Edinburgh Business School

EMPLOYEE RESOURCING

DECEMBER 2021

Please note that it should take approximately 3 hours to complete this exam. However, you do have a 24 hour period to complete, review and upload your answers.

The 24 hour period began at 09:00 AM (GMT) on Tuesday 7 December 2021 and must be uploaded no later than 09:00 AM (GMT) on Wednesday 8 December 2021.

INSTRUCTIONS

This examination paper consists of three questions.

Question 1 is worth 40 marks and Questions 2 and 3 are each worth 30 marks.

There is no choice in the selection of questions to be answered.

Maximum word limits are provided for all written sections.

HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY EMPLOYEE RESOURCING – DECEMBER 2021

Question 1

Globalisation, diversity and talent management in Walmart China

Walmart, the world’s biggest corporate employer, with over 2.3 million associates (employees) worldwide, has developed a sizeable footprint in Asia in less than two decades. With over US$16 billion in sales and 140,000 associates in the region, it is poised for extremely ambitious growth, with a significant presence in China, Japan and India. Over the next five years, Walmart Asia plans to double its outlets and floor space in Asian markets and increase its sales significantly.

For Walmart, the ability to get, keep and grow top talent to lead growth is therefore one of the most significant challenges faced in its Asian operation, especially given the unique cultural diversity in the region, the expertise and skill sets needed and the pace at which it hires. Having grown its Asia-region staff to over 140,000 associates in just 15 years, Walmart will more than double this number in the region in the next five.

It is using several different tools to achieve this recruitment goal, actively partnering with universities and colleges, attracting graduates and providing thousands of associates with their first jobs every year, giving them training and work experience. It recruits young international leaders through a partnership with global youth organisation AIESEC to attract talent from more than 110 countries and offer them internships in the Walmart Asia office, with subsequent employment in Asian markets.

Word-of-mouth recruitment is important, with employees becoming ambassadors for the company and telling friends about the opportunities and experiences at Walmart. This sharing of information about jobs offering competitive wages, benefits and advancement opportunities generates interest from new people wanting to join the company.

Recently, Walmart appointed a woman as the new head of its warehouse club business, making her the most senior female employee in the company’s history and one of the three most senior people in the company below chief executive. Walmart tries to be a proponent of gender diversity to capitalise on diverse talent and help the business to grow and develop.

Of the 200 million people who shop at a Walmart store somewhere in the world every week, 80% are female, focusing the company on placing women in important decision-making roles. One out of three leaders in Walmart home offices and almost 60% of associates across the Asia region are women; in Walmart China, 21% of store managers are women. Since 2008, Walmart has had Women Leadership Councils in each market to build a pipeline of female talent and to support their progress internally and help them cope externally. Female Leadership Councils have direct access to country CEOs to ensure excellent employment opportunities and training and development programmes for women at all levels. There is also emphasis on diversity in opinions and an open work environment where associates’ suggestions, observations, problems, or concerns can regularly be brought to the attention of management; anyone can phone up or talk face-to-face with staff at any level of supervision.

Walmart also believes in providing excellent opportunities for physically challenged employees to develop. Walmart China currently employs 1,080 disabled associates, and the General Merchandising and Operations (GMO) manager is recognised by local government as an ‘Advanced Individual in Helping the Disabled’. Staff have learned sign language to give better service and a better shopping experience to customers with special needs, showing them where items are located and explaining how to use their purchase.

Cultivating a ‘glocalised’ Walmart culture in China is important. The company seeks to implement the values held since its birth in 1962 but understands that its culture needs to be adapted to local cultures and seeks to motivate associates working in the stores day-to-day. For instance, while Walmart has international assignees in the Asia leadership teams, the company’s main intention is to develop local talent in the market; in China, 99.9% of associates are Chinese.

Walmart also tops DiversityBusiness.com’s list of the Top 50 Organisations for Multicultural Business Opportunities; heads Business Week’s list of the Top 20 Companies for Leadership; was recognised as Best Employer in China by the International Public Management Association; and was awarded Best Retail Place to Work and the Retail Innovation Award in China.

Required:

• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the recruitment system used in Walmart?

(20 marks)

• How effective is the diversity strategy within the company and what further actions would you recommend it takes?

(20 marks) Total 40 marks – 1800 maximum word limit

Question 2

Recruitment and Employer Branding at Sofitel Asia Pacific

The product and brand of Sofitel Luxury Hotel are essential to the company’s ability to find good talent; the new Sofitel So Singapore hotel hired a significant number of local staff.

