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Human Resource Management (HARM) is seen by practitioners in the field as a more innovative view of workplace management than the traditional approach. Its techniques force the managers of an enterprise to express their goals with specificity so that they can be understood and undertaken by the workforce, and to provide the sources needed for them to successfully accomplish their assignments. As such, HARM techniques, when properly practiced, are expressive Of the goals and operating practices of the enterprise overall.
HARM is also seen by many to have a key role in risk reduction within organizations-HARM practices include analyzing and designing work, determining human resource needs (HER planning), attracting potential employees (recruiting), choosing employees (selection), teaching employees how to perform their jobs and preparing them for the future (training and development), rewarding employees (compensation), evaluating their performance (performance management), and creating a positive work environment (employee relation).
Human Resource Management is the organizational function that deals with issues related to people such as compensation, hiring, performance management, organization development, safety, wellness, benefits, employee motivation, communication, administration, and training. Human Resource Management is also a strategic and comprehensive approach to managing people and the workplace culture and environment. Effective HARM enables employees to contribute effectively and productively to he overall company direction and the accomplishment of the organization’s goals and objectives.
Human Resource Management at Coca Cola Company has many advantages as well as disadvantage. It is the global company and it is impossible to create certain policies or procedures applicable in all divisions of the company, cultural and political differences need to be taken into account. Therefore, the focus of this paper will be on four tasks and duties of Human Resource Management (performance management, compensation, career development, succession planning) based on the United States procedures. Coca Cola is one of the leading beverage companies of the industry. It runs its business campaigns all across the world.
It deals with different types of products such as soft drinks, bottled water, tea, sport juices, etc. Coca-Cola has a franchising model for the production and distribution purposes. Only the syrup concentrate are manufactured by the company which is sold to the bottlers who are its franchisers (Coca-Cola Bottling, 2008). It is important on the part of management to organize the activities of human resources and organizing technology along with other resources such as physical assets, monetary resources and knowledge of the employees and to establish effective and efficient internal organizational structure of the business.
The organizing function focuses on division, coordination, and control of tasks and flow of information within the organization. Moreover, managers distribute responsibility and authority to job holders. 3. 0 Background of Coca Cola John Phenomenon In 1 886, Coca-Cola was invented by a pharmacist named John Phenomenon, otherwise known as “Doc. ” He fought in the Civil War, and at the end Of the war he decided he wanted to invent something that would bring him immemorial success. Usually, everything he made failed in pharmacies.
He invented many drugs, but none of them ever made any money. So, after a move to Atlanta, Phenomenon decided to try his hand in the beverage market,Len his time, the soda fountain was rising in popularity as a social gathering spot. Temperance was keeping patrons out of bars, so making a soda-fountain drunkest made sense. And this was when Coca-Cola was born-However, Phenomenon had no idea how to advertise. This is where Frank Robinson came in. He registered Coca-Cola’s formula with the patent office, and he designed the logo. He also wrote the slogan, “The Pause That Refreshes. Coke did not do so well in its first year. And to make matters worse, Doc Phenomenon died in August 1888, meaning he would never see the commercial success he had been seeking. As Grids Candler After Phenomenon’s death, a man named As Grids Candler rescued the business. In 1891, he became the sole owner of Coca-Cola. Alt was when Candler took over that one of the most innovative marketing techniques was invented. He hired traveling salesmen to pass out coupons for a free Coke. His goal was for people to try the drink, like it, and buy it later on.
In addition to the coupons, Candler also decided to spread the word Of Coca-Cola by plastering logos on calendars, posters, notebooks and bookmarks to reach customers on a large stage. It was one step in making Coca-Cola a national brand, rather than just a regional brand controversial move on the part of Candler was to sell Coca-Cola syrup as a patent medicine, claiming it would get rid of fatigue and headaches. Len 1 898, however, Congress passed a tax in the wake of the Spanish-American war. The tax was on all medicines, so Coca- Cola wanted to be sold only as a beverage. After a court battle, Coca-Cola was o longer sold as a drug.
In 1 899, Ben Franklin Thomas and Joseph Whitehead approached Candler about perhaps bottling the drink so it was available beyond the soda fountain. As believed there was no time or need to start bottling. However, he did say that the two men could attempt to bottle the drink as long as they didn’t sacrifice quality. Candler drew up a contract, but didn’t set a term on it. Thomas and Whitehead could essentially have the rights to bottle Coke for as long as they wanted, and could also sell the rights to any bottling plants they created. In addition, he gave the rights away for absolutely nothing. Why did Candler do this?
He seriously believed that there would be no way for the two to be successful. So he figured it was a winning situation because he didn’t have to invest anything into the bottling process. At the time, the only way to bottle a drink was with a Hutchinson stopper. It was a rubber stopper that was put in place by a wire, and to open the drink you push the wire in, or “pop” it. Candler believed this method would seriously compromise the quality of the drink. But this was not the kind of bottling Thomas and Whitehead had in mind. By 1 900, however, bottle caps ere beginning to surface. This was the perfect solution for the bottling problem.
