Textbook Activity & Discussions 

1.   Prepare a discussion of the importance of people and diversity in delivering the retail brand promise. 

2.   Design an organisational chart for a Multi-Channel Global Mobile Phone retailer 

3.   How do organisational structures differ between a large, medium & small retailer? Draw one for each 

4.  Look up the retail wages and conditions (ie; Superannuation, Holidays, Sick leave etc) for – Casual 18 year old cashier, Part-time Visual Merchandiser, Full-time Store Manager. 

5. What operational and financial criteria would you use to evaluate the success of self-scanning at a discount department store? 

6.  What ideas do you have to motivate staff in a (a)quiet department store, (b)busy convenience store and (c) shoe store that doesn’t have enough experienced staff? 

7. How could a seasonal retailer (ie; ice cream store or swimwear store) even out the cash flow for the year? 

8. What are the staff and logistics issues for a bricks and mortar store servicing its web store also? 

medium retailers such as department stores tend to divide all retail categories into four categories: 1- store management, 2- communications, 3- merchandising, 4- fiinancial accounting. These areas are then organised into line and staff components.

Large retail chains tend to use a version of the equal store format, which has many functional divisions, centralised authority, standardised operations, elaborate control systems. Some degree of decentralisation occurs to allow adaptation for locales. 

The organisational structures differ in how their activities are divided and managed. Smaller retailers have direct access to the owner/manager, whereas larger firms need systems and must specify how tasks are to be completed and set common policies. Diversified retailers have the most complex organisational structure as they are multi-line firms operating under one central ownership.

Staffs having difficulties in engaging different customers at different touchpoints. 
Retailers need to hire new employees if the stores are expanding. Thus, labor cost is high and productivity is decreasing. 

(a) Quiet department store 

·      KPIs 

·      Provide incentives 

·      Positive reinforcement 

·      Manager should keep up morale 

(b) Busy convenience store 

·      Paid breaks 

·      Recognition of hard work 

·      Manager should empower staff 

(c) Shoe store that doesn’t have enough experienced staff? 

·      On-going training programs 

·      Reward program 

·      Supervising 

·      Strong and open communication 

·      Manager should act as a role model 

The people working for a company represent everything that particular brand stands for and believes in. The employees encompass the brand identity and brand promise through the way they present themselves, the skills they offer, the interactions with customers and their general attitudes towards working for that particular business. It’s important to have a diverse workforce of employees and allow a variety of demographics to represent your brands. Through this, a business can promote different ideas and opinions of how the business should be run or be improved, can add a variety of skills or simply provide those diverse employees with an opportunity to flourish within a comfortable working environment, allowing them to represent a brand to the best of their ability 

 

Financial:

- increases chances of theft
- expensive to implement
- reduces labour costs/wages (most expensive output)

 

 e.g. luxury brands

e.g. Dan Murphy's
 

e.g. Ikea
 

e.g. Big W, Kmart

 e.g. Fashion industry

e.g. gifts industry