HRM Practices Align With the Company\'s Business

¶ … HRM practices align with the company's business strategy.

Discuss how hiring more women and promoting them could improve the competitive advantage of this company.

Skype has become an intentionally renowned company known for its innovation and business success. However, its HR practices do not seem to align with the company's business strategy which is to be in the forefront of the modern world and to represent development and progress. According to Coraid CEO and tech veteran Audrey MacLean, women are under-represented in Skype because the adolescent geek culture is violence-centric (Walker, (n.d.)). This computer-driven and aggressive environment not only repels women but deters Skype form employing more women since more males than females represent their brand.

This is a pity because females not inly provide companies with a certain different kind of allure and other qualities that profit corporations, but their inclusion can prevent critics form denouncing the company for excluding women from its ranks.

3. Prepare a recruitment and retention plan for this company that specifically targets women employees.

MacLean recommends that women receive special academic training to slot them into Skype computer environment. It seems to me besides that Skype has various other tasks excluding that of computer that females can fill. Skype is divided into four groups. Each of these is functional units with their particular responsibilities. These are, in order of importance:

Operations: Product, Marketing, Customer Care, Support

Technology: Engineering, Platform, Development Community

Strategy: Partnerships, Strategic Alliances, Acquisitions

Administration: Global Communications Human Resources. Finance and Legal round out the top executive team.

Each of these, in turn, is divided into further subunits with various responsibilities. Performance is monitored and judged according to primary KPIs and the groups are teamed along two axes" product and geography in order to fulfill Skype's motto: "Skype Everywhere." Each of these units, in other words, is responsible for focusing on particular product requirements and on providing excellent customer care to customers in one or more geographical areas. All units operate according to a tightly controlled team spirit and performance is evaluated annually (Courtney, 2009). Women need not execute computer jobs; Skype offers a diversity of jobs within each of its four units. They could perform other tasks such as heading the various units, conducting research, recruiting, implementing and assessing KPIs and so forth.

3. Prepare a recruitment and retention plan for this company that specifically targets women employees.