INDEPENDENT UNIVERSITY, BANGLADESH

HRM460
International Human Resource Management
Section: 02
Submitted To:
Mr. Shafiqul Alam
Lecturer A
Human Resource Management
School of Business and Entrepreneurship
Submitted By: Group 12
Date of Submission: December 4, 2021

Name Student ID
Shanjana Islam 1830601

Safina Tuz Zohora Mishka 1821128

Md. Shadmaan Ahsan Mahi 1710150

MD Riad 1810935
 Table of Contents

Part A: Upskilling and Reskilling Strategies for Digitalization of RMG Industry.................3

Upskilling.....................................................................................................................................3

Reskilling.....................................................................................................................................3

RMG Industry in Bangladesh......................................................................................................4

Upskilling & Reskilling Strategies:.............................................................................................5

Part B: Explain Inter-country Cultural differences: Differ the International HR practices .......8

Individualism vs. Collectivism (IDV)........................................................................................10

Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI)....................................................................................................12

Power Distance index (PDI)......................................................................................................13

Masculinity vs. Femininity (MAS)............................................................................................14

References:...................................................................................................................................16
 Part A
Upskilling and Reskilling Strategies for Digitalization of RMG
Industry

Upskilling

Upskilling is a workplace concept that motivates employees to learn for the rest of their lives by
providing training and development opportunities that enhance their skills and close skill gaps.
As technology generates new possibilities and employment positions in the workplace, it is
becoming increasingly vital for businesses to fill these new jobs with individuals who have the
necessary specialized skills. Upskilling enables businesses to bridge the digital skills gap and fill
vacant roles while retaining their current workforce and providing chances for employee
development and growth.

For example, Sudokkho is a 5-year upskilling strategy program that is working in partnership
with the leading British clothing retailers Debenhams, New Look, and Primark, working to
improve the skills set of their sewing machine operators. Sudokkho is giving technical
knowledge to assist businesses to rethink how they give training, manage their cost base, and
comprehend the economic benefits, as Bangladesh is a big sourcing base for major British
retailers.

Reskilling

Reskilling is the process of teaching employees new skills in order to prepare them for a different
role within the company. Employers may be able to keep employees who are looking for new
possibilities and fill available jobs from within. An organization saves money and time by
reskilling their current staff instead of hiring and onboarding a new employee. This frees up their
resources to assist their current employees in preparing for the employee's next job in an
organization. Therefore, the country is experimenting with new human-computer interaction
methods for training garment workers, like gamified training in digital modeling.
RMG Industry in Bangladesh

In the late 1970s. The involvement of our RMG entrepreneurs, domestic fiscal and financial
policies, home economic possibilities, and global market opportunities all converged to produce
an unrivalled narrative in the developing world. When jute and jute goods lost their usual
markets and faced a sharp drop in currency profits, the RMG industry stepped in initially to
replace them, and subsequently to overcome them. While the conventional export sector failed to
deliver the promised outcomes, the RMG sector progressively infused energy into both the
export and domestic economies through backward and forward economic linking activities.

The current scenario in digitalizing RMG sector mostly includes 4IR. Industry 4.0 or the fourth
industrial revolution came into light in 2011 as a high-tech strategy of the German government
aimed at computerizing production and simultaneously in the same year the Hannover Bureau of
Industry Exhibitions introduced the word "Industry 4.0" to the public (Keibek, 2017; Tong,
2016; Wrigley, 2018). Industry 4.0 introduced the adoption and integration of disruptive
technological tools and cyber-physical system, in a break with the third industrial revolution
(artificial intelligence (AI), advanced robotics, the internet of things (IoT), autonomous vehicles,
3D printing, nanotechnology, biotechnology, big data analytics, materials science, energy storage
and quantum computing, new materials like graphene, and Fintech, etc.) that contain and
transmit digital information (Petrillo et al., 2018; Klaus Schwab & Davis, 2018; Wyrwicka &
Mrugalska, 2017; Yue et al., 2015).

Bangladesh's businesses are willing to employ 4IR technologies. Artificial intelligence, robotics,
virtual reality, biotechnology, block chain, 3D printing, and the internet of things are among the
technologies that are already altering the global industrial environment.

