David F.

Miller Center for Retailing Education and Research Warrington College of Business Administration

200 Bryan Hall; PO Box 117153 Gainesville, Florida 32611-7153 Email: ufcrer@cba.ufl.edu Tele: (352) 392-7166 x1255; Fax: (352) 392-4379

Store Management Talent Development

Dear HR manager: We would like to invite you to participate in a study on early career development of talented managers in retail organizations. The David F. Miller Center for Retailing Education and Research at the University of Florida is undertaking a National Survey of Human Resource Management Practices for Retail Talent Management. The study is sponsored by the NRF Foundation, the research and education arm of the National Retail Federation and the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). The objective of this study is to identify aspects of human resources management (HRM) programs that build a commitment toward the retail firm of management trainees work for and, more generally, toward a retail career. In exchange for your participation in this project, we will provide a benchmarking report that outlines industry practices and compares your responses to the average responses of similar retailers. This report will provide valuable insights regarding ways to improve HR selection processes and talent management. The survey needs to be completed by a person with knowledge of your firms recruiting and training program for developing managers. If your company has multiple divisions each with its own management training program, please fill out a separate questionnaire for each division. The survey can best be answered by the director/manager of management training, with minimal assistance from HR executives. If you are not the appropriate person to complete the questionnaire please pass it along to the appropriate person. Your responses will be kept confidential. Only the research team will view your responses to this survey. The responses will be kept in a secure location and destroyed after analysis. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us. Our contact information is listed below. We greatly appreciate your time and help with this study. Thank you very much for your participation. Best Regards,
Dr. Barton A. Weitz JCPenney Eminent Scholar Chair Executive Director and Professor of Marketing Phone: (352) 392-7166, x1256 Email: bart.weitz@cba.ufl.edu Dr. Hyunjoo Oh Research Director Phone: (352) 392-7166, x1269 Email: hyunjoo.oh@cba.ufl.edu

Store Management Talent Development Please provide your contact information so that we can send the Retail HR benchmark report.

report.

Your name: Position: Company name: Company address: Email: Phone number:

Questions below are to get an overall picture of the HR programs in use for recruiting and developing store management trainees in your company. Please note that, unless otherwise indicated, we are interested particularly in the HR programs designed for store management trainees, not the general employee body. Please answer each of the following questions in the space provided. Recruitment Recruitment 1) How many people enter the store management training program in your company each year? ______ 2) What percent of people entering the store management training program are from each of the sources below: ____% new college graduates ____% promotions of current employees ____% newly hired employees (not from college recruiting) 3) Does your company have a formal program for recruiting college students for the store management training program? ____ Yes ____No If yes, a. how is the recruiting program administered? ____ At the corporate level ____ Locally at the regional level b. how many college campuses does your company recruit at? _________ c. does your company recruit nationally or regionally? ____ Nationally ____Regionally d. compared to college graduates five year ago, do recent college graduates consider the following aspects more or less important in their job evaluation?
Of no importance Not very important Slightly below average importance Average importance Slightly above average importance Very important Extremely important

Starting salary Salary in five years Work hours Work-family balance Relocation frequency Job challenge Performance feedback Mentoring Clear goals Instant rewards Immediate responsibility Personalized attention Job security

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Selection 1) When considering candidates for the store management training program, how much emphasis does your company put on each of the following characteristics of the candidates, recognizing some are more important than others?
Of no importance Not very important Slightly below average importance Average importance Slightly above average importance Very important Extremely important

Intelligence Retail-related knowledge Business knowledge Retail experience Performance orientation Initiative Energy level Motivation Ethics Confidence Assertiveness Decisiveness Accountability People orientation Team player Leadership Negotiation skill Conflict management Innovativeness Problem solving ability Analytical reasoning Diversity management Crisis management Communication skill Aggressiveness Stress management Action orientation Attention to detail Risk-taking Prioritization GPA

