A Case Study for HRM 595 Human Resource Capstone Course

Blossoms Up! A Case Study for HRM 595 Human Resource Capstone Course

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Blossoms Up! is a fictional organization and the individuals identified with a name contained herein are also fictional characters. The organization has been designed to simulate experiences many human resource practitioners face in today’s business environments.

In response to declining floral sales across all parts of the United States, Blossoms Up!, a corporation located in the coastal area of California, must transform itself from a flower grower and producer to a more strategic and competitive domestic enterprise.  Before it can take on a strategy of expansion and high profit it must first rein in costs in all aspects of its business and part of that is dealing with human capital issues affecting 800 employees of which 300 are part-time or seasonal. To more effectively compete as a domestic grower and producer, Blossoms Up! must respond by concentrating on extra specialty growth and development of unique floral varieties with new qualities and traits having greater longevity, aromatic fragrances, and vibrant colors. However, it will be challenging because the company faces higher energy, irrigation, land, and labor costs than their domestic and global competitors. A desire to modernize the entire operation means the workforce could be affected. Making matters worse, California endured a significant drought this year—the fourth such drought in a row, for which strict conservation measures were imposed statewide.

Objectives

In this case study, you will:

1. Distinguish how human resources serves as a strategic partner in the organization’s overall strategy.
2. Apply human resource policies and procedures to support the total organization.
3. Identify problem areas in each of these functional areas of HR management:
   1. Total Compensation.
   2. Talent Development.
   3. Safety and Security.
   4. Talent Acquisition.
   5. Employee Relations.
4. Evaluate the role of legal and ethical perspectives in the human resource management decisions affecting the organization.
5. Present for implementation human resource management solutions to address HR and organizational challenges presented by this case study.

Managing the Case Issues

This capstone course for human resource management integrates the knowledge, skills, and rigor of the graduate curriculum into the development of a comprehensive human relations plan for an authentic business context. You will need to draw upon the content and competencies of previous coursework to demonstrate the necessary outcomes in your plans and presentations. This capstone course requires you to work independently and manage your time over the course of the project to meet the required milestones.

This case requires you to untangle the complications and issues at Blossoms Up! and appropriately advise solutions for the business. You must decide, given the scenarios in the case study, what information is relevant to each assignment. Some issues have a continuing presence throughout the case study. As a prospective HR practitioner, you must distinguish between the interrelationship of organizational issues and HR activities in resolving issues affecting the company’s personnel. In this case, you are challenged to address the strategic challenges fronting the organization while contemporaneously resolving issues within the HR department and managing the problems of individual managers and staff.

The Organization

Blossoms Up! is a medium-sized flower grower and producer located in the coastal area of California. The company was founded in 2002 by current CEO Seth Smith and his wife, Andrea. Smith’s family were wheat farmers in North Dakota. He grew up with severe winters that seemed to never end because of their long duration. After graduating from high school, Smith decided to attend Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. There, he met the love of his life, Andrea. After both graduating from college, they decided to remain in the Houston area where Andrea’s family primarily resided. Thoughts of returning to North Dakota occasionally ran through Smith’s mind, but he also reflected on his newfound appreciation for fresh flowers that he always gave to Andrea and how rare they were to come by when he was growing up in rural North Dakota. He and his wife, Andrea, loved all the lush greenery in and around Houston and for many years, became avid floral gardeners maintaining flowers of all sorts at their home as well as wherever they were welcomed to start floral gardens among family and friends.

Whenever there was free time, the Smiths would study flowers and became fascinated by the floral industry. Andrea decided to work for a prominent floral shop and became quite skilled at working with flowers and greenery. She, thus, became very familiar with running the shop and subsequently became its manager. Seth was engrossed in learning about the floral industry and decided the two of them could put together 10 years of savings and other investments and assets to move to California, where they could begin to develop flower crops. The thought of growing flowers and having them reach all parts of the United States to create delight and make people happy was exciting. After researching that the coastal area in California was the most vital location for such a business, they founded Blossoms Up! in 2002 on a sixty-acre site. Forty acres are devoted to flower cultivation and development of eco-created fertilizer. They are also trying, on a small scale, to grow select varieties of heritage vegetables. Now, the company has eight greenhouses, each approximately 50,000 to 100,000 square feet.

At the present time, Blossoms Up! has managed financially well. They are on the cusp of becoming a major domestic floral producer. In order to expand, however, the company must first tighten its belt to ensure it commences its future growth on strong financial ground. Smith believes a major reason for the company’s success has been loyal employees, many of them who have been with the company since its inception. Another major reason is that the company has taken sustainable measures that brand the company as a socially responsible organization, making it desirable to work for. On the downside, the long-standing drought has proven to be a real challenge affecting not only Blossoms Up!, but all other flower grower competitors. Furthermore, it is time for the company to move toward the use of high technology in all facets of the business, which will affect employees throughout the company. Smith wants to hire a Vice-President of Operations as soon as the Board of Directors approves recommendations made by the HR Department. This position would be a critical and strategic high-level executive employee. Smith doesn’t believe there is anyone in the company that can fit the bill for this key employee who will oversee the company’s expansion. While there is currently a Director of Operations, this person does not have a college education and this has proven to be limiting his career growth with the company in the eyes of Andrea and Seth Smith. What’s more, he isn’t interested in assuming more responsibility. He anticipates retiring in three years.

Smith wants to move to using technologically-competent machines in floriculture, driven by GPS, as already are used widely in agriculture. New tractor technology maneuvers the tractor and is accurate to within 2cm. This technology theoretically will lead to a reduction in labor, particularly for floriculture workers. The idea is to end up getting more crops in the fields while lowering costs and input.

Furthermore, operational inefficiencies have led to lack of accurate, real-time information. These issues have culminated in delays, waste, or counter-productive decisions in each aspect of the business: planning, purchasing, sales and fulfillment, inventory, and compensation and benefits and other HR areas. Hence, the need to transform manual accounting for the business, as well as the need to update to a Human Resource Information System (HRIS) is now imperative.

Employees, learning of Smith’s ideas to move the company forward with high technology upgrades throughout the organization are getting nervous. Low morale is beginning to take effect, even on employees with longevity. There is fear that some will lose their positions if they are unwilling to accept and embrace how technology will change their jobs.

Current Situation

To effectively compete, Blossoms Up! must transform and set developments for the company in terms of modernizing for new crops, efficient and sustainable growing techniques, and ever-higher quality standards. Two employees who work in the crop fields have contacted labor organizations believing a union can protect their jobs. Smith is shaken by the idea that his now union-free business could be faced with union organizing. His health, in the last two years, has declined due to his long hours running the business and his reluctance to delegate duties to other personnel for fear they lack training and experience in handling a business he and his wife built from the ground up.

Overall, having a history of operational and financial success, Blossoms Up! is now faced with a culture change in order to move the business forward. Smith wants to be able to successfully transform the company, but he is concerned that key employees want to maintain the status quo. In addition, multiple personnel issues are hovering over the reputation of the company and he has been displeased with how HR failed to manage the issues.

Human Resources Department

As CEO, Smith believed he had good cause to terminate the former HR Director, Susan Powell, and that’s how you came to the company—to replace the former HR Director. He believes he is going out on a limb to hire you practically straight out of the University, but he wants new and fresh ideas as well as an HR Director that will be a strategic partner in the organization. He is aware that you graduated at the top of your major in Human Resource Management and accomplished acquiring the SHRM Assurance of Learning Assessment.

You came highly recommended to him by a high-level manager of a Fortune 500 company, where you had work………