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FOR ANNA BORTOLON

Dairy Queen and HR


Organizational Analysis
Krystal Hyde 3991346, Chris Bouchard 6158117 & Kale Hofstetter 6128052 4/16/2012

This report contains my/our own work and has not been submitted, in whole or in part, towards fulfilling requirements in any other course, either at Conestoga College ITAL or elsewhere. I/We understand that plagiarism, whether intentional or unintentional, will be dealt with in accordance with college policy and practice. Signature: Krystal Hyde Signature: Chris Bouchard Signature: Kale Hofstetter Date: April 16, 2012 Date: April 16, 2012 Date: April 16, 2012

Table of Contents
Executive Summary....................................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 5 Human Resources Management in Perspective ........................................................................................... 6 The Strategic Roll of Human Resources Management ............................................................................. 6 The Changing Legal Emphasis ................................................................................................................... 8 Meeting Human Resources Requirements ................................................................................................. 11 Designing and Analyzing jobs .................................................................................................................. 11 Human Resources Planning .................................................................................................................... 13 Recruitment ............................................................................................................................................ 16 Selection.................................................................................................................................................. 17 Developing Effective Human Resources ..................................................................................................... 19 Orientation and Training ......................................................................................................................... 19 Total Rewards ............................................................................................................................................. 22 Strategic Pay Plans .................................................................................................................................. 22 Pay-for-Performance and Financial Incentives ....................................................................................... 25 Employee Benefits and Services ............................................................................................................. 28 Building Effective Employee-Employee Relationships ................................................................................ 29 Occupational Health and Safety ............................................................................................................. 29 Fair Treatment ........................................................................................................................................ 32 Labour Relations ..................................................................................................................................... 35 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 37 Appendix A Interview Questions.............................................................................................................. 38 Appendix B Contact Information ............................................................................................................. 40 Appendix C OH&S Certification Information............................................................................................ 40 Appendix D Turnitin Report ..................................................................................................................... 41 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................ 42 Student Contribution Report ...................................................................................................................... 43 Rubric .......................................................................................................................................................... 44

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Executive Summary In this organizational analysis report, many Human Resources Management topics will be covered. The report will begin by discussing Human Resources Management in Perspective (Dessler & Cole, 2011). This will include the following topics: Human resources and the strategic role it plays as well as compliance and diversity of the legal manner. Following perspective, the report will continue with Meeting Human Resources Requirements (Dessler & Cole, 2011). In this section, we will discuss how Dairy Queen in Waterloo designs and analyzes their jobs, how they plan, recruitment and selection processes. Next we will look at Developing Effective Human Resources (Dessler & Cole, 2011). This section will cover the very important topics of orientation and training. We will talk about when, where, and how different types of training are executed. Further we will look at different types of rewards, including strategic pay plans, financial incentives and employee benefits and services. Since Dairy Queen is a small business with parttime employees, they do not incorporate such things as employee benefits and services however, this will still be discussed. Finally, this analysis will look at Building Effective Employee-Employer Relationships (Dessler & Cole, 2011). A most important section covering occupational health and safety (OHS), fair treatment, and labour relations. Labour relations will include sections on Union, employee communication, downsizing and privacy policies.

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We will conclude with our final recommendation and the benefit of implementing said recommendation.

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Introduction For this organizational analysis project, our group chose a small family run business in Waterloo. Situated on the corner of Weber St. and University Avenue sits a Dairy Queen (cool treats only, no hot eats) The person we interviewed was Tricia Hyde, who has been an employee at this Dairy Queen for 10 years. She has many responsibilities such as hiring, scheduling and ordering, as well as many monetary tasks including bank deposits. We discussed many topics with Tricia, from strategic planning to employee-employer relationships. In the following report we will describe, analyze and give our recommendations on various topics discussed throughout the interview. We will also talk about why it would be beneficial to implement some or all of our recommendations, including any costs in doing so.

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Human Resources Management in Perspective The Strategic Roll of Human Resources Management Description Weber Street Dairy Queen in Waterloo is a small, family run business. In the interview with Tricia, Manager, she mentioned that there is no Human Resources Person in the company, and as such there is no Human Resources considered in Strategic Planning. We also discussed what environmental factors effect human resources management and the following were listed: productivity, skills, and recession. These are the three main environmental factors Tricia feels effect them the most. Productivity effects the human resources management when employees are under productive and create a weak link. This increases the work load of others, and thus increases cost of labour. Production outputs need to equal or exceed inputs in order to sustain an acceptable profit margin. As for the effect of skills, when an employee is highly skilled at what they do, it is done right the first time and therefore there is no need to re-do the same job again. On the other hand, if someone is not very skilled at their job or is not catching on, jobs need to be redone and again this raises the labour cost. Finally recessions affect many businesses, small and large. It especially affects a small business such as a Dairy Queen. When a recession strikes, consumers start to reduce spending by cutting

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out first their non essential expenses, such as treats like ice cream. Sales tend to decrease, along with profit, and in turn the need for some employees. Analysis In regards to having a Human Resources person sit at the strategic planning table, according to Dessler and Cole (Dessler & Cole, 2011) HR should report to the CEO and/or be part of strategic plan in order to ensure the right people are in the right place at the right time to achieve company strategy. Regarding strategic planning processes, companies are starting to see HR as more of an equal partner. It is strategically advantageous to have an HR professional on hand is strongly believed by seventy-five percent of 1100 corporate managers interviewed in Canada. HR professionals can also add value to the strategy formulation process by supplying information regarding the companys internal strengths and weaknesses, particularly as they relate to the organizations workforce. (Dessler & Cole, 2011, Page 5) Economic conditions (an external environmental factor) have and affect on the supply and demand for products and services. When the economy is healthy, companies often hire more workers as demand for products and service increases. (Dessler & Cole, 2011, Page 7) Conversely, if the economy hits a recession, some companies will decrease pay and benefits in order for employees to keep their jobs. ``Productivity refers to the ratio of an organization`s outputs to its inputs...`` (Dessler & Cole, 2011, Page 7) Managers need to find ways to increase outputs while decreasing its inputs or by using the same amount of resources while increasing production.

