Introduction
This paper is divided into four sections. The first section is a troubleshooting report on a restaurant’s food and operations. The report highlights the observations and gives the recommendations. The second section is short memo report which highlights the advantages and disadvantages of e-learning and the recommendations to Paper Products, Inc. The third section gives an in-depth development of an objective and “Related Capability” sections for the resume. The dream job, for which the resume is intended, is sales and marketing manager/executive. The final section is a memo that gives a critique of the website of Talisman Energy Inc., one of the largest and successful Canadian companies.
(SCHOOL CAFETERIA)
March 17, 2012.
Introduction
This report highlights the observations made when I visited the restaurant. It includes the actions, violations, and possible recommendations.
Observations
The level of cleanliness of the restaurant is undoubted. The restaurant is kept clean and tidy, both from the outside and in the inside. At the main entrance, there is an usher who politely welcomes the customers and shows them where to sit. Every table is provided with a menu; however, in case there is none, there are waiters who ensure that every new customer is given the menu. Besides, the waiter politely requests the customer what he/she would like to order. The customer’s order is recorded on the waiter’s notebook and the customer requested to pay and wait for a short-while depending on the availability of the order. As the customer waits to be served, a television keeps him/her company.
All the waiters, both males and females, have uniforms, clean and neat. In addition, they have name tags, specifically for identification purposes. However, not all have the tags; specifically, the lady who took my order lacked the tag.
The trouble observed was how long the customers wait to be served. Most customers, including me, waited for well over 10 minutes and even lost the patience. When a complaint is launched, the most obvious response is that the order was not ready and they needed some time to prepare it. The meals however, are well prepared, well served, delicious, and worth the cost.
Violations
Based on the observation, it’s clear that all the servers (waiters) put on clean uniforms and embed their name tags on the uniform. Some of them, however, violate this. For purposes of identification, the name tag is of utmost importance, I believe.
Recommendations
The restaurant has adequate products based on the menu; however, the problem is the nature of the service and the time for the service. Time is an important resource and most people would never return to a restaurant where most time is wasted. The restaurant staff must therefore ensure that they reduce the time taken to serve customers. When a given order is not ready, the client should be informed with utmost honesty instead of keeping the client waiting until he/she looses the patience. The number of waiters should be increased to ensure efficient service delivery as most of them looked tired and overworked. Finally, every service staff should ensure that he/she has the proper attire for ease of identification and uniformity. The service staff however, should maintain the cleanliness of the restaurant.
Presented herein are the advantages and disadvantages of e-learning and the recommendations to Paper Products, Inc. on why it should invest in e-learning.
E-learning is a cost effective way of educating the employees. It enables the working adults integrate their jobs, families and classes perfectly without conflict. As the demand for higher education increases, adults find e-learning as the most convenient way of advancing their education. In addition, employees who travel regularly prefer e-learning since it doesn’t require any physical presence or commutation as compared to conventional classes. E-learning is fast and cheap thus saves the company the training costs and saves the employees the travel costs. Thus, the company should invest both time and money in training its employees via e-learning.
According to some experts, e-learning is however not as effective as conventional face-to-face learning. There is mismatch between what the employees really need and what they can afford. Employees need customized courses tailored to the firm’s unique corporate culture and products. Therefore, most companies would prefer to develop their own customized courses. However, developing such courses is highly expensive, takes a lot of time, and needs experts. As a result, companies find it difficult and resort to generic courses or classroom training. Again, effective e-learning requires simplicity in content and interactive features such as online discussion groups, which allow students to demonstrate whatever they’ve learned. This is very expensive to establish.
Online learners’ drop-out rate is high and this is dangerous for a company that invests in e-learning. The main reasons why most employees drop out are lack of time and frequent distractions from co-workers. In addition, there is lack of management oversight; problems with technology, as many cannot access the courses at home; lack of motivation, poorly designed courses; inexperienced/substandard instructors; individual learning preferences; and, lack of student support.
Be that as it may, e-learning is still the most appropriate for companies in training the employees. To ensure its effectiveness, the managers of Paper Products, Inc. should ensure that there is reinforcement on attendance and track the employees’ progress in the courses. Besides, employees should be made to feel the importance of these courses. The company should also embrace interactivity as a critical success factor. Instead of the employees being strictly self-paced, they should be allowed to easily access the tutors through phone, email, or online discussions. The managers must also supervise e-learning and treat it with seriousness. In addition, the company should ensure that the courses are offered through the internet and the employees can access the internet at home. There should be an active correspondence, online facilitator, and the technical support; and, the employees should be able to start their courses at any time. I fully recommend e-learning to Paper Products, Inc.
