HRM to E-HRM

change in Human Resource

management; effect to
social sustainability

EDWARD MUGERWA

Department of Business Administration

International Business Program
Bachelor Thesis, 15 Credits, Term 2019
Supervisor: Medhanie Gaim
Acknowledgement

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the management and staff of Ex-
treme events AB, Jåmtland Music skola, and ThinWhales Investments Ltd, for their
acceptance to have me do a research at their firms, the time and trust bestowed.
Without them, this study would not have been possible.
To my supervisor Medhanie Gaim who in the process became a friend, your kind and
encouraging words kept me going even when I was afraid of the unknown, because
of your guidance and comfort, I have come this far.
And lastly to my beloved Fiance Penny and children; Hills and Brianah MUGERWA,
you have been part of the struggle from the start, your endurance during my busy
school times, the Christmases and birthday celebrations I missed being home with
you, I am pleased to say we have earned this together.

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List of Abbreviations

H.R.M Human Resource Management

I.T Information Technology
V.O Virtual organisation
G.D.P Gross Domestic Product
LAN Local Area Network
M.D.G Millennium Development Goals
S.L.O Social License to Operate
TV Tele Vision
U.N United Nations
WAN Wide Area Network

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Contents

1 Introduction 1
1.1 Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1.1 change in the organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1.2 Technological change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2.1 Previous research on Sustainability in H.R.M . . . . . . . . . 3
1.3 Research Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.4 Relevance of the study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.5 Explanation of concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

2 Theoretical Framework 7
2.1 Sustainability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.1.1 Environmental pillar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.1.2 Social pillar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.1.3 Economic pillar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.2 H.R.M and Sustainability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.3 e − H.R.M : Scope and Role in Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.3.1 e − H.R.M and Social Sustainability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

3 Methodology 15
3.1 Research Philosophy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.1.1 Ontology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.1.2 Epistemology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3.1.3 Inductive Reasoning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3.2 Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3.3 Ethical Consideration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3.4 Qualitative-Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
3.5 Pre-understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
3.6 Designing and Conducting Interviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3.7 Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

4 Empirical Findings 22
4.1 Selected case companies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
4.1.1 Extreme Events AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
4.1.2 ThinWhales Investments Limited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
4.1.3 Jamtland Musik Skola . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
4.2 Participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
4.2.1 Participant 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

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 4.2.2 Participant 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
4.2.3 Participant 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
4.2.4 Participant 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
4.2.5 Participant 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
4.2.6 Participant 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

5 Analysis and Discussion 31

5.1 Analysis across interviewees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
5.2 Processing, presenting and analyzing the data . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
5.3 Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

6 Conclusions 35
6.1 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
6.2 Theoretical implication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
6.3 Managerial implication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
6.4 Societal Implications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
6.5 limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
6.6 Future Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

7 Quality Criteria 39
7.1 Credibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
7.2 Transferability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
7.3 Dependability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

8 Reference 41

9 Appendix 46

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 Abstract
Problem: Many businesses today, based on the stakeholder’s theory, suggest that
sustainability can only be achieved through the fulfillment of the stakeholder’s in-
terests. These interests are centered around adding value to the stakeholders for
example; shareholders in terms of increased dividends. The value in form of profit
maximization, which suppresses the need for other pillars of sustainability to prevail.
In this thesis, an argument is presented that a balance should be achieved in all three
pillars of. The economic, social and environmental sustainability. It further argues
that the shift from H.R.M to e − H.R.M is crucial for innovations and inventions,
focused on the development of such technologies, that bolster social sustainability.
However, any change may have to put into consideration the company or organiza-
tion’s size, this is because some e − H.R.M tools might not be efficient and effective
for small-size companies as defined in the report.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to add insight to the concept of e − H.R.M
, and further explore to which extent is e − H.R.M a driver towards social sus-
tainability, reflecting on the downside of the change which such sustainability might
create.
Method: Data collection was through interviews. Three managers, two C.E.Os and
a former employee from three companies were involved. The interviews were con-
ducted via telephone that lasted between 30 to 40 minutes. However, a face-to-face
follow up interview was conducted for one of the participants. All interviews were
recorded with the consent of the participants and later transcribed and analysed.
Results: The interviewees agreed that e − H.R.M tools and strategies helped to
create harmony at work and simplified communication, training and aided the per-
formance and appraisal process of employees, which is used during the incentives
process, a form of motivation in the organisation.
Conclusion: The conclusion from this study is that, e − H.R.M is a good change
from H.R.M and that it plays a big role in organizational social sustainability. A
balance should, however, be gained to also put into consideration other pillars. The
study contradicts the stakeholders’ theory that only focuses on the economic part of
sustainability through profit maximization, favorable for functional markets alone.
Key words: e − H.R.M , Sustainability, Information Technology (I.T ) , human
resource information systems, I.T adoptions, Virtual organisation (V.O) adoptions
1. Introduction

This chapter focuses on change as an integral part of the organisation, for both
growth and development. It connects to technology and human resource for sustain-
ability. it reflects on the problems encountered during the implementation of methods
or employment of new technological tools, and a recap of previous studies regarding
the topic. It will present the research question and end with defining key concepts
used in the study.

1.1 Background
1.1.1 change in the organization
Organizations are physical or virtual places that we work in and interact with, in
most cases we may identify ourselves with such organizations or sometimes we may
not. Tonny (2006 cited in Senior, 2016) summarises the definition of organizations
and noted that, a common factor is an idea that organizations have goals which
act as an adhesive component that bonds together various systems of production,
coordination, and control, research for innovation and inventions so that things are
produced. Tonny (2006), further stresses that the most commonly used word of
organizational goals are, only those devised and promulgated by the top managers
hence have little to do with the ordinary employees. They are very personal and
might not be shared with everyone.
So in summary organization can be seen as people interacting in some kind of struc-
tured or organized way to achieve some defined purpose or goal. However, the
interactions of people, as members of an organization, need managing to give shape
and direction to their activities. This shall entail the structuring of activities. Struc-
turing of such activities will inevitably require constant change due to many reasons
for example; the main ones as seen in Senior (2016, p.13), are political factors which
include(government legislation, government ideology, international law, universal
rights and freedoms, wars, local regulations, taxation, and trade union activities.
Social-cultural factors which encompass(business ethics, demographic trends, con-
cern for the environment, willingness and ability to move, gender issues, attitude to
minority groups, skills availability and lifestyle challenges, economic factors which
include( privatizations, and the lending policies of the financial institutions as dic-
tated by the central banks, wage rates, employment rates, and currency exchange
rates). This thesis is more focused on the factor of technology which includes; in-
formation technology and the internet, new production processes, computerization
of processes, changes in transport and technology, new ways to generate energy and

1
1.1. Background

lastly waste management (Senior, 2016, p.13).

Change is an integral part of the growth and development of the organization.
Changes perceived as negative drain resources further, making it difficult to cope
with and implement change. Negative change can as well produce negative impacts
to the organization, this, for example, involves depletion of the employee’s resources
in terms of knowledge to invent or resistance to shocks and in the end, they can not
sustain anything, which leads to the total collapse of the business. For example, a
new supervisor who micromanages direct decreases the ability of employees to make
independent decisions (Cullen-Lester, 2016). To avoid such negativity and resistance
towards change, some procedures should be followed for example; managers need to
communicate the need for change with their employees, assessment of the cost in
terms of money and time, compatibility with the existing systems, reliability and
most of all there should be in alignment with the organizations’ goals and objectives.

1.1.2 Technological change

Technology has inevitably become a necessary aspect of the business world, and, a
driving force to growth for companies that seek to match the new age of globalization
characterized by, varying and enormous consumer demands and tastes, stiff compe-
tition from local, and foreign producers or competitors who have both comparative,
and strategic advantages, in terms of abundant natural resources and available la-
bor. For example, Bangladesh and its famous apparels industry have enjoyed both
good cotton fields and cheap labor supply. The human resource department is one
of those areas in any organization, that has remained a pivot point in need of con-
stant improvements. This is so because it directly touches the shores of innovation,
research, and invention as determinants of dominance. This thesis takes off from
earlier research works relating to human resource and information technology and
how the two concepts are intertwined to aid organizational growth and development.
It traces the origins of human resources giving clear understanding and flow. It also
defines e − H.R.M and highlights the major concepts involved in the latter and how
they differ from those in the classical and ordinary H.R.M systems.
Whereas numerous researches have been done, and all agreed that there is a pos-
itive correlation between effective human resource management and organizational
growth, the hypothesis and conclusions done by these researchers based most of their
works, on contemporary management theories and models like:- the Harvard analyt-
ical framework, from the Harvard business school, which created the basis for most
of the later H.R.M theories. The elements in the following theories like, stakeholder
interests, the internal and external environments, policy choices, vision and strate-
gies, and certain soft views are embedded in this Analytical Framework, and have
since become either irrelevant or missing some gaps when it comes to technology and
innovations moreover concerning sustainability. Furthermore, it is also known that
e − H.R.M has two cornerstones, that’s to say; I.T adoptions and V.O adoption.
And that form the basis of hierarchical regression analysis from 86 information and
electronics companies in Taiwan, I.T and V.O had positive effects on organizational
innovation. I.T and V.O adoption also positively moderate the relationship between
employees’ creativity and organizations’ innovation (Lin, 2011).
Firms seek to increase competitive advantages through creativity and innovations,

2
1.2. Problem

this is only attainable under the help and maximum cooperation of employees which
eventually elevates the traditional financial outcome of the organization. For inno-
vation to take effect thus, there needs to be an innovative environment. And such
an environment often has an ingredient of technology which makes a demand for
shifting wholly or in part, the organizations’ human resource management system to
suit the digital and automated methods. (Senior, 2016, p.19), highlights technology
as a trigger of change in an organization, and that it is inevitable. The technological
change has long run effects on the shape of the organization. Investment in technol-
ogy can be seen as a driver for productivity at the organization level and aggregates
output. It drives the productivity of change by replacing labor but at the same time
creating jobs.

1.2 Problem
While researchers highlight the need for a shift from H.R.M to e − H.R.M which en-
compasses IT and V.O, they fall short on their commitment to the fact that those two
concepts IT and V.O, do not apply or affect all sizes of businesses or organizations.
To be precise, businesses differ not only in production lines but also approaches
towards doing customer interactions and routines, for example, some have a B2B
model, while others have a B2C, model some have a strong sustainability model
while others have a weak sustainability whereas some have intermediate models with
a mix of weak and strong. The stakeholders’ theory as seen in Freeman et. al, (2018)
stipulates the objective of the business and asserts that it is to; create value for all
stakeholders who in this case are those individuals or organizations which are likely
to be affected directly or indirectly as a result of the business operation of a firm.
They often have an interest in business success and are usually within or outside
the organization depending on its size and purpose of existence, their influence
can have a positive or negative impact on either sustainability or entrepreneurship
growth. Due to increased complexity, care for sustainability and profit maximization
challenges in the world today, any change or shift must be aligned with the interests
of new stakeholders, for example, the environment and future generation.

