Business Management of Roger - Assignment Example

Business Management Introduction Roger is has created his name in the list of known ones in providing travel packages and services related to travel like tour itinerary, hotel bookings etc. The main areas targeted are Europe and the United States which are operated from Roger’s shop which has been running for about 2 years now. He has employed four students who are hired to take care of the operational work at the shop. Isabelle, Claude and John are part time students who work at the weekends and Francis is full time person from a similar background as himself. Roger tends to look after the sales side of the business whilst Francis looks after customer services as she has experience in this area. The main changes which Roger wants to make in his business are with respect to HR, Marketing, management and strategic issues. Here are recommendations based on the trends and best practices of the market. 1. HR Issues: Roger is currently looking for people who can work full time for this shop so that he can take care of the sales targets and can make a team to do all sort of work for expanding his operations. However, the kind of profile he is looking for should be included in the job description of the designations which needs to be filled. The job description for the vacant positions should look like the details given below: Job Title Store/Shop Executive Job Description Maintain customer services and facilities Main Activities Greet customers and provide assistance Maintain cleanliness and order in the store Clean motel rooms Perform laundry duties Maintain stock, supplies and inventories Main Activities Take inventory Order groceries and supplies Check received stock against invoices Mark prices on stock Restock shelves Maintain accounts Main Activities Record prices in the log book Receive cash and provide correct change Operate the cash register Balance cash receipts Make deposits Record visa and debit accounts Maintain a manual general ledger Print and record receipts Reconcile bank statements Keep track of customer credit Collect receivables Perform other related duties as required Required Knowledge and Skills Knowledge The incumbent must have proficient knowledge in the following areas: customer service accounts payable and accounts receivables office administration store and motel management and administration Skills The incumbent must demonstrate the following skills: excellent customer service and interpersonal skills bookkeeping skills analytical and problem solving skills decision making skills effective verbal and listening communications skills effective written communications skills computer skills including the ability to operate a cash register, computerized accounting, spreadsheet and word processing programs at a highly proficient level time management skills Personal Attributes The incumbent must also demonstrate the following personal attributes: be honest and trustworthy be respectful possess cultural awareness and sensitivity be flexible demonstrate sound work ethics To hire the person for the shop, an ad needs to be placed on the websites like http://workineurope.ning.com/, http://bayt.com/, http://www.usajobs.gov/, http://www.bestjobsus.com/ etc/. However, such ads can also be placed through newspapers and news sites like Balkan Insight, Brussels Journal, European Weekly, The Times, and USA Today etc. To attract people who can be the potential ones at this post shall be attracted by an attractive ad like the copy given below: Store/Shop Executive required: A young energetic person (male/female) having experience of dealing as many people at a store effectively and efficiently. Attractive salary package will be offered based on the level of experience along with perks and invective like food and transportation. To grab the opportunity, post your resumes to POBOX # 112345 or email your resumes at hr@rogersco.com. 2. Marketing Issues: For Roger’s business, it is very important to use print mediums and less of electronic to provide details to the potential customers as for a business of travels and tours, written ads are more appealing. Most suitable promotional mediums are newspapers and website where Roger can post ads related to the new offerings. Appropriate mediums would be newspapers and magazines like 21st century adventures which is an online travel magazine featuring virtual adventure, photos and travels around the world, Backpacker a magazine packed with reviews and destinations for backpacking, camping, hiking, and other outdoor activities, Beyond which is a free magazine providing you with the latest travel and lifestyle trends, Geographical which is a UK magazine of the Royal Geographical Society, presenting illustrated articles on people, places, cultures, adventure, responsible travel, history, science and environmental issues and many others. Such magazines can be used as the best mediums as potential people can be targeted and can be provided complete details through printed medium. Printed mediums and magazines can also have inserters of the Roger’s offerings which can be attractive to the customers. The slogan for marketing the services can be “Best offer at Roger”, “Explore at Rogers” etc. The ad script or copy which Roger can use to appeal its target audience can be: Are you looking for place far from the hectic routine life you are living? Explore the best offers at Roger and see the world from a different dimension. 3. Management Issues: Management issues are there in every business either it be a small one or a huge entity. To tackle management issues is a heavy duty on the owner as it may weaken the very strength of the organization. However, every individual working in the shop shall be given briefings of their roles and responsibilities so that system can be kept working. The problems Roger is facing due to the change which he wants to implement and the main reason why is he facing problem can be the level of acceptance. People normally get use to the way they are been told or are using since years. When there is a little change in management or a level introduced in dealing with the old employees and the new ones. However, there is a theory given be Kurt Lewin which can be adopted by Roger to avoid any problem. The theory is based on three stage process of change. 1. Unfreeze – creation of motivation of change An organization must be prepared for any change which is about to occur. This process is known as 'unfreezing' and involves the investigation of resisting forces. 2. Change – adjust to equilibrium Developing new attitudes, beliefs, values and behaviours based on new information. Once the resisting forces have been investigated, understood and minimized, the change can be implemented. 3. Refreeze – making routine The organization must go through the final stage of refreezing the organizational system. A variety of strategies may be adopted to achieve this, including new rules, regulations and reward schemes to strengthen the change process and maximize the desired behaviors of staff or employees. 4. Strategic Issues: Strategic issues needs to be kept in focus at a very initial level as strategies are the ground rules which take on or carry the business decisions and results are based on those strategies. Strategies are important as those are the main roots based on which the whole building is build and the strength of strategies is reflected through the profit margins and sales figures. The proposed strategy pyramid for Rogers should look like: Such a pyramid will help Roger to identify programs and advertising mediums for his offerings and services. Bibliography Magazines, Accessed on April 27, 2009 Travel MAgs, Accessed on April 27, 2009 Strategy pyramid, Accessed on April 27, 2009 http://www.redefiningstrategy.com/StrategyPyramid.pdf New York News, Accessed on April 27, 2009 < http://www.usnpl.com/nynews.php> World Newspapers, Accessed April 27, 2009 Travel News Today, Accessed on April 27, 2009 Change Theory, Accessed on April 27, 2009 Read More