Sports and Recreation Network Management - Case Study Example

?Table of contents Introduction 2 Background 2 Key success factors 5 Current thinking 6 Creation of a sound organizational culture 6 Team building strategies 7 Quality performance 8 Customer satisfaction 9 Role of HRM and operational management 10 Problem solving strategies 10 Conclusion 11 References 12 INTRODUCTION The high schools of Northern New Jersey face modern challenges related to shortage of sport and recreation facilities like any other city in the United States and the entire world at large. Therefore, it is vital that the schools of this area continue to enjoy recreation and sport facilities which are normally provided by the town administration. However, the current state of some of the sports and recreation facilities that schools and towns have are inadequate. For instance, the current facilities do not meet the modern standard expectations. In addition, with the growing popularity of high school and youth sports throughout the area among players and fans alike, it is essential to look into building a facility that can house sports and recreation indoors. This is due to factors such as constantly changing weather patterns in the area, an overcrowded population and simply not enough room to house all programs in inclement weather at schools. Therefore, this strategic business plan is meant to outline measures that can be implemented by Sports and Recreation Network in order to improve this situation. The paper starts by highlighting the situation obtaining on the ground and this is followed by an outline of the strategies that can be implemented in order to effectively deal with the situation. The paper ends by giving a thorough recommendation about improvements that have to be made on the basis of the research and analysis performed in the business planning process. BACKGROUND Sports and Recreation Network is a wholly owned company that is concerned with uplifting the field of sport particularly in schools in New Jersey. As outlined above, it can be noted that the trend in the area has been to look for complexes that can house teams on days where a school’s gym or multi-purpose room is over-crowded or there simply is not enough space. Elements related to bad weather conditions are impacting on various sporting activities since seasons and games are often postponed. Thus, a complex would lift a major barrier to the youth and the young at heart in Northern New Jersey who are interested in engaging in a plethora of sporting activities that can now be done indoors. Developing a sports and recreational facility in New Jersey is a viable idea for revenue creation as well as creating a venue that really serves the general public in the northern New Jersey area. Against this background, this paper seeks to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the various impacts associated with this type of undertaking. In essence, this is a bargain and convincing element aimed at encouraging the construction of the new sports and recreation facility. The project is going to be a multisport complex that is going to be located in the Northern New Jersey area. Currently, there are two other facilities like this in the Northern New Jersey area. Basically, the main objectives of the multisport complex include being able to gain 150 memberships in the first year, 225 by the second year and 330 in the third year to use the gym/ rehab/spa facilities and the use of the athletic complex when not rented along with walk-ins as memberships are not mandatory to use the facility. The complex will offer competitive leagues such as 7-on-7 flag football, 5-on-5 lacrosse, 3-on-3 hoops tournaments and the like to generate further income. In year one, we would also like to sponsor and support five community events to give back to the community and also garner potential interest from customers. The return of investment for the project is projected to be at 5% within the first year of operation. We will use the various open shops and rent to vendors for a sporting goods store, rehabilitation, spa, weight training, dance, karate, etc and create continued revenue there as well. The intention of the multi sports complex is to benefit the high schools, youth leagues and residents in the Northern New Jersey area. The mission of the complex is to be able to provide a modern recreational facility that is going to offer the best staff, equipment and sports programs to adequately meet the needs of the community, while at the same time generating revenue. The complex is intended to give a sporting atmosphere that is going to be unmatched due to its modern facilities. The requirements for starting the company add to a total of $8,350,000. The costs are inclusive of developmental costs such as land, buildings, start-up capital and equipment. The Complex will provide its members with a number of services. These include a synthetic field turf surface to use for soccer, football, baseball, softball, field hockey, lacrosse. There is an eatery, a lounge area, conference rooms, a spa, a weight lifting facility, rehabilitation, party venue, dance classes, and childcare centers. Fitness experts will also be there to ensure that the fitness needs of the members are met. We want to create our own group of customers and look to take customers away from our competitors. However, this is not an easy feat to achieve hence there is need for concerted efforts by all the stakeholders involved in this particular project. According to Raney (2006), the success of any project is determined by the level of competence as well as commitment by the