HR Plan

Running head: CRYSTAL CLEAR CABLE OPERATIONAL PLAN

Crystal Clear Cable Operational Plan

Crystal M Jackson

Ashford University

The Functions of Modern Management (MOB1415B)

Instructor:  Dr. Alan Swank

May 18, 2014

Crystal Clear Cable Operational Plan

As part of its proposed $45 billion purchase of Time Warner Cable, Philadelphia-based Comcast will divest most of its Indiana customer base and other Midwestern operations to make its merger acceptable to federal antitrust regulators as reported in the article by Swiatek, J. (2014, April 28) Merger deal to send Comcast customers to new cable provider. If regulators approve the takeover, a spinoff company will be created by early 2015. The spinoff company is expected to extend most of the same products and services as Comcast including high-speed data, video on demand, phone and business services and would start out with 2.5 million customers, all currently with Comcast. Through this merger process, Charter stands to gain over a million customers, making it the nation's second-largest cable provider. However all this customer swapping leaves room for a new cable company, with its focus on customer loyalty. Crystal Clear Cable intends to enter the competitive industry in which cable operators are fighting each other, as more and more customers are turning to the internet for their daily dose of movies, sitcoms, reality shows, televised sports and news. When companies begin to shift internal as well as external customers, namely employees and subscribers, this leads to an opportunity for a new company to be created.

Crystal Clear Cable is organized as a authorized Installation and Service Partner to the existing cable companies. Crystal Clear Cable is a customer service-oriented company that provides cable installation, maintenance, disconnect and customer services at any location that is required. Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, our skilled technicians provide the best in commercial and residential installation, marketing, maintenance, and construction. We proudly set the standard for high quality, dedicated service to the customer, and a commitment to complete customer satisfaction. At Crystal's, we are dedicated to investing in strengthening our communities by creating quality jobs and adding to the value of our company.

Crystal Clear Cable employs  approximately 300 employees and operated a fleet of over 50 vehicles. We have flexible hours and opportunities for work-at-home. Our dispatchers and technicians are equipped with the latest equipment that the cable industry has to offer. Every organization needs a structure in order to operate systematically.

Figure 1 Organization Chart of Crystal Clear Cable

The organizational structures are interchangeable by any organization if the structure fits into the nature and the maturity of the organization. Crystal Clear Cable was formed by the leadership of its President, Crystal Jackson, and the many employees who have participated in the building of its company vision of value, quality, integrity, and respect.  These are the essential traits that have made Crystal Clear Cable simply, the service partner of choice.

Our mission at Crystal Clear Cable is to be the best service partner, by our dedication to quality, our focus on values, the integrity used in all aspects of our business, and the respect that we show our employees for the valuable role that each one plays within our organization values.

Planning is management’s job to help the leader and organization prepare for tomorrow (Plunkett, Allen, & Attner, 2013). The basic planning process for the organization is to know where it is going. Leaders tell managers where they want the organization to go and what they want the organization to do. Senior leadership provides the organizational vision ( Hughes, Ginnett, & Curphy, 2009 ). The management team help organize and plan the activities to make leadership’s vision reality.

Managers at the three levels of management plan to make the company vision happen.

Top Managerial Level

Top Management has the power to make executive decisions concerning the company. Top level managers report directly to the board of directors or shareholders. He or she organizes long terms plans or short term plans for the company.

Middle Managerial Level

Middle Management are personal, have more hands-on responsibilities and are responsible for the day to day operations of the organization. Middle Managers have various departments and are accountable for any problems within their span of control. Direct reports are more comfortable coming to Middle Managers with issues, ideas, and concerns within the company.

Lower Managerial Level

Lower Management personnel bridge the gap between management and staff. Front line managers not only assume the responsibility but execute operational planned activities daily, weekly, and monthly (Plunkett, Allen, and Attner, 2013).  They are generally connected with the employees and will pass information from upper level management to employees.

It is the employees that are the most important element in the workplace. According to Plunkett, Allen, and Attner (2013) staffing is finding the right person for the right position in order to fill an organizational need. The primary function of human resource management (HRM) is to increase the effectiveness and contribution of employees in the attainment of the overall organizational goal. The relationship between the four activities of human resource planning and the organization’s strategic planning, development, and implementation is that human resource planning ensures the right staffing of the necessary positions with the right skills within the organization. The four activities ensure that there are sufficient skill groups within the organization. Human Resources Manager (HRM) ensures that professionalism is evident within the company and that managers as well as the recruitments staff work together to achieve the organizations goals (Steve at. el. 2013).

Crystal Clear Cable has a hands on philosophy of management that will be applied to the management of the organization and how the structure of the organization will foster a positive work environment, where employees will be motivated and productive. David Perdue is a successful business leader with 40 years of real world business experience and he says that his best ideas came from working on the factory floor and talking with employees. This personal, hands-on approach was more effective than anything Perdue learned from a textbook. According to the website, Perdue developed a deep understanding of manufacturing, a genuine connection with co-workers, and the ability to utilize those strengths anywhere in the world https://perduesenate.com/meet-david.html.

