Creative Printing and Decorating Designs: Business Plan

Introduction

The following document is a fictitious business plan focusing on a business called Creative Printing and Decorating Designs. The company is the only printing company in the city within a 25- mile radius. The company will offer the public custom printing and designs for any occasion and offer the customer decorations from the decorating department. Designing a fictitious company will help a preparer who will be interested in opening a printing company that offers decoration if needed. While the printing industry is changing, we will continue to evolve to keep up with the technology and change that exist today and in the near future. The owner will be looking at the market as a whole to see what type of changes have occurred. With so many companies expanding to the world wide web that is offering customers and supplies the opportunity to order from them, making their experience more time-consuming and less expensive.

Mission Statement, Vision Statement, Purpose, and Core Values

Mission Statement

As a company that is expanding into other nations and one that plans to diversify its offer, the mission of Creative Printing and Decorating Designs is to gain global acceptance in all sectors we are endeavoring to venture into. The company is committed to establishing a global business presence that will be sustained by our organizational structure and networking with other like-oriented corporations in the supply chain.

Vision Statement

The vision of the company is reflected in providing quality products and services at affordable prices in all our market niches. Through our diversified product and service offer, we will attract new customers from all over the world and foster a culture of repeated purchases for our existing customers. Creative printing and decorating designs will endeavor to grow its profits and revenue by 80 percent within the next five years. Within the next five years, we will increase our e-commerce capacity by the use of Search Engine Optimization to strengthen our presence on the internet.

Purpose

In the light of a struggling global economy, our main purpose is to assist people all over the globe in having affordable access to high-quality products and services. As a company that has the interests of the society and environment at heart, it is our responsibility to make sure that processes, products, and services in our supply chains do not harm the environment. This will be reflected in our annual corporate social responsibility reports.

Core Values

Creating Printing and Design people come first. We will provide good service and focus on providing a good product every day. Our company will protect the environment by disposing of chemical and paper waste properly. These values will be passed on to our stakeholders, team members, customers, the community, and suppliers.

Creative Printing and Designs welcomes diversity and show support and celebrate the differences with employees. The company values and expects personal excellence, honesty, openness, self-improvement, and high regard for mutual respect. The company will hold itself accountable to our customers, employees, and shareholders while striving for the highest quality product. Employees will be rewarded for good behavior, safety, and attendance by earning a bonus. Employees will have an opportunity to buy stock within the company.

Product, Services, and Legal Structure

Products and Services

At Creative Printing and Decorating Designs, we will continue to provide custom printing and decorations for events and occasions. However, in addition to serving our customers in the décor and printing sectors, the company will venture into the provision of other services and products as it expands (Steyn, 2003). This will include entry into other industries such as digital movie and music distribution. Over the years, the company will choose to remain distinctive and competitive by providing affordable products and services to all our clients in the US and abroad.

Services

• Consultancy Events
• Graphic Design Parties
• Printing needs Weddings, anniversaries,
• Binding, cutting, and folding Religious Announcements

Products

• Consumer electronics Urban clothing
• Sportswear Tents
• Stationery E-paper cards

Globalization and Diversification

Under the control of our company in Port Arthur, we will divide the service and support-related infrastructure into the United States. This division will be on the basis of sales areas in order to ensure timely response to changes in the market and to enhance the satisfaction of our customers. The company will establish at least three research and development centers in the US as it continues to establish new businesses.

Disc- to- Cloud Music and Movie Service

Five years from now, Creative Printing and decorating designs plan to get into the music and movie distribution industry through the development of a disc-to-cloud service. This service will be marketed in at least 20 countries, including South and Central American, Asian, and European nations.

This service will be launched in one and a half years’ time, and as anticipated, it will compete with Netflix for the international market share. Other digital audio and video distribution services that we will compete with include Vudu, Zune, and iTunes by Walmart, Microsoft, and Apple, respectively (Nelsen & Quick, 2000).

