Cost of Leadership Strategy

post has two assignments

WalMart ­ Cost Leadership Strategy
Choose an organization that selects the “Cost of Leadership Strategy” (competitive strategy) when
operating its organization. Integrate the information from Chapter 5 into your written work.
Submit your assignment in a Word document.
I’ve chosen WalMart. Please reference he following in­text:
The Chapter 5 PDF attached. (Must be referenced)
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/examples­cost­leadership­strategy­marketing­12259.html
http://winaungko.blogspot.com/
http://www.slideshare.net/ashamÕÉ?†?†svk/walmarts­cost­leadership­strategy
This paper must be written about WalMart’s cost leadership strategy. That’s the topic. Not necessarily
WalMart, but their cost leadership strategy.

2:Bureaucratization and Mcdonaldization

The impact of bureaucratization and mcdonaldization on everyday life

One of the major criticisms of complex contemporary society is its sometimes dehumanizing way of
life. To see this consequence of bureaucratization firsthand, visit two fast­food restaurants close to your
home (where you currently live). Some examples of fast­foot restaurants include Taco Bell,
Kentucky Fried Chicken, Long John Silver’s, Pizza Hut, and the paradigmatic McDonald’s.
Observe the overall structure of the establishment. How is the work area situated with regard to the
customer area? Are the cooking facilities hidden from public view? Note the number of employees and
The gender and age characteristics of the staff. Observe the way the customers are “processed” or
“served”. Can you detect a “script” that the employees follow? How do they address customers? How are
orders filled? Is there any room for “ad­libbing” or for exercising discretionary judgment/choice?
Do the clients have significant choices? Does the worker seem to be responsible for a single task
(for example, grilling, begging food, operating the cash register, cleaning tables, etc.)?
Do male employees seem to work in areas different from female employees? Is there an apparent
hierarchy among the workers? What is the manager’s role? Are you able to detect the ways in which
ordinary workers might “resist” the routine (by breaking the group’s norms, sabotage, labor­management
conflicts)?
Compare your findings across the two different restaurants you observed. How much similarity in
routine is there? Are there common ÕÉ?†?†procedures characteristic of all fast­food restaurants, or does
each
restaurant have a unique way of running? How do things such as diversity and creativity fit into the
procedures for workers and for customers? Is food prepared to meet the requirements of the customers?
Once you have observed two fast­food restaurants, go to some other retail business in your area.
(The business should not be a fast­food restaurant/business.) What are the similarities (if any) or
differences (if any) in the way this business operates and the way the fast­food restaurants function?
Discuss/analyze how the systems employed in these businesses maximize efficiency at the cost of
dehumanizing the people involved­­ both workers and customers. Draw on your reading of the
textbook, the class “discussion”/lectures to discuss the features of McDonaldization and bureaucracies
manifested in the fast­food restaurants.
Can you think of other areas of social life that are influenced by the principles, norms and rules of
bureaucratization and McDonaldization? How do these affect your life?

Bureaucratization