people involved in its execution. Thus, this strategic business plan is going to evaluate the measures related to concepts that deal with human resources and organisational behaviour that can be implemented in order to ensure that this project is a success. KEY SUCCESS FACTORS AND STRATEGY It is our strong conviction that the biggest success factor in this particular project will be people and we intend to have a highly trained staff and management team that is going to boost the image of the complex since the patrons’ needs will always be catered for. Thus, the Company will implement the following strategies to achieve its goals of becoming the leader in providing a multipurpose sport complex in the whole area of Northern New Jersey. • Creation of a sound organizational culture that can positively impact on productivity and performance of members involved. • Implementation of effective team building techniques in order to improve work processes and productivity. • Upholding the aspect of quality on performance. • Taking into consideration the importance of customer satisfaction on productivity and performance. • Clearly outlining the role of human resource management as well as operational management. • Improving productivity through monitoring human performance. • Implementing sound problem solving techniques CURRENT THINKING Research has shown that concepts related to human resources management play a pivotal role in the success of any given project or the operations of an organisation. Basically, the human resources are regarded as the backbone of each organisation since these are responsible for carrying out all tasks involved. However, there are certain measures that have to be implemented in order to ensure that the people involved in a particular project put optimum performance in their operations in order to achieve the desired goals. In undertaking this particular project, we are going to implement the following strategies in order to ensure that the employees as well as the targeted customers are satisfied by the work we are going to carry out. CREATION OF A SOUND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE According to Swanepoel (1998), organisational culture can be defined as the shared understanding which exists amongst organisation members (employees of all levels) regarding the way they should carry out their operations. It encompasses a set or system of shared features such as beliefs, values, symbols as well as expectations among the members of the organisation. This is based on the notion that values in an organisation are learned and they are shaped by the organisation’s culture. Given that values are learned, it is our intention to create a supportive management function within the company that can take a leading role in implementing the desired organisational culture which can be used as a guideline in our operations while executing this important project. The other strategy we are also going to implement is to create a culture that enables the members of staff to learn as well as generate new ideas that can be used in the execution of this particular project. Brand (1998) posits to the effect that innovative and supportive culture encourages creativity among the employees hence we will strive to create a culture that will encourage the members of staff to be creative so that our company can be clearly distinguished from other actors in the sporting fraternity. We believe that a shared culture will create mutual understanding among all stakeholders involved such that it becomes easier for everyone to share the same vision and mission of the company. This in turn improves the performance of the employees which can significantly contribute to an increase in productivity. TEAM BUILDING STRATEGIES “A team is a group of people that has been formed to work together in common, cooperate their action towards the achievement of an outcome for the benefit of the group,” (Schultz, 2003, p. 36). Essentially, the goal of a team is synergy which entails that the efforts of a group are combined towards the attainment of a particular goal. Under normal circumstances, it can be noted that the efforts of a team are more effective than individual effort given that the resources are pulled in the same direction. However, there are some people who are not comfortable with working with others in a team. It is our intention to ensure that we create an environment that can enable teams to be formed for the betterment of the organisation as well as the improvement of the performance of the employees. This is a multi sectoral project which requires the effort of different people working from various departments hence we will strive to ensure that there is coordination among all groups involved. Team leaders are going to be given the autonomy to ensure that members within their groups are pulling their efforts towards the attainment of the set goals of this particular project. QUALITY ON PERFORMANCE In order to ensure that there is quality on performance of the employees, we are going to make sure that the responsible leaders constantly monitor the activities of their team members. Efforts have been made to ensure that there are open communication channels so as to promote mutual understanding among the team members. According to Grobler et al (2006), quality of employee performance can be achieved through monitoring their operations and this can be enhanced through interaction with tem as well as giving them feedback in areas that need improvement. Therefore, it is important for us to have open communication channels such that the employees can have the