Multinational Enterprise Achieve Core Competencies Commerce Essay Example

consumer demands by producing high-quality footwear for all ages. The UK footwear market experienced a recession in 1990; however, people started to spend more on shoes afterwards.

In 2001, the prices of shoes increased by 5.5%. However, after a few years, there was a significant reduction of 8% in shoe prices due to UK footwear manufacturers shifting production overseas in search of cheaper labor and production costs. This led to a large number of job losses in the UK as production units closed and staff were made redundant. Like other footwear companies, Clarks also decided to relocate their production facilities to countries with cheap labor, natural resources, geographical and political stability. On January 11, 2005, it was reported on the BBC website that Clarks' management has decided to cease footwear production in Somerset. The company's managers stated that there is no alternative but to move production facilities to the Far East. Workforce is undoubtedly the core essence of any organization, whether it's a small convenience store on the high street or a large multinational enterprise across the world. The workforce is vital for any organization's competitiveness in the market.

The organization depends on its employees' expertise to achieve its goals and objectives, making it crucial to carefully select individuals through a thorough recruitment process. The term "employment" refers to the relationship between employers and employees in the workplace. Recruitment can be done formally or informally, with formal methods involving employment contracts and procedural agreements, while informal approaches rely on psychological contracts that establish expectations between managers and employees (Kessler and Undy, 1996). The human resource management plan prioritizes building a strong competency system by evaluating and improving

recruitment, selection, staff development, and rewards mechanisms.

The concept of competence is crucial for achieving excellence and is essential in public presentations. It encompasses various factors that contribute to the capabilities of individuals and organizations (Armstrong, 2000). Prahalad and Hamel emphasize the importance of competency building to determine global winners during the 1990s. Competence is directly linked to developing a highly skilled workforce that not only achieves goals but also maximizes their impact on the organization (Armstrong, 2000).

Research Purpose:

This research aims to explore how a multinational corporation can create an effective Recruitment and Selection method that integrates competencies into the organization's framework. This integration will enable the company to gain a competitive advantage in the market.

The text highlights the importance of finding effective strategies for recruiting and selecting the right employees for an organization. It also mentions that research shows it is crucial to improve recruiters' job performance, overcome challenges and barriers, and enhance competitiveness in the global market in order to achieve organizational goals.

This research aims to investigate the entire recruitment and selection process by hiring dedicated, competent, and enthusiastic individuals who can be developed into highly skilled professionals capable of thriving in the global market.

The objective of this study is to analyze all aspects related to the Recruitment and Selection program that can contribute to achieving the research goal.

The research worker has identified several research aims related to Recruitment and Selection in Human Resource management. These aims include analyzing the effectiveness of a recruitment program in developing workforce skills and strengths, recommending criteria for building a talented team, determining current and future organizational needs, addressing challenges faced by HR professionals, ensuring global competitiveness through

a strong workforce, and identifying success factors in recruitment and selection for multinational companies.

The literature review section will examine theoretical and factual research on recruitment and selection, providing an overview of its significance in work and organizational studies. The term Recruitment and Selection has been defined differently by various authors, making it challenging to summarize with one word.

The recruitment and selection process aims to acquire the right number and quality of employees required for an organization's human resource needs while minimizing costs. The key objective is to align individuals' skills with job requirements, making it a crucial aspect of organizational management. Maximizing the efficiency of human resources relies on finding suitable matches. Consequently, Human Resource managers should use effective and inventive recruitment techniques to screen candidates and assign them appropriate positions within the company (Roberts, 1997).

Phases of Recruitment and Selection The Recruitment procedure must mention the required information, including facts, figures, and values about people. Additionally, demands for new occupations and replacements should be assessed to ensure they are justified. Specific vacancies are filled through job descriptions and individual specifications, which aid Recruiters in gathering information for designing advertisements, working with recruitment agencies or HR advisors, and evaluating candidates' capabilities. Michael Armstrong identified three phases in the Recruitment and Selection process: Describing Requirements: Human Resource managers must prepare Job Descriptions and specify contractual terms, conditions, and employment policies. Attracting Candidates: Human Resource management should explore all possible sources to draw candidates towards specific jobs.

In situations where there is a lack of manpower, HR management needs to assess and evaluate various sources of replacement candidates. These sources may include internal and external candidates, recruitment agencies, HR

consultants, and advertisements. The selection process involves analyzing candidates' applications, conducting thorough interviews, testing their physical and mental abilities, providing job offers, obtaining references, and maintaining employment contracts (Armstrong, 2000).

A Recruitment and Selection program leading to Core Competences

In their journal article "The Core Competence of the Corporation" published in 1990, Prahalad and Hamel explained that simply hiring outstanding employees does not automatically ensure overall competency for an organization. While assembling a professional team is important, there needs to be effective coordination among all employees involved in the design and delivery of products to the market in order to achieve core competence.

According to their perspective, harmonizing and integrating various technologies will help initiate core competency by organizing different productive skills. Rather than focusing on a portfolio of a single business unit, an enterprise must be classified into an organized portfolio that includes core competences. Business managers who have received comprehensive training should prioritize bringing quick end products to the market. Managers should also concentrate on outsourcing as well as finding competitive advantages through diverse methods to promote products. The process of achieving core competences is ongoing and continuous, aiding the workforce of an enterprise in competing in global markets.

