1. Assignment on Human Resource Management of
Marks and Spencer
Submitted By:
Submitted To:
Date
DATE OF SUBMISSION:

2. I
Table of Content:
Executive summary II
Lo-1 Understand Learning Theories And Learning Styles 1
1.1 Compare different learning styles: 1
1.2 Explain the role of the learning curve and the importance of transferring
learning to the workplace in Marks and Spencer:
2
1.3 Assess the contribution of learning styles and theories when planning and
designing a learning event for the Company
3
LO-2 Explain the role of the learning curve and the importance of transferring
learning to the workplace in Marks and Spencer
5
2.1 Compare the training needs for staff at different levels in Marks and Spencer 5
2.2 Assess the advantages and disadvantages of current training methods used in
the organization
6
2.3 Use a systematic approach to plan training and development 7
LO-3 Be able to evaluate a training event 9
3.1 Documented methodology of an evaluation using suitable techniques 9
3.2 Analysis (and evaluation) of the training event: 10
3.3 A review of the success of the evaluation methods used: 10
LO-4 Understand government-led skills development initiatives 11
4.1 Explain the role of government in training, development and lifelong learning 11
4.2 Explain how the development of the competency movement has impacted on
the public and private sectors
11
4.3 Assess how contemporary training initiatives introduced by the UK government
contribute to human resources development for an organization such as Marks and
Spencer
12
Conclusion 13
References 14

3. II
Executive Summary:
The idea of Human Resource Development has been proved to be an important one to be
considered to achieve success and growth in the competitive world of business. Companies no
longer can sustain by just what they produce and sell. The people who work behind the scene to
produce and serve the commodities till the customers play a big role today. So, development of
the employees has turned into a very important factor for the organizations. In the case we can
have the idea about how Marks & Spencer considers the training needs and development of their
employees for long run growth. To ensure skill enrichment, companies have to work with the
theories of human resource development and determine which process to choose as appropriate
for their type. Adequate training and learning programs are needed to be initiated for time to time
performance improvement and evaluation of the employees. Moreover, to assess whether the
learning programs are paying off there has to be proper monitoring and evaluating systems and
initiatives. And lastly, the organizations have to collaborate with the government in various
government-led skill development events to ensure proper learning and incubation for their
employees.

4. 1
Task 1: Understand learning theories and learning styles
Every organization that is motivated to train up their employees in order to cope up with the
challenge in the market and thus achieve the organizational objectives through proper enrichment
of human resource skills, analyze different learning process and theories and decide on one or
more styles to be suitable for their employees. The organizations take the necessary
arrangements and engage the employees into suitable as well as required learning programs and
supervise thereafter. Effective selection of learning process and implication of it can result into
expected result or even a result even beyond expectation.
1.1 Compare different learning styles:
According to Honey and Mumford (1986), there can be 4 types of different processes or styles
that an organization may follow to train its employees. The styles are:
a) Theorist: In this process, the organization employer and employees emphasize on
learning through following theoretical strategies and lessons and they strictly maintain
being rational in the works they do. Analyzing the facts according to learned theories is
the backbone of this style. Their decisions are not from their individual or archaic
acquisition. They form reasoning and supported on their thinking findings on the
effective scenario, they succeed to an occurrence.
b) Activist: In this process, the employees look for newer events to go through and learn
through newer experiences. They tend to shift from one sort of duty or activity to another
and put effort to learn things between these shifts. In apace dynamic situations and make
requirements these learners can attempt themselves in altering and wider responsibilities.
But activists' strength is skilled to treat in different responsibilities and tasks but they are
lowly superstar in any fact realm of acquirement and ability.
c) Pragmatist: In this process, the employer and the employees share a common interest in
practical knowledge. They grab opportunities where they can work in real and learn to
get accustomed to different environments as well as situations. This style builds expertise
in them gradually. The learners are fit to adapt speedily in dynamical situations, effortful
surroundings and tasks. The state M&S telling has created for the employees and

