To: Sarah Nelson, Owner From: Logan Meredith, Trainer Date: March 1, 2016 Subject: Proposal to implement workshops for owner and staff Over the years Plato’s Closet has certainly made a name for itself in the second-hand clothing market. The gently used clothing and accessories that are purchased and sold by the store must meet a strict and detailed criteria. This includes, but is not limited to the following: items must be top-name brands, in-season, trendy, clean and in good condition. This provides the customers of Plato’s Closet the opportunity sell their items and revamp their wardrobes with products of a quality equal to that of a department store but at a greatly reduced price. The Greenbrier Plato’s Closet is especially known for its approachable, friendly and helpful staff. While working at Plato’s Closet I have enjoyed learning and experiencing the unique and demanding qualities of the retail world, as well as that required of a training position. As the trainer, I was committed in providing effective and efficient preparation for the new and current employees. However, there has been a decline in the overall quality and retention in trainees due to shortened training schedules and lack of communication between floor staff and managerial positions. According to the company’s hiring log, in a period of 5 months, 30 new employees have been hired and fired. This issue is not only taking a toll on sales but is causing tension between employees, hindering the ability to operate as a team. My time and learning experience studying management at Virginia Commonwealth University has taught me that without proper training, new employees are almost certain to fail as they are not able to process the information quickly to advance in their position. Furthermore, since the decline in the quality of training, communication between the owner, manager, key holders, trainer, and staff has been unclear and almost non-existent. The lack of communication has caused the ability to assign tasks and then have those task successfully completed, to be severely undermined. I believe there are 2 potential solutions to this problem and they are as followed: first, adding more training shifts to be held in the mornings before we open and second, to implement workshops catering to the companies most troubled areas. Both of these proposed solutions should happen sequentially with additional hours of training occurring first to build a solid staff and follow up with workshops to reinforce better work ethics solid communication. Implementing workshops would not only boost employee morale but it would also create a better work environment. Also, with additional training hours, employees are granted more time to absorb and learn the information without the pressures to be perfect in such a short amount of time. In the remainder of this memo, I assess the cause and effects without sufficient training and communication and I also ev ...

1. To: Sarah Nelson, Owner
From: Logan Meredith, Trainer
Date: March 1, 2016
Subject: Proposal to implement workshops for owner and staff
Over the years Plato’s Closet has certainly made a name
for itself in the second-hand clothing market. The gently used
clothing and accessories that are purchased and sold by the
store must meet a strict and detailed criteria. This includes, but
is not limited to the following: items must be top-name brands,
in-season, trendy, clean and in good condition. This provides
the customers of Plato’s Closet the opportunity sell their items
and revamp their wardrobes with products of a quality equal to
that of a department store but at a greatly reduced price. The
Greenbrier Plato’s Closet is especially known for its
approachable, friendly and helpful staff. While working at
Plato’s Closet I have enjoyed learning and experiencing the
unique and demanding qualities of the retail world, as well as
that required of a training position. As the trainer, I was
committed in providing effective and efficient preparation for
the new and current employees. However, there has been a
decline in the overall quality and retention in trainees due to
shortened training schedules and lack of communication
between floor staff and managerial positions.
According to the company’s hiring log, in a period of 5
months, 30 new employees have been hired and fired. This issue
is not only taking a toll on sales but is causing tension between
employees, hindering the ability to operate as a team. My time
and learning experience studying management at Virginia
Commonwealth University has taught me that without proper
training, new employees are almost certain to fail as they are
not able to process the information quickly to advance in their
position. Furthermore, since the decline in the quality of
training, communication between the owner, manager, key

