Scenario

Since you first met Sun City Boards owner Tom Wilson, he has made lots of changes and plans for his business.(You can refresh your memory of Sun City Boards by reading the Why It Matters and Putting It Together sections of the Planning and Mission module.) Sun City Boards has continued to expand and extend to markets via an Internet presence and e-commerce. The company is now taking advantage of the “branded” sports promotion surfboards market, offering customers completely customized surfboard designs.

The new offering includes the promise to “communicate directly with an in-house designer, to draft the design and branding of the board.” Sun City promises full customization of the design, size, and shape of the product, incorporating client-specific logos, colors and other design elements. The offer also guarantees positive results for the customer’s brand.

The basic production process Tom Wilson envisions follows these steps:

You have been hired as the Director of Manufacturing and charged by Tom Wilson to “make this happen.” Here’s a roster of the current Sun City staff members:

• Owner/CEO – Tom Wilson (Designs the boards, sets their selling price, and establishes sales channels with local surf shops)
• Bookkeeper – Sarah Balanced (Sarah also doubles as order-taking clerk, cash register attendant, and customer complaint listener)
• Board Maker – Jack Ovalltrades (If Tom invents it, Jack can make it!)
• Board Making Assistants – 3 Jills (Assignments change almost daily as Jack decides what needs to be done next)
• Sales Associate – Kelly Dude (Named after famed surfer Kelly Slater and a business icon for Sun City Boards; visits surf shops and occasionally closes a sale)
• Part-time Associates – Hired as needed for inventory management (cleanup), promotional events, etc.

Some of these staff members will be helping with the customized surfboard production process. To help you get started, Tom Wilson has provided the following production staff information, gathered from recent personality and values tests.

Preparation

In this assignment, you will develop your plan for staff hiring and job assignments based on the information you’ve been given and the information you studied in your readings. The following steps will help you prepare for your written assignment:

1. Thoroughly read The Individual and the Organization module.
2. Carefully consider the existing staff; new operational plans; and the studies, theories, and models presented in the module reading. Consider the profile information Tom Wilson provided. What conclusions (if any) can you draw about job suitability and satisfaction from this information?

Your Task

Write a three-paragraph essay describing your staffing plan to execute the customized surfboard production plan. Your essay must include three properly referenced and defined terms from the module reading. For example, if you believe that job satisfaction is important, how does your plan address the top job satisfaction factors as surveyed by the Society for Human Resources Management? Address the following questions:

• Who will you assign to each of the anticipated steps in the process? What factors went into your decision?
• What characteristics will you look for in the two planned new hires? How will the new employees fit in with the existing team?
• Does your initial reaction to the staff lineup indicate a potential bias? How will you deal with your bias?
• What additional resources or models will you use to guide your decisions? How will you handle the top job satisfaction factors at Sun City?

You are encouraged to use appropriate illustrations or charts to describe your plan. You may also reference reliable and properly cited Internet resources, as well as draw from your personal work experience with appropriate examples to support your references.

Grading

Your written assignment will be graded using the Written Assignment Rubric. Please review and keep it in mind as you prepare your assignment. Each component is weighted as follows:

10% Organization and Format

Adequate: Writing is coherent and logically organized, using a format suitable for the material presented. Transitions used between ideas and paragraphs create coherence. Overall unity of ideas is supported by the format and organization of the material presented.

40% Content

Adequate: All required questions are addressed with thoughtful consideration reflecting both proper use of content terminology and additional original thought. Some additional concepts are presented from properly cited sources, or originated by the author following logic and reasoning they’ve clearly presented throughout the writing.

40% Development – Critical Thinking

Adequate: Content indicates original thinking, cohesive conclusions, and developed ideas with sufficient and firm evidence. Ideas presented are not merely the opinion of the writer, and clearly address all of the questions or requirements asked with evidence presented to support conclusions drawn.

10% Grammar, Mechanics, Style

Adequate: Writing is free of spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors, allowing the reader to follow ideas clearly. There are no sentence fragments and run-ons. The style of writing, tone, and use of rhetorical devices is presented in a cohesive style that enhances the content of the message.