By having a tall structure there is a narrower span of control, which means managers are able to control their workers more efficiently.
There are two different types of structures in a business; ASOS and All Saints both have a tall structure, however some companies have flat structures. A flat structure is where there is a manager and his/her employees, information is well communicated through the hierarchy and decisions are made quickly as the employees have a face to face relationship with their manager. The manager efficiently communicates to their workers and tasks get completed.
However a disadvantage of a flat structure is that employees are harder to be taken care of, if the business is quite large employees may not know what they're supposed to be doing during the time they're working. If a manager is off sick then employees do not have an authority figure telling them what to do.
A key functional area in a business is their customer service, which is very important in any retailer. The customer service in All Saints is mainly based in store, the employees are trained on how to help you with any of your needs, whether that is a complaint about a certain product or wanting to order something into the store. All Saints also have a website which customers can get in contact with the company. This website states phone numbers of the customer helpline and also email addresses which the customer can use to get in contact with customer services.
Asos is an online retailer and therefore do not have an inshore customer service facility, however they do compensate for this and have created on their website a page designated just for customers issues. The customers can get in contact with Asos by phone, email and post, in which they will happily help you fix any problem which you have. Asos have recently developed their methods of customer serves and are now using social media platforms to ensure people are getting the highest quality of help which they need. A company’s customer service needs to be excellent so that customers will return to the store, and are happy with their overall shopping experience.
All Saints and Asos both use smart objectives;
the objectives in the businesses need to be
specific, measurable, achievable, resourced and time bound. Both of my retailers, Asos and All Saints do use all the objectives as part of their strategic aims and planning. It is very important that in a shop such as All Saints, the employees need to be time bound and aware of the time as working in retail is quite fast paced for them. The aims will need to be achievable and also realistic so that the employees can complete them in the business. The aims must be worthwhile particularly in big high street retailers and organisations such as Asos and All Saints.
Both the retailers, Asos and All Saints are organised to achieve a purpose by having factors that influence the strategic plan. These influencing factors are stakeholders, the business environment and the business type.
The stakeholders in a business such as customers, employees and suppliers are very important to the business. These stakeholders are key as the suppliers are the ones who help the business get new stock and the employees are the people who give commendable customer service to customers.
The Business environment is important because it is everything that you can’t control in the organisation. It is the outside influences such as the government and the laws and standards.