Boxes And Bins ( B & B )

Leaders are key to successful planning and implementation of change. Weiss (2016) noted, “To be effective in such a marketplace, it is essential to manage change. Companies not only need to manage change to survive, but to create a competitive advantage” (p. 4). In order to remain competitive in the tire industry, Discount Tire Co. leadership should focus on organizational change on the limited geographical locations in which they operate out of compared to its leading tire retailers such as TBC, Les Schwab Tire, Bridgestone Retail Operations, and Cooper Tire & Rubber; and large general retailers selling tires such as Wal-Mart, Costco, and Sears. Moreover, many of these general retailers such as Wal-Mart are expanding their retail operations in the replacement tire market.

In 1982 Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia Miller, Vera Bradley’s co-CEOs, saw an opportunity for vibrant and trendy luggage, and started Vera Bradley. The company grew quickly in the 2000s as their products were viewed as unique and allowed consumers to express their style. In order to be competitive in the market as the number of rivals in the industry grew; Vera Bradley had to turn its attention to its key success factors (Appendix E). The company also had to see which factors would create a sustainable competitive advantage (Appendix G). These factors, including multi-channel distribution, brand image, and product variety, contributed to the overall worth of the company, which in turn boosted its reputation. Vera Bradley had been having troubles in the recent years. Its current strategy was proving to be ineffective (Appendix J). Its growth had come to a halt, and revenues slipped by 15%. The compound annual growth rate for Vera Bradley between 2013-2014 was negative, which showed that the company was having some strategic issues (Appendix F). Compared to its competition, Vera Bradley was ranked lower than all rivals in the market (Appendix H). As the industry grew larger and more rivals emerged, Vera Bradley had to make changes to their strategy. The

In 1967, Leon Gorman was made president of the well known Maine retail company known as L.L. Bean. Gorman was elected president by the board of directors just eight months after the death of his grandfather and company founder L.L. Bean. After working only six years for the company before being promoted, Gorman had an immense task to take the company to the next level and begin planning for the future. Through calculated leadership, Leon Gorman was able to accomplish that task and take L.L. Bean from $4.75 million to $1.5 billion in sales before stepping down in 2013. Leon Gorman reached far beyond his grandfather’s expectations and made L.L. Bean one of the most recognized brands in the United States and abroad. What makes Leon Gorman a great leader was not not only what he did for sales and profits, but what he did for his employees and community. Mr Gorman “was a boss, mentor, coach, community leader, dear friend, and inspiration,” Chris McCormick, president and CEO of L.L. Bean Inc., said in a statement on his death. “Most importantly, he was the most decent human being you would ever want to meet. We will all miss him greatly” (Marquard, 2015).

The Organizing function of management is one of the four main functions of management. Organizing within a company is very important and affects several aspects of a company’s organizational resources. In this paper, I will attempt to explain how the organizing function of management relates to the following organizational resources at The Home Depot: Technology and Knowledge. I will also discuss whether or not The Home Depot has optimized these organizational resources for effectiveness as well as efficiency.

The RemyCake bakery created a cohesive team and an established clientele and became a staple within the community. Their exemplary customer service and the charismatic presence of their founders created a unique work and customer environment. However, with the recent retirement of the RemyCake bakery founder, a number of issues have arisen. Our Task Force identified the origin of their organizational issues. The following summary addresses and provides solutions for the RemyCake Bakery’s issues of ineffective leadership style, lack of organizational hierarchy, under-developed employee training program, and poor communication at all levels.

Through the dozens of merchandise sections within these departments, the company is able to offer customers one-stop shopping convenience in addition to the company operating a dairy, bakery, kitchen, and photo plan. These functional approaches incorporate the fundamental concept of integration with combining and coordinating products and services to offer the consumers one-stop shopping (Smith &Albaum, 2005). This type of marketing and operational strategiesprovides the company an advantage in multiple areas of business while contributing to the organization’s direction and mission. Fred Meyer’s organizational structures are effective in the company’s strategy of seeking competitiveness by enabling each department and each product division in response to the local competition with marketing and operational strategies. The position of the company is measuredby concepts of awareness, use, share, and competitive evaluation in determining the appropriate organizational structure to achieve the goals of the organization. This position of the company impacts the organizational functions in accordance to the organizational design and organizational structure. The operational and marketing functions performed by Fred Meyer reflect qualities of the organization geared toward the appropriate organizational design to achieve the direction of the company.