2. holders, trainer, and staff has been unclear and almost non-
existent. The lack of communication has caused the ability to
assign tasks and then have those task successfully completed, to
be severely undermined.
I believe there are 2 potential solutions to this problem
and they are as followed: first, adding more training shifts to be
held in the mornings before we open and second, to implement
workshops catering to the companies most troubled areas. Both
of these proposed solutions should happen sequentially with
additional hours of training occurring first to build a solid staff
and follow up with workshops to reinforce better work ethics
solid communication. Implementing workshops would not only
boost employee morale but it would also create a better work
environment. Also, with additional training hours, employees
are granted more time to absorb and learn the information
without the pressures to be perfect in such a short amount of
time. In the remainder of this memo, I assess the cause and
effects without sufficient training and communication and I also
evaluate the costs and benefits of each and then provide a brief
overview of a plan.
Overview of the Cause and Effect Without Sufficient Training
and Communication
There are a number of causes regarding the breakdown
of communication and inadequate training. These issues have
the potential to negatively impact the success of a company
such as; lost time and money due to mistakes, unhappy
employees, loss of customers, high turnover, animosity, low
work place morale, and zero teamwork. Sufficient training and
effective verbal and nonverbal communication skills are
valuable and vital in the workplace. Active communication
plays a prominent role developing long lasting employee
motivation which in turn creates a better workspace. Without
communication this can lead to poor relations between
employees and an unfriendly work atmosphere. As a result,

3. employees will reciprocate their feelings to the customers which
will drive away business. If communication skills are poor,
employees lack enthusiasm in doing their tasks and will
question the value of every assignment given. Poor business
communication skills will also discourage the employees
because they will feel frustrated and out of the loop. And with
frustration comes conflict, as employees can argue with each
other or defy management because of insufficient training. As
of right now there are no workshops in place and the employee
turnover rate is now higher than ever. Every time an employee
is hired and then fired a few weeks later; time, money, and
energy is wasted. While spending time trying to train and
retrain the new hire or manage personality conflicts between the
new hire and existing staff, the business suffers. All that time
spent on the new hire will drain productivity. And if you end up
having to let the employee go, you will incur to conduct another
employee search and hire another replacement.
Details About the Additional Training Hours and the New
Workshop
On average, each new employee starts off with 3 shifts
of 5 hours a week. As of right now only 1-2 hours each shift are
solely dedicated to uninterrupted training. When we become
busy, which occurs frequently, there is only time for 1 hour of
pure training. As the shift becomes hectic the new employees
become overwhelmed and unable to perform causing late shifts
and frustrated co-workers. Multiple seasoned employees have
come up to me and stated their thoughts and frustrations due to
lack of training. By adding additional hours, this will not only
help the new employees adjust but will also increase employee
retention. I would be willing to work with each new employee 1
hour before we open each day ensuring 2-3 hours of pure
training each shift. While planning a workshop may seem
daunting, but there are a number of resources and programs to
assist you with every step.
During my research I have found many DIY workshop

4. sites to help put together custom workshops for different
problem areas in the workplace. But if there is no time to DIY a
workshop, the American Management Association (AMA)
would be a great choice. According to the American
Management Association website; AMA offers a wide range of
exclusive benefits, including preferred pricing on seminars and
up-to-date management and business information to help you
keep your professional development ongoing and promote
management excellence for all employees. AMA promotes the
goals of individuals and organizations through a comprehensive
range of solutions. Individuals, teams, organizations and
government agencies all can benefit from their unique approach
to experiential learning through doing. In each session, they
adapt their world-class curriculum to meet your individual
training requirements as well as your organization‘s pressing
business needs. AMA has identified four skills that have been
articulated within each organization as priorities for employee
development, strategic planning, and talent management;
critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication.
Benefits of Implementing the Workshops
Once the in-house additional training is underway AMA
could come in and provide professional assistance to refine the
business as a whole. One of many positive benefits gained from
successfully implementing the communication and training
workshops will be well-established organizational
communication that will improve relationships. By doing so,
the result of a team that works together is high productivity,
integrity and responsibility. Employees know their roles on the
team and know they are valued. AMA has provided a chart
stating many of its inclusive benefits when utilizing their
workshops.
Costs of Additional Hours and the New Workshops
On average, each new employee is paid a minimum
wage of $7.25/hr and normally starts off with 2-4 shifts, each

