The objectives that will be met from producing this Internet café is that most of them are to do with “customer satisfaction” – which would not be a problem with this new change that could take place in store. Another objective could then be created from this new “Internet café” within WHSmith, which could be something like, “Try to help customers satisfy their every need in store” which could then aim to be achieved along with the other eight objectives, of which five are currently being met.
Specific objectives that will be met due to this Internet café being produced are that WHSmith will be “delivering the best in service”, as they will have bought in lots of new staff and management to help ensure high standards of service are still being met. This will mean that customers will be kept happy, as there will be lots of staff at hand for their every need. Also the objective of “providing value for money” will be met because the prices for the goods in store will be low and satisfying for customers – to ensure they will be happy in store and spend lots of money there.
Another objective that will be met from the new Internet café is that they are “continually raising standards of service in all areas of the business.” This objective also interlinks with “leading the industry in the innovative use of technology.” This is because the Internet café will have brought in very hi-tech equipment, which will be available for customers in store. This kind of technology is not likely to be available in other rival stores which will suggest to customers, why bother going to these stores when WHSmith is providing new technology and low prices? This is what WHSmith wants customers to think so that these objectives are being met due to the café. The store is raising standards of service due to the new staff that are going to be employed in store – so that service will be quickened up. Also the service will be improved due to their being more varieties of things to do in store, which will make customers have more choice whether they shop or go on the Internet which shows they are being considered throughout the changes in store, meaning service levels are being improved too. This shows that the opening of the Internet café would be good for meeting objectives, as a new objective can be produced and aimed to be met, as well as at least three current objectives being met even more then they are already, which would be a great achievement for the store as a whole.
The effects that the Internet café will have on the functions of the business is that a new department may need to be created in store to enable the computer side of the Internet café to be run smoothly. This department may be run by only a few people but will need to be in permanent contact with the shop floor to enable any problems that have arisen to be put right quickly. These problems could range from the computers freezing to any other list of problems that can occur from computers. This department will need to have highly skilled employees, who have had off-the-job training, so that any problems can be dealt with. This department could be called the ICT department as it is dealing with communications between employees and staff, and also technology from the hi-tech computers. This department will need to be in close contact with the finance department. This is because vast amounts of money should be taken from either the café side of the creation, or from customers who are paying to use the computers. This will mean change will need to be kept at the tills as customers who spend small amounts of cash with a £20 will not expect 50p’s in change! Also money will need to be counted by the cash office either once or twice a day from the tills and receipts checked to ensure enough business is being bought in, and if it is not then why not.
Another department that may need to be created within the store is a health and hygiene department. This is because the food that will either be created or bought in to the store will need to be of a high standard so that customers are kept happy and satisfied. It also needs to meet health levels so that customers do not get food poisoning from any food consumed in store. This department will also need to be in close contact with the head office of WHSmith to ensure that standards are being met and that they are happy with what is being done in store. This department will also need to be in close contact with the trading department. This is so that they can buy in extra goods that can then be dispatched to the Milton Keynes branch so that they can be sold. This will also mean that the external communications will need to be good so that the trading department will buy in the correct good to be sold.
When looking at the idea of having a clocking-in system, this alternative approach to better help the store in all aspects, will obviously have a positive effect on WHSmith. One problem of bringing in this clocking-in system will be that the system will need to be installed in store. This will not be too expensive to do, but lots of cards (built in with chips) will be needed so that all employees can have them when they go into work. This will mean a meeting will need to be held so that staff can receive their cards and they will also need to be informed about what to do upon entering work with their cards. The first positive aspect this system will mean that staff will not have “tick” their name off a list by the managers office when they start and finish work – stating the amount of hours they have worked. This is because the system will take down the name of the employee, the time they clocked in, the time they clocked out and the dates they have worked. This can then, if it is hi-tech enough, be linked up to a computer so that the hours worked of all employees can be sent to head office where pay slips are produced so the hours sheets will not need to be checked by the member of staff employed in that area will not have to check hours have been entered correctly be employees (and that someone hasn’t put they have worked 8 hours when they have only worked 4!) This will mean that this member of staff will have more time in the other areas of worked they are employed in. However as this member of staff only works Sundays at this store, and works at other stores during the week checking the time sheets there, as they don’t have clocking in systems, she may not be needed at the Milton Keynes branch. This will be an advantage to the store as it will save outgoings, (wages), on employing her. Also another positive aspect this will have on the store is that it will mean it will save lots of different time sheets being printed off, as 5 sheets are needed each week for employees to tick their names and hours off, which can add up over time. Also if there was a fire it wouldn’t be too bad because before the paper would have been burnt, but now the clocking in system will be strong and will probably not be destroyed by a fire. This would have meant all staff members; hours would have been lost, which may have meant they didn’t get paid for hours worked due to this fire. This will not happen now due to the clocking-in system.