5. 2
managers requisite these kinds of learners to be robust to fit themselves and commute
according to the requirements.
d) Reflector: Those who follow this style are generally opportunists. The employees look
for information, data and facts to learn from. They make logical explanation and
implementation of all the information they get and make a path of effective learning.
Reflector learners are inactive in developing and judging a put because they driblet a lot
of labour in analysing the information, theory and act. As they make own points after a
long and thoroughgoing cerebration, the chances of divagation and problems in their
decisions are low. They are timesaving in perspicacity making but not effectual.
Marks & Spencer, the organization in the case prefer to follow the style of the ‘Pragmatists’. The
company culture as well as the official website descriptions state that Marks & Spencer
emphasize for ‘On the job’ training for the employees. That means, when an employee joins the
team, he or she is put into an environment where the employees are exposed to real working
situations and thus trained up through practical learning. Moreover, the company has ‘Off the
job’ training facilities too that also helps the employees enrich their knowledge about what they
do. Separate activity programs held alfresco of fresh state equivalent workshops are simulated
for achieving efficiency in show and experience. The upbringing programs are investments for
the forcible because as a finishing of the reflexion information employees would be fit to growth
the storey of broadening set.
1.2 Explain the role of the learning curve and the importance of transferring
learning to the workplace in Marks and Spencer:
The positive relationship between increasing experience and increasing performance can be
shown through a ‘Learning Curve’. The increment of experience is shown in the horizontal axis
of the graph and the resulted performance is shown in the vertical axis. As an employee goes
through different working situations and events, he or she experiences new challenges, problems
and solutions. This process gradually increases his or her capabilities of doing thing in more

6. 3
efficient way. As experience increases, workers are found to do works in less time and less costs.
This relation can easily be portrayed by a learning curve.
Figure: Learning Curve
Here we can see that when perpetual tolerate is in front, the acquisition and efficiency increases
time term required performing the job. Thus get brings downward the abstraction exploding the
skilfulness inform and larger start.
Role of Learning Curve: M&S emphasizes on building and enhancing the technical skills and
the business competencies of the employees. The learning curve can effectively display the
development of the employees in both the sectors from time to time. As the employees enrich
their experiences in both technical skills and competencies, they are expected to show additional
and superior performances than before that might add value to the business of the organization.
A proper disbursement of learning curve can hugely help the management to supervise the actual
progress of learning and the required steps that are yet to be taken. Through the undertaking
ability and enhanced performance, employees earned efficiency in their action and managers
could feel out someone realizable options for apiece field and credit.
Role of Transferring Learning: The senior managers, employees as well as trainers are always
believed to be source of motivation and expertise for the newly employed people(Huang 2001).
A proper flow of knowledge and experience from the old employees to the new employees can
play a big role to develop the skill and confidence of the employees and keep a sound harmony

7. 4
among them (Huang 2001). In M&S, it is nurtured that the employees talk between themselves
and sort out beneficiary things from one another.
1.3 Assess the contribution of learning styles and theories when planning and
designing a learning event for the Company:
While designing various learning events for the employees, the theories of learning styles
obviously come with great help. If we have a look on the case of M&S, we can see that the
company follows those styles which they have found to be appropriate for the employees to learn
and act accordingly and bring out the larger organizational objectives(Liao 2005). For example,
they have initiated 3 types of training programs for three different types of employees depending
on their expertise and previous experience. Moreover, they have set up a base of skills and
competencies against which the employees are evaluated. Through different events arranged
according to learning styles and theories, the employees are provided to evaluate their own level
of competencies and moreover, they get the chance to sort out the individual improvement needs.
So, before selecting and conducting grooming events for the employees the acquisition styles and
theories can be analysed and orientated according to the faithful expectations and desires. Thus
successful musing on learning preferences and hypothetical evidences, increase the HR event
organizing.
Connection among learning style, theory, event:
Making a deciding on the activity of learning styles is provocative task because of the several
differences. To supply the preparation and acquisition pauperization a combining of septuple
acquisition styles give be many congruous. After the selection the fortunate and prospective
outcome instrument depend on the ornament and application of the preparation courses and the
needful betterment made. Change may enjoin improving differentiable competences and skills
Siamese leaders’ skills, resolve making cognition, efficiency, unit outcome, enhancing arena
land etc. These needs delimitate the characteristics of activity and practice requirements. And
acquisition theories explain acquisition types, structures and supposed explanations and learning
puppet edicts how most successfully acquisition can be wilful with the maximum apt targeted.

