ABC, Inc. Case Study Essay Example for Free

ABC, Inc. Case Study Essay Introduction Hiring 15 new employees in early April as part of his first recruitment effort, Carl Robins is the new campus recruiter for ABC, Inc. Hired to work for Monica Carrolls, Operations Supervisor, these new potential employees require training on company policy, being oriented to the organization, and screened for drugs. Carl himself is behind on their training, has not completed all the required processing, in addition to the fact that some of the employees haven’t even completed applications, nor have submitted transcripts. Orientation needs to be arranged somewhere other than the original location, due to double booking conflicts. The training material also needs to be reviewed and confirmed for the employees prior to the seminar. Mr. Robins is quickly falling behind, so he needs to formulate a plan of action, and implement it concisely. See more: Satirical essay about drugs Background Having successful hired 15 new people in early April, Carl had plenty of time to prior to June 15th in which to organize everything, but procrastinated until it became a scramble to handle everything at once. While he is in fact fairly new to his own job, having only been with ABC for six months now, he should still be able to handle this workload, and produce the desired results. This inexperience can explain some of the improper planning, and his lack of knowledge about how long it actually takes to complete his task, but does not excuse it. However, after evaluating his choices and finding a solution, I believe Carl will find the July deadline attainable, albeit with a bit more of an effort put in. Key Problems There are a few basic, key problems, the root of them all being improper planning and lack of experience. The problem of improper planning itself is easily solved, while the lack of experience is simply something that comes with time and practice. Building up from the lack of proper planning, we can  see what issues stemmed from this, such as: Needing a location for orientation Drug screening completion Unfiled or incomplete paperwork Lack of required training materials Attempting to handle every task alone Taking an in depth look at the various issues can help us find solutions, so I’ll go over each problem individually. Needing a Location for Orientation: After reviewing, an immediate scheduling conflict between the orientation for the new trainees and technology services arises. The scheduling log shows the training room booked for the whole month of June for computer training seminars. June is the month in which the orientation is scheduled to occur, and so the training room is unavailable. Drug Screening Completion: A drug screening is required for all the new hires, and thus they need to be sent to the clinic for such a drug screen test. As of Memorial Day, such has not happened for any of the 15 trainees, less than 20 days prior to the scheduled orientation date. This is something Carl is required to do, having been in contact with Monica to confirm such things would get done as part of his work, so he should not have been surprised that it was not yet completed. Unfiled o r Incomplete Paperwork: Also while reviewing his trainee file, it is found that not all the trainees have not completed their applications, nor have all the trainees gotten transcripts on file, another task Carl could and should have handled promptly. While it may seem obvious that these things are required, a lack of communication could have caused such a simple issue. Lack of Required Training Materials: Once reviewed, the training material is obviously lacking and in need of replacement in some form. Another task where it was procrastinated until becoming a larger-than-necessary issue. This is a separate issue from the others because it is something that doesn’t require another party to be handled (i.e. confirming appointments with the clinic requires contacting the clinic, a second party that could have separate issues). Attempting to Handle Every Task Alone: This doesn’t become an issue until the issues stated above have come about. Given the timeline, all the tasks could have been handled by a single person and more man power would have been  unnecessary. However, even something as simple as checking the orientation manuals becomes a stressful task when suddenly heaped with work that appeared to be put off. Alternatives Having reviewed these key areas and confirming them as coalescing from one core problem, the lack of proper planning, it is possible to come up with solutions to each problem as it stands currently. A quick solution to all these problems is to call Monica and inform her that the trainees won’t be ready by July 15th, and attempt to push the deadline back in order to complete all the required tasks without rushing. I find this one inadvisable, however, because it causes a setback for Monica herself, and it proceeds to cause further setbacks down the line, causing a ripple effect of delayed projects. These are called concurrent delays, or delays that cause further delays (Singh Associates, 2014). In order to find a solution that doesn’t cause concurrent delays, Carl should make and maintain a priority list, in which he lists all the above problems and completes them in an order of greatest importance to least importance. Below are individual solutions to each problem, which can be used to complete tasks on the priority list. New Location for Orientation: One of the easier tasks to handle, it has a few possible solutions. Carl could contact a nearby hotel and see about possibly using a conference room or use a nearby office (Allfreepaper.com, 2011). Looking for another available space in the building is by far the best solution here, but not necessarily possible if the training room is the only room meant to accommodate 15 or more people. A second step to that solution is to split trainee orientation up into two or more days, allowing them to rotate in for orientation. Schedule Drug Screenings: Handling this is one of the slightly more complicated aspects, because it includes not one, but two other parties, for each trainee individually. The first thing Carl can do is contact a local clinic, either one approved by ABC, Inc., or the National Drug Screening Administration to get a recommended company to come in and take over the process, if ABC, Inc. doesn’t have a drug program he can draw from. Set up a block of dates, three or four days in which to schedule his trainees, and then contact each trainee and schedule a day for them to go in within that block of days. File and Complete Paperwork: This is a task able to be completed in a single day,  and can in fact be handled on the same day he calls to schedule the appointments for drug screening. After contacting the trainee individually, Carl can set up their appoint as stated above, and then discuss their paperwork status with them, either the application completion, whether or not it is in fact completed, and get transcripts on file as needed. While not everything may be completed immediately, the process can be started (i.e. ordering transcripts can be completed, but may take additional days to be received and put on file). Obtain Orientation Manuals: This is quickly solved one of two ways. The first thing Carl needs to do is look up the manual in his SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) and determine if the manuals themselves can be reprinted or if they need to be ordered. Then his solution is simple from there; he either orders new manuals if they need to be ordered, or prints off new copies. Either way, Carl should go a step beyond and order or print at least twenty manuals instead of 15, to prepare for accidents and get a step ahead for his next round of trainees. Request Help: One of the absolute best things Carl can do in this situation is admit that he messed up and now needs help. As a new employee himself, it isn’t unusual to need help, and it will help take some burden off his own shoulders, freeing his mind to tackle the tasks at hand. Getting help will insure he gets the job done. Proposed Solutions I advise assigning Carl a temporary partner, one senior to him in the company, who can offer advice and guidance, as well as help with tasks, without taking over the job completely. This will insure that the job gets done, and will also allow Carl to gain the experience needed to complete future jobs without help. As a team, they should then split the orientation into two days and use one of the smaller rooms in the building. Carl should be the one to make most of the phone calls, including getting in touch with each individual trainee to complete paperwork and schedule days for the drug screening. Obtaining new training manuals should be done by whichever means is available, either printing new ones or ordering them. As I advised above, order more than needed to compensate for accidents and the next round of trainees. Recommendations Most of these problems stem from a lack of knowledge and experience, for  which Carl is hardly to blame, and which he will gain with time and practice. He should, however, have planned ahead appropriately, and not put off the work until it became a rush to complete everything. If the solutions I stated above are implemented, Carl should be able to complete his tasks on time, and concurrent delays will be avoided. References Case Study Analysis of ABC, Inc. COMM 215 Essentials of College English. (2005, February 12). In WriteWork.com. Retrieved 16:07, September 25, 2014, from http://www.writework.com/essay/case-study-analysis-abc-inc-comm-215-essentials-college AN unorganized Campus Recruiter (2011, January 18) In AllFreePapers.com. Retrieved 15:37, September 26, 2014, from http://www.allfreepapers.com/print/Unorganized-Campus-Recruiter/753.html Singh Associates. (2014). Lexology. Retrieved from http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=fcea453a-de87-4aa9-9f4c-b140695c597d