After gaining ground in the US, the service will then be introduced in Mexico and other nations in Latin America. Later, our disc-to-cloud service will be introduced in Europe, beginning with Ireland and the United Kingdom and afterward in Hong Kong.

This service will allow our customers to upload their CDs and DVDs into our cloud from where they will be able to access them using other devices such as PCs, Macs, tablets, smartphones, Xbox 360, and Blu-ray players. We will provide authentication of ownership of all video and audio content when it is uploaded into the cloud at $4 for high definition DVD, $2 for standard definition DVD and Blu-ray movies. Licensed users will then be able to stream content into their devices.

Instead of requiring our customers to use debit and credit cards to buy content (as in the case of Netflix), users will be allowed to purchase prepaid cards to access movies and music albums. Users will also be able to upgrade their DVD titles to Citrix’s HDX. We will use UltraViolet, the newest rights management standard. It allows all our customers to stream movies and music from all electronic devices that play common file formats (Muffett & Kruse, 2009).

Ultra Violet was launched last year in January, and since then, it has received backing from the main studios in the US and UK and major technology companies like Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Sony, Samsung, and Panasonic. All that our users will have to do is to open an online account for free. We are planning to enhance the ultimate experience of our customers. In this regard, we will allow them to access music and movies that were bought from various retailers or redeemed from other providers at no additional cost.

E-paper Cards

The world is getting smarter with the introduction of devices such as smartphones and tablets. Computer manufacturers are actually using “smart technology” to make personal computers more user-friendly. This “smart” move is very evident in the design of the Mountain Lion and Windows 8 from Apple Inc. and Microsoft, respectively. As consumers embrace the relief that has come with the introduction of this technology, it is very important for traditional retailers to integrate information technology in their corporate strategic plans while at the same time giving users the opportunity to remain traditional. As we expand to other parts of the globe and diversify into other related industries, we will begin to design customized for our customers to cater for all events (Kluyver & Pearce, 2009).

In the proposed e-paper card business, the customer will take the photo using any device such as their phone or computer and mail it to us. We shall provide an application on our website for which can be downloaded for free by all our customers. This application will allow them to graphically integrate personal notes into the photo. They will then mail it to us, and we shall edit it further and print it on high-quality cotton paper. Afterward, we will mail it to the recipient inviting them to a birthday party, a dinner party, wedding, anniversary, or any other such event as instructed by our customer. The cost of paper, printing, editing, and postage will be $3 for all recipients in the United States and $5 to send to anyone outside the US. The e-paper cards will go a long way in allowing our customers to be spontaneous in conveying personal messages.

Legal Structure

The human resources department will handle legal problems that the company could face. Creative Printing and Decorating Designs created a limited liability company (LLC) to protect the owner’s personal assets. Choosing the LLC, the owners will report their share of the profit on their income tax. This will be set up using a law firm that can help the partners understand how to file their taxes.

The board of directors will be set up to oversee the executives of the company. The board will make sure the CEO and executives are following the company policies set and made up by the board. The board can replace management at any given time if necessary. The board and the legal team will make sure that periodic reports are filed and reported to the SEC (Carpenter & Sanders, 2009).

Employee wages will be paid by a private company to make sure that the law is followed in the state of Texas. Hiring will go through the human resources department, making sure all employees’ forms are filled, for example, I-9 forms and applications. Figure 1 will explain the company organization.

Industry Analysis

Overview

The printing industry environment operates on cost, prices, and product demand. Paper cost, labor conditions, and electricity cost. Creative Printing and Decorating Designs will look at how the capital costs are impacting the bottom line because of new technologies and the cost of materials for decorating and advertisement.

