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In my discussion question, I stated that I believed that the Pampered Chef is organized in a network structure. A network structure consists of “independent, mostly single-function firms that collaborate to produce a product or a service” (Bateman, T. S. and Snell, S.A., 2007). I believe this is how the Pampered Chef is organized because they are a direct sales business, with independent sales people working towards the company’s mission. The mission is twofold: to provide opportunities for individuals to develop their natural skills and talents to their fullest potential and to enhance the quality of family life through quality kitchen products backed with support and information (Our Company: Our Mission). I plan to address how the Pampered Chef operates in the network structure as it pertains to physical assets, human resource and technology.
Doris Christopher began the Pampered Chef in her basement in 1980. She started by going to local kitchen equipment producers and asking them for a dozen of each of a select few items (Mamis, 1995). Starting with only 71 items, she developed the kitchen show and created recipes that enticed customers to purchase the products (Our Historical Timeline). Over the last 25 years, the company has expanded from her basement to a building to eventually four buildings to its current location, a single facility in Illinois (Our Historical Timeline). The company has grown from a $3000 home business to an enterprise worth over $700 million (About Our Founder).
The Pampered Chef relies on its current sales force to recruit new consultants. They usually make the business look not ...