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2) Approximately how many applicants does your company receive for the store management training program each year from the different sources? ________ new college graduates ________ current employees ________ newly hired employees (not from college recruiting)

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3) What percent of the applicants from the different sources are interviewed for the store management training program? ____% new college graduates ____% current employees ____% newly hired employees (not from college recruiting) 4) What percent of the interviewed applicants are offered positions for the store management training program in your company? ____% new college graduates ____% current employees ____% newly hired employees (not from college recruiting) 5) Of all the store management trainee job offers made, what percent are accepted by the following applicants? ____% new college graduates ____% current employees ____% newly hired employees (not from college recruiting) 6) Which of the following practices does your company have in your selection process? (Please check all that apply) _____ informal interview _____ traditional structured interviews (job related questions, same questions asked of all applicants, rating scales) _____ behavioral interviews (responses to situations) _____ honesty test _____ personality test _____ intelligence test _____ drug test _____ reference check _____ criminal background check 7) How valuable are industry credentials such as the NRF Foundations National Professional Certificate in Retail Management in your selection and evaluation of management trainees? Not valuable at all 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Very valuable Check if not aware of certification program ______ Training 1) Does your company have a formal management training program for store management? ___ Yes ___ No (If No, please skip any questions below in this section that do not apply) 2) On average, how long is the initial training for store management trainees before they assume their on-the-job activities? _______ weeks (Put 0 if there is no initial training period) a) During the management training period, how many hours are spent taking formal instruction (courses)? ________ hours of internet based instruction ________ hours of formal training in classroom 3) After the management training program has been completed, on average how many weeks of formal training do store management trainees receive each year? _________ weeks a) Of this on-going training, how many hours are spent taking formal instruction (courses)? ________ hours of internet based instruction ________ hours of formal training in classroom b) Of this on-going training, what percent of time is allocated to each of the following two groups? ________% company specific training (e.g., policy and procedures) ________% general knowledge and skill development (e.g., leadership)
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4) Does your company have a policy for rotating store management trainees among different jobs? Yes ____ No ____ 5) Are store management trainees encouraged to rotate among different functional areas after the training program? (please circle one) Never Rarely Sometimes Very often Always 1 2 3 4 5 Evaluation 1) How frequently are formal performance appraisals given? Annually ____ Semi-annually ____ Quarterly ____ Never ____ 2) What percent of store management trainees performance evaluations are based on: _______% objective performance measures (e.g., sales) _______% subjective performance measures (e.g., supervisor evaluation) 3) What percent of store management trainees performance evaluations are based on: _______% input (e.g., hours of work, effort) _______% output (e.g., sales, customer service) 4) Is performance appraisal directly linked with pay raise and bonus? Yes ____ No ____ Not applicable ____ 5) Does your company use team-based performance measures? Yes ____ No ____ If yes, what percent is allocated? ____% individual evaluation ____% team-based evaluation Compensation 1) What is the median annual base pay for an entry-level store management trainee? a) Any adjustment with an internship experience? Yes ____ No ____ If yes, how much is the adjustment? $ ________ b) Any adjustment with prior work experiences? Yes ____ No ____ If yes, how much is the adjustment? $ ________ c) Any adjustment with MBA degree? Yes ____ No ____ If yes, how much is the adjustment? $ ________ d) Is the base pay adjusted by cost of living? Yes ____ No ____ 2) Do store management trainees receive signing bonus? If yes, what is the typical amount? $__________ Yes ____ No ____ $___________

3) What are a typical store management trainees benefit expenses as a percentage of the annual compensation? ________% 4) Bonus typically represents what percent of a store management trainees total compensation after the first year? ________% 5) What is the typical salary increase for an average store management trainee? ________% after the first year ________% after the third year 6) What is the typical salary increase for a store management trainee performing in the top quartile? ________% after the first year ________% after the third year 7) Five years after the initial management training programs, whats the typical compensation for the store management trainee? $__________

