Scenario for Ques. 2.

Mandira, is staring at her laptop screen as her discussion with Ashish a year and a half back flashes in front of her.. 29th June 2020, Delhi India: As Ashish sits in front of the television, his face bears a grim expression after listening to the words the lock down is further extended with some ease in rules and restrictions. Ashish, the Chief Executive Officer of Ressan Motors in India, looks at his phone ringing and he is able to mumble only these words to the Global Head on the other side of the call, I will get back to you, Sir. His fingers reach for the next number on the phone Hi Rahul, whats the update? I hope as the Sales Head you realise that our sales numbers are lowest ever in the history, as far as I can remember! He hears a few justifications from Rahuls side but abruptly ends the call saying please understand that nothing is changing for a long time, and we know it, it is going to be a new normal, and we need to prepare for it. Ashish disconnected the phone but the words from a conversation with his 70-year-old father were ringing in his ears Who would buy a car without actually seeing it and taking a test drive, the customer needs to have some experience to make that investment. His thoughts are interrupted by a sound of the door opening, he turned to see behind and saw his 20-year-old daughter entering with a package that she received from a delivery service. Ashish checked, what essential goods have you ordered Nandita? Dad, some cosmetic products, not essentials, the conditions just got eased!. Ashish looked a little surprised. Dont you always try it on and then buy? Nandita quickly replied: Of course I did try. Before Ashish could even attempt to ask the next question, which Nandita had anticipated looking at her fathers astonished expressions, she said, Dad, I tried it virtually, its the world of AI after all! Ashish, frantically started searching for his phone and immediately called Noor, the chief marketing officer of Ressan Motors in India. Noor, we need to get ready for the new normal! You and your team need to engage customers virtually. Take Rahul online, talk to the IT head, create a cross functional team do whatever you can and whatever it takes- its the world of AI after all!, he said. Ressan Motors is a multinational conglomerate engaged in the business of manufacturing and selling cars. Ressan Motors is headquartered in California. In India, it has 35% market share in the sedan car segment and 23% market in the hatchback car segment. Its major share of revenue comes from its sports utility vehicles segment which has a market share of 64%. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and its extreme social distancing requirements and lock downs, the sales were abysmally low in the month May and June 2020. Though the conditions in a few areas were eased and restrictions were lifted and the Ressan factories also resumed its operations with adequate safety measures, but the customers were no longer visiting showrooms to test drive or have a look at the cars. Ressan was under immense pressure then, to market and sell its cars before the situation became more grim. The only way Ressan or any other car maker had known to sell car was in the real world through showrooms and they are now experts in selling in a world which looks only virtual today. Ressan has become a pioneer in selling cars online and is changing the way business is carried out in this industry. Mandira, the Chief Human Resource Officer of Ressan has been called at AutoTech Conference, 2023 being held in Japan next week to present how the HR function enabled the transformation at Ressan during and post Covid. Please help Mandira prepare for the Conference by answering the following questions

Ques. 2

a. How would you describe Ressans new business strategy? Do an environmental scan of the relevant to suggest if the current strategy is appropriate or would you suggest another strategy basis the scan?

b. What kind of talent strategy(viz. recruiting, performance management, compensation and training) would you have Ressan adopted to help it continue to hire the right people, consistent with its business strategy?