Radioshacks Woes free essay sample

This paper explores the recent difficulties RadioShack Corp. (RadioShack) has experienced pertaining to organizational culture, job design, job satisfaction, and employee policies. RadioShack’s difficulties were gathered from current and former company employees that were questioned about their experiences. In addition to discussing the trials that RadioShack has experienced, the paper will suggest a solution to get the company’s culture back in line with their mission statement as well as the corporate vision. Topics including employee motivation, supervisory leadership training, and workplace enhancement will be examined. The conclusion will analyze the steps that RadioShack needs to make improvements and ultimately how successful they could be. The analysis will be based on financial reports and independent employee interviews performed by the author on location at several local RadioShack locations. The opinions of the employees varied on many of the different topics but the overall opinion of the company’s culture and practices was very poor. We will write a custom essay sample on Radioshacks Woes or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page RadioShack’s Woes RadioShack is a familiar name in the American electronics retailing industry. They operate nearly 5000 stores across the country and deal in the highly competitive consumer electronics segment. The brick and mortar based retailer has experienced limited success in battling their â€Å"big box† competitors like Best Buy, H. H. Gregg, Target, and Wal-Mart to name a few. The emerging online battlefield has left them reasonably behind as well. Their well documented financial distress is tearing at the foundation that holds this company together and is threatening to destroy it from the inside out. The problem is escalating quickly and changing the behaviors of the people within the organization. Problems within the Organization RadioShack’s admits that the staying power of the company which has been in business for over ninety years is their customer oriented approach (RadioShack Corp. , 2012). The company website harps on the company’s diversity and commitment to sound corporate governance. These are very important factors in any business to say the least, but the biggest problem in the RadioShack equation is their lack of interest in their own employees. The employees are the ones that are task with engaging, educating, and serving the customers that are the key to the staying power motto. Yet these same employees face many challenges that limit their ability to perform this invaluable task. The employees complain about long hours, unfair commission structures, and unattainable rewards standards issued by the company. Organizational Culture The cognitive framework consisting of assumptions and values shared by organization members is the scientific definition of organizational culture (Greenburg, 2010). Having a healthy organizational culture is something that is the mark of a strong company. Companies where the employees do not feel valued are said to have toxic organizational cultures and that is where RadioShack will find themselves if they do not take steps to improve the culture from its current state. Organizational culture shapes, influences, and redefines training programs which in turn shape, influence, and redefine the organizational culture (Kissack, 2010). The function of organizational culture. There are three vital functions that organizational culture serves within an organization. The first is to provide a sense of identity for the members, give them something to relate to as well as a sense of purpose. Secondly, generating commitment to the organization’s mission will make employees rally around the ideals of the company. Lastly, clarifying and reinforcing the standards of behavior or stabilizing the behaviors or the organization’s members. Competing values framework. This tool utilizes two sets of opposite values to analyze the driving forces in an organizations culture. These two sets are flexibility and discretion versus stability and control; then, internal focus versus external focus. Using this framework in tabular form allows for the definition of four different types of cultures. Hierarchy implies companies that have an internal focus and emphasize stability and control. Market cultures are concerned with stability and control but they have an external focus. Clan culture is described by companies that have a strong internal focus while being flexible and discreet. Finally, adhocracy cultures are externally focused while being extremely flexible. RadioShack’s current culture is an attempt at market style; unfortunately it is not being properly maintained, ruining its effectiveness. The method has been unsustainable for the current management and is showing no immediate signs improving. To transmit a fresh an appealing organizational culture RadioShack needs to utilize tools such as symbols, stories, jargon, ceremonies, and principal statements. Utilization of these tools is not currently being pushed to the organization’s members. Job Design For more than two decades, research and practice in the field of  job design  has been dominated by two theoretical frameworks, exhibiting strong convergence in terms of the characteristics of individual  jobs  likely to impact on employee  job  performance and  job  satisfaction and the underlying mechanisms that lead to these relationships (Rehman, 2011). In RadioShack’s case, the job design is mandated by the size of the