions

The current recruitment process of Primark Stores consists of the following key stages.

Candidate needs to fill an online application form to get register with the online

recruitment system. At next stage, candidate needs to answer a set of online questions

regarding the customer services and retail business environment. On Successful

completion of this stage, candidates are invited for a personal interview. A job is offered

after a successful completion of assessment centre and going through a rigorous activity of

group tasks and presentation.

7.3 Performance and reward system Primark Stores rewards its staff through different ways. In house promotions is a major

source of motivation for staff, staff is also provided opportunities of training at various

Stores of Primark.

Primark provides salaries that are competitive and subject to annual review. Other

benefits includes,:

• Structured training and development programmers

• Promotional opportunities for everyone

• Contributory pension scheme

• Childcare Voucher scheme

Primark offers a variety of benefits, which we will discuss with you at your interview in

further detail,

• Competitive annual leave entitlement

• Health insurance (dependant on the role/level/function)

• Bonus scheme (dependant on the role/level/function)

• Flexi-time scheme for certain head office functions

• Variety of shift patterns available to suit your lifestyle

Work Life Balance

Primark provides the opportunity to staff members to work either full time or part- time or

they can work on weekends. This flexibility of work availability is very handy and it gives a

chance to the staff members to balance their day to day life and work.

7.4 Career development and Training and development

program

Training and Development programs

Providing first class training to every staff member is a top priority of Primark Stores Ltd.

Staff members are providing opportunities for career growth through different in-house

promotions and training activities. Primark Stores Ltd has always paid immense amount

of attention towards the development & training of staff. Primark Stores Ltd is providing

valuable information on ethical trading to its staff and workers related to its suppliers.

Primark has been quite active in raising awareness on child labor issues in these countries

and has always promoted the values of ethical trading. This ethical training staffs is the

focus of problem solving issues with the suppliers.

Support for New Starters

As mentioned earlier that Primark considers training very important as part of future

development of its staff. A thorough induction day is conducted for every new staff

member giving him / her opportunity to know about the business and working

environment. At the same time Staff members are familiarized with health & safety issues,

fire hazards, emergency evacuation procedures and basic customer services skills.

Competencies, competence

Competencies refer to behavior – Whiddett and Hollyfore (1999).The competence in an

employee means the special or specific characteristic of an employee who with effective or

excellent performance in the job he does. – Boyatzis (1982) Behavioral competencies are

appreciated as important method in the HR process but issues with it are backward and

not forward looking, and are limiting and misleading some time if it is used alone. – Hayes

et.al (2000).

Leadership development

Leadership is a role occupied by the higher level management people in the organization in

which an individual influences other group members towards the attainment of group or

team’s targets. – Shackleton, (1995).

Directing

Low relationship behaviour, high task behaviour,

followers are unable and unwilling or insecure.

Coaching

High relationship behaviour, high task behaviour,

followers are unable, but willing or confident.

Supportive

High relationship behaviour, low task behaviour,

followers are able, but unwilling or insecure.

Delegation

Low relationship behaviour, low task behaviour,

followers are both able and willing or confident

Primark is highly concern on leadership development of its employees. So they arrange

leadership develop program to create future leaders for the organization.

Learning and career development

While doing his work employee will learn things from the experienced managers and he

understands how to deal with things in his work – Kolb et al. (1984). Honey and Mumford

(1989) described four stages in the learning they are activity, reflectors, theory building,

and pragmatists. The people who are trying something out without a preparation, they are

eager to do role play tasks and easy to take risk on their work in other words people having

a go are called as Activists. Reflectors are the people who have keen eye on analyzing what

happened and why and they are good in listening and observing. Theorists are those whose

strength is in building a concept or theory on their analysis. Their learning will start by

reading a referred topic. Pragmatists are those who are very keen to use whatever they

learn and how it will work out when they apply it in real situation. They will plan

everything before they get into act.

Career development

Career development is first concern for all the employees who are in whatever position

they are, and they will update them self in both skills and general knowledge to overcome

career setbacks. Most of the organization in this modern world will advice there , support,

and encourage in individual career planning and management by giving them he career

grids, feedbacks, opportunities for employee career exploration. Primark use this as a

image for their organization.