5. shift averaging 4-5 hours which equates to about $150 (before
taxes). For the past 5 months, 3 new employees started every 2
weeks which totals 6 new employees a month. Every new
employee was fired within 1-2 months of hiring causing the
Manager and Assistant Manager to work overtime searching for
new potential employees. Every month, 6 new employees that
are hired and fired cost the business over $1000 due to the
Manager and Assistant Manager working overtime in order to
find new employees. Below, I have created a chart to show you
how those hours add up.
Employee
Extra Hours per Week
Paid
Total
Manager
10 hours
$12-$14
$120-$140
Assistant Manager
10 hours
$10-$12
$100-$120
Currently, there are 15 unused hours for training. At minimum
wage it would cost just $110 a week or $880 for 2 months of
proper training leading to employee retention, saving the
business over $12,000 in hiring fees a year.
Once there is good employee retention, the new workshops
could be implemented by the American Management
Association. For a small business membership, AMA provides
many tools and benefits for only $2,195 a month. The new
workshops would help toughen skills that each employee needs
to develop and help decrease any weak links within the
company who depend on others to complete rudimentary work

6. tasks. A structured workshop creates a supportive workplace
and better means of communication. AMA strives to effectively
target each problem individually boosting employee
performance and sales. By improving employee performance,
their overall attitude and morale will increase in a positive way
increasing sales tremendously and keep employee retention
high. In order to implement these plans, I propose you and I
have a meeting to discuss when and if additional hours should
be granted. I predict the training could be underway as soon as
possible and as for the workshops, within the next 6 months.
Conclusion
Although Greenbrier Plato’s Closet is known for
providing excellent customer service in with its helpful staff
and welcoming atmosphere I would like to reiterate that in order
to keep employees and boost sales, more training shifts and
team building workshops would be a great asset for the future of
the business. I hope my suggestions in this memo were well
received and the benefits are seen as incentive to follow them. I
look forward to hearing your thoughts on the proposed solution
and working with you to help lay the groundwork for the new
training opportunities and workshops. Thank you for your time
and consideration and please do not hesitate to reach me should
you have any questions. Please contact me at [email protected]
or call me 757-375-2838.
Sincerely,
Logan Meredith
Summary:
Mick is a project manager at Zarlink, a multinational
manufacturer of semiconductors for a variety of high-
technology military, medical and consumer applications. Mick
is also a part-time MBA student at his local university. As part
of his MBA, Mick has to complete a dissertation on a
management topic of his choice. Since Mick had recently been
selected to embed a new quality management system called TS

7. 16949 into his manufacturing site at Swindon in the West of
England it seemed sensible that he chose to study quality for his
dissertation. Mick’s particular fascination was his firm belief
that the route to high-quality process in organizations was not
through introducing specific techniques but through ensuring
that quality was embedded in everything done at Zarlink: part of
the lifeblood of the organization. ‘Quality is even about more
than people’s attitudes’ said Mick; ‘it’s about their beliefs.
Quality must be a way of life and dominate the thoughts of
everyone in the organization, irrespective of their job.’ Mick
wanted to use his dissertation as a way not only of obtaining his
MBA but also of learning how he could be more effective in
introducing embedded quality at Swindon.
Mick started off his research by searching the quality literature.
There was no shortage of this. But soon Mick realized that he
was concerned with that branch of the quality literature that
dealt with the ‘soft’ issues of organizational culture change. He
became rather disenchanted with much of the literature because
it was largely prescriptive. ‘I was dubious about a lot of what
the gurus were saying,’ said Mick. ‘They seemed to be saying
that if you get your employees to believe this and do that then
everything will be fine. I was skeptical of this because I knew
through my MBA studies that the success of certain techniques
is usually contingent upon the individual circumstances of the
organization.’ Nonetheless Mick became attracted to the idea
that embedding certain core values in the organization was a
good way of achieving quality goals. The problem was that he
did not know which core values were appropriate for his site.
Therefore his research question became: ‘What are the core
values that need to be adopted in Zarlink, Swindon, if embedded
quality is to become a success?’
More specifically, Mick’s research objectives were:
1. to identify general constructs that constitute ‘embedding
quality’ within an organization;
2. to compare these beliefs with those espoused by a sample
from the senior Zarlink Management team;

