Amazon Case Study: Impact Of COVID-19

Question

Task: Description of Assessment Requirements
“The pandemic has changed how many businesses work and deliver services. What lessons will stick in a post pandemic world? The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many businesses to embrace digital technologies or risk extinction. E-learning, fine dining takeaways and drone deliveries have all surged. “Tech-celeration” has pushed the world faster into the future” (The Economist, 10 March, 2021). As a Business Consultant, you have been invited by a company of your choice to provide strategic advice on how to manage the new pattern of working in the post Covid-19 era and the future HR strategies that the company should adopt to respond and adapt to change.

Tasks
Using relevant theories and models, critically evaluate the role and impact of information and communication technology on the management of workforces in organisations.
In relation to your Amazon Case Study, critically evaluate and discuss its existing policies in the context talent acquisition, learning and development and change management process in order to compete more effectively in the COVID-19 competitive landscape.

Drawing on contemporary schools of leadership, discuss the role of leaders of your selected organisation in terms of implementing these new initiatives.
Make relevant recommendations on new initiatives that this organisation should adopt in order to survive and thrive in the new normal.

Answer

Introduction
The present Amazon Case Study discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected varied businesses across the world. This pandemic has laid both positive and negative effects on Amazon. Automation has played an effective role in reshaping the world of work within Amazon. Amazon has prioritized the safety as well as the health of the employees during the pandemic (Soper, 2021). The COVID-19 pandemic has boosted innovation with the development of new ideas. Amazon has accelerated the use of technology during this period of crisis (AWS, 2020). This study will highlight the role and the effect of information and communication technology in tackling the workforce with the help of theories and models, the varied policies that are effective in talent acquisition, learning, and development to tackle the COVID-19 landscape as well as the role of leaders in the implementation of new initiatives. Further, recommendations on the development of new initiatives that are to be adopted by Amazon to sustain its business after the pandemic have also been discussed in this study.

Discussion
Role and impact of information and communication technology on the management of workforce in Amazon using relevant theories and models The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected the daily routine of the employees forcing Amazon to react to the changes and thus support the employees and the customers. After the pandemic, there have been changes in the way of working including the contact center space. However, it has been found that Amazon has been successful in supporting the virtual contact centers as more than 50% of the contact centers have become remote (AWS, 2020). On the other hand, it has been found that Amazon has invested a huge sum of money in air conditioning across the fulfillment network and the jobs at Amazon can be considered to be the leading paid along with competitive benefits. Automation has been successful in reshaping the world of work and the pickers at Amazon still carry out things in the same old-fashioned way considering the items from different shelves. In this perspective, the systems management theory can be cited where the employees work in harmony with each other for the enhancement of the organization to function optimally (Dumaine, 2020). According to this theory, the employees are the most significant component of Amazon and the company has decided to shift to flexible workspaces along with positive experiences post-pandemic. The remote work of Amazon can be considered as a dent in business due to the extensive use of videoconferencing post-pandemic that has ushered in a new acceptance of virtual meetings and other work aspects (Palmer, 2020). Further, another important theory that can be cited in this case includes the human relations theory that is framed to improveproductivity as well as the foundation of the human relations movement. According to this theory, it can be said that Amazon has tried to made improvements focusing on the changed work conditions as well as the length of the workday. Amazon has also focused on the increased adoption of automation along with a larger volume of packages that are moving through the sorting centers. The executives across all the centers of Amazon have reported on the increased adoption of digitization as well as automation along with the acceleration of technologies to a great extent.

Existing policies in the talent acquisition, learning and development, and change management process to combat the COVID-19 landscape
The actions taken by Amazon have assisted the customers, employees, and customers to tackle the spread of COVID-19 while supporting them accordingly. It has been found that Amazon has invested almost $800 million in tackling COVID-19 safety measures. There has been filing of 100,000 new jobs as well as an additional 75,000 more jobs to fulfill the demands of the customers and the employees’ essential products (Lund et al. 2021). On the other hand, to combat the COVID-19 landscape, the pay of the employees who were diagnosed with COVID-19 has been increased. There has been the development of the Amazon Relief Fund with a sum of $25 million supporting the independent delivery support partners as well as the seasonal employees to a great extent. In terms of learning and development, Amazon has utilized the logistics network to support the UK Government in boosting up the testing capacity to tackle the pandemic (Soper, 2021). The change management process in this case includes the role of Amazon in working in close collaboration with the World Health organization to tackle the efforts for understanding the spread of COVID-19. Further, it can be said that in terms of the change management process, Amazon has utilized the machine learning tools such as Amazon Lex and Amazon Connect to assist in the interaction of its employees, receiving information, and speeding up the scale to a great extent.

Role of leaders in Amazon in terms of implementing new initiatives
The leaders of Amazon have tried their best the creation of a safer, diverse, higher-performing as well as production environment. During the post-pandemic phase, the transformational leaders have tried their best to lead with empathy making it easier for others to lead a stress-free work environment (Soper, 2021). Though there has been an increased level of scrutiny, the revenue of Amazon has grown to a record level after the pandemic. The leaders of Amazon have also started to coordinate with the customer thereby working backward. Though the leaders of Amazon are trying their best to pay attention to the competitors, they are obsessed with their customers (Soper, 2021). In terms of implementing the new initiatives, the leaders require and expect more invention and innovation from their ways to simplify the entire process.

Recommendations on new initiatives that Amazon must adapt to survive and thrive in new normal
The leadership team of Amazon can be considered to be a disruptive event during the new normal situation. The employees of Amazon are trying to ramp up the massive online retail business to fulfill the higher surge in orders. The company is also trying its best to respond to thousands of sellers that have tried to begin price-gauging on its site. Amazon has been trying its best to utilize the digital aspect to insinuate into the lives of the customers.

Conclusion
Thus, it can be said that the consumers are trying their best to utilize the services and purchase the products offered by Amazon to improve their digital lives. Though the pandemic has accelerated the trend the services of Amazon are likely to stick and thereby provide improved services to the customers to a great extent. Therefore, it can be said that Amazon has been successful in dominating the US e-commerce market with a greater share.

References
AWS. 2020.AWS Initiative and Response to COVID-19. [online]. Available at:https://aws.amazon.com/covid-19/cards.sort-by=item.additionalFields.launch-date&cards.sort-order=desc&cards1.sort-by=item.additionalFields.launch-date&cards1.sort-order=desc&cards2.sort-by=item.additionalFields.launch-date&cards2.sort-order=desc&cards3.sort-by=item.additionalFields.launch-date&cards3.sort-order=desc(Accessed 10 February, 2022).

Dumaine, B. 2020. Fortune Rankings. [online]. Available at: https://fortune.com/2020/05/18/amazon-business-jeff-bezos-amzn-sales-revenue-coronavirus-pandemic/(Accessed 10 February, 2022). Lund, S., Madgavkar, A., Manyika, J., Smit, S., Ellinggrud, K., and Robinson, O., 2021. McKinsey Global Institute. [online].Amazon Case Study Available at:https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/the-future-of-work-after-covid-19(Accessed 10 February, 2022).

Palmer, A., 2020. CNBC. [online]. Available at:https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/29/how-amazon-managed-the-coronavirus-crisis-and-came-out-stronger.html(Accessed 10 February, 2022). Soper, T. 2021. GeekWire. [online]. Available

at:https://www.geekwire.com/2021/amazon-adds-two-new-leadership-principles-just-days-jeff-bezos-steps-ceo/(Accessed 10 February, 2022).