Zappos History (Zappos, N.d.)
Zappos Core Values (Zappos, N.d.)

The Secretes to Zappos' Success (Palmer, 2010)

Here's hy Amazon Bought Zappos (Parr, 2009)

The first two sources are from the company's website and talk describe the founding and culture while the second two sources give independent accounts of the culture and why it is effective. Since this paper will focus on the strengths of the culture and why this might be an issue for the Amazon acquisition, the sources are relevant. The sources could also be cross checked by finding more accounts of the culture within Zappos. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act could help by providing public financial records that can attest to the company's success. I am confident that a cultural clash between Zappos and Amazon is entirely possible.

Business Overview

Business Idea

In 1999, Zappos founder Nick Swinmurn was walking around a mall in San Francisco looking for a pair of shoes and for a hour could…...

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Works Cited

Palmer, K. (2010, August 10). The Secretes to Zappos Success. Retrieved from U.S. News: http://money.usnews.com/money/articles/2010/08/10/the-secrets-to-zappos-success

Parr, B. (2009, July 22). Here's Why Amazon Bought Zappos. Retrieved from Mashable:  http://mashable.com/2009/07/22/amazon-bought-zappos/ 

Zappos. (N.d.). In The Beginning - Let There Be Shoes. Retrieved from Zappos:  http://about.zappos.com/zappos-story/in-the-beginning-let-there-be-shoes 

Zappos. (N.d.). Zappos Family Core Values. Retrieved from Zappos:  http://about.zappos.com/our-unique-culture/zappos-core-values

Zappos.com Teams and Employee Empowerment and Organizational adaptability and response to change, innovation
Zappos: Team Empowerment

The online shoe company Zappos is famous for its low prices -- and also for its commitment to hiring the best employees and creating an atmosphere in which they can thrive. Fast Company's case study of Zappos says that the organization promotes a 'happiness culture.' Zappos is committed to promoting the happiness of customers by promoting the happiness of its employees. It is characterized by a strong ethos of teamwork and a unified corporate culture. "It's about giving employees permission and encouraging them to just be themselves" (osenbaum 2010).

According to CEO and founder Tony Hsieh: "when we hire people we do two sets of interviews. The hiring manager and his or her team will do the standard fit within the team, relevant experience, technical ability and so on. But then our H department does a second…...

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References

Chapman, Alan. (2010). Douglas McGregor Theory XY-Theory. Business Balls. Retrieved:

 http://www.businessballs.com/mcgregor.htm 

Frauenheim, Ed. (2009). Can Zappos' corporate culture survive the Amazon jungle?

WorkForce.

Zappos is maybe not the best fit for me professional, just in terms of what I expect they need in terms of skills (engineering/technological, customer service, warehouse) but the company does have a good culture. It is important that you enjoy your work in life, and Zappos has recognized the value of this in employee retention. For example, they emphasize fun and close social bonds among their workers, and both of these things are correlated with employee satisfaction (Twitchell, 2009). So Zappos has a pretty good cultural fit with what I want in a workspace even if maybe the roles available aren't the best fit. Nevertheless, they seem to have tapped into something that younger workers want to see in a workplace, and that is the idea that a workplace should be fun, not dreary and that this does not have to come at the expense of working hard (Kerr,…...

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References

Duh, M., Belak, J. & Milfelner, B. (2010). Core values, culture and ethical climate as constitutional elements of ethical behaviour: Exploring differences between family and non-family enterprises. Journal of Business Ethics. Vol. 97 (3) 473-489.

Kerr, M. (2014). Zapped by Zappos: Lessons in how to build a workplace culture that wows. Mike Kerr. Retrieved November 23, 2014 from  http://www.mikekerr.com/humour-resources/free-articles/inspiring-workplaces-articles/zappos-sets-the-bar-when-it-comes-to-creating-an-inspiring-workplace-culture/ 

McFarland, K. (2008). Why Zappos offers new hires $2,000 to quit. Business Week. Retrieved November 23, 2014 from  http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2008-09-16/why-zappos-offers-new-hires-2-000-to-quitbusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice 

Twitchell, J. (2009). Workplace fun is the shoe that fits at Zappos. Zappos.com. Retrieved November 23, 2014 from  http://about.zappos.com/press-center/media-coverage/workplace-fun-shoe-fits-zappos

Zappos
Manktelow (2014) defines the vision statement as stating the organization's purpose, from the context of human values, as opposed to things like bottom line measures. The vision statement should include the values that the company holds as integral to its operations. An exception would be if there is a separate values statement, but even with that the company's vision of the world should naturally incorporate its values.

Vision statements combine with mission statements to provide clarity of purpose for organizations. The vision statement in particular should resonate with external stakeholders, who otherwise might not be particularly concerned with the mission statement. If the human values that the organization has are distilled into a singular vision of the company's future or how it will affect the world going forward, then that is something that should be expressed in the vision statement (Mantkelow, 2014).

