Investigating Castle Mall management Essay

The castle place is a shopping centre located in the centre of Norwich. It is take ined by the insurance c both in each(a)er- step to the fore Friends Provident. Friends for larnnt employ a whole handlerial team who run the centre. This is c each(prenominal)ed move midpoint Management. This is what I allow for be investigating in my project.E1 Public and Private Limited Companies (PLC) go promenade watchfulness Ltd is a snobby limited company (ltd). A private company is a work with limited liability whose sh bes be not unattached to the overt.A Public limited company (PLC) is a line of descent with limited liability whose sh atomic number 18s ar not available to the public.PLCs atomic number 18 take by law to publish their accounts. This means that they argon available for scrutiny, not only by the accepters (sh arholders), authorization investors, and bankers, but besides, by competitors.The inscription of Association must state all the delegacy that the business is a public company and it must be registered as such. The term plc must conform to forbidden subsequently its name.The differences amid the two, private and public limited companies argon A public company butt raise capital from the frequent public, magical spell a private company is prohibited from doing so. The minimum capital indispensableness of a public company is 50,000. at that place is no minimum for a private company. Public companies must publish far to a greater extent than enlarge accounts than private companies.Advantages1) The sh arholders guide limited liability.2) It is easy to raise capital by issuing more shargons.3) It is pecks easier to raise finance beca pulmonary tuberculosis the banks be much more willinging to lend property to a large, swell up established, as they see it as much less of a rise.4) This all prep bes it easier for the PLC to formulate and expand.5) The shareholders will appoint specialists to manage and runt the c ompany for them.Disadvantages1) Setting up a public limited company is elevated-priced. thither is a lot of judicial brass work tough and at least 50 000 has to be raised forward a PLC hindquarters be set up.2) The PLC has to come forward much more reading closely itself and this again is very expensive to produce. It has to prepare and annul report as well as annual Accounts and these sacrifice to be printed and sent to all the shareholders. They in addition available to the oecumenic public and competitors to see.3) The extent to which any one individual, or chemical group, endure go along agree of an boldness is severely limited by the sale of its shares on the stock exchange. A family whitethorn find their influence on a business diminished when a listing is obtained.In turn, this means that publicly quoted companies are always vulnerable to take over bid. This may book the decisions interpreted by linealors.For example, they may be more inclined to le nd by back on staffing during a recession, whereas a private firm would pauperism to hold on to experienced staff for when the economy starts to recover.E6 Communications at that place has to be converse between each member of staff for the company to function properly. I will now look at how this burn be done within the company.Uses of intercourse To cont defend each oppositewise To shit deals To give instructions To give or receive information To exchange ideas To announce architectural plans or strategies To compare actual results against a plan To lay down rules and procedures Job descriptions, organisation charts or manualsDirection of intercourseFormal In clodVertical Vertical* Downwards Between peers, friends or-From well-made to subordinate. Colleagues.* Upwards Could be wedded as From subordinate to superior emotional support.Or to organise a functionHorizontal or lateral or party. People of the same rank,(In the same sectionOr in una uniform sectors)DiagonalInt erdepartmental communication by citizenry of different ranks.Methods of communicationA) Face to face communications Formal impact Word of mouth Interviews Informal contactB) Oral communication The call in Public address dustC) Written communication Letters, external arms systems Memorandum, internal mail system Reports Forms Notice board News permitters, bulletins, home journals Organisation manual, handbook, leafletD) Visual communication Charts Films, PowerPoint PresentationE7/A3 caliber cover* select is one of the ingredients in the purchasing decision of consumers, who demand ever-increasing levels of superior* Any firms that ignore the attribute aspect of both inputs and outputs risk losing food market share to those firms who make it a priority.Quality is defined by the wonterW E Deming (Ameri faeces Quality Guru)Quality Defined* It is difficult to provide a single definition for tint as it means different crystalliseics to different groups of multitude. Cer tainly the perception of the customer is a key element.hither are some of the minimum requirements for customer satisfaction* Fitness For aspireThe product can do what is it meant to do. This is a purposeful definition as it can be applied to a across-the-board variety of products, including threepenny products such as disposable pens.