The Management of the Olympic Games - Case Study Example

Project Management Executive Summary This report addresses the management of a career expo during the Olympic month scheduled for July 2012 in London. The career expo project is justified by the need to bring together students, jobs seekers (especially graduates) and employers together on a platform where each party can benefit. The viability of the project, especially during the Olympic month is underscored by the possibility of bringing together multinational corporations, and other equally feasible employers with job seekers and potential employees from within the UK and the world over. The project management team will be responsible for analysing the viability of the project, formulating a budget, and organising the work team around the different responsibilities needed to make it a success. Marketing the project will be the responsibility of the marketing team, and will be done through several approaches which include advertisements, signs, flyers, and brochures. Email blasts will also be sent to a selected mailing list, which will include organisations that the university has partnered with before, past participants, and networks. Press releases will also be used as one way of informing the media, and inviting free publicity for the event, while sponsorships will be invited to create publicity for the event and their participation among their networks. The report concludes by observing that the Olympic Games present opportunities that the host communities should utilise in order to create their own legacies. The career expo project is the most befitting for the University, since it will not only provide a platform for the University to necessitate job seeking graduates and students to meet with potential employers, but will also be an opportunity for the university to enrol international students in future. Table of Contents Introduction Firms use projects to explore new markets, attain organisational change, develop new product categories, and as Davies and Hobday (2005, p. 3) puts it “solve complex or novel problems such as how to accelerate new product development and shorten times to market”. When used effectively, projects thus have the capability of providing a flexible, dynamic and efficient way of organising the internal capabilities and resources in an organisation around the needs and preferences of existing and potential customers. The University, just like other organisations, relies on the demand of their programs to survive. Through admission, students keep the University running by paying tuition fee and providing the university with the financial resources needed to sustain it. The more marketable the courses offered at the University are, the higher the demand for the courses is likely to be. While universities do not have an obligation to connect students to potential employers, many often try to engage employers as one way of ensuring that their courses are in demand. With the Olympics, there is little doubt that multinational companies as well as other smaller but equally important corporate bodies will be in attendance. This then means that the University would greatly benefit by connecting its students with potential employers. There are a number of reasons for capitalising on the Olympics month. The Olympic Games have been cited as one of the largest sporting events in the world (Newham London, 2010). Bringing in thousands of sports men and women and even a greater number of spectators, the gaming event generates wide exposure for the host cities not only directly by the attendees, but also indirectly through media coverage (Dunn & McGuirck, 1999; Favre, 2005). Having established that projects provide a flexible, dynamic and efficient way of organising internal capabilities and resource to serve the need and preferences of existing and future customers; and having established that the university can advance or market its courses in view of enhancing the demand for its courses during the Olympic month, this essay proposes a Career Expo as the most befitting project. Background Information A career expo is defined as an event that brings together job seekers and employers (USAID, 2007, p. 1). Also known as a job fair, the career expo is an employment strategy, which the event organiser uses to fast-track job seekers meeting potential employers. Usually, the career expos are beneficial to all three categories of people present: i.e. the job seekers, the employers, and the event organisers or facilitators (in this case the University). Ideally, companies attend career expos for purposes of screening candidates, and even recruiting employees. Some companies also participate in such expos for purposes of presenting themselves as desirable work places (Waldrop, 2008). Overall, companies identify talented candidates for current or future job openings; provide students and job seekers with information regarding career options; get highly qualified employees in such expos; or get positive exposure from the same. Job seekers and students on the other hand get to identify their preferred future employers; connect with them about employment; and identify internship opportunities; and some are even pre-selected for job interviews (Waldrop, 2008). It is also possible that some job seekers land jobs during the career expo. Business Case While career expos have been used by many universities to bring job seekers, students and employers together, the proposed project is especially viable and justified because of its strategic schedule during the Olympic month. In addition to the Olympic Games attracting sportsmen and women from diverse parts of the world, it will also bring provide the host city with countless opportunities to