Consultation is an essential element in any management structure
so when decisions come out of left field it is normal to question their
purpose.
Management’s last minute decision to extend the Suzuki Night
Market season was unusual. The night market is well established and dates are
pretty much locked in through various publications. So why suddenly extend it
for a month? The introduction of night market food vendors into the day market
(Sundays) was also a surprise. We now have a food festival of some sort in
Queen St. every weekend. It should be noted that both these measures do create extra
income for the market.
The Elizabeth St. Market Office is to be closed shortly and
traders will engage with the office through a back entrance. We are not sure
how the public is to interact with market officials. We now learn that the Electrolux
Cooking School has been closed. For a market that prides itself as a leader in
food, that is a strange decision. Both these decisions will free up some prime retail
space for rent so once again income may be a motivation.
Management don’t have to tell traders the reasons for all
their decisions although there is a view that they totally underestimate how much
traders regard the market as their own. Traders earn their living at QVM and
take a real interest in all aspects of its operation. The real worry about
these decisions is not just their apparent haste, but that they smack of number
crunching - a bit like giving a merchant banker freedom to determine cultural
changes in an organisation. Or is that just paranoia from an interested trader?
COMMENTS:
06/05/2013 19:18:19 Decisions decisions decisions "Yes, a fact that eludes many is that traders “own” their personal bit of the market not just in lieu of the rent they pay but more importantly due to the fact that the market only exists because men and women animate what is otherwise just a piece of extended dark, drab and dreary black bitumen.
The market in turn truly “owns” the traders by demanding they give it a fair chunk of their lives. Past, present and future. A fact that our “owners” don’t seem too keen to dwell on for the obvious moral and ethical dilemmas that may arise when they make “boardroom” decisions.
We, the traders, however cannot distance ourselves from those decisions and as a result take ownership of any and every decision that impacts on us, not because we want to usurp our guardians who have been entrusted to ensure the prosperity of the market, but because in many ways our lives truly do depend on it.
And so it should not sound strange that at times some of us lie awake at night wondering what decisions have already been made or are about to be made that yes may add up on paper, but could have devastating effects on the future of the people that are in essence the Queen Victoria Market.
For the market is not a piece of bitumen or real estate for traders, it is for so many of them simply their life. Take that away...
So, if you're listening out there, please think hard and deep on your decisions."
06/05/2013 19:18:19 Decisions decisions decisions "Yes, a fact that eludes many is that traders “own” their personal bit of the market not just in lieu of the rent they pay but more importantly due to the fact that the market only exists because men and women animate what is otherwise just a piece of extended dark, drab and dreary black bitumen.
The market in turn truly “owns” the traders by demanding they give it a fair chunk of their lives. Past, present and future. A fact that our “owners” don’t seem too keen to dwell on for the obvious moral and ethical dilemmas that may arise when they make “boardroom” decisions.
We, the traders, however cannot distance ourselves from those decisions and as a result take ownership of any and every decision that impacts on us, not because we want to usurp our guardians who have been entrusted to ensure the prosperity of the market, but because in many ways our lives truly do depend on it.
And so it should not sound strange that at times some of us lie awake at night wondering what decisions have already been made or are about to be made that yes may add up on paper, but could have devastating effects on the future of the people that are in essence the Queen Victoria Market.
For the market is not a piece of bitumen or real estate for traders, it is for so many of them simply their life. Take that away...
So, if you're listening out there, please think hard and deep on your decisions."