Page 262 - DMGT551_RETAIL_BUSINESS_ENVIRONMENT

Unit 13: People in Retailing: Making People Matter

Emerging leader development Notes
Leading from the middle
Organisations which consciously create environments to encourage and sustain inclusion, realise
measurable bottom line improvements. Programs that help organisations create these
environments include:

Creating Inclusive Workplace Culture: A Systems Approach
Strategic Planning to Integrate Inclusion into core business goals
Conflict Management, companies which help teams move from conflict to collaborative
productivity. Beyond resolving specific issues, approach provides a perspective and tool set that
allows individuals and teams to prevent unnecessary conflict and use those tools that remain as
opportunities for constructive engagement.

Business Retreats are fun, energising, interactive, rewarding and productive. Whether the goal
is to develop a strategic plan, team building, conflict management or resolution, or work on a
specific project, it creates memorable, results-oriented experience that leaves teams prepared to
achieve more when they return to work.
The organizational structure of a retail store will vary by the size and type of the business. Most
tasks involved with operating a retail business will be the same. However, small or independent
retail stores may combine many sectors together under one division, while larger stores create
various divisions for each particular function along with many layers of management.
For example, the small specialty shop may have all of its employees under one category called
Store Operations. A large department store may have a complete staff consisting of a manager,
assistant manager and sales associates for its Sporting Goods department, Home and Garden,
Bed and Bath, and each additional department.
In order to define the store’s organization, start by specifying all tasks that need to be performed.
Then divide those responsibilities among various individuals or channels. Group and classify
each task into a job with a title and description. The final step is to develop an organizational
chart.

Retailing Structure

The following is a brief outline of some of the divisions in a retail organization:

Owner/CEO or President
Store Operations: Management, Cashier, Sales, Receiving, Loss Prevention
Marketing: Visual Displays, Public Relations, Promotions

Merchandising: Planning, Buying, Inventory Control
Human Relations: Personnel, Training
Finance: Accounting, Credit
Technology: Information Technology
As the store grows and the retail business evolves, the dynamics of the organization’s structure
will change too. Therefore it is paramount to redesign the store’s organizational chart to support
the decision-making, collaboration and leadership capabilities that are essential during and
after a growth period.

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