Decision Making and Problem Solving Human Resource Management

Question: Discuss about theDecision Making and Problem Solvingfor Human Resource Management. Answer: Introduction In the current business scenario, human resource management is among those vital issues which are frequently faced by both the employers and their employees. The reason is probably related with the need for more manpower due to the rapid growth in the global business sectors from small to large scale. The current discourse is aimed to prepare a brief report showing alternatives and recommendations addressing a distinct management issue of an individual enterprise. To pursue with this purpose, the assignment has initially started with emphasizing on certain questions approaching the particular management issue. Thereafter, the report has moved on to showcase the specific research program that has been taken to acquire findings and analyzing them on behalf of the research questions. For the entire work, human resource management problem of Coca Cola Amatil has been considered. Company Background Belonging to five major bottlers of Coca Cola group, Coca Cola Amatil is worlds one of the largest and leading bottlers serving non-alcoholic beverages. The enterprise is renowned for operating in prime countries like Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Samoa and Indonesia. The enterprise specializes in preparing diversified beverages including soft drinks, iced tea, water, flavored milk and energy drinks. Apart from these, Coca Cola Amatil has extended its portfolio to manufacture and package vegetable snacks and various fruit juices (Ccamatil.com 2016). Beginning with a mere tobacco company in Britain, the company gradually stepped into the bottle packaging industry. With increasing interest to focus on beverage industry, the enterprise finally emerged as a potential shareholder (Ccamatil.com 2016).. Management Problem For Coca Cola Amatil, employees are the backbone of their decades old success and rapid growth. However, instead of providing smart salary package, incentives and giving opportunities to the talented individuals, the company is currently facing the issue of attrition on a frequent basis. As per Park and Zhou (2013), the enterprise has encountered a sudden jolt in their earnings growth in their operating countries. As a consequence of which the enterprise has decided to cut off a job opportunities to an estimated numbers of near about 260 in the following year (Berman et al. 2015). According to the Alison Watkins, the managing director of Coca Cola Amatil (CCA), axing a bulky number of jobs is basically a measure taken on behalf of cost initiative. Research Questions Considering the particular issue of employee attrition which the company is calling as Natural Attrition, the considered report has prepared three specific questions to pursue a research. The research questions will help in identifying key alternatives to overcome the addressed constraint. Q.1 what are the distinct activities those CCA takes currently for employee engagement? Q.2 what are the specific areas where the existing employees are not finding satisfaction? Q.3 what will be the alternative measures that can be taken to increase employee engagement in CCA? Research Program In the words of Flick (2015), a firm and definite research program is a necessary criteria in case of pursuing a study based on individual research questions. To find out required information for the proposed research questions regarding the approached human resource management issues of CCA, the discourse has followed a particular research methodology. The methodology has guided the entire assignment to work in a systematic manner. Research Approach An apt research approach helps to design a systematic framework to ultimately reach to an appropriate conclusion or to deduce key points based on a research agenda (Flick 2015). Deductive and Inductive are the two kinds which are generally followed to conduct a research fruitfully. For the present report study and considering the research questions, the assignment will follow the deductive research approach through which it will be easy to deduce a general view. Therefore, following this approach, the report will examine validity and efficiency of the existing assumptions. Process of Data Collection and Sampling The report is going to optimize and analyzing information in the deductive approach style, therefore the study will collect the relevant data in both primary and secondary manner. For the primary data collection, the report has relied on random sampling and for the secondary data collection; the report has chosen some literary papers and media and news journals. It is important to mention that information on employee attrition and engagement has been collected from the company websites also. The findings are furthered analyzed based on those collected data. Ethical Considerations A research study is bound to maintain the confidentiality of the acquired resources collected in terms of the particular research aims (Breevaart et al. 2014). As opined by Armstrong and Taylor (2014), following the act of data protection which came into force in the year of 1998, obtained data should be kept confidential and should not be handled to any third party without authorial permission. Keeping in mind about this very fact, the present discourse will not occupy data from any illegal source. In addition, in context to acquiring primary date it will be taken into consideration that information would not be granted without individual permission or wish. Research Findings and Analysis The entire findings and analysis have been segregated into two major parts, one analyzing the findings gained from primary data collection and the other one evaluating secondary data sources. Secondary Data Findings and Analysis Based on Bratton and Gold (2012), secondary data collection provides firm knowledge about a certain topic by assessing existing literary works on the very subject matter. In other words through evaluating present assumptions and perceptions secondary data helps to build a well constructed basic ground and understanding about the particular matter. The data findings of secondary type have been formed based on the research questions established in the initial part of this report. Employee Engagement in CCA In the words of Mowday, Porter and Steers (2013), for CCA, employee engagement is the enterprises way of increasing motivation which can directly affect upon the organizational productivity. On the other hand, as argued by Hausknecht and Holwerda (2013), the concept of employee engagement for CCA is the system of getting employee concerns