Reference no: EM133181509

The Fitness Junction is a brand-new firm that will open stores in four Ontario cities, four months from today. The firm's business objective is to sell all types of training, fitness, conditioning, and exercise equipment to the general public. The Fitness Junction also plans to provide customers with personalized advice geared to a customer's specific needs in regards to specific training or conditioning needs.

In order to provide high-quality advice, each store will employ a physiotherapist (to provide advice on medical problems such as back pain) and a person with an undergraduate degree in kinesiology (to provide advice on training routines and physical activities). A staff member will sit down with the customers and develop personalized training that meets their unique needs.

The remainder of the staff in each store will consist of a manager, with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, and 8-12 sales staff who have at least high school diplomas. The roles of the physiotherapist and kinesiologist will be to train other employees in how each type of equipment can be used for various conditioning and rehabilitation purposes. As time goes by, each salesperson will be expected to learn in depth about all of the different pieces of equipment and explain how to use equipment properly to meet the specific needs of each customer. Because of the high level of training that is involved, all staff will be full time.

The founder of the business has secured funding from private investors and understands that this venture could be risky. She does not expect to make a profit for a year or two.

The Fitness Junction's main competitors will be sporting goods megastores and department and discount stores, each of which sells some of the same equipment. Some of these outlets will be able to price their equipment lower than the Fitness Junction, but none will have the range of equipment that the Fitness Junction has, and none will provide personalized advice regarding the customers' health and fitness needs.

The founder believes that the key to her business success will be highly motivated and knowledgeable employees who have a strong concern for their customers and are able to work as a team with the other employees to provide the best customer service. Employees will have to be innovative in developing solutions that fit their needs. A key aspect of company strategy is to be the most up-to-date and advanced supplier of new products and techniques. Which managerial strategy would you recommend for The Fitness Junction, and why?