Communications Issue

Instructions: Read the case study below and answer the two questions that follow. What happens when a big city retailer meets the relaxed provincial lifestyle? A retail firm “Cunninghams” with branches throughout the country has recently purchased “Drake and Dawsons”, a family retail business in Palmerston North. Drake and Dawsons has had a name change, the staff have been retained and sent to training courses on customer service and the whole department store has had an extensive refit so that it now has a much more modern art deco style image with colours of peach, blue and silver grey. However, Janet Harding, the new manager of Drake and Dawsons who has been transferred from Auckland, is having great difficulty in getting the Drake and Dawsons staff to behave in a way that conforms to the Cunningham image. She complains that the staff seem as if they are sleepwalking. They do everything so slowly. Although they have all been put on performance-based contracts so that a proportion of their wages is on commission, this change has not made them any more eager to sell to customers. They still waste time chatting to each other, chatting to customers and take extended tea breaks. She does not feel that they are at all antagonistic towards her. They are just so entrenched in their patterns of behaviour that they seem unable to understand what she requires of them. Janet wants her staff to be knowledgeable, energetic and committed. She wants them to show their enthusiasm in the way they deal with customers. Most of all she wants to see some improvement in the sales figures. She has pointed out to staff that every person who comes through the doors has come to buy – it is up to them to help each person find something to buy. The staff know their stock but they prefer to wait for customers to approach them and ask for help rather than go out to them. Mini-Essay (10%): Identify two key aspects of organisational behaviour covered in your textbook that you consider relevant to the communication issues in this case study and explain which, in your view, is the most important and why. Cite 2 scholarly sources (in addition to your text) and provide a reference list. (Total of 500 words, excluding references). Case Report (15%): You are a communications consultant writing a report advising Janet on the best way to solve her problem in communication terms. Write your report highlighting the most important issues and how to address them. (Total of 850 words, excluding references).