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Amazon Pays to Quit!

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International Fragmentation

Part of the book series: International Marketing and Management Research ((INMAMAR))

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Abstract

Amazon.com, Inc, is an online retail company that was established in 1994 by Jeff Bezos. Amazon is one of the most successful companies in e-commerce. In recent times, the company has been facing heavy criticisms for its poor working conditions at its large warehouses. To overcome criticism, Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos came out with a “pay to quit” program where the employees at the fulfillment centers are offered USD 2000 to USD 5000 to quit. The case discusses the pros and cons of this program and whether Amazon will benefit from such a policy in the long term. This implicates a reflection on the nature of work values and why they are of critical importance in organizations. A distinction between involvement and engagement and their implications for understanding motivation should be made.

This case focuses on the following questions:

  1. 1.

    What are the main HR advantages of the “ pay to quit” program, and how are these likely to influence Amazon’s recruiting practices?

  2. 2.

    Is the “pay to quit” program intended to “to keep employees satisfied and happy”?

  3. 3.

    Will Amazon benefit from such a policy in the long term?

  4. 4.

    Which are Gen-Xers and Gen-Yers work values based on Herzberg’s motivation theory? Are they predominantly extrinsic or intrinsic values? Are there generational differences?

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References

  • Amazon. (2014). 2013 letter to shareholders, April 2014, available from: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=97664&p=irol-reportsannual

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  • Moriez, D. (2015). Leadership Générationnel. Doctoral thesis, Université Panthéon Sorbonne, Paris 2.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Savannah State University, Savannah, GA, USA

    David Moriez

Authors
  1. David Moriez
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Savannah State University , SAVANNAH, Georgia, USA

    Anshu Saxena Arora

  2. ISC Paris Business School , Poissy, France

    Sabine Bacouel-Jentjens

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Moriez, D. (2016). Amazon Pays to Quit!. In: Arora, A., Bacouel-Jentjens, S. (eds) International Fragmentation. International Marketing and Management Research. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33846-0_6

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