A PERCEPTION STUDY ON HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT...

A PERCEPTION STUDY ON HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

PRACTICES IN SELECT RETAIL ORGANIZATIONS IN FLORIDA,

USA

PARAG SHIL 1 D. K. PANDIYA

2

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Commerce, Assam University, Silchar.

2 Professor, Department of Commerce, Assam University, Silchar.

ABSTRACT

In the organized retail sector, employees who deal with the customers directly are considered the face

of the organization. Obviously, people who work at the store level are very much significant for every

organization. Employ the persons with right attitude is essential as the employees need to work long

hours, and also need to work on a holiday and on special occasions. The employee of a retail

organization must be a person with the right skill of buying and merchandising. So, the need of proper

HRM practices is rapidly growing everywhere in the globe. In USA, which is a pioneer of organized

retailing and where more than 85% retail activities are done under organized sector, importance of

HRM functions in retail organization is quite significant. The study is a modest attempt to analyze

HRM practices and perception regarding satisfaction of the employees of Walmart, Target and Publix

in the state of Florida, USA. The study is basically a perception study of the employees, working in

the organized retail sector, regarding their satisfaction about the ongoing human resource practices in

their organizations. The study is based on both secondary and primary data which were collected,

compiled and analyzed using statistical tools like Chi-square and ANOVA .

Key words: HRM, perception, performance, retailing, satisfaction.

INTRODUCTION

Globally, total retail sales were more than $22 trillion in 2014, according to a report from

eMarketer.com. In 2105 retail sales were expected to reach $24 trillion in 2015. Total annual U.S.

retail sales have increased an average of 4.5% between 1993 and 2015, according to the U.S. Census

Bureau. In the USA, the retail industry is an area of the economy that encompasses of individuals and

companies engaged in the selling of finished products to end-user consumers (U.S. Census Bureau,

2015). In the U.S., multi-store retail chains are both publicly traded on the stock exchange and

privately owned. An estimated two-thirds of the U.S. GDP (Gross Domestic Product) comes from

retail utilization and consumption. So, store closings and openings are used a pointer of how well the

U.S. economy is doing overall. In 2016, a large number of store closings and bankruptcies are an

indication of both shifting consumer preferences, and an unsteady economy (Farhan, 2016).

INTERCONTINENTAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENTISSN:2350-0859 -ONLINE ISSN:2350-0840 -PRINT -IMPACT FACTOR:1.296VOLUME 3, ISSUE 12, DECEMBER 2016

An Open Access, Peer Reviewed, Refereed, Online and Print International Research Journal www.researchscripts.org 1 [email protected]

https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-a-markdown-in-retail-2890198

Usually, that business which sells finished products to an end user is considered to be part of the retail

industry. Sales figures and economic data are sometimes reported separately for restaurants and

automotive-related businesses, but by definition they are considered to be members of the retail

industry as well (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015). The 13 major types of retailing businesses, along with

the percentage of total sales each generates annually in the U.S. retail industry, according to the most

recent figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2015:

20.0% - Motor vehicle and parts dealers

13.0% - Food and beverage stores

12.5% - General merchandise stores (hypermarkets, departmental stores, discount stores,

warehouse clubs)

11.0% - food services & drinking places

10.0% - Gasoline stations (and convenience stores )

9.2% - Non-store retailers (internet shopping catalog, direct sales, etc.)

6.0% - Building material & garden dealers

6.0% - Health & personal care stores (pharmacy)

5.0% - Clothing and clothing accessories stores

2.3% - Miscellaneous store retailers (specialty retailers)

2.0% - Furniture stores

2.0% - Electronics and appliance stores

1.7% - Sport products hobby, book & music stores

The U.S. is the undisputed leader of the retail industry if it is measured by revenue. Walmart is not

only the largest global retailer but also the largest company of any kind in the world. According to the

2015 Global Powers of Retailing Report, 76 of the largest retailing companies in the world are based

in the U.S. That is compared to 81 U.S. chains that revenue large enough to qualify them for the 2014

World's Largest Retailers list in 2014. Some of the world's largest U.S. based retail chains operate

domestically, but a growing number of the large U.S. retail chains are establishing international retail

presence as well. According to the 2015 Global Powers of Retailing rankings, among 10 largest retail

companies in the world, five are from the US and five are from Europe. As the world moves towards

a global economy, the U.S. retail chains large and small continue to expand their global reach by

opening stores in countries throughout the world (Farhan, 2016). According to the U.S. Bureau of

Labor Statistics 15.7 million people were employed in the U.S. Retail Industry in May, 2015. Despite

a significant number of store closings and retail company bankruptcies in 2015, retail employment

expanded every month in 2015, except for January. This indicates that the growth of the U.S. retail

industry overall is outpacing aggregate of individual retail chain downsizings and bankruptcies.



HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT – A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Human Resource management is focused on the „people‟ in the organization. The term HRM has

received huge importance in the present days of business due to its influences on organizational

productivity. HRM is considered as the philosophy, policies, procedures and practices relating to the

management of people within organizations (Aswathappa, 2008).

The HRM objectives in a retail organization serve as standards against which performance is

evaluated. If objectives are well defined and accepted by employees, these promote synchronization

among human efforts and invite voluntary co-operation. The rate with which new groups are

inflowing into the retail industry, a retail organization should have to structure and assign tasks,

policies and resources in order to meet this fast changing requirement of the customers, employees

and management. Because of high attrition rate and increased demand for skilled employees, retail

organizations have prioritized retention policies and growth of its employees within the organization

(Bratton and Gold, 2003).

The extent of HRM in retailing is certainly enormous and versatile now-a-days. All the actions and

jobs of a retail store staff has to complete from his entry to exit broadly appear under the purview of

HR. Management of HR in retailing is composed of survival-integrated activities such as employees‟

recruitment, selection, induction, training and development, supervision and compensation (Agarwal,

2016).

The most important aim of the human resources management is using the salaried staff in an

organization effectively and constructively for the benefits and betterment of the organization. As

HRM has tools of a system which attracts, develops, motivates, and retains the effective functioning

related with the people managing, the scope of HRM is very wide. Now-a-days, most of the

organizations believe the HR department is playing a major role in staffing, training and helping to

manage people for which people and the organization are performing at maximum capability in a well

fulfilling manner (McNamara, 1999). Michael J. Jicius defines human resources as “a whole

consisting of inter-related, inter-dependent and inter-acting physiological, psychological and

sociological and ethic components”. According to K. Ashwathappa, “Human Resource management

refers to a set of programs, functions and activities designed and carried out in order to maximize both

employees as well as organizational effectiveness”. Edwin B. Flippo defined human resources

management as “the planning, organizing, directing and controlling of the procurement, development,

compensation integration, maintenance and reproduction of human resources to the end that

individual, organizational and societal objectives are accomplished”. Globally, HRM is containing,

“(a) specific human resource practices such as recruitment, selection, and appraisal; (b) formal human

resource policies, which direct and partially constrain the development of specific practices; and (c)



overarching human resource philosophies, which specify the values that inform an organization's

policies and practices (Gilley et.al., 2002).

HRM in retail generally comprises of:

(a) identifying various roles in the organization,

(b) recruiting the right persons with the right attitude to fit the jobs,

(c) training of the employees,

(d) motivating employees of the organization, and

(e) evaluating the employees‟ performance. (www.slideshare.net/dipti143/hrm-in-retail)

Human resource involves the strategic planning and management of employees to create a productive

and motivated workforce. The main objective of HRM is to ensure that right person should be

appointed at right position according to his or her caliber, interest and experience in the relevant field

(Megginson, 1985). Broadly, HRM in retailing has four specific objectives to perform.

(1) Acquisition of Human resource (Getting people)

(2) Development of Human resource (preparing people)

(3) Motivation of Human resource (Stimulating people)

(4) Maintenance of Human resource (Keeping them)

Figure 1 - Functions of HRM

Source: compiled by authors.

Figure 1 outlines the broad functions of HRM which is briefly explained below:



i) Acquisition

There are two steps involved in acquisition process:

Recruitment - a process by which organizations locate and attract individuals to fill job vacancies.

Selection - a process of measurements, decision, making and evaluation.