7.5 Financial budget of HR

George Weston, the boss of Primark owner Associated British Foods, has banked a 23%

pay rise to £7.15m thanks to bonuses linked to the food and fashion group’s achievements

in previous years. The company said in the annual report: “We are satisfied that pay

outcomes for the financial year 2013/14 reflect overall business performance.” It said that

with the exception of its sugar business underlying operating profit increased in all

divisions, particularly in agriculture and Primark, which it said was “well positioned to

maintain its growth momentum.” It added that the performance resulted in a short-term

incentive payment slightly above the mid-level of what was possible.

Directors’ remuneration

Salary & wage

According to the HM revenue the employees in the adult age that is above 21 years should

get 5.93£ per hour pay and the teenagers will get 4.53£ per hour pay that the government

wage rule, but in Primark the employees above 21 years old will get 6.080£ per hour and

that really good pay, and even further the staffs working during the night shifts will get 15£

extra pay and if the week day staffs who work during the bank holidays will get double pay

of 12.016£ per hour.

Group Salary & employee benefit expenditure

From year 2012 to 2013 salary and benefits expenditure increased by 44 %, which shows the incensement of more investment on HR financial budget to develop the human capital. 7.6 Health and safety issues and HR ethics The issue of worker safety has always been a priority for Primark and forms an important

part of our factory inspections. In some countries where awareness of workplace safety

(particularly fire safety) is limited, Primark local teams provide training and awareness

programs for factory managers and workers. We are a member of the Bangladesh Accord

on Building & Fire Safety, and were the first UK retailer to sign the Accord. Over 150

retailers are now members, along with trade unions and worker rights organizations.

Safety program

Our fire safety programs for suppliers in Bangladesh have been in place since 2010. It

includes dedicated fire safety inspections, and training for suppliers and workers. In 2012

we launched a new initiative to create a set of practical fire safety guides. Health and safety

experts, worker rights organizations, our suppliers, and a former senior member of the

Bangladesh Fire Service, are working with us to create the guides. Following the collapse

of the Rana Plaza building in April 2013, we began a program of structural building

surveys. The surveys are conducted to the highest international standards by an expert

team of structural and civil engineers from a specialist engineering and architectural firm.

Rana Plaza Tragedy

Primark announced that we would contribute a further payment of $1 million to workers

who produced garments for other retailers. This money was paid into the Rana Plaza

Donors Trust Fund. This is in addition to the $2 million which we have already distributed

to these workers or their families through our short-term financial assistance programme.

Together, this brings our total aid payments to $12 million.

The assistance programs are

Emergency food aid Primark gave emergency food parcels to over 1265 households for five

weeks in partnership with a local NGO. E Short-term financial assistance Primark

provided short-term financial assistance equivalent to nine months' salary for 3639

workers and their families.

Long-term compensation Primark worked with international organisations and local

experts to provide long-term financial compensation to the 625 workers and their

families.

Medical support Primark provided support for workers who remained in hospital or were

receiving medical treatment, working with the United Federation of Garment Workers, a

trade union body.

Building safety Primark conducted structural surveys in Bangladesh on buildings that

contained factories producing Primark clothing. The surveys were conducted to the

highest international standards by an expert team of structural and civil engineers.

HR Ethics

Staffs members are informed about different legal sides of the business and how legally

Primark protects its employees in case of any incident or injury during work. These all

things are very important and should be reviewed on a regular basis as they not only

ensure the safety of the employees but at the same time keeps the organization on a right

track which maximizes its chances of business growth.

7.8 Recommendations To deliver more value, the human resources function needs to spend more time

accelerating operational improvement and less time on its traditional administrative and

compliance activities. Focus on Whole Systems and Integrated Solutions: It is clear that

HRM has become increasingly systematic during their evolutions. With the strategic

proactive role of HRM, the challenge for Primark is to continue to develop innovative

systems by focusing on the integrated functions and systems of organization. Primark

should also play a strategic role by contributing to the strategy formulation process. The

HR practices should be designed consistent with the strategies of Primark taking into

consideration the essential HR needs.

