TITLE:
Acquisition and Retention of Skilled Employees: A Study of International Companies in Rural Giles County, Tennessee
AUTHORS:
James I. Greene, Lorie Pettus Jones, Melissa G. Greene
KEYWORDS:
Workforce, Retention, Rural, Culture, Succession, Human Resources, Skilled Employees
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Business and Management,
Vol.11 No.6,
November
14,
2023
ABSTRACT: The U.S. manufacturing industry produces goods that are
shipped all over the world. Because of the shortage of skilled labor, some
manufacturing human resource professionals lack the strategies and processes
necessary to acquire and retain skilled employees, and this challenge is
particularly true in rural areas where economies are more dependent on
manufacturing. For this qualitative multiple-case study, data were gathered
from a population of manufacturing human resource professionals working for
international companies with a presence in rural Giles County, Tennessee.
Guided by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory and Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene
theory, the purpose of this multiple-case study was to explore the strategies
and processes manufacturing human resource professionals use to acquire and
retain skilled employees. Data were collected from individual interviews and a
focus group. Using the modified van Kaam method of data analysis, two themes
emerged as key strategies to acquire and retain skilled employees: company
culture and succession. The data from this study may contribute to business
practices in manufacturing industries or human resource management. The
implications for positive social change include the potential for the rural
community to become more attractive for other industries and to improve the quality
of life for individuals who reside in the community.