Rationalising & Redeployment at Alliance Boots

I found the following article useful to teach the practicalities of downsizing and workforce planning in a declining market….

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11468577

A2 Business Studies requires students to be able to draw from all areas of the syllabus and discuss effects, outcomes and possible strategies that fit that business’s situation. This article demonstrates to pupils the necessity of rationalising to cut costs in a market that is becoming more competitive without significant growth.

Redeployment is a strategy that is integral to a business that wants to retain key staff, maintaining productivity and efficiency. As a part of workforce planning Boots have identified that key head office / ‘non retail’ staff should be placed in different parts of the business to ensure changes are effective in areas that Alliance Boots feel need support, especially during the recovery period.

I intend to use the article to discuss the need for effective workforce planning and link to financial objectives and efficiency and productivity in a slow growth market. I also intend to get the pupils to stick the article in their scrap book for BUSS 4 (that Lord Sutch suggested on here last week) as this article links to managing change in large businesses. The article also alludes to inefficiencies of merger in the downsizing aspect of its recent decision, another prominent A2 topic.