opportunity to express their views with regards to changes they may need to be taken. We will also constantly train our managers from different departments so that they are able to deal with different situations that can affect the operations of the employees. It is also our intention to put measures in place that are meant to ensure that the members of staff are motivated to carry out their tasks. Werner et al (2007) define motivation as the willingness among the employees to put effort towards the attainment of organisational goals and this is mainly influenced by the desire to satisfy certain individual needs. As such, it can be noted that the employees are set to benefit from this initiative hence there is need for them to be motivated to put optimum performance in their operations. On the other hand, the quality of their performance will be improved through motivation. Therefore, we intend to put measures in place that are meant to ensure that team members are motivated in order to achieve the desired goals. We also believe that effective communication is essential in order to motivate the team members so that they improve their performance. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION The ultimate goal of this particular project is to satisfy the needs and interests of the targeted customers as well as the residents of Northern New Jersey at large through provision of the state-of-the-art sporting facilities. In order to achieve this, there is need for responsible authorities to ensure that there is open communication between the organisation and the targeted consumers. According to Kotler & Armstrong (2004), customer satisfaction can be derived through engaging the customers in a particular project being undertaken. This involves collecting their ideas about their expectations in as far as this particular project is concerned. Careful consideration of the needs of the customers will go a long way in creating loyalty as well as mutual understanding among them. In this situation, we have tasked different people to engage the customers throughout this project so as to ensure that it conforms to the expected standards. Periodic market research will be undertaken at every stage of the project in order to ensure that the views of the customers are incorporated. It is our belief that failure to do so will negatively impact on the outcome of this important project to the residents of New Jersey. ROLE OF HUMAN AS WELL AS OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT Organisational goals are achieved through the efforts of the other human beings in an organisation. It can be seen that there is no organisation which can function without people carrying out different tasks. However, the efforts of these people need to be coordinated such that they are directed towards the same goals. It is the role of the human resources management (HRM) to ensure that the efforts of the employees are directed towards the set goals and objectives. We therefore intend to make sure that all HRM functions are fulfilled in order to succeed in this particular project. The HRM department has been designed in such a way that employee needs are taken into consideration and the HR managers are prepared to deal with employee grievances as well as other sentiments that can affect their operations. The HR department has also been tasked with the role of ensuring that all the employees are motivated to execute their tasks with pleasure. PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGIES When it comes to solving problems that may be encountered, the organisation has devised measures that are meant to empower teams to find long lasting solutions which can positively contribute to the knowledge they already have in as far as their operations are concerned. Members of the groups are encouraged to learn from their mistakes and we have put measures in place that are meant to ensure that people are not punished for making mistakes but are rewarded for their efforts in solving problems which ultimately contributes to the growth of their knowledge. Mechanisms to encourage learning among the members of the organisation have also been put in place so as to ensure that they acquire new knowledge during the dispensation of their duties in implementing this particular project. CONCLUSION Over and above, it can be observed that the success of this particular project is determined by various factors discussed above. However, there is need for concerted efforts among all the stakeholders involved in implementing the strategies outlined. More often than not, the success of the organisation towards the attainment of its set goals is determined by the level of commitment and effort of the people involved. Therefore, it is our strong belief that careful implementation of the strategies discussed above will go a long way in as far as the construction of this sporting complex in New Jersey is concerned. References Brand, A. (1998). “Knowledge management and innovation at 3M.” Journal of knowledge management, Vol. 2 No.1. Grobler, P. et al (2006). Human Resource Management. 3rd Edition. London: Thompson Learning. Kotler, P. & Armstrong, G. (2004). Principles of Marketing. Upper Saddle River: NJ,Pearson Education. Raney, A. (2006).Handbook of sports and media. London: Routledge. Schultz, H. (2003). Organisational behaviour. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers. Swanepoel, B.J. (Ed) (1998). Human resources management: Theory and practice. CT: JUTA. Werner, A. Et al (2007). Organisational behaviour. 2nd Edition. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers. Read More