Rivalry

As aforementioned, the company is planning to diversify and globalize within the next five years. This will not only provide new opportunities for Creative Printing and Decorative designs but also increase competition. Figure 2 below shows the current state of competition within the Port Arthur area by the beginning of 2012. These three companies have been operating in the region for the past five years. In order to get ahead in this current state, the company will add value to its products targeted to an international clientele. Entering the global market means that the company will come into a head-to-head confrontation with some of the global giants in the industry. Some of these companies include Arko Custom, BDT AG, Bhaskar Group, Bowne & Co., Gilson Graphics, Hubert Burda Media, and Network 18, among others.

In the light of this competition in the market, the company will diversify its products and services portfolio in order to remain relevant in a rapidly changing business environment. This will include venturing into markets that are controlled by other companies.

Figure 2: A Comparison of the Printing Companies

New Entrants

The global printing industry has been affected significantly by the changes in technology. Technology has affected not only the quality and quantity of services and products but also the entire supply chain. Moreover, the printing business is not very capital intensive because companies start with a few hundred dollars and ultimately become market leaders. In the light of such a reality, it is worth noting that the threat of new entrants in the industry within the next five years is high. All that a new player in the market needs to do is to package their goods and services in a manner that enhances customer experience.

Suppliers

Within the next five years, the company will endeavor to integrate vertically so as to have a greater influence on the cost of its goods and services. This will be aimed at reducing the price of its finished products. Currently, the threat of suppliers in the industry is quite low. This is given that there are many suppliers in the market. It is not expected that this threat will increase because regardless of the number of new entrants in the market, there are enough suppliers.

Buyers

This is another factor that has to be taken into consideration. Currently, the power of these stakeholders ranges between medium and high. As competition increases in the next five years, their influence on the prices of products will increase. The only way to remain competitive will be to strike a balance between price leadership, product and service differentiation. This is the approach that Creative Printing and Designs will adopt. Because we will be vertically integrated, we will be able to get supplies at a lower price from premium suppliers. This will provide our customers with high-quality products at lower prices.

Substitute Products and Services

According to Porter (2008), the competition and profitability of companies in an industry are also determined by the ease with which consumers can access other products and services that can meet similar needs. With the growth of other industries in the technological world, consumers are finding it easier to use and keep data and information in a virtual format. In this regard, technology will soon replace the use of paper cards with virtual cards. Additionally, most companies will stop making printouts of their documents. Instead, they will only use virtual documents. In response to the rising power of substitute products and services, the company will diversify its business by coming up with unique products such as E-paper cards.

History of Creative Printing and Decorating Designs

Creative Printing and Decorating Designs is a home-based business that began on June 4, 2007. Creative Printing and Decorating Designs is owned by Sharon DeJohn and Allen Bennett. Sharon previously worked as a general manager for 13 years, where she gained valuable managerial and customer service skills and computer skills. Allen Bennett is a retired entrepreneur who owned several businesses in the food-service industry and the hotel industry. During her college years, Sharon worked for Lamar University and was introduced to printing designs. It has been her dream of offering people a different printing and decorating experience.

Creative Printing and Decorating Designs will target small and medium organizations that do not have the time to create or print their own designs and business that do not have the manpower to decorate for events. We will offer original and affordable service.

Size of Creative Printing and Decorating Designs

Within the City of Port Arthur area, there is approximately one company that supplies printing and graphic designs services. The company does not offer decorating designs. They offer copies, newsletters, and graphic designs on T-shirts. They have developed their own niche by designing T-shirts. The other businesses in the six to seven-mile radius offer business cards, graphic designs, letterheads, newsletters, funeral programs, business forms, digital copies, and invitations. The business in the 19.2-mile radius offers Desktop Publishing services (e.g., manuals, finishing services, and variable data printing but they do not offer physical decorating.

Regulation of the Industry

The first regulation is to check and make sure the name we have picked is not used by checking with the patient and trade office. Make sure we have a business permit by applying for one before conducting business through the county clerk’s office and file for a tax identification number through the Texas State Department. Another regulation to abide by is the environmental protection for discarding chemicals and paper. Making sure we have the correct machines and the company train all employees and management in handling the machines. Follow the rules of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The United States Department of Labor (2012) stated, “You have the right to a safe workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) was passed to prevent workers from being killed or seriously harmed at work” (p. 1). OSHA supplies training programs to teach workers how to be safe on the job.

