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Assessment Details 2
Submission Details 5
Assessment Criteria 6
Further Information 10
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Referencing 10
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How is my work graded? 11
Assessment Details
Assessment title Abr. Weighting
Briefing Document – Coffee King WRIT1 100%
Pass marks are 40% for undergraduate work and 50% for postgraduate work unless stated otherwise.
Task/assessment brief:
Case Study: Coffee King
You are the HR Manager of ‘Coffee King’ a UK based chain of artisan coffee shops with a head office based in London, England. The CEO, Christine King, started the business 30 years ago and has developed the company from one small family-run coffee shop into a nationwide chain with nearly 170 outlets and over 1400 employees. The company prides itself on offering a quality products and excellent customer service.
In the early days when the company employed less than 10 staff comprising largely family members or friends, the belief was that the organisational culture and people management strategy just happened ‘naturally’ As a result, human resource (HR) practices were carried out on a more or less ‘ad hoc’ basis. Despite its expansion the company culture is still very much that of a family-run business, and in addition to Christine King there are currently three further family members on the senior management team (SMT). However, inevitably the growth of the company has necessitated a more formal, strategic facing HR function and the company has in recent years adopted a more consistent set of ‘best practice’ HR policies that is serving it well across the domestic operations.
In addition to the SMT, marketing, finance and HR sections operate from the London head office. In addition to these employees, the workforce across the UK is comprised of a mix of full-time and part-time staff carrying out a number of roles including regional managers, shop managers, pastry chefs, baristas, waiting staff, kitchen assistants and cleaning staff. With regard to management-employee relations, some staff are members of their respective trade union but there is no collective bargaining arrangements throughout the company, with salaries agreed individually and at local level. Although most strategic decision-making is made centrally management prides itself on its commitment to employee participation and involvement. Throughout its 30 year history, the company has prided itself on employee engagement. Staff at all levels are encouraged to put forward their views and monthly ‘team circles’ are held in head office and each coffee shop where groups come together to discuss operational and quality issues. The organization also has a firm commitment to equitable HR policies and as such the same (or similar) practices are adopted in every outlet wherever possible. The organization is committed to inclusion and employs a diverse workforce. Although salaries are no more than average for the sector (for example a coffee shop manager earns £26,000 per annum) there is an emphasis on continuing professional development and consequently the organisation offers generous training and development opportunities.
Before the Covid pandemic, Coffee King were enjoying a successful and profitable period and had begun the process of acquiring premises in separate overseas locations, with a view to developing the coffee shop chain further in the overseas market as a long term strategy. With Covid restrictions now easing, the company is keen to progress with this strategy with a view to opening up twenty overseas outlets in various locations across Europe, US and Asia in 2022.
As a domestic firm about to begin a process of internationalisation, the SMT recognise the importance of devising effective HR company-wide policies and practices across all its operations. They also appreciate that tensions may exist between the need for global integration and standardisation of company policy against the need to be locally responsive to particular national contexts.
Therefore, first the SMT require further advice and guidance on how and why people management practices within their subsidiary outlets may have to be reviewed and possibly revised. Specifically, they require a briefing as to how and why HR policy and practice may vary between subsidiaries despite pressures for company standardisation of ‘best practice’ and convergence of people management practices due to global trends.
Second, the SMT recognise that the issue of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is rising in significance. The company has a firm commitment to ethical practices
and ensuring a floor of labour rights and standards for all employees working throughout the company, both in the UK and the subsidiary outlets. However, this has not been formalised into a policy document and the company are also unsure as to the rationale for CSR policy and its actual practical implementation. They are also seeking further advice on this issue.
With regard to staffing the subsidiary outlets, the company is committed to employing staff from the local workforce to work in each subsidiary wherever possible. However, with particular regard to the position of coffee shop manager, the company views these roles as strategically important, recognizing that the critical limiting factor to business success and building effective customer and employee relationships is the quality of leadership in each outlet. Therefore the initial strategy is to advertise the positions internally and only select candidates for managers of the overseas coffee shops from their staff base in the UK, to ensure familiarity with and incorporate the organization’s operational procedures and values into the subsidiaries. Each expatriate managers will be expected to lead the opening of their respective coffee shop subsidiary over a six week period and then sign a twelve month contract as coffee shop manager of the overseas outlet.
Furthermore, the company is keen to develop managers with a ‘global leadership mindset’ and wants to target its efforts through training and development activities to ensure the expatriate managers both are highly engaged and have suitable leadership skills. The SMT would like to see a balance of formal learning and development alongside more ‘naturally occurring’ learning opportunities. Also in terms of reward, the company strategy is to adopt a consistent approach to rewards (for reasons of equity and to ensure that there is sufficient incentive to work overseas) and the SMT also want to see a range of incentives offered over and above base pay as long as such incentives are appropriate to the circumstances of the position. Therefore finally, to ensure the success of each overseas assignment, the SMT is seeking guidance and recommendations on how to develop and implement a coherent, strategic approach to the resourcing, development and reward of the expatriate managers.
TASK
As Coffee King expands its operations overseas, as HR Manager you have been asked by the CEO to prepare a briefing document for the attention of the senior management team (SMT). This document should be in the form of a written report addressing the questions in Part One and Part Two below:
Part One: factors influencing international people management practices.
⦁ Critically evaluate the global and organizational pressures for convergence of people management policy and practice.
⦁ Compare and contrast national contexts to discuss how and why people management practices vary at national and/or regional level.
Part Two: people management strategies in international companies.
⦁ Critically discuss the significance of CSR and ethical practice for the company and propose a CSR strategy in regard to people management practices at Coffee King.
⦁ Propose a talent management strategy for the new expatriate managers in the overseas subsidiary coffee shops.