In my view change in the recruitment procedure has been quite positive but a delay in

different recruitment activities is an issue of major concern and it should be sorted out. As

we know that people are the major assets of Primark stores and these induction practices

ensure that people know about their responsibilities as part of the company and how to

deal with situations arising during the course of work. Legal side is very important and

staff should be familiarized with the basics of HR and employment law and health & safety

at work. These things not only protect employees during work but at the same time, it

protects the employers from getting involved in lengthy legal proceedings in case of an

incident.

8. Chapter- 4: HR Practices on (d)

8.1 HR Management in the 21st Century: Challenges for

the Future Sainsbury’s was founded in 1869 and today operates over 1,200 supermarkets and

convenience stores and employs around 161,000 colleagues.

Sainsbury’s HR team has won top honors at “the HR Excellence Awards 2010”. HR is now

seen as part of the business team, playing a crucial part in the overall turnaround. Major

HR initiatives include simplification of the staff scheduling process - resulting in a benefit

delivery of £8 million a year; the introduction of HR shared services in Manchester, which

has freed up HR teams to focus on the value-adding side of their role; online recruitment -

producing a saving of over £1.6 million in costs; and the new Oracle Colleague

Administration HR payroll system.

Sainsbury provide 50,000 new UK job opportunities in the UK and at least half of them

has received externally accredited training. It has 10,000 people under age of 25 employed

in the last year. Over 27,000 colleagues working & 2,809 colleagues receive job-related

qualifications in 2013/14. Only UK supermarket to achieve and retain Gold standard

accreditation from Investors in People. In November 2007, Sainsbury centralized its HR

department, which was initially trialed to deal with Recruitment in Scotland and was later

rolled out to the whole country.

8.2 The Impact of Information Technology on HR

Management: Opportunities and Challenges In Sainsbury PLC there are multiple business units. With a centralized Management

Information system that is not affected by geographical boundaries and similar

restrictions, MIS helps in tracking employee related functions. With an integrated

database of personnel, it keeps a track of salary and benefits structures, supports planning

and recruiting and also simplifies the payroll function of the HR department.

Information Technology influences the Human Resource department at Sainsbury

through:

1) Human Resource Planning

Information Technology at Sainsbury ensures the right number and type of workers to

achieve its objectives. Planning is important so that vacancies are filled as staff leave.

Sainsbury will work out its labor requirements, its demand and make sure that an

appropriate supply is planned. All staff information and records are entered so that less

experienced staffs can be identified and further training can be given to the right staff. IT

can also help with planning the staff shifting system and schedule effectively, avoiding the

problem of miss-arrangement.

2) Recruitment and Selection

In November 2007, Sainsbury's became the first major British employer to introduce an

"internet only" staff recruitment system.

Opportunities:

The move saved the company £4million a year in administration costs.

More than 80% of the adult population had internet access.

Will provide competitive advantage

Challenges:

The hiring pipeline (screening, interviewing, etc.) is often fairly unreliable at

separating the good candidates from the bad.

Mismatch between hiring schedule of employers and candidates means that often

when good candidates are available, job vacancies aren't.

3) Training and Development

With the use of IT, Sainsbury identify the training needs analysis, training cost-benefit

analysis, promotion analysis etc. This will help to equip employees with the skills required

now and in the future.

4) Performance Management

IT helps in evaluating performance appraisal analysis, attitude survey, attendance

management analysis, productivity analysis and help to motivate staffs to ensure high

performance for the firm. This would also enhance the output by the employees as they

will be motivated.

5) Compensation management

IT helps in assessing personnel cost analysis and compensation structure analysis for

better compensation management. Introduction of new Oracle Colleague Administration

HR payroll system.

8.3 Recruitment & Selection Process

Sainsbury offers large numbers of job opportunities that are available in different stores.

