According to the People Management magazine of the CIPD , ‘It’s never been more important for HR to demonstrate commercial awareness’. This, the CIPD further suggests, supports the view of David Ulrich who advocated that in private sector organisations HR professionals should be ‘strategic positioners’ who are able to move beyond ‘knowing the business’, to help ‘position the business to win in its marketplace’.
In response to this view, please write an essay which critically examines the value of the HR function as a business partner and assesses how it can help organizations to ‘win in its marketplace’ by enabling competitive advantage, whether in the national or international business context.
In answering this question, you should draw on the frameworks, key principles and concepts introduced in the workshop series to include:
• The nature, characteristics and concepts of HRM;
• People management strategies, procedures and tools that support competitive advantage both nationally and internationally;
• The challenges and opportunities for HR practice of ‘national culture’ in the home and host countries in which the business may operate;
• Use of relevant survey data, case studies or any recent discussion which highlights the wider issues and challenges for HRM practice. For example, what is the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the management of people?
• Use of any organisations of your choice as case studies as examples to support or illustrate any of your points.