Consumer Data

Demograpic

Our company will service customers 18 and older in the Golden Triangle in Southeast Texas. We will service male and female customers of all ethnic backgrounds and personalities.

Psychographics

Creative Printing and Decorating Design will take into consideration the customer attitudes, values, interests, lifestyles, and behaviors by surveying potential customers to get an idea of what the customer wants so our company can satisfy and offer his or her needs.

Competitor Information

Master Copy Printing Inc. is located at 3503 Nederland Ave. Ste. # 2 in Nederland, TX. Their business is seven miles from my home-base location. Master Copy offers its customers business cards, souvenir booklets, graphic design, letterheads, newsletters, variable data printing, envelopes, funeral programs, finishing services, business forms, promotional sales, digital copies, Engineer copies, invitations, and other services. Its telephone number is 409-721-9449.

Debs Designs and Creations is an electronic design service that offers professional service, printing, and screen printing. Their company is located 19.2 miles from my location at 229 Dowlen RD, in Beaumont, Texas 77706. Telephone number 409-861-2233

Natural Creations is a designing company located at 1619 Nederland Ave., Nederland, TX 77627 telephone number 409-724-1471.

Marketing

Creative Printing and Decorating Designs will market to small and medium-sized businesses.

Financing and Marketing Plan

Financing

Creative Printing and Decorating Designs has attached the requirements for start capital. A list of expenses that will require either start-up capital or financing. The list includes supplies, equipment, travel, start-up, and overhead expenses. These expenses will show in my monthly cash flow to indicate the requirement for cash.

My financing for starting Creative Printing and Decorating Designs is indicated in the following spreadsheet figure 5. I will not use a bank for financing, but I will use my local credit union. Other resources available will be leasing a Xerox machine and credit from suppliers. My contacts for referrals will include the Small Business Administration, my accountant from the credit union, and relatives.

I have gathered all my information, and I am prepared to present my presentation to potential lenders. My presentation includes Creative Printing and Decorating Designs business plan, financial statement, and my personal tax returns (1040). I am prepared to specify my financial needs and the payback program to my investors. The lenders will be furnished with a cash flow projection showing my repayments and the sources. Referrals will be listed and prepared for the financial package.

The operating and marketing budgets are aimed at achieving the company’s goals (including the financial goals) as envisaged in Appendix III. This will ensure that the company operates smoothly and avoids making losses. The administrative budget (provided in Appendix IV) is meant to avoid cases of understaffing and overstaffing. Other administrative expenses to be catered for are outlined in the budget. These budgetary outlines will be provided to any investor upon request. The initial creative printing and decorating designs’ financial statement shall be shown in Figure 5.

Marketing Plan

Competition

Competition is expected to increase after the next five years of globalization and diversification. As noted earlier, the competitors we are out to beat in our marketing endeavors include Arko Custom, BDT AG, Bhaskar Group, Bowne & Co., Gilson Graphics, Hubert Burda Media, and Network 18, among others. The industrial outlook is positive because the consumers in the industry will probably be willing to spend more as the global economy continues to stabilize. Although some of the competitors the company will be facing are already established, Creative Printing and Decorating Designs will endeavor to provide trendy and practical services that will keep us in a strategic competitive position.

Product Strategy

The products and the services that the company will be providing have already been stated in the above sections. All the products of the company will be distinguished from those of competitors by our slogans and logo. The products in the urban clothing and sportswear sectors have been well researched and appropriate names allocated. These include River-Rock Gray, Desert Rise, Cactus Green, Sunrise Pink, and Sunset Red. The company will use at least five slogans to brand its sportswear products, depending on the kind of sport in focus. With time, some slogans will be dropped and new ones adopted. This strategy is intended to keep our services and products fresh in the eyes of our target market.

