Management

What is the main factor in managing for a competitive advantage? Competitive advantage involves gaining advances over your competitors to provide products and services to customers although a main factor to maintaining competitiveness is innovation. (2004, Bateman & Snell) Innovation for competitive business manager's means they must have the capacity to establish and adapt to making new goods and services available to customers. Target is a leading corporation that values the importance of innovation and continuous improvements.

According to Target.com, Target views innovation in their organization as dedication to good design, not by the way something looks but also how it satisfies the need to simplify life, and how it makes customers feel. (2006, Target.com) Target has innovative products and services recent including their Clear Rx system and guest call buttons. Targets' Clear Rx system involves the pharmacy providing easy to read, color coded prescriptions that minimizes the chances of families confusing medications. The Clear Rx system has received awards and recognition from Good Housekeeping, The Institute for Safe Medication Practices and New Jersey Packaging Executive Club. Targets continuous improvement to customer service in the stores has adapted to guest call button services. The guest call button service promises that when a customer presses the button for assistance a response will be delivered in 60 seconds. This service attests to Targets commitment to improve and ensure customer service.

So where does innovation factor into the four functions of management? The four functions of management in organizations are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Innovation in organizations means creating and offering new products and service to maintain competitiveness. Managers must plan, organize, lead, and control innovation and adaptations to new products and services. To implement Targets Clear Rx system and the guest call button service managers were required to plan when the changes were to take place and organize training so employees would comply with the innovations. The second parts to the innovation required Target managers to lead and control the application and maintenance of the products and services. Innovation to businesses like Target gives them and advantage over competitors while at the same time obligates managers to coordinate their four functions with the advances.