Introduction
There’s need for strategic planning in the development and progress of such business entity as 24-hour garage. General planning incorporates significant roles in the management and execution of duties which would enable the garage to achieve the set objectives. The 24-hour garage would indulge in activities which will help in attaining stable financial base supported by a very strong policies and principles.
The main purpose besides offering help to the community is to be leading organization in-terms of governance and management of resources. There is need for clear vision and mission statement which needs to be developed for the purposes of clear guidance towards achievement within a particular period of time (Adair and Bruce; Davis).
The long-term and short- term objectives would be articulated with the several segments of the community in mind. Such program would be developed and arranged within the organization’s key performance areas, which are the general areas of operation. The key performance areas would incorporate; administration, Marketing and Finance as well as the key primary focus areas (Ward).
The Project Description
The garage would be designed to lead in service and accident repairs and expected to have employees with wealth of experience in motor repairs. For the purposes of catering for every class within the society the garage will deal with complete motoring package which includes everything from roadside accident or recovery, to service, mechanical repairs and tires (Fishman).
Most people with disabilities and those who are sick normally prefer to remain independent within their various communities for fairly long time. Therefore the plan of the garage would provide space for the creation of personal care team providing mobile services enabling the provision of direct funding to seniors as well as the disabled arranging their own care (Garmus and David).
The challenge for the design is in keeping harmony amongst the skilled and unskilled personnel. However the plan recognizes importance of respectful workplaces offering safe environment where individuals can fully exercise their skills and training.
The human resource strategy would provide expansive $ 3 million in a bid to freshly fund the training of more specialists as well as offer return service bursaries for the underprivileged students desiring to work within the garage industry sector.
The garage would have quality council group endowed with the responsibility of developing evidence-based standards in delivering good mechanical services to customers. The team would evaluate the current new technologies which are in line with new car inventions for the purpose of offering quality up-to-date services to customers.
The garage will establish a toll-free 24 hour telephone service aimed at advising customers hence supporting all the mobile garage networks. The lines will be having services of specialists of various car parts, incase of breakdown they would asses the car and advise owners on the nearest garages or respond by sending their own staff. The user satisfaction of the telephone lines would be targeted at 90%. These lines would save customers cost on time and money (CIHI).
For the purposes of catering for the low-income earners within the community comprehensive primary networks will be developed in stages. More specialists as well as reporters will be dispatched to every community. The development of the networks will be done in consultation with senior mechanics that already have insights into the manner in which the various teams should assemble and cooperate in delivering services.
The community members would be brought into the planning processes to ensure fair reflection of the views of the entire community. Special attention would be given to programs encouraging motorists to have better management capabilities on their cars (Gibbs).
The company plans to cover 25% of the area after four years and the entire region within 10 years of continuous service. The primary services given through the wide networks would ensure greater access to appropriate motor vehicle specialists.
The coordination of vehicle tests and early detection on mechanical problems would help in preventing more accidents and also extreme spending on the side of customers.
The region targeted is currently experiencing a baby boom; this has a heavy impact on the nature of decisions made concerning the delivery of services and education on the various expertise areas. Averagely 40% of the population is considered to be under the age of twenty. Most of the people who will undergo training are the young men.
The area is considered to have high unemployment rates with low mean income levels making the garage to offer their services at affordable rates capable of supporting the low-income earners. In the past the community members had to travel with their cars for long hours for the purposes of seeking special mechanics to care for their cars.
The garage will offer services which will enable residents in the remote community to be able to seek help on their cars through video links for specialists from the garage without leaving their remote locations (Government of Canada).
In the long-run the garage would establish primary health care clinics which would strive to attend to the poor population by preventing diseases, promoting individual health as well as the health of the community and family.
The healthcare would also provide co-ordination between services enjoyed by high class people who happen to on and off-reserve areas. However, Priority for the implementation process would be granted to the community areas showing greatest identifiable need i.e. high-risk communities (Federation of Canadian Municipalities)
Strategic Business Considerations
Analysis of firm within the industry
The analysis process helps in establishing the current status of the industry hence developing strategies which will be able to place the firm within the focus of its goals and objectives.
