Shop ‘til You Drop: Corporate Culture in the Retail World
Essay by Andrea Guzman • July 11, 2016 • Exam • 1,450 Words (6 Pages) • 1,287 Views
Essay Preview: Shop ‘til You Drop: Corporate Culture in the Retail World
Test IV
Chapter 10
Workbook: Shop ‘til You Drop: Corporate Culture in the Retail World (Chart and questions)
Culture item | Discount Store | High End Store |
1. Mission of store: What is it, and is it clear to employees? | Get a certain task done. Eg. Charge items, put items in their place, clean the floor, etc. | Serve the customer, sell items. |
2. Individual initiative: Is it encouraged? | Not encouraged. Customers usually approach employees when they need help. | It is encouraged. Employees ask customers if they need help. |
3. Reward system: What are employees rewarded for? | For being in the company more than 20 years and for providing outstanding customer service. | For helping the customer and for the sales they make. |
4. Teamwork: Do people within one department or across departments work together or talk with each other? | Employees may talk with each other but it is more common to see them working alone. | Employees work together. |
5. Company loyalty: Is there evidence of loyalty or of enthusiasm to be working there? | Not really. Employees do not show much enthusiasm or loyalty. | Employees seem loyal and enthusiastic. |
6. Dress: Are there uniforms? Is there a dress code? How strong is it? How do you rate employees’ personal appearance in general? | Employees use uniforms. Dress code is strong, however some employees have a careless appearance. | There are not uniforms but all employees are dressed in black. Employees’ appearance look clean. |
7. Diversity or commonality of employees: Is there diversity or commonality in age, education, race, personality, and so on? | There is a diversity of employees. | There is commonality of employees. |
8. Service orientation: Is the customer valued or tolerated? | Customer is not much valued or tolerated. | Customer is very valued and tolerated. |
9. Human resource development: Is there opportunity for growth and advancement? | There is opportunity for growth and advancement. | There is opportunity for growth and advancement. |
Questions
- How does the culture seem to influence employee behavior in each store?
Every organization has a unique culture. Each organization’s culture differs from what it values most, what it expects and accepts from its employees, and how it gets things done. For instance, performing the same job for Wal-Mart is different from performing it for Sears. The better an employee’s needs and expectations fit with the requirements of the culture of the organization the happier the employee and the organization will be. The more successful the company, the more defined its culture tends to be, and the more that the employee will be expected to either embrace it or leave. The culture of the organization to a large extent shapes the behavior of individuals and groups in organizations.
- What effect does employees’ behavior have on customers?
All employees' behaviors, either negative or positive, are highly correlated to the customers' overall satisfaction. If the customer is well served he/she will return to the store, if he has a bad experience with a customer, the he/she will not come back. Customer satisfaction is vital for every business to succeed.
3. Which store was more pleasant to be in? How does that relate to the mission of the store?
It was more pleasant to be in the High End store. This is due to the fact that employees mission is to serve the customer, unlike employees of a discount store who’s main mission is not to serve the customer.
Chapter 11
Workbook: Innovation Climate (Chart and questions)
Item of Measure | A Your Organization | B Other Organization | C Your Ideal |
Score items 1–5 on this scale: don’t agree at all to 5 = agree completely | |||
| 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 1 | 3 | 4 |
Score items 6–10 on the opposite scale: agree completely to 5 = don’t agree at all | |||
| 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 2 | 4 | 4 |
| 1 | 4 | 5 |
9. People are awarded more if they don’t rock the boat.‡ | 2 | 4 | 5 |
10. New ideas are great but we don’t have enough people or money to carry them out | 1 | 3 | 5 |
Questions
- What comparisons in terms of innovation climates can you make between these two organizations?
Innovation climates are not common in organization A, it is an old fashioned corporation that has been doing things the same for years. Organization B is very flexible and opened to change.
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