1.2.1 Previous research on Sustainability in H.R.M

The resource-based view highlights the key role played by HR when organizations
establish their sustainable competitive advantage. The H.R.M system is so vital
in the creation of a unique capital for firms. Kazlauskaite and Buči¯unieni˙ (2008)
suggested that different HR views require different H.R.M roles and different sets of
HR activities to sustain an organization’s competitive advantage and that putting
together HR and its control and coordination plan can create value addition to the
organizations and hence their sustainable competitive advantage. This implies that
different H.R.M systems sustain organizations’ competitive advantages in different
ways.
According to Colbert and Kurucz (2007 cited in Stone , Dulebohn 2016), the for-
mulation of H.R planning and HR strategies must be supported by sustainability,
and that different HR functions, for example, talent management, should play a
vital role in the facilitation of sustainability. Furthermore, H.R is crucial to the

3
1.3. Research Question

organization’s sustainable competitive advantages. HR capabilities can be used to

attract and retain employees, or their capabilities can be further enhanced by ways
and means of learning and development (Khandekar and Sharma, 2005). The high-
lighted research focused solely on how HR should be managed to gain sustainability
in the performance sense, but it failed to consider the related social consequences
of management action and choice. Cohen, et. al, (2010); Mandip, (2010), reveal
that it was until the beginning of this decade that scholars began focusing on the
environmental impact of H.R.M in addition to its impact on company profits and
society. Scholars are now finding means and ways to integrate environmental man-
agement into the management of H.R.M . According to Daily, and Huang (2001),
environmental management refers to the balance between industrial growth and the
protection of the natural environment so that future generations may thrive.
Addressing the social and health tensions put on employees by management, Pfef-
fer (2010 cited in Zink, et.al 2013), suggested a new dimension to sustainability –
the human factor. Focusing on the social sustainability of employees with a spe-
cific focus on human health and mortality. Such aspects became an indicator of
how a company’s s decisions about employee welfare can affect the social well-being
of employees. Others have focused on the social aspects of HR practices. Mariap-
panadar(2003), explored the social impact of downsizing, and Chan (2013), explored
other more socially responsible alternatives to staff reduction. Kozica, and Kaiser
(2012), investigated not only the negative but also the positive effects of flexible
labor practices.
Previous researches have been conducted to discover the need for a shift from the
traditional H.R.M policies in the routine operations of firms to the technology-based
strategies of approaching the workforce using Information Technology. Research has
further highlighted the importance of human capital in organizational development,
stressing that an investment in the upgrading of systems for control and coordination
in the form of e − H.R.M tools would yield efficiency and effectiveness. This would
in turn result in innovation and invention. However, these studies have consistently
failed to connect such a shift to the sustainability of the organization as demanded
by the new age which creates a gap in the field. The purpose of this research thus
is to explore whether e − H.R.M is a drive towards all pillars of sustainability, and
also reflect on the effects of change to sustainability policies.
The extent to which e−H.R.M approaches enable organizations sustainability as the
new business phenomena focusing on the three pillars of corporate sustainability of
social, economic and environmental aspects is a matter of concern. To better digest
the study and be able to hypothesize from the available empirical material, a case
study of three companies is made.

1.3 Research Question

To what extent does the change from H.R.M to e − H.R.M affect the social sustain-
ability pillar?

4
1.4. Relevance of the study

1.4 Relevance of the study

The above information reflects that there is nothing novel about human resource
studies as a discipline, but, a lot needs to be explored in the academic world due to
continued evolution in technology. It directly invites more research in the human
resource area of the organization to match it with the new trend of sustainable
entrepreneurship.
Today, the employer-employee relationship has changed drastically, mixing with,
strains and good relations due to various reasons for instance; government laws or
regulations that favor one part but not the other, trade union activities of having
stringent demands for the employer mostly, population growths which has created
an influx in the labor market or declines that have created a deficit in supply of
the manpower, etc. Moreover, the advent of technology that has affected most of
the fields like health and science, building and construction, could hardly exclude
human resource management in their daily routines. The study finds solutions
and reasonable approaches towards the resolution of such problems by suggesting
tools and technologies that can track time, help recruit the right people, or do
performance appraisals accurately but cautioning the managers to observe a balance
in the sustainability pillars when using such technologies.

1.5 Explanation of concepts

e − H.R.M is the application of IT for HR practices which enables easy interactions
within the employee and employers. It stores information regarding payroll, em-
ployee personal data, performance management, training, recruitment, and strategic
orientation.
Sustainability Is the development that focuses on the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The concept
comprises three pillars that’s is; economic, environmental and social also commonly
known as profits, planets, and people (Beatte, 2019).
Information Technology is the use of any computers, storage, networking, and
other physical devices, infrastructure and processes to create, process, store, secure
and exchange all forms of electronic data. Typically, IT is used in the context of en-
terprise operations as opposed to personal or entertainment technologies. The com-
mercial use of IT encompasses both computer technology and telephony (Bigelow,
2015).
Human resource information systems is a software or online solution for the
data entry, data tracking, and data information needs of the Human Resources,
payroll, management, and accounting functions within a business. ... Also called
Human Resource Management systems (Gupta, 2013).
I.T.adoptions is defined as the acceptance or the first use of an emerged tech-
nology or product. Studies on technology adoption aimed to understand, predict,
and explain variables influencing the adoption behavior of the individual as well as
organizational levels to accept and use technological innovations (Dahlan, 2018).

5
1.5. Explanation of concepts

Virtual organisation is a flexible network of independent entities linked by telecom-

munication and computing technologies to share skills, knowledge, and access to
expertise in non-traditional ways. It is a form of cooperation involving companies,
institutions and/or individuals delivering a product or service based on a common
business understanding. Units participate in collaboration and present themselves
as unified organizations (Peng, 2001).
LAN LAN or Local Area Network connects network devices in such a way that
personal computers and workstations can share data, tools, and programs. The
group of computers and devices are connected by a switch, or stack of switches,
using a private addressing scheme as defined by the T.C.P/IP protocol. Private
addresses are unique concerning other computers on the local network.
WAN WAN or Wide Area Network is a computer network that extends over a
large geographical area, although it might be confined within the bounds of a state
or country.

6
2. Theoretical Framework

In this chapter, I will explain various management theories that are linked to orga-
nizational structures and development and have an impact on the human resource
management concept. I also find other theories that determine the need for change
in an organization and the role of structures when it comes to implementing such
change. Theories are simply models designed to help us better understand reality
and understand the logic behind things we observe, they are a formal, logical expla-
nation of some events that include predictions of how things relate to one another.
First, they help us understand the relationship among various phenomena, and sec-
ond they provide a picture of the linkages among different concepts allowing us to
better comprehend how they affect one another.

2.1 Sustainability
Sustainability is the development that focuses on the needs of the present, without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The concept
comprises three pillars that’s is; economic, environmental and social also commonly
known as profits, planets, and people (Beatte, 2019). It encourages business to
plan for years and if not centuries, rather than quarters and financial periods and
earnings, goals are often set and such goals are for sure hard to attain, unless a
lot of efforts and commitments are made by the firms. These goals could include
carbon emission reduction, greenhouse protection, workers’ rights or even income
equality. For a company to determine its model of sustainability, its policies and
practices degree of flexibility is an important aspect to reckon, some are running a
strong sustainable model which denotes that:- natural capital cannot be replaced
by human capital, for instance, technology, this is further divided into sub-concepts
for that is; one that denies substitution and forbids utilization of the ecosystem
regardless of who is starving(absurd), and the other that permits substitution at a
certain level (strong sustainability).
The other option can be weak sustainability that means the possibility to replace or
duplicate natural materials with manufactured goods. This model focuses more on
human wants and not the needs, so it does not put into account the impact produc-
tion puts on the future generation. It assumes that natural capital and human cap-
ital are perfect substitutes, and that they both create similar satisfaction (Ekins et
al, 2003). Weak sustainability agrees to the view that technological progress should
continually generate technical solutions to the environmental problems caused by
the increased production of goods and services. Lastly, Businesses of typical cap-

7
2.1. Sustainability

italist ideologies have the so-called ’Business as Usual’ model, where gaining big
profits for the shareholders is of uttermost concern. This is sometimes referred to
like the status quo.
Sustainability is mostly the demand of the new age, and the young generation ap-
parently seems to be so much towards attaining it than the older generation, who
are supposedly relaxed and selfish with thoughts that perhaps when calamities like
global warming and floods strike in the future, they will be long gone. Important to
note however is that, those businesses have to work towards sustainability as it’s a
way of attracting the market from such a big number of advocates of sustainability,
lest they risk losing clients to the competitors.
For sustainability to have even better meaning and results, the stakeholders have
to be involved, and these determine a lot when it comes to policies and strategies
in the organization. From the moment the idea or demand for change is born, to
the dot when it is implemented and results are assessed. According to Freeman
(1984), stakeholders are often regarded as individuals or organizations, which are
likely to be affected either directly or indirectly as a result of the business activities
and operations. They often have an interest in business success, and are usually
within the company or external actors whose influence can positively or negatively
impact sustainability and growth. It is therefore very important for the organization
to identify its stakeholders, and know their interests so they can adjust policies and
approaches towards that desired direction. Among the stakeholder are for exam-
ple employees, shareholders, government, environmentalists, customers, suppliers,
financiers inform of banks and donors, interstate bodies and most importantly the
future generation, that is never going to fight for its-self, but the actions of the
present businesses put their existence at stake. If one of the business stakeholders is
not happy then sabotage, and legal battles will become the order of the day which
not only strains the company financial resources, but also dents its corporate image
hence devaluing the stock markets (Landau, 2017).
The sustainable development professional network thinks, acts and works globally.
In 2012, the United Nations conference on sustainable development met to discuss
and develop a set of goals to work towards. They grew out of the (M.D.G) that
claimed success in reducing global poverty while acknowledging there was still much
more to do. The S.D.G eventually came up with a list of 17 items which amongst
other things included,
• The end of poverty and hunger
• Better standards of education and healthcare - particularly as it pertains to
water quality and better sanitation
• To achieve gender equality
• Sustainable economic growth while promoting jobs and stronger economies
• Sustainability to include health of the land, air and sea.
• All the above and more while tackling the effects of climate change, pollution
and other environmental factors that can harm and do harm people’s health,
livelihoods and lives.

8
2.1. Sustainability

The (U.N) agenda seeks to promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic
growth, with full and productive employment and decent work for all. A sustained
and inclusive economic growth can drive progress, create decent jobs for all and
improve living standards. Globally, real (G.D.P) per capita and labor productivity
have increased, and unemployment has dropped back to pre-financial crisis levels.
However, sluggish growth overall has prompted a rethinking of economic and social
policies to achieve the transformation objectives of Goal 8 to meet economic growth
targets in the least developed countries; increase employment opportunities, espe-
cially for young people and lastly to reduce inequalities across regions, age groups
and genders; decrease informal employment; and promote safe and secure working
environments for all workers (Willis, 2019).
Sustainability as a concept has three pillars i.e. The environmental pillar, the social
pillar, and the economic pillar. These pillars were established in 2005 at the world
summit on social development and have since contributed to the philosophy and
social science of sustainable development. These pillars in many national standards
and certification schemes form the backbone of tackling the core areas that the world
now faces (Mason, 2017).