showcase its businesses opportunities and other resources to the rest of the world. The University should not let the opportunity pass it by; hence, the proposed career expo is not only meant to provide a platform where local employers can identify potential talent, but will also bring together international organisations and talent together. In the contemporary globalised world, such platforms are rare yet their need is increasing especially since corporations go beyond their traditional geographical boundaries in search of talent. Additionally, the university will have a chance to expose its courses to potential international students, hence standing the possibility of admitting more international students in coming years. Based on the above information, it is clear that the proposed career expo is feasible and hence qualified to receive funding either from by the University or by donors and other sponsors. Additionally, the internal drivers (i.e. the need for the University to connect students, graduates and employers and hence create demand for its courses) and the external drivers (i.e. the Olympic Games and the huge number of visitors to the city) clearly mean that the proposed career expo will be beneficial for all stakeholders. Conley and May (2010) observe that support from campus and buy-in from other stakeholders is essential for the project’s success. Work Breakdown Structure To successfully hold a career expo project, the project management team needs to establish the objectives of the expo; identify the right location for the event; allocate a budget; identify and target sponsors; market and advertise the event; solicit participants (i.e. the employer companies); procure (or arrange for the provision of) booths and tables; and train event facilitators. 1. The Needs Analysis: The first step of the project will involve analysing the viability of the career expo. Here, a look at the job market will be essential in order to determine if indeed the career expo is necessary. Additionally, the organisers will need to establish if indeed there are sufficient job vacancies among identified employers to warrant a career expo. The third objective of the analysis will be to identify the specific objectives that the career expo will yield. For example, the expo may improve the chances of students finding employment, employers’ ease of filling existing vacancies, and employers’ exposure to the job seekers and the general public. A needs analysis will also be essential in determining the cost of hosting the career expo. Some of the considerations that the event organisers will consider include the facility, equipment needed and suppliers, the time needed to plan, and organise the event, and the permits, or any other authorisation needed and the accompanying cost. Based on such an analysis, and in discussion with the relevant authorities at the University, the project team will determine if the University has the resources and capabilities to organise a successful careers expo. Other factors that the organisers may need to consider include whether the outcomes of the expo will offset the costs, and whether the University management and administrators will commit to supporting the career expo. 2. Specifying a budget for the career expo Depending on the outcomes of the needs analysis, the project management team will be in a position to make a decision regarding whether or not to carry on with the project. If the needs analysis indicates that the career expo will be beneficial to the parties involved, the project management team will then proceed to specify a budget for the event. 3. Appoint team leaders for the different functions of the career expo Like any other event, the organisation of a career expo involves several responsibilities that cannot be adequately handled by a single person. As such, the project management team will need to have several people holding different positions and overseeing different responsibilities. The table below indicates the different positions, and their corresponding responsibilities. Position Responsibility/responsibilities Team leader Will be responsible for overseeing the different function of event planning, organising and implementation Marketing coordinator Will be responsible for contacting sponsors, donor and overseeing the marketing campaigns for the career expo. He/she will also be responsible for public relations Logistics coordinator Will be responsible for making venue arrangement, organising the equipment, service provision, and coordinating the provision of all supplies. He/she will also be responsible for staffing the career expo. Employer coordinator Will be responsible for contacting and committing different employers to the career expo. She/he will also be responsible for providing guidelines for their participation, answering their questions, and attending to their need, prior to, during and after the event. Graphic designer Will be responsible for all the creative art that will be used in brochures, banners, posters and all other promotional materials that will be used in the event Administrative assistant Will be responsible for general clerical functions, and will assist other members of the organising tem with different tasks. Critical Path Analysis Time is always of essence in any project as indicated by Schwalbe (2010) and Baker (2004), hence the need for critical path analysis. Activity Description Required predecessors Duration (weeks) A Project design none 2 B Market research none 2 C Identify & Contact sponsors A, B 1 D Marketing event A, B 4 E Procuring supplies B 2 F Training Staff B, C 1 G Project report D, E, F 1 A sketch of the critical path is shown below There are several paths for this project i.e. ABCDEG= 2+2+1+4+2+1 weeks Or