Read the Trader Joe’s – Keeping a Cool Edge Case Study (Case 1) located at the end of your textbook under Management Cases. The hard copy of the textbook the cases are located on page 390. The digital textbook might have a different page number.
Answer the following four questions:
- What ways does Trader Joe’s demonstrate the importance of each responsibility in the management process – planning, organizing, leading and controlling?
- What lessons does the Trader Joe’s story offer to aspiring entrepreneurs who want to get off to a good start in any industry?
- At the age of 22 and newly graduated from college, Hazel has just accepted a job with Trader Joe’s as a shift leader. She’ll be supervising four team members who fill part-time jobs in the produce section. Given Trader Joe’s casual and nontraditional work environment, what skills will she need, what should she do, and what should she avoid doing in the first few days of work to establish herself as a successful team leader?
- Further Research: Study news reports to find more information on Trader Joe’s management and organization practices. Look for comparisons with its competitors and try to identify whether or not Trader Joe’s still has the right management approach and business model for continued success. Are there any internal weaknesses in the Trader Joe’s management approach or new practices by external competitors, or changing industry forces that might cause future problems?
Sample Solution