8. 5
Contribution of learning theories and styles on training event:
Assign designing of the circumstance module pay a big assignation to the success of the selected
acquisition lenses. For the event success a prospering one, the status of staffs, their activeness,
openness, sharing and remedy in activities are constituent elements. To fulfil the necessities I
will reassert the needs and prospect and tell status to select writer appropriate tool and theory for
faster learning. Every being favours and oriented with several acquisition patterns and structure.
It's important to understand and connect learning theories settled by theorists with the
idiosyncratic acquisition necessities and designs to compel a wagered merging and objective-
oriented readying whole.
Task 2: Explain the role of the learning curve and the importance of transferring
learning to the workplace in Marks and Spencer
2.1 Compare the training needs for staff at different levels in Marks and Spencer
There are three different levels of employees that can be distinguished and the training needs can
be compared accordingly (Liao 2005). For the managerial aim employees the tighten requisite to
begin incompatible categories of upbringing facilities and services than the employees at
functioning or customer aid layer. For this sanity HR executives must status to realize the
necessities and prospects at those various levels.
The levels are:
 Management Level
 Operation Level
 Customer Service Level
The comparison of training needs can be drawn as follows:
Management Level Operation Level Customer Service Level
The employees of the
management level has to be
able of analyzing facts,
The operation level employees
have to be expert regarding
time management, efficient
The employees of customer
service level are directly
exposed to the customers of

9. 6
running a team, responding to
changing situations, taking
decisions etc. It needs both off
the job knowledge gathering
facilities and on the job
simulations to make the
employees prepared.
task delivery etc. This level of
employees is needed to be
guided by the senior
employees and motivated to
perform according to the
organizational requirement
and thus support the other
levels.
the firm. So they have to have
the abilities to make effective
communications, please the
customers with information
and appropriate products and
importantly queue
management. They are needed
to be provided with adequate
measures of such
developments.
Analyzing present training method: Presently M&S has been composition action
facilities for the nominal ingenuity evolution of its employees using diverse plaything. Managers
as fit as the trainers bed been counselling distinguishable staffs to serve the employees to make
their advancement itinerary (Gilly et al. 2002). The parts of various positions of the employees
transform unchaste to distinguish as well as their duties and job environment. The workers can
also instruct near their achievement gaps, sectors of melioration with the service of performance
appraisal. At the self-clip different workshops, workbooks etc. grant for their straightaway and
their non-biased. But for the perfect utilization and effectiveness of the teaching events, the HR
managers require ensuring the suited implementation and activities of services.
2.2 Assess the advantages and disadvantages of current training methods used in
the organization
Advantages:
1. Induction: This process is designed for the new employees who have joined M&S. It
enables them to learn about the organization at the beginning and get an introduction of
the organizational culture.
2. Role Playing: This process enables an employee to realize the duties and the way of
success while working in different roles in the organization(Gilly et al. 2002).

10. 7
3. Performance Coaching: This process includes assessing the performance and
productivity of an employee working in the organizations and making improvement notes
and inputs (Nath 2010). It helps the employee to better understand the present level of
performance and the probabilities of possible improvements.
4. Workshops: It is arranged for the employees to facilitate learning materials, instructions
and demonstrate the ways of improvement along the day to day job.
Disadvantages:
1. Induction: If the initial introductory statements conveyed to the employees are fabricated
or overrated, there is a chance that the employees might feel demotivated and less
dedicated to work(Gilly et al. 2002).
2. Role Playing: While being shifted from one role to another an employee might feel
afraid of new duties or even reluctant of taking new responsibilities if the job description
is not suitable according to his or her capabilities.
3. Performance Coaching: If the assessment is not done with appropriate concentration
and being unbiased, it might result in inappropriate evaluation of an employee which can
make him or her overrated or underrated (Nath 2010).
4. Workshops: It requires a bulk amount of cost and yet can be unfruitful if the employees
fail to obtain the intended message and objective of the workshop.
2.3 Use a systematic approach to plan training and development
The plan will include a number of systematic yet interlinked approaches.
 At first the employees will be divided into groups and then will be provided realistic
organizational problem scenarios The scenarios might include:
 Customer service
 Efficiency in production
 Motivation
 Employee relation
 Appropriate management

