Task-1:

Watch the video 'How to write a business case for innovation' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=611Yo3cTbSk).

Now read Topic 8 and apply what you have learnt from the video to the construction of a Business Case for a major HRM investment initiative, such as a
management/supervisor development program, including the achievement of an appropriate Return on Investment (ROI).

Task-2:

Create a Business scenario, or perhaps your own business/organisation, and provide estimates of timeframes, running costs and benefits, personnel required (including external engagement of consultant, if required), ROI and an evaluation process for the program during and after one year.

The report here underlines an HRM business case for an e-commerce firm. With below average parental policies present as part of the current model, it is proposed to introduce a 6-month maternity leave policy for women and a 1-month paternity leave policy for men. This is to emphasize the care that the company possesses for its employees and also to give them a more family-responsive environment. 

The program here is suggested to be an 18-month pilot program with constant evaluation plans at the end of every 6 months. The positive outcomes or benefits of this exercise are expected to be an increased employer loyalty, more job satisfaction, favourable work environment for employees, a stress-free pregnancy period, higher productivity levels, a positive brand sentiment in the industry and reduced attrition rates. This helps a great deal in achieving the organization's long-term goal of being one of the best companies to work for in the industry. The primary investments here are salaries of employees availing this benefit in a year, changes in the HR information system, training costs to selected leadership teams and other miscellaneous costs. Also, there is a risk of not being able to achieve lower attrition figures and compromising on the monetary returns through this proposal. However, the intangible benefits prove a great deal and with realizing the tangible benefits, an ROI of about 73% can be achieved. Thus, keeping all factors and perspectives in mind, the current case seems to be a profitable initiative to the company in the long run. 

The organisation in the picture here is a relatively new e-commerce firm with a young and dynamic culture. Most of the people in the firm are below 30 and that is what drives a flexible environment at work. To align with modern culture, most of the HR policies are also designed in a similar manner. Since the success of an e-commerce firm is composed of the nature and amount of physical service delivered to customers with a touch of personalization, this also influences an organization's variable to fixed costs ratio, which in turn defines its 'scalability' (Hallowell, 1990). In fact, the 7 major concerns that an employee faces can be listed as job flexibility and autonomy, organizational culture, childcare, office duration and timing, elder care, relocation and their respective supervisory relationships (Galinsky & Stein, 1990). A recent company-wide survey suggested that there is growing dissent among employees for the maternity and paternity leave policies in the company. The current leave system allows up to 8 weeks of maternity leave and there is no concept of paternity leave at all. 

(Some parts of the solution has been blurred due to privacy protection policy)