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Recommendations Since there is no HR person in the company, there are no recommendations regarding the strategic planning table. We do recommend that Dairy Queen continue doing what they are doing in regards to environmental factors, such as that of the economy, that have an impact on human resources management. They already manage very well during a recession because nearly all of the employees at Dairy Queen are part-time, so it is easy to cut back production hours when demand decreases. Benefits In continuing their current practises regarding Strategic Roll in HR, Dairy Queen will continue to operate efficiently during difficult slow times as well as peak busy times. The Changing Legal Emphasis Description We reviewed with Tricia many legal topics regarding HR and Dairy Queen. We asked about abiding to minimum wages and if they had overtime pay, both to which Tricia answered yes. She mentioned that when minimum wage increases, most employees get a similar bump in their rate of pay regardless of the length of time employed. We discussed hours of work for employees and whether they set a limit on the maximum one could work in a day or week. They do not have a set limit, but they have not had any issues in the past.

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We also went over some questions regarding discrimination concerning hiring. Tricia said that they do not discriminate against any of the following: race, colour, gender, or sexual orientation. She was unsure about putting age into that category, since they do tend to hire younger teens (grade 9 or 10) over older teens and university students. Tricia questioned if that was discrimination or good planning, as it is very costly to train a new employee and they want the new hire to stay on for more than one to two years. The topic of workplace harassment was covered in the interview with Tricia, and she declared that they do have a policy to deal with harassment, and employees are aware of said policy. She also mentioned that they have never had a problem with harassment in the workplace as long as she has been employed there. Analysis Regarding wages, overtime pay, and limits on number of hours worked - we looked to the Employment (Labour) Standards Legislation. These laws establish minimum employee entitlements pertaining to such issues as wages; ; and overtime pay. They also set the maximum number of hours of work permitted per day or week; (Dessler & Cole, 2011, Page 28) Enforcement of this legislation is based on employee complaints only, and any violators can be fined. Unfair discrimination is prohibited by law. Discrimination can be either intentional or unintentional, both of which are prohibited. According to Dessler and Cole, No individuals or groups may be treated differently in any aspects or terms and conditions of employment based on any of the prohibited grounds. (Dessler & Cole, 2011, Page 31) Some of these prohibited
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grounds for Ontario are Race, Colour, Religion, Sex, Age, Family status, Language and Sexual orientation. There are different types of harassment that can happen in the workplace. Harassment includes unwelcome behaviour that demeans, humiliates, or embarrasses a person and that a reasonable person should have known would be unwelcome. (Dessler & Cole, 2011, Page 34) There are three types of harassments of the sexual nature; sexual harassment (most common), sexual coercion, and sexual annoyance. In order for companies to reduce their liability, rigorous harassment policies should be put in place. Recommendations Our recommendations consist of only one of the reviewed sections in the Changing Legal Emphasis and it has to do with the piece on discrimination. Tricia stated that she was unsure if they really discriminated based on age, or if that was just better planning on their part. We suggest, to be sure there is no discriminating factors in the age category, that they review their procedures for recruiting and hiring new employees carefully and ensure that the new hires are just as qualified as or more qualified than any other applicants who were not offered the position. This will lower the chances of being accused of discrimination. Benefits Double checking policies and procedures, updating them when necessary, and reviewing them often will always be beneficial in any situation, including HR.

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Meeting Human Resources Requirements Designing and Analyzing jobs Description Tricia Hyde explained in the interview questionnaire that Dairy Queen has specific job descriptions for their employees, there are specific duties and expectations that employees are expected to perform. If an employee cannot perform a specific duty, then additional training or mentoring will be given to the employee. Tricia explained the level of physical and mental effort required for success at Dairy Queen. There are a number of tasks within the company that employees are responsible for, and they rotate between them. Job rotation is important for the employee to keep them motivated. Ergonomics within Dairy Queen is important to reduce strain on muscles and other long term dangers. Countertops are designed to the correct height. Analysis Dairy Queen is on the right track by defining clear duties and responsibilities for employees. Their job descriptions are clear. According to (Steen, Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart & Wright, 2009) however, Dairy Queen should have a larger set of clearly defined competencies. Employees looking at the position before applying may not have the required interpersonal skills, mathematical skills, or problem solving skills required. The job description is missing some of these key points. Ergonomics in the workplace need to be top notch, the amount of mixing and stirring at Dairy Queen is done by blenders, so it is a simple push of a button. The workstations are designed to

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minimize strain on the employees bodies, by structuring the work around a human body. Designing workstations this way will reduce long term employee injury from strain. This not only helps reduce employee injury, but also increases efficiency and productivity in the workplace. Recommendation Dairy Queen would benefit from a position analysis questionnaire performed by their employees. This is a gathering of information that would better define the duties and responsibilities at Dairy Queen. The questionnaire would cover work behaviours, work conditions, and job characteristics. The information would be gathered by looking into the six aspects of the job. 1. Information Input where and how a worker gets information needed to perform the job 2. Mental Process The reasoning, decision making, planning, and information processing activities involved in performing the job 3. Work Output The physical activities, tools, and devices used by the worker to perform a job 4. Relationships with other persons the relationships with other people required in performing the job. 5. Job Context The physical and social contexts where the work is performed 6. Other characteristics the activities, conditions, and characteristics other than those previously described that are relevant to the job.
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Employees should be empowered, and given more choice and decision making ability in the store. Job enrichment and extension would provide a mix of skills being used, and keep employees motivated. Benefit Employees would feel more engaged with some job enrichment. When given more power in decision making they would be happier in their jobs; this study was performed by Frederick Herzberg. Employees would benefit from extra achievement recognition, growth, responsibility and performance of the entire job. This might include employees noticing, and controlling the situation when quality standards are not met. This would be beneficial for both the employee and the quality of goods being sold to the customers. Human Resources Planning Description Tricia Hyde explained how employee demand is forecasted. Schedules are planned according to forecasted sales, for example during peak holiday, or ice cream season there are more employees available, and scheduled for working. Summer time employs more staff than winter time because of increased demand for product. Christmas and other holidays demand cakes and other goodies, so additional employees are scheduled to be in the store. All other times, employees are kept busy by the regular flow of goods purchased in the restaurant. Training trackers are designed to document which employees have certain skills. This controls which employees need further training, and who can be responsible for which tasks. However