11. 8
 After the scenarios are provided, the teams will be asked to go through a Question and
Answer session to know better about the tasks.
 Then the teams will be asked to present their findings on the scenarios and conduct
elaborated discussions.
 As the findings will be made, the teams will have to work on that and come up with
possible best solutions of the problems.
 As the solutions are submitted, senior managers and trainers will make comments and
corrections of that. Teams will be asked to re=submit their solution including the new
made corrections and inputs.
 After that, another discussion will be conducted on the re-submitted solutions of the
teams and the best possible solution will be sorted out.
The entire process will be under observation of the organization management. Senior managers
will make note son both team performance and individual contribution to the team solutions. As
the process ends, teams and individual employees will be informed about their performance
through ratings followed by suggestions to improve.
Resubmissio
n of solution
& Best
solution
Rating &
Inputs
Solutions
Providing
Problems
Q&A
Findings &
Discussion
Correction
& Inputs

12. 9
Task 3: Be able to evaluate a training event
3.1 Documented methodology of an evaluation using suitable techniques:
Jacobs F. (1988) came up with the framework named ‘Five Tiered Approach’ in order to assess
the effectiveness of an implemented program. This approach can be used to evaluate to measure
the training and improvement plan for the staffs of Marks & Spencer. Top management
instrument poorness to relation how realistic the expression collection was and for this they
evidence ascertain different elements and factors, costs and benefits to decide on whether it
springiness sustain or not. The theory evaluates a schedule in every level and compares the real
outcome with the anticipated outcome of the design. The think that the mentation aimed at 5
discriminable stages has met the status or not was assessed.
The framework contains 5 approaches which are:
i) Need assessment: To sort out the actual problem about the employees is and what is the
actual improvement need for them is determined here.
ii) Monitoring and Accountability: In this part, the target people of the program and the
intended contents to be provided are determined.
iii) Program Clarification: In this part, an evaluation is conducted on how the program can
be developed to be more fruitful and effective.
iv) Progress: In this part, the responses of the enrolled people in the program are evaluated
through their reactions and answers.
v) Program impact: In this part, the impact of the program on the people in the long run is
evaluated. This is an experimental approach.
Need Assessment
Accountability
Clarification
Progress
Impact

13. 10
Evaluation Documents: The effectiveness of the training program would be evaluated based on
some documents that actually work as indicator of improvement. The documents are:
 Customer Service: Whether the quality of customer service has improved or not.
 Quality Improvement: Whether the quality of the product and the service provided has
improved or not.
 Productivity: Whether the productivity of the employees have improved or not.
 Change in Sales: Whether the program has been able to bring positive change or not.
3.2 Analysis (and evaluation) of the training event
The designed training event has been found to be fruitful as intended. The employees were seen
enthusiast and proactive. The teams of the employees were given realistic problem scenarios
about service. They actively participated in the discussion session with the senior managers and
with considerable concentration and energy they analyzed every facts and possible solutions.
They were driven to produce logical conclusions and thereby, they realized the necessities
towards the way of improved customer service and personal development.
3.3 A review of the success of the evaluation methods used
The ‘Five Tiered Approach’ was used to evaluate the training process and it was found to be
effective in assessing the impact of training. The method successfully analyzed the facts of
expected and obtained outcome of the training event and found that the event was fruitful.
Moreover, it also found that the training was successful in the cost-benefit analysis. During the
categorisation machine employees, managers provided their problems and sardonic activities of
the state event that intentional adversely in their developing walking. The message constitute it a
affluent sorting method which critically analysed all the steps and policies appropriated by HR
managers. Scholar ordered and analytical transmutation was prefabricated in direction to acquire
a shell signalling and close in activity.

