A Study on Employee Engagement at QRS Retail

Limited, Trivandrum

Submitted by
RAHEENA: N

(PGDM 2008-2010, Trivandrum)

DCSMAT, School Of Media and Business

Trivandrum – 695 585

March18, 2010

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 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The study would not be complete without acknowledging my sincere

gratitude to all persons who have helped me in the conduct of the study and the
preparation of the dissertation.

I express my profound thanks to Mr. Muralidharan, Director of QRS Retail

Limited, for giving me an opportunity to do this dissertation work

I express my deep sense of gratitude to QRS showroom branch managers

like, Mr.Padma Kumar (Pattom),Mr.Jayashankar (MG Road),Mr.Ravi (Karamana)
and Mr.Ramalingan (sony centre,Pattom) have been offering me valuable expertise
and guidance throughout the progress of this dissertation work.

I thank all the employees of QRS Family for their valuable help which was
essential for successful completion of this dissertation.

Finally, I thank the God Almighty Whose abundant grace and blessing that
led me through this entire journey.

Raheena.N

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER NO: TITLE PAGE NO.

Acknowledgment 2
List Of Table & Figures 3- 4

1. Industry profile ………………………………………. 5-8

2. Company profile…………………………………… 9- 12
3. Literature review.......................................……… 13-19
4. Research design....................................................... 20-22
5. Data analysis and interpretation ........................................ 23-30
6. Findings, suggestions and conclusion................................. 31-35

BIBLIOGRAPHY …………………………………………... 36

ANNEXURE I ………………… ………………. 37-38

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 INDUSTRY PROFILE

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Indian Retail industry:

The Indian retail market, which is the fifth largest retail destination globally, has
been ranked the second most attractive emerging market for investment. India
continues to be among the most attractive countries for global retailers. India retail
industry is the largest industry in India, with an employment of around 8% and
contributing to over 10% of the country's GDP. Retail industry in India is expected
to rise 25% yearly being driven by strong income growth, changing lifestyles, and
favorable demographic patterns. The India retail industry is expected to grow from
Rs. 35,000 crore in 2004-05 to Rs. 109,000 crore by the year 2010.

Consumer Durables Retail

The performance of the consumer durables retail is critical to the growth of

the retail industry of India. Last years, a huge growth has taken place in the
consumer durables retail market. Taking the present situation, we can find that the
demand for consumer durables has been increasing.

The increase in demand for consumer durables retail is because of the

increase in disposable income levels in families, since most families are based on a
double income these days. The rise in the levels of family income has transformed
the visage of the Indian lifestyle which means that most companies view India as a
prime destination for consumer durables retail.

Most of the the consumer durables retail market comprises of television sets,
audio systems, VCD players, washing machines, microwave ovens, air
conditioners, toasters, juicer-mixer-grinders, and so on. Though Indian consumer
durables have been increasing in demand within the domestic market, it has tough

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competition from international consumer durables companies such as Sony,
Samsung, LG, and Philips.

The consumer durables industry can be broadly classified as consumer

electronics and consumer appliances. The consumer appliances category can be
further segmented as white goods and brown goods.

According to the Indian Retail Sector analysis 2006-07, the size of the
Indian consumer durables industry in the retail sector stands at US$ 4.5 billion. In
the first three quarters of financial year 2007-08, the industry recorded a growth
rate of 13 per cent. The sector is expected to grow up to $4.9billion by 2011.

The sectors that are projected to achieve higher growth rates in terms of quantity
produced are:

Air Conditioners 25%

Split Air Conditioners 60%
Frost Free Refrigerators 54%
Washing Machines 20%
Fully Automatic Washing 35%

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 Machines
Microwave Ovens 35%
Flat panel TV 100%
LCD TV 110%
Plasma TV 100%
VCD/MP3 20%
DVD 25%

Retailing in Kerala

Retailing in Kerala is a subject too subtle and relevant; as Kerala is know of more
as a consumer state rather than a producer state. The introduction of Margin Free
Markets has turned out to be grand success resulting in it becoming one of the
largest retail chains in the country. The future of Retailing in Kerala looks bright,
with the proposed entry of major players. The government of India is already
thinking of allowing FDI of up to 76% in the grocery and food segment of the
retail chains. According to governmental Estimates, retailing is growing at a rate of
5.7% at the national level, even though the organized retail sector is just 3% of the
total industry.