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Management does not have inventories on which skills, qualifications and education managers have. Management has found an effect on candidates available for jobs based on local labour market conditions. For example when high school and university students are let out of school for the summer, there is a much larger supply of potential employees. Students are looking for work once they have free time from school. However the same occurs when students return to classes in the fall, there is a much smaller supply for candidates. When there is a labour surplus, and has too many employees. Dairy Queen deals with additional employees by using a few different techniques. The main way Tricia Hyde deals with a surplus is to not hire any more employees and initiate a hiring freeze. Dairy Queen would then reduce the number of hours employees would work in a week. Dairy Queen does not offer early retirement or termination with a severance package. The jobs available are entry level and part-time and it is not feasible to provide such expensive options. In a labour shortage Dairy Queen responds with overtime hours for employees. Overtime hours are usually on volunteer basis, and not required or posted on the schedule. Overtime hours are any hours over 44 hours per week, and time and a half pay must be paid. When necessary, promotion is initiated for employees with appropriate skills. Dairy Queen does not hire temporary employees or transfer employees to other locations. Analysis

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Human Resources planning is important, and Dairy Queen foresees what labour demands are required, and hires/dismisses employees accordingly. They are doing an excellent job recruiting employees on time, because they forecast their demand. What Dairy Queen has been doing to estimate staffing requirements and forecasting is to use trend analysis. This means for Dairy Queen noticing the patterns in staffing, for example, employees who quit their jobs in the fall to go back to school. Trend Analysis is constructing and applying statistical models that predict labour demand for the next year, given relatively objective statistics from the previous year. Skills inventories are used for employees to uncover which employees require additional training or mentorship. Management does not have inventories on which skills, qualifications and education managers have. Recommendation Dairy Queen recognizes that there are patterns in employee requirements, and forecasts demand. However they do not have a set policy on hiring when the supply is low. There should be a defined policy on staffing requirements when the supply is low. Create more in depth skills inventories for both employees and managers. This way when an employee quits or is dismissed, there is a back up person with the possessed skills. Benefit Organizations should carry out workforce planning so as to meet business objectives and gain an advantage over competitors. But to do this they need a clear idea of the existing labour
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force. Forecasting supply and demand of labour reduces surpluses or shortages of labour and makes the company run smoother. A trend analysis would help forecast demand by taking statistics from the previous year, and applying them to current year scheduling. This is done in many establishments already and is quite accurate. Recruitment Description Dairy Queen has a recruitment process using both online resume drop offs, and in store drop offs. The candidates resumes are skimmed through by managers at stores before selecting which should be interviewed. Candidates with appropriate skills are then interviewed by store managers. Dairy Queen identifies job openings by posting them in store, employee referrals, and online advertisements. They use methods of recruitment by selecting qualified applicants from a pool. Job requirements are not included in the job postings. Job postings are also available to employees within the organization. This means that employees can be promoted to higher positions within the organization. If employees already in the organization do not have the appropriate skills for the new position, then hiring externally would be the best option. Dairy Queen hires both internally and externally for positions.

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Dairy Queen uses a standard application form that adheres to Human Rights Legislation. It does not include questions regarding age, sex, or place of origin. Analysis Employee recruitment is a very important aspect of human resources. The labour market is enormous, and needs to be narrowed to who would be successful in a position with the company. Both internal and external applicants should be considered. Both have different qualities that make them important. Direct applicants and referrals deliver quality candidates to employers. Referrals however are candidates who apply because someone within the company prompted them to, and may carry a little bit more credibility. Approximately one third of employees within large companies are referred. (Steen, Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart & Wright, 2009) Recommendation Dairy Queen does not need to drastically change their recruitment process. They do a fine job recruiting the best individuals for their positions. They use a variety of methods to draw in the most ideal candidates and do not use nepotism or solely recruit from within the company. They are willing to recruit candidates from both within the company or outside the company. They accept employee referrals, or completely new candidates. Therefore we recommend that they continue what they are currently practising in regards to recruitment. Selection Description

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Dairy Queens selection process involves preliminary background screening, background and reference checking, interviews of past supervisors, and hiring decisions and candidate notification. Interviews are done either one on one, or with a panel interview. Interviews are only done face-to-face, and never used video conferencing, or with several applicants at once. Interviews are structured meaning that all candidates are asked the same questions and put in the same scenarios. However if an area of interest arises, candidates would be asked additional questions. Questions for candidates in the interview include both behavioural (how did you behave in the past when you needed to deal with a difficult task and problem solve) and situational (how would you behave, or handle an angry customer?). Dairy Queen treats every candidate the same, and hires on a non discriminatory basis. Every candidate is given an equal chance, and Dairy Queen does not hire based on discriminatory grounds. Analysis Selection should be conducted with the following steps (Dessler & Cole, 2011, Pg.178) 1. Preliminary Applicant Screening 2. Selection Testing 3. Selection Interview 4. Background investigation/reference checking 5. Supervisory Interview and realistic job preview

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6. Hiring decisions and candidate notification Selection testing needs to be realistic and valid to which job the test is for. This is testing is only relevant to the position; A company would not include any questions that were irrelevant or unnecessary to know to complete the job tasks required. Recommendation Dairy Queen is already doing a great job when it comes to selection. A great job on their part comes to their application form, which uses the same structure for each applicant. Applicants fill in their name, contact information, and position applied for. This is useful for Dairy Queen because it allows them to skim through applicants faster, to find the candidates able to move on and receive an interview.

