Analysis of Human Resource Management Practices and Compensation Challenges at Sportsman Shoes

by | Aug 28, 2024 | human resource management

 

Analyze the Case Study for Competitive Strategy at Sportsman Shoes on page 24 of your textbook. Prepare a paper answering the following questions:
1. Following Sportsman’s shift in competitive strategy, what are some considerations for the company’s human resource management practices?
2. What kind of challenges do you think that Sportsman’s faces specifically in the area of compensation?
Support your analysis with at *least two RECENT scholarly sources* to substantiate your insights.

Case 1: Competitive Strategy at Sportsman Shoes

Sportsman Shoes has been a leader in the shoe industry for more than 30 years. Sportsman manufactures and sells athletic shoes for all types of sports. The company has pursued a low-cost strategy to sustain its success. It sells a limited number of shoe designs and has held costs low through manufacturing efficiency and standardized operations. However, the past years have been a struggle at Sportsman. The shoe market has seen a rise in the availability of low-cost imported shoes that has threatened Sportsman’s competitive position. As a result, company executives have decided it is time for a strategy shift.

Sportsman executives have done extensive market research and determined that many niche athletic shoe markets exist where athletes are willing to pay more for shoes designed to meet the unique needs of their sport. There are very few competitors in these niche athletic shoe markets, and most do not have Sportsman’s experience in keeping control of manufacturing costs. Sportsman has determined that, with talented shoe designers in place, they can manufacture athletic shoes to meet the needs of the niche markets using their current manufacturing facilities and employees. By designing shoes that have features that differ from competitors and meet the specific needs of a new group of customers, Sportsman believes the company can create a competitive advantage. Further, while their shoes will not be as low cost as they were in the past, they will likely be able to sell their shoes for less than market competitors and still make a healthy profit.

Therefore, Sportsman has decided to shift from its current low-cost strategy to a differentiation strategy and will begin production to make specialty athletic shoes. Sportsman must now make many tactical decisions in various functional areas of the company to support its decision to shift its overall business strategy. Its priority is to restructure the product development function. As it will need to understand the needs of the niche markets and design shoes to meet those needs, it will need to hire and retain talented shoe designers. The company will also need to hire operations specialists to transition its manufacturing operations to produce the new shoe designs. Beyond hiring new staff, Sportsman also must consider the implications for current employees to help them successfully transition to their new work requirements. Therefore, there are several considerations the company must address in human resource management.

TEXTBOOK AUTHOR: Martocchio, J. (2020). Strategic Compensation: A Human Resource Management Approach. Boston: Pearson Education.

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Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

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Analysis of Human Resource Management Practices and Compensation Challenges at Sportsman Shoes

Introduction

The competitive landscape of the athletic shoe industry has shifted dramatically, prompting Sportsman Shoes to transition from a low-cost strategy to a differentiation strategy. This strategic pivot necessitates a reevaluation of the company’s human resource management (HRM) practices and highlights particular challenges in compensation. This paper will analyze the implications for HRM practices post-strategy shift and explore the specific challenges Sportsman faces in compensation, supported by recent scholarly sources.

Considerations for Human Resource Management Practices

Following the shift in competitive strategy, Sportsman Shoes must consider several HRM practices to align with its new focus on differentiation.

1. Talent Acquisition and Retention

The need for skilled shoe designers and operations specialists is paramount. To attract top talent, Sportsman must enhance its recruitment strategies by promoting its commitment to innovation and specialization in niche markets. This may involve developing partnerships with design schools and attending job fairs that focus on specialized skills in footwear design (Brewster et al., 2020). Furthermore, retaining these talented individuals will require creating a supportive work environment that fosters creativity and collaboration.

2. Training and Development

As the company transitions to producing specialty athletic shoes, existing employees may require training in new design technologies and manufacturing processes. Sportsman should implement comprehensive training programs that focus on upskilling current employees, which can enhance productivity and morale (Kaufman et al., 2021). Additionally, ongoing professional development opportunities will help employees adapt to evolving market demands and maintain high-quality standards in production.

3. Performance Management Systems

To ensure that employees align with the company’s new strategic goals, Sportsman must establish performance management systems that emphasize innovation, quality, and customer satisfaction. This could involve setting clear performance metrics related to design excellence and customer feedback (Martocchio, 2020). Regular performance reviews and feedback mechanisms will be essential to drive improvements and recognize high achievers within the organization.

Challenges in Compensation

With the shift to a differentiation strategy, Sportsman Shoes faces several challenges in compensation structures that could impact employee motivation and retention.

1. Balancing Cost and Competitiveness

Transitioning to a differentiation strategy means that Sportsman may not compete solely on price but must offer superior product features. Consequently, the company must balance its compensation packages to ensure they are competitive enough to attract skilled designers while maintaining cost-effectiveness. This may require conducting market research to benchmark salaries against competitors in niche markets (Kaufman et al., 2021).

2. Incentive Structures

Given the emphasis on innovation and high-quality outputs, Sportsman may need to develop new incentive structures that reward creativity and successful product launches. Traditional pay scales may not suffice; instead, performance-based bonuses linked to the success of new shoe designs could be more effective (Brewster et al., 2020). However, establishing these new incentives poses a challenge: ensuring they are perceived as fair and achievable by employees.

3. Equity and Internal Pay Structure

As Sportsman hires new talent at potentially higher salary levels, it risks creating disparities among existing employees who may feel undervalued despite their experience. To mitigate this challenge, the company should conduct a thorough review of its internal pay structure to ensure equity among employees. Transparent communication about compensation philosophy will be crucial in maintaining morale during this transition (Martocchio, 2020).

Conclusion

The shift from a low-cost strategy to a differentiation strategy at Sportsman Shoes necessitates a comprehensive reevaluation of human resource management practices and presents specific compensation challenges. By focusing on talent acquisition, training, performance management, and developing competitive compensation structures, Sportsman can position itself for success in the competitive athletic shoe market. Addressing these HRM considerations will be vital for the company to foster innovation, retain top talent, and ultimately achieve its strategic objectives.

References

– Brewster, C., Chung, C., & Sparrow, P. (2020). Globalizing human resource management. Routledge.
– Kaufman, B. E., & Hotchkiss, J. L. (2021). The economics of labor markets. Cengage Learning.
– Martocchio, J. (2020). Strategic Compensation: A Human Resource Management Approach. Boston: Pearson Education.

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