Management And Organization In The Retail Industry Assignment

Management And Organization In The Retail Industry - Assignment Example Wal-Mart is one of the largest retail companies in the country has recorded the highest profits in the past year. Its founder, Sam Walton opened his first Wal-Mart store in the year 1962 (Archtmeyer, 2003). Walton was a major influence in the retail industry when it comes to using technology, for example, Wal-Mart was one of the first retail stores to introduce bar codes, which automated inventory control. Wal-Mart was also one of the first companies to introduce satellite inventory tracking systems.Companies in this industry use different organizational structures, but the divisional structure is the most common (Galbraith, 2002). The divisional structure is made up of different divisions spread out over a geographical area but under one corporation. The divisional organizational structure is also seen in some of the other retail companies like Nordstrom and Amazon. Nordstrom and Amazon are two of the major competitors in the retail marketing industry, rated as some of the top compa nies in the industry. Small-scale retailing companies use the simple structure as their organizational structure. The simple structure is a design that is less formal, lowly departmentalized and has a centralized authority. In the retail marketing industry, sales and marketing personnel make up the majority of the workforce in the retail industry. This is because the main purpose of a retail company is to sell goods and services to consumers, and the only way to increase revenue is to have more sales.

How has social media influenced Apple market Dissertation

How has social media influenced Apple market - Dissertation Example The emergence of the social media platforms has led to a dynamic shift in how people interact and build a communicative space for communication and information. The Internet is the basic infrastructure on which the social media platforms are based. In the initial stages, the internet guaranteed equal distribution and access and over time it has been further developed that enables data to be transported through ‘tethered applications’, or ‘applied services’ such as Apple’s iTunes to download songs or Facebook to channel social contacts (Dijck, 2012). While this may have been possible due to technological advancements, it has now expanded into the realm of the social and cultural spheres to the extent that these social platforms affect interactions and reciprocal relationships. Social media has been described as an online platform that facilitates content sharing, collaboration and interactions (Coyle, Smith and Platt, 2012). It is a platform where participants can freely send, receive and process content for use by others (Aula, 2010). Social networking applications also enable creating and managing digital expression of people’s relationship or links. As the social media has enhanced social interactions and relationships, it is also extensively been used by marketers as one of the platforms for marketing and promotion. As such it is used by companies to engage the customers. Companies such as Starbucks and CNN use it to build brand awareness and brand equity (Palmer & Koenig-Lewis, 2009). The number of Facebook users and Tweets has reached such a state that consumers and their virtual networks drive conversation, thereby posing challenge for businesses. Companies have become engaged and try to keep their customers engaged through the social media because they believe that if they do not do so, â€Å"they will be out of touch† (Baird & Parasnis, 2011). While many companies have started using the social media platform it is not known how many actually engage and how many have derived benefits from this platform. It is not possible for this study to evaluate the performance of several companies through the social media. Apple Inc is in the field of computer hardware, software and consumer electronics. Their electronic consumer products such as the iPhone, iPad and iPod have particularly changed the way people use the social media. Apple is one of the most valuable brands in the world and has been generating billion dollar revenue figures for over a decade (Statista, 2013). This study would focus