Future of the grocery store :: essays research papers

Where will the grocery industry be in the near future? Chester Sideman and his wife Carmen married 25 years ago. After they married they decided that they did not want to be typical working Americans who worked from 9-5 and retired at age 55. They had always envisioned running their own company and running it in the form that they saw fit. After thinking long and hard they decided to build a company from the era that they were from. Being that they were from the â€Å"hippie† era, they fell in love with the idea of running a grocery store that provided a healthy alternative to the grocery shopping experience. A few years after opening, Chester and Carmen began to notice a trend. They were seeing that their health food store was beginning to gain popularity with the locals here in San Francisco, since so many were from the same era. Seeing this, the couple decided that they needed to expand and take full advantage of their popularity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First they decided to expand into a neighboring store that had gone out of business. With this added space, they were able to triple their size and bring in an enormous variety of products that tied into the theme of the store. With this added size, they also found that they needed help in the day-to-day operations of running the store. Due to this fact they hired Craig Premer. Craig was a grocery industry professional that had worked for years in the business. He was also able to see the great potential that this store had.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After five years of Craig taking control of running the store, he had implemented all the ideas that he had to help build the grocery store. At this point, the store was doing great. Profit was double what it had been before Craig got there, but beginning to level off. Craig noticed this and had a talk with Chester and Carmen. Craig: Chester, we need to reevaluate what it is that you want out of this store at this point. I understand that this store has been doing very well the past few years, but with the increase in competition from stores like Whole Foods and Rainbow Grocery, I feel that changes need to be made. Chester: I know that our profits have been doing well and have started to level off, but do you think big changes need to be made?

Pacs Essay

Groups and Teams at Kluster 1. What are the challenges of working together as a team? How have members of the Illuminator project overcome these challenges? What are the benefits of a team-based approach? Teamwork is a huge factor of the success for many companies around the world. The performance of teamwork in the workplace will bring the sense of trust, loyalty and security among every worker. The morale and productivity will be higher as a result of that. However, working on a team has its own challenges. Working with people that have different personalities, ideas, cultures, backgrounds, ages, needs and values is one of the most challenges that teamwork faces during its performance. Conflict, mistrust, poor performance can be created as result of these differences. Finding a way to overcome these obstacles is the foundation of a strong and successful teamwork. Illuminator project has overcome these challenges by respecting and using every skill and idea that each team member delivers. That makes every team member feel important and productive. Also communication among each member is very critical for the success of the Illuminator project. Today, teamwork has been found to be as a better way on using every employee’s talent and skill toward a more effective and efficient organization. † Management has found that teams are more flexible and responsive to changing events than are traditional departments. Teams have the capability to quickly assemble, deploy, refocus, and disband. † Robbins and Judge, pg 323. 2. What type of individual would fit in well on the Illuminator team? What characteristics are important? According to the engineer of the Illuminator project, each team member should have self-disciplined and self-leadership. Individuals that are careful, reliable, organized, hardworking, persistent, and honest are those that are more likely to give a higher performance than those that lack any of these characteristics. Conscientious personality which describes someone that is responsible, persistent and organized would fit in well on the Illuminator team. Also, someone who is emotionally stable meaning a confidence, calmness and secure personality would fit in well on this team. . How has technology changed the way we do business? Identify how Kluster has embraced technology in its operations. Advanced technology such as computers and computer networks have changed and helped businesses on being more efficient and effective. Downsizing, outsourcing and empowerment are some of the substantial gains of the organizations due to the technology. New ways of communicating among members, stor ing information and researching for ideas and ways to achieve and succeed are result of the advanced technology. Kluster has taken advantage of the technology by using the telecommuting as a way of communication among team members. Since members of Kluster project live in different areas and some of them travel to different cities, it’s very important to communicate with each other at all the time. Therefore telecommuting through Web based program has made it possible. â€Å"Telecommuting refers to employees who do their work at home on a computer that is linked to their office. † Robbins and Judge, pg 223. 4. Describe the different parts of the Illuminator team. Why is it necessary to have each of these parts represented? The illuminator team is created by combining different ideas and skills of different individuals. Each team member has to be self- disciplined and committed to their job. As every organization, Illuminator team has the founder, the project designer, the engineer of the team and the project manager. The importance of this system is to keep the work in place and run effectively and naturally. Each member has different responsibilities that need to be established and require different skills. Illuminator project runs under job enlargement design which increases the degree of each member to control, plan and evaluate the work done. â€Å" An enriched job organizes tasks so as to allow the worker to do a complete activity, increases the employee’s freedom and independence, increases responsibility, and provides feedback so individuals will be assess and correct their own performance†. Robbins and Judge, pg 220. 5. Ben Kaufman, founder of Illuminator, says it is important to recognize that sometimes people need a break from the team. Explain what he means by this. Sometimes, personal life issues can cause stress, pressure, disorientation and weak performance. Therefore, it’s very important that every team member to have the right and be able to work sometimes on their own away from the team as long as they work on their job responsibilities. Depending on the personality, some individuals can perform better while under stress when they work alone. Being able to accept that break from the rest of the team, the organization is helping their member to establish his/her responsibilities required for the organization’s success. . What two or three suggestions would you provide to address ways that virtual teams could celebrate successes? How would you implement them? I would give two suggestions that could help virtual team succeed. The first one is to set a time of the day every week for all the team members to participate in a meeting via internet. In this way, everyone will be able to get the same feedbacks, ask questions and receiv e answers at the same time and share their ideas with the rest of the team. So every week the meeting will provide each member with the result of their work, how much has been achieved and where they need improvement. The second suggestion would be for the virtual team to have a leader where the team members can address all their questions and concern. The team leader should be reached at anytime of the day and be able to address these concerns in the best way possible. 7. As a manager, what two or three suggestions would you implement to ensure that individual members were recognized for their contribution? Obviously, financial incentives will help motivate every employee to perform better. A pay raise would be one of the suggestions that would ensure that the good work of a member has been recognized. Also, bonuses such as a paid day off or a gift card would be another suggestion. Employee of the month nomination can be a third suggestion. This way the competition to get any of these recognitions among employees will provide a better performance and more productive workers. Therefore, I as a manager will be able to lead a successful organization.

