Higher Nationals

Assignment Brief – BTEC (RQF)

Higher National Diploma in Business (Business Management)

Student Name /ID Number Pham Tran Phuc Nguyen/ NF71506

Unit Number and Title Unit 6: Managing a Successful Business Project (MSBP)

Academic Year 2020/21

Unit Tutor / Assessor Mr. Ananta Kar

Assignment Title Talent strategies of the companies (1 of 1)

Issue Date 16 Mar 2021

Submission Date 06 Jul 2021

IV Name

Date

Submission Format:

The submission is in the form of a portfolio which includes the following components:
1. Project management plan including a work breakdown structure in the form a Gantt chart
2. Produce a Research Project Report
3. A completed project Logbook
4. An audio recording of a performance review
5. A business case presentation.
The business case presentation is in the form of a 10-minute individual PowerPoint presentation and 5
minutes allocated for questions. The presentation slides and speaker notes should be submitted in the e-
portfolio. You are required to make effective use of PowerPoint headings, bullet points and subsections as
appropriate. Your research should be referenced using the Harvard referencing system. Please also
provide a bibliography using the Harvard referencing system. The recommended word limit is 2,500 to
3,000 words, including power point presentation with speaker notes, although you will not be penalised for
exceeding the total word limit.

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 Unit Learning Outcomes:

LO1: Establish project aims, objectives and timeframes based on the chosen theme.

LO2: Conduct small-scale research, information gathering and data collection to generate knowledge to
support the project.

LO3: Present the project and communicate appropriate recommendations based on meaningful
conclusions drawn from the evidence findings and/or analysis.

LO4: Reflect on the value gained from conducting the project and its usefulness to support sustainable
organisational performance.

Assignment Brief and Guidance:

The Pearson-set theme: Talent Management.

Topic: What talent strategies do the best companies use to attract and retain people?
You are employed as an assistant within the professional development team of an organisation i.e., Dana
Project Consultancy Services, Danang or your own place of work if appropriate.

You have been asked to conduct a small-scale project, in the form of an investigative case study, into the
Talent Management of the employees within the organisation(s) which is to be presented as a business
case for management on what talent strategies do the best companies use to attract and retain people?
The project will involve investigating how various organisations implement talent management strategies,
to attract and retain people. This will be presented to your line manager as a business case with
proposals to best talent management practices adopted by the best companies to attract and retain
human talent, followed by a performance review in which you will need to reflect upon the project in
relation to your own personal and professional development.

Talent Management and Strategic Approaches:

Talent management (TM) is the process by which businesses and organisations recognise and develop
talented people who can have a positive impact on their organisations and their productivity. It not only
has become a key component of human resource management but also the responsibility of leaders and
managers at all levels to manage talent within the business, with TM strategies being developed in line
with the particular needs and structure of the business and industry.

Themes of TM relevant to businesses when considering a strategic approach to talent management

include the following:

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 ● the role of line managers and leaders in employee development and well-being.
● talent management being used as a lever for culture change;
● the importance of contextualising approaches to talent management;
● the need for new and innovative ways of working to achieve a strategic approach to talent
management;
● barriers for the development of a strategic approach caused by economic and day- to-day
operational pressures.

Staff retention, training and morale is key in any industry where talented motivated employees can help
differentiate one organisation from another and influence business success. An increasing number of
businesses are rethinking ways to get the most from their staff. Rising costs, recruitment difficulties and
changing employee attitudes mean that, for many employers, the traditional approaches to recruiting,
training and retaining staff are being revisited to harness and develop talent and ultimately drive
competitive advantage.

Activity

In order to conduct you project successfully to produce your business case you will need take the
following steps:

Step 1 – Project planning

1. Devise a project management plan to map out how you intend to meet the project objectives:

 Begin with the scope. What activities and tasks as defined in your project must be done in
order to make the project a success?
 Note the milestones or major events or phases in your project.
 Provide details of activities to be carried out initiation, planning and execution of the project.
 Create a work break down structure using a Gantt chart to track the activities to be
undertaken.

Step 2 – Conduct primary and secondary research

1. Devise a short questionnaire/ or interview questions to complete with employees within the
organisation. Include questions on how they define wellbeing, what the organisation currently
has in place to support wellbeing and what they feel could be done better to support their
wellbeing.
2. Research at least two other organisations to see what type of wellbeing initiatives they have.
3. Research the value and benefits of addressing wellbeing in terms of improving employee
retention.
4. Focus on areas of good practice to build and support your business case.

Step 3 – Present Findings

1. Collate your research and analyse your findings.

2. Produce and present the business case including an evaluation of tools used to gather
research and data to justify your recommendations for implementing wellbeing initiatives.

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Step 4 – Reflective Practice

1. Complete a performance review with your line manager to critically reflect upon the project
plan, process and outcomes in terms of your own personal and professional development. Think
about how well you have performed and achieved your project objectives, what obstacles did you
have to overcome? Wat worked well or not well? What have you learnt from completing this
project?

* Note- Students will need to reflect on the success of their project and their own performance in a personal
performance review at the end of the project. It is advisable to provide students with an appropriate structure for this
reflection.

Pearson Education 2018

Higher Education Qualifications

Page 4 of 64
 Pass Merit Distinction
LO1 Establish project aims, objectives and timeframes based on the LO1 & 2
chosen theme.
D1 Critically evaluate the project
P1 Devise project aims and M1 Produce a comprehensive management process and appropriate
objectives for a chosen project management plan, research methodologies applied.
scenario. milestone schedule and project
schedule for monitoring and
P2 Produce a project completing the aims and
management plan that covers objectives of the project.
aspects of cost, scope, time,
quality, communication, risk and
resources.
P3 Produce a work breakdown
structure and a Gantt chart to
provide timeframes and stages
for completion.

LO2 Conduct small-scale research, information gathering and data

collection, generating knowledge to support the project.
P4 Carry out small-scale M2 Evaluate the accuracy
research by applying qualitative and reliability of different
and quantitative research research methods applied.
methods appropriate for meeting
project aims and objectives.

