Case study(Tanglewood department stores) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Case study(Tanglewood department stores) - Essay Example 5 Work Cited Page†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 6 Company Profile Tanglewood was founded in 1975 by Tanner Emerson and Thurston Wood. The company operates in the retail industry specializing in clothing, appliances, home decor, and electronics. The stores have an outdoor theme that differentiates Tanglewood from the competition. The company’s mission statement is to be the best department store for consumers seeking quality, durability, and value for all aspects of their active lives. The firm has operating revenues of $7.2 billion while employing nearly 53,000 employees across 243 stores. The company’s target customer is middle to high income customers. Issues and problems Tanglewood was developed by its founders as a family type store where people could come in and find all their shopping needs. The concept helped attract a lot of customer s. The store prides itself in offering the best customer service possible. Another part of the working environment that the owners have always been proud of is having a high level of employee involvement. This attribute was a good idea at first, but as the company has grown it has let to administrative problems. It is important in large organizations for the employees to understand the managerial hierarchy. Stores need manages to be accountable to the operating and strategic decisions that occur at the enterprise. During the 1990’s Tanglewood experienced a lot of growth in terms of total store capacity. The firm grew from a 10 store operation to the current 243 stores it operates today. The problem with the growth the firm achieved was that the company did not build its own stores. It was easier for the firm to acquire other existing stores. The strategy that the firm implemented had lots of short term advantages, but it also led to long term consequences. The firm did not ha ve a unified identity due to the fact that there was a blend of many different corporate cultures. The executive managerial staff of the firm did a poor job developing a single corporate culture for the employees to follow. An organizational culture is a system of shared actions, values, and beliefs that develops within an organization that guides the behavior of its members (Schermerhorn & Hunt & Osborn, p.262). A problem the company faced as it grew was that the owners of the firm took an active managerial role without taking on the responsibility of the day to day operations. The owners emphasized more on the strategic side of management. Another inherent problem the company faced was the westward expansion of major competitors such as Target and Kohl’s. The firm had been able to avoid excessive direct competition in the past, but now based on the new market structure the firm has to compete with the major players in the retail industry. The company needs a new administrat ive strategy to better manage its human resources. Alternative Solutions The employees of a company are its most value asset. Due to the importance of human capital Tanglewood needs immediate help dealing with the staff. An alternative solution is for the company to bring a temporary project manager to oversee the operation. The project manager would

D-Day, Invasion of Normandy, France (World War II) Research Paper

D-Day, Invasion of Normandy, France (World War II) - Research Paper Example As a consequence lead to France and Britain launching war against Germany two days later. Other countries then joined the war taking different sides depending on the side they supported (Hastings 1945). The war continued resulting in the battle of Normandy which is considered as the last greatest set-piece war that has ever occurred in the Western world. This paper will explore the events of the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France during World War II. Fein (5) notes that at the dawn of June 6, 1944, one of the greatest and historic battles started. Under leadership of United States of America, its allied forces entered France. The first Paratroopers were composed of approximately 175, 000 US allied soldiers sent to France that day. The first battle was fought for 24 hours during that day. This daring 24-hour battle is what is termed as D-Day. However, the war that followed after the D-Day is considered one of the most important wars of World War II which began in 1939 and ended in 194 5. This battle is what is known as The Battle of Normandy according to Fein (5). Fein (5) asserts that in 1944, the Axis controlled most parts of Europe. The Axis powers were under the leadership of Germany with the other axis powers consisting of Japan, Italy and Romania. The D-Day invasion of Normandy was the launching point of the Allies for Europe’s invasion. Under the strategy, the Allied forces first planned to liberate France from the control of the Axis. This was then to be followed by waging another war aimed at freeing the rest of Europe. The Allied countries consisted of the United States of America as the leader, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and several other countries. Hitler’s Troops The World War was caused by the fact that Adolf Hitler, then German chancellor, wanted the world to be under his control. This however never came to be as Hitler killed himself in April, 1945, days before Germany conceded to defeat (History Learning Site par 1). Fein (6) reveals that at that time, the German Army was perceived to be one of the strongest in the world. By 1944, German army had taken over most of Europe but later started to show some signs of weakness. It is reported that earlier in the battle, German arsenals had severely suffered huge losses in Africa and the Soviet Union. Therefore, by the time of D-Day battle, millions of German armies were dead or taken as prisoners. Fein asserts that the German arsenals were thinly spread making it weaker. Despite the situation, many German troops still fought in the Soviet Union and on other numerous fonts. Nevertheless, the army still could not respond well both defensively and in form of attacks. This gave the Allies the courage to hit harder as they knew that Hitler was now headed for another defeat. Stalin Demands Action Fein (7) reveals that as the war began, the Soviet Union recorded significant success in fighting Germany. However, due to huge bombardments and losses it incurred, it neede d support from the Allied forces to help it continue with the war. It is reported that at first, Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941. This led to the deaths of many soldiers and civilians from Soviet Union. In 1942, Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union called upon the Allied forces to invade Europe. This was due to his belief that a huge attack in Europe would force Hitler to