demise of the department store. This starts by describing the current situation in retail, which involves departments stores losing the interest of consumers and being forced to close, while smaller specialty stores become more popular.
After describing the general demise and the current situation, the author explains the reasons behind the demise. The first reason given is that the department store was originally created in a time before the automobile. It was then a new way of retailing and the stores were only competing against small family-owned retailers. This includes that the previous system of bartering was replaced with a system with fixed prices where consumers were guaranteed satisfaction or their money back. The author also notes that departments stores were a place to go as much as they were a place to shop. This section of the article explains why department stories initially became popular.

The first change in the…...

In addition, theoretically, the system may not increase personal performance or development of skill sets and can hinder the employee/management relationship. The research however, has established that for Shaw, the performance appraisal system is viewed favorably by the management as well as the female staff respondents.
performance appraisal system for Shaw's Department Stores will enable management to better develop the staff and to facilitate a more comprehensive yet enjoyable shopping experience. The major issue however, remains in the lack of communication between management and staff. Staff respondents to the questionnaire indicate that further communication regarding employee development and feedback is necessary as it is currently lacking. The central theme to this system is the balanced scorecard system that links the initiatives to goals and outcomes.

360 degree appraisal (Bureau, 2011) will provide accountability to the management to ensure that staff is receiving proper training and development, including feedback for growth.…...

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A performance appraisal system for Shaw's Department Stores will enable management to better develop the staff and to facilitate a more comprehensive yet enjoyable shopping experience. The major issue however, remains in the lack of communication between management and staff. Staff respondents to the questionnaire indicate that further communication regarding employee development and feedback is necessary as it is currently lacking. The central theme to this system is the balanced scorecard system that links the initiatives to goals and outcomes.

360 degree appraisal (Bureau, 2011) will provide accountability to the management to ensure that staff is receiving proper training and development, including feedback for growth. An appraisal system within Shaw's is expected to alleviate issues regarding the motivation of sales staff as this system responds to the employee demand for career growth and responsibility

Finally, Shaw's business management practices requires the identification of employee experience when being evaluated for work performed at Shaw's and to identify good practices for effective performance appraisal relevant to Shaw's needs. The system therefore must be based on an employee assessment that includes specifics regarding employee responses to specific work situations. The psychometric approach will enable management to maximize the information obtained by instituting a performance appraisal system by identifying the variables within each worker that correlates to motivational techniques designed to increase performance.

The store uses empty space wisely by filling it with store specials, and when designs are in progress the area has a sign that tells the consumer what is coming soon. Music is non-discernable (I don't remember if there is any at all) but there is so much for the eye it is not needed. The whole store smells like baking cinnamon buns, a store specialty (offered in the Cafe and in the Bistro as you leave). This makes the place really smell like home! Every inch of the store (excluding the warehouse for utility sake) it taken up by a display of some sort and everything is pleasing to look at and dissect. Special displays, such as the "living in 480 sq ft" full home layout are fantastic and feel very complete, as if you could simply kick off your shoes and watch television or lay down and…...

Residential property values and commercial property values in locations away from the new Big Box sink as commercial property values around the center skyrocket. (Greenwood 22). This creates an economic situation that is hard to re-balance and ultimately reduces private revenue. They also create situations in the local governments that create redundant competition where there was previously no competition at all. It forces development of infrastructures on the outskirts of towns that is costly and often creates a heavy strain on the economy that makes the other effects worse, and the fall of the economy even faster. Another problem small town face with the installation of Big Box retailers is the deterioration of a sense of community within these areas. The irony of this is that al-Mart in particular attempts to present a home-town feeling, touting the "Made in the U.S.A." labels (which are, in truth, few and far…...

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Works Cited

Bennett, Ben. "Big Box Battle: Guelph's Citizens Favour Community Values and Smaller

Developments, but They Are Up against Powerful Forces." Alternatives 29, 2003. Greenwood, Irving. "The Impact of Big Box Retail Chains on Small Businesses." Center for Applied Economic Research. January 2000.

Norman, Al. Slam-dunking Wal-Mart. Greenfield, MA: Sprawlbusters, 1999.