2.1.1 Environmental pillar

This is the most crucial pillar and it demands carbon emissions reduction or total
abolishing, water preservation and ozone layer protection, afforestation or refor-
estation, package waste reduction among others. Companies have over the time
realized that not only does saving the environment help future generation well-
being, it also shrinks the firms’ expenditures on unnecessary packaging which in
turn increases profits which are then directed towards research and innovation or
added onto shareholders’ cut in form of dividends at the end of the year, this is a
direct positive impact financially. For example, Walmart keyed in on the packaging
through the zero-waste initiative, pushing for less packaging through its supply chain
and for more of that packaging to be sourced from recycled or reused materials.

2.1.2 Social pillar

A sustainable business should not only focus on the environment or profits, but also
enjoy the support and approval of its stakeholders like employees and the commu-
nity under which it operates. Social sustainability is expounded further through
a poorly defined concept of social license to operate (S.L.O), which refers to the
ongoing acceptance of a company’s standard business and operating procedures by
its employee, stakeholders and the general-public (Kenton, 2019). Aspects like bet-
ter maternity and paternity benefits, flexible scheduling, learning and development
opportunities should be included in the company policies and engagements.

2.1.3 Economic pillar

To consider itself an economically sustainable venture, a business establishment must
be profitable. With this achievement, most businesses around the world imagine
they stand on a firm ground, which is not only a misconception but also misleading

9
2.2. H.R.M and Sustainability

giving more space to the desire for profit maximization which eventually overshad-
ows other important pillars like the social and environmental. The essence of the
economic pillar is beyond the profits but also other activities like compliance, proper
governance and risk management (the process of identification, analysis, and accep-
tance or mitigation of uncertainty in investment decisions). Some scholars replace
the economic pillar with the governance pillar, talking about corporate governance
(which is; a system of rules, practices, and processes by which a firm is directed
and controlled). This also calls for an alignment between directors and manage-
ment with shareholders’ interests as well as that of the company’s community, value
chains, and end-user customers. And assurances from the company to avoid conflict
of interest in the choice of board members. Above all the need to ensure legality in
all practices (Beattie, 2019).
The economic pillar has proven to be the most problematic of all, as it involves a
lot of disagreements among people on the political ideology of what is, and what
is not economically sound, and how it will affect businesses, and by extension jobs
and employability. It is also about providing incentives for businesses and other
organizations to adhere to sustainability guidelines beyond their normal legislative
requirements, and encourage or foster incentives for the average person to do their
bit where and when they can (Mason, 2017).

2.2 H.R.M and Sustainability

According to Becker(1964), human capital is a critical construct in a variety of dis-
ciplinary fields, spanning from very macro scholars in economics, where the concept
was originally developed, to the micro-level scholars in psychology who have focused
on individual differences in knowledge, skills, abilities, and other talents. Both strat-
egy and H.R.M literature recognize the importance of human capital for enhancing
firm performance (Barney, 1991).
Although Human resources and human capital as paradigms are sometimes ap-
proached separately, and found in stand-alone studies of business and economics,
for this thesis and a better understanding of the study to have both practical and
theoretical perspectives, the two will be combined and intertwined on various points.
Human capital is defined as; the stock of expertise and skill, personality and traits,
that are harbored in the individual or group enriching them with the ability to
perform labor that yields economic value. These attributes are gained through
education and experience one acquires over time (Pettinger 2019). Putting together
the stock of human capital requires meticulous work, and it’s a process that is
gradual, attained through creation of skilled, trained and efficient labor force by
providing a better education, health care facilities, research, and security which
enables them to handle sophisticated equipment efficiently, be innovative and quickly
adapt to change as it is also an essential part and inevitable for organization growth
(Senior, 2016).
If human capital is efficient and effective, it will result in an increase in production,
which implies higher levels of output resulting in growth and expansion. However,
To determine H.R importance, we put to scale its merits for example good decision

10
2.3. e − H.R.M : Scope and Role in Organization

making and good customer relations, and the cost of maintaining, in comparison to
the use of machines like robots and tractors in a capital intensive company which
includes executing daily routines. These merits might include not limited to; time-
saving, easy management and control, profit maximization through mass production,
quality and precision (Woodhall, 1987).
Organizations need to develop H.R.M strategies consisting of core policies, and
practices aimed at developing a strong framework for sustainable H.R.M . Sus-
tainability has to start from different levels right from individual, departmental,
organizational and at last reaching the sustainable society. To be a predominant
element of organizational sustainability, H.R.M needs to be in parallel alignment
with the organization’s mission, goals, and the formulation of development strategies
related to human resources.
H.R.M needs to be an integral part of top management when making changes in the
corporate strategies related to change management, talent management, training
and development, leadership developments as well as employee engagement. The
practices that are geared towards H.R.M sustainability should, however, be bal-
anced between economic, social and environmental integrity. The walk towards the
21st century has consisted of demanding organizations to develop and work towards
achieving a sustainable model for the organizations through identifying vital roles
to be played by H.R.M . Sustainability is a trending topic in research that needs
more empirical-based studies to recognize and access the worth of H.R.M towards
sustainable organizations. The competitive nature of business today has made sus-
tainability more of a demand than a deliberate action, which requires speed when
developing unique consequences. Essentially organizations must move from physical
technology to information technology for effective and efficient H.R.M functions as
noted by Oswal and Narayanappa, (2015. p.22).

2.3 e − H.R.M : Scope and Role in Organization

Now that we already know that for any organization to operate effectively, its human
resource has to be adjusted to such policies that help adapt to the changing environ-
ment with a lot of complexities. For H.R.M as a central player in the organization
to be sustainable, it has to shift to e − H.R.M which has more advantages than
disadvantages. For e − H.R.M to be able to have sustainability and development,
certain tools are used as shown in Figure 2.1, (Deshwal, 2015).
• E − EmployeeP rof ile: The E-Employee Profile web application provides a
central point of access to the employee contact information and provides a com-
prehensive employee database solution, simplifying HR management and team
building by providing employee skills, organization chart and even pictures.
E- Employee profile maintenance lies with the individual employee, the man-
ager and the database manager. E- Employee profile consist of the following:
Certification, Honor/Award, Membership, Education, Past Work Experience,
Assignment Skills, Competency, Employee Assignment Rules, Employee Avail-
ability, Employee Exception Hours, Employee Utilization, Employee tools, Job
information, Sensitive job Information, Service Details, Calendar, Calendar
Administration, Employee Locator.

11
2.3. e − H.R.M : Scope and Role in Organization

Figure 2.1: e-HRM Tools: Figure modified from: (Deshwal, 2015).

• E − Recruitment: Organizations first started using computers as a recruiting

tool by advertising jobs on a bulletin board service from which prospective
applicants would contact employers. Then some companies began to take e-
applications. Today the internet has become a primary means for employers
to search for job candidates and for applicants to look for jobs. As many as
100, 000 recruiting websites are available to employers and job candidates and
to post jobs and review resumes of various types. But the explosive growth
of internet recruiting also means the HR professionals can be overwhelmed by
the breadth and scope of internet recruiting (Deshwal, 2015).
• E − Recruiting Method: Job boards, Professional/Career, websites, Em-
ployer Websites.
• E−Selection: Most employers seem to be embracing Internet recruitment with
enthusiasm, the penetration of on-line assessment tools such as personality
assessments or ability tests, has so far been limited. A survey has shown
that although more than half respondents, organizations already use either
psychometric or other assessment during the recruitment process, only few of
these companies use on-line assessments prior to interview. Fewer still include
a core fit questionnaire in the recruitment pages of their websites (Deshwal,
2015).
• E − Learning: It refers to any program of learning, training or education
where electronic devices, applications and processes are used for knowledge

12
2.3. e − H.R.M : Scope and Role in Organization

creation, management and transfer. E-Learning is a term covering a wide-

set of applications and processes, such as web-based learning, computer-based
learning, virtual classroom, and digital collaboration. It includes the delivery
of content via Internet, intranet/extranet (Local area network (LAN)/Wide
Area Network (WAN)) , audio-and videotape, satellite broadcast, interactive
TV, CD – Rom, and more (Deshwal, 2015).
• E − T raining: Most companies start to think of online learning primarily
as a more efficient way to distribute training inside the organization, making
it available ”any time”, “anywhere” reducing direct costs (instructors, printed
materials, training facilities), and indirect costs (travel time, lodging and travel
expenses, workforce downtime). Attracted by these significant and measurable
advantages, companies start to look for ways to make the most of their existing
core training available online, and to manage and measure the utilization of
the new capabilities (Deshwal, 2015).
• E −P erf ormanceM anagementSystem: A web-based appraisal system can be
defined as the system which uses the web (intranet and internet) to effectively
evaluate the skills, knowledge and the performance of the employees.
• E − Compensation: All companies whether small or large must engage in
compensation planning. Compensation planning is the process of ensuring
that managers allocate salary increases equitably across the organization while
staying within budget guidelines. As organizations have started expanding
their boundaries, usage of intranet and internet has become vital. The usage
of intranet and internet for compensation planning is called E-Compensation
Management (Deshwal, 2015).

2.3.1 e − H.R.M and Social Sustainability

Table 2.1: e − H.R.M and Social Sustainability

E-HRM Tools How they contribute to sustainability

E-recruitment Promotion of diversity in the labor market
and e-selection and the company as all eligible candidates
are able to apply through the internet portal
easily regardless of their geographical location,
race or any other differing backgrounds.
E-learning Up-to-date availability of new knowledge that
and e-Training covers all the employees regardless of their
location which ensures equal opportunity.
E-performance Management Transparency in the awarding of incentives
and e-compensation to the employees who exhibit hard
work and extreme talent

In the interest of this thesis however, my main focus will be on the social sustainabil-
ity pillar. This is because the fulfillment of this pillar will boost the economic aspect
through motivation of employees, which in turn will breed hard work that is focused
on a common purpose, since employees will be content. Moreover in a cooperating
society, that sees the advantages of the business existence in their area, it will also

13
2.3. e − H.R.M : Scope and Role in Organization

ensure that the environmental pillar is achieved, through smooth dialogue between
all the stakeholders without staging any form of resistance towards change and de-
velopment. To achieve social sustainability, the H.R.M can use its skills, knowledge
and existing tools, for example, e-recruitment,and-selection, and e-performance, in
three main ways which will help the organization embed sustainability. These three
ways are; partnering, engaging and aligning according to Gowan (2012).
Partnering. The experience of many organizations suggests that H.R.M leadership
can play a vital role in helping articulate the organization’s social mission, expressing
the role of the business in society beyond that of simply making a profit. H.R.M
can help support alignment behind this mission at the executive leadership level,
by contributing to stakeholder perspectives and employee interests. This is attained
through the use of e-training and development or e-learning that effectively and
efficiently conveys new information to first the internal users who are the employees
in this case, who then deliver it to the external stakeholder,s citing out the purpose
and advantages of such new policies for example; to both the organization and the
community (Gowan, 2012).
Engaging. H.R.M must engage both internal and external stakeholders to identify
how the organization can contribute to the social vitality of those most affected
by a company’s actions. Engaging may include building partnerships with external
organizations, such as nonprofit associations, trade unions and government entities
that can help identify or address the impacts of the company’s operations. For
example, Extreme Events can partner with trade unions, arbetsförmedlingen, or
manpower to pave way for better workers’ compensation and treatment via the use
of e-performance and e-compensation tools (Gowan, 2012).
Aligning. H.R.M entails the use of the most vital tools to support the implementa-
tion of a social sustainability mission. All core H.R.M processes in an organization
ranging from recruitment to compensation must be brought into play to support a
socially sustainable business strategy. These can be categorized into the areas of
recruitment under the use of e-recruitment tools, selection through e-selection tools,
employee training with e-training, development and compensation with e-learning
and e-compensation tools, managerial support and communication, and organiza-
tional climate creation. Looking more closely, the H.R.M tools that research indi-
cates can be used to embed sustainability fall into four main areas, many of which
focus on the aligning role of sustainable H.R.M as seen in Gowan(2012).

