Week 5 Learning Activity 1 and 2

To complete the learning activities, please create a new thread for each theme and identify in the subject line the theme for which you are responding. Students are expected to post to each theme by Thursday and to at least two other students (across all themes) by Sunday. In responding to both the learning activities and to other students, please be sure to use the course material using in-text citations and a reference list to cite the source(s) used. Remember, an in-text citation cannot exist without having a corresponding reference list and a reference list cannot exist without having a corresponding in-text citation. Use of the course material using in-text citations and a reference list is always expected in the learning activities and good practice for the assignments in the course. To respond to Learning Activities, click on the blue hyperlink.

The organizing function is where management gathers and synchronizes the resources of the organization (people, capital, and physical) to complete the goals set out in the planning stage.

Learning Activity 1 - Theme 1&2

One of the long-term goals set out by the LLB owners (from wee k4) is to increase sales in the cowboy boot line by 15%.  The short term goal to accomplish this is to create a sales campaign that targets the tourist trade.  This campaign includes:

• Creation of an Internet website (this is part of a larger plan to instigate Internet sales in general)
• Create a Boot blog
• Exposure to local hotels and tourist eateries through pamphlets
• Discount plans for hotel guests
• Boot delivery service to hotels
• Free shipping for purchases

The current budget for the cowboy/tourist portion of the marketing project is $40,000. Mohammed Abul is the marketing director. He wants to hire an assistant to oversee the cowboy/tourist boot line.  The assistant will be in charge of the three current part-time sales associates, give purchasing direction to the purchasing department, run the boot blog, create new copy for the Internet website on a monthly basis, and execute all other duties related to the implementation of new boot tourist campaign.  Salaries for the assistant and the associates are not included in this portion of the budget.  Additional useful facts include: 

Currently the structure of LLB has been adhoc in nature. The long-term decisions are made by the family, Joseph Abul (father, and his sons, Mohammed Abul (marketing) and Ali Abul (store manager).  Fatima Abul (mother) oversees staff and Adoul Abul (brother of Joseph) does the purchasing.  Yara Abul (daughter) handles the finances. There are two full-time sales associates and 8 part-time associates not including the new assistant and the cowboy boot associates.  Store hours are M, T, W, F, S 10:00 am to 6:00 pm Thurs 10:00 am to 8:30 pm

Complete the following based on the information provided above:

• Create a plan that organizes the physical and monetary needs to accomplish the goal of 15% sales plan. This plan would entail defining the physical and monetary requirements that must be used by the assistant to implement the goal.
• Create a detailed organizational structure for the business and the cowboy boot project. This must be in the form of an organizational chart.
• Explain why you chose the structure as opposed to others that you did not choose and what the decision making flow and job tasks are for each person.
• Support your plan and organizational structure with facts from the case and course materials.

Learning Activity 2 - Theme 2

• Explain the type of culture that will enhance the organizational alignment of people in LLB;

• Explain what organizational culture is and how it relates to the structure of the organization;
• Explain why you chose the organizational culture as opposed to others that you did not.

Rubrics

•  Participation Rubric (24%)

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