LeNoir Cafe HRMIC Assignment Sample

HRMIC Assignment

INTRODUCTION

International human resource management (IHRM) includes cross-border employee management and handling the workforces who are relocated to the global country. This is crucial aspect for the companies because it helps in providing relocation assistance, cultural support and training as well as resolving their needs for adjusting into the new environment. Adoption the effective HRM strategies are beneficial for the international companies because it helps in building the corporate culture. Effective HRM also helps in developing synergy between local atmosphere and global standards by maintaining the balance between them (Reiche, Harzing and Tenzer, 2022). In addition, this report will be based on main challenges that will encounter by LeNoir Cafe while setting up business operation in India. LeNoir Cafe is one of leading UK based coffee bar chain that is popular in providing organic high-quality coffees and French cakes and pastries. This cafe is highly hit in the UK and looking to break into the Asian market and it wants to open its store in India for market reach and gain success and development. Apart from this, the current report will highlights the challenges face by chosen cafe in relevant to cultural differences, IHRM staffing strategy and difficulties expatriates as well as their impact on the HRM practices.

DISCUSSION

Cultural differences

Setting the business into international countries is not an easy task for the local companies because they experience wide range of challenges such as cultural differences, implementation of IHRM strategy and adoption of PCN and TCN numbers. Cultural difference is considered as one of the common challenge that will be experienced by LeNoir Cafe while setting the business operation in India. The culture of India is totally diverse from UK due to the different language and communication styles & religions. The Indian culture is typically highly infused and traditional with the concepts of respect, honour and dignity (Stahl and Maznevski, 2021). Before setting the business into India, it will be crucial for the chosen organization to analyse its culture otherwise it negatively impacts the overall operation and growth. To evaluate the Indian culture, LeNoir Cafe will need to adopt Hofestede and Trompenaars models of cultural dimensions. Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory is considered as one of the critical framework that is used by the companies in order to understand the differences in cultures across various countries. This theory also helps in understanding the ways how business is done across the different cultures in a successful and effective manner.

Figure 1: Culture comparison of UK and India

(Source: The cultural factor, 2025)

From the hofstede's model it has been determined that, the culture of India is different from the UK from which selected organization will face the issue of running operation and recruit as well as select the employees. Power distance is considered as one of the critical component of hofstede's model that helps in determining the cultural differences between the companies. In the context of power distance, UK scores higher than India i.e. 69 and 26 (The cultural factor, 2025). India score low as comparison to UK it means it has culture of restraint and values the equal treatment of everyone. In India, the companies are providing equal opportunity to all the people for the employment irrespective of their gender, age and religion (Chatterjee et al, 2022). Low power distance of India will be beneficial for LeNoir Cafe because it leads to greater level of communication and coordination among employees which results in better innovation and creativity.

On the other hand, India has low score i.e. 24 as compares to UK i.e. 76 in the context of Individualism (The cultural factor, 2025). It means India has more collectivist nature which closes the ties between the people. Individualism culture of India will be beneficial for LeNoir Cafe because it encourages innovation and creativity as well as customer focus. Individualism culture helps in encouraging the innovation and personal expression which leads to develop unique business ideas and creative solutions. The businesses which are operating in individualism culture is emphasis more on tailoring its products and services in order to meet the needs and requirements of the customers to increase their satisfaction and loyalty.

In the form of motivation towards achievement and success, India score 56 which is lower as compare to UK i.e. 66. It means India is decisive society and it will be beneficial for LeNoir Cafe to set up the business operation effectively and successfully as well as provide equal treatment to all the people irrespective of their age, gender etc. Apart from this, in the form of uncertainty avoidance, India has high score i.e. 40 in comparison to UK i.e. 35 (The cultural factor, 2025). It means India has low preference for the avoiding uncertainties which helps the people tend to be more open to the unknown. Setting up the business in India will be beneficial for chosen cafe because it helps the people to take more risks and make effective decisions even they don’t have the potential results. The companies which operate in this type of culture are more emphasis on unique and innovative ideas as well as personal feelings of the people from which they feel encourages giving their best performance (Escandon-Barbosa, Ramirez and Salas-Paramo, 2022). On the other hand, long term orientation is another dimension that helps in determining the cultural differences between the UK and India.

