PUBLIC RELATIONS PLAN - Essay Example

MORE FOOD, LTD PUBLIC RELATIONS PLAN PUBLIC RELATIONS PLAN Company: More Food Ltd Expansion Program for Growing Wheat in Derbyshire Introduction Within a short span of six years, our company, More Food, has become a major supplier to equally major retailers here in United Kingdom. From a simple local business with three people, we are now employing over forty people. Despite the growth of our population, we are still able to maintain the quality of our products and our relationship with our partners. Though we have already come a long way in such a short time, to the point that we are already at the top of our league, we believe that this is still not yet the end of the road. As long as we are rising up, we are gaining more time to live and grow. There is so much to do and still many roads to take. There are still a lot of orders to deliver and cakes to invent. Moreover, our world is growing large, leaving us with a lot of areas to explore. Our expansion program which concerns growing weed killer resistant wheat crop in Derbyshire is a type of road that is put forth to us, and it is up to us whether or not to take it. It is entirely a different league compared to what we have been doing these past six years. During those times, our world is only limited in the kitchen, accepting orders and baking different kinds of fresh and delicious cakes. We never ventured outside our comfort zone until this point. Thus, there are a series of things that we need to consider in order to make sure we are making the right move. Major Issues Involved In this bold move of the company, there are a lot of areas that should be tackled. Covering these issues is important especially since this an expansion program is a novel venture for our company. Some of the major issues are the following: 1. The location where the wheat shall be grown. 2. The land where the wheat shall be planted. 3. The reaction of the Derbyshire locals regarding weed killer-resistant wheat. Geographically speaking, Derbyshire has two types of areas: the northern part which consists of soaring limestone and gritstone hills covered with common heather and peat, and the southern part which is characterized by low-lying, moderately flat and fertile lands (Jottings n.d.). However, when it comes to economic utilization, Derbyshire can be divided into three areas depending on its special purposes. The first is the north-west area which is known for tourism since it is the place for the Peak District National Park; the second is the south and the south-west is for agricultural industry; and third is the east area which was solely reserved for industrial purposes like mining, manufacturing and engineering (Jottings n.d.). With that said, it is thus, commendable to grow wheat in the south and south-west areas of Derbyshire. These areas may be Derbyshire Dales, South Derbyshire and Derby (Visit Derbyshire 2009). There are several crop farms established in these areas like the Spinney/Poplars Farm, Park Farm and Wilson Hall Farm in Derby, Gundy Farm in Swadlincote, South Derbyshire, and Birch House in Ashbourne, Derbyshire Dales (iDerbyshire 2009a, 2009b). Moreover, there are also mixed farms like in the Sapperton Manor, Champion Farm and Church Street in Derby, Oddo House Farm in Matlock, Derbyshire Dales and Hackwood Farm, Ashbourne Road, Dove View Farm, Cubley Lodge, Hill End Farm and Cutler Lane in Ashbourne (iDerbyshire 2009a, 2009b). However, there are still farms in the northern area of Derbyshire since there are areas in the north that are capable of hill farming like the Woodthorpe Farm, Overgreen and Main Street in Chesterfield, Lees Croft in Dronfield, Wheston in Buxton, and Snake Road in Hope Valley which are all in High Peak (iDerbyshire 2009a, 2009b). With the existing farms being enumerated, the next issue to be tackled is where the company shall acquire the land to plant the wheat. The two choices our company has is either we buying our own land in Derbyshire or leasing one from the owners of the farms. Having our own farmland will be favourable for us. With our own land, we do not have to worry about other people that are outside our company. However, in this new venture, we should keep our actions rational and practical. It is not advisable to pour out all our financial resources into an expansion program that is unfamiliar to us. We should be careful in each of our actions and enact this plan at the right pace. If ever we will acquire our own farmland in Derbyshire, we should consider the prices of the farmlands in the county. According to The Guardian (2006), the prices of farmland had began rising up in 2005. During that year, farmlands cost £7,389 (£3,066 an acre) compared to the £5,759 (£2,330 an acre) of 2005. There was a trend of buying farmlands just recently. City dwellers were enticed a lovely farmhouse and peaceful countryside. Farmlands for lifestyle purposes can amount to £3.75 million in Derbyshire (Aslet 2008). Despite being expensive though, having farmlands is now profitable as agriculture is on the rise once again. The demand for agricultural crops is on a high as well as their prices. According to Aslet (2008), a price of wheat is almost the same as the price of a farmland. Thus, farmers and investors are buying farmlands more than their original amounts. This also the case of tenanted lands which are being sold originally with a 50 percent discount from its original price; now, investors are buying tenanted lands as if they are buying untenanted farms (Aslet 2008). However, despite the bright future that this business is offering, we could not just put out our money to buy a farmland. Our company can resolve to lease which is more practical for us. We have to keep in mind that this will be the very first time we are going to trek this