BAPF- Human Resource Management

Assignment title: Norries

Due date: 20th October 2022

Introduction

This assignment is based on an organisational scenario containing various components. In the

scenario and the following tasks you will need to address these components. Your role and
background is that of a regional manager who needs to prepare some ideas for a newly appointed
store manager about how he might deal with some of the issues at his store. Therefore, this
assignment requires knowledge of:

 Human resource management as a discipline

 Organisational development as a process.

Scenario

Norries is a large department store located in central London that has been in business for over 120
years. It currently employs 3,500 staff directly with an additional 2,000 agency and concession
employees. This is a very competitive sector with competition from not only other stores but also
on-line retailers to whom the ‘high street’ stores are losing ground.

Last year, Norries was purchased by Lammy Holdings. The new owners recognised that ‘engaged
employees’ are essential to the continuing success of the business and firmly believe that if
employees are happy they are likely to be consistently high performers and will want to progress
their careers within the business. Norries Human Resources (HR) team is researching a variety of
approaches to increase employee engagement, which focus in particular on recruitment and
selection, performance, and development. Early findings from the team suggest that in reality the
organisation is some way off achieving the owner’s vision. Employee turnover statistics indicate that
Norries has a higher rate of employee turnover than its competitors and that this has risen in recent
years. This represents both a significant cost and has performance implications for the business.
These include the costs associated with recruitment, the loss of expertise, and the increased need
for the training of new employees.

Following this discovery, Norries has carried out its first comprehensive employee survey to find out
what employees thought about working at Norries. The intention is to use the results to create plans
for change focused on improving employee engagement. It has emerged from this survey that, on
the whole, employees at Norries do not feel supported in their work by their line managers. Some
have mentioned lack of information about what is going on in their department and in the business
more generally. Others describe not receiving the support and training they need to help them deal
more effectively with customers.

The work by the HR team has been shared with the new owners and both are concerned about the
overall capability of the line managers in the business. The recruitment of managers has been rather
“ad hoc’ in the past as has been their subsequent induction and development. As a result, turnover
is a problem at this level as well. It is in this area that they believe they must intervene to secure the
level of improvement in employee engagement they believe will improve performance.

Aim

Prepare a report for Lammy Holdings that addresses the following issues:

Task 1 – 15 Marks

Critically assess the relative contribution that both line managers and the Human Resource
specialists might make to improving people management at Norries. Specifically, critically assess
how the former might support the latter as ‘business partners.’

Task 2 – 17 Marks

It is evident that the line managers at Norries are not clear about their role in relation to the
‘psychological contract’. Distinguish between the nature and contribution of the employment
contract and the psychological contract to employee engagement.

Task 3 – 16 Marks

Lammy Holdings are becoming increasingly concerned about the capability of managers and about
how they are recruited and selected. Review whether the use of assessment centres might improve
the reliability and validity of the process for selecting managers at Norries.

Task 4 – 17 Marks

Outline the elements of a systematic approach to performance management to be introduced at

Norries, with specific recommendations about what might be included.

Task 5 – 15 Marks

Much is made by Norries’ new owners about the ideas of employee engagement. Evaluate how the
ideas associated with employee engagement might bring benefits that support Norries in achieving
its performance objectives and outline any limitations associated with this concept.

Task 6 – 15 Marks
Explain why investing in a systematic approach to learning and development might contribute to
Norries’ success in the future.

Task 7 – 5 Marks

Combine your findings into a single, written case study report that is properly structured and
contains:

• Title page

• Table of contents

• Main body of the case report

• References and bibliography

• Appendices (if necessary)

Guidance

Consult with your Lecturer if you are uncertain about any aspect of this assignment.

Submission requirements

You must submit a word-processed case report as indicated in Task 7. Your report should answer
Tasks 1 to 6. The word count for your report is 5000 words.