Integrating Culture and Diversity in Decision Making
Integrating Culture and Diversity in Decision Making:
The CEO and Organizational Culture Profile
BUS 520 - Dr. Joy Lee Story
August 3, 2013
1. Provide a brief (1 paragraph) description of the organization you chose to research. Zappos was founded in 1999 during the dotcom boom by Nick Swinmurn [ (Twitchell, 2009) ] on a quest to buy a pair of sneakers at a local mall. It has grown in to a 1.2 billion dollar subsidiary of Amazon.com and a leading on-line provider of everything from shoes to couture handbags. They have done this with a simple motto: “Powered by Service”. Providing all of their customers with free (sometimes next day) shipping and returns, Zappos has invested in the power of word of mouth to fuel their business.
2. Examine the culture of the selected organization. Retail doesn’t seem to be the only thing that Zappos has gotten right, however. Beyond growing from a small, upstart company to a 1 billion dollar “behemoth”, Zappos prides itself on the culture it has created and invests in for its employees. Unlike some companies that guard their employee credos and internal culture (Apple comes to mind), Zappos promotes theirs for any would-be customer to see. Multiple links on their website lead to testimonials, blogs and YouTube videos providing a behind the scenes look at exactly what it’s like to work for this Once Upon a Time shoe company. Current CEO Tony Hsieh said in 2009 while celebrating the company's 10th anniversary that “Our No. 1 priority is the company culture. Our whole belief is that if we get the culture right, then everything else, including the customer service, will fall into place,” [ (Twitchell, 2009) ] and indeed that thought processes seems embedded in the company's Core Values which are posted on its website under a link labeled “Our Unique Culture”.
3. Explain how you determined that the selected organization showed the signs of the culture that you have identified.
Zappos company culture seems to pride
The CEO and Organizational Culture Profile
BUS 520 - Dr. Joy Lee Story
August 3, 2013
1. Provide a brief (1 paragraph) description of the organization you chose to research. Zappos was founded in 1999 during the dotcom boom by Nick Swinmurn [ (Twitchell, 2009) ] on a quest to buy a pair of sneakers at a local mall. It has grown in to a 1.2 billion dollar subsidiary of Amazon.com and a leading on-line provider of everything from shoes to couture handbags. They have done this with a simple motto: “Powered by Service”. Providing all of their customers with free (sometimes next day) shipping and returns, Zappos has invested in the power of word of mouth to fuel their business.
2. Examine the culture of the selected organization. Retail doesn’t seem to be the only thing that Zappos has gotten right, however. Beyond growing from a small, upstart company to a 1 billion dollar “behemoth”, Zappos prides itself on the culture it has created and invests in for its employees. Unlike some companies that guard their employee credos and internal culture (Apple comes to mind), Zappos promotes theirs for any would-be customer to see. Multiple links on their website lead to testimonials, blogs and YouTube videos providing a behind the scenes look at exactly what it’s like to work for this Once Upon a Time shoe company. Current CEO Tony Hsieh said in 2009 while celebrating the company's 10th anniversary that “Our No. 1 priority is the company culture. Our whole belief is that if we get the culture right, then everything else, including the customer service, will fall into place,” [ (Twitchell, 2009) ] and indeed that thought processes seems embedded in the company's Core Values which are posted on its website under a link labeled “Our Unique Culture”.
3. Explain how you determined that the selected organization showed the signs of the culture that you have identified.
Zappos company culture seems to pride
Bibliography: Gringarten, H. (2012). The Greatest Business Decisions of all Time. Journal of Multidisciplinary Research , 95. Schermerhorn, J. R. (2000). Organizational Behavior . New York: Wiley. Schrodt, P. (2002). The relationship between organizational identification and organizational culture: employee perceptions of culture and identification in a retail sales organization. Communication Studies , 189. Twitchell, J. (2009, June 16). From Upstart To $1 Billion Behemoth, Zappos Marks 10 Years. Retrieved from LasVegas Sun: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/jun/16/upstart-1-billion-behemoth-zappos-marks-10-year-an/