Read the following article: “THE UNTOLD TALE OF TARGET CANADA’S DIFFICULT BIRTH, TOUGH LIFE AND BRUTAL DEATH” and answer the following 13 questions in full sentences. It is also expected that you have watched the secrets of Selfridges documentary to answer Question 13. Also, each question doesn’t have to be typed because it takes up too much space so just put the number of the question so I know which question the writer is doing. 1. Having spent one year preparing to launch in Canada, the Target management team responsible for the launch, met with their leader Tony Fisher. a) Describe the problems the team identified (5 marks) b) The decision to continue with the launch, despite problems was made.
Explain why (3 marks) 2) Technology to manage the supply chain and inventory is key to the success of the retailer. Describe how Target handled this decision about what technology to buy and why it proved to be such a huge error (3 marks) 3.a) Describe Target’s corporate culture and approach to hiring (3 marks) 3.b) How did Target deviate from its successful Human Resource approach when it started its Canadian division (3 marks) 4.a) SAP supply chain software is complex to use. Explain why (3 marks) 4.b) Why was the data entered into SAP system so inaccurate? (3 marks) 5. Target solution to the data problem was “Data Week”. Describe it (3 marks) 6. Describe Target’s soft launch (3 marks) 7.a) Describe what the JDA software did (3 marks) 7.b) Why was the JDA software not helpful? (2 marks)
8) Target used a point of sale system called Retailix. Describe the problems experienced with Retailix (3 marks) 9) Describe the marketing strategy that Mark Schindele implemented when he took over the Canadian operations after Tony Fisher was terminated (3 marks) 10.a) Explain why the Business Analysts were switching off the auto-replenishment switch (3 marks) 10.b) Comment on what the Business Analyst did in terms of what it tells you about incentives and managing employees (T-3 marks) 11. A lot of the flawed decisions made by Target can be traced to an insistence on ignoring realistic timelines. Explain how this insistence on rushing was driven by the real estate deal that Target entered into in order to get locations for its Canadian stores (T-3 marks) 12. Accurate, timely data is absolutely vital to be a successful business today. Comment on this statement and explain why this is true. Provide examples (T- 7 marks) 13) Imagine that Target has asked you to advise it about launching a division in Canada in the future. Target wants specific management with respect to implementation of a successful corporate culture (human resource strategy), marketing strategy and operational strategy.
In addition to drawing on the actual experiences of Target in Canada, base some of your advise on the successful launch and management of Selfridges in the early 1900s that we observed in “The Secrets of the Selfridges” video. Your answer should include a SWOT analysis. (A-25 marks)(must be one page)(I will send a picture of a SWOT analysis) *The article can be found on this website: https://www.macleans.ca/economy/business/what-really-happened-at-target-canada-the-retailers-last-days/ *The last paragraph starts off with Curiously, the US retailer and ends with Target loves Canada. I am mentioning this because there is more than one article on that website so I just want the writer to know where the article is ending. Use this link to access the documentary of the Secrets of Selfridges: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ysgs_BByA0
