Zappos Essays Examples

Zappos Recruitment and Selection

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, 2014).

So for me, if the job was right, I would definitely give Zappos a good look. It is important that the company you work for shares your same values, and for me Zappos has the right perspective on employee relations.

2.

The ten core values at Zappos, according to…… [Read More]

Zappos Manktelow 2014 Defines the Vision Statement

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 founder, Tony Hsieh, has outlined the vision of the company as follows: "Delivering happiness to customers, employees and vendors" (Hsieh, 2009).

In order to analyze this vision statement against the ideal vision statement, we simply need to look at the different elements of an ideal vision statement.…… [Read More]

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Zappo's Case Zappo's Founder and CEO Tony

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 Achievement and Excellent Customer Experience

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…… [Read More]

Zappos Case Study This Case

However, the company needs to be cautious of putting too much power in the customers' hands.

5. Competitive Rivalry 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

Recommendations/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 same time, executives need to keep in mind that randomness and uncertainty can also be ticking time bombs in the business world. Therefore, training employees how to react to certain…… [Read More]

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Zappos Folly If You're Just Like Me You're Hired

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 happy employees make for happy customers.

Traditional job postings don't exist at Zappos. Instead of the transactional exchange that occurs between job seekers and job posters. Rather, Zappos' current recruitment strategy proceeds in a manner similar to joining a country club. The company emphasizes getting to know the people…… [Read More]

Improving Zappos Corporate Culture and Leadership

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 job titles and undertaking 'holocracy'. In this case, every employee of the company is being re-organized into various decentralized teams that choose their specific roles as well as objectives. It is the hope of the CEO that the action will assist him in making fewer decisions. The…… [Read More]

Structural Frame Analysis of Zappos

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 94). Creativity and innovation clearly drive the company into new directions, and thus this flat structure keeps them alive within the internal environment.

This flat structure has also allowed for the creation of unique and outstanding Standard Operating Procedures. Zappos presents its core values based on caring,…… [Read More]

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Information Security at Zappos

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 (Zappos media kit, 2014). This paper provides an analysis, evaluation and synthesis of the best solution for the current information technology security issues at Zappos. A summary of the research and important findings concerning these information security issues are provided in the conclusion.

Review and Analysis

Statement of the problem…… [Read More]

Individual and Departmental Security at Zappos

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 capacity for direct personal interaction enjoyed by the most noninternet-based services" (2009, p. 128).

In fact, when any condition adversely affects consumers' online shopping experience, it is reasonable to suggest that it will have a corresponding impact on their propensity to complete a retail transaction or to engage in repeat…… [Read More]

Zappos SWOT

Zappos History (Zappos, N.d.)

Zappos Core Values (Zappos, N.d.)

The Secretes to Zappos' Success (Palmer, 2010)

Here's Why 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 not find the right combination of size and style that he was looking for (Zappos, N.d.). After the disappointment with the mall experience, Nick also tried his luck online with no avail. Nick realized that there was a consumer need that existed in…… [Read More]

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Zappos com Teams and Employee Empowerment and Organizational Adaptability and Response to Change Innovation

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" (Rosenbaum 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 HR department does a second set of interviews purely for culture fit" (Rosenbaum 2010). The new employee must feel at home within the culture of the organization, not simply seem willing and able to do his or her job in an individualistic fashion. Zappos' HR department estimates that cultural fit counts for…… [Read More]

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Employee Benefits -- Genentech and

Yes, employees are replaceable. However, that does not mean they have no value. Genentech and Zappos see the value in each and every one of their employees, and so they provide benefits that motivate those employees to stay with the company (Genentech, 2011; Zappos, 2010). Many of the benefits offered by these two companies are not offered at other companies, so employees want to stay where they are. That encourages those employees to work harder, to make sure they can continue to enjoy their current benefits. The companies also benefit, because high morale and low turnover means higher productivity and lower cost.

3. Incentive benefits that stray outside the realm of a good salary and health insurance can be used at almost any company or organization. People like to feel valued, and when they feel valued they have a better outlook on life, including their job. They work harder, and they willingly give more back to the company for which they work, because they see that they are important. If an employee does not feel needed in any way, he or she may have trouble coming to work. What would be the point, other than to get a paycheck which…… [Read More]

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Strategies of Successful Organizations

Mastering Strategy: Art and Science

Whole Foods has been able to stay afloat in a highly competitive industry based upon its niche positioning as a grocer. Whole Foods' positioning as an organic grocer is an intended strategy: the company was founded upon the principle that food quality was important, not simply price. In terms of its realized strategy, the organization has been able to capitalize upon the new interest in foods which are not laden with chemicals or highly processed. However, Whole Foods has also expanded its vision into an emergent strategy: the rise in specialty diets (paleo, gluten-free, vegan, etcetera) has also been a boon for Whole Foods, which stocks a wide range of specialty items. The popularity of these fad diets was not in vogue when the company first began but has since become an equally important part of its appeal.

Whole Foods has also had to position itself as a more affordable grocer, even though it still cannot really compete on price. "General perceptions that Whole Foods prices are likely very high are not new, with some referring to the retailer as Whole Paycheck. To combat perceptions of high cost per item, Whole Foods launched entries like…… [Read More]

Leadership and High Morale Workforce

subjugated to the topic "The Importance of High Morale at the work place." Scholars and authors indicate in their empirical studies that organizational culture (high and low morale) is critical in making or breaking of the business. This essay includes two successful companies who have virtuoso work culture; Zappos and Google. Being listed in Fortune's"100 best companies to work" these companies have their own unambiguous combination to motivate and retain the employees and also deliver happiness around the office's paradigm.

