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Appendix 1: Case Study - Housefriends Homewares: Business Description
Appendix 1: Case Study - Housefriends Homewares: Business Description
Appendix 1: Case Study - Housefriends Homewares: Business Description
Range:
Payment
types
accepted:
Credit policy:
Warranties
and refunds:
Staff:
Scenario
As a manager of one of the existing stores, you have been called to head
office to attend an area division briefing by the companys CEO. During the
CEOs address you make the following notes:
In a growing economy fuelled by population growth, the company has
determined to invest and strategically position itself to prosper from this
growth. The goal is set to be the major retailer in their sector across the
city and the state in three years. This will feature doubling the number
of stores around the greater city area with new stores strategically
placed in the growth corridors. Additionally the expansion will include a
store in each major regional town in the state.
Housefriends confidence in its ability to fulfil these goals comes from its
plan to provide customers with a wider selection of merchandise with
Assessment Task 1
Marie
Marie achieved outstanding results in the bookkeeping certificate she
recently completed. However, her lack of real-world experience managing
people makes her uncertain and she lacks confidence to make decisions
2012 Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council Ltd
Assessment Task 1
and avoids possible confrontation. You have agreed to be her coach and
mentor. She has come to you recently for help and discussed with you a
significant range of issues she wanted help with.
Marie has always had a keen interest in the environment and everything
green. It was Marie who suggested power-saver timers on the lighting in
the storeroom and other sustainability measures around the office. Marie is
very excited about the Going Green plan and is very enthusiastic to do
the train the trainer course offered by head office and become the in-store
trainer in this area. She does, however, express some cynicism regarding
Housefriends motives in this.
At your first meeting, you need to discuss the following issue.
You have seen members of Maries team swap origin of manufacture tags
with Australian made tags while she watched, and she did nothing. Maria
is aware from past conversations of the requirement for high ethical
standards for the stores new image.
The government has introduced a code of conduct for your industry to
clearly mark on the product the country of manufacture, particularly on
imported products.
Housefriends states on its website that it adheres to this code to a high
standard. However, on some items, clearly marking the country of
manufacture on the item may inhibit the sale because that country may
have a reputation of low quality. In these cases, Housefriends marks the
product with the general region rather than mention the specific country.
This has resulted in some items that actually come from countries with a
poor reputation for quality selling very well.
Tony
Tonys approach to the job is quite different to Marie. He has many years
experience and is best described as hands on. Tony is the longest serving
employee in your branch and has the best knowledge of the product lines
and when he puts his mind to it is an effective coach for new staff, this is
despite not having any formal qualifications in this area.
However, recently you have noticed that his attitude to the job is turning
negative. Tony is spending a lot of time on the internet, which he often
calls the future of sales, and cant understand what the Management is
thinking of by planning an expansion that is not based on the internet and
has voiced this objection without a care about who hears it. You have the
impression that he now sees his knowledge as his own intellectual capital
and is reluctant to share it. He has become short tempered and has told
you that he is not paid to share his knowledge and experience. He
becomes annoyed with some staff members who come to him seeking
advice as he considers that they should know it by now. Thus his team
are not developing.
At your first meeting you need to discuss the following issue:
Assessment Task 1
Tony often presents you with ideas for internet marketing that would
certainly boost traffic to the site. Yet you have come to mistrust his
motives with some ideas. You have recently noticed that the companys
website now has links to a home business that a friend of Tonys operates.
This business provides installation of homewares that Housefriends sells
yet you are not aware of any company endorsement of this service from
Housefriends for their customers. You believe this is unethical under the
companys ethical standards.
You need to determine what the source of his negativity is and plan his
performance management. In your one-on-one session with Tony you need
to come to a resolution of a way forward and get Tony fully on board.
Assessment Task 1
Focu
s
KPI
Reason/
barriers
Team goals
Team
Deliverabl
e
Goal
Progress
KP
I
Due
Assessment Task 1
Reference from
Operational
Plan
Manager:
Indicator of
success/
performance
Managers comments
Review
period:
By
whe
n
Stat
us
repo
rt
Signature
Date
Staff members comments
Signature
Date
Assessment Task 1
Skills to be
developed:
Manager:
Review
period:
Priori
ty
(H,M,
L)
Managers comments
By
Whe
n?
Skills
gaine
d
(Y/N)
Signature
Date
Staff members comments
Signature
Assessment Task 1
Date
Assessment Task 1
Phone
no.
Observers
name
Phone
no.
Assessment
site
Coaching
date/s
Time/s
Employees
name
Phone
no.
Satisfacto
ry
Standard of performance
Yes
No
Did the coach utilise the GROW model for coaching his or
her employee?
Did the coach identify the performance issue?
Did the coach utilise a number of communication skills to
reflect and clarify the employees answers?
active listening
clarifying
summarising
Assessment Task 1
Comments/feedback to coach
Assessment Task 1
Phone
no.
Listeners
name
Phone
no.
Assessment
site
Coaching
date/s
Time/s
Employees
name
Phone
no.
Assessment Task 1
What do you think were some of your strengths during the exercise?
What do you think were areas where there was room for improvement?
What kind of strategies can you think of to help improve your coaching
skills?
What do you think will be the cost of not implementing new strategies into
your role as a manager?
Assessment Task 1
What are some valuable skills that you have learned today to help you in
your role as manager/coach?