LO3 Present the project and communicate appropriate LO3 & 4

recommendations based on meaningful conclusions drawn from the
evidence findings and/or analysis. D2 Critically evaluate and reflect on
the project outcomes, the decision-
P5 Analyse research and M3 Evaluate the selection of making process and changes or
data using appropriate tools appropriate tools and techniques developments of the initial project
and techniques. for accuracy and authenticity to management plan to support
support and justify justification of recommendations and
P6 Communicate appropriate recommendations. learning during the project.
recommendations as a
result of research and data
analysis to draw valid and
meaningful conclusions.

LO4 Reflect on the value gained from conducting the project and its
usefulness to support sustainable organisational performance.
M4 Evaluate the value of the
P7 Reflect on the value of project management process and
undertaking the research to use of quality research to meet
meet stated objectives and own stated objectives and support own
learning and performance. learning and performance.

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 STUDENT ASSESSMENT SUBMISSION AND DECLARATION
When submitting evidence for assessment, each student must sign a declaration confirming that the
work is their own.

Student name: Assessor name:

Pham Tran Phuc Nguyen ANANTA KAR

Issue date: Submission date: Submitted on:

16 Mar 2021 06 Jul 2021 06 July 2021

Programme:

Pearson BTEC Level 5 Higher National Diploma in Business (Business Management)

Unit:

Unit 6: Managing a Successful Business Project (MSBP)

Assignment number and title:

Talent strategies of the companies (1 of 1)

Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a particular form of cheating. Plagiarism must be avoided at all costs and students who
break the rules, however innocently, may be penalised. It is your responsibility to ensure that you
understand correct referencing practices. As a university level student, you are expected to use
appropriate references throughout and keep carefully detailed notes of all your sources of materials
for material you have used in your work, including any material downloaded from the Internet.
Please consult the relevant unit lecturer or your course tutor if you need any further advice.

Student Declaration
Student declaration

I certify that the assignment submission is entirely my own work and I fully understand the
consequences of plagiarism. I understand that making a false declaration is a form of
malpractice.

Student signature: Nguyen Date: July 6, 2021

6
Observation record – BTEC Higher Nationals
Student name: Phuc Nguyen Pham Tran (Nguyen)

BTEC (RQF), Higher National Diploma in Business (Business

Qualification:
Management)

Unit number & title: Unit 6: Managing a Successful Business Project (MSBP)

Description of activity undertaken

You are required to Present the project and communicate appropriate recommendations based on
meaningful conclusions drawn from the evidence findings and/or analysis.

This is to be presented in the form of presentation with speaker notes. The recommended word limit for
presentation is 1,000 to 1,500 words, including speaker notes, although you will not be penalised for
exceeding the total word limit.

Your presentation is to be presented to the stakeholders of Business project and presented in 10 minutes
followed by 5 minutes Q&A session.

Assessment & grading criteria

Criteria
Present findings and data using appropriate tools and
techniques.
Communicate appropriate recommendations as a
result of findings and data analysis to draw valid and
meaningful conclusions.
Evaluate the selection of appropriate tools and
techniques & justify recommendations
Critically evaluate and reflect on the project
outcomes, the decision-making process and
changes or developments of the initial project
management plan to support justification of
recommendations and learning during the project.
Presentation Style & Visual Aids: (e.g., layout;
appropriate amount of information; effective use of
graphics; speaker notes; conforms to conventions in
grammar and spelling, communication skill, Q&A)
Recommendation: Discussed.
How the activity meets the requirements of the criteria
Comments
TM in IT Industry
Research Approach: Deductive, Quantitative
approach
Discussed on Research Methods (samples
size:99)
Data Analysis: Several insightful information
is cited during the presentation. (Most of the
employees are satisfied).
Recruitment medium: social media and
referrals/recommendations.
Regarding popular training methods: on the
job, online and classroom trainings.
Research Reflection: Not found in
presentation. However, you should reflect
some of the methods used during the
research. (Focus on pain points)

LO3 Present the project and communicate appropriate recommendations based on meaningful.

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conclusions drawn from the evidence findings and/or analysis

Student signature: Date: 05 July 2021

Ananta Kar
Assessor signature: Date: 05 July 2021

Assessor name: Mr. Ananta Kar

8
Higher Nationals - Assignment Feedback Form

Student Name/ID Pham Tran Phuc Nguyen/ NF71506

Unit Title Unit 6: Managing a Successful Business Project (MSBP)
Assignment Number (1 of 1) Assessor Mr. Ananta Kar

06 Jul 2021 Date Received 1st 06 Jul 2021

Submission Date
submission
Date Received 2nd
Re-submission Date
submission
Formative Feedback: Assessor to Student

Action Plan

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Summative Feedback: Assessor to Student

Grade: Assessor Signature: Date:

Resubmission Feedback:

Grade: Assessor Signature: Date:

Internal Verifier’s Comments:

Signature & Date:

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 Feedback: Student to Assessor

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* Please note that grade decisions are provisional. They are only confirmed once internal and external moderation
has taken place and grades decisions have been agreed at the assessment board.

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Higher Education Qualifications

11
Table of Contents
Assignment brief & Grading criteria…………………………………………………..1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Assessment submission and declaration form……………………………………………………6
Observation/feedback record…………………………………………………………………..7, 8
Assignment feedback form……………………………………………………………….9, 10, 11
Table of contents………………………………………………………………………………..12
MSBP Report……………………………………………………………………………13 – 35
Reference list…………………………………………………………………………………..36
Appendices………………………………………………………………………………….37- 64

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I. Introduction:
In a global, diverse, highly competitive, and dynamic world, talent is the one of the only
differentiators for a company's success. Ever since Steven Hankin coined the phrase “War for
Talent” in 1997, talent management has become the subject of debate among management
scholars, practitioners and as well as consultants. Today, almost every company has adopted the
idea of talent management, and they recognize that they must be more practical in dealing with
employees who possess the necessary expertise, talents, abilities, personalities, and relationships
in order to achieve strategic business goals (Morgan and Jardin, 2010). As such, I have found
this topic very interesting to research and study about.
II. Project aims and objectives:
1. Project theme: Talent Management.
2. Project topic: What talent strategies do the best companies use to attract and retain
people?
3. Project Title: The implementation of Talent Management strategies for staff recruitment,
attraction & retention in the ITC industry.
4. Research Objectives:
a. RO1: Identify the successful human resource management tactics implemented by the top
IT companies in Vietnam.
b. RO2: Evaluate the effectiveness & possible challenges of the recruitment & training and
retention process these companies carry out.
c. RO3: Understand the difficulties the aforementioned corporations might face with
employee recruitment, training and retention, especially during the virus outbreak.
5. Research Questions:
a. RQ1: What are the similarities & differences between each company when it comes to
their talent strategies adoption? What is the logistics & thought process behind it?
b. RQ2: How are these procedures carried out? Have the recruitment & training processes
produced satisfactory results (i.e., staff performance)?