Developing an objective and a "Related Capabilities" section for the resume
Objective
A Marketing manager/executive
Skills
Excellent communication skills (both written and spoken)
Chief Editor for the student magazine
Wrote special business and academic reports
Wrote weekly stories for students press
Contacted resource persons for interviews and conducted the interviews
Gave weekly briefings of the business club
Gave speeches on business related issues
Wrote the budget proposal and the final report for the students organization
Contributed and edited articles for students press.
Excellent organizational, planning, leadership and motivational skills
Planned the calendar of the club
Planned the weekly functions
Organized special talks
Organized a fund’s drive for the club
Supervised the activities of the club
Coordinated the research, development, writing, and collection of the articles for the magazine
Lead management
Creativity and problem solving skills (creative thinking)
Created an online marketing program that facilitated the sale of the magazines
Created advertisements that encouraged participation in the club’s activities
The understanding and the willingness to work as a team (team player)
Process oriented Lead Management skills
Direct marketing skills
Excellent understanding of the technological impacts
Metrics driven (Data analysis and interpretation skills and excellent understanding of the market by numbers)
Self driven, optimistic, and outgoing
Highlighted hereunder is a critique of the current website of Talisman Energy Incorporation, accessed on 13 March, 2012 from http://www.talisman-energy.com/
In order to present a logical layout, the critique follows the current website format with the review of each element that necessitates improvement.
This is the first page of the entire website and is very vital in engaging the user in the site information. The goal of every website is to give the necessary information to the user and engage the user. From the home page, it’s very clear that the Talisman Energy Inc. website serves its purpose. The site is meant for all the stakeholders and acts as the chief information source. Besides, it has the links to other pages and explicitly asks the user to explore it further. The purpose of the website is spelt out clearly and it perfectly serves this purpose. By highlighting the current stock performance, investors are able to know how their shares are trading. Prospective investors are also able to assess the stock performance and make valid information on whether to buy the shares or not. Only the current news is highlighted in the home page. This ensures that the users get the very current information.
In the home page, the unique value position of the company is prominently featured. At a glance, the page highlights the company’s strategy, value creation, and the operating responsibility. In addition, the website is simple and well organized, making easy for navigation and viewing of its contents.
The colors used, however, are not understandable when the home page is viewed without color or when printed. In addition, some of the crucial information like the share price is not displayed when the website is printed. Across the website, various elements disappear when it is printed. In addition, the choice of color is not appealing. The website is dull and cannot be viewed efficiently by those with visual problems. Small font is used, with dull color. Also in the home page, there is a link and an engaging statement that prompts the user to view all news. When accessed however, the disclaimer is seen. This information is therefore misleading as the user expects to see the news yet something, all together, is presented.
The about us page, just as the home page; is properly arranged with very clear scope. Besides giving the general profile of the company, it encourages participation of the site visitors through provision for the email alerts and feedback. An interested user can therefore subscribe for the email alerts. Via the feedback form, the site collects various opinions of the users. These opinions are important in improving the quality of the website. In addition, a user can request for a print material. This further enhances information provision.
Some of the information in this page are however outdated. The president’s message herein was released almost a year ago (March 2011), and may not reflect the current situation. Besides, the information is based on the performance of the company in 2010. There are also provisions for choosing the text size and page tools; however, the options are not available. The site therefore has dead links. These links can also be seen in the operations page.
The language of the website is simple, interactive, and invites the reader to continue exploring the available information. It makes the reader an active viewer and tries to provide relevant information to all the stakeholders including the investors, the company’s employees, and the public in general. Besides, the purpose of the website is perfectly highlighted. It is well organized and encourages the participation of every viewer through feedbacks and email alerts. However, some improvements are necessary. The choice of color and font should be reviewed. The font is small and not clear thus encourages straining. Also, important information should be put in a manner that it can be accessed when the page is printed or viewed without colors.
Work Cited
Talisman Energy Inc., 2012. Retrieved 13 March, 2012 from http://www.talisman-energy.com/
