Human Resource Management Strategy in Qatar Airways
Research Question
One of the leading questions in the field of airways industry is whether human resource management strategies can be used to improve productivity in the industry. Qatar Airways is one of the most advanced airways in the world, has seen tremendous growth since its re-launch in 1997. The immense growth in the size of Qatar Airways has left several individuals looking for the factors behind the growth. One of the factors that have been proposed is the human resource management strategies employed by the industry. Human resource management falls at the center of every company, and the success or failure of the company lies immensely on the strategies employed. The implementation of various human resource management strategies has seen companies benefit from the strategies and beat the challenges posed by competition from similar companies. However, the association between better human resource management resource strategies may not be established with certainty. Other factors could have contributed to the growth of the company, such as lack of stronger competitors, or even preference on air travels by travelers.
The factors behind the growth of Qatar Airways may not be established with certainty. Sufficient research is needed to assess the role played by each factor in the growth witnessed in recent years. This study will, therefore, seek to assess the role played by human resource management in the development witnessed and the company. The information from various researchers is analyzed to check whether there is sufficient evidence to directly associate human resource management with the growth witnessed in the company. The question of human resources and the success of a company comes from the claim that a well-organized employee network offers exemplary services that, in turn, build the reputation of the company. Customers go for companies that treat them with respect and offer high-quality services hence a continuous customer network.
Review of Literature
The staggering growth of Qatar Airways has not gone unnoticed, and researchers have been seeking to understand the strategies employed by the company. The airways industry is one of the riskiest ventures to invest in, and clever strategies are required to overcome the various challenges. This study aims at assessing the researches done by various researchers on the success story of Qatar Airways as well as on the association between human resource management and the success of a company. Also, the study will propose a gap in the research that has already been done and propose ways of closing the gap by providing the necessary information.
Research has been conducted concerning the role of human resource management strategies. One of the researches was conducted by Rice (2019) to assess the role played by human resource management strategies in ensuring the sustainability of a business. According to Rice, businesses tend to close within five years of their inception. The article by Rice fits the explanation given to Qatar Airways, which would have been expected to close down within five years after its re-launch. However, Rice remarks that human resource management strategies can be used to save the future of a company and that not every company faces the risk of closure in the first five years into operation. Qatar Airways is known to have beaten all the odds to become one of the largest airways in the world. Rice goes on to use face-to-face interviews in the collection of data that is later analyzed to come up with a set of conclusions. First, Rice associates the success of companies to effective leadership, organizational structure, and the work climate. All the conclusions made by Rice pointed to the fact that human resource management was essential in the sustainability of both small and large-sized businesses.
The relationship between employees and customers is one of the leading causes of the closure of businesses. Employees are known to replicate the treatment that the organization gives them to the customers. Generally, the employees represent the face of the organization. The research was done by Taylor-Hyde and Ellen in 2017 to assess the role of human resource management strategies in improving the performance of an organization. Employees who are treated with respect work under minimum pressure but present a higher level of production. Also, the employees have a positive relationship with the customers; hence the company benefits by hold a network of loyal customers. On the other side, employees who work under unnecessary pressure might end up having a negative relationship with the customers, and the services may be of low quality. When customers are not satisfied with the services offered by a company, the chances are high that the customers will move to other companies unless the business in question is a monopoly. The article by Taylor and Ellen presents a similar case that can be taken for Qatar Airways. The loyalty of customers to the company can be associated with the quality of services offered by the company. Generally, the human resource management department is responsible for the maintenance of a focused and goal-oriented employee network.
Qatar Airways is a success story that goes beyond borders despite growing in a country that invests heavily in road transport. Belmonte studied the transport system in the Asian countries in 2017 and picked Qatar as a case study. The motivation behind the choice of Qatar was to exploit the success story of Qatar Airways. The company offers transport services across six continents and has continued to grow in double-folds over the years. Although air transport in Qatar existed since the 1950s owing to the expansion of the oil mining industries, success in the industry had to wait until after 1977 after Qatar Airways was re-launched. The success of Qatar Airways is associated with the loyalty paid by customers who have admitted to being satisfied with the services offered by the company. Belmonte further says that the customers have played the most significant role in the success that Qatar Airways enjoys to date. An association comes in between customer satisfaction and a satisfied employee network. Furthermore, the satisfaction of the employees that have eventually led to the satisfaction of the customers can be attributed to effective human resource management strategies. Generally, Qatar Airways has prided in human resource management strategies that have contributed immensely to its success.