Essay about Hawthorne Studies - 1529 Words

This essay will review the writings of â€Å"Hawthorne, the myth of the docile worker, and class bias in psychology† an article by D. Bramel and R. Friend. It will then go on to further critique academic articles that both support and disagree with the primary source and demonstrate how the Hawthorne studies have influenced contemporary organizations. The Hawthorne experimental studies conducted at the Western Electric Company Works has attracted considerable amounts of sharp critical scrutiny; it has practically â€Å"become an intellectual battle† (Miner, J. 2006. p.68) as it has been interpreted in various ways. The studies basically concluded that social and psychological factors are responsible for workers productivity and job satisfaction.†¦show more content†¦2006. p.68.) A. Brannigan and W. Zwerman’s (2001) article â€Å"the Real Hawthorne Effect† completely disagrees with the arguments that were presented by Bramel and Friend. Their article in contrast strongly supports the Hawthorne studies and emphasizes just how valuable they. Brannigan and Zwerman actually view the studies as being â€Å"the single most important investigation of the human dimensions of industrial relations in the early 20th century† (Brannigan, A. Zwerman, W. 2001.p.55). They recognize the fact that the Hawthorne studies have received harsh critical disapproval over the decades due to potential flaws in the research and experiments conducted. However Brannigan and Zwerman are able to look past that and purely see the innovative ideas that grew around these studies. They express that â€Å"the main idea should not be undermined by these shortcomings† and that sometimes the actual idea itself is more meaningful then the evidence on which it is based. ( p. 59). B. Reiger’s article â€Å"Lessons in Productivity and People† also disagrees with the negative statements that are directed towards the Hawthorne studies. Reiger’s article aims to show how the studies executed had an enormous influence in the way managers and supervisors now interact with their employees. Which in result has positively affected worker productivity, Due to implementing a less mechanical view and paying more attention to the human influences within the workplace. Not onlyShow MoreRelatedHawthorne Studies1495 Words   |  6 Pages1924, Hawthorne Studies was first initiated by the Western Electrical Company and National Academy of Science to study on the relation of quality and quantity of illumination to efficiency in industry which is known as Illumination studies.(Roethlisberger amp; Dickson, 2003, pg 14). From 1927-1933, a series of experiments were conducted once again at Western Electric Work and analyzed by Professor George Elton Mayo who is famous for Hawthorne Effects after the failure for the first studies. TheseRead MoreThe Hawthorne Studies1976 Words   |  8 PagesIntroduction Hawthorne Studies began in 1924 until 1932 at the Western Electric, Hawthorne plant in Cicero, Illinois, by Professor Elton Mayo. Initially, this study was originated to identify the conditions of which would improve the working conditions for higher productivity. However, as time progressed, it evolved and was used by managements across as a guide to restructuring their respective companies. With Professor Elton Mayo from the Harvard Business School began a study of how the workersRead MoreThe Hawthorne Studies On The Development Of Management1397 Words   |  6 PagesThe Hawthorne Studies were conducted by Elton Mayo with help from his research assistant Fritz Roethlisberger in the mid-1920s along with the works at the Hawthorne plant of the Western Electric Company in Chicago, Illinois. These studies were influenced by the principles of scientific management which were introduced by Frederick Taylor in 1911. The studies were to research weather people worked more efficiently when they were working as a group, being treated as special (such as working in a separateRead MoreEvaluate the Contribution of the Hawthorne Studies to the Development of Management Theory and