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 COMPANY PROFILE

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THE BEGINNING

Quilon Radio Service made humble beginnings in 1947 when it started by

retailing Philips radios and radiograms. Over the years, QRS has made rapid
strides to be Kerala's top electronic retailer. Today, it is the largest consumer
durable group in Kerala and has become a household name.

Our Vision is “to give the customer the best experience in retailing by
offering: Quality Products, Reliable Brands and Good Service.

Quilon Radio Service popularly known as QRS was started by two brothers
of the A.R.A.S.D family from Tuticorin - Sri D Arunachalam and Sri D
Thilagarajan. They were assisted by their brothers Sri D Shenbhagamurthi, Sri D
Ganesan and Sri D Shanmugham. The store was named Quilon Radio Service as it
first opened its doors in Quilon (presently known as Kollam): servicing radios!
Over the years, the core group has remained members of the family and has strived
to bring QRS to the forefront of this industry. It presently has three generations
working together to uphold its name.

Brands at QRS

Any electronic or electrical appliance that you need for your home finds a
place at QRS. The showrooms have a stock of a wide range of world class brands
like: Philips, Samsung, LG, Sony, Onida, Panasonic, IFB, Whirlpool, Siemens,
Voltas, Videocon, Electrolux, Haier, Igo, Sony Ericsson, Nokia, Blackberry, HTC,
Motorola, Canon, Kodak, Casio, Eureka Forbes, Venus, Godrej, Preethi, Butterfly,
Glen, Elgi, Bajaj, Kenstar, V-Guard and Honda among others. Apart from being a
multi brand store QRS also has specialty brand stores like Sony and Samsung.
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QRS Locations

QRS has grown from being a small radio service centre in Quilon; today, it
has 30 top class showrooms spanning the entire length and breadth of Kerala.
QRS showrooms are conveniently located and have easy access to anyone who
wants to purchase any electrical appliance. One never has to travel too far to find
what he wants! It has showrooms in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta,
Kottayam, Alapuzha, Ernakulam, Chengannur, Calicut, Malappuram and
Kottarakara with plans to open 20 shops in the next two years.

QRS is now introducing online shopping, launching itself into a new era of
technology. It is the first of its kind to offer this service in Kerala. The QRS
website showcases the wide range of products available in their stores. The website
helps the customer compare product features and prices, enabling him to choose
products; satisfying his needs. This feature also helps the customer shop in the
luxury of their own homes, without having to deal with traffic or finding parking
spaces.

Operations at QRS

The reputation of QRS has been maintained over the years, as it deals with
only the highly reputed and strong brand names in the market and is held in high
regard by the suppliers. To supplement this, the company has concentrated on
making its middle level management formidable with professionals.

The family members and staff of QRS have always had a strong set of
values and have also functioned with principles that have guided them for over 60

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years. Having transparency in everything that they do, being proactive, taking
calculated risks, paying attention to small details and having a no nonsense
approach has taken the store that was started in a small town a long way. The
core group also understands that change is the only constant and has always
adapted to the pulse of their customers' expectations.

To ensure that the staff complies with the standards set by QRS, a full-
fledged HR division is created and several employee welfare measures have been
implemented. 'If one is in a good frame of mind then one can serve others better'.

QRS has diversified by getting into the distribution of consumer durables:

QRS Marketing (P) Ltd. deals with the distribution of: Blackberry, HTC mobile
phones, Casio Calculators, Cameras and Philips audio, lighting and domestic
appliances.

QRS also diversified into textile retail and has 8 - Raymond showrooms in
Thiruvananthapuram, Trichur, Kottayam, Kollam, Pathanamthita, Nagercoil and
Coimbatore.

QRS has always believed in giving back to the environment and the society
they have strived in part from contributing to a number of causes, it has 4
windmills at Karungulam, Nagercoil contributing to the production of green
energy.

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 Literature review

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Introduction

There is a difference between working for survival and working for pleasure – It’s
my job, I should have a sense of belongingness and should enjoy each and every
moment of it...

Employee engagement is defined as “the extent to which people enjoy and

believe in what they do, and feel valued of doing it. It is the degree of commitment
towards the job, which an employee performs, and till how long the employee
remains with the organization as a result of this commitment.” Engagement is a
state where employees are not only intellectually committed to the job but are also
emotionally attached to it.