In the early 1 ass’s bottled Coca-Cola was available at grocers and saloons. Coke bottling was a highly successful venture. Thomas sold the bottling rights to independent businessmen, and by 1909, 379 bottling plants were in American cities and towns. With the bottle caps keeping the drink fresh, mules and carts were about to deliver the drinks to towns in all parts of the country. At a time where refrigerators were not available, soft drinks were stored in coolers of ice. This made it very easy for imitators to jump into the intention, since all of the bottles were shaped the same and consumers couldn’t see what they were grabbing.
It also didn’t help that the paper labels helping to identify Coke would often fall offing the ice. To alleviate this problem, Coca-Cola began taking submissions for nevus bottle designs. They wanted the packaging to be unique and identifiable, so much so that if a Coke bottle was shattered, you would be able to tell what it was. In 1 916, the winner was announced. Workers from a glass plant in There Haute, Indiana came up with the winning design. Ironically, their design was based on misinformation. They thought that cocoa was an ingredient in Coca-Cola, so they made the bottle look like a cocoa seed.
The design was slimmed down, and it became known as the contour bottle and the hobblers bottle. The unique qualities Of the bottle still remain on the plastic bottles Of today. 4. 0 Use of Human Resource in Organization Management at Coca Cola Company focuses on the acquisition and retention of highly skilled and knowledgeable employees so that it can maintain its top position in the market. It treats these resources as an asset. It provides such conditions of employment and procedures that enables all employees to evolve a sense of unity with the enterprise and to carry out their duties in the most willing and effective manner. T also provides for the security of employment to the workers so that they may not be distracted by the uncertainties of their future. These objectives, strategies, policies, and programs are pre-specified by the company, which guides the management and unions in taking decisions. Also they are in accordance with the organization’s mission, objectives, strategies, policies and its and internal external environments. In organization, managers have several functions such as planning,organizing, controlling and staffing.
Primary responsibilities associated with human resource management include: job analysis and staffing, organization and utilization of work force, measurement and appraisal of work force performance, implementation of reward systems for employees, professional development of workers, and maintenance of work force. Len organizing, managers have to ensure that all its resources are well organized so the organizations can work efficiently and effectively. In managing of the human resources, they have to look at the capabilities of employees and group them according to their skills.
The managers have to delegate authority to employees and involve them in decision making, provide them with necessary tools, good communication and provide them with an opportunity to develop. Technology influences organization’s functioning and performance, organizing technology should therefore involve having up-to-date technology for proper functioning, being innovative and combine it with available resources for effectiveness. Managers in organizations have several functions and duties which they carry out to ensure that the organization is running well.
Some of the duties and functions are planning , which is an ongoing process of developing the organization mission and objectives as well as determining how the set mission and objectives can be accomplished . Directing involves influencing behavior of people by way of motivation ,group dynamics , communication , discipline and leadership and controlling function where performance standards are established (Even , 2008 Another function is organizing where the internal organizational structure of the organization are established.
It mostly focuses on coordination or resources, division and control of tasks as well as good information flow within the organization. Managers also ensure that all the departments and resources in them such as physical assets, finances,the human resource, technology and knowledge are doing the right duties and well organized. Organizing also involves the activities which are carried out in the process of configuring the organization resources in order to implement plans which will be highly effective and also efficient.
It is one of the major functions of management where it deals with organizing the managers themselves , designing tasks , roles or jobs to people ,organizing the organizations staff , organizing the groups and the general resources in the organization so that they achieve the goals and objectives set -In organizing the human resource of the organization, the managers reviews the set plans,lists all the tasks that need to be accomplished, divide the tasks into groups where each person is put into to a group where the person will be able to perform that certain task, this is referred to as division of labor.
In division of labor, the related jobs are grouped together in and efficient and logical manner, the jobs are then assigned to individuals and the manager legate authority so as to establish relationships between the groups of jobs and the jobs themselves. In organizations, the employees want their work to go on in a manner which excites them and makes them have the commitment. Gaining a Competitive Advantage through HARM HARM practices according to (2002) are increasingly viewed as a means to contribute profitability, quality, and other organizational goals through enhancing and supporting organizational operations. 2003), argues that a carefully crafted human resources strategy can be or at least can result in, a source of competitive advantage in the market place. According to (2002), incorporating the top management’s goals to the HARM practices and policies will bring out and reward the types of behavior necessary for achieving organizations’ strategy. Effective HARM practices can enhance an organization’s competitive advantage by creating both cist leadership and differentiation.
The HARM function focuses its activities on ways to help the organization achieve corporate goals like growing through recruiting and hiring employees, orienting and training them and making their initial and future job assignments. HARM contributions to a cost leadership strategy focus on circuiting and retaining employees who can work as efficient and productive as possible. HARM contributes to the successful use of differentiation strategy by recruiting and retaining employees who can perform high quality work and who can provide exemplary customer service (2002).