Distribution Strategy

Currently, the products of the company are distributed through regional specialty shops throughout the Port Arthur area. As of now, the products have not been distributed via national chains. Over the next five years, the company will distribute products and services through retail shops in at least 20 countries, including South and Central America, Asian and European nations. It is not yet clear whether it will be viable to sell through national chains like Bass Pro within the five years of expansion and globalization. This is because the competition has already utilized such options. However, it is crystal clear that within the set time frame, Creative Printing and Decorating Designs will enter into agreements with two of the leading international retail outlets. These are Tesco and Walmart. Moreover, within five years, the company’s official website will be up and running, and as such, all the services and products will still be marketed and distributed online.

Promotional Strategy

The company will keep in touch with retailers and consumers using several channels. Information on the services and products of the company will be available through direct mailings, in person, and over the internet. These promotional efforts will be targeted towards creating a difference between our products and those in the competition.

We will personally contact all retailers to ensure all products are established in all the stores. This will go a long way in building relationships and demonstrating the uniqueness of our product and service portfolio. Every year, our representatives will visit these stores to provide training on our various services and products.

Currently, the company is using public relations and sales promotion as the mainstay of our promotional strategy. This includes offering sales promotions that are tied to contests and events. The company will also use inexpensive non-traditional marketing methods such as:

1. Organizing a Creative Printing and Decorating Designs tour where our staff will drive throughout the nation distributing promotional information.
2. Organizing design contests where the winners will receive awards from the company.

Pricing Strategy

All the products and services of the company will be priced depending on the trends in the market and those adopted by the competition. The company will use value pricing, where our customers will always be welcome to make repeat purchases. This strategy will make it possible for our products to be used as preferred gifts for graduations, birthdays, and other events. However, customized products will be sold at a higher price than the regular ones. Nonetheless, the additional price will not exceed $4.

Leadership

It is expected that as the company diversifies its operations and adopts a global strategy, new leadership challenges will arise. The strategy of the business will change as the business grows in volume, geographically, and through diversification of products and services. These strategic changes will call for a change in our organizational structure. As the products and services become more diversified, Creative Printing and Decorating Designs will require a multidivisional organizational structure like the one shown below:

Information Technology

Within the next five years, the company will have a fully operational online store from where all customers can order services and products. Additionally, the company will use various social networking platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, and Linkedin) to increase brand awareness. The IT department will be charged with the responsibility of updating the four sites with the company information. The company will also develop an Intranet system for communication among employees. This will ensure that information is relayed to the right persons in real-time. In order to keep in touch with our current and future customers, the company will also develop an Extranet system to enhance communication between the company and other external stakeholders.

Ethics and Sustainability

The CEO of Starbucks (Howard Schultz) noted that any successful business should endeavor to strike a balance between profitability and social responsibility (Schultz, 2012). As a company, we are well aware of the impacts of our services, products, and processes on the environment. In light of this reality, the company will provide its stakeholders with an annual corporate social responsibility (CSR) report. The CSR report will contain information on our endeavors to recycle waste materials and the adoption of environmentally friendly practices. In an effort to green our information technology department, we will virtualize all our storage and servers to cut on the amount of fossil energy that our company will be consuming.

Customer Analysis

Within a period of five years, we expect our customer base to have grown by at least 350 percent. The needs of our customers are as diverse as our offerings. The customers we are targeting want to access the products and services we provide at the most competitive prices in the market. Moreover, our customers want products and services of high quality with at least a one-year warranty. These customers range from organizations to individuals in the different industries we will venture into. One of the most important initiatives when reaching out to a global market is to remain culturally relevant. We will package our products and services in a manner that will make it possible for our different customers to identify with.

Survey Analysis

The owner of Creative Printing and Decorating Designs will look at the analysis of the data gathered from the company survey to customers. These surveys were taken to help improve customer service and productivity. Heizer & Render (2009) stated, “Management is responsible for ensuring that labor and capital are effectively used to increase productivity” (p. 18).

