Case Application : Training Better Managers…Now at Walmart

Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, is a mega-business with more than 11,700 retail units in 28 countries and approximately 2.3 million associates around the world. That’s a lot of employees to manage! Its most recent annual revenues were more than $485.3 billion with profits of more than $13.6 billion. Because of its position as the United States’s largest private employer, Walmart often finds itself at the center of controversy over employee-related issues, from sick day policies40 to wage concerns.41 However, in 2016, the company created its Walmart Academy training program, a program intended to help those employees in lower-level management positions be more successful in their careers. Currently, there are some 100 of these academies across the United States. Since its inception, more than 150,000 store supervisors and department managers have gone through the weeks-long training.42

What does the training include? Topics cover advanced retail skills, including merchandising, ordering, and inventory control, plus managerial skills, including better communication and motivating employees. All management training is designed with the goal of helping transform the in-store shopping experience into a consistently positive one. As the industry faces increasing competitive pressures from Amazon and other online sellers, brick-and-mortar retailers are being forced to provide customers with something that makes the customer want to come to their store again and again. For Walmart, this means that if the company wants to create a more pleasant in-store shopping experience, it needs a well-trained and engaged workforce. That starts with the managers who, in turn, take that focus back to training their employees to be attentive to customers. Walmart thinks this effort is so vital that it has spent $2.7 billion (yes, that’s billion!) on employee training and raising employee wages. That’s a significant investment. However, there are companies that evidently don’t focus on training managers as Walmart does. Here are some startling statistics43:

· 26 percent of new managers feel they’re unprepared to transition into management roles.

· 58 percent of new managers don’t receive any training to help them make the transition.

· 48 percent of first-time managers fail in that transition.

Considering the important role that managers play in employee motivation and engagement, investing in training like Walmart is doing, seems to be a good investment.

Discussion Questions

1. Why would a company want employees in lower-level management positions to be more successful in their careers? (Hint: Think efficiency/effectiveness and the four functions of management.)

2. What benefits and challenges do you see to a training program such as this?

3. Does an organization have an ethical responsibility to assist new managers’ transition into their positions? Why or why not?

Based on the following job description and list of competencies for a software sales position, please create a performance appraisal form that contains the basic components as well as the desirable features of a performance appraisal form.

Job description: Responsible for selling company software programs to schools in designated districts. Individuals are responsible for project managing the preparation of customized sales material for each school in their districts. Salespeople are also responsible for preparing and giving sales presentations to relevant district employees. Finally, the salesperson is responsible for identifying and cultivating key relationships in his/her districts.

Competencies:

• Project Management: organizes and plans projects, completes in timely fashion, and performs at a high quality level
• Sales Performance: total sales meet company standards, and demonstrates aggressive but ethical sales practice
• New Clients: makes in-roads into school districts, schedules presentations to prospective clients, and closes contracts
• Client Relationships: maintains effective client relationships, able to upgrade and deliver new services to clients, and receives praise from clients
• Technical Expertise: understands software packages, able to teach clients how to best use software, and can troubleshoot with clients

Discuss at least two business risks that your organization face as COVID-19 crisis continues. What measures your organization adopt or what mitigating activities you can recommend to lessen its impact?

Using any popular job search website (Indeed, Linked In, etc.) find a job or internship listing for management or supply chain that you would like to apply for (if it says you need a college degree that’s okay). Look over the job description and visit the website of the company for some background. Once you familiarize yourself with the company and the job, answer the following questions:

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. Why do you feel you would be a good fit for this job?
3. Why did you choose to apply to this job?
4. What is one accomplishment in your life that you are proud of?
5. What is your biggest strength and greatest weakness?
6. Describe your dream job.
7. What is the toughest decision you had to make over the last 6 months? How did you go about making the decision?
8. Why should I choose you over all of the other candidates for this job?

QUESTION 5

1. Phoebe has gone to the local mobile phone store to purchase a new phone plan. She has no real intention of getting a new phone – the recent COVID-19 events have left her with no spare cash. She can afford a $40 a month plan at the moment on her budget.

QUESTION 6

1. Natalie has decided that she wants to build her own bicycle as a project to help her cope with the social isolation measures in place. She looks around on-line and decides to source her bicycle components from the famous bicycle parts store “Wally’s Private Parts”.

   Natalie makes a special trip out to Wally’s (as it is colloquially known) to pick up the bike frame, wheels and handle bars. As she enters the store, she sees a helmet on display for $10. Because she has been searching on-line, she knows that this model helmet is worth at least $90.

   She goes up to the counter and speaks with Kristin, the bike maintenance technician about the parts she is here to pick up. “Are you sure these handlebars are OK for the mountain biking I am looking to do?”

   “I’m pretty sure,” says Kristin. “In fact, I’ll stress test them myself out the back before you go so that you can be sure.”