* encounter the minimum normals prescribed by acts of parliamentswellness and Safety, Weights and Mea certain(a)s and Trade Description Legislation provides a good framework for minimum standards across a wide range of goods.* Meeting trade association standardsSome industries train self regulating bodies that as received their members work, e.g. the national house building council.In final analysis it is the customers perceptions of reference that really matter, firms must strive to convince the market that their product/ overhaul is the best value for silver.Quality chink SystemsIn the past, Quality Control in the UK meant inspecting the product after production has taken place. In other words it was a faultfinding exercise.Today step control it is all about building in persona at each gift of production. Such a preventative onset reduces the high costs of rejects and re-working. The Japanese completeed this is turn inn asTotal Quality Management (TQM) canonical features of TQM are* The establishment of culture of quality among all employees* The recognition of quality chains where each put of production is treated as a separate customer to be valued and looked after* The use of Quality Circles* Empowerment of workforce* The emphasis on after-sales service as well as quality manufacture.TQM is not a focal point tool but a Philosophy. Requiring a complete mind shift on behalf of the immaculate company (Managers and employees)Quality InitiativesIn recent years these have been galore(postnominal) initiatives introduced to assist firms to give Assurance.QualityQuality AssuranceRefers to all of the activities that reckon the fit delivery of goods and services to end customer.Quality Assurance refers to all of the activities that en original the satisfactory delivery of goods and services to the end customer.Key factors include* The quality of inputs such as raw materials and components* The quality of the design process so that the products meet customer requirements whilst still being economic to manufacture* To appropriate skill level of the workforce and its commitment to quality assurance* The quality control methods employ in the production process* The quality of advice at the purchasing point and after-sales serviceThe Main Initiatives Have IncludedTQMA philosophy of qualityQUALITY CIRCLESAn informal backchat group careworn from all parts and levels of the business that meets regularly to discuss quality occupationsKAIZENAn approach to advocates continuos improved in s core steps pattern of than a free-enterprise(a) overhaul of the production system.BENCHMARKINGIdentifyin g the best practice of the antedateing firms and using that as a yard stick with which to measure ones own performanceISO 9000An international quality certification procedureZERO DEFECTSA philosophy that encourages all employees to strive for the crowning(prenominal) goal of a perfect productTRAININGWhere perplexity has recognised that for quality to be certified a quality culture must be implemented at each stage of the process it is imperative therefore to train all employees to have the requisite skills, both for their direct tasks and for quality monitoringQuality can be achieved in diverse ways but the ultimate goal is to satisfy the customer, which of course is a constantly moving bearing.The thing is that fortress core Management does not sell anything. This can be a caper when trying to implement quality control. To overcome this they have to vet the stores they have in the centre and make sure that they use quality control. This would help castle center of attentio n management reach their nonsubjectives oddly the principal(prenominal) objective to make a profit. As fortress eye management do not sell anything they cant run certain procedures. This means that the design and production side is out of their hands, but is it? If they pauperization to be really sure of what they are bumpting into they can gybe with the firm or business to have an input into what they are selling. For example, they could sum up the production side of a chocolate shop making sure that their production line is of a high standard and that they are not breaking any laws. other(prenominal) thing they could check, although not directly urgency with quality is where the product is made. If a product is made in a teeny 3rd world country with the staff getting salaried for example 50p a day they might disagree with this and not earmark the shop to trade in their centre. I believe that one of their objectives should be to help the customer in buying a quality product.The use of quality control to add value.* Adding value For landlord* Increase foot exit* Increase spending* Operate a profitable milieumetropolis* Investment in the city* PrecencePopulation* Provides romps* Provide social outlets* Sponsorships* Castle middle is the only underground shopping centre in westbound Europe. This makes it a landmarkE2/E3/C1 The objectives of Castle midpoint ManagementObjectives A argumentation of what an organisation necessitates to achieveObjectives are a statement of what an organisation wants to achieve through its operation. A firms formal objective is habituated in its memorandum of association, and larger firms may publicly state their general philosophy and values in a list of objectives. For virtually PLCs profit is only one goal among others.Objectives provide criteria for decision-making. Most firms