Work-Basedd/ Simulation-Based Business Project
Executive summary
The report focuses on the organisation of Courier Post, New Zealand in terms of ascertaining the various factors that have negatively influenced the operations of the company. The aspects include professional attitudes, organisational behaviour and tendencies among the employees to accept and provide feedback. The various strengths and weaknesses of the resources within courier Post have also been presented and discussed in a detailed manner to present an extensive overview of the same.
Table of Contents
Analyse the resources in an organisation for anyone business operation. 3
Classify them according to their strengths and weaknesses. 4
Investigate the organisation’s competencies. 5
Identify any resource gaps for business operation and suggest recommendations. 7
Assessment 1
Introduction on operation
A business simulation project helps in developing a clear vision regarding several aspects, like competition, cooperation and decision-making purposes of a business. The organisation chosen for analysing the business project is Courier post-New Zealand. The operations are the standard functions of the organisation based on which the company tries to gain a competitive advantage in the target market. Operations which are practised the company are Human resources, financial operations and other physical functionalities like delivering parcels, taking orders and other functionalities. The study here deals with identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the operations performed within the industry and thereafter analyse the competency of the brand within the customer base. Further, a suitable strategy is developed that facilitates optimising the capabilities of the business. This is done by identifying the resource gaps prevalent within the stated business operations.
Analyse the resources in an organisation for anyone business operation
The resources which are being in the organisation, Courier Post New Zealand comprises of physical resources such as machines like computer hardware, software, packaging and printing equipment as well as filling machines (Ozkan, 2001). The systems used in these industries like communication processes, home delivery features wholly depends on the production and handling capacity of the organisation (Bell & Smith, 2010). In the financial aspect, the resources needed are optimum capital and cash acquired firm creditors. The debtors are also involved in the financial transaction process. The finances generally come through channels like shareholders in the form of bankers and other financial institutions (Walker, 2014). These are known as suppliers of money. Further, the knowledge and skills of the employees are the human resources of the company. The intellectual capital resources are considered as intangible resources namely, patents, brand logos, the innovative procedures which the business system follows daily (Gasper et al., 2006). Maintaining various data of the customers are developed through customer databases and other technological resources. All these factors help in building the reputation of the business.
Reflection
In the above question, I have gain insights regarding the resources being used in the project. These resources are in the form of human resources, technological advancements, financial processes and other business handling systems. I have understood that there are various suppliers of funds for the progress of the business, such as shareholders, financial organisations and banking processes. Further, the physical resources I have identified are in the form of machines, buildings and other production systems.
Classify them according to their strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
The physical resources like buildings of the organisation, Courier Post New Zealand are it has a good potential of lasting for a long period and is highly impervious from damage due to fire or another disaster (Slack, Brandon-Jones & Johnston, 2012). The venting process used by the company is known to be comparatively easy than other postal services. The equipment are very fast and help in quick delivery to the customers. The errors produced during operations are fairly less. In financial terms, the funds gathered help the company to resolve the problems in a quick manner (Bowerman & Wart, 2011). The small investors are very positive about the brand’s innovation techniques and thus do not hesitate to put on money for the company growth prospects. The technological growth helps the letters being in converting letters into PDF, applications are formed that would enable the company to track the route of the letters to the destination points (Quattrone, 2016).
Weaknesses
The machines used for printing often takes time, creating delays in the posting process. Several complaints have also been gathered from receivers regarding the packaging of the materials. The cover boxes were found to be tattered (De Wit & Meyer, 2014). The investors often feel reluctant in giving their money for the organisation to grow due to fear of slow operational processes and in future bad reputation of the company in the target market. Technological equipment have affected the human labours as many of the employees are made to leave due to the reduction of the operational costs. However, handling the machines require effective training which is cost-intensive (Rahim, 2015). As emails have become trendier, people have become less familiar with the postal services. The intellectual capital resources of the company are significantly poor as the management lack skills in effectively handling the information of the customers (Gupta, Gollakota & Srinivasan, 2008).
Reflection
From the above analysis, I have gathered that the strength of the business lies in the capacity of the physical resources with which it operates, such as the tenacity of the building and other infrastructure. Though small investors are keen on investing money for procuring more profits for the business, the large shareholder is putting off any deals with the organisation, Courier Post New Zealand’s growth.