stores, products available for sale, and hours of operation. These are the boundaries that are set for retailers of all sorts. The main problem is the immense level of responsibility bestowed upon the store associates with the limited compensation that they receive. It is the equivalent of having the responsibilities of a sole proprietor with the compensation of an hourly worker. This job design instills a level of resentment in the employees from the start. This resentment caused job performance to suffer which yields lower productivity and sales for the organization as a whole. This poor job design also significantly inflates the turnover of the store level positions. Job Satisfaction Job satisfaction cannot be directly linked to the quality of service an employee provides (Makiko, 2008). However, the correlation is something that yields interesting results in practical applications. A hard day’s work, for fair day’s pay in the principal that goes hand and hand with job satisfaction. Even before getting into the issue of employee growth and retention, RadioShack has a problem with the compensation structure for the employees and it has made it very difficult for them to secure and retain key personnel in many levels of the organization. Without prematurely going into the detail of the policies and procedures that are in place for the employees the overall sentiment of current employees from a brief interview conducted at a few of my local RadioShack retail locations revealed three significant findings. First, 4 out of 5 of the group would take a new position at another retailer if it were available. Second, 5 out of 5 felt that they were under compensated for their current position. Third, 1 out of 5 felt that the organization truly cares about the store level associates. This study though limited in scope allowed me to get an idea of what the basic RadioShack employee thinks about their company and their job. Employee Policies The policies and procedures that govern a workforce are the most important tools when looking at the reason for particular employee behaviors. This is the biggest problem facing RadioShack currently. The policies regarding scheduling, compensation, training, and engagement are far below levels sufficient to build and maintain a dependable, reliable, and efficient workforce. Scheduling. A major concern for many employees is the long and unusual shifts that are scheduled weekly. The lack of consistency is frowned upon and leads to many conflicts with personal scheduling for the store employees. Compensation. A very low base pay is offered with a commission bases supplement. However, a large number of employees are not able to reach the sales goals required to benefit from the commission structure. The fact that the rates for the commission recently was downgraded also is problematic for employees since future achievements are not harder to obtain and worth less at the same time. Training. As in many retail based jobs the average employee requires training prior to being able to perform on the sales floor. At RadioShack, associates are trained superficially and then told what products to push to the customers. This lack of product knowledge limits the amount of value that the associates can impart to the customers. Engagement. Organizations with a health culture have many different ways to communicate, inform, and engage with their employees. In the case of RadioShack, employee feel that the only communication that comes from superiors is sell more cellular telephones. This unidirectional communication path does not allow the free flow of ideas that is so important in many of the world’s most successful operations. RadioShack has to fix the segmentation that exists in their organization that prevents the company from making a unified effort to achieve corporate goals. Solving the Dilemma In order to fix RadioShack’s organizational culture, an understanding of its effects and capacity to change is needed. The importance cannot be understated; however the strength of corporate culture shapes the organizations performance. That organization performance in turn aids the financial performance of the firm. Finance is something that each and every company is concerned about. RadioShack needs to change perceptions across the board. They need to make sure the mission and philosophy is clear. Spend more time communicating values and beliefs and be sure to hire people based on those beliefs. Start celebrating company traditions and milestone accomplishments. Form a standard set of values and tendencies that are shared by all members of the organization. Once the company has fixed the foundation, they can look to change the culture for the better. The tools of change for an organization of this size are few, but in this case the limited number of tools only makes the solution easier for RadioShack to select. To change the culture they need to make a significant change to the composition of the workforce. Changing the people that make up the working environment is a surefire way to enhance the culture of the overall organization. Bringing the skill level and education of the employees to a higher level will infuse new confidence into the culture. Becoming a leader in the marketplace and not just another face in the crowd will build loyalty and commitment in the organization and the mission of the company. This method can be supported by planned organizational change. My recommendation would be to implement both of the methods simultaneously. This would require bringing in a new CEO and