Graduation Speech: Its All About the Good Times :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

As we leave the comfort and familiarity of our home, school and community, we are vulnerably subjected to a wide array of new experiences. We are happy to be graduating but at the same time sad to leave our friends and nervous for what's ahead. Advice is the key necessity in this time of change, and who better to listen to than the peers who have been by our side for the past 13 years of schooling and are going through the same thing as you are right now? I asked many of you, the students of the class of 2012, this question, "If you could tell the senior class one thing at graduation, what would it be?" Take a moment to listen to their answers and advice as we branch out and go our separate ways. Megan reminds us to "Enjoy your youth." Her advice is well-needed to remind us that although we are now bombarded with a plethora of new responsibilities, we are still young; take advantage of it, have fun, and don't grow up too fast. And to keep us looking young, Tom advises us to "always wear sunscreen." It is also important to set goals, follow your dreams and reach for the stars, which Alma put most eloquently when she said, "Be bold about your dreams, and work hard for them." She is right in that we need to pursue our visions, as well as take risks that may be foreign to us. Ashley puts it simply, "Take every chance or opportunity that comes your way, because they go fast, and regret is the one thing that can never be made up for." Amanda's theory is simple, but its importance cannot be stressed enough. She said, "In everything you do, think about it and how it affects you and everybody around you." Expanding on this idea is Adrianne's quote to "stay safe and realize that the choices you make today will affect the rest of your life." They both really hit on how important your every move is, and how your life can strongly impact those around you. Kelly Gorr also touches on this subject as she reminds us to "wear deodorant or stop smelling." Similarly, Jay advises us to "clip your toenails or leave your socks on." Willow truly inspired me with her quote to "always be true to yourself and never apologize for who you are.

