Measures of Propelling the Business - Case Study Example

Running Head: Dutiful Daughters Dutiful Daughters (Author’s name) (Institutional Affiliation) (Tutor’s name) (Date) Table of contents Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………….3- 4 Executive summary……………………………………………………………………….. 5 Body………………………………………………………………………………………. 5-11 Tips on successful opening of a business………………………………………...5-6 Creation of job description of a business…………………………………………..7-8 Identification of potential employees of a business………………………………..8-10 Selection criteria for new employees ……………………………………………...10-11 Marketing Policy …………………………………………………………………..11-12 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………..12-13 Recommendations……………………………………………………………………………13 Appendix…………………………………………………………………………………..…13 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………….…14 Dutiful Daughters Introduction According to Gerber, (2010), the chance of the success of a business depends on the tactic effort of the entrepreneur. Majority of the businesses may put the golden opportunity of success in your hands and some will automatically pile up the business success opportunity against you. Most entrepreneurs believe to be gurus in the field of business forgetting that the types of market as well as the competitors continually change to suit their needs and survive in the market for a long time. He continues to argue that all entrepreneurs are oblivious when it comes to running a business. They have to take up the responsibility of upgrading their skills and expertise in this field to the changing consumer needs and the market demands. This does not mean that they do not know how to sell because they do it with a lot of passion, but they do not have the techniques of running and managing these businesses. The services offered to the general public may be questionable by these business men who claim to have the necessary experience for a continued long period of time. It is however mandatory to note that what works in one business may not be applicable to another or even make sense. Preddy (2011) argues that all entrepreneurs need to grasp the notion that for any business to thrive, they have to equip themselves with skills that match the market needs at that particular time lest they sell outdated products that may fully satisfy the consumer needs. With this fact, there are quite a number of generalities, with the intention of taking a business to the next level, that have to be adhered to. These generalities have been for a long time debated on and proven to the blue print of a business. If a businessman takes them into account the likelihood of the success of their business is on a higher probability (Rozek and Lindahl 2010). Entrepreneurs who have chosen not to pay any attention to this may be compared to a person who saw an opportunity calling and had a chance to embrace it but ignored it altogether. Basically, this proves to be a constructive step an entrepreneur may ever undertake for a business to thrive and face one on one with others in the market. Though one may want to take a totally new turn to start a business, it is mandatory to always take a step back and trace what other entrepreneurs did in the past and what determined the success of the most prominent businesses today. Just like the wise saying says we cannot alienate the past and believe today’s success is achievable. Entrepreneurs have to know why they are starting their businesses which will of course determine the success or failure of a business. All the steps of course of action have to be considered very keenly by all the involved stakeholders of the business. Just like Helen Whitney began her Dutiful Daughters in the early 2000s and continued expanding with time it is evident that she has a lot to venture into for her business to keep expanding. Some of the loopholes in her business include some reasons like detaching herself from her friends, having no proper job description for her employees, devising a better way to attract customers, finding a proper way of selecting employees among others. This paper will endeavor to report these challenges and measures after critically analyzing the situation and devising the most beneficial measures of propelling the business forward after compiling studies by various analysts who have conducted extensive research on business matters. Executive summary Dutiful daughters trace its roots back in the early 2000s by a retired nurse –Helen Whitney in her late 50s. This was a result of her need for a job which she could comfortably do with her earlier acquired skills. After careful review of business ideas, she settled on establishing a home care business in respect to her son’s interest in nursing charitable trust. The business continued to thrive with time from the grassroots until 2000 when the business claimed a large part of the inhabitants of Sydney and attracted a large number of staff to provide services for the home-care agency. Dutiful Daughters has set its place in the market for the best provision of camaraderie, medical care and preparation of meals for clients among other roles with the permission of Australian Health commission. Tips on successful opening of a business For any business to run successfully, there are various factors that have to be considered. Among them include sacrificing one’s time to commit to the business. According to Stone (2008) Helen –the manager- of Dutiful Daughters has undertaken a lot of sacrifice in the business to make it a success. This has included in her alienating herself from her personal life which includes spending time with friends. She even openly admits that she has lost her personal touch arguing that her demanding job requires her 24-hour presence. It is even worse when she claims that it is worse for her employees who find it an uphill task trying to cope with both their personal life and employment. This is a clear indication of business that is on the way to fail. If the manager and her employees are not able to have time for them, it means that they may suffer from exhaustion which is not good for their jobs. The rate of output of this company may take the downward trend due to exhaustion of workers or rather poor quality input into the company. According to Henry (2010) getting a coach is policy that may be used to run a business successfully. A coach is a person who assists or rather acts as a guide to a business person. They may aid in planning, functioning, or even