working from the top down as well as the bottom up the completely overhaul the organizational culture using and interior focus to further elevate member loyalty and commitment. Employee Motivation To motivate the employees, the management will first need to revise the policies and procedures that govern them. It is imperative to address the negative feedback on the compensation structure, the high turnover rate, the unconventional hours, and the lack of training and education available. Compensation. The low base and unrealistic bonus schedule is hindering the efforts currently at the store level. Switching to a plan where the base is elevated and the bonus is based on the overall store performance would be more of an incentive for better teamwork, more concerned management, and enhanced training and communication between associates. This would allow stores, and not individuals to win or lose as a team instead of creating an environment for commission theft and pushy tactics. Employee turnover. This problem needs to be quickly and abruptly halted. Investing more in your employees means that you want them to be with the company longer to reap the benefits of their growing skillsets. Offering benefits that suit the composition of the workforce will make the job more than just a paycheck. Scholarships, internships, and advanced training will make the workplace somewhere that employees treasure and long to be a part of. Recognition of associates that have gone above and beyond with their service will also encourage higher retention rates. Scheduling. Creating a format for scheduling that better suits the store hours an allocated payroll budgets will create a better work-life balance (Colley, 2010). Stringing together a series of shifts that no one wants to work is not a good way to maintain a workforce. This is the current practice exercise my RadioShack management. Proper scheduling with adequate coverage for seasonal and temporary requirements will cover the complaint very easily. Education and training. In the retail setting, knowledge is king to the customer. An associate that can explain the use, benefits, construction, and features of products is good; but one that is intelligent, knowledgeable, and confident is far better. When the customer can be educated about a product by the employee this builds loyalty and commitment with the customer. That will make that person frequent RadioShack instead of the other retailers due to the product knowledge and security available. Not only will this differentiate RadioShack from other retailers in the marketplace, it will take advantage of the investment in the human resources of the company. Supervisory Leadership Training I would also recommend special training for the store level leaders. This advanced training would prepare the supervisors to instill the mission and objectives into each and every new hire. Training would include how to hire people that fit the organizational culture, how to lead by example, how to train others to deal with customers and ultimately schedule and manage their associates. Workplace Enhancement This suggestion would require significant capital expenditure but I feel that it is needed to complete the over organization culture change. The layout and finishes of the stores need to be reworked. The ambiance and engagement within a RadioShack location is not well suited to today’s hands on consumer. With so many display cases and products that are inaccessible to customers hinders the sell through rates at the company which in turn hurts the associates and management. Creating an environment where the associates and customers can get acquainted with the products via display models and working units will make the job more enjoyable and the shopping experience better at the same time. RadioShack Today In conclusion, RadioShack has tried to create a spark with new marketing and more targeting product offerings. This approach cannot fully work until the core of the organization is changed. The recommendations within this paper are internally focus on making the foundation of the company more stable and transparent. To turn their focus from external perception and reflect on the element of their business that has the biggest impact on their bottom line. Taking my advice and ushering in a more employee bases operation will return RadioShack back to its place and one of the premiere consumer electronics retailers in the country. Motivating not only the hourly associates but the managers all the way up he line will build new loyalty and make organizational member want to be with the company for extended periods of time (Meyer, 2004). The recommendations will completely change the job design and transform the positions into more than just a paycheck. This will make working with RadioShack a journey into the world of consumer electronic retailing; a gateway where associates can ascend to well-payi ng salaried positions that demand more education and more training. This means that the overall job satisfaction will be significantly higher. Promoting a more comfortable and efficient work environment will simply become part of the strategic plan. In closing, RadioShack is at a crossroads where they can continue their current path which leads to an imminent merger or bankruptcy; or they can invest in building a better organization starting with the core corporate culture. This will be a sustainable, well planned change that will increase the intrinsic value of the firm and provide the organization with a responsive market for years to come.