In the context of long term orientation, India score only 51 as compare to UK i.e. 60 which reflects less willing to compromise that is the sign of weakness. This type of culture is negatively influence on the overall operation and success of LeNoir Cafe because people have strong convictions and emphasis only on their values and rights. On the other hand, India receives low score of 26 in the dimension of indulgence as compare to UK i.e. 69. Setting up the business in India will valuable for chosen cafe because the people are tend to be more probable to regulate the behaviour and stick to stick to strict social norms and regulations. Employees of LeNoir Cafe are accountable to follow all the rules and regulations of the acts legally to operate the operation successfully.

Apart from this, Trompenaars is another critical cultural model that is adopt by the companies to work more effectively and efficiently from the different cultures. This model is consists of seven dimensions such as universalism vs. particularism, individualism vs. communitarianism, specific vs. diffuse, Neutral Vs. affective, achievement vs. ascription, sequential time vs. synchronous time, internal directions vs. external directions (Żemojtel-Piotrowska and Piotrowski, 2023). The culture of India is based on particularism while UK is universalism. The particularism culture of India helps in finding more important relationships instead of rules. For setting the business operation in India, LeNoir Cafe will need to invest in developing relationships from which it able to understand the needs and requirements of others. India has communitariasnism based culture that believes in quality of life of people. India has strong sense of loyalty within the group which will be beneficial for selected cafe to improve decision-making and increase productivity. Additionally, India has affective culture while UK has neutral culture. In India, the people are encourage to share their emotions and feelings from which the employees of LeNoir Cafe will free to share their perspectives which leads to effective decision-making.

India has diffusive culture instead of specific so it majorly emphasis on building the strong relationship and connections with the people (Ziliute, 2024). To set up the business and working with the people India, LeNoir Cafe will need to emphasis on developing the strong relationships with them from which they encourage to give their best performance. Apart from this, due to ascription culture of India, people get their status on who you are which includes their social status, age and education. In this culture, for earning the respect the people of chosen cafe will need to make their commitment to it. India has synchronous culture while UK has sequential culture which demonstrates people are see their present, past and future as interwoven. To work with the people of India, LeNoir Cafe will need to allow providing some autonomy within the schedule. Apart from this, India has culture of external direction where individuals believe that they need to work with their environment in order to accomplish the goals and objectives effectively and successfully (Água et al, 2023). To work with the people in external direction culture, selected cafe will need to emphasis on providing feedback to its employees instead of setting goals from which they improve their weak areas.

On the other hand, from above mentioned models it has been found that the culture of India is totally different from the UK so it will be directly impacts the HRM practices of LeNoir Cafe which includes recruitment and selection, reward and learning as well as development and performance management. India has diffusive culture so LeNoir Cafe will need to emphasis on recruiting and selecting of local people rather than UK based because they have complete knowledge about their communication and language styles. From this, the employees are able to understand their roles and responsibilities effectively which helps in completing the tasks in successful manner that leads to increase sales, profitability and productivity.

Additionally, performance management is another important HRM practice that directly and significant influences from the culture. The culture of India is particularism which majorly emphasis on developing the relationships with the people instead of making rules (Muktamar et al, 2023). So, to build the strong connections and relationships with the employees, LeNoir Cafe will need to provide fair and equal treatment to them while measuring and appraising the performance. Organizations are responsible to provide performance appraisals and feedback irrespective of their gender, religion, culture and age.

