Harrods Case Study
Transcription
Harrods Case Study
Farah AlMangour 201000207 Farah AlMangour 201000207 Case Study (Harrods) Human Resource Management Section 201 1 Farah AlMangour 201000207 Harrods Case Study Harrods is one of the well-known department stores in UK, London. Henry Charles Harrod in 1849 opened a small grocery store at Brampton Road in Knightsbridge that focused on service and quality rather than other things such as low prices. Two years later, Harrods was invented and it is located in Knightsbridge; it is accessible by subway and is very close to Buckingham palace. It is known as the store where anything you could think of is for sale. You can buy anything from there, from A to Z, starting with 18th century dinner plates to giant teddy bears and exquisite caviar. 1. Describe the difference between training and development. Training is basically getting the skills needed for a job; these may be learned at the place of work (on-the-job) or away from work (off-the-job). On-the-job training tends to be more cost-effective and relevant. However, professional trainers usually carry out off-the-job training. It also occurs away from the distractions of work. On the other hand, Development not only improves job performance, but also teaches how to become more effective and productive at work, facing different responsibilities and challenges. Development concentrates on the broader skills that are applicable to a wider variety of situations, such as thinking creatively, decisionmaking and managing people. In other words, training provides the skill and development maximizes it. The training is basically teaching new skills, but development it is perfecting existing skills. Training tends to have very specific and measurable goals, such as operating an IT system or till, understanding a process, or performing certain procedures (for example, cashing up). Training and development is vital to any business. Its purpose at Harrods is to improve performance of employees to enable Harrods to meet its business goals. For example, at Harrods the Sales Academy develops employees’ sales skills, leading to increased sales when they return to the shop floor. Allowing employees to acquire new skills, expertise and qualifications supports employee progression, which leads to increased motivation. This supports Harrods’ retention strategies. 2. Explain the importance of developing employees. Employee development is crucial and important for the growth and development 2 Farah AlMangour 201000207 for any business and any company because employees are one of the determining factors for the success of the company. The company’s performance depends on the capability and qualification of its employees. When they are well trained, they can easily and smoothly handle situations, and please customers. For example, employees at Harrods come from various backgrounds and different nationalities. They have differing levels of competency, experience and education. Harrods offer comprehensive learning and development opportunities that are offered at a variety of levels to suit the needs of all Harrods employees. They offer workshops for sales associates and Warehouse Operatives to developmental programs for senior managers. Jessica is a great example to show how Harrods are concerned in developing their employees, “My quick progression to Retail Manager was helped by the fact that Harrods allows people to take control of their own development to a large extent. Harrods supports you if you are keen to get on. The Harrods Management Programmed gave me eight months of training, both in-house and external. This, together with the support of my mentor, has equipped me with the specific skills I need to carry out my job effectively.”. 3. Analyze the methods by which Harrods ensures it recruits and retains its employees. Recruitment and retention are two requirements for building a special talented staff and obviously Harrods had a huge success in Recruiting qualified applicants and encouraging them to join their corporation. It involves a series of steps in controlling if there's a match between the applicant's qualifications and the job criteria. What I analyzed from Harrods techniques in Recruits and retains is that employees does not necessarily seek monetary incentive but also training and ways of motivation. In a matter of fact, Amber is a great example of what I said, “Amber’s application was successful because of the customer skills, she was able to bring from previous experiences. She is now the Retail Manager of Childrenswear. Her responsibilities range from overseeing budgets to managing both stock and people, as well as upholding the Harrods standards of service.” Harrods scheme to provide development opportunities it is the main aspect that maintains its high level of employee retention. As the reading provides us of a glimpse of Sabrina’s career we come to the understanding that Harrods not only train its employees but also develop their talents in a way that they motivate them for more future careers, by professional training. 3 Farah AlMangour 201000207 They gain skills needed for the job to keep their workforce. 4. Evaluate how training and development leads to career progression at Harrods. As we explored the differences between training and development along with recruitment and retention, we come to the point where we evaluate the training and development that leads to career progression. However, the processes of training and development at Harrods shows how it helped the employees to cope with all the tasks they faced and also formed a career path for them, it is important for the institution/ company to meet all the needs of the business. What you see today, that Harrods lead to a career progression with success by matching its business strategy and linking it together. They use training and development to improve their workers skills along with the technical skills and business capabilities that's needed. Harrods is functioning to maintain an efficient and effective, not forgetting very motivated and talented staff. For example, Sabrina said: “Knowing that my senior managers recognized my ability and supported me in my career development has made me eternally loyal to the company. Before coming to Harrods I hadn’t really considered a career in retail, now I can’t imagine working anywhere else. The thing I enjoy most about working at Harrods is that every day is unique and the work is interesting and innovative.” What I analysis from Sabrina is that workers really love and enjoy their work, which make me believe or assume that Harrods appreciate their staff and motivate them, they make them enjoy and love their jobs. Sabrina joined Harrods 10 years ago as a parttime Sale Associate whilst studying for her degree, after graduating she worked in Human Resources and with Harrods support, she gained further qualifications. This led to a series of promotions and experience in other roles including Business Manager. As we can analysis, Harrods has different level of recruiting, they train undergraduate, which help them to understand how Harrods operates which leads to professional workers and expertise on the workforce. Harrods was sold to Qatar Holdings, the sovereign wealth fund of the State of Qatar in May 2010 for £1.5bn. Its chairman, Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani, who is also Qatar's prime minister, said Harrods would add "much value" to its portfolio of investments and generate "good and stable returns as a business" (Mohammed Al Fayed sells Harrods store to Qatar Holdings, 2010). The success of 4 Farah AlMangour 201000207 Harrods attracted a lot of entrepreneurs to Knightsbridge, resulting in an upscale shopping district. I don’t think that anyone went to London without spending a day at Harrods. References: Mohammed Al Fayed sells Harrods store to Qatar Holdings. (2010, May 8). Retrieved December 15, 2012, from BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8669657.stm 5