Internal strengths and weakness, including core competencies
Identification of the internal strengths and weaknesses would help in bridging the gap that exists between the community, current status of the organization and future expectations.
Usually, organization’s strengths is determined through assessment of its various sectors and prospects such as; its employees, the venue, skills and expertise, the events which takes place within the organization and the manner in which the management cares for their employees and the surrounding community including training and development.
Overall weaknesses are normally determined through the assessment of the availability of enough funds required for expansion, low rates of employee turn-over, poorly laid down structures on strategic management, poor locations and poor communication links and in some cases internal squabbles (Federation of Canadian Municipalities).
External opportunities and threats, including competition
The 24-hour garage would be faced with external opportunities which include; the increase in employee turn-over rates, the relational ties between the garage and other organizations, marketing principles and strategies, the nature of incentives rendered to the community which are of financial benefits, government regulation and incorporation of information technology.
The threats on the other hand include; economic turmoil, loss of employees and clients, increase in the costs of expertise services and the stiff competition from other car garages within the market (CESD).
Strategies required at each level of organization
Concerning the employee level various factors should be considered which include the nature of skills irrespective of the education level, Knowledge on vital areas/car parts, Capabilities in areas such as carwash, Impact on others both inside and outside the company.
Concerning business level certain considerations should be made dealing with areas such as reputation, Capacity, Responsiveness, customer attitudes.
On corporate level which involves the process and structure used in the management of business affairs of any organization focus areas would be competitive advantages and disadvantages and the nature of services. Then finally there is high positioned executive level which incorporates vital exercises such as quality assessment, Installation and service capabilities.
Corporate governance
Business ethics, rules and regulations
For the purposes of achieving effectiveness on corporate governance there is need for approved principles, rules and regulations which should provide necessary foundation and guidance for leadership. The garage leadership should comprise of management team accountable to the running of the garage on a 24-hour basis (City of Kitchener).
The top management team should be chosen in a democratic way whereby, the shareholders are incorporated in the process. The management is endowed with the responsibility of having accurate and up to-date information concerning the company.
The company should also have chief executive officer whose role is different from the overall chairman. The powers and authority held by the two must be checked to offer balance in decision making. Then there are the shareholders who should be fully involved in the organization’s activities involving concerns of the surrounding community (Beck; Carroll 10; Environment Canada).
Implications on the garage and its strategic operations
Good management practices in the corporate governance will be essential in determining the trust that the community has with the organization.
This is since it would ensure profitable management of resources and assets. Good corporate governance would also ensure improvement in communication and implementation of new and workable strategies which are profitable to the organization, its employees and the surrounding community (Bennatan; Canada).
The required controls. Strategic leadership
This requires development of strategies capable of handling the required changes and culture. There is need for clear definition of every position and work done within the garage.
The areas of concern should incorporate; the period of service and approval by the supervisors as well as the management team. It is important for the company to focus on building the brand image within the market through direct excellent services to customers (Brooks).
Conclusion
There is need for the garage to offer thorough planning which would ensure creation of enough employment opportunities through development of business entities. The entrepreneurial prowess of the garage would also enable creation, articulation and development of major subsidiary projects.
Motivation through sponsored employee training on the various expertise areas will also be encouraged. Building a change-ready workforce will be achieved through knowledge sharing between those with higher education and those with low education standards.
Works Cited
Adair, Charlene & Bruce, Murray. Breakthrough Process Redesign: New Pathways to Customer Value. New York: American Management Association, 1994.
Beck, Kent. Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change. Addison-Wesley, 2000.
Bennatan, Emanuel. On Time, Within Budget: Software Project Management Practices and Techniques. NY: Wiley, 1995.
Brooks, Frederic. The Mythical Man-Month. New York: Addison-Wesley, 1995.