Acquisition process is mostly apprehensive with securing and employing the people possessing

vital kind and level of skills necessary to achieve the organizational objectives. The acquisition

function begins with planning. It also covers other functions such as job analysis, human

resource planning, recruitment, selection, placement, induction and internal mobility (Dessler,

2002).

ii) Development

After selecting and recruiting individuals in the right position of the organization the next

function is to train and develop them, so that they can become efficient employees and work

toward the achievement of the organization goal (http://hrmpractice.com/basic-functions-human-

resource-management/). Development process is related with improving, shaping and changing

the skills, knowledge, creative ability, and aptitude and values of the employees. The

development functions of human resources focus on three dimensions which include employee

training, management development and career development (Aswathappa, 2008).

iii) Motivation

The motivation function is one of the most important functions. After training and developing

the employees the HR manager should stimulate them to work well. For motivation purpose

the HR manager have to give the employees some compensation and benefit package

(http://hrmpractice.com/basic-functions-human-resource-management/). The motivation function

starts with the appreciation that individuals are unique and that motivation techniques must

reflect the needs of each individual. It is a region of management that deals with integrating

people into work situation in a way that motivates them to work together productivity, co-

operatively and with economic, psychological and social satisfaction (Bratton and Gold, 2003).

iv) Maintenance

The final phase of the HRM function is called the maintenance function. For maintaining the

people HRM should go for some method of providing a safe and healthy work place, labor

relation & collective bargaining (http://hrmpractice.com/basic-functions-human-resource-

management/). The maintenance process is concerned with providing those working conditions

that employees believe indispensable in order to maintain their commitment to the organization.

The objective of the maintenance function is to retain people who are performing at high levels

(Gilley, Eggland and Gilley, 2002).



http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Gary%20Dessler%22?Ntk=P_key_Contributor_List&Ns=P_Sales_Rank&Ntx=mode+matchall

MANAGEMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE IN ORGANIZED RETAILING

The organized retailing industry in the USA is providing huge employment opportunities. The

prerequisite of manpower in the emerging competition in the retail industry is speedily increasing in

all functional areas of retailing organizations. The HR needs are rising to perceive the customers at

the retail outlets and to motivate them indirectly for more buying (Farhan, 2016). HRM activities

plays crucial role in many fields including putting the right person in the right job, starting new

employees in the enterprises, training employees for jobs that are new to them, improving the job

performance of each person, gaining creative co-operation and mounting smooth working

relationships, analyzing the company‟s policies and procedures, controlling labor costs, developing

the abilities of each person, creating and maintaining department morale and protecting employees

health and physical condition (McNamara,1999).

In retailing, human resources are required for almost all aspects of activity – buying, selling,

marketing, inventory management, accounting, training, packaging and dealing with customers. If not

managed or coordinated effectively, adverse effects on all these functions will be obvious. This will

affect the firm‟s image, turnover and profits, and also reduce goodwill, which is significant for

maintaining and increasing the retailing firm‟s market share (Agarwal, 2016).

HRM helps retailing to prove its ability, to place efficiently before consumers, to create profitability,

to provide better services, to help the economy to grow instantly, to improve the workforce and to be

part of success of the organizations. Retailing Industry today is in the challenging mode and whizzing

along on the fast lane. Being a labor intensive industry sector, workforce management has emerged as

the single biggest task for human resources managers. Companies are being challenged to reorganize

and adapt their employees to become more efficient. A glance of the profile of three select retail

outlets for the present study is given below. According to the “Top 100 Retailers Chart – 2015” in the

USA (www.kantarretail.com/), we have taken for the study three retail organizations Walmart (1st),

Target (6th) and Publix (13th) selected randomly.

WALMART

Walmart was founded in 1962 by Sam Walton when first store opened in Rogers, Arkansas. The CEO

of Walmart is Doug McMillon. The Chairperson of Board of Directors is Greg Penner. Started small,

with a single discount store and the simple idea of selling more for less, has grown over the last 50

years into the largest retailer in the world. Today, nearly 260 million customers visit its more than

11,500 stores under 63 banners in 28 countries and e-commerce sites in 11 countries each week. With

fiscal year 2016 revenue of $482.1 billion, Walmart employs 2.3 million associates worldwide – 1.5

million in the U.S. alone. It is a commitment to creating opportunities and bringing value to customers



http://corporate.walmart.com/our-story/leadership/executive-management/doug-mcmillon/

http://corporate.walmart.com/our-story/leadership/board-of-directors/gregory-penner/

and communities around the world. Walmart has stores in 50 states and Puerto Rico offering low

prices on the broadest assortment of products through a variety of formats including the Supercenter,

Discount Store and Neighborhood Market. For the fiscal year ended January 31, 2016, Walmart's total

revenue was $482.1 billion and the company returned $10.4 billion to shareholders through dividends

and share repurchases. Walmart employs 2.3 million associates around the world. About 75% of the

store management teams started as hourly associates, and they earn between $50,000 and $170,000 a

year. Walmart is investing $2.7 billion over two years in higher wages, education and training.