Developing Effective Human Resources Orientation and Training Description Training and Orientation are the next steps after an employee has been hired. Dairy Queen has a very well established orientation program which includes the following: Employment documents Introduction & welcome Overview of department Worksite familiarization

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Department policies/procedures Workplace safety

Training is also well established and Dairy Queen uses both on the job and off the job training. On the job training includes the buddy system and having subject matter experts training others. Off the job training consists of using an e-mail link to survey monkey where the new employee will watch informational videos followed by completing on-line quizzes. When we asked Tricia how they know that someone needs more training, she replied that they look at performance and any issues that may be present, as well as if there is a new policy, procedure or product introduced. In order to evaluate the training, they use testing as well as having the employees show what they can do. Analysis Orientation is the next step once an employee has been hired. Orientation often includes a tour of the workplace, information about the company, its history and specific information about the job to be performed. According to B.W. Pascal A strategic approach to recruitment and retention of employees includes a well-integrated orientation program, both before and after hiring. (Dessler & Cole, 2011, Pg. 210) When employees are comfortable in their workplace and doing their job it is less stressful and therefore they perform better. Onboarding (employee orientation), when strong, can quicken the socialization process, which infuses in employees the values, standards, and attitudes that are expected at that particular company. Orientation also can reduce the chances of an employee experiencing reality shock which is the incongruity between what the job actually consists of and what the
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new employee was expecting the job to be like. It is important that an orientation program not provide too much information as to overwhelm a person. Providing too little information is equally as important to avoid as this could cause the new employee the need to as many questions as they arise. This makes it difficult for them to work as they do not have a full understanding of the company and its expectations. Training, which is basically a learning process for new employees, is the next step after the orientation process. Training teaches employees what they need know in order to perform their jobs. To better the training process, understanding the different ways that people learn is extremely important. The three different ways people learn are by talking and listening, seeing, or by doing. It is important to personalize the training accordingly for each individual. There is also a legal aspect to training; according to the human rights and employment equity legislation, several aspects of employee training programs must be assessed with an eye toward the programs impact on designated group members. (Dessler & Cole, 2011, Pg. 218) The five step training process consists of: 1. Needs Analysis 2. Instructional Design 3. Validation 4. Implementation 5. Evaluation and Follow-Up Some training techniques that could be used are On-the-job, Apprenticeship, Job Instruction Training, Classroom Training, and Online Training among many others.
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Recommendation Dairy Queen already has a well established orientation and training program in place. They also are continually improving these procedures in conjunction with any changes and employees learning patterns. Therefore, we have no recommendations within this particular section besides that they should continue with what they are currently undertaking. As long as current and future employees are learning at a reasonable and acceptable pace, there is no need to incorporate any further techniques in regards to training and orientation. Benefit The main benefit in Dairy Queen continuing their current orientation and training programs is that there is no extra cost in doing so. We believe that Dairy Queen has two great programs and would strongly benefit from staying on track and improving accordingly, as needed.

Total Rewards Strategic Pay Plans Description When asked about a reward program, Tricia informed us that they do not have one. They have the basic hourly wages, as well as unstructured incentives and bonuses. An example is handing out small bonuses for coming up with ideas/solutions that result in better efficiency type things. As for work/life programs, the only thing is flexible scheduling. Flexible scheduling is easy with all part-time employees, who as previously mentioned, just e-mail to the scheduler the times

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they need off or would prefer working. There is no pay-for-performance, but there is a bit of recognition in the form verbal appreciation and staff e-mails. When discussing their rate of pay and whether it compares to other similar organizations, she stated that is does not compare, it is actually higher than everyone else. Not too much, but it is noticeable, and the pay increases accordingly as the employee moves up in levels from trainee to shift manager. Analysis It is critical to every employee that they are fairly compensated for their work. Managing compensation and rewards is an essential task. A total rewards approach considers individual reward components as part of an integrated whole in order to determine the best mix of rewards that are aligned with business strategy and that provide employee value, (Dessler & Cole, 2011, Pg. 298) There are five components to total rewards which include compensation, benefits, work/life programs, performance and recognition as well as development and career opportunities. In regards to recognition programs, we will discuss this in further detail in the section Pay for Performance. When it comes to determining a rate of pay for your employees, there are many things to consider. Legal requirements, union issues, compensation policies and equity are the four. According to the Employment/Labour Standards Acts (Canada Labour Code) Employment/labour laws set minimum standards regarding pay, including minimum wage, maximum hours of work, overtime pay, paid vacation, paid statutory holidays, termination pay,

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record keeping of pay information, and more. (Dessler & Cole, 2011, Pg. 300) There are also Pay Equity Acts, Human Rights Acts, CPP and Other Legislation. In order to establish a pay rate, there are internal and external equity factors. Pay must compare with rates in other similar organizations, and employees must view their pay rate and equitable. There is a process to consider which includes: 1. Determining the worth of jobs within the organization. 2. Conducting a wage survey to other comparable jobs. 3. Combining a job evaluation and wage survey to determine your pay rates. When an employee understands the standards in regards to pay rates and future opportunity to have a hand in changing their rate of pay, it serves as a motivating factor in job retention. Recommendation Seeing as Dairy Queen employs nearly all students, and all part-time employees, there is no need for things such as salary and commissions. The basic hourly wage they are currently using suffices. As mentioned above, they do have unstructured incentives and bonuses, as well as flexible scheduling, but lack a proper recognition program. Our recommendation is that they organize a type of recognition program to inspire and encourage employee to go above and beyond the minimum requirements of the job. An example for Dairy Queen would be to have different awards each month such as Ice Cream Cone Maker of the Month or The Dairy Queen or King of the Month. This type of simple award could encourage employees to strive

