Office Pride Commercial Cleaning Services wants to improve its inventory management system. The proposal evaluates using QR codes, which would allow employees to scan products and update inventory levels in a database. Benefits include increased efficiency and automated replenishment. However, QR codes require employee buy-in and carry security risks like hacking. The recommendation is to implement QR codes for inventory tracking initially while monitoring usage, and consider expanding use over time if successful.

1. Business Proposal Plan
Loeffler, Micah
Business Communication
Professor Hanrahan
St. Petersburg College

2. Overview
• Office Pride Commercial Cleaning Services depends on the
efficiency of its operations managers for their success.
• The purpose of this business proposal plan is to present a
solution that operations managers at Office Pride can use to
improve operations functions.
• The plan will:
– evaluate opportunities for improvement,
– weigh the benefits and risks of the chosen strategic option, and
– propose a final recommendation and call to action.

3. The Opportunity
• Operations managers at Office Pride have a unique
opportunity to see which processes need improvement and
what solutions are possible.
• Implementing a business proposal plan can address risks and
provide “a clearer, more realistic picture of what it will take to
run the business and are more likely to be able to recover if
something fails” (Thibodeaux).
• Opportunity for improvement also requires an understanding
of the current situation, key success factors, alternatives, and
strategic options.

4. Current Situation
• Currently, the inventory management and delivery system for
Office Pride is not operating at maximum efficiency.
• Employees who use supplies must keep an eye on supply
levels and communicate needed supplies to operations
managers by phone, email, or in person.
• Operations managers must also keep track of employee
communication and make sure that employees are staying on
top of supplies.
• Office Pride would benefit from making the communication
and delivery of needed supplies quicker and more efficient.

5. Key Success Factors
• Organizations rely on key factors such as customers,
employees, processes, physical resources, and global impact
for success (Nielsen; Total Success Center).
• Inventory management has an obvious impact on employees
and the Office Pride company, but customers are also affected
by successful management of inventory.
• Processes, physical resources and global impact are also an
important factor, and proper utilization of physical resources
is also a process that affects the companies global impact.

6. Analysis of Alternatives
• Analyzing alternatives is important because it allows “decision
makers to understand choices and options for starting a new
program or continuing an existing program” (MITRE).
• It also gives operations manages the opportunity to improve
the processes and procedures that are in place.
• The alternatives that are being considered are electronic data
interchange (EDI) systems and bar code systems (Girard, 2011).
• The goal is to utilize a new system that will increase efficiency
and reduce costs in the long-run.

7. Strategic Option
• The strategic option that will be considered is a bar code
scanning system, specifically the use of QR codes.
• QR codes are “Quick Response codes” that “are used to take a
piece of information from a transitory media and put it in to
your cell phone” (Lyne, 2009).
• We will be able to place QR codes on products that our
employees use, and allow them to scan the code with their
phone.
• This will allow record inventory usage as it happens and send
data to a database and “always have a current inventory
status” (AHG).

8. Benefits of Strategic Options
• Using a QR code system will make inventory management
more efficient than constantly monitoring inventory.
• Employees will be able to have a database showing inventory
to view when it is needed.
• QR codes can also be used for automated replenishment,
which could be an option at the codes are implemented.
• QR codes are efficient and do not take up much space, and
they are always readily available when used (AHG).
• We could also use QR codes for promotions that customers
can view and implement it in the application process, allowing
potential employees to view our website.

9. Risks of Strategic Option
• QR codes are only effective if they are used by employees on
a regular basis, which could risk losing money from
implementing this system.
• Also, QR codes are subject to hacking and malware, putting
the mobile software of the company and employees at risk
(Geer, 2013).
• QR codes can be compromised, and risk comes from
uncertainty about the destination of a QR code (McAfee).

10. Final Recommendation
• The final recommendation for Office Pride would be to
implement QR codes for inventory management, and wait to
utilize it for customer use.
• In the beginning of use, we will monitor the inventory that is
scanned manually, and eventually implement a database that
will monitor inventory levels.
• Eventually, if QR codes are successful for Office Pride, we will
use this system for automated replenishment, which will
increase efficiency of inventory management.

11. Call to Action
• Office Pride should be committed to increasing the efficiency
of operations while reducing costs.
• Costs should not be cut at the end of reducing quality.
• We must consider the most effective option for both our
employees and customers, and the company as a whole.

12. References
• Thibodeaux, W. (n.d.). The advantages of a business proposal. The Houston Chronicle.
Retrieved from www.smallbusiness.chron.com.
• Nielsen, L. (n.d.). Key business success factors. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved from
smallbusiness.chron.com.
• Total Success Center. (n.d.). Key success factors. Retrieved from totalsuccesscenter.com.
• MITRE. (n.d.). Performing analyses of alternatives. Retrieved from www.mitre.org.
• Lyne, M. (2009, Oct 15). What is a QR code and why do you need one? Search Engine
Land. Retrieved from searchengineland.com.
• AHG. (n.d.). Efficient inventory management with QR codes and a smartphone.
Retrieved from www.ahg.com.
• Geer, D. (2013, Aug 19). The dangers of QR codes for security. CSO. Retrieved from
www.cso.com.
• McAfee. (n.d.). How quick response codes can spell danger. Retrieved from
www.home.mcafee.com.
• Girard, L. (2011, Nov 13). Five steps to painless inventory management. Entrepreneur.
Retrieved from www.entrepreneur.com.