Is the RMG industry ready for digitalization? The answer is hopeful because the Bangladeshi
RMG sector has always thrived in the face of adversity by changing and adapting to fresh
methods. On the cusp of the fourth industrial revolution, it lives up to that promise. It is
necessary to realize that technology is such a fast-changing factor that there can never be any
preconceptions about it. It's growing and evolving at a breakneck speed, and it may help you in a
variety of ways. Increased productivity, efficiency, and improved supply chain management may
all result in a faster return on investment (ROI) if technology is used correctly.

Even a decade ago, several clothing firms had over a hundred locations. However, as time went
on, better-quality imported items became available, rendering them uncompetitive. Because local
entrepreneurs are ignorant of where they may obtain adequate refining technology to make
locally manufactured items as clear and transparent as imported goods. As a result, a local
production facility based on pure but out-of-date technology will be phased down. As a result,
the company will need to acquire and install relevant technology in a variety of areas. They can
assist their first IR technologies in progressing to the second or third IR era. This is even more
important than informing them about 4IR issues.

Upskilling & Reskilling Strategies:

 The present state of consciousness regarding revolutionized disruptive technologies of

industry 4.0 has not been popular in Bangladesh yet, but it is crucial to accelerate its
present economic progress and meet with international standards (M. A. Islam et al.,
2018). Workers, SMEs, industries, and national economies are lacking the awareness
and/or means to adapt to Industry 4.0 and obviously will subsequently fall behind. So the
policymakers and the promoters should take awareness-building programs i.e. seminar,
trade fair, overseas training programs for its stakeholders.
 Currently, most workers in CAD1 departments in Bangladesh are male. They went to
technical colleges or were promoted to digital jobs internally. Women are typically
concentrated in the lower tiers of the supply chain, primarily clothing construction, and
not likely to receive technical training. As a result, women are being left behind. But
because they comprise 60.8% of the apparel supply chain, the industry must take care to
ensure access to training.

1
CAD IN GARMENT INDUSTRY
  First, the industry should aim to expand the national training capacity by mobilizing the
private sector (e.g., industry associations) and by revitalizing public training institutes
to scale up quality skills training. The expanded provision can be expected to assure
that women and socially disadvantaged groups can also access the training.  

 The industry associations should identify and organize 3–6 month training courses to
serve the needs of their own respective industries. Courses can be delivered in their own
training institutes, training centers attached to companies, or outsourced training centers.
To ensure the quality of training courses, industry associations should adopt existing
national competency standards or develop new competency standards with expert support
from SDCMU2

 The SEIP reorients the content of training to align with specific industry needs by
fostering direct involvement of industries.
 The quality of training should be addressed by improving training infrastructure (i.e.,
training facilities and equipment), quality assurance mechanisms, trainers’
qualifications, and assessment and certification procedures.
 The government has forged large-scale partnerships with the private sector, especially
industry associations, to ensure that young people acquire industry-relevant, job ready
skills. Given the government’s strategic focus on diversifying economic bases, six sectors
were selected for training for the initial tranche 1 project: (i) readymade garments and
knitwear, (ii) textiles, (iii) leather goods and footwear, (iv) information technology, (v)
construction, and (vi) shipbuilding
 With specific sector-oriented skills training, the industry should aim to provide market-
responsive, job-ready skills and to place at least 60% of trainees in jobs after training
completion. The government’s partnerships with industry associations are built on
performance-based contracts, in which milestone payments are tied to training results: (i)
enrollment, (ii) completion of training and certification, and (iii) at least 60% job
placement within three months of training completion.

2
BGMEA signs revised agreement with SDCMU | The RMG Times
  The factories should not only focus on trainings mostly on entry-level skills and some
midlevel skills (e.g., sewing machine operators, quality assurance workers). “Mid-level
management gap” should also be their matter of concern. face difficulty in finding
capable supervisors and managers who have both production and business management
skills; hence, many rely on managers from overseas, such as India, the Philippines, Sri
Lanka, and Viet Nam. This leads to a situation where significant amounts of hard-earned
foreign currency by migrant workers are sent back to abroad: as of 2016, foreign
managers in Bangladesh were reported to have remitted $4 billion annually to their home
countries. So this should be also taken under observation.
 They should include Customized training programs—called “Executive development
program” through close collaboration between universities3 and industries. As an
example, SEIP4 has partnered with some of the renowned Universities for this digitalized
module which covers many aspects of RMG revolution. The curriculum consists of three
modules for a nine-month long program: (i) generic business management courses such
as human resource management, leadership, and business communication skills; (ii)
industry-specific courses such as industrial engineering, production management and
merchandising, and product development and designs; and (iii) industry attachment or
internship program.

