Organizational Theory Applied to the Retail Industry Essay -- Essays P

Organizational Theory Applied to the Retail Industry PART I Introduction Antonio’s, as it will be referred to for confidentiality purposes from here on in, is a retail shoe store that operates in Fredericton, N.B.. It is part of an open system. This company originated in Montreal, Quebec. The head office is now located there and retail outlets are located throughout Canada, the United States and parts of Europe. The market in which this company operates may be considered a division of the fashion industry. This industry is known for being highly competitive and dynamic. Also for obvious reasons many companies within it concern themselves with company image. This particular shoe company has been in existence since the early 1990’s. Antonio’s has grown significantly and is currently a leader in the shoe industry, even on an internationally level. It produces quality shoes at a reasonable price. From its beginnings until now Antonio’s has been operating in the formation stage. This company has met with great success, though, and has grown quickly. It now faces the task of moving into the growth stage. Antonio’s must be careful in managing every aspect of its company now in order to survive. Since the industry in which Antonio’s operates is very image oriented a key issue in moving from the formation to growth stage that must be discussed is company culture. In this situation â€Å"managed† (as it is referred to in its most popular definition) means changed. In order to manage the company culture through the move from stage to stage in the life cycle of this organization the culture within the current stage, the formation stage, must be discussed. The culture, in my opinion, must be managed as it currently has a negative impact on the organizational effectiveness. The organizational effectiveness as a result of culture must analyzed in order to determine if in fact it does have a negative impact on the company, if so, it must be managed for the sake of the company’s survival in the growth stage. PART II Analysis of current company culture The current culture existing in Antonio’s organization is effective according to most of the strict definition meanings. It is not particularly strong, this is because most organizations which are young or have constant turnover (Antonio’s finds both of these things to be t... ...ething so shallow as their appearance. Thus in the long run they are indirectly and unintentionally promoting organization decline by doing this. PART III Conclusion In my opinion the main problem that exists within this organization is the fact that Antonio’s fits into a certain aspect of the Competing Values approach mentioned above to a greater extent than need be. They take organization culture too far despite the fact that it is very well fitted to its industry. My experiences there as an employee were not all negative yet many I did have made me feel very unappreciated and worthless within the organization. A stress on this particular type of culture results in high turn over. This will ultimately lessen the chances of survival for the organization as it moves through the stages of the life cycle. If this culture persists, Antonio’s will be run by disloyal employees who purposely defy it costing them time and money in the long run. It will have a damaging effect on their so preciously held reputation and this will not fair well for them considering the competitive nature of the fashion industry. Bibliography: Robbins. Organizational Theory

Ancient democracy to present democracy Essay

The word democracy is derived from two Greek words, demos, which means people, and kratos, which means rule. Today the word has come to mean exactly that, ruled by the people. Many ancient political Greek philosophers would use the phrase â€Å"the governors are to be governed† which we can relate to today. Even though the Greek’s notion of democracy is dramatically different from our current democracy, it has been one of the most influential philosophies that have shaped the political thought of the United States. Ironically the term democracy is the most used term to describe the American government even though it has little meaning in our government today. The Athenian government was the first democracy known to the world. Athens had a government where all of the citizens took part in the decision making. Thus, everyone who qualified as a citizen could participate and did not have to be an elected representative. For one to be considered a citizen they first had to be born in Athens and had to be free. Next, once turned eighteen years of age he had to have at least two years of military training then serve in the navy or army. After he has served he could then vote. After the age of thirty he could be considered for council. The women of Athens were also considered to be citizen however they did not posses any political power. The Athenian democracy had three main branches which were the assembly, the council, and the jurymen. The assembly had the reasonability of making the policies for Athens. The assembly could be considered the legislative branch and it was made of eligible Athenian citizens. The council enforced administrative matters and the policies. They were also in control of the military and finances. The council was made of five hundred citizens and could be considered the executive branch. The jury men had the important yet tedious job of resolving disputes of the people. There were six thousand jurymen to manage this job in the courts. The Greeks of Athens had no single head of the government and no political parties. The United States has some similarities with Athenian democracy but very few. There are three branches, the legislative, executive, and the judicial which  are similar to the three branches of Athens’s government. The legislative branch is made of the Senate and the House of Representatives. They are in charge of making the laws of the states. The House of Representatives consists of a representative from each state. There is one representative from each district in the state. The district in each state depends on the population of the state. There are four hundred and thirty five members of the House. Each of them only serve for two years and then have to run for re-election. The Senate consists of one hundred members. Each state has two representatives in the Senate. The Senate has three times the amount of service time than the House. The Executive branch is the president and his cabinet. The president gets to appoint his cabinet which consists of several positions, the Secretary of State, Attorney General, National Security Advisor, and more. The judicial branch has nine justices as apposed to six thousand, one that serve as the Chief Justice. Once they are appointed by the president they serve for the rest of their lives. As you can see, the American democracy doesn’t quite fit the Greek’s definition of â€Å"democracy†. They have appointed officials that can dictate how the people live. The Greek democracy actually consisted of citizens that could participate in political issues without being elected or appointed.