Many states, such as Virginia, are training private security officers in order to ensure smooth cooperation and coordination between security companies without police powers and the police and sheriff's departments. In Washington D.C., the municipal police department requires private security officers to be licensed as "special police" officers in order to legally search or arrest people. Cooperation can reach significant proportions, as in the case of the Minneapolis Police Department's "SafeZone" program, which place private security officers downtown who now outnumber Minneapolis Police Department officers there 13 to 1.
4. Industries and organizations that use special and/or commissioned officers and for what purposes

a. There is a truly broad range of industries and organizations which use special police officers. These organizations tend to have significant financial resources, large premises, and sensitive security needs which they believe cannot be met by the existing public police force. These often involve the need to…...

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Bibliography

 http://www.seattlepi.com/local/430256_harborview.html 

U.S. Constitution

Amy Goldstein, Washington Post, the Private Arm of the Law January 2, 2007

Marketing
A comparison between two major department stores, Nordstrom and Wal*Mart can illustrate the concepts of pricing and distribution. The research shows that both Nordstrom and Wal*Mart use pricing and distribution strategically, but with different means, methods, and end results.

Pricing and distribution are integral parts of an overall marketing strategy. Pricing refers to the cost of the item, and is related to product positioning, perceived value, and the profitability of the company. Distribution refers to the methods by which the company delivers its goods and services to the consumer, and signals how consumers first come into contact with the items for sale. A comparison between Wal*Mart and Nordstrom helps to illustrate the interrelated concepts of pricing and distribution. Nordstrom and Wal*Mart are both major department stores that depend on strategic pricing and distribution strategies. However, their pricing strategies are completely different. Nordstrom lures customers with perceived quality and status, whereas Wal*Mart…...

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References

Bertini, M., and Wathieu, L. (2010). How to Stop Customers from Fixating on Price. Harvard Business Review Vol. 88 (May), p. 84-91

Burnsed, B. (2009, August 3). Where Discounting Can Be Dangerous . Business Week. New York. 49.

Florissen, A., Maurer, B., Schmidt, B. & and Vahlenkamp, T. (2001, August). The race to the bottom: When industries deregulate, their managers face unfamiliar challenges. Price wars are often the unfortunate -- and unnecessary -- result. McKinsey Quarterly. McKinsey & Company.

Henricks, M. (2010 November 19). Price-Cutting Peril: Do You Know What You're Doing -- Really? The Debunker. BNet.

Grocery Store by Entrance of Hypermarkets in Bangkok Thailand
Small grocery store owners in Thailand are faced with the ever growing threat of foreign -- owned hypermarkets. Hypermarkets are part of a global trend that threatens to destroy the small grocery store. If this trend continues the traditional market structure of Thailand might become obsolete in the future. This research explores strategies that small grocery store owners can employ to remain profitable and to survive into the future.

The Tesco Effect

Are There Any Advantages to Being a Small etailer?

Benefits and Pitfalls of Tesco to the Economy

Thai Government and Economic Theory

ecommendations for Survival

Conclusions

eferences

If

Introduction

Commodities are one of the most stable opportunities for retailers. They are considered to be a profitable opportunity and can be started with a relatively low investment. In areas where people have high purchasing power, the local grocery or convenient store is a lucrative business venture. High traffic areas increase…...

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References

Carter, W. 2011. Supply Chain Value and Small Business. The Charleston Post.8 September 2011. Available at:   12 October 2011].http://www.thecharlottepost.com/index.php?src=news&srctype=detail&category=Business&refno=3954 [Accessed

CNN Money. 2009. 20 Best Countries for Startups. [online] Available at:   [Accessed 12 October 2011].http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/smallbusiness/0809/gallery.best_countries_for_business.smb/13.html 

Corporate Watch. 2004. Tesco. September 2004. [onine] Available at:   12 October 2011].http://www.corporatewatch.org/?lid=252#thai [Accessed

Crispin, S. 2008. What's eating Thai Tesco. Asia Times. May 3.

