Mgt_350_Week_3_Assignment_Decisions_in_Paradise_Part_I

Running head: PART I – COMPANY PLAN: DECISIONS IN PARADISE/KAVA Part I – Company Plan: Decisions in Paradise/Kava Insert Name Here Insert Affiliation Here Part I – Company Plan: Decisions In Paradise/Kava In establishing a greater presence of Commercial Construction Company, Inc. (CCC) on Kava, a number of significant challenges exist. Part I of the overall company plan defines the issues regarding organizational processes, human resources, and ethics. Within the context of those areas, the plan describes the organizational and environmental obstacles to be faced by Marriott, as well as the key stakeholders who will be impacted by the decisions made by the company. Organizational Processes Commercial Construction Company will need to consider the distribution of the responsibilities between and among the organizational units that the company plans to establish an efficient and effective presence on Kava. In addition, the company will need to establish standard operating procedures, emergency operating procedures, and disaster recovery operating procedures. While many companies may have an easier time setting up operations on Kava, CCC, because it engages in sustainable building practices, is committed to assist this important nation in sustainable growing practices for the wood we need for construction. This will require partnerships with some of the charitable, non-government organizations, as well as with the Kava government. CCC's units include the Business Development Department, which is involved in preparing bids in response to requests and in seeking new construction projects in which the company can participate. A second unit is the Construction Department, which is responsible for all construction projects the company undertakes, and for working in concert with the Business Development Department to assure a well-coordinated and accurate process in bidding and in selecting the types of projects for which the company is best suited. The third unit is the Administrative Department, in charge of all administrative functions, from contracting and procurement, to inventory management and control, to human resources, strategic planning, accounting and finance, marketing, technology, transportation, and others. In addition to these units that are required to be in the CCC offices at Kava, the company will also need a legal office to help negotiate the myriad new requirements for establishing businesses, business relationships, real estate law, production law, and employment law for doing business on Kava. CCC will need to establish a number of Standard Operating Procedures for its operations on Kava. While some of the existing Standard Operating Procedures in the company's other locations can be adapted to the Kava operations, Kava-specific operations will require a set of operating procedures to address working within at Kava. To that end, new standard operating procedures will need to be established to address the construction standards in Kava that differ from those in the United States. Other standard operating procedures should address employment standards for the company's operations on the island, including hiring, salary, and training procedures. Finally, the Kava operations will require special procedures for disasters, including disaster preparedness and recovery. Human Resources The company is establishing a larger and more meaningful presence on Kava. As such, the company will need to establish a number of human resources efforts. First, the company will need to work with the local government, local educational institutions, and local employment firms to evaluate the status and readiness of the island's organic construction and administrative staff. Initially, the company will need to temporarily assign staff from its existing locations in the United States to serve in key leadership positions to help establish procedures and processes that are in keeping with the overall culture and high standards of CCC. This is consistent with the requests of the government of Kava, who have asked the company to bring its "business culture" to Kava. The overarching goal, however, will be to assure that upward mobility opportunities are provided to the local Kava staff to advance through the company as they demonstrate their abilities, skills, and commitment to the ethical and operational standards established by CCC. In addition, the staff temporarily assigned from CCC operations stateside will work together with the Human Resources Division to develop recruiting plans to work for the talent required of the company for its efforts on Kava. In establishing the plans, the team will "pinpoint what needs to decided, identify all possible courses of action, list the pros and cons, make our choice and take action, and then evaluate the outcome (WSJ, 2004)." In addition to developing initial recruiting plans, CCC will need to employ or contract individuals who are able to communicate in the indigenous languages of Kava, in Chinese, Spanish, and French, as well as English, in order to assure the widest possible recruitment of highly talented individuals. The company may choose to fund ESL classes for its recruits, to ease the transition and assist in developing a common language for the operations on Kava. All managers will need to also undergo training in the most common of the languages of the recruited talent pool, in order to help facilitate the efficient management of the company. Defining the HR Challenges: In defining the challenges, "the first step in tackling any problem involves developing an understanding of the possible environments that may be faced (or "the states of nature"), one's options, and the objective that is being sought (Alberts, 1996)." Additionally, Chapman proposes a model that will help CCC as it expands its operations. The company will need to clarify its issues, understand the facts, develop solutions and options, and explain those options to those who may be affected by the decision issues (Chapman, 2010). Using Chapman's model, CCC's plan will address the following: Problem: Although upper management staff has been sent to Kava, the company has not staffed any other positions. Causes: The recent disaster has created problems in establishing the organization. Options and solutions: Work with the local government, schools, and non-governmental associations to help identify a pool of candidates, as well as developmental programs for the skills in the building trades that will be necessary to assist the company in its expansion efforts. Ethics CCC has established a code of ethics for the performance of all of the company's efforts. This Code of Ethics and a system of inquiry were developed to assist all members of the company to make decisions in a manner consistent with the core values of the company's founder. To that end, all employees will be trained in the corporate ethics, with role play and senior management participation to help assure that all understand the ethical standards of the company. Additionally, an ethics officer (probably the Legal Counsel) will be appointed to advise employees if questions about a particular practice arise, or if they want clarification about how they should proceed in an action in an ethical manner. References Chapman, A. (1995-2009). Problem-solving and decision-making. Businessballs.com. Retrieved May 6, 2010, from http://www.businessballs.com/problemsolving.htm. Wall Street Journal (WSJ). (2004). Steps to effective decision making. Wall Street Journal Classroom Edition. Retrieved May 6, 2010, from http://wsjclassroom.com/pdfs/wkst_decision.pdf. Alberts, D. (1996). Formulating the problem. Defense Information Warfare. National Defense University Press. Retrieved May 6, 2010, from http://ndu.edu/inss/books/Books-1996/Defense Information Warfare - Aug 96/Ch5.html.