Canada. A Stronger Canada; a Stronger Economy. Now and for the Future – Speech from the throne 3, (2010).
Carroll, Chris. Speed kills the competition. Fast Company 8, (1996).
CIHI. The cost of Acute Care Hospital Stays by Medical Condition in Canada: 2004-2005. Canada: Canadian Institute of Health Information, 2004.
City of Kitchener. Corporate Accountability and Transparency Policy. Toronto; Canada, 2007.
CESD. Sustainable Development Strategies. Canada: Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, 2007.
CESD. CESD Comments on the Draft Federal Sustainable Development Strategy. Canada: Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, 2010.
Davis, Alan. 201 Principles of Software Development. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1995.
Environment Canada. Threats to Water Availability in Canada, National Water Research Institute. Canada: Environment Canada, National Water Research Institute, 2010.
Environment Canada. Extended Producer Responsibility and Stewardship. 2006.Web.
Environment Canada. A Climate Change Plan for the Purposes of the Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act – 2007. Web.
Environment Canada. Quickfacts. 2009. Web.
Environment Canada. Sustainable Business: Corporate Environmental Innovation. 2010. Web.
Environment Canada (2010c). Human Health Costs. Web.
Environment Canada (2010d): Turning the Corner. Web.
Environment Canada. News Release: Government of Canada Makes Major Investment to International Climate Change. NY: Ottawa, 2010e.
Environment Canada. Air Quality Health Index. 2010f. Web.
Environment Canada. Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators – Water Levels. Pressures & Impacts. 2010g. Web.
Environment Canada. Comprehensive Approach to Clean Water. 2010h. Web.
Federation of Canadian Municipalities. New FCM Report Shows Cities and Communities can Jump-start Federal Climate Change Plan. 2009. Web.
Federation of Canadian Municipalities (2010). Green Municipal Funds. Web.
Fishman, Charles. They Write the Right Stuff. Fast Company, 12 (1997).
Garmus, David & David, Herron. Measuring the Software Process: A Practical Guide To Functional Measurements, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1996.
Gibbs, Wyatt. Software’s Chronic Crisis. Scientific American, 9 (1994).
Gibbs, Wyatt. Taking Computers to Task. Scientific American, 7 (1997).
Glass, Robert. Software Creativity. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1995.
Government of Canada. Canada’s 4th National Report to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. New York: United Nations, 2009.
Great Lakes United. Annual Losses to Great Lakes Region by Ship-borne Invasive Species. Geneva; UN, 2008.
Health Canada. Human Health in a Changing climate: A Canadian Assessment of Vulnerabilities and Adaptive Capacity. Toronto: Print, 2008.
Health Canada. E-mail to Environment Canada. Journal on Environmental Conservation, 7 (2010).
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. Indicators of Well-being in Canada –Canadians in Context – Geographic Distribution. 2010. Web.
Humphrey, Watts. Managing the Software Process. Addison-Wesley, 1999.
IPCC. Summary for Policymakers. In S.D. Solomon, D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M.Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M. Tignor and H.L. Miller (Eds.) Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. United Kingdom, Cambridge University Press, New York: International Panel for Climate Change, 2007.
Jacobson, Ivar. The Unified Software Development Process. New York: Addison Wesley, 1999.
Jenner, Michael. Software Quality Management and ISO 9001: How to Make Them Work for You. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2010.
Johnson, Jay, Rod Skoglund & Joe Wisniewski. Program Smarter, Not Harder: Get Mission-Critical Projects Right the First Time. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1995.
Kendall, Kenneth & Julie, Kendall. Systems Analysis and Design. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995.
Kerzner, Harold. Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling and Controlling. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1995.
King, David. Project Management Made Simple: A Guide to Successful Management Of Computer Systems Projects. Yourdon, 1992.
Laplante, Phillip. Keys to Successful Software Development. IEEE, (1999).
Lewis, James. The Project Manager’s Desk Reference: A Comprehensive Guide to Project Planning, Scheduling, Evaluation and Control Systems. NY: McGraw Hill, 2000.
