Vanessa L. Sassman
MGT330
May 20, 2012
Peter Chiacchiaro
Organizing Paper: Sephora
The organizing function of management is one of the key pieces of running a successful business. Sephora, a leading makeup company founded in France in 1970, has become an international presence; its success has, without question, been affected by its organizational abilities. Two of Sephora’s core competencies are extensive knowledge of beauty products and customer needs and their ability to adapt to ever-changing technology. These two areas have greatly affected the organizing function of management within the company and have helped them excel in the international market.
Knowledge
To say that Sephora has excelled in the cosmetics industry due to knowledge is very vague; one would ask “Knowledge of what?” Their success can be attributed to their knowledge in many areas, two of which include their employees’ knowledge of products and services offered and knowledge of their customers’ needs and how to satisfy those needs.
Knowledge of Products and Services Every employee of Sephora is expected to have an extensive knowledge of beauty products and practices:
To build the most knowledgeable and professional team of product consultants in the beauty industry, Sephora developed "Science of Sephora." This program ensures that our team is skilled to identify skin types, have knowledge of skin physiology, the history of makeup, application techniques, the science of creating fragrances, and most importantly, how to interact with Sephora 's diverse clientele. (Sephora, 2012)
Knowing such a great deal of information about cosmetics may seem unnecessary to some, but it ensures that customers can enter the store with a sense of security – knowing that the employees there are best suited to help them fulfill their beauty needs. Customers don’t have to worry about wasting their time trying to find a product that works for their skin tone and type;
References: Bateman, T. S., & Snell, S. A. (2009). Management: Leading and Collaborating in a Competitive World (8th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Novellino, T. (2012, April 9). Beauty and the Geek Time at Sephora. Retrieved from http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/the-tech-observer/2012/04/09/sephora-primps-website-with-pinterest-instagram Sephora. (2012). About Us. Retrieved from http://www.sephora.com/contentStore/mediaContentTemplate.jsp?mediaId=10000020 Sephora. (2012). VIB. Retrieved from http://www.sephora.com/contentStore/mediaContentTemplateNoNav.jsp?mediaId=11700040&_requestid=205081