Apart from this, reward and learning and development are another crucial HRM practice of companies which significantly impacts from the cultural differences. The structure of reward and compensation packages may be varying on cultural expectations. HR professionals need to align the reward packages with the local norms while maintaining the equity across international operations (Abdalla Hamza et al, 2021). At the time of setting the business operation in India, LeNoir Cafe will needs to emphasis on provide rewards and compensation according to their performance not based on their gender, cultural and religious differences. The HR professionals of chosen cafe will need to give equal opportunities of male and female employees of rewards and benefits. Aside from this, learning and development is another practice that massively impacted by the cultural differences of the companies. After setting up the business operation in India, HR professional of LeNoir Cafe will need to design and conduct training accordingly and consider the differences in preferences and learning styles of the workforces.

Most effective IHRM staffing strategy

Implementing the IHRM strategy is another common challenge that is face by the companies while setting the business operation in international countries from their home countries. It is challenging for the companies because IHRM staffing strategy is differs from domestic HR due to cultural differences. At the time of operating the business process in international countries it is important for the local companies to execute the IHRM staffing strategy in effective and successful manner. To implement the most effective IHRM adopt strategy, LeNoir Cafe will need to EPRG (Ethnocentric, Polycentric, Geocentric, Regiocentric) model. Ethnocentric is considered as one of the crucial approach of IHRM strategy where companies are marketing its products and services globally in the similar manner as they do domestically (Knappert, Peretz, Aycan and Budhwar, 2023). According to this approach, organizations believe that the needs and market conditions of the consumers are more or less homogeneous in the global markets. Majority of the companies are emphasis on this approach because it helps in eliminating the costs of developing new marketing techniques to provide the services to the international customers.

Additionally, polycentric is another approach of IHRM strategy in which organizations are going for customization of each international market. In this approach, companies are focusing on customizing the products according to the taste and preferences of customers of global countries. Apart from this, regiocentric is another approach of IHRM staffing in which the businesses are targeting the group of countries which have same market characteristics or features to enter into the market (Zhang, 2021). In geocentric approach, the organizations are emphasis on determining the needs and requirements of the consumers in all over the world and enter into the market with the standard products.

From the IHRM staffing approaches it can be determined that LeNoir Cafe will need to adopt polycentric strategy while setting up the business in India. By executing this approach, chosen cafe will need to manufacture coffee, pastries and cakes according to the taste and preferences of the Indian customers. The needs and wants of the Indian people is different from the UK due to cultural differences so it will be beneficial for LeNoir Cafe to customize the products according to their taste and requirements. This approach will helps in improving the compatibility in between the international market and companies, increase satisfaction and motivation among global workforces which enhance market penetration. Adoption of this approach will be beneficial because it helps in attracting more customers, increase profitability and sales as well as gaining competitive advantage over competitors.

Difficulties expatriates

Setting up the business in international countries is not easy for the local companies because they experience the challenge of adopting TCN (Third country national) and PCN (parent country national). TCN is defined as those workforces who are working outside their home country in such as branch of the organization that is neither located in employee or organization’s home country (Chen, Yang and Lin, 2024). To gain the success and gain competitive advantage in India, LeNoir Cafe will need to hire TCNs because it aids in accessing specialized talent, fill skill gaps, enable knowledge transfer across borders and support the global expansion. TCNs are belonging from diverse cultures and backgrounds so they have diverse perspectives and viewpoints that contribute towards the organizational success in the international markets. On the other hand, cultural adjustment, family considerations, language barrier , differences in workplace norms and practices, legal or immigration are the common challenges that are face by the TCNs while global mobility. To overcome the challenges of TCN, LeNoir Cafe will need to emphasis on providing training and development to mitigate the language barrier, conduct cultural orientation program and provide the opportunities for professional development and cross-cultural collaboration. As per the view of Zajc Kejžar and Golob Šušteršič (2024), to overcome these challenges and employ TCNs international companies will need to offer competitive benefits and compensation packages, fostering inclusive and supportive work environment as well as providing opportunities for skill development and career advancement.