An elaborative overview and literature is induced by the author to provide depth to the research. This essay also comprehends to the issues faced by the organization in formulating morale. The easy three stage approach by Melcrum to develop positive Morale at the work place is cost effective. The report ends with conclusion and recommendations by the author.

However, there have been many limitations to the study such as word limit and time. Nonetheless, the author intends to research more elaborately in his future.

The necessity of high morale in office place

Overview

An organization must have high employee morale (McFadzean & McFadzean, 2005).In other words; high morale can also be termed as job satisfaction which defines the employee's outlook…… [Read More]

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Business Use of Social Media Social Media

Business Use of Social Media

Social Media Marketing

Social media refers to the countless Internet-based sites and tools that facilitate and promote social interaction and networking through digitized means (Bulik, 2008). Social media marketing includes sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and should always be included in an organization's business plan in some capacity. Each platform leverages the power of the Internet to facilitate social interaction and allow people to keep up-to-date with hundreds of others instantaneously (Fredericks, 2012). Social media as a marketing genre has the power to bridge distances and communication obstacles in a highly personalized and direct way.

It is estimated that 75% of the global consumers who use the web regularly visit social media websites (Libert, 2011). Visitors are reported as spending anywhere from 3 to 6.5 hours a day on sites such as Facebook. Subscriptions for social media sites are growing by leaps and bounds. Facebook, as an example, announced over 500 million users in 2011. Similarly, LinkedIn reports over 60 million subscribers; Twitter has 110 million users and MySpace claims of 50 million users in the United States alone (Fredericks, 2012). For businesses, this means excellent daily brand exposure and highly targeted marketing…… [Read More]

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Employee Benefits

Employee Benefits

Describe the importance of employee benefits as a strategic component of fulfilling HRM goals.

Employee benefits are very important in today's highly competitive marketplace. They are function to meet a variety of their personal and family needs for employees and for that reason are highly desirable and sought offer. For human resource managers, they can serve to attract and retain the best and brightest personnel. There are legally required benefits and voluntary ones -- and each has its own associated costs to an organization and complexities. Popular benefits sought by today's skilled workers include health, dental and vision insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, stock options, tuition reimbursement, employee assistance and wellness programs, and all sorts of coverage extensions for family members and domestic partners.

Employee benefits are also important because they are expected. They can provide meaning and value to employees and impact work behavior. Poorly designed and inadequate benefit plans have the potential to create low morale and led to higher than desired turnover rates. By creatively designing benefit options, administrators can cost-effectively secure top talent for an organization. Benefits packages can complement salary packages and help create a better-rounded offer, particularly for senior level hires.…… [Read More]

Social Media by Business Using the Best

social media by business, using the Best Buy case as an example. The benefits of social media in the business context are explained, as are the downsides. There are also recommendations with respect to the use of social media by a law firm, and in this case it is recommended that the law firm should not engage in social media. Compared with a retailer -- especially one with a connection to technology -- there is less upside for a law firm and more downside risk. Understanding the benefits of social media as well as the business context is essential to developing an effective social media plan.

Best Buy has successfully embraced social media, something that fits with its brand image, but also something that has helped to enhance its business. This report will outline the principles of successful social media usage, the value that social media has to business, and also provide a blueprint for social media success for the law firm.

Overview of Social Media

Businesses use social media for a number of reasons, not the least of which is promotion. There are a number of reasons why businesses utilize the promotional power of social media. One of the…… [Read More]

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Administered a Culture Survey E G the Oci

administered a culture survey (e.g., the OCI) to all store employees (a.k.a. "crew members") and management, do you think espoused culture as described by management would match the culture expressed by the employees? Why or why not?

I think it likely that the espoused culture as described by the management of Trader Joe would match that expressed by the employees as a whole since, as the article indicates, employees receive intensive training during which they are likely imbued with culture expectations on n overt and covert level. More so, Trader Joe has its culture explicitly delineated and customer service is emphasized. The employee of Trade Joe who wishes to retain his or her position - and who does not given the attractive compensation, the difficulty in retain a job today, the opportunities 'at the end of the tunnel' and Trader Joe's fun and positive working environment -- would seek to produce his or her best, collaborate with the 'team' and epitomize the Trader Joe culture.

Trader Joe's culture also reminds me of that of Zappos and this parallel is informative in answering both questions in this essay.

Zappos provides a leadership that is not managerial (namely, 'bossy' as described in…… [Read More]

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Strategic Plan and a 3D Model Leadership

Leadership-Level Implementation of Strategic Plan

Good leadership is a key aspect of project management. Leading a project requires working with the manager and other staff drawn from the project's functional areas. It is not accurate to say that a leader only influences the subordinates under him. Responsibilities of a leader can go either vertically or horizontally. An effective leader will not only lead the subordinates under him or her, but also all the people involved in the project including those who are his seniors. A leadership model referred to as 3D model has been fronted by various players and promotes team leadership, self-leadership as well as teamwork that is leadership oriented. Effective leadership takes the ability to spot opportunities to improve a project and also execute on the project improvement. Besides the existing good personal traits, the style of leadership can be modeled through experience, training as well as dedication.

