Management at J.C. Penney Company, Inc

Management at J.C. Penney Company, Inc Introduction J. C. Penney Company Inc., (JCP) like other chain of companies in the US, has a history of changing its management strategy to suit the growing demand for good governance (Nafziger, 2012). JCP deals in clothing lines and retail business in various countries of investment. Its position in Texas provides it with an opportunity to serve the suburban community and other metropolises around the world. With over 11, 000 stores across US States, JCP sold its merchandise through personal selling.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Management at J.C. Penney Company, Inc specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In 2013, the company indicated interest in Seattles Best Coffee and Portrait Studios. This explains its business strategy that focuses on a variety of products and services for people through the numerous convenient stores distributed in the country (Talley, 2012). Since the 1960’s, JCP has used a similar manag ement style until the 21st century when it realized the importance of incorporating technology in the new democratic style of management. This paper intends to explain the company’s management style including the advertising technique that helps it achieve a competitive advantage. Changes in J.C. Penney’s Management Style Management strategies have direct impacts on organizational performances since inception. JCP incorporated different management styles owing to the changing consumer environment. Two most common strategies adapted by the company include: Acquisitions and Expansion Since 1960, the company acquired The Treasury outlets, but JCP experienced losses by the end of 1962. This involved an agreement between JCP and a General Merchandise Company that offered the company the stores it needed during the period. Within the same period, JCP extensively accessed about 10 stores through a Milwaukee acquisition contract. This provided the company with an opportunity t o venture into the market in Alaska and other states in the US. Besides these acquisitions, JCP equally purchased Supermarkets Interstate. Normally, an independent organization rarely involves the managing director actively in most house businesses. This enables it to grow even in the absence of the founder. At JCP, it was impossible to operate since 1971 following the death of JC Penny (James Cash). For 30 minutes, all stores across the US closed down in honor of JC’s departure. Instead of accruing losses, the company made huge profits since most suppliers and clients paid tribute to the founder of JCP.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Two years later, the company used its profits to increase the number of stores by over 2000. The company’s lack of autonomy ensured that the top management made most decisions. It was difficult to project future outcome s of an action unless an employee had close relations with the top managers. In 1974, the company faced huge losses because of the inflation. Democratic management styles enable people to share ideas in order to avoid the effects of natural occurrences such as inflation. However, this could not happen at JCP. Online Retail In the early 19th century, JCP began direct marketing by merchandizing its products through the internet. Globalization made it easy for JCP to acquire customers and mergers through the internet. It used this platform to sell shops to established brand names, such as Firestone. Its Viewtron Videotex catalog helped the company to acquire new stores and to market its products. The JCPenney National Bank allowed customers to use credit and debit cards for withdrawal and deposits. These automated cards had the company’s name making it possible for JCP to reach out to many clients through virtual techniques (Nelson, 2005). It had to reduce the number of stores i t opened for automotive purposes. Instead, it directed most people to the online portal. The innovative transition displayed JCP’s change strategy. The company reduced dependence on the founder because of his demise. It adapted a new management style that would help it in increasing profits while it remained competitive. Current Management Style JCP’s current management style focuses on e-commerce, endorsement of celebrities for adverts, and diplomacy in business operations. Myron Ullman, the current CEO, uses technology to enhance interpersonal skills. He seeks to improve a management environment created by his predecessor, Ron Johnson. Its website (JCPenneyBrands.com) creates easy accessibility to products and services making information flow fast and effectively (Hellriegel Slocum, 2007). JCP recognizes the efforts of different designers in their clothing industry. This boosts their self-esteem while motivating them to improve. JCP managers realized that democratic leadership was essential for team building and collective growth of the company. A change in strategy began in 2007 when the management sought to introduce innovative and interactive strategies of communicating with clients. The company expected to increase its profit margins after introducing Ron Johnson from Apple Inc. According to experts, the CEO did not offer a guarantee for success in a company that dealt in completely different products and services from Apple Inc. Opinion JCP’s current management strategy includes generation of creative ideas for overall organizational development. However, it uses radical measures including the ability to lay-off workers and reduction of store acquisition.