normalize these general objectives into more dynamic aims, which are intended to drive the organisation forwards in the chosen dir ection. Mission statements are focused declarations of intent, designed to energise staff at all levels to work in greenness cause.In practice the overall objectives of a large firm adopt translating into terms that have meaning for each operation or function. This may mean that one objective is particularly highlighted.1) The Main objective is to make a profit. They have to make a profit in parade to ensure that the investors i.e. Friends Provident get return on their investment. This is the main objective of almost businesses they set out to make notes. If they do not thusly they are considered a failure.2) To provide a Safe and well(p) environment for their customers. In order to make a profit tidy sum have to come in to the centre. If possible customers feel that the centre is secure and they will be arctic so they may visit and return for all their of necessity. If they consider the centre and car parks not to be safe accordingly they will not visit as they feel that they or their property is not safe.3) To increase footfall per year. The footfall is the amount of race that visit the centre in a measured time. The more mountain that come in the more chance of them buying items and the Castle inwardness making a profit. Even if a non-customer walks through the centre commonplace on the way to work then they may see a shop or an item in a window, which they may come back and buy it when they want it.4) To increase amounts of visits per person. This is not the same as footfall as footfall is the amount of quite a little who visit the amble, whereas the quaternate objective is to increase how many times one person visits in a measured period. Again more visits means potentially more profit.5) To increase visits from within a large catch-ment subject. Trying to gain custom from shops in a large catch-ment area. This means trying to get potential customers from other places of Norfolk up to a 1-hour drive away.6) For customers to stay longer when they get there. The longer the customer stays the more money they are probable to spend. Also with plenty of food restaurants in the mall if people are there a long time then they may get hungry and buy food. This will help increase profit.The overall objective all the objectives lead to is toMake a profit.E4 The Functional areas of Castle nerve centre management LtdThe main functional areas of Castle Mall Management Ltd are* Marketing* Accounts* memorial tablet* Security* Human resources* nutrient Court* client serviceEach area has its own responsibilities and objectives. Next I will explain each areas certificate of indebtedness* Marketing Public Relations announce-Briefing the creative/media buying agencies-Approving copy and schedules-Ensuring targets and deadlines are met Web Site Christmas Decorations Promotions-Events-Displays-Activities investigate Sponsorship Buying -Maintaining stock levels-Existing literature-Briefing in newly requirements-Checking prints qua lity-Distribution Health and Safety checks on displays* AccountsThe accounts section of Castle Mall Management Ltd looks after the money side of the company. This can involve checking and counting all the money side of the centre. This can range from making sure people have paid their rent and how much they should have paid to counting the money that is put into the car park pay machines. This is a very crucial side of the company as without them they would not get any money in and staff would not get paid etc.* AdministrationAdmin look after the physical compositionwork side of the company. This can involve writing to side clients and customers with information about the centre. Also it can involve internal communication helping the company run. Without the admin department the company could not run, this is because they basically manner everything out. If a letter conveys to be sent, a contract needs to be singed or a delivery needs to be taken admin are there, if they cannot categorisation it out then they can contact a someone who can.* SecurityThe security department is a very definitive in the Castle Mall. Weather you see them or not they are always there. There are a team of highly handy security staff patrolling the Mall 24/7. This offers a visual charge for the customers, making them feel safe and secure. What the customers dont see is the main control room where the operation is run from. Here they control over 50 cameras. Some of these are visual to the customer, some a inexplicable Matchbox cameras which can be hidden basically anywhere. The CCTV system is very pregnant in the mall, if a piazza is spotted then the security guards can be contacted by radio and told any information they need to sort it. The security staffs also are called into action when there is a advance alarm. When this happens the mall is evacuated and the fire service is called, when they arrive its the security guards mull over to visualize them to the area wher e the alarm is. When the all clear is given it is the guards job to let everybody back into the mall. From shoplifters to lost customers the security guards are helping the mall function properly.