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 c. RQ3: What has been done by the companies to retain their workers, specifically in these
trying times of the pandemic?
6. Research background:
In today's world, the term "IT" is commonly used to describe computers and networks in a
business setting. It refers to their applications in the following areas: generating,
manipulating, storing, recovering, transmitting, handling, exchanging, studying, and securing
all data or information in an electronic format. Before 1978, computers existed, but they were
mostly used to perform complex calculations. The term "information technology" was coined
after computers were used to index and sort written information. The importance of
information technology in any business setting is clear, from small businesses run by a single
person to large multi-national corporations. Computer technology is used in every
department of the business world and has become essential to modern business operations.
As such, I have chosen this industry as my topic of research.
III. Project management plan:
1. Gantt chart:

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 2. Project scope:
- Research and comprehend best practices in the field of Talent Management in the ITC
industry.
- Reviewing the literature related to the research questions and research objectives
(Milestone/Deliverable 1).
- Preparing the project plan and creating a work breakdown structure for the given project.
- Designing the survey questionnaires and collecting the data from the target participants
(Milestone/Deliverable 2).
- Data analysis.
- Presenting the outcomes and providing Project Reflection.
- Project submission (Milestone/Deliverable 3).
3) Out of scope:
The research is not intended to apply the findings to any specific organization.
IV. Work breakdown structure and Gantt chart:
1. Work breakdown structure:

Talent Management
Project

Initiation Planning Execution Monitor & Control Closure

Project Manager Conduct Literature Conduct Primary Online Survey Quality

Devise WBS Project Presentation
Allocation Review Research Control

Define Scope, Devise Project Apply Deductive Make an Online Project Review with Produce Project
Objectives Schedule Research Approach Survey Tutor Logbook

Brief project
Produce the Data Collection & Project Literature Project & Self-
description & Allocate Time
Literature Review Analyzation Review with Tutor reflection
specifications

Produce Performance
Present Data &
Allocate Tasks Review Audio
Findings
Recordings

Define Project's
Milestone

Top-down work breakdown structure

2. Gantt chart:

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V. Literature review:
1) Employee recruitment and selection:

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A major concern for any company in dire need of employees is where and how to find them.
Employees are constantly aging, switching occupations, or becoming unable to continue in their
current line of work for a variety of reasons. Talent management begins with the activity of
recruitment and selection in the workplace. Kapur (2018) defines this process as “a process of
screening, sourcing, shortlisting, and. selecting the right candidates for the vacant positions”.
Employers implement recruitment strategies and methods that are most beneficial to achieving
organizational goals and objectives. The foundations of successful recruiting are proper
employment planning and forecasting. During this stage of the staffing process, an organization
develops plans to fill or remove future job prospects based on an examination of future needs,
internal and external available talent of the organization, and current and expected resources
available to attract and retain such people. The fundamental principle of recruitment and
selection is “the right person for the right job” (Dayal, 2015). Kapur (2020) argues that
educational qualifications, skills, capabilities, job experience, terms of service, salaries and
reimbursements, and job duties are all important factors to consider during the recruitment and
selection process. At the end of the day, the goal of recruiting and selection is to find people who
are a good fit for the job. Ridding (2019) argues that by having effective recruitment and
selection process, companies can save time by effectively filtering candidates, and reach higher
candidate quality.
2: Employee development and training:
Oduwusi (2018) defines the development and training process as an important activity that
improves employee performance in an organization and serves as a foundation for an
organization's growth and success. Training courses are usually carried out by large
organizations for their employees. Training and development improve comprehension, practical
skills, processes, and methodologies. It not only aids in self-development, but also collective
growth and organizational operations. Karia et al. (2016) argues that training and development
enable an organization to deal with technological changes and challenges, as well as effectively
adopting new business rules. The authors emphasized that several factors, including training
cost, training programs, training nature, training policy, and training needs, should be considered
for effective training and development. Training and development are critical components when
it comes to increasing a company’s output and efficiency. As a result of the ever-changing
market, it is crucial to strengthen a company’s training and development process as this plays a
crucial part of the company’s well-being and help increase employee work quality.
3: Employee retention:
Employees nowadays expect their jobs to offer more than just a high salary. Workers'
expectations have shifted over the last few decades. According to the IBM (n.d.), employees
demand for work-life balance, opportunities for advancement in their career, compensation and
benefits, values and ethics in the workplace, opportunities for continuous learning, and stability.
It is crucial for companies to meet these demands or at the very least satisfy them to some degree
in order to entice their employees to stay with the company. According to Surji (2013), employee
turnover can have negative consequences to a company’s performance, such as negatively
affecting customer service and quality, and turnover leads to a lack of motivation and morale

