Company Identity

This week, we only meet twice, but definitely have enough time to complete all the necessary tasks for our business plans AND operate the business.  Please see below for an outline of the tasks you need to complete and resources associated with the tasks. 

Please use this blog, the PowerPoints from our Google Drive, and Google search as your guide through your daily assignments.  Keep all notes in your master file (and back it up to a cloud or other storage device) and make sure to date all your work for organizational purposes:

Task 1: Company Logo & Tag Line
If I asked you to describe the company logos for McDonalds or Chevrolet, I'm sure you could all do so without hesitation.  Much like tag lines ("Creating confections made to perfection," for example), a logo is an integral part of your brand identity.  Please use today's class to brainstorm and make note of a clear description of your company logo.  You will also make note of at least three tag lines your business will use.  This, combined with your vision you created last week, will help transition into your tasks for the rest of the week.  Please remember to date your work on your working document and keep everything in one master file (Google docs, MS Word, etc.).

Task 2: Mission Statement and Company Goals - These are Two Separate Items

Now that we have completed our marketing plan, we can devise a list of goals for the organization, along with a company mission statement.  For those of you who prefer to write in bullet point fashion, feel free to create a list of your company goals/objectives.  If you are more comfortable writing goals and objectives in paragraph form, go for it!  Have at least 5 measurable, easily identifiable goals for your first year in business.

For your mission statement, it wouldn’t hurt to see a few well-written models.  Use the business plans in my classroom and check out this link for some solid examples of well-written mission statements.  A few of my favorite from the link are from Advance Auto Parts, Applied Materials, and of course, Starbucks.

Below is an explanation of each component, taken directly from the scoring rubric:

• Company description: origination date, industry, legal description, location, brief history (if an existing company).

·      Mission statement: A brief statement that represents what company stands for; narrow enough to give direction but not so vague that it could apply to any other organization.

Task 3: Management Function - Planning and Organizing

Management can be broken into 4 main components: Planning, Organizing, Leading, and Controlling.  Today we will focus on the first 2 components. 

For the Planning Component, you will need to have your company goals in mind.  Address how you plan to achieve each goal in a few (3 to 5) sentences.  From the rubric:

·       Planning: What are the goals of the business? Identify strategies to achieve each goal.

For Organizing, you will need to break down the number of employees, identify a chain of command, and describe the job of each position in the organization.  From the rubric:

·       Organizing: How is the firm organized to be able to meet objectives? Organization chart to specify what jobs need to be done and by whom.

Task 4: Management Plan - Leading and Controlling

Leadership is an important aspect of running a successful business.  Have you ever noticed that most pets take on the personality of their owners?  Have you ever heard the saying, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” and realized it to be true?  The same applies in business.  Read this article about corporate culture, and explain how you will lead your employees.  If you are a 1-person operation, how will you direct yourself in terms of staying on task and holding yourself accountable to the highest standards necessary to succeed? From the rubric:

·       Directing: How are directions, assignments, instructions and information provided to employees?

With respect to controlling, think back to your lesson about performance evaluations.  How will you measure employee productivity?  Will you use measurable performance indicators?  Will you use 360-degree feedback?  Will you be the only judge of their performance? How will you make your employees happy to come to work and know when they’re doing well, or how to improve upon their shortcomings?  From the rubric:

·      Controlling: How does the firm monitor progress toward achieving goals?

Task 5: Blog

I understand we have done a lot this week, but with block periods, you can knock out numerous tasks in a single day.  Once you’ve completed the tasks for the week, write a blog about your work, using the following questions to guide you.   Feel Free to copy these questions, bold them, and answer each below the question to make the blog easy to read.

1. ·      How well have you stayed on task? 
2. ·      After thinking about the management function, especially the leadership component, how well do you think you will lead your organization to success? 
3. ·      What topics, if any, helped you with this portion of the plan? 
4. ·      What part of the plan did you absolutely nail?  Feel free to copy/paste that into your post.

Again, feel free to separate your blog entry into sections by addressing each question.  This will make the entry easy to read and will ensure you touch upon everything properly. 

I hope you had a great week!