Case Analysis Methodology – Ivey for The Jax Group Backgrou
Case Analysis Methodology – Ivey for The Jax Group Background The… Case Analysis Methodology – Ivey for The Jax GroupBackgroundThe Jax Group is a privately held Canadian company that has been active in fashion footwear and accessories since 1972. Under the leadership of its founder/owner Jax Topher, who is still actively involved in the organization, it has become the country’s major player in its industry. The Group owes its reputation as a retailer to its ability to research and develop new concepts and create its own products. Jax Shoes started by setting up footwear concessions within a Manitoba clothing chain. It then expanded rapidly, opening four stores elsewhere in Canada. By 1980 it had some 30 stores to its credit and had launched its diversification and market segmentation program by acquiring stores operating under the Brees banner. Twenty-five years later, the Group now has a total of 750 stores in North America, Europe and 20 other countries, operating under such names as Jax, Orion, Jupiter, Pluto, Thorn, Blaze and Jax Accessories. What’s more, each banner supports a particular cause, for instance contributing to the fight against AIDs or breast cancer or participating in various other charitable initiatives. The company’s commitment to community causes helps make both its human resources and its clientele more aware of important social issues. Moreover, the Jax Group has built up a client base that includes all age brackets. While the Jax and Orion, Jupiter banners appeal mainly to 18-to-34 year-olds (primarily middle-class youth and students), Thorn and Pluto target families and an older age group. The company’s non-unionized work-force is made up of part-time (75%) and full-time (25%) personnel. The Group employs 15,000 people in all, including about 600 at its head office in Winnipeg. The head office team mainly focuses on product design and the analysis of fashion trends and marketing techniques. In addition, itis responsible for the design and development of the Group’s stores worldwide, using material from local suppliers. Furthermore, in Winnipeg, the company’s distribution centre is staffed by a team of 400 people who are in charge of receiving and checking products made around the globe and oversee orders and their delivery to the Group’s stores all across North America. The company’s operational structure is supported by leading-edge technology to ensure this strategic supply management. Each store is staffed by a manager, an assistant manager, salespeople, cashiers and a merchandising clerk. Because of its high staff turnover, the Group tries to recruit people who are interested in customer service and fashion. In addition to base pay, the company offers a generous incentive program for its full-time workforce. Part-time personnel can also earn good commissions when they reach their sales targets. Thanks to this approach, Jax Group has been able to keep its workforce highly motivated, reward its efforts and carry on its high standard of customer service. Challenges Having achieved such robust growth over the last five years, the Group now faces a substantial organizational challenge. In 2006, it plans to open150 stores in the United States. In the meantime, it continues to expand globally, particularly through developing its network of franchises and licenses, marketing new concepts and expanding its e-commerce sites. In fact, the company expects to achieve $1 billion in sales by the year-end and aims to double its size within the next five years. Two goals implicit in this inter-national expansion are to achieve a workforce of 25,000 and to maintain the high standard of customer service. It also hopes to reach these objectives without increasing its current management team. To meet this challenge, Jax is counting on its strong entrepreneurial culture, which has proven so effective thus far: rapid turnaround, significant flexibility and the ability to adapt to market changes and needs. For example, it now takes only four to eight weeks to disseminate and implement a new market strategy organization-wide. The Group’s status as a privately held company gives it considerable freedom of action in this respect. Because it hasn’t had to worry about shareholder returns, it has been able to concentrate on consumer needs rather than on the exponential growth of short-term sales. Business has steadily developed as a result of this approach, making the company less vulnerable to economic fluctuations. For its future development, the Jax Group can also rely on the three values underpinning its management philosophy, i.e. love, respect and integrity. Love, which the company translates as a keen interest in people as individuals, its partners and products; respect of others for what they are; and integrity in action are all values the company promotes among its management and staff. These values are reflected in its hiring, training and customer service practices. For instance, the Group has setup programs to integrate new recruits. It also regularly reinforces these values and implements various other initiatives to support them. The well-being of its human resources, which is a key priority for the organization, also has the advantage of giving it a competitive edge. Owing to this rewarding approach, the Group can count on a loyal, committed workforce that has been strongly attached to the company for a number of years. The challenge is now to ensure that these values are promoted worldwide since they are crucial to successful growth. The organization’s workforce is young and non-unionized. Its high turnover rate, due to the temporary nature of much of its staff, has prompted the company to examine various hiring practices. The Group’s plans to double its branches mean that it has to be open to the rest of the world and address various cultural and legislative differences, while maintaining a simple yet efficient operational structure. To ensure compliance with standards in the host countries, the Group relies on franchises. In addition, Canadians appear to be more than willing to accept key positions abroad to promote the integration of the Jax culture. The success of the company’s international expansion depends moreover on strong leadership. Jax Topher has built up a solid management team made up of one president and nine vice presidents who ensure continuity and future success. Keeping the management team small is one of the Group’s strategic choices. Each and every step in its development has been marked by a concern to keep administration overhead