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among staff. According to Otto (2017), in the case of a worker leaves, it costs employers 33% of
his or her annual salary to replace that worker. In monetary terms, the replacement cost for an
employee earning a median salary of $45,000 per year is $15,000 per person. As such,
companies should strive to reduce turnover by implementing employee retention strategies.
VI. Conduct small scale research to meet project aims and objectives:
During the research, I adopted the deductive approach by first theorizing and reading up on how
companies hire, train, and retain their employees as well as how the pandemic has affected these
aspects. By analyzing the data gathered from the Google Forms, I could then deduce whether
these theories are supported or not.
The research strategy I implemented was the quantitative approach, which was achieved through
collecting data through Google Forms. The time horizon was Cross sectional time horizon of
data collection.
As the research was being conducted, I used a mix of convenience & snowball sampling . In
short, I started the sampling process by reaching out to only the people in the IT industry who are
willing to participate in the survey. After that I also asked if they could pass the survey onto their
colleagues, friends in the same industry, and boss which then allowed me to obtain more survey
participants. I chose these methods as they are very easy to collect data, make the data collection
process quick and easy, thus giving me more time to analyze the data.
The sampling size of this research was about 100 people, unfortunately I only managed to collect
data from 99 individuals as I ran out of people from both online groups and real-life connections.
As a result, I had to settle with the sample size of 99.
VII. Data analysis
Q1:

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As can be seen from the chart, more than 36% of the participants are in the 20-29 age group. The
second most notable age group from the collected data is the 40-49 age group, with over 35% of
the participants belonging in this age range. The percentage of employees in their 30s is over
25.3%, while the amount of people in the 50-59 age group occupies about 3% of the survey
respondents. There are no survey participants over 60 years old.
Q2:

The pie chart shows that the number of female survey participants outnumber that of male
participants, which account for 64.6% and 35.4% respectively.
Q3:

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As illustrated by the pie chart, more than 54% of the participants are in middle level positions in
their companies. The percentage of employees working in top level positions account for 13.1%
of the survey participants, while 11.1% of the survey takers are working in bottom level
positions. 21.2% of the either have other roles or would rather not disclose their position.
Q4:

The graph shows that almost half of the survey participants have been working in their
companies for 6 or more years. Over 25% of the participants have worked for their companies
for 3-5 years, and the number of employees working under 1 year also occupies over 25% of the
survey takers.
Q5:

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The graph above illustrates employee’s job satisfaction. It shows that most of the participants are
satisfied with their current occupation, with 36.4% giving a score of 5 and 35.4% giving a 4
respectively. 25.3% of the participants are neutral about their job, and 3% are dissatisfied.
Q6:

As can be seen from the graph, most employees are feeling very positive about the current state
of the industry (36.4% being very confident and 39.4% being confident). However, there is a
subset of employees who are either neutral about the state of the IT industry (22.2%) or not
confident at all (2%).

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Q7:

As can be seen from the graphs, social medial recruiting seems to be the most popular recruiting
method for IT companies, which account for 44.4% of the votes. The second most popular
method was recruiting through referrals and recommendations, accounting for 40.4% of the
respondents. LinkedIn and Job search engines seem to be two of the least popular employee
recruitment method, sitting around at 11.1% and 2.3% respectively. There is a large amount of
other recruitment methods, which sits around at 32.3%.
Q8:

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According to the pie chart, most of the participants think their company’s recruitment process
has proved successful, which accounts for 62.6% of the participants. Almost 30% of the
employees are not confident about their answers or do not care about this process, while 8.1% of
the participants do not think it has been successful.
Q9:

The bar chart illustrates the number of ‘Yes/No’ responses to the questions regarding the
difficulties a company faces with the recruitment process before the pandemic. For the lack of
qualified applicants, 74 people answered Yes while 25 answered No. More than half of the
survey participants agreed that there is a long hiring process, which account for 52 answers. 64
of the participants answered Yes in response to the competition for workers from other
companies, while 35 answered No to that issue. When asked whether their company’s screening
process takes too long, 53 survey participants agreed to the problem, while 46 disagreed.
Q10:

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The bar chart illustrates the number of ‘Yes/No’ responses to the questions of the pandemic’s
effects on the company’s recruitment process. In regard to face-to-face interview no longer
available, 79 people voted Yes, while 20 voted No. When asked whether the companies are
prioritizing more on online recruitment, 79 employees answered Yes, while 20 employees
answered No. More than half of the participants agreed that fewer positions are open due to the
pandemic, which accounts for 74 out of 99 answers, while 25 people disagreed with that notion.
When asked if the pandemic has made the recruitment process easier, 43 participants agreed
while 56 disagreed. As can be seen from the chart, more than half of the survey partakers
answered Yes when asked whether the hiring process has not changed regardless of the
pandemic, which accounts for 54 answers. The number of participants disagreeing with this
notion accounts for almost half of the answers, sitting at 45 answers.
Q11:

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The graph shows the amount of ‘Yes/No’ answers regarding the training methods used by
companies. 78 people answered Yes to the classroom-based programs option, while 21 answered
No. The majority of the participants agreed that their company uses interactive training, which
accounts for 77 answers, while 22 people argued they company does not implement this training
method. When asked whether their company uses social learning training method, 66 people said
Yes and 33 people said No. Most of the survey takers answered Yes when asked if their
company uses on-the-job training, which accounts for 91 answers. The number of employees
saying that their company does not adopt this method is significantly less than those who said
yes, accounting for 8 out of 99 answers. When asked whether their company trains the
employees with the online training method, 81 participants answered Yes, while 18 answered
No.
Q12:

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When being asked to rank whether their company’s training has proved successful, most
employee gave a 4 (32.3%) and 5 (36.4%) on the training method’s effectiveness. 28.3% of the
participants stayed neutral while there are some who do not think they have been trained
properly. There are 3 cases when workers do not feel they are well-prepared for their work, with
2 rating a 2 and 1 rating a 1 on the effectiveness of the training method.
Q13:

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The bar chart illustrates the number of ‘Yes/No’ responses to the challenges the company face
with the training process. When asked if the company struggles with delivering consistent
training, most of the survey participants answered Yes, which account for 69 out of 99 responses.
On the other hand, 30 employees answered No to that problem. 63 partakers agreed that their
company has conflicts between the old and the new generations, while 36 disagreed with this
notion. The number of employees who believe that their company struggles with engaging
learners during training is significantly higher than those who do not think this is the case, which
accounts for 70 and 29 answers respectively. Most of the participants do not think that the
cultural differences have any impact on the training process, accounting for 52 answers, while
those who think it is the case only accounts for 47 votes.
Q14:

The graph shows the effects of the pandemic on the training process. 92 employees believe that
the classroom programs have moved online, while 7 do not believe it is the case. The number of
survey partakers who answered Yes (89 people) when asked if digital skills are more prioritized
significantly outnumbers the amount of people who disagree with this notion (10 people). 84
people answered Yes when asked if their company is focusing on upskilling and long-term
reskilling, while 15 answered No. More than half of the participants believe that the training
budgets have been increased, which accounts for 57 people. On the other hand, less than half of
the partakers disagree with this notion.
Q15:

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As can be seen from the chart, employee compensation seems to be the most popular choice for
employee retention, which accounts for 84.8% of the votes. Performance recognition and
rewards system and perks are the second and third most popular employee retention strategy,
which accounts for 57.6% and 49.5% respectively. 48 participants say that their company
implement wellness programs to encourage their employees to stay. The least popular employee
retention strategy seems to be flexible work arrangements, which account for 41.4%.
Q16:

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When being asked about whether they would stay with the company, most answered that they
would stay, with 44.4% of the participants being very likely to stay and 30.3% being likely to
stay. There is still a sizeable amount of people undecided on whether they will be staying or
leaving, which amounts to 23.2% of the participants. The number of employees unwilling to
continue working for the company is quite small, with only 2% being unlikely to stay.
QT17:

When asked about the challenges their company has to face with retention, 59 out of 99 of the
participants voted Yes for salary dissatisfaction, while 40 chose No. The amount of survey
participants thinking competition from other companies is one of the challenging factors (66
people) outweighs that of those who do not believe it is the case (33 people). 67 out of 99 survey
partakers believe that unrealistic expectations of employees are a problem, while 32 disagreed
with that notion. The majority of the participants do not believe that their company hired the
wrong candidates, which account for 54 answers, while those who do account for 45 votes. The
number of employees who believe that their company is having a change in workforce (65
people) far outnumbers those who do not believe it to be the case (34 people). 59 survey
participants voted Yes for pandemic stress & burnout, while 40 chose No.
VIII. Research findings:
As can be seen from Q5 and Q6, the research showed that most employees are satisfied with
their jobs and are positive about the current state of the ITC industry. A small percentage of
survey participants are neutral, with 25 people being neutral about their job and 22 being neutral
about the IT industry’s current state.

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For the hiring process, Q7 showed that LinkedIn and job search engines are the least popular
recruitment methods adopted by companies, which account for 11.1% and 28.3% of the votes
respectively. It also showed that social media and recommendations/referrals are the most
favored recruitment method. As can be seen from Q8, these recruitment methods have proved
successful for the companies. According to Q9, the most prevalent issue the companies face is
the lack of qualified applicants, which accounts for 75 out of 99 answers. The second most
problematic issue the companies have to deal with is competition for workers from other
companies, with 65 employees agreeing with this issue. Q10 showed that the pandemic has
forced most companies to not conduct face-to-face interviews, prioritize online recruitment, and
lower the number of open positions.
As illustrated in Q11, on-the-job training is the most popular training method adopted by
companies, which account for 91 of the answers. The second most popular method is online
training method, accounting for 81 out of 99 votes. The third and fourth most popular training
method is the classroom-based training program and interactive training, accounting for 78 and
77 Yes answers respectively. The least popular training method is the social learning method,
with 66 people voting Yes. Q12 shows that most employees think they are sufficiently trained for
their jobs, which account for 36.4% and 32.3% of the votes respectively. 28.3% of the
participants are neutral about the company’s training effectiveness, while 2% ranked the training
efficiency at 2, and 1% vote 1. As can be seen from Q13, most companies struggle with
delivering consistent training and engaging learners, which account for 69 and 70 Yes votes. The
conflict between the old and new generations of workers (67 Yes answers) is also a prevalent
issue for companies during the training phase. Q14 showed that most companies have moved
classroom programs online, prioritized digital skills, and focused on long-term reskilling and
upskilling. It also illustrates that almost half of the companies have not increased their training
budget, which account for 42 out of 99 answers.
As for employee retention, Q15 demonstrated that the most popular strategy is adopting
employee compensation systems (for example bonuses, overtime pay, time off, etc), which
accounts for 84.8%. The second most prevalent retention strategy is performance recognition and
rewards systems, accounting for 57 out of 99 votes. The least adopted retention strategy is
having flexible work arrangements, accounting for 41.4% of the answers. Wellness programs
and perks (such as health & life insurance, free lunch, etc) accounts for approximately half of the
votes, which are around 48.5% and 49.5% respectively. According to Q17, most employees are
likely to stay with their companies, with 44.4% voting for a 5 and 30.3% voting for a 4. 23.3% of
the survey participants are still undecided on whether they will stay or not, and 2% think they are
not likely to stay with their companies. Q18 illustrated that most companies struggle with salary
dissatisfaction, competition from other companies, unrealistic expectations of employees, change
in the workforce, and pandemic burnout and stress. It can also be seen that almost half of the
companies hired the wrong candidates for the job, which accounts for 45 out of 99 votes.
IX. Conclusions and Recommendations:
1. Conclusions:

