bervin friend proposal

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RESEARCH PROPOSAL

A critical evaluation of

the strategies humanresource management

A Case study on Tata ConsultancyServices, UK

Bervin Babu

01-Jun-11


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ContentsContents ...................................................................................................................................... 2

Proposed Working Title ..............................................................................................................3

Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 3

Background Information and Research Rationale ...................................................................... 4

Aim and Objectives of the Research ...................................................................................... 5

LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................................... 5

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................... 8

6.1 Research design ................................................................................................................ 8

6.2 Research instruments ........................................................................................................ 9

6.3 Sampling technique .......................................................................................................... 9

6.4 Sample size ....................................................................................................................... 9Method of data collection ....................................................................................................... 9

6.6 Data analysis ................................................................................................................... 10

6.7 Resource Requirements .................................................................................................. 10

7. Reference ............................................................................................................................. 11

Time Scale ............................................................................................................................... 13

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Proposed Working Title

A critical evaluation of the strategies human resource management teams can adopt for

effective cross-cultural training? A Case study on Tata Consultancy Services, UK

IntroductionIn todays global marketplace, every company interacts with people and organizations from

many different backgrounds and cultures. In the current world, management of Human

Resources has to deal with a variety of new issues (Jackson & Mathis, 2008). As a result of

this HR management will continue to be more globalized. As organizations grow more and

become worldwide in their operations, the HR department has to deal with many new

responsibilities. While in the past, the main focus of the function was dealing with

recruitment and selection, development and training of the employees, the advent of

globalization brings with it new functionalities. One of the new duties which have thus risen

is cross-cultural training and it is a requirement for those employees who are working in

foreign countries. As a result of this, there are a set of plans which are followed in order for

the HR department to give the employees this training and it is an important part of

development of the employee as well. So, an organization need to change its philosophies and

plans so that it can create a culture that is shared throughout and the employees bond across

all barriers.

This study is done for the purpose of analysis and evaluation followed by a discussion on the

techniques utilized by HR management in organizations for the purpose of cross-cultural

training within Tata Consultancy Services. TCS being a worldwide spanning organization has

operations in various parts of the world and interacts on a daily basis with clientele from all

around the world.

With the increases in both outsourcing and acquisitions and mergers on a global scale,

interaction between employees from various parts of the world is a necessity and this training

is an essential requirement to create good interaction. People from different parts of the world

have different attitudes towards this training. Chinese and Americans for example have vastly

different attitudes towards this (Wang, 2000). The IT sector development is spanning the

entire world and organizations like TCS have branches in various parts of the globe. The

training is a requirement for the employees and managers to bridge the gap between cultures

on overseas assignments as well as giving them the requisite language skills and making the

cultural shock which might occur much less stressful. It also has the aim of increasing their

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abilities and helping them be more efficient in dealing with people from a variety of different

backgrounds. The workers who have undergone cross-cultural training can adapt and

cooperate more efficiently with people from different backgrounds (Eschbach, Parker and

Stoeberl, 2001).

For the purpose of creation of better interactions among staff between the various groups and

branches within an organization, cross-cultural training is given to help them adapt better and

be more efficient in their dealings with people from a variety of cultures. It is necessary for an

organization to possess a clearly defined number of methods which should be provided by

means of training to the staff who are representing the organization in foreign lands (May,

Puffer, McCarthy, 2005). The particulars of the training vary from organization to

organization and is dependent on their particular needs.

Background Information and Research Rationale

This research is done within TCS for the purpose of evaluating the various techniques which

may be utilized by HR management in order to conduct an efficient cross-cultural training.

TCS is an organization providing information technology services to consumers on a global

scale, possessing a workforce of 114,000 all over the world and they also possess strategies

for outsourcing that are global in nature. As a result of this, it is essential that they follow a

policy for HR that is very effective. A cross section of areas needs to be covered by the

provided training for the purpose of maintaining maximum levels of competency among the

staff. This research shall look into the various strategies that they follow to meet their needs

in cross-cultural training. The organization has a very effective training module to help the

workforce to:

Cope with the various circumstances that may arise from working in the different

environments.

Comprehend the environment and the client in order to service them efficiently.

Understand the clients processes and particulars to deal with them better.

Increase efficiency and effectiveness in dealing with the clients to increase retention

among clients.

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According to Lefkowitz (2006), the number of firms who provide training to promote cross-

cultural understanding and ethics is on the increase. The process of training cannot be

simplified and it should be able to take care of the needs of the staff as well as that of the

organization. Cross-cultural programs for training cannot be predefined (Moran et. Al., 2007).

The training should be able to give the employees the required skills to understand and

interact better with the various different cultures. The key aim of such training is to minimize

the issues faced by an employee in different environments and increase their productivity.