Sofitel’s elegant and modern image is one draw factor for employees. As the only international hotel brand of French origin, its uniqueness is an attraction for job candidates; for example, each hotel lights candles at sunset as a reminder of Paris’s designation as the City of Lights, in honour of its being the first city to introduce street lighting. Employees are called ‘ambassadors’, saying ‘Bonjour’ or ‘Bonsoir’ to guests.

The company underwent a rebranding exercise four years ago, with younger workers becoming increasingly drawn to the brand. Products like So Bangkok, the first So hotel in Asia-Pacific, are intended to be funky and modern, appealing to younger generations, with social and interactive media in rooms. Even the uniforms at So Bangkok are intended to appeal to younger workers: created by designer Christian Lacroix, the colourful and theatrical uniforms embody a stylish, hip image, while at Sofitel So Singapore, Karl Lagerfeld, creative director at Chanel, designed the logo and uniforms, creating excitement and buzz surrounding the brand to reach out to Generation Y’s desire to stand out.

Hiring people with the right attitude is seen as key, as dealing with guests 24/7 means hospitality never stops. Inspiring, sociable, playful and with an entrepreneurial spirit – these are some qualities looked for, with every ambassador giving service from the heart, in a confident and independent way.

All ambassadors represent the company, receiving a passport as a symbol of career development, to be kept by each staff member throughout his or her professional ‘journey’ with the brand. Each page represents a different training programme that supports the brand, including courses on luxury service, the Sofitel attitude, and brand standards. The Sofitel online university helps employees undergo skills-based courses. At ‘elegant coffee mornings’ staff take turns to give updates about the company, with quizzes to create bonds.

To help staff feel valued and appreciated, each hotel has an Ambassador of the Month programme for top-performing employees, and high-performing staff can obtain a ‘Merci’ card to accumulate points which can be exchanged for prizes. On birthdays, employees receive a voucher for a stay in a Sofitel hotel, including dinner and breakfast, together with their family. The Golden Link trophy and prize of €5,000 is available for a hotel that comes up with a long-term project that benefits either the guests or ambassadors. In 2011, the winner was a hotel in Fiji which turned a large piece of land into a garden to grow vegetables and fruit, eventually used in the staff restaurant. This benefited the employees, and the local community as new vegetables were introduced to the island to help Fijians have a better diet.

Required:

• How useful do you think this ‘employer brand’ strategy is in influencing recruitment to Sofitel Asia?

(15 marks)

• What recommendations would you make to improve recruitment?

(15 marks)

Total 30 marks – 1350 maximum word limit

Question 3

Career Development and Performance Management at Microsoft

Microsoft is constantly sourcing for talent internally and externally, maintaining a talent base to look at key roles. It is very deliberate about succession planning, as attracting the right candidates is just one part of the talent equation at the company. This makes career development and performance management a critical part of long-term business growth.

Employees at Microsoft have ‘Career Stage Profiles’ that help define their career paths, the key stages that they entail, the level of performance expected, and what it takes to reach the next level. For example, some of the competencies expected of a people manager include people leadership skills, business leadership skills, organisational leadership skills, and domain expertise. Being a performance-oriented company, there is great clarity and a framework around what Microsoft employees are expected to do, what their roles are, and the commitment that comes with each role. Employees also receive feedback and coaching and attend one-to-one meetings to discuss their performance and ensure that they are on track.

While the system drives performance, it does not pigeon-hole employees, and performance management does not label a person, as a top performer for one year might not always be a top performer; the ability to learn and grow is something that is considered important in this fast-moving industry. While employees at Microsoft have a host of formal training opportunities open to them, structured learning alone is not sufficient for an employee’s growth and development; a ‘learning eco-system’ for each role is provided so that employees can learn from each other. For example, general managers and national country managers have their own ‘Learning Circles’ to facilitate contact. Apart from bi-monthly phone calls, the country managers in the same Learning Circle also meet up in person when they travel for business meetings and set aside a day for learning. These communities serve as a sounding board for members to test out their ideas with each other.

Microsoft also believes in providing an environment that is conducive to employees doing their best work. To survive in Microsoft, staff need to be collaborative within a very diverse product offering and extremely complex business that requires employees to work across different business groups.

Required:

• How well does Microsoft link approaches to performance management and career development?

(15 marks)

• What further recommendations would you make to improve these processes?

(15 marks) Total 30 marks – 1350 maximum word limit

TOTAL 100 MARKS

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