Guidelines: General
⦁ Your discussion should be in report format and for the attention of the CEO of Coffee King.
⦁ Your report should be 4,000 words and structured (with approximate word count) as follows:
⦁ Cover page
⦁ Contents page
⦁ (200 words) Introduction
⦁ Main body:
⦁ (600 words) Part One (a)
Global and organizational pressures for convergence (i.e. why people management policy is standardised).
⦁ (1200 words) Part One (b)
National pressures for divergence (i.e. why people management policy is often differentiated at local level).
⦁ (600 words) Part Two (a)
Recommend a CSR strategy in regard to people management practices across the company including a rationale for your proposals.
⦁ (1200 words) Part Two (b)
Recommend a talent management strategy for the resourcing, development and reward of expatriate managers including a rationale for your proposals.
⦁ (200 words) Conclusion
⦁ References
⦁ Appendices (optional)
⦁ Your report should be appropriately referenced using Harvard referencing, and a reference list provided at the back of the coursework. Do not include books in the reference list unless you have cited the source within the body of the report (and vice versa).
Guidelines: Part One
In Part One you should critically discuss why and how HR policy and practice may vary within and across subsidiaries despite pressures for convergence at global and organizational level. You MUST make comparisons between relevant countries to illustrate your answer.
⦁ In part a you discuss pressure for standardisation (convergence) at organizational and global level.
⦁ In part b you discuss pressures for differentiation (divergence) at national level, including:
⦁ Why this happens – variance between national cultures/demographics/institutions/economic conditions/political ideologies.
⦁ How this happens – through changes in the relative balance and power key stakeholders in the employment relationship (the state managers, employees, trade unions).
Guidelines: Part Two
In Part Two you should present recommendations as to the specific strategies the company should adopt in regard to first, CSR policy and practice and second, expatriate managers. In making these recommendations you MUST apply your knowledge to the specific circumstances of the case study and also include a rationale for your proposals. You can also use relevant company examples to illustrate your answers.
⦁ In part a you should propose a strategy for an effective CSR strategy in regard to international people management practices for the company. This can include a discussion on the rising significance of CSR for international companies and the role of the HR department in devising and implementing CSR policy, including codes of conduct on labour standards.
⦁ In part b you should put forward your recommendations for resourcing, developing and rewarding the expatriate managers including rationale. You can also include discussion of how these proposals align with the overall strategy of the company. For example, how would the company’s adoption of a ‘global’ or ‘multinational’ strategy shape and influence people management policies within and between head office and subsidiary hotels and the overall talent management strategy adopted for managers?
TASK
As Coffee King expands its operations overseas, as HR Manager you have been asked by the CEO to prepare a briefing document for the attention of the senior management team (SMT). This document should be in the form of a written report addressing the questions in Part One and Part Two below:
Part One: factors influencing international people management practices.
⦁ Critically evaluate the global and organizational pressures for convergence of people management policy and practice.
⦁ Compare and contrast national contexts to discuss how and why people management practices vary at national and/or regional level.
Part Two: people management strategies in international companies.
⦁ Critically discuss the significance of CSR and ethical practice for the company and propose a CSR strategy in regard to people management practices at Coffee King.
⦁ Propose a talent management strategy for the new expatriate managers in the overseas subsidiary coffee shops.
⦁ Your report should be 4,000 words and structured (with approximate word count) as follows:
⦁ Cover page
⦁ Contents page
⦁ (200 words) Introduction
⦁ Main body:
⦁ (600 words) Part One (a)
Global and organizational pressures for convergence (i.e. why people management policy is standardised).
⦁ (1200 words) Part One (b)
National pressures for divergence (i.e. why people management policy is often differentiated at local level).
⦁ (600 words) Part Two (a)
Recommend a CSR strategy in regard to people management practices across the company including a rationale for your proposals.
⦁ (1200 words) Part Two (b)
Recommend a talent management strategy for the resourcing, development and reward of expatriate managers including a rationale for your proposals.
⦁ (200 words) Conclusion
⦁ References
⦁ Appendices (optional)
⦁ Your report should be appropriately referenced using Harvard referencing, and a reference list provided at the back of the coursework. Do not include books in the reference list unless you have cited the source within the body of the report (and vice versa).
Guidelines: Part One
In Part One you should critically discuss why and how HR policy and practice may vary within and across subsidiaries despite pressures for convergence at global and organizational level. You MUST make comparisons between relevant countries to illustrate your answer.
⦁ In part a you discuss pressure for standardisation (convergence) at organizational and global level.
⦁ In part b you discuss pressures for differentiation (divergence) at national level, including:
⦁ Why this happens – variance between national cultures/demographics/institutions/economic conditions/political ideologies.
⦁ How this happens – through changes in the relative balance and power key stakeholders in the employment relationship (the state managers, employees, trade unions).
Guidelines: Part Two
In Part Two you should present recommendations as to the specific strategies the company should adopt in regard to first, CSR policy and practice and second, expatriate managers. In making these recommendations you MUST apply your knowledge to the specific circumstances of the case study and also include a rationale for your proposals. You can also use relevant company examples to illustrate your answers.
⦁ In part a you should propose a strategy for an effective CSR strategy in regard to international people management practices for the company. This can include a discussion on the rising significance of CSR for international companies and the role of the HR department in devising and implementing CSR policy, including codes of conduct on labour standards.
⦁ In part b you should put forward your recommendations for resourcing, developing and rewarding the expatriate managers including rationale. You can also include discussion of how these proposals align with the overall strategy of the company. For example, how would the company’s adoption of a ‘global’ or ‘multinational’ strategy shape and influence people management policies within and between head office and subsidiary hotels and the overall talent management strategy adopted for managers?