industry, hence, we have to make sure that risk is at a minimum, or this might unnecessarily endanger the company. Since we are considering planting wheat in different areas in Derbyshire, we can talk to the local government of the county if we could lease a farmland that is still not owned. If not, we can collaborate directly with existing companies like Jackson Bros, Lane & Son, J.D. Smith, J.W. Poultney & Son, Kim & Malc Smith, D.J. Goodall, I.G. Ward, G. Hodgkinson, D. Wigley & Co., D. Prince & Sons, Ltd., G.K. Robinson, F.B. Matthews, E. Morley & Sons, J.A.R. Yates, J.S. Yates, J.S Smith, Legh Farms, J.K. Tomkinson, J.W. Foot & Sons, K. Twemlow, C.J. & R.A. Hutchinson, J.M. Cotrill, C.H.C. Coaker, D.G. Cafferty, J.J. Furness, Ltd. (iDerbyshire 2009a; 2009b). In that way, we cannot only lease part of their farmland but we can also make an arrangement with them to borrow their employees. With their employees, we can be sure that they are already well-trained and already possess the sufficient knowledge of farming and manufacturing wheat. As for the type of wheat that we are going to use, we have to know whether the local government of Derbyshire allows its farmers to use weed killer-resistant weeds. If it does not, our company should just look for other place here in United Kingdom to put our expansion program or just use natural wheat. Weed killer-resistant wheat is genetically engineered or GE, formulated to resist weed killers like herbicides. It may seem favorable, however, there are movements against its use have been high and numerous. According to Mayer (2002), GE wheat is a potential threat in the environment and health. Her report for the Greenpeace International stated that the gene in the GE wheat can flow to its relatives, the weeds may evolve into something more problematic in order to adapt to the GE wheat, and it may encourage more use of herbicides that can trigger diseases among crops. Aside from these three side effects, GE wheat is said to have the capacity to disrupt the ecosystem by affecting other plants. Moreover, GE wheat can compromise antibiotic treatment of human beings since some GE wheat are resistant to ampicillin, neomycin or kanamycin. Lastly, it can also compromise the supply of natural wheat (Mayer 2002). Issues of Concern Aside from the abovementioned issues, there are still other aspects of the project that need attention. Though they may be minor compared to the issues discussed above, they can still influence the success of our project. The two other issues of concern are the following: 1. The additional materials needed for the production and manufacturing of wheat. 2. The possibility that wheat will grow in Derbyshire. Since most probably we will be manufacturing the wheat to flour, we have to take into consideration the materials and the mechanical machines that will be needed. Aslet (2008) described the amount of a tractor as more expensive than a Mercedes Benz. Hence, we should think whether we should buy second-hand machines or brand new ones. It may be commendable to acquire used machines first in order not to risk so much financially then to buy up-to-date and brand new machines when we finally got the feel of this program. We are not only set to buy a single tractor, hence, we are likely to invest a substantial amount for this expansion program. Secrest (2007) enumerated the steps for wheat processing in her article which was published online in How Products are Made, Volume 3 and they involve equipments and machines like flour mill, silos, separator, aspirator, disk separator, spiral seed separator, spinning cylinder, magnets, scourers, electronic color sorting machines, middling purifier, vacuum dryers, Entoleter, breaker rolls, vibrating screen, large metal rollers, sieves, etc. With that given, we should definitely budget our finances for this project. Moreover, we have to take note that though Derbyshire has a considerable number of farms, Derbyshire is not really known for its agricultural industry. Derbyshire is popular because of Buxton Water, Thorntons, JCB-Power Systems and Rolls Royce (Derbyshire Review 2009). Derbyshire is also most known for its rich natural resources like lead, iron, coal and limestone. During the Industrial Revolution, people in Derbyshire – along with the rest of Europe – capitalized on these resources to produce lime, cement, building stone, crushed stone and concrete. Moreover, Derbyshire is popular in the industry of water power proliferation when inventor Richard Arkwright developed the first water mills (Derbyshire Review 2009). Nonetheless, mining, energy and water supply is still not the major industry. It is under the ‘Others’ category together with agriculture, forestry and fishing, and construction (Derbyshire County Council 2001). To further elaborate the fact that agriculture is not the major industry of Derbyshire, most almost all of the employed population of Derbyshire is in the services sector. According to the latest census that is available in the website of Derbyshire County Council which was still last 2001, there were 295,370 people who are working for distribution and catering, transport, storage and communication, banking, finance, insurance, etc., public administration, education and health, and other services (Derbyshire County Council 2001). Based on that year’s census, there are only 6,004 workers under the industry of agriculture, forestry and fishing. Stakeholders In every action of a company, there will always be a group or groups of people that would be greatly affected or who can affect us, and these are the stakeholders. According to Golder and Gawler (2005), the stakeholders should be considered before starting a project as their support are very essential in a project’s failure or success. The stakeholders’ support definitely important as it is the very source of a company’s existence (Freeman & Reed 1985). In every project, there will always be two sides of stakeholders – the internal stakeholders and the external stake holders. The internal stakeholders will be the following: 1. The owners and shareholders of More Food Ltd. They will be affected in regards to profit and performance of this project. Of course, they will be putting out money for this venture, thus, they always have to make sure that this project succeeds in order to earn back the money that they have invested. 