Abilities and Other Characteristics

1 An Opportunity for You to demonstrate your Knowledge , Skills , Abilities and Other Characteristics (KSAO CS) M r . John Francois , a very success ful businessman is contemplating his next move at the age of seventy (70) . As a young man at the age of s ixt een (1 6) , he dreamt of becoming a businessman and would go into stores in the city where he lived and observe how personnel operated. In his exploits, he became very friendly with many of the business owners in the city. As time passed , J ohn Francois obtaine d four (4) A dvanced Level subjects (Mat h emat ics, Geography, English Literature and Spanish) . He also enrolled in a Technical Vo c ational institution and pursued short course s in tiling, plum b ing, masonry and ele ctrical maintenance for wh ich he gained certif ication. Th rough his qualifications, John was able to se cure employment quite easil y f rom the age of seven teen (1 7) years. Within a f ive (5) yea r period, John had worked at a lar ge hardware store, then a small home branch of a large Ba nk , and a large succ essful insurance company. During that time, John was being very observant and was recognized by each of hi s employers as an asset. However , John was hungry and wanted to achieve his dream of becoming a big businessman . Op p ortunity Ahead! Unfortunat ely , John Francois lost both his parents by the age of twenty - three (23), but he was left with a fortune. By the age of twenty - f our (24) John decided to erect a four - stor y building on a piece of land which he had inherited in the city . He was focused on his goal of starting a business. He began reading autobiographies and other books about successf ul business men across the world . He also sought advice from the colleagues and mentors whom he had met along the way. He was 2 ne ver afraid to seek advice. I n 19 77 , a t the age of twen ty - six (2 6 ) , John Francois had complet ed the large commercial building at the corner of French Street and Jo hn St r e et , the main street in the city and one of the busiest corners in the city of Timberla nd on the eastern part of the island of Carniba r . The building was painted in a bright fluorescent green and bordered with bright ye llow. My building must be a landmark in Timberland , h e thought to himself . The p eople of Timberland w e re a diverse popu lat ion in many ways an d the b uilding was a true reflection of Carniba r . Mr. Francois operat ed as a sole proprietorship for many years selling a variety of almost every item that a household could want as shown in Table #1 below. Table # 1 Vari ety of Items sold by Joh n F rancois Store s Cosmetics and related products fo r men and wome n. School item s cop y boo ks , pencils, pens rulers , etc. Basic food /grocery items rice , flour, sugar, peas, salt, seasonings and other condiments Personal hygiene products P lumbing and el e ctr ical material A variety of snacks and s oft drin ks Perfumes/fragrances Small appliances Ki tchen ware and G lassware Clothing and footwear for babies, and boys and girls Household items batteries, glue, tacks, etc. A variety of gift items Ladies an d g e nts underwe ar and other e veryday garments Household c l eaning pro ducts Gardening tools / im ple ments and hardware items Gym shoes and slippers for ladies and gents Sewing items A variety of h andy man tools 3 The E arly Years and Thi nking Ahead Jo hn Fran c oi s St ores bega n w ith five (5) employees : a cashier , two store clerks, one d river and a cleaner. The store was w e ll sectioned with the variety of items sold. The size of the building allowed Mr. Francois to offer for rental four (4) large of f ices on th e t hird floor to tw o (2) lawyers and two (2) account ing firms. The fourth floor was reserved for rental for functions , parties and other activities by the citizens from all over Ca rnibar. To date, the rentals have been bringing in a hefty monthly income . John Francois St ores occupie s the gr ound and 1 st floors of the building. O r ders are placed with wholesalers who would deliver the products on scheduled days. Mr. Francois remains a very organized individual . During the fir s t two (2) years of operat ing in the city of T imberland, Mr . Francois observed that his customers comprised of c itizens from all o ver the island. He began to plan . He thought of setting up branches in the west , north, south and central parts of Carnibar , but with the Timberland s tor e remai ning a s the flagship branch . Clearly, Mr . Francois was an astu te businessman who was always thinkin g of the next move to grow the business. He joined the local Chamber of Commerce , continued to read wide ly about what was happening local ly, regionall y and inte rnationally , and made every ef fort to attend conferences and seminars which he thought would be beneficial. He was al ways thinking about growth and expansion. John Francois Stores became a known bus in ess e ven to those person s who h ad never patronized the store. In the midst of it all, Mr. Francois understood his corporate social responsibility and as such was respected highly by other business men and members of the community and country. T here were a number of p roud momen t s for Mr . F rancois and employee s when he was awar ded the 4 Business Man of the Year Award on three (3) occasions as well as several other awards throughout the years of operations . He was recognized for his business a cumen. The years flew by quickly. Mr. Francois par ticipated in a numbe r of short courses in management which helped to build his confidence . By the third year of operati ons, Mr. Francois got an idea - I could go to the various parts of Carnibar , observe the ne eds of citizens and meet them at th eir po i nt of needs , and mar ket my products . He p a ck ed his large Toy ota panel van and along with his driver , he put his plan into action by going to different areas in Carnibar on Saturdays and Sundays . M r . Francois was successful with this venture and dis covered that retirees , h o u sewives and other persons did not leave their homes frequently , but needed his products. He be gan t o go into more villages and to wns a t lea s t two (2) days per week in addition to Saturdays and Sundays. Within ten ( 1 0) years, Mr . Francois ha d set up bran ches at strategic locations in the west , north, south and central parts of Carnibar . He achieved this by accessing low - inter e st lo an s from a n established Credit Union and his ban kers. He utilized and invested some of hi s savings to accomplish his venture s. There were now five (5) stores which were easily recognizable as the y were painted in the same colours . On a Growth Path By 19 8 7 , Mr . Francois staff had increa sed and included the following senior memb ers and who occupi ed offices at the ma in branch . These persons managed sta ff , some of whom were dispersed at the variou s branc hes as well as train ed employe e s who were on the floor of the Stores. 