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Job Design 1) Two years after starting the management training program, a) What is the typical amount of sales the store management trainees are responsible for? $_______ b) How many people does a typical store management trainee supervise? ________ 2) To what extend do you agree each of the following statements describing store management trainees in your company?
Moderately Agree Moderately Agee

Strongly disagree

They make their own decisions in many situations. They have to consult with their supervisors before any critical decision is made. They have a lot of personal say about how and when the work is done. We arrange social activities to involve them with each other. Activities are designed to encourage social interactions between them and other managers. They go through a lot of their learning experiences in the company as a group. Career Development

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1) How many levels beneath CEO is a store management trainee when they enter the company? ________ levels (count the CEO level 1, direct reports 2, etc) 2) What is the typical number of promotions a store management trainee will receive five years after the initial management training programs? ________ 3) Are clear career paths presented to store management trainees after the initial management training program? Yes ____ No ____ 4) Does your company formally assign mentor(s) to the store management trainees? Yes ____ No ____ HR Approach/Management Style 1) Check each of the following changes your company has made in the past three years to the HR programs directed towards store management trainees and early career development. Check all that apply. _____ Increase starting salary _____ Provide more training programs _____ Reduce work hours _____ Accommodate work-family balance needs _____ Reduce relocation frequency _____ Focus more on professional career development _____ Increase job challenge
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Strongly agree

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_____ Increase performance feedback frequency _____ Provide more mentoring _____ Provide clear goals _____ Provide more instant rewards _____ Increase responsibility sooner _____ Provide more personalized attention _____ Emphasize job security _____ Others, please specify: _________________________________________________________ Questions below are some questions about your organization overall (not the store management training programs alone) HR expenses, employee retention, and promotion. Please answer each of the questions in the space provided. 1) Approximately what percentages of HR expenses are allocated to each of the following HR functions? ________% recruitment/selection ________% initial training ________% on-going training/professional career development 2) In the past three years, to what degree has your company made changes to the following HR programs? Please indicate how much your company has made changes on a scale from 0%, meaning your company has not made any changes at all, to 100%, meaning your company has completely restructured. 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Recruitment Selection Training Evaluation Compensation Job design Career development 3) In the past few years, a) What is the approximate percentage of the following groups of people who are dismissed for cause (i.e. poor performance) two years after completion of the training program? ________% store management trainees ________% merchandise management trainees b) What is the approximate percentage of the following groups of people who choose to voluntarily leave the company two years after completion of the training program? ________% store management trainees ________% merchandise management trainees c) What is the approximate percentage of sales associates who choose to voluntarily leave the company? ________% d) What is the overall percentage of employees who choose to voluntarily leave the company? ________% e) Among all the job openings for each of the following positions, approximately what percent are filled with people from within the organization (as opposed to people hired externally)? ________% store managers ________% district managers ________% buyers ________% divisional merchandise managers ________% VPs
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Questions below are about the culture of your organization. Using the scale provided, please indicate the degree to which each of the following is characteristic of your company. Adaptability Stability Being reflective Being Innovative Quick to take advantage of opportunities Taking identification responsibility Risk Taking Opportunities for professional growth Autonomy Being rule oriented Being analytical Paying attention to detail Confronting conflict directly Being team oriented Sharing information freely Being people oriented Fairness Not being constrained by many rules Tolerance Informality Decisiveness Being competitive Being highly organized Achievement orientation A clear guiding philosophy Being results oriented High performance expectations Being aggressive High pay for good performance Security of employment Praise for good performance Being supportive Being calm Developing friends at work Being socially responsible Enthusiasm for job Working long hours Having a good reputation An emphasis on quality Being distinctive Not at all 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 A great deal 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7

Please indicate if you would like to include the name of your organization in the respondent listing, which will appear in the summary report that will be provided to survey participants following this study. Yes ____ No ____ If you have any additional comments, please write them below. Thank you for your participation!

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