Proj 430 Week 1 Case 1 1. J & D accounting created an Information Services Division for studies and analysis to be able to compete against larger firms. With its increased employees and customers there is no structure keeping them in order. Projects are incomplete, customers do not know where to get answers from, and the director of ISD is forced to handle daily activities instead of strategic planning and policy formulation. The director will be reassigned and the systems manager will be taking her spot.
Current Statistical Results (3.1 & 3.2) The Tanglewood Company provides excellent customer service and always strives to maintain quality employees. Recently, several store managers have doubts about the employees hired to work for them. The current methods used in the selection process of new employees received negative reports from managers. Teamwork has been a problem with employees failing to realize Tanglewood’s reputation for organizational culture. This has caused managers to fire employees.
Customer service was not what it used to be, and customers were not happy. When they called to place an order they had to wait in a queue for their calls to be answered. The products were not the same due to the change in companies, and the quality was nothing compared to what the customers were used to. Over the next few months the vitamin lines decided to start processing their business with another company and new overhead. Today the vitamin line as well as the newsletters are up and thriving as a company under a different management
Nordstrom does not offer extensive training programs to its customers. Employees are paid on a commission basis, they are surrounded by a very competitive environment and it is ingrained in them that customer satisfaction is key. Employees needing to train new employees may not emphasize to the new employee why the need for customer satisfaction is so important. Also, because of the competitive environment, it may cause the employee to not train the new employee appropriately because of threat to their sales, which could in turn cause a misconception of their family environment. There is no training program for them that state any reasons why the culture of the company relies on customer satisfaction.
For example if a customer is unhappy with their purchase then they will come to the customer service department at Sainsbury’s to have a refund whereas Star café does not have a department for their customer services as they have not got a demand of many customers arriving at their shop. Another difference about this job role is that customer advisor in Sainsbury’s deal with more customers enquires on a daily basis. However this is not so true with star café as customers service will have less customers to deal
Individuals who are hired from outside the organization to be department managers, on the other hand, often have a very difficult transition into the organization and make decisions that are in conflict with the corporate culture. They are seen as outsiders who do not really “get” what it means to be part of the Tanglewood family. The current method of selection for external managers looks very much like the method of selection for store associates. All applicants complete a brief job application form which provides information on education and years of work experience. Some pilot stores also have begun using the Marshfield Applicant Exam and Retail Knowledge test (described in the measurement case), and based on the validation evidence described earlier, this will become a regular part of the selection procedure across the chain.
However, the hiring policies at Tanglewood require employees to start out as store associates and work their way into managerial positions. I have found that many recent college graduates are reluctant to put in several years as a shift leader and department manager positions in order to be promoted. Additionally, the retail industry holds a negative image of providing low pay, requiring long hours, and of their being frequent conflicts with lower-level employees. The environmental scan also shows that unemployment in the area is considered to be relatively high, thus making it easier to hire employees. But, recent forecasts suggest that expansion in the professional and managerial sectors may reduce that number of individual qualified for these jobs.
Companies should open up their criteria for hiring to apply to more people and make the selection process revolve around hard-work and ability not looks. While stores attempt to create a certain vibe within a store, they need to make sure that they are not making too many decisions for employment based on prejudice views. While having certain people working may attract a certain group of people, they are losing the business of people who feel no connection to the store because of the type of employees. If
A) Employees frequently complain about the inconsistent assistance they receive from the HR department due to its large size. B) The global nature of the firm makes it difficult for the HR department to effectively communicate corporate messages to employees scattered around the world. C) Centralized call centers would enable the HR department to provide specialized support on daily transactional activities. D) Line managers want to implement additional screening and evaluations to improve the quality of their subordinates. Answer: A Explanation: A) The embedded HR unit assigns HR generalists directly to departments like sales and production to provide the localized human resource management assistance the departments need.
For external recruitment we only advertise with displaying applications for hire in the windows at the store and also through the drive-through window. Once the recruitment process begins to draw potential employees to the store, the selection process can begin. The employee selection process is one of the most critical processes in the HRM area. The decisions made are lasting and can have an effect on the reputation of the company. Poor hiring decisions can have significant consequences on smaller companies who can not afford these types of mistakes.