MGMT801 Assignment 2

Course: MGMT801 Managing in a Multi-Cultural Environment

Lecturer: Bob Beaver

Streams: 247 & 248

Due date: 4pm Thursday January 8^th 2026 (soft copy submission through Moodle only)

POINTS to NOTE:

1. There are 100 marks for this assignment which is 15 % of the final course grade.
2. The word limit for this assignment is 2,000 words (+/-10%) excluding references.
3. Use Arial or Times New Roman font size 12 and 1.5 line spacing.
4. Ensure you follow academic citation and referencing requirements as failure to do so may invoke penalties. Use APA (7th ed.).
5. You are also required to reference the use of any tools/software/application used. This includes the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to paraphrase or proofread, which requires a statement where applicable.
6. Upon submission your assignment will be checked for copied materials as well as the use of AI (artificial intelligence), with penalties to be applied where appropriate and if not appropriately referenced.
7. You may submit your assignment as a draft submission (Moodle/Turnitin) to check the similarity prior to making your final submission.
8. Late submissions incur a 5% penalty (5 marks) for each 24-hour period up to 96 hours (after that time, your mark will be recorded as zero).
9. An extension may be granted if, within the prescribed timeframe, you submit an ‘Assignment Extension Application’ form with supporting documentation (e.g., a medical certificate) to the BA Office.
10. As part of pass requirements for this course, you are required to pass each learning outcome at least once in this course.

Learning Outcomes:  

As set out in your Course Outline, this assignment requires you to:

• LO3 Critically distinguish ethical situations and recommend and apply appropriate actions.
• LO5 Contextualise and apply appropriate HRM practices, principles, and legislation in culturally diverse workplaces.

Scenario: 

Organisational Overview

Healthy Foods NZ Ltd (HFNZ) is a medium-sized New Zealand food manufacturing and export company based in South Auckland. Established in 2005, the company produces sustainably sourced, ready-to-eat seafood and plant-based protein products for both the domestic and Asia–Pacific markets. Its competitive strategy centres on differentiation through sustainability and cultural authenticity: integrating Māori values of kaitiakitanga (guardianship) and Pacific food heritage into product development and branding. The company’s motto, “From Ocean to Table with Integrity,” reflects its commitment to ethical sourcing, innovation, and cultural inclusion.

Competitive Strategy

Healthy Foods NZ Ltd operates in the highly competitive fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, where quality, supply chain reliability, and brand reputation are key differentiators. The company invests heavily in research and development to create innovative, nutrient-rich, eco-friendly products that appeal to health-conscious consumers. It partners with local iwi and community fisheries to ensure environmentally responsible harvesting and integrates circular-economy principles into its packaging and waste management systems. By combining sustainability with cultural storytelling, the firm occupies a distinct market position against larger multinational competitors.

Workforce Profile

The organisation employs approximately 240 staff across production, logistics, sales, and corporate functions. The workforce is highly diverse: around 35 per cent identify as Māori or Pasifika, 25 per cent as Asian (predominantly Filipino, Chinese, and Indian), and the remainder as Pākehā or other ethnicities. Women comprise 47 per cent of total employees, with strong representation in quality assurance, product innovation, and marketing roles. The management team reflects this diversity, and the company maintains an inclusive leadership development pipeline to increase Māori and Pasifika representation at senior levels.

Culture and HRM Philosophy

Healthy Foods NZ Ltd’s HRM strategy emphasises whanaungatanga (relationships) and manaakitanga (care and respect). Culturally responsive HR practices—such as flexible leave for cultural and religious observances, bilingual communication in English and te reo Māori, and mentorship programmes pairing senior leaders with younger employees—help foster belonging and equity. The organisation supports cross-cultural learning through talanoa (open dialogue) sessions and professional development workshops on intercultural communication and unconscious bias.

Location and Operations

Headquarters and production facilities are located in East Tāmaki, with regional distribution centres in Wellington and Christchurch. Export operations are managed through a logistics hub in Tauranga Port, facilitating trade with Australia, Singapore, and Japan. The company maintains hybrid work options for corporate staff, ensuring work–life balance and access to diverse talent from across New Zealand.

Products and Services

Healthy Foods NZ Ltd’s product portfolio includes smoked seafood, seaweed snacks, plant-based protein bowls, and ready-to-cook frozen meals. In addition to retail sales, the company supplies restaurants, airlines, and institutional caterers. Its Healthy Green range, launched in 2023, reflects the company’s innovation focus—offering vegan alternatives developed with local scientists from New Zealand Universities.

Summary

Healthy Foods NZ Ltd exemplifies a modern, culturally diverse New Zealand enterprise that integrates indigenous values, sustainability, and innovation into its competitive strategy. Its stated HRM approach aligns with organisational goals by claiming to nurture inclusion, wellbeing, and cultural authenticity—strengthening both internal cohesion and external brand identity.

Assume that you are the Human Resource Manager for Healthy Foods NZ Ltd (HFNZ) when answering each of the Requirements below. You must use HRM practices, principles and legislation to justify your analysis and recommendations. Discuss HR implications with specific reference to the cultural, strategic, and operational characteristics of HFNZ, and how the cultural diversity of your organisation influences your proposed HR strategies. Consider what challenges unique to your chosen industry might arise during the scenario.

Requirement 1 –   Learning Outcome 5

You have just returned from a Human Resource Management conference, where the keynote speaker, a trade union leader, criticised HR managers. He said, “The problem with some of you is that all you think of is profits. HRM should be concerned with people and their welfare at work – it should be the humane profession. Your blatant emphasis on costs, return on investment and so on makes me sick. You are just exploiters of the workers hiding behind the title of human resource manager. You are not HR managers – you are HR manipulators! You always push, push, push for productivity improvements. HRM to you is just an excuse to make sweated labour of your employees. How can you sit there and say you are concerned about your employees: performance appraisal, training and development – you name it, it’s all aimed at boosting productivity. Tell me what’s in HRM for the poor worker? Nothing, absolutely nothing! You are anti-union and anti-worker. HRM is simply the wolf dressed up in sheep’s clothing!”

(Adapted from Stone.R., Human Resource Management, 1998.)

Discuss the validity of these accusations and propose how the role of HRM should be fairly and effectively implemented in your culturally diverse organisation.

50 marks

Requirement 2 – Learning Outcome 3

Following this proposal (from Requirement 1), critically discuss two ethical issues, together with any associated cultural aspects, that could potentially arise when implementing the proposal and suggest how these issues should be effectively managed in your culturally diverse organisation.

                                                                                                                                      50 marks

MGMT801 Marking Rubric