Individual Level

At this level, integrity trumps ethics. All things come back to the individual's character. It is the individual's character than can make him or her be known as compassionate, considerate, honest, ethical and transparent. Trustworthiness can be linked to integrity. Even though the definition may be vague, persons…… [Read More]

Strategic Action Oracle's Acquisition of

com to keep the Zappos.com culture intact and growing so that it can pervade the Amazon.com culture as well.

Summary

Amazon.com sees the future of e-commerce retailing as needing to be more focused on the experience of shopping, purchasing, and recommending products online over and above the basic transaction. The acquisition of Zappos is an investment in creating a customer-centric culture, an area the founders of Amazon.com have continually attempted to create in their own company.

Strategic Action: Wal-Mart Choosing to Enter China

Wal-Mart's history of growth within the U.S. And nations which have comparable cultures is exceptional in its speed and success. Yet the expansion into other regions of the world, notably Germany (Christopherson, 2007) has failed as they do not capitalize on the core strengths of the company. The decision to enter the Chinese mass merchandiser market was a difficult one, as the company has a history of being very successful in rural regions of the U.S. And other nations, yet the Chinese market is one where the majority of sales are made in urban centers including Shanghai and Beijing. The shift from selling in rural locations and regions to urban regions required WalMart to completely change their…… [Read More]

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HR Effective Hiring Practices

Hiring Processes for Employment

One of the most critical determining factors of whether an employee will succeed in a position or not takes place before the employee even becomes part of the organization in the form of the hiring process. Employers may use a wide variety of potential methods to notify candidates about potential jobs. The most straightforward method is that of advertisements on websites, both general and trade-based.[footnoteRef:1] While this has the advantage of casting a wide net for potential applicants, it also is relatively diffuse and relatively random in terms of the candidates it solicits. Internal postings ensure that candidates have a good idea of the job and the company but this technique obviously limits the scope of the job search and can shut the organization off from developing potentially valuable new talent. Still, internally-based approaches are preferred by many organizations. "It makes sense: it takes a certain kind of person to thrive at" the organization, "and those people tend to spend time (personally and professionally) with people like themselves."[footnoteRef:2] In-house hires have already demonstrated they can succeed in the environment. [1: "How employers hire," iSeek Jobs, http://www.iseek.org/jobs/employershire.html (December 31, 2015)] [2: Peter Carbonara, "Hire for attitude, train…… [Read More]

Technology and Innovation -- Market

It takes insightful analysis of the key success factors from the customers' perspective while a strong commitment to re-orient internal, back-office systems to support customer-driven criterion. The examples of the e-commerce industry, which is known for increasing returns and being highly differentiated on knowledge, show how quickly the network effect can serve as an accelerator for second movers to gain customer base in a relatively short period of time.

References

Jeffrey H. Dyer, & Kentaro Nobeoka. (2000). Creating and managing a high-performance knowledge-sharing network: The Toyota case. Strategic Management Journal: Special Issue: Strategic Networks, 21(3), 345-367.

Hsieh, T.. (2010, June). Why I Sold Zappos. Inc., 32(5), 100-104.

Isckia, T.. (2009). Amazon's Evolving Ecosystem: A Cyber-bookstore and Application Service Provider. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, 26(4), 332-343.

Lieberman, M.B. & Montgomery D.B. 1998, 'First-Mover (Dis)Advantages: Retrospective and Link with the Resource-Based View, Strategic Management Journal, vol. 19, pp. 1111-1125.

Maida Napolitano. (2009, February). Zappos.com goes Space Age. Logistics Management (2002), 48(2), 26.

Robinson, William T. And Claes Fornell (1985), "Sources of Market Pioneering Advantages in Consumer Goods Industries," Journal of Marketing Research, 22 (August),…… [Read More]

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Creation of a 'Learning Organization' for Businesses

Learning Organization

Employee Training and Development

Peter Senge and learning organizations:

How feasible is the creation of a 'learning organization' for businesses?

First published in 1990, Peter Senge's concept of a 'learning organization' has become increasingly important in the modern business world, although achieving this ideal can be challenging. Senge defines such organizations as entities in which "people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning to see the whole together" (Senge 1990: 3, cited by Smith 2001). The whole is greater than the sum of its parts and 'learns' to be adaptive to market forces, even while all individuals strive to achieve their potential. Although this sounds quite idealistic, a number of organizations are putting such ideals into practice.

A good example of a learning organization is Google which, rather than using carrots and sticks to motivate employees, instead strives to create a fluid and responsive environment where employees can be creative and work together. It even provides free food and fitness classes to create happy, productive employees who are focused on their work, rather…… [Read More]

Human Resource Management HRM Is

Frank and Taylor (2004) warn that motivating employees is highly dependent on their specific wants and needs. An accounting firm that mostly hires conservative, serious-minded employees who value efficiency above all else are not likely to be motivated by the offer of a life coach or a concierge. They would probably be much more motivated by a good 401k plan. However, that does not mean that all types of organizations cannot get creative with their benefits.