(http://corporate.walmart.com/)

TARGET

Target Corporation (Target, the Corporation or the Company) was incorporated in Minnesota in 1902.

As per claim of “Target”, they offer customers, everyday essentials and fashionable, differentiated

merchandise at discounted prices. “Target” operates as a single segment designed to enable guests to

purchase products seamlessly in stores or through our digital sales channels. Prior to the first quarter

of 2013, “Target” operated a U.S. Credit Card Segment that offered credit to qualified guests through

its branded credit cards. “Target” sells a wide assortment of general merchandise and food. The

majority of its general merchandise stores offer an edited food assortment, including perishables, dry

grocery, dairy, and frozen items. Nearly all of “Target” stores larger than 170,000 square feet offer a

full line of food items comparable to traditional supermarkets. Target‟s small, flexible format stores,

generally smaller than 50,000 square feet, offer edited general merchandise and food assortments.

At January 30, 2016, “Target” employed approximately 341,000 full-time, part-time and seasonal

employees, referred to as "team members" levels peaked at approximately 390,000 team members

during the 2015 holiday sales period. Target offer a broad range of company-paid benefits to their

staff team members. The company-paid benefits include a pension plan, 401(k) plan, medical and

dental plans, disability insurance, paid vacation, tuition reimbursement, various team member

assistance programs, life insurance, and merchandise and other discounts. We believe our team

member relations are good.

(https://corporate.target.com/_media/TargetCorp/annualreports/2015/pdfs/Target-2015-Annual-

Report.pdf)

PUBLIX

On Sept. 6, 1930, George W. Jenkins opened his first store, called Publix Food Store, in Winter

Haven. In 1935, he opened a second location across town. He closed these first two stores to open his

dream store, the first Publix Super Market, on Nov. 8, 1940. A "food palace" of marble, glass and

stucco, this store included innovations such as air conditioning, fluorescent lighting, electric eye doors

and terrazzo floors. In 1945, he acquired a warehouse and 19 All American stores from the Lakeland

Grocery Company. He began replacing these small stores with larger supermarkets. He continued his



http://corporate.walmart.com/

https://corporate.target.com/_media/TargetCorp/annualreports/2015/pdfs/Target-2015-Annual-Report.pdf


never-ending expansion, bringing the Publix standard of clean stores, friendly service and quality

merchandise to customers throughout Florida.

Today, Publix has grown from a single shop into a sprawling collection of 1,077 supermarkets that

brought in $28.9 billion in sales last year. The values and philosophies established by George Jenkins

are still in place and serve as the foundation for the mission of being the premier quality food retailer

in the world.

Publix was founded in 1930 in Winter Haven, Florida, by George W. Jenkins.

Publix is the largest employee-owned grocery chain in the United States.

Publix is one of the 10 largest-volume supermarket chains in the country.

The retail sales of Publix in 2015 reached $32.4 billion.

Currently, Publix employ over 189,000 people.

(http://www.publixstockholder.com/financial-information-and-filings/annual-meeting-and-proxy)

Objectives

The study mainly highlights on core human resource management activities executed in select retail

units. The specific objectives of the study are:

i) To analyze the perception of employees on human resource acquisition by select organized

retail companies.

ii) To examine the perception of employees on development aspect of human resource in select

organized retailing companies.

iii) To study the perception of employees on motivation of human resource in select organized

retailing companies.

iv) To analyze of maintenance and performance human resource in select organized retailing

companies.

Hypotheses

H01: There is no significant difference in the satisfaction levels of employees with reference to

“acquisition” of human resources.


“development” of human resources.


“motivation” of human resources.


“maintenance” of human resources.



http://www.publixstockholder.com/financial-information-and-filings/annual-meeting-and-proxy

Data Source and Methodology

The study is based on both secondary and primary data. The secondary data has been collected from

the periodicals and annual reports of select companies and other agencies relating with retailing,

news papers, magazines, articles and e-resources relevant to the HR activities in organized retail

sector. For collection of primary data a structured questionnaire was developed and distributed to the

employees of the select retail organizations and subsequently collected from the sample respondents.

The study is confined within the select three retailers, viz., Walmart, Target and Publix in the state of

Florida, USA. The sample respondents include employees, supervisors and manager of select retail

organizations of these three retail organizations of the state. For the purpose three cities have been

selected viz., Orlando, Miami and Gainesville. Around 700 questionnaires were distributed, out of

which 450 respondents properly filled up and submitted the same. So, effective sample size of the

study is ultimately 450. While selecting a sample size of 450 respondents, convenience sampling

method is applied taking 150 respondents from each organization in the state of Florida, USA. We

mainly given importance to the organizations (not the cities) while selecting the sample size of 150

respondents from each of the retail organization. The collected data have been tabulated

systematically in Ms-Excel and analyzed by appropriate statistical tools viz., Chi-square, ANOVA

and tried to test the above mentioned hypotheses and to reach a conclusion.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Manpower and perception of employees

HRM process starts with manpower planning. Manpower Planning is consists of putting right number

of people, right kind of people at the right place, right time, doing the right things for the better

achievement of the goals of the specific organization. Manpower planning has got a vital place in the

field of industrialization which a systems approach and is carried out in a set procedure

(http://www.managementstudyguide.com/manpower-planning.htm#). Table 1 reveals the perception

of the employees of the select retail organization in the state of Florida, USA, about adequacy of

manpower in their respective organization. Here, we are going to analyze the perception of the

respondents regarding need of more manpower required in their organization or not.

Table 1- Perception of employees towards adequacy of manpower

Sl.

No. Organization(s)

Perception regarding additional Manpower requirement

in respective organization Total

Yes No

i. Walmart 121 29 150

ii. Target 88 62 150

iii. Publix 115 35 150

Total 327 123 450

Chi-square Tabulated value 5.99 at 2 d.f. and 5% level of significance

Chi-square Calculated value 14.08

Source: calculated from primary data.



Table 1portrays that most of the employees in these three organizations opined in favor of the fact that

there is a need for more manpower in their respective organization. Perceptions of employees of all

the select organization are reflecting similar result, though less number of employees of „Target‟

opted for positive view compare to two other organizations. Chi-square test has been used to find

whether there is any association exists among the employees of three organizations and their

perception on the need of more manpower. At 5% level and 2 degrees of freedom, the statistics has

shown that the calculated chi- square value is 14.08 and is greater than the tabulated value of 5.99. So,

it can be concluded that there is no association among the employees of three organizations and their

perception on the requirement of manpower in their own organizations.

On the basis of corporate and functional plans, and future needs and human resources in the

organization are anticipated. There are various techniques used in manpower forecasting. After

forecasting of manpower requirements, supply of manpower is forecasted.

(http://toprankhumanresource4u.blogspot.com/2010/04/human-resource-planning.html)

There are two sources of supply of manpower for any organization- internal (like promotion and

transfer) and external (like new procurement of manpower).

Manpower Gap = Future need minus Present employee

Table 2 reveals the perception of employees of the select organizations about the estimation of

manpower gaps in their respective organizations.

Table 2- Perception of employees towards responsibility of estimating manpower gaps

Sl. No. Organization(s) Responsibility of estimating Total

Manpower gaps

Senior Store Supervisor

Sales

Personnel Others

Manager Manager

i. Walmart 21 83 30 12 4 150

ii. Target 15 97 27 6 5 150

iii. Publix 13 100 17 8 12 150

Total 49 280 74 26 21 450


Table 2 depicts the perceptions of the employees about the responsible people who take decision for

estimation of manpower gap. According to the perception of most of the employees in the select three

organizations, store managers are the responsible persons for that. Almost similar perception is

observed in this issue among the staff of the select three organizations.



Table 3 highlights the perception of the employees of the select retail organization in the state of

Florida, USA, regarding forecast of manpower requirement in their respective organization. Here, we

are going to analyze the perception of the respondents regarding need of forecasting manpower

requirement in their organization or not.

Table 3- Perception of employees towards forecasting manpower requirements


Table 3 depicts that most of the employees in these three organizations opined in favor of the fact that

there is a need for more forecasting manpower requirements in their respective organization.

Perceptions of employees of all the select organization are reflecting similar result. Chi-square test has

been used to find whether there is any association exists among the employees of three organizations

and their perception on manpower forecasting requirements. At 5% level and 2 degrees of freedom,

the statistics has shown that the calculated chi- square value is 4.69 and is smaller than the tabulated

value of 5.99. So, it can be concluded that there is an association among the employees of three

organizations and their perception on the requirement of manpower in their own organizations.

Perception of the employees towards training and development

Training and development is apprehensive with organizational activity intended at improving the job

performance of individuals and groups in organizational settings. Training and development

programs generally improve productivity, performance and motivation at work place. This is even

more applicable with front-line employees, like retail associates, as they are most in-touch with

consumers (Dessler, 2002).

Table 4 depicts the perception of the employees of the select retail organization in the state of Florida,

USA, regarding importance of training and development programs in their respective organization.

Here, we are going to indicate the perception of the respondents regarding availability and importance

of specific training and development programs in their organization or not.

Sl.

No.

Organization(s) Perception on forecast of

manpower requirements

Total

Yes No

i Walmart 128 22 150

ii Target 121 29 150

iii Publix 111 39 150

Total 360 90 450

Chi-square Tabular value 5.99 at 2 d.f. and 5% level of significance

Chi-square Calculated value 4.67




Table 4 - Perception of employees towards training and development programs

Sl.

No.

Organization (s) Duration of

Orientation/

Induction program

Specific development

program in the

organization

Yes No

i Walmart 2 weeks 139 11

ii Target 3 weeks 136 14

iii Publix 2 weeks 134 16


Table 4 describes the perceptions of the employees about training and development programs of their

respective organizations. According to the perception of most of the employees in all the select three

organizations, they are availing some specific training and development programs in the work place.

Majority of employees opined that their respective organizations are not only focusing on the

orientation/induction programs but also focusing to continuous development programs like on-the-job

training, etc. Almost similar perception is observed in this issue among the staff of the select three

organizations.

Performance appraisal and perception of the employees

Performance appraisal is an assessment of performance of an employee in a systematic way which is a

developmental tool used for all round development of the employee and the organization. The

performance is measured against factors like, job knowledge, quality and quantity of output, initiative,

leadership abilities, supervision, dependability, co-operation, judgment, versatility and health

(http://www.managementstudyguide.com/performance-appraisal.htm). Retail organizations generally

employ at least two different types of employees: office staff and store employees. Retail operations

also employ warehouse and distribution staff, but smaller retail companies are likely to outsource

these functions. For store staff, retail companies generally start front-line employees at minimum

wage or slightly higher. Front-line managers hired directly into their positions are offered more than

store associates but are still often paid less than most office personnel. For office staff, retail

operations set starting salaries based on specific job titles, as well as job candidates' previous

experience and education.

The performance appraisal of a new retail store employee is likely to focus on the employees' level of

success or struggle with learning the various tasks of the job, including customer service, running a

cash register and stocking shelves. Subsequent performance reviews for store staff are more likely to



http://www.managementstudyguide.com/performance-appraisal.htm

focus on individual goals set between front-line employees and supervisors. Reviews may focus on

developing customer-service skills for one employee, for example, and on attention to detail for

another (http://smallbusiness.chron.com/performance-appraisal-compensation-staff-retail-company-

10404.html)

Table 5- Perception of employees towards appraisal period

Organization(s) Perception towards appraisal process period Total

Once in Quarterly Half yearly Yearly Not

a month specify

i. Walmart 5 12 15 109 9 150

ii. Target 7 10 17 106 10 150

iii. Publix 8 13 14 103 12 150

Total 20 35 46 318 31 450


Table 5 highlights the perception of employees towards appraisal period of select organizations. Most

of the employees opined that they have experienced appraisal procedure annually. Some employees

also mentioned in favor of half-yearly and quarterly appraisal. Few employees opined that they cannot

specify the appraisal procedure; on the other hand, few have experienced monthly appraisal process.

Motivation in the work place

Motivation is the inner drive that directs a person's behavior toward goals. Motivation can

be defined as a process which energizes, directs and sustains human behavior. In HRM the term refers

to person's desire to do the best possible job or to exert the maximum effort to perform assigned tasks

(http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-motivation-in-management-definition-process-types.html).

Motivation signifies a vital role in an organization as it is accountable in getting increased

performance from employees. The best factor lacking amongst most of the managers is their ability to

precisely apprehend the aspects that motivate their employees. With the organizations being evaluated

against international standards as an outcome of globalization, workforce diversity and benchmarking,

many retail organizations are eager to conceive as to how they can motivate employees to have a

aggressive edge. While competition in retail increases, retail organizations gradually realize that the

role of motivation and behavior of store employees are the vital aspects of competitive business

success. The achievement of retail firms relies on a motivated workforce

(http://www.essay.uk.com/free-essays/business/significance-of-motivation-in-tesco.php).

Table 6 highlights the perception of employees selected for this study towards motivation in

workplace. Though there are various source of motivation for an employee, here, they expressed their



http://smallbusiness.chron.com/performance-appraisal-compensation-staff-retail-company-10404.html


http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-motivation-in-management-definition-process-types.html

http://www.essay.uk.com/free-essays/business/significance-of-motivation-in-tesco.php

perception regarding the source (or initiator) of motivation in their organization which is analyzed and

tested through one-way ANOVA results.

Table 6- Perception of employees towards motivation in workplace

Organization(s) Initiators for motivation at work place Total

Store

Departmental Peers Senior

No source

Manager manager/ executives of motivation

Supervisor

i. Walmart 7 71 18 51 3 150

ii. Target 12 46 19 65 8 150

iii. Publix 13 49 25 56 7 150

Total 32 166 62 172 18 450

One way ANOVA results

Source of Variation SS df MS F P-value F crit

Between Groups 4333.33 4 1083.33 5.1619 0.02924 3.47805

Within Groups 2098.67 10 209.87

Total 6432 14


Table 6 depicts that there is a difference in the opinions of the employees regarding sources for

motivation in their organization. It can be observed that majority of the employees of Walmart opined

that departmental managers take the responsibility for motivating the employees at work place. The

role of senior executives is also vital according to the perception of respondents of Target and Publix.

From this analysis, it may be concluded that both senior executives and departmental managers take

the major responsibility of motivation the employees in the select organizations though peers and

branch managers are also playing supportive role. One-way ANOVA is used to study that whether

there is any significant difference in source of motivation in the three retail organizations. As per

ANOVA result, it can be observed that the calculated value of F, i.e., 5.1619 is greater than the

tabular value. Hence, Null Hypothesis is rejected and it clearly specifying that there is a significant

difference in the source of motivation for the employees at the place of work.

Working conditions at work place

Working condition means the situation in which the employees work, including but not limited to

physical environment, degree of safety and danger, amenities, stress, noise and such other things. A



good working condition can have a lot of positive effects on not only the welfare of the individual

employee, but on the health of the organization itself. If people are happy with where they work and

the environment they walk into each day, they have been proven to be more productive and make less

mistakes (McNamara, 1999).

Here, an analysis is done to understand the employees‟ perceptions towards working conditions at

work place. The factors like ventilation, rest hours, toilets, rest rooms, quick medical help and free

environment among peers are considered and overall satisfaction level of the employees are adopted

in 5 point rating scale. Table 7 highlights the perception of employees in the select retail

organizations regarding working conditions.

Table 7- Perception of employees towards working conditions in workplace

Organization (s) Perceptions towards working conditions Total

Extremely Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Extremely

Satisfied dissatisfied

i. Walmart

13

78

24 25 10 150

ii. Target

8

46

65 15 16 150

iii. Publix

14

99

14 15 08 150

Total

35

223

103 55 34 450

One-way ANOVA results

Source of Variation SS df MS F P-value F crit

Between Groups 6262.67 4 1565.67 7.47228 0.005644 3.47805

Within Groups 2095.33 10 209.53

Total 8358 14


It is evident from Table 7 majority of the employees of Walmart and Publix are “satisfied‟ with their

working conditions of the work place. Opinion of the sample of the employees of Target is “neutral”

regarding the working conditions in their work place. One-way ANOVA is used to study that whether

there is any significant difference in the working condition in the three retail organizations. As per

ANOVA result, it can be seen that the calculated value of F, i.e., 7.47228 is greater than the tabular

value. Hence, Null Hypothesis is rejected and it clearly specifying that there is a significant difference



in the working condition of the employees at the place of work.