They look for people with good customer skills and job is available in clerical, stockroom

and technical. Flexible contract, term time contracts and dual contracts offer colleagues to

work on hours basic. Job opportunities are advertised on in-store job board, in local

newspaper and at job center plus. When Sainsbury open new supermarkets and local and

central stores in many towns that creates job vacancies in advance, Sainsbury recruit staff

two or more months before in order to allow staff training.

Sainsbury follows the following recruitment & selection process:

Job Analysis & Vacancy Announcement

Sainsbury HR team analysis the job and thus from the requirements of

different units it develop job requirements. Based on that job requirements

it announce the vacancies to its own websites and also some other online

job portals.

Completing the Application form

To apply for Sainsbury’s announced jobs in their websites the applicants has

to sign up by completing the application form provided by the company.

Employment Tests & Comprehensive Interview

After completing the application form now the applicant has to answer some

questions which involves the intelligence, aptitude, ability and interest tests

of the applicants and also some combination of Behavioral Interviews & RJPs.

Questions are set in such a way that it will judge both the job related efficiency

along with some other aspects such as humanitarian aspects, intelligence level etc.

After successfully completion of the question & answer section will only proceed to

the following sections.

Background investigation

After the Employment test & Comprehensive interviews Sainsbury used to

verify all the information provided by the applicant.

Job Offers

Suitable person who best suit according to the company requirements will

be selected for the job.

Sources of Recruitment:

External Sources: On-Campus/ College Hiring:

Sainsbury is focusing on hiring top knotch graduates/ talents though it’s graduate scheme

called '2020 Leaders'. Graduates can choose from three areas to develop into: Commercial,

People or Logistics and Supply. The scheme was listed in The Times Top 100 Graduate

Employers 2013 and The Job Crowd Top Companies for Graduates to Work For 2013.

Sainsbury are now planning to expand their graduate recruitment programmes

substantially – by an average of 8.7% in 2014, the highest annual increase in graduate

vacancies for four years. Youth Can programme promoting employment to young

people Sharing success.

Online only recruitment

In November 2007, Sainsbury's became the first major British employer to introduce an

"internet only" staff recruitment system & it mostly recruits through its online recruiting

system. Online recruitment - producing a saving of over £1.6 million in costs

Internal Sources:

Succession planning

Focusing on Succession planning by New apprentice scheme announced with 400

places available, developing future team leaders Long service.

8.4 Performance & Reward Systems

Appraisal process:

Sainsbury has created a single, common performance management system to unite goal

setting, performance appraisal, and development for ensuring employee’s performance

that will support the company’s strategic aims. By this Performance management,

Sainsbury measures the employee’s training, set the standards, performance appraisal,

and feedback relative to how the employee’s performance should be and is contributing to

achieving the company’s goals.

In Sainsbury Performance management is a joint process that involves both the supervisor

and the employee, who identify common goals, which are linked to the goals of the

organization. This process results with the establishment of written performance

exceptions later used as measures for feedback and performance evaluation. An appraisal

system is carried out every 12 months at Sainsbury.

Sainsbury use various methods to know how well individual employees are doing their

responsibility and to know how well the managers are able to carrying out the employees.

Sainsbury conducts Performance monitoring. It offers information which is of value

for identifying future training or promotion opportunities and it also identify the areas

where inadequate skills or knowledge could be judged as a threat to an employee’s

efficiency. Managers of the Sainsbury control organization and individual level through

development by planning objectives and targets, performance value creation, perceiving

actual performance, compare actual performance with standards and adjusting mistakes

and taking any necessary corrective action. Sainsbury frequently measure the goals of

management in which the performance of the individual against objectives and targets

which have been fixed by managers and employees.

Other benefits:

Sainsbury's runs a wide variety of payroll 'extras' for colleagues, the main being a

percentage bonus on a store by store basis for successful customer and availability

scores throughout the year. Other optional extras include contributory pension

schemes, investment in shares, loans for public transport tickets and grants

for bicycle purchase.

Employee satisfaction is on high as 3% points increase in colleagues who say they would

recommend Sainsbury’s as a great place to work.

