Scenario
You work as a people management professional in a UK manufacturing company operating in the pharmaceutical sector. Your organisation is based on a single site where it employs 3000 people, most of whom are employed in well-paid professional, technical and administrative roles. There are large teams working in research and development, marketing, and production. While your company has been highly successful at exporting its major products, aside from some sales representatives, it has never employed many people to work overseas previously and has not been involved in any international ventures.
This situation is about to change. Your company is about to become a wholly owned subsidiary of a much larger Japanese corporation which has interests in pharmaceuticals as well as health foods and the manufacture of specialist medical equipment. Your site will soon be expanded considerably and become more diverse in terms of its manufacturing capability.
As a result, your core People Management team will double in size over the coming two years and will need, in part, to start focusing on meeting the needs of a larger international corporation headquartered in Japan. The parent company will be expatriating members of its management team to oversee UK operations and there will also be opportunities for established members of the UK based team to work for periods in Japan alongside colleagues there who specialise in people management.
Consequently there is a need for your team to develop its international people management knowhow quite rapidly and to adapt its practices to meet the needs of this new situation. You are asked to lead the project team, working to make this upcoming period of transformative change proceed smoothly and successfully. Your initial task is to organise a two-day training event for all members of the People Management function who are based on your site with a view both to explaining some of the likely challenges which lie ahead and to prepare everyone to meet them effectively.
Your manager asks you to brief her about your plans for this training event by responding to the following 11 questions relating broadly to what needs to be covered. At this stage all that is required is a brief outline of your initial thinking, but it is important that this is appropriate, thoughtful, well-informed and well-justified.
You may, if you wish, choose a different Southeast Asian country to discuss.
Questions
Question 1 (AC 1.1)
Drawing on Geert Hofstede’s cultural mapping research, examine the major ways in which UK and Japanese workplace cultures differ from each other and how this may pose significant challenges for your organisation in the future following the takeover.
Question 2 (AC 1.2)
Assess the benefits to your company of employing people in an international context following the takeover.
Question 3 (AC 1.3)
Explain why there is typically some tension in multi-national companies between a wish to adhere to global corporate standards and norms when managing people, and an equally strong need to respect established local standards and norms. How can this tension best be resolved in your company as it prepares to implement the proposed takeover?
Question 4 (AC 2.1)
Assess the major short term people management factors that your company will need to consider during the next few months as the implications of the takeover become clear to the workforce.
Question 5 (AC 2.2)
Explain two major ways in which employment and labour market traditions vary between the UK and Japan. Illustrate each with a practical example.
Question 6 (AC 2.3)
Evaluate two major ways in which common people management practices differ between the UK and Japan.
Question 7 (AC 3.1)
Explain the main role and function of a well-run and effective international people management function.
Question 8 (AC 3.2)
Consider the features of people management in a typical Japanese company employing professional staff. Which would you like to see adopted by your workplace? Which would you prefer to see not adopted?
Question 9 (AC 4.1)
Evaluate the potential advantages of expatriating Japanese staff to work in the UK and vice versa.
Question 10 (AC 4.2)
Explain which personal attributes and competencies your companies should consider when selecting staff to work at the new parent company’s headquarters in Japan.
Question 11 (AC 4.3)
Explain which policies and practices your company should adopt for managing the repatriation of expatriate staff after their assignments in the UK and in Japan.
Assessment Criteria Evidence Checklist
You may find the following checklist helpful to make sure that you have included the required evidence to meet the task. This is not a mandatory requirement as long as it is clear in your submission where the assessment criteria have been met.
Assessment criteria Evidenced
Y/N Evidence reference
1.1 Examine the contextual factors of an international organisation.
1.2 Assess the drivers and benefits of employment in an international context.
1.3 Explain convergent or divergent approaches to inform people management policy and practice choices.
2.1 Assess the factors to be considered when selecting and resourcing staff for international assignments.
2.2 Explain why people practices can vary across international boundaries.
2.3 Evaluate the cultural and institutional differences to be considered when managing international people practice.
3.1 Explain the role and function of people practice in an international organisational context.
3.2 Consider how people practices and policies are shaped by the international context.
4.1 Evaluate the reasons that companies use expatriates for international working.
4.2 Explain the process for selecting, preparing and managing expatriates for overseas relocation for work.
4.3 Explain how people practice can support re-entry and resettlement of overseas workers.
Assessment Criteria marking descriptors.
Assessors will mark in line with the following assessment criteria (AC) marking descriptors, and will indicate where the learner sits within the marking band range for each AC.
Assessors must provide a mark from 1 to 4 for each assessment criteria within the unit. Assessors should use the mark descriptor grid as guidance so they can provide comprehensive feedback that is developmental for learners. Please be aware that not all the mark descriptors will be present in every assessment criterion, so assessors must use their discretion in making grading decisions.
The grid below shows the range for each unit assessment result based on total number of marks awarded across all assessment criteria.
To pass the unit assessment learners must achieve a 2 (Low Pass) or above for each of the assessment criteria.
The overall result achieved will dictate the outcome the learner receives for the unit, provided NONE of the assessment criteria have been failed or referred.
Please note that learners will receive a Pass or Fail result from the CIPD at unit level. Referral grades can be used internally by the centre.
Overall mark Unit result
0 to 21 Fail
22 to 28 Low Pass
29 to 35 Pass
36 to 44 High Pass
Marking Descriptors
Mark Range Descriptor
1 Fail The response DOES NOT demonstrate sufficient knowledge, understanding or skill (as appropriate) to meet the AC.
Insufficient examples included where required to support answer. Insufficient or no evidence of the use of wider reading to help inform answer.
Presentation or structure of response is not appropriate and does not meet the requirement of the question/assessment brief.
2 Low Pass The response demonstrates an acceptable level of knowledge, understanding or skill (as appropriate) to meet the AC.
Sufficient acceptable examples included where required to support answer.
Sufficient evidence of appropriate wider reading to help inform answer.
Satisfactory in-text referencing.
Answer is acceptable but could be clearer in responding to the question/task and presented in a more coherent way.
Required format adopted but some improvement required to the structure and presentation of the response.
3 Pass
The response demonstrates a good level of knowledge, understanding or skill (as appropriate) to meet the AC.
Includes confident use of examples where required to support the answer.
Good evidence of appropriate wider reading to help inform answer.
A good standard of in-text referencing.
Answer responds clearly to the question/task and is well-expressed. Presentation and structure of response is appropriate for the question/task.
4 High Pass The response demonstrates a wide and confident level of knowledge, understanding or skill (as appropriate) to meet the AC. Includes strong examples that illustrate the points being made and support the answer.
Considerable evidence of appropriate wider reading to inform answer.
An excellent standard of in-text referencing.
Answer responds clearly to the question/task and is particularly well-expressed or argued.
Presentation and structure of response is clear, coherent, and responds directly to the requirements of the question/task.