Overall HRM functions in the retail organizations and perception of the employees

We discussed earlier that overall human resource functions are mainly categorize into four major

functions, viz., acquisition, development, motivation and maintenance. Here, in this section of

analysis, Table 8 (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) highlight the overall perception of select employees in the

question of these four aspects of human resource management and overall satisfaction level of the

employees are adopted in 5 point rating scale given below ranging from “highly satisfied” to “highly

dissatisfied” and tried to test the hypothesis with the help of two-way ANOVA results:

Table 8(i): Perception of employees on HRM activities related to Acquisition

Organization(s) Satisfaction levels Total


satisfied dissatisfied

on Acquisition of Human Resources

i. Walmart 14 86 38 10 2 150

ii. Target 19 55 36 26 14 150

iii. Publix 22 72 31 15 10 150


It can be observed from Table 8(i), majority of the employees of the select organizations are in favor

of „satisfied‟ option regarding the acquisition of human resource practices of their respective

organizations though with different pace and magnitude. Two-way ANOVA is used to study that

whether there is any significant difference in the satisfaction levels of employees with reference to

“acquisition” of human resources in the select three retail organizations. The result of two-way

ANOVA is:

At 5% level of significance and 2, 4 d.f.,

Calculated F value for rows = 0.7802 corresponding to Tabular F value for rows = 4.4589

Calculated F value for columns = 19.798 corresponding to Tabular F value for columns = 3.8378

As per ANOVA result, it can be observed that,

(I) Calculated value of F for rows, i.e., 0.7802 is less than the tabular value. Hence, Null Hypothesis is

accepted for rows; and it can be concluded that there is no significant difference in the satisfaction

level of the employees with reference to acquisition of human resources.



(II) Calculated value of F for columns, i.e., 19.798 is greater than the tabular value. Hence, Null

Hypothesis is rejected for columns; and it can be concluded that there is a significant difference in the

perceptions of the employees of select three organizations.

Table 8(ii): Perception of employees on HRM activities related to Development




on Development of Human Resources

i. Walmart 17 99 13 17 4 150

ii. Target 18 58 44 18 12 150

iii. Publix 22 72 31 15 10 150


It can be observed from Table 8(ii), majority of the employees of the select organizations are in favor

of „satisfied‟ option regarding the development of human resource practices of their respective



“development” of human resources in the select three retail organizations. The result of two-way

ANOVA is:







level of the employees with reference to development of human resources.






Table 8(iii): Perception of employees on HRM activities related to Motivation




on Motivation of Human Resources

i. Walmart 16 65 34 17 18 150

ii. Target 15 69 15 36 15 150

iii. Publix 18 70 31 20 11 150


It can be observed from Table 8(iii), majority of the employees of the select organizations are in favor




“motivation” of human resources in the select three retail organizations. The result of two-way

ANOVA is:







level of the employees with reference to development of human resources.






Table 8(iv): Perception of employees on HRM activities related to Maintenance

Organization Satisfaction levels Total



on Maintenance of Human Resources

i. Walmart 15 66 38 15 16 150

ii. Target 14 68 22 36 10 150

iii. Publix 18 59 39 23 11 150


It can be observed from Table 8(iv), majority of the employees of the select organizations are in favor


organizations in almost similar pace and magnitude. But a significant number of respondents in

Walmart and Publix had opined for „neutral‟ option, while a handsome amount of respondents from

Target opined for the option „dissatisfied‟. Two-way ANOVA is used to study that whether there is

any significant difference in the satisfaction levels of employees with reference to “maintenance” of

human resources in the select three retail organizations. The result of two-way ANOVA is:







level of the employees with reference to maintenance of human resources.

(II) Calculated value of F for columns, i.e., 3.1312 is less than the tabular value. Hence, Null

Hypothesis is accepted for columns; and it can be concluded that there is no significant difference in

the perceptions of the employees of select three organizations.

CONCLUSION

Human Resource Management is an essential function in organizations. It is now-a-days emerge as

more important than ever. Line managers are gradually occupied in HRM, and HR managers are

becoming members of the management team of most of organizations. It is well known that the



effectiveness of HRM is honestly influencing the organizational productivity. Every person in the

organization can make a fruitful contribution and involvement to the management of people and the

success of the organization subsequently. From this study, it is well understood that in the USA almost

every retail organizations highly engaged on the HRM activities and its all the functions, which

generally begins with manpower planning and gradually concentrated on other aspects of acquisition

of human resources, development of human resources, motivation of human resources and

maintenance of their human resources. As per this study, perception of all the three select retail

organizations are significantly varies as per the different aspects of HRM in most of the parameters. Of

course, in some of the parameter employees‟ perception are not different from each others. Moreover,

we can observe that perceptions of most of the employees of the select retail organizations are in favor

of satisfaction, though a few are not obviously satisfied in the basic functions and facilities provided

by the management while handling of human resource of respective organizations. Some of the

employees also perceived that an imperative initiative is required in the area of appraisal, development,

on-job training and motivation for better satisfaction of employees.

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