The Largest Food Services and Facilities Management Companies - Term Paper Example

Diversity Research Audit on ACH Food Table of Contents Executive Summary 3 2: Procedures 3 3: Findings 4 4: Recommendations 10 5: Conclusions 11 6: References 12 1: Executive Summary: As one of the largest food services and facilities management companies in the world, ACH Food occupies an envied position for many firms within the industry. Originally launched in 1966 and expended internationally, the company eventually reached America in the 1980s and continued to expand its services to restaurants and schools. Yet regardless of the runaway levels of growth and seemingly endless streams of revenue that the company has been able to garner over the past several decades, a core element continues to define why the firm has continued to be so stable and profitable even as other firms within the industry, even other firms with similar business models, have ultimately failed. Although there are a number of reasons for why ACH Food has been able to attain and retain the success that it has, one of the most salient aspects of the business, as compared to the many other businesses within this particular line of service offering, is the fact that that the firm has sought out diversity, and the representation thereof, within the company as a gold standard for success. 2: Procedure: The procedure that was utilized as a function of preparing this particular report was one that leveraged submitted questionnaires to the human resources department of the firm as well as reviewed an expansive body of secondary research material concerning how ACH exhibits best practices in terms of its overall approach to diversity. Through leveraging both of these tools, the analysis was able to determine the level of diversity that the firm exhibits; as well as the overall emphasis on this attribute that is indicated throughout the company culture. Although the firm did not allow for the student to interview individuals within different sections of leadership or elsewhere within the company structure, the ability to engage with the human resources personnel and seek to find relevant answers to the questions posed was of essential importance in being able to draw a further level of understanding in how the firm operates and what cultural significance and importance the firm places on the issue of diversity within its workforce. 3: Findings: 3.1 The first finding that was determined was that ACH food exhibits a differentiated culture; one that is clearly nuanced between the ways in which the human resources department wishes to reflect as compared to what is actually represented within the secondary literature published on the topic. Whereas the mission statement, goals, and answers to the questionnaire provided by the human resources professionals interviewed was useful in understanding the way in which culture should have been perceived within the company, the organization itself operated in a distinctly different way as compared to the lofty goals that administration had set forth for it (Alcocer-Guajardo, 2014). Nevertheless, the influence that the metrics and goals for diversity that were represented within the company’s vision had a demonstrable impact as compared to the way that other firms understood their own mission statements and issues relating to creating/crafting a culture of diversity. An example of this best practice is exhibited with respect to the case of Coca Cola. Recognizing that the firm was essentially a global brand with the potential to gain or lose a massive number of overall customers based upon their strategy of diversity, the firm anticipated this and began to take a very active stance with respect to the way that it encouraged and developed diversity within the workspace (Doby, 2000). Although the level to which Coca Cola is able to continue to lead as an example of multicultural diversity within the field has been somewhat diminished of late, the preliminary focus on this was what has continued to propel the firm to extraordinary levels of success over the past few decades. 3.2: Likewise, it was also indicated that the president of ACH Food does not actively engage in promoting diversity within the company. Although this does not indicate that he is clueless concerning the approach to diversity that is represented within his firm, it does reinforce the fact that diversity is much more than a policy and encompasses/engenders elements of a pervasive culture in which each and every employee within the firm plays a contributing role (Caleb, 2014). An example of such an approach that actually turned out to be a failure can be seen with respect to the case of Hewlett Packard. For years, HP was a prominent and highly successful company that believed that diversity was something of an endogenous process that occurred naturally without any interference from the human resources department. Not recognizing that their ignorance of diversity was harming their overall potential to engage different stakeholders in distinct markets, HP soon realized that unless it was to fundamentally reshape its focus to the market, they would not be able to continue to remain relevant or continue to penetrate new markets in the same way that they had in the beginning (Conklin, 2003). 3.3: A similar understanding was provided in that individual managers and team leaders played a valuable role in encouraging a level of ongoing diversity within teams. In such a manner, diversity training and the interpretation of it was not ultimately left up to human resources; as is so often the case in many other firms (Payne et al., 2013). Instead, stakeholders within the company regularly champion issues relating to diversity so that the culture will be invigorated with an ongoing need to represent diversity and diversity training/appreciation to a more relevant degree. Likewise, the firm displayed an ongoing commitment to incorporate a higher level of diversity in terms of its training metrics and guidelines that are continually updated for its team members. 3.4: Another key finding was with relation to the hiring process. Essentially, the human resources department was not forthcoming with any hiring policies other than providing the researcher with the broad platitudes concerning their commitment to promote diversity at each and every point of contact with individual within the company or individuals within the outside environment (Mease, 2011). Although this is something of a shortcoming, it is still relevant to note that the exemplification of diversity that the firm illustrates, and that is illustrated by those that have studied it, points to the fact that the actual nuts and bolts of the hiring process must be mostly in line with the culture that has thus far been described. 