You have been hired as a consultant to help Chronis Corporation answer the following questions: What is/are the problem(s) happening at Chronis

You have been hired as a consultant to help Chronis Corporation answer the following questions:

What is/are the problem(s) happening at Chronis Corporation?

Assess the merits of the recruitment/selection process as described here?

Make some recommendations on ways you would change the process of recruitment/selection at Chronis Corporation

List any cautions or warnings you have for the founder Ted Chronis about how they hire and manage workers 

Chronis Corporation Case #3a

You have been hired to make recommendations to the Chronis Corporation regarding the following issues:

Chronis Corporation (CC) is the leading producer of Olive Oil in the world and has manufacturing facilities in California, Spain, Italy and Greece. They produce oil for restaurants and for sale in bottles of all sizes.

The headquarters is located in Modesto, California. Ted Chronis, founder of CC has always been active in the community and is generally considered an excellent CEO of his company by fellow business owners.

One of his managers in the Marketing department, Petred Alfrosky, was given funding for his department allowing him to add another employee to his department. Petred decided to conduct a search and ultimately invited people to be interviewed.

During the interviews Petred Alfrosky would ask the following questions:

"We are a family business and value the ideals of family. Do you have a family?"

"Our founder, Ted Chronis, is a very religious man who has strong Christian ideals. He prays before every big decision and takes inspiration from his religious views. He is a moral man. Do you have any religious beliefs that would conflict with our founder's religious beliefs?"

"What languages do you speak?"

"What do you know about Chronis Corporation?"

"What is the dumbest marketing decision you have ever made?"

"We want someone who will last many years at this company.. is there anything that would prevent you from staying here for... say.... 30+ years?"

"We at Chronis Corporation feel we are family. Do you have a family and how has this changed your ways of making decisions?"

"Have you ever tried our oils before? If so how did they make you feel?"

The above questions were approved by the HR department and were created by Ted Chronis.

After the interviews, several candidates anonymously complained to Ted chronis arguing that they didn't feel comfortable with the interviews and felt that the experience was 'inappropriate'. One applicant had a lawyer write a letter expressing that "We feel that the selection process at Chronis Corporation has some issue that will need to be addressed."

Each applicant was told that they needed to attend a tour of the facility that would take place on a Sunday morning. Before the tour the tour guide would begin with a short prayer. During the tour the tour guide would state that the company is founded on strong moral values and that random drug testing occurs monthly at the company. They have a zero-tolerance policy and will fire anyone who has traces of illegal drugs in their blood or hair sample. They also are told that employees are expected to use the company products exclusively. Thus, if they are seen eating another brand of olive oil they will be fired.

The HR department at Chronis Corporation had put ads in the Modesto Bee to announce the open position. They received 11 applicants ranging from marketing interns to marketing managers from local companies. One of the applicants was rejected for not including the required 4 letters of recommendation that is required from all applicants. The company now exclusively uses Modesto Bee job advertisements for their recruiting. They allow walk-ins who carry resumes in hand.

In an executive panel at a local business conference Ted Chronis was asked about his company. He said "I create an environment where everyone can feel safe to work. If I suspect anyone is a member of ISIS I will remove them from the organization. I don't want ISIS or any sympathizers working here. They are horrible people who should all be shot. "

The turnover rate at the company is at 39% annually.