Investing in the people:

It was the first-ever food retailer to receive a Gold accreditation for its commitment to

improve business by investing in employees. So employees are very motivated.

Outcome of Performance & Reward System:

Sainsbury’s

value Commitments 2011 /12 2012/13 2013/14

Commitment and

engagement

13,000 colleagues with over 20 years’ service

14,000 colleagues with over 20 years’ service

15,000 colleagues with over 20 years’ service

Performance

& Reward

outcome

Sharing success

126,000 colleagues shared a bonus pot of over

£60m

134,000 colleagues shared a bonus pot of over

£90m

Colleagues shared a bonus pot of over £80m

Diversity and

inclusion

13,000 employed via You Can scheme since 2008

Over 17,000 employed via You Can scheme since 2008

Over 21,000 employed via You Can scheme since 2008

8.5 Career Development and Training & Development

Program

Career Development: Processes are also in place to identify talent and actively manage succession planning

throughout the business. Ongoing reviews are performed to understand the nature of

capability and specific skill sets required to deliver objectives. This is supported by

embracing new ways of attracting talent and its corporate value ‘A great place to work’

reinforces its commitment to giving people the opportunity to be the best they can be. A

plan is in place to manage the leadership transition and the methods described above will

continue to be employed to understand and maintain colleague engagement during this

period. Developing future leaders through “New apprentice scheme”. Sainsbury

announced with 400 places available.

Training & Development:

• Sainsbury arranges in house training such as City and Guild qualifications in its 7 food

colleges & 27,000 colleagues have been trained at these venues so far.

• Sainsbury’s Continued emphasis on colleague engagement championed by its Great

Place to Work groups and through their “Annual colleague survey”

• Sainsbury opened new Convenience Training College in Brixton this year to train

team leaders and store managers in a range of technical and behavioral skills which

gives us a clear idea that its training program focuses on not only improving

technical skills but also behavioral skills. Future Builder.

• Diversity Champion programme trained 158 store managers and HR

managers on the needs of customers and colleagues with disabilities.

Training & Development Outcome

Sainsbury’s

value Commitments 2011 /12 2012/13 2013/14

Training &

Development

Outcome

Jobs and skills

12,000

colleagues

trained in

Food Colleges

since 2010

20,000

colleagues

trained in

Food Colleges

since 2010

27,000

colleagues

trained in

Food Colleges

since 2010

So we can see that, at Sainsbury the training & development, performance management &

compensation is very much linked with one another.

8.6 Financial Budget of HR [Salary + Bonus + Increments

+ others] There is a direct link between performance and remuneration which is ensured by the

remuneration committee. The Group’s employment policies and remuneration and

benefits packages are regularly reviewed and are designed to be competitive with other

companies, as well as providing colleagues with fulfilling career opportunities. Colleague

surveys, performance reviews, Communications with trade unions and regular

communication of business activities are some of the methods the Group uses to

understand and respond to colleagues’ needs.

Employee Costs

Employee costs for the Group during the year amounted to: 2014(£m) 2013(£m)

Wages and salaries, including bonus and termination benefits 2150 2051

Social security costs 141 133

Pension costs – defined contribution schemes 77 44

Pension costs – defined benefit schemes 34 59

Share-based payments expense 33 33

Total 2435 2320

Figure: Remunerations of Executive Directors

Bonus

Annual bonus – Colleagues shared over £90 million+ record bonuses in 2014/15 and £620

million paid in bonuses over the last 10 years.

Others:

Deferred Share Award – following the delivery of strong financial, strategic and relative

performance during the year, awards were made at 80 per cent of the maximum

(compared to 83 per cent last year). Over 10,000 colleagues shared £26 million through

the Share save schemes and colleagues saw an average 25 per cent increase on original

savings

Value Builder – in May 2014, the sixth cycle of Value Builder, in which over 230 managers

participate, will mature at a performance multiplier of 1.6 times (40 per cent of the

maximum), reflecting its performance over the previous three years.