14
3. Methodology

In this section, I will highlight my reasoning for the choice of methods and also reflect
on the philosophies I have used to have the data and information to aid my research,
for example, ontology, epistemology, and inductive reasoning will be explained in
detail and why I chose those philosophies for this particular thesis.

3.1 Research Philosophy

Research philosophy is defined as "the development of knowledge and the nature of
knowledge" (Saunders et. al, 2015). There are several reasons why as researchers we
need to understand philosophical issues before embarking ourselves in a particular
field. According to Easterby, et .al, (2002), there are three reasons why understand-
ing philosophies are significant about research methodology.
• To refine and clarify the research method to be used in their study and con-
sequently help researchers gather their evidence and to answer their research
questions.
• The research philosophy knowledge will also help the researchers with differ-
ent types of methodologies and as such avoiding inappropriate and unrelated
works.
• Understanding the basic meaning of research philosophy and its advantages
and benefits, the research gets to be more creative and exploratory in his or
her method of research.

3.1.1 Ontology
Ontology refers to assumptions about the nature of reality, it shapes the way the
researcher sees and studies research objects for example in business and management
these objects include; organizations, management, individual working lives, and
organizational events and artifacts. It, therefore, determines how the researcher sees
the world of business and management and hence the choice of what to research
in the project. Essentially, ontology deals with the nature of reality such that it
corresponds with the social world. For my research, ontology is appropriate based
on subjectivism. I think that reality is socially constructed for this research, as a
result, the interaction between the social actors and the external reality results in
socially constructed meaning (Saunders, et. al, 2016 P.127).

15
3.2. Material

3.1.2 Epistemology
This concerns assumptions about knowledge, what is regarded as valid and legiti-
mate knowledge and what it constitutes to qualify as so, and then how this knowledge
can be communicated to others (Burrel and Morgan 1979 cited in Saunders, et. al,
2016). My thesis has got a lot of textual from facts to interpretations by the inter-
viewees and some parts of narrative accounts all of which are considered legitimate.
My choice of method is dependant on my epistemological assumption which is sub-
jectivism which incorporates assumptions of arts of humanities, asserting that social
reality is made from the perceptions and consequent actions of social actors who are
my interviewees and the other parties they interact with for example subordinates or
peers, as well in this thesis. Ontological subjectivism embraces nominalism which
is sometimes also called conventionalism. I have a different interpretation of the
situations from all of them as a consequence of how they perceive the world. As a
subjectivist researcher, it is my role to seek to understand the different realities of
my participants so that I can make sense of and understand their motives, actions
and intentions in a meaningful way (Saunders, et. al, 2016 Pp. 127,130).

3.1.3 Inductive Reasoning

Inductive reasoning, or inductive logic, is a type of reasoning that involves drawing
a general conclusion from a set of specific observations. In respect to this thesis,
a general conclusion is drawn from a clear and logical connection of the patterns
among all the interviewees, and what their recommendations are towards the use of
technology in the H.R.M process. This is chosen as it is appropriate in the study of
small samples like for this research with just three case companies, six participants
in two geographical locations. It helps when working with qualitative and to use a
variety of methods to collect these data to establish different views of phenomena
(Saunders, et. al, 2016, p.47).

3.2 Material
During the process of the research, several materials like books, scholarly articles,
dictionaries, and internet-based information will be used to dig deeper into the
matter, and find credible information and literature. An extensive study of the
material to get a clear understanding of the concepts, and theories, as well as trace
the origins of the main areas. Empirical data in the form of interviews is also
collected and transcribed, to further aid in the research process from individuals
like employees and C.E.Os of the companies. Important to note, the use of a voice
recorder to record some of the interviews since there is not sufficient time to speak
at the same time writing a notebook by the side to also make a few quick notes for
later reference during the process of decoding and transcribing data.
When searching for academic articles, google scholar, and the Umeå University
library, this was because they had peer-reviewed articles and trusted information
that cited the authors, date and clearly stated their academic credentials so this
indicated that they spoke or wrote the information in reference on good authority,
this made it credible and believable or authentic for that purpose. At this stage,
however, it is not possible to find which theories will be more helpful since more

16
3.3. Ethical Consideration

empirical data is required to back-up any choices. Mostly academic articles that
are peer-reviewed other than the media paper articles have been used, to avoid
reliability issues. Keenness on using up-to-date information and articles, but added
a few works of literature from old books and articles especially when defining the
traditional theories of organizational management. The problem cited is that there
are not enough articles and scholarly works regarding e − H.R.M as it is being
explored more as a concept to the academic world.

3.3 Ethical Consideration

While doing research, it is expected that all parties involved exhibit ethical behavior.
Ethics are defined as the norms or standards of behavior that guide moral choices
about our behavior and our relationships with others. The reasoning behind this
ethical demand is to ensure that no one gets hurt or faces adverse effects as a result of
the research being conducted (Zikmund et, al 2010). The examples of unethical ac-
tivities include violation of the participant’s confidentiality, misrepresenting results,
deceiving people, using invoicing irregularities, avoiding legal liabilities and much
more. It is the ultimate responsibility of the researcher to protect the participants’
identities if they prefer to remain anonymous and all relevant data which might
reveal for instance; their income source, status of residence, among other affilia-
tions. The rights of the participants matter more during the research or the subject.
Whether data is gathered in an experiment, interview, observation or survey, the
participants’ rights take precedence and they have all the rights to be defended. In
general, the research should be designed in a way that ensures that the participant
does not suffer from any physical, financial, mental or privacy loss, and to ensure
that all the above is attained, the following have to be done. For the sake of fol-
lowing the ethical codes and standards, prior calls have to be made and notice to
be sent outlining the rights of the participants and agreed with them to schedule an
ideal time for the interview (Zikmund et, al 2010).
• Explain study benefits. a clear explanation of the benefits of the study to
the companies and individuals is needed, and , also inform them that after
the findings would help them on a friendship level to improve on their human
resource part using the knowledge acquired to fill the gaps, to the employees
the advice to management ensures that the e − H.R.M methods are geared
towards obtaining a better working environment. The research would also
help in finding the problem and solutions in the future related to the human
resource field to organizational growth and sustainability. Moreover, emails
and messages are sent prior to the interview together with phone calls to
establish if the participants are in good mood and at the right timing to make
the interviews. Whenever direct contact is made with the participants, the
researcher should discuss the study’s benefits, being careful not to overstate
or understate such benefits as it might be misleading resulting to attaining
of wrong information or inflated results which could have negative results
more so if the research is going to be used for sensitive decision making. An
interviewer should begin with an introduction of his/her name, the name of
the research organization, in which case for it is Umeå Business School since
the researcher is a student researching for academic purposes, then followed

17
3.4. Qualitative-Research

by a brief description of the purpose and benefits of the research, this puts
participants at ease and lets them clearly understand the end game and know
whom they are speaking to with clear motive.
• Explain participant rights. Although this may not be clearly understood, for
example, a telephone call during a family dinner, or an email of 30 minutes
survey during work hours. The effective communication and openness between
the researcher and the participant indicate if the rights are not stepped on at
that moment (Zikmund et al, 2010 p.91).
• Obtain informed consent. Even if the consent is not written and signed off,
the participants can verbally accept to use their information for the good
purpose and trust has to be established to have a calm environment during
the interview process.

3.4 Qualitative-Research
Qualitative research addresses business objectives through techniques that allow the
researcher to provide elaborate interpretations of marker phenomena, without de-
pending on numerical measurement. Its focus is on discovering true inner meanings
and new insights. It is widely applied in practice and always less structured than
most of the quantitative approaches. It does not rely on self -response questionnaires
containing structured response formats (Zikmund et al, 2010). Qualitative research
is suitable for smaller samples and intended to provide answers to underlying issues,
through exploratory studies that are used to gain insights and a good intermediate
step before completing a secondary collection of data.
Qualitative research is useful when formulating hypotheses, and understanding the
respondents of the study (Neelankavil, 2015). Since this study sample is small and
deals with medium and small companies that have small human resource teams of
10-40 employees, the qualitative research approach suits me best. Since my study
is based on small firms, I will generate a new theory. The ontological and epistemo-
logical viewpoints combined with an inductive research approach makes qualitative
research interesting. According to Corbin(1998 p.11), qualitative studies are charac-
terized by an interpretation of data that is not mathematical. Parry, (2002) defines
qualitative research as involving an approach to "study things in their natural set-
ting, attempting to make sense of, or interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings
people bring to them". The definition of qualitative research therefore fits perfectly
well within this study since it is exploring social constructs, involving language
and norms that can easily relate to the methods and theories employed during the
process. Even the previous research works on a similar topic used a qualitative ap-
proach, so it is easy for me to link well using the same approach. Generally, the less
specific the research objective, the more likely that qualitative research tools will be
appropriate. Moreover, when the emphasis is on the deeper understanding of mo-
tivations or on developing novel concepts, qualitative research is very appropriate.
Such common situations that call for qualitative research according to Zikmund et
al. (2010) include;
• When it is difficult to develop specific and actionable problem statements, or
research objectives. For instance, if after several interviews with the research

18
3.5. Pre-understanding

client the researcher still can’t determine exactly what needs to be measured,
then qualitative research approaches may help with problem definition. Qual-
itative research is often useful to gain further insight and create a research
problem.
• When the research objective is to develop an understanding of some phe-
nomena in detail and much depth. Qualitative research tools are aimed at
discovering the primary themes, indicating human motivations and the doc-
umentation of activities is usually very complete. Often qualitative research
provides richer information than quantitative approaches.
• When the research objective is to learn how a phenomenon occurs in its nat-
ural setting, or to learn how to express some concept in colloquial terms. For
example, how do consumers use a product? Or, exactly how does the ac-
counting department process invoices? While a survey can probably ask many
useful questions, observing a product in use or watching the invoice process
will usually be more insightful. Qualitative research produces many products
and process improvement ideas.
• When some behavior the researcher is studying is particularly "context-dependent",
meaning the reasons something is liked, or some behavior is performed depend
very much on a specific situation surrounding the event. For example under-
standing why vans are liked is probably difficult to determine correctly outside
the skating environment.
• When a fresh approach to studying some problem is needed. This is partic-
ularly the case when quantitative research has yielded less than expected or
satisfying results. Qualitative tools can yield unique insights, many of which
may lead the organization in new directions. Each of these describes a scenario
that may require an exploratory orientation. Exploratory research is also ap-
propriate in ambiguous situations, or when new insight is needed. Indicating
that exploratory research approaches are sometimes needed just to reach the
appropriate problem statement and research objectives. While equating qual-
itative research with exploratory research is an oversimplification, the appli-
cation of qualitative tools can help clear up ambiguity and provide innovative
ideas (Zikmund et al., 2010 p.91).

