Sarah Travis is a supervisor at a Barnes and Noble university bookstore. She reports to the bookstore manager, and her primary job responsibility is to supervise three individuals who are responsible for ancillary items—clothing, gifts, and novelty items—that the bookstore sells. Sarah’s job involves many activities, including ordering these items for the bookstore. Each semester her department must decide which traditional items should be stocked and which specialty or seasonal items might be needed. They must fill out a purchase order that identifies the number of items ordered and their costs; Sarah will receive the bill of sale that accompanies the invoice at delivery. When the goods arrive from various vendors, one of Sarah’s employees logs them into the bookstore’s inventory system. An employee then checks the goods to see that the order is correct. At that point, Sarah signs off on the invoice and forwards it to the bookkeeper, who handles all monies for the bookstore. One of Sarah’s employees then unpacks the items and places them in a prearranged area of the stock room. Unfortunately, simply placing goods into inventory won’t create a sale. Sarah’s department must set up displays on the bookstore floor, and then continually monitor the shelves and restock them whenever necessary. During this time, Sarah must also keep track of what goods have sold. She needs to have this information entered in her inventory system so that she does not run out of items that are selling. To track inventories, Sarah receives cash register receipts twice daily during her shift. When a particular point is reached in remaining inventory, Sarah completes another purchase order and the process starts over again. Sarah is also required to meet weekly with other supervisors to coordinate a variety of activities. For example, she and the person responsible for textbooks meet to discuss space utilization. At certain times, such as the beginning of a semester, more space is needed for textbook sales. After the first week of classes, the textbook space is reduced, enabling Sarah’s employees to set up more ancillary item displays. Similar meetings take place with the individuals responsible for snack and personal hygiene products and office supplies and stationery.

Write a paper that explains your thoughts and ideas on each of the following questions:

1. What type of departmentalization is evident in the employee grouping of sarah's department? Cite specific examples to support your point of view.

2. What are the strengths and weaknesses of this grouping?

3. If you were asked to group employees and activities in the bookstore in the most efficient manner from a customer (student) standpoint, what would that grouping be like? Explain your position.