ep thompson essays

ep thompson essays Everyday in society, somebody is challenging something. Everyone believes that they can make a difference. This manner of critical thinking allows for lifestyles to be altered on a regular basis. Much of this is caused by the creation of countercultures that oppose the so-called norm or popular culture. In the past, such people have been labeled revolutionary or enlightened thinkers. In E.P. Thompsons book, The Making of the English Working Class, he focuses on how these enlightened thinkers came to be. He discusses the argument of democracy, religion and economic status. These three elements discussed in the first part of the book titled The Liberty Tree are ideas in a theory known as industrialism. The book begins with an introduction to the hostility between the working class and the voting class. By the end of the first chapter the reader is aware that groups of enlightened thinkers are forming and wish to see a democracy within England. Following the works of Cromwell, literary working class males create organizations to fight for their right to vote. As groups such as these began to spread throughout Europe, new sects of freethinking individuals emerged. These groups were originally called Levellers in early years but slowly advanced to a broader term, namely, enlightened thinkers. This transformation in names occurred over a century starting with the Levellers in late 1640s and advancing to enlighten thinkers in the late 1790s. These new groups along with the groups who wished for democratic rights began to publicly spread their views, allowing for enlightenment to spread throughout the country and eventually into the Church, which had been closely tied in with the government. This expand of enlightenment occurred rapidly in the mid 1790s after the French revolution and the publication of Thomas Paines pamphlet The Rights of Man. The ris...

