Recruitment Process from an Employers Perspective

Walmart Company has been chosen as the agency for this assignment. As a Public Corporation, the company operates in the Retail Industry. Sam Walton founded the company on July 2, 1962, 55 years ago. The company's offices are in Bentonville, Arkansas, and it has a total of 11,690 stores worldwide. Electronics, film, watches, health and beauty goods, groceries, photo finishing, home renovation, toys, and footwear are among the products sold by the company. Currently, the company has about 2.3 million workers employed worldwide, with 1.4 million of these employees working in the United States.
The company has engaged in the business industry for a long time and has gained a competitive edge over rival firms within the period of its existence. Similarly, the company’s financial status is sound. Walmart has about $13.65 Billion net income, $198.80 Billion as the total assets of the company. However, the Walton Family owns 52% of the company. The company faced some lawsuits concerning workforce conditions and related cases in 2013. Since then, the firm has had challenges gaining clientele trust. As such, it becomes paramount for the company to adopt marketing strategies that provide proper customer engagement. Thus, the company may need a different role to prioritize marketing. The initiative require HR department to select the best-skilled workers for the same.

Organizational Background

Organizational Marketplace

Walmart has, for long, been the market leader in the United States retail industry and among the best in the world. According to Drake and Rhodes (2015), the company’s revenue is approximated to be about $480 Billion, making it the world’s largest company. Similarly, it is the world’s largest private employer globally. Notably, Walmart has 2.3 Million workers globally. However, the company faces significant competitive challenges from other retailers in the retail market such as PriceSmart, Inc., Sears Holdings Corporation, Macy’s Inc., Amazon, among others. However, the company remains at the top despite the competitors gaining customers and improving their competitiveness.

The company faced a significant downfall in 2013 when there was a lawsuit claiming that the company did not compensate their workers efficiently. According to Drake, and Rhodes (2015), the firm lost many customers courtesy of the lawsuit despite their commodity prices being significantly lower relative to the other competitors. The company has, thus, embarked on regaining its competitiveness in the market through having their products sold at lower prices and engaging in marketing and product promotion undertakings on various media.

Trends Affecting the Sector

Notably, various trends affect the retail markets today. The occurrences impact organization organizations engaging in the retail market. One of the trends is consumer spending patterns and behaviors. Kopp (2014) notes that, due to advanced technology, social sites such as Facebook are used not only as promotion medium for products but also as stores to link customers with online retail stores. The utilization of the said media has led to increased online purchases from different stores globally. As such, consumers prefer to order goods and services online other than purchasing the products physically from stores. Another significant trend is the rise in competing E-Commerce companies within the retail market. The competitive forces have vastly increased over recent years, thereby posing threat to weak and non-performing enterprises. The danger arises following the technology employed by upcoming firms, which are new and more advanced. The new entrants provide better functionality and customer satisfaction levels.

The development stage for the sector can be termed as intermediate since the number of firms that have already developed and had a competitive edge in the retail market is high, while the upcoming companies are also many. Considering the future of the retail industry, it is evident that there is a high chance of improvement and growth from the same over time. Technological advancements are deemed to improve the overall structure of the retail firms to online businesses and hence positively impact customer outcomes. Therefore, the future of the sector will soon transform from an intermediate point in the cycle to a fully established and self-sustaining industry.

Skill Requirement for the Sector and the Organization

Walmart Stores, after the labor relations lawsuits in 2013, should hire a competent marketing director who would propel the firm to gaining customer trust. It is notable, at the moment that their product prices are relatively lower compared to those of competitors. However, the company’s customers have reduced over time. Projections indicate that, if the company has skilled personnel to improve the company’s competitive edge, it would eliminate industry threats the company faces.

Rationale

The scenario selected concerns Company B, which is a market research company. It ventures in obtaining data from different markets, analysing the information, conducting focus groups and providing recommendations regarding best media to utilize in marketing and product promotion. However, one of the challenges faced is failure to utilize a wide range of marketing platforms to obtain the data. The social media platforms, Big Data Analysis, and automation of the same are some of the various platforms and strategies that the company fails to utilize in the TV media research. As such, the TV executives may not have enough data to use in deciding on the best marketing and programming approaches.