33
We can conclude from the data that while there is a small percentage of employees being neutral
about their job and the industry’s current state, most workers are highly satisfied with their fields
and are positive about the IT industry’s future.
As for the hiring process, we can clearly see that despite recruitment and selection strategies
being successful and the ever-increasing prioritization on online, most companies have not
focused heavily on online recruitment portals such as LinkedIn and job search engines. It can
also be seen that more than half of the companies have long hiring and screening processes.
Despite having a wide range of training methods, companies still struggle with delivering
consistent training results, engaging learners, and the generational conflicts are still prevalent.
Additionally, almost half of the companies have not invested more into the training budget to
address these problems. We can also see that companies have been moving towards online
training and digital-related skills to deal with the pandemic.
It can be observed that less than half of the surveyed companies have adopted wellness
programs and have flexible work hours, and about half of the organizations implement perks and
performance recognition and rewards systems to entice their employees to stay. In spite of the
fact that most employees are willing to stay with the companies, there still is a 23.2% of
employees that are undecided, and 2% are not willing to stay.
2. Recommendations:
As there is an ever-increasing shift towards online in the times of the pandemic, companies
should consider investing into job search engines, LinkedIn, etc. Alternatively, they could
develop their own digital hiring platforms to automate scheduling, make interviews quick and
easy. To address the long hiring and screening process, companies could consider establishing a
structured hiring process. This also allows them to access more qualified applicants by being
able to cycle through CVs.
To address the companies’ training conflicts, they should have the old generation of workers be
up to date with the current trends of the world, have them and the younger workers sit down and
talk to each other to have them understand each other’s perspectives, improving communication.
As for engaging learners, companies could consider encouraging back-and-forth interactions
between the learners and the professors via incentives such as small prizes, compliments, etc.
Since online has been more prevalent, more companies should invest more into their training
budgets to produce better results.
For companies struggling with employee retention, they should consider adopting flexible
working hours, wellness programs and perks to avoid causing stress and burnout to their
employees, which in turn entices them to stay with the company. As to address those who are
dissatisfied with their salary, the company could discuss with these people about the current state
of the company and come to a compromise with them as doing so might allow the employee to
understand the thoughts behind their company’s current rates. As for unrealistic expectations,
employers should clearly define the job requirements and goals by discussing these with the
employees beforehand.

34
X. Research reflections
In my experience, the data collection has proved more difficult than I had anticipated. As first I
thought I would have no problem collecting 100 samples for data analysis, after 2 weeks I only
managed to collect 70. As a result, I had to go out of my way to contact the survey participants to
ask them to pass my survey around. Ultimately, it was definitely a learning experience for me.
As for the literature review, the most prevalent issue I had with the process was finding the
reputable sources to my research topic. Another problem arose is the relevancy of the sources to
topic.
In general, the report demanded far more effort, research, and comprehension than I had
anticipated. This report took by far the most time than any other reports I have ever done. I am
glad, however, that I have learned to utilize the Gantt chart. This will be extremely useful to me
in my future career, as I am of the belief that being able to plan, allocate resources, and keep
track of my progress for my work is vital.

35
Reference List:
Dayal, D., 2015, Recruitment And Selection Proces [PDF] Available at:
<https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339123280_Importance_of_Recruitment_and_Selecti
on_in_Leading_to_Progression_of_the_Organization> [Accessed on 24 April, 2021].
IBM, n.d., What employees expect in 2021 [online] Available at: <https://www.ibm.com/thought-
leadership/institute-business-value/report/employee-expectations-2021> [Accessed on 24 April,
2021].
Kapur, R., 2020, Importance of Recruitment and Selection in Leading to Progression of the
Organization [PDF] Available at:
<https://www.academia.edu/33291470/Recruitment_And_Selection_Process> [Accessed on 24
April, 2021].
Kapur, R., 2018, Recruitment and Selection [PDF] Available at:
<https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323829919_Recruitment_and_Selection> [Accessed
on 24 April, 2021].
Karia, A., Omari, S., Mwanaongoro, S., and Kimori, Y., 2016, Importance of Training and
Development on Performance of Public Water Utilities in Tanzania [PDF] Available at:
<https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320215089_Importance_of_Training_and_Developm
ent_on_Performance_of_Public_Water_Utilities_in_Tanzania> [Accessed on 24 April, 2021].
Morgan, H., Jardin, D., 2010, HR + OD = Integrated Talent Management [PDF] Available at:
<http://www.lri.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/HR+ODIntegrated-Talent-Management-OD-
Practioner-Vol-42.pdf> [Accessed on 24 April, 2021].
Oduwusi, O., 2018, EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT AS A MODEL FOR
ORGANIZATIONAL SUCCESS [PDF] Available at:
<https://www.academia.edu/36485680/EMPLOYEE_TRAINING_AND_DEVELOPMENT_AS
_A_MODEL_FOR_ORGANIZATIONAL_SUCCESS> [Accessed on 24 April, 2021].
Otto, N., 2017, Avoidable turnover costing employers big [online] Available at:
<https://www.benefitnews.com/news/avoidable-turnover-costing-employers-big?
brief=00000152-14a7-d1cc-a5fa-
7cffccf00000&utm_content=socialflow&utm_campaign=ebnmagazine&utm_source=twitter&ut
m_medium=social> [Accessed on 24 April, 2021].
Ridding, T., 2019, The Importance of Effective Recruitment [online] Available at:
<https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/importance-effective-recruitment-tanya-ridding> [Accessed on
24 April, 2021].
Surji, K., 2013, The Negative Effect and Consequences of Employee Turnover and Retention on
the Organization and Its Staff [PDF] Available at:
<https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313636497_The_Negative_Effect_and_Consequence

36
s_of_Employee_Turnover_and_Retention_on_the_Organization_and_Its_Staff> [Accessed on
24 April, 2021].
Appendices:
1. Presentation slides:
Slide 1

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TALENT

MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR
STAFF RECRUITMENT, ATTRACTION &
RETENTION IN THE ITC INDUSTRY.
PRESENTED BY PHAM TRAN PHUC NGUYEN (ZULUL)

37
Slide 2

PROJECT’S THEME AND TOPIC

• Project theme: Talent management

• Project topic: What talent strategies
do the best companies use to attract
and retain people?

38
Slide 3

AIM OF THE
RESEARCH
Research Objective 1: Identify the
successful HR tactics by top IT
companies in Vietnam.

RO1: Identify the successful human resource management tactics implemented by the top IT
companies in Vietnam.
(How the companies recruit their employees)

39
Slide 4

AIM OF THE RESEARCH

Research Objective 2: Evaluate the effectiveness &

possible challenges of the recruitment & training
process these companies carry out.

RO2: Evaluate the effectiveness & possible challenges of the recruitment & training process
these companies carry out.
(Evaluate the recruitment & training process by asking employees how they personally feel
about these processes (do they feel if their company’s recruitment process was a success, do
they feel that they are sufficiently trained by the company).