Moreover, a gap has existed for a long time on the information available concerning the success story of Qatar Airways. Most researchers have ignored the explanation needed concerning the association between human resource management strategies and the success of Qatar Airways. Most of the researches is based on insufficient evidence and several assumptions that have left the field of research needing more information. This study will, therefore, seek to provide sufficient information to associate the success of Qatar Airways to effective human resource management strategies.
Research Methodology
A qualitative approach will be chosen for this method. A quantitative method that is preferred for most of the researchers may not be necessary for this research. Generally, a quantitative approach involves the examination of variables and the measurement of the relationship between them. This study does not aim at examining the variables that have led to the success of Qatar Airways. The variable in question is human resource strategies, and a comparison with other variables is not needed. Also, a mixed approach that involves the use of both qualitative and quantitative methods is not needed in this study. The main reason behind the choice of qualitative analysis is that an understanding of the social setting is needed, and the various stakeholders are needed to contribute to the conclusions that will be drawn from this study. Generally, the study will be aiming at listening to the stories held by the respondents and coming up with conclusions from the analysis of data given by the respondents.
A combination of a qualitative research method and an exploratory design will be used for this study. The analysis will be on a single case study where Qatar Airways is chosen as the target point of reference. The ties between anthropology and sociology to qualitative research allows the researcher to assist the respondents in the interpretation of complex subjects as well as customizing the research to ensure that all the objectives are achieved before the end of the study. Although a single case study may be viewed as an insufficient case in the event of generalization, the conclusions obtained from a single case study are clear, and generalization may be easier than where several case studies are considered. Also, the examination of respondents concerning a single case study offers an opportunity to have the researcher gain the necessary knowledge from the right sources, and assumptions are minimized. Moreover, the study design allows for explanations for cases where the responses obtained may not provide sufficient information.
A case study always uses a set of bounded requirements where the researcher aims at proving whether or not that a certain claim is true. However, the design in this study will allow for explanations in a bid to come up with more concrete conclusions. The study will involve the observation of various patterns, asking questions where the respondents will be listened to have a clearer picture of the subject being analyzed. The observation and use of questions have been proven to provide better explanations that cannot be obtained from a pure analysis of numbers. The experiences that individuals have been through can only be assessed by engaging the individuals. For example, the employees of Qatar Airways are in a better place to explain whether human resource management strategies have been positive. Also, the customers will be interviewed since they have been on the receiving end of the outcomes of human resource management strategies. Also, the study will attempt to seek answers from the various participants concerning questions such as on whether the company has been thriving on monopoly or the employees and customers have not been exposed to unnecessary pressure.
The choice of the population to be used in this study will be based on the availability and willingness to respond. One of the challenges that may face qualitative analysis is a bias where respondents provide misleading information. However, the challenge will be overcome by engaging the respondents to ensure that they are willing to be interviewed. Also, secondary data will be considered in the event a comparison is needed between the existing statistics and the reality on the ground. For example, publications from the company will be sought to observe the patterns that the company has gone through over the years. The department in question is human resource management, and thus the structure of the department will be considered. After the data has been collected, the respondents will be re-interviewed to assess the quality of the data provided to minimize the chances of biased information.
Ethical Considerations
The success of research depends on several factors, such as availability of resources and the adherence to ethical standards. First, the information collected in the course of the study will be treated with the utmost confidentiality. Also, the respondents will only be chosen depending on their willingness to participate in the research. Respondents will not be forced to provide information as such may lead to the provision of misleading information. Furthermore, the use of other researchers’ information will be recognized to avoid plagiarism. The results obtained from the research will not be presented as a way of intimidation but will be treated as opinions that are subject to correction.
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