Organization Behavior
ASDA Stores

Business ASDA

ASDA Stores is a large scale retailer in the United Kingdom. It has grown over the decades by regularly expanding its business operations all over the country. Currently, ASDA Stores is present in more than 564 locations and offers a wide array of grocery items, general merchandise, and financial services. The business operations of ASDA Stores are affected by a large number of environmental factors. These factors fall under political and governmental forces, economic forces, social, cultural, and demographical forces, technological forces, legal forces, and environmental forces. All these forces have a direct impact on the company's sales, operations, and financial performance. In order to encounter the environmental challenges and operate in the most competitive and profitable fashion, ASDA Stores has to carefully analyze these forces and design its strategic directions in the best interest of its business affairs.

The resource management practices of the company also show…...

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REFERENCES

Armstrong, M. 2007, A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, (10th ed.). London: Kogan Page

Armstrong, M. 2000, A Handbook of Management Techniques, (3rd ed.). London: Kogan Page

ASDA, 2013, About ASDA. Available from

[Accessed January 31st, 2013]

Tesco UK food department
a.) Legislative risks: The decision to provide healthier food by labeling the ingredients on the packages to include the calories, sugar, fat, sodium, and saturated fat content needs to also comply with the U.K. food and labeling law. According to the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, The University of eading, "In most cases, ingredients have to be listed in weight descending order determined as at the time of their use in the preparation of the food. This is commonly referred to as the 'mixing bowl stage'. The following exemptions are however permitted" (A Guide to UK egulations, 2011)

Water and volatile products used as ingredients have to be listed in order of their weight in the finished product. The weight of water is calculated by subtracting from the weight of the finished product the total weight of the other ingredients used.

If an ingredient is reconstituted from concentrated…...

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References

CSPI Reports International (1998) Functional Foods: Public Health Boon or 21st Century Quackery?  http://www.cspinet.org/reports/functional_foods/uk_regltry.html 

Feindt, P.H. & Flynn, A. 2009, Policy stretching and institutional layering: British food policy between security, safety, quality, health and climate change, Palgrave Macmillan.

Food Labels: A Guide to the UK Regulations. Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, The University of Reading.  http://www.reading.ac.uk/foodlaw/label/index2.htm 

Lacey, R. 1992, Scares and the British Food System: Problems and Policies in Relation to Food-Related Health Issues, Emerald Group Publishing, Limited.

She stuck her neck out and put the child (the "product" in this setting) ahead of everything else, and in the end it did work out well. What I learned from that is that when making difficult decisions you have to keep the company's goals in mind. If your decision really works toward achieving those goals, it's a stronger decision.
3. What do you think are some advantages and disadvantages to using computer technology in decision-making?

Computer models can make trends apparent that might not have been noticeable before. They can identify trends we might not be aware of. However, the problem with computer models is "GIGO" - "garbage in, garbage out." To me that means both what you put in and what you leave out, either by accident or because the software leads you that way. I personally don't think any important decisions should be made based on computer models…...

The establishment of the MWD right after the aqueduct was approved is another milestone, because the MWD administers the water even today, and regulates how much water goes to each of its member water districts. The final milestone in the Colorado iver Aqueduct is the Seven States Water Management Agreement, which was signed in April 2007. The agreement spells out how the river's water will be managed in the future, and allows for more freedom for some of the member states to access water. Many people feel it is the most important milestone of Colorado iver management since the original Compact was signed in 1922. Obviously, all the milestones help spell out how the water is managed and who gets how much of the stored water in Lake Powell and Lake Mead. However, the agreement also encourages water agencies to develop alternative forms of water management, some of which the…...

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References

Editors. (2007). California's Colorado River allocation. Retrieved 25 Feb. 2008 from the Metropolitan Water District's Web page: http://www.mwdh2o.com/mwdh2o/pages/yourwater/supply/colorado/colorado04.html.

Editors. (2008). The Colorado River. Retrieved 25 Feb. 2008 from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Web site: http://wsoweb.ladwp.com/Aqueduct/historyoflaa/coloradoriver.htm.

Hofer, G. (2007). A new day on the Colorado. Aqueduct. 1-2.

Schulte, S.C. (2002). Wayne Aspinall and the shaping of the American West. Boulder, CO: University Press of Colorado.