3.5 Pre-understanding
In qualitative research, the personality of the researcher is highly important for con-
ducting research as seen in Gummesson, (2000 p.4). The researcher’s commitment
and connection to the companies selected, the research topic of interest or the in-
terviewees themselves determine the pre-understanding of the subject discussed. It
creates a selective perception which most often alters the quality of the research, since
the study approaches some of the parts more so; those that are deemed sensitive in
opinion with a tendency of avoiding such areas or tackle them with personal feelings.
Pre-understanding is divided into two main categories; firsthand, and secondhand,
where firsthand is a personal experience both from private and professional life. Sec-
ondhand is the knowledge from other people for example in lectures, textbooks, and
articles (Gummesson, 2000).

19
3.6. Designing and Conducting Interviews

Relating to the researchers previous experiences, the three concepts are not new
to the researcher, however, less trouble had initially been taken to understand the
depth of e − H.R.M and its benefits, nor the disadvantages or the linkage it has
with sustainability as a buzzword, and factors to the current business world. But
according to experience in the companies worked for, I discovered that the tradi-
tional methods are still relevant, more so for those companies that are in the service
provision, and have their employees move from point to point, not stationed at the
principal office to execute their daily duties. For example, when people go to the
field to service equipment in the case of ThinWhales Investments Limited, it be-
comes hard for them to record their start time and stop time since they have a lot
of oil stains in the hands, they can not also access the internet connection since they
work in remote areas, or they don’t even have the gadgets to do that since it’s only
installed on buildings.
The other issue is to do with trust and commitment on both sides. Either the
employee can under record his or her time, or the employer can wrongly record the
start times or end time of the employee either accidentally/out of disinformation,
or on purpose to reduce the company costs on salaries and wages. Again some
assignments are so hectic that by the time they are completed, everybody is so
tired and all they think about is to retire to their home, and prefer to do the
recording the next day, yet these systems are time-bound and cannot be fed old
information that is backdated. Due to such complications, a change from the H.R.M
to e−H.R.M which favors sustainability is sometimes so costly, or even impossible to
implement for those organizations that have their system set already. Furthermore,
these systems cannot be linked automatically to new software without having to
overhaul the entire setting. My pre-understanding then happens to be biased as
preference seems so bent on the traditional approaches. But since it is a world of
technology and change, adjustment is necessary and advocacy for a mix of the old
and new H.R.M systems in form of e − H.R.M .

3.6 Designing and Conducting Interviews

The research interview is a purposeful conversation that is either between two peo-
ple, or more people. It requires the interviewer to establish rapport and ask concise
and unambiguous questions, to which the interviewee willfully responds and listens
attentively as seen in Saunders, et. al (2016,p.388). In the essence, it is all about
questions and answers from the interviewer and the interview who may be sometimes
referred to as participants. But such interactions should be purposeful and relevant
to the research hence, help in some instances to formulate or refine the researcher’s
research question (Saunders, et. al, 2016). Since a subjective approach is used in the
research philosophy, my interviews are linked to the perspective that views about the
social world are socially constructed as seen in Saunders, et. al (2016, p.390). Inter-
views can either be highly formalized and structured, using standardized questions
for each research participant or maybe informal and unstructured conversations.
The interviews for this thesis will be semi-structured interviews, which are also cat-
egorized under non-standardized interviews appropriate for qualitative research. By
definition, semi-structured interviews are those that usually come in written form
and seek short essay responses to specific open-ended questions (Zikmund et. al,

20
3.7. Analysis

2010).
In semi-structured interviews, the researcher employs the use of themes and possibly
some key questions are covered, Although their use is variant between interviewers.
This implies that certain questions are omitted or added in the process, depending
on the case company context that is encountered concerning the research topic. The
order of questions may also be varied depending on the flow of the conversation.
The nature of the questions and the ensuing discussion means that data will be
captured by audio-recording the conversation or perhaps handwritten notes taken.
Apart from containing the list of themes and questions to be covered, the interview
schedule for this type of interview will also be likely to contain some comments to
open the discussion. A possible list of prompts to promote and further discussion,
and some comments to close it (Saunders et. al, 2016 p.391).

3.7 Analysis
In the analysis part, I will summarise the participants in the interview and highlight
their responsibilities at the respective companies as indicated below; The choice of
participants at various company levels was intended to have different views from both
the top level management and directors or ownership, which gives an entrepreneurial
perspective, while the bottom level employees and line managers clearly reflect on the
daily activities of the company and also reveal their feeling towards the company’s
sustainability models and practises.

Table 3.1: Presentation of the interviewees

Participant Name and Address Company Role/Assignment

Number
1 Nina Norberg Extreme events AB Field Coordinator
2 Zenita . A. S. Norberg Extreme events AB CEO
3 Tonny Berg Extreme events AB Former employee
4 Rosemary Högström Jämtland Musik Skola Director
5 Jonas Högström Jämtland Musikskola Director
6 Peninah Nabaloga ThinWhales Human Resource
Investments Limited V Manager

21
4. Empirical Findings

In this chapter, I will present my case companies with the steps followed when col-
lecting the data for instance through interviews and transcribing it for analysis and
recommendation.

4.1 Selected case companies

Below is the summary of the case companies, their location addresses, description of
work or business activity and the number of employees they have both on permanent
contract and part time basis.

Table 4.1: Selected case companies (summary)

Case firm/ Location/ Description of Number of

company Address Work/Business Employees
Extreme Events AB Byviksvägen 2, Events management, 30
831 52, Lugnvik hire of chairs and
Östersund,Sweden tables among other
function related supplies
ThinWhales Investments Kampala, Uganda Civil and mechanical 45
Limited P.O.Box 74954 engineering, sale of spare
East,Africa parts and lubricants
Jåmtland Music Samuel Permans Music lessons and sale 10
Skola Gatan 13, 831 31 of music instruments
Östersund. Sweden and books

Since the research is qualitative, and inductive reasoning is used to make conclusions
and analysis, it is deemed just sufficient in both sample size of the interviewees and
the size of the companies used to collect empirical data. The selected companies are
Extreme Events AB, Jämtland Musik skola and Thin Whales investments limited.
All these companies offer distinct products and services to their clients, for instance;
Thin Whales Investments Limited has a section that deals in the sale of spare parts to
walk-in clients, and also offering both civil and mechanical engineering works. Since
these companies are small and medium-sized, they do not have so many departments
since they focus on maximizing the limited resources they have. They have become
the case companies due to easy access, and re-known struggles with the human
resource areas in their operations. These struggles range from the hard recruiting
processes, contractual misunderstandings as (employees are willing but unable to
give full-time work contracts due to the stringent labor laws and involvement of

22
4.1. Selected case companies

the labor unions especially in Sweden, yet employers always desire to have Job
security through permanent contract signing), technological changes that lead to
the replacement of human labor with the use of machines but most important of
all the cultural diversity in the labor market (a system of beliefs and behaviors
that recognizes and respects the presence of all diverse groups in an organization
or society, acknowledges and values their socio-cultural differences, and encourages
and enables their continued contribution within an inclusive cultural context that
empowers all within the organization or society)(Belfield, 2012).
The existence of cultural diversity in the city of Östersund where two of these com-
panies operate and the rest of the world which encompasses ThinWhales investments
Investments Limited has been the basis upon which the choice lays. The case com-
panies employ workers from various ethnicity and background, for example, Africa,
Asia, America, the Middle East and Europe(mainly Sweden and Poland), due this
fact, the need to explore and strengthen the social pillar is inevitable, through sus-
tainable business practices beginning with the H.R.M department as a central point
in organization, hence the need to change from the traditional H.R.M to e−H.R.M
that would in turn favor sustainability for social, environment and economic lines.
The other reason for the choice is the size of the companies. Due to the limited time
frame, consideration was given to small-sized companies, as easy access would be
guaranteed to key participants (C.E.Os and managers) since there are not so many
formalities needed to schedule appointments as opposed to big companies like for
example Volvo, or Caterpillar. To define the boundaries between small firms, mid-
sized firms, and large-scale firms, government statistics usually considers firms with
fewer than 100 employees to be small. So, all the firms within this research then
according to the above information fall under the category of small firms (Zikmund
et al., 2010 pp.78).
The rationale behind choosing companies from different geographical locations is,
to enable the research not to have solely a eurocentric perspective, but also give
an opinion when it comes to other parts of the world and the main preference was
the developing world. Uganda was chosen because it is easily accessible for the
researcher (his country of birth) and the contact in the company selected was a
close friend, given the limited resources and time allowed to complete the report,
this made it more convenient and easy for this research purpose. On the same
note, the companies located in Östersund were also easily accessible, and it was on
purpose that not a similar line of business was selected, as it would certainly give
similar responses, which would not be ideal for the research to achieve its objective
and purpose.
Before the interview, C.E.Os, managers and the former employee(s) of the companies
were contacted by phone to schedule an interview at the time of their convenience.
Since it was approaching the festive season, then the existing workload was a lot yet
many employees were breaking off for Christmas, the time was not so convenient to
conduct such interviews, but they accepted anyway. For the employees, I had to use
the opportunity to get their views during lunch breaks and coffee breaks since the
company does not provide any free time for other non-business - related activities.

