Mr Wong Boon Yew

DIAGNOSES

HONDA MOTORCYCLES AND SCOOTERS INDIA LIMITED
CASE ANALYSIS - I Competition, quality, low cost, multi-skilled and highlyendowed workforce, low inventory cost, relocation, global geography of production, and so on are the principles of new production systems. The new production dynamics require flexibilities in every sphere, internal and external. The typical post-Fordist sermon asserts that competition is the real master; the real enemy to workers is not their employer but some firm somewhere else. The stress is on joy of production, creating customised quality product, constantly making technical innovations, and so on. The shift in emphasis in post-Fordist system is from human relations to logistics. The State in the LPG model of development needs to pamper the foot-loose capital and assist in maintenance of poor labour standards. Trade Unions and strikes are considered hindrances. It is in this context that this case assumes significance. HSMI believed that attractive salary (higher than region-cum-industry average), accompanied by a host of benefits coupled with suitable framing of human resource idioms and phrases such as Three Joys should satisfy the material and non-material needs and aspirations of workers especially in a developing country such as India. These more than justify the tough shopfloor regime that the typical multinational firm designs. High workload, stressful work schedule, militarisation of shop floor discipline, hard personnel policy (in terms of dealing with aspects like leave, promotion, etc.) characterize the production relations system prevalent in HSMI. These conditions thrive in the absence of a Trade Union. This further aids the pursuit of discriminatory personnel and HR policies. These have surely sown the seeds of discontent. The absence of twoway communication system and the invisibility and inaccessibility of top management to workers further accentuated the divide between the workers and the management. Workers have...