So the government policymakers, academia, and training institutes should act immediately to
increase investment in human capital and skills to boast industrial transformation for up-skilling,
re-skilling, and long-term training and capacity-building to meet the demand of fourth industrial
revolution and to bridge the gap between education and industry.

3
The partner universities are Bangladesh University of Textiles, BRAC University, East West University, Institute
of Business Administration at the Dhaka University.
4
Home - SEIP | Skills for Employment Investment Programhttps://seip-fd.gov.bd
 Part B
Explain Inter-country Cultural differences: Differ the International
HR practices

The different ideas, attitudes, languages, customs, and expressions that are regarded distinctive to
individuals of a given ethnicity, race, or national origin are known as cultural distinctions.
Employees who are younger or older than their coworkers, employees with higher degrees than
others in the office, and individuals who grew up in either urban regions or rural villages are
instances of cultural differences in the workplace. Employees are believed to have more
similarities than differences, yet the discrepancies might occasionally overwhelm the similarities.
While these differences might help to create a livelier workplace, they can also lead to a slew of
issues as a result of a culture clash.

In today's business environment, internationalization of company has become an almost

unavoidable requirement for future organizational growth and development. Internationalization
of business, on the other hand, typically necessitates certain modifications in the way businesses
function in the past. Human resource management is also one of the areas that need some
adjustments. The factors that need changes in this system are mostly connected to other nations'
legal rules, but also to the features of their national cultures. The former stems from the fact that
national culture has a significant impact on a country's system of values, attitudes, and behavior,
as well as preferences for policies and procedures in the field of human resources management,
among other things. Starting with the foregoing, this study investigates the influence of specific
aspects of national culture on the desired content of human resource management in various
nations. The purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretical foundation for organizations that
have or plan to internationalize their business to create a system of human resource management
in their foreign entities that, at the very least, represents a balance between the system used at
headquarters and the system preferred in foreign entities in order to be effective.

As a result of company development beyond a country's boundaries and the necessity to manage
a geographically distributed workforce with varied cultural backgrounds, a new area of human
resources management, international human resources management, is rapidly growing (IHRM).
This idea distinguishes itself from so-called national human resource management in a number
of ways, including the requirement for businesses that have internationalized their operations to
include local specificities when creating human resource management policies and procedures.

The third field of study under the IHRM is international human resource management, which is
concerned with how corporations that have internationalized their enterprises manage human
resources in foreign entities. The authors in this topic concentrate on the aspects of HRM that
must be changed because of enterprises entering the worldwide market.

Given that business expansion beyond a country's borders is a precondition for the organizations'
continued progress, as well as the development of the national economy as a whole, and that the
number of organizations operating on the international business scene continues to grow, this
paper addresses one of the most significant challenges in the process of business
internationalization. That is, a proper human resource management system must be established.
This is an issue since individuals who work for corporations in other countries often come from
diverse cultural backgrounds. Although a multitude of elements from the international setting
influence the content of the IHRM system, this study argues that national culture is particularly
important because it has an impact on people's deeply rooted ways of thinking, attitudes, and
behavior. As a consequence, it's understandable that employees from other nations might have
varied preferences for rules and processes in this area. While certain HRM techniques may be
acceptable and suitable, others may be deemed ineffective or even unnatural. Because employee
dissatisfaction with IHRM systems can manifest itself in low levels of organizational
commitment and low levels of performance, organizations should design HRM systems that, at
the very least, are a compromise between the system of values and standards of behavior that the
organization's headquarters stands for and the system of values and norms of behavior that the
local population follows.

