It was clear to Evans that hiring a store manager for Ruffian Kelowna was a priority. Where and how he would find someone, however, was a problem. It had been common for Ruffian Apparel to simply promote an assistant manager, but in this case, that would not work: even the Cranbrook employee who was trained to take over had refused the job.

Looking at the current staff, it was evident that few options existed. Until now, it had been assumed that Edwards was not interested in the position, and the experience of the remaining employees was limited.

Besides, with only one exception, no part-time employee was over 20 years old. Outside Ruffian Apparel, the market was not much better.

Although people could be found, the low unemployment rate combined with Ruffian Apparel’s below-average salaries and lack of competent and experienced staff made the job of store manager extremely undesirable to an outsider. Jennifer Sands had been lured away from the jeans store only after extensive negotiations had provided her with compensation that was above Ruffian Apparel’s average salary for store managers. Surely there were people willing to take the job, but would they be the right people? Would it make sense to postpone hiring someone and instead address the training and other staffing issues that currently plagued the store? And Edwards was right: his $600 a week salary offer was going to be far less than a competent new store manager would require. Waiting might allow for a more comprehensive search; however, time was still an issue, and Edwards might choose to leave suddenly, causing much bigger problems.

Conclusion Evans purchased a large cup of coffee and took a seat in the food court in Juniper Mall. It was now more apparent than ever that Ruffian Kelowna was in need of a great deal of help. Inexperienced staff, part-time vacancies, no assistant manager, no store manager, and an overworked full-time/interim store manager represented a host of issues that all appeared to be tied to the store’s low sales and performance numbers.

Evans knew he had only two days before his meeting with Jason Wilcox.

How could he turn Ruffian Kelowna around? Were there other problems that plagued Ruffian Apparel? Was Kelowna simply in need of a good store manager, and if so, how should he go about hiring one? The smell of pizza wafted over the food court as Evans finished his coffee and made his way back to the hotel.

Use expectancy theory and equity theory to explain the motivation of employees at Ruffian Apparel. What do these theories say about the effectiveness of the current motivational system and how to improve it?