And in response to big power lobbying, Senate and House Republicans on the Agriculture appropriations inserted a provision in 2005 into the department's budget, which would allow the use of certain artificial ingredients in organic foods. Many players in the organic industry today also argue that they are willing to use some synthetics in producing organic food. Joseph Mendelson and other advocates of strict organic standards argue that these provisions will open a "Pandora's box," allowing big organic food producers to lobby for further loosening of the USDA standards (arner).
The downsides of big food producers going organic is well-illustrated by the experience of hole Foods Market. It grew out of a small vegetarian store opened by Mackay and his girlfriend in 1978 in a garage in Austin, Texas. In 1992, the company went nationwide, opening stores in several cities. Now, the company owns more than two hundred stores across…...

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Works Cited

Cloud, John. "Eating Better Than Organic." Time Magazine. 2 March 2007. Web. 22 March 2011.

"It's Easy Being Green: Organic vs. Conventional Foods -- the Gloves Come Off. Center for American Progress. 10 September 2008. Web. 22 March 2011.

"Organic Foods: Are They Safe? More Nutritious?" MayoClinic. Web. 22 March 2011.

"Organic Food Sales See Healthy Growth: Mainstream Food Companies Promote Natural Brands" MSNBC. 3 December 2004. Web. 22 March 2011.

The assistant manager even walked the woman to the door when their business was concluded and wished her a good day before returning to his post. The researcher expected to see the assistant manager complain to others about her after she was gone, but this did not appear to be the case. It could have happened later, but it did not happen while the researcher was observing the assistant manager. Although the research did see several areas where management techniques were not the best, the treatment of that customer by the assistant manager sticks out in the researcher's mind as the most important example of what was seen during that observation time.
Management Principals Found

The idea of using basic management principles appears to be strong at Target. While the store looks to the future and works at being innovative as well, it also ensures that the management pays attention to…...

These controls can include having a standardized procedure for the preparation of the forecast budget or through the application of budgetary slack. The lower the slack management allows in the forecast budget, the greater the lower the variance that can be expected, in particular when the manager making the forecast has reputation at stake on the variance (Ibid). Reputation is an external driver, while ethics are an internal driver (Ibid). Therefore, a code of ethics should be implemented as a control to help define the ethical expectations that the company has for its financial managers.
In the Guillermo Furniture Store situation, the variance from the budget forecast last year left the company with losses instead of profits. Consumers purchased more of the mid-grade product and less of the high-grade product than anticipated; the latter having much higher margins than the former. For the next year's budget, Guillermo senior management should…...

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Works Cited:

Bretschneider, S. & Schroeder, L. (1984). Revenue forecasting, budget setting and risk. Socio-Economic Planning Sciences. Vol. 19 (6) 431-439.

Caplan, D. (2006). Management accounting: Concepts and techniques. Oregon State University. Retrieved June 28, 2010 from http://classes.bus.oregonstate.edu/spring-06/ba422/Management%20Accounting%20Chapter%205.htm

Stevens, D. (2002). The effects of reputation and ethics on budgetary slack. Journal of Management Accounting Research. Vol. 14, 2002, 153-171.

GNC Stores and Marketing
GNC Franchising, Inc., is one of the largest specialty retailer of vitamins, herbs, food supplements and other health management items in the United States. Since the inception of GNC, it has looked at several ways to marketing its products. Traditionally, GNC offered its proprietary products to consumers through franchised stores and company-owned stores, but recently it has also begun to sell its products via the Internet. And more recently as of 1999, GNC has entered into a strategic alliance with ite Aid Corporation, which will host full-line of GNC products across the country (Fisher and Mullin, 1990). The two companies also plan to develop a new line of pharmacy-endorsed vitamins and nutritional supplements, which will be available through all company-owned and franchised GNC locations and ite Aid Stores (Fisher and Mullin, 1990). General Nutrition Cos. (GNC) is also moving to do its business in natural foods, as…...

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References

Fisher, Lane and Mullin, Cheryl L. Searching for Tomorrow's Franchisees. Franchising World, vol. 31 (2), March/April 1999, pp.19-21

Wilson, Marianne. GNC goes natural. Chain Store Age, vol. 74 (11), 1998, pp.84-86.

Wilson, Marianne. GNC Targets Health And Wellness With Alive. Chain Store Age, vol. 72, April 1996, pp. 35-36.