Question 1: Foundations of Management (units 1/4) or Management Challenges (unit 3)
We are considering starting a new corporate social responsibility (CSR) program specific to our new Halton location. Describe the benefits of having a CSR program at Sports Enthusiast Retail. What ideas do you have for a specific program?
There are many benefits to starting a new corporate social responsibility (CSR) program specific to Sports Enthusiast Retail. These benefits go a long way into making the company a better place, both internally and externally. The first main reason why starting a new CSR program would be beneficial is because it increases sales and customer loyalty. It increases these different aspects because being a socially responsible company means that your company is putting in an effort to make the community around them better. These actions may include having environmentally friendly policies or donating money to charities. After customers see what is being done to help their community, then they will then be influenced to keep coming back in result because they feel a connection and a reason to go back. With having more customer loyalty, there will then be an increase in sales because your company will see more and more people constantly coming in again and again. The next major impact it has on a company is it gives you a positive business reputation. Corporate social investment can help you to build a reputation as a responsible business, which can in turn lead to competitive advantage. Companies often favour suppliers who have responsible policies, since this can reflect on how their customers see them. Some customers don't just prefer to deal with responsible companies, they insist on it. Having a good reputation also leads to responsible staff. If the job is good to its people and the community then people will want to work there and they will know that there will be lots of other competition with trying to get a job there as well. This leads to finding responsible, talented staff that want to work and represent the company, just like how I would love to represent your company.
My idea of a specific CSR program would be donating back to charities. If athletes came in to a your store knowing that some of the money they are using to buy equipment for their sport is going to a charity such as The Right To Play (a charity allowing kids the ability to play sports) then athletes would be more willing to spend money and they would keep coming back because most equipment stores do not have that as one of their plans for success. I am personally an athlete and play many sports so I know I would definitely keep coming back to a store where i could get the exact same equipment, but there is a better outcome and I know I am helping other people do what I am doing.
Question 2: Planning (unit 2b)
Describe an example scenario at Sports Enthusiast Retail where a contingency plan is needed. Next, describe what would be included in this contingency plan.
A scenario where a contingency plan is needed, is let's say the store has one main supplier of hockey sticks. CCM has been consistent in every shipment that they have and everyone loves the sticks. But one week CCM emails your store and says they do not have enough supply to send out more sticks at this time. You would need a contingency plan because the customers cannot be without sticks or else we will lose customers. Some things that the business would have to look at before creating a contingency plan is through the use of SWOT. they need to think about their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. One of the main weaknesses are having a supplier that runs out of product and the highly competitive market sports stores are in. This contingency plan would need to provide the business with new opportunities (maybe introduce a new line of equipment) so that the threat of the other sports equipment stores do not affect the change. Here Sports Enthusiast Retail would need to have a back up supplier that they keep communications with, so that they can get in more shipment of sticks that are relatively the same to the ones that could not be ordered in at this time. Thus will ensure that the store is never left without a certain product and that customers do not leave the store unhappy. The store would have to keep in contact with this other supplier once and a while in order to keep them wanting to work with the store. This may include buying small portions of their equipment to sell with the regular equipment being sold, or creating deals with them to keep them wanting to supply us when we would need it. We could also set up a business plan with them before for this reason. Having this as our contingency plan will ensure that we still have a competitive advantage even if we are out of a product for a given time. In order to make sure that this contingency plan works and could be successful I would sell some of the product from the backup supplier in store so that customers already had the option to buy and experience the item (so that its not just one day there is a whole new product that noone has ever tried or experienced). I know this plan will be successful because it follows the SMART goals to planning. The idea is specific because it is created in case a certain problem happens within the store, manageable because if I were manager I would be able to look after the different suppliers and keep in communication with them both, attainable because communication is fast and efficient, relevant and time bound because this plan is for a specific time and can be done in a timely and efficient manner.
Question 3: Leading (unit 2a)
What leadership style do you personally gravitate towards and how will it be beneficial in this role?
The leadership style I personally gravitate towards is democratic-participative. I am more like this style because I have always grown up playing team sports so I naturally have a team like work ethic. The sports that I have played such as hockey, rugby, field hockey, and volleyball have all been a team sport where we had to work together in order to do our best. Each person on the team was a valuable player that did something to make us succeed. These traits I carry into my work. I believe that each employee has a certain job which needs to be done smoothly and efficiently in order for the whole business to succeed. This is why I gravitate more towards a democratic-participative style. This style makes sure that employees are part of the decision making and are kept informed about everything that affects their work. I believe this is best for a business because employees like to be heard and voice their opinions on things, even if there opinion is not used, at least they got to speak their mind and make it known. I feel like this makes a successful business because employees will feel like they are apart of a bigger picture and are actually apart of the team that is your business. The democratic leadership style is based on mutual respect. Without respect, your business cannot function to the best of its abilities. The techniques used in a democratic leadership play a significant role in creating job satisfaction, since a sense of control and participation is used within the democratic leadership style. Greater participation from employees during the decision-making process could also result in more creative solutions and greater innovation to address problems and serve the organization better. This can also create a very strong team since democratic leaders encourage the input and innovation of team members. This style is also perfect for situations where employees are skilled and/or experienced in the field which is perfect because your job requires people to have experience with sports previous before being accepted into this job. Finally, this is the best leadership style because athletic stores have a lot of customers that will want a variety of different things. Having a strong team and good problem solving can make sure that we all work together to help each customer and their specific needs. One employee may know more about one sport than the other and with their leadership style we can address this and make the change by working together and using our strengths.
