The Management Team in Scotland - Essay Example

? Expanding a U.S. based business (Shopko) into Scotland Expanding a U.S. based business (Shopko) into Scotland Scotland Scotland isa perfect country that has attractive benefits to attract good investment. I have always wanted to visit the country as it has been outlined as the best small country globally. I believe the country is a good place to visit and live since Scots are known for their love, friendliness, and warmth of welcome. Since the country is small, it is small and easy to understand its geography, culture, and history in a short time. In brief, the country covers 31, 510 square miles that approximates to 78, 772 square kilometers, which is about the half size of the England (Crawford, 2007). Edinburg is the capital town where the majority lives above middle class status. Geographically, the country is in the northern part of Great Britain, bordered on the Southern part by England. Most people live in the Central Lowland, which contain the three cities, Stirling, Glasgow, and Edinburgh and other large towns. Most of the other population lives in the north-eastern Lowlands in Dundee and Aberdeen. Inverness is the other populated city where majority lives and work there. The country has diverse climates ranging from temperate to tropical. However, the daytime maximum temperature in January and February is around 5 to 7 °C, but on rare occasions the temperature may increase to 15°C. Temperatures are cooler in Scotland than in Scotland. However, the country is cloudier than England because of its landscape from the Atlantic. Rainfall varies widely from 3, 000 mm per year to 800 mm in the Western Highlands and the East Cost respectively. English is the official language spoken, but some people speak different Scots dialects. The country has a strong culture that greatly influences the tourism industry. Scots are friendly, easy-going, and loving. Thus, there is no discrimination or cultural influence in the way business are conducted. The country’s economic development is largest based on the oil that remains an important element. Fishing and agriculture has also played a significant role in the country’s development. Compared to other countries, most people are living in the middle class income (Wilson, Murphy, & Lonely Planet Publications (Firm), 2008). Shopko Shopko is a company that has been growing tremendously for the past years. The reason for choosing this industry is because I work there and I have seen how the industry is important to international business. Shopko distributes various products such as clothing, jewellery, house wares, along with beauty and health products. The company has a superb reputation of referring to its employees from retail floor to the CEO as teammates. The company has established the need to break down barriers that hinder people to work as a team. To establish a strong teamwork, the company felt the need of referring to its employees as teammates regardless of their position. The management team works hard to collect informal feedbacks and customer surveys. The obtained feedbacks help the company to grow from one level of maturity to another. For instance, it helps in converting the first time clients to potential and frequent clients. For the past years, most clients have constantly affirmed that one of the main reasons they shop there regularly is because of the company’s ideal of friendliness and genuine teamwork. The management team and employee strive to make shopping at Shopko a more personal experience and friendly place. Specifically, feedbacks from teammates and comments posted on the social network sited confirm that Shopko is the ideal place to shop. Managerial Implications To flourish in the tough economic times, the company should create brand ambassadors. The company should create a platform where employees are committed to the mission and understand the strategy of staying ahead of other competitors in the industry. Communication should be been the main ingredient that augments teamwork. The company should use various channels to stay competitive in the industry. For instance, alls store managers and store teammates should have a strong access to the company intranet and email. AS a result, this would enhance effective communication between the general office and stores. The Company should also develop posters, videos, and newsletters, to inform employees on the growth and challenges encountered. One of the most integral parts that Shopko should embrace to strengthen culture is introducing morning huddle whereby every morning before the store open, the manager should discuss together with the staff about what is crucial for that day such as promotional and sales events. Important content should be posted on the notice board to constantly remind everyone in the organization. Additionally, the management team should meet occasionally with the district managers and store managers to discuss areas that need improvement and the growth achieved for a short period. In such meetings, the management team should share with one another on what is working and what is not working. Politically, the management team should base its decision in accordance with the legal system in Scotland. For instance, a business cannot operate as a limited company until it has observed the companies Act 2006. As per this article, directors must file certain documents as annual accounts to establish their business as a company. The government should also exercise the economy through taxation. Business must be found in the legal requirement of trading. The government also implement some business consideration. For instance, citizens and companies, publicly or privately owned are expected to execute their business activities as per the plans established in the law. Businesses should protect the environment and biological diversity. Finally, every business conducted by individuals or companies should safeguard the well being of people, environmental, and economical stability. When investing in this country, it is important to consider the laws that govern the country in terms of economic and political system. It is also important for the company to understand what the constitution states about the private company limited. For instance, a private company is not allowed to distribute its share for sale to the public. With this, the company should set its law and policies as per the constitution principles set in the country. Shopko’s managerial team should work hard to create customer loyalty. The company should strive to meet customers’ needs and wants and increase their buying power. This would enable the company to grow even in a tough economy. The company’s main goal should be to become the leading merchandise retailed that serves the smaller communities in the world. Shopko should connect more with the local community (Losey, Meisinger, & Ulrich, 2005). Company’s Foreign Strategy For the past years, the company has maintained the long range of the strategic planning in the corporate level by conducting an extensive background research on the environment and localities where the company must create a strategy. The company has been working on and leading a wide range of cross functional teams in the world. As a result, this has enabled the company to build new competencies and strategic initiatives that are important for the implementation and achievement of the corporate strategy. As the U.S. based business (Shopko) seeks to expand into Scotland, the company should have a long range planning meetings with the senior executives to learn about the external environment and the country. Prior to expanding to any given region, the