Jobs Are Not For Everyone Essays - Nelle A. Coley, Pedagogy

Jobs Are Not For Everyone Essays - Nelle A. Coley, Pedagogy Jobs Are Not For Everyone In the eighteen years I have been on this planet there are a few important things I have learned. One of the most important things I have learned is that jobs are not for me, at least not at this point in my life. Many different employers have employed me and I have had a taste of what the job world is all about, but I don?t want any part of it. Every job I have had has had people above me who were not always the most intelligent people around. There is nothing I hate more than unintelligent people telling me what to do. I have worked at a grocery store, a trailer campground, a beach and a pool, all of which I have had mentally inferior superiors. But of the jobs I have listed, the one place that is the worst to work at is a grocery store. The tasks one is asked to do as an employee of a grocery store are unimaginable. I think that being employed, especially to a grocery store, is not a good idea for teenagers because there are usually unintelligent people running them, it infringes on teenage lives, and some aspects of most jobs are disgusting. Bosses are probably the most difficult part of being employed to me. At the grocery store that I worked at for a short period of time, I remember being constantly pulled aside and being told that I wasn?t bagging the groceries properly. The strange part was that when my boss would tell me these things he would always take me to isle seven to yell and scream at me. Why couldn?t he take me into his office where it would be private? Instead he would make a big scene in front of all the old women shopping for those lovely canned foods and completely embarrass me. I never understood that. There was another reason why I knew my boss wasn?t the brightest candle on the cake. I always had to remind him that I only worked on Mondays and Wednesdays, but he could never grasp the concept. For some reason he was convinced that I worked everyday. Two days out of the five days I didn?t work I would get a call from good old Bob asking ? why aren?t you here yet I would always say ? Bob, don?t you reme mber, I only work two days a week, and this isn?t one of them.? Then he would say ? Oh yea, sorry kid, see ya? tomorrow?. So that was a frequent thing for Bob. Over all I would say that most bosses are strange people to deal with, and hard people to work for, and there is enough confusion in a teenager?s life without someone like Bob to add a little more. Being in high school is a busy time of one?s life, and having a job makes it even busier. For myself, I think that having a boss that wasn?t that bright made things even harder. One time I can recall where my job really interfered with my life was when I had tickets to go see a concert. Unfortunately I had to work that day. I did not see any big problem with this; I would just take the day off. Not with Bob around. To someone like him, groceries are life and they should be for everyone, especially me. Well little did he know that this little situation would end my employment with that wonderful shopping facility. I told him I wanted to see this show and he pulled out the big gun; he said ? Son, I don?t want to be a jerk but if you?re going to miss work for some concert, I?ll have to ask you to leave, for good.? I told him I understood and needless to say I left. Come on, how many times does your favorite band come to town? I think it was well worth it. I am only a teenager once and I will work the rest of my life. Jobs and teens do not mix. The worst part of employment is the nasty little tasks one must perform while on duty. Every job

Iraqs problems essays

Iraqs problems essays The topic I choose was Iraq and its past and still ongoing problems with the United Nations. The reason I choose this topic as oppose to another topic is war and the United Nations has always fascinated me. With Saddam Hussein still being stubborn with UN weapons inspectors it was incredibly easy to obtain information regarding this topic. The Los Angles Times; California; Feb 12 2000; The newest article I attained was from the February 12 edition of the Los Angles Times. It was entitled Compromise Broached on issue of Arms Inspectors in Iraq. It discussed how Iraq is still refusing to allow the UN weapons inspector into the nation. It also talks about the UN feelings on the chance of inspectors ever being allowed to do their job. Apparently the Vice President has no intention of ever letting the inspectors into the country. Last Thursday he said, There shall be no return of the so-called inspection teams. We reject the infiltration by spies using such cover. In my humble opinion it would make life in Iraq better if the inspectors where just allowed into the country. Most importantly sanctions the UN has placed upon Iraq would be removed. Apparently the really dont care about the sanctions according to their deputy foreign minister Nizar Hamdoun who said they can live without sanctions forever. The UN has a different opinion they believe they cannot. I believe they can, they have done fine up to this point and I think they will continue to do fine. I think Iraq has many things they dont want the UN to know about such as chemical and biological weapons. They are a threat and need to be dealt with accordingly. New York Times; New York; Feb 8, 2000; Barbara Crossette The next article I choose was from the February 8 issue of the New York Times. This article was entitled Iraq Suspected of Secret War Effort. This article sort of scared me. It was ab...

