The ever-changing business arena demands various factors from a company that will help it gain a competitive advantage. While scholars affirm that a competent business strategy offers this to an organization, companies have found that the lack of investment in the human resources and skills required to achieve the organization's goals and objectives allows for failure ( Nair & Weber, 2017) . Workforce planning and training management systems are thus crucial for ensuring that the employees' objectives align fully with those of the organization and hence, productivity. This essay aims at evaluating the effectiveness of a human capital plan on a specific organization.
Based on the uniqueness of each company within a specific industry, employees should be competent and skilled in the unique areas and hence boost an organization's success. Identifying the unique characteristics and requirements of a company is key to selecting the appropriate employees as well as effective planning with regards to human capital management and how this will enhance the overall productivity and in turn offer the company a competitive advantage. Moreover, planning for future events such as succession ensures that the company runs smoothly despite changes in the managerial system and should thus be a vital component of the human capital plan.
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Selected Organization
Starbucks has proven to be a successful coffeehouse organization all around the world in the profitable beverage industry. The company has boasted of efficiency and quality, which is further guaranteed by the effectiveness of the human capital plan in place. Similarly, research suggests that a company's mission reveals the position of the same within the industry and hence Starbuck's mission and vision which focus primarily on promoting leadership in the coffee industry ( Nair & Weber, 2017) . Moreover, a vision statement is aimed at directing future strategies, and thus, the scholars affirm that Starbucks vision responds effectively to its competition.
Furthermore, strategic plans implemented by the organization allow it to fully synchronize its operations and ensure that it fulfills the mission statement while consequently satisfying the company's vision. Starbucks mission, therefore, involves creating a convergence of satisfaction gained from the products and services and individualism, which is further observed in its employees. The company strives to promote the human spirit by providing affordable high quality products to its target audience. Similarly, the organization has invested in the warmth of customer services further facilitated by the staff, which is recruited and trained on the need for such.
The company's vision statement consequently involves the establishment of Starbucks as a leading coffees provider whole, maintaining its core values. This is not only facilitated by the company's corporate culture, but also its leadership and the strategic ways through which investing in human capital continues to prove beneficial for the organization. As mentioned earlier, human capital involves the necessary skills and talent required to meet a company's objectives and in turn, promote productivity and hence crucial for the sustainability of any company within a given competitive industry.
This has allowed for the appropriate recruitment and acquisition of talent from competitors and consequently, effective retention programs that ensure minimal employee turnover. Employees at Starbucks are selected based on specific characteristics and must thus meet the criteria developed. Research suggests that this strategy promotes practical training in that the unique skills and talent acquired align with the company's objectives and in turn, enhance job satisfaction and motivation ( Nair & Weber, 2017) . This is then reflected on employee performance as well as the efficiency and quality of customer service provided to the target audience, which continues to be the company's main focus.
However, this essay proposes a new human capital plan that will maximize the company's sustainability through maximizing profits by maximizing employee involvement and commitment. The goals of this plan include increased skill acquisition through the identification of rare talent as well as the continuous development of these skills to ensure maximum alignment with the organization's requirements. Similarly, the plan will focus primarily on talent acquisition, capable performance, and leadership, which have been described as the critical components of a successful and sustainable human capital management plan. The following section evaluates the current and proposed employee life cycle for Starbucks.
Employee Life Cycle
Talent acquisition begins with the process of appropriate job analysis, which then attracts professionals with the required skills. Starbucks managers should ensure that they fully comprehend the job openings and hence the relevant job descriptions which are further maximized by thorough research with regards to the required skills for the tasks to be completed ( Campion, 2017) . Similarly, this phase includes the incorporation of areas where the HR managers identify a need for improvement or change and hence the proposed organizational analysis to determine the exact job positions available as well as the required skills for specific tasks and responsibilities.