Zappos is the online shoe and clothing company. The company's…...

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References

Mantkelow, J. (2014). Mission statements and vision statements. MindTools.com. Retrieved March 15, 2014 from  http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_90.htm 

Hsieh, T. (2009). CEO letter. Zappos.com. Retrieved March 15, 2014 from  

Zappo's Case
Zappo's founder and CEO Tony Hsieh is a visionary in online retailing and business models, as he sees the creativity, intuitive, intelligence and passion of his employees as being crucial to delivering exceptional customer experiences. While many other online retailers have come and gone out of business. Zappo's has been able to develop one of the most loyal and profitable customer bases online. Even during one of the most severe recessions in decades, Zappos' minimizes layoffs, limiting it to just 124 of the thousands of employees the company has on their payroll.

Creating a Culture of chievement and Excellent Customer Experience

s is evident from the 10 core values of the company, Tony Hsieh has a very clear, definite vision of what kind of company Zappo's needs to be to become the online service leader. In concentrating on the value of "Deliver WOW through service" he is indicating to his employees…...

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As is evident from the 10 core values of the company, Tony Hsieh has a very clear, definite vision of what kind of company Zappo's needs to be to become the online service leader. In concentrating on the value of "Deliver WOW through service" he is indicating to his employees and customers that they will do whatever it takes to excel in the delivery of an exceptional customer experience. The additional values of embracing and driving change, create fun and a little weirdness, be adventurous, creative and open-minded also underscore a critical component of transformational leadership. What Tony Hsieh is really saying throughout these values is that he sees the employee's autonomy and mastery of complex services situations as critical to the growth of the company. Mr. Hsieh emerges as a transformational leader when the ten values of the company are analyzed. He is hard at work creating a culture where the core aspects of long-term job motivation are being put into place. These three core concepts are autonomy, mastery and purpose. Taken together these anchor down employees' motivations to grow and expand the level of performance they deliver in their jobs.

What has made Zappo's so unique is that Tony Hsieh has architected the entire series of systems and processes supporting customers and employees to also reflect these values. That is very evident from the focus on allowing free shipping on returns, which encourages customers to get additional sizes if they are not sure of a given shoe fitting or not. He also has architecture his human resources and personnel policies to also reflect his stated values, with a strong focus on respect of the employee as a person, even after they are let go. With the $2,000 offer to encourage those not passionate about Zappos initially to the exceptionally generous severance packages that include healthcare, many CEOs of companies who have laid people off with little or no severance could do well to spend some time with Mr. Hsieh.

In conclusion, Tony Hsieh has architected what corporations need to look like in the 21st century to flourish. As he has architected his entire business around the needs of customers and also aligned internal processes and systems to support his core values. His extensive investments in technology are also exemplified in this free online application that shows Zappos purchases in real-time across the country  http://map.apps.zappos.com/ .

However, the company needs to be cautious of putting too much power in the customers' hands.
5. Competitive ivalry between Existing Players

Direct competitors are currently not able to match Zappos capabilities, especially in terms of customer service. But this does not mean they should be dismissed as viable competitors. In fact all direct competitors should be watched very closely.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

Outstanding customer service

Free overnight shipping

Wide variety of products

Happy, dedicated employees

Weaknesses

Cannot afford deep discounts

Transportation problems with half-full trucks

Opportunities

Expansion into other markets

Developing niche customer bases

Eventually going overseas

Threats

Changing customer behaviors on the internet

Possibility of new entrants

Over-diversification of product offerings

ecommendations/Conclusions

My recommendation for problem 1 is to exert somewhat more control over what the customer service representatives are permitted and encouraged to do. This does not mean that they have to suddenly start reading scripts or giving rehearsed responses to their customers. The randomness of the operation is one of its greatest appeals. But at the…...

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References

Beaudry, J.E. (2009, May 4) Zappos milestone: Customer service, Footwear News, Retrieved from  http://about.zappos.com/press-center/media-coverage/zappos-milestone-customer-service 

Bessant, J & Lamming, R. (1999) Managing successful total quality relationships in the supply chain. European Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 1(1), 7-18

Irani, Z, Love, P.E.D. & Li, H. (2000) Gaining a competitive advantage in a virtual supply chain. International Journal of Logistics and Physical Distribution 30 (3), 64-71

Lee, H.L. (2000). Creating value through supply chain integration, Supply Chain Management Review, 14 (4) 30-37

Hiring Decisions at Zappos
With the company's emphasis on the Zappos Insiders group, a recruitment strategy that is likely to be a good fit would emphasize referrals from existing Zappos employees. A good-fit recruitment strategy would be structured to allow candidates for positions to spend time with members of the team that they are interested in joining. Zappos takes pride in being a company that is focused on the company culture and not on customer service, claiming that the customer service just happens when the company is successful at hiring people who are a good fit with the corporate culture. Essentially, what the company may be doing -- without being self-aware -- is creating a corporate culture that enables people who are a good fit to be happy at work and happy with the work they do each day. This is more or less an avowal of the old adage that…...

