CASE STUDY-One

JET AIRWAYS LTD

The case is about the retrenchment drama that unfolded in one of Indias leading
aviation companies, Jet Airways (India) Limited(Jet), in late 2008.After showing the door
to more than 1000 employees in a bid to streamline its operations, jet was faced with
immense criticism and opposition by various organisations and political parties.

Jets chairman Naresh Goyal reinstated the employees a day later saying that he
was not aware of these sackings. The Indian activation industry was going through a
tough phase and experts felt that it was in the interest of the company to retrench
employees to remain competitiveness.

Experts largely felt that Goyal had capitulated under pressure from external
parties while others felt that all may not be well the organisational communication
mechanism at Jet.

Questions:

1. Analyse the HR problems faced by Jet Airways in 2008.

2. Discuss various concepts related to hiring, firing and compensation
management.
3. State the reasons and understand the rationale behind the pay cuts initiated
at the company.
4. Understand how environmental variables could affect a companys HR policies.

CASE STUDY_TWO

GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION

This case is about the collective bargaining agreement between one of the worlds
leading automobile manufactures, General Motors Corporation (GM), and the United Auto
Workers in late 2007. The agreement, which a number of experts have termed as
historic, was the result of a very complex bargaining process.

GM, which dominated the US maret till 1980, with a market share of 46 % , saw
its market share decline steadily after the entry of Japanese competetiors. In adition to
issues relating t its products and marketing, GMs fortunes were severely affected with
under-funded pension liabilities, rising employee and retiree healthcare costs, and a
decreasing market share in the US automobile market.

The companys US market share fell to less that 25% in 2006. In 2007, GM inked a new
labour contract with UAW which, analysts felt, would change the competitive landscape
of the US auto industry and go a long way in ensuring GMs survival. Analysts felt that
the deal also showed the changing role of the labour union in the 21st century.

Questions:

1. Understand and list out the challenges faced by GM in the US automobile market
while competing with Japanese competitors.
2. Explain the impact of GMs healthcare and other legacy costs on its ability to
compete in the US automobile market.
3. Explore and discuss the changing role of trade unions in the 21st century.

CASE STUDY-THREE

Ian Renton is the newly appointed sales manager at Surya Pharmaceuticals, a

medium sized company (small by comparison to competitor) in the area of over the
counter drugs and proprietary medicines prescription. In its early years, the company
grew rapidly, marketing several related drugs developed by founders of the business and
highly motivated and innovative research team. Selling by five or six representatives
concentrated on wholesalers and larger chemist outlets. The important of specifies,
namely, general practitioners and hospitals, had always been recognised but the
company did not have the resources to call personally on all UK doctors and
pharmacists. The current sales force is 18 in number, some of whom have been seeking
out specifies in response to leads and inquiries.

These calls have been proving very effective in sales terms, although the link between
specifying, stocking and end users has been hard to identify. Ian Renton wants to
encourage more detail calling as well as improving sales effort on existing accounts. A
new remuneration package seems to be required to achieve these objectives.

Questions:

1. Design a suitable remuneration package

2. Point out the possible advantages and disadvantages in your own plan.