Aim and Objectives of the Research

Aim Evaluation of the various strategies which can be used by HR to give cross-culturaltraining effectively.

Objectives

Look at what methods may be used by organizations within the United Kingdom for

development of strategies which would be efficient for cross-cultural training of their

staff.

Understand the main advantages for the firms which may be achieved from the

training.

Development of frameworks for management of employees across cultures for the

various MNCs in the UK.

Evaluation of the relationship between development of employees and cross cultural

training if any.

LITERATURE REVIEW

In any given organization, HR management is their prime asset (Kleynhans, 2006). For any

firm to function, the staff is a necessity and because of this, the function of HR management

which used to be of low value is now of prime importance for the efficient functioning of a

company (Griffin, 2007). The main function of HRM was thought to be just scheduling

parties or recreation for the employees till about a 20-30 years ago. Currently, this has

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undergone a vast change and has become a prime ingredient which makes a big contribution

towards improvement in the productivity of the staff (Decenzo, 2009).

The approach towards HR management has gone from a defensive one to one that is very

proactive (Deb, 2006). A lot of changes are being caused due to globalization and companies

have evolved a variety of strategies to effectively manage them. In order to most effectively

use the talent of the staff, newer types of management are constantly being created by HR

management. For the purpose of meeting with the future requirements, it is necessary to look

at human resource management from a worldwide perspective and in a context that is much

wider (Price, 2007). HRM is constituted by the main functions of recruitment, selection,

training and management. Of these, the most critical function is management. Management is

not restricted to merely training, legality, and payroll but has far more to it. Employees with

capabilities of innovation and productivity and the ability to work in an environment that is

very flexible are essential for any company (Mathis & Jackson, 2008).

In order to properly manage an organization, it is necessary to manage apart from the

technical and economic functions, the various cultures that the organization deals with. For

HRM to be effective on a global basis, the key point becomes culture. Countries differ from

each other in a variety of ways including their languages, customs, laws, and beliefs, which

all come under culture. The number of organizations who span across many different

countries is increasing steadily. As a result of this, there is a requirement for staff to work on

various stations overseas and these present many new obstacles for the HR management both

specific and generalized.

There has been a lot of research into cross-cultural training (Primecz, Romani, Sackmann,

2009). There exist a variety of forums on the internet for researchers in the field to interact.

They concentrate mainly on the methods utilized for efficiently conducting business in a

variety of different countries all over the world in order to help them perform better.

The various policies which are followed for management of HR by MNCs affect both the

careers of the employees as well as their morale, in the most part owing to the fact that a lot

of employees in these organizations are from different countries. As a result of this

expatriates will have different expectations as opposed to local employees. An organization

should thus device strategies in a manner to suit both parties (Dowling et.al 2008). Thus it

may be said that the HR policies utilized by an organization will determine their success on

an international scale (Vance & Paik 2006).

A key challenge in most MNCs is the management of expatriates. So for HR management on

an international scale, this is one of the most important aspects. Within any given firm, the

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expatriates incur the most cost and examination of their performance is of great difficulty.

This is a major issue for mobility on an international scale and the issue does have a

significant effect on the organizational viewpoint on expatriates. The main aim of most

researchers in this area is to figure out a median between the demands of the environment and

the distinctive requirements of staff during an assignment to a foreign country (Sparrow,

2007). As a result of decentralization as well as downsizing, efficiency in managing

expatriates has decreased. Another cause for this could also be the huge increase in the

number of expatriates.

This condition necessitates techniques for:

- Connecting HR strategy globally with management of expatriates.

- Looking at the MNC mobility position strategically as well as the result this has on

the staff.

Differences in cultures have had a major effect on corporate governance (Shonhiwa, 2008).

The obstacles brought about between cultures is one of the key problems which companies

need to take care of when they grow international. There is a very high level of competition

among MNCs on the human capital. As a result of this, the staff in these organizations are

required to work in many foreign countries on a variety of jobs and these can be demanding

for the staff as it takes them beyond their normal zone of comfort. There could also be

problems from language barriers as well as difficulty in coping with the new culture. The

functions within HR that are most critical for increasing the effectiveness of staff across

cultures are training and development and selection.

It was after the end of the second world war that management across cultures started with

organizations taking a greater interest in managing their employees in foreign countries more

effectively (Behrens, 2009). Cross-cultural management may be said to be the process of

developing and applying information on different cultures amongst people from different

backgrounds for managing them internationally (Mead, 2005). As a result of this, behavior of

companies both inside and across countries and cultures can be explained by this (Adler &

Gundersen 2008). For the purpose of becoming an expatriate worker, an employee is required

to have certain skills to improve their effectiveness. Skills in managing across cultures would

enable employees to overcome any cultural obstacles that may arise when working in a

foreign country or a global environment.