Investigate the organisation’s competencies
The company has a moderate competitive advantage in the target market due to its quick delivery processes and effective customer service mechanism. The employees are highly capable of managing the business operations of courier service and ensure that the customers are highly satisfied with the services they are provided with (Combe, 2014). The values followed within the organisational culture are transformational and thus ensure that the company is performing hand-in-hand within the changing trends of the market. Unlike other brands of postal services, the company has the strength to confront challenging problems and come up with realistic solutions (Holbeche, 2012). Teamwork is a major attribute in establishing company goals that strike the interest of the customers and other shareholders (Zaremba, 2003).
However, the company struggles when it comes to cases of overnight delivery, for which the customers have to wait for a significantly longer period (David, 2009). Despite many times the company trying to come up with strategies to handle this problem, yet it is lagging behind other similar industries (Kazmi, 2002). To ensure that the company stays strong in the market, it has to effectively monitor its services in both short distance and long-distance delivery.
Reflection
From the above analysis, I can infer that the company, Courier Post New Zealand has a strong brand image amongst its premium customers due to its top-quality customer service features and efficient handling of customer enquiries and other feedback. On the contrary, I can also say that the company can any time lose its hard-earned reputation if it does not make effective changes in the overnight delivery process.
Outline a strategy to combine the strengths of all resources to optimise capabilities for improved performance and output
To develop a strategy for that would help the company, Courier Post New Zealand, the strengths gathered from the resources would help the business to optimise its capabilities and ensure that the organisation can lead in the competitive industry of postal services (Ozkan, 2001).
Objective
To combine the strengths of all the physical, financial, technological and intellectual based resources and bring about new enhanced policies that would enable the business to gain optimum performance and output generation.
Strategy
In the financial spectrum, the organisation can reduce its pricing rates so that the customers feel intrigued to place orders their courier requirements with the brand and do not prefer to switch to other industries. The human resources can be envisioned to improve their skills such that the operational costs can be reduced. The intellectual branding of the business can reach higher scale when all the operations are undertaken as per the needs of the customers. The technological resources like tracking the drivers, collecting the signature of the receivers and improve the delivery process can be improved by utilising the GPS technology.
Budget
| Activity | Expense |
| Training to the employees | $50,000 |
| Equipment for infrastructure up-gradation | $70,000 |
| Market research | $30,000 |
Table 1: Budget plan
(Source: Created by the Learner)
Reflection
According to the above strategy, I can state that the resources need to be effectively handled so that their qualities can be utilised to the fullest and thus make the company gain a competitive edge in the market. Therefore, a budget plan, which I have developed, is crucial for the accomplishment of the business objective and thus gains more profits in the business.
Identify any resource gaps for business operation and suggest recommendations
Gap analysis
While analysing the gaps present in the resources being used within the operations of the company, Courier Post New Zealand, the industry’s current state in the market together with the reputation has to be taken under consideration (Cooper & Sawaf, 2000). The resources are which are adding value to the company’s growth is the skills of the employees, funds from the investors and patents accumulated for ensuring intellectual property rights. On the other hand, the resources which are creating a gap in the service and operation process, are poor technological up-gradation and improper management of the customer databases.
Reflection
In the above gap analysis, I have identified the various resources which are contributing to the growth of the company. Additionally, the resources which are not benefiting the industry in gaining more profits and hindering in gaining competitive advantage are evaluated.
Display other suitable criteria as stated in the Work-Based Evaluation Report
Value chain
In the value chain analysis, the company Courier Post New Zealand’s strategy for deriving more value from the internal activities being conducted is derived (Daft & Samson, 2014). The resources which help in making the brand distinguishable from the other companies are recognised and the ones which are in the necessity of improvement are also determined.
Reflection
I have developed a value chain analysis that helps in tracking the resources which are not contributing positively to the growth of the business and leading to downfall of the brand in the competitive industry. Based on this, further improvement tactics are cited.
All other activities as designated by the supervising manager about this learning outcome are carried out efficiently
Activities Carried Out:
Other postal and courier services that are carried by the staff of Courier Post New Zealand mail, tracking service, security analysis along with picking, delivery, packaging and printing of items. Licensed and unlicensed carrier services are also included in the activities, but Courier Post follows licensed carrier services (Courierpost.co.nz, 2019). The staffs that are associated with the courier and postal services operate some activities like the determination of the courier routes, identification of retail locations, processing and sorting the facilities. Allocation of the resources as per the supervisor designing is also followed by the staff of this organisation. Pickup and delivery of the items like letters, postcards, printed papers, goods and small packets are also included in their activities.