2. The management staff of More Food Ltd. These people will be concerned over the performance of the project, its progress and its growth, and if the objectives of the project will be attained. The management staff will be the ones who will oversee the project – how it is going, what things should be done, what materials are needed, etc. If the project at hand do not give the results that are expected, the management staff shall be held accountable. 3. The current employees of More Food Ltd. Since most of our employees are our more than forty bakers, they do not have direct involvement in the project venture. However, they will be concerned about their job security if ever the company will push through with the project. They will think if their current salary will be affected or if there is a tendency to lose their job because of the new project, especially since it will involve huge financial spending. On the other hand, the external stakeholders are: 1. The consumers/patronisers of More Food Ltd. Since we are planning to grow weed killer-resistant wheat, there might be customers who will not approve of it. They will think about not only the quality of our products but also of its safety and ethicality. There are still a lot of people who are against GE wheat due to its possible side effects to the human health, thus, we may have a tendency to lose some costumers because of it. 2. The retailers (Budgen’s, Waitrose, Soho Coffee Shops, etc.). If the costumers will be reluctant to avail More Food products because of the GE wheat, not only those who directly order in our company will be affected but also the costumers of the retailers. If we lose our customers, they may also lose theirs. Hence, in order for them not to lose their customers, the retailers who are availing their supply from us might cut their business partnership from us. 3. The local government of Derbyshire. Since we will plant wheat in their land, the local government of Derbyshire think about how they will profit with our business venture in their region. They will busy themselves with the taxes that will be involved. Moreover, they will be the ones who will deal with the reaction of the citizens of Derbyshire regarding our project. The Derbyshire County Council even has the Derbyshire Trading Standards Division. This division has a document entitled “Service Plan for Food Standards” which contains all the steps that they take in order to assure standards for food and animal feeds (Derbyshire Trading Standards Division 2008). They conduct inspection among all producers, manufacturers and retailers. For an agriculture inspection, they look over the raw materials, recipes, labelling, date marking, production processes and production records from farms, manufacturers or market stalls (Derbyshire County Council n.d.). 4. The possible owners of the land we will be leasing. If ever we will lease farmlands from the various companies enumerated earlier, the owners will be concerned about their profits. They have to see if they would earn if they lease their land to us, hence, they will have to think about the rate of lease and the commission that they will acquire from us especially if we are to also to ‘borrow’ their workers. 5. The citizens of Derbyshire. They may be patronisers of More Food products or not, still, they will be affected by our expansion program. Non-patronisers of our product will be concerned of the possible effects of the GE wheat to the environment of their region. They may cause protests about our business venture to stop us from using their lands. 6. The non-government organisations (most likely, Green Peace). Our company is known publicly, hence, every business move we take may be published or shown in the media. Since there is a huge commotion regarding GE wheat, the media will emphasise that aspect. Such attention is already enough to alert people from Green Peace. As an environment advocacy organisation, they will tap the government and the people of Derbyshire to not let us push through with our project, Methods of Communication It will be advisable if we made use of a “proactive approach.” In this approach, we will talk to our stakeholders even though we are still in the early phase of our program. This way, we will be able to influence the opinions of the public and to have a positive atmosphere (IFC 2007). In addition, negotiating with the stakeholders at a very early point will help minimise the possible complications and problems that we might encounter in the future. They can help us create ideas and alternatives (IFC 2007). Another advantage of talking to the stakeholders in the beginning is that we can already have a firm relationship with them in order to avoid mismanagement when conflict arises unexpectedly. However, it is important for us to remind them that the project is still full of uncertainties as it is still in its early stage (IFC 2007). In order to communicate with the stakeholders, we should identify their respective representatives (IFC 2007). It will be through them that we shall be communicating to other various stakeholders. For the external stakeholders, their representatives could be the following: 1) the media for the consumers/patronisers of More Food products; 2) a representative for each from