14. 11
Task-4: Understand government-led skills development initiatives
4.1 Explain the role of government in training, development and lifelong learning
The UK government, being the highest authority of kingdom takes the responsibility of
providing proper learning arrangements to ensure skilled workforce for the economy. The private
organizations look for skilled workers and try to provide facilities and programs to enrich the
capabilities of the employees that would assist themselves to attain organizational objectives,
both long term and short term. Yet, the government here plays a big role to ensure a better and
importantly larger arrangements and planning to train the employees. Having the nearly exact
statistics of the need of human resources in the economy the supply of skilled labor as well as
talents against that demand, the government takes the responsibility to maintain a good flow of
skilled and trained manpower to the required as well as desired sector. From both employer’s end
and employee’s end, the government can be a guardian figure to meet the need for workforce and
employment as well. Moreover the firms' quality not be fit to put in school beautify and medal
the requisite acculturation facilities. In these cases the firms are benefitted finished the Govt.
wonderment and substantiation in their HR processing. In crumble the frugalness industries are
healthy writer apace and gaining HR effectively and definitive creation even. This helps to create
an timely procedure for the firms in the highly contending manufacture.
4.2: Explain how the development of the competency movement has impacted on
the public and private sectors
The most important impact of competency movement is that, the organizations, both public and
private became cautious about the performance of their employees. The employers now realize
that poor skill and performance of the can result into competitive disadvantage and can lead to
fall in business. The idea of never ending learning and everlasting development has changed the
view towards the employee development and training factors. It has also helped companies like
Marks & Spencer to retain a good of number of skilled employees through different
arrangements of development. Occurrence of capabilities and skills are base pass of learning and
utile and mature execution. Higher achievement valuate of the never-ending transmute of
achievement and knowledge anterior in the faster application in actions and fecundity has

15. 12
inclined all the firms to notify the graph in their own workstations. Workforces are getting a
greater turn of requisite and activity in their employment and modification of their orbit areas.
4.3 Assess how contemporary training initiatives introduced by the UK
government contribute to human resources development for an organization such
as Marks and Spencer
Organizations like Marks & Spencer depend on service operation that is highly correlated to the
quality of the HR skill they have employed. For M&S, improved customer service is an
important key to grow their business and enlarge profits. As a result they have to retain a
considerable number of employees who are self-motivated to enrich their capabilities and always
devoted to provide utmost performance. The government initiatives including training programs
like vocational programs would play a big role in motivating both the employers and the
employees to practice the culture of skill development. When the government specifies the areas
of improvements and the process alongside, it gets easier for the companies to determine what
steps they should take towards their employees. This fact is nothing different in case of Marks &
Spencer who believe their workforce to be the most powerful instrument of success. This
simultaneous provision instalment is quicker issue of usage in the dangerous hired position. As
the action is affected by the enactments of the workforces in all companies, the Govt. has been
socializing more researchable the front learning selections to the organizations as per the write of
acquisition needs.
Contemporary learning role in M&S:
The training approaches presented by Authorities are real powerful for the movement of frail
resources and their enactment up gradation to retain agonistic welfare. The personnel of M&S
could regularise their show, knowledge to contend up with the altered surrounding and artefact
with the validation of the peer upbringing grouping. The acquisition has also inclined the
anticipation of client, aggressive point and other organizational elements. Faster adaptability is
gettable with the bustling operation and effectual title of soul acquisition events as per the stead
hastening's plot and employees wait.

16. 13
Conclusion
In modern age of competitive business, human resource is no longer regarded as just manpower
for production. Rather, the success of a firm largely depends on how it looks towards its
workforce to develop and win competitive advantages in the market through better performance
and productivity. Marks & Spencer, a company being UK’s leading retailer has deliberately
proved that the proper nurture of the employees can create a motivated workforce that together
work towards achieving organizational objectives while increasing their own capabilities for
future challenges. This workforce will assist the firm to uphold the proud flag of success among
its competitors. Businessman and Sociologist is a directing distributer fluctuating possessing an
economic happening on the UK state. The management affect dissimilar facilities for a faster
action advance of workers. These helped the unwavering to enactment and conflict in the highly
competing outlet gaining politico consumer inspirit and reliability. The training aids the
workforces to apprehend some importance and watch out organizational errors. For different
acquisition necessities, appraising areas and structural difficulties for trenchant implication of
theories and implications. The workers can be at their unexcited direct structure if direction pay
weak ensure to them and toward their organizational artefact and altering environs.

17. 14
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