Two Competitors in the Yacht Building Business - Essay Example

The educational experience has provided me with adequate lessons on many matters: management, leadership, organization, and motivation among many others. My reflection would cover some of the important things that I learned from two competitors in the yacht-building business: Pendennis and A & P. To begin with, I understood that a business can grow big if the people running the business are dedicated to their craft. For example, I learned that as early as 1998, Pendennis took the initiative to hone the skills of their first ten apprentices. They took the risk of training their people which paid off in the long run. First, this benefitted their company by producing quality service through their specialized skilled laborers. They gained the industry’s acclaim as the Best Large Company Apprenticeship in 2008. Because of their passion for becoming good at what they are doing, they acquired more clients in the business. I liked this initiative by the company because if I become part of their company one day, they would support my career and equip me with training that would make me an asset to their business.

I was able to ask one of the employees and ask why they remained in this company and he just said” It’s like a family here”. Indeed, this is amazing and makes me interested in working here too. I also noticed that A & P observes strict regulations when it comes to safety. Areas are marked properly as well as personal equipment that must be worn to keep them safe. Nothing is scattered that can cause accidents and every material is properly stored and labeled. Because of this, workers feel safe in their work environment and perform with their best effort.

Aside from their focus on human resource development, I was impressed by how Pendennis manages its business development under the excellent leadership of  Mr.Toby Allies. He is very professional in his dealings and takes the customer’s needs at heart. Even the five sectors under the sales and marketing department are very serious in taking notes of the customer’s comments. This just exemplifies good business practice, since they take care of their customers and make them feel valued. Many customers appreciate the ease of communication with the different departments inside the company since their needs or requests are promptly met. This shows that Pendennis is an open organization that is willing to innovate itself by meeting the expectations of its customers. They even go beyond what is asked of them because they inquire from customers what else they need.  From what I saw, it must be exciting to work on one of their sectors and customize solutions that would please the customers. Likewise, it must also be satisfying to do business with this company because my demands would not just be met but also surpassed.

Another surprising thing that I learned about Pendennis is that they only accept several projects at a time. This demonstrates their ability to focus on current projects instead of aiming to make more profit with many projects. This may seem sort of a weakness to other companies, but I would appreciate this as a customer. This means that the company is willing to give its full attention to my needs adding more value to their service. In return, I would refer them to other businesses I know that would bring them more clients.

Despite these advantages provided by Pendennis, A & P has leverage when it comes to servicing customers overseas. The staff can travel to any dockyard worldwide and provide the necessary repairs requested by the customer. This is a unique service which certainly makes it a class of its own. Indeed, nothing comes close to personalized service in the comfort of your dockyard. Yacht owners can easily monitor the project and make suggestions to the skilled laborers. Also, their pricing is more competitive which appeals to the customers who must work on a budget.

Overall, choosing between these two companies is very difficult in terms of where I would want to start a career. Both have unique services that they provide to discerning customers which makes them popular. Since I have to choose, I would prefer A & P company. Why? Because it pursues hiring employees who are qualified and can help mentor new ones in the company like me, in case. I would greatly benefit from learning from masters in this field because of their vast experience. Surely, I would want to grow professionally and be treated as family in that company. It seems that the employees know each other well that they have formed a sub-culture inside the company. Also, I need a company that can assist me in my professional development by having good mentors around me that A & P could well provide. This is not to say that Pendennis is inferior, but it is just my personal preference that influences my decision. Nevertheless, I have much respect for both companies because of their best practices.