Mandanis, Greg. Software Project Management Kit for Dummies. NY: IDG Books, 2000.
Martin, Paula & Karen, Tate. Project Management Memory Jogger: A Guide for Project Teams. MartinTate, 1997.
McCarthy, Jim. Dynamics of Software Development. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1995.
McConnell, Steve. After the Gold Rush: Creating a True Profession of Software Engineering. Washington DC: Microsoft Press, 1999.
McConnell, Steve. Rapid Development: Taming Wild Software Schedules, Microsoft Press, 1996.
McConnell, Steve. Software Project Survival Guide. Microsoft Press, 1998.
OAG. Chapter 7 – Managing Government: A Study of the Role of the Treasury Board Secretariat. In 2004 March Report of the Auditor General of Canada. Canada: Office of the Auditor General of Canada, 2004a.
OAG. Performance Audit Manual. Toronto: Office of the Auditor General of Canada, 2004b.
OAG. Chapter 2 – Expenditure Management System in Departments. In 2006 November Report of the Auditor General of Canada. Canada: Office of the Auditor General of Canada, 2006.
OECD. The DAC Guidelines: Strategies for Sustainable Development. Paris: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2001.
OECD (2006). ÂGood Practices in the National Sustainable Development Strategies of OECD Countries. Paris: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2006.
Ould, Martyn, Managing Software Quality and Business Risk. New York: Wiley, 1999.
Phillips, Dwayne, The Software Project Manager’s Handbook. NY: IEE Computer Society, 2000.
Project Management Institute, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge. NY: PMI Publishing, 2000.
Purba, Sanjiv, David Sawh & Bharat, Shah. How to Manage Successful Software Project: Methodologies, Techniques, Tools. New York: John Wiley, 1995.
Rakos, John. Software Project Management for Small to Medium Sized Projects. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990.
Royce, Walker. Software Project Management: A Unified Framework. Addison-Wesley, 1998.
Statistics Canada. The Importance of Nature to Canadians: The Economic Significance of Nature related Activities, (2000).
Statistics Canada. Canadian Economic Observer. 2008. Web.
Statistics Canada. International Merchandise Trade. Canada Annual Review, (2009a).
Statistics Canada. Trade Balance. EnviroStats. 3, (2009b).
Statistics Canada. Imports, Exports and Trade Balance of Goods on a Balance-of-Payments Basis, by Country or Country Grouping. 2010a. Web.
Statistics Canada (2010b). Gross Domestic Product at Basic Prices, by Industry. 2010b. Web.
Statistics Canada. Asthma, 2009. Web.
Thayer, Richard. Software Engineering Project Management. NY: IEEE Computer Society, 2000.
Treasury Board Secretariat. Find Sites by Classification. 2010. Web.
United Nations. Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development – (Rio de Janeiro, 1992). Web.
Verzuh, Eric. The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management: Quick Tips, Speedy Solutions Cutting-Edge Ideas. NY: Wiley, 1999.
Ward, Susan. Choosing a form of business ownership. New York Times, 2010. Web.
WCED. Chapter 2: Towards Sustainable Development. In Our Common Future. New York: United Nations, World Commission on Environment and Development. Our Common Future. United Nations. 1987. Web.
Weiss, Joseph & Wysocki, Robert. 5-Phase Project Management. NY: Addison Wesley, 1992.
Whitten, Jeffrey, Lonnie, Bentley & Thomas, Ho. Systems Analysis and Design Methods. St. Louis: Times Mirror/Mosby College Publishing, 1986.
Whitten, Neal. Managing Software Development Projects. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1995.
Wood, Jane & Denise Silver. Joint Application Development. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1995.
Yourdon, Inc.Yourdon Systems Method: Model-Driven Systems Development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1993.
Yourdon, Edward. The Complete Software Developer’s Guide to Surviving “Mission Impossible Projects,” London: Prentice Hall, 1997.