Dillard’s is an excellent example of what can go wrong when a management model from yesteryear is applied to modern day advancement and technologies. They are not growing with consumer desires or employee needs, and they are becoming an outdated brand. Instead of stressing satisfaction rates, they stress the bottom line profits. While this formula has made the company successful and allowed national growth at the turn of the century, it is also dropping employee morale, which is known to drive down customer attraction and satisfaction rates.

Market Basket opened the first store in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1916, and almost one hundred years later, the family owned and operated company has expanded its chain to seventy one supermarkets across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. By all accounts, the grocery store chain has been very successful, generating four billion dollars in revenue in 2012, and making a profit of over 200 million. (Kohn, S. 8/1/2014 Market Basket Workers are Right; Retrieved from: www.wcvb.com) However, a change in leadership has brought on a temporary demise of the company, providing evidence that a great leader is the backbone upon which an organization thrives.

Managers within the Trader Joe organization have to identify whether the technique, skills or training for the crewmembers are impactful to the continued success of the business. Trader Joe’s has a Leadership Development Program where employees are “allowed to make their own decisions about store operations, including product mix and in-store displays” (Lewis, 2005, para. 33). A crewmember who is responsible, knowledgeable, and friendly is what makes the company excel over other like businesses such as Whole Foods or Albertson’s. Trader Joe’s is utilizing contingency thinking because the business has incorporated an environment where employee opinions are respected, and with the employees’ happy the customer is also happy.

1. Describe the main challenges faced by brand managers Marcilie Smith Boyle and Allison Warren. Of what relevant trends should they be aware?

THE ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR OF FOOD RETAILER TRADER JOE’S IS UNIQUE IN MANY WAYS. FROM OWNER, JOE COULOMBE, TO A STORE CLERK, THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME VISION IN MIND- TO SET THEMSELVES APART FROM THE REST. NOT FALLING INTO STEREOTYPICAL FOOD CHAINS, TRADER JOE’S DOES BUSINESS THEIR WAY. THIS MAKES THEM PERFECT AT BEING THEM. FROM INTERVIEW QUESTIONS TO JOB DESIGN, THEY ARE NOT YOUR STANDARD FOOD MARKET. THE SOCIAL CAPITAL IN WHICH MANAGEMENT IS CHOSEN, TO THE STORE’S ATMOSPHERE AND POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT FOR ALL EMPLOYEES ARE HAVE A PROVEN TRACK RECORD OF SUCCESS. ADDED WITH IMPECCABLE CUSTOMER SERVICE, THE ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR OF

The company’s structure was said to be an inverted pyramid : the customers and store managers on the top and the top management at the bottom. This showed how everyone’s beleifs and opinions were aligned towards customer satisfaction and extreme personal involvement with the customers and the store.

Best Buy, a familiar retailer in the technology world, is struggling to stay on top. Online and mass stores have cornered the market in terms of convenience, customer service and price matching. The recent closing of over two hundred stores alongside falling sales has experts predicting that the giant won’t be in business long. Using a results-only work environment (ROWE), Best Buy has removed the customer from the equation and forced many employees out. A marketing disaster, Best Buy must change its marketing strategy from sales-based to a customer-based to stay afloat.

J.D.B.T.’s overall business strategy was competitive benchmarking on factors such as price, brands, and advertising. After noticing a decline in our profits and market demand, we added a competitive twist to our business strategy. We expanded our sales channels,

Peter Browning’s job is to revitalize a mature business in the face of serious competitive threats, but without discouraging the loyalty and morale of a family style culture. Market share of plastic bottles was growing fast and White Cap is losing customers due to that, so a change is necessary. However, few managers or employees at White Cap acknowledged the need for change and were resistant to change. Employees have been accustomed to a culture of little change, and consisted of years of rituals, ceremonies and traditions set by the White family. They are extremely loyal due to their expectation of job security and generous benefits. Browning was asked by Continental to