The key is to creating an effective and creative employee benefit strategy is talk to the employees and find out what they really want. According to Gajewski (2005) it is critically important to modify "the corporate culture to balance employee needs and desires with organizational objectives" (p. 4). Therefore, if companies can change the corporate culture in such as way that satisfies both management and employees, then they would be remiss not to do so.

Managing Human Resources Through Effective Leadership

A leadership strategy is not based merely on principles; it requires a carefully constructed plan of action. Strategy design is an essential part of effectively managing an organization's talent. There are numerous technical aspects to Human Resource strategizing that go beyond the standard…… [Read More]

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Cultural Differences in Management Styles

In a large measure, these concepts reflect the problems that have accompanied increased diversity as both a consequence and a cause of a great many social problems" (1999, p. 1). In this regard, Naylor defines culture as being "the learned way (or ways) of belief, behavior, and the products of these (both physically and socially) that is shared (at least to some degree) within human groups and serves to distinguish that culture group from another learning different beliefs and behaviors" (1999, p. 2). It is important to note as well that "cultural diversity is not restricted to particular nationalities; it includes issues of gender and individuals with disabilities" (Russell & McLean, 1999). Because there are some fundamental differences between cultural beliefs and behaviors, it is not surprising that cross-cultural differences can have a profound effect on organizational performance, and these issues are discussed further below.

Effect of Cultural Diversity on Organizational Performance

The research to date has produced some mixed results concerning the effect of cultural diversity on organizational performance. For example, McMillan-Capehart and Simerly (2008) report that, "The extant body of research on cultural diversity has so far yielded mixed results, with some studies finding positive performance effects, but…… [Read More]

Interviewing Successfully Is Your Ability to Respond

interviewing successfully is your ability to respond appropriately and well to the questions asked during the interview.

Why should I hire you?

I firmly believe in the saying: "love what you do and you will never work a day in your life." In my case, what I love is feeling as if I have made a contribution with my efforts to the workplace. I set high standards of excellence for myself and I am always trying to satisfy these standards or exceed them. I like feeling that I am making a contribution to an organization that is meaningful and lasting.

Why are you applying for this position?

I am applying for this position because I believe I can be an asset to your firm and my personality and work style are uniquely compatible with the challenges demanded of a program manager. I wish to be part of a workplace which has a team-based approach to solving problems and managing projects.

Why are you interested in working for our firm?

I am interested in working for your firm because of the ways in which you challenge your employees, yet nurture them and mentor them. I seek to grow both as a…… [Read More]

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Best Practices in HR

Healthcare management (Discussion questions)

What are the top three elements in developing your practice as a human resource manager that will ensure your competitive advantage?

First student

One of the most notable features of successful companies such as Google is the degree to which these companies realize that people are some of their greatest assets. Google offers such perks as allowing engineers to pursue their own projects on company time as a way to attract the most creative people within the IT industry as well as to develop new ideas that might not come from the upper levels of management. Google offers 'perks' that make creative people flock to the company and which ensures once hired, the employees remain focused on their work. One of the reasons Google offers free food, dry-cleaning, and fitness classes is not simply to be nice but also because it increases worker loyalty and keeps workers' attention focused on their work, not distractions at home.

Google also has an extremely rigorous hiring process, to ensure that all employees are a good fit for the organization. It also has a rather unique feature in the screening process in that "uses panels of varied employees -- not…… [Read More]

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The Importance of Culture at Work

Building a culture-based company is important for success because culture is a factor in what drives workers to be committed to a goal and to strive to meet objectives. A positive workplace culture will serve to motivate and guide employees, while a negative workplace culture will distract and deter them from advancing. Building a culture-based company thus entails identifying positive attributes and values to promote within the workplace so as to provide workers with the core motivators they need to stay ahead and progressive.

It is also about filling an organization with the "cream-of-the-crop" as Bill Taylor at GameChanger Blog notes is the case with Zappos, which actually pays employees to quit (Harvard Business Review, 2008). The idea is that after hiring new workers and initiating them into the workplace culture that the organization wishes to develop, new hires have an idea of what is expected of them and what they need to do in order to succeed in the company and make the company grow. By giving new hires pay for their initiation and a $1,000 bonus should they choose to "opt out" and quit there on the spot, the company rewards those who admit right up front that…… [Read More]

Pepsi Refresh Project Viral Marketing

Pepsi Refresh Project-Viral Marketing

Pepsi Refresh Project

Evaluate the reasons Social Media Marketing has become exceedingly popular among businesses of all sizes.

Social media marketing has gained exceptional popularity among businesses of all size. The major reason behind this strategic shift in marketing management is related to an ability to gain access to large customer communities through internet. Since the users that companies target spend lot of time on the internet, the companies engage these users by employing different tactics. Secondly, the cost vs. benefits analysis of social media marketing indicates that by spending a few thousand dollars online to market the company, the returns are high. Television and print media advertisements are highly expensive as compared to social media. Specifically, if the large companies target their ads to be placed in prime time, it even costs them more. Most of the target population of consumer goods products, specifically those of Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) are present on social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn. The reach and connectivity of social media is also much more than the traditional media. People use these social networking and blogging sites in their offices during break times and students…… [Read More]

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Personal Leadership Approach

Leadership and You

Leaders play a crucial role in the society and organizations, especially with regards to helping the organization achieve its objectives and purposes. These individuals use varying approaches to leadership that inform their practices in motivating organizational members towards the accomplishment of common objectives. Through their practices, leaders not only influence the behaviors of their followers or subordinates but also help in shaping organizational culture. The use of different leadership styles and philosophies is also attributed to the difference in concept and practices of the leader. Moreover, leaders can improve their effectiveness through adopting strategies that address the weaknesses of their leadership approaches since every leadership style or approach has certain weaknesses.