and their individual ideas regarding any occurrence of organizational change. For CCE volume of the energy of the corporate culture is enhanced by organizational participation. To successfully implement the employee participation, CCE keeps on improving their organizational process and corporate culture. As opined by Menguc, Auh, Fisher and Haddad (2013) in the article To be engaged or not to be engaged: The antecedents and consequences of service employee engagement, a convenient employee engagement is subjected to open conversation. The considered enterprise preferred to have frequent discussion with the existing business associates on certain matters of the organization to solicit innovative ideas. Therefore, it seems that the company does not focus on doing the same with the working employees. However, as discussed in Determinants of employee engagement and their impact on employee performance by Anitha (2014), benefit packages is among the benchmarked strategies that contribute to the enhancement of employee participation. Reason of Employee Dissatisfaction In the words of Milln, Hessels, Thurik and Aguado (2013) and as implied in Determinants of job satisfaction: a European comparison of self-employed and paid employees, employee dissatisfaction is the reason for turnover crisis. As argued by (Shuck et al. 2013) in The jingle jangle of employee engagement further exploration of the emerging construct and implications for workplace learning and performance, employees are the chief assets for a company and therefore comprehensive encouragement from the management is the key to hold these assets in their quality form. Hence, employee dissatisfaction is subjected to the reluctant attitude of an organization in terms of providing performance appraisal, smart incentives and on job trainings. CCA prefers to select employees based on judging their productive powers. In addition they mainly consider properly trained individuals for special job profiles. Therefore, it seems that the company pays less attention in providing frequent trainings to their employees. CCA mainly focuses in solving the problems of the employees in the work place and consider engaging them in the process of cultivation of the specific firm culture. Therefore, it implies that there is a strong need for on job training facilities in the company. Primary Data Findings and Analysis The primary data for the present report study has been collected from doing a random survey upon the employees. As time has been a prime constraint for the survey and research procedure, only three major questions have been asked to the employees from several outlets of CCA. However, each of the three questions has been done keeping in mind about the research questions. Q.1 Do you believe on job training is a process of increasing employee engagement? Total respondents 50 Agree 25 Disagree 20 Neutral 5 Table 1: Employee feedback (Source: As created by author) The considered table refers that near about 50% of the respondents admit the fact that on job training is a necessary step to increase employee engagement. However, it is unfortunate that 40% of the respondent are still not agree with the fact. From the above table of contents, it can be deduced very rigidly that most of the employees of CCA strongly believes that on job training is a part of employee engagement. Additionally the responses are indicative of the fact that it is a worth agreeable fact that on job training acts like a strategy for enhancing the volume of employee engagement along with employee productivity. Q.2 Do you think CCAs current decision of employee attrition has been an apt resolution? Total respondents 50 Agree 10 Disagree 35 Neutral 5 Table 1: Employee feedback (Source: As created by author) The above table indicates that near about 65% of the employees of CCA has considered CCAs new decision regarding the employee attrition is not a viable resolution. However, it is astonishing to observe that still fifteen percents of the employees support such commitment. The aforesaid findings infer that the decision for employee attrition for cost initiative has not proved favorable for the employees. Most importantly, it can be deduced that the strong disagreement for the resolution may prove fatal for the future endeavors of CCA. Q.3 Are you satisfied with the workplace culture and the salary package? Total respondents 50 Agree 20 Disagree 20 Neutral 10 Table 1: Employee feedback (Source: As created by author) The present table implies that near about 40% of the respondent employees consider that the workplace culture and salary package of CCA is satisfactory. However, surprisingly the same percentage of respondents has shown utter disagreements against the same matter. Therefore, it can be deducted that there is strong ambiguity in that particular section and probably employees of same job profile most of the time do not get equal amount of salary. Hence, it seems that employees are most probably subjected to partiality. Recommendations and Conclusion Considering all the findings and their analysis based on the data collected from secondary and primary collection method, it can be suggested initially that CCA should try to increase their training sessions. Most importantly, the company is obliged to implement frequent on job training periods and should make the training sessions innovative yet enjoying. On the other hand, it has been deduced that there is lack of open discussion takes place in CCE for the employees. The company is mainly focused on to make open discussions only with the business associates, therefore the authority should consider making the same with their employees. Nevertheless, CCE should consider implementing transformational and transactional leadership and should concentrate on motivating employees. Based transactional and transformational leadership an employer is bound to choose and implement leaders who will motivate the employees with rewards or punishment (Park and Zhou 2013). Though the attrition plan is an act of cost initiative, still the company should consider in decreasing the cutting number of employees and vacancies. However, the report suggests one fortunate fact that the CCA considers their employees as their potential asset and the management engages itself vitally to gain employee perspectives. The companys recent issue on the other hand implicates a contradictory view that refers that issue of cost initiative is a far more considerable issue for the company in comparison with keeping their employees in hand. References Albrecht, S.L., Bakker, A.B., Gruman, J.A., Macey, W.H. and Saks, A.M., 2015. 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