operation of the business. Studies have indicated that these coaches are very much reliable on the success of a business. Having not been in that particular business he is non- partisan and is the best advisor to the business. In our case study of Dutiful Daughters, Helen-the manager- needs to embrace this idea which has for a long time produced results. She should be aware that she does not have all the solutions to her business. Losing her personal touch would be interpreted to mean that this business is her core business in life unlike usual expectations of human race. Another person incorporated into the management process may work marvelously for her and the business. It may not take long until she realizes that the numbers she needs and survival tactics are achievable with an assistant manager. This would mean that Helen would contribute enough to success of her business and spend less time in the office. With this she has ample time to relax and have an opportunity to set the standards right on what she aims to achieve in the future. With great rewards from this attempt, Helen also has enough time to take care of other business issues like taking care of advertisements issue for the purpose of marketing her services which would not be possible if she works in the office on a full time basis. Creation of job description of a business Henry (2010) argues that, in the context of Human Resource Management, job description is a working plan that assists the progress of a business. Employees are able to know what functions they ought to do and within which time frames or capacities. If the job description is followed, the employees develop a routine which they carry out daily thus providing good enough care system for their clients. The procedure of developing a job description is first identifying the need you have at that particular moment. This will lead to clear-cut job description able to serve for a very long period of time. Next, one needs to identify the roles to be played by each stakeholder in the business. In the job description, the tasks should be well outlined as result of the assessment procedures undertaken. (Preddy 2011). The following is a job description that may be undertaken by Dutiful Daughters business to employ a new employee who ought to undertake the role of provision of personal care. Job functions: Preparing meals good enough for the clients. Closely check the expiry dates for the stock of meals to be prepared at a future date. Assist the aged clientele with walking and other light exercises. Air the sleeping area, ensure that all the beds are well spread and clean the bed sheets. Dusting and vacuuming the environment Doing the laundry and ironing Ensure that garbage is well collected and always emptied Take part in psychological and physical exercises of the clients Conduct medical reminders Provide companionship to the clients Accompany clients on their appointments like salon, events like church services e.t.c. Engage the clients in outdoor activities like playing favorite games e.t.c Keep a proper record of daily occurrences Record all client needs and changes that may need keen investigation or report to the main office This will guide the employee on the dos and donts as stipulated in the job description. Identification of potential employees of a business In the case of business, the Human Resource Manager must have an idea of what type of employees to expect in the business. This prepares them in the selection process of the best candidate for the job. In our case study, the most likely employees in the Dutiful Daughters business are likely to be the retired middle aged individuals- preferably nurses or social workers -and the aged who may not be competitive enough in the current job market. This influx of employees into Dutiful Daughters may be due to offer help on humanitarian grounds just at a fee which may not really be an important factor. In this regard these employees could be recruited effectively based on the following factors. It is important that the employer spend a day or a day and a half with the job seeker for proper assessment and matriculation once successful after the interview. First, the employer must find out the likes and dislikes of the employee. This job requires a person that is able to cope with people from diverse backgrounds and with specific needs. This person should be very social and flexible enough to deal with as many diverse customers as possible (Preddy 2011). Secondly, assessment on the employee’s ability to deal with emergency situations should be checked in detail. He or she should have the skills of dealing with certain situations like signs of emergency both fast enough to save a situation and also sensibly. Being in a position to detect problems in terms of behavior of the patient would be an additional mark to the interviewee as this depicts that they are able to deal with such situations accordingly. They should also be witty enough to know at what intervals medications should be administered and in what amounts. Factors like willingness to perform may be put into check. If an applicant is constantly on vacations or businesses, is constantly late, may not be best candidate. This may be as a result of the dependence of the home manager to this employee. If he or she is always absent and has problems of timely communication, may lead to problems in the home and is automatically not the best person for the job. Other factors like transport matter if you are not in a position to provide ample transport facilities to the employees. Someone who drives may be preferable as they will cut down your costs on car hire. This means that you will only discuss insurance costs and the business is good to go. Lastly, one’s same job experience matters and what they feel about caring for persons with special needs (Lawrence, Carlson, and Egeland 2006). If they are able to handle people who are nagging, with intense phobia and other experiences then they are able for the job. If they also able to move a person on a wheelchair, that would be an added advantage. With these characteristics, they are able to work for the business, of course, backed by referees who have worked with them for a while and can recommend them for the job. Selection criteria for new employees According to Gerber (2010), the interview panel should select the most qualified as soon as possible as the most qualified applicants tend to look for another job immediately if not contacted