The Impact of an Environmental Factor on Jims Cleaning - Admission/Application Essay Example

The Impact of an Environmental Factor on Jims Cleaning The Impact of an Environmental Factor onJims Cleaning Introduction Jims Cleaning company offers home/office cleaning, car cleaning, car body detailing, pressure cleaning, carpet cleaning, window cleaning and blind cleaning/repair services (Jims Cleaning Group, 2013). This discussion will elaborate on the impact and management of one key external environmental factor on Jims Cleaning Company. The discussion will draw from the external environmental factors identified by Robbins et al. (2012) in order to explain how the consideration of external factors is of particular importance in terms of its impact on Jims Cleaning Company. The discussion will also explain how Jims Cleaning Companys approach in managing the change reflects academic theory how the organization manages the change while using relevant academic theory to develop the essay. Discussion & Analyses The perspective that merits attention here is that the impact of environmental factors on the operations of the company usually becomes evident in the most-unexpected ways and at the most-unexpected times. In fact, it is essential to highlight that the measures taken by Jims Cleaning are usually reactionary in nature. (Summers & Smith, 2010) Even though a best case scenario would be one in which a business can highlight one specific environmental factor (to which it is most vulnerable) and develop Standard Operation Procedures (SOP) to deal with it, a company like Jims Cleaning Company cannot possibly afford that luxury. The scenario changes with every task, and there is no way to be sure if a specific SOP will be applicable upon another task or not. It would not be entirely incorrect to state that the impact of environmental factors on a cleaning company is extremely under-rated. A cleaning company has to deliver absolute perfection at the end of the day (Cole, 2005). The finished product offered by a cleaning company is the improved state of the clients property. As a result, there is very little margin for error or for the allowance of environmental factors to have an impact on the finished product. Robbins et. al. (2012) provides an excellent elaboration of the range of environmental factors that can have an impact on an organization and its operations. In the case of Jims Cleaning Company, it would be fair to state that a very complicated mix of these factors come into play and influence the operations at the ground level. Jims Cleaning Company provides a very wide yet specialized range of cleaning services. The provision of these services does not always give the staff the comfort of an office or warehouse (if the job is of a larger scale). As a result, the staff members are often required to wing it based on an impromptu evaluation of the environment when they reach the clients location (Dickie & Dickie, 2006). It might sound like a fairly easy process, but has a significant impact upon operations. For instance, it is but common for environmental factors to throw a wrench in the entire system and make it impossible to complete the task during the time frame that has been committed upon by the company. A window washer will not be able to clean all the windows of a particular floor in one day if the client has a delegation coming in the next day and wants to keep the windows open for any reason during the event. In such cases, Jims Cleaning Company will have to restructure the assignment of resources and either sends in additional personnel to complete the specific sub-task in one day or request the client to pause cleaning operations for that day. Needless to highlight, both options will contribute to the creation of further complications (Gilpin & Murphy, 2008). The first option might compromise the efficiency of another job if resources are drawn from it while the second option might turn out to be a complete deal breaker. It is just one example in which Jims Cleaning Company can end up being stuck between a rock and a hard place due to environmental factors. It might sound like a lot for a cleaning company to deal with, but it is perhaps the most-primary challenge that the management of Jims Cleaning company struggles with on a daily basis. It is the reason because of which the office of a cleaning company can take on the form of an army base in which phones are ringing, and plans are being redesigned even as multiple operations are underway, and the men are hard at work. A cleaning company cannot possibly give consideration to the immense number of environmental factors to which it is exposed at the same time. As a result, the senior management at Jims Cleaning Company spends a part of each day communicating with the ground staff in order to learn how environmental factors surfaced and impacted operations. Attempts at creating plans to deal with the environmental factors did not prove to be as effective as the senior management had hoped. As a result, environmental factors are now addressed by ensuring that ground staff is always ready for their incidence (Heckscher, 2007). In this regard, one approach that has evolved out of the complex scenario is that newly hired staff is always paired up with veteran staff that is experienced in dealing with environmental factors. It usually takes up to a year for new staff members to become fully accustomed to the nature and intensity of environmental factors. This extensive time frame is also indicative of the diverse nature of environmental factors that affect operations at Jims Cleaning. If the scenario in question was to be evaluated in light of the lessons delivered by Robbins et. al. (2012), it is clear that the role and relevance of environmental factors are clearly in need of more attention. Environmental factors are perhaps the last thing to come up in board room meetings in a company like Jims Cleaning Company, but that does not mean that they deserve less attention (Steger, Amann, & Maznevski, 2007). In fact, the need of the hour is to place the consideration of environmental factors on top of the list of priorities. Conclusions This discussion chose Jims Cleaning Company and attempted to shed light on the manner in which environmental factors influence operations at Jims Cleaning Company, and the approach through which the individuals are working at the organization react to them. Businesses like Jims Cleaning services are undoubtedly more vulnerable to environmental factors than other enterprises in other industries. For instance, Jack & Jills Accounting Services does not have to worry about environmental factors the same way that Jims Cleaning does. However, it does not mean that Jack & Jills Accounting Services is any less vulnerable to them (Bergman, Stagg, & Coulter, 2012). The recent global recession provides more than enough evidence to substantiate this assertion.   References Bergman, R., Stagg, I., & Coulter, M. (2012). Management (6th Edition ed.). Australia: Pearson Australia. Cole, K. (2005). Management: Theory and practice (3rd Edition ed.). Australia: Pearson. Dickie, L., & Dickie, C. (2006). Cornerstones of Management. NSW: Tilde University Press. Gilpin, D., & Murphy, P. (2008). Crisis Management in a Complex World. USA: Oxford University Press. Heckscher, C. (2007). The Collaborative Enterprise: Managing speed and complexity in knowledge-based businesses. USA: Yale University Press. Jims Cleaning Group. (2013). Retrieved from Home and Office Cleaning Services: http://www.jimscleaning.net.au/?COLLCC=1936570285 Steger, U., Amann, W., & Maznevski, M. (2007). Managing Complexity in Global Organisations. USA: John Wiley & Sons. Summers, J., & Smith, B. (2010). Communication Skills Handbook. Australia: John Wiley & Sons. Read More