This assignment consists of two sections: your final business plan and your business plan financials. Note: You must submit both sections as separate files for the completion of this assignment. You h
Running Head: OPERATION, TECHNOLOGY, AND MANAGEMENT PLAN 0
The operation, Technology, and Management Plan
Ayouba S. Kosiah
Strayer University
BUS 599
Dr. Andrea Banto and Dr. Alethia Gardner
August 26, 2019
Create an operations plan for your NAB company using the template in the text as a guide (p. 214 | Operations Plan Preparation Form - Click here for help accessing a specific page number in your eBook). Extract appropriate information from the NAB Company portfolio, where applicable. Other required items in the template should be filled in using your personal preferences.
Key Aspects of Operations (possibilities include facilities, product process, equipment, labor force utilization):
Life Drink will conduct its business operations from its owner’s home in Daytona Beach, Florida. The small home office shall serve the startup purpose providing the business startup team with a place to run their operations. Also, the company shall utilize the garages and the basement for storing inventory and packaging operations. This shall be a small working area, and the company will move to larger space upon expansion.
Cost and Time efficiencies:
Upon the packaging of the company’s products, the beverages will be kept cool at room temperatures awaiting distribution. Also, Life Drink products shall be refrigerated to increase their shelf life awaiting their distribution to the final consumer. This shall help in reducing the cost of the product going bad. In the initial startup stages, product packaging shall be done manually with anticipation to upgrade in the future to enhance on-time efficiency.
Competitive Advantages:
Our advantage with regards to competition is that, our product are manufacture and handle internal and also sustainable with regards to packaging. Our product are made with consideration of the environment . Our product are decent and long lasting.. Also, our business product is poorly natural which increases the health benefits. Business location will be our. Owing the business facilities is indeed advantagerous. Because it will have signcant impact on the cost of production.. This way, we shall be able to provide Life Drink products at affordable prices.
Problems Addressed and Overcome:
Our major challenge is the maner in which we will distribute the product in a speedily manner as we gradually complete the production and shipment. In addition, we will need a larger space and equipment for our business expansion. To minize this, we will have buses to help transport the drinks into sub location. Sub locations can be the most productive means for proper distribution.
Provide a rationale for the competitive advantages section using appropriate functional-level and business-level strategies to explain the competitive advantages.
Note: Much of the research pertaining to the hints provided here can be found in the NAB company portfolio.
Hints: Consider whether you will rent or buy your facilities or outsource production to an existing company.
The rationale for our competitive advantage is based on the fact that we shall own all of our office and storage spaces from the beginning of the business. The proximity which was inherited by the owners will help the company be more proficient. Th portions of finance that was to be use for the property can be use in the production process. This will increase the production capacity of company. We will distribute our company’s products in our surrounding areas through the use of a van which was also inherited from the owner. Also, we shall also work with other distribution company’s help with distribution. Outsourcing shall only be done once we have reached sales and peaks that are not manageable with the current resources in terms of human and other resources.
We are presently putting our product ourselves, more over, we will have invest in the equipment that will help in a mass production. We plans on lot of issues. Such as taking micro loan with the purpose of extending the facilities. Such loan will helps us on buying machines that will help to triple our production. The duration of the loan will be from 1 – 5 years.
To ensure that are we meeting the required quality standards, we shall clean our packaging equipment on a daily basis have clean packaging. Such extention will require some factors, such as manpower to handle the bottles and the maintenance of the facilities. Extension comes in with plans that will helps to fill in the gaps.
The company’s product distribution method is convenient for the business startup stage. However, with our future growth plan, we will need to hire more part time employees to ensure distribution efficiency. Upon entering the second business growth phase which means a tremendous increase in business sales, we will invest in machinery to enhance the process effectiveness. However, this process may be an expensive one requiring more funds.
Describe your research and development activities and explain how they will contribute to the company.
We recognize research and development as crucial elements in our company. This will allow us to understand the non-alcoholic beverage market along with prevailing business trends so as to stay up to date. We plan on doing this by investing our time on the internet to grasp the upcoming industry updates. In addition, we shall continually monitor our market to identify any upcoming industry trends.In compositions will the plan, we will prioritize training for our employees inorder to date with the government regulations. We will also advertize in the newspaper . This will ensure our compliance with all regulations and laws, as well as taking advantage of the available marketing forum which can be used in increasing sales.
Technology Plan.
Create a technology plan for your NAB company using the template in the text as a guide (p. 227 | Technology Plan Preparation Form ). Extract appropriate information from the NAB Company portfolio, where applicable. Other required items in the template should be filled in using your personal preferences.
Software Needs:
Life Drink is a highly innovative as well as efficient profit making company which sets
its primary priority as keeping the business costs down at all operations. The key to a successful
computer system is acquiring good computer programs and software. Without such programs,
the most expensive computer system could accomplish nothing and would, in fact, be completely
worthless. Whether a firm is presently using a computer or just considering the possibility of
computerizing, the careful acquisition of computer programs and software is extremely
important. If the company currently has a computer system, acquiring good computer programs
will increase the usefulness of the existing system. If the manager is thinking about the
possibility of computerization, he or she should know what is involved in acquiring good
computer programs and software. To keep sales on track, generate sales reports and produce
invoices, Life Drink Company shall employee the use of Bitrix24 which is a free customer
relationship management system. Our internal organizational communications shall involve the
use of Slack tool, which is a communication tool that helps in tracking a company’s internal
communications and conversations.
