The purpose of this research is to examine the sales force training and development program at Mervyn's Department Stores, and to develop recommended changes to the program to correct any deficiencies revealed through the examination. The discussion following this introduction assesses the existing situation at the firm, and is followed by a presentation of therecommended changes.
ASSESSMENT OF THE SALES FORCE TRAINING AND
The assessment of the sales force training and development program at Mervyn's Department Stores is presented in two parts. In the first part, the program is described. The second part considers two questions related to the program: (1) what the program is attempting to do; and (2) what it is failing to accomplish.
Mervyn's was founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1949 (Mervyn's Department Stores, 1988b). Over the subsequent 20 years, the company expanded, by opening several new stores, and, in 1971, the company was reorganized as a publicly traded corporation (Mervyn's Department Stores, 1988b). It was in the
1 2mid 1970s, that the company expanded into Southern California, and Nevada.
Mervyn's was acquired by, and became a wholly owned subsi diary of the Dayton Hudson Corporation in 1978 (Mervyn's Department Stores, 1988b). In addition to Mervyn's, Dayton Hudson owns and operates Target Stores, Lechmere Electronics Stores, Branden's Home Fashion Stores, and Dayton Hudson Department Stores.
By 1987, there were nearly 200 Mervyn's stores, with plans for 300 stores by 1990 (Mervyn's Department Stores, 1988b). By that time, the chain will have expanded beyond the west, to become a nationwide chain. Mervyn's annual sales approximate $3 billion, and the company has more than 35,000 employees (Mervyn's Department Stores, 1988b).
Mervyn's targets the consumer seeking national brand, and quality private label merchandise at competitive prices (Mervyn's Department Store...