Pie Chart Analysis

The pie chart shows there were more customers that strongly agreed to service than disagreed with the quality of service he or she received. This is shown in Figure 1

The bar chart shows a comparison between each value measured. This is shown in Figure 2

Communication

Overview

Creative Printing and Decorating Designs Company plans to use all communication channels available to establish it and to put it at the same level as the competitors. The communication analysis is provided below.

The company will use communication platforms such as Facebook, MySpace.com, Youtube, Twitter, local newspapers, and Linkedin in order to increase brand visibility. The company will spend an average of $50.00 per month on these platforms.

Telephones

In order to reduce costs, business calls will be made through a prepaid telephone (Track Phone) whose monthly charges are $ 30.00.

Facsimile

As earlier mentioned, there is a machine (Sharp UX-106 20 Sheet Auto Document Feeder) on lease from Xerox Company. The service charges are $20.00 per month, and this will be fully settled at the start of every month in order to reduce future financial burdens.

Computers

An HP TouchSmart 300 PC purchased on credit has to be serviced on a monthly basis, and this forms part of expenditures on furniture and equipment. It will cost about $75.00 per month. For efficient functioning of this equipment, some costs will be incurred. These include those on Color Ink at $30 a week and paper at $35.00 per case.

Internet

For efficient communication with customers via e-mail and social networks and for advertising, a monthly expenditure of about $125.00 will be incurred. It is only in the first month, which is January, that this will not be incurred. The preferred server will be AT @ T DSL Yahoo.

Training

As Creative Printing and Decorating Designs expands, the company will hire and train sales associates to have confidence in themselves and knowledge of the company products. These individuals will be trained to deal with vendors and customers. To achieve these qualities in the employees Creative Printing and Decorating Designs will look for the following characteristics in their workers:

• Like their job and what they are doing.
• Quick learners
• Relate well with people
• How they will treat the customers and fellow associates with respect

All managers will follow a checklist for hiring associates:

• Hiring policy in place
• Job descriptions
• I-9 Forms
• Application
• Company policies
• Screening procedures
• Benefit package
• Employee Handbook

All employees will be subject to ongoing training programs that will be mandatory and at Creative Printing and Decorating Designs expense.

Legal Requirements

Compliance with Legal Requirements

My procedures for permits, licenses, and business names. I plan to do business as Creative Printing and Decorating Designs. Local permits: Home Base Business: City Clerk located at City Hall. State Licensing: Tax report office in Beaumont, Texas. Federal: None required (Local business). Sellers Permit: None required. EIN: Employer’s identification number from the IRS.

Consultants

It is important to have a team of professional advisors in place. Creative Printing and Decorating Designs advisors list include:

• Attorney: Ken Brown
• Accountant: Glenn Reed
• Insurance Agent: Earl Green
• Banker: Rochelle Brown
• E-commerce Consultant: Jeremiah Wright

Insurance

Creative Printing and Decorating Designs plan to use the listed insurance agent Earl Green services. Mr. Green will provide the company with all policies and liabilities the company will be responsible for. The company executives plan not to be self-insurance because of the risk involved. The company will supply workers’ compensation insurance through Texas Mutual Insurance Company which will be available upon hire.

Budgeting

There is no cost breakdown for implementing social websites. These sites are free. The marketing department has a budget plan, as shown in Appendix I. Developing a budget plan helps determine what your company can and cannot afford because Creative Printing and Decorating Designs is a small home base business the company has a limited budget. This is why the company works towards achieving its set goals and objectives.

Operations Plan

Capacity

Within the next five years, the company will improve its capacity by building on the skills and systems available. Creative Printing and Decorating Designs will be venturing into other businesses where it has less experience, such as the clothing and consumer electronics sectors. The company will hold various capacity-building seminars so as to equip its employees with experiential knowledge from specialists in various industries. In order to make it easier for the new employees, the company will organize annual internal training sessions.

