Group Project: Using a Computer to Run a Business

Scenario:

In this simulation, you will be placed in a small group of 3 or 4 people. One person will serve as the manager and the other two will be executive assistants. Each group will have different assignments related to their particular business, including handling customer complaints, preparing billing statements, and preparing desktop publishing projects. The manager will be responsible for making sure all assignments are completed in a timely manner and will proofread all assignments before they are submitted to the teacher for grading. Projects will be graded as follows:

Acceptable---------------------A

Acceptable with reserve--------B

Unacceptable-------------------C (if resubmitted in correct form)

Unacceptable-------------------D (if resubmitted but still contains errors)

Unacceptable-------------------F (if not resubmitted by the deadline)

Projects will be considered acceptable if all guidelines are followed and the item contains no grammar problems, spelling problems, or punctuation problems. The project must also be creative and address the issue(s) specifically.

Projects will be considered acceptable with reserve if there are minor errors. Questionable usage of grammar or unclear sentences which do not impair the meaning of the correspondence would fall under this category. Misspelled words will not be acceptable under any circumstance.

Projects which are unacceptable will be returned to the group with a tentative grade of F. If the project is resubmitted and appears to have all the necessary elements and problematic issues addressed, the project will receive a C. If the project is resubmitted and an attempt is made at correction, but there are still errors, the grade will be changed to a D. If the project is not resubmitted by the deadline, the project will receive an F.

All projects must be submitted to the manager for approval before they are turned in to the teacher. The manager may request to make corrections him/herself or may edit the draft copy and ask the executive assistant to make changes.

Managers will be expected to assist the executives with projects, including delegating projects to particular individuals and assisting with problems in the operations of the computer software. The manager should be the only person who asks questions of the teacher. Executive assistants are expected to go to their respective managers for help. It is then the manager's job to find the answer him/herself or the manager may ask the teacher for clarification.

Preliminary Setup Project: Manager's Forms

The manager needs to obtain an e-mail address and share that address with the assistants. The manager should be the one to retrieve e-mail each day and to show the others how to use it. The manager will also need a sheet to keep track of inventory, absenteeism, and cash flow. It is at the discretion of each group how these forms should look, but they should be updated each Friday and printed out for review. The manager will maintain these forms throughout the week (filling them in by hand) and one of the assistants should type these forms up each Friday to submit to the teacher for grading. Reorders from each company can only be made on Fridays when these forms are submitted. A reorder form will be supplied in your packet that you may duplicate as needed. Save these forms as:

INV.DOC, ABSENT.DOC, and CASHFLOW.DOC

Company E-mail Address:________________________ PW_________

Project 1: Getting Started-Logo

Before your business will be ready to open, your group needs to decide on a logo and a slogan. This first project will simply be designing a logo for your business. This can be done using the Paint or Paintbrush program in Windows or by importing clipart from outside sources to be used in your production. This logo will be used on all outgoing correspondence: memos, letters, invoices, etc. Be sure to try to make the logo "professional-looking." It should not look like it was thrown together at the last minute. This logo will represent your image in the industry. Save the logo as: LOGO.DOC

Project 2: Getting Started-Letterhead

Create a letterhead to be used for all outgoing letters. This letterhead must include the logo created in Project 1 and must include the name of the company, manager name, company address and phone, manager's e-mail, and company telephone number. Save the letterhead as: LHEAD.DOC

Project 3: Getting Started-Invoice, Quotation Form, & Order Form

Create the forms to be used throughout the day to day operations of your business. Quotation forms should be used to provide estimates, order forms should be used to take orders from customers, and invoices should be used when shipping an order. Each form should contain your company logo and all important company information. These forms should be created in table format, either using word processing software to create tables or by creating the forms entirely in a spreadsheet program. Be prepared to enter in formulas to be used to add columns and multiply within rows. See examples. Save each as follows:

INVOICE.DOC, QUOTE.DOC, and ORDFORM.DOC

Project 4: Getting Started-Catalog

Create a catalog of your merchandise or services, including pictures as appropriate, a price list, shipping specifications, and any other information which would be useful to your customers. Your company must have 15-30 items/services for sale. The manager and all executives must be involved in this process. Save this publication as: CATALOG.DOC