On the other hand, PCN is an employee who is working in diverse countries than his original country of birth. Hiring the PCN will be beneficial for LeNoir Cafe because it facilitates cultural alignment and consistency, knowledge transfer and innovation as well as strategic deployment. But, adopting the PCN will be challenging for selected cafe because it may experience the issues of cultural adaptation, costs considerations and employee retention (Cruz Lopez, 2022). Due to diverse culture of India, the PCN are able to understand the language and communication styles which increases misunderstandings and directly impact the employee morale, teamwork and overall productivity. As critically contended by Shala (2023), adoption of PCN includes significant costs for the companies such as housing allowances, relocation expenses, competitive compensation packages.

For the successful operation it will be important for LeNoir Cafe to overcome all the challenges effectively. To mitigate the issue of cultural adaption, selected cafe will need to conduct the cultural training and integration programs by cultural awareness workshops, language proficiency and coaching. As per the thought of Lens, Mussche and Marx (2022), training program will helps in providing insights in relation to communication style, cultural norms and values which leads to minimize misunderstandings and foster effective collaboration.

CONCLUSION

In the end of report it has been concluded that, setting up the operation in international countries can be challenging for the local organizations because they experience challenges of cultural differences, implementation of IHRM staffing approaches and expatriates to PCN and TCN. From the Hofestede and Trompenaars cultural dimensions models, it has been identified that the Indian culture is different from the UK which will be directly impacts the HRM practices of LeNoir Cafe such as recruitment and selection, performance management, rewards and learning and development. India has a culture of diffusive which majorly emphasis on building the strong relationships and connections with the people so LeNoir Cafe can need to recruit and select as well as measure the performance fairly irrespective of their gender, age, religions. Apart from this, to set up the operation successfully within India, selected cafe has to adopt Polycentric IHRM staffing approach. In this approach, chosen organization can manufacture and provide the coffee, pastries and cakes according to the taste and preferences of Indian customers. Adopting PCN and TCN can be difficult for organization due to high costs consideration, cultural differences etc. To set up the process successfully within India, LeNoir Cafe will need to conduct market research and analysis, build professional networks and conduct cultural and training programs.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Following recommendations are mentioned below for LeNoir Cafe to set up and operate the business operation successfully within India.

Actions	Priority	Time frame
Conduct market research and analysis	1	Within 2 months
Build a professional network	3	Within 4 months
Conduct cultural training and integration programs	2	Within 3 months

To setup and run the operation it will be crucial for the chosen organization to conduct the market research and analysis of India. The ways of doing business in India is different from the UK so it will be crucial for LeNoir Cafe to understand about the customers, competitors, opportunities and regulations. Market research is priority for the companies because without this it will be impossible for them to manufacture products and services as well as attract customers. The culture of India is different from UK, so selected cafe should need to conduct cultural training and integration programs to provide the knowledge insights about the cultural norms and values as well as communication styles. To run the process successfully and gain competitive edge over competitors LeNoir Cafe should need to build the professionals. It will be on priority after both recommendations and building the strong networks with the professionals will be crucial because it helps in providing opportunities and support to run the operation successfully.

International HRM assignments require more than theory—they demand cultural insight, model application, and strategic clarity. This HRMIC sample demonstrates how to critically apply Hofstede, Trompenaars, and EPRG frameworks at university level. If you need help structuring arguments, aligning theory with practice, or improving academic quality, our assignment help online can support you with customised, plagiarism-free solutions.

REFERENCES

Books and Journals

Abdalla Hamza, P., Jabbar Othman, B., Gardi, B., Sorguli, S., Mahmood Aziz, H., Ali Ahmed, S., ... & Anwar, G. (2021). Recruitment and selection: The relationship between recruitment and selection with organizational performance. Hamza, pa, othman, bj, gardi, b., sorguli, s., aziz, hm, ahmed, sa, sabir, by, ismael, nb, ali, bj, anwar, g.(2021). Recruitment and Selection: The Relationship between Recruitment and Selection with Organizational Performance.