How to Get an ISBN in 10 Minutes (or Less!) the Master Guide for 2019

How to Get an ISBN in 10 Minutes (or Less!) the Master Guide for 2019 ISBN for Self-Publishers: The Complete Guide When it comes to discussions around books and publishing, we all know the most exciting topic at the table: how to get an ISBN.We know not everyone is thrilled by the idea of obtaining a serial number but, just like editing and design, they're a  pretty critical part of self-publishing. Luckily, we’re here to answer all of your questions on the subject. How to get an ISBN: the complete guide for self-publishers #pubtips What is an ISBN number?An International Standard Book Number, or ISBN, is a 13-digit code used as a unique identifier for books. An ISBN is assigned to each edition of a publication, enabling publishers, bookstores, libraries, and readers to quickly find titles.An ISBN number never expires. Even very old numbers with only 10 digits can be converted into a 13-digit code with this conversion tool from Bowker.How to read an ISBNAll standard ISBNs comprise of five parts that tell us the following:The number 978 or 979 indicates that the digits are a book codeThe country or language group of the publicationThe publisherThe title of the publicationThe check digit - which, in a non-technical nutshell, indicates that the number has been verifiedAs they are used by retailers for inventory reasons, only authors who are planning to print and distribute hard copies of their titles need to obtain a barcode.Is it the same as an ASIN number?It's similar, but not the exact same. ASIN number are 10- digit codes generated by Amazon to identify the products on their page - so it's similar to an ISBN in that respect. However, while ISBNs can be used across various bookstores, ASINs on apply on the Amazon store.Additional ISBN resourcesFor more information regarding the topics covered, here are some links to check out:International ISBN AgencyFrequently Asked Questions (answered by Bowker)Bowker’s Set-Up GuideNielsen InformationThere’s no wrong or right answer provided that you think ahead. If you have a lightbulb moment one day and decide to write and publish a book as a passion project, you can probably eschew this whole process and rest easy. If you’re looking to start your own publishing business, then carefully weigh your options. Investing in an ISBN might be the smart bet or an unnecessary one, depending on your goals.

EFL Learners

Fun Survey for ESL/EFL Learners A common comment made by new English students is that they want to improve their conversational skills. In fact, many students complain that their grammar is OK, but, when it comes to conversing, they feel they are still beginners. This makes sense - especially in academic settings where the emphasis often tends towards structural knowledge. As a first year, enthusiastic ESL/EFL teacher, I can remember striding into class ready to help students converse - only to find out that what I had chosen was of little or no interest to my students. I stammered through the lesson, trying to cajole my students into talking - and, in the end, doing most of the talking myself. Does this scenario sound slightly familiar? Even the most experienced teacher runs into this problem: A student wants to improve his/her speaking ability, but getting them to state an opinion is like pulling teeth. There are many reasons for this common problem: pronunciation problems, cultural tabus, lack of vocabulary for a given topic, etc. In order to combat this tendency, its good to gather a little background information on your students before you begin your conversation lessons. Finding out about your students well ahead of time can also assist in: planning out longer arcs of learning topicsunderstanding the personality of your classgrouping students for activitiesfinding the right authentic materials that will hold your classs attention through the tough bitssuggesting individual research topics for class presentations Its best to distribute this type of fun survey during the first week of class. Feel free to distribute the activity as homework. Once you understand the reading and study habits, as well as the general interests of your class, you will be well on your way to providing engaging materials that will actually encourage your students to say more than yes or no the next time you ask them to make a comment. Fun Survey for Adult ESL/EFL Learners Imagine you are having dinner with your best friend. What topics do you discuss?Imagine you are having a work lunch with colleagues. What topics do you discuss that are non-work related?What do you like best about your profession?What do you like least about your profession?What do you like to read? (circle items)FictionAdventure storiesHistorical fictionScience fictionComic booksThrillersShort StoriesRomance novelsOther (please list)NonfictionBiographyScienceHistoryCookbooksSociologyComputer manualsOther (please list)Do you read any magazines or newspapers? (please list titles)What are your hobbies?What places have you visited?What type of things do you like: (circle items)GardeningGoing to museumsListening to music (please list type of music)MoviesWorking with Computers / Surfing the InternetVideo gamesWatching TV (please list programs)Playing sports (please list sports)Playing an instrument (please list instrument)Other (please list)Think about your best friend, husband or wife fo r a minute. What do you have in common with him/her? Fun Survey for Student ESL/EFL Learners Imagine you are having dinner with your best friend. What topics do you discuss?Imagine you are having lunch with classmates. What topics do you discuss that are school related?Which courses do you most enjoy?Which courses do you least enjoy?What do you like to read?  (circle items)FictionAdventure storiesHistorical fictionScience fictionComic booksThrillersShort StoriesRomance novelsOther  (please list)NonfictionBiographyScienceHistoryCookbooksSociologyComputer manualsOther  (please list)Do you read any magazines or newspapers?  (please list titles)What are your hobbies?What places have you visited?What type of things do you like:  (circle items)GardeningGoing to museumsListening to music  (please list type of music)MoviesWorking with Computers / Surfing the InternetVideo gamesWatching TV  (please list programs)Playing sports  (please list sports)Playing an instrument  (please list instrument)Other  (please list)Think about your best friend for a minute. What do you have in common with him/her