Company B has received a set budget to look into some objectives inclusive of Big Data Analysis, Application of automation, social media data usage, development potential from advising on programming and marketing decisions on communication strategies, development potential from TV and media to other media, and strategies that will relate all these objectives for the company to move forward. The HR Colleague assigned is mandated to create a role for the Board to achieve the set objectives.

The major challenge faced outlines that, despite being established in the United Kingdom market and engaging in Artificial Intelligence, the board member is anxious about the complacency of the company. As such, a new role must be defined to ensure that the company is convinced of the firm’s approach towards integrating the objectives in their market research for marketing in the United Kingdom. The new role must undertake the responsibilities defined by the HR department and meet the objectives set. Therefore, it is difficult to select a single individual who will be capable of handling all the various marketing platforms and data to incorporate the company’s strategies in ensuring that the objectives are met (Shank & Lyberger, 2014).

Some of the potential solutions that the company may secure following inclusion of this new role include:

Achievement of Objectives for the Board

Through the defined role, it is possible to have the objectives financed expeditiously. These objectives pirpose to improve the company’s focus to foster better analysis of data and decisions. As such, the new role will help ensure that these objectives are met resulting to company’s improvement (Gatewood, Field & Barrick, 2015). Similarly, meeting the objectives will result in prompt gaining of finances, as decisions made will help the TV executives identify the best programming and marketing strategies that would be highly beneficial to the company.

Company B will have a more comprehensive market base

Currently, Company B makes decisions based on various platforms to identify the market that is more efficient in decision-making. It is evident that the new role defined by the HR Department is expected to ensure that the decisions made by the operating personnel will help target more data sources that will ensure that the company makes proper decisions (Malhotra, Birks & Wills, 2013). Similarly, the broad base will improve the reliability of the gained information for better decision making.

Proper Decisions for the TV Executives

Notably, with the broader base of information gained by Company B, it is notable that the TV Executives will have reliable sources of information that benefit decision-making. The analysis of such information will help the company identify the marketing approach that is more efficient and hence device the programs best suited on the same. Therefore, both Company B and the TV Executives will benefit from the new role defined by the HR Department of Company B.

Approach to Recruitment

Platform for Advertisement

Social media platforms would be the most efficient medium of advertising the new required role. According to Frey and Osborne (2017), social media contains a pool of skilled and unskilled personnel and hence may provide an excellent base to identify the potentially skilled employees for the new role. Platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn are among the most appropriate to utilize in the advertisement. Also, examining the individuals applying for the job can be undertaken on these platforms to identify their previous employers and some reasons as to why they quit (Huang & Sarigöllü, 2014). Similarly, online sites providing the opportunity to define the needed role that should be factored. Consideration is important for marketing the job description. Since many people use internet and websites to find job opportunities, use of such websites would be beneficial to ensure that the company obtains most suitable workers responsible for the selected role (Drake, and Rhodes, 2015). Another appropriate media for use is the job magazines. Posting the job description and all requirement on job magazines is essential. It targets a broad pool of skilled personnel who are not employed and can fit the required role. As such, these media platforms are requisite and can assist secure personnel for the defined role (Pager & Pedulla, 2015).

Effectiveness of the Platform

The use of social media platforms is among the best approaches towards advertising and recruiting new workers. Beerepoot and Lambregts, (2015) argues that media such as LinkedIn provide a detailed Curriculum Vitae of the individual applying for jobs on the site. Therefore, it becomes comfortable when selecting the potential workers on the same. Similarly, the said sites provide a possibility of taking background worker’ checks where the friends of the individual can be questioned concerning the applying party, the individual’s background can be assessed, and their previous job employment identified.