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References

Cutts, A. (2001) Hiring, motivating, and training "for success." Cutts Group Newsletter. Retrieved from  http://www.cuttsgroup.com/articles/hire.htm 

McIlvaine, R.A. (2014, June 16). Giving job postings the boot. Human Resource Executive Online. Retreived from http://www.hreonline.com/HRE/view/story.jhtml?id=534357229&http://www.hreonline.com/HRE/view/story.jhtml?id=534357229&

Nisen, M.(2014, November 22). Tony Hsieh's brilliant strategy for hiring kind people. Business Insider. Retrieved from  http://www.businessinsider.com/tony-hsieh-zappos-hiring-strategy-2013-11?op=1 

Patterson, M. (2000, Autumn). Overcoming the hiring crunch: Tests deliver informed choices. Employment Relations Today, 27(3), 77-88.

Zappos Case Study Questions 1. There are a couple of quality of life changes which Zappo could implement to help it further motivate its employees and improve its organizational structure. For example, it could help to provide the sort of work environment which is found at startups in the technology industry which caters to young employees. Such companies frequently have relaxed dress codes, and have even been known to allow employees to work in their pajamas. They also offer frequent breaks and let employees meander about as they work. Zappos should incorporate some of these ideas.
2. Other means that organizations use to motivate employees besides those used by Zappos include attractive compensation packages. Many of these packages include options for owning company stock. For a company which is as highly regarded as Zappozs, the opportunity to own stock in it would likely help motivate employees to want to work for this…...

Zappos 3D IT Leadership Model
It is always necessary to clarify the concept of leadership in order to understand the 3D-IT leadership model. In this case, leadership has been identified as complex as well as a dynamic process. It is due to the changes available in the competitive arena and globalization that the need for different types of leaders has been experienced. It is worth mentioning that most followers take leaders as authoritarian, democratic, participative and direct. However, theorists claim that leaders should recommend to their followers to ignore their personal interests. A leader should maintain appropriate motivational standards and be able to empower his or her followers. The behavior from employees like the need for teamwork and collaboration requires a leader to ensure that there is job satisfaction, personal growth, and maturity.

Zappos Corporate Structure

Evidently, Zappos has never been among the most traditional organization. Its latest idea has been removing all…...

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References

Lidow, D. (2014). Start-up Leadership: How Savvy Entrepreneurs Turn Their Ideas Into Successful Enterprises. New York: John Wiley & Sons

Levenson, M.R. (2014). Pathways to Teacher Leadership: Emerging Models, Changing Roles. Boston, MA: Harvard Educational Publishing Group

Nevarez, C., Wood, J.L. & Penrose, R. (2013). Leadership Theory and the Community College: Applying Theory to Practice. New York: Stylus Publishing, LLC.

Groth, A. (12/30/2013). Zappos Is Going Holacratic: No Job Titles, No Managers, No Hierarchy. Quartz. Retrieved on January 04, 2014 from  http://qz.com/161210/zappos-is-going-holacratic-no-job-titles-no-managers-no-hierarchy/

Structural Frame of Zappos
Organizational Structure Case Study: Zappos

Structure is "a blueprint for formal expectations and exchanges among internal players," (Bolman & Deal 2003 p 46). An organization's structure can determine how it will succeed and change within an ever-evolving business environment. It is absolutely necessary to understand the complexities of organizational structures and how successful ones, like that of Zappos, is organized and executed within today's business matrix.

Zappos is an incredibly successful online retailer dealing with the sales of consumer goods, most notably shoes and other personal accessories. The company has seen great success within the context of its life span, and has grown to a massive organization. Zappos now boasts over 1,300 employees (Carpenter et al. 2010). It is essentially comprised within a flat organizational structure. Thus, it rests on "Amorphous roles, lateral coordination, and a flat hierarchy encouraged participation, creativity, and productive conflict," (Bolman & Deal 2003 p…...

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References

Bolman, Lee G. & Deal, Terrence E. (2003). Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership. John Wiley and Sons.

Carpenter, Mason, Bauer, Talya, & Erdogan. (2010). Principles of Management V1.1. Flat World Knowledge Inc.