company should highlight the key strategic issues that relates to the future of the company and develop strategies that foster growth or development (Nazemetz & Ruch, 2013). There are important reasons why it would be important to expand Shopko in Scotland. For instance, the country has a good supply of natural resources, labor, favourable trade agreements and geographical location, and infrastructure that allow better trading activities beyond the borders. In addition, the manufacturing industry posses the highest weight in the GDP and this has the ability to create jobs and boost the purchasing and marketing power. The extraction of gas and oil indicates how the country’s economy is growing tremendously. The country is also rich in minerals and has a strong fishing industry that is crucial in boosting the economy. The country’s legal system is open to foreign investment because there is no discrimination allowed between foreign and local investors. As a result, the country becomes the perfect destinations for expanding Shopko. The main strength of political parties in Scotland is that it has been the center of the country’s democracy. The political parties have enhanced massive social changes brought by oil and petroleum. The political parties manage the consolidation and survival of the democracy. Political parties play a crucial role in strengthening economic and political power. They dictate how the country functions both locally and internationally in the business world. The development of democratic and a stable system create better opportunities for foreign direct investment. Political freedom has created a favourable environment for business, which in turn, boost the country’s economical growth (Fritz, 2009).  It is important to expand U.S based business (Shopko) into Scotland because of its strengths in politics and economic power. Investing in this country will be a good deal to boost its economic growth because for the past years, its government has implemented laws and regulations that govern and promote foreign investment. The country has not been in conflict with its neighbours or other countries. The government has also worked hard to deter corruption (Aspen Editorial Staff, 2011).  Human Resource implications and strategies Human Resource Management should increase the knowledge, skills, capacities, and people in the society. In economic terms, the HRM should accumulate its human capital and investment to boost the country’s economy. In political terms, HRM should prepare people for political processes and adult participation in political events. From the cultural and social points of view, HRM should help people self-actualize their given skills and talents. In summary, the Human Resource Management should unlock doors and opportunities to modernization. The company should consider the importance of HRM in providing guidance and sense of direction. In this case, the department of human resource should embrace all cultures regardless of their shortcomings or differences. For instance, people from different cultures should be given the chance to apply for recruitment process. In such cases, the human resource team should hire competent employees who in turn would promote the company’s growth and development. The Human Resource should command employees to work together as a team to accomplish the set goals and objectives. The human resource should also create a sense of belonging where every employee feels as part of the team. It is also important to direct the company effectively as per the set goals and objectives. At this point, the human resource team should work hard to foster issues such as organizational flexibility, employee development, adaptability, motivation, and retention. The management framework should be designed in such a way that it fosters customer loyalty and employees’ satisfaction (United States, 2008). A recommendation of a strategy for survival and profitability The company should embrace the fact that Scotland has attractive benefits to attract good investment. The country has a good supply of natural resources, favourable geographical location, labour, and trade agreements that foster investment. Therefore, this country would be suitable for investment because it offers the most profitable opportunities for the employers and national economy. Another profitability of investing in this country is that, the manufacturing industry has the highest weight of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and the ability to create jobs opportunities and a strong purchasing power. With this, the company is in a better position to attract a wide range of clients with a strong buying power. In other words, clients have money and resources to shop and live a fulfilling life. Considering the Scotland’s economy, expanding a business in this region would be the best deal for investment. Past researches reveal that, the extraction of oil and gas account for a large percentage of the country’s gross domestic product (Crawford, 2009). The country has a strong legal system that attracts Foreign Direct Investment. Therefore, this country is suitable for investment since it keeps a strong and favourable tendency of trading. Investing in this country will not only be an opportunity to make huge profit, but also a humanitarian effort to improve the standard of those living in Scotland. I would recommend the company to provide the best products and services that attract people in Scotland. In so doing, the company will flourish well and take over as one of the best industry within that region. The company should also strive to attract clients. As previously mentioned, Scotland is a small country, thus it becomes favourable to market products and services. The company should market its products and services in all regions and convert new clients to frequent and potential clients. The company should also invest on a strong work force that work hard to achieve the set goals and objectives. In this case, the management should recruit competent and retain them. The company may choose reward the best employees to motivate others to work on that plan. It is also important for the company to create job opportunities, which in turn will have a significant impact on the country’s economy. As people become empowered, the country will be in a better position to succeed and eliminate poverty. The country will also improve on its living standards. With these facts in mind, this report would appeal that Scotland is the best country suitable for investment. References Aspen Editorial Staff. (2011). Directory of Corporate Counsel 2011-2012. Aspen Pub. Crawford, R. (2007). Scotland's books: The Penguin history of Scottish literature. London: Penguin Books. Crawford, R. (2009). Scotland's books: A history of Scottish literature. New York: Oxford University Press. Fritz, S. J. (2009). Private equity and its impact. New York: Nova Science Publishers. Losey, M. R., Meisinger, S. R., & Ulrich, D. (2005). The future of human resource management: 64 thought leaders explore the critical HR issues of today and tomorrow. Alexandria, Va: Society for Human Resource Management. Nazemetz, P., & Ruch, W. (2013). HR and marketing: Power partners : the competitive advantage that will transform your business and establish a culture of performance. Milwaukee: Versant. United States. (2008). Private equity: Recent growth in leveraged buyouts exposed risks that warrant continued attention : report to congressional requesters. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Govt. Accountability Office. Wilson, N., Murphy, A., & Lonely Planet Publications (Firm). (2008). Scotland. Footscray, Vic: Lonely Planet. Read More