Assessment 1: Essay
Due date: 21st December, 2021 at 11:30pm
This essay counts for 50% of the final module mark, and has a 2,000 word limit. The essay has two questions, and focuses on the theoretical aspects of IHRM.
Question 1:
What are the different conceptual approaches International Human Resource Management (HRM) takes when examining
HRM in an international context. Illustrate your answer with references to conceptual ideas and empirical evidence from the
literature.
~1,000 words.
Question 2:
“Globalisation means that eventually HR policy and practice will converge into a single ‘best practice’ everywhere in the
world.” Discuss and evaluate this claim. Illustrate your answer with reference to conceptual ideas and empirical evidence from
the literature.
~1,000 words.

SOLUTION

The Concept of Human Resource Management

Of all the required resources to a manager, financial, human, and materials
remain potent, strategic, and central to an organization’s HRM and aid in achieving
competitive advantage. Eidizadeh, Salehzadeh, and Chitsaz (2017), in an IBM-sponsored research study, notes that the element of human resource is currently specialized and a stand-alone function to an organization’s competency (p.254). The need and desire from organizations to be strategic remain an issue that engulfs several HR departments. This primarily means the deployment of professional skills and knowledge while working with managers in HRM plays a fundamental role in improving
the manner in which organizations perform. From the views of Eidizadeh et al. (2017),
the use of the term value addition primarily focuses on the outcomes of the HRM
contributions in running an organization’s operations. Human resource management
(HRM) encompasses the practice of engaging in the recruitment, hiring, deployment, as
well as management of a firm’s personnel. According to Khawaldeh (2020), HRM is
primarily referred to as a human resource. This, therefore, means that an organization
HR department usually takes responsibility for the creation, the placement of effective
oversight policies that aid in governing the workers, and building relationships among
the employees. First coined in the early 90s, the concept of human resource was widely
used during this period to depict people working within an organization aggregately. On
the other hand, Khawaldeh (2020) views the HRM concept as an approach to managing
employees with the emphasis of establishing and an environment within an organization
that results in the view of the employees as fundamental assets to an organization
(p.n.p). Within this context, employees, as posited by Khawaldeh (2020), are frequently
referred to and considered as human capital. As with other business assets, HRM’s role
revolves around making employees as effective within an organization by reducing risks
to maximize a firm's return on investment (ROI). The HRM functions essentially focus
and are concerned with matters related to the establishment of employment relationships within an organization (p.n.p). These measures are cardinal in attracting,
developing, motivating, and maintaining a vibrant culture in an organization or
workforce. Therefore, HRM plays a fundamental role in dutifully handling such strategic
partnerships to achieve a firm’s competitive advantage.