UGB261 Management: Allstyles Department Store Case Study Analysis

This case study analyzes the management practices at Allstyles department store, a large retail establishment with ten departments. The report examines the management functions, including planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling, and their importance for the store's success. It explores the role of Rebecca, the General Manager, and her responsibilities in overseeing various aspects of the business. The case study also identifies and discusses two relevant management theories: contingency management theory and scientific management theory, explaining their applicability to the Allstyles department store context. The analysis highlights how these theories can be used to improve decision-making, enhance operational efficiency, and address specific challenges faced by the company. The report provides a detailed examination of the management functions and the application of the theories to the given case study. It offers insights into effective business operations, strategic decision-making, and leadership, demonstrating the practical application of management principles in a real-world setting.

Case study All style
department store
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
What are the management functions as well as roles played by Rebecca in the given case. Also
why it is important for All styles department store.....................................................................3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................7
Identify as well as discuss two management theories which are applicable to this given case...7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11
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INTRODUCTION
Management define as the art of doing things in a systematic manner as well as optimum
utilization of resources in order to develop favourable results. It is a management principles
which includes practices such as planning, managing, arranging, controlling, guiding which
assist in order to perform all the operations in effective as well as efficient manner. This as a
result accomplish all the organizational targets in appropriate manner. Therefore, management is
one of the key function for the growth and development of the business entity at the competitive
environment in an effective manner. According to the given case study which is about the
company named as All styles department stores. It is one of the well known brand within the city
and have almost 10 departments where the products includes range of clothing, furniture, carpets,
different electrical goods. In this report various sections are going to be discussed where
management functions along with the role played by Rebecca are going to be examined. Apart
from this, analysis of two management theories in relation to Allstyle department stores are
going to be discussed in the present report in a well defined manner.
MAIN BODY
TASK 1
What are the management functions as well as roles played by Rebecca in the given case. Also
why it is important for All styles department store.
Effective management is one of the most essential function in order to run a business entity
in a smooth and systematic manner. Maintaining all the operations means getting all the things
done by self and with the help of others in order to accomplish their goals and objectives in an
effective manner. There are five main management functions which includes planning,
organising, staffing, directing and controlling. These are the functions which perform in a group
manner so that organisational goals and objectives will be achieved in an effective manner. In the
present context of Allstyle department stores, according to a case study it is significant for a
manager to become successful and for this they need to perform all their work in a well defined
way and in a systematic manner. For this, Rebecca manager of the company involved in different
sort of practices which includes meeting with each and every departmental managers, plan for
meeting and many more which make her realise that it is necessary for a manager to performs all
the management functions as well as roles in more effective & efficient manner. Some of the
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most essential functions which needs to be performed by the management team of Allstyle
department store are going to be discussed as follows:
Figure 1, Five Functions of Management
(Source: Five Functions of Management. 2020)
There are five main elements which are included in appropriate management of all the functions.
These elements are going to be discussed in a detail manner as follows:
Planning: It is considered as one of the most effective, future oriented element which help
an organization to plan all the functions in a detail manner. Planning is a rational as well as
systematic method of taking decisions which have their direct influences on the growth and
success of a business entity. Therefore, it is a function which is future oriented and help in taking
decision for near future after examining all the aspects in a detailed way. In academic language,
Planning is defined as an ongoing process in order to develop various entrepreneurial decisions
in a systematic manner along with arranging all the needed elements for performing and
implementing decisions for the accomplishments of organizational goals and objectives. In the
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present context of Allstyle department stores, the general manager of the company Rebecca
conduct planning on a regular basis before taking any kind of actions. Whether it is conducting a
meeting with manager or communicating with staff members and direct them for their target,
Rebecca makes plan in a detailed manner so that errors and defects can be eliminate. Apart from
this, it will also help in creating strategic decisions in order to attain organizational objective in
an efficient manner. Team members are required to do brainstorming sessions so that innovative
ideas will be generated.
Organising: The main aim of organising management function is that they arrange or
delegate all the required resources and workforce needed to attain the objectives. Manager need
to coordinate with other organizational departments in order to organise all the essential
elements. These departments can be human resource, marketing, finance, production and so on.
This will help them in order to create positive working environment as each and every required
elements are there which help in manufacturing high quality goods and services. Apart from this,
it has also been identified that organising resources are not the only thing but there must be
effective arrangement of workforce so that all the goals and objectives can be achieved in an
effective manner. In the present context of Allstyle department stores, the manager of the
company allot all the works to the staff members and ensure that they will organise each and
every activity in an appropriate and systematic manner so that favourable outcomes will be
produced. Furthermore, each and every person get the work as per their skills and capabilities
and they ensure that all the work will be completed within specific time period and in effective
manner.
