Safety First Case Study: Summary, Online Marketing, Operations Management, Human Resources Recruitme

Task 1 - Summary of the Case Study Organization and Business Impact of Covid-19

Task 1 – Summary of the Case Study Organisation and Business Impact of Covid-19 (250 words)

You are expected to write a summary of the case study organisation, Safety First, using the information provided on pages 4-5 of this assessment brief and also briefly discuss the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on businesses which produce and/or supply personal protective equipment (PPE). This requires you to condense the case study information and your research findings (from module-related academic books, journal articles and websites) down to only the key points of the organisation and the global pandemic, which relate directly to the learning outcomes of this module – see page 3. You are advised to provide this summary in report format (with sections and sub-sections for each area of the business you refer to), include a SWOT analysis and PESTLE analysis and support your writing with academic and professional sources, using the Harvard referencing system when citing external sources. The weekly materials for the module will support you in finding appropriate sources from the essential and topical reading and other sources. You are welcome to include additional information on this section in the Appendix section at the end of your portfolio.

Task 2 – Online Marketing Plan (250 words)

You are required to produce a Marketing Plan for Safety First, focusing on the online promotion of the company’s products to new business customers. The Marketing Plan should include the products, price and place of the 7 Ps and briefly discuss how each of these will be managed, in order to increase customer and order numbers for the company. Your plan should include the following:

Results from internet research into prices for the company’s core products – disposable gloves, aprons and face masks; Key focus for online promotion of the company and its core products – incorporating plans for the company website and specific social media platforms; information from module-related books, journal articles and websites.

Task 3 – Operations Management Plan (250 words)

This section requires you to focus on improving the demand lead time for Safety First products, so that the new and existing customers of Safety First wait for the shortest possible time between ordering PPE and taking delivery of their ordered product(s). In order to do this, you will need to undertake internet research, to find at least two companies which can supply wholesale quantities of Safety First’s three core products directly to your warehouse unit in Wolverhampton, along with the cost for each ‘unit’ – which will help you to produce your financial projection for Task 5. You will also need to consider the number of existing staff and the potential new orders the company may receive, providing a final figure of additional staff, which will support your completion of Task 4. Finally, you will need to consider the current packing space available to new and existing staff and how this might be adapted to meet increased staff levels and packing requirements.

Task 2 - Online Marketing Plan

 

Task 4 – Human Resources Recruitment Plan (250 words)

Based on the information provided in the case study, you are required to undertake internet research to ascertain the below information and use this to produce a plan for the recruitment of a number of new staff in any area of the company you believe will require additional staff. This section should be presented as an outline HR budget, specifying the skills and qualifications required for new staff and the time required to train new and existing staff.

 

What is the current market rate (hourly or yearly pay) for each job type within Safety First outside London?
Based on the potential for new orders and the Operations plan, how many additional staff are required for each role and how quickly can new staff be hired, inducted and trained?
What role type (full-time, part-time, etc.), contract type (permanent, fixed term, etc.) and rate of pay will be offered for each role?
What induction, training and development will be required for each role?
How will roles be advertised?

 

Task 5 – Financial Budget (250 words)

This section requires you to use the information you have gathered for Tasks 2, 3 and 4 to provide Activity-Based Costing (ABC) for the costs of all the changes required to marketing, operations and human resources, as well as a projection of the cost of wholesale PPE to stock the warehouse in preparation for the increase in orders. 

 

You should include in your ABC the following sections, based on internet research:

The approximate cost of new staff (recruitment, training and pay for six months);
The cost of website design and management for online sales;
The cost of social media advertising for six months;
The total cost of PPE items for the next six months.

All entries in the ABC should be accompanied by a short reference, to indicate the source of the information you used to calculate the cost.

 

Task 6 – Conclusion and Key Recommendations/Actions (250 words)

Based on the case study information and your findings from producing Tasks 1 to 5, summarise the key points from these sections and provide a list of key recommendations for Safety First, presenting your recommendations in order of priority (highest priority recommendations and associated actions first), to provide the Company Owner-Manager with an at-a-glance ‘To Do List’ for putting plans into action. Please use external sources (such as academic books, journal articles and professional websites) to support your summary and recommendations.

Your module guide and course handbook contain additional and important information regarding;

 

The required referencing style for your assignment. *Whilst many modules require referencing in accordance with the Harvard Referencing convention, some modules – for example those within the School of Law – require Oxford Referencing. Please familiarise yourself with the requirements of your module.

 

Submission of your work
Marking, feedback and moderation in accordance with the University of Wolverhampton Assessment Handbook Extensions on submission dates Additional support Academic conduct with regards to cheating, collusion or plagiarism Links to appropriate sources of relevant information Further information regarding these and other policies can be accessed through your student.

 

Always keep a copy of your work and a file of working papers The requirement to keep a file of working papers is important.  There may be circumstances where it is difficult to arrive at a mark for your work. If this is the case, you may be asked to submit your file and possibly meet with your tutor to answer questions on your submission.  

 

When you submit your work, you will be required to sign an important declaration confirming that: The submission is your own work
Any material you have used has been acknowledged and appropriately referenced You have not allowed another student to have access to your work The work has not been submitted previously.

 

The following information is important when: Preparing for your assignment Checking your work before you submit it Interpreting feedback on your work after marking.  Module Learning Outcomes Module Learning Outcomes are specific to this module and are set when the module was validated. 

 

Assessment Criteria

The module Learning Outcomes tested by this assignment, and precise criteria against which your work will be marked are outlined in your assessment brief.

 

Performance Descriptors

Performance descriptors indicate how marks will be arrived at against each of the assessment criteria. The descriptors indicate the likely characteristics of work that is marked within the percentage bands indicated.