Return to the Real World!

Return to the Real World!

From the knowledge that I have gained after my first day on the job, there are numerous steps that need to be taken in order to move this dealership into working more efficiently. From what I have heard about Bobby III, the new CEO of the business, I have collected that he means well in regard to his drive and creative ideas for the dealership. After learning about his failed business attempts (in both Emu farming and Real-estate) I am skeptical on how good he is able to run the motorcycle dealership. Furthermore, I am confused on the choice of degree Bobby just completed. A BS in Physical Education does not exactly relate to the business that he is running. He seems to be set on basing the development of the business on improving their computer situation, and believes that computers are the answer to every problem without even being very familiar with them. He has great trust in the high school student that he hired, Eddie, to the extent of letting him hire his own friends over the last couple of months. There are many issues that I plan to take control of regarding this situation. Some of my concerns include, the 80-90 hour weeks that Eddie works, the hiring of his buddies, the high-speed computer system that was purchased, and his ideas for Bob's to join the "online revolution." In addition, there are numerous independence issues all throughout the dealership; specifically, the amount of immediate family members and the department in which they are working. In regard to the accounting department, there are much needed changes. This is a very crucial department of Bob's and more professional steps need to be taken to improve both independence factors and confidentiality. Being aware that Alberta is concerned about me "meddling" in her department and her daughters working with her in Accounting makes me skeptical of the handling of the money. Andrew seems like a good guy, but oblivious to how things are working in Accounting. The fact that Alice single-handedly re-enters data when necessary, with no monitoring (other than her mother), and Annie handles all of the checks, etc. worries me. The sales area, being the most important since it generates the revenue of the dealership, is able to be run more efficiently. The members of the sales staff who believe that the overhead and net profits are being held down "because of mismanagement and waste throughout the company" are very right. The lead salesman, Allen, and his group of salesman are focused on their income and bonuses. Management needs to work on how their employees think and sell in this respect. Andy, the buyer, expressed his surprise of how disorganized Bob's was when he joined the company 2 years ago. Since he has worked for a larger automobile dealership and knows how things are supposed to work, I believe that he is on the right track and understands the steps that need to be taken to improve how the dealership is run. He started on the right track already with his hiring of Jase Jackson and the implementation of the computerized inventory and management system. In addition to the many updates that the business is in need of in order to make it more efficient, the filing that Paula goes through to record the closing transactions should be included. Online filing would be a huge help to make things more time efficient. Lastly, since the shop is the department that most post-sale business is done through, much improvement is needed in this area. The organization within the shop itself and the records (or lack of) needs to be addressed. There would be a huge change in the efficiency of this department AND for the dealership as a whole if records of customers were maintained and filed (since 55-70% of the business in the shop are returning customers and 70% is the margin of business at the dealership coming from the shop). I also became aware that the mechanic's qualifications are met, but no training opportunities have been made available. They are all looking for other work; as mentioned earlier; more steps need to be made to work on employee satisfaction.

After being hired by Bobby III and learning the ropes around the dealership, I begin to think about what needs to be done in order for this business to become more efficient, and particularly, more organized. I first take into consideration what I have been hired to do; to create an online site for the dealership and to support the corporate mission of "making as much money as possible." This is what I plan to focus on for the next 6 months, in addition to a few other mandatory objectives that I have in mind. I plan to fulfill these actions because they were the purpose for my employment. Putting the dealership online has great benefits regarding the cost/benefit side of circumstances. In today's business world most dealerships and competitors in Bob's industry are online and have various options relating to their business. Creating a strong online site for their customers will be a great strategy for business for Bob's future. If an online dealership was not created, I believe that it would leave Bob's at a huge disadvantage by not keeping up with the updates of technology and the competition of other retailers in their industry. As far as the corporate mission, another reason for my hiring, I think that I will strive to make things more efficient in respect to the dealership. Ultimately, by being more efficient, the business will make "as much money as possible."

My first action will be to prepare a short-run operational plan for the dealership. My ideas for Bob's over the next 6 months focus on the issues that are negatively affecting the dealership and could result in the demise of the business. First, I plan to learn more information on what steps Eddie has taken to begin the dealership webpage and network. I plan to ask Eddie why the Dell quad-P4 Server with 400GB RAID Tower, etc. was needed and purchased, what benefits top of the line Flat Screens on every desk has, and what he does during his 80-90 hour work week. I am not questioning him in a demeaning way, but to hear what reasoning he has with all of this equipment and software he has planned for. In addition, I plan to look into what Eddie is capable of and how he will be able to benefit continuing to work for Bob's. I want to be sure that I have the right people working for me. Next, a meeting with Bobby III is necessary. Here, I plan to explain what steps need to be taken to develop a top-of-the-line website and network and discuss his consideration of the purchase of the P4 Desktops Flat Screens. I will explain that the loans are unnecessary and there are other more reasonable steps that can be taken to