Staffing: Another essential function for effective management of organisational objectives
includes staffing where fulfilling the vacant job position with appropriate candidate is required.
Hiring people as per the requirements for both non-managerial and managerial level is quite
necessary which help the business entity . This is the function which includes the process of
hiring, recruiting, training, managing, improving, assessing staff with appropriate benefits,
incentives as well as enthusiasm. As it has been identified that human resources are considered
as one of the most crucial factor therefore it becomes essential to hire skilled and qualified
candidates. This is one of the most essential function which is quite necessary as each and every
person have their own knowledge, skills, capabilities which might not be suitable for the
business organisations. Therefore, it is necessary for the managers to examine the skills and
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abilities of candidates before hiring them so that they can reduce any sort of negative situation
while doing business operations. In reference to the present organization which is Allstyle
department stores, the manager of the store which have 10 departments hire skilled and
competent staff as per the requirements of the business entity which leads towards the growth
and success of a company. Therefore, staffing is the another most essential element which
provide ample number of benefits to the organization so that the goals of company can be
attained in an effective manner.
Directing: Apart from planning, organising, staffing one of the most effective function is
to give direction to the staff members in such a way that they will be able to gain positive
outcomes and attain the targets in more accurate and effective manner. This is the function which
requires proper communication, leadership and encouragement from the management team so
that the staff members will be able to perform all their business in proper way so that the goals
and objectives of the company will be attained in a best possible way. Leadership is the
important thing where proper guidance is required by the management team and leaders along
with two way communication so that feedback can send and receive on a regular basis. In
addition to this, encouragement is another essential aspect which help in getting direction from
the higher authorities and employees feel motivated and satisfied which improves their efficiency
and performance of the staff members. Supervising and guiding their subordinates helps in
enhancing the performance and efficiency of the workers which as a result leads towards the
attainment of organizational goals. In the present context of Allstyle department stores, the
general manager of the business entity direct their employees what they can do to improve their
performance and what needs to be avoided by them. According to the given case study, there is a
meeting conducted for developing some promotional strategy for the upcoming end season sale.
For this, manager is required to provide guidance to the staff members related to their target so
that they can attain all the organizational goals in an effective manner.
Controlling: This is the last function of management which says that it is very essential for
the management team to control all the elements and activities in an effective manner. The
practices consist of creating some standards for their task performance, examining performance
and comparing them with the actual and standard performance. If there is a gap between actual
and standard performance then it is required by the managers to take effective precautions which
assist them to fill the bridge in an appropriate manner and produce favourable outcomes. It is the
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function where manager actually observe their staff members and examine the way they conduct
all the functions. In addition to this, managers are required to provide feedback, appraisal,
reviews and benefits to the staff members as per their performance so they feel motivated and
conduct all the business functions in an effective manner. According to the view point of Kootntz
& O’Donnell, “Controlling define as the method of measurement as well as rectification of the
performance in order to gain desired business objective in more effective and efficient manner”.
In the present context of Allstyle department stores, the manager of the corporation can conduct
controlling management function in an effective manner by setting standards performance and
examine after a fixed period of time and make analysis between actual and standard
performance. In addition to this, there are some adjustments which need to be done by the staff
members based on the analysis:
 Staff adjustment: The managers of the business entity are required to create some
challenging and beneficial decision such as either they should reassign their staff whose
performance are below the set standards. This decision can directly affect the outcome as
well as cost of the business entity while attaining business objectives.
Budget adjustment: In this context, managers of the stores need to observe the current
situation of resources and budget which assist them in order to conduct their manufacturing
process. As per the case study, it has been identified that company faces staff absenteeism issues
where Rebecca suggested to the manager that they must attend some additional training sessions
on staff motivation . This add extra cost which affect the overall budget of the company in a
negative manner. Therefore, it is required to cut down the additional cost and unnecessary
expenses.
TASK 2
Identify as well as discuss two management theories which are applicable to this given case.
