The purpose of this report is to solve a business problem using a theoretical framework informed by empirical academic studies. Using academic literature, you will provide information regarding the...

Running Head: Business Analytics
Business Analytics
Assessment
BUS101: Business Analytics
Company Name: ASOS Retail Organisation
USC Australia
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Executive Summary
The purpose of this report is to investigate the working conditions of the workers in the warehouse of ASOS retail Organisation and report the findings to the CEO of the Company. The study conducts a semi-structured interview of five employees in the warehouse and collects their responses, organizing them and evaluating their validity to understand the problems faced by the workers at ground level. The findings in the summary expose the vigorous stressful conditions faced by the workers to perform daily operations of pick and pack. They are compelled to pick the items at a faster speed which is beyond the normal human body capability. Moreover, they are consistently under surveillance not to go for the toilets or water so that the target could not be missed. The report recommends the CEO and senior management to restructure the whole working environment and eliminate the constraints of target and time over the workers. The report concludes that there is an urgent need for the Organisation to reframe its policies and working conditions.
Keywords: ASOS, Stress, Environment, Target, Time, Constraints;
Table of Contents
1. Introduction…………................................................................4
2. Overview of Literature...............................................................4
3. Job Demand Resources Theory.................................................5
4. Methods and Results................................................................6
5. Thematic Analysis (Table)........................................................7
6. Recommendations...................................................................10
7. Conclusion...............................................................................12
8. References...............................................................................13
Introduction
The business of online fashion retailing involves critical capabilities like efficient organisation structure, frontline hiring, and training, store management, Procurement, big data, technology infrastructure, warehousing, and supply chain (Boston Consulting Group, 2018). ASOS is an online fashion retailer which started operations in the year 2000 and sells clothing and accessories of more than 850 brands mainly for the youth (Clifton, 2015). The Company employs more than 40,000 employees operating for more than 18 years (Radionova, 2016). Since the last 2 years, Company has been facing problems related to low work satisfaction, low performance and high turnover rate of the employees. There are many complaints in the media about the exploitative warehouse conditions of the workers. The CEO of the company appoints expert Analysts to review the condition on the ground by interviewing the staff members working in the warehouse and investigating the authenticity of media claims.
Statement of the Business Problem
“Asos warehouse reported to have exploitative working conditions, staff not granted even toilet breaks and fired for having panic attacks”
Overview of Literature
Recent reports published in ‘Independent’ news in may 2016, reported that the security checks and surveillance on the workers enhanced so intensively that they are searched for entering the toilets and opting for the water breaks (Rodionova, 2016; Clifton,2015). The staff is not able to take toilet breaks and if they get a panic attack due to pressure, they are fired. All this is done to ensure that the workers meet the assigned targets. Workers are asked to remove their shoes for spot testing. The employees are hired on a contractual basis and in many instances they are sent home without salary and their shifts are cancelled at last moment (Thomas & Titheradge, 2016). Many workers even have to complete their assignments even after falling ill during work. One of the workers reported the media that when she had a panic attack, the management shifted her to another department and later on ended her assignment.
The job conditions at ASOS are stressful, exploitative and hazardous for the health of workers (Rodionova,2016; Clifton,2015). There are many safety issues, unfair contracts, and impossible targets, anxiety-ridden work atmosphere treating the workers as commodities rather than human beings (Rodionova, 2016).
Reports of Clifton (2015) accused ASOS of conditions similar to Modern Sweatshop. Many former workers complained the media that the safety and health issues are ignored in the warehouse; the working environment is poor, the targets are impossible to achieve and extremely exhausting.
Job Demands-Resources Theory
A research by Bakker & Demerouti (2017) published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology conducted a study over 1000 professionals of an educational institute and showed that the emotional job demands, work overload, work-home conflict, and physical job demands are all the factors leading to Cynicism and Exhaustion in employees. The unfavorable effect of job demands on the burnout can be increased by the resources like the quality of relationship with the Senior Management, performance feedback, job autonomy, and social support. The theory identifies the impact of job...