Manager is a management, isn’t it? Describe the similarities and unique differences between being a manager in general and being a retail manager. As a part of this, conduct a phone or video interview with a retail manger and find out some of the following:
- Who is responsible for employee scheduling?
- How far in advance is the schedule made?
- How are peak periods (hours, days, or seasons) planned for?
- What happens when an employee calls in sick at the last minute?
- How are associates trained? What are the criteria for evaluation?
- How often are they evaluated?
- If there is no commission system, are any incentive programs offered? Give an example of a specific program or project used by the store to boost employee morale and productivity.
- What are the procedures for approaching a suspected shoplifters?
- What roles do sales associates and executives play in the security programs?
- What is this retailer doing well in terms of security and loss prevention, and in which areas should it improve its policies?
Write at least a 1500 word document that presents your findings.
Your research must also include at least 3 additional academic (e.g., journal articles) resources in addition to your textbook to support your conclusions.
Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines:
Title Page
Introduction and Conclusion
Main Headings for each section of the Minor Project
APA Citations: (all direct quotes must include the page or paragraph numbers)
References
- Retailing Management, (Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Irwin, 9th edition, 2014), Michael Levy and Barton Weitz, ISBN: 9780077512378
- APA 6th Edition Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, (2009), American Psychological Association, ISBN 978-1-4338-0561-5. Available through http://www.apa.org/pubs/books/
4200066.aspx
Answer preview
According to the retail manager, sick calls from employees are a norm, as witnessed in his years working for Walmart. However, the company has developed policies to guide this process. As a retail manager, he has also developed an understanding with his staff on handling sick calls. Both the company and retail manager encourage employees to call in ill as soon as possible to allow for rescheduling. At Walmart, sick days are recorded by the HR department, and employees who exceed their annual sick off days get deductions from their salaries for every day they miss. When employees call in sick, it is the responsibility of the retail manager to reschedule the shifts. He said that his first response is to check on employees who often take extra shifts to know if they can fill in for their colleagues. If he is unable to get a substitute, he steps in to help out whenever necessary in the affected department.
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