Process

The company will put in place various standardized approaches to guide all its activities. There is a need to have an induction program for new employees. Currently, the company conducts a brief orientation program for new operators, a process that is not viable in the future. Within the five years, the company plans to come up with Standard Operating Procedures, operational checklists, changeover procedures, and guidelines for equipment operators.

Labor

By 2017, the company will have initiated product diversification and globalization programs. As a result of this, the number of employees- as well as that of new products, services, and new branches- will rise. The minimum wage for American employees will be in line with the minimum wage set by the federal government, which is 7.25 USD per hour. The minimum wage for European employees is estimated to be almost the same as that of American employees. On the contrary, the minimum wage for South American employees will be 4.25 USD per hour. Within the next five years, the company will have at least 250 employees.

Facilities

In the next year, the company will move its head office from Sharon DeJohn’s home to a rented office. After five years of operation, the company will establish its headquarters in Port Arthur. Nonetheless, all other offices and facilities in other parts of the country- as well as those in foreign countries- will be rented out for the first five years of expansion. As the number of goods and services provided by the company continues to increase, the management will carry out a periodic review of the facilities with respect to location and layout.

Inventory

The company will endeavor to meet the needs of all customers in real-time. All the stores will have delivery plans that will ensure products and services are delivered in time. Over the next five years, the company will develop information technology systems for managing inventory in all stores. In the fifth year of operation, the company will adopt a satellite system that will enhance communication between all the stores in the US. This will make sure that problems are identified and solved faster, with minimal disruption to the supply of services and goods. All the stores will be managing their own stock to cut on the company’s inventory. The company will use an extranet system to maintain close communication with all its suppliers. Inventory levels and replenishment of supplies will be tracked by employees using computer systems in the stores.

Distribution

The company will collaborate with various retail shops to distribute the products and services. Creative Printing and Decorating Designs will enter into agreements with Walmart and Tesco in order to increase the market share.

Quality Management

Quality management will be integrated into all the production and supply processes. This will be monitored through regular inspections and control tests. SigmaQuest software application will be used in managing and controlling the quality of the products and services.

Employee Survey Analysis

The management of Creative Printing and Decorating Designs will analyze the data gathered from the employee satisfaction surveys. These surveys were conducted to help the company measure employees’ satisfaction and improve productivity. Creative Printing and Decorating Design wants to understand the employee’s attitudes, opinions, and level of motivation. Each question was designed individually to get a clear picture of the needs of the employees. Heizer & Render (2009) states that “……..management is responsible for ensuring that labor and capital are effectively used to increase productivity” (p. 18).

Pie Chart Analysis

The pie chart shows that 46.6% of employees were satisfied by working for the company. On the other hand, 30.8% understand the company’s endeavor to globalize and diversify. The employees showed an interest in the company’s plan to expand to South America, Central America, Asia, and Europe the employees. To this end, 42.6% were comfortable serving in Central American. Creative Printing and Decorating Design wants to involve employees in the decision-making process. This is especially so with regard to the products and services availed to the customer. The analysis showed that 38.5% of the employees were satisfied with their participation in the decision-making process, especially with regard to the type of products and services the company provides. Cawsey & Deszca (2007) states that “getting others involved will bring new energy and ideas as well as……(shifting) people to believe they can be part of the challenge” (p. 291).

30.8% of the participants felt that their contribution was crucial in product diversification. On the other hand, 69.2% believed that globalization strategies were crucial.

Bar Chart

The bar chart in the figure below is an illustration of the employee’s understanding of the alignment between his or her job on the one hand and the company’s endeavor to globalize and diversify on the other. The figure shows where the employee believed that their contribution was crucial.