Água, P., Frias, A., Correia, A., & Simões-Marques, M. (2023). The impact of cultural diversity on organizational and operational risk levels. Human Factors and Systems Interaction, 84(84). https://doi.org/10.54941/ahfe1003610

Chatterjee, S., Chaudhuri, R., Vrontis, D., & Thrassou, A. (2022). The influence of online customer reviews on customers’ purchase intentions: a cross-cultural study from India and the UK. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 30(6), 1595-1623.

Chen, J., Yang, Y., & Lin, C. (2024). Global Business Management for Multinational Enterprises: Navigating Political Risk, Ethics, and International Human Resource Management. J. Int. Eco. Glo. Gov, 1(3), 15-27. https://doi.org/10.12414/jiegg.240249

Cruz Lopez, D. E. (2022). Global Economy And Human Resources. Available at SSRN 4677544. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Delivery.cfm?abstractid=4677544

http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-02-2021-2627
Escandon-Barbosa, D., Ramirez, A., & Salas-Paramo, J. (2022). The effect of cultural orientations on country innovation performance: Hofstede cultural dimensions revisited?. Sustainability, 14(10), 5851.

http://edl.emi.gov.et/jspui/bitstream/123456789/1138/1/International%20Human%20Resource%20Management.pdf

https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-020-00389-9

https://doi.org/10.3390/su14105851

https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijebm.5.3.1

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/5aaf/86036aa665efc2d12c50b6da498e343d54b0.pdf

https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/130743/3/2419EMAEMA590505075849_1.PDF

Khan, M. A., Pattnaik, D., Ashraf, R., Ali, I., Kumar, S., & Donthu, N. (2021). Value of special issues in the journal of business research: A bibliometric analysis. Journal of business research, 125, 295-313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.12.015

Knappert, L., Peretz, H., Aycan, Z., & Budhwar, P. (2023). Staffing effectiveness across countries: An institutional perspective. Human Resource Management Journal, 33(1), 17-46. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1748-8583.12411

Lens, D., Mussche, N., & Marx, I. (2022). A hole in the wall of fortress Europe: The trans‐European posting of third‐country labour migrants. International Migration, 60(2), 160-176. https://doi.org/10.1111/IMIG.12867

Muktamar, A., Wahdiniawati, S. A., Fatmawati, F., & Mardikawati, B. (2023). Challenges and opportunities in HRM Research in the Era of Globalization: A bibliometric analysis of the effects of cultural diversity and innovation in organizations. West Science Interdisciplinary Studies, 1(11), 1177-1186.

Reiche, B. S., Harzing, A. W., & Tenzer, H. (2022). International human resource management.

Shala, S. (2023). THE EUROPEAN UNION’S APPROACH TOWARDS THE ENTRY OF THIRD-COUNTRY NATIONALS INTO ITS TERRITORY. Europolity-Continuity and Change in European Governance, 17(1), 189-217. http://europolity.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/9.-Vol17-no1-Shala.pdf

Stahl, G. K., & Maznevski, M. L. (2021). Unraveling the effects of cultural diversity in teams: A retrospective of research on multicultural work groups and an agenda for future research. Journal of International Business Studies, 52(1), 4.

Zajc Kejžar, K., & Golob Šušteršič, T. (2024). Expatriate staffing in foreign subsidiaries and host market contestability. Cross Cultural & Strategic Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCSM-02-2024-0036

Żemojtel-Piotrowska, M., & Piotrowski, J. (2023). Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory. In Encyclopedia of sexual psychology and behavior (pp. 1-4). Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08956-5_1124-1

Zhang, W. (2021). Dialectical Analysis of Global Staffing Policy. In Modern Economics and Management Forum (Vol. 2, No. 3). https://en.front-sci.com/index.php/memf/article/view/379/496

Ziliute, V. (2024). Navigating cultural currents: a qualitative analysis of cross-cultural aspects in organisational risk management based on Trompenaars' cultural framework.

https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/130743/3/2419EMAEMA590505075849_1.PDF

Online

The cultural factor, (2025). Country comparison of India and UK. Online. Available through: <https://www.theculturefactor.com/country-comparison-tool?countries=india%2Cunited+kingdom >