Hardware Needs:
Computer is our hardware needs, Cell phones which can be use for day to day operations and printers. Our business hardware material help the business on the operational cost. and cell phones which shall be used in the overall business operations.
Telecommunications Needs:
We will use two to three phone numbers for the daily operation of the company. Phone numbers will be specified for various reason. We will also use emailed as another means of communication.
Personnel Needs:
In terms of human resources, Life Drink Company shall need a management team, supervisors and employees. One best way life driks incomporate into the community, is providing internship to the community. Community interaction is one thing life drik will encourage. We will also sponsor sporting event for the community and contribute towards the community development..
Provide a rationale for the personnel needs section by incorporating appropriate functional-level strategies.
Hints: Consider the type of technology your company will use to conduct the following activities: manage personnel; take, fulfill, and track orders; manage inventory; communicate with customers and provide customer service; and produce your beverage.
During the startup phase, the business will not require large workforce. Here are some proficient ways of operation life drinks, The divisions of labour of the company. People are assigned to their perspective positions. Some groups are there for sanititions, some are there for handling of the bottle , some are there to operete to machines , some there to transport the drinks from one place to another. Team leades are there to supervise the people . Managers oversees the all the workers. We will hire per diem staff and also interns to help as needed and to fill positions for packaging, labelling, cleaning, and shipping. We will also have a small customer service team responsible for managing the business relations with our customers.
Management & Organization
Create a management plan for your NAB Company using the template in the text as a guide (p. 248 | Management Plan Preparation Form). Extract appropriate information from the NAB Company portfolio, where applicable. Other required items in the template should be filled in using your personal preferences.
List the key members of your management team, with a brief description of each persons’ relevant business background, responsibilities they have in your company, and the compensation they receive:
Our management team shall consist of 3 people. The management team shall be headed by the business founder who will lead the business operations, finance, and marketing. The will will have the responsibility to oversee lagal matters and the most important component, which is the development. The founded who has vast experienced in the financial field and has oversees some some position in the local university. The university that produce strong individual. The founder of the business shall forgo his salary until we have reached Phase II of business growth, which is a milestone of $1million in sales within a year. He will then take an appropriate and fitting salary, ongoing of $75,000/annually.
The second management person will be our sales manager whose role shall be to support the business sales and growth. This person also has a strong sales background from working at a for-profit University in an admission setting and previous insurance sales prior to that. This person will take a $50,000 salary annually starting off with bonus options. The third member of our management team shall oversee production and shipping. The manager has a strong background in working for a local clock manufacturer that is internationally known. The person was responsible for shipping thousands of clocks and purchasing from tens of vendors – internationally – this person brings a great deal of experience and will take a salary of $40,000 annually starting out.
Collectively, the three persons will act as key decision makers in Life Drink Company. Each member will head a team of individuals to support the operations of their respective departments.
Using the flow charts on p. 242 as a guide, outline your company’s management hierarchy. Note: Charts or diagrams must be imported / included in the MS Word document.
Provide a rationale for the management structure and style section by incorporating appropriate functional-level strategies.
Life Drink has a transparent and casual management style with a laidback office environment. There is no dress code, but warehouse workers must be dressing appropriately, and sales agents should be dressed professionally. As business growth continues, things will change and an HR department will form a larger sales team with ongoing training and support, as well as purchasing and production. We will outsource as needed, however the faster we grow, the more business advancement opportunities will arise.
The acceptance of the idea of driving brand equity with radical transparency stimulates the efforts to build the brand pentagon with radical transparency practices: completing the rise, definition, articulation, measurement and expansion of the brand together with all relevant stakeholders. Furthermore, the justification of all theoretical and practical knowledge of radical transparency in business.
Relevant information for the customers on time, so the radical transparency will minimize the risk from misunderstandings due to uninformed customers, which may lead to losing the trust and loyalty to the brand and spoil the hardly gained brand equity. The traditional forms of transparency are always necessary. Company’s transparency via social media is important but so is the ability for customers.
Generating brand awareness through radical transparency practices;
additional advancing of the level of perceived quality of products / services
of the company by means of radical transparency and the analysis of a
completely new idea for building and strengthening the brand associations
as one of the most specific brand equity assets through radical
transparency practices; as well as strengthening.
References
Berry, D. (2016). Beverage trends in 2016. Retrieved on July 18, 2019, from
http://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/news_home/Consumer_Trends/2016/01/Beverage_trends_2016.aspx?ID=%7B1A678673-9FCB-425B-B902-11F7DE1840D6%7D&cck=1.
City of Daytona Beach Community Development. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.codb.us/commdev.aspx.
Hartline, M. D., & Ferrell, O. (2011). Marketing Strategy (5 ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western
Cengage Learning.
Iacobucci, D. (2014). MM4: Marketing management (4th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Stair Jr., R. M. (1979). Acquiring Computer Programs and Software for the Small Business. Journal of Small Business Management, 17(4), 37–42. Retrieved from https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=5267149&site=eds-live&scope=site
Veselinova, E., & Samonikov, M. G. (2018). Building Brand Equity and Consumer Trust Through Radical Transparency Practices. Hershey, PA: Business Science Reference. Retrieved from https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1559768&site=eds-live&scope=site