The appropriate evaluation of the job opening then leads to the selection of the required employees. In this case, scholars propose that the organization should focus solely on the required skills and talent and in turn, promote employee compliance and hence reduced turnover. Selecting competent employees requires proper screening of the same to evaluate their skills, values, and ethics and in turn, determine their suitability for the company. While most managers focus primarily on the work experience and corresponding skills, research by Harbi, Margni, Loerincik, and Dettling (2015) suggests that further details should be evaluated during the selection process of Starbucks employees to ensure the sustainability of quality products and services.
Despite the presence of a similar strategy from Starbucks whereby they involve the right employees to select the best employees through the specification of the desired values and competencies, this human capital plan will prove useful in ensuring that only the appropriate employees are chosen. Moreover, the employee selection process should outline the exact requirements with regards to employee attitude and work ethics as well as other personal values ranging from reliability to relatability ( Horney, 2016) . Employee involvement, in this case, serves as a benefit for Starbucks in that they encourage the recruitment of competent individuals.
Employee selection then leads to training, which, as mentioned earlier, aligns the employees' goals to those of Starbucks. This plan proposes the incorporation of several critical elements into the training programs at Starbucks, such as new employee orientation, existing employee retraining, and training in cases of organizational change ( Harbi et al., 2015) . Similarly, training employees who have depicted exemplary qualities prepares them for promotions and thus, a practical concept. While practice at Starbucks is focused primarily on enlightening new employees on organizational knowledge, culture, environment, and values, this form of proposed training focuses on the workforce as a whole and will, therefore, prove beneficial.
Another stage in the employee life cycle process is the development of employees, which involves the encouragement of employee involvement to maximize productivity. This phase primarily focuses on the giving of feedback from the senior staff to employees through performance reviews, which in turn allow for the improvement of the latter while consequently promoting a sense of inclusion for the staff. The current employee development stage at Starbucks involves the building of a management team that ensures job satisfaction based on the fact that the skills demanded match employee strengths ( Campion, 2017) . This plan, however, proposes the use of feedback software that facilitates feedback and in turn employee engagement. Other useful tools in this stage include performance management software, which not only keeps records of employee performance but also the feedback received from the management.
Employee retainment then refers to the ability of an organization to maintain its employees and hence reduced turnover. A significant challenge faced by numerous organizations after employee integration into the company involves effective employee retainment strategies, which then range from incentives to compensations ( Ashoush, Abdelrahman & Younis, 2015) . While Starbucks already has a robust compensation system to boost employee motivation and in turn, enhance retention, this plan proposes the use of enhanced compensation techniques. Other incentives for consideration include paid vacations, full healthcare coverage, and employee reward systems. Essential tools that can facilitate these forms of retainment systems include talent management software and effective succession planning.
Workforce Analysis
A significant aspect of the corporate environment established at Starbucks includes a warm staff environment that promotes respect and dignity. Additionally, the company created a dynamic work-life balance that allows innovation and mutual relationships that strengthen work bonds. These and other factors mentioned above have proven beneficial for the organization based on the fact that it continues to expand its territorial reach while employees get a dynamic range of workers from multicultural backgrounds. Similarly, other internal and external environmental factors have facilitated this growth, as discussed below.
Internal and External Environment
Studies reveal that companies that invest in identifying their internal and external environmental factors prepare themselves for new opportunities while consequently equipping them with the appropriate strategies to counter existing and emerging threats within the marketplace ( Shtal et al., 2018) . This human capital plan thus proposes the use of a PESTLE analysis in the identification of these factors at Starbucks as it has depicted its reliability over time. The approach evaluates the current position of the organization while consequently evaluating its growth process.
The political impact of Starbucks involves the strengthening of environmental regulations and pressure to increase the minimum wage for employees. Similarly, the economic factors affecting the rapid growth of Starbucks include the slow recovery of the economy from the recession, which then limits specific forms of spending within the organization ( Shtal et al., 2018). Other effects of the economy include increased interest rates and the lack of talent as companies compete to offer the best rewards and incentives to attract the best skilled and expertise.