In Harvard Business review in 1994, James Heskett and his colleagues gave
the concept of Service-profit Chains. According to them, profitability and growth
are the result of customer loyalty. Customer loyalty is the direct result of customer
satisfaction which gets influenced by the value of service provided to them. Value
is created by satisfied, loyal and productive employees. So it brings us to the age
old business dictum that ‘satisfied employees create satisfied customers’ and these
become all the more relevant when the world is moving towards a service
economy. According to the Gallup organization, engaged employees are those who
“work with passion and feel profound connection to their company. They drive
innovation and move the organization forward”.

Importance of Engagement
An organization’s capacity to manage employee engagement is closely related to
its ability to achieve high performance levels and superior business results. Some
of the advantages of Engaged employees are
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  Engaged employees will stay with the company, be an advocate of the
company and its products and services, and contribute to bottom line
business success.
 They will normally perform better and are more motivated.
 There is a significant link between employee engagement and
profitability.
 They form an emotional connection with the company. This impacts
their attitude towards the company’s clients, and thereby improves
customer satisfaction and service levels
 It builds passion, commitment and alignment with the organization’s
strategies and goals
 Increases employees’ trust in the organization
 Creates a sense of loyalty in a competitive environment
 Provides a high-energy working environment
 Boosts business growth
 Makes the employees effective brand ambassadors for the company

Factors Leading to Employee Engagement

Studies have shown that there are some critical factors which lead to Employee
engagement. Some of them identified are

1. Career Development- Opportunities for personal development

2. Career Development – Effective Management of talent
3. Leadership- Clarity of company values
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 4. Leadership – Respectful treatment of employees
5. Leadership – Company’s standards of ethical behaviour
6. Empowerment
7. Image
8. Equal opportunities & fair treatment
9. Performance Appraisal
10. Pay & benefits
11. Health & Safety
12. Job satisfaction
13. Communication
14. Family friendliness
15. Co-operation

1. Career Development- Opportunities for Personal Development

Organizations with high levels of engagement provide employees with
opportunities to their abilities, learn new skills, acquire new knowledge and realize
their potential. When companies plan for the career paths of their employees and
invest in them in this way their people invest in them.

2. Career Development – Effective Management of Talent

Career development influences engagement for employees and retaining the most
talented employees and providing opportunities for personal development.

3. Leadership- Clarity of Company Values

Employees need to feel that the core values for which their companies stand are
unambiguous and clear.
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4. Leadership – Respectful Treatment of Employees
Successful organizations show respect for each employee’s qualities and
contribution – regardless of their job level.

5. Leadership – Company’s Standards of Ethical Behavior

A company’s ethical standards also lead to engagement of an individual

6. Empowerment
Employees want to be involved in decisions that affect their work. The leaders of
high engagement workplaces create a trustful and challenging environment, in
which employees are encouraged to dissent from the prevailing orthodoxy and to
input and innovate to move the organization forward.

7. Image
How much employees are prepared to endorse the products and services which
their company provides its customers depends largely on their perceptions of the
quality of those goods and services. High levels of employee engagement are
inextricably linked with high levels of customer engagement.

8. Equal Opportunities and Fair Treatment

The employee engagement levels would be high if their bosses (superiors) provide
equal opportunities for growth and advancement to all the employees

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9. Performance appraisal
Fair evaluation of an employee’s performance is an important criterion for
determining the level of employee engagement. The company which follows an
appropriate performance appraisal technique (which is transparent and not biased)
will have high levels of employee engagement.

10. Pay and Benefits

The company should have a proper pay system so that the employees are motivated
to work in the organization. In order to boost his engagement levels the employees
should also be provided with certain benefits and compensations.

11. Health and Safety

Research indicates that the engagement levels are low if the employee does not feel
secure while working. Therefore every organization should adopt appropriate
methods and systems for the health and safety of their employees.

12. Job Satisfaction

Only a satisfied employee can become an engaged employee. Therefore it is very
essential for an organization to see to it that the job given to the employee matches
his career goals which will make him enjoy his work and he would ultimately be
satisfied with his job.

13. Communication
The company should follow the open door policy. There should be both upward
and downward communication with the use of appropriate communication
channels in the organization. If the employee is given a say in the decision making
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and has the right to be heard by his boss than the engagement levels are likely to be
high.

14. Family Friendliness

A person’s family life influences his wok life. When an employee realizes that the
organization is considering his family’s benefits also, he will have an emotional
attachment with the organization which leads to engagement

15. Co-operation
If the entire organization works together by helping each other i.e. all the
employees as well as the supervisors co-ordinate well than the employees will be
engaged.