   Just as she is about to go up to the counter a new customer, Ryan, enters the store. He grabs the last helmet on display and brusquely pushes in front of Natalie. “I’ll take the helmet – here’s my $10” he states.

   Kristin, obviously annoyed at his behaviour, says “Oh, that’s a mistake. I’ve been meaning to change that sign for some time. Wally made a mistake when he made that sign - it’s meant to be $100 – I can’t sell it to you at that price.”

   Ryan starts arguing for the next five minutes before leaving – without the helmet and very annoyed.

   Kristin apologises to Natalie and goes out the back to get her parts. Unfortunately the argument with Ryan distracted her and she forgets to stress test the handle bars.

   “Here you go,” she says. “Hope you enjoy the project and riding the finished product!”

   Natalie goes home and carefully completes the project. On the first ride on a trail, the handlebars start coming loose and bending – they were not designed for such rough terrain. It causes Natalie to come off the bike, badly breaking her arm and she is off work for 4 weeks.

   Write a memo to Wally the owner ofWally’s Private Parts outlining if the store is vicariously liable for negligence. To do this, your memo should apply the ILAC method, where possible, and it should cover:

   • all the steps required to show if Kristin is negligent ; and
   • why or why not Wally would liable for her acts or omissions .

   You do NOT need to cover defences.

Why does an ETO operation consider product and process design as a production activity? How does it complicate the production planning and control process?

A duty of Directors

1) Tasty Treats Ltd (a Restaurant) is negotiating with Renovations center Ltd. (a construction company) for the renovation of Tasty Treats Ltd's Premises. Sash the owner of Renovations Center Ltd is also one of the five members of the board of directors of Tasty treats Ltd. The contract terms for the Construction are Standard, and the Price set for the renovations contract is fair. Sash has previously informed two of the price set for the other directors of Tasty Treats Ltd. of her ownership in Renovations contract on a three-to-two vote, with Sash voting with the majority.

Discuss the following

a) explain fully the law governing this matter (choose the appropriate duty)

b) explain whether correct procedure was followed

c) explain whether this contract is binding on the two companies

D) give a full conclusion and analysis of the matter

1. According to AIDA Model, an advertisement should be all of these things EXCEPT which?

   1. Responsive

   2. Interesting

   3. Eye-catching

   4. Desirable

2. AIDA is a sequential model showing the states of mind that a person may go through while deciding what to buy. What does AIDA stand for?

   1. awareness, interest, design, action

   2. attention, information, desire, achievement

   3. awareness, interest, desire, attention

   4. attention, interest, desire, action

   5. awareness, information, desire, achievement

3. Conviction stage in the hierarchy of effects model by Philip Kotler refers to the stage where

   1. Consumers may be converted to try out the product, but may like other brands too

   2. The doubt in consumers' minds about buying the product needs to be changed into action

   3. The purchase experience has to be made easy and enjoyable

   4. Your product is evaluated and compared against other brands

4. The innovation adoption model implies that

   1. The challenge facing companies introducing new products or targeting new markets is to create awareness and interest among consumers

   2. The best way to evaluate a new product is through actual use so that performance can be judged

   3. Marketers could encourage trial by using demonstration or sampling programs or allowing consumers to use a product with a money-back commitment

   4. All of the other options

5. Information processing model adds a stage that is not mentioned in all the other three models. This stage is

   1. Exposure

   2. Retention

   3. Attention

In your opinion what are some strategies and approaches management can take when there is poor performance from the team due to management not knowing how to handle difficult situations?

Elaborate on the benefits of internet marketplace based on the four aspects below.

Ibm-130 - feasibility of international trade
1 – Explain which is the Risk Management Process. In your perspective which is the worst risk for a firm that is performing

425-450 word answer

One of your staff, Brown criticized his teammate, Black about his slow work performance because he is illiterate. Black got angry and rebutted with some sarcastic remarks. Black then dashed towards Brown and started screaming at the top of his voice.

You are their Supervisor and witnessed the whole incident. How can apply the Conflict Management Strategies to resolve this issue?

You have a daily demand for business cards of 5 units, and you are ordering your business cards from Business Card Kings, who charges $2 per card and $55 per order. For the calculation of your holding cost you think that an annual interest rate of 30% is reasonable. Suppose that you will use EOQ model. Note: Throughout this problem, you are required to round all solutions (intermediary results and the final answers) to integers.

1. Calculate the economic order quantity (i.e., EOQ) per order.

Now suppose that Business Card Kings provides a quantity discount: if you order less than 400 (including 400), it is $2 per card; but if you order more than 400, it is $1.25 per card.

2. Given this quantity discount scheme, calculate the optimal order quantity and the minimal cost (including holding, setup, and purchase costs).

Now suppose that the order delivery lead-time from Business Card Kings is two weeks.

3. Determine the re-order point based on the on-hand level of inventory of your business cards.