Human Resources Management (HRM)
The case studies below provide you with an opportunity to critically analyze events that are taking place in real-life businesses. This helps to develop your critical thinking and research skills as you research each of these scenarios.
For this assignment, you will review four case studies, one from Chapter 9, one from Chapter 10, one from Chapter 11, and one from Chapter 12. Then, you will evaluate the studies and respond to each of the questions below, using both critical thinking and theory as well as supporting documentation.
In Chapter 9, read the case study ”Soma Bay Prospers with ERP in the Cloud” on pages 345–346 of the textbook. Then, address the prompts below.
Describe the problem that Soma Bay encountered in this case study.
Why was an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system needed to solve the problem?
What are some challenges that this ERP system poses?
Will this ERP system help the company achieve operational excellence? Why, or why not?
In Chapter 10, read the case study “A Nasty Ending for Nasty Gal” on pages 414–416 of the textbook. Then, answer the questions below.
Was it a good idea to use social media as a marketing and social tool for Nasty Gal? Why, or why not?
What were the management, organization, and technological issues that contributed to the failure of Nasty Gal?
If you were hired as the new chief executive officer (CEO) of Nasty Gal, what would you have done differently to keep the company from filing for bankruptcy?
In Chapter 11, read the case study “Can Cars Drive Themselves–And Should They?” on pages 453–455 of the textbook. Then, address the prompts below.
Discuss some benefits and disadvantages of automated automobiles. Be sure to include a discussion of ethical and social issues presented by automated automobiles.
If you were the CEO of a major auto manufacturer, would you invest resources in the development and marketing of automated automobiles? Why, or why not?
In Chapter 12, read the case study “Anthem Benefits from More Business Intelligence” on pages 480-481 of the textbook. Then, address the prompts below.
Discuss the problem with the old human resources (HR) system at Anthem.
Describe the new People Data Central (PDC) portal adopted by Anthem. What does it do, and how does it improve data analytics capabilities at Anthem?
How will the new PDC portal help the HR department make better decisions?
When formatting your case analysis, do not use the question-and-answer format; instead, use an essay format with subheadings.
You are required to use a minimum of three peer-reviewed, academic sources that are no more than 5 years old (one may be your textbook). All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; all paraphrased material must have accompanying in-text citations.
ANSWER
Human Resources Management Case Studies
Chapter 9: Soma Bay Prospers with ERP in the Cloud
The Problem That Soma Bay Encountered
Soma Bay faced a reduction in business because of political upheavals and economic conditions. The ousting of long-term president Hosni Mubarak exposed the country to political upheavals that destroyed the economy and by extension Soma Bay’s business. Plummeting of hotel occupancy rates following the downing of a commercial airliner in Sinai led to a reduction in the company’s hotel business profitability from 50% in 2015 to 25% in 2016 respectively. Soma Bay lacked effective management systems that could assist in establishing sound decision-making hence ineffective management of aggressive growth plans.
Need for an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System
The manual manipulation of excel spreadsheets to understand the basic drivers of profitability and facilitate the making of sound decisions was not effective. The manual systems made it hard for Soma Bay to make aggressive growth plans hence the need for an enterprise resource (ERP) planning system to standardize business processes and facilitate effective decision-making.
Challenges of ERP System
The cost of maintaining the system is quite high because of the complex connections that are associated with its operation. Also, the company faces resistance to change, potential data breaches in the cloud, and a lack of an informed workforce (Heinzelmann, 2017).
The Operational Excellence of The ERP System
The ERP system will help the company achieve operational excellence because it assists in identifying the profitability and growth drivers of the business, seamlessly combines data from financial systems and general ledger with other operational systems, makes the creation of reports flawless, and provides cloud backups for company data.
Chapter 10: A Nasty Ending for Nasty Gal
Social Media as A Marketing and Social Tool for Nasty Gal
The use of social media was helpful for Nasty Girl because the company amassed a huge following from the platform and made massive sales as a result. Social media marketing was beneficial because it not only helped the company to inform the customers of the products they had but also gave the customer a chance to communicate with the company and channel their demands and preferences. The client base that Nasty Girl targeted thrived well in social media making it an effective investment (Dwivedi et al., 2021).