Definition of Leadership

Leadership is a term or concept that means different things to different people depending on the context of where the leadership practice takes place. As a result, different people have different definitions of what leadership is, which generates considerable problems in attempts to effectively define leadership. From a personal perspective, leadership is a means for talented individuals to influence others towards common objectives through sharing their knowledge and perspectives (Mielach, 2013). This is probably the most suitable definition of leadership given that the…… [Read More]

Persona One of the Problems

Think of it like the difference between two different malls. We all have our favorites, maybe because of the parking or the overall layout.

Another thing I like about luxurioussimplicity.com is that it has no unnecessary clutter like menswear. If I wanted to shop for a man friend, I might visit Gilt or another website. I prefer using luxurioussimplicity.com just for me. Besides women's clothes and accessories, there is not much else to distract me. If I want cosmetics, I'll most likely head to the Sephora website. However, I do appreciate that luxurioussimplicity shows me jewelry designs that pair well with the fashions I like.

Finally, the best thing about luxurioussimplicity is that it works a little like Pandora does for music. I can rate fashions on a star system, on a scale of 1-5. I can do this for individual items or whole "looks" that the models are wearing. Luxurioussimplicity has algorithms that create a unique user profile for me. The more I log in, the more powerfully accurate their profile becomes, because I give it more information about what I like and what I don't like. Luxurioussimplicity.com also knows my sizes in different brands, which is a real…… [Read More]

Multicultural Teams in the Work Environment

Cultures in the Workplace

Kouzes and Posner (2012) state that leaders ensure individuals know they are taken into consideration and not being ignored (p.318). There are several different means of enhancing this kind of celebratory culture given the varying best practices regarding how leaders need to demonstrate awareness of the needs of followers. One of the major ways of paying attention to follower needs and showing that followers are not taken for granted is through creating community. With regards to creation of community, the leader should demonstrate awareness of how celebrations are carried out based on cultural beliefs. Celebrations that are conducted based on cultural beliefs are particularly significant when the working environment is made of various cultures as they are in the modern world. This process would require the identification and establishment of best practices on the issue in order to promote inclusion and diversity in the workplace as well as creating a sense of ownership among followers.

Overview of Community Building Practices

Generally, people carry out celebrations throughout the world as they gather in various places and ways to mark significant occasion (Kouzes & Posner, 2012, p.301). The celebrations all over the world are carried out in various…… [Read More]

Employee Orientation and Management

Orientation and Career Management

Employee Orientation and Management

Employee Orientation: Q1. Orienting new employees serves several critical functions for an organization. First and foremost, it ensures that employees have the practical skills to function at their new jobs. Even if employees have previous experience, education, and training in the workplace, there are specific skills particular to the organization for every new job that must be learned. Orientation kick-starts the learning process. Even more importantly, orientation grounds employees in the culture of the organization. Being a good fit for the organization's culture is often equally as important as possessing specific skills. While most organizations take this into consideration when hiring new employees, it will always take a period of time for employees to acclimate and become part of the 'team.' For some organizations, such as Zappos.com, the importance of an organizational fit is so great that employees are offered a 'bonus' during training to quit, to ensure employees with second thoughts do not remain at the organization and cost Zappos additional time and money (Bruce 2011).

Q2. A formal orientation is essential. Supervisors may know the expectations for their department, but that does not mean they are well-versed in areas such…… [Read More]

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E-Commerce and Business Process

E-Commerce and Business Process

E-Commerce Defined

E- commerce as modern business methodology

Characteristics of internet and traditional markets

Benefits of E-commerce

Critical Success Factors of E-commerce

E-commerce applications

Types of E-commerce business models

Security and legal issues

Apple Company and E-commerce

Business and E-Commerce

Implementation of E-commerce

Conventional market approach vs. modern market approach

E-Commerce Applications

Types of E-Commerce models

E- commerce defined:

E-commerce is broadly described as "utilizing online sources as well as tools to perform business in a far better way - more effectively and proficiently (Montgomery, 2007)." As a result, e-commerce supports the promise as well as challenge of impacting every part of a business' operations from product design and style and manufacturing to distribution as well as delivery service. Organizations utilizing or thinking about e-commerce ought to check out the possible functions for e-commerce in every facet of the businesses' functions. The actual case studies offer types of e-commerce programs in product creation (Farmchem, MidWest e-Solutions); marketing and advertising (Nautical Antiques, Villages of Van Buren), stock and stockroom organization (Louis Williams & Sons, Mountain One), distribution as well as product sales (Sterling Biotech, Blue Smoke Salsa), along with services following the transaction (Vanns). Companies with e-commerce…… [Read More]

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Significance of Manager in Project Oxygen Case Study

Google's Project Oxygen: Do Managers Matter?

