San Diego State University SDSU Work at Home Staffing for International Food Processing Proposal Capstone Business Proposal: International Food Processing

San Diego State University SDSU Work at Home Staffing for International Food Processing Proposal Capstone Business Proposal: International Food Processing LTD

Assignment: In -House-Business-Proposal for International Food Processing LTD

Subject: Making the move to reduce 75% of nonmanufacturing office personal in favor of “Work-at-Home” staffing.

Proposal submitted to: Buck Henry, Operations Manager

Scenario: International Food Processing LTD is a global distributions company specializing in processed dairy products. The Proposal will focus on the advantages, obstacles and implementation of a reduction of 75% nonmanufacturing office personal in favor of “Work-at-Home” staffing for International Food Processing LTD.

Time frame: 6 Months

Allotted Budget: $85, 0000.00

Requirements for this Individual Project:

Write a five-page Business Proposal
Proper Proposal format containing all major components
Proposal should reflect research into viable options presenting a course of direction for the company.
Highlight services, applications, and opportunities recommendations and conclusions.
Don’t forget cost, ease, training and people required.
Use everything for research! Check almanacs, encyclopedias, the Internet, and library databases for the most recent information, and pay close attention to what would best serve the companies interests.
You are highly encouraged to include financials, action plan, and a social media strategy.

General Format

The paper must be typed
For this report please include:
Cover Page
Memo of Transmittal
Table of Contents
Introduction
Body of information
Summary
Conclusions / Recommendations
Bibliography
Note: The Cover Page. Memo of Transmittal, Table of Contents, and Bibliography will not be counted towards the five-page requirement.
Plan the paper carefully as to develop an organized and non-redundant report. It should be organized and assembled as a continuous report and should not appear to be several independent segments bound together.
You must have a minimum of five sources. Please cite your sources using MLA or APA Format

