Instructions: Please respond to peer discussion board and include sources. You do not have to do the discussion board you just respond

Peers Discussion Board Post:

What do you think are some of the difficulties of adding 25 percent more employees for the holiday season? What kind of planning do you think would be needed?

During peak surges that occur at the end of the year, forecasting the need for additional employees, including the number of customers and amount of spending will increase. This not only is important for planning, but also for balancing the additional cost of labor and maintaining profitability. I think another major difficulty of hiring temporary seasonal employees would be job satisfaction, which will impact performance and achieving positive outcomes, including a company's goals. This would be attributed to the seasonal employees not feeling invested in the company and may not feel as motivated to be productive, fit into company culture, or adhere to established procedures (Principles of Management, 2019). According to the Chief Technology Officer of SAP Fieldglass, planning the anticipated needs of the company is the key to effectively coordinating and managing during this specific short timeframe and establishing a communication and reward system to engage, motivate, and show appreciation to contingent workers (Baliga, 2021). Using goal theory, management could focus on maintaining a positive culture and environment for seasonal employees to be integrated into, create incentives that motivate the season workers and establish communication that is both responsive and objective (Principles of Management, 2019).

China effectively shuts down for two weeks each year and celebrates the lunar new year. How does that resemble (or not) peak season in Western countries?

Closing for holidays would require planning in both the warehouses being closed down and the awareness of establishments that rely on products being shipped from overseas countries that have lengthy established holidays. For instance, a company that relies on shipments from China would likely plan ahead for the shutdowns by taking note of the shutdown dates in advance, forecasting the needed inventory and creating a goal to acquire that needed inventory, establishing alternative warehouses that can fulfill the demand if shipments are unable to fulfill the demand, and maintaining frequent contact with the warehouse to ensure that quotas are being achieved. The warehouses that are closed for around two weeks would likely anticipate fulfilling their obligations and meeting demand by increasing production, resembling the U.S. holiday season, which may require more employees and longer work hours in addition to increasing production again after the shutdown. This highlights the importance of planning, including forecasting and making the essential steps that minimize disruption (Principles of Management, 2019).

The case focuses on U.S. markets. How are European markets affected by holiday shopping?

I think that Europe as a continent is complex when it comes to holiday shopping because there are over forty countries that have their own languages, currency, and holidays/traditions. Generally speaking, European markets report that consumers begin shopping earlier in the year compared to people in the U.S., however, Black Friday and Prime Day shopping have significantly increased in popularity. This has shifted demand and condensed the timeframe of increased demand, making it less sporadic. E-commerce has also been a major game changer shifting traditional shopping to digital technology, creating a need for planning and organizational restructuring. This has required retailers to become more competitive in digital marketing, forecasting sales and new trends, while maintaining their supply chains (YPlus, 2021),

Have your own shopping habits changed with the ease of online shopping? If so, how? Do you expect them to change when you graduate and have more disposable income?

I think that the key to eCommerce is convenience, which makes it exceedingly easy to shop on our phones and computers no matter where we are. For instance, during online sales, like Cyber Monday or Prime Day, many of us who are unable to attend weekday sales can simply get up early enough to shop or take a short time during our lunch breaks to shop online without being restricted to retail hours or simply not want to deal with the crowds. Another shopping habit that I have is grocery shopping via curbside pickup, this is a trend that I think jumpstarted during the pandemic. This is an example of convenience because rather than parking my car and shopping in a crowded store during their most busy hours, I park, wait for a few minutes, and drive home- which makes it easy to justify the extra cost. As for my spending habits changing after I graduate this summer, my main area of spending that I see changing is increasing my vacation budget, investments, and savings. I tend to be a minimalist when it comes to elective shopping, so unless it's a necessity or it will make my day-to-day life easier, I tend to be unwilling to make a purchase.

References

Baliga, V. (2021). 3 Key Strategies To Engage the Seasonal Workforce Effectively. Spiceworks. https://www.spiceworks.com/hr/workforce-management/guest-article/strategies-to-engage-seasonal-workforce/

Principles of Management. (2019). Chapter 17: Organizational Planning and Controlling. Open Textbook Library.

YPlus. (2021). How Young Europeans Will Shop Black Friday and the Rest of the Holiday Season. https://www.ypulse.com/article/2021/11/18/how-young-europeans-will-shop-black-friday-and-the-rest-of-the-holiday-season/