by the employers after a specific time frame. First impressions by the applicant matter a lot and the interview panel must put that into weigh. If you feel comfortable with an applicant then he or she is the best. The main concern is the best criterion to select an applicant. The interview panel must first of all consider the previous work place of the applicant. If the applicant has worked as a social worker before then he or she may be in a better position to provide services in the nursing home. The duties they performed are yet another major criterion to be considered. If they were caring for disabled people in a center, then they may be the best applicants in relation to the job line of Dutiful Daughters. They may also have dealt with mentally ill people and this means that they are able to work on whichever conditions they may be under (Beck and Minder 2011). Such applicants wouldn’t mind escorting clients to the market or salons as they have developed the virtue of patience while dealing with people. Another imperative criterion would be the experience of cooking for people and for how long they are able to work. People who can work under pressure and on long working hours may be useful as this job demands. One who is constantly asking for permission to attend to issues like vacation is totally the wrong individual. If they are available on weekends when the job is demanding could be very beneficial. This simply refers to one’s commitment to their job. Lastly and most important is the number of viable references the applicant has provided in their resume. If they are related to the job they are applying for and are sincere, then giving them a chance would not be a problem. It is therefore the responsibility of the interview panel to select the best candidate for the job as stipulated in the conditions discussed above. Marketing Policy Marketing is the backbone of a business. Stone (2008) states that one the major challenges faced by the Dutiful Daughters Company is poor marketing of its services. In his article, he expresses his disappointment on Helen’s –the manager- mode of marketing. She does it orally to clients around her basing her argument on the grounds that she is not very able to provide adequate services to the present demand. If she advertises more, she is afraid that she may not deliver the required services. As a Human Resource Manager, this is a fatal move that may lead to a total collapse of a company. Being in a position to see a business opportunity is not something that should be taken lightly. It is the responsibility of the manager to ensure that they pull resources from all angles so as to meet the demands of an existing demand in the market. Stone (2008) continues to argue that Helen’s website is a simple one with only the company’s description. This means that clients who come across it over the internet hold the perception that the company has very little to offer if they cannot manage to upgrade their website. What you set in the minds of clients set the base of your business and whether a client will be interested in carrying out business with you or not. It is also very difficult for such clients to tell how to access such services if they have an interest in the business. Looking at it critically, the business is losing potential clientele who may be in a position to offer too much for the business even in just a day. If Helen decides to use e-marketing, she may be in a position to deal with clients from all parts of the world and even access payment from the same. This would minimize her efforts of word to word advertisements which no doubt strains her old age. It is this fact that proves one has to be at par with the changing consumer needs and technological practices to have a smooth sailing life in the business world free from depression. Conclusion For one’s business to work, and in our case a home care situation, many parties have to be involved in running the business. The selection of the best employees has to be undertaken with a lot of caution lest they fail the whole business. The manager should ensure good communication is the major ingredient of the business so as to establish good rapport with the workers. He or she should also be welcome to changes that may take place in the society like e-marketing that makes a business successful. Regular meetings should be held to converse on the changes and way forwards the company has decided on. The manager should be at liberty to fire any employee who does not contribute to the success of the Home care and hire a more competent one. Recommendations The Dutiful Daughters should undertake the following measures to improve its services: Employing a coach to advise the manager on the way forward of the business. Coaches have for a long time been credited for their fruitful contribution to a business. Develop a comprehensive job description for the workers to understand well their job descriptions. Set aside the criteria for selection of employees for the business Adopt strong marketing strategies to continue capturing a wide clientele base. Appendix Irrefutably, a business needs a lot to thrive, from sacrifice of one’s time to the marketing strategies. If one lacks then the whole business fails. Research on previous cases also aids in making the right choices for a business. Bibliography Beck, C. J. and Minder, C. (2011).Survival Analysis and Factors Associated with Mortality among Elderly in a Home Care Program. Home Health Care Management Practice. 2011; 23(2):102-108. Gerber, M. (2010).The Most Successful Small Business in the World: The Ten Principles. John Wiley and Sons: Australia. Henry, M. (2010).How to start a Business in Bali: A Practical Guide to Setting Up and Running a Successful Business in Bali. John and Wiley sons: Australia Lawrence, C., Carlson, E.A. and Egeland, B. (2006). "The impact of foster care on development". Development and psychopathology 18 (1): 57–76. Preddy, S. (2011). How to run a Successful Design Business: The New Professional Practice. Gower Publishing, Ltd: London Rozek, J. and Lindahl, D. (2010). The Six-Figure Second Income: How to Start and Grow A Successful Online Business Without Quitting Your Day Job. John and Wiley sons: Australia Stone, R. (2008). Managing human resources. John Wiley and Sons: Australia. Stuck, A. (2006). The Effectiveness and Efficiency of Home-Based Nursing Health Promotion for Older People: A Review of the Literature Medical Care Res Rev. 2006; 63(5):531-569. Read More