CIPD Profession Map Essay

Introduction This report is a brief summary of the CIPD Profession Map, the two core professional areas, the specialist areas, the bands and the behaviours. It will be going into more detail in the activities and knowledge specified within the professional area of Performance and Rewards at band 1 level. It will identify the activities and knowledge most essential to my own HR role. The CIPD Profession Map (CIPD, 2013) The professional map is a universal platform for HR professionals, which describes what you need to do, what you need to know and how to do it. It is designed by professionals for professionals. The 10 Professional Areas There are two core professional areas; Insights, Strategy and Solutions and Leading HR, these sit at the centre of the profession and are relevant to all HR professionals in all roles, locations and at all stages of the HR career. These two areas support the direction of the profession as a business discipline. Insights, Strategy and Solutions – Developing an understanding of an organisation and its back-ground in order to style its strategy and solutions and to meet its needs for now and in the future, by reading relevant information and articles to build and broaden an understanding of new initiatives and practices across areas of HR. Leading HR – Act as a role-model to expand the influence HR makes to the organisation both through its own efforts and through supporting, developing and measuring others across the organisation. This can be done by providing advice confidentially based on a sound understanding of the organisations policy and practice. (CIPD, The CIPD Pr ofession Map, pp. 10, 14) The remaining eight professional areas are: Organisational Design – To ensure the organisation is suitably planned to deliver maximum impact in the short and long term. Organisational Development – Identify organisational and individual capability requirements  and support all processes to enhance effectiveness and achieve organisation goals, culture, behaviours and skills Resourcing and Talent Planning – Ensuring the organisation has the right resource, competence, ability and talent to achieve the immediate and strategic goals. Learning and Development – Build individual and organisational capability and knowledge to meet current and strategic requirements. Performance and Reward – Deliver programmes that reward and recognise key employees, in a fair and cost effective manner. Employee Engagement – Strengthen the connection between the organisation and employees so that employees are more fulfilled by their work. Employee Relations – Underpin the organisations culture, practices, policies and relevant law. Service Delivery and Information – Customer focused delivery across the entire employee lifecycle. (CIPD, The CIPD Profession Map, pp. 17-39) The 4 Bands and Transitions The four bands of professional competence outline the influence that professionals make at every stage of their HR career. The transition challenges relate to moving from one band to another. (CIPD, The CIPD Profession Map, pp. 6-7) The 8 Behaviours Below are eight behaviours that each HR professional needs to carry out their activities: 1. Curious 2. Decisive Thinker 3. Skilled Influencer 4. Personally Credible 5. Collaborative 6. Driven to Deliver 7. Courage to Challenge 8. Role Model (CIPD, The CIPD Profession Map, p. 43) The Professional Area of Performance and Reward Performance and rewards is defined as: â€Å"Help create and maintain a high-achieving organisation culture by delivering programmes that reward and recognise key employees capabilities, skills, behaviours, experience and performance, and ensure that reward systems are market-relevant and cost effective† At Band 1 the following activities need to be done: Identify requirements and develop strategy Diversity and compliance Implement pay and reward practice Execute individually tailored and international rewards Communication and performance culture The most essential to my role is Identify Requirements and Develop Strategy, in the last annual appraisals I was tasked with collating the appraisal forms and analysing the data on the forms to provide information to directors as to how employees felt about their future within the organisation and what the organisation could do to further their career progression. The most essential area of my role is: Collate Data Analyse Data After completing the evaluation of My HR Map tool the following areas were identified for development: Become a policy expert Know the organisation by studying the performance and rewards data and familiarise myself with the policies and practices. Keep abreast of relevant employment law Spend time with expatriate employees to understand impact Use my own network to provide feedback. Conclusion This report has briefly summarised the CIPD Profession Map – the 2 core professional areas, 8 specialist professional areas, the 4 bands and 8 behaviours. It has also commented on the activities and knowledge specified within the Performance and Rewards professional area at band 1. Activity 2 How a HR Practitioner should ensure the services they provide are timely and effective: Within my HR role, my three main customers are: 1. Current Employees 2. Future Employees 3. Management Customers Needs Current Employees Information on employment contracts and policies Future Employees Induction – information on company policies Management Guidance and advice on staffing issues Firstly you need to establish what the customer’s requirements are by asking questions and collating the data to understand the customer’s needs. Your service delivery approach should use effective technology and comply with the organisations procedures. It is important to build a customer service culture and measure its effectiveness. Prioritising the needs of each customer can be problematic, as each one can feel their need is greater. For example current employees may need information regarding their benefits such as private medical and future employees may be asking questions on company policies with regard to annual leave before they sign their employment contract, which in turn will mean management will be chasing for this to be resolved as quickly as possible. As an HR professional it would be your job to ascertain which demands were the most urgent, ensuring that customer focus needs are managed in a timely and effective manner. It is important that all customers are kept informed and given realistic expectations of how and when HR can deal with their questions. Effective Communication Below is a table with 3 examples of effective communications to customers: Communication Advantages Disadvantages Telephone Conversation Instant Personal Global Reach Ability to Conference Call Time Zones Unable to Read Body-language Signal Problems No Audit Trail Social Media Instant Large Audience Visual Good for Recruitment Not Confidential Character Size Limit Access Mis-use Post Recorded Personal Confidential Audit Trail Slow Cost Time Consuming Unsure if message has been understood Delivering Service on Time and on Budget For effective service delivery HR needs to prioritise to ensure that any queries are handled in an effective manner according to urgency and what impact it has on the customer and the organisation. To deliver the service  you must ensure you are consistent and that you understand what expectations your customers have. Managing time and current workload is crucial to ensure that the service is delivered on time. An HR practitioner should always be aware of the cost constraints and the organisational financial model supporting service delivery. It is important to have service delivery targets within an organisation, such as a Service Level Agreement, which is an extension of the customer care concept. Dealing with Difficult Customers and Resolving Complaints When dealing with difficult customers it is important to plan your response carefully and to ensure that the following steps are met: Listen to what they are saying – do not interrupt Sympathise / empathise Don’t justify Ask relevant questions Agree a course of action Check the course of action – use their words to clarify If the above is followed, it will make the customer feel valued and promote the HR department for giving excellent customer service. Bibliography CIPD. (2013). www.cipd.co.uk. CIPD. (n.d.). The CIPD Profession Map.

