You are part of the HR leadership team at Takealot, South Africa’s leading online retailer, offering a wide range of products from electronics to groceries. Recently, Takealot has faced intensified competition with the entry of Amazon SA into the South African market. Known for its global reach and extensive logistics network, Amazon SA poses a significant challenge to Takealot’s market dominance. As a result, Takealot is reassessing its HR strategies to maintain its competitive edge and foster a resilient organisational culture amidst market uncertainties. Key challenges include attracting and retaining top talent amidst Amazon’s competitive offerings, adapting to rapid technological advancements in e-commerce, maintaining high levels of employee engagement amidst market uncertainties, and enhancing diversity and inclusion initiatives to foster innovation and resilience within the organisation.
As a leader in the HR team at Takealot, your task is to guide the HR team in developing and presenting a sustainable strategic plan to optimise human resources in response to intensified competition from Amazon. This plan should incorporate key HR concepts such as talent acquisition and retention, employee engagement, performance management, learning and development, and organisational culture. By leveraging these HR principles, you aim to propose how Takealot can, not only attracts and retains top talent but also fosters a motivated, high-performing workforce. And in turn, significantly contributing to Takealot’s competitiveness in the retail market.

Note: students are required to read and critically discuss beyond the scope of the scenario and module guide to answer the questions that follow. Foundations of literature include primary and secondary sources.

QUESTION 1 (25)

Starting your report, provide a critical examination of the challenges and issues currently facing Human Resource Management (HRM) in the digital era, particularly in light of the increased competition Amazon is bringing to Takealot SA. Discuss potential strategies and innovative approaches that HRM can adopt to address these challenges and thrive in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.

QUESTION 2 (25)

Given the intensified competition between Takealot and Amazon in South Africa, HR professionals must leverage advanced technologies to stay competitive.
As part of your strategic report, propose how the integration of Electronic Human Resource Management (E-HRM) and Knowledge Management enhances the capabilities of HR professionals. Highlight how these technologies together enable the use of analytical tools and techniques to improve decision-making and talent management in response to the challenges posed by Amazon’s entry into the market.

QUESTION 3 (25)

Given the increasing need for a skilled and motivated workforce, outline and discuss a strategic and comprehensive approach to the selection process for Takealot’s HR team. Discuss how this approach can align with the company’s business goals and ensure the recruitment of top talent in the industry while facing competition from Amazon.

QUESTION 4 (25)

With Takealot’s focus on recruiting and retaining top talent and following the proposed selection and recruitment, provide a comprehensive training strategy by detailing each of the stages of the training process. Considering the industry’s dynamic nature, discuss how this strategy aligns with Takealot’s goals, fosters employee development, and contributes to the company’s success in the competitive retail market.

Answers to the Above Case Study Questions on Takealot

Answer 1: The modern day human resource managers are faced with significant challenges in performing their role of managing the human resources in organisation. Companies like Takealot have significant human resource challenges that requires HR managers to remain proactive in performing their role in an efficient way. The major challenges to the HR managers at Takealot includes attracting and retaining talent in the competitive market, making use of advanced technological system in managing human resources, ensuring efficient employee engagement and maintaining sufficient amount of diversity and inclusivity in its work force.