Recommending the Approval of $4,000 Donation for the Proposed Computer Education Program - Case Study Example

Report Recommending the Approval Of $4,000 Donation for the Proposed Computer Education Program Prepared for: The Chief Executive Officer Project Title This proposed project is entitled the Computer Education Program for the City of R. Project Objectives The aim of the proposed project is to provide computer and internet education for the elderly community members residing within the City. Project Proponents and Participants The project is the initiative of the High Schools of the City of R. It involves the concerted efforts of their student volunteers who shall act as instructors for the beneficiaries who reside in the homes for the elderly in the city, as well as interested and eligible individuals, aged 55 and older, who shall sign up in the participating schools. The training course was especially designed by the ACTS, or the Association of Computer Teachers in Secondary Education, for the elderly and physically challenged. A total of 250 students have volunteered to extend instruction to what are initially some 800 elderly trainees. About 400 of these trainees are situated in homes for the elderly in the City, another 230 have signified interest and are either already provisionally registered, and the rest are expected to sign up for the course once the program has accumulated sufficient resources for implementation. The program will charge a small fee from those who are financially capable, in order to set up a revolving fund for the program’s future self-maintenance. Provisions for possibly extending the course instruction to the handicapped and the out-of-school youth have been incorporated in the program design, as part of the long-term prospects of this undertaking. Particulars This project is viewed as a pilot for what is expected to be a long-term, continuing education program. If successful, it is intended as a model to be replicated in other cities and in other regions. The topics of instruction shall be the common use of email and chat, with an introduction to the navigation of the internet as may be required. Also included will be the basic use of word processing, spreadsheet and visual presentation. The student volunteers, under the supervision of selected faculty mentors, shall orient the program participants on the fundamental skills of logging on, surfing, and e-mailing. Company Participation In a letter to this company, through the undersigned, the Chairman of the Program Steering Committee, Dr. Alicia Sizemore (who is also the principal in A High School and thus one of our regular customers), has requested for our assistance in the form of a donation amounting to $4,000. The funds are intended to defray costs of transportation, supplies, publicity, utilities, and other incidentals of administrative activities. Dr. Sizemore has promised that financial reports on the program’s operations shall be submitted to all major contributors to the program, as well as public acknowledgment naming the contributor, and conspicuous display of the company’s logo and banner, in all advertisement sites and fora. Assessment This is an excellent opportunity for our Corporation to collaborate with the community and the educational sector in a worthwhile project that promises to have lasting beneficial for all involved. Primarily, those expected to be advantaged by this effort are the high school student volunteers and the elderly trainees. The inspiration for the program began with a letter from one of the home residents to the nearby high school, expressing his desire to learn e-mail to keep in touch with loved ones who moved to another state. The high school’s cyber club volunteered their services and were able to provide basic instruction to the writer and a group of his friends. The experience prompted such a positive feedback from all parties that this program was conceived as a long-term proposition. The enthusiasm of the student participants has also sparked an interest to revive the time honoured tradition of youth volunteerism. The schools’ guidance counsellors express the belief that programs such as these will keep the youth out of gangs and drugs, and motivate them to be active and contributing members of the community. The pioneering nature of this project falls squarely within the Corporation’s social responsibility initiatives. The sum requested is but a small fraction of the annual net profits realized by our company’s recurring sales to the high schools in this City alone. Any donation we make to this effort does not only operate as advertising for us, but it is also a way by which we show our appreciation to our customers by giving back something to the community. We improve our customers’ stakeholder value in the Company (Hillman & Keim, 2001), as well as avail of a chance to enhance our performance in this market, since developing the community positively enhances the company’s bottomline (Sundaram & Inkpen, 2004). Challenges While the Public Relations Department has expressed strong optimism for this proposal, they could not approve of this at their level, inasmuch as the budget allocated for the regional operation has already been depleted. This is the reason for elevating the decision to your office. Your approval of this donation will set into full swing the project’s implementation. However, declining the request will cause the project to be permanently abandoned, because as Dr. Sizemore has stated, they have already solicited available donations from other institutions, including our competitors, Ace Computers and PC World. Recommendation It is respectfully recommended by the undersigned that this request be given due course in the form of affirmative action. [Wordcount = 900] PAIBOC JUSTIFICATION There are reasons for which the various facts, information and averments have been included in the report. These justifications are contained herein and will be discussed in the framework of PAIBOC. Purpose The purpose of the report was to convince the Chief Executive Officer of the computer equipment firm, at which the writer is a manager, to contribute $4,000 to a city project. The project is the initiative of high schools in the city where the Company has a retail outlet, and wherein the report writer is manager. The project promises no tangible financial benefits for the firm, but offers substantial intangible benefits that may materialize in the future. It is the purpose of the report to convince the CEO of this sufficiently for him to approve the donation. Audience The main audience of the report is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Company. However, it is also safe to assume that the CEO will sound off his advisers, the Vice President for Finance, maybe also for Marketing and Operations, but definitely the head of the Public Relations Department. Certainly he will ask for the opinion of the head of the Public Relations Department concerning the merits of the proposed program, and how it could help the public image of the company. He