No plagerism 452 PART 5
Reports and Proposals
PORTFOLIO BUILDER
Health-care costs are a pressing concern at every level in the
15-31. Message Strategies: Informational Reports (L0-11
economy, from individual households to companies of all suesto
with wellness programs and other efforts to encourage employ.
state and federal governments. Many companies are responding
ees to live healthier lifestyles and thereby reduce their need for
expensive health care.
Your task: The CEO has asked for a short report summariz-
ing whatever data and information you have on engineering and
marketing salaries. Feel free to offer your own interpretation of
the situation as well (make up any information you need), but
keep in mind that because you are a new manager with almost
no experience in the company, your opinion might not have a
lot of influence.
15-28. Message Strategies: Analytical Reports [LO-1),
[LO-2] Your company develops a mobile phone app that helps
people get detailed technical information about products while
they are shopping. The original plan was to incorporate Quick
Response (QR) codes into the app so that people could scan QR
stickers placed on product displays in retail stores. After decod-
ing the QR code, the app would then pull up information about
the product on display. However, you’ve recently learned about
near-field communication (NFC), a short-range radio technol-
ogy that might able to accomplish the same thing in a way that
is simpler for consumers to use.
Your task: Research the wellness efforts at any U.S. company
and draft a brief report (one to two pages) that describes the
company’s strategy, the details of the wellness program, and any
measured outcomes that reflect its success or failure.
Your task: Research the prospects for QR codes and NFC tech-
nology, and write a short comparative report. Draw a conclusion
about which technology you think will dominate in the coming
years.
15-29. Message Strategies: Analytical Reports [LO-2]
Assume you will have time for only one course next term.
Your task: List the pros and cons of four or five courses that
interest you and use the yardstick method to settle on the course
that is best for you to take at this time. Write your report in
memo format, addressing it to your academic adviser.
Long Reports
PORTFOLIO BUILDER
15-32. Message Strategies: Analytical Reports [LO-1] Like
any other endeavor that combines factual analysis and creative
free thinking, the task of writing business plans generates a
range of opinions.
Your task: Find at least six sources of advice on writing success-
ful business plans (focus on start-up businesses that are likely to
seek outside investors). Use at least two books, two magazine or
journal articles, and two websites or blogs. Analyze the advice
you find and identify points where most or all the experts agree
and points where they don’t agree. Wherever you find points of
significant disagreement, identify which opinion you find most
convincing and explain why. Summarize your findings in a for-
mal report.
15-33. Message Strategies: Informational Reports [LO-1),
[LO-4] Your company is the largest private employer in your
metropolitan area, and the 43,500 employees in your work-
force have a tremendous impact on local traffic. A group of
city and county transportation officials recently approached
your CEO with a request to explore ways to reduce this
impact. The CEO has assigned you the task of analyzing the
workforce’s transportation habits and attitudes as a first step
toward identifying potential solutions. He’s willing to con
sider anything from subsidized bus passes to company-owned
shuttle buses to telecommuting, but the decision requires a
thorough understanding of employee transportation needs
,
Case Tables 15.6 through 15.10 summarize data you collected
PORTFOLIO BUILDER/TEAM SKILLS
15-30. Message Strategies: Analytical Reports [LO-1],[LO-5]
Anyone looking at the fragmented 21st century landscape of
media and entertainment options might be surprised to learn
that poetry was once a dominant medium for not only creative
literary expression but also philosophical, political, and even sci-
entific discourse. Alas, such is no longer the case.
Your task: With a team of fellow students, your challenge is to
identify opportunities to increase sales of poetry-any kind of
poetry, in any medium. The following suggestions may help you
get started:
in an employee survey.
Your task: Present the results of your survey in an informational
report, using the data provided in the tables.
CASE TABLE 15.6 Employee Carpool Habits
• Research recent bestsellers in the poetry field and try to
identify why they have been popular.
• Interview literature professors, professional poets, librar-
ians, publishers, and bookstore personnel.
• Consider art forms and venues in which verse plays an
essential role, including popular music and poetry slams.
• Conduct surveys and interviews to find out why consumers
don’t buy more poetry.
• Review professional journals that cover the field of poetry,
including Publishers Weekly and Poets & Writers, from
both business and creative standpoints.
Summarize your findings in a brief formal report; assume
that your target readers are executives in the publishing industry.
Frequency of Use:
Carpooling
Portion of
Workforce
Every day, every week
Certain days, every week
Randomly
Never
10.138 (23%)
4,361 (10%)
983 (2%)
28,018 (649)
442 PART 5
Reports and Proposals
Obtain Lowest Rates from Travel Providers
Apart from urging employees to economize, Electrovision can also save money by
searching for the lowest available airfares, hotel rates, and rental car fees. Currently, few
employees have the time or knowledge to seek out travel bargains. When they need to
travel, they make the most convenient and comfortable arrangements. A professional
travel service will be able to obtain lower rates from travel providers.
Judging by the experience of other companies, Electrovision may be able to trim as
much as 30 to 40 percent from the travel budget simply by looking for bargains in airfares
and negotiating group rates with hotels and rental car companies. Electrovision should
be able to achieve these economies by analyzing its travel patterns, identifying frequently
visited locations, and selecting a few hotels that are willing to reduce rates in exchange
for guaranteed business. At the same time, the company should be able to save up to 40
percent on rental car charges by negotiating a corporate rate.
The possibilities for economizing are promising, however, making the best travel arrange-
ments often requires trade-offs such as the following:
The best fares might not always be the lowest. Indirect flights are usually cheaper,
but they take longer and may end up costing more in lost work time.
.
By pointing out
possible difficul-
ties and showing
that she has con-
sidered all angles
Moreno builds
reader confidence
in her judgment.
The cheapest tickets often require booking 14 or even 30 days in advance, which is
often impossible for us.
Discount tickets are usually nonrefundable, which is a serious drawback when a trip
needs to be canceled at the last minute.
Replace Travel with Technological Alternatives
Online meeting systems such as WebEx and GoTo Meeting offer a compelling alternative
to many instances of business travel. With webcam video, application/ screen sharing,
and collaboration tools such as virtual whiteboards, they have made great strides toward
replicating the in-person meeting experience.
As effective as they can be, though, they shouldn’t automatically replace every in-person
meeting. When establishing a business relationship, for example, meeting face to face is
an important part of building trust and getting past the uncertainties of working with a
new partner. Part of the new travel director’s job would be to draft guidelines for choosing
travel or online meeting options.
Reducing Electrovision’s Travel and Entertainment Costs
Page 7
Note how Moreno makes the transition from section to section. The first sentence under the second
heading on this page refers to the subject of the previous paragraph and signals a shift in thought.
CHAPTER 15
Writing and completing Reports and Proposals
451
CASE TABLE 15.4 Selected Employment Data for
Engineers and Marketing Staff
Employment
Statistic
Engineering
Department
Marketing
Department
16.3
18.2
17.8
8.6
ne four significant drops in the index during this time period
mestigate economic or political events that occurred imme-
durch before or during these declines. Briefly describe the events
their likely effect on the stock market.
15-25. Message Strategies: Informational Reports [LO-1],
is getting a degree or certificate can be nearly as challenging as
120-2 As you may know, the procedural requirements involved
a course you could take.
steps you’ve taken toward completing your graduation or certi.
Your task: Prepare an interim progress report that details the
fication requirements. After examining the requirements listed in
pour college catalog, indicate a realistic schedule for completing
sxps such as completing the residency requirement, filing neces-
those that remain. In addition to course requirements, include
sury papers, and paying necessary fees. Use a memo format for
pour report and address it to anyone who is helping or encourag-
12.4
7.9
Average number of years
of work experience
Average number of years
of experience in current
profession
Average number of years
with company
Average number of years
of college education
Average number of years
between promotions
Salary range
Median salary
6.9
4.8
6.7
4.3
ing you through school.
$58-165k
$77k
$45-85k
$62K
5:26. Message Strategies: Informational Reports [LO-1],
20-2
) Success in any endeavor doesn’t happen all at once. For
xample, success in college is built one quarter or semester at a
time, and the way to succeed in the long term is to make sure
you succeed in the short term. After all, even a single quarter
ar semester of college involves a significant investment of time,
money, and energy
Your task: Imagine you work for a company that has agreed
to send you to college full-time, paying all your educational
expenses. You are given complete freedom in choosing your
courses, as long as you graduate by an agreed-upon date. All
pour employer asks in return is that you develop your business
skills and insights as much as possible so that you can make
a significant contribution to the company when you return to
full-time work after graduation. To make sure that you are using
your time and your company’s money-wisely, the company
requires a brief personal activity report at the end of every quar-
ter or semester (whichever your school uses). Write a brief infor-
mational report summarizing how you spent your quarter or
semester
. Itemize the classes you took, how much time you spent
tudying and working on class projects, whether you got involved
In campus activities and organizations that help you develop
leadership or communication skills, and what you learned that
you can apply in a business career. (For the purposes of this
assignment, your time estimates don’t have to be precise.) Email
the final report to your instructor.
15-27. Message Strategies: Informational Reports [LO-1],
[LO-4] You’ve been in your new job as human resources director
for only a week, and already you have a major personnel crisis on
your hands. Some employees in the marketing department got their
hands on a confidential salary report and learned that, on average,
marketing employees earn less than engineering employees. In addi-
tion, several top performers in the engineering group make signifi-
cantly more than anybody in marketing. The report was instantly
passed around the company by email, and now everyone is discuss-
ing the situation. You’ll deal with the data security issue later; for
now, you need to address the dissatisfaction in the marketing group.
Case Table 15.4 lists the salary and employment data you
were able to pull from the employee database. You also had the
opportunity to interview the engineering and marketing direc-
tors to get their opinions on the pay situation; their answers are
listed in Case Table 15.5.
CASE TABLE 15.5 Summary Statements from Department Director Interviews
Marketing Director
Yes.
Question
1. Should engineering and
marketing professionals
receive roughly similar pay?
2. Why or why not?
Engineering Director
In general, yes, but we need to make allowances for the special
nature of the engineering profession. In some cases, it’s entirely
appropriate for an engineer to earn more than a marketing person.
Several reasons: (1) Top engineers are extremely hard to find,
and we need to offer competitive salaries; (2) the structure of the
engineering department doesn’t provide as many promotional
opportunities, so we can’t use promotions as a motivator the
way marketing can: (3) many of our engineers have advanced
degrees, and nearly all pursue continuing education to stay on
top of the technology
If we do anything to cap or reduce engineering salaries, we’ll
lose key people to the competition
Without marketing, the products the engineers
create wouldn’t reach customers, and the
company wouldn’t have any revenue. The two
teams make equal contributions to the com-
pany’s success.
2. t we decide to balance pay