Long-Term Incentive Plan (‘LTIP’) – Future Builder: Recognizes and rewards for delivery

of Company performance and shareholder value over the longer term. Awards of

conditional share awards (or equivalent) with vesting dependent on performance

measured over a period of at least three financial years. The Committee reviews the

metrics, targets and weightings prior to each grant to ensure that they remain appropriate.

Recovery provisions apply. Maximum award of up to 250 per cent of salary per annum

under the rules of the plan in respect of any financial year. Awards structured as core

award (up to 62.5 per cent per annum) with a performance multiplier of up to 4 times.

8.7 Health & Safety Issues and HR Ethics

Sainsbury is a great place to work as it has 20,000 colleagues who have reached 20 years’

service & Increase the number of colleagues with shares in the business by 25%. Moreover,

a survey report shows that Sainsbury HR was being fair to all its employees.

Prevention of injury or loss of life for both colleagues & customers is being provided very

importance.

Clear policies and procedures are in place detailing the controls required to manage health

and safety and product safety risks across the business and comply with all applicable

regulations. These cover the end-to-end operation, from the auditing and vetting of

construction contractors, to the health and safety processes in place in its depots, stores

and offices, to the controls in place to ensure people and product safety and integrity.

In addition, established product testing programmes are also in place to support rigorous

monitoring of product traceability and provide assurance over product safety and

integrity. Supplier terms and conditions and product specifications set clear standards for

product/ raw material safety and quality which suppliers are expected to comply with.

Process compliance is supported by external accreditation and internal training

programmes, which are aligned to both health and safety laws and Sainsbury’s internal

policies. In addition, resource is dedicated to manage the risk effectively, in the form of the

Group Safety Committee and specialist teams including Convenience Risk Managers and

Logistics and Commercial Safety Specialists.

8.8 Recommendation

Since the pay structure is very much competitive & a lot of other facilities are being

provided to the employees, the HR department may motivate & retain best

employees through job rotation & job enrichment.

25% of one month’s basic salary maybe provided to the employees who maintains

100% attendance record.

As most of the organizations are competing globally for their best reputation, the

HR department of Sainsbury should also arrange some cultural training for the

employees and also the skills need to perform in the global arena.

Some cultural events can be arranged on a regular basis to remove the boredom and

also make the employees feel much better.

9. Compare and Contrast of HR Practices

Below the compare & contrast between the four companies. Here we have used three colors.

Worst practice: Comparing the 4 companies. Best practice: Comparing the 4 companies. All the 4 Companies are doing pretty much similar.

HR management

M&S ignored the changes in the marketplace while

its competitors quickly reacted to changes. Poor

organizational structure, autocratic style of

leadership and lack of good employee –management

relationship

The HR Management of Selfridge emphasizes upon the customer satisfaction through

the motivated employees

Mostly focused on traditional administrative and compliance activities

HR Excellence Awards-2010HR is now seen as part of the

business team, playing a crucial part in the overall

turnaround

The Impact of IT on HR management Yes Yes Yes Yes

Recruitment and Selection Graduate recruitment Standard StamdardOnline based

Graduade programs Succession planning

Performance and Reward System

Bonus paid every quarterAdvisor of the month

Salary Sacrifice schemeHeath & Well-being

Pension

Generous holiday entitlementContributory pension scheme

Life coverLong service awards

Performance related incentivesHealthcare

Pension SchemeAnnual Leave

Health IsnuranceBonus scheme

percentage bonuscontributory pension

schemes Investment in shares

Loans for public transport tickets

Grants for bicycle purchase

Training & Development360 training program but short on advanced level

training

Advanced T&D Creates Difference among 4

Support for New StartersCompetencies, competence

Skill & Job knowledge Training

Behavioral TrainingLeadership TrainingDiversity Training

Financial Budget of HR Payment of pension funds Creates Internal conflicts Doing Good Doing Good Doing Good

Health And Safety Issues and HR ethics

Doing Good Doing Good Doing Good Doing Good

M&S recruitment and selection process recruit most potential candidate in the past also

their performance appraisal is also been effective. They formulate new strategy to cope

with the market, investing on ecommerce bring competitive advantage. Different training

and career development programs offered to employee. M&S provide 360 training

program but short on advanced level training alike Selfridges. Development needed on

management models, payment funds and market analysis over HR practice.