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 RESEARCH DESIGN

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OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

1. To identify employee engagement level and work culture.

2. To understand the HR process of QRS Retail Ltd, Trivandrum

RESEARCH DESIGN
The research survey done is descriptive in nature.

Sampling Design Convenience Sampling

Employees of the QRS four division in Trivandrum

1. QRS showroom, Pattom

2. QRS Showroom, MG Road

Sample unit
3. QRS showroom, Karamana

4. Sony Centre, Pattom

40 respondents were selected for study.

Sample size

The data was collected from the respondents using a

standardized questionnaire and interview method.
The non-directive interview method was also adopted
where we encouraged the respondent to talk about
Data collection their complete feelings. Discussions were also
conducted with the employees.

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STATISTICAL TOOLS TO BE USED

Statistical tools are statistical techniques used for data analysis and to arrive
at certain conclusions.

The tools used for this project is

 Percentage analysis
Software used to do Two of SPSS 11.5 for Windows and Windows Excel

LIMITATIONS OF STUDY
Few of the limitations of the study are

 Time constraints
 The study was confined to limited numbers
 The personal prejudice of the respondent is likely to influence his remark on
questions
 However care has been taken to avoid calculation errors and data entry
errors in every stage.

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 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

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1. Representation of Different Branches in Trivandrum
Different Branches

Frequenc
y Percent
Valid Pattom 12 30.0
Sony
6 15.0
center
MG
11 27.5
Road
Karama
11 27.5
na
Total 40 100.0

Inferences: Pattom showroom has the highest number of responses.

2. Graphical Representation of gender wise distribution:

Inferences: 30 male employees and 10 female employees participated this survey.

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3. Graphical Representation of employee age group

Inferences: 72% employees between the age group of 20years to 30 years and 3%
between 40years and 50 years.

4. Graphical representation of employees work experience

Employees work experience

Frequency Percent
Valid less than 5
26 65.0
year
5 - 15 years 11 27.5
more than 15
3 7.5
years
Total 40 100.0

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Inferences: The above table and graph shows the work experience of QRS employees. Out
of 40 responses, 65% employees have less than five year experience and 27.5% employees have
5 to 15 years of work experience in QRS Retail. The last 7.4% constitute the well experienced
employees since they have more than 15 years of experience in QRS.

5. Graphical representation of clarity of job description

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Inferences: Out of the total responses, 41% employees strongly agree that they know their
role in the organization and 49% of the employees agree that they have clarity of their job
description.

Employees should know exactly what is expected of them. If expectations are unclear,
employees will inevitably face frustration, and will be open for other opportunities.

6. Graphical representation of opinion about availability of stock and other

materials.

Inferences: Out of the total responses, 44% employees agree that they have been getting
enough stock for their work. On the other hand, 15 % of the employees disagree on this.

Employees need the right tools and equipment to support their skills, experience and talents &
perform their jobs at an optimum level.

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7. Employee opinion on whether QRS provides good working environment

Inferences: Out of 40 responses, 37.5% employees strongly agree that QRS do provide good
working conditions while 55% of the employees merely agree that QRS provides the good and
supportive work environment. Women feel that they are very safe at workplace.

8. Employee opinion of Co-operation and communication

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Inferences: Out of all the responses, 57.5% employees agree that the communication between
supervisors and employees as well as between employees is very open. The employees of the
store are very friendly as well. QRS gives support to maintaining this relationship between the
employees and supervisors.

9. Employees opinion of “QRS is Strong and productive workplace”

Inferences: After the analyses all opinions of employees, it can be concluded that QRS is a
Strong and productive workplace. Out of 40 employees, 67.5% employees indirectly feel that
QRS is the strong and productive workplace.

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10. Employee Loyalty to continue in QRS

Inferences: Among all the responses, 50% employees are willing to continue working with
QRS (they are strongly agreed) while 17.5% employees feel like leaving the organization at
times.

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 FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSION

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FINDINGS:

 Most of the employees are aware of their role in the organization

 Employees are more satisfied with the work environment. Mainly female
employees are happier to be a part of the QRS family. They feel that QRS
give safety, flexible work time and good support. They are willing to
continue with QRS lifelong.
 After the data analysis, we find that, QRS is a strong and productive
workplace.
 Recruitment is done by the Administrative department according to the
requirement of Branches
Resumes are collected through the reference
If QRS feel that the company promoters are highly competent,
they will convert them into QRS employee.
If there is any festival season they hire more employees (
temporary) including company promoters.
 Man power planning is done mainly by the departments like Audio,
Television, LCD, Laptop etc...
Branch manager is the main authority of each QRS showroom
Under the branch manager, next is team leader
Every department have each team leaders and every team
include 6 to 7 employees.

