Barclays Human Resources Strategy: Recruitment & Rewards

What makes this paper effective

• It grounds the analysis in established HR theoretical frameworks (Cherrington, 1991; Klatt et al., 1985), lending academic credibility to what could otherwise be a purely descriptive case study.
• It uses concrete, quantified data — FTE counts, turnover rates, gender and ethnicity percentages — to support claims about Barclays' workforce composition and performance.
• It moves logically from description (what Barclays does) to analysis (why it works or doesn't) to recommendation (what should change), giving the paper a clear argumentative arc.

Key academic technique demonstrated

The paper demonstrates applied case study analysis: it takes a real organization and maps its observable practices onto established academic HR frameworks. Rather than simply summarizing Barclays' policies, the author evaluates those policies against theoretical criteria — for example, assessing whether Barclays follows stakeholder theory versus shareholder theory and identifying which of three HR strategy orientations the company employs. This synthesis of theory and evidence is a hallmark of undergraduate business writing.

Structure breakdown

The paper opens with a justification for why HR is critical in a financial services context, then devotes its largest section to recruitment history and evolution. A shorter section addresses the 2008 crisis impact on remuneration. A discussion section classifies Barclays' strategy typologically, and a recommendations section proposes non-financial reward alternatives. A brief appendix summarizes company background. The reference list follows APA conventions.