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When a company operates internationally, it will come up against a variety of cultural

problems. The problems encompass the culture, communication problems, adaptability

problems, and differences in ethics across cultures throughout different regions in the world.

For the purpose of cross-cultural management, training is provided to the staff dependent on

their own background. The materials and techniques used for the training need to be revised

and adapted according to the background and knowledge of the employees concerned

(Chrisler & McCreary 2009). There is also the issue in many organizations where the gender

of the employees is not taken into consideration. An example would be sending a female

employee to an Arab country. The culture within those countries could come as quite a

cultural shock as well as creating problems for them to function there effectively. There is

also an accusation that women do not have options to work internationally thus creating

challenges which are dependent on the gender in many organizations (Moral & Abbott 2009).

Companies must look into and make a comprehensive study of the issues before they expand

beyond borders (Mcfarlin & Sweeney, 2008). There should be a detailed analysis on the

various factors involved and weigh carefully the advantages and disadvantages while

considering the strengths and weaknesses. Not taking into consideration issues relating to

people could cause a great deal of problems in the future.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

According to Walliman (2005), a search for information on a particular subject by means that

are both systematic and scientific is called as a research. The methodology of research may be

said to be the collection of information about a topic in a systematic manner followed by

analysis. Analyzing the information that is collated needs certain methodologies which utilize

a series of steps. The chief components in the process of research are design, size of the

sample, information collation methods, methods of sampling, analysis techniques etc.

6.1 Research design

It is a strategy that could be utilized for the purpose of mapping, which is built upon a

technique of sampling. The design is the process of research conceptualization. It provides a

clear idea as to the research and its process as well as the way it should be done. TCS

Technologies in the UK is the organization which has been chosen for doing the research.

There will be a number of aims set to direct the process. By the process of utilizingquestionnaires and survey of existing literature, the various issues that can arise which are

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relevant to cross-cultural training shall be pinpointed. The sample for this research project

would be the staff within the organization that has already undergone the training. The

questionnaires are provided to those staff and their responses are then received and then

subject to an analysis by utilizing various methods for attaining the result. Dependent on

those results, both recommendations will be given which will match with the aim of the

research.

6.2 Research instruments

A tool utilized for the purpose of gathering the primary data is called as a research

instrument. For the purpose of this research, the tool utilized is a structured questionnaire

within which are the key questions which deal with management across cultures.

6.3 Sampling technique

The people to be utilized for the purpose of this research are identified by utilizing simple

random sampling. This is a form of sampling in which all the people within the population

have the same chance of being selected to be within the sample (Krishnaswamy et al. 2009).

6.4 Sample size

The number of people selected for the study is known as the sample size. The size for any

particular research is dictated by the hypothesis and questions which are included in the

research. In this study, the size of the sample is 50. So the structured questionnaire is sent to

50 employees and the responses which are then received in return are then examined.

Method of data collection

Primary data

The information that is collected for the first time explicitly for the purpose of conducting the

research is called primary data. The primary data that is utilized in this particular research is

by means of a structured questionnaire and the information that is gained through the

questionnaire comprises the primary data for this research.

Research instrument

The tool which is utilized for the purpose of collection of the information is called as the

research instrument. This particular research was conducted by utilization of a structured

questionnaire which was distributed among the sample which was selected for the purpose of

this research.

Secondary Data

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Information that already exists is referred to as secondary data. Included among secondary

data are the internet, magazines and journals, studies etc. For this particular research,

information pertaining to the organization as well as existing literature which deals with the

topic at hand was collated and utilized for the secondary data. This information is included in

the literature review of this research.

6.6 Data analysis

Data collection

The collated data was utilized to create a master table which was then divided into sub-tables

for the purpose of analysis.

Data analysisData which was put into the table underwent analysis by utilization of methods of percentage

analysis as well as chi-square methodology. This was done to extract the results for the

purpose of this research.

The Chi-square test is a tool which is utilized for the purpose of attaining a result out of the

information that is collected by utilization of Chi-square distribution tables. There are two

different hypothesis utilized in the Chi-square test. The test is utilized for the purpose of

comparison between two different variables and for the purpose of understanding any

relationship that exists between the two. The variables which are used are referred to as

independent and dependent variables. The test utilizes calculations with the help of the

following formula.

Where,

2 = Pearson's cumulative test statistic,

Oi = observed frequency;

Ei = expected (theoretical) frequency,

n = the number of cells in the table.

6.7 Resource Requirements

There were primary and secondary sources which were used for collation of information for

this particular research. The primary information for this study is by means of a structured

questionnaire distributed to the samples and the responses gained through their replies to the

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questions comprise the primary data. Secondary data was collated from a variety of sources

including journals, books, studies, websites etc.