 Training programs given to sales executives mainly include Product and

customer relation. Particular companies give the product training to their
promoters

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  Performance assessment mainly based on target achievement (daily and
weekly reviews)

QRS follow the Daily (spot), weekly and monthly

targets
QRS give incentives based on the target achievement
 QRS give lot of benefits to their employees
o Tour
o Leave salary claim.
o House allowance and travelling expenses
o Product purchasing support/discounts
o Advanced product purchase
o Etc….

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SUGGESTIONS

 Standardization of recruitment process should be in place. Every post

should have some requirement or criteria, that will help at the time of
recruitment as the employees will be more competitive.
 If training is continuous and structured , that is more effective
Including the new training programs like managerial
competency developing programs (Managers), training
on customer interaction skills, teambuilding and
leadership programs.
 In order to increase the commitment level of employee’s, adequate
recognition through word of appreciation or some tangible benefits should
be given for the successful completion of designated works or target
achievement.
Post the board on rest room and put the employee’s
names on the board (based on weekly or monthly target
achievements). Include all department employees.
Selected the best retail showroom, manager and sales
team give the awards or prize yearly
 Give the proper information of benefits given to QRS employees.
 Employees should be know the QRS values
We will post company values in the rest rooms.

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CONCLUSION

Employee Engagement is the buzz word term for employee communication.

It is a positive attitude held by the employees towards the organization and its
values. It is rapidly gaining popularity, use and importance in the workplace and
impacts organizations in many ways.

Employee engagement emphasizes the importance of employee

communication on the success of a business. An organization should thus
recognize employees, more than any other variable, as powerful contributors to a
company's competitive position. Therefore employee engagement should be a
continuous process of learning, improvement, measurement and action.

We would hence conclude that raising and maintaining employee

engagement lies in the hands of an organization and requires a perfect blend of
time, effort, commitment and investment to craft a successful endeavor.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

 Company details –www.qrs.in

 R. Forbringer, PhD, Overview of the Gallup Organization’s Q-12 Survey,
2002. O.E. Solutions, Inc
 Dilys Robinson Employee engagement, IESopinion,www.employment-
studies.co.uk
 Nitin Vazirani. Employee Engagement SIES College of Management Studies
Working Paper Series ,Working Paper 05/07, SIES College of Management
Studies
 PVL Raju, consulting editor: HRM REVIEW, the ICFAI University Press:
Vol-VI: Issue-IV: April 2006. A Employee Engagement New Corporate
Perspectives: Andrew Dutta, K Sangeetha, palak Mahendru and Swati
Sharma, K mallikarjunan: page no.11-48

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 ANNEXURE I

QUESTIONNAIRE
SURVEY OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

GENERAL INFORMATION: To be used only for the purpose of analysis

Age group: 20 – 30 Years 30 – 40 Years 40 – 50 Years Above 50 Years

Gender: Male Female

Designation: …………………………. Working since (Month & Year): ………………………………

Department ………………………….

Please tick mark the relevant answer as provided against each question.

Strongly Disagree Neither Agree Strongly

Disagree Agree Agree
nor
Disagree
(1) (3) (5)
(2) (4)

1. Do you know what is expected of you at work? (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

2. Do you have the materials and equipment you (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
need to do your work right?

3. At work, do you have the opportunity to do what (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
you do best every day?

4. In the last seven days, have you received (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
recognition or praise for doing good work?

5. Does your supervisor, or someone at work, (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
seem to care about you as a person?

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 Strongly Disagree Neither Agree Strongly
Disagree Agree nor Agree
Disagree

(3)
(1) (5)
(2) (4)

6. Is there someone at work who encourages your (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
development?

7. At work, do your opinions seem to count? (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

8. Does the mission/purpose of your company (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
make you feel your job is important?

9. Are your associates (fellow employees) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
committed to doing quality work?

10. Do you have a best friend at work? (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

11. In the last six months, has someone at work (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
talked to you about your progress?

12. In the last year, have you had opportunities at (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
work to learn and grow?
13. Do you see yourself continuing to work for this (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
organization two years from now?

Thank You
Th

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