HRM3701 Assignment 3 Semester 1 2026 - Due 14 April 2026

Semester 1: Assignment 03 Unique number: 290567 Due date: 14 April 2026, 12:00 PM Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to assess your ability to practically apply Htheory, processes, and practices in the workplace, or in a simulated environm Read the case study carefully and answer the questions that follow. Your respons demonstrate deep understanding, practical application, and critical evaluation concepts. Use academic sources (Harvard referencing method) to support your where appropriate. Image Source: logo-vector Pumeza Nkosi is the owner of a small laundry business, Clean & Fresh Laundrwhich has been operating out of Khayelitsha for 15 years. Clean & Fresh Laundremploys 20 workers in different capacities, from loading and operating the wmachines and tumble driers, sorting clothes, helping customers, ironing and delclean washing back to the customers. She believes that because the companysmall, they do not require a HR department. She usually contacts friends that a Question 1 (20) Using Clean & Fresh Laundry Services as an example, critically analyse the role of formal HRM practices in small organisations. Apply Ulrich’s HR roles framework to explain how the absence of a structured HR function impacts organisational sustainability and competitiveness as well as how implementing these roles and formal HRM practices could improve organisational performance. Assessment Criteria: To successfully answer this question, you need to: correctly identify Ulrich’s four HR roles (4 marks). Provide a brief explanation of how these roles support organisations in general (1 mark). Critically discuss each HR role individually, clearly applying it to the Clean & Fresh Laundry Services case and explaining how the absence of that role impacts organisational sustainability and competitiveness (3 marks). Demonstrate understanding of how implementing these HR roles and formal HRM practices could improve organisational performance (12 marks). Provide a clear concluding paragraph that summarises the strategic significance of formal HRM, links HR practices to sustainability and competitiveness, and reflects the overall argument (3 marks). Question 2 (15) Drawing on Psychological Contract theory and Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory, critically discuss how perceptions of fairness, recognition, and employee value shape commitment and retention at Clean & Fresh Laundry Services. Evaluate how Pumeza’s current HR practices influence employee engagement and propose theoretically grounded strategies to strengthen the psychological contract. Assessment Criteria: To successfully answer this question, you need to: define and explain psychological contract theory (1 mark). Apply psychological contract theory to the case study (2 marks). Discuss fairness perceptions and comparison with competitors (2 marks). Explain and apply