to a minimum. User-friendly tools and systems have also been introduced to standardize and adapt operations and reduce errors. The Group wishes to continue this approach in the future, particularly in light of its expansion plans. It hopes to be able to integrate 15,000 new members into its workforce without having to institute new administrative functions. Using the Ivey method of case analysis, analyze the Jax case ANSWER SHOULD INCLUDE IN IVEY CABackground Information or SynopsisDivide the case into logically sequenced sections using subtitles. List/highlight the factors, points, issues which appear to be most important to you. Do not rewrite the case in essay format. Select the facts from the case which you think are most relevant to the decision-making process. Not all information in the case is relevant. Briefly summarize the case, identifying only those case factors which have a direct bearing on your analysis.I suggest identifying your secondary problems and then review your text and what we’ve been discussing in class to help you with your primary problem identification. Definition of the IssueThis should be a brief paragraph outlining what the root cause/basic underlying issue(s) is/are in the case. Primary problems are root causes or the basic underlying issues; secondary problems are symptoms of the problems or immediate issues going on in the case. Secondary problems/immediate issues are generally the ones that you are specifically told about in the case. Thus, it’s helpful to start with identifying the secondary problems. What are you actually told about in the case?Primary problems require a deeper level of analysis. Keep asking WHY a certain problem is occurring until you get at the root problem(s)/basic issue(s).How urgent is the issue? Does it need to be immediately resolved or does the company have some time in coming up with a response?How important is the issue? Is it central to the organization’s operations or a peripheral issue? Analysis of Case DataBegin this section by substantiating your identification of the root cause/basic issue(s). What are the secondary problems/symptoms/immediate issues that lead you to the identification of the root cause(s). What are the causes and effects that you’ve identified based on your analysis of the case data?What impact(s) does the problem or issue have on the organization in terms of costs, quality, customer service or innovation, etc.?What are the constraints and opportunities operating in the case? What does the organization need to consider in coming up with a solution?Consider both quantitative and qualitative data provided to you in the case, as appropriate. What are these data telling you about the best way to resolve the issue?Your analysis needs to be based on defendable arguments. What concepts, theories, models, etc. learned in this and other courses might help you in resolving the issues? Remember that I am looking for something beyond a “common sense” approach to the problem. Use your course concepts! For example, it would be insufficient to say that the organization should conduct training. How, specifically, do they go about doing this? What is the process? What do they need to think about? You should be citing your course materials (knowledge gained from other courses is also encouraged, as appropriate) throughout the case. If you are not, you are not incorporating course concepts to the extent required for the assignment.Once you’ve identified the problems, use your course concepts to help you brainstorm alternatives, make recommendations, and identify steps for your implementation plan. Identify Clear and Definable Alternatives Identify as many alternatives as possible (use brainstorming) to resolve all root/basic problems (link to textbook concepts or techniques). Remember that doing nothing is always an option (although not usually a good one). Focus on brainstorming for root/basic problems; if you have done your analysis properly, solving the root/basic problems will also address the symptoms/immediate problems. This is a good double-check strategy. Identify Specific and Defendable Decision CriteriaWhat are the criteria that you should use to identify the best alternative to solve the problem?Some common decision criteria are identified below (source: Mauffette-Leenders, L. A., Erskine, J. A., & Leenders, M. R. (2007). Learning with cases (4th ed.). London, ON: Ivey Business PublishingQuantitativeQualitativeObjective Assessment of AlternativesOnce you have identified alternatives, analyze the alternatives to identify the one(s) that will best address the problems. The best option(s) become your recommendations for the case.Identify pros and cons associated with all solutions and recommendations (costs, benefits).Defendable Selection of Preferred AlternativeIdentify your preferred alternative and develop your recommendation. What makes it the best solution? Sell your recommendation to your organization’s CEO. Why should this approach be followed over other alternatives? Focus on solving the root cause/basic issue(s).Implementation PlanThis is a solid plan for moving forward to make your recommendation a reality. Identifies major actions and resources required – Addresses the questions – What? Who? When? How? as per below:Indicates timing and/or dependency of actions – In what order to actions need to be taken?Defines measurement of actions – How will you measure success? How will you ensure that your implementation is unfolding as planned?Monetized forecast of recommendation – How much will it cost? What are the resource requirements?Describes a “Plan B” – No plan survives first contact! Where are the potential problems in your implementation plan? What will you do if something doesn’t go as originally planned?Break down your recommendations into action items. For example, it is insufficient to say you would do training on a particular topic. What are the steps for actually conducting training (e.g., needs analysis, training development, training delivery)? StructureYour case analysis should flow logically from beginning to end. In other words, I should not be surprised by something coming up for the first time in the later sections of the paper. For example, if you are suggesting an action in the implementation plan that doesn’t relate to the recommendations you’ve made, perhaps you need to revisit your recommendations (and maybe even your alternatives or problems) to see if you’ve missed something. PLEASE SOMETHING LIKE THIS……………………………. Business Management Human Resource Management HRM 742
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