Management theories define as the suggested strategies which includes ample number of
tools such as framework and guidelines. These frameworks can be used by organization in their
business functions so that they can extract best out of it. In the present context of Allstyle
department stores, where managers apply various different management theories in their
workplace so that managers such as Rebecca can focus on their main target and objectives. Two
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of the most effective and suitable management theories are going to be discussed in a detail
manner as follows:
Contingency Management Theory:
A contingency approach to the management is completed based on a theory which says
that effectiveness of management is quite contingent and dependent on the interplay among the
implementation of management attitude & particular situations. In simple words the way
managers need to manage the situation modify as per the changing environment and fully based
on the situation of the company. Contingency theory of management is framed in the year 1950s-
60s by Fred Fiedler. This theories is completely based on the thought that the style of leadership
was linked to traits of a leader presented by them in a specific situation. In the present context of
All style department stores, if higher authorities or manager of the company adopt this theory
they must have effective knowledge about the styles best suitable for the situation. Moreover, it
is also required by the managers to keep modify their strategies when ever required and
communicate it with the staff members so they have enough knowledge about the current
situation. Apart from this, it will assist them in order to maintain long term sustainability of the
company by developing strategies as per the changing environment and needs. If talking about
the present organization which is All style department stores who have ten departments where
they provide large number of products and services to both men and women. Along with this,
manager of the company perform ample number of task which assist them in order to create
positive working environment, employees feel motivated and safe, reduction in absenteeism and
so on. Therefore, with the help of proper leadership and management style, organisation will be
able to gain positive outcomes in an effective manner.
Administrative theory of management:
This management was coined by Henry Fayol, who examine various issues from the
point of view of a manager. Along with this, he categories various activities such as accounting,
financial, commercial, technical and so on. After examining the whole situation, Fayol develop
14 basic and common principles which needs to be considered by each and every organization in
the present era while doing business operations. Some of the most essential principles which
needs to be adopted by All Style department stores are going to be discussed as follows:
 Division of work: This is one of the most essential principle where it has been said that
each and every individual must allot work on their basis of their skills and specialisation.
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This will assist them in order to accomplish all the allotted targets in an effective manner
with more effective manner. In reference to the present context, Rebecca who is the
manager of All style department stores allot the work to each and every person on the
basis of their skills.
 Authority as well as responsibility: This is the principle of management which says that
the authority & responsibility both the elements are linked with one another and together
form positive outcomes. Authority refers to the power given to the individual whereas
responsibility is all about accountable. Therefore, in a business entity who have the
authority automatically have some sort of responsibility which needs to be considered by
them while doing business operations. This will create positive working environment at
the workplace which leads towards the attainment of organizational goals in an effective
manner.
 Discipline: This is the element where an individual person within the business entity
needs to follow all the discipline and complete the work within stipulated time frame.
This behaviour or attitude among each staff members help in accomplishing
organizational functions in more effective manner. In the present context of All style
department stores, manager develop strict rules and regulations for their staff members
which needs to be followed by them for the attainment of organizational goals and
targets.
 Unity of direction: In each and every business entity there must be proper direction and
guidance given to the staff members in order to fulfil all the requirements in an effective
manner. In reference to the present context of All style department stores, managers of
the organisation provide direction to the staff members on a daily basis so that they can
aware about each and every strategies formulated to attain the main target.
 Equity: Another essential principle from Henry Fayols 14 principles which is equity
where each and every staff member will be treated in a equal manner and provide equal
growth opportunities to them. This will help in creating dispute free and healthy
environment so that the performance of staff members will be enhanced.
Above mentioned are some essential key elements or principle of management which
needs to be followed by the higher authorities of the business entity so that they will be able to
produce favourable results and resolve any sort of issues and problems. In reference to the
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present organization, manager of the All style department stores Rebecca adopt each and every
principles in an effective manner so that they will be able to attain their targets in an effective
manner. This as a result assist them in order to maintain long term sustainability of the enterprise
at the competitive marketplace and satisfy all the requirements of customers by offering them
high quality products.
CONCLUSION
According to the information mentioned above, it is concluded that in both personal and
professional life management plays very important role. It is required to have effective
management of a business entity which assist in maintaining long term sustainability of the
company. It includes ample number of functions which includes planning, controlling, directing,
managing, co-ordinating & so on which assist in using all the available resources in an effective
manner. Effective management within a business entity help in resolving issues, enhancing
performance of the staff members and many more. Furthermore, there are different sort of
management theories which are contingency, administrative and many other theories help in
maintaining effective communication, motivate and encourage staff members. Along with this, it
also assist in maintaining all the team leaders focused in order to attain the aims of the business
entity. Therefore, it is concluded that management is one of the most essential function which
needs to be considered by each and every individual person so that they will be able to gain
positive outcomes.
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REFERENCES
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