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to create the perfect product while maintaining exceptional customer service and value for the money they spend. Regarding the rate of pay Dairy Queen has for their employees, we have no recommendations to change it. Although their rate of pay is not comparable to other organizations, this is because it is actually a bit higher. Dairy Queen should continue the current pay strategy they are using now as long as they dont overpay their employees. Benefit A major benefit to organizing an employee recognition program is that employees will become more engaged at work, will want to be there and will strive to do better. In addition, employees share team spirit which collectively works as a benefit to the company. Results are often displayed in profits earned, which in the eyes of both employer and employees is a win-win situation. A third benefit in having an employee recognition program is that it will increase employee retention as it would help them build self-esteem and feel appreciated. For reasons such as this, a small company like Dairy Queen will continue to be successful and build upon their solid reputation. Pay-for-Performance and Financial Incentives Description Dairy Queen employs nearly all part time workers. Because of this, many of the pay for performance incentives are unnecessary. Pay for performance would be a waste of money for this particular company.

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Employees are assigned shifts, and paid hourly for them. Dairy Queen does not offer commission, bonuses, profit sharing, or stock options. There is no employee recognition based on pay for performance. However, employees are recognized for exceptional work verbally and via e-mail. Analysis Popularized by Frederick Taylor in the late 1800s was the use of financial incentives. Other compensation strategies include pay-for-performance and variable pay. Variable Pay is any plan that ties pay to productivity or profitability. (Dessler & Cole, 2011, Pg 325) There are many types of incentive plans. Individual incentive plans give compensation on top of regular pay to those to exceed the standard performance level. There are also non-monetary incentives such like verbal praise in appreciation that can be given to employees for a job well done. Employee recognition programs are a critical component of the total rewards mix. (Dessler & Cole 2011, page 344) The number one reason that people leave their place of employment is due to the fact that recognition is lacking. People need to be praised for what they do and feel that they are a valued employee and recognized as an important team member. When employees feel underappreciated, due to lack of appreciation and praise, they may decide to leave their jobs to find a place that make them feel welcome and valued. Recognition is also cost effective. It takes 5 to 15 percent of pay to have an impact on behaviour when a cash reward is provided, but only 3 to 5 percent when a noncash form of reward is used (such as recognition and modest gifts). (Dessler & Cole, 2011, pg. 345)

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Recognition programs help to motivate employees to increase their productivity and can motivate people to boost their efforts. It improves their attitudes at work, creates a positive and supportive environment as well as helping to build confidence. Recommendation Because Dairy Queen has all part-time employees, other compensation strategies, besides basic wages, are not necessary. They already are paying at a rate slightly above other comparable organizations and also give half-price product to employees during their breaks. Therefore, we believe that Dairy Queen has a good compensation arrangement in place already. As for having a structured recognition program, we believe that this is the only real issue at Dairy Queen. Our recommendation is that they put into place a formal recognition program to help motivate the many young people that work there to go above and beyond the minimum. Inspire them to want to work, strive to improve and encourage a positive environment. Recognizing excellent leadership, production and customer service via verbal praise would be a very positive beginning to an employee recognition program. Incorporating further a monthly employee award, such as best customer service or ice cream cone queen/king would be an exciting driver for continuous improvement in performance. Benefit Organizing this program would be very beneficial in the way of helping to retain employees, decrease employee turnover, and even increase productivity. It would be a major cost benefit because of these reasons. Since training new employees has a very high cost, retaining them is
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a crucial factor in saving money in this category. On top of that, having increased productivity (output) while keeping the employee level (input) the same would greatly help to increase profitability of Dairy Queen. A recognized employee is a happy employee is a productive employee! Employee Benefits and Services Description Tricia noted that Dairy Queen does not offer any employee benefits or services, and therefore also do not have a flexible benefit program where employees can choose the benefits they wish to receive. Analysis Company benefit and service programs are an important piece of many employees compensation. For the aging workforce, health-care benefits are becoming increasingly important. (Dessler & Cole, 2011, pg 354) There are some benefits that are mandated by law in certain jurisdictions, but many companies will offer additional employee benefits such as dental and group life insurance. There are also government funded benefits such as Employment Insurance, CPP (Canada Pension Plan), and Workers Compensation. Funding for these programs comes from tax revenues, employers and employees. Recommendation

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Given that Dairy Queen only has part-time employees, most of which are young and still covered under their parents own benefits or even their own school benefit program, it is not necessary that Dairy Queen establish an employee benefit program.

Building Effective Employee-Employee Relationships Occupational Health and Safety Description When discussing the importance of health and safety with Tricia we asked if every reasonable precaution was taken to ensure the health and safety of the workers. Various questions in regards to Due diligence were brought up such as, ensuring that safety rules are enforced, posting safety notices and legislative information, maintaining records, and filing government accident reports. (Dessler & Cole, Human Resources Management in Canada, 11 th Edition, 2011, page 383) Tricia was very forthcoming and replied yes to these important requirements. The machines at Dairy Queen are not dangerous nor do they pose any immediate threat of injury, but other more common threats may exist such as improper lifting, slipping, bumping into objects, and repetitive strain. Repetitive strain injuries can occur because of the way many heavy ice cream cakes are made, always holding it with one hand while continuously adding ingredients. The cakes get heavier as more ice cream is added, and this puts strain on the wrist. Tricia is doing what is necessary to ensure that the proper policies and procedures are followed to minimize risk of injury.

