ANSWER ALL

CASE STUDY 1

Application Case Tropical Storm Charley In August 2004, tropical storm Charley hit North
Carolina and the Optima Air Filter Company. Many employees’ homes were devastated and the
firm found that it had to hire almost 3 completely new crews, one for each of its shifts. The
problem was that the “Old-timers” had known their jobs so well that no one had ever bothered to
draw up job descriptions for them. When about 30 new employees began taking their places,
there was general confusion about what they should do and how they should do it. The storm
quickly became old news to the firm’s out-of state customers- who wanted filters, not excuses.
Phil Mann, the firm’s President, was at his wits end. He had about 30 new employees, 10 old-
timers, and his original factory supervisor, Maybelline. He decided to meet with Linda Lowe, a
consultant from the local universities business school. She immediately had the oldtimers fill out
a job questionnaire that listed all their tasks, duties & responsibilities. Arguments ensued almost
at once- Both Phil & Maybelline thought the old-timers were exaggerating to make themselves
look more important, and the old-timers instead that the list faithfully reflected their duties.
Meanwhile, the customers clamored for their filters.

Questions:
1) Should Phil & Linda ignore that old-timers’ protests and write up the job descriptions as
they see fit? Why? Why not? How would you go about resolving the differences?

-More than likely, the old-timers are precise in their descriptions. There are a few of
them, and it gives the idea that the entirety of their portrayals agree. Also, since they
were the ones really accomplishing the work, all things considered, they were the main
ones who comprehended what was really being done. One approach to determine the
differences is look at the particular things that Phil and Maybelline feel the old-timers are
cushioning their employments with. Ask for proof from the old-timers that they did these
capacities, and request proof from Phil and Maybelline that another person did those
task.

2) How would you have conducted the job analysis? What should Phil do now?

-Different alternatives may have been to conduct a personal interview rather than the
questionnaires. However, it is impossible that the subsequent difference would have
been maintained a strategic distance from by utilizing another method. The technique
they utilized was a decent one. Phil has a few blueprints accessible to him. The best
might be to permit the procedure to go on with the old-clocks' sets of responsibilities

CASE STUDY 2 2

HRM Case study: role and job analysis

Job Description at Red Lobster (Phillip – Gully 2009)

Red Lobster operates over 670 casual-dining seafood restaurants in the US and Canada, employing more
than 63,000 people. When Red Lobster developed a new business strategy to focus on value and
improve its image, it established a new vision, mission, and goals for the company. The restaurant chain
simplified its menu with the highest-quality seafood it could offer at mid-range prices, traded its
restaurants’ tropical themes for a crisp, clean look with white-shirt-and-black-pants uniforms for its
employees, and added Northeastern coastal imagery to its menu and Web-site. Executing the new
mission and differentiation strategy required hiring fun, hospitality-minded people who shared its
values.

Although Red Lobster had not had any problem with hiring restaurant managers, the company felt
that the managers it hired did not always reflect Red Lobster’s strategy, vision and values. The company
also realized that their old job descriptions did not reflect the passion its new strategy needed from its
employees.

Red Lobster ask your opinion of what it should do in writing its job descriptions to improve the fit
between its new management hires and its new business strategy.

Solution:

- Developing job descriptions to improve the fit between its new management hires and its
new business strategy would require the organization to adopt a new approach. The
management should provide a guideline that would address change in paradigm among the
employees to match the new requirement—hiring experienced workers that would match
the requirement in the organization will provide a practical approach to management.
Continuous training should be provided to ensure the new hires match the requirement that
is proposed with the management.
- The human resource manager should develop the large picture to confirm workers adapt
to new ideas that are proposed with the management. Experts should be consulted to make
an organizational culture that will improve productivity within the organization. The
organization should ensure new hires are supplied with continuous learning lessons which
will address the need to match new working demands. Policing of workers to match the new
culture is important to as envisaged with the management. The workers are going to be
enlightened on the new business strategy and the way it should be implemented.
Familiarization may be a critical aspect that may address the expansion of the organization.
Workers will make decisions that are aligned with the new demand of the organization. Job
descriptions among workers should match the unique requirements which can address
improve productivity and culture. Training will make an adaptable workforce to embrace the
new ideas that are proposed with the management.