8. 3. to establish the behaviors and attitudes of the current
workforce towards the quality management system at the
Zarlink foundry, Swindon;
4. to propose a framework of core values to facilitate the
embedding of quality into Zarlink, Swindon.
Having used the literature to refine his research question and
objectives Mick then turned his attention to collecting primary
data within Zarlink. Initially he thought of using a positivist
approach based on a questionnaire using qualitative data, but
discussions with Philippa, his tutor, convinced him that there
were other ways of collecting data. Mick began to think more
deeply about his research strategy, and thought that the
advantage of triangulating his data by using multi-method
would convince not only his examiners that his data were valid
but also the managers at Zarlink who he was hoping would give
him the go-ahead to introduce his ideas.
Mick’s first research objective had been met by his coverage of
the literature. This had been useful in concentrating his mind on
embedded quality, but it only took him a limited way. The
second and third objectives would lead to a much more
meaningful management dissertation.
The second objective involved conducting interviews with key
managers in order to ‘test’ the ideas that Mick had developed
about core values as a result of the literature review. The
managerial sample he chose comprised managers from other
Zarlink sites in the world who had an excellent reputation for
embedding quality. At the same time Mick thought it important
to include those managers who were concerned with
implementing quality at Swindon. Mick conducted six
interviews across three sites: one in Canada and one in southern
England in addition to the third in Swindon. In each site he
interviewed the foundry director and the quality manager. These
were the key managers concerned with quality. The non-
Swindon managers were interviewed by telephone, and the
Swindon managers were interviewed face to face by Mick. He
hoped this phase of data collection would give him a very clear

9. idea of Zarlink’s view of quality.
In order to meet the third objective he decided to collect data in
two ways. The first was to conduct what he called a ‘gap
analysis. The purpose of this was to establish the current
behaviors concerned with quality – that is, what people actually
did in their working lives. This would tell Mick what was being
done well and what was being done badly, or not at all, and
therefore identify what needed to be done to embed quality. In
order to do this Mick designed an audit form based on a
purpose-made audit that had been used before in similar
organizations. This was administered in all departments of
Zarlink, Swindon. Ten of Mick’s colleagues were responsible
for carrying out the audit. This involved Mick in training them
in its use in order to achieve reliability. Mick was opportunistic
in the second way he collected data in respect of the third
objective. He was fortunate that a general employee attitude
survey was imminent. He decided to insert a subsection in this
survey that consisted of questions to establish employees’
attitudes to quality. This went to each of the 130 employees at
Swindon.
Mick was confident that his research strategy would yield rich,
valid and reliable data on management beliefs and employee
attitudes and practice, which would enable him to propose a
framework of core values to facilitate the embedding of quality
into Zarlink, Swindon. This would enable him to make a
valuable contribution to the well-being of Zarlink and pass his
MBA!
Respond to the questions and use at least 5 peer-reviewed
references.
1 Which type(s) of research strategy is Mick employing?
2 In what other ways could Mick have used the literature to
refine his research question?
3 In what other ways might Mick have achieved his research
aim?
4 What are the benefits of using multiple methods of data
collection?

10. 5 What threats to validity are inherent in the research design,
and how may these be overcome?
To: Richard Joiner, Co-Owner, Financial and Business Manager
From: Will Goodwin, Lab Assistant
Date: October 1, 2015
Subject: Proposal to Improve Sample Collection Procedures
Joiner Micro Labs (JML) is one of the leading water and
wastewater testing facilities in the Fauquier County area.
Having been around for nearly 25 years, it is safe to say that
JML knows a thing or two about water testing. I was thrilled
when I got an opportunity to become a Lab Assistant here.
Working for a small business gives me valuable experience,
while allowing me to be in an environment I truly enjoy. My
duties here include various tasks including office work, lab
maintenance, and water sample collection. Water sample
collection being what I believe to be the most crucial job I have
to do for the lab. Water collection can be a very sensitive task.
Temperatures must be controlled from the time the sample is
taken until it reaches the lab, which in some cases can be up to
8 hours. The current system involves 5 Igloo coolers, which
must be filled with ice every morning, delivered to water
sample drop off point, and then picked up in the evening. I
believe that Joiner Micro Labs could eliminate wasted samples
and achieve more accurate test results by purchasing more
advanced coolers. This would also save money in the long run
by pairing them with reusable ice packs, instead of store bought
ice.
Water Sample Collection Process:
Collecting water samples is a process that must be done right to
ensure the preservation of the samples, and the accuracy of the
test results. Joiner Micro Labs does water and waste water
testing so that business and individuals can stay in compliance