will inquire about available funds from Finance, and from Marketing and Operations, the claim that the city’s patronage and sales are of a substantial level as to justify a donation of such amount. The report, therefore, should have been written with these possible audiences in mind. Any claims made in the report must be credible and accurate so as to be confirmed by these advisers to the CEO. Information The CEO has to decide either for or against the proposal. He will need justification for deciding to grant the donation. In the absence of any salient reason, naturally he will decide against it. The CEO must thus be informed, firstly, that the project is a viable one. Its main proponents from the community must be shown to be reliable, solid citizens whose proposal is worthy of serious consideration. In this report, Dr. Alicia Sizemore is cited by name because she is personally known by the Company as one of its regular customers and, therefore, stakeholders. As principal of her school, she would have approved repurchases of computer units and equipment; had she not been already a customer, then the Company would consider her project, in the hope of winning her patronage in the name of the school. Maintaining good relations with her would please the Marketing department, besides attributing substantial weight to her request. Likewise, the mention of institutions and associations is important information for the CEO. The prevalence of institutional support improves the chances for the program to take off successfully, which is the case with mention of the auspices of the High Schools of the City, as well as the Association of Computer Teachers in Secondary Education. More than that, however, mentioning supporting institutions lends further integrity to the project. The CEO would want to know with which companies or associations it is joining in lending their name to the project. The mention of Company competitors Ace Computers and PC World as contributors makes the absence of this Company’s support more glaring. This is one valid justification for the CEO to consider approval of the donation. Most importantly, the CEO would want to know about the project itself. This is the reason for narrating the particulars in the report, so that the rationale for the project would be made clear. Considerations of dollars and cents notwithstanding, if the CEO find a meritorious project which is carefully planned, thoroughly supported, and which adds true value to the community in the manner it was intended, then this would provide the best justification of all for its approval. Benefits Aside from altruistic reasons, the proposal should be shown to benefit the Company itself. After all, a business firm must first ensure its survival and growth by guarding its bottomline. Definitely, the donation is of a nature that does not purport to give the Company any direct tangible financial gains. However, by uplifting the socio-economic conditions of the community where the Company maintains its market presence, then such improvement will eventually enhance the market potential of the community, eventually yielding greater demand and stronger sales for the Company’s products. Furthermore, more individuals trained in the use of computers tends to create a latent demand for the product which could eventually translate to more orders. This is the reason why the report mentions that the Company is already realizing substantial sales and profits from the very organizers of the project, a relationship that the CEO would certainly wish to foster and maintain. Objections One sure objection that may be brought up by advisers is the depletion of the budget for public relations for this region. For this reason, the report mentions elevating the matter to the CEO, who is fully aware that he is empowered to make out-of-budget decisions. Depletion of the allocated budget does not mean losses for the Company. It simply means that the amount approved for discretionary release of middle managers has already been consumed. A top manager, definitely the CEO, could always authorize release of other Company funds should the purpose be meritorious. Furthermore, the report stresses that the donation will have long-term benefits for the Company in terms of goodwill towards the community and the customers. A good CEO will realize that the annual budget is limited to within the year, and does not pose a strong obstacle to granting an allocation which lasts beyond one year. Another possible objection would be the size of the amount, $4,000. It is with this in mind that the report mentions the amount of $4,000 being a mere fraction of the recurring profits the company makes in this community. The amount may be big, but put in the perspective of the overall gains of the Company out of this same community, then the amount may be considered as only too reasonable. Context The report also highlights a particular context of the project that the CEO may consider vital – the self-sustaining nature of the project. First is the provision for financial sustainability, which means that the donation being asked is not a dole-out, but capital that will likely be a one-time contribution. The Company’s financial contribution is matched by the volunteered services of at least 250 students, possibly more in the future. The demand appears also sustainable, since more and more senior members of the community will be prompted by a desire to communicate with loved ones to find interest in learning about computers. Even while many of them would have been given basic training, there will always be those among the elderly who would find interest in retraining, to keep abreast of new developments in internet communications to explore new ways by which they would be interacting with their grandchildren in cyberspace. Since the CEO is himself most likely a family man advancing in years, he could personally relate to this, which is the reason why the report elaborated slightly on the plight of the elderly citizens. [Wordcount = 1,200 excluding title] REFERENCES Buratto, Bill. Think Youth: The Challenge of Youth Volunteerism. The Nonprofit World Report. May- June, 1984. pp. 16-19 Cochran, Philip L. and Wood, Robert A. Corporate Social Responsibility and Financial Performance. The Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 27, No. 1 (Mar., 1984), pp. 42-56 Fitch, H. Gordon. Achieving Corporate Social Responsibility. The Academy of Management Review, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Jan., 1976), pp. 38-46 Hillman, Amy J. and Keim, Gerald D. Shareholder Value, Stakeholder Management, and Social Issues: Whats the Bottom Line? Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Feb., 2001), pp. 125-139 Sundaram, Anant K. and Inkpen, Andrew C. The Corporate Objective Revisited. Organization Science, Vol. 15, No. 3 (May - Jun., 2004), pp. 350-363 Waddock, Sandra A. and Graves, Samuel B. The Corporate Social Performance-Financial Performance Link. Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 18, No. 4 (Apr., 1997), pp. 303-319 Read More