This study began by outlining the essence of the idea of IHRM, as well as its primary parts, in
order to demonstrate a clear relationship between specific characteristics of national culture and
desired policies and procedures in the field of human resources management. It was stated that
culture is the foundation of all aspects of IHRM. It was also mentioned that culture is an element
that should be given special consideration when it comes to corporate globalization. In addition,
the characteristics of national culture are examined from the standpoint of the field's referent
writers. Their implications for HRM policies and processes are also investigated. In the last
section of the article, four nations were chosen, and major features of their national cultures were
examined, as well as how these dimensions influenced HRM content in these countries.

Although this paper has its limitations, which are primarily reflected in the lack of empirical
research that will confirm the causal relationship between the dimensions of a particular national
culture and HRM policies and procedures appropriate for organizations in that country, it can
serve as a kind of guidance for management who plans to internationalize their business as to
which factors should be taken into account in order to create an effective internationalization
strategy.

Individualism vs. Collectivism (IDV)

 This dimension investigates the “degree to which people in a society are integrated into
groups.”
 Bonds in individualistic cultures are loose. Relationships are only among an individual
and their immediate family.
 More stress is put on “we” instead of “I”.
 On the other end, collectivism shows that society has tight relationships that connect
larger families and others into groups.
 These in-groups are filled with people who are unwaveringly loyal. They support one
another if a tiff starts with a rival in-group.
 China United Kingdom
The fundamental issue addressed by this dimension is the degree of
interdependence a society maintains among its members. It has to do with
Cultural whether people´s self-image is defined in terms of “I” or “We”. In
Differences Individualist societies people are supposed to look after themselves and
their direct family only. In Collectivist societies people belong to ‘in
groups’ that take care of them in exchange for loyalty.
At a score of 89 the UK is amongst
the highest of the Individualist
scores, beaten only by some of the
At a score of 20 China is a highly
commonwealth countries it
collectivist culture where people act
spawned i.e., Australia and the
in the interests of the group and not
USA. The British are a highly
necessarily of themselves. In-group
Individualist and private people.
considerations affect hiring and
Children are taught from an early
promotions with closer in-groups
age to think for themselves and to
(such as family) are getting
find out what their unique purpose
preferential treatment. Employee
HR Practices in life is and how they uniquely can
commitment to the organization
contribute to society. The route to
(but not necessarily to the people in
happiness is through personal
the organization) is low. Whereas
fulfillment. As the affluence of
relationships with colleagues are
Britain has increased throughout the
cooperative for in-groups they are
last decade, with wealth also
cold or even hostile to out-groups.
‘spreading North’, a much-
Personal relationships prevail over
discussed phenomenon is the rise of
task and company.
what has been seen as rampant
consumerism and a strengthening of
the ‘ME’ culture.
Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI)

 This index shows “a society’s tolerance for ambiguity.” People accept or avoid
something that is strange, unexpected, or different from the status quo.
 Societies high in this index choose strict rules, guidelines, and behavior codes.
 They usually depend on absolute truths or the idea that only one truth decides all and one
knows what it is.
 Being low on this index indicates a more positive reception of contrasting opinions or
beliefs.
 Society is less strict, lack of surety is more acceptable, and the surrounding is more
casual.

Canada Bangladesh
The dimension Uncertainty Avoidance has to do with the way that a
society deals with the fact that the future can never be known: should we
try to control the future or just let it happen? This ambiguity brings with it
Cultural anxiety and different cultures have learnt to deal with this anxiety in
Differences different ways. The extent to which the members of a culture feel
threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and have created beliefs
and institutions that try to avoid these is reflected in the score on
Uncertainty Avoidance.
HR Practices The Canadian score on this Bangladesh scores 60 on this
dimension is 48 and Canadian dimension and thus has a high
culture is more “uncertainty score. Countries exhibiting high
accepting.” This is indicative of the Uncertainty Avoidance maintain
easy acceptance of new ideas, rigid codes of belief and behavior
innovative products and a and are intolerant of unorthodox
willingness to try something new or behavior and ideas. In these
different, whether it pertains to cultures, there is an emotional need
 technology, business practices, or
consumer products. Canadians are for rules (even if the rules never
also tolerant of ideas or opinions seem to work) time is money,
from anyone and allow the freedom people have an inner urge to be
of expression. At the same time, busy and work hard, precision and
Canadian culture is not rules- punctuality are the norm,
oriented, and Canadians tend to be innovation may be resisted, security
less emotionally expressive than is an important element in
cultures scoring higher on this individual motivation.
dimension.

