assignment for KIM /WOODS $50

Scenario

While attending this class, you have also been working at VideoFirst, a small company that creates and markets video games for educational and entertainment markets. VideoFirst recently moved into Valley Road Business Center, a four-story office building in the outskirts of Philadelphia, PA.

Valley Road includes a lobby with a security desk and several suites on all four floors. VideoFirst is located on the third floor, occupying a typical suite that includes offices for managers, full-sized cubicles for employee workstations, a conference room, and restrooms. There is also a break room with a refrigerator and a microwave on the first floor of the building.

VideoFirst is new and growing fast. The company needs more employees, but the operating budget will not allow for it presently. Meanwhile, the company’s goal is to make the operations efficient while keeping the current employees happy. You, as an enterprising and observant employee, think one way to achieve this goal is by attracting outside services to the building.

The other businesses in the building are similar in size to VideoFirst but focus on markets other than software: a dentist’s office, a startup legal services office, and an insurance company. The building also has several spaces not yet rented. At capacity, the building can accommodate approximately 1,300 people.

The location of Valley Road is ideal, and the size of the available offices is adequate for most small businesses. However, the owners of the building supply space but little else in the way of service. The entrepreneurialspirit in you views this as a golden opportunity to attract a new service

that can benefit VideoFirst and other companies in the building.

You decide that you will work to convince one key business committee member that your proposed service has great potential and would be useful for your company’s employees and others in the building. A building committee of key individuals will make the decision to move forward with your suggestion. . . or not. The committee consists of the following:

·         Maisey Alexander,the founder and owner of VideoFirst. She has a master’s degree in computer engineering and has spent 20 years working in IT industries. Maisey is interested in her company’s efficiency and its growing competitive edge.

·         Mark Jimson, your manager at VideoFirst: Mark was recently recruited from a major video marketing company. He has an MBA from a prestigious university and two years’ work experience. Mark cares about VideoFirst’s bottom line. He favors creativity as long as profit does not suffer.

·         Andre DeToit, facilities manager of the Valley Road complex: Andre is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day maintenance of the building, as well as renting available space to companies compatible with the businesses in the building. Although he is friendly and easygoing, Andre expects a job to be done right.

Task

Your task is to choose a new service you think would be useful for VideoFirst and most employees in the building -- and to write a persuasive memo to one of the above Business Committee Members in support of your proposal.

Remember, the goal of the service is to increase efficiency of operations and/or keep the current employees happy. As you prepare the memo, consider the different needs and the personality of the committee member you are addressing. You should also anticipate any objections this

person might have as well as ways you can overcome those objections.