The social impacts of the coffee industry consequently involve affordability with regards to high quality coffee. The premium prices offered by Starbucks fail to be friendly to the lower-income individuals who struggle economically ( Taecharungroj, 2017) . Additionally, the general population has become more aware of the benefits and health hazards to ingesting coffee daily as the current work schedules facilitate regular drinking of coffee. The technological impact, on the other hand, involves advancements which serve as an advantage for companies within the coffee industry. New technologies minimize costs while providing better-tasting coffee and hence maximized profits for the company.
Furthermore, as the world is advocating for green consumption, which will facilitate sustainability, there exists emerging legislation with regards to sustainable coffees products. Other legislative factors include tax evasion by most coffee companies, including Starbucks and hence potential future repercussions. As mentioned, the world is campaigning for a green environment, and thus the introduction of sustainable coffee, which will enhance biodegradable packaging.
Performance Standards
According to research, performance standards have significantly contributed to company successes as they focus on depicting behaviors and actions that comprehensively explain how significant tasks should be handled ( Wu, 2017) . Furthermore, the specific rewards for the achieved performance are clearly outlined and hence promote employee motivation as well as the accomplishment of the best possible results. Communicating expectations is, therefore, a crucial aspect of an effective human capital plan as it ensures job satisfaction and employee involvement, which consequently reduce employee turnover.
The specified performance standards for Starbucks include a wide range of considerations such as the expected level of customer satisfaction, the duration of scheduled employee productivity, the appropriate deadline in which the results should be observed as well as the effectiveness of the current and existing leadership. The leadership standards within the organization thus include a competent leader who fully communicates the vision and mission of the company and hence, the alignment of workforce goals with theirs ( Sisson & Bowen, 2017) . Similarly, the leader should incorporate the appropriate leadership styles based on the situation and should thus be flexible.
Other standards include those set for employees are they are expected to work closely and productively with others. The employees are further expected to accept accountability and responsibility while consequently remaining innovative and creative within the organization. The staff should also be able to find a balance between customer needs and expectations and those of the organization and in turn, promote customer satisfaction, which enhances loyalty and an expanding clientele base ( Atzori, Shapoval & Murphy, 2018) . Employees at all levels are further expected to be useful with regards to decision making as well as depict the knowledge of interpersonal communication, which includes both active listening and responding.
The strengths and weaknesses of employees will be communicated as feedback remains a crucial aspect of employee growth and development. Ways through which employee strengths are evaluated include performance evaluations as proposed above as well as personalized employee assessments. Useful tools, in this case, include performance management software and personality profiles which give detailed information regarding each employee and hence allows for helpful feedback from the management. This will further enhance the communication of their weaknesses as managers can monitor employee progress and outline mistakes during the process.
Significance of the proposed plan
This human capital management plan will prove beneficial to Starbucks as it will experience increasing talent acquisition and minimized turnover and hence, an overall increase in profits. Additionally, the company will achieve its mission and vision through appropriate employee engagement, which aims at boosting employee growth while consequently tailoring their skills and talents to match the requirements of the company. Investing in the proposed areas of developing attractive reward systems will facilitate useful feedback as employees will strive to accomplish their tasks efficiently and with minimal errors to achieve the promised rewards.
This, in turn, promotes employees’ engagement, which then leads to loyalty and commitment to the organization. Incorporating these factors into the already active corporate culture at Starbucks will enhance its growth and ability of the organization to remain relevant and sustainable in the competitive beverage market. In conclusion, this essay has evaluated a comprehensive human capital management plan to improve employee performance and overall productivity of the company. Consequently, the text has discussed the staffing process of Starbucks as well as its vision and mission and the role of employees in achieving the above mentioned. A comprehensive analysis of the workforce has further been conducted as well as the evaluation of the internal and external factors affecting the organization. Furthermore, the human capital management plan has thoroughly explained the proposed employee life cycle and hence, the creation of new performance standards within the company.
References
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