On the other hand, the job searching websites adopted to hire workers are essential. These platforms have variety of workers looking for job opportunities. Therefore, there exists higher chances of obtaining competent workers. The platforms are pivotal and valid since workers have the privilege of previewing the job requirements before applying the same Du (Preez & Bendixen, 2015). The undertaking hence reduces chances of applying for jobs that applicants do not qualify. Similarly, the job magazines are also famous as they define the job description and roles of workers. It allows applying party to first review and understand the requirements. Therefore, potential workers only apply the posts if they are competent on the same.





Conclusion

The research undertaking has selected organization Walmart Company as the firm under study. The organization undertakes activities in the Retail Industry. It is a Public Corporation. Sam Walton founded the company 55 years ago on July 2, 1962. The company has been in the business industry for a long time. It has gained a competitive edge over competitors within the period of its existence. Similarly, the firm’s financial status is sound since it has about $13.65 Billion net income, $198.80 Billion as the total company assets. The scenario selected concerns Company B, which is a market research company. It ventures in obtaining data from different markets, analysing the information, conducting focus groups and providing recommendations on best media to utilize in marketing and promoting products. The conclusions made outline that marketing for the necessary role would be undertaken on social media platforms, job search websites and job magazines. The selected potential employees would then be examined and trained.



References

Beerepoot, N. and Lambregts, B., 2015. Competition in online job marketplaces: towards a global labor market for outsourcing services. Global Networks, 15(2), pp.236-255.

Drake, M.J., and Rhodes, D., 2015. Socially responsible supply chain management for a competitive advantage. In New Perspectives on Corporate Social Responsibility (pp. 321-340). Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden.

Du Preez, R. and Bendixen, M.T., 2015. The impact of internal brand management on employee job satisfaction, brand commitment and intention to stay. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 33(1), pp.78-91.

Frey, C.B. and Osborne, M.A., 2017. The future of employment: how susceptible are jobs to computerization? Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 114, pp.254-280. Available at: http://acikistihbarat.com/Dosyalar/effect-of-computerisation-on-employment-report-acikistihbarat.pdf

Gatewood, R., Feild, H.S. and Barrick, M., 2015. Human resource selection. Nelson Education.

Huang, R. and Sarigöllü, E., 2014. How brand awareness relates to market outcome, brand equity, and the marketing mix. In Fashion Branding and Consumer Behaviors (pp. 113-132). Springer New York. Available at: http://dresmaeilhasanpour.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/International-Series-on-Consumer-Science-Tsan-Ming-Choi-PhD-auth.-Tsan-Ming-Choi-eds.-Fashion-Branding-and-Consumer-Behaviors_-Scientific-Models-Springer-Verlag-New-York-2014.pdf#page=115

Kopp, C. 2014. Wal-Mart should fix its image problem over worker pay. In Market Watch. Available at: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/wal-mart-should-fix-its-image-problem-over-worker-pay-2014-07-03

Malhotra, N.K., Birks, D.F. and Wills, P., 2013. Essentials of marketing research. Pearson. Available at: https://findresearcher.sdu.dk:8443/ws/files/108612027/Marketing_Management_3e_Suggested_lecture_plan_2015.docx

Pager, D. and Pedulla, D.S., 2015. Race, self-selection, and the job search process. American Journal of Sociology, 120(4), pp.1005-1054.

Shank, M.D. and Lyberger, M.R., 2014. Sports marketing: a strategic perspective. Routledge.



Appendices

Job Title

Executive Market Research and Analyst

Organisation Information

Company B is a well-established market research company. The company has had a Top 10 market share in the UK. It specializes in TV media research helping TV executives make programming and marketing decisions by collating market data, conducting a focus group and providing analysis and recommendations.

Job Description

The role requires extensive marketing skills and competencies to understand the various strategies of marketing, analysis of data obtained, conducting research and recommending best platforms for promotion.

Essential Skills and Experience

Minimum of 6 years’ experience in marketing and market research

Must know about marketing and Research

Must conform to the standards of the organization.

Should be able to work with minimum supervision

Reporting Line

The role is defined to report directly to the HR department, marketing, and research departments of the company. However, the role can report to other departments if need be.

Nature of Contract

The contract offered will be for a stipulated timeline of about two years, and the terms can be re-negotiated for extension.