40
Slide 5

AIM OF THE RESEARCH

Research Objective 3: Understand the difficulties

the corporations might face with employee
retention, especially during the virus outbreak.

Research Objective 3: Understand the difficulties the corporations might face with employee
retention, especially during the virus outbreak.
(What challenges do the company face during the pandemic, as well as how has it affected the
hiring and training processes).

41
Slide 6

CONDUCTING THE RESEARCH

• Research approach: Deductive.

• Research strategy: Quantitative approach (Google

form).

During the research, I adopted the deductive approach by first theorizing and reading up on
how companies hire, train, and retain their employees as well as how the pandemic has
affected these aspects. By analyzing the data gathered from the Google Forms, I could then
deduce whether these theories are supported or not.
The strategy of this research was to conduct online survey through the use of Google Forms,
which follows the Quantitative research approach.

42
Slide 7

CONDUCTING THE
RESEARCH
• Time horizon: Cross sectional time horizon.
• Sampling method: Mix of convenience &
snowball sampling.
• Unfortunately, I was only able to obtain 99
survey participants.

Time horizon: Cross sectional time horizon.

Sampling method: Mix of convenience & snowball sampling
(Basically, I started the sampling process by reaching out to the people in the IT industry who
are willing to participate in the survey. After that I also asked if they could pass the survey onto
their colleagues, friends, and boss which then allowed me to obtain more survey participants).
Reason: these sampling methods are quick, easy, and efficient for data collection.

43
Slide 8

GENERAL
INFORMATION
ABOUT
SURVEY
PARTICIPANTS

According to the survey, out of 99 participants:

- 64.6% of the participants (64 people) are female, while there are only 35 male survey
participants (about 35.4%).
0- 36 (36.4%) are in their 20s.
1- 25 (25.3%) are in the 30-39 age group.
2- 35 (35.4%) are in their 40s.
3- 3 people are in the 50-59 age group.
What can be gathered from this: Surprisingly low number of employees in their 50s working in
IT, good balance in the other age groups.

44
Slide 9

PARTICIPANTS’
POSITION IN THE
COMPANY
54.5% are middle level employees

21.2% would rather not disclose their

position/are in other positions

13.1% are top level employees

11.1% are bottom level employees

As can be seen from the pie chart:

54.5% are middle level employees
21.2% would rather not disclose their position/are in other positions
13.1% are top level employees
11.1% are bottom level employees
The percentage of employees unwilling to disclose their position or having other positions in the
company was higher than expected.

45
Slide 10

JOB SATISFACTION
AMONG EMPLOYEES
Among 99 participants:
36 employees are highly satisfied with
their job
35 are satisfied
25 are neutral about their job
3 people are dissatisfied with their job
None are highly dissatisfied

Among 99 participants:
36 employees (36.4%) are highly satisfied with their job.
35 people (35.4%)are satisfied.
25 (25.3%)are neutral about their job.
3 participants (3%) people are dissatisfied with their job.
None are highly dissatisfied with their current occupation.
This indicates that most IT employees are happy with their work, with a few exceptions.

46
Slide 11

EMPLOYEES’
FEELINGS ON THE
CURRENT STATE OF
THE IT INDUSTRY
Mostly positive (36,4% being very
confident and 39,4% being confident)
about the current state of the industry.
22,2% of the participants are neutral
on the topic
2% are not confident about its current
state

As can be seen from the graph, most employees are feeling very positive about the current state
of the industry (36.4% being very confident and 39.4% being confident). However, there is a
subset of employees who are either neutral about the state of the IT industry (22.2%) or not
confident at all (2%).

47
Slide 12

HOW COMPANIES RECRUIT NEW EMPLOYEES

As can be seen from the graphs, social medial recruiting seems to be the most popular
recruiting method for IT companies, which account for 44.4% of the votes. The second most
popular method was recruiting through referrals and recommendations, accounting for 40.4%
of the respondents. LinkedIn and Job search engines seem to be two of the least popular
employee recruitment method, sitting around at 11.1% and 2.3% respectively. There are a
surprisingly large amount of other recruitment methods, which sits around at 32.3%.

48
Slide 13

CHALLENGES OF THE HIRING PROCESS (PRE-

PANDEMIC)

Difficulties the companies face with the hiring process:

4- Lack of qualified applicants (74Y, 25N)
5- Long hiring process (52Y, 47N)
6- Competition from other companies (64Y, 35N)
7- Long screening process (53Y, 46N)

49
Slide 14

HOW THE PANDEMIC CHANGED THE

RECRUITMENT PROCESS

8- No more face-to-face interview (79Y, 20N)

9- Online recruitment became more prioritized (79Y, 20N)
10- Fewer open positions (74Y, 25N)
11- Made the process easier (43Y, 56N)
12- Nothing has changed (54Y, 45N)

50
Slide 15

HOW COMPANIES TRAIN THEIR EMPLOYEES

13- Classroom-based training programs (78Y, 21N)

14- Interactive learning (77Y, 22N)
15- Social learning (66Y, 33N)
16- On-the-job training (OTJ) (91Y, 8N)
17- Online training (81Y, 18N)
What can be gathered from this: OTJ training seem to be the go-to method for companies.

51
Slide 16

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE COMPANIES’

TRAINING METHODS

When being asked to rank whether the company’s training has proved successful, most
employee gave a 4 (32.3%) and 5 (36.4%) on the training method’s effectiveness. 28.3% of the
participants stayed neutral while there are some who do not think they have been trained
properly. There are 3 cases when workers do not feel they are well-prepared for their work,
with 2 rating a 2 and 1 rating a 1 on the effectiveness of the training method. From these
information, we can surmise that the companies’ training methods are generally successful.

52
Slide 17

CHALLENGES THE COMPANIES FACE WITH THE

TRAINING PROCESS

The companies struggle with:

18- Delivering consistent training (69Y, 30N)
19- Old and new generation conflicts (63Y, 36N)
20- Engaging learners (70Y, 29N)
However, cultural differences does not seem to affect companies as only 47 people agreed with
this problem, while 52 disagreed.