Today Google is irrefutably one of the most buoyant, stimulating and hence possibly most sought-after corporations in the world. The organization is rated as one of the best on account of its performance as an enormously coveted employer and all of this emanates from the carefully developed and assiduously followed 'Google culture'. In addition, the corporate culture is linked to elevating and inspiring the thinking as well as the creativity of its employees with the programs set for the avant-gardists in the company. For quite some time since its inception, Google as a company, together with its founders questioned whether managers matter and whether they had any significance on the performance and productivity of the company. The company's organizational culture is a flat organization where it does not focus or concentrate on hierarchy and it encourages a philosophy of cooperation and joint effort. However, the results of the internal program Project Oxygen, to assert the insignificance of managers gave results to contrary to such a notion. This is the fact that Project Oxygen not only offered Googlers the conviction that mangers still mattered but at the same time also acknowledged, defined and entrenched their…… [Read More]

Getting Worth From Work

Job Satisfaction and Requirements

If I were responsible for formulating a team charter, there are several points of pertinent information I would make sure are included in it. One of the most important of these is the form of communication to be used by the team members, as well as the regularity of that communication. The team should meet comprehensively a minimum of two to three times a week. These meetings are to monitor progress and deal with any issues as they arise. The frequency of these meetings and the various points of checking for progress and any problems would help to prevent social loafing. In fact, preventing that phenomenon is one of the chief goals of this part of the charter. Most teams do not meet frequently enough; the aforementioned charter can change that.

Unit 7 Discussion

What I would tell this recent college graduate is that the $35,000 offered by his prospective place of employment is merely a starting point for negotiating. To do so successfully, I would tell him to quote and even provide a reference to the information he has about the average starting salary being $38,000. I would also tell him to list all of…… [Read More]

Business Analysis on Foot Locker

Foot Locker

Company Evaluation

Foot Locker is one of the global leaders in the athletic footwear, apparel and multichannel retailing market., with 3,500 stores globally operating in 21 countries. The company operates retail outlets across a variety of brands including Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, Footaction and CCS. As of this writing the company employs just over 38,007 employees with the majority being part-time (approximately 25,000) (Foot Locker Investor Relations, 2012). Top-line revenue growth continues to be strong with Foot Locker recording $5.049B in their latest full fiscal year ended in January, 2011 (FY2011). This represented a 4% increase over the previous year. As of the latest financial reporting Foot Locker has provided, their revenue is $5.6B and operating profit is $443M. This compares to previous fiscal periods where the company earned an operating profit of $262M in FY2011 and $80M in FY 2010 (Foot Locker Investor Relations, 2012). Foot Locker has seen their margins significantly rode during the recession yet has been able to stage a strong return to profitability by concentrating on more internal process efficiency including more effective inventory control. For a full financial ratio analysis of Foot Locker please see Appendix…… [Read More]

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Career Path of Communication Major

The salary ranges from $80,000 to $110,000 (Kalbach 45).

Advancement

Rank advancement relates to the level of experience of the employee and the amount of years of services within the context of the business entity. For individuals or experts to command rank advancement within this field, they must develop large pool of experience and qualification to be able to serve in the higher ranks. The employee must also serve within the company for certain duration in order to merit promotion. This type of rank advancement or promotion depends on the performance and personal or character traits (honesty, loyalty, and obedience) of the employee. The company must be convinced on the performance levels of the user experience designer to guarantee or facilitate promotion to higher ranks with better remuneration or wages.

Companies that hire User Experience Designers

Some of companies hiring user experience designers include San Diego, Asana, Red Giant, Nerdery, Silicon Valley, Austin TX, M*Modal, DIRECTV, Clovis, and Irvine. Others include Zappos, Lehi UT, and Jessica Moon.

Website Design

Website Design involves the application of numerous skills and expertise crucial to the organization and management of websites. Website Designer refers to a professional with college or university knowledge or education…… [Read More]

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Lu Lemon the Contemporaneous Society

We have put our recent efforts into creating a Restricted Substance program, and have begun mapping our Water & Carbon Footprint" (Website of LuLuLemon Athletica, 2012).

6. Brand personality

The personality of the LuLuLemon brand is more so linked to yoga and the emotional perceptions related to yoga, rather than the actual apparel produced and sold by the company. And this brand is becoming more and more popular at both domestic level, as well the international scale.

And what is remarkable about the LuLuLemon brand is that the company has not invested tremendous sums of money into the development and implementation of a branding strategy. Given its reduced size and resources, the Canadian-based firm has focused more resources on products, with the brand being managed in a less strict manner. This makes the company's brand even more so interesting and powerful among consumers.

"The LuLuLemon logo and very distinctive (designed to be seen) shopping bag starts the conversation about the brand in health clubs, airports, or in the line at Starbucks. Customers can't wait to share this brand with friends and strangers, and the LuLuLemon brand is growing without any traditional advertising. It is a great experience" (Stern and Ander,…… [Read More]

Resources:

An Evaluation of Amazon com

Amazon.com

Identification/Description -- Amazon.com, as of 2009, was the world's largest book retailer in the world. However, the company is far more than a bookstore in 2012 -- it is a retail giant, handling almost $50 billion in multinational electronic commerce, making it the world's largest online retailer. The company was created in 1994 as a bookstore, but soon diversified so that today it sells music, books, software, apparel, furniture, food, toys, electronics, and its own proprietary reading and tablet device, the Amazon Kindle (Investor Information, 2012). Amazon transformed itself from a specialty retailer into an online shopping portal, taking a cue from auctioneer eBay, which set itself up as a mediator between buyer and seller. Amazon's marketing strategy has been to provide a sophisticated website that cross-promotes products; materials at a significantly lower price, and an ability for the consumer to personalize their "store," receive updates about products they may be interested in, have browsed, or seems appropriate for their buying patterns (Spector, 2000). The company is particularly interesting because of the manner in which they market to their customers- both current and potential. They are an integrated marketing communications company that uses smart algorithms to track purchases and…… [Read More]

Bibliography:

Commerce Bank by Frances X Frei Commerce

Commerce Bank" by Frances X. Frei.