23
4.1. Selected case companies

4.1.1 Extreme Events AB

Location and Ownership The company is located on the outskirts of Östersund,
in a place called Lugnvik west of the Jämtland region Sweden. It was incorporated
on January 9, 2003, under the same name. It is a family establishment with mostly
family members on the top management and ownership part, however, there are
some few other shareholders as listed in their founding documents. The company
also has a subsidiary called extreme Kran and Maskin that deals in cranes and
heavy plant hire, they are separate as business entities in nature and have different
administrative and management lines, they, however, work hand in hand during
most times, for example, extreme events are contracted to hire a mobile VIP toilet
of large container size, then it will contract the services of the sister company to
transport and handle the toilet too and from the event using its heavy-duty tracks
and cranes, so there is a symbiotic relationship between the two companies.
Business and Operations The company deals in events management, sale of tents
and hiring of other function products and accessories not limited to chairs, tables,
decorations, heaters, lights, glass and hangers (Extreme, 2017). During the summer
there is usually a high season with a lot of events like graduation parties, weddings,
and sports galas, for example, Storj Cupen, Storjuran, horse races in Solvalla and
Sundsvall, or the KSSS boat race in Stockholm. These events need a beef-up of the
workforce to be able to meet the deadlines and also deliver quality services.
The company uses a lot of technology during its work executions, for example,
cranes and other machines that work with precision during tent construction and
site set-ting, computer software that edits and gives 3D images of the events plan,
however, they have not considered employing the use of technology in their human
resource sector that check-in and check-out times are recorded manually sometimes
on hard papers or very simplified excel worksheets of a computer and these are not
automatically linked to the accounting department like most of the organizations do,
the company also uses an ordinary form of headhunting where employees are either
sourced for by the government employment agency or connections from friends who
know a friend in search of the job, they conduct training and meetings every morning
by physical meetings and that means everyone needs to be physically present to get
the orders and work plans of the day.
Competitors Like any other business, the company has competitors in the same
industry, they range from small-sized companies to medium and large size, for ex-
ample, Facio Events, NightLine, insight events e.t.c. These however also double as
clients to the company who seek help inform of subcontracting on big projects that
require a lot of manpower and equipment of advanced technology which is owned by
extreme events, the distance from the company location for example job located in
the northern part of Sweden can be easily and cheaply executed by extreme events
since it lies in the middle part of Sweden which gives it an added advantage when
it comes to transport and mobilization costs. or they get the jobs and sell them to
extreme events which in turn pays the other companies commissions (commission
allowed). Essentially these companies are not just competitors but also competitors
whose existence in the market is beneficial to extreme events in terms of knowledge
and market sharing, complexity and the advancement of technology have called for
coopetition (a tendency of business cooperating with their competitors for mutual

24
4.1. Selected case companies

benefits) as a practice in the business world lately in the bid to minimize resources,
maximize profits and also have the business geared to sustainability.
Administration and Structure Administration and Structure Since it is cate-
gorized under small-size companies, it is not formerly departmentalized, with no
human resources or I.T departments. Coordination and control are centralized with
the main office overseeing dispatch of workers, planning, and procurement of the
specific tools, the office also liaises with other head-hunting companies to provide
extra labor during the high peak season. Apparently, the company has 10 employ-
ees on a fixed contract basis and more than 20 employees who are always available
on call depending on the availability of the jobs, this is because of the seasonal
nature of the business which makes it hard for the company to commit to keeping
a big number of employees permanently yet there is no work to be done and this
can create more weight on the company’s budget through increased salaries, wages,
and insurance. The company is highly formalized as the rules and regulations are
written in clear languages of English and Swedish on the notice boards with clear
consequences if one of them is broken (Burton et. al 2015).
The C.E.O and other owners get involved in the daily running of the company as
well mostly participating in the administration side, for example, Janne Norberg,
a director is the senior advisor and field coordinator at the company, Zenita Alice
Strindlud Norberg the C.E.O also doubles as the sales and marketing manager who
negotiates and finds jobs for company, she liaises with brokers since the company
does not invest a lot in advertisements like TV or media but rather depends on
the good reviews and references of clients and also brokers who in turn are paid
commissions. She is concerned with mending the company’s strained relations with
clients that sometimes arise due to defects in orders, missed deliveries or employees’
bad behaviors on site that can not be avoided in the normal business world. Nina
Norberg works as the project coordinator of the company under the supervision
of Janne but also sometimes helps with the accounts of payroll management and
invoicing, receipting and asset tracking. The company however also employs external
services of professional firms like Deloitte to do accounting and audit work for tax
compliance and fulfillment of stakeholders’ interests.

4.1.2 ThinWhales Investments Limited

Location and Business Established in 2012 under the same names and was in-
corporated in the Republic of Uganda. Its main business is to carry out engineering
works for both mechanical including repair and service of engines for earth moving
equipment, industrial and domestic generators, marine and locomotives. They also
have a civil engineering section that deals with the development and designing of
architectural plans, buildings, and real estate planning. However, as part of their
income-generating streams, the company has a sales section where service parts like
oil filters, oils and replacement parts of big brands like CATERPILLAR, Daimler
Benz, Volvo and other brands to those clients who would prefer to do the repairs by
themselves (thin whales, 2012).
The company uses employees of both high-level skills and semi skill to execute their
activities, they range from accountants, managers, engineers, and consultants. They
also use cutting edge technology during the repair process, however, most of the

25
4.1. Selected case companies

service work requires human involvement which is why a separate human resource
department is existing as they process large volumes of salaries and wages. The
company employs around 30 people spread all around the country from different
tribes and nationalities.

4.1.3 Jamtland Musik Skola

Location, Ownership and Business The company started in the fall of 2010
in Jåmtland city of Östersund and is run by a family of two people that’s; Jonas
and Rosemary. The idea was born after realizing the need to help people learn to
play music instruments after many town talks of how difficult it was to get it done.
So technically they created a solution for an existing problem making their value
proposition so relevant (Jåmtlandmusikskola, 2013).
The company goal, therefore, was to allow people to enjoy the joy of music as
expressed on their website. Pianos, guitars, violins and drums are some of the
instruments taught and played at the school, lessons are conducted in either groups
or individually by well-trained teachers. Students can be either beginners, have
played a bit or are at an advanced musicians’ level of pop, rock, folk-country classical
music in either choirs or band. The company had branches in other parts of the
country like Umea, Falun, and Sundsvall, Ås and Åre which eventually closed down
due to human resource constraints as sighted by one of the directors and now they
only operate one branch in Östersund.
The human resource and technology The company employs both teaching and
non-teaching staff some of whom are permanent employees while others are paid per
hour or upon call, they help coordinate the activities and also handle financial is-
sues that cannot easily be linked to the main accounts of the company. the company
cannot commit to having many employees on permanent basis due to the seasonal
nature of the business for instance, during the summer school activities are low
and the management can not commit itself to those recurring expenses that might
drive the company into budgetary deficits, part of this is due to the employment
law which is unfairly bent towards the employee side and not considering the side
of the employers more so when the contract is permanent i.e. a lot of benefits are
supposed to be paid and it is making it even hard for the company to punish errant
workers like those who mismanage time or vandalize company assets, for instance,
the employment protection or as referred in the employment protection Act, a con-
tract of employment (anställningsavtal), is normally to apply until further notice
and may be terminated by the employer only when objective grounds for termina-
tion can be cited. These objective grounds (saklig grund) are further categorized
as due to either personal reasons or redundancy. The former is based on the em-
ployee’s performance while the latter is based on the employer’s needs. If a contract
of employment until further notice is terminated without objective grounds, the ter-
mination can be declared invalid by the labor court and/or damages awarded. The
employee is normally allowed to remain in employment during the interim until the
verdict is made (Carlson, 2012).

26
4.2. Participants

4.2 Participants
4.2.1 Participant 1
She is part of the management team and usually toggles between assignments during
the high seasons of the company, for example, during the summer and some parts
of the winter season that experiences many functions and events to handle. She
works as a boss "without portfolio" since she sometimes helps with the accounts
department to process salaries and track the time of the workers, or be a team
leader in the field to direct employees on the different sites on what needs to be
done and how depending on the customers’ orders, and also ensures that no rules
or regulations are broken during work processes. When there is a lot of packing at
the warehouse, she is always working late to ensure timely and accurate deliveries
of consignments to clients’ premises. Since the materials are transported very far
away from the main warehouse it is so important to pack the right stuff to avoid
time-wasting and company embarrassment as well as incur extra transport costs.
She was contacted via telephone as her daily routine is always tight, and on-the-
move given the nature of the company business that requires her to be in a lot of
places countrywide. We spoke for around 30 minutes where I briefed her on the
purpose of the research, and the confidentiality of our interview, as required in the
ethics and codes of the research methodology. We communicated in the English
language since we both understood it well, and we could always have some pauses
during the interaction to enable me to write down notes not to have the information
distorted.
When asked if she uses any sort of technology to monitor, recruit or train the
employees, she stated that she uses software to help in the processing of employee
salaries, monitor performance through daily work-load records and time tracking.
The software is called Visma Lön 2000 (vins tid), She confirms that it helps a lot
though noted some difficulties for example network connection loss when working
in far areas like mountains and forests, She further explained that the software was
not earlier configured with the old accounting systems and the attempt to make it
work was is a rigorous exercise, for instance, it was pre-set hours to 8hours a day
yet on some occasions the people would work even for extra hours and these have
to be entered manual which became a double work issue, and lastly, the cost of the
software as much. The technology also required the maximum cooperation of the
employees since they have to feed in most of the information themselves, something
they do not do for many reasons known to them-selves. She gave an example of
the former company truck driver who it is believed he sometimes could not clock
in the software perhaps because he had forgotten or had other ulterior motives and
blamed the bad network connection something the administration could not refute
with proof.
She concluded that; technology is helping her a lot in the human resource depart-
ment and that it has a hugely positive impact when dealing with the diverse cultural
environment surrounding her employees or company despite its difficulties. The em-
ployment of technology also helps reduce over stated times and increase effectiveness
and efficiency during work which boost the economic pillar of the company as well.

27
4.2. Participants

4.2.2 Participant 2
She is one of the directors and founders of the company, which makes her information
credible and also okay to assume that she has all the information pertaining the
company, from its founding goals, missions, and vision to the wider picture that
is dreamt of. We met for the first time at her office and she replied to me all
the questions as she continued to do other daily errands. She has a rather busy
schedule as most of the daily administrative works rest on her, she mainly deals
with marketing, and customer relations so she is so much in contact with clients
and salesmen who promote the company through referrals and connections and in
return they are paid commission as the company policy is. Zenita also looks through
the well-being of the employees and most times she designs the work plan of the
day. The interview with Zenita was in two phases as she could not spare that
much time to talk about the issues about the company. She is so content that with
the right technology, employees will be boosted in morale since there will not be
much monitoring which according to her creates a tension like an environment and
disconnects the workers from the organization so they only work simply because they
have to, but not because they want. That is the process of being demotivated, She
maintains a central communication platform for all the employees in the company
where she passes on new information, tracks employee protective gear and their
entire work equipment for safety and also sends a reminder that is detailed even to
a coffee break reminder. In summary, Zenita looks at technology and its benefits
from a motivational point of view rather than a time or salary view.
She further narrates to me an example of a worker who is disgruntled perhaps
after feeling not motivated then drives the company car carelessly which leads to
an accident and in the end the bill is transferred to the company and insurance
premiums are shot up. In her conclusion, she highlights the role of technology and
how it has simplified her work and communication, especially when dealing with the
different culture environment that has language barriers and attitude differences
towards what’s right and wrong.

4.2.3 Participant 3
This was a former employee of the company who I interviewed on purpose of finding
out whether his departure from the company had some connection to the problems
in the human resource and if he believed technology would have solved part of
these problems, I followed the same interview guide while interviewing him like for
the rest of the interviewees. He asserts that he was never motivated or rewarded
during his work time and this made him feel out of place so much that he lost
connection to the company, this sort of detachment made him perform less and
feel discriminated from the rest of the group. He thinks however that the company
had a good system that was electronic and modern enough to record check-in and
check out time, assesses performance and also tracks assignment accomplishments,
perhaps he would have been recognized as a valuable asset and not been forced out
of the company. His conclusion, therefore, was advising the company to make more
efforts towards implementing e − H.R.M strategies using e − H.R.M tools on top
of those that were already in place.