Coca-Cola FEMMES is the largest bottler of Coca-Cola trademark beverages in Latin America in terms of total sales volume in 2006, with operations in Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina and Brazil. The company is also the world’s second largest Coca-Cola bottler. FEMMES and the Coca-Cola Company provide the company with managerial experience. Coca-Cola FEMMES also offers management training programs designed to enhance executives’ abilities and exchange experiences, know-how and talent among an increasing number Of multinational executives from the company’s new and existing territories.
Coca-Cola FEMMES is working together with the Coca- Cola Company to develop more advanced joint business models and to increase shared incentive to capture important growth opportunities- including the evident opportunities presented by Latin America’s non- carbonated beverage category. Coca-Cola FEMMES and the Coca-Cola Company agreed to acquire Jug’s del Valve, one of the leading juice manufacturers in Mexico and Brazil, through a new joint-venture company.
Beyond the potential synergies, this transaction will considerably increase the company’s presence in Latin America’s fast-growing, but under-developed non- carbonated beverage segment-As an organization, Coca-Cola FEMMES continually looks to deepen its customer relationships. In Mexico, the company is working closely with its largest clients to develop stronger multi- faceted relationships. Among the company’s initiatives, are tailoring its extensive portfolio of products and packages for their stores – based on the local market’s socioeconomic demographics and the store’s distinctive characteristics.
The company is better able to serve the distinct needs of its customers and consumers and to differentiate its brands across the franchise territories by segmenting markets according to their regional and socioeconomic characteristics. As a result, the company is managing to capture more growth, adjusting portfolio to better fit every consumption occasion. Coca-Cola FEMMES constantly tailors the way to market to better revere the particular needs of clients – from traditional mom-and-pop retailers to modern hyper and supermarkets.
The company offers a powerful portfolio Of beverages to its customers and consumers, and continuously explores promising beverage categories to capture growth in its different markets. To get closer to it is customers and help them to satisfy consumers’ expanding needs, Coca-Cola FEMMES has become a one-stop shop for it is retailers in Brazil by offering a complete beverage portfolio – including carbonated soft drinks, bottled water, packaged juices, and beer. The objective is to change the ramifications buy-sell paradigm to collaborative, multifunctional relationships with clients.
To this end, Coca-Cola FEMMES is partnering with customers in the modern sales channel on multiple fronts-from knowledge management and capabilities development to go-to-market and point-of-sale execution-to ensure each and every shoppers trip counts. Taint management is a key element of Coca-Cola Fame’s growth strategy; the company is committed to fostering the development of quality people at all levels of the organization. Coca-Cola FEMMES shares knowledge and managerial experience with FEMMES and the Coca-Cola Company.
The company also offers ongoing management forums and training programs to enhance the executives’ abilities and to exchange best practices and capabilities from a growing pool of multinational talent. 5. 0 Strategic Competitive Advantage An HARM strategy means as to how to implement the specific functions of Human Resource Management. An organization’s HER function may possess recruitment and selection policies, disciplinary procedure, recon action policies, an HER plan, or learning and development policy, however all of these functional areas of HARM need to be aligned and correlated, in order to correspond with the overall business strategy.
An HARM strategy thus is an overall plan, concerning the implementation of specific HARM functional areas. Brand names are often linked to the existence of strong competitive advantage in business and in turn command premium valuation. Companies spend billions of dollars to create, promote and sell their brands to consumers. Developing a great brand can be a long and substantial process to gain customers trust and mind share. A company with a recognizable brand can gain significant economic benefits.
Products with brand names can outsell their cheaper generic competitors. For example, Coca-cola is market hare is far superior to any generic or store bough soda. In fact, Coca-cola is the most valuable brand in the world with a value of $63. 4 Billion according to recent Businesslike research. Another examples, is David, which outsells the generic and much cheaper Ibuprofen bottles. One needed to evaluate the industry, pricing points, competing products and consumer usage to determine the brand value in creating sustainable competitive advantage.
Think of a smoker and his preference for Marlboro cigarettes or a Coca-Cola drinking who got accustomed to the taste, Buffet can attest to that as he drink 5 cokes a day. It is very hard or nearly impossible to change consumer habits. Products associated with habitual purchases create some of the strongest competitive advantage for a business that exists. Customer will be captive to a brand if it has high switching costs associated with changing brands, particularly for low cost and frequently purchased products.
Brands that are frequently purchased are more likely to lead to strong competitive advantage. A consumer is more likely to be brand loyal with low cost items, since the cost and the effort to research alternatives outweigh the purchase itself, so you stick with what you know. 6. 0 Conclusion Human Resources Management aims to attract, develop, motivate and maintain high-performing employees that add to the organization’s competitive advantage. The Human Resource Management is now considered as a strategic partner of a company’s management.