Allocation of resources and funding for these activities is designated by the supervising manager in which delivery can be completed in a minimum amount of time and costs based on software. There are one delivery resources like a van which transport both customer items and non-identical lighter resources like courier as well as resources for item transfer between resource units (nbr.co.nz, 2017). Another type of courier activity is licensed activities that include picking up, sorting, transport as well as the domestic and international delivery of the letter-post and mail type parcels. These are operated under universal service obligation. Courier-Post utilizes both one delivery and multiple deliveries based on non-identical resources and other activities related to the courier service are fast track delivery, marketing of the courier service organization to make more people aware of their courier service (Hee et al., 2019). Maintaining customer databases and intangible resources, Building of organisation’s networks by establishing a relationship with the customers to improve brand awareness. Training for the employees to improve the skills of employees is also included in another activist.
Learner Reflections:
The present section helps me to determine the activities that are followed by the Courier-Post in their services. I have gathered knowledge that allocation of the resources for these services is also included in this part. The supervisor designated jobs to the staff as per their skills and knowledge. Software usage is also necessary for the companies to provide fast, secure delivery in less amount of time. Training and maintaining of the customer databases are also included in the activities that are required for improving the service quality of Courier Post.
Conclusion
In conclusion, different types of resources are utilized by Courier Post New Zealand to maintain effective services in piercing, packaging, delivering and printing of the items like mail and letters. Strengths and weaknesses of physical, human finance and technological resources are analysed that determines that innovation and terror-free services increases quality and customer base of courier Post. Outdated machines, low identification of the requirements of the stakeholders create issues for them but effective service mechanism and organizational values help them to improve the service and customer satisfaction. Capabilities in the company are improved after including value chain services in the organizational structure as it mitigates supply chain issues.
Evaluation report
Report Summary
It is identified from the report that physical, human, technological, finance, information and marketing resources are required for the postal company of New Zealand namely Courier Post. The company completes the activities like picking up, delivery, packaging and printing of the items like letters, mail, parcels and other items along with the funding and marketing activities. For this purpose, the allocation of resources is necessary to improve the service quality as well as reduce the costs and time for services. Software is used by the company to complete different operations. For this purpose, the staff’s takes help from the supervisors and supervising managers allocate the tasks to the employees as per their skills and knowledge. It is also necessary for the managers to provide training to the employees to improve their skills and reduce time and error at the time of proving services. It is identified that the staffs are associated with allocating of resources including innovation, reducing error to gain competitive advantage, but lack of identification of the needs of stakeholders, outdated machines creates weaknesses in the organization. Various capabilities and core competencies are presented in the courier service organization and value chain are suitable for them to improve the supply chain and improve service quality.
Constructive Comments
The report is not appropriately attired and all organisations tasks are not carried out by maintaining organisational policies and procedures. Time management is not efficient as a time for all tasks is not maintained properly which increases time for completing the report. All activities and the tasks associated with the learning outcomes are not achieved effectively and the report gets 3 for it as it is difficult to collect data regarding the activities of Courier Post and gap in resources is not successfully identified. Constructive feedback and feedforward are not collected from the colleagues and lack of cooperation has reduced the authenticity of research as a wide range of data has not been collected. The supervisor helps has not been taken that reduces the quality of work.
Positive Comments
The report is completed as per the schedule and it is good. The staffs are punctual and get a scope of 4 that helps the report to start the work on time. It is effective to classify the organizational resources, determine the strengths and weaknesses of the resources, understand the capabilities and core competencies of the organizational performance and suitable strategy is taken to assess and transform organizational resources. Work produced is accurate and neat as it gets a score of 4 that determines that proper data has been collected based on the resource allocation and courier activities of Courier Post from the journals and company websites to maintain the relevance of data. Priorities are provided to the work and it gets a score of 5 as research is conducted based on their priorities. It takes initiatives in the resource allocation process and is enthusiastic in determining how resources are allocated as per the activities and their strengths and weaknesses in meeting business competencies.
Meeting Memo 1
To:
Business Supervising Manager
Sub: Improving the professional conduct within Courier Post, New Zealand
- Introduction
I would like to inform you that the aspect of professional conduct requires certain improvements within the organisation. The productivity levels and overall level of employee engagement are directly related with regards to organisational performance. Naturally, the professional conduct needs to be monitored regularly to enhance the levels of efficiency internally.
- Body
Purpose:
To improve the adherence to professional attires among the employees
To enhance the achievement of tasks according to the organisational policies and procedures
Situation:
In terms of professional conduct, the employees are reporting to work as per the established schedules and timings. Punctuality has been observed to be maintained as the number of late arrivals has been relatively low. However, the compliance with professional attires and maintenance of organisational policies has seen a process of degradation in recent times.
Background:
The professional attire, as determined by the management, are uncomfortable owing to the presence of non-breathable materials. The delivery executives have often been found not complying with the requirements and this goes against the organisational policies of Courier Post. Certain delivery protocols have also not been followed by several employees, especially the recruits.
Analysis:
A thorough analysis shows that the clothing materials need to be changed while special emphasis is required on orientation policies to familiarize the recruits with existing organisational policies and procedures.
Recommendations:
The primary recommendation in this regard would be to modify the existing attires and obtain more organic sourcing measures whereby the materials are more breathable and comfortable. Training programs would also have to be facilitated in terms of familiarizing the new employees and improving the skill sets of the existing employees.
- Conclusion
In conclusion, the benefits of the aforementioned recommendations would improve the aspect of professional conduct within Courier Post, New Zealand within a period of six months. Comfortable professional attire would substantially improve employee satisfaction, while the training programs would ensure that their core competencies are improved and enhanced.
Meeting Memo 2
To:
Business Supervising Manager
Sub: Improving the quality of work within Courier Post, New Zealand
- Introduction
I would like to bring to your notice that the quality of work that is being carried out within Courier Post requires a certain degree of improvement.
- Body
Purpose:
To improve the time management skills among the current set of employees
To ensure that the employees prioritize their work and remain highly engaged
Situation:
The current quality of the work is highly satisfactory and has been relatively accurate and neat. However, the engagement levels have been ascertained to be relatively low as the deadlines and timeframes are not being met adequately.
Background:
The lack of familiarization and the integration of new database software have seen a significant delay among employees in staying focused and ensuring that the deadlines are achieved accurately. Work prioritization and time management are suffering substantially, and this is subsequently influencing the productivity levels within Courier Post in a negative manner.
Analysis:
An in-depth analysis shows that the new software would have to be demonstrated along with regular monitoring and supervision functionalities to improve the performance levels of the employees.
Recommendations:
The key recommendation in this regard would be to integrate regular monitoring processes to ensure that the deadlines are met and achieved promptly. However, this would only be effective post familiarization among the employees as the new database management software has been relatively difficult to gauge on the parts of the employees.
- Conclusion
In conclusion, it may be stated that the primary benefit from the training and monitoring functions would significantly improve the time management competencies of the employees. This would also enhance the overall levels of productivity within the organisation.
Meeting Memo 3
To:
Business Supervising Manager
Sub: Improving the employee attitude within Courier Post, New Zealand
- Introduction
I would like to inform you regarding the poor situation of employee attitudes within Courier Post, New Zealand. The performance levels in the organisation have suffered from late due to the resistance among employees in the context of seeking supervisory help and accept constructive feedback.
- Body
Purpose:
To establish effective channels of communication between the management and the employees
To motivate and guide the employees with regards to accepting and providing feedback
Situation:
The current situation has been analysed and the employees are relatively enthusiastic regarding their work responsibilities. They have also taken initiatives with regards to improving their current performance levels. However, they are resisting when it comes to seeking supervisory help and constructively accept feedback.
Background:
The channels of communication are relatively flawed in terms of correspondence between the management and the employees. Naturally, they are resisting to seek help from supervisor and failing to accept feedback or provide the same.
Analysis:
An analysis of the situation shows that informal communicative channels would have to be developed to ensure that the employees are comfortable within the organisational system. This would also help the supervisors in providing and obtaining feedback that is constructive and relevant to the work carried out within courier Post, New Zealand.
Recommendations:
A regular correspondence would be the primary recommendation in this regard, as the communication channels between the management and the employees have found to have a significant amount of barriers. This would also improve the quality of the feedback that is relevant and would be used constructively. Collective discussion and regular communication processes would substantially improve the overall situation with regards to improving the aspect of employee attitudes within the organisation.
- Conclusion
In conclusion, it may be stated that communication has been a point of concern within Courier Post, New Zealand of late. However, establishing regular means of informal as well as formal communication channels would largely improve the situation.
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