Project 5: Getting Started-Grand Opening Flyer

Create a flyer for the grand opening of your business. Be sure to include information so that the customer could find your company, such as a map (which can be created easily in Paintbrush and pasted into your word processing program). The flyer should be carefully designed, professional in appearance, and should provide a brief description of your merchandise or services. Save flyer as: GOFLYER.DOC

Project 6: Getting Started-Newspaper Advertisement

Create a quarter page newspaper advertisement which will run in your local paper. Be sure to utilize your space wisely and to include either your company logo and/or slogan. When you submit the advertisement, your company will be sent a bill. Be sure to record this amount. Also, type a letter with this advertisement asking the paper for space and telling them how long you would like the ad to run. Advertisements will cost $150 per day for a quarter page ad. Save the advertisement as: AD1.DOC and the letter as: NEWS1.DOC

Project 7: Door Sign with Hours

This is a simple desktop publishing project for your company. Create a nice sign which designates the hours the company is open for business. Include your logo on this sign. Save the sign as: HOURS.DOC

Project 8: Help Wanted

Create a job application to be used for potential employees. Be sure all the information you want prior to an interview is included. Save this as: JOBAPP.DOC

Project 9: Welcome Letter

Prepare a welcome letter that might be mailed out to prospective customers. This letter should be on company letterhead and should include a description of your company and a friendly invitation for them to visit your business. It might be a good idea to include a coupon at the bottom of the page that the customer can use on their first visit. Be sure to use the salutation "Dear Prospective Customer" and include your store location, hours, and any other relevant information. Save this as: WELCOME.DOC

MANAGER'S GUIDELINES

Congratulations on being selected to serve as manager of ______________________________.

Your executive assistants are ________________________________________________________.

As a manager, you have very specific responsibilities as follows:

•Maintain attendance records of your assistants.
•Appoint an assistant to do your job in the event that you are absent.
•Obtain an e-mail address for all correspondence with the teacher. The e-mail address will be the way you receive your orders and requests from customers. It must be checked EVERY DAY so that you can receive the assignments for your group each day.
•Print out e-mail messages and make notes of instruction for your assistants.
•Delegate responsibilities as you see fit to each assistant on your team.
•Guide and direct your assistants. They are to go to you for help, not to the teacher. If you do not know the answer, attempt to find it (try using HELP menus!) and notify the teacher if you cannot figure out the answer to the problem.
•Proofread all outgoing correspondence before submitting for a grade.
•Maintain a log of all work. This should list the assignment, who completed it, when, and what it was saved as.
•Remember that this grade is a group grade. It is your job to notify the teacher if there are problems within your group.

Although you are to "manage" the group, you may also need to assist with completing projects from time to time. Be sure that you pull your weight and do not lay all of the work on your assistants. Some things will have very specific deadlines and it is your job to make sure that someone meets those deadlines. You will have to arrange incoming work by priority, deciding what can be put off and what is apparently urgent.

Basic Rules: Just to make things a little more challenging, be sure to follow these rules-

Begin with $5000 cash in your business. Your opening stock is to be kept separate. You will not be charged for office supplies.
Your company can only ship five orders out per day. Remember this when giving estimates and shipping items that have specific deadlines.
Respond to complaint messages quickly. Angry customers can hurt your business.
Keep track of the number of items you have in stock. You can only sell what you have. The manager should keep an inventory sheet and approve all orders to make sure your company has the items on hand. Backorders will take at least 5 days. Begin with 50 of each item on hand. Reorder by sending an e-mail to me.
Keep track of all orders. You will need to record how much money is made off of orders and how much money you spend. Needless to say, if you run out of money, you are out of business. Occasionally, it is a good idea to run sales to elevate the volume of your business.
All outgoing correspondence must have the initials of the person who typed it at the bottom of the page. For example, in a letter that would be from you, the assistant who types it will double space and type his/her initials below your name. It is also a good idea for that person to include the filename in case it needs to be revised later. For example:

Sincerely,

John Jones

abs: mendow1.doc

Merchandise Reorder Form

Company:__________________________________________ Date:________________________

Items for Reorder:

#	Item Description	Unit Price	Selling Price	Total Price

**Multiply the shade columns to find the total price. The unit price is the price charged by your supplier for the item (the cost price). The selling price is the price you currently sell the item for and is for office use only.

_________________________________

Manager Signature

Approved by Supplier________________________ Amount Charged__________________________

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