Laion Leandro Operational planning As2

Operational Planning Assessment 2. Question 1: You have been approached by the procurement manager who proposed that you may save operating costs by using one product key of MS Window and Microsoft Office package to multiple computers in the office. Do you accept the procurement manager’s idea? The procurement manager’s idea is good because it will ensure that information from the focal point source is shared fast and easily to the other departments in the office through the web of computer networking. This will reduce cost of either installing the Microsoft office package to all the computers or even circulating the information. The one product key MS Window will also boost security and authenticity of data as it will be uniform across all computers in different departments. Question 2: Required : a. Assess whether the store can achieve the targeted monthly sales ($1,000,000). The store is in a good position to even surpass the monthly sales target once we focus on making sure that our client are served well, they get what they want, we are able to meet their needs and they are satisfied. Looking at the trend analysis, increase in level of customer satisfaction is directly related to increase in sales. For example, when the customer satisfaction rate was high, at 8.9, the sales were also the highest at $940,000. b. Assess whether there is a relationship between customer satisfaction and the number of staff no shows. Looking at the trend analysis, when the number of staff no shows was high (12), the rate of customer satisfaction was low (7.4), and when the number of staff no shows was low (3), the rate of customer satisfaction was high (8.9). Hence there is an inverse relationship between the numbers of staff no shows and the rate of customer satisfaction. c. Assess whether the company’s net profit ratio can achieve the targeted net profit in the scenario. If the store can put more effort in ensuring that the rate of customer satisfaction is high say 9.5 and above, then the targeted net profit of 15% will be easy to achieve.

Looking at the analysis trend when the level of customer satisfaction was high at (8.9), the net profit ratio was also high 13%. The efforts made should be geared towards increasing the staff turnover, find a way to minimize or even abolish the long queues of customers waiting to be served and ensure that customers are well satisfied. Question 3: You are using the Gantt chart to organize all tasks in operational plans. Explain the benefits and drawbacks of the Gantt chart. (KE 6) Gantt chart is widely used in project planning and management to track project progress and represent plans in graphs. The merits of Gantt chart include:  Represents project tasks and schedules clearly.  It is easy to see date and timeline schedules.  Managers and other stakeholders are able to check project status and progress  Pending work and any task in progress can be seen clearly on the stacked Bars  Assist in management of time. However Gantt chats have the following drawbacks:  They need to be updated constantly.  Updating the chats is a tedious task as it is time consuming.  Not easy to re-align the tasks from one section to another.  It’s difficult to see all tasks on one sheet. Question 4: Required: Recommend to the operating manager how to handle this issue? (PC 3.2 PE 3 KE 10.1) The operating manager should install two more counters to have three counters that serve customers at the POS system. This will minimize the queues and ensure that customers are able to get the discount. However the operating manager needs to consider the cost benefit analysis, and determine whether increase the number of counters for the POS system will be expensive or it will yield profit.

new product line. cause losses. 4 Customers may feel freedom as no staff watching over them Customers will have confidence to choose at ease whatever product they want without feeling shy and they take their time thus are likely to purchase more products. Customers may take a lot of time making choices at the POS, causing a long queue and thus frustrating other clients that are in a hurry, who may leave and go make purchases somewhere else. 5 No concerns for staff no shows, sick calls It will reduce the work done by managers, saving time and using the same time and energy to direct it in more pressing issues to ensure efficiency of work is well maintained at the store. The interactions with customers will be minimal thus very difficult to get quick feedback about customer satisfaction. 6 Do not have to manage staff roster Managing duty roster is time consuming and if it’s not in the list, then time management at the store will be enhanced. Where the system develops complications, it is difficult to rectify and ensure customers continue getting services unlike in duty roster where the manager can easily call another staff to come and perform the duties. 7 Security of the system must be upgraded on a regular basis Regular updating of the security system ensures that it functions smoothly without any hitches which boost the security of the store and ensures it does not incur losses due to theft or burglary. Regular updating of the security system is time consuming and makes the store to be closed for some hours to allow for the upgrading which makes the company to loose profits during that

time and also inconvenience. 8 Other shift staff may feel low job security The feeling of low job security will motivate them to work hard and ensure that customers are well satisfied. The feeling of low job security will make them to feel not valued at the workplace and therefore find jobs in other areas such as our competitor business companies, thus making the store to have another tedious task of recruiting new staffs. Question 6: From your answers for Question 2 and 5, you are required to conclude whether you will implement the unmanned operating system. Provide reasons. I will implement the unmanned operating system. The unmanned operating system will reduce the long queues of customers waiting, increase the rate of customer satisfaction which will increase sales and enable the company to achieve the targeted net profit. The investment funds for the system of $545,000 can be recovered in a 6 months period, which the Company will be in a position to pay the redundancy settlement for the staff and supervisor which has a monthly cost of $98167 that will take about 12 months to pay the whole total costs of $1,070,000. The unmanned operating system will serve the store for a long time and bring in more profits for the company since the issues of staff absenteeism. Question 7: Required: With the above steps, you are required to complete developing the customer feedback evaluation processes. Complete the following table. Step 1 Receive feedback from the customers and finalize the feedback by the end of

 The company will have the opportunity to know industry trends in real- time through the interactions in the social media platforms hence the business is able to be in a better position compared to our competitors.  The business is able to build an improved search engine optimization (SEO) presence through ads advertising in the social media platforms and the use of influencers. Question 9: Required: Write an email to the CEO, and in your email, the following must be explained. Cost benefits analysis for the unmanned operating system The benefits of social media marketing activities How the customer service monitoring is processed Email From: projectmgt@7/24Aus.store To: ceo@7/24Aus.store Ref: Implementation of the unmanned Operating system, Social media marketing activities and Customer Service monitoring process. I hereby write to convey the decision by the project team to implement the unmanned system, social media marketing activities and Customer service monitoring process. We have decided to implement the unmanned operating system since it is cost-effective in the long run as the investment funds for the system can be recovered in a 6-month period and thereafter continue realizing profits. It also reduces the long queues of customer waiting to be served and increase efficiency of time management as there is no need for staff roster. We will also implement the social media marketing activities since it is cost-effective, able to meet customer satisfaction through one on one interaction with customers in social media platforms. It will also improve brand awareness and brand loyalty due to its online presence, generate more customer traffic and will make the company to be

ahead of other competitors as the store will get real-time industry trends through the interactions in the social media platforms. The team will also implement the Customer service monitoring process. The process works by first collecting customer feedback each month and records onto each staff file; evaluation of customer satisfaction is done against each staff; staff who receive excellent feedback are congratulated and awarded, they are then celebrated in the staff newsletter; those that need improvement will be called for a meeting to identify the shortfall skills they need; trainings will be done for them and the training evaluated to see if they met the required objectives. Thus the company is in a position to cut down costs and make more profits if the three processes are implemented. We therefore, ask for your approval sir. Yours faithfully, Project manager- 7 twenty-four Australia.