QUESTION 1
The best practice approach (to the development of a human resource strategy) has severe limitations. Best fit is perhaps more helpful. (Michael Armstrong and Angela Baron, Strategic HRM - The Key to Improved Business Performance)
(a) What is meant by the best practice approach to the design and development of a human resource strategy?
(b) What are the severe limitations of the best practice approach?
(c) What is meant by the best fit approach to the design and development of a human resource strategy?
(d) Why might a best fit approach be more helpful?
QUESTION 2
An organisation has specified the aim of its people resourcing strategy as the employment of more capable people than its rivals. Briefly outline and justify two strategies it should pursue within each of the following strands of people resourcing in order to attain its declared overall aim
(i) To attract more capable people than its rivals
(ii) To retain more capable people than its rivals
(iii) To motivate people to perform better than its rivals
(Note: six different strategies are required.)
QUESTION 3
The underpinning purpose of a human resource strategy is to create, implement and embed human resource practices that will have a positive impact on the performance of the organisation as a whole
(a) Drawing on third-party evidence and organizational examples where you can, identify and justify five HR practices that are most strongly associated with higher business performance
(b) Identify and describe the factors that affect the degree to which any HR practice contributes to an improvement in business performance
QUESTION 4
For the purposes of this question, you should assume you have just accepted a position as the Human Resources Manager for a relatively new company which currently employs 500 people but which plans to double in size by 2012. The company has never had a human resource strategy before, and your first task is to produce one
(a) What questions would you need to have answered before you could put together your draft human resource strategy?
(b) Outline the structure of your proposed human resource strategy (in other words, its layout rather than its content)
(c) What recommendations would you make to ensure that your proposed human resource strategy is implemented effectively?