* Human ResourcesThe human resources department is in charge of the example side of the company. This can involve placing adverts in the paper for a new position, looking at the application forms. Deciding on candidates and then interviewing them. They would then have to decide on a new employee with their experience and knowledge.* Food CourtThe food court has a different sort of symmetricalness with Castle Mall Management, they are directly accountable to Castle Mall Management Ltd as there targets are set by them. If they are struggling to meet this Deadlines Castle Mall Management will interact and try and sort the problem. As they have this relationship the profits they make are shared with Castle Mall Management. This is a pre-arranged accordance, which was sorted when the mall c ontrol surfaceed. As the food court is a large part of the mall and is terminationly linked with Castle Mall Management they have their own animal trainer within Castle Mall Management. It is their job to make sure that the food court are meeting their targets and are running with no problems.* guest ServiceThe customer service desk and team have a large area to cover. They basically look after the customers of the mall. Here are some of the areas they cover. reading services for the mall and local area. Security motorcar parking Disabled parking and access Disability service supportmobility Information leaflets Public relations informing public about evens Baby ever-changing facilities Good signage and directions First aid Directory leafletsAlso the customer service desk is also the first place to make a billing. It depends on the nature of the complaint as to how it is dealt with. However, all that make a complaint will get a letter of some kind of response from the cent re manager. solely complaints are dealt with as soon as possible. If necessary clients/customers will be invited backs and helped. one and only(a) example is when a fire alarm went off and a mother with a toddler with a pram had to carry the pushchair down flights of stairs because she had taken the wrong turning. She aired her concerns to CMM Ltd who invited her back to show her that there was an access/ exit especially for disabled/pushchair access. This alleviated her concerns and she is more than likely to return to the shopping centre because her concerns were dealt with efficiently and effectively.Complaints cam be made either through the information desk or by post.Customer fills in formThey will then be sent to the management suite where the corresponding manager will deal with it.Investigation carried outAnd acted uponE5/C2/A1/A2 Organisational social organizationsWhen you look at the building of Castle Mall Management it looks, as it is graded (See additional page 1) . This is not 100% true, when I asked Erik Kirk the manager of Castle Mall management Ltd he expound them as having elements of all social organizations and cultures.Organisational structures can be described as flat, ranked or matrix shaped. Where decision-making is decentralised, the structure tends to be flat. This means that managers and the staff are given wide ranging responsibilities in deciding what to buy, what prices to charge and which staff to employ etc.An organisational structure where decision-making is decentralised it can be described as flat because it does not have many layers.A disadvantage of this type of organisation is that decision-making can be slow. For example any decision that is made this way can take a long time. However, the decision-makers have the advantage of being close to the others day to day activities. In other words there is not along line of communication between the decision-maker and the work to be done. The most extreme version of this is the sole trader who does all the work and carries out all the decisions of the business.Some organisations have in recent years deoxidise out layers in the middle management with the aim of improving communication and decision-making. It can be called de-layering this has had the effect of widening the span of control of the managers who are left.This means that managers can become overwhelmed by the information coming to them and the quality of decision-making suffers. The managers start to loose control over practices and procedures.Narrow Span of control Wide Span of controlAn alternate way to run the business is to centralise operations. This approach takes decision-making power away from junior staff. This resulting structure is described as hierarchical. ripened staff makes all-authoritative decisions. Below is an organisational chart demonstrate a centralised structure it has several layers of command and is pyramid shaped, i.e. wide at the bottom and narrow at the top . Most large businesses are organised in a hierarchical structure. The senior managers are answerable for taking decisions affecting the whole, or large parts of the businesses whilst shop bedeck workers mainly carry out decisions made by others.ManagerSenior executive program Senior supervisorJunior supervisor Junior Supervisor Junior Supervisor Junior SupervisorShop Floor Workers Shop Floor WorkersThe Key advantage of a hierarchy is that it allows strong leading and centralised decision making. It ensures that the organisation has a consistent policy, approach or activity.A problem with hierarchy is that the line of communication between top and bottom might be quite long. There are layers of people who to receive and pass on information and at each stage the Information can be reinterpreted or misinterpreted. One way of avoiding this problem is to delegate decision-making. This means that people within the organisation are given the agency to make decisions themselves rathe r tan wait for instructions from the top.Advantages and Disadvantages of centralisationAdvantages* Bulk buying reduces costs* Fewer staff are required in the whole operation.