3.5: Additionally, as one might reasonably expect, there was a multi-leveled approach to diversity within existing corporate documentation and a focus on avoiding what stakeholders referenced as “pseudo-diversity” or diversity merely for the sake of being able to claim that the firm exhibited a diverse workplace as a means of passing this issue over to the next available concern (Dameron & Durand, 2013). An example of this multi leveled approach to diversity can be seen in the case of TESCO. As Tesco is a globally recognized multinational that engages tens of thousands of customers on a daily basis, the means by which Tesco came to be so successful is an issue that many researchers and business leaders ponder on a regular basis (Naylor, 2007). However, rather than Tesco initiating a diversity policy and prompting upper management to reinforce such a policy throughout the entire structure, the stakeholders within management instead understood that it would be necessary to tackle the issue of diversity at Tesco on a multi-leveled approach; realizing that no change was capable of lasting unless the firm continued to reinforce these changes and ensured that each and every stakeholder/employee within the company was fully aware of the importance of diversity and the means by which the firm valued it. 3.6: The process of fostering diversity within the firm was not something that was performed overnight. Instead, years of training and human resource engagement in the post-hire attitude that is represented throughout the company has been a major factor in influencing the continued representation of further levels of diversity and diversity training that is promoted (OSullivan, 2013). Although there is a definitive lack of analysis into ongoing diversity issues and the means by which current best practices in the realm of diversity can be applied in a systematic format within the company, the commitment to encouraging ongoing training and development of the existing workforce is an essential element that encourages the analyst the firm takes the issue seriously and is even willing to expend valuable time and money to address it in an ongoing manner (Grove, 2011). 3.7: Further, in terms of the commitment to diversity and the overall cost that this has placed on ACH, stakeholders within the firm were quick to point out that it has actually been beneficial in the long-term; as the company has been more competitive within the market and more able to meet the extant needs of ever changing demographics (Dotson & Nuru-Jeter, 2012). All too often, firms fail to realize or reinforce the fact that their approach to diversity is making a difference. Essentially, many managers and stakeholders might feel as if diversity is a process that does not lend itself to improving upon the overall bottom line of the company. Yet, firms such as Nike have engaged these potentially negative opinions by hosting quarterly diversity reviews that focus on the means by which increased diversity have aided the company and assist it in maintaining effective market presence and continued profitability (Tao, 2008). 3.8: In comparison to the companies that currently dominate the market space, ACH Foods no longer stands in stark contrast; at least with respect to its diversity policies and the fundamental focus that they place on these. However, secondary research articles and literature on the topic indicate that a primary reason for ACH Foods major success over the past several years is based on the fact that it was an industry leader in times that other firms were not paying any head to the need for diversity within their respective workforces (Mitchie, 2011). Whereas it is true that the firm can no longer pride itself as being an industry leader, it continues to promote the stance that it has pioneered with regard to diversity in the work space. Further studies that engage with this particular topic, at least as it relates to ACH would necessarily benefit from discussing the ways in which the culture of ACH has come to be somewhat concrete and non-receptive to the changes elsewhere within the realm of human resources; at least as they relate to issues of diversity and diversity management. 4: Conclusion: The process of diversity as it exists within ACH Foods is one that has been acculturated over a period of several years. Nevertheless, changes to the process are required and based upon the findings represented within the listing above, encompass many aspects of how the firm understands diversity, engages with its employees, and interacts with its customers. Rather than continuing down the dangerous path of believing that it is already responsible for many “best practices” of diversity and is not required to consider changes within the workforce or society, the firm must take a more active role in self analysis and performing systematic review to ensure that their position with respect to diversity does not become outdated and stale. By a system of careful internal review and ongoing training, the firm can continue to represent the best practices that have so thoroughly helped to differentiate it as compared to so many others within the current market. 5: Recommendations: The firm has created a high level of success based upon their approach to diversity within the workplace. Yet, there is still room for improvement. The firm needs to constantly update its diversity policy and perform internal reviews as a means of understanding and measuring whether or not their levels of diversity are in keeping with the way in which society is currently represented. Essentially, as the analysis has indicated, maintaining a level of diversity is not a static task; but one that will require an ongoing effort for all stakeholders involved. Furthermore, a more robust approach to the internal understanding of diversity is something that the firm should be cognizant and aware of. As a byproduct of the focus on diversity, there has been a cultural disconnect between many sections within the organization and a central goal for how diversity should be represented or should impact upon the process of human resources is not clearly represented (Plaut, 2014). In order to effect a positive change to this dynamic, it will be necessary for stakeholders to engage in cross departmental levels of training so that the overarching goal and what it represents can clearly be denoted. Whereas there is always room for development in the overall level of diversity that a firm seeks to represent, it is clear and apparent that ACH Foods has gone above and beyond what most firms have done in seeking to exhibit a high level of diversity amongst their staff. As the changing landscape of British society will no doubt place new hardships on the firm and require constant and evolutionary changes, the true measure of success will be able to be discerned only in the coming years. 6: Bibliography Alcocer-Guajardo, S. (2014). Workforce diversity: assessing the impact of minority integration on intra-workgroup interaction.International Journal Of Police Science & Management, 16(3), 205-220. doi:10.1350/ijps.2014.16.3.340 Caleb, P. (2014). 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Nike Net Jumps 8.8% on Sales Abroad, Wall Street Journal - Eastern Edition, 18 December, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 3 November 2014. Read More