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We also discussed with Tricia the topic of a Joint Health and Safety Committee, which they do not have at present. Some of the things included with a Joint Health and Safety Committee are inspecting and evaluating any hazards as well as implementing a solution. There currently is not a formal workplace inspection person or committee. They do however follow the WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) training for employees as well as have MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) readily available. Analysis Depending on the particular environment, health and safety rules can be common or specific. All part-time workers must comply with health and safety regulations that are set in place. According to (Dessler & Cole, 2011, page 385) safety-minded managers must aim to instill in their workers the desire to work safely by cleaning up spills or wet floors. But management cant keep an eye on workers all the time, so workers have to want to work safely. Chance occurrences, unsafe conditions, and unsafe acts cause workplace accidents (Dessler & Cole, 2011, page 388), but what compounds the problem is age. Most workers at Dairy Queen are teen aged part-time workers, and this age group is the most prone to have a work related accident. 5 times more than any other age group and it seems that supervision and training is a concern. (Dessler & Cole, 2011, page 391-92) Tricia says that all part-time workers are high school students who are impressionable and conscientious which goes along way with her guidance to ensure health and safety, we believe Tricia is doing well, but at the same time there are some things we can recommend to bolster her program. Recommendations
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Tricias knowledge of Human Resources is a definite asset and has served her well in keeping a health and safety conscious workplace, but we feel that maybe she could take it one step further and become certified in health and safety. This could be accomplished at a cost of under $400 (see Appendix C) A Health and safety certification may provide her with valuable insight to further protect the young workers at Dairy Queen. Tricia would be able to take her new skills and deliver them to her employees. In regards to the Joint Health and Safety Committee, there is no legal requirement for such a committee as Dairy Queen employs all part-time workers. According to the Occupational Health and Safety Legislation, Most jurisdictions require a joint health and safety committee to be established in each workplace with a minimum number of workers (usually 10 or 20). In the other jurisdictions, the government has the power to require a committee to be formed. (Dessler & Cole, 2011, page 383) As for providing information about hazardous materials in the workplace, this is a policy that Dairy Queen already has set in place. There are not many hazardous materials other than bleach, which is properly labeled. The Workplace hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) is a Canada-wide, legally mandated system designed to protect workers by providing crucial information about hazardous materials or substances in the workplace. (Dessler & Cole, 2011, page 385) Benefits According to Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety young workers tend to take risks and are unrealistic about their own mortality; they may be reluctant to ask questions for
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fear of appearing unknowledgeable; and because of lack of understanding, they may decide to make changes to the job in unexpected and possibly risky ways. (Dessler & Cole, 2011, page 392) Now, this kind of knowledge can be obtained through health and Safety certification. It would be beneficial for Tricia to become certified to further be able to pass this knowledge on to the young employees at Dairy Queen. As a certified Health and Safety representative for the Dairy Queen Tricia would greatly reduce potential hazardous or risky situations and improve an already good environment.

Fair Treatment
Description When discussing the topic of employee relations with Tricia, we discovered that despite the lack of multi-communication tools used, employee relations are still quite good. E-mail, both broadcast and one-to-one, is the main form of employer-employee communication. It is used to send out the work schedule and information on various other items such as new policies, products, and upcoming events and meetings. We further talked about the topic of retirement. Since nearly every employee is and have been teens and young adults attending school and only working part time, the need for a retirement program is unnecessary. As for the topic of privacy policies, both for customers and for employees, Tricia told us that they do have a privacy policy for their employees regarding personal information collected, but not for customers. They do not collect customers personal information but for cake orders,

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where a contact name and number is needed in the case that the cake decorator needs more information. When we asked Tricia about disciplinary procedures, she talked about different ways employees are dealt with when they dont follow procedure or display inadequacy. If an employee requires some sort of discipline or redirection, they are first given a verbal warning. They are told what it is they are doing and what it is they should be doing. If that fails, they move on to the next step which is extra training, and finally termination if the training is not successful. Analysis Communication is a key factor with employee relations. Without communication, the strategic benefit of employee engagement would be lacking. It helps to keep employees continually motivated, especially when you communicate to them what they are doing well, always being sure to treat them equally and in a ethical manner. With respect to employee relations, there are three key components to define organizational justice. These are distributive, procedural and interactional justice. Distributive justice refers to the fairness and justice of the outcome of a decisionProcedural justice refers to the fairness of the process Interactional justice refers to the manner in which managers conduct their interpersonal dealings with employees (Dessler & Cole, Human Resources Management in Canada, 11th Edition, 2011, page 415) In regards to privacy policies of employees, the use of their personal information is for organization employment purposed only and is not shared. The Personal information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) govern the collection, use and disclosure of
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personal information across Canada, including employers collection and dissemination of personal information about employees. (Dessler & Cole, 2011, page 420) When discipline or termination is required, it is imperative that the manager and/or HR person do so fairly and legally. Employee discipline and termination of employment are two of the most common situations in which employees perceive that they are treated unfairly. (Dessler & Cole, 2011, page 425) Further, there should be rules, regulations, and even a progressive penalty system in place. This will help to ensure fair treatment and decrease the possibility of animosity. Recommendation We would like to start our recommendation regarding employee relations by complimenting the fact that Dairy Queen has a good system in place already. We also would like to recommend some additional drivers of engagement for their consideration. We believe that having a recognition program in place would motivate employee to follow procedures and instill a positive attitude towards the organization and its strategic goals. Dairy Queen is following PIPEDA for privacy, and we only suggest that they continue updating any policy changes that occur in the future. Finally, we suggest that Tricia have written and documented system of discipline and dismissal. This will ensure that the same steps and procedures are followed for each employee and therefore the chance of unethical or unfair treatment will be absent as well as decreasing the chance of a charge for wrongful dismissal.

