As Ms. Mansi began to devote all of her time to managing The Arbor, she was dismayed byfinding the anomalies what she believed to be a fairly haphazard management system. While the developer of the retail complex was clearly an astute entrepreneur, she began to feel that he had not paid enough attention to detail in the course of day-to-day operating procedures. She and Mr. Das had learnt a lot about management from their experience with SLS. Mr. Das for example, had found that the most effective way of running the business involved buying only from reputable suppliers, keeping all plants well fertilized and pruned while they were in inventory, and checking with customers after landscape jobs had been completed to ensure that they were satisfied. When she bought The Arbor, Ms. Mansi talked with a friend who managed a store at the regional shopping mall in town. Her friend explained how the mall development company had elaborate rules and procedures for its tenants. These rules and procedures dictated store hours, appearance standards, lease terms, promotional and advertising policies, and just about everything imaginable. The Arbor, however, was a different story. There were no written policies for tenants. As a result, there was considerable variation in how they were managed. Some stores opened on Sunday or in the evening, for example, while others did not; some tenants had long-term leases while others had no current lease at all. To address these and other issues, Ms. Mansi called a meeting of all the tenants and expressed her concerns. To her surprise, she found that they already were aware of each of her issues, as well as some others that she had not yet had time to consider. They argued, however, that the current system was really the best for The Arbor. As a small operation, each tenant knew all the others, and they worked together to keep things in good order. They thought it was fine that they kept different hours few customers came to The Arbor just to walk around and shop. Customers usually came to visit specific stores and were aware of the store's hours. The tenants evenexpressed their opinion about the lease situation as a fine condition. Some wanted the security afforded by a lease, while others preferred the flexibility of no lease.

Questions 1. What are the different control examples illustrated in this situation?

2. What kind of control systems might be the most useful for retailers?