The organisational structure of the store will only be slightly affected by this clocking-in system. This is because one of the sales and service supervisors who used to check all the hours worked and that all the time sheets were correct on each Sunday will no longer be required. This is because the clocking-in system will automatically calculate the hours as it is linked up to a computer – meaning there will be no chance of human error. This will make the structure of the store slightly narrower, but due to the organisational structure included in this coursework it cannot be seen as only two sales and service supervisors have been included, as I couldn’t fit on the correct amount to the chart. This will mean slightly less wages will need to be paid out – which again is another advantage of the system.
This alternative approach will also affect the external communications. This is because the clocking-in system will mean that not as many communications will need to take place. This is due to the ability of the clocking-in system to calculate the hours worked by employees, and the days that they have worked. This can then be put into a database (like Excel) and this can be sent via E-mail or Electronic Data Interchange to Head Office. This will mean that less communication will be needed between the Milton Keynes branch and Head Office. This is because before the clocking-in system was introduced, one of the sales and service supervisors had to calculate all the hours worked by employees over the week, add these up and send a letter to Head Office confirming these hours worked. This meant that it took time for Head Office to receive the time sheets – and there was also a chance that these hours could get lost in the post. This is why the clocking-in system can help affect this external communication with Head Office, because it is up to date and links to computers, meaning e-mails can be sent rather than post.
Also the internal communications will be affected because the clocking-in system will help staff in store to know that they are going to be finishing when they are supposed to be. Also staff will know where other staff members are at a specified time as the rota’s will be correct and will not be running 10 minutes late due to the unpunctuality of some staff. This will mean communications in store will be good and will help staff to feel happy, as they will not be working when someone else should be – as they are late. The amount of internal communications can also be reduced due to the clocking-in system. This is because before when staff were late other staff members and the manager had to discuss people being late, and then this meant the manager had to speak to the employee. With the new clocking-in system in space it will mean the communications between the employees who were not late but wanted to tell the manager about those who were not on time will not be needed as the clocking-I system will be able to tell the manager exactly who was late and when. This can mean that, say, at the end of the month the manager can talk to all unpunctual employees as a whole about this problem, and what they are going to do about it in order for them to keep their job. This will mean that the manager will not have to talk to individuals, which would be very time consuming, and a waste of company time so the internal communications will help to be kept to only the most important matters about the store and customers – not about staff being late.