5 P ersonnel Manager - was responsible for ensuring that huma n r esource practices including health and safety procedures were adhered to . Accountant responsible for ensuring th at accounting standards are uphe ld. Also , t he member was responsible fo r the cashiering function. Procurement /Inventory Ma n ager responsi ble for ensuring that adequate st o ck i s always available through the efficient and timely management of inventory. Marketing Mana ger works alongside the Procurement /Inventory Ma n ager to promote the organization , its products and seasonal promotions . Alth oug h Mr. Francois ha d spre a d his wings and continued to operat e a successful and profitable business, he never stopped pondering his next move. By 20 15 , the total staff had grown to one hundred ( 100 ) persons which included cashiers, information tech nol ogy personnel, supervisors, cus t omer se rvice staff, cleaners , drivers and his f ive (5) children as managers with one at each branch . The children had been educated up to the undergraduate level and had a fairly good understanding of busi ness processes. M r. Francois was the Chairman of the org anization. In addition to the stores, Mr . Francois had invested in four (4) beach - fron t propert ies which were booked for at least 90% of the yea r . These properties were well kep t and maintained . Much of the occu pan cy was gained via word of mouth althoug h a website was developed. Regional and international t ourists as well as local citizens made repeat visits , which demonstrated that the servi c e received was excellent. Mr . Francois was pro ud of his achiev e ments . 6 Mr. Francois began t o think about suc cession f or his business an d the future f or his ch ildren who had been supporting him throughout the years. In the mi dst of the initiatives undertaken, and continued success, Mr. Francois was very cognizant that th e w orld of business was wrought with dynam ism and unce rtainty and that he and his family need ed to understand what and how further strategic moves could be undertaken. He ha d been reading an d t ry ing to keep up to date with what was happening in the wor l d of business. He and his family did not h ave a full grasp of the theoretical underpinnings to man e uv er quickly out of any new challenges , and h e understood very wel l that ch allenges can surf a ce with expansion. Looki ng to the Future Un doubtedly, John Fr anc ois Stores has been a successful organi zation, but something was needed to take the organization onto the next wave. As a family , they look ed at the financials very closely and recognized that while the company was still ahead of other similar establis hme nts, with an influx of customers at all branch es , the profits had been reducing in the three (3) years prior to 20 19 , though minimally. It was determined that t here were several factors in the external environment that were impacting businesses genera lly . Mr . Francois and his family had th eir u s ual monthly meeting in December 2019 and you w ere invited to get a better understanding of the status of the organization. At the meeting, some points were noted in relation to the present status of the organiz ati on , namely a SWOT Analysis. Whist t he SWOT A nalysis was no t fully articulated in terms of what the s trengths can and have brought to the Compan y ; how the weaknesses are imp acting the Compan y ; the possibl e outcomes from taking advantage of available opp ort unities ; and the possible impact of threats , the brief notes are highlighted below: 7 Streng ths : Committed employees and management Appropriate management style Adequate finan cial and human resou r c es Wide variety of products Broad market coverage Good fin anc ial management Brand name reputation Excellent customer service skills Some expertise in new venture management Weaknesses Lack of research and development skil ls Lack of u nderstandi ng of stra t e gic management and planning Opportunities Exploit new mark et segments Move into new businesses , b ut how and what type Expand into foreign markets Acquire a profitable acquisition Threats Increase in competition, but where do we look N ew forms of competit i o n C hanges i n c ustomer preferences Rising costs of products an d labour 8 Changes in demographic fact ors Changes in economi c factors and down turn in the economy Slow growth in the market At the start of 2020, Mr. Francois and his family be gan to follow the ne w s with respect to the deadly COVID - 19 virus. Mr. Franco is pondered I wo n der how this pandemic will affect our business. We se ll mainly need s and some wants, so we could expect our custome rs to continue to patro n ize us . However, we cannot dismiss what the ultimate effects may be on the business The busin ess has been successful, but Mr. F ranco is and his family has re cognized that things are changing in the environment and could have n egative outcomes on the busi n e ss. At the January 2020 monthly meeting, it was decided that the company should seek the s e rv ice s of a reputable and trusted person who can advise and assist the organization with getting a clear unde r standing of what strategic management and pla nning entails. Othe r matters discussed which the f amily agreed to pursu e include d embark ing on a train in g initi a tive which would include staf f at all levels as w ell as to create an awareness of the environmental factors that can affect the company. Mr. Francois and his family decided to hire you as a trust - worthy relative who he considered as intelligent and wi th an understanding of business s trategies . The me et i ng ended with Mr. F rancois thinking aloud that they should all read about what it means to be innovative . He indicated that at the next meeting , they will all come with their ideas of a plan th at is different to what they are doing now and which can c on t ribute to continued success. He was not su r e what type of plan that woul d be. He ha s been following keenly the possi bl e impact and ne gative fallout that the company could experience because of the C O VID - 19 virus. 9 H owever, as an as tu te businessman , M r. F rancois realized that there are capabilities within his organization which could be utilized and contribute to contin u ed success. He would have to think a bit mo re about his next move. M r. Francois stretched his imagination, We had better start think ing about starting a b r a n ch in another isl and some for eign country , or start to manufacture something that people will need . Then he pondered to himself, I do not have all the knowledge abou t t he intricacies of what I am thinking and the so - called strategies to continue to be a wi nner Written by Claudia Drakes (202 1 )