28
4.2. Participants

4.2.4 Participant 4
She is part of the directors of the company, with roots in Falun, Dalarna and came to
Östersund via Stockholm, Gothenburg and is now enjoying the Jåmtland expanses.
She has a rich resume with experience in working as a project manager in Action
Sports and Music festivals around Sweden. She also worked with the banking system
in Stockholm and Östersund and currently working with MIUN innovations in Mid
Sweden university where she helps people and researchers to start their businesses.
Her background was so instrumental and shaped the versatile and dynamic admin-
istrative skills that she has used to run the school that has had numerous challenges
in recruitment of employees and coordination of other branches across the country
(Jåmtlandmusikskola, 2013)

4.2.5 Participant 5
He is also among the proprietors of the company. He is originally from Gräftåvallen
in Oviksfjällen but moved to Dalarna during his teenage life to attend a gymnasium,
he later traveled across the world in pursuit of his passion and working at the same
time with a snowboarding company. Six years ago, he returned to Jåmtland and
now runs the music licensing company Action Media Music. His love for music has
driven him to venture into other projects and it was the driver behind the formation
of Jåmtland music skola. He also performs at Åsgård session band and later, they
opened a charity organization that helps integrate migrants in Swedish society and
culture through music, dance and drama and it’s funded through donations and
concert sales, it is called "the Rocking Pots", (Therockingpots, 2017).
I interviewed the two directors on the same day since they are a family and by
coincidence on the scheduled day, they both had ample time to give me undivided
attention. The interview can then be categorized under group interviews. A group
interview is a data collection method using a single interviewer with more than one
research participant, it can be described by the group’s size or its composition. For
the case, therefore, it was a homogeneous kind consisting of similar individuals, the
commonality of opinions, background, and action (Cooper, 2014). During the in-
terview, the directors revealed that the company relies on technology though not
sophisticated one in their human resource management, apart from the ordinary
excel spreadsheets where the employees record their work hours and forward to the
accounts for payment at the end of the month, they also use the internet for recruit-
ment of their employees which attracts teachers from all corners of the country to
apply. For example one of their former music instructors Panilla was not from Jamt-
land but moved to Östersund after being offered a Job at the music school. During
the interview, the directors revealed to me that if there were even better technology
tools in place to monitor and track performance, many of the branches could not
have been closed. They conclude, therefore, that technology is so important when
the organization desires to attain social sustainability.

4.2.6 Participant 6
She is the human resource manager of the company, with diverse experience in
medium and small scale enterprises and has a formidable resume of working in large,

29
4.2. Participants

medium and small-sized companies both at home and abroad, worth mentioning is
also the fact that she owns other businesses like; Swift Shines Uganda Limited. So
according to me, she is the right person to give a clear assessment and information
regarding this very vital part of the company. Being that the company is not based
in Sweden, I decided to eliminate the cost of having a face to face interview but
rather a telephone conversation, like with some pre-set questions though. Before the
interview, I sent her an email to schedule a telephone meeting to have the interview.
She manages a workforce of 20 employees of which 7 of those are permanent and get
a salary payment every month, the rest of the workers drop in upon call when the
company gets extra jobs. The nature of work done mostly is routine service of for
example generators to include, changing oil and filters, and other consumables.
During the interview that lasted for approximately 30 minutes, She narrates that
the company uses technology in its H.R.M operations which includes the clock in
and clock out devices put at the main company entrance to read each employee’s
digital individual fingerprints. However, the devices do not apply for those people
in field operation which makes it limited to only a few employees whose activities
are based at the main warehouse which she cited as a loophole in the system. She
believes that if more capital is invested into the company for H.R.M purposes, then
there will be not only saving of money, time and efficiency, but the performance
can also be tracked and then the recruitment process is much swift, easier and
transparent given the level of corruption in the environment the company operates.
Workers’ performance and appraisal will be accurately determined to enable reward
and incentives as defined by Burton, et. al (2015b p. 217), which will all give a
positive outcome to the social sustainability pillar.

30
5. Analysis and Discussion

5.1 Analysis across interviewees

All the interviewees or participants indicated that performance and productivity
would be monitored using the e − H.R.M tools, which would help the management
during the appraisal and reward process. This process has a direct positive impact
to the social sustainability goal of the companies i.e. fair and balanced treatment
of workers through equal and merit based rewards and appreciation in form of pay
raise, bonuses or allowances.
They further agree, that the e − recruitment aspect that is found under e − H.R.M
systems is also achieved. Employees will always have their bio-data into the com-
pany’s system with all their contacts which makes it easy to vet, hire or even contact
remotely to have the labor gaps filled quickly on short notice when needed since it
is linked to other systems. It is very easy to train the employees and track their
legality to work which could save the company not only troubles from government
authorities but also manage retirement age for every employee yet give skills to make
the workforce up to speed with new trends. This adds value to the company and
also lifts the corporate image which is a big asset to the company. Well trained em-
ployees create effectiveness and efficiency which counter competition from the other
companies in the same business and also minimize the wasting of resources.
In conclusion, therefore, the participants believe that the companies can gain more
if they choose to invest more in e − H.R.M and work faster towards that change
to attain a socially-sustainable business environment which adapts to policies that
champion the same since it’s a global trend too.

5.2 Processing, presenting and analyzing the data

For this study, data was collected through telephone interviews due to the long-
distance and proximity to the location between the interviewer and participants/in-
terviewees. This mode of data collection was deemed appropriate because of the
limited resources in terms of time and money. At some point, however, physical
visits to Extreme events AB and Jamtland Musik skola offices were made since
these two companies, though far away from Umeå, are still within Sweden. Physical
meetings at the company offices in Östersund were also made to get an in-depth
perception of the participants while having the opportunity to study their mood,
tone and body language. Before the telephone calls, I sent messages via SMS and
Facebook messenger to book the time and also gave them a briefing of how we were

31
5.3. Discussion

Table 5.1: Processing, presenting and analyzing the data

Date Duration Company Location Interviewee

(minutes)
15/22/2019 30 Extreme events AB Lungvik Participant 1
15/22/2019 30 Extreme events AB Lugnvik Participant 2
05/01/2020 38 Extreme events AB Lugnvik Participant 3

23/12/2019 20 Jämtland Musikskola Östersund Participant 4

23/12/2019 20 Jåmtland Musikskola Östersund Participant 5
28/12/2019 30 ThinWhales Kampala, Participant 6
investments Ltd. Uganda

going to take on the interview. During the interview, the biggest focus was on
the information that would ably link to the theories or data in the research, and
make some adjustments as I relate to previous interviews where needed, as seen in
Merriam (1998,p.137) which states that What interviewers should look for in each
interview, should partly reflect on the information that came up in previous inter-
views(Merriam 1998, p.137). The interviewees were so free to reveal their names
and give more details of the jobs they do at the company which made work even
much easier.

5.3 Discussion
This section will show the contribution of participants, and assessment of the em-
pirical data that has been presented during the interview process. It further shows
the theoretical, managerial and societél implications of the study, eventually giving
recommendations for future research areas.
Based on the empirical evidence presented after conducting interviews from the
three case companies, all the participants have a similar view or pattern of thinking
towards e − H.R.M , and its importance towards social sustainability. The previ-
ously reviewed literature also suggests that there is a positive relationship between
e − H.R.M and social sustainability. The research therefore concludes that, to a
larger extent e − H.R.M affects social sustainability. The existing connection can
be seen in Extreme Events, Jåmtland Music Skola, and ThinWhales investments
managers, C.E.Os and employees all accepting that, if the H.R.M is shifted to a
new method of e − H.R.M which encompasses the use of technology in terms of
tool and information technology that helps in the doing of things electronically and
swiftly. The e − learning to help teach employees new skills, will equip them with
the abilities to use technology and save time and energy during work, performance
appraisals and rewards that are tracked and implemented through e−H.R.M strate-
gies will help motivate employees. It helps the management to determine the kind
of incentives to give to its employees and for what reason. Incentives are defined as
a way organizations reward employees to either encourage them accomplish given
tasks or for fulfilment of set goals, i.e. to ensure that operations are running as
optimally as possible given the context of an organization, (Burton, et. al 2015b
p. 217). The participants further believe that if a remarkable amount of resources

32
5.3. Discussion

in terms of money is invested to procure modern technologies for the human re-
source department there would be more benefits in terms of effective coordination
and control.
Drawing from different theories, for example, the incentives theory of , Burton, et.
al (2015b Pp. 220-222), the theory suggests that the choice of incentive system
should be based on two different aspects namely; on the targeted entity and how
these targets should be evaluated. The targets could either be individuals or groups
and the evaluation could be based on behavior or results. These aspects portray
two continuums that depend on the preferred output and overall configuration of
the organization. The optimal placing on these continuums will differ from one case
to another. To be specific, according to Zenita Norberg, the director of the company
(Extreme Events AB), employing the right technology for H.R.M purposes will help
a lot in the coordination and control processes of the company, which will yield
proper information and work flow within the employees who are in this case the
targeted entity. Coordination in simple terms is the process of organizing people
or groups so that they work together properly and well. It is shifting faster now
than it was early in the development of professional business organizations (Boella
,Torre 2006, Pp 3-20). It is not solely managers in the control system development,
other key players are involved depending on the size of the organization. Since
organizations have become flatter, with many departments and sub-units, there has
emerged a need for linkage between departments and lateral flow of information
among sub-units. The coordination systems support flexibility and adaptiveness
within or across departmental or divisional boundaries.
Control and coordination are two intertwined concepts, firms use systems like Movex
and Navision to manage large-scale projects during the process of coordination and
control. Whereas liaison roles and norms are examples of small-scale systems, de-
signing these systems is a step by step process, which requires careful consideration
of the preferable configuration of two concepts, namely; the degree of formalization
and decentralization (Burton, et. al 2015 Pp. 190-191). Formalization is defined as
the degree to which the organization specifies a set of rules or codes to govern how
work is done. Formalization is high if rules are detailed, routinized and effectively
communicated to the employees, meanwhile, low formalization is the polar opposite
which entails agility in procedures. Decentralization is the degree to which decision-
making authority and responsibility for coordination and control lie in the subunits
of the firm and individual managers rather than headquarters or one specific level of
the hierarchy(Burton, et. al ,2015b). In conclusion, formalization and decentraliza-
tion are the dimensions that are used to design options for coordination and control
systems. The same way it is for Jåmtland Musikskola, Jonas Högstrom the director
looks back on the days he had a lot of branches in the country, he thinks that if he
a better system to control the teachers and also coordinate them using the existing
technology, the school would have performed well across all the pillars of sustain-
ability. There would be no requirement of physical visits that involve long-distance
drives, a process so tedious and led to the closure of most of the branches of the
school to focus on most the one close to Östersund where the Directors stay.
The performance of e − H.R.M mainly depends on the application of software,
or even larger management systems including, self-service capability based on the
internet and intranet, the intelligent capability is shaking off the inefficient workflow.