our retailers; 3) a government worker or an elected politician that would represent the government of Derbyshire; 4) a representative for each prospected companies owning a farmland that we can lease; 5) a religious leader or school leaders from Derbyshire that would represent their fellow citizens; 6) a member of Green Peace organisation. When we talk to them, we have to be in their own community in order for them to be comfortable. Such atmosphere can promote transparency and accountability, and it will also allow them to realize that their opinions and ideas are being valued. This set-up shall also make them feel in control (IFC 2007). Though we listed the local government of Derbyshire as one of the external stakeholders, we must not treat it as just that. Government – be it a national or a local – is always a major stakeholder (IFC 2007). The local government can be a means to connect with the citizens of Derbyshire due to their age-old relationship with one another. Hence, we will be able to easily talk to them to brief them about our plans and to hear their concerns regarding it. Moreover, the local government can also be the one to connect with the private companies that will be able to help us find a farmland that we will either buy or lease from them. Another group of people that can help us in building relationship with the external stakeholders is our very employees. As our internal stakeholders, we should also keep them informed about our latest venture and made them part of the stakeholder engagements. They have the capacity to do so – we should keep in mind that our employees communicate with other people outside the company, most likely, regular consumers of More Food products, hence, we should make use of this to create a positive public perception by letting them share to others our plans and tell us what the other people think about it (IFC 2007). Order of Actions Looking back at the rest of the report, we can see that we have a lot of things to do if we really want to push through with the project. First, we have to talk to our employees about our expansion program in order to assure them that their jobs and salary will be intact. Let us assign them to share the basic information about our project to other people and ask them what they think about it and to report it to us. Secondly, we should conduct a meeting with the companies that we have been supplying to talk about the project and assess if they have any objections about it. Third, we must go to Derbyshire and talk to the local government about our project and ask them if they can help us reach out to their citizens and if they can lead us to certain companies that can be our potential venues for our wheat crops. Fourth, we negotiate with Green Peace through their representative as they can be the greatest “threat” in our project. Fifth, if the local government successfully talks to their citizens through religious leaders, we can go back to Derbyshire and talk to them ourselves to fully inform them about the project. Lastly, with the recommended companies provided by the local government of Derbyshire, we can now engage them through a meeting by going to their farms. References Aslet, C. 2008. Farmland: fields of gold. Telegraph, [internet]. 15 May. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/3361322/Farmland-Fields-of-gold.html [accessed 13 March 2009] Derbyshire County Council. 2001. 2001 census summary profile. [Online]. Available at: http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/Images/Summary%20of%202001%20census%20for%20 Derbyshire%20and%20districts_tcm9-21051.pdf [accessed 13 March 2009] Derbyshire County Council. n.d. Food, agriculture and weights and measures inspections [Online]. Available at: http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/business/trading_standards/ business/inspections/food_agriculture_weights_measures/ [accessed 13 March 2009] Derbyshire Review. 2009. Derbyshire [Online]. Available at: http://www.derbyshirereview.com/ [accessed 12 March 2009] Derbyshire Trading Standards Division. 2008. Service plan for food standards 2008/9. [Online]. Available at: http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/Images/Food%20Service%20Plan%202008 2009%20_tcm9-83959.PDF [accessed 13 March 2009] Golder, B. & Gawler, M. 2005. Cross-cutting tool: stakeholder analysis [Online]. Available at: http://assets.panda.org/downloads/1_1_stakeholder_analysis_11_01_05.pdf [accessed 13 March 2009] iDerbyshire. 2009a. Derbyshire farming – crops basic listings [Online]. Available at: http://www.iderbyshire.co.uk/local/farming-crops/ [accessed 12 March 2009] iDerbyshire. 2009b. Derbyshire farming – mixed basic listings [Online]. Available at: http://www.iderbyshire.co.uk/local/farming-mixed/ [accessed 12 March 2009] International Finance Corporation. 2007. Stakeholder engagement: a good practice handbook for companies doing business in emerging markets. Washington: International Finance Corporation. Jottings, J. n.d. Geneology and Derbyshire, England [Online]. Available at: http://www.jimella.nildram.co.uk/derbys.htm [accessed 12 March 2009] Mayer, S. 2002. Genetically engineered wheat – changing our daily bread. [Online]. Available at: http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/international/press/reports/genetically- engineered-wheat.pdf [accessed 13 March 2009] Secrest, R. 2007. Flour. [Online]. Available at: http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Flour.html [accessed 13 March 2009] Visit Derbyshire. 2009. Towns and villages. [Online]. Available at: http://www.visitderbyshire.co.uk/towns.ihtml [accessed 12 March 2009] Townies set their sights on farmland. The Guardian, [internet]. 2006. 12 August. Available at: http://www.lawsonfairbank.co.uk/farmland-prices-soar.asp [accessed 13 March 2009] Read More