11. with the Virginia water regulations. These tests are used to
analyze coliform bacteria, E. coli, and heterotrophic plate
count. Many homeowners and businesses use these tests to get
approval to drill a well, or achieve other regulatory
requirements the state of Virginia has in place. A failed test
could stop the progress of a home being built, or halt operation
of a business. Tests that analyze the presence and count of the
bacteria in a sample must be done in a controlled environment
that eliminates all possible lurking variables that could affect
the results. One of these variables is the temperature of the
samples.
Temperature can either kill bacteria or cause it to multiply quite
quickly, both of which could alter water test results. Joiner
Micro Labs currently has a system in place to try and eliminate
temperature from affecting their work, especially when moving
the samples over long distances. Policy permits that if you or
your business is within 30 minutes of the lab address you can
deliver the samples yourself. If you fall outside of that radius
you must deliver the sample to one of the drop off points
located in various counties, some as far as 90 minutes away.
There is currently five drop off points that samples can be
delivered to, most of which residing within another business
that JML has an agreement with. Every morning a courier will
stop by the lab, pick up five empty coolers, fill them with ice
from a nearby gas station, and then proceed to deliver them to
the drop off points. Then customers will place their samples in
the coolers throughout the day, in approved sample bottles they
have received from JML. Toward the afternoon a courier,
myself being the primary one for nearly two years now, will
retrieve the coolers and deliver them back to the lab. Although
this process is good, I believe it could be improved. Most of the
time, the samples come back good and the test results are
accurate. However, there have been times when the samples
have either gone bad from the time of pick up, or produce bad
data resulting in faulty test results. In my experience this

12. primarily occurs in cases where an old or inefficient cooler
allows the ice to melt causing the samples to sit in a lukewarm
pool of water rather than a bed of ice. This leads to me offer
three solutions that could benefit the company and lead to more
consistent samples and test results.
Solution
s:
In order to improve the quality of water samples and in turn the
test results I feel there are three solutions that would be
realistic and achieve effective results. The first solution would
be to purchase high quality reusable ice packs replacing the
need for store bought ice. Certain brands of icepacks have been
proven to stay colder longer than ice, and have an added benefit
of not turning into liquid once they thaw out. This would also
prove to be cost-effective in the long run as the company would
save money by not having to purchase ice daily. One issue that
may arise in this solution would be how to store the icepacks
overnight. However, I do not see this issue being a deal breaker
because the chest freezer located in the lab always has plenty of
room for storage, and with a little reorganization JML can
create a section just for water sample ice packs.

13. The second solution that could help to increase water sample
quality would be to purchase new, more effective coolers.
Currently the coolers in use are all ten years old or older. Many
do not have properly working lids, which causes heat to get in
and melt the ice before the coolers are picked up in the
afternoon. If a new set of high quality coolers were purchased
we could eliminate the variability of temperature fluctuation of
the water samples. I suggest that Joiner Micro Labs purchase
five Yeti coolers, widely considered the best brand in portable
refrigeration, to replace the existing ones. Yeti coolers,
although expensive, come with a warranty, are nearly
indestructible, and have permafrost insulation. They are known
for their ability to keep ice frozen for over 12 hours in the heat,
and for their durable construction, which will help to prevent
any possible damage. This is the most effective solution for
controlling the temperature of the water samples. The only issue
with this option is the price. Yeti coolers tend to be some of the
most expensive coolers on the market. However, I do believe
that it is a worthy investment that will save the lab time in the
long run by preventing wasted man hours performing tests on
poor quality water samples.
The final solution I will suggest is a combination of the
previous two. I think that by purchasing new coolers and high
quality ice packs, we could almost solve the problem of

14. receiving poor quality water samples. I will not say that this is
an absolute, because there is the always the possibility of a bad
sample for numerous reasons, but I believe that temperatures’
influence on the quality of Joiner Micro Labs’ water samples
can be eliminated with this final solution. Yeti coolers can keep
ice cold for over 12 hours, and ice packs cold for even longer. A
sample is usually at the drop off point for a maximum of 8
hours. By providing optimal levels of refrigeration, the samples
will remain at the desired temperature, even at the maximum
wait time. The major issue with this solution is cost, purchasing
both the icepacks and the coolers is the most expensive
solution, but I believe it will be the most effective.
Cost of