1. MULTINATIONAL MANAGEMENT: A STRATEGIC APPROACH: MGT 510: BUS 510
GLOBAL MANAGEMENT
Assignment 5: People Management, the Mantra for Success: The Case of Singhania and Partner.
Presented to: Dr. Anne P. Nelson, Professor
Presented by: Marcia Dunbar
Dated: September 7, 2013

2. 1. Examine the case of Singhania and Partners and evaluate the organization’s strategy
Singhania and Partners Firm organization’s strategy has always been developed a firm where its
existence will be its unflinching dedication to ensure client satisfaction.
The organization’s strategy of Singhania and Partners Firm has been to develop a core of
professionals who are in complete agreement with the vision, mission and values of the
organization leading to a culture of ownership & teamwork. It is a ‘way of life’ for all who are
accountable as individuals as well as a part of the team. The Firm core asset has always been its
employees, because the Firm’s mantra is our people who make the Firm a market leader by
providing quality service to clients. One major strategy of Singhania and Partners is to keep
their employees intellectually stimulated at all times.
The Firm provides great opportunity to learn, build confidence, and grow with the organization
from the weekly senior management meeting or the bi-weekly open house. Staffs are
encouraged during these forums to utilize this platform for voicing opinions, suggestions and
idea. Moreover, given their open door policy, anybody can walk in to any senior management’s
office for discussions.
Singhania & Partners individuals work as ‘individualized corporations’ and at the same time
work in alignment with the firm’s goals. The practice of the firm is in seeing each participant as
an ‘individualized corporation’ thus encouraging innovation. This coupled with clear and fast
communication leads to agility in responding to clients and ensuring our quality of delivery to
them.

3. The Company core values are; Surpass Client Satisfaction; Uphold Transparency in
Communication; Encourage Individualized Corporation; Inspire Innovation; Sustain Quality
Service and Motivate Team Work.
Key to their organization’s strategy is the ability to capitalize on the demand for legal services
created by the liberalization of the Indian economy. The founder, Mr. Ravi Singhania, through
his interactions with other law firms, he became conversant with the Western style of legal
services management, which had a significant impact on his own management style.
2. Evaluate each of the five IHRM practices with respect to recruitment and selection,
training for cross-cultural.
To evaluate each of the five IHRM practices with respect to recruitment and selection, training
for cross-cultural, one will have to look at the scope of the functions of HRM in Indian as
regards to the lndian Advocates Act of 1961. This Act restricted the Indian legal services market
to remain close to foreign players. This prevented foreign lawyers and law firms from
establishing offices in India. International law firms were “allowed to function only as liaison
office, or foreign legal consultants.” Law firms were people-intensive organizations and their key
capability was the skill, knowledge, and capacity of their employees. In this situation,
developing an effective HR system that is compatible with organizational strategy is critical for
the functioning and success of a firm in the competitive business arena. Indeed, the increasing
complexity of contemporary corporate life has elevated the importance of shedding traditional
beliefs that were the concerns of personnel managers, and to shape newer mindsets, proactive
attitudes and professional identities, orientations that have placed greater emphasis on the

4. utilization of human resources. The high demand for lawyers that came with the liberalization of
the Indian economy, together with the continued shortage of good qualify lawyers in many areas
of law, meant that the industry faced an acute shortage of legal professionals. With ample
employment opportunities in the industry, attribution became a real concern. Effective human
resource management became essential for law firms.
In addition, it may be worthwhile to examine the possible interactions among these factors that
may have an impact on the performance of a firm. Achieving both types of fit is necessary for
firms striving for good performance. Singhania and Partners recruitment is based strictly on
competence, education, result oriented and trainability. Personnel are hired and assign to various
projects based on their competence and availability, in consultation with senior management.
The firm had to find ways of holding on to their employees. Singhania and Partners created a
legal practice which met both needs of clients for a high quality service and the needs of lawyers
for a sustainable work-life balance.
In regards to training, the Firm gained considerable experience in cross-border transactions in the
areas of mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, due diligence, technology transfer, as well as in
assisting its clients in establishing wholly owned subsidiaries in India. Turnaround times,
accessibility to senior members in the firm, meeting deadlines, and providing services in a cost
effective manner. Singhania and Partners put in place systems and processes that use advance
and new technology to provide state-of-the-art infrastructure to serve clients effectively.
With the increasing importance of human resources in modern business the management of
people is highlighted to be strategic. The Firm strategy was to set up a systematic and long term
view needs to be taken in the management of human capital so as to enhance the organizational