Primark human resources function mostly focused on traditional administrative and

compliance activities rather to operational improvement. It is clear that HRM has become

increasingly systematic during their evolutions. The challenge for Primark is to continue to

develop innovative systems by focusing on the integrated functions and systems of

organization. HR practices of Primark like recruitment, performance appraisal reward

system matched with the market beta. Considering corporate strategy before planning can

lead them to a new height.

Selfridges advanced training and development creates difference between all four of them.

Selfridges should use flexible training program. Online recruitment as organizational need

help to hire the most efficient employee .large number of candidate could be assessed

within short period of time.

At Sainsbury’s, human resources management is the most important department. They

control the workforce and overlook how the employees perform. Working in team is

important for Sainsbury’s as it creates friendly environment which can increase company’s

profit. Rivals may look for Sainsbury’s existing employees by offering them better pay and

promotion. Sainsbury’s should be more attentive of such problems and may offer their

employees more pay and promotion in order to keep existing employees satisfied. HR

planning is lacking part from other three.

10. Conclusion

The most important work by the HR is to develop sound organizational structure with

strong interpersonal skill to employees and also to train employees by introducing them

the concept of globalize human resource management to perform better in the global

organization’s context. The HR manager has a responsibility to manage all the issues and

challenges like work force diversity, leadership development, change management,

organizational effectiveness, globalization, e- commerce, succession planning and

compensation etc, when they will work with HR practices, such as rigid recruitment and

selection policy, division of jobs, empowerment, encouraging diversity in the workplace,

training and development of the work force, fostering innovation, proper assigning of

duties and responsibilities, managing knowledge and other functions as are shown. When

the HR of four companies like Marks & Spencer, Primark, Sainsbury and Selfridge works

enthusiastically with all modern HR practices, competitive advantages can be

accomplished, organization efficiency can be enhanced, and the organization will be

sustained to survive long time against competitors. The fundamental role of HRM for the

four company like Marks & Spencer, Primark, Sainsbury and Selfridge should be

strengthen the organization's capability and maximize everyone's potential right across the

business. They should focus employee development strategy which is associated to convey

the business goals. In every organization, proper recruitment and selection plays a major

role to select right person for the right job. The new technology will give the way on how

employers recruit and select staff. The four companies like Marks & Spencer, Primark,

Sainsbury and Selfridge should use the process of talent acquisition to discover the sources

of manpower to meet necessities of the staffing program. These companies should always

conduct training and development strategy to improve the employee skills and knowledge

so that they perform their responsibility effectively. The companies can employ diversity at

workplace to motivate all employees to perform to their highest ability resulting in higher

productivity and profit. Performance management is very essential for these companies to

meet business strategy needs.

11. References

Books: Strategic Management of Human Resources, 3rd edition, Jeffrey A. Mello Fundamentals of human resource management, 11th edition, David A. DeCenzo

Websites: http://www.marksandspencer.com http://www.primark.co.uk http://www.selfridges.com http://www.sainsburys.co.uk http://cibmp.org/Papers/Paper519.pdf http://www.siop.org/tip/backissues/tipjan98/may.aspx http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/sol/index.jsp http://cibmp.org/Papers/Paper519.pdf http://www.siop.org/tip/backissues/tipjan98/may.aspx http://smallbusiness.chron.com/technology-impact-hr-practices-37912.html http://researchtrend.net/ijet42/6%20KAMAL%20F.pdf http://www.scribd.com/doc/31203174/HRM-and-Organisational-Turnaround-

Selfridges-Co http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/13/retail-britain-

idUSL5N0MU3WT20140513 http://careers.marksandspencer.com/explore-and-learn http://blogs.thegrangeschool.net/ http://www.ukessays.com/essays/management/management-performance-

training.php http://corporate.marksandspencer.com/ http://www.marksandspencer.com/

Lecture sheet of Professor Dr. M. Mahmodul Hasan, School of Business, EMBA,

North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh