HR Competitive Strategies - Case Study Example

The competitive advantage model is being applied in all the three cases. The competitive advantage model has three parts to it: the innovation strategy, the quality enhancement strategy and the cost reduction strategy. The Benchill & Son's firm adopts the cost reduction strategy; Speke Furnishings adopts the quality enhancement strategy while Thorntree Office Solutions adopts the innovation strategy. The competitive strategy that Benchill and Son's follow is that of a cost advantage. They do not provide very high quality furniture, but their costs are very low when compared with that of their competitors.

Their furniture is ideal when customers need to bulk buy and when cost is their major deciding factor.As the production process is very simple, not a lot of training is required for their workforce. The skill of the employee should not be very high because then they would demand higher wages and since the company only competes on price, quality of the work performed is not a major factor for them. Semi skilled employees work fine for them, as they will be cheaper than the skilled employees. The competitive strategy .

Speke FurnishingsSpeke Furnishings is known for the high quality products that they produce. This is not the only service they provide, they also give their customers delivery and after sales service. Their products are not cheap in the market but have good quality when compared to that of its competitors. Their name has become a brand name in the market and is directly correlated with high quality. They use the best raw material and their products are not defected and will not break down after purchase.

The competitive strategy followed by Speke Furnishings is on the basis of quality. The HR approach that Speke Furnishing should follow is the competitive strategy of quality enhancement. The employees should be committed to producing high quality products. They should be highly trained so that they can do this quickly and efficiently. The production process should be changed according to the employees so that it enhances flexibility and improves outcomes. The focus is more on long term rather than short term.

Cooperation levels should be high among the workers and they should not be concerned with the number of products they are producing. They should focus on the quality. There is less risk taking activity and the high commitment to organizational goals. The Human Resource department should ensure the policies are fixed and are known by the employees. They should understand them and be clear about the policies. The workers need job security which should be provided by the company if they expect them to produce good quality furniture.

Thorntree Office SolutionsThorntree Office Solutions is a specialist furniture company. They produce