The Effective Manager Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Effective Manager - Assignment Example The Effective Manager At the same time, seventy five percent (up from 50 percent the previous year) reported downtime due to security breaches. (McClure, 2003) Of those with written policies, most of them failed to adequately address security issues. When asked why they do not have policies, many answered that they do not like writing them or that they do not want to commit in writing to upholding and enforcing them. Security management is not only technology specific but for to do three things for a company: It is known that accounting, as the word implies, is a reckoning of the financial outcomes of an entity between those who control the employment of capital or assets and those who provide the capital or assets so the understanding of accounting helps managers maintaining effective security management. Accounting reacts to the needs of business and follows developments in commercial activity. One main purpose of accounting is to fairly represent the financial results of an operation to the shareholders, who are the individual owners of a business entity. In simpler words, financial profit or loss is the revenue less the cost of goods sold less the fixed or overhead costs, less interest, taxes, and an allowance for depreciation on fixed assets. Depreciation is keyed to a phase of time that sufficiently reflects the useful life of the asset while it is under the stewardship, or control, of management. If an asset under the control of management is expected to have a useful life of twelv e years, then it is usually written off, or depreciated, at 15 percent per year. Effective management is judged on its presentation to generate a profit on an asset under their control for ten years before it has to be replaced by charging management 15 percent of its value per year. Because the computation of taxes follows the same general format as reporting profits, some feel that pretax profit indicated in a financial report should be the same as the profits reported to the tax authority. In a few countries, such as Finland, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Switzerland, this conclusion is correct. In most others, it is not. One reason for this is that the allowance for depreciation for reporting financial results may not be the same as the allowance for depreciation for filing a tax return. Whereas the purpose of financial reporting is to fairly represent the financial results of management's stewardship of the shareholders' assets, the purpose of filing a tax form is to calculate a liability. The depreciation plan selected for calculating taxes to be paid to a tax authority is the applicable schedule of depreciation decided on by the tax authority. (Kathryn, 1998) The resulting profit is severely for the computation of taxes, not to judge the performance of eff ective management to generate a pro

Pay Equity Solutions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Pay Equity Solutions - Essay Example In 1967 the wage gap between men and women was 58.4% which increased to 72.5% by the end of 1997 (Drolet, 2001). The wage gap is even wider when it comes to nationality, looks, skills and learning ability, color, religion, caste, social and marital status of women. Pay equity revolves around the concept of equal payments to equivalent job tasks irrespective of the worker’s gender. Women have a right to be paid equally as men on the basis of the skills and knowledge. It in one of the basic women rights which is protected by the constitution. Equality Provision is mentioned in the 15th section of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom (Harewood, 2004). Additionally the Canadian Human Rights Act strictly forbids the discrimination in wages on the basis of gender. The law is applicable to all the employees working under the public or private businesses sector. Some Canadian provinces such as Manitoba and Ontario have their specific laws regarding pay equity which is applied wi thin the provincial jurisdiction to all the private and public sector employees. However, despite of all the laws, rules and regulations pay equity is a major problem for Canadian women since it is hardly accessible and very few women are able to avail its advantages (Harewood, 2004). Employees of some of the most reputable organizations such as Bell Canada, Canada Post, Telus and Air Canada have been striving hard to gain pay equity since years yet they haven’t met success (Cote, 2006). This calls for an immediate action in order to extend protection to the female employees and also to restore their fundamental human rights. In this regard we have some successful applications of pay equity legislation such as the one applied in Ontario... Once the law is established for the enforcement of pay equity then it is the obligation of employers to abide by its rules and regulations in order to maintain its essence and also to protect themselves from possible penalties which might fall on them due to law violation. There should be a pay equity commission which would be responsible for the perfect implementation of laws. The commission would also extend educational awareness and techniques of skill development to the employees so as to ensure pay equity in addition to increasing their productivity level. Employees would also be able to register their complaints against pay discrimination and they would be allowed to formulate their specific pay equity strategies. Here the government would have to play its role by extending sufficient funds to the commission so that it can perform its tasks effectively and efficiently. Women maintain a significant proportion of today’s work force which requires them to be more efficient so as to meet the modern age needs and demands. When women face issues related to pay equity then they fail to contribute in the best way towards the organizational goals and objectives. In this paper, some of the most significant solutions to resolve the issue of pay equity are explained including job evaluation, job category, employee evaluation, etc with the help of analyzing Ontario example and other successfully implemented pay equity laws. It is very important to implement effective legislative laws in Canada so as to get rid of the wage gap.