The objectives that will be met from introducing this clocking-in system are that staff can be kept “inspired and motivated.” The way this can be achieved is by using the system to see which employees turn up for work each day. This can mean that staff who turn up for work early on a regular or continuous basis can be rewarded. This could be in the form of giving them a choice of what work they want to do, or give them a higher discount on the goods in store. This will mean that everyone who is employed in the store will want to turn up for work early to enable them to get one of these rewards. These are only examples of rewards and could be changed by the store depending on different aspects, e.g. costs of supplying the rewards etc. This will mean that staff are turning up earlier for work each day, which will mean they will start earlier and will get more done throughout the day. This will mean that staff are being kept motivated as they will want to gain the rewards on offer by turning up earlier, and they will also be kept motivated as they can do things in store which will be picked up by the manager – which may also help them to gain a reward of some description. Another objective that can be met from the clocking-in system is that the store will be “delivering the best in service.” The way this will be met is because everything in the store will be running to the correct time – which will help to keep staff happy. This will mean they will be in a good mood when they come to communicate or serve customers. Therefore, the members of staff will provide a high level or even the “very best” in service to customers as they have no excuse not to. This will mean customers will be kept happy with the high service being provided, due to the clocking-in system keeping things running smoothly and to time in store. A final objective, which can be helped to be met due to the new system in store, is “raising standards of service within the business.” This ties in with the previous objective. The way this can be met is because with staff in store continually being punctual for work then this is the first step of raising service levels in store. This is because with staff all present in store customers will be able to be served easily – meaning service is high. The way the clocking-in system will help raise standards of service will work in the same way, as punctuality is a key to helping service remain high. Also staff will be kept happy – as mentioned in the previous objective, which will mean staff presence and pleasantness will help raise standards of service across the store.
The effects that the clocking-in system will have on the functions of the business are that not much will really change due to this clocking-in system. This is because at the moment the only things that are present are times sheets, which are on the wall by the manager’s office. The store is too small to have a new department created and would be a waste of time and money creating it as it is not needed. This is because all the work takes place at Head Office as they create all the payslips relating to hours worked. The Milton Keynes store does not do this. If anything were to change in the area of the functions in the MK store it would be that the managers office may need to be increased in size. This is because the manager may need to employ someone (or keep the sales and service supervisor) to deal with the time sheets that have been sent to the computer in there using the clocking-in system. This is so that they can be sent to Head Office. Obviously, this change will not be very big so the effects the clocking-in system will have on the store is minimal, meaning no extra money will need to be spent to enable the system to be more effective, which is a good thing.
When looking at whether the installation of more tills in WHSmith, Milton Keynes, it is obvious this will have a positive effect on the store. This was explained in A1 but will basically help to keep queuing times shortened which will please customers. This will not cost too much to do, but should be done after Christmas when the new tills are installed. This will ultimately help to increase the profits of the store.
The effect that the tills will have on the organisational structure is that it will mean the Milton Keynes structure will need to become bigger. This is because if more tills are to become open it will mean new staff will need to be recruited and trained so that they can operate on either the “old” tills, or they could work on the “new” tills. This will mean that they will also need to be trained in other aspects of work around the store, as they would only need to go on the tills when it becomes busy. This will mean that the structure of the branch will become wider at the bottom – which is where all the sales floor staff are. Therefore, it will mean the sales and service supervisors will have more employees to look after and support when they need help or are unsure what to do. This may mean that a new supervisor may be needed to help cope with the demand from the sales staff as the run up to Christmas can be very busy and demanding – which could become very stressful on them.
Because there are more staff it will mean that the internal communication will be affected in a negative way. The way this will happen is because there will be more sales staff than there has ever been working on the shop floor. As there will be an increased amount working it will mean that the senior people in the stores (manager, assistant manager, operations supervisor etc) will have more people to deal with. This can make it difficult to deal with individual members of staff or to talk to them, as they will not have enough time to talk to individuals. This may make some employees feel neglected and that they are not being recognised due to the fact that they have a lack of communication with these senior workers in store. This will not be because they do not want to talk with employees, it will be because they will not be able to as they are very busy people and have a lot of work to do. This may mean that more staff meetings may need to be held more frequently to help bring managers and employees together so that they can communicate with each other – as this may be the only way to help everyone keep in contact. However, this cannot happen during work time as customers will need to be served and they cannot just leave the store unattended! This/These meeting/s may therefore have to take place after work one day when the store is closed. But will any employees want to stay behind work to have meetings? Very few may want to do this, meaning there will be a breakdown in communication in store, which will not have a very good impact on the working environment. This may mean employees may have to be paid money to stay for the meetings as overtime, which will cost the company money, which should not need to happen. This is why more tills will have a negative effect on the internal communication in store.