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Benefits One automatic benefit that exists at the Dairy Queen is that the employs are all part-time workers. Most employees are hard working, intelligent teenagers who enjoy their part-time job, and know that its a temporary stepping stone to better things in the future. While attending high school and post secondary school, employees enjoy earning extra income slinging ice cream. They already have developed drivers of engagement by working for a company with a solid reputation, seen as a leader, and provide enjoyment and satisfaction to its customers. Furthermore, reinforcing employee engagement with fair treatment, concern for their well being, and treating them with dignity and respect by recognizing any small achievements or contributions toward company goals will develop a successful workforce. A recognition program would be ideal among employees at the Dairy Queen who we believe would strive to achieve, because of the challenge, and the opportunity to be recognized for their efforts. Employee engagement is strongly correlated to performance outcomes, including improvements in recruiting, retention, turnover, individual productivity, customer service, and customer loyalty, as well as growth in profit margins, increased profit margins, and revenue growth rates. (Dessler & Cole, 2011, page 417)

Labour Relations
Description In regards to labour relations, Tricia explained the obvious to us, that there was no union. Unions are collective voices that deal with management in attempts to influence Human Resource policies and practices involving pay and benefits; to achieve greater control over the

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jobs being performed, greater job security, and improved working conditions; and to increase job satisfaction. (Dessler & Cole, 2011, page 438) Tricia explained to us briefly that her part time employees are temporary, and in most cases are exposed to the working world for the first time. Collectively, they have no desire to strike, walk-out, go to arbitration, or file grievances. These are young teenagers! They are mostly concerned with earning a few extra dollars and getting school work completed. Employee-Management relations run quite smoothly at the Dairy Queen and there is no need or desire for a union. Analysis Since there is no union and labour relations are quite unique, therefore eliminating any attempts to form a union, its always a good idea to maintain a functional and respectful labour relationship. And that is exactly what is happening at the Dairy Queen. Recommendations We believe Tricia should keep doing what she is doing at Dairy Queen because she is very successful at employee relations. Benefits The benefits of a union at Dairy Queen would ensure regulation. Employees would be enrolled in health and safety programs, and committees would be formed. With best safety practices in place the company stands to achieve better performance from workers who feel safe. Unions protect employees from situations in the workplace that arent right, such as management

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making disciplinary mistakes. Another great benefit of having a union is increased wages and better benefits or at least prevention of deteriorated benefits plans.

Conclusion Weber Street Dairy Queen in Waterloo is doing an overall excellent job in the area of Human Resources Management. Even though they do not actually have an official HR person in the company, Tricia Hyde does a very good job taking care of the many HR tasks. The only major recommendation we would like to make to Tricia is that she look into creating a formal employee recognition program. As discussed in the above report, this would be a major benefit to the company, the owner, and all current and future employees. Not only would this increase employee morale, it would decrease employee turnover. Employee retention is a great way to save on hiring and training costs.

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Appendix A Interview Questions


Chapter 1 1. Does your HR person sit at the strategic planning table? 2. What environmental influences impact HRM? Chapter 2 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Does your company abide to the minimum wage? Do you have Parenting and adoptive leaves? Do you have Overtime pay? Do you believe your company hire based on any discrimination? Does your company set a limit on maximum work hours per day/week? Does the hiring practice discriminate directly or indirectly? Is there a bona fide occupational requirement for your company? Has there been a problem with harassment in the workplace ever? Does the company have a policy to deal with harassment?

Chapter 4 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Does each position in the company include a specific job description? What is done if an employee isnt able to perform an essential duty? Is there a level of both mental and physical competency required? Is the job design ergonomic? (Minimize strain on body)? Are employees rotated through tasks in the company? (job rotation)

Chapter 5 1. Do you forecast employee demand? 2. Does the company have a skills inventory, or a record of employees education, skills, and experience? 3. Are there management inventories regarding what qualifications, skills, and education managers have? 4. Do you find an effect on candidates for jobs based on local labour market conditions? 5. If there is a labour surplus, how does the company deal with the extra employees? 6. If a labour shortage exists when the internal supply of human resources cannot meet the organizations needs, how does the company respond? Chapter 6 1. 2. 3. 4. Does your company have a recruitment process? Do you recruit from within the company via job postings? Do you recruit externally? Do you have an application form?

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Chapter 7 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Do you have a selection process? How do you administer an interview? Are interviews structured? What types of questions do you ask? Do you ask questions that violate human rights legislation? Do you treat each candidate the same?

Chapter 8 1. Do you have an orientation program? 2. Do you conduct any training? If yes, what kind of training do you do? Do you use any of the following training methods? (List was provided) How do you know someone needs (more) training? Do you evaluate training? Chapter 11 1. Do you have an Awards Program? 2. Does your rate of pay compare with rates in other organizations? Chapter 12 1. Do you have an employee incentive plan? 2. Do you have an employee recognition program? Chapter 13 1. Which of the following benefits and services do you provide? 2. Do you have a flexible benefit program where employees can choose the benefits they wish to receive? Chapter 14 1. Do you take every reasonable precaution to ensure the health and safety of your workers? 2. Do you have a Joint Health and Safety Committee? 3. Regarding Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), do you do the following: (list provided) Chapter 15 1. Do you communicate with your employees? 2. Do you have a retirement program? 3. Have you ever downsized your company? 39 | P a g e

4. 5. 6. 7.

Do you have a privacy policy? Do you have any policies surrounding internet use? Do you have disciplinary procedures? Have you ever been sued for wrongful dismissal?

Chapter 16 1. Do you have a union?