Commerce Bank was a successful bank in New York that determined to be different by focusing on its WOW factor, in other words, on its customer service and on accentuating that. Commerce Bank actually achieved much of its success and distinction due to its incredible customer service. Part of its service was its line of WOW shops and Wow program generator as well as staff being rigorously trained in the WOW manner.

Its most recent offering was the Retailtainment program where customers were offered entertainment whilst they banked and queued in line. Some of the branches had problems with this idea and some bank personnel actually wondered whether Commerce Bank had not gone too far in its efforts to WOW its customizers.

Analysis

Customer service is an extremely important part of business success. The business always has to orbit around the client and focus on the client as priority to its own interests and desires. To that end, there are companies, such as famously Zappos, that extend itself in making customer service their number one priority, because doing so, they know, will create and attract satisfied clients and, therefore, make them a more successful…… [Read More]

Works Cited:

Trainee Manager With the Jones-Atherton Partnership Ltd

trainee manager with the Jones-Atherton Partnership Ltd. (JA). JA began life as a small building firm started by two partners on a small industrial estate in the north-east of England. It has grown and now employs 20 people full-time. It has moved to a once derelict lot on the outskirts of a university town. It is now one of the largest independent building companies in the area.

The last five years have not been good for construction companies in the UK; however, JA has been more successful than most as it has concentrated on high-quality, sustainable construction, relying on skilled craftspeople. As a consequence, it has a full order book and is looking to grow further.

Hamad O'Reilly

Communications Manager

James-Atherton Partnership

Mob: 07910 241703

Office: 01267 551134

ISSUE: Social Networking

BACKGROUND

Social networking is a relatively new business tool, but it is simply a more sophisticated means of communication than we have had hitherto. New uses for SN are being made all the time; however, the basics of communication remain the same. JS has grown and we have been lucky in being able to keep our feet in these harsh economic times, if not thrive somewhat. Nonetheless, experience and…… [Read More]

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Learn About the Shopping Strategies

When searching for an item, the website will be designed in such a way that it will suggest some similar items for customer with different color, size, prints and designs. Similarly, the website will be designed to create a unique user profile, and the more customers log in, the more accurate the website will create their profiles. In their profile, customers will provide information on the items they like and the items they do not like. Thus, the user profile will be a system that would know each customer's sizes, and in different brands and this strategy will create a brand advantages for luxuriousimplicity.com.

Typically, luxurioussimplicity.com has some unique features generally different from websites such as Gilt.com or Zappos.com. The features of luxurioussimplicity.com will assist customers to locate what they are searching without problem. More importantly, luxurioussimplicity.com will differentiate itself by offering unique shopping experience for customer due to its overall layout. The best thing about luxurioussimplicity.com is that it is possible for customer to create a unique user profile. Typically, when customers log in, it will be possible to match their profiles with the items in the online catalogues. When making constant online purchase, the luxurioussimplicity.com will use the…… [Read More]

Customized Footwear Additional Focus Group

Uniformly, those in the former category indicated that they would be willing to pay something in the range of 10 to 20% more on customized orders. Customers willing to spend $100 on a pair of shoes indicates that $110-$120 would be an acceptable range for a customized pair.

Respondents who demonstrated a less proclivity both for online shopping and for shoe-shopping in general indicates that whereas they might spend something in the range of $40 to $60 for a pair of shoes, that $60 to $80 might be a suitable price point for customized footwear. The findings in this section would demonstrate that focus group respondents in all categories indicated a willingness to pay a statistically significant percentage more for the service of customization.

4. Through what distribution channels are potential customers likely to buy mass customized footwear?

The best distribution channels are those which have already established a relationship of trust and accountability with prospective users. Therefore, it would be wise to consider those distribution channels that already offer platforms for standard ecommerce secure payment processing, third-party shipping, seller/buyer ratings and internal discount programs. For instance, eBay and Amazon are valuable for connecting a trusted ecommerce name with an…… [Read More]

Hewlett-Packard Redefines the HP Way Learning Organizations

Hewlett-Packard Redefines the HP Way

Learning Organizations

"Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success."

