Human Resource Management: Purpose, Scope, and Practices

Assignment Brief and Guidance

The submission is in the form of an individual written report. This should be written in a concise, formal business style using single spacing and font size. You are required to make use of headings, paragraphs and subsections as appropriate, and all work must be supported with research and referenced using the Harvard referencing system.

Please also provide a bibliography using the Harvard referencing system. The recommended word limit is words, although you will not be penalised for exceeding the total word limit. This report must cover all of the requirements for Learning Outcomes to and assessment criteria covered in the unit specification.

This assignment is about the purpose and scope of Human Resource Management, the effectiveness of key elements of Human Resource Management and internal and external factors such as employment legislation that affect Human Resource Management decision-making. It also requires the application of Human Resource Management practices in a work-related context.

Explain the purpose and scope of Human Resource Management in terms of resourcing an organisation with talent and skills appropriate to fulfil business functions.

Evaluate the effectiveness of the key elements of Human Resource Management in an organisation.

Analyse internal and external factors that affect Human Resource Management decisionmaking, including employment legislation.

Apply Human Resource Management practices in a work-related context

As the newly appointed Assistant Manager in the Human Resources department of John Lewis and Partners or an organisation of your choice, you have been tasked with leading on the restructuring of the HR department as part of organisational change. The Human Resources Department will be restructured based on the findings of a review report, which you have been asked to complete.

You are to review the effectiveness of the HR function within the organisation, researching the role and scope of HR and reviewing and assessing the main HR functions within the organisation. John Lewis and Partners or your chosen organisation would benefit from an explanation of the purpose and the functions of Human Resource Management, applicable to workforce planning and resourcing of the company/Group. Considering your explanation, it would be useful to assess how these functions can provide talent and skills appropriate to fulfil the objectives of the Company/organisation.

With the aid of tables, it would be helpful to consider the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to recruitment and selection and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches that you explained and to critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to recruitment and selection, supporting your answer with examples. It would be particularly helpful to explain the benefits of different HRM practices within John Lewis and Partners, or your chosen organisation for both the employer and the employee and evaluate the effectiveness of different HRM practices in terms of raising organisational profit and productivity.

To further show your understanding of HRM, you could use a flow chart to illustrate the application of HRM practices in a work related context with specific examples and provide a rationale for the application of specific HRM practices in a work-related context. To conclude your report, it would be useful to assess the different methods used in HRM practices, providing specific examples to support the evaluation of the organisation and critically evaluate with examples the HRM practices and application.

The Company is interested in the importance of employee relations in respect to influencing HRM decision making. The Company is also interested in the key elements of employment legislation and the impact it has on HRM decision making. You could evaluate the key aspects of employee relations management and employment legislation that affect HRM decision-making in an organisational context, and critically evaluate employee relations and the application of HRM practices that inform and influence decision-making.

1 A critical evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to recruitment and selection, supported by specific examples. 

2 A critical evaluation of HRM practices and application within an organisational context, using a range of specific examples.

3 A critical evaluation of employee relations and the application of HRM practices that inform and influence decision-making in an organisational context.

To assist with the company's recruitment and selection process and to determine what is best practice, you should create a document portfolio which should include:

a.The design of a job specification for one of a number of given positions in the organisation.

b.A CV for each student, tailored to apply for one of the positions advertised by another team.

c. Documentation of preparatory notes for interviews, interview notes based on selection criteria and a justified decision of the candidate selected.

d. A job offer to the selected candidate.

e. An evaluation of the process and the rationale for conducting appropriate HR practices

f. A critical evaluation of the application of HRM practices reflected in the documents above that inform and influence HRM decision-making.