7. Reference

1. Adler, Nancy. J & Gundersen, Allison (2008), International Dimensions of

organizational behavior, Cengage Learning, Page 13

2. Behrens, Alfredo (2009), Culture and Management in Americas, Stanford University

Press, Page 159

3. Cheetham, Graham & Chivers, G.E (2005), Professions, Competence and InformalLearning, Edward Elgar Publishing, Page 87

4. Chrisler, C.J & McCreary, R.D (2009), Handbook of gender research in psychology,

Springer, Page 169

5. Deb, Tapomoy (2006), Strategic Approach to Human Resource Management, Atlantic

Publishers & Distributors, Page 5

6. Decenzo (2009), Fundamentals of Human Resource Management, Wiley-India, 8 th ed.,

Page 35

7. Dowling, Peter.J, Festing, Marion & Engle, Allen.D (2008), International Human

Resource Management: managing people in a multinational context, Thomson

Learning, Page 14-17

8. Eschbach, D. M., Parker, G. E., & Stoeberl, P. A. (2001). American Repatriate

Employees' Retrospective Assessments of the Effects of Cross-Cultural Training on

Their Adaptation to International Assignments. International Journal of Human

Resource Management, 12 (2): pp.270-288

9. Fougre, M. & A. Moulettes, (2006), Development and modernity in Hofstedes

Culture Consequences. A postcolonial Reading. Working Papers Series, Lund Institute

of Economic Research, 2.

10. Griffin, Ricky.W (2007), Fundamentals of Management, Cengage Learning, Page 222-223

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11. Jack, G.; Calas, M. Nkomo, S. & Peltonen T. (2008), Critique and international

management: an uneasy relationship? Academy of Management Review, 33, 4, 870-

884.

12. Jonker, Jan & Pennink Bartjan (2010), The Essence of Research Methodology: A

Concise Guide for Master and PhD Students in Management Science, Springer, Page

99-100

13. Kleynhans, Ronel (2006), Human Resource Management, Pearson South Africa, Page

6

14. Kothari, C.R (2008),Research Methodology : Methods And Techniques, New Age

International, page 1

15. Krishnaswamy, K.N, Sivakmar, Appa Iyer & Mathirajan, M (2009), Management

Research Methodology: Integration of Methods and Techniques, Pearson Education

India, Page 284

16. Lefkowitz, Bernard (2006), Agents and techniques for child training: Cross-

cultural codes, pp.191-230

17. Magala, Slawomir (2005), Cross-cultural competence, Routledge, Page 47

18. May, R.C, S.M Puffer, D.J McCarthy, (2005),Transferring Management knowledge to

Russia, A culturally-based approach, The Academy of Management Executives,19(2),

pp.24-35.

19. Mcfarlin, Dean B. & Sweeney, Paul D (2008), International Management: Strategic

Opportunities and Cultural Challenges, Dreamtech Press, page 2

20. Moral, Michel & Abbott, Geoffrey (2009), Routledge Companion to International

Business Coaching, Taylor & Francis, Page 223

21. Moran et.al (2007), Managing cultural differences: global leadership strategies for the

21st century, Butterworth-Heinemann, pp.25

22. Price, Alan (2007), Human Resource Management in a Business Context, Thomson

Publications,1st Edition, page 11-13

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23. Primecz, H., Romani, L. & Sackmann, S. (2009), Multiple perspectives in Cross-

Cultural Management. International Journal of Cross-Cultural Management, 9, 3,

267-274.

24. Robert L. Mathis, John H. Jackson, (2008), Human resource management, Cengage

Learning, pp.24-25

25. Shenkar, Oded & Luo, Yadong (2008), International Business, Wiley-India, page 452-

456

26. Shonhiwa, Shepherd (2008), The effective cross-cultural manager: a guide for business

leaders in Africa, Zebra, Page 112-113

27. Sparrow, Paul (2007), Handbook of International Human Resource Management:

Integrating people, process and context, John Wiley and Sons, Page 115

28. Vance, Charles & Paik, Yongsun (2006), Managing a global workforce: Challenges

and opportunities in international human resource management, M.E.Sharpe, Page 86

29. Walliman, Nicholas S.R (2005), Your research project: a step-by-step guide for the

first-time researcher, SAGE, Page 8

30. Westwood, R. (2006), International Business and management studies as an Orientalist

discourse: a postcolonial critique. Critical Perspectives on International Business, 2, 2,

91-113.

Time Scale

N0. TimeSchedule Month-1 Month-2 Month-3 Month-4 Month-5 Month-6

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1MBA

Dissertation------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2 Proposal----------------

3 Preparation ------

4Research

(Survey)--------------

5Research

(Evaluation)-----------

6Formulate

Dissertation---------------

7 Finalize --------

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