The external communications will also be affected. The way this will happen is because there will be a better communication between customers and employees. This will be due to the increase in the amount of tills in store because new employees will be needed in order for the tills to be run successfully. This will therefore mean there will be additional members of staff to help accommodate customers’ needs, in any way that they need them to be sorted. This will mean that there will be more communication between employees and customers as there will be more of them, and it will also mean there will be stronger links between the two. This will therefore mean that communications between the two will be affected in a positive way as customers will be able to find help easier in store when they need it, which will also help them to remain pleased and will make them want to carry on shopping in Smith’s for these reasons.
The objectives that will be met from installing new tills are that it will show that the store is “continually raising standards of service in the business.” This is because the increased amount of tills in store will mean that it is proving to the customers that they are trying to help to increase service levels and reduce queuing times. This is a good thing because if they are showing they can improve one thing in store (amount of tills), it will show that numerous other things can be improved as well and will not take masses amounts of time to do, as the tills have not. The increased amount of tills will also show that more employees have been taken on and have been trained to high standards, meaning no matter which till the customer purchases their goods from they will still be served at a high level, which is a good thing and helps to prove that the objective is being met. Another objective, which is being met from introducing new tills, is that employees will be “kept motivated.” The reason for this is that with new tills it will mean that new employees will be needed. This will mean that the new employees will only need to go on the tills when it becomes busy. However, speaking from experience, working on the tills in store can become very tedious after periods of time. This is because of the same actions made possibly hundreds of times in a short period of time on busy days. This can make staff feel de-motivated as they become bored doing the same thing over and over. But due to these tills only being needed to be opened when it is busy, they will only need to be open for certain periods of time meaning the employees who work on these tills will be doing different work when the tills are shut. This can mean that when they are working around the shop floor they may enjoy it more and feel more motivated. But when they get bored of working around the shop they may be needed on the tills again. This will make them feel more motivated when they go back on the tills – and if this process continues to carry on (working on tills and then on the shop floor) they may feel less bored and will enjoy their work more, which will in turn mean customers will be treated better, which means the introduction of more tills will help this objective to be met better.
The effects that the increased amount of tills will have on the functions of the business are that it will mean that the cash office that is in store may need to either be increased in size or it may need to have more employees (of authority) working in there. The reason for this is because busy days (weekends) will mean the new tills will most probably be open for a majority of the day, if not all. This will mean there will be a bigger demand from employees to be kept up-to-date on their tills. The most important things that are needed on the tills are that change needs to be kept topped up in the tills, gift vouchers run out regularly and need replacing often – especially at Christmas as they are given as presents a lot, phone vouchers also sell fast as well as stamps. Activation codes for magazine subscriptions are also kept in the till in few amounts and because there is an offer of 3 for 2 it encourages customers to buy 3, which means 3 activation codes are needed. This will mean there will be a bigger demand from the tills as there will be more that need to be kept toped up. The reason why vast amounts of cash, gift vouchers, stamps and phone vouchers are not kept in the tills is because if there was a robbery to occur in store it is very easy for the till to be removed from its case. This is made easier as notes, which are put in the counter cache by employees, are on the other side of the till when it is open. This makes the till an easy target for robbers to take – which is why WHSmith, Milton Keynes does not run the risk of keeping masses of notes, coins or anything else in the till. This is why someone else may need to be employed in the cash office – so that it can be run efficiently and so that tills can be refreshed when necessary, without any difficulty. The other function of the store, which may be affected by more tills, is the small function of the recruiting of new staff – run by the training and communications supervisor. This is because she will need to employ some new staff so that the new tills can be run when they need to be, and are, opened in store. This will just be like any other recruiting done by Louise but will need to be done simply for the new tills. This will therefore only be a small effect and will not last very long – but it will still affect the business, as increased wages will need to be paid out. This will mean that the time sheets will need to be updated by the sales and service supervisor in charge of them, unless they install the new clocking-in system. This will mean the new employees’ hours worked will need to be calculated and dealt with – which is the other small effect these new tills will have on a function of the store.
In saying this I feel that I have evaluated the effects that these new, or alternate approaches, will have on various aspects explained above in the store.