5. competitiveness. Indeed, the HR plans and system need to be developed on the long term plan of
the firm, and when of a high quality the HR system will feature the internal consistency of
various HR practices. Instead of looking at outsourcing, the people became the important criteria
for the Firm. Apart from the regular work, in the b-weekly open house; there were small
presentations on different topic from different legal areas. Junior-most lawyers are encouraged
to present during these meetings. There was a great opportunity to learn, build confidence, and
grow with the organization. Promotions were made strictly of the merit system. This is onerous
for establishing the strategy to be compatible as well as internally consistent with the HR system,
or SHRM, initiatives are challenged at various levels. Encouraging high trust ideologies to seed
collaborative work place relations will require the attention and support of top management
towards HRM at the corporate level, expertise of managers in both business and HR functional
area, and a culture acknowledging the importance of HR as well as facilitating the effective
implementation of HR activities.
3. Discuss which of the five practices can be improved.
Encouraging high trust ideologies to seed collaborative work place relations will require the
attention and support of top management towards HRM at the corporate level, expertise of
managers in both business and HR functional area, and a culture acknowledging the importance
of HR as well as facilitating the effective implementation of HR activities. In sum, it is an
interactive process that SHRM and business development will promote each other. Firms
engaging in HR development activities are likely to be rewarded by the improvement of both

6. financial performance and quality of human capital, which in turn, will strengthen those
antecedents for achieving better fits, and finally enhancing the competitiveness of the firm.
4. Make recommendations to management to successfully improve the current IHRM
strategy.
Values and culture of a firm impact the vertical fit. Organizational culture and values shape the
HRM practices (Bowen & Ostroff 2004). The influence of values and culture on vertical fit is
mainly reflected in how quick or good the strategy can be merged into the designing of HR
practices that are compatible with the strategy. Development of a strategy compatible HR
practices is affected by corporate values and culture, partly because the HR system takes on an
advisory or consultancy role in the management structure of a firm. If the contribution of the HR
function is deemed as minor or unimportant, it is difficult to induce the efforts of the HR
managers to design a series of HR practices according to corporate strategy. Even if the HR
department is self-motivated to provide a set of strategy compatible HR arrangements, the
adoption and implementation of these HR activities may become problematic due to lack of
enough support from the top level managers, who are representatives of the values and the
unique culture of a firm (Wei & Lau 2005). Furthermore, the importance of values and culture of
a firm for vertical fit can be reflected in the speed of achieving vertical fit. Indeed, the HR
system of an organization is relatively stable and difficult to change quickly due to inertia
(Wright & McMahan 1992). Consequently, when a new strategy is formulated, the adjustment or
redesign of the former HR system cannot emerge automatically. However, the values and the
culture system of an organization that emphasizes a quick following of those functional
departments with renewed strategy will benefit the vertical fit process, with an immediate
adjustment toward designing and adopting an optimal HR practice arrangement. Similarly, an

7. organizational atmosphere advocating a higher extent of fit between strategy and HR practices
will be advantageous to the realization of vertical fit for an organization.
5. Explain how the recommended changes impact the organization in the industry
Developing an effective HR system that is compatible with organizational strategy is critical for
the functioning and success of a firm in the competitive business arena. Indeed, the increasing
complexity of contemporary corporate life has elevated the importance of shedding traditional
beliefs that were the concerns of personnel managers, and to shape newer mindsets, proactive
attitudes and professional identities, orientations that have placed greater emphasis on the
utilization of human resources. In this process, achieving both types of fit is necessary for firms
striving for good performance.

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