The fall of Camelot A Consequence of its Imperfect King

In Western culture, mere mention of the name â€Å"Camelot† is often enough to inspire images of courtly romance, grandeur, and valiant knights. In fact, the kingdom is nearly as legendary as the hero who ruled it, Arthur Pendragon. Regardless of whether he exists as a historical or mythical figure, Arthur continues to appear as a symbol of heroism in Western tradition through his roles as king and warrior. When modern culture searches for the qualities of a great fighter, it finds them in Arthur’s strength and his bravery. When it looks for the makings of a true leader, it need not look further than Arthur’s accomplishments: his founding of the Round Table Knights, his victory over the Saxons, and finally his unification of Britain. In†¦show more content†¦We will put him no more in delay, for we will see that it is God’s will that he shall be our king, and who that holdeth against it, we will slay him!† (Malory 12). Indeed, Maloryâ€⠄¢s tale does confirm the existence of one group, the barons, who question Arthur’s legitimacy to the throne: â€Å"Wherefore, there were many lords wroth, and said it was great shame unto them all and the realm to be overgoverned with a boy of no high blood born† (Malory 11). In his article, Lexton interprets this act of aggression from the â€Å"comyns† as detrimental because it â€Å"alters Arthur’s accession from the title of the hereditary heir confirmed by God’s will to the claim of an unknown boy, reliant on the assertion of a group with uncertain legitimacy who are prepared to bully the barons into getting their own way† (185). What appears to be most concerning about placing Arthur’s legitimacy in the hands of the people is that it lays a foundation for his rule based on intimidation, which â€Å"gives rise to a polity that suffers from violent war and vicious feuding† (Lexton 170). Unfortunately, this prediction prove s accurate because though the people are the first to support Arthur’s rule, they are the last to betray him when Sir Mordred takes control of Camelot: â€Å"For then was the common voice among them that with King Arthur was never other life but war and strife, and with Sir Mordred was great joy and bliss. Thus was King Arthur