Henry Ford

The case study, Human Resources at Hewlett-Packard, presents a portrait of an evolving organization that moved from its earliest base as a small privately owned company, with a single manufacturing focus, to a multinational conglomerate with multiple lines of business. Like many start-ups, in the early years, the company ethos exemplified that of its entrepreneurial founders. Entrepreneurs are often characterized by their capacity to have a hand in all facets of the organization, including human resources, and this was the situation at Hewlett-Packard for several decades. The case study presents a scenario in which the new CEO must address task force findings and questions about the viability of "the HP Way" and its role in employee engagement, strategic planning for the multinational context in which Hewlett-Packard now competes, and the evolution of a mature company in a mature industry. That Hewett-Packard has changed over the years, morphing into an organizational structure that bears little resemblance to its original form, is not surprising. Nor is the distress that long-time employees feel with regard to these changes. The case study…… [Read More]

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Director Organization Tasked Training Management Team Creative

director organization tasked training management team creative problem solving, leadership, employee motivation. Create bullet-point PAGES/handouts (1 bullet-point PER PAGE / 275 WORDS). The handouts address topics: • Creative problem solving: Describe approaches creative problem solving ways encourage creative problem solving employees.

Approaches to creative problem-solving

One of the most vitally important obstacles to overcome to engage in truly creative problem-solving is the need to break the fear barrier. In a group setting, people are often fearful of transgressing group norms of acceptable behavior. This can severely inhibit creative problem-solving. That is why using brainstorming can be such an important icebreaker when generating new ideas about a particular issue. The group writes down all possible solutions to a problem, no matter how silly, and then reviews them and picks one or two. The lack of anticipated judgment is intended to be freeing.

Brainstorming can be free-flowing or it can make use of slightly more directive techniques, if members of the group are initially reluctant. For example, through the technique of 'cubing,' members are asked to consider the topic "from six different directions… [to] take a sheet of paper, consider your topic, and respond to these six commands" (The writing center, 2010,…… [Read More]

Works Cited:

Human Resources Management

fashionable to talk about, money is an obvious consideration when choosing a particular job: a job must cover one's basic living expenses and for many people, some jobs simply do not pay enough, based upon the employee's estimation of his or her own personal sense of worth (i.e. credentials and education). However, some people may take a job because it promises to give them good experience in a particular field, thus giving them a foothold into a company or profession they would like to enter. A job's potential interest value and creative opportunities offered by an occupation may outweigh pay considerations for a prospective job-seeker, at least in the short run.

One reason that people may leave a job is a failure to advance. If someone thinks he or she is in a 'dead end' job with poor career and salary prospects, it might make sense to switch, given that remaining in a stultifying job has the 'opportunity cost' of the benefits that could be gained from a good job. If the job is not intellectually challenging, this is also likely to motivate him or her to change jobs.

Discussion 2: Psychological Contract Part 2

When people apply for a…… [Read More]

Staffing and Financing New Enterprises

Staffing process of which I was a part focused on two primary considerations: first, the functionality of the employees within the organization and the need to ensure the new workers had the necessary qualifications to excel and secondly the extent to which the employees' personalities suited the organizational culture. In retrospect, I think there should have been a greater focus upon employees having the necessary interpersonal vs. technical skills. In fact, many organizations such as Southwest Airlines and Zappos primarily put an emphasis on hiring individuals with personalities well-suited to the organizational ethos vs. specific qualifications.

I also believe that during the hiring process there was too much focus on hiring people from within the industry rather than looking outside the box for more diverse experiences. Too much insularity can produce a cookie-cutter mentality within the organization that is not conducive to creativity. Even if people do not have industry-specific experience, if they have an excellent education or experience with entrepreneurship, this can signify an ambitious personality who is willing to go the extra mile in his or her position.

Finally, the question of creating attractive benefits packages can be problematic. As well as offering incentives like pay raises and…… [Read More]

Behavioral Styles and These Can Have an

behavioral styles, and these can have an impact on a workplace. They have been outlined on a grid of responsiveness vs. assertiveness. A low assertiveness/high responsiveness person is "analytical"; a high assertive/high responsive person is a "driver"; a high assertive/low responsive is euphemistically known as "expressive" while low assertive/low responsive dubbed "amiable" (Levit, 2013).

As a manager, these different styles are going to be seen in the workplace. They explain how people will behave in the workplace, so it is important to be aware of these behavioral differences, and what they mean for the individual in question. They provide a framework for understanding individual behavior, and allow the manager to have a sense of what to expect from someone. These behavioral styles are also important in that the manager can have a better sense of how to motivate people, if they understand their basic behavioral styles, and the manager might also need this information when conducting conflict resolution.

2.

In a small company, employees are more likely to deal with each other frequently. A small company usually requires more teamwork, because jobs are less specialized -- people have to pitch in where needed more often, and this brings people into…… [Read More]

Psychographic Segmentation of Starbucks

Starbucks, a Market Analysis

Starbucks is a major, world wide coffee retailer specializing in a variety of brands of blend coffee and iced beverages, among other related products. Within the market sector Starbucks exists stands several competing companies such as The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Caribou Coffee. Each company shares similar strategies, appealing to a similar demographic, and hails themselves as the high-end of coffee-based shops/cafes. They also share a similar promise of quality ingredients and service. The difference is, while a company like Starbucks focuses on the behavior of consumers to market their product, a company like Caribou coffee relies on the taste and quality of their product, and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf rely on location and ease of access.

Starbucks was selected as the primary company to analyze due to its immense popularity and success over the last decade. It has become one of the most iconic symbols of coffee. A whole culture has developed from this famous chain. In the 1970's, the first Starbucks opens. The origins of the name come from Herman Melville's Moby Dick, about 19th century whaling industry.

Starbucks offers more than 6,500 self-operated and licensed stores in over 38…… [Read More]

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