Power Distance index (PDI)

 The PDI is “the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and
institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unequally.”
 In this, power and inequality come from the lower strata or the followers.
 If the index is high, it shows that there is a well-established hierarchy in society. It
functions in society without any interference.
 If it is low, it shows that individuals try to distribute power and question authority.

Malaysia Australia
This dimension deals with the fact that all individuals in societies are not
equal – it expresses the attitude of the culture towards these inequalities
Cultural
amongst us. Power Distance is defined as the extent to which the less
Differences
powerful members of institutions and organizations within a country
expect and accept that power is distributed unequally.
HR Practices Malaysia scores very high on this Australia scores low on this
dimension (score of 100) which dimension (36). Within Australian
means that people accept a organizations, hierarchy is
hierarchical order in which established for convenience,
everybody has a place, and which superiors are always accessible, and
 needs no further justification. managers rely on individual
Hierarchy in an organization is seen employees and teams for their
as reflecting inherent inequalities, expertise. Both managers and
centralization is popular, employees expect to be consulted
subordinates expect to be told what and information is shared
to do and the ideal boss is a frequently. At the same time,
benevolent autocrat. Challenges to communication is informal, direct
the leadership are not well-received. and participative.

Masculinity vs. Femininity (MAS)

 This index describes masculinity as “a preference in society for achievement, heroism,

assertiveness and material rewards for success.”
 On the other end, it shows “a preference for cooperation, modesty, caring for the weak
and quality of life.”
 Women in different societies usually have differing values.
 There is more care and modesty in feminine societies. Women are seen as equal to men.
 Women are less competitive and assertive than men in masculine societies.
 They still believe there is a difference between female and male values. This aspect is
usually seen as taboo in very masculine societies.

Japan Denmark
Cultural A high score (Masculine) on this dimension indicates that the society will
Differences be driven by competition, achievement and success, with success being
defined by the winner/best in field – a value system that starts in school
and continues throughout organizational life.
A low score (Feminine) on the dimension means that the dominant values
in society are caring for others and quality of life. A Feminine society is
one where quality of life is the sign of success and standing out from the
crowd is not admirable. The fundamental issue here is what motivates
 people, wanting to be the best (Masculine) or liking what you do
(Feminine).
HR Practices At 95, Japan is one of the most Denmark scores 16 on this
Masculine societies in the world. dimension and is therefore
However, in combination with their considered a Feminine society. In
mild collectivism, you do not see Feminine countries, it is important
assertive and competitive individual to keep the life/work balance and
behaviors which we often associate you make sure that all are included.
with Masculine culture. From very An effective manager is supportive
young age at kindergartens, to his/her people, and decision
children learn to compete on sports making is achieved through
day for their groups (traditionally involvement. Managers strive for
red team against white team). consensus and people value
In corporate Japan, you see that equality, solidarity and quality in
employees are most motivated their working lives. Conflicts are
when they are fighting in a winning resolved by compromise and
team against their competitors. negotiation and Danes are known
What you also see as an expression for their long discussions until
of Masculinity in Japan is the drive consensus has been reached.
for excellence and perfection in Incentives such as free time and
their material production flexible work hours and place are
(monodukuri) and in material favored.
services (hotels and restaurants) and
presentation (gift wrapping and
food presentation) in every aspect
of life. Notorious Japanese
workaholism is another expression
of their Masculinity. It is still hard
for women to climb up the
corporate ladders in Japan with
their Masculine norm of hard and
 long working hours.

References:

 Listed textile, RMG companies in a tight spot – The Daily Star

 Article excerpt from “Chapter 17: Challenges and Opportunities for Transforming Skills
Development in Bangladesh: The Case of the Skills for Employment Investment
Program)”
Author: Sunhwa Lee
 Article excerpt from “Springer: Home page”
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-15-7018-6_17
 Article excerpt from “SEIP: Homepage”
Home - SEIP | Skills for Employment Investment Programhttps://seip-fd.gov.bd