Management: Organization and Its Management Structure - Essay Example

After analyzing the organizational structure and culture, the next part would be to understand the effectiveness of this structure and culture with respect to the operations of the organization. Based on this understanding, recommendations would be presented in the last section of this paper. Sophie’s is a clothing and accessory retailer that is based in California, USA. Sophie’s was created by an aspiring fashion designer, Jin Lee who found the capital to invest from her own family. Sophie’s began in 1999 as a small retailer but soon developed its image as a leading fashion retailer that catered to the changing demands of fashion conscious consumers.

It is important that Sophie’s quickly adapt to the changing demands in fashion in order to remain profitable in such a strong market that has reached its maturity. The company buys manufactured cloth and other accessories and uses it to produce fashion clothing and items for its high end consumers. Clothes are imported in the country from developing countries that produce cotton including China, Bangladesh and Mexico and bought from select importers who deal with these countries. The cloth is bought in bulk and stored in warehouses.

Later the cloth is designed according to the specifications of the designers. The designed piece is then displayed on the shop from where it is bought by the customers. 1.2 Company Structure The company structure within Sophie’s is vertical with Jin Lee as the managing director of the company. Vertical organizational structure is where power and decision making is centred at the top and authority moves from the top to bottom. Since Jin Lee is also the founder of the company and is very passionate about the organization, she maintains a rigid control over the organization.

Other than Jin Lee, there are 20 people currently working within the organization. Directly working Jin Lee are the managers of the company which include Store Manager, Design Manager, Supply Chain Manager and Marketing Manager. The store manager has four people working under him who are directly interacting with the customers and providing them guidance on their shopping needs. These employees are mostly part-time workers who belong to diverse racial background which includes a Philippine, a Latino, an Indian and only one White American.

All of them are between the ages of 25-35 and equally divided among the two genders. The employees within the store are directly responsible to the store manager who in turn report to the managing director. The Design Manager has six people working under them. Their responsibilities are diverse including research on latest fashion and dying and stitching of the material. Each person is assigned a specific task and they work by collaborating amongst themselves. The Design manager ensures that each person is allowed to express his own opinion and contribute fully towards the design process.

The Supply Chain Manager is only responsible for two people. Sophie’s has limited its suppliers to only two companies. Each employee deals with one supplier at a time and reports directly to the supply chain manager. The coordination between the two people working under the supply chain manager is minimal. The last manager is the marketing manager who oversees four people under him. The marketing manag