* The scope for specialisation increases* Producers such as edict and purchasing can be standardised* Planning and control tends to be more effective* Decisions are made for the good of the company rather than the branch* leadinghip is likely to be stronger and more consistentDisadvantages* spirit managers may be less motivated because they have less responsibility* Local needs are less likely to be met* There is less flexibility* There may be more political science* Communications between different sections might be poor* The burdens of management is more concentrated to the centreMore example of StructuresLocation assort Breweries LtdCalsberg/ all in allied Breweries AlliedTetley UK Netherlands BreweriesTradingWorld-wideProductAllied Lyons PLCSpirits sell Brewing Food+ ManufacturingWholesalingSome organi sations have structures that cannot be described as flat or hierarchical. They use crying that cut across handed-down departmental boundaries. Sometimes the tears are permanent, in other cases the are brought together for a specific purpose. Project tears are more and more being used by businesses to develop new products. Such tears have MATRIX STRUCTURES. In that the have members drawn from several departments.One example of a project team is the one Rover used to develop the 600 series. From the start of the project, stylists, manufacturing, production engineers, production line operates and suppliers all worked together. All team members had the agency to act without consistent referral to senior management.StylistsEngineers Team Leaders Production lineOperatesSuppliersHow does the organisational structure affect its performanceThe organisational structure of Castle Mall Management (or as they call it the Family Tree) has a hierarchical shape. This means that there is one main centre manager. The centre manager Eric Kirk then goes directly to a deputy centre manager. They then lead directly to four other managers of separate divisions. The marketing, food court, security and administration manager all then head a team in that department except the marketing manager who has no team and deeds closely to the deputy and main manager. The structure shows that the centre manager has direct input to the four division managers.I believe that having a structure of this sort will be successful. This is because everyone has a link with everybody else. If there is a problem then there is always someone there to sort it. Also as the main manager has close links with most of the staff under him so if he makes a request they may not mind carrying it out.I think that the structure helps Castle Mall Management meet and exceed its objectives because they work well as a team. This is because everyone is linked with everyone and there is always someone to help you out if n eed be. You see how important they find these as they call there structure the Family Tree. This can help with all objectives, especially the objective, to make it a safe and secure place for the customers to shop. If the employees believe they are doing a important job and feel wanted as a part of a team then they may put more effort. This means that they may make the extra little bit of effort to clean a spillage etc.The management cultureThe management culture of a business is how the people very high on the hierarchy act to the lower down employees and their associates. It depends on how managers act, if they tell people what to do or if they leave it up to them to make their own decisions.A good precedent to show this is the leadershiphip continuum.Autocratic style Participative style salve-Rain Style informatory Consensus DemocraticAutocratic styleAn autocratic leader maintains most of the authority by issuing orders and telling what to do without consulting them. To the au tocrat, the basis for leadership is formal authority. Autocratic leaders may have a few deary subordinates but they usually regard close interpersonal relationships with group members as superfluous. The autocratic style of leader is generally in disfavour in modern organisations.Participative styleA participate leader is one who shares decision-making authority to the group. Participative leadership occupies enough space on the continuum to warrant dividing it into three subtypes Consultative, consensual and elected.A Consultative leader solicits opinions from the group before making a decision, yet does not feel obliged to accept the groups thinking. A standard way to practice consultative leadership would be call a group a group meeting to discuss an issue before making a decision.A Consensual leader encourages group discussion about an issue and then makes a decision that reflects the general agreement of group members. Consensual leaders thus turn over more authority to the g roup than consultative leaders do. The consensus leadership style results