CSR initiative and its correct perspective Essay

CSR initiative and its correct perspective - Essay Example He has the reputation of being a tough official to deal with and the one who gives quick decisions, if convinced about the merit of the proposal. My project related to the grant of $100000 to a NGO that managed a half-way-home for women inmates released from prisons. The NGO supported them for one year from the date of release or till such time they were assimilated in the society, by assisting them to get proper employment, whichever was earlier. â€Å"I have just one question,† the HRD Manager asked in a firm tone, â€Å"Why should we help the criminals? They were put behind the bars after the due process of law, for having committed crimes. They do not deserve sympathy.† I had anticipated the question. I said, â€Å"Sir, no one is a born criminal. By helping a woman to lead a normal life, we not only help one individual, but save a generation. Dire circumstances make one a criminal and many crimes are committed on the spur of the moment. Crime-free world is in the i nterest of the business establishments.† My project caught his imagination and he sanctioned the grant saying, â€Å"Alright boy, you’re up.† 2. What you do is important in business, but how you do what you do is more important: The showroom of this distributor and the premises where he kept stocks stood devastated.

COMMERCIAL AWARENESS AND PROFESSIONAL ETHICS Essay

COMMERCIAL AWARENESS AND PROFESSIONAL ETHICS - Essay Example that professional ethics is a constant feature in the legal profession, modern legal practice has attracted renewed attention to how professional ethics applies to the profession. For example, while discourse on professional ethics in legal practice tended to focus more on sensational cases such as lawyers knowingly keeping a secret that is life-threatening, some modern scholars are advocating for an interpretive approach that focuses on ordinary cases. According to Markovits, using sensational cases to analyze or evaluate professional ethics in the legal practice is contrary to the principle that ‘great cases make bad laws’.1 The purpose of this paper is to assess the content and role of ethics in modern legal practice. Ethics is a broad topic. Even within the legal practice, the subject of ethics covers a wide range of issues and areas. There are volumes of books, articles, and publications on professional ethics as it applies to the legal practice. However, to understand the general content of ethics in the modern legal practice, it is important to focus narrowly on some of the most recent discourses on ethics. In this respect, the paper will focus on the Model Code developed and administered by the American Bar Association (ABA). Some of the main ethical issues contain the Model Code of client-lawyer relationship, professional integrity, and information management. It is worth noting that the Model Code has undergone various revisions to fit the modern legal practice because the original canons were specifically meant for the legal practice in the past.2 Under professional ethics for practicing lawyers, one of the fundamental principles is the need for a professional and confidential relationship between the lawyer and the client. Under this ethical principle, several issues are covered including confidentiality, fees, conflicts of interest, and professionalism. For instance, it would be considered unethical for a lawyer to engage with a client with whom