Question 4: Organizing (unit 2c)
What alternative job-design or work setting arrangements do you see as possibilities for Sports Enthusiast Retail at the new retail location, and how might they benefit both the employees and the employer?
I see job specialization as a possibility for a more successful business. I think that introducing job specialization can make the business function more effectively as a whole. When you make it so that a specific person with specific qualifications runs a certain department in the store, I believe that work will run more smoother, because these people know what they are talking about. Yes the employees may become bored, but it’s all about the customer. A customer who spends countless hours doing a sport or an activity does not want to go to a store that has someone that has no idea about the product selling it. People are not in stores for long and so you need a qualified knowledgeable person working in each department. This will benefit both employee and employer because the employee will feel more comfortable working because they understand the thing that they are talking about which will result in of efficient work and less problem areas. Having less problems with the employees will also benefit the employer because you don't have to worry about someone saying the wrong thing or not knowing about a certain detail about the sport/activity. So, the employer won't have to be called to help with problems. This also creates loyalty with customers if they believe that people are knowledgeable working there and they will come back because they had an easy experience.
I also believe that the business could set up job sharing as an alternate work setting arrangement. I believe that this could benefit the company as well because the only problem with job specialization is that they can be very monotonous and employees can be unmotivated and produce poor quality, but by having job sharing as an option the company can have two fully committed employees who are knowledgeable and have experience, while the employees get to work together with another person in order to keep on the right track which might just give them that little bit of push to keep working hard because their partner is depending on them to do well.
Question 5: Controlling (unit 2b)
A part-time employee continuously shows up late to work and claims to “work better†with frequent “tech breaksâ€. This employee is not performing to the best of their ability. How would you discipline this employee?
There is a system I would take while disciplining this employee. The first steps I would make sure to follow is to make sure I do not talk down to the employee and that I do not communicate with anger. Talking down to the employee or using an angry tone could make the employee rebel and shut down even more. So to stay away from that I would kindly ask them to speak with me when they could that day to go over some concerns I have. Next, I would Explain why there behavior is a problem. They need to understand that showing up late and frequent breaks are not good for the company. It may be what they like, but they are at work so when they are at work they need to think about what is best for the company and the look of the company. Most people want to improve and become a better employee. Scaring them into correct behavior will work only temporarily. Threats do not show that you value your team, and punishment is not instructive; it does not show the person how to improve. I would use a corrective step by step measure that the employee could follow, to provide them information on how it can help them. Next, I would walk them through the problem and the solution. Going over these steps will ensure that the employee is not lost or unsure of what is being said and they can work on it from there. In this case I would talk about how showing up late starts to look bad on yourself and the company when it happens regularly. I would ask then to please call in if there is a legitimate reason why they were late because those things do happen and that they cant keep coming in late whenever they want. I would also have to express how we are an athletic store and how he have to keep a face on for people and not go on our phones and have “tech breaks†because our store represents athletics and our employees represent our store. I would talk with them about possible breaks I could add or something that balances out their concerns as well. After this I would make sure there is no reasons that the employee is doing any of these things (if they have behavioural issues). Finally, I would conclude the meeting with positive discipline, by saying how they have been a hard worker when they show up on time. This will make sure the employee doesn't feel attacked the whole time and that they aren't messing up on everything. This will also give us a stronger bond and hopefully the employee takes that as I respect them so they will respect me by listening.
This would be my first step to discipline. It is a warning. The first warning. After this I would give them a second warning, and then a suspension (maybe make them do inventory and not workout in the store). If all of this fails and they do not change I would then have to speak with everyone and conduct the best action, which would probably be to let the employee go.
Question 6: Creative “Real Life†Question
If I was going on vacation, where would you recommend? (from PriceWaterHouseCoopers)
If I were to recommend a vacation spot that I thing you, as a PriceWaterHouseCoopers employer, I would recommend Grand Cayman Island because it is world renown for some of the best scuba diving in the world. Living up to its name in every sense, Grand Cayman fuses arts with culture, and nature with wonder, to produce the perfect atmosphere. On the west side of the island is award-winning Seven Mile Beach, a crescent-shaped stretch of sand with infinite possibilities. Off the beaches of Grand Cayman, you can lose yourself in the luxury of George Town, surrounded by traditional architecture and modern treats. Enjoy duty-free shopping for signature brands such as Versace, Tiffany, and Gucci. Or meet native vendors and craftsmen who are always happy to help you find that unique gift. Across the island, the eastern districts of Grand Cayman feature outdoor delights like the rare Blue Iguanas of Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park. You can also stop and taste the freshly caught fish at nearby restaurants. If you are a water lover there is beautiful beaches, water, diving, world class restaurants and on a business side note the Cayman islands are well known for their banking and tax shelters. This might be enjoyable to you because you are very active in the banking and tax world. This would give you some connection to the place that you are staying so that you can have an enjoyable time yet still feel comfortable with the way they run the vacation spot.