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Management at J.C. Penney Company, Inc specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Even though these strategies contribute towards profitability, they reflect the opinions of the top managemen t. There is a high possibility that JCP will experience a similar style of management as the era of JS Penny. The CEO seeks to make a general overhaul in the company by assuming the status of a â€Å"start up† organization. Senior Management’s Role Senior managers at JCP including the CFO, CEO, and the creative designer often encourage people to make popular decisions. Ron Johnson played a significant role in transforming the organization from a catalog-based retailer to an internet retailer. According to the CEO, each employee needs to be responsible for his/ her actions within the company. The senior managers ensure that employees develop innovative ideas, which the senior team approves. Johnson has the ability to approve the release of company annual reports. This explains why the senior manager laid-off 600 workers in 2013. Johnson equally supports establishment of virtual stores through the internet. In 2012, the company managed to freeze 100 shops and transformed their business transactions to online techniques (Nafziger, 2012). Today, clients consult the company online platform; they make orders, get shipment, and pay through JCP MasterCard. The transition cost the company many resources, acquisition of a CEO with a successful record from Apple, and loss of stores and workers. In essence, it was not a seamless process and JC’s senior staff had to endure many challenges between 2012 and 2013. Among the decisions made by Johnson, change of designs and pricing strategies took precedence. Even as the transition became a success, employees and clients sought for Johnson’s retirement following the radical strategies he used to change the management of the company. This led to a forceful eviction from the company in 2013. It led to a reinstatement of former CEO, Myron Ullman (Talley, 2012). Celebrity Endorsements During marketing, creative designers sometimes use celebrities since they have the ability to create credibility through their charisma. In 2008, JCP used Ralph Lauren Kimora Lee Simmons to brand position the new clothing line for men and children. The two had a significant impact on sales and expansions for JCP. Kimora Lee provided professional advice to consumers and this contributed to one the highest annual sales of Decree and Fabulosity clothing lines. By the end of 2012, the company profit margins increased to 32.5% (Nafziger, 2012). Celebrities have a natural allure for the audiences they command. Similarly, they are likely to influence sales when used for advertising, or selling. There are several avenues of sales promotion, which Johnson never explored. Instead, he concentrated on innovation, and Ullman has the duty to restore the company image, which he initially created during his tenure.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Innovation JCP needs to implement an automated communication system that makes it easy for customers and employees to exchange ideas. Previous innovative strategies failed since the over ambitious Johnson rarely included employees in rational decision-making procedures. Through video-conferencing and virtual messaging, employers and employees will know all activities in the company and contribute towards its collective development. Instead of laying-off workers, the company will employ competent graduates who will increase organizational performance through technological assistance (Talley, 2012). JCP needs to redeem its brand image by increasing the number of employees and enhancing effective communication with clients. Adaptation JCP displays inability to make a rational decision when choosing organizational leaders. It changes its management strategies quickly and makes it difficult for employees to adapt to a single style of management (Nelson, 2005). The continued alteration of CEO’s delays the achievement of organizational goals, and this affects pricing in the company. After reinstating Ullman, JCP should not interfere with his leadership until 3-5 years elapse. Normally, most organizational strategies function for 3 to 5 years making it impossible to replace the CEO even when he/she has a poor management style. References Hellriegel, D., Slocum, J. W. (2007). Organizational behavior. Mason, Ohio: Thomson/South-Western. Nafziger, E. W. (2012). Economic development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Nelson, B. (2005). The Management Bible. Hoboken: John Wiley Sons. Talley, K. (2012, April 5). J.C. Penney Trims Headquarters Staff. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/