Finally, the core competencies of a business hold all sectors together, creating a cohesive portfolio. Without core competencies, a collection of unrelated businesses becomes just a jumble (Prahalad and Hamel, 1990). Therefore, an effective Recruitment and Selection program helps build a strong team for an organization, but ongoing coordination within the team is necessary to achieve competencies and create a globally competitive advantage for their products. However, Clarks has a rigorous recruitment and selection process and ensures

that individuals entering the organization bring valuable skills. To maintain their position in the market and gain a competitive advantage, they must consistently perform exceptionally.

(Maharaja, 2010)

Research Methodology

Research Methodology can be divided into two main categories: Research Types and Research methods. The following discussion will explore these categories:

Research Types

A proper understanding of the different types of research is crucial for conducting valid research. This current research follows specific standards.

Research Doctrine

In the field of study, research doctrine includes various types that focus on knowledge development (Saunders et al, 2007). Positivism and social constructionism are well-known research standards (Easterby-Smith et al, 2008). This research emphasizes positivism in alignment with pragmatism (Saunders et al, 2007). Rationalist research philosophy has been employed to address questions and achieve objectives.

Research Approach
The researcher employed a deductive approach to establish the research plan, drawing on an extensive body of literature on recruitment, selection, and core competencies. The choice of a deductive approach was motivated by the need for a theoretical framework in the research process. This approach is consistent with rationalist philosophy, asserting that data collection contributes to theory development and evaluation. It is important to distinguish deductive research from the inductive method.

Inductive attacks primarily involve transitioning from information to theory and assuming that theory is the outcome of the research. However, deductive approaches ultimately connect with quantitative methods to help researchers obtain statistically reliable results that may not be possible with qualitative work (Bryman and Bell, 2008, p 11).

Research Methods

To meet the requirements of the research objectives, it is crucial to select appropriate research methods. These methods will define the key approaches to conducting the research.

Sampling Designs

The sampling designs for researching recruitment,

selection, and competencies in companies differ. Online hiring or in-store hiring are chosen by different companies. Nevertheless, the primary objective remains to identify and train individuals with the required skills. To gather data, samples will be obtained from HR managers or officers employed by specific multinational organizations in the United Kingdom. Approximately 50 local multinational enterprises will be selected for this study due to the large number of multinational enterprises operating in the UK.

Primary Data
Primary information is obtained through research worker's experiments and personal observation. It is beneficial for collecting information and addressing all research questions. The following methods are used to collect primary data:

• Questionnaires
• Interviews
• Surveys
• Observation

To achieve the objectives of the research, questionnaires have been selected as the means to gather quantitative information. This is because questionnaires offer a comparative approach in collecting primary data. Hence, a information aggregation toolkit is being utilized by the researcher to gather HR professionals' perspectives on the Recruitment and Selection program.

There are several requirements for gathering primary information, including the use of interview-administered questionnaires to ensure reliable data collection. This method also helps to avoid biases and achieve higher response rates compared to self-administered techniques. The interviews should be conducted with Human Resource officers or directors in an appropriate environment, free from any interference. Proper equipment, such as notes and recording tools, must be used to ensure accurate data collection.

Secondary Data

Various sources will be used to gather secondary information for this research. Literature and academic theories from previous studies on Recruitment, Selection, and Competencies will be used to support the primary data. Information

on Recruitment & Selection and Core Competencies issues from reputable newspapers, journals, books, magazines, surveys, and websites around the world will also be utilized.

Ethical Issues

The importance of ethical issues in Human Resource management cannot be ignored, as they raise questions about research integrity. The researcher will adhere to ethical principles while conducting the study.

Sample Questionnaire

1. The research inquiries arising from the broader range of Recruitment and choice and its impact on a concern are as follows:
2. How can an effective Recruitment and Selection program be designed?
3. How can a virtue-based Recruitment and Selection program be designed without internal or external intervention?
4. Will the use of an effective Recruitment and Selection program benefit Clarks in the future? If so, how?
5. In what ways can this program enhance core competences in Clarks to achieve competitive advantage?
6. What steps need to be taken to ensure efficiency in Clarks' Recruitment and Selection program?

Mention

1. Roberts G. (1997) Recruitment and Selection, 1st Edition
2. Dale M. (2003) A Manager 's Guide to Recruitment and Selection, 2nd Edition
3. Billsberry J. (2007) Experiencing Recruitment and Selection, 1st Edition
4. Compton et Al (2009) Effective Recruitment and Selection Practices, 5th Edition
5. Taylor D., Fox G. (2000) The Complete Recruitment and Selection Toolkit, 1st edition
6. Petersoninstitute (2010) Is there a Good Measure of Competitiveness?, available on: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.petersoninstitute.org/publications/chapters_preview/47/7iie2644.pdf
7. Prahalad C. K., Hamel G. (1990) The Core Competence to the Corporation, p 1-15
8. Essaies (2010) Essays on Analysis of Clarks Competitive Strategy, available on: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.essays.uk.com/essays/analysis-clarks-competitive-strategy.php, accessed on: 16/08/10