33
5.3. Discussion

The contribution of e − H.R.M to strategic H.R.M is distinct, as earlier stated, the

cases and evidence from the previous literature illustrated better that the application
of e − H.R.M could bring great benefits in the long term (Srivastava and Bhardwaj,
2018). For the organization to have full attainment of social sustainability through
the use of e − H.R.M and its tools, the size of the said organization should be put
into consideration, to determine the most appropriate technologies otherwise there
will always be such controversies, taking out of sight growth and development.

34
6. Conclusions

6.1 Conclusion
When technology is used in human resource management, there will be social sus-
tainability to a greater extent, unlike when the company sticks to the old strategies
of H.R.M. The cost of such innovations will however be so high for some companies
in terms of time, and money. Sometimes there will be resistance from the employees
as well, due to various reasons as indicated in the change theories. More organiza-
tions now realize the value sustainability has on their competitiveness, reputation,
and ability to attract and retain strong talent. Mindful of their economic, societal,
and environmental impacts, sustainable organizations now seek input from a broad,
diverse set of stakeholders— both internal and external—in designing their business
strategic approaches and operations. The H.R function has a central part to play
for instance; utilizing the H.R skills in organizational process, change management
and culture stewardship, H.R.M can help create and implement an all round sus-
tainable business strategy in the organization. However,This may require that new
H.R competencies be developed. Not only must H.R become competent at using
H.R.M tools to embed the social sustainability strategy and mission in the company,
it must also learn to shape the system itself so that its impacts on employees, com-
munities and other stakeholders align with the sustainability vision of the company
(Camen,et.al. 2012).

6.2 Theoretical implication

The e−H.R.M has received little academic attention so far compared to other areas
in the management field. Although various researches have been made for example,
(Marler and Parry, 2016), who by using a large survey data - set consisting of 5665
companies that are located in 32 different countries, used non-recursive simultane-
ous equation models with instrumental variables to empirically evaluate competing
theoretical perspective in their literature. These researches found and show that
strategic HR involvement with greater e − H.R.M capabilities, are reciprocally re-
lated supporting both theoretical perspectives but also showing each is not mutually
exclusive. They further discuss the implication of their results for human resource
management theory to practicability and future research. Not much has been done
to find the connectivity between e − H.R.M strategies and economic sustainability
thus the study has dissected the concepts and interlinked them to one another, ref-
erencing to some of the re-known theories in H.R.M,e − H.R.M , and management
in general, for example the X and Y theories.

35
6.3. Managerial implication

Previous research has shown that for H.R.M to be effective, there should be some
more investment done in terms of, buying new technologies for the company like
software and tools that help in the human resource management digitalization, which
enables the employees to be innovative and inventive, an ingredient that drives the
company to economic growth. These researches have shown less of the downside of
such changes in terms of cost, reduction of jobs for the human resource specialists,
and also the security risks that are associated with technology, in a world where
hacking and malpractices by unscrupulous individuals cannot be ruled out. This
study has made efforts to cast some more light on such issues to let the management
clearly understand the demerits when considering the migration to internet-based
H.R.M also known as e − H.R.M .

6.3 Managerial implication

Companies can focus on investing more in e − H.R.M tools as they have proven to
be great drivers towards social sustainability, alongside other pillars. However there
should not be an oversight when it comes to some management theories. These
theories also determine the attitude of employees and managers towards work cul-
ture, for instance; the X based on the assumption that; an average human being
has inherent dislike for work and avoids it if possible (McGregor, 2006). Y theory
which was an alternative to the X and this was more liberal and relaxed based on
the assumption that people are not lazy and that if they are well motivated they
can be self-driven and can give great results of work (McGregor, 1960 p.47). and Z
theories. These personnel management theories were developed by McGregor (1960
cited in McGregor, 2006)and are the most used theory when it comes to motivation.
But all this depended on the nature of the task (Ugah and Udoh, 2011).

6.4 Societal Implications

The societal implication of the study is that; while considering any form of in-
vestment in technologies for purposes of human resource management, whether in
coordination or control, recruitment or appraisal, it is crucial to understand by both
managers and entrepreneurs, that it can only be effective if such changes conform
to the norms of the general population under which the organization is set. For
example, questions like; does it create jobs? does it favor all demographics of age
and gender for instance? e.t.c, because only then shall the organization receive lit-
tle or no resistance to the new changes hence there will be developed as desired.
It is therefore prudent to conclude that a sustainable business through sustainable
H.R.M practices can result into a harmonious society.

6.5 limitations
The first limitation of this research is that only small size companies were consid-
ered, which does not give a clear picture regarding a human resource since very few
employees are handled during the company business, given the fact they handle a
small number of manpower which does not give a firm a proper conclusion or recom-

36
6.6. Future Research

mendation. Considering a large company would have perhaps shown the other side
of social sustainability, for example, the employment of technology that reduces the
number of workers in the human resource is a disadvantage for the society as well-
being of the families is disrupted. This is also, due to reduced household incomes
from job loss, a downside to the side of the employees who depend on the payroll
administration or recruitment for example for a living.
The second limitation is, the companies selected are almost in the same location
which is most certainly of a shared cultural value setting and similar local or state
laws which give a very separate approach towards change and technology. This
means that there is no consideration for other aspects before recommending or com-
menting on HRM and e − H.R.M concerning sustainability, yet it is important
to consider another factor like culture when desiring to implement a change. Such
changes say from traditional H.R.M to e − H.R.M for the sake of the organizations’
sustainability.
The last but not least limitation is, that the people interviewed were somewhat
connected to the interviewer either through friendship or former employers, this
could have influenced some answers and created irrelevant responses to the research
or they made some exaggerations in the process which is not good for research,
more so if important decision making is going to be based on such findings and
recommendations. In such situations, response bias occurs when respondents either
consciously or unconsciously tend to answer questions with a certain slant that
misrepresents the truth (Zikmund et al, 2010 p.191).

6.6 Future Research

The research is exploratory as seen in Zikmund et al., (2010 p.55), it is conducted
to clarify ambiguous situations and or discover potential business opportunities. It
is not destined to give conclusive evidence from which to determine a particular
course of action, it is not an end unto itself. The topic of e − H.R.M is still fresh
and new, lacking a lot of information hence, future researchers should focus more on
it regarding its connectivity to the current sustainability trends. However, emphasis
should be put on the degree or the extent to which the three pillars can work together
in a non-conflicting manner, for instance, attaining economic sustainability without
compromising the environmental pillar or promoting environmental sustainability
pillar while leaving the social pillar intact. And therefore answer questions like;
- Can e − H.R.M fix social sustainability at no cost of other pillars?
- Is e − H.R.M relevant to all organisation sizes?
More empirical research should be done to ascertain the best approaches towards
that. While the shift to e − H.R.M is good for social sustainability, an argument
should also be made, if whether the rapid adoption of technology at the expense
of people’s employment or other social sustainability strategies could be good for
the future generation, or whether such sustainability should be regulated as firms
progress and transform to the use of technology in the human resource management
field. There should be a holistic approach to sustainability, one that considers all
the three dimensions of social, economic and environmental pillars and have them

37
6.6. Future Research

integrated within each other. Moreover, one that considers a cross-culture but not
only a western perspective, and also regarding companies of all sizes.

38
7. Quality Criteria

In a qualitative study, it is of great importance for researchers to reflect on certain

quality issues during the work. Trustworthiness and authenticity, where trustwor-
thiness is further subdivided into transferability, and qualitative validity. confirma-
bility demands that we as researchers act in good faith and ensure the objectiv-
ity of the research. This denotes that the findings shall rep-resent the situation of
the research rather than being influenced by personal opinions and beliefs (Bryman,
2011,Pp.395,398).

7.1 Credibility
Credibility is the equivalent of internal validity in quantitative research and is con-
cerned with the aspect of truth-value. Strategies to ensure credibility are prolonged
engagements. It’s the confidence that can be placed in the truth of the research
findings, it establishes whether the research findings represent plausible information
drawn from the participants’ original data and is a correct interpretation of the
participant’s original views. This research’s opinions and conclusions are based on
earlier researched theories and also on empirical data that is first-hand from the
top managers, employees and owners of these organizations in my case study which
cements the credibility aspect of this research.

7.2 Transferability
Transferability concerns the aspect of applicability. As a researcher, It is imperative
to provide a thick description of the participants and the research process, to enable
the reader to assess whether the findings are transferable to their settings; this is
the so-called transferability judgment. It implies that the reader, not the researcher
makes transferability, because they sincerely know their settings. For example, in
this study, the readers should be able to scoop out some of the key points and be able
to use them in their setting regardless of, whether science or art fields, management
or philosophy (Korstjens and Moser, 2018). The study is about human resources,
an area that cuts across all disciplines or industries since even the science field has
humans who form the task force. Moreover, sustainability is an area of concern that
segregates not the young and old, science or philosophy, rich or poor we all face the
threat if it is not kept so the research is transferable (Korstjens and Moser, 2018).

39
7.3. Dependability

7.3 Dependability
Dependability includes the aspect of consistency, with the need to check whether
the analysis process is in line with the accepted standards for a particular design.
According to Miles, and Huberman (1994, p.278), dependability is described as
if other researchers would be able to reveal the same information if the situation
was reversed, and it’s them conducting the interview and whether the process has
been consistent with the research procedure. This research provides the theoretical
methodology of the work and also gives a step by step flow of data collection, that if
any researcher followed it, most likely the results might not deviate from each other.
Duplicating the work might not be ruled out but the approach used could make it
a little harder to attain such tangible results (Miles, and Huberman, 1994).

40
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9. Appendix

Table and Figures

Figure 2.1: e-H.R.M tools..............................................................................12
Table 2.1:E-H.R.M and Social Sustainability..................................................13
table 5.1:Selected case companies....................................................................23
Table 5.2:Presentation of the interviewees......................................................28
Table 5.3:Processing, presenting and analyzing the data................................32
The interview question in English
I. Introduction
1. Name:
2. Gender:
3. Age:
4. Position:
5. Please introduce about the company.
6. How long have you been working in the company?
II. Main content
A. For HR CEO/ top managers
1. Kindly describe your daily work. What is your role in the organization?
2. Have you ever heard about E-H.R.M? If yes, please explain what the term means
in your opinion.
3. What kinds of technology have been used to support your work? How long have
it been installed?
4. How does the technology affect your company in terms of social sustainability?
for example do you think that with the right technology you can create harmony
and employee welfare?
5. What are the difficulties when choosing and using HR technology?
6. List required competencies for H.R staff before and after implementing H.R
technology to accomplish H.R tasks.

46
B. For line managers
1. What kinds of H.R related issues do you handle in your daily work?
2. What kinds of technology have been used to support you to handle H.R tasks?
3. What do you think about the change in the role of H.R before and after imple-
menting H.R technology?
4. How does the technology affect your responsibilities to handle H.R work?
5. What are the difficulties when using H.R technology?
6. List required competencies for H.R staff before and after implementing H.R
technology to accomplish H.R tasks.
C. For employees
1. What are your daily tasks?
2. Do you use any technologies to give feed-back on progress, execute work or report
time on duty?
3. Do you think technology can help you have a harmonious environment at work,
for instance cement good relationship with management?

47