Better management for expansion
My organisation is expanding and I need my management team to become more proactive in its techniques and to gain a better understanding of my objectives. What do you suggest?
The issues you need to address here are effective communication, delegation of responsibility, and management skills.
Communication of business objectives and performance may be achieved through the introduction of tools such as regular management and team meetings, internal newsletters and a staff noticeboard. To be really effective, as the business objectives are communicated down the structure, they should be broken down into team and individual objectives in meaningful and realistic terms, against which performance can be evaluated.
Management skills, including delegation and motivation, may be improved through short training courses or workshops.
Make your managers aware that they have the authority to make decisions and encourage them to be proactive, while not abdicating ultimate accountability.
If you have not already committed to Investors in People (IIP), I would recommend working toward the standard as a means of co-ordinating the development of your organisation and its people in line with business objectives. Communication and training issues are integral to the IIP framework.
The company I work for is in receivership. Should I buy its assets? What should I look for?
An existing management team buying from a receiver enjoys a number of advantages over a rival purchaser because it has knowledge of the business and close links with suppliers and customers, and because the usual need for a quick sale of an insolvent company makes a lengthy due-diligence exercise impossible.
A receiver will resist the insolvent company giving warranties, as a resulting contingent liability would restrict his ability to distribute the proceeds of the receivership. Accept that no warranties will be given, and ask for a discount in the purchase price to reflect this.
Under the Transfer of Undertakings Regulations 1981, all current contracts of employment and the insolvent company's rights and liabilities will be transferred automatically to the buyer without a break in continuity.
The assets may be subject to hire-purchase agreements, liens, charges, finance leases or retention of title claims. Because of the potential liabilities under these, ensure you take over only assets and contracts of which you have been made aware.
How does a hotel benefit from undertaking environmentally friendly practices, and how far will this affect bottom-line expenditure?
Environmentally friendly practices such as reducing, reusing and recycling will have an impact on the bottom line.
A reduction in bought-in packaging, energy consumption and waste generated by food preparation, and recycling as much as possible, will cut costs and involve staff in a unified purpose, and will itself become a marketable commodity. The hotel industry is well positioned to reap the benefits of customer approval, besides winning cost savings of 30-50%.
The IHEI practical guide, Environmental Action Pack for Hotels, shows how to develop a realistic and effective environmental strategy leading to rapid results and cost benefits. The pack costs £30. Tel: 01296 89550. Fax: 01296 392369.ng
Staff at the local supermarket use an item about the size of a large calculator to do stocktaking. Could I?
You can use such a hand-held computer in stocktaking by keying in a code for each item or using a barcode reader. Next, you count the items and enter the amounts.
When you have finished, the information held in the portable unit can be transferred to your desktop computer, usually through a connecting cable. Discrepancies can be printed out or displayed on screen.
Using this method, the speed at which it is possible to complete a stocktake, even of a large restaurant, means it can be performed more frequently.