ABCDEFG=2+2+1+4+2+1+1 weeks Hence the critical path is in the latter since it has the longest duration (13 weeks) compared to the former’s 12 weeks). Marketing Marketing and promotion will a vital component for the career expo. Specifically, and as USAID (2007, p. 11) notes, how the marketing and promotion components will determine the attendance, since they will inform both job seekers and employers why the expo should interest them. Ideally, job seekers and the employers should be convinced that the expo is worth attending. The objectives of the expo should thus be designed in a clear manner that will in turn translate to a clear-cut marketing campaign. The marketing methods will include advertisements, signs, flyers, and brochures. Email blasts will also be sent to a selected mailing list, which will include organisations that the university has partnered with before, past participation, and networks. Press releases will also be used as one way of informing the media and inviting free publicity for the event. Marketing the event will also involve sponsors, since as USAID (2007, p. 12) observes, “companies spend billions of dollars sponsoring all types of events”. To sponsor an event however, companies need to be convinced that they will attain value for the dollars spent on the event. For most corporate organisations, the rewards of sponsoring a career fair are mostly related to the exposure they get during the event. One the ways by which the organising team can encourage corporate organisations to sponsor the career expo is by assuring them of the tangible benefits related to the sponsorship. Such include having their names mentioned in the advertisements and commercials, being featured in the banner ads and other promotional material, and their corporate profiles being featured in the career expo kit provided to students and job seekers. The use of brochures, especially during the Olympics Games period is also a viable way of marketing the career expo. Assuming the event will be scheduled for mid-July, the career expo organisers can set the image of the event by distributing brochures to the games attendees at specific locations. Ideally, and in order for the brochures to be a viable marketing tool, they should have a strong visual impact and content. Gantt chart: # Task Name Week 1-2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5-6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 1 Project Design 2 Market research 3 Project location 4 Identify sponsors 5 Market event 6 Procure supplies 7 Train facilitators 8 Project report Conclusion The Olympic Games present opportunities that the host communities should utilise in order to create their own social, economic and cultural legacies. The career expo project is the most befitting for the University, since it will not only provide a platform for the institution of higher learning to facilitate meetings between job seeking graduates and students and potential employers, but will also be an opportunity for the university to create awareness regarding its programmes to the career expo attendees. With the influx of international visitors to London, there is a great likelihood that such exposure will increase international students’ enrolment at the University in future. Through such a project, the University will not only be establishing itself as an institution that develops talents by offering the right courses for people’s career choices, but will also position itself as an institution that cares about the career welfare of its past, present and future graduates. Overall, it is worth noting that the success of the project depends on its planning and execution (Coward, 2007). Since the expo will last for only one week, the evaluation will be done on a daily basis with the intention of identifying challenges or weaknesses that may have hindered optimal execution of the project. Based on the evaluation report, the project organisers will work together to formulate solutions that will be enacted in the following days in order to castigate any shortcoming realised from the initial project strategy. References Baker, S. L 2010, ‘Critical path method (CPM)’viewed 1 May, 2012, http://hadm.sph.sc.edu/courses/j716/cpm/cpm.html Conley, W E & May, R 2010, ‘Making a business case for university projects’, University of Nebraska, Dodge Street, Omaha. Coward, L 2007, ‘Career Fair Success’, Cullen College of Engineering Career Centre, University of Houston, pp. 1-21. Davies, A & Hobday, M 2005, The Business of projects: managing innovation in complex products and systems, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Dunn, K & McGuirck, P 1999, ‘Hallmark events and its impacts’, Eds. Cashman, R & Hughes, A., University of New South Wales Press, Sydney, pp. 18-32. Evans, G 2008, ‘London 2012’ in Olympic cities: city agendas, planning, and the world’s games, Eds. Gold, J & Gold, M, Routledge, New York & London, pp. 298-318. Newham London 2010, ‘Olympic legacy lessons’, March 2010, pp. 1-88. Schwalbe, K 2010, Information technology project management, Cengage Learning, London. USAID 2007, ‘Job fair toolkit: a practical guide and best practices for organizing, conducting, and attending job fairs’, Armenia Social Protection Systems Strengthening Project, USAID SO 3.4 111-C-00-06-000676-00, pp. 1-43. Waldrop, S A 2008, The everything human resource management book: attract and keep the people who will drive your company’s success, Everything Books, London. Appendix 1: Gantt chart # Task Name Week 1-2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5-6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 1 Project Design 2 Market Research 3 Project location 4 Identify sponsors 5 Market event 6 Procure supplies 7 Train facilitators 8 Project report Read More