Religion vs. Relationship Professor Ramos Blog

Religion vs. Relationship Summary: Jefferson claims, â€Å"Religion makes you blind, but Jesus makes you see  and thats why religion and Jesus are two different clans. Religion is man searching for God; Christianity is God searching for man.† Jefferson wants people to understand the difference between religion and having a relationship with God. He says Religion says do but Jesus says done. He claims Religion is a hypocritical front people put on to call themselves â€Å"good.†Jefferson makes a statement to let people know that having a personal relationship with Jesus means come as you are. Jefferson states, â€Å"Its not a museum for good people- its a hospital for the broken.† Church shouldn’t feel like a place to come because we are perfect, but instead a place to be real and come as you are even if that means you are broken. Religion is the infection while God’s grace is the cure. Its not about what you’ve done but what Jesus has already done for us. Response:   We agree with what Jefferson is trying to proclaim. People can have their opinions on religion whether its good or bad. Jefferson really lightens up the perspective of just the simplicity of knowing Jesus without all the rules and regulations religion brings to the table. Religion can become like a front making it seem like it’s all okay when in reality people are hurting inside. Now people will have there different opinions on what they believe and thats okay. I believe that Jefferson does a good way of using Ethos to grab the audience attention to try and get people to think differently about religion and start looking at the words and life Jesus lived.

Patient Diagnosed with Hyponatremia, UTI, Confusion and Alzheimer Essay

Patient Diagnosed with Hyponatremia, UTI, Confusion and Alzheimer - Essay Example Therefore, I will give a thorough analysis of Mrs. M’s condition as I plan the bathing activity and its application. My roles in caring for Mrs. M include ensuring that her dignity and privacy are upheld. More importantly, a patient centered care approach is applied. The care will focus on making the patient safe because of the risks associated with her condition. I am obliged to adhere to the legal and ethical code of conduct while caring for my patient and this includes ensuring confidentiality and respecting her. I will also play the role of ensuring that the care of the patient is documented. Cooney, A, et al. (2000) explain that the Roper -Logan-Tierney model of nursing provides that nurses must document the care that is provided to elderly patients with mental illness. This is important because it provides a point of reference that is important for the management of the patient’s condition. Furthermore, I will be responsible of reporting signs of possible deterior ation of the patient’s condition. The love and belonging needs as stipulated by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs are important to the patient especially due to the fact that she lives alone. During the treatment, I will play the role of ensuring that the patient feels loved and cared for so that her social needs are achieved or met. Moreover, Maslow’s theory which describes safety needs can be used to evaluate Mrs. M. The patient has a risk of falling due to the confusion and hyponatremia that she has. As a result, it becomes necessary for me to put the safety of the patient as a one of the top priorities during the nursing care. Mrs. M has a son and a daughter. The assistance that the patient’s daughter gives her illustrates that she has emotional support and love from her family. Sutcliffe (2011) explains that the role of family members in taking care of elderly patients is very important because their social well being is determined by the love and support they get from those who are close to them. Mrs. M lives in Glasgow which is a nice neighborhood with favorable cultural and social factors. This contributes significantly to her psychological and social well being. It is therefore my role to take advantage of the social benefits that the patient has to enhance her wellness and health. I will play this role by encouraging the patient’s daughter to spend more time with her and talk about good moments. This would cause her to be more relaxed and less confused and thus help her to be free from the risks which are associated with her condition. The fact that Mrs. M does not smoke illustrates that her health behavior reduces the risks of quick deterioration of her health. According to Murphy, Gretebeck and Alexander (2007), patient centered care of elderly patients should involve plenty of communication between the care provider and the patient. The role of communication in the care of my patient is very significant due to the conf usion that she often experiences. Through effective communication, I would be able to explain things that are confusing to the patient and therefore enable her to understand her surrounding well. This will help to reduce the risk of falling especially during the bath. Moreover, it is through good communication with my patient that I will be able to determine her health condition, needs, feelings and desires. I will be able to attain the trust of the patient if