Practice2439 Words   |  10 PagesThis paper is an overview of four important areas of management theory: Frederick Taylor s Scientific Management, Elton Mayo s Hawthorne Works experiments and the human r elations movement, Max Weber s idealized bureaucracy, and Henri Fayol s views on administration. It will provide a general description of each of these management theories together with observations on the environment in which these theories were applied and the successes that they achieved. Frederick Taylor - Scientific Management Read MoreHawthorne Studies804 Words   |  4 PagesPrentice Hall Carey A. (1967) The Hawthorne Studies: A Radical Criticism, American Sociological Review, Vol.32, No.3, Jun. 1967, p.403-416. Clark D (1999) â€Å"Hawthorne Effect† Retrieved November 20, 2007, Retrieved from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/history/hawthorne.html Coutts B, (2003) â€Å"The Hawthorne Experiments† Retrived November 25, 2007, Retrived from http://www.hawthorne-academy.org/publication6.html Draper S.W (2006) â€Å"The Hawthorne, Pygmalion, Placebo and other effects ofRead MoreA Study of a Character: Hester Prynne in The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne909 Words   |  4 Pagesbelieves in when she was in the worst emotional state is truly inspiring. Although she could feel the shame of those around her in town because of the scarlet A on her breast, she refused to let herself be brought down by them, and at one point Hawthorne describes her as not letting her hand cover the symbol. She grew to understand her fate and continues to make the best of it, doing all that she could to be normal in a society where she is seen as an outcast. The way I feel about Hester is quiteRead MoreThe Hawthorne Studies2022 Words   |  9 PagesThe Hawthorne studies 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Mayoists brought a fundamental new paradigm. The scientific management movement led the industrial revolution to change our way of life, our perception of work and our understanding for what an organization is. This paradigm shifted to the Human relations movement (led by the so called Mayoists) as a result of the Hawthorne studies, which took into consideration the physical, social and psychological needs of employees unlike the previous paradigm.Read MoreThe Implication of Hawthorne Study in 21st Century4408 Words   |  18 PagesAssignment The Implication of Hawthorne Study in 21st Century Ashab Anis Joy ID: 2012-1-10-255 Class: MGT Course Code: 101 Sec: 7 Semester: Fall East West University Bachelor of Business Administration East West University 20th November 2012 Introduction The Hawthorne Experiments were conducted between 1927 and 1932 at the works of the Western Electric Company in Chicago. Basically the aim of these experiments was to † attempt to reduce worker dissatisfaction and resist trade unionRead MoreEvaluate the Contribution of the Hawthorne Studies to the Development of Management Theory and Practice.1720 Words   |  7 PagesHawthorne Studies have been subjected to many criticisms. Yet, the evolvement of many of the management theories today would not have come about without the experiments done by Elton Mayo. This essay will cover the various aspects of management that has been refined through the findings of the tests conducted and how improvements were made to aid in the development of organisational behaviour. It will also discuss the various studies and will show how these theories implement Hawthorne studies asRead MoreAnalysis Of The Experiment Management And The Worker 1485 Words   |  6 Pagesexperiment report â€Å"manag ement and the worker† in 1939(Gillespie, 1991) the Hawthorne studies have been playing an important role in management, psychology and sociology. Hawthorne studies were the foundation for the modern day management thinking. Hawthorne studies have been subject to many criticisms but it produced the fundamental changes in the development of management thoughts. The great contribution Hawthorne studies made to the development of modern management these experiments are identified