The Management, Organization, And Technological Issues That Contributed to The Failure of Nasty Gal
Overspending on marketing was the management reason behind the failure of Nasty Girl. The company spent more on marketing but did not invest in maintaining customer loyalty. Also, the acquisition of the 50,300square-foot Los Angeles headquarters was not a sound investment decision. The opening of the 500,000square-foot Kentucky fulfillment center was an overestimation of the potential of the business. the company staff focused more on creativity while neglecting other essential aspects like distribution. Production and other activities that drive profit.
Saving Nasty Gal Company from Filing for Bankruptcy
I would have cut back on the acquisition of the huge headquarters in Los Angeles and fulfillment center in Kentucky. I would have preferred modest business premises that would be affordable for the company. Also, I would have focused on production and distribution while ensuring that my prices are within range of the key competitors like Zara. I would have also channeled reasonable investment in marketing to balancing the company.
Chapter 11: Can Cars Drive Themselves–And Should They?
Benefits and Disadvantages of Automated Automobiles
Automated automobiles are advantageous because they can reduce crashes, prevent injuries and save lives. Advanced driverless technology can help eliminate human error that is responsible for close to 905 road accidents. However, there are many disadvantages of automated automobiles. Autonomous vehicles cannot read extreme weather conditions and make sound decisions under unusual conditions. Computer systems and technology can fail in automated automobiles leading to fatal accidents such as one witnessed in Arizona. Automated vehicles are fitted with advanced technologies involving cameras that record events in the surrounding for processing. This jeopardizes the privacy of those using the vehicles and unsuspecting people in public. Automated automobiles will drive many taxi drivers out of employment hence entrenching a never-ending system of automation at the expense of the people (Millard-Ball, 2018). Automated automobiles can be a terror threat hence a huge security threat if fully adopted.
Reasons for Not Investing Resources in The Development and Marketing of Automated Automobiles
I would not invest resources in the development and marketing of automated automobiles because of the privacy, safety, and social implications that the technology exposes the public to. The adoption of robots and automation in many aspects of human life is growing at an alarming rate. Soon the human race will lose humanity and social life because of the adoption of robots in all sectors. I resent this development and would actively work to discourage it.
Chapter 12: Anthem Benefits from More Business Intelligence
The Problem with The Old Human Resources (HR) System at Anthem
Resources and talent data used to be scattered among various systems and spreadsheets increasing the difficulty of aggregating and comparing. The system was not standardized to provide one enterprise view of company data.
Capabilities of The New People Data Central (PDC) Portal Adopted by Anthem
The PDC portal allows HR and other company users to ask questions about human resources in the organization. Questions like the rate of turnover, cost of turnover, performance levels for various employees, and retirement schedules can be asked and answered instantly. The PDC performs sentimental analysis and allows employees to feed information that could be essential to HRM.
Role of The New PDC Portal in Making Better Decisions HR Department
The PDC portal will allow the HR department to ask questions about human resources, acquire accurate results that can aid in making informed decisions. The system allows the inclusion of feedback from employees in machine-readable format hence making all decisions about HR cognizant of employee concerns (Chyhryn et al., 2019).
References
Chyhryn, O. Y., Karintseva, O. I., Kozlova, D. D., & Kovaleva, A. V. (2019). HR management in the digital age: the main trends assessment and stakeholders.
Dwivedi, Y. K., Ismagilova, E., Hughes, D. L., Carlson, J., Filieri, R., Jacobson, J., … & Wang, Y. (2021). Setting the future of digital and social media marketing research: Perspectives and research propositions. International Journal of Information Management, 59, 102168.
Heinzelmann, R. (2017). Accounting logics as a challenge for ERP system implementation: a field study of SAP. Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change.
Millard-Ball, A. (2018). Pedestrians, autonomous vehicles, and cities. Journal of planning education and research, 38(1), 6-12.