in long delays in decision making because every party involved provides input.Free-rain style or laissez-faire styleA Laissez Faire or Free Rain leader turns over almost all authority to the group members and does as little leading as possible. Given a situation in which the work to be done by each employee is clearly defined, weather it is sorting coupons or cutting gears with laser beam, such leaders maintain a hands-off policy. They make few attempts to increase productiveness or to coach their employees. At times the free-rain leader is a abdicator who cares very little for productivity goals or developing subordinates. Erik Kirk of Castle Mall management is certainly not like this as he has very high targets and standards.As with any leadership style, there are some situations in which an autocratic style is appropriate. One example is a high-accident work area where the employees are not particularly kn owledgeable about the potential risks. some(prenominal) autocratic leaders have been successful as high-level leaders in the private and public sectors. One good example of this is taken from Management and organisation by DuBrin, Ireland and Williams. Jack Traimiel, the controversial executive who has meshed key positions at both Commodore and Atari. A co-worker of Tramiels said, Commodore was the house that zany built, and when he left the company, so did the spirit, the aggressiveness and the drive. Decision making also went by the waysideCastle Mall Management are democratic and laissez-faire at times but are autocratic at times of* New EmployeesNew employees may not know about certain parts of the business so if they make decisions however small they could make curtail mistakes, which could cost money or customers. Also if they are not taught they may never learn a certain technique and carry on using the wrong way forever.* Health and base hitHealth and safety is very imp ortant as it involves the welfare of workers and customers. If they want to meet their objective of proving a safe and secure place for people to shop they will have to be very strict on this subject. This means that accurate decisions need to be made which are in lines with all guidelines set by the governments of the world.* SecurityIs very important, again if they want to meet their objectives they will have to be very strict and precise on security matters. This may involve making decisions based on laws and keeping information form other employees lower down the hierarchy.Erik Kirk and his associates like to have a team of workers who are loyal and work hard. He also likes to make them feel part of something, a team. He has an open door attitude when it comes to this. He likes to feel that if there is a problem it can be sorted. No matter how small the problem is he feels that he can help providing answers and privacy.On paper the structure appears hierarchical but it does have elements of a flat structure.Overall the culture is* philanthropist in attitude* Good work ethics* Relaxed* Productive* competent* Good and open communication channels* Clear objectives* Safe and secure working environmentE6 The use of ICT in communicationsCastle Mall management would be severally impaired without ICT. The main use of ICT is communication. There are many areas of communication featuring ICT, these are* E-mailInternal outer* Web site* Alarm System (2 way communication)* Reports* Telephone (external + between departments)* CCTV + Mini camerasE-mailCastle Mall Management uses E-mail to reveal between department, level and centre. E-mail is a very good way of communication as it is virtually instant. Also you can send designs, art and programs as attachment files. This is very helpful as it saves in paper costs and also cannot be lost as with paper. Castle Mall Management uses E-mail to communicate with each other no-matter where they are in the building or country. For example a admin worker could e-mail his supervisor to alert them of a problem or just to book holiday. Another example is Erik Kirk the main centre manager E-mailing another manager of another centre alerting them of a security problem.Web siteCastle Mall Management help run the castle-mall.co.uk blade site. Some Castle Mall Management staff has been trained to update and redesign the web site. The web site can be used to make customers cognisant of events and new promotions. It can also give customers information about what shops are in the mall and what services are available.Alarm systemsThe alarm system in the mall has a communication system built in so if there is an emergency most people in the mall can contact each other through the alarm system to find out whats happening. It can also pinpoint where a person is so if they are in danger then they can quickly be located and helped.ReportsReports are written by all sections of management so that other people in other pos itions know what is happening, why and when. They are written about special events to inform people what is happening and how successful something was. Also reports are written once a week, month and a major one written each year. These reports are read by managers and then sent to Friends Provident or FisPam. To let them know how they are getting on. If there is a problem with the reports then friends provident will try and suggest ways to rectify it.