The four steps of the control process are for the organization are:

1. Establishing performance standards.  This includes productivity, quality, and six-sigma.  Six sigma is a process quality goal helps company’s focus on developing and delivering near perfect products and services.

2. Measuring performance.  This allows managers to determine track trends and variation from standard and monitor operations. Data collection is essential for organizational success.

3. Comparing measured performance to establish standards. Comparing standards helps to compare performance according to the standards set. Statistics is an invaluable part of the control process. Statistical modeling and forecasting is necessary part of the control process.

4. Taking corrective action / Coaching.  This involves management taking the proper action to avoid repeating the same problem (Plunkett, Allen & Attner, (2013).     At Crystal Clear Cable we will implement the FOCUS model for corrective action and coaching. According to the article Problem-Solving Skills From MindTools.com The model is helpful because it uses a team-based approach to problem solving and to business-process improvement. Because it includes the employees, this makes it particularly useful for solving cross-departmental process issues. As President and CEO, what I like best is that it encourages people to rely on objective data rather than on personal opinions which improves the quality of the outcome.

The FOCUS Model has five steps:

1. Find the problem.

2. Organize a team.

3. Clarify the problem.

4. Understand the problem.

5. Select a solution.

The article Problem-Solving Skills From MindTools.com goes on to report that "process improvements often follow the Pareto Principle, where 80 percent of issues come from 20 percent of problems. This is why identifying and solving one problem can significantly improve your business, if you find the right problem to solve".

Three types of controls are: Feed-forward, Concurrent and Feed-back. Each of the three types of controls focus on operations at a specific time, either before, during or after periods of adjustments are intended to prevent defects or errors.  There are many characteristics of controls all of which are important and work together in the organizations effectiveness.

Comcast came up with the three-way deal after thwarting an earlier bid by Charter to buy Time Warner. "Despite what may be some lingering bad blood between Comcast and Charter, this deal illustrates that these companies can work well together to efficiently consolidate the cable TV industry," said Paul Sweeney, an analyst for Bloomberg Industries. There must be a calculated balance between quality, productivity, and profitability as they are all important elements in the planning process. As President and CEO of the Reebok brand, he was credited with revitalizing the athletic gear distributor. Furthermore, as Chairman and CEO of Dollar General, he oversaw the company's expansion from 5,900 to 8,500 stores nationwide undoubtedly creating thousands of quality jobs. While at Dollar General, he became heavily immersed in the fight for universal literacy and served as Chairman of the National Commission on Literacy and Workforce Development. https://perduesenate.com/meet-david.html . This is the type of leadership that Crystal Clear Cable tends to pattern itself after. If regulators approve the takeover, the Time Warner - Comcast merger a spinoff company will be created by early 2015. Much like Comcast, the spinoff company is expected to extend most of the same products and services including high-speed data, video, phone and business services. Charter gain over a million customers, and move into the number two position in the cable industry. All this customer swapping leaves room for a new cable company, which is where Crystal Clear Cable intends to enter into this competitive industry. As cable operators are fighting each other, more and more customers are turning to the internet for traditional cable services. Crystal Clear Cable is organized as a authorized Installation and Service Partner to the existing cable companies. When companies begin to shift internal as well as external customers, namely employees and subscribers, this leads to an opportunity for a new company to be created.

Reference:

Dongil (Don) Jung, & Sosik, J. J. (2006). Who are the spellbinders? identifying personal attributes of charismatic leaders. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 12(4), 12-26. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/203133234?accountid=32521

FOCUS Model - Problem-Solving Skills From MindTools.com. (n.d.). . Retrieved May 14, 2014, from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/focus-model.htm

Meet David Perdue. (n.d.). David Perdue for U.S. Senate. Retrieved April 28, 2014, from https://perduesenate.com/meet-david.html

Plunkett, W. R., Allen, G. S., & Attner, R.F (2013). Management: Meeting and exceeding customer expectations (10th ed.). Mason, OH : South-Western Cengage Learning.

Reilly, Baack and Minnick (2011). The Five Functions Of Effective Management. Bridgepoint Education Incorporated.

Swanson, V., & Power, K. (2001). Employees' perceptions of organizational restructuring: the role of social support. Work & Stress, 15(2), 161-178. doi:10.1080/02678370110066995

. Swiatek, J. (2014, April 28). Merger deal to send Comcast customers to new cable provider. Merger deal to send Comcast customers to new cable provider. Retrieved May 19, 2014, from http://www.indystar.com/story/money/2014/04/28/comcast-charter-communications-indianapolis/8409315/