Appendix B Contact Information


Tricia Hyde, Dairy Queen Waterloo 238 Weber St. N. Waterloo, ON (519) 746-7868

Appendix C OH&S Certification Information


Occupational Health and Safety PERS 1430 P Units: 3 Today, workplace safety in Ontario is governed by a well-coordinated set of legal schemes that address many facets of work safety: hazardous materials; employer, supervisor, and worker safety responsibilities; and a public insurance scheme to address work injury claims, among others. Ontario employers are required to maintain a current understanding of all of these schemes so that they can run their business in compliance with the law. This senior-level course is designed to support the development of that understanding. Dates and Campus Locations: Class Number: 1428 Campus: Niagara-on-the-Lake Tue May 8 - Aug 14 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM Fee: $317.64 + text http://www.niagaracollege.ca/content/ContinuingEducation/CECourseCalendar/CECourseList/CECourse Details/tabid/793/ncAcademicCareerId/PSEC/ncSubject/PERS/ncCatalogueNumber/1430/ncAcademicGr oupId/CE/ncAcademicTermId/1122/Default.aspx

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Appendix D Turnitin Report


Paper submitted to Turnitin report not available

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Bibliography
1. Steen, S. L. M., Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2009). Human resources management. (Second ed.). Toronto, ON: McGraw Hill Ryerson. 2. Dessler, G., & Cole, N. D. (2011). Human resources management in Canada. (Eleventh ed.). Toronto, ON: Pearson Prentice Hall. 3. Pascal, B.W. (2001). The Orientation Wars, Workplace Today p.4 4. http://www.niagaracollege.ca/content/ContinuingEducation/CECourseCalendar/CECourseList/CECourse Details/tabid/793/ncAcademicCareerId/PSEC/ncSubject/PERS/ncCatalogueNumber/1430/ncAcademicGr oupId/CE/ncAcademicTermId/1122/Default.aspx

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Student Contribution Report


Human Resource Management HRM2040 Student Contribution Report Organizational Analysis Project
In order to more fairly distribute marks that accurately reflect individual student effort on the group organizational analysis project the following report is being used. Note: This report must be completed and submitted at the time the assignment is presented and is required before individual group member marks are assigned. Student Name (Print First/Last) Kale Hofstetter Krystal Hyde Chris Bouchard TOTAL (must = 100%) Contribution % 33 34 33 100%

Member 1: Member 2: Member 3:

All group members participated in the completion of this contribution report and agree with contribution %s assigned (Please check) The group assignment must be submitted on the due date along with this completed Student Contribution Report to demonstrate a consensus of the group on individual effort put into the group project. Until this report is received no grade will be assigned to any of the members of the group Individual contributions are to be measured on a % basis Individual marks are determined by multiplying the contribution % rate for each group member times the overall Group Project Grade (out of 25) times the # of group members, for example. 33.3% individual contribution X 23 (project grade) X 3 members = 23/25 (Maximum mark) 20.0% individual contribution X 23 (project grade) X 3 members = 14/25 (Rounded up) 10.0% individual contribution X 23 (project grade) X 3 members = 7/25 (Rounded up)

Note: Any members contributing more than an equal share, i.e. > 33% in groups of 3 will get the full

project mark and no more.

Dispute Resolution for No Consensus of Contribution Ratings (Arbitration): If any individual cannot agree on a % split decided upon by the rest of the group, that individual must state in a typewritten memo to the instructor/arbitrator, their version of the facts and reasons for this dispute or non consensus. The student is to provide: (a) Any additional related information and reasons for their position; (b) Suggest a % they feel more accurately reflects their contribution to the report. When the memo is received the instructor (arbitrator) will contact the other group members to discuss this information and after considering all this information, will assign % marks for the members.

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Rubric HRM2040 Organizational Analysis Project Grading Rubric:(This sheet must be inserted into the last
page of your report) Marks Available
Format o o o o o o o o o o Turnitin Report Student Contribution Report Executive Summary Table of Contents Subtitles and Headings APA Style in text citations Implementation Plan Conclusion Bibliography Inclusion of contact name and interview date in bibliography

1-3
Missing >2 elements of formal business report format Subtitles Missing or misleading Contains significant numbers of spelling or grammatical mistakes Little evidence of careful proofreading

4-7
Missing 1-2 elements of formal business report format No appendices provided where opportunity exists All subtitles present and informative Few relatively minor spelling and grammatical mistakes Evidence of adequate proofreading

8-10
Complied with format and/or exceeded expectations High degree of visual appeal Includes relevant annotated Appendices May include annotated charts Relatively free of any spelling or grammatical mistakes Evidence of highly detailed proofreading

Weight
__ x 1

Mark

Description o o o o o o o o o Role of HR Legal Compliance Job Analysis HR Planning Recruitment Selection T and D Base Pay Variable Pay

Missing more than 2 course units Description of current practices unclear

Missing one to two course units or explanations unclear/confusing/sketchy Did not provide any specific examples of practices

Included all units, sufficient detail and clarity of explanation Provided specific examples of practices

__x 3

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o Benefits and Services o Health and Safety o EE relations o Labour Relations Analysis o Identified strengths and weaknesses of current approach Identified hard and soft costs

Little to no analysis provided Report primarily descriptive Few implications identified

Some analysis provided but is primarily sketchy, Does not identify pros and cons, Pros and cons are insignificant or not meaningful Provided impacts on other HR functions

Analysis is detailed, outlined significant pros and cons Identified impacts beyond HR e.g. on other managerial functions, other stakeholders

__x 3

Recommendations o o Reflect course theories and techniques Appropriate to company size and industry/context Directly related to gaps identified

Few recommendations provided Impacts identified non-sensical Did not include obvious techniques or approaches from course

Recommendations contain gaps, Little justification Some connection to text or to theory Minor approaches not considered

Recommendations complete, convincing justification Strong connections to theory and text Considered all appropriate techniques and approaches

__x2

Costs/Benefits Explained

Did not explain benefits likely or did not provide bottom line connections Identified only soft benefits

Some gaps in bottom line connections, illogical connections, some missing explanations Provided some hard and soft

Explained all anticipated benefits, strong connections made to bottom line benefits Provided complete and accurate detailed hard and soft

__x1

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Did not explain hard benefits Primary and Secondary Research o Conducted primary research with organization Used college resources to provide credible secondary research sources Did not conduct primary research, relied exclusively on secondary sources, no evidence of credible research; sources not credible

benefits or implications Identified some timing issues Conducted both primary and secondary research; most or all of sources credible did not use secondary research to bolster recommendations sources from non peer reviewed journals

benefits/cost estimates

Secondary research used to bolster recommendations Extracted from highly credible peer reviewed academic journals

__x1

Total /110

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