53
Slide 18

HOW THE PANDEMIC AFFECTED THE TRAINING

PROCESS

As can be seen from the graph, the pandemic has changed the training process in various ways,
such as:
21- Classroom programs have moved online (92Y, 7N)
22- Digital-related skills are more prioritized (89Y, 10N)
23- Focus on long-term reskilling and upskilling (learning new skills & refining those new
skills) (84Y, 15N)
Despite the fact that training has been leaning towards online training, forcing employees to
acquire new skills, increasing the training budget does not seem to be prioritized as much, as
only 57 employees answered Yes and 42 answered No, which is almost half of the survey
respondents.

54
Slide 19

EMPLOYEE RETENTION STRATEGIES

When being asked about which strategy their companies used to retain employees:
24- Employee compensation (bonuses, overtime pay, time off, etc…): 84 people (84.4%)
25- Wellness programs: 48 people (48.5%)
26- Performance recognition and rewards systems: 57 employees (57.6%)
27- Flexible work arrangements: 41 employees (41.4%)
As can be seen from this graph, not many companies has flexible work hours for their
employees as less than half of the participants say their companies have it.

55
Slide 20

EMPLOYEE RETENTION

When being asked about whether they would stay with the company, most answered that they
would stay, with 44.4% of the participants being very likely to stay and 30.3% being likely to stay.
There is still a sizeable amount of people undecided on whether they will be staying or leaving,
which amounts to 23.2% of the participants. The number of employees unwilling to continue
working for the company is quite small, with only 2% being unlikely to stay.

56
Slide 21

CHALLENGES COMPANIES FACE WITH RETENTION

(ESPECIALLY DURING THE PANDEMIC)

Staff retention difficulties, especially during the pandemic:

28- Salary dissatisfaction (59Y, 40N)
29- Competition from other companies (66Y, 33N)
30- Unrealistic expectations from employees (67Y, 32N)
31- Change in workforce (65Y, 34N)
32- Pandemic burnout & stress (59Y, 40N)

57
Slide 22

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Hiring process:
- Invest more into job search engines, LinkedIn, etc..
- Establish a structured hiring process.
- Develop their own digital hiring portals to make interviews quick & automate scheduling.

58
Slide 23

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Training process:
- Update the old generation of workers on the new trends of the world.
- Have a discussion between the new and old generations to come to a compromise, get
them to understand each other.
- Incorporate interactive learning, encourage back-and-forth interactions via incentives
(small prizes, compliments, etc).
- Invest more in the online training budget.

59
Slide 24

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Retention:
- More companies should incorporate flexible working hours, wellness programs, and
perks.
- Address the salary dissatisfaction, discuss the current state of the company with the
dissatisfied employees.
- Clearly define the job requirements and goals to avoid causing unrealistic expectations.

60
Slide 25

THANKS FOR LISTENING

2. Project logbook

Project logbook
Unit Number and Title: Unit 6: Managing a Successful Business Project (MSBP)
Name: Pham Tran Phuc Nguyen

Project title: The implementation of Talent Management strategies for staff recruitment,
attraction & retention in the ITC industry.
Date: July 6, 2021

Update on period of
development

Points to consider:
• What have you completed in this period?
- Gantt Chart
- WBS
- Literature review

61
 - Google Form
- Data analysis
- Presentation
- Project Logbook
- Self-reflection form

• Did you complete the work that you had planned?

Yes, I have.

• Are you on track and within deadlines set?

Yes, I am on track.

• Did you need to make any changes to your project plan?

I had to change my research title to match with some of my research questions.

Risks and/or issues
identified.

Points to consider:
• Did you identify risks/issues related to a lack of knowledge or skill required
to undertake the work you had planned?
My lack of knowledge for the best talent recruitment, training and retention did
concern me at first. After educating myself with various sources I was able to
continue with the project.

• Did you identify any additional risks/issues that have an impact on your
project plan?

I failed to consider external issues that would delay my project such as: the
sudden outbreak of the COVID-19, personal health issues, assignments from
other classes, etc.
Problems
encountered

Points to consider:
• What challenges did you face?
Lack of knowledge about the field, project getting held off for other assignments.

• How did you overcome them?

Read up and educated myself on how IT companies recruit, train and retain.

Completed other assignments as fast as I could and do it on the side.

62
New ideas and change of project direction
Points to consider:
• In developing work, addressing risks/issues, has the direction of your
work changed?
No, it has not.

• How does your work justify the change of direction? Is this clear?

Do you feel this change of direction has enhanced your work? How?
What have you learned about yourself through your work?
Points to consider:
• What are the most important things that your work has revealed to you? How
might this learning apply in the future?
It showed me that I had a lot more to learn about, especially in how to manage a
successful project. This knowledge will be useful for me in managing other
projects in the future.

• How did you feel when you had to deal with challenges/problems?

Overwhelmed, anxious.

• How well do you feel you have you performed?

Overall, I think I have done an OK job.

What can you improve?

Work efficiency, stop myself from procrastinating too much.

Next steps for your
work

Points to consider:
• What aspects of your work should you prioritise?
Literature review and data collection.
• Have you allowed sufficient time for completion?
Somewhat, I should have not waited 2 days for extra survey responses.
Project plan status to
date
Points to consider:
• Do you feel you are on track to complete your work on time? If not, how will
you address this?

Yes, I do.

63
 • Do you feel your work shows your achievement of the Learning Outcomes? If not,
what do you need to do?
Yes, I do.
Tutor Feedback

3. Performance review: Audio recording

Available at:
<https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TgJVcxMvYe1yhNfrV1FbWOYCIptUrfEl>.
4. Research questionnaire:
Available at: <file:///D:/work/IT%20talent%20management%20strategies%20in%20regards
%20to%20employee%20attraction%20and%20retention%20survey%20-%20Google%20Bi
%E1%BB%83u%20m%E1%BA%ABu.pdf>
5. Scrum certificate:
Available at: <file:///D:/work/Scrum%20Certificate.pdf>

64