CogMap. (2011). Zappos.com. Chart Data. Web.  http://www.cogmap.com/chart/zappos.com 

Palmeri, Christopher. (2009). Zappos retails its culture: The online shoe seller is marketing its playful, customer-friendly model to other businesses. BusinessWeek. Web.  http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_02/b4162057120453.htm?chan=innovation_branding_brand+profiles

Optimal IT Security Solution for Zappos
Established in 1999, Zappos.com, operated and maintained by Zappos IP, Inc. (hereinafter alternatively "Zappos" or "the company"), has emerged in recent years as one of the leading providers of online apparel and footwear sales (Zappos media kit, 2014). The company has achieved its success through a combination of top-notch customer service, innovative marketing and order fulfillment practices as well as providing its customers with an enormous array of selections. In fact, at present, Zappos.com features millions of products from more than one thousand shoe and clothing brands (Zappos media kit, 2014). For 6 years running, Zappos.com has also been designated as one of the Fortune 100's Best Companies to Work For (Zappos media kit, 2014). Moreover, Zappos.com has been rated as "Elite" by STELLA Service and has been designated one of just 40 J.D. Power's Customer Service Champions in the United States in 2011…...

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References

Cusick, W.J. (2009). All customers are irrational: Understanding what they think, what they feel, and what keeps them coming back. New York: American Management Association.

Marchand, D.A. (2000). Competing with information: A manager's guide to creating business value with information content. New York: Wiley.

Protecting your personal information. (2015). Zappos. Retrieved from http://www.zappos.

com/protecting-your-personal-information.

solution to the IT issue selected for this project.
The implication of IT security for online retailers is fundamental to ensuring consumer confidence and trust (Streeter, 2009). Moreover, online consumers are far less forgiving of IT security failures than they were just a few years ago based on their positive online experiences with other secure sites (Streeter, 2009). Lapses in IT security can also cause a loss of business and a diminution of any consumer goodwill that has been accumulated over the years, resulting in a loss of competitive advantage (Mishra, 2009). For companies such as Zappos where the consumers' perception of the "look and feel" of their product line is limited by the online retailing experience, ensuring the security of transactions is a paramount consideration. In this regard, Mishra emphasizes that, "Unfortunately, the Internet in its current technological form is a poor service delivery medium because it lacks the…...

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References

Foster, M. (2001, September). Create a positive organizational culture to reduce Internet misuse.

The National Public Accountant, 46(7), 34.

Hammermaster, G. (2010, August). Payment processing tips for small businesses. Journal of Accountancy, 210(2), 22-25.

Kanabar, D. & Kanabar, V. (2009, May). A quick guide to basic network security terms.

CEO of this endeavor will be Tony Hsieh. This project shall focus on the projects and plans that are or should be under way for the company that Tony Hsieh leads, that being Zappos. Zappos is an online shoe retailer that used to operate as its own company. They have since been acquired by Amazon.com and Jeff Bezos but Hsieh is still the man running things.
• Summarize the team charter here to emphasize your:

• The main objectives of this project will be to improve the company culture of Zappos, ensure that there is proper strategic alignment with parent Amazon.com and ensure that the business model in question is proper given the retail and other facets of the American market as well as any markets that Zappos sells and ships to.

• The ground rules for the team shall be fairly simple. There will be a project leader that makes any final…...

Zappos & LEAD
When looking at Zappos, their Chief Executive Officer Mr. Hsieh and what the company has done over the recent months and years, it is clear that they have a clear and focused set of guiding principles and guidelines that they follow. Indeed, they only hire people that fit with their distinct company culture and this is wise on a number of levels. The ten core values that they use to fill their positions, the climate that is emphasized at Zappos and how it is enforced and how Hsieh approaches conflict (not to mention the author of this report's view on the same) will all be covered as part of this brief report. While there is more than one way to run a company, the method that Zappos uses is clearly better than the overall repertoire of many other firms.

Analysis

Before getting too deep into the minutia of the answers…...

Organizational culture is defined as the personality of an organization since it comprises the norms, values, and assumptions that govern work practices in an organization (McNamara (2000). Therefore, organizational structure determines how work is divided, coordinated, and categorized in an organization. Organizational structure is one of the most influential factors on the success and profitability of an organization since it affects members and influences how organizational strategy is executed. This paper examines the organizational culture of Zappos and how it compares to the various types of organizational cultures described by Carter McNamara. The assessment is conducted on the premise that organizational culture is a concept that subjected to several classifications and interpretations. The discussion will in turn enhance understanding of the concept of organizational culture and how organizations develop their culture differently.
Zappos' Organizational Culture

Zappos is a company that sells shoes and other retail products and has experienced tremendous success and…...

The Profound Impact of a Strong Service Culture on Corporate Success
A robust service culture, characterized by a relentless focus on customer satisfaction and an unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional service, serves as a cornerstone for a company's overall success and long-term prosperity. Its transformative effects permeate every aspect of an organization, propelling growth, enhancing reputation, fostering employee engagement, and establishing a competitive edge.
Driving Revenue and Customer Loyalty
By prioritizing customer needs and striving to exceed expectations, companies with a strong service culture invariably establish a loyal customer base. Satisfied customers are more likely to make repeat purchases, recommend the company to....