Political philosophy Essay Example for Free

Political philosophy Essay John Locke, an English philosopher, used the idea of natural laws to make vital contributions to society. He worked his way up through Westminster School and Oxford and enrolled in the Church of England. He was interested in science and became one of the best practitioners of his time. With Locke’s connections, he met men of England but was also suspected for being disloyal. He went to Holland and returned in 1688, after the revolution. Locke made an influence on political philosophy including modern liberalism. Two Treatises of Government was his most powerful writing where he claims to tell the story of politics. But he did not present that he was the author until near his death. In his writing, Locke explains the difference between political power and paternal power. He wanted people to be comfortable with independent political thought, or in other words take the road less traveled. Also, Locke believed that first you must understand that politics come from the state of nature and natural law in order to understand political power. Locke’s natural law says that individuals take care of others. Locke wanted to create a better government that would consider all people, not a government with kings and nobles. He believed that there should be no one to enforce laws and that neither good nor evil existed in nature. Locke also believed that the people of nature are created equal and have rights to all things. Because of this, a constant state of war exists. Locke wanted people to act more responsible and morally and face their consequences if there were any. His influence on organizational behavior and theory impacted the founders of the United States’ principles. Locke was a creator of the idea of the separation of powers. He also influenced the modern educational theory. His theories are strong when it comes to prosperity, scarcity, money, and property. He claims the government must protect and individual’s private business and property. He believed that if there was a general increase in wealth it would lead to the increase for common good. Locke’s liberalism influenced the United States of America with the Declaration of Independence. He will always be known as the Father of Liberalism. He distrusted government power and proved a statement. He believed that an individual’s right is more important than just a king democracy. He left a legacy of theories for religion, economics, human understanding, and politics. Works Cited Griffith, F, Mark.. â€Å"John Locke’s Major Works. † International Journal of Organization Theory and behavior. 01 July. 2003: 227 elibrary. Web. 16. Feb. 2012.

Present the way in which imprisonment is presented in The Bell Jar Essa

Present the way in which imprisonment is presented in The Bell Jar The bell jar is an inverted glass jar, generally used to display an object of scientific curiosity. Present the way in which imprisonment is presented in ‘The Bell Jar’ The bell jar is an inverted glass jar, generally used to display an object of scientific curiosity, contain a certain kind of gas, or maintain a vacuum. For Esther, the bell jar symbolizes madness. When gripped by insanity, she feels as if she is inside an airless jar that distorts her perspective on the world and prevents her from connecting with the people around her. At the end of the novel, the bell jar has lifted, but she can sense that it still hovers over her, waiting to drop at any moment. The narrative technique used in The Bell Jar is a first person narrative. Straight away we get the idea of imprisonment through elements of the unhappy narrative voice in the early chapters. The first sentence of Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar alerts the reader to the conflicts that will be dealt with in this semi-autobiographical novel: "It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenberg’s, and I didn't know what I was doing in New York." The speaker will tell us in the next few sentences that she is "stupid" and that she feels "sick," and that she is preoccupied with death. Like Holden Caulfield in Catcher in the Rye, this young, college age, girl-woman is experiencing an adolescent crisis. When Esther Greenwood tells us in the first sentence that this is "the summer they electrocuted the Rosenberg’s," we get a picture not only of that summer's being nauseating, sultry, and death-oriented, but that this young girl's attitudes and life experiences are ... ...e Plath uses characters such as buddy Willard, using a clever writing technique to show his relationship with others, how people viewed him, his actions and physical description. Through Buddy we can have a better understanding of Esther’s situation. Plath uses the technique of flashback for suspense and to delay the plot. A lot of similes and metaphors are used to contribute to imprisonment. For example similes reflecting the 1950’s ‘yellow as cinnamon’. Overall, I think that Plath is trying to convey the idea that women were being placed in a constricted role in society live as if in a bell jar, able to see the outside world of exciting work and self-determined men, but unable to live it. People suffering from emotional illness are also living as if under a bell jar, isolated from others and unable to escape the distortions of their view of the world.