If we can’t immediately increase payroll to raise
marketing salanes, the only fair thing to do is
freeze raises in engineering and gradually raise
marketing salaries over the next few years.
between the two depart-
rents, how should we do it?
440 PART 5
Reports and Proposals
Airfares and Hotel Rates Are Rising
Moreno supports her
argument with objec-
tive facts and sound
reasoning
Business travelers have grown accustomed to frequent fare wars and discounting in the
travel industry in recent years. Excess capacity and aggressive price competition, par-
ticularly in the airline business, made travel a relative bargain.
However, that situation has changed as weaker competitors have been forced out and the
remaining players have grown stronger and smarter. Airlines and hotels are better at man
aging inventory and keeping occupancy rates high, which translates into higher costs for
Electrovision. Last year saw some of the steepest rate hikes in years. Business airfares
(tickets most likely to be purchased by business travelers) jumped more than 40 percent in
many markets. The trend is expected to continue, with rates increasing another 5 to 10
percent overall (Phillips 331; “Travel Costs Under Pressure” 30; Dahl B6).
Given the fact that air and hotel costs account for almost 70 percent of our T&E budget, the
trend toward higher prices in these two categories will have serious consequences, unless
management takes action to control these costs.
METHODS FOR REDUCING T&E COSTS
The recommendations
are realistic, noting
both the benefits and
the risks of taking
action.
By implementing a number of reforms, management can expect to reduce Electrovision’s
T&E budget by as much as 40 percent. This estimate is based on the general assessment
made by American Express (Gilligan 39) and on the fact that we have an opportunity to
significantly reduce air travel costs by eliminating business-class travel. However, these
measures are likely to be unpopular with employees. To gain acceptance for such changes,
management will need to sell employees on the need for moderation in T&E allowances.
Four Ways to Trim Expenses
By researching what other companies are doing to curb T&E expenses, the accounting
department has identified four prominent opportunities that should enable Electrovision to
save about $6 million annually in travel-related costs.
Institute Tighter Spending Controls
A single individual should be appointed director of travel and entertainment to spearhead
the effort to gain control of the T&E budget. More than a third of all U.S. companies now
employ travel managers (“Businesses Use Savvy Managers” 4). The director should be
familiar with the travel industry and should be well versed in both accounting and informa-
tion technology. The director should also report to the vice president of operations. The
director’s first priorities should be to establish a written T&E policy and a cost-control
system.
Electrovision currently has no written policy on T&E, a step that is widely recommended
by air travel experts (Smith D4). Creating a policy would clarify management’s position and
serve as a vehicle for communicating the need for moderation
Reducing Electrovisions Travel and Entertainment Costs
Page 5
Moreno creates a forceful tone by using action verbs in the third-level subheadings of this section. This
approach is appropriate to the nature of the study and the attitude of the audience. However, in a status
conscious organization, the imperative verbs might sound a bit too presumptuous coming from a junior
member of the staff
450 PART 5
Reports and Proposals
Cases
For all cases, feel free to use your creativity to make up any
details you need in order to craft effective messages.
CASE TABLE 15.2 Average Amount Spent on
Remodeling Projects
Estimated Amount
Surveyed Homeowners (%)
Under $5K
5
$5-10K
21
39
$10-20K
$20-50K
More than $50K
22
13
Short Reports
15-22. Message Strategies: Informational Reports [LO-1]
Concern is growing in many youth sports about the negative
consequences of existing approaches to player development
and competition. The long-term athlete development (LTAD)
approach aims to instill methods and mindsets that will make
athlete development more successful in the long run while mak-
ing sports more enjoyable for kids. The American Development
Model (ADM) used by USA Hockey is one example of the LTAD
approach in a specific sport.
Your task: Visit USA Hockey’s ADM website at www.admkids
.com. Read the material on the Athlete Development page, then
write a brief informational report (one to two pages) on the
ADM concept, including the rationale behind it and the benefits
it offers youth athletes.
CASE TABLE 15.3 Tasks Performed by Homeowner
on a Typical Remodeling Project
Surveyed Homeowners
Who Perform or Plan to
Perform Most or All of this
Task Themselves (%)
Task
90
PORTFOLIO BUILDER
34
98
62
88
Conceptual design
Technical design/architecture
Demolition
Foundation work
Framing
Plumbing
Electrical
Heating/cooling
Finish carpentry
Tile work
91
15-23. Message Strategies: Analytical Reports [LO-1]
Redecorating and remodeling to meet your specific needs and
tastes are among the great joys of owning a home. Many people
are content with superficial changes, such as new paint or new
accessories, but some are more ambitious. These homeown-
ers want to move walls, add rooms, redesign kitchens, convert
garages to home theaters the big stuff.
With many consumer trends, publishers try to create mag-
azines that appeal to carefully identified groups of potential
readers and the advertisers who’d like to reach them. The do-it-
yourself (DIY) market is already served by numerous magazines,
but you see an opportunity in those homeowners who tackle the
heavy-duty projects. Case Tables 15.1 through 15.3 summarize
55
22
85
90
Painting
Interior design
100
52
CASE TABLE 15.1 Rooms Most Frequently
Remodeled by DIYers
Homeowners Surveyed
Who Have Tackled or Plan
to Tackle at Least a Partial
Remodel (%)
Room
60
the results of some preliminary research you asked your com-
pany’s research staff to conduct.
Your task: You think the data show a real opportunity for a “big
projects” DIY magazine, although you’ll need more extensive
research to confirm the size of the market and refine the editorial
direction of the magazine. Prepare a brief analytical report that
presents the data you have, identifies the opportunity or opportu-
nities you’ve found (suggest your own ideas
based on the tables), and
requests funding from the editorial board to pursue further research.
15-24. Message Strategies: Informational Reports [LO-1)
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