Reference no: EM132749398

The news of an established and highly popular fast food chain from the United States, Burp, setting up its first restaurant in Singapore has roused intense interest amongst food lovers here. Many who have tasted Burp's burgers and fries in the US attest to the fresh and premium ingredients used and the healthy selection of different burgers for the younger generation of health-conscious consumers. Burp's differentiated product is its meat-free burgers range, which has gained much liking from the growing vegan population in the US.

• Burp was setting its strategic plans to enter into the South Asia market after two years of successful presence in the North Asia market, with 30 restaurants opened in China and Japan within a short time span. Singapore is viewed by Burp's management in the US as a gateway into the South Asia market. With Singapore's blend of western and Asian culture and its higher purchasing power amongst the South Asian countries, it fits into Burp's growth strategy for its expansion plan into the Asia market. Burp has also considered the favourable business environment that Singapore offers for foreign companies to enter its market.
• The main challenge as Burp's management team mapped out its key strategic action plans for its office and first restaurant opening in Singapore is the acquisition of human resources to lead and run the operations. Burp's talent philosophy is to hire the right talents with strict selection criteria to ensure fit to organisation and for employees to have a long-term and enriching career in Burp. Burp sees its employees as investors and would reward its high performers with ownership of the company through employee shares option plan.
• Nigel Smith is the Head of Human Resource for Burp's Asia operations and is being tasked to lead in the workforce forecasting and planning for the Singapore's office and first restaurant opening.

Problem (a) What are the THREE (3) external environment factors that Nigel will need to consider as he maps out its strategic workforce planning in the Singapore market

Problem (b) With Burp's talent philosophy in mind, what are the THREE (3) staffing decisions that Nigel will need to make in order to meet its staffing strategy. Please include example to support the staffing decisions on staffing situations or staffing processes.