An interesting aspect of the survey was the sense of comfort among the employees as a result of working for Creative Printing and Decorating Design. This is indicated in the figure below. 46.2% were comfortable working in Central America, 23.1% in South America, 23.1% in Europe, and 7.7% in Asia. Cawsey & Deszca (2007) states that:

“Managers can use commitment charts to analyze the commitment of each stakeholder. Stakeholders can be thought of as being weakly to strongly opposed (against) to your change project (…..) neutral (let it happen), Slightly positive (help it happen), or strongly positive (make it happen)” (p. 299).

Challenges

Employees were asked to name the greatest challenge they were likely to face as expatriates working for the company. The greatest challenge, as shown in the figure below, was leaving their home country. This was reported by 53.8% of the participants. 23.1% of the employees were concerned about their spouse’s career and the education for their children.

Social Initiatives

30.8% of the 13 employees were ‘extremely satisfied’ with the company’s corporate social initiatives that are put in place as the supply chain increases. 53.8% were either ‘highly satisfied’ or ‘somewhat satisfied’ with the company. 15.4% were ‘neutral,’ as the figure below indicates.

Collaboration

One of the major objectives of the company is to expand operations and increase revenue. Creative Printing and Decorating Designs will venture into new areas, such as music and clothing. It is important to understand how the employees will feel about working with other people in different industries. Only five (38.5%) of the employees were ‘somewhat satisfied’ with the idea. 23.1% were ‘extremely satisfied’, 23.1% ‘neutral’, and 15.4% ‘dissatisfied’ with the idea. This is as shown in the figure below.

The survey also sought to determine how employees felt about collaborating with other individuals from different industries. 30.8% were ‘extremely satisfied’, 23.1% were ‘somewhat satisfied’, 38.5% were ‘neutral’, 0% ‘somewhat dissatisfied’, and only 7.7% were ‘extremely dissatisfied’ with the idea. This is as shown in the figure below:

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is noted that measuring the level of employee commitment to Creative Printing and Decorating Designs provided the company with information that is crucial to its operations. This will help the management in steering the company into the future.

References

Carpenter, M. A., & Sanders, W. G. (2009). Strategic management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Cawsey, T., & Deszca, G. (2007). Toolkit for organizational change. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

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Appendices

Appendix I. Marketing Department Budget for 2013

Appendix II: Operating Department Budget

Appendix III: Administrative Budget

Appendix IV: Financial forecast based on Fedex Kinko performance

Appendix V: Financial Statement

Appendix VI: Employee satisfaction questionnaire

Generally, how can you classify your level of satisfaction with working for this company?

• Extremely Satisfied
• Somewhat satisfied
• Neutral
• Somewhat dissatisfied
• Extremely dissatisfied

How can you classify your satisfaction regarding the way the Company has included you in deciding on the kind of products and service provided?

• Extremely Satisfied
• Somewhat satisfied
• Neutral
• Somewhat dissatisfied
• Extremely dissatisfied

Please indicate to what extent you agree with the statement that “I understand the alignment between my job and the company’s endeavor to globalize and diversify products and services.”

• Agree completely
• Strongly agree
• Somewhat agree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Somewhat disagree
• Strongly disagree
• Disagree completely

Where do you feel your contribution has been crucial; between the globalization and product diversification strategies of the company?

• Globalization
• Product diversification

Where would be most comfortable serving as our Company’s expat?

• South America
• Central America
• Asia
• Europe

What would be your greatest challenge if you had to serve as an expatriate of the company?

• Leaving my extended family
• My wife’s career
• My children’s education
• Leaving my home country

How satisfied are you with the Company’s corporate social initiatives as its supply chain lengthens?

• Extremely Satisfied
• Somewhat satisfied
• Neutral
• Somewhat dissatisfied
• Extremely dissatisfied

How satisfied are you with working in collaboration with players from other industries (such as music and clothing) that the company has decided to venture into?

• Extremely Satisfied
• Somewhat satisfied
• Neutral
• Somewhat dissatisfied
• Extremely dissatisfied

What is the one thing that the company should do to improve the work environment?