An Investigation: COVID-19 Impact on Talent Management at Caffe Nero

This research project investigates the impact of COVID-19 on talent management practices, specifically focusing on the case of Caffe Nero. The report begins with an introduction, outlining the background, aims, objectives, rationale, scope, limitations, and research questions. Chapter 2 provides a comprehensive literature review, examining existing research on talent management, the impact of tourism, and health issues within the tourism sector, referencing relevant academic sources. Chapter 3 details the research methodology employed, while Chapter 4 presents the findings and analysis of the data collected. The research identifies challenges and changes in talent management practices and training processes due to the pandemic. Chapter 5 offers conclusions, comparing the findings with existing literature and providing recommendations for Caffe Nero to overcome the adverse impacts of COVID-19, including adaptive leadership and effective training. Chapter 6 provides a reflection on the research process and suggests alternative research methodologies. The report is a detailed exploration of talent management in the context of the hospitality industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Research Project

Table of Contents
Research Theme: Talent Management.............................................................................................1
Research Topic: Impact of COVID-19 on talent management. An investigation conducted on
Caffe Nero........................................................................................................................................1
Chapter 1: Introduction....................................................................................................................1
1.1) Background of the study...................................................................................................1
1.2) Aims and objectives...........................................................................................................1
1.3) Rational for selection of topic...........................................................................................2
1.4) Scope and limitation of the research investigation.........................................................2
1.5) Research questions.............................................................................................................3
Chapter 2: Literature Review...........................................................................................................3
Chapter 3: Research Methodology...................................................................................................6
Chapter 4: Findings and analysis...................................................................................................12
4.1) Research Findings............................................................................................................12
4.2) Analysis of data................................................................................................................14
Chapter 5: Conclusion and recommendation.................................................................................24
5.1) Conclusion and comparison of research findings with existing literature.................24
5.2) Recommendation and communication..........................................................................25
Chapter 6: Reflection.....................................................................................................................26
6.1) Refection on effectiveness of current method................................................................26
6.2) Alternative research methodologies and lessons learnt...............................................26
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................27
APPENDIX....................................................................................................................................29

Research Theme: Talent Management
Research Topic: Impact of COVID-19 on talent management. An
investigation conducted on Caffe Nero
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1) Background of the study
Talent-management is a vital concept and consists of main scope of HR process which
includes attracting and recruiting talented candidates, leading development and improvement in
employees along with monitoring and retaining theses high performing employees for a longer
period. Thus, talent management leads to a way for organisation to guide and direct its
employees for effective and better performance by the way of developing their skills and
competencies (Anlesinya and Amponsah, 2020). Further, talent management also ensures
enhanced coordination and better productivity for an organisation by means of skilled and
talented workforces which enhance its internal capabilities and brand position along with better
competitive strength in the external business environment. In the current situation all
organisation especially those working in hospitality are facing many negative implication and
challenges due to global pandemic of COVID-19, thus current investigation is conducted to
evaluate about the impact lade by COVID-19 on the talent management strategies of an
organisation.
The hospitality organisation selected for leading current investigation is Caffè Nero
which is a famous Italian style coffee house and restaurant having its main headquarter situated
at London, England, UK with many branches across the England. The current investigation is
lead out on Southampton street branch of Cfae Nero which is taking high preventive measures to
prevent Corona Virus and encouraged Takeaway and delivery services along with online
retailing facility (Baldwin and di Mauro, 2020). Thus, Caffè Nero is selected for current
research project in order to evaluate about the impact lead by COVOD-19 on talent management
and training practises of an organisation .
1.2) Aims and objectives
Research Aim
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The main aim of this research work is “To determine the changes due to COVID-19 on
talent management practices of an organisation especially on training process”. A research
project on Southampton St branch of Caffè Nero.
Objectives of Research
The main objectives and purposes associated with current investigation based on Caffè
Nero are listed as below:
 To review the academic literature on talent management, impacts of tourism, and health
issues in tourism
 To examine the role of managers and leaders in ensuring effective talent management
within Caffè Nero.
 To review the impact lead by COVID-19 on overall talent management practices and
training process of Caffè Nero.
 To recommend various possible ways that could be adopted by Caffè Nero to overcome
the adverse impact of COVID-19.
1.3) Rational for selection of topic
The selection of current research topic is rationale and justifiable as talent-management
has become vital and more crucial for all organisation in hospitality and tourism sector as it lead
to more improved and creative skills in employees so that a better success level and brand
position can be acquired by an organisation thus, it is rationale and considerable from
professional aspects of researcher. Further, the current implication of COVID-19 as a global
pandemic has lead to many issues and negative aspects for hospitality sector thus, a more
emphasis is needed towards talent management and other training practises to overcome this
adverse situation. Thus, it is viable for investigator and would also lead improvement in skills
and enhanced knowledge and information for researcher and other scholar.
1.4) Scope and limitation of the research investigation
The scope of current investigation is wide enough as consists of deep evaluation about
the concept of talent-management along with reflecting the impact of COVID-19 on the practises
of an organisation. Further, the current investigation also consists of a discussion about the role
of manages and leaders in leading effective talent management thus, leads a better way for
organisation to set a coordination and balance with the skills of employees and prevailing
situation. Beside this, the scope of current research project also consists of valid recommendation
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for an organisation to overcome issues of COVID-19 along with leading better management of
talent.
The main limitation associated with current research project is related with lack of
sufficient resources and time that would lead an adverse impact on efficiency and hamper
performance of investigation. Thus, to overcome this limitation of time management and
resources allocation use of Gantt charts and other statistical tool is made for current research
project.
1.5) Research questions
 What is meant by concept of talent management and its need within an organisation?
 What impact is lead by COVID-19 on overall talent management practices and training
process of Caffè Nero?
 What ways could be adopted by Caffè Nero to overcome the adverse impact of COVID-
19?
Chapter 2: Literature Review
A literature review is refers to the formation of survey through scholarly paper or
elaborating the specific research article review that contains some sort of knowledge. As it also
represent the authentic data information through facts and findings which meets to the right
conclusion of research (Crane and Hartwell, 2019). Thus, literature review leads to and facilitates
better understanding and perception about a selected topic along with evaluation of its objectives
on the basis of secondary resources and pre existing literature. Current literature review is based
on the topic of impact of COVID-19 on talent management for better implication of which a
range of online articles and authentic journals are reviewed and surveyed, a discussion and
evaluation of which is provided below:
To examine the academic literature on the impact of talent management in tourism and
health issues in tourism.
According to the Fadillah Ismail, 2018. The factor of talent management in any
organisation is to bring the positive influence as in the form of the better and effective
compliances oriented in internal premises which regulates and manage by the Human resource
department (Atkeson, 2020). Talent management is the practise which utilised by the manager to
identified the effective competency of workforce for providing them better opportunity platform.
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By creating the impact of the talent management in Tourism and Health issue related as making
the better strategic planning for effective and flexible recruitment as in term of better hiring of
potential candidates, enforcing to retain them, facilitating the better training and development
towards the employees skills and knowledge improvisation.
As Tourism company get recognised through their service quality where specific
company human resource offers the better understanding of the representation in way to deliver
the tourism services for the clients. Talent management have motive for processing the leading
employees to making their performance effective and efficiently. Similarly, in Tourism aspect
they will also include their talent management practises to forming their workforce competency
improvisation as well as the health issues would be related within the Hygiene Factor as in low
immunity causes, due to weather changes by dengue , viral, typhoid etc. where the role of talent
management is to facilitates about the using of First Aid practises as it would support to secure
the safety for healthy measures at the workplace (Li and et. al., 2020).
By evaluating the role of leaders and mangers in effective talent management within Caffe
Nero company.
According to the Jamie Lawrence, 2013. By having the important role for leader and
mangers in the effective talent management is in different perspective that organisation working
aspect process in the better way to attaining the day to day targets accomplish. In the context of
Caffe Nero company involves their leader and manager roles in significant aspect of working
perspective which highlight the leader factor is to keep motivating and providing training and
development facilities in the effective procurement of skills and knowledge where it improves
their productivity through performance factor, it gives the proper guidance related with the new
managerial approaches (Scullion and Mullholland, 2020).
While the role of mangers driven to provides the training program for substitutes, they
focuses towards the high performer and retain the employees as well as to manage them, mapped
the performance of those manpower who are need as training along with supply the basic
information regarding with company norms and policies to the all the new hire of workforce
where they get to know about the organisation description. Basically human resource department
is having the major responsibility to regulates the better compliances inherent in the Caffe Nero
is to having a motive to enhance the disciplinary working procedure by which employees
performance develop and generates effective productivity (Crane and Hartwell, 2019).
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By interpret the impact of COVID-19 on overall talent management practises and training
process of Caffe Nero company.
As per the opinion of the Nurhuda Syed, 2020. The consequences fluctuates by the
influence of COVID-19 in talent management practises which disturbs the overall structure of
internal premises employees productivity, recruitment and hiring process not enhance properly
due to the less involvement of candidate as well as not getting better expansion of the company
growth perspective. Through all these above implication incurred and to presumes of the
effective training and development programs is been delay on regular basis in Caffe Nero
company. From which mangers and leaders are strictly instructed the measures to be taken in the
workplace by allowing the alternative workforce in the company premises as well as the safety
measures conduct through pandemic reduces and procuring the better suitability of development
are determine the sanitizing properly to reduce the unwanted illness. Through talent management
factor provides the better training of social distancing, serving deliverables to the customer in a
undertaken of precaution measures, enhance the all time cleanliness and by leaders of Caffe
Nero venture (Narayanan, Rajithakumar and Menon, 2019).
Other source of variation in terms of clients interaction not get pursue during the factor
of COVID-19 that indicates the high factor of the loss facing issues by the company where their
business are basically devoted through services, by assuring about the driven of services in under
taken of high effective way of precaution that get trained and instructed by the talent
management factor could generates the moderate kind of consumer involvement (Gupta, 2019).
To recommend various possible ways that could be adopted by Caffè Nero to overcome the
adverse impact of COVID-19.
With respect to the information provided by the Rajul mathur and Saurabh Parashar,
2020, it has been evaluated that a significant change is seen in management of talent at the
present time of COVID-19 crisis which consists of some dichotomies that are centred around
unpredictability. The main changes and possible recommended ways that could be adopted by
Caffè Nero to overcome the adverse impact of COVID-19 are evaluated as follows:
Leading adaptive leadership- The most suitable way to overcome the crisis of COVD-19
consists of implication of an adaptive leadership as it is a way that ensures more flexibility in
talent management strategies to manage with empathy, navigate business environments and
anticipate future course of actions with the main aim of leading a win win solution for all issues
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and problems. Thus, implication and adoption of a flexible and adaptive leadership style by
Caffè Nero ensures better solution for adverse impact of COVID-19 through keeping a balance
in motivation level and prevailing situation (Hahn And et. al., 2020).
Effective training and learning- The another way that can be adopted by Caffè Nero to
overcome current situation and crisis of COVID-19 is providing and leading effective training
and development programmes for its employees as it as way that enureses better awareness and
knowledge about the precaution and prevention that are required to overcome implication of
COVID-19. Further, enhanced learning process regarding the hygiene factors and sanitisation are
also viable step and change that lead to a better way to overcome the adverse impact of COVID-
19 (Latukha and Veselova, 2019).
Chapter 3: Research Methodology
The research methodology is represent the particular procedure to optimise the better way
of analysation about the information related with the research topic by having the presence of
motive to study the validity and reliability of research outcomes and attaining the conclusion.
 Research Philosophy: In the factor of philosophy there is contain the essential part as
Constructive which refers the assumption in the people behaviour which formed by the
personal experience criteria, Positivism derives about the real knowledge data analysation
that involves mapped and believing factor and Interprivitism involves the human related
study where it scrutinize the featured of qualitative data (Mensah, 2019). By using the
Positivism philosophy as it would provide the effective and systematic testing with
analysation of the information in the quantitative data research work traits.
 Research Approach: By the presence of optimising as deductive approach that
understands about the research information generates the logical procedure and relate
with the optimum research conclusion while inductive approach is to delivering the
factual information with sort of data information evidence which merge with other
formation of data. Through the perspective of researcher used the Deductive approach as
it would represent the data analysation in current information as well as highlight the
logic process of conclusion. Research Method: It contain two essential elements such as Qualitative method defines
that researcher is scrutinize the information related with data in detailed structured as it
doesn't consist the numerical representation of data while Quantitative method is helps to
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get evaluated the information through reflect in athematic manner as it not determine the
theoretical knowledge . By using the Quantitative Method for the getting the numeric
data reflects as well as it opted to monitored the respondent behaviour through
questionnaire aspect (Schreuder and Noorman, 2019).
Gantt Chart:
A procedure of Gantt chart is the segment of graphical representation that reflects the
time duration, traits, information related and objective highlight into it (Clarke and Scurry,
2020). As it basically shows the relationship between present situation of working progress.
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Source of data Collection: To indicates the origin of the data evolved and where it
supposed to be gathered by the researcher. As it includes two major types of data collection
primary and secondary where primary data is operated by the expertise own efforts to collection
of data from the sources of interviews, survey, group discussion, feedback generates etc. while
Secondary data reflects the data gathering from where it having existence in other researcher's
document and the sources highlight are research articles, internet (Wikipedia) , books and novels
etc. As by opting the both Primary and Secondary data where the questionnaires is to be formed
through the Primary factor as well as to examine the traits of respondent behaviour and
Secondary is to measured the traits of investigation for the primary data of regarding facts and
finding (Gardas and et. al., 2019).
Justification of above research factor:
Through above research methodologies evaluating the advantages by opting Positivism,
deductive, quantitative specification to examine the different traits of implication identified
during the measuring of data information quality. In deductive approach it is the more
complexity to finding the logical process related with research objectives. By having approached
the Quantitative method to determined the arithmetic data representation and in another context
of data collection researcher is main focuses to generates the primary data to mapped the
respondent's perception in the questionnaire factor. Sampling Method: It is the formation of method which selected the subset of individual
within the numeric representation from the big population size. By opting the Simple
random Sampling as it flexible to support for represents the similar chances of
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probability selected as it also support to reduces the discrimination or biases aspects to
reach the research conclusion.
Instrument used: As to scrutinizing the respondent opinion on the talent management
information through Questionnaires.
Sample Size: By considering the sampling size up to 40 respondent as workforce from Caffe
Nero company (Latukha and Veselova, 2019).
Questionnaires: It is the format of written specify document which is contain subset of questions
related with the research topic. As to evaluating the respondent behaviour and their opinions to
structured talent management related question to be delivered and attempted by the workforce of
Caffe Nero company.
Questionnaire
Q1) Do you having any awareness and view point regarding the impact of talent-
management on the tourism and other hospitality organisation?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Neutral view point
Q2) As per your perspective, what are the main health issues and implications associated
with the tourism?
a) Lack of hygiene
b) Diarrhoea
c) Malaria